55 / 652
SEEM.
11
THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION.
45
ages
:
But
in
my
opinion
all
the praises
which
are due to
David,
and Abraham,
fall
far
short
of
the labours
and
sufferings,
the
zeal
and patience, the holiness
and the
love
of that
divine man,
St.
Paul,
whose life
is
recom-
mended
as
an
example to the christian
world
:
And nei-
'
ther David
nor
Abraham, nor any
of
the
ancient
saints,
who
had
each
of
them their
blemishes,
are
to
be
com-
pared
with
the more excellent and perfect
pattern
of
Je-
sus the Son
of
God,
who was holy,
harmless,
undefiled
and
separate
from
sinners
;
who was
without
the
least
blemish
in
heart
and
life
:
He
bath
given
us
a
glorious
example
of
piety,
virtue, and goodness,
incomparably
superior
to all
former
ages
;
it
is
most
inviting
indeed,
and yet inimitable
by all
that
follow.
'
Let
us
next consider our
various motives
to duty un-
der the New Testament.
Are
the
motives
of
love
and
gratitude
powerful
prin-
ciples
to
encourage
and
persuade
us
to every
active ser-
vice
?
Such
indeed were the blessings and
gifts which
God
bestowed on men
under
former dispensations.
But
what
were all
those
gifts
and
blessings
in
comparison
of
the
unspeakable
gift
of
his own
Son,
to die as a
sacrifice
in
our
stead, which
is
one
of
the
chief themes and glories
of
the christian
revelation
?
The
love
of
God
to
us,
made
visible in
the
sufferings
of
the
Son
of God
for our
sins,
carries
with
it
a more
abundant
force
of
persuasion to
work upon
our gratitude and our
love,
than
all the
dis-
coveries
of
grace
from
the
days
of
Adam till this day.
How
can
we sin
against
such
astonishing
goodness?
Against
such
a
sublime
instance
of
divine compassion
?
Are the promises and
threatenings
of
God
another set
of
motives to
duty? Do the
awful
glories
and
terrors
of
a
future
and
eternal
world
work upon
all tile
springs
of
our
activity and diligence,
by
hope
and fear?
Yes certainly,
in a high degree. But the
former dispensations
had
but
few
of
these
eternal
terrors and
glories, these threa.tenings
and promises
relating
to
an invisible
state.
All
beyond
death
and the
grace
had
a
gloom and darkness upon
it
in
former
times,
except here
and
there
a
glimpse
of
light
that
was
shot
in
between
the
clouds.
A
few
bright sen-
tences collected
from
David, Isaiah, and Daniel, were
some
of
the
chief discoveries
that
we
know
of
in
those
ancient
ages;
but
in
the
New
Testament
the gates
of
the