unto him, Ezek. xviii. 22.; shall be done away, as though it had never been. For thus saith the ambassador of the Prince of Peace," Be it known unto you, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things,' Acts xiii. 38, 39. Oh, my soul! my guilty soul! what are all the kingdoms of the world, and the glories of them, compared with this ineffable blessing! Yet this is but one among a multitude. Another benefit accruing from the cross of Christ, is reconciliation with God. "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son," Rom. v. 10. Not pardoned only, but accepted; from a state of enmity, restored to a state of favour; even that "favour which is better than life," Psalm lxiii. 3.: A privilege of such superlative excellency, that it was celebrated in the hymns of angels. When the heavenly host uttered a song, this was the subject of their harmonious joy; " Glory be to God in the highest; and on earth, peace, good will towards men," Luke ii. 14. By the birth of this wonderful child, and the death he shall sustain, peace is made between heaven and earth; and not peace only, but a divine friendship commences. God regards the poor apostate race of men, not only without indignation, but with complacency and delight: "He rejoices over them to do them good," Deut. xxviii. 63. Another benefit is holiness; or, if you please, the true, the Christian morality. Let none think the believer in Jesus disparages true morality. True morality is the image of the blessed God; it is most charmingly delineated throughout the whole Bible it is the beginning of heaven in the human soul; and its proper origin is from the cross of our divine Master. For, through the merits of his death, sinners are made partakers of the Holy Spirit; who writes upon their hearts, and makes legible in their conversation, what was anciently written upon the mitre of the high-priest, Holiness to the Lord. And, oh! what a motive is the cross of Christ to the exercise of every virtue!" He died-my Lord, my Judge, my King, died-to redeem me from all iniquity, and make me zealous of good works." How powerfully, far beyond any naked instructions or abstract reasonings, do such considerations invite us, urge us, constrain us, (2 Cor. v. 14.) to renounce all ungodliness, and adorn the gospel of God our Saviour! Another blessing is victory over death. This also is the fruit of that once detested, but now ever beloved tree. For thus it is written, "That, through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage, Heb. ii. 14, 15. The devil is said to have the power of death; because, by tempting too successfully our first parents, he brought death into the world; because, by tempting their posterity to sin, and too often prevailing, he arrays death in horror; he arms death with its sting. But Christ, by expiating our guilt, has disarmed this last enemy; has taken away its sting; and made it not loss, but gain to die, Philip. i. 21. The gay, and the healthy, know not how to form an estimate of this deliverance; nor can any words of mine describe it with proper energy. Go to dying beds; there you will learn its true worth. Ask some agonized friend; he, and he alone, can tell you, what a blessing it is to have the king of terrors converted into a messenger of peace. One blessing more I would mention, and earnestly wish it, in due time, to all my hearers-an entrance into heaven. This too is the produce of our Redeemer's cross. St John saw a bright assembly of happy beings, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, rejoicing before the throne of God. "These," said one of the venerable elders, "are they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Therefore" are they before the throne, Žemas sid the am- SHE DOE ais man is de Jogveness of sus; and by bed for ai things,' my guity soul ! war and the glosmefiaje blessing! we can be me of Christ, 1 Fur De death of his e si sussum, pence is IS. I. Mce only, God regards & Implesse, the 24 zone think the Trenuria. True De Jesse Gati; it is most DA TE DE whole Bible; BARI ne tuman scal; and me de russ dar živine MasIs death, sinners Beer Spirit: who writes be in their con pon the mitre And, oh! what a motive is the cross of Christ to the exercise of every virtue!" He died-my Lord, my Judge, my King, died—to redeem me from all iniquity, and make me zealous of good works." How powerfully, far beyond any naked instructions or abstract reasonings, do such considerations invite us, urge us, constrain us, (2 Cor. v. 14.) to renounce all ungodliness, and adorn the gospel of God our Saviour! Another blessing is victory over death. This also is the fruit of that once detested, but now ever beloved tree. For thus it is written, "That, through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage, Heb. ii. 14, 15. The devil is said to have the power of death; because, by tempting too successfully our first parents, he brought death into the world; because, by tempting their posterity to sin, and too often prevailing, he arrays death in horror; he arms death with its sting. But Christ, by expiating our guilt, has disarmed this last enemy; has taken away its sting; and made it not loss, but gain to die, Philip. i. 21. The gay, and the healthy, know not how to form an estimate of this deliverance; nor can any words of mine describe it with proper energy. Go to dying beds; there you will learn its true worth. Ask some agonized friend; he, and he alone, can tell you, what a blessing it is to have the king of terrors converted into a messenger of peace. One blessing more I would mention, and earnestly wish it, in due time, to all my hearers-an entrance into heaven. This too is the produce of our Redeemer's cross. St John saw a bright assembly of happy beings, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, rejoicing before the throne of God. "These," said one of the venerable elders, " are they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Therefore" are they before the throne, Rev. vii. 9. 14, 15. They came out of great tribulation:" they suffered, it is probable, in the service of Christ: perhaps they laid down their lives for his sake. But this was not their passport into the regions of bliss. "They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb:" they had applied to their own souls the merits and atonement of the crucified Jesus. By this means, they were presented without spot, and blameless; on this account they were admitted to "see the King of heaven in his beauty," Isaiah xxxiii. 17. and to be ever, ever with the Lord. Since then the cross of Christ was demonstrative of such stupendous love; since it is productive of benefits innumerable, invaluable, and eternal; was there not a cause for the apostle to glory on this behalf? Nay, might not the very stones have cried out, to reproach him with insensibility and ingratitude, if he had neglected to glory in the cross of Christ? And since this love was shewed, these benefits were procured, not for him only, but for us, and for all generations; does not this afford me an opportunity of applying the doctrine to each particular hearer? 1. Let me address, or rather let me congratulate, my brethren in the ministry. Though you cannot control the laws of nature, though you cannot see into the secrets of futurity, you have the same cause of glorying with the very chiefest of the apostles; a cause of glorying, which that holy man of God esteemed far above all such miraculous abilities. You have the cross of Christ, For your study, as men; ; For your study, as men. Here the reasoning faculties may exert themselves with everlasting improvement, and everlasting delight. Here we contemplate the wonders, the unparalleled wonders of a God made man; dying as a pattern of patience, as a martyr for truth, as an all-perfect sacrifice for sin. |