separation; it is the everlasting bond of peace. As Christ's righteousness is everlasting, so is his peace. Seventh. You may enjoy all the comforts of life, and yourselves with 'exceeding comfort, you are accepted of God. His candle shines now upon your tabernacle, and your sun shall go down no more; it may be clouded, it may hide its face for a little while, but it shall never go down. Eighth. The world may trouble you, your heart may plague you, the devil may distress you, heaven and earth may be thrown into a consternation; but God is reconciled to you. Ninth. How happy is that man who has the Lord for his God; "Yea, happy is that people that is in such a case." Oh what will not a reconciled God do for a reconciled sinner! "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not, with Him, also freely give us all things? But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." His love and friendship is as fruitful of mercies and blessings, as his justice and wrath is of punishments and miseries. Lastly. What can hinder you from being eternally saved, if you are a regenerated character? Shall your unbelief, doubts, fears, poverty, or distress? Shall death and the grave separate you? Oh, no. Hear what the holy apostle says" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ?" (See Rom. viii. 35, to the end). Now from all these things we may conclude, that reconciliation cannot possibly be universal. Owen has the following words:"If Christ reconciled all, all must be saved. 1st. That God is not reconciled to all, for his wrath abideth on some (John iii. 36); and reconciliation is the aversion of wrath. 2nd. That all are not reconciled to God, "For by nature all are the children of wrath ".(Eph. ii. 3). And some all their lives do nothing but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath (Rom. ii. 5). 3rd. How then can it be that reconciliation should be wrought between God and all men, and yet neither God reconciled to all, nor all reconciled to Him? 4th. If God be reconciled to all, when doth He begin to be unreconciled towards them that perish? By what alteration is it, in his will or nature? 5th. If all be reconciled by the death of Christ, when do they begin to be unreconciled who perish, being born children of wrath? 6th. Seeing that reconciliation on the part of God consists in the turning away of his wrath, and not imputing of iniquity (2 Cor. v. 18, 19), which is justification, rendering us blessed (Rom. iv. 6-8). Why, if God be reconciled to all, are not all justified, and made blessed through a non-imputation of their sin? They who have found out a redemption where none are redeemed, and a reconciliation where none are reconciled, can easily answer these and such other questions." These are the arguments of John Owen. "Dearest of all the names above, My Jesus and my God; Who can resist thy heavenly love, ""Tis by the merits of thy death, "Till God in human flesh I see, "But if Immanuel's face appear, "While Jews on their own law rely, CHAPTER XIV. REDEMPTION. THE more we taste the sweetness of the fruits, the more it encourages us to come again and pluck from that blessed tree. It is such a fruitful tree, that it bears all manner of fruits, and that, all the year round, winter as well as summer, it is never barren. Let the sinner come when he will, he will always find plenty of clusters hanging down within the reach of the hand of precious faith. "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." It must have been within her reach, otherwise she could not have tasted it. This fruit is not only good for food, but for medicine also. "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Song ii. 3; Rev. xxii. 2). We have been privileged to visit this tree, and gather some of the fruit; and we will endeavour (God willing) to pluck another cluster, which is redemption by Christ: which makes another discovery of the depth of sin, and our misery on the account of it. Sin was such a debt as none but Christ could satisfy; such an offence as nothing but his blood could obtain a pardon for. Sin was such a breach and enmity, that nothing but his death could make reconciliation for it. And sin was such a bondage and thraldom, that nothing but the blood of Christ could redeem us-"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. i. 7). "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot" (1 Pet. i. 18, 19). Now we will endeavour to consider the fitness of Christ as our Redeemer. Two things were necessary to make Him a suitable Redeemer. 1st. An ability of power; yea, it required an almighty power to deliver the lawful captives from the power of Satan, which was beyond the creature's power. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered ?" Here is a solemn interrogation. Shall it be done? or can it be done? The answer is in the affirmative-" But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered." How shall it be done? "For I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh, and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with new wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord (or I JEHOVAH) am thy Saviour, or thy Jesus, or anointed, and thy Redeemer, or thy Kinsman, the Mighty One of Jacob." The word mighty here denotes one who excels, or is lifted up, and is applied to God (Gen. xlix. 24). Christ, as God, excels all creatures, for He is their Creator. 2nd. He must have also an ability to redeem us from the law, and that could not be done without blood-" As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth the prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water." And these two we find in Christ, as declared in Isa. xlix. 24, 25, and especially in the 26th verse. His deity is declared in the words, "I am the Lord," as aforesaid; and his humanity," and thy Redeemer," or Kinsman: and Christ could not be our Kinsman except He assumed our nature-"Made in all points like unto his brethren, sin excepted" (See Heb. ii. 14, 17, 18; vii. 26, 27, 28). We have noticed that the word "mighty' denotes lifted up. Christ, as God-man, was lifted up on the cross, and in his glorious ascension He was lifted up, or exalted above powers and principalities, and sat down on the right hand of his Father" Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins." And He is also lifted in the blessed gospel as the Redeemer and Saviour of sinners. 1st. We will consider Christ as God. The holy apostle declares "that in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily " (Col. ii. 9). There is no perfection essential to deity, but is in Him; nor is there any that the Father has, but He has likewise. Eternity is peculiar to the Godhead. Christ was not only before Abraham, but before Adam; yea, before any creature existed. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending; which is, and which was, and which is to come. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Omnipotence, or a power of doing all things, can only be predicated of God. The works of creation, providence, redemption, the resurrection of the dead, with other things, in which Christ has been concerned, loudly proclaim Him to be the Almighty God. Omniscience, another perfection of Deity, may be found in Christ. "He needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." He is that living word of God, who is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do," or to whom we must give an account. Who in a short time will make all the world know that He it is which searcheth the reins and heart (Col. ii. 9; Rev. i. 8; John ii. 25; Heb. iv. 12, 13; Rev. ii. 23). دو Omnipresence and immensity are proper to God, and are to be found in Christ Jesus, who was in heaven at the same time He was here on earth, which could not be if He were not the omnipresent God; any more than He could make good the promises He has made, that He will be with his people when they meet in his name, and with his ministers unto the end of the world. Nor could He be present with all his churches, nor fill all things, as He certainly does. Immutability only belongs to God. Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. In short, independence and necessary existence, which are essential to Deity, are to be ascribed to Him, for He is God of himself. Though as man and Redeemer He has a life communicated to Him from the Father, yet as God He owes his being to none, it is not derived from another; He is over all, God blessed for ever, and must therefore be the true God and eternal life. If any perfection of Deity was wanting in Him, the fulness of the Godhead bodily could not dwell in Him, nor be equal with God. Here we see the fitness of Christ to be our Redeemer. 2nd. We have seen that Christ is perfect God, now we will consider Him as perfect man. Christ, as the Redeemer, must have a body to offer up as a sacrifice, to make satisfaction to divine justice, in order to deliver his brethren from the curse of the law. "A body (saith Christ) hast thou prepared for me." This we can demonstrate from the manner of his birth; He was circumcised at the eighth day. He grew in wisdom and stature; He endured hunger ani thirst. He was weary, and stood in need of rest and sleep as other men. We read that He wept and rejoiced. He died, yea, and was buried. All these prove the truth of his humanity. دو The holiness of Christ's human nature, greatly fitted Him to be an High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor; and very often an emphasis is put upon this in the sacred writings. As when He is said to take away sin-" And in Him is no sin." To offer up Himself without spot to God; and we are said to be redeemed by the blood of Christ, as a lamb without spot and blemish. And indeed such a Redeemer is proper for us, such an Advocate suits us, who is Jesus Christ the righteous? Such an High Priest became us; He is every way fit for us, "who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." Being God as well as man, there is a sufficient virtue in all his actions and sufferings, to answer what they were designed for; in his blood to cleanse from all sin, in his righteousness to justify from it, and in his sacrifice to expiate and atone for it. Being the mighty God, He could travel in the greatness of his strength, draw nigh to God for us, offer up himself to Him, bare our sins, and all the punishment due unto them, without failing or being discouraged. His own arm alone was capable of bringing salvation to himself and us; there is nothing wanting in Him to |