yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God a." Christ Jesus did undoubtedly come into the world to save sinners and the penitent sinner may derive consolation and peace from reflecting on the unbounded love of God exerting itself for the salvation of those who were lost. But it is a most dangerous delusion, and it has no countenance from scripture, and it is utterly inconsistent with the scheme of redemption through the blood of Christ, to suppose, that that blood will be ultimately effectual, and that the grace of God will be finally extended, to any, but the repentant and reformed sinner,

There is one other inference, which I would mention from a contemplation of the love of God in sending his Son to be a propitiation for our sins; and it is one, which is drawn for us by St. John, who says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we

a Rom. vi. 12, 13.

ought also to love one another "." There are indeed many reasons, why a devout sense of God's affection for us, should fill us with affection towards our brethren, heirs of the same misery with ourselves, and heirs of the same salvation. But it is very worthy of observation, that this disciple beloved of Christ again and again enforces his admonition, that "we love one another," as the proper fruit, evidence, and perfection, of our gratitude and love towards God. For consistently with the angelic hymn, which announced the incarnation of Christ by the celebration of "glory to God, and good-will to men;" he seems to have been anxious to hold forth the inseparable union between piety and charity; and to impress upon the minds of his beloved children in Christ this most important lesson, that no sense of duty to our neighbour is worthy of a Christian, which is not supported and consecrated by a sense of duty to God.

Upon the whole, a grateful sense of God's love towards us should ever be pre

b 1 John iv. 11.

sent to our minds :-of his love commended towards us, not merely in our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but especially and above all in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. As it was the motive which influenced him to have mercy upon us, and to save us, so should it also influence us to serve him as his faithful servants and most affectionate children. Nor shall we ever find so powerful a motive, nor so unfailing a principle, of every Christian virtue, as to " love God, because he first loved us c."

SERMON VII.

THE SUFFERINGS OF OUR SAVIOUR UNEXAMPLED.

LAMENT. i. 12.

Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by ? behold and see, if there be any sorrow, like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

AT the very hearing or reading of these words, we cannot fail of perceiving that they are the voice of one in great and extreme distress; of distress on two several accounts: being first in such a state of affliction, as was never paralleled, “see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow;" and then, notwithstanding the severity of his affliction having no one to regard and