SERMON

ON THE DEATH OF THE

REV. JAMES HERVEY.

LUKE ii. 29, 30.

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.

ACCORDING to the ancient prophecies, in the fulness of time God sent forth his Son. He came to his own when there was a general expectation of his birth. Many just and devout persons in Jerusalem were then looking out for the Redeemer's coming in the flesh, and among them good old Simeon, and Anna, a prophetess, are particularly mentioned. St. Luke says, "There 66 was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and "the same man was just, a justified person, and de"vout, fearing to offend God," as the Greek word signifies, waiting for the consolation of Israel; he was waiting for the incarnation of the divine Comforter, by whose birth all the promises of comfort were to be ratified and fulfilled, and the Israel of God was to receive everlasting consolation. The Lord was pleased to vouchsafe a particular revelation of his will in this matter to Simeon: "for the holy Spirit was upon him, "and it was revealed unto him by the holy Spirit, that "he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's

"Christ incarnate." And he came by direction of the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the holy child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God that he had lived to this happy hour, when he could take up the prophet's words, and say, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation. Simeon waited to see God incarnate, and having seen him, he wanted to live no longer. He desired his dismission. All the ends of living were answered, and therefore he put up this sweet prayer-" Lord now lettest thou thy "servant depart in peace according to thy word: for ❝ mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

With these same words one of our dear brethren, now with the Lord, finished his course. They were the dying words of the Reverend Mr. James Hervey. He had long desired to depart, and to be with Christ, which he knew was far better than to abide in the flesh, but he waited patiently for the Lord's time; and when it was come, he thus expressed the thankfulness of his heart, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy most holy and comfortable "word: for mine eyes have seen thy precious salva❝tion." The Lord heard him, and gave him a gentle dismission. He died as he had lived, in a perfectly even and calm composure of mind. Death shewed that he came to him as a friendly messenger to call him to glory, for he cheerfully obeyed the summons. There was no fear, no struggle, not a sigh or groan, but he departed in peace, and in full assurance of faith. Oh that you and I, my brethren, may so live by the faith of the Son of God, that when we come to die, we may be able to use this same prayer, and may receive of the Lord a like gracious answer.

These sweet dying words of our dear brother have made a great impression upon several of his acquaintance for they have been led to consider them more

closely than perhaps they ever did before, and several have meditated upon them with great comfort. In order that others might do the same, and that his happy death might be the means of stirring up many to seek to die the death of the righteous, and that their latter end might be like his, I have determined to speak upon the words this day. May the same Spirit by which Simeon spake them be in all your hearts. May he teach you their true and full meaning, and in God's due time may he give you the comfortable experience of them. Under his guidance let us consider

First, That when Simeon had seen the salvation of God, he was prepared to depart.

Secondly, He therefore desired it, and prayed for it;

and

Thirdly, He expected he should depart in peace according to God's word, which was fulfilled to him; and under each of these particulars I shall speak of the experience of our deceased brother.

First, Simeon had it revealed to him by the holy Spirit, that he should not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ, and when Jesus was brought into the temple, he was directed to go and receive him for the promised Messiah, and taking him up in his arms, he blessed God, and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy "servant depart in peace according to thy word: for "mine eyes have seen thy salvation." It is evident he spoke these words in their primary sense of his seeing Jesus with the eyes of his body; but this could have been no great cause of joy to him, unless he had before seen Christ some other way; for multitudes saw him with their bodily eyes, while he was upon earth, who were no better for the sight; and multitudes will hereafter see him in his glorified body, but it will be to their everlasting confusion. There is another kind of sight, to which our church referred you this afternoon, when each of you took up these words and said, "for "mine eyes have seen thy salvation." If you knew what you said, and spoke the truth as you had expe

rienced it, you meant that you had seen the salvation of God with the eye of faith; according to what is said of Moses, "That by faith he saw him who is invisible,” (Heb. xi. 27.) He saw him by the eyes of his soul, who was invisible to the eyes of his body: for the soul has its eyes as well as the body, but sin darkened them; it put them into the state in which the eyes of the body are, when they have no light; then they can see nothing. So the soul is said in scripture to be in darkness and blindness, until the eyes of the understanding be enlightened. They cannot see any spiritual objects until the Sun of righteousness shine upon them; nor when he does shine, can they see any loveliness in those objects, until they be able to act faith upon them; for the eye of faith not only beholds the object, but also distinguishes its own interest in it. Faith keeps all the senses of the soul in act and exercise upon the proper object which each apprehends; here the eye of faith is fixed upon salvation, not only viewing it as a blessing belonging to others, but also appropriating it to itself. "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation;" here Simeon speaking of our Saviour calls him Salvation, because all salvation is in and from him. He is the author, and he is the finisher of it. The great plan of it was laid by the co-equal and co-eternal persons of the ever-blessed Trinity before the foundation of the world; it was carried into execution by our divine Saviour in the fulness of time, and his is an eternal salvation, an eternal deliverance from all evil, and an eternal possession of all good. Upon the entrance of sin into the world this great salvation of our God was revealed, and, by faith, believers under the Old Testament dispensation, enjoyed the benefits of it. At the appointed time Jehovah took a body of flesh, and our divine Immanuel stood up to save his people from their sins. He undertook to satisfy all the demands of law and justice. The law he satisfied by paying it a perfect unsinning obedience, which being a divine as well as a human obedience, did therefore magnify the law, and

make it more honourable, than if all the creatures in heaven and earth had never offended against it. Jus tice he satisfied by enduring the threatened punishment, and after his sufferings and death, justice had no more demands upon him: for he came out of the prison of the grave with a full discharge. This satisfaction made to law and justice, by the obedience and sufferings of the Lord Jesus, is what the scripture calls the Righteousness of God, because it is a divine and infinitely perfect righteousness, a divine righteousness wrought out by Jehovah himself, and as infinitely perfect a righteousness as Jehovah could make it. In this all-glorious righteousness of the God-man Christ Jesus consists the sinner's salvation: for he is accepted and justified by it, the fruits of this righteousness are his sanctification, and the robe of this righteousness is his glorification. So that salvation in time and in eternity depends upon the righteousness of the incarnate God. This is the fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion, for which our dear brother was a noble champion. He saw, he experienced the importance of it, and therefore in his conversation and in his preaching it was his favourite topic. How sweetly, how profitably have I heard him dwell upon it, and how excellently has he defended it in his writings? Read his Theron and Aspasio, and when you are thoroughly convinced that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believeth, and can say with faith," in the Lord have I righteousness and "salvation," then your mind will be settled in peace and comfort, and you will be delivered from those dangerous errors which are now propagated concerning the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. Thank God for the masterly defence of it in these dialogues.* In them

* About a week before Mr. Hervey was taken ill, I mentioned to him a report that was spread about, concerning Mr. Sandiman's Letters upon Theron and Aspasio, to this effect: that he (Mr Hervey) had written a letter to Mrs. Cooke, and therein had said, That Mr. Sandiman was in the right, and had convinced him of his error; or words to that purpose. To which he answered, That he had written a letter to