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world in its affections and lusts, without so loving it as to show that the love of the Father is not in us. How far a Christian may go in conformity to the world, is a question about which few are disposed to give their own minds a precise answer; because the Bible, which alone can direct them on this point, would probably declare against some of what they would call their innocent amusements and just gains. It is certain, that no Christian is forbidden to use lawful means to promote his worldly prosperity and comfort. He may even devote the greater part of his time to this purpose; for the Scriptures, far from containing any thing to check laudable industry, and the use of means whereby a man may render himself respectable and happy as to outward circumstances, expressly command him to "provide for his own, and those of his own house." Now, this implies considerable intercourse with the world; so much, at least, as to prove the absurdity of their notions who would have men wholly to seclude themselves from it; or who, taking most unwarrantable liberties with Scripture, would intermit all exertion to procure food and raiment, because they are told to trust to Him who feedeth the ravens when they cry, who clotheth the lilies of the field, and will, to the better blessings he gives his people, add all these things, because he knoweth they have need of them. Exhortations against loving the world were not intended to produce a neglect of worldly business, but to prevent the world from occupying the place of God in the heart; and to teach us the absolute necessity of making even our worldly occupations subordinate and subservient to the great ends of our being the glorifying of God on earth, and the enjoyment of him

in heaven.

But men are now not much disposed to go to excess in obeying the precepts of the Gospel; nor is

this an age in which there is great danger of being righteous overmuch. Christians are more apt to run into the opposite extreme: to accommodate the principles of religion to their own corruptions; to encourage themselves in a criminal laxity of conduct, by convenient interpretations of Scripture; sometimes, indeed, under pretence of enjoying that liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free. Too often is the attempt made to reconcile, what the Spirit of God has declared to be impracticable, the service of the prince of this world, with His service who is a jealous God, and who saith to the man who would please him, "My son, give me thine heart."

Abstinence from gross offences is by no means rare or difficult; and infidels may, as far as respects the outward appearance, bear as fair a character as the professing disciples of Christ. If those who call themselves his followers, who profess to be spiritually minded pursue the world with as much avidity as others, and become so immersed in worldly business that God is but little in their thoughts; though they may be perfectly honourable in their dealings, and in every respect merit the common appellation of good men, what are they more than others? Do not even the publicans the same? Do not the Gentiles thus seek after all these things?

It too often happens that the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and render many unfruitful. But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, faith, patience.

Again : "The innocent pleasures of life" is a phrase which we hear on all hands; but there are few terms, in such common use, which people are so unwilling or unable to define. When used by Christians, however, it is obvious that it should have a very different acceptation from that in which it is

understood by the men of the world, in whose mouths it may generally be considered as signify. ing something not so contrary to all decency and good principles as the ordinary course of their conduct. What are thus called innocent amusements may indeed, perhaps, be so in themselves; but the manner in which they are abused, the preference which is frequently given them over the most important duties, the errors and fatal consequences to which they have sometimes served as the first step, have generally rendered them suspected in the eyes of the most serious part of mankind.

There should certainly, in this respect, be a distinction between the children of God and the world lying in wickedness; and perhaps one way in which Christians ought to confess their Saviour, in these days, before men, is by abstaining from some indulgences which, though no direct criminality may attach to them abstractedly considered, yet, from circumstances, prove hostile to consistency of character, and tend therefore to bring reproach upon religion. Let the world revile and hate us, if they please, for this separation they hated Him whom we serve before they hated us; as in his case too, they will hate us without

a cause.

The boundary of what is innocent is often so indistinct, and may so easily be passed when we approach it, that it is better to keep from its verge. It is better to be thought rigid and over scrupulous, than that others should be encouraged in sin by our example; and that, on account of our conduct, the Sacred Name which we bear should be blasphemed. It surely does not become him for whom Christ died, who should always have before his eyes the value of time, the important purposes for which he was sent into being, and, above all, the realities of eternity, to be immersed in the fleeting va

nities of those whose whole life is a vain show. These are the ties which bind men to the world, and thus destroy that happy tone of mind which the Christian sometimes attains by much prayer and self-denial: they give to the tempter a more commanding position, rekindle new hopes of victory in the powers of darkness, and revive those lusts of the flesh, which had been in a degree vanquished. Let us not thus encourage the enemies of our souls, nor check the heavenward progress of our spirits for the sake of such poor momentary gratifications.

Let us, then, take heed to our ways, and regulate our conduct according to the standard by which our actions will finally be tried in that day when God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

P. Z.

FAMILY SERMONS.-No. XCVII.

1 Tim. i. 15.—This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. AMONG the instances of the efficacy of Divine grace, recorded in Scripture, there is none more decisive than that of St. Paul. With the ardour of youth he had associated some of the worst of human passions; and, notwithstanding his zeal for God, zeal for God, he was "a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious," a man of violence and blood. If we follow him in his Christian course, we find the lion converted into a lamb. He was bold indeed; but his was the courage not of persecution, but of suffering. He now went from city to city, not to drag the followers of Jesus to prison and to death, but to preach the very Name he had blasphemed, and the Gospel he had so fiercely laboured to destroy. He was himself astonished at the change; and in the overflowing of his gratitude to the

Saviour who had called him from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, he can scarcely find words to express the feelings of his heart. While writing under these impressions to Timothy, and declaring the exceeding abundance of the grace of our Lord, as displayed in his own person, he breaks out into a more general strain, and is led to magnify the love and mercy of God in the offer of salvation to all men: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

In this passage we are led to consider the mission of Christ, and its claim to our attention.

1. The mission of Christ includes two particulars; his appearance in the world, and the end for which he appeared.

1. The expression is remarkable" Christ Jesus came into the world." We read, in other parts of Scripture, that he was born of a woman, made under the law ;""the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ;"-" he took not upon him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham ;" with many other phrases of a like kind. Now in all these phrases there is something very peculiar. We do not say of Moses, or St. Paul, or St. John, or of any mortal, however high his rank or attainments, how ever holy his character or dignified his commission, that he came into the world, was made of a woman, was made flesh, &c. We cannot but feel that this mode of speech implies something extraordinary in the person to whom it is applied. It is proper only as applied to a superior being, and not to a mere man. Jesus Christ came into the world, not as his proper place of residence, but as the inhabitant of another country. He took our nature, not as belonging to himself, but as foreign to his own. was in him an act of humiliation, of condescension. He veiled the majesty of a higher nature in this

This

tabernacle of flesh.-I notice this merely to show that the inspired writers do indirectly, as well as directly, bear witness to the exalted nature of the person of Christ. It is not in this case the dignity of office or of character, but of person; and this we cannot deny without doing violence to the plain forms of common language.

2. The end for which Christ appeared was "to save sinners.". Those who are contented with the plain meaning of the word of God, will feel no doubt upon this point. He came not merely to vindicate the honour of his Father's law; or to do away the peculiarities of the Jewish system, as little suited to mankind in general; or to set before us an example of obedience and virtue: he had still nobler ends he came to save sinners." It was for us men, and for our salvation, that he left the glories of his throne, and visited the earth in great humility. It was to redeem us from sin and all its dreadful consequences, and to raise us to the blessedness of heaven, that he became man, and lived, and laboured, and died.

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And here an important question arises In what way does the mission of Christ avail to our salva tion? That he came to deliver us from the wrath of God, and from the awful punishment denounced against sin, is readily admitted. But who are the persons to be saved? Do the blessings of salvation extend to all who have sinned, or only to a part of mankind? What saith the Scripture ? “ Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved:" "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." The promise, then, is made to those that believe, and it is made to them alone: "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." We see, then, how inexpressibly

important it is that we should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.But here again there is danger of mistake. What is meant by thus believing? If it means nothing more than an admission of the truth of the general statements of Scripture a belief that the Son of God had actually come into the `world to save us from the curse of the law-such a faith would be consistent with any mode of life, however wicked: it would be a principle without power or efficiency; it could not cleanse the heart from sin, or produce those views and affections which distinguish the disciples of Christ, and fit them for beaven. He who believes to the salvation of his soul, feels that he needs a Saviour: he perceives that he has sinned against a holy God, from whose wrath he can have no refuge but in the merits of his Redeemer: he discovers and welcomes in Jesus Christ the physician of his wounded spirit: he listens with gladness to the invitations and promises of his word: he relies with entire confidence on his mercy and grace. In looking to the cross of Christ, he beholds not merely the atonement which was made for the sins of the world, but the Victim which was offered for himself. "On him has my iniquity been laid, and by his stripes must I be healed." Such is the language of faith it brings us to the Fountain which has been opened for sin and uncleanness; and appropriates to the soul all the benefits which Christ hath purchased by his blood. Faith is not, therefore, a speculative notion, but an active and powerful principle, which, by the grace of God, gives a new impulse to our hearts, and a new character to our lives. Faith of this description must of necessity produce fruits meet for repentance, and a life formed on the precepts of the Gospel. A barren faith is the faith of devils it has none of the characters of the faith that justifies the sinner. Those who believe in

Jesus, according to the scriptural meaning of that expression, "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit:" their whole conduct must be consistent with the principles they profess their fruit is unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life.

It deserves remark, that the Apostle derives pleasure from the universal manifestation of the love of Christ. He had been speaking of himself; but his large and liberal mind, while stating his own obligations to Divine mercy, rejoices that Jesus Christ came into the world, not for his sake alone, but to save sinners wherever they are to be found. No barriers were now to be raised between the Gentile and the Jew: the partition wall was broken down. If all had sinned and come short of the glory of God, the voice of mercy was now to be extended to all; and all who would hear and obey that voice, should live. The commission of our Lord to his Apostles required that they should go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. I proceed, then, to consider,

II. The claim it has upon our attention. "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation."

1. "It is a faithful saying"that is, a true saying; a fact resting on evidence which cannot be denied, and which meets us in every page of the Gospel. We find it in the doctrines which were taught, in the mighty works which were done, and in the testimony which was given, in the name and by the authority of God; and if we examine the records of the Old Testament, we have the evidence of patriarchs and prophets; for, even in the remotest ages, they looked forward to Christ and spoke of him. "It is a faithful saying," as many have witnessed who have passed from the bondage of sin to the freedom of the Gospel, the Spirit itself bearing witness with their spirits that they are the sons

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of God and heirs of eternal life. Many are even now able to rejoice in the persuasion that the Redeemer, in whom they have reposed their hope, is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him; and that God, for his sake, is still faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if we could open the gates of the invisible world, and hold converse with those who dwell in the paradise above, what countless multitudes would bear testimony to this faithful say ing! But there is no need that heaven should be emptied of its hosts to establish the veracity of the word of God: if we believe not Moses and the prophets, neither should we be persuaded though one rose from the dead.

2. It is a saying "worthy of all acceptation;" or, as we have it in the version used in the Liturgy, "of all men to be received." On what ground, then, is it to be received? It is worthy to be received both on account of its authority and importance. It rests on the declaration of God. The great end for which the Son of God took upon him the likeness of man, has been revealed to us by Him who is the source of all wisdom, and knowledge, and truth. And can we doubt his veracity, or be inattentive to his word? And if this be indeed a faithful saying, it makes known the most wonderful and important fact which ever occurred in the history of mankind. For what does it promise? Exemption from some present evil, and the attainment of some future good? It is a deliverance from every evil, and gives the prospect of greater blessings than the tongue can utter or the heart conceive. If a nation were placed on the verge of ruin, and some wise counsellor should propose a method by which it might escape danger, and rise to an unexampled height of prosperity and greatness, would not his advice be worthy of acceptance?

How much more forcible is the argument when we look upon a world lying in wickedness; when we reflect that we ourselves, in common with the whole human race, are by nature and practice sinners, and, as such, exposed to the wrath of

God-under a sentence of everlasting destruction from his presence, and of banishment to that state in which the worm dieth Hot, and the fire is not quenched! How important, then, is the intelligence of redemption; of a Saviour who has interposed between the Majesty of Jehovah and his offending creatures, who has himself paid the forfeit and penalty of guilt, and made reconciliation for our sins ! Who, that believes in the immortality of the soul, can be indifferent to its eternal state? Who, that considers how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, would reject the offer of salvation, and declare himself unwilling to accept of everlasting life?

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It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

1. Let us, then, receive this intelligence without delay or hesitation.—What man, who is in peril of his life, would put off the means of preserving it to a future day, if they were now in his power? And is it safer to trifle with eternal than with temporal pain? Would any rational being, who is awake to his real condition, and who has heard of a Saviour, defer, to some season of leisure, attention to this momentous concern? How can time be employed to any purpose more valuable than this? "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Let all worldly objects be considered as subordinate to the things which accompany salvation.

2. Let us also receive this message with gratitude. It is wonderful how prone we are to ingratitude with respect to God. Many, who would on no account be wanting in

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