It is her province, in obeying the call, to and to see that her ministers act fully up Let us then, my honoured brethren, steadfastly keep in mind, that we are servants of Him that taught with authority, and that consequently our instructions in general must consist not so much of disquisition as of testimony. The spirit of our teaching should, indeed, be affectionate and mild; avoiding every thing that is dogmatical, we are to speak with that holy confidence which is derived from an entire simplicity of deference to the written word. We are to testify repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The language of doubtful disputation becomes not the prophet who is declaring the oracles of God. The language of angry controversy becomes not a sinful man when he is delivering the message of God to a fallen world; but the language which does become him is that of steadfast and serene peroration. He is warranted to say with the apostle, "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true." What though the winds of false doctrine should be let loose from every quarter of heaven, to fight against the honour of the church-what though a feverish thirst I have said that the remembrance of should come, as undoubtedly it has come, these things can never be unseasonable, upon the intellects of men, so that many and that it never can be more seasonable a hand shall be stretched forth to the tree than when we are gathered together at of knowledge while the tree of life shall the call of our spiritual governor and be passed by-what should these signs father. Why is it that we are here this tell us but that we are fallen upon days day, but that as iron sharpeneth iron, so when the word of authority must be may each man sharpen the countenance uttered with no faint or languid voice? of his friend and brother in the Lord-If we would have it heard by the people, that we may renew our vows, and think it must be uttered as if it came forth from of the ties and bonds that are upon us, a heart in which the truth of God is enthat we may gladden him who hath the grafted. It must sound like the rhapsody care and rule over us-that by our willing of the sanctuary inhabited by him that obedience we may strengthen his heart sitteth between the cherubim. We are and his hands in the exercise of his sacred accustomed to hear much of the perils office that we may listen to his voice that array themselves against the bulas to the voice of one whose functions warks of our Zion, but the sound of the number him among the angels of the warning should speak to us only of inchurch of Christ, whose province it is to creased faithfulness and zeal; and it guard from injury the church's doctrines, should admonish us not to pass round the towers of our fortification to number them | ended. In order that the authority of with pride and indolent security. It divine truth may have something of om should lead us to adorn and strengthen nipresence throughout the regions which them, so that all who look up to them profess to receive it, it hath been, as you may say, "This is a city whose walls know, the wisdom of ancient days, to are salvation, and whose gates are separate these regions into portions and praise." to districts, and to assign to each its peculiar and local minister. The object of this arrangement, of course, is manifest to the whole world. It was that the spiritual wants of men might not be cursorily or irregularly supplied, but that the living waters of salvation might be distributed through the land; that while some portions of the household of God had the bread of life, in fulness and abundance, there might not be others left to It is, my brethren, indeed, a cheering thought, that Christians form a royal priesthood to the whole human race, and that Christian ministers are the priesthood to this holy generation. It is always encouraging to think that Christian people are the elect of God, that the Christian clergy are the chosen of his choice, the elect of his favour. But what would all this avail if those that are invested with the sacred office of the min-perish for lack of knowledge, and to sink istry were to cease to magnify that office to which they have been consecrated. How can they better magnify that office than by showing that it is an office which hath taught their own spirits to live in perpetual communion with heaven-an office which hath taught them to glory in the things that pertain to their own infirmity, and to go forth strong and boldly, in the majesty and the power of God ! under a famine of the word of God. Our establishment, therefore, naturally looks with something like distrust upon a wandering and restless piety which stretches beyond the boundaries appointed for its exercise. In the estimate of our church the voice of spiritual authority can no where be heard with such effect and blessedness as within the sphere of each man's appointed duty. It is well known to her, But I will cease from these words of that something like a passion of exciteexhortation, which it would perhaps bet- ment will secretly mingle itself with the ter become me to listen to than to deliver. holiest motives, and she is loath to leave I stand in the presence of men who need the eternal interests of her children to not that we should tell them, that if the principles which, perhaps, resemble the words of eternal life are to be spoken emanations of an electric element more with authority, they should be uttered than the steady influence of the solar with lips that would seem to be touched light. It may be well for us to recall and pervaded by the fire of the altar. our thoughts occasionally to this wisdom, stand in the presence of men who need that hath marked out to each the limits not to be told that nothing can so effica- of his ministerial usefulness. The preciously silence the thunders of a Boaner- sent age is somewhat adverse to sobriety ges as the slightest suspicion among the and order, and delighteth in the out-pourpeople that faintness hath come upon the ings of an irregular and excursive energy. spirits of his brethren and fellow workers The church is cautious of stretching forth in the Lord. You all know well that her hand to sanction this method, lest, nothing can strike the tongue of authority perchance, evil and confusion should bewith so dead a palsy, as the very thought gin it, and it should, ultimately, cause of unworthiness in them to whom the the voice of authority to fail. Where, let power of authority is committed. You me ask myself, can a minister speak the well know that the majesty of truth her words of eternal life with such dignity self hath not always more power than the and power as in the place where his worth righteousness and the sanctity of them is known and his usefulness is felt. To who are called to be ministers of the what shall we liken the labours of one truth. who wanders sometimes into the territoOne moment more, and my words are ries of other men, but to a river which I THAT SUCH MAY BE THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOURS, MAY GOD OF HIS INFINITE MERCY GRANT! breaks through its embankment, per- without the influence of true religion, it chance to be lost in a morass, or to waste is in their power to bestow; still it is itself in an unfruitful channel? And to pleasure that is gone with each passing what shall we compare the practice of moment, and leaves the soul at last dreaone who gives himself entirely to his rily desolate, and unprovided for the local ministry, but to a stream that glides prospect which lies before it. He has in peace through its own channel, whose "received in his lifetime his good things," course is marked by green pastures, by and all must be left behind him; he has valleys filled with corn, and by trees that lived without God, and without God he rise up to knowledge with the increase of must die; his life has been faithless, and God. his death must be hopeless; he has laid up for himself treasures on earth, and there is no treasure reserved for him in heaven; he has said to his soul," Thou hast goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry;" and when "his soul is required of him," he feels himself "a fool ;" he "came in with vanity," and he departs in darkness. It is the everlasting existence by which it is followed that stamps importance on the life of man. Should a man double the age of Methuselah, his life (though to us, with our narrow span of three-score years and ten, it might seem a little eternity) would still be vanity, if it were spent without reference to the endless duration that is beyond it.-Dr. Wardlaw. DYING REGRETS. IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER. OH! if the soul, when trembling on the verge of eternity, when the last fibre of the thread of life is parting, can only look backward with tormenting regret, and forward with more tormenting doubt and despair! What a state for an immortal and accountable creature to feel the torturing conviction, that he has been trifling, or worse than trifling, all his days; that he has thrown his life away on "vanity," and has nothing left as the result but "vexation of spirit;" that it is too late to make provision for the world to come, and which is just opening to him in all its darkness and all its unknown terrors; It is perhaps visionary to expect an that he has finished and sealed the unusual success of religious concerns, "senseless bargain," (oh how bitterly unless there are unusual omens. Now, a does he feel it to be so!) of " eternity for most emphatical spirit of prayer would be bubbles;" that he has bartered and damned such an omen; and the individual who his soul for the "pleasures of sin," and should solemnly determine to try its last the worthless nothings of a world that possible efficacy, might probably find has passed away from him! It is not himself becoming a much more prevailnecessary that a man should have "seen ing agent in his little sphere; and, if the no good," or should have had "no power whole, or the greater number of the discito enjoy" his "riches and wealth and ples of Christianity were, with an earnest, honour" and family, in order to his feel- unalterable resolution of each, to combine ing their emptiness in his latter end, when that heaven should not withhold one sinhis soul is absorbed in one grand concern, gle influence, which the very utmost and longs for a peace and a hope which they are incapable of imparting. Even though he had derived from them through life the whole amount of pleasure which, efforts of conspiring and persevering supplication would obtain, it would be at sign that the revolution of the world was at hand.-Foster. SERMON XI. CHRIST THE LIFE OF HIS PEOPLE. BY THE REV. JABEZ BUNTING, D. D. Christ, our life.-Col. iii. 4. "WHAT think ye of Christ ?" was a question once addressed by our Saviour to the unbelieving Jews, who vainly attempted to entangle him in his talk. By examining what answer we can in sincerity and truth return to this question, we might at once ascertain the soundness of our principles, the rectitude of our conduct, the safety of our souls. The answer which we ought to return is contained in the text. We ought to say, "Christ is our life." Any thing in our principles, or experience, or conduct, which contradicts this grand principle is so far dangerous. There are many scriptures which go to prove the vitality which subsists between Christ and all Christians. Sometimes, to represent the nearness of this union, it is illustrated by that which subsists between the vine and the branches, and then we learn that Christians are grafted into Christ, and so enabled to bear fruit to him. Sometimes the figure of a foundation is employedthe foundation which God has laid in Zion; and then his people are represented as living stones, consecrated unto God by him, and then growing up into a holy temple in the Lord. Sometimes Christ is spoken of as the head, and then Christians are instructed that "They life and strength from him derive, And by him move, and in him live." But in the text this doctrine is stated in terms yet more emphatic. "Christ is" -what? Every thing. You cannot be Christians, you can perform none of its duties, enjoy none of its recompenses, but in proportion as "Christ is your life." | It is not said merely that he lives in us or that we live by him or through him; but to make the subject more instructive and emphatic, the apostle says, "CHRIST IS OUR Life." Let us apply this sentiment, First, To THE RELATIVE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN-his life of pardon and justification. We are all naturally dead in law, that is, our natural state is that of guilt and transgression, one in which the law has already pronounced us dead. For, as the body without the soul is dead, so the soul that is destitute of the life and favour of God, is spiritually dead-dead to all the purposes for which it was made. This sentence the law pronounces against all sinners. If this is our state, we are as good as dead; we are doomed to death, and there remains only the execution of the sentence to complete our misery. In this state Christ finds us all, and undertakes to become "our life." When the soul is truly awakened, the first inquiry is, "What must I do to be saved?" One of the most important inquiries which can possibly be presented is, "How shall man be just with God?" The Scripture simply and plainly says, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." It tells us, that he "himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree;" that "all we like sheep had gone astray," but that the Lord laid on him, Christ," the iniquities of us all." And there was such infinite merit in his obedience unto the death of the cross, that God, though just, is ready to become a Saviour. It is not by works of law that we are thus saved, restored; to render this possible, Secondly, To THE CHRISTIAN'S ACTUAL LIFE OF SANCTIFICATION AND HOLINESS. For our death by sin is not only a death in law, but a true and proper alienation from him who is the life of all his intelligent creatures. Sin has not only exposed us to future misery: the dreadful punishment is already begun-the present state is deeply affected by it. Though we are not shut out from all hope, yet we are shut out from actual communion with God, and so from holiness. There must, therefore, be a restoration to purity; for death is the cause of our sanctification: Jesus Christ gave himself for us that he might have a right to purify us. We were Satan's lawful captives; for we had sold ourselves to him; and till Christ the law would require absolute, perfect, unbroken obedience. Nor is it merely by repentance that we are restored to favour. Repentance, indeed, is highly becoming our situation. It is quite proper that sinners should be sensible of the enormity of their conduct, and that they should confess and forsake it fully and for ever; but repentance cannot atone for sin; the atonement is to be found in the sacrifice of Christ, and that alone. In order that we may be justified, this atonement must be laid hold on, and it is thus laid hold on by faith. We are justified, how-this, also, we are indebted to Christ: his ever, by faith only instrumentally; by Christ Jesus, meritoriously; because he is the object on which our faith relies. It is remarkable how strong the Scriptures are on this point: whatever view they take of the blessing itself, they always re-bought us out, we were not properly rescognise Jesus Christ as the author of the blessing; they always direct us to Jesus Christ as the mediator through whom the blessing flows. Sometimes this blessing is spoken of as a release from the curse of the law; and then we are told, that "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us ;" for it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Sometimes it is spoken of as including deliverance from wrath, and then they are careful to tell us that it is "Jesus who delivereth us from the wrath to come." Sometimes it is represented as the remission of a penalty incurred, and then they say, "Without shedding of blood there is no remission;" but "Christ shed his blood as a remission for the sins of many." They sometimes speak of this blessing under the notion of acceptance into the favour and family of God; but they are sure to tell us that we are accepted thus in Christ the beloved. They speak of it as an admission to a state of security in opposition to a state of danger; but they represent this as enjoyed only by fleeing for refuge, to lay hold on Christ, the hope set before them in the gospel. Thus, whatever view they give us of this grand blessing, we perceive that they never overlook this truth, that Christ is the source of all. Thus Christ is our relative life. But we apply the sentiment, VOL. 1.-16 cued from his dominion. The death of Christ is the power by which he sets us free; and, as his death is the cause, so his Spirit is the agent; and he is emphatically called the Spirit of Holiness. His word is the instrument of our sanctification-“ I am made clean by thy word”— "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." The purity of Christ is the model and rule of our sanctification. He is the great pattern to which we are to be conformed. The Holy Spirit works according to this great exemplar. He sets before him the purity of the Saviour; and his aim, so to speak, is to make us like Christ; that as he was, so we may be in the world, and that we may be able to walk as he also walked. O what a high and glorious calling is the Christian's! How much more sublime than the standard which the men of the world generally propose! We are purified in proportion as we believe in Jesus Christ; not by poring over our own corruptions-not by contemplating our own weakness, but by looking unto Jesus; by depending upon him to restore us to his own image-to prepare us for his service upon earth-to fit us for his glory in heaven. But Jesus Christ is the life of our sanctification, not only as it respects the way by which we are made holy, but as it respects holiness in the detail. He is the L |