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removed. Just before his ascension into heaven their divine Lord communicated to them the full knowledge of the truth, and having explained to them the prophecies concerning himself, said, "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." It is very important that you should bear these things in mind in studying the New Testament, because some in their ignorance have set one part against the other; they have disjoined the gospels, those four books which, in the language of different writers, contain the narrative of our Saviour's life, and the record of his preaching, from the remainder, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, thinking that if they attend to the example and the words of Christ, nothing more is requisite to complete the faith and practice of a christian. But this is a mistake; the writers of all the other parts of the New Testament were as much under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit, as those who wrote the history of our Redeemer's life; he had promised that "the Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, whom he would send from the Father, should guide them into all truth," and "teach them all things, and bring all things to

you,

their remembrance whatever he had said unto them." And St. Paul, though not at this time an apostle, or even a Christian, we may confidently affirm, was not denied the assistance and illumination bestowed upon the others; so that the words of these writers are to be regarded as the words of Christ himself. "He that heareth heareth me, he that despiseth you, despiseth me;" "Lo, I am with you always;" and we may be sure they would not have been gifted with the miraculous knowledge of languages, except for the purpose of propagating the truth; and the same truth which they preached, they undoubtedly also wrote; therefore what "God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Our blessed Saviour delivered chiefly the practical parts of his religion,--he left it to his apostles to inculcate the great doctrine, which alone renders all religion available and acceptable, viz. that of justification by faith in him; in other words, that through the merits of his obedience and death alone, men can be accounted righteous before God. So that if any man thinks it sufficient that he should chiefly study and attend to that part of the New Testament which is comprised in the four gospels, he must needs omit one half of his religion. I have made these remarks because some in their ignorance, (as I said before,) or

perhaps in their prejudice, set one part against the other. I have heard it asked, by way of reproach, why St. Paul is preached instead of Christ, as if the words of that great apostle were not to be regarded as having the authority of his Divine Master, whereas Christ said of him," he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the children of Israel." And again, in the commission which he gave him to be an apostle, he said, I send thee unto the Gentiles, "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Therefore I cannot doubt that when I am listening to St. Paul, I am listening to Christ; and I should desire to be classed with those to whom this apostle says, "for this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth,) the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." And I receive not only from St. Paul, but from all the other writers of the Epistles, such cheering views of the mercy of God, as displayed in the sacrifice and death of Christ, that even "the gracious words which

proceeded out of the mouth" of Christ himself, seem to be surpassed by those which by his spirit he dictated to his apostles. Therefore with this explanation you will understand in what sense I said on the former occasion, that which I repeat now, that I can use an argument calculated to impart a stronger assurance of God's goodness and mercy, than any thing which Christ himself said, either at Nazareth or elsewhere. I can "preach Christ crucified; "-I can say more intelligibly than John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world; "-I can proclaim, "the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin; "-I can say, "Christ hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, to bring us unto God; "-in short, I can now freely and unreservedly preach that atonement and propitiation for the guilt of the whole world, which our blessed Saviour when on earth passed over in silence, or but very slightly alluded to; and therefore, gracious, merciful, kind, full of comfort, invitation, and encouragement as his words were, -we can now add to their force an hundred-fold, by saying, he who thus spake did not utter vain words, but most fully proved the exceeding greatness of his love for sinners, by shedding his precious blood upon the cross, whereby his promises are ratified and rendered eternally effectual.

Therefore let the love of Christ constrain you: "Judge thus, that if he died for all, then were all dead, (dead in trespasses and sins, and under the condemnation of eternal death;) and that he died for all, that they which live should henceforth not live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again."

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It is this argument above all others which should bring men unto Christ; it is this which should make them feel perfectly assured of the truth of his words, " Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out;" it is this which should add an overpowering weight to all his promises and invitations; it is this which should make them lay aside all fears and doubts, and eagerly embrace the offers of mercy so freely made, so remarkably confirmed.

But one consideration yet remains, and a very material one it is, lest we should be led away by that vague trust in God's mercy, which I endeavoured to expose in a former part of my discourse, namely, who are the persons that may appropriate to themselves this joy and consolation in Christ. I know no restriction of the offer indeed; it is made to all. But what is the description of persons likely to accept it, and qualified to receive it? It is not said, "Ho every one, come ye to the waters; "-nor, "come unto me, all

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