eth us;" we cannot doubt but that it should form a great part of our duty in preaching Christ, that in His name, we should entreat and beseech our people to be reconciled to God, we should tell them of their state of enmity against Him, and endeavour by the grace of the Holy Spirit to prove it and convince them of it, that they may seek His friendship through that one mediator who "was made sin for us (though He knew no sin) that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Whilst again in one word the apostle here sums up the blessings obtained by Christ when he says, "Ye are complete in ii. 10. Him." Complete, as standing in the sight of a Holy God as righteous, through His perfect righteousness. Complete in Him, as having all we want for time and for eternity, in Him, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, 1 Cor. i. 30. and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Complete in Him. And in whom are we taught to look for this sufficiency? in Him "which is the head of all principality and power." 2. We may next notice how Christ is preached in this epistle, by these doctrines being carried out into personal application and minute details. The privileges of believers on Him are asserted as resulting from their individual union with Christ. "In whom i. 11—13.

also ye are circumcised, with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses."

Here

we have stated, the connection of the sacrament of baptism, with all spiritual privileges, as testifying to their reality, sealing and assuring them-but how? Through the faith of the operation of God-through faith in the risen Saviour to believers-so that, that is declared to have happened to the believer spiritually, which happened to Christ bodily. He who was dead in sins becomes dead unto sin with Christ, risen to spiritual life with Christ— not merely because he is baptized, or necessarily by the Rom. iv. 22—24. instrument of baptism, but through faith in Him "who raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead, who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification." And thence what is to be learnt as to our preaching Christ to our people who have been baptized into His name? Surely, that we should point out to them the absolute necessity of faith in Christ for a saving interest in these blessings, whilst we shew them the responsibility laid on them to plead the covenant of grace, convince them of their lost condition who were dead in their sins, and declare what they really become, when with hearts renewed by the Holy Ghost they believe on Christ, that Mark xvi. 16. they are then risen with Him, for "he who believeth and is baptized shall be saved." And thus again we go on in preaching Christ to enter into the minute details of motives and duties as we see in the 3rd and 4th chapters of this epistle, exhorting our people to be spirituallyminded; if "risen with Christ to seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God;" to purity of principle, and life, and conduct, "Mortify therefore your numbers which are upon the earth." "But now ye also put off all these, anger,

iii. 1.

iii. 5, 8-11.

wrath, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all, and in all." The perfect example of our Lord is here set forth as being a part of preaching Christ. "Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, iii. 12. bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." And this is then iii. 17-24. carried out into all the minute particulars of relative duties. "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through Him. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands love your wives," &c., and especially in the directions to servants, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that of the Lord you receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ." And finally, Christ is preached as coming again in His glory, and this is the object to which the Christian is to look forward for eternal happiness, even the enjoyment of Christ, "Christ in you the hope of glory." "When Christ who is our life shall appear, then i. 27. and iii. 4. shall ye also appear with Him in glory." Now, brethren, the observation which I would especially suggest from these passages is this-That the apostle gives no countenance from his own example to any thing approaching

to the notion of reserve, as to any of the doctrines which concern our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the sun and centre of his whole system. He does not encourage us to think that the minister may suppose that the doctrines of the gospel have been sufficiently learnt and understood, or that they are in any way to be kept back till he imagines his people are prepared to receive them. No! they are continually to be brought forward as the great moving springs of all that we enforce or enjoin. If that be wanting, our morality sinks into a chill statement of duties, without motives, principles, or animating springs of action. If that be there, we need not, we ought not to fear to go into all the minutest details of duty, for the motive is the love of Christ, the reason for our pressing these is the obligation of gratitude which we owe to Him who has freed us from the condemnation of the sentence of the law, that we may be "under the law to Christ," the object of desire is that we may be conformed by the Holy Spirit to His image, that so we may have that 1 John iii. 2, 3. "purifying hope in Him that when He shall appear we may be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

ii. 8.

But there is also another view of the subject to which our attention is strikingly drawn in this epistle, and that is, the preaching Christ, in opposition to all the errors which spring from the workings of the natural mind, opposed as it ever is to the doctrines of the Cross, and to the knowledge of "those things that are freely given us of God." Accordingly we find in this epistle, that St. Paul preaches Christ in opposition to systems of man's unsanctified reasoning; or as it is here," the philosophy and vain deceit", which result from the proud and scep

tical arguments of the mere wisdom of the world, by which men are led to view the great truths of the Gospel as mere matters of speculation of little or no value. He preaches Christ in opposition to any opinions handed down from mere human authority, "after the tradition of men." Christ, as the alone life and soul of godliness in opposition to formality and a religion of outward observances, as we find in the 16th verse of the 2nd chapter

-“Let no man therefore judge you in meat or drink, or ii. 16–23. in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon or of the sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ." Christ, in opposition to a dark and tangled mysticism, a specious but self-deluding willworship, and to spiritual pride. "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind," and not "holding the Head." And again-"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world are you subject to ordinances, (Touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish with the using), after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." If Satan made use of these means to darken the pure light of God's truth; if even then, that "mystery of iniquity" did already work, which afterwards fully developed itself in the errors of the Church of Rome, let us not forget, that as it was by the preaching of the Cross "to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolish