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spir&ag cheerfulness . It prevents misery by the regulation of the passions . The health of the human mind ( it has been remarked ) requires that futurity should be gilded with the beams of hope and expectation I And what does this more
effectually than true and lindefited religion ?—for it secures the happiness of the present by securing and promoting Hie kind affections , whilst it points to a reversion in the skies , * where there are $ oy& at God ' s right hand , and pleasures for evermore . ' " —Pp . 535 , 536 .
From the latter , we take an animated passage in exposition and illustration of the final sentence of Christ Qii his faithful servants : * ' Mark the expressions by which the Saviour introduces the reward of the faithful servant— Well done , thou good 4 nd faithful servant : enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord V Dn Dodd ridge remarks , that ' here is an allusion to auditors or spectators of any public exercise to express the highest applause when any part had been excellently performed . Bravely done ! conies something near it ,
hut is not equally elegant or forcible / In this view of the subject the words are replete with animation . They convey a spirit of decision in favour of the good and faithful servant , highly flattering to the feelings , and which is easier to be conceived than to describe .
The eulogy conveys three distinct ideas , that of approbation , of admiration , and of triumph . " It is the language of approbation . As intelligent and moral agents , we form our own judgment respecting conduct . Forming a choice deliberately , we abide by oar individual judgment . But still
we seek the favourable opinion of others ; ^ nd when we obtain it , we are invigorated in the path of duty ; aod the more intelligent and worthy the character , the more valuable the approbation . Indeed , the
joy of Ms Lord is a pure aod perennial source of satisfaction , because it implies approbation of has views , of his temper , and of his conduct . This imparts a sensation not to be delineated 5 it js a € joy unspeakable and full of glory . '
" It is the language of admiration . When we perceive a character surmounting the difficulties of his situation , we conameod the resolution and fortitude by which he overcame them . No situation is without its trials ; and official
situations have trials peculiar to them . Ministers of the gospel are in this respect most critically circumstanced . They have lpnestly avowed opinions and suffered for U . Tlipy have pro-tested against the faahjpnal > ta vi ^ ea af the age . and inquired
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displeasure- They have reprehended thfe faults of their flock , and given offence . A minister doing his duty cannot please all . He will have erietnies , hilt they will not deter him from lira duty * He has chalked out his path , which will be trod , den by him to the end of his journey .
" Oar blessed Saviour , who knew iohat teas in man , is apprized of these difficulties , and knows the energy required to surmount them . Aware of the weakness of our nature , and of the strength of temptation , he can appreciate the resolu . tion necessary for the triumph to be achieved over them . He is neither a
hard nor a severe Master . Making allowance for the imperfections of humanity , he will form no unreasonable expectations concerning his servants . Admiration is excited because , all things
considered , the disciple has done well . He has been determined and persevering , however others may have swerved from the straight , undeviating line of rectitude . Hence , having done well , he will enter
tnto the joy of his Lord I " Lastly , it is the language of triumph . Indeed , the highest triumph may be indulged on this occasion . No one can be ignorant of the exultation which one party derives from success over an opposite party . It is well known , that in cases of victory , the triumphant army sends forth its acclamations to the ends
of the earth . In our triumphs over an enemy with whom we have been contending many a long year , loud and even obstreperous is the exultation . The ringing of bells , the blaze of illumination , and the shouts of the multitude are heard , not in our metropolis only , but throughout the nation * 4 i
But these triumphs , however boisterous , are not comparable to the triumphs of a moral victory . Here is the good and faithful servant , whether among private Christians , or ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ , contending successfully with a more potent enemy *
Among the foes over whdnA he has achieved th 6 victory , are ignorance and vice in all their tremendous ramifications . The disciple of Jesus , and much more the minister of Christ , has to war * not with flesh and blood * only- * but
with principalities and powers , ami wickedness in high places / The amelioration of his fellow-creatures is the prime object of the Christian ministry . It is God ' s otvu work , and must be accomplished .
" And what a triumph arises from a retrospective survey of what haa been done in this great business by the faithful minister of Jesus Christ I Mawjr imp ^ factions are discernible ; wppy defects
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108 R £ vieu > . ~ -Evan 8 * s Tracts , Sermons , ami Funeral OrntioniB ,
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1826, page 108, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2545/page/44/
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