which he assumed are the objects of reconciliation. But how did he reconcile ? 2. Meritoriously. He made him to be a sin-offering who knew no sin, &c. There is a beautiful opposition in the whole of this passage. God made Christ to be sin-a sinoffering that we sinners might be made the righteousness of God in him. By righteousness here is meant the entire sanctification of our natures; not the removing the penalty, but destroying the principle: anything short of this would not be worthy of the name Gospel. If I were to have the offer of pardon and heaven, and yet the principle of sin remaining, I would prefer hell having this principle of sin removed and suffering for my guilt (if it were possible), rather than have heaven with the guilt pardoned and the principle remaining; for the soul cannot take pleasure in anything unsuitable to its own disposition. Bring a peasant among philosophers, he prefers his humble cot; bring a libertine among a society noted for chastity, he longs for the scenes of debauchery; so the joys of bliss are no joy but to the soul prepared by similar dispositions for their reception. Again: as far as Adam fell, so far are we restored even here, and much farther hereafter. Christ is our second Adam, and we are to be made the righteousness of God in him; in and through him we are to stand, as in and through Adam we fell! Behold, then, sinner, the mighty work which has been done for thee; but behold also the mighty work which must be done in thee. Thou hast been redeemed by price; but this price was paid to purchase the power of the Holy Ghost to be exerted in thee mightily; and if the power of God have not wrought the change in thy nature, the price paid for thee will but enhance thy condemnation. Then thy cry will be, I might have been saved, but would not; now I would, but cannot. * * Now how was this effected? God was in Christ. Allusion is here made to sacrifice, by which men entered into covenant with God. Indeed, a sacrifice was reckoned a covenant; now behold the victim; the hu man nature of Christ, pure, spotless, sinless. God was in Christ: the Divine nature offered up the human; there is one party, now where is the other? We are in Christ also!

how fine!

Our human nature is there also, and at this shrine we can meet God! Now at this shrine God does not impute our sins to us; by the offering he is reconciled to us, and covers our iniquities.

II. But now it remains, "Be ye reconciled to God." Two ways of attaining this. 1. Put away sin. 2. Take hold by

faith.

1. God has put away sin from before him, and thou must meet him, putting it from thee. He has dipped the pen of mercy in the blood of the cross, and stained the lines of justice against thee, and there is no record now before his throne but the blood of Christ. But wilt thou not meet him? Oh! I tremble for the man living in sin and lust, despising the riches of God's grace. Thou art sinning against thy only remedy, and for this God will adjudge thee to eternal death. Remember! if thou sin against the remedy offered in Christ, "there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary." He will come again with power and great glory, but it will be without a sin-offering. Christ is now thy covenant and sacrifice, but he will then be thy sovereign and judge! Oh! sinner, I can already behold the awful scene; I hear the archangel's voice, "Arise, ye dead, and come." Where? to judgment! See the bursting graves; the great white throne moved forward by ten thousand times ten thousand angels; see the books opened, the judge set! Behold! the judge himself appears, clothed with a girdle from head to foot, his eyes as a flame of fire, his feet like burnished brass, his raiment white and glistering, his countenance as the sun shining in his strength, his voice as the sound of many waters, yea, as mighty thunderings. I see the tomb casts thee forth-refuses to hide thy sinful dust; thine eyes open; thou wast not dead, but sleeping; and now thou art awakened to sleep no more forever. I see thy vast surprise; I hear thy hollow groan, thy piercing cry; thou rendest heaven with thy shrieks! *** Is that the babe of Bethlehem! Lord! Lord! open unto us. Thou art called to the bar; thy crimes are read; plead now his blood. Thou pleadest "Jesus;" he says, "I am he." But

thou drawest backward and fallest-down to hell! Thy mouth is stopped; his blood cries against thee; thou trampledst it beneath thy feet; in time thou wast heard exclaiming, "His blood be on me," and now the Judge says, "My blood be on thee forever-ever!" See, sinner, devils wait to drag thy soul away. This will be thy case; hazard not the experiment; be wise in time; flee from thy sins; cut off, pluck out, tear the idol from thy breast, even though it should leave a bleeding heart behind; confess thy sins, and return unto the Lord!

2. Take hold by faith. Now, having prepared thy heart, touch the victim. God is in Christ-meet thou in Christ; put forth thy hand! enter into covenant; strike hands with God. Believe that he is reconciled to thee! Pray not for God to devise a plan of reconciliation, but believe he has done it; and do thou lay thy sins at the foot of the altar, and take hold of God through the humanity of Jesus; appropriate his merits to thy individual case, as the scapegoat, * And now, having acted

&c.

as the ambassador of Christ, allow me to display the character of the Christian minister towards man-your servant for Christ's sake: we beseech you; knowing his terrors, we would persuade you; and if I should never have to speak to you again, I wash my hands in innocency. I have delivered my soul! I am clear of your blood! I beseech you!

But though, for a moment, we stoop thus, we rise again: "As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." It is God that speaks through us; and is it, then, all of grace? Yes; grace! grace! Christ himself beseeches; he has all the glory. Oh! hear, and your souls shall live! In Christ's stead we stand in the place of Christ; if he filled the pulpit this night, and spake without any instrument, you would be constrained and not persuaded; but he delights to reward you as moral agents, although the reward will be of grace! Oh! then, for Christ's sake *** By the mystery of his holy incarnation, come to "God through him;" come and embrace God. By the mystery of his cross, be crucified with him; by his blood, sprinkled on your hearts by faith!

for Christ's sake! If not for Christ's sake, come for your own sake; love yourself. Now is the time. I see the cross exalted; I see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of God; I see him pointing to Calvary; I hear his voice: "I suffered this for thee." (Picture this.) And shall the cries of mercy ascend for thee, and wilt not thou ask for thyself? Oh! for Christ's sake! Some of you will join hands with God to-night-(Jay); but of others I might say, "Oh! that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes." Well, whether thou hear or forbear, we shall yet be a sweet savour unto God, even in them that believe and in them that perish."

SERMON IV.

SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY.

Hosea, iv., 17.-Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

THE term Ephraim is not applied barely to the tribe of that name, but to all men; for all Scripture was written for our reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteous

ness.

I. Consider the awful assertion, Ephraim is joined to idols.

No need to go back to Ephraim's time to find idolatry, where men bowed the knee of the body; it is possible to be idolaters at heart, though the body may be bowed to the true object of worship.

Consider, therefore, what God means by the term idolaters. It is admitted by all that he who had any part in our formation has a right to a part of our worship; and it is not unreasonable that a Being who had the greatest share in our formation should have most of our worship. But God was our sole Creator: He made us, and not we ourselves. Who has been his counsellor? It is therefore reasonable that He should have the whole of that worship for which he

made us; for we are not our own. The requisition of God, then, that we should love him with all the heart and all the soul, was not unreasonable; to the child of God this commandment is not grievous: His yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Objection. We have not now this power; all our faculties are deranged; our nature, our propensities, evil; all our affections earthly.

Answer. This does not affect the argument. The spirit in us lusts to envy; God gives more grace. He gives a greater measure of grace to counteract the evil principle; and the man who will calmly examine his own heart will feel that he is always checked in the commission of evil, and that by the same principle he is kept uneasy and unhappy, even though in the performance of outward duty, till he is made fully happy in God. If man had not the power afforded him thus to fulfil the law, God could not, consistently with justice, punish him, much less with that mercy which rejoices over judgment. If our evil propensities be thus strong, and be the effects of original evil, God could not punish us; we were passive in the offence, and God could not inflict active punishment for passive sin. He could not judge the world in righteousness in this case; for we had a propelling principle to evil, which was irresistible. But He who is a reasonable Being now gives as a command that which to Adam was a privilege, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." The principle which we receive, therefore, to do good, is at least as strong as the evil one, and there is no man who does evil but could by the same power avoid doing it.

As the Creator, therefore, has a right to all our worship, any dereliction is called idolatry-when we allow any other love to possess our souls but the love of God pre-eminently. This truth allowed, the character must attach to some of us; we are idolaters. To fasten that epithet upon us, it is not necessary that we fall down before an image. Every man has some one single object which he loves and pursues more than any other; this is his idol, be it what it may;