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124
A
HOPEFUL
YOUTH
[SERM.
Vii.
phets
of
them.
Abraham the
rich,
and
Sarah the beau-
tiful;
Peter
the poor fisherman,
and
Paul
the man
of
mean
aspect, and
contemptible
figure
;
were
all belov-
ed
of God,
and made
heirs
of
eternal life. The
con-
duct of
the
great
God,
in
this
matter,
is
so
various,
and
his
reasons
so
sublime
and impenetrable, that
it
is
in vain for
us
to
attempt
to
trace
out
his
rules of
action.
Sometimes
he
chuses
a
man
of
great
intellectual
pow-
ers,
and
sets an invisible
mark
of
divine love
upon
him:
At another
time he takes
pleasure
to
pour contempt
on
all
the
pride
of
human reason,
by
chusing
a
foolish man,
and
making
him
an
humble
believer. Sometimes he ex-
alts the
man
of
natural
virtue into a
saint;
and again,
he
spreads
shame and confusion over
all
our
own
pre-
tended
righteousnesses and
vain confidence,
by
culling
out, here and
there,
a profane
wretch,
and converting
him
to faith
and
holiness,
and in the mean
time he
leaves
some
that
are
sober,
and
have many
human vir-
tues, and good appearances,
to perish
with the
pharisee
and
the hypocrite for
ever, in
their pride and
self-
righte-
ousness.
Jesus,
the
Man, looked upon
this
pretty
youth
that
was well
-born,
sober,
and virtuous, and
he'lov-
ed him;
but
the
eternal God
chose him
not
for
a
saint,
for
he suffered him to
run
madding
after
his
many pos-
sessions,
and
to
despise heaven.
Here
it becomes
us to
be silent and adore.
O the
depths
of
divine counsel
!
O the
awful
and glorious
sovereignty
of
the grace
of
God,
that
could pass
by
so
desirable
a
person,
whom
the
man
Jesus
could
not
look
upon without pity
and
love
!
How unsearchable are
his
ways,
and
his
judg-
ments past
finding out, Rom.
xi. 33.
Now though
this
be
a
very painful and tremendous
'meditation, yet there
is
an excellent
use to be
made
of
it.
No
roan
should
despair of salvation,
and the
love
of
God,
how
mean and despicable soever
his
appear-
ance
be
among
men,
or
how
remote
soever from
all
that
we call
lovely.
Let
him
forsake
all sin
and
be
happy
for
ever.
No
should the most amiable
of
creatures,
in
the
natural
or
civil
world,
flatter
themselves
that
they
are
upon that account
beloved
of
God,
and
shall cer-
tainly
be
partakers
of
eternal
blessings
in
the world
of
glory.
Let
them
follow
Christ, and
be saved.