Christ's death was a price, to purchase not only exemption from hell, but a place in heaven. Hence the dispen

sation of grace, which he came to introduce, is called the

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Kingdom of heaven;" because it first brings down heaven, as it were, into the heart, and finally lifts the believing soul up to heaven. "I am a king," said he to his judge. “I go to prepare a place for you," said he to his sorrowing disciples. "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise," said he to the dying thief. And he hath made all who believe, "kings," and "they shall reign with him for ever and ever."

But, you say, that sin and corruption have such hold upon you, that you are altogether unmeet to partake of the "inheritance of the saints in light;" and you ask, "how shall I ever be delivered from this body of sin and death."

An important inquiry this; for, though" by the deeds of the law, shall no flesh be justified," yet, "without holiness shall no man see the Lord;" and the only evidence we can have of our justification lies in our sanctification.

*

The apostle felt a degree of the same alarm, from the same cause, when he exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" and he gives the answer, "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." To the very same source to which we look for mercy, we must look for grace. He who is our righteousness, is also our sanctification; and hence he promises that he will send the Holy Spirit into our hearts, first, to convince us of our sin, then to deliver us from the love of sin, and finally from the power of sin; and this he does by degrees. True, corruption may, all our lives long, live in us, but it does not reign in us, as it once did. Once it

* Rom. vii. 24, 25.

was entertained as a guest, rather as a member of the family; now, it is pursued as an enemy.

We come now to the most difficult part of our task-to persuade our hearers to accept this salvation; to convince them that it is really "worthy of all acceptation."

It is easy to prove this saying; easy to unfold it, at least so far as to exhibit something of its meaning and excellency; easy to show, that man, being lost, can no more save himself, than a dead body can rise; and it is easy therefore to prove that all men ought to receive it with all gladness of heart, and readiness of mind: but it is not so easy to induce men to do this. My hearers, we can lead you to the wells of salvation; we can bring the streams to your very feet, but it is God alone, who by His Spirit, can cause you to draw and drink. "The excellency of the power is of God." "He makes willing in the day of his power," as he did on the day of Pentecost.

What an evidence of His love! He creates the living water, opens the fountain, rolls away the stone, invites and draws the sinner; and thus, by his power and grace from beginning to end, He is the "author and finisher of our salvation." May He take to Himself His great power and come among us, and with great might succor us this day, that very many may be drawn by His quickening grace, and drink and live.

This saying, "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, is worthy of all acceptation," "worthy of all men to be received." What can I say more? The saying is true, and you have no prospect of salvation in any other way. Many sinners, like the woman in the Gospel, have spent their time and money in seeking other remedies, and have been "nothing bettered, but rather grown worse; and it must be so, until, like her, they have recourse to the

great Physician of souls. O! do but touch his garment and you shall live.

When an individual has a disease upon him, which is curable only by one power, the duty is plain-the argument is comprehensible-"Go to him or die." And so it is written; "He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be saved, and he that believeth not, shall be damned." You have such a disease upon you; it pervades the whole system. It is in the ear, the eye, the body, the heart―aye, the very soul. It is blindness, deafness, helplessness, corruption, a paralysis of the whole moral man; and if it be not speedily removed, death must ensue. Then make no delay; apply not to physicians of no value, but go at once to Christ, and to Christ only. "Rise, he calleth thee." "Return unto me and I will heal thee." Let it not be said as of old, "I would have healed them, but they are not healed;" lest it be said again, "forsake her and let us go; for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." *

This salvation is "worthy of all acceptation" because it is a great, rich, free, full salvation. To express all in one word which comprehends all that is excellent, it is a glorious salvation. Speak we of a complete victory over a mighty foe? we call it glorious. Or of a beautiful prospect? it is glorious. Or of the sun travelling in the greatness of his strength? he is glorious. Or of heaven, the abode of blessedness? it is glorious. Or of Him by whom are all things in heaven above and on earth beneath? He is glorious. And speak we of salvation? it is glorious. All glory is brought into it. Sun, and moon, and stars have no glory in the comparison. The Infinite, if I may so speak, has

* Jer. li. 9.

centred His whole glory in this great salvation. Here is the glory of His wisdom in its contrivance. His wisdom as seen in creation is not half so wonderful as this.

Here is the glory of His power in its completion and confirmation-the dead are raised, the blind see, the veil of the temple is rent without hands, the sun is darkened, graves opened, Satan subdued, death conquered. And here is the glory of His grace. All other acts of grace are but as a drop in the ocean compared with this. "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."

It is a glorious salvation because it brings victory over sin, the devil, the law, the wrath of God, death and hell. Glorious, because it is a full salvation; it brings grace, light, wisdom, peace, heaven-all that the soul can desire or enjoy. Glorious, because it is an eternal salvation. "He became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him." The soul saved, is saved for ever. "Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation." Is it not then "worthy of all acceptation ?"

It is " worthy of all acceptation," because of the love that is in it; and who ever refused to be loved? It is "love better than wine,"‡ however it may be refined, and purified, and strengthened by age. It is love from everlasting-love without dissimulation-love without money and without price-love which not only revives and cheers heavy hearts, but quickens dead sinners, and comforts distressed saints, and of which we may drink abundantly without injury, yea, with great advantage. "Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." It is love stronger than death, for he gave himself to death for us; and better than life, for the longest life shall set in death; and sweeter than

* Eph. ii. 8.

+ Heb. v. 9.

Cant. i. 2.

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a feast of fat things full of marrow. 'My soul," says the Psalmist, "shall be satisfied with thy loving-kindness as with marrow and fatness." And will not you, my hearers, be satisfied too?

O! there is no satisfaction without it; all other objects may inebriate and surfeit, but they cannot satisfy.

It is "worthy of all acceptation" because of the mercy that is in it; and who ever refused mercy? What condemned criminal ever rejected the mercy that would pardon him, and reprieve him from the penalty of the law? Are we not guilty? Are we not condemned? Does there not await us a certain judgment and fiery indignation? But in this saying there is mercy to pardon all our sins. O! do not then forsake your mercy-that is to court swift destruction.

It is worthy to be received of all men-all classes of men-all conditions of men.

Are you great and notorious sinners? You ought, by all means to receive it, for "if the righteous scarcely," with much difficulty, "be saved, where shall the unrighteous and the sinner appear?" You certainly are included among those whom Christ came to save, and "How can you escape if you neglect so great salvation ?"

Are you of a better class? Still you cannot say you have no sin, and so you cannot say that you do not need a Saviour. It is worthy of your acceptation.

Are you depending on universal salvation, or a limited damnation, or salvation by a mitigated law? You have no certainty that you are right, but we know in whom we have believed, and are persuaded that he is able to keep that which we have committed to him against that day."+