speedy destruction? Now so it is with two sinners in the sight of a holy God: they are both already condemned; they are under sentence of death; the propriety of that sentence is made manifest to their own consciences; they feel that they deserve to die; they are ready to acknowledge that they are the chief of sinners-that it is not against this man or against that community that they have offended merely, but against God and in the sight of God they have sinned; they are disposed even to contest with one another about which is the greatest sinner. Each one exclaims, "I am the chief"; and when before the throne of Jehovah, they are heard to unburden themselves in words of shame and lowly supplications, groaning out, "God be merciful to me a sinner." You would not expect such men to turn and fight with one another: nay rather, as they have experienced the forbearance of God, they will unite together at his throne to supplicate forgiveness and reconciliation. To believe in Jesus Christ, we repeat again, then, is to be oppressed with a deep sense of our utter unworthiness in the sight of a holy God, and to cherish the impression that there is no man has offended us so much as we have offended God, and that we have no claim against any man so much as God has a claim against us.

But to become a believer in Jesus Christ is to be

a partaker of the spirit of love; and not merely to be a new creature, old things having passed away and all things having become new. Such a one not only is delivered from the sentence of death and from the very dangerous consequences of all sin; but is also renewed into the spirit of the loving Saviour, and brought into conformity with the loving spirit of Christ. Oh, what would be thought of a man who should represent Jesus Christ as marching forth into the battle-field, arrayed in the weapons of a carnal armour, to fight with a poor sinner, to wound and maim him, to destroy his hope! How inconsistent with the love that filled his heart, that brought him from the heavenly realms, that emptied him of his own glory, that clothed him with human sorrows, that occupied his affections, his time, his powers, in order that he might become the Saviour of men! How significant are those words which we have already recited-" Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." "In this is manifested the love of Christ, that he laid down his life for his brethren." He took pleasure in renewing such assurances : "I lay down my life for the sheep" is his own declaration. "As the Father "That ye love

you."

hath loved me, so have I loved
one another as I have loved you."

his soul unto death for them.

He poured out

Now this is the

spirit in which Christ himself was glorified; this is

the spirit in which he wrought out the work of redemption; and it is the spirit in which he still wins sinners to himself. "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you." It is that spirit in which he renews everyone who believes in him. They are conformed into the image of Christ; they are renewed-not only becoming changed, but new creatures, constrained with Christ's love; and therefore it is said, "We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to place ourselves under the direction of his word, as subjects of his dominion-to be, in fact, willing to serve in the day of the power of Jesus Christ-to be his obedient disciples, going forth bearing the cross of our Redeemer, not merely as a matter of reproach, but delighting in his requirement as a matter of service. And if we believe in the Lord's anointed as he has commanded us, we shall obey the word of Christ. He has declared, "My kingdom is not of this world." He has warned his disciples, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." He has enjoined it as a precept which never can be abrogated, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Christ has explained this as the fulfilling of the law; this is the second great commandment, and on this, with the love of God, hangs the law and the prophets. "As ye would

that men should do to you, do ye even so to

them."

We take the Bible as a whole, and rejoice that in the Old Testament we have precious consolation; we find there great and exceedingly precious promises; we have, in that record, presented. to us repeated and condescending manifestations of divine love towards the children of men. But in the scriptures of the prophets we have also a faithful discovery of the wicked actions which sometimes were identified with the people and service of God. A humbling memorial is left of things that did happen, not that they should be examples to us which we should imitate, but that they should be as beacons to guide us from what we ought to shun. Typical and emblematic representations are presented, connected with the Old Testament Church; and the heavenly inheritance is prefigured by the land of Canaan, as the land of promise and the land of possession. But these types, and emblems, and symbols of the old Testament dispensation, are all imbued with a higher meaning, in connection with spiritual things, as revealed in the New Testament. And taking this as our comparative estimate of the sacred volumes, we ask, From the first chapter of Matthew to the last chapter of Revelations, where is there a command of Christ or of his apostles that we should take up carnal weapons, with which

to fight-that we should become warriors to destroy our enemies, not merely on foreign shores, but in our own land? Let us read the sermon on the mount, from the first page to the last; let us examine the conduct of Christ to his adversaries and persecutors, and even those who put him to death; let us reverently listen to his confidential counsels, and his secret prayers, and his petitions on behalf of his murderers, and what do they all teach the subjects of his kingdom, but that we should love one another -that we should not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good?

"Ah," say some, 66 we should love the members of the Church with which we are connected; and we should love Christians who are Christians indeed, and who conduct themselves towards us as Christians ought to do; we should love those who are in the performance of Christian duties towards their fellow men; but you do not expect that we should love those who are our adversaries?" What did Christ do? What did Christ teach? love them that love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?" "If ye do good to them who do good to you, what thank have ye?"

"If you

'Pray for them that curse you, bless them that persecute you, do good to them that hate you," is the substance of the teaching of Christ; while his Apostle taught, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him;