the death he died in our behalf, for his intercessions at the right hand of God. It is a similar feeling and a similar honor to the Son as to the Father. Further, we honor the Father by obedience. There is no mode, indeed, by which we so surely demonstrate our supreme reverence for the Creator and Governor of men, as by the unreserved subjection of heart and life to the obedience of his law. It is the highest and most acceptable tribute we can bring. Ten thousand offerings of eloquent praise and costly gifts are light in comparison of the great gift of the heart and life. So, too, we yield the highest tribute of honor to our Lord Jesus, when we obey his gospel in the spirit of it. Who honors him, like him that obeys him? Who is his friend, but he that "keeps his commandments"? It is not by contentions respecting the dignity of his nature, 'and vehement declamation concerning the love and praise which are his due, that we most effectually promote his glory. The living, acting eulogy of him who breathes his spirit, imitates his example, and keeps his commandments, is an offering infinitely more worthy. In these several ways the injunction may be observed to "honor the Son even as we honor the Father." God is our Creator and Sovereign, and claims our reverence, faith, love, gratitude, and obedience. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Teacher, our Prince and Savior, and claims our reverence, faith, love, gratitude, and obedience. Let them be yielded to him. Let the homage be rendered, which belongs to him whom God has ordained to be the religious head of the present dispensation of grace, and to judge the world in righteousness. We sit beneath his empire; let us be subject to him. In truth and holiness, in matters of conscience and duty, lét us have no master upon earth but him. This is his rightful claim; let it be given to no one else. We break our allegiance if we yield to any other the dominion over our faith, or the keeping of our consciences. This dominion has been granted to Jesus alone. If any other exercise it, he is a usurper. If any allow it to be exercised, they have rebelled against their spiritual Prince, and taken from his head the crown of honor which God had placed there. And yet, how prone are we to substitute some easier show of allegiance, in place of this thorough submission of life and conscience! How ready are we to be loud in professions and acclamations, while in fact we have another master, and follow another guide! The disgrace of the church, in all ages, has been its infatuated adherence to human authority, and its willing subjection to human heads. The crown has been torn from Him whose right it is to reign, and placed-not unfrequently with bloody handson the brows of arrogant and ambitious persecutors, who ostentatiously became the infallible interpreters of a book which they had sealed, and the capricious masters of the consciences of the Christian world. And thus, while the banner of the cross was made to float proudly amid their armies, and pomp, and parade, and splendid ceremony called . the wondering multitude to gaze at the honors which were lavished on the Savior of the world, in the mean time, his authority was virtually trodden under foot, and the hearts of men were far from him. The church is not yet entirely purified from these sad corruptions. The disciples do not yet sufficiently understand what constitutes the true honor of their Master, and of his gospel. Too many think it sufficient to cry, "Lord, Lord," without “ doing the things which he says." Too many are still bowing down to creeds and confessions, idols which their own hands have made, and which draw away their reverence from the true word of life. Too many are still taking from human lips the interpretation of God's will, while its sacred records lie by them unsearched, and the voice of Him who "spake as never man spake," is not allowed to reach the understanding or the heart, till it has been mingled with the interpretation of some later master. Alas! how has the Son of God been robbed of his honors! How have they been transferred to men! Brethren, do not suffer yourselves to be so deceived. If you call any one master, you withdraw your allegiance from Him who should be your only Master; you exalt a frail man to the seat of judgment, where God has placed his Christ; you surrender your faith and salvation to the wisdom of a fallible being, who ought to be sitting with you at the feet of your common Lord, and you are thus exposed to the hazard of his weakness, errors, and sins. Take, therefore, His word for your guide. All that you may say, or believe, or profess, respecting his dignity, exaltation, and authority, is but empty words, but unmeaning profession, if your consciences are subject to any other dominion, or your life to any other law. When you are so subject to the spirit and influence of his truth, that men shall take knowledge of you that you have been with him, and learned of him, then you will have yielded to him the only sufficient tribute the only valuable and acceptable homage which man on earth can bring. Then you may know that you are his, and that your labor is done; for he who hath the Son hath the Father also, and he who hath the Father hath everlasting life. SERMON XI. THE EXAMPLE OF OUR LORD HEBREWS XII. 2. LOOKING UNTO JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. THE apostle had been naming, in the preceding chapter, a long catalogue of those who were eminent for their faith in former days. In the first verse of the present chapter, he represents them as a "cloud of witnesses," surrounding Christians, by whose presence they should be excited to run well the race set before them. In thus expressing himself, he evidently alludes to the public games, which were of such celebrity and consequence in that age of the world. He urges Christians to persevere, like combatants in the race, who struggled hard for the prize, and to be animated by the attendant crowd of witnesses; and as a further incitement, directs them, in our text, to be also looking unto Jesus," the Author and Finisher of their faith." Commentators, who are skilled in the original languages, and acquainted with the customs of former times, tell us that - the titles here given to Christ are those which belonged to him who presided at the games. Macknight accordingly translates," the Captain and Perfecter of the faith;" and observes that "the apostle, having exhorted the Hebrews to run the race set before them, compares Jesus to the judge of the games, whose office it was to determine who were the conquerors, and to make them perfect as combatants by bestowing on them the prizes." But there is something further implied than even this. The apostle speaks of him as one who has himself run the same race, in spite of its discouragements and hardships, and is now enjoying its rewards; "who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God;" whom we are, therefore, to regard as an example to ourselves, and to animate our flagging spirits by remembering that, as "he overcame, and is set down with his Father on his throne, so, if we overcome, we shall sit down with him on his throne." The disciples of Jesus are thus, in the passage before us, directed to "look unto him" as their Leader, their Judge, and their Example; exalted at the right hand of God's throne, because "he endured the cross, and despised the shame." By the example of their Master, thus honored and exalted, the disciples are exhorted to be encouraged and strengthened. It is this exhortation upon which we are to meditate at the present time. Brethren, I wish you to contemplate Jesus to-day as your Example. I wish to bring up to your minds and hearts the pattern of your beloved and honored Lord, and to show you how great encouragement, aid, comfort, and holy peace, may be obtained in all duty, trial, and sorrow, by habitually and fervently looking unto him. The power of example is too well known to need to be much insisted on. Man has been called and with some propriety -the creature of imitation. The character of children is very much formed on the model of their parents, - |