as sheep having no shepherd :"—and his touching invitation, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,"-I am a humane and patient teacher, I will not despise you and tyrannize over you as the Pharisees and Scribes,*

"and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light :"—and his earnest prayers and labours for their instruction, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth labourers into his harvest." And not less, therefore, did this Saviour of sinners feel for moral evil, for disregard of his instructions, and rebellion against God. "And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, O that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" In a word, In a word, "He went about doing good," and herein was the gracious representative of God his Father. God is Love: Compassion is the glory of his character: and what was Jesus but embodied Love, substantiated Compassion? And in this sense, therefore, did he manifest the Father, and make him palpable "I have manifested thy name”—i. e.

to men.

*See John vii. 49. Matt. xxiii. 4.

thy character and its perfections-" to the men which thou gavest me out of the world-and now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are of Thee!"

And how fully is God's Compassion manifested, further, by the Message which his Son conveyed! a Message of peace and reconciliation; good news of undeserved forgiveness! Pause for a moment, Brethren, to consider this; for our knowledge of it is but too familiar. Here is an Embassy from heaven, a Mission of the First Born, of the Son of God! a Message to a world lying in wickedness; to a people who for ages had contemned the meaner agents of the Lord, and gone on still in their rebellion! Why this great occurrence? this movement in the courts of heaven? this descending of the Infinite into the conditions of the finite; this manifestation of God in the flesh? Is it to execute the fierceness of a wrath so long delayed and trifled with? That, indeed, were well deserved! Is it to vouchsafe one yet remaining act of condescension; to remonstrate once again, and that by Him who is the Heir, before the final judgment issues never to be reversed? That were patience and long-suffering indeed! Is it to hold out any hope of don and impunity; to speak of penance and

par

of commutation; and to mitigate the dreadful sentence? That were a relenting far above our fondest expectations! for our conscience calls for retribution. But what is all this? The message is of Pardon and of freest Amnesty! the act proclaimed by Christ is one of full Reversal of Attainder! "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto them their trespasses!" The veiling of the Godhead in the flesh was to manifest his most endearing attribute of free Compassion; to convey a boon which no meaner hand was worthy to present! By Christ, the grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men : in Christ, we see the smile of Deity, the light of his countenance once more lifted up upon us! "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." By Creation, God has spoken; but it is in thunder: "clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne;"but in Christ he speaks again, and the revelation is of tenderest Condescension. By created things he shows his power; but in the Uncreated One he manifests his Love!

And this how much more clearly still, in the

Work of this his Son: a Work to be spoken of, but not to be understood: a Work which has been done;-and this we know: but which cannot be described, for who can penetrate its mystery? In symbols, therefore, only is it declared to us; in comparisons from human things; and yet it still remains beyond comparison, a love which passeth knowledge. Take the most striking illustrations: you may approximate to that which God has done in Christ, but never can you adequately speak it. What, if a creditor should so feel for his despairing debtor, as not only to remit his due, but to become bound for him? This would be compassion! Or what if an injured person, a person greatly and most grossly injured, should not only pass over all the insults of his relenting adversary, but should patronize and help him? This would be compassion greater still. And what then if a king should hesitate to crush a band of conspirators against his crown and dignity; nay, send them offers of restoration to his favour; nay, carefully destroy the fatal lists and evidences of their guilt? What call you this, but yet more wonderful compassion? But God has done all this for man, and far, yea, infinitely more: these faint resemblances may point to us the path our thoughts should take, but they

help us little onward in that path: the thing itself is still beyond "the graspings and the reachings of the most vivacious mind." It is in Scripture language only we can speak it, and then be silent and adore! "In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." Here is the fact of the divine Compassion manifested in the Son. But see how this simple fact grows upon us, with every additional circumstance revealed concerning it. "God commendeth his love towards us," -makes it known, and blazons it forth in its true perfection," in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Here is, further, the freeness of this compassion! But more. "Herein is love not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Mark here, in addition, the costliness of this compassion! And what more?

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Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down his life for us." O the divine self-sacrifice of this compassion! The gift of his own dear Son: the gift of this Son for sinners the gift of this Son even to death: the gift of this Son even to a death of expiation; lastly, the gift of Himself for all this, in and by the person of his Son! Brethren! I anticipate

E