look to the most celebrated city of the day, what do you behold? The noblest of her sons stemming the tide of fame, and revelling in the flow of glory and of ambition: her senators lost sight of this momentous subject in their inordinate attachment to the weal of the state; their patriotism carried them to such an excess, that their country was the idol to which they sacrificed every consideration, and consecrated all their energies; and that man was deemed a fanatic who yielded to the sceptre of the God of Hosts, and offered his invocation to the Father of his spirit. A law had been proclaimed, but that law had been broken; an authority had been instituted, but it had been trampled upon and rejected. The crimes of no less than four thousand years had accumulated; and, blackening the whole canopy of Heaven, had risen like polluted incense before the throne of the Eternal, and called for vengeance from that God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,

Now, my brethren, it was necessary that an atonement should be made for the sins of the Church. The torrent which swept along with desolating fury had to be rolled back again, and the portals of immortality to be thrown open. Who, then, was to accomplish the mighty work? Who was to avert the impending judgment? The highest seraph humbled himself, and replied, "It is not in me." Only One was mighty to save: He trod the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with him." Brethren, He was "the mighty God;" He was "the everlasting Father;" He was "the Prince of Peace."

We learn, then, my brethren, that the one end that was to be accomplished by the sufferings of Christ was, that the way of salvation might be opened for all who believe. I allow that the doctrine contains mysteries too deep for the mind to comprehend, and which philosophy has vainly endeavoured to discover. To the tasteful Greek it was foolishness; and there are many who scoff at the fact, because their finite reason cannot fathom the councils of infinity; because they are unable to solve that which the very angels desire to look into But though the infidel may scoff, and though couneils may issue their anathemas, we have the sure word of promise, and it is written as with a sun-beam, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have eternal life." I speak, then, to use the words of another, to the farthest off in guilt and alienation amongst you. Take the overture of peace that is now brought to your door, and you shall add to that kingdom which Christ came to establish; and you shall take away from that kingdom which he came to destroy. The security of the sinner, and the glory of the Saviour, are as one; and with the spirit of the monarch who had to fight his way to a kingdom that was rightfully his own, will he hail the returning allegiance of every rebel as a new accession to his triumph; as another trophy of the might and the glory of his great undertaking. Do you ask me what is the basis upon which this invitation is founded? I refer you to the uniform tenor of revelation. If we examine those venerable records, we shall find that these invitations are commanded to be given by the great Head of the Church : “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." It is written in one place, that God "willeth not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Again: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous mai ins thoughts and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him,

and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon." Paul tells us, that “the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." And, when writing to Timothy, he says, that "God would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." And in 2 Corinthians, v. 19, that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto men their trespasses, but hath committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation." "My little children," says John, in his general epistle, "these things I write to you that you sin not; but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous." And Paul, writing to the Romans, repeats the same beautiful sentiment, when he says, "For as, by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." O! there is something beautiful, there is something consolatory and highly encouraging in these delightful passages. Do they not place the ambassador for Christ on some high and glorious vantage ground, whence he can appeal to his fellowmen, and beseech them to taste the waters of life freely? And these, my brethren, remember are the true sayings of God, not the words of man; they are the sayings of God, which have survived the convulsions of states, the overthrow of empires; and will exist in all their beauty, and in all their purity, until the apocalyptic angel shall stand with one foot upon the land, and with the other on the mighty deep, and swear by Him that sits upon the Throne, that time shall be no longer. Yes, my fellow-sinners, the barrier which separated the sinner from his Maker is destroyed, salvation is obtained, and you are invited to partake of glory, honour, and immortality.

Your time will only permit me to notice one more result of the sufferings of Christ, and it is this, that by the sufferings of Jesus Christ, there shall be accomplished a complete triumph over the powers of darkness, by the setting up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. O yes, my brethren, the Jews were but little aware that they were instrumental in the accomplishment of this mighty work. How ignorant were they of the fact, that to the cross on which they fixed the Redeemer, all nations would flock to see the salvation of God; that it should exist in remembrance, when Jerusalem should have mingled with the dust, and when time itself shall be no longer! But Christ well knew what was to be the result of his sufferings: he saw of the travail of his soul, and he then was satisfied: he beheld the word of God conquering, and to conquer: he contemplated Ethiopia and the isles stretching out their hands unto God; the desart beginning to blossom and bloom as the rose; and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord filling the earth, as the waters cover the channels of the mighty deep: and then he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost and if he retired from the conflict, he retired from it exulting in victory. Yes, my brethren, convoyed by the angelic messengers, he ascended the great white Throne, while the millions of the blessed struck their lyres, and the armies of heaven bowed before him. Then was that religion introduced which the infidel has vainly attempted to refute. Amidst the shock o conflicting opinions, it has been disseminated. Empires have disappeared; states have been overthrown; the most celebrated cities have crumbled to the dust still it continues uninjured amidst the general ruin. Vainly have the

powers of darkness attempted to obscure the light that was thus kindled; still it burns, and it shall shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day; for Christ must reign until all his enemies are his footstool, for on his vesture, and on his thigh, is a name written, "King of kings, and Lord of lords."

Has it not been promised, "The knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the channel of the mighty deep?" Is it not written, "I have given thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession?" Have you not read, that "to him" (that is, to Christ) every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess?" O yes; this is a work which must be completed; these are the words of One who cannot lie; and therefore we believe that the Saviour must "see of the travail of his soul," and must "be satisfied." If you doubt it, retrace for a moment the history of the earlier ages of the Church; and what do you behold? Why, the holiest of her sons daring the flames of martyrdom, and sealing their testimony with their blood. Look, again, at the records of the history of the Middle Ages, when popery was in the zenith of her power, and when the woman of the Apocalypse revelled in the blood of the saints and prophets, and made herself drunk with the uncleanness of her fornications. Listen to the groans of the spirits, as they are crying from beneath the altar, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not arise, and avenge our blood upon them that dwell upon the earth?"

My brethren, what a spectacle does this history exhibit! The greatest enormities that man could possibly invent; the most shameless indecency and unblushing cruelty; all united together to blacken the annals of the period, when the powers of hell and earth were let loose to overthrow the temple of the Most High; and, amidst a mass of unparalleled opposition, the Church was still secure, for it was founded on a rock, against which the gates of hell have never been able to prevail. It is true that the waves of opposition have rolled around it, but they have burst again in the hollow murmurings of despair. It is true that the lightnings have flashed around its summit; but they have all gone out again in night. It is true the thunders of infidelity have rolled through its very heart; but they are lulled again into the whispers of the passing breeze. And now, look at the Church! She smiles at every attempt at invasion; she rises above the gathering storm; she springs from the flame of persecution, and with the cross on her summit, and the banners of holiness streaming from her dome, she is receiving fresh accessions to her numbers; and when those numbers are complete, the mighty pillars which prop the universe will give way; and, rising from the wreck of nature, and the crash of worlds, she shall ascend to the Paradise of God; and there, amidst the hallelujahs of angels, she shall be welcomed to the joy of her Lord.

My brethren, I speak it with caution-but it really appears to me, that if we look out upon the scene which is now stretching around us, we may evidently see the marks of approaching and speedy triumph to the cause of the Redeemer. The spirit of the times, and the aspect of the moral world, seem to justify the supposition, and to indicate the arrival of an important era. "Many are running to and fro, and knowledge is increased." Be this as it may, the work that has commenced will be completed; the predictions relative to the spread of the Redeemer's empire will be verified; the angel is on the wing in the

midst of Heaven, preaching the everlasting Gospel to them that sit in darkness; and to every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, soon shall be heard the approach of his chariot wheels; and then the jubilee of the Church shall be celebrated, and the triumphs of Christ shall be sung. He shall give up the kingdoms to God, even the Father, that God may be all in all. Thus shall He see of the travail of bis soul, and be satisfied.

394

THE FINDING OF THE RANS

REV. T. J. JUDKIN, A.M.

SOMERS' CHAPEL, SOMERS' TOWN, NOVEMBER 8, 183

"I have found a ransom."-JOB, Xxxiii. 24.

WHAT a burst of joy was there from the heart of the old Greek philosopher, who had been labouring long and ineffectually to solve a difficult problem, when all at once light broke in upon his mind, and he sprung from the bath, and ran, naked as he was, through the streets of the city with the shout, "Eureka! Eureka!" that is, "I have found it! I have found it!"

And now, to compare temporal with spiritual things, if so strong was the emotion upon the discovery of some scientific truth, which at best could only affect a passing interest, with what deeper thankfulness should the bosom of the lost and of the ruined sinner expand, when, amidst the perplexities of a vain search after the "one thing needful," he beholds at length in the Lord Jesus Christ a ransom for his immortal soul; when in the precious blood of the Lamb of God he sees the mighty price so freely given and so immediately accepted, whereby he is redeemed from the bondage of Satan, and raised into the glorious liberty of the sons of light. O how eagerly ought he to catch at the proferred means before him; and with what energy of a brotherly love might he not be expected to rush into the streets and into the highways, bearing abroad the blessed tidings to the ears of a suffering world!

But shame, sorrowful shame, is it, that the conduct of that heathen philosopher puts the conduct of the Christian to the blush. Shame, sorrowful shame, I say, is it, that a pleasure in finding out, and an activity in making known, the school-man's secret, should be so strongly opposed to the indifference and the indolence with which the nominal believer receives and extends the revelation of the Gospel of peace. Shame, sorrowful shame, is it, that the natural man should so highly appreciate the knowledge which is self-derived, whilst the professed disciple of Christ takes so low an estimate of the knowledge which is from heaven, which Christ, in his incarnation, came to display, and which the most gifted of all teachers, and the most illustrious of all martyrs, laboured to propagate, and died to confirm.

Now I put not this case too strongly. I fearlessly rest my appeal to many here, upon their own views of their own conduct. You once heard of the ransom which Christ offered to you, and you not only spurned it from you, ana hugged your chains, and welcomed your prison-house, but even after the marvelious grace of God, and of God's Spirit, brought the ransom home to you all its power and in all its efficacy, the inbred corruption of your souis strug