What is the reason of this enmity? Ans. "By wicked works." It is the love of their sins that makes men hate God. Jesus himself tells you this: "Me it hateth, beYou cause I testify of it that the works thereof are evil.” could hardly imagine it possible that any one could hate the Lord Jesus. "He is altogether lovely." There is no perfection in God but it dwelt in him; there is no loveliness in man but it shone in him. And then his errand was one of purest love. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He healed all that came-spoke lovingly to all. Even his threatenings were mingled with tears of compassion. How could they hate him? He told them of their sins-that these sins were sinking them to hell. said: "Ye shall die in your sins, and whither I go ye cannot come. He offered to save them from their sinsgive them rest-rest from the weary load of guilt-rest from the tossing of a wicked heart. It was this which enraged them. They loved their wicked works-they did not want to be saved out of them; therefore they hated Jesus.

your

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-to

sins

So is it still. Many of you, when you first heard the Gospel, said: "This is very fine; we will hear thee again of this matter." The offer of pardon and heaven, a crown and a harp, and freedom from hell-all this sounded well; but when found out that you must "break off you by righteousness"—that Christ "will save his people from their sins "—then you began to linger—to ponder to hesitate-to turn back and hate God. When you saw that Christ would part you from your glass, from your oaths, from your cards and dice, from your lusts then you hated him. Alas! what a sad choice you have made!—loved your sin, and hated the Saviour! "They that hate me love death."

Children of God, this was your state. Eat bitter herbs with your passover this day. Oh! do not forget your sin. You were sometime alienated and enemies of God by wicked works. Can you look back without being confounded?

This

II. The reconciliation: "Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death."-Verse 21. is the amazing work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the blessed state into which he brings every saved soul.

1. He took on him a body of flesh. Out of pure love to hell-deserving worms, "he that was in the form of God,

and thought it no robbery to be equal with God, emptied himself, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." In order to be the Saviour of sinners, he must obey the law, which we had never obeyed he must live a lifetime of sinless obedience; but how shall the great God who made the law do this? He was made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law. Again: if he will save sinners, he must drink their cup of suffering-he must bear their stripes—their sins on his own body. But how shall the infinitely holy, happy, and unchangeable God, suffer this? Because the children were of flesh, he himself likewise took part of the same. He became united

to a weak, frail, human soul and body; so that he could

suffer-weep-groan-bleed-die. "Great is the mystery

"When all the tribes they said, Behold, we

of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh." Again: if he will be the Saviour and elder brother of sinners-if he will know their sorrows, and be their tender shepherd—he must have a human heart-a breast filled with all the milk of a mother's tenderness. But how can this be, when he is infinitely holy, wise, just, and true? Ah! he became bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. of Israel came to David to Hebron, are thy bone and thy flesh" (2 Sam. v. 1); and so can we in going to Christ: "He is one that can be touched with a feeling of our infirmity." Ah! to all eternity the incarnation of Jesus will be the theme of our wonder and praise. Brethren, you will all see that face. Some of you will wail you see it. When that lovely countenance gleams through the clouds, you will call on rocks and mountains to cover you. It is the Saviour you have rejected and de

when

spised.

nances.

2. He died: " Through death." The death of Christ is the most amazing event that ever took place in the universe; and therefore the Lord's supper is the most amazing of all ordiThe angels desire to look into it. I doubt not that angels hover round the communion table, and sing their sweetest praises to the Lamb, when they see that bread broken and that wine poured out. If the incarnation of Jesus was wonderful, far more wonderful was his dying. This was the highest summit of his obedience : "Obedient unto death." It was the lowest depth of his humiliation. He stood silent under our accusations-he lay down under our curse-he bore our hell, and died our death. He was the

great Lawgiver-the Judge of all—before whom every creature must stand and be judged; and yet he consented to come and stand at the bar of his wicked creatures, and to be condemned by them! He was adored by every holy creature their sweetest praises were poured out at his feet; and yet he came to be spit upon and reviled-to be mocked, and nailed, and crucified, by the vilest of men! "In him was life." He was the Prince of life-the author of all natural and spiritual life-he gave to all life, and breath, and all things; and yet they killed him. He gave up the ghost-he lay in the cold grave. The Father loved him infinitely, eternally-without beginning, or intermission, or end; and yet he was made a curse for us-bore the same wrath that is poured upon damned spirits.

Ah! brethren, herein was infinite love. Infidels scoff at it-fools despise it; but it is the wonder of all heaven. The Lamb that was slain will be the wonder of eternity. To-day Christ is evidently set forth crucified among you. Angels, I doubt not, will look down in amazing wonder at that table. Will you look on with cold, unmoved hearts? It is a sight of the Lamb slain that moves the hosts of heaven to praise.-Rev. v. 8. When that Lamb as it had been slain appears, they fall down before him, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours. Will you not praise him?

3. He hath reconciled us: "Yet now hath he reconciled." Sinners, we are not reconciled in the day of our election, nor at the death of Christ, but in the hour of conversion. Oh! that is a precious now: "Now hath he reconciled." It is a happy moment, when the Lord Jesus draws near to the sinful soul, and washes him clean in his precious blood, and clothes him in his white raiment, and so reconciles him to God. There is a double reconciliation takes place in the hour of believing. (1.) God becomes reconciled to the soul. When the soul is found in Christ, the Father says: 66 I will heal his backsliding, I will love him freely; for mine anger is turned away from him."-Hos. xiv. 4. The soul replies to God: "I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned and thou comfortedst me." God does not impute to that soul his trespasses; he reckons to him the obedience of the Lord Jesus. God justifies him: "He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing."-Zeph. iii. 17. (2.) The soul is reconciled

away,

to God. The Holy Spirit, who bends the soul to submit to Jesus, changes the heart to love him. When the beasts came into the ark, their natures were changed-they did not tear one another to pieces, but lovingly entered two and two into the ark; the lion did not devour the gentle deer, nor did the eagle pursue the dove. So, when sinners come to Christ, their heart is changed from enmity to love.

Dear brethren, has he reconciled you to God? You were sometime afar off; have you been brought nigh? You were sometime darkness; have you been made light in the Lord? You were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind; has he reconciled you? has he brought you into the light of God's reconciled countenance? Is God's anger turned away from you? Can you sing: "O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me" (Isa. xii.); or, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction ?"-Ps. ciii. Have you been changed to love God? Do you love his Word-his people-his way of leading you?

III. The future object in view: "That he might present you holy, and unblamable, and unreprovable in his sight." Sacrament days are solemn days; but there is a more solemn day at hand, even at the door. Here we meet to teach you and feed you, and get you to meet with Christ, and to live upon him; there we shall meet to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. In that day Christ will take those of you whom he has redeemed and reconciled, and present you to himself a glorious Church. He will confess your name before his Father, and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. There is a double perfection the saints will have in that day.

1. You will be perfectly righteous. You will be “unreprovable." Satan will accuse you, and the world, and conscience; but Christ will say: "The chastisement of their peace was upon me." Christ will show his scars, and say: I died for that soul."

2. You will be perfectly holy: "Holy and unblamable." The body of sin you will leave behind you. The Spirit who dwells in you now will complete his work. You will be

like Jesus; for you will see him as he is. You will be holy as God is holy-pure as Christ is pure.

Every one whom Christ reconciles he makes holy, and confesses before his Father: "Whom he justified, them he glorified." If Christ has truly begun a good work in you, he will perform it to the day of Christ Jesus. Christ says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending." Whenever he begins, he will make an end. Whenever he builds a stone as the foundation, he will preserve it unshaken to the end. Only make sure that you are upon the foundation-that you are reconciled-that you have true peace with God, and then you may look across the mountains and rivers that are between and that day, and say: "He is able to keep me from falling." You have but two shallow brooks to pass through-sickness and death; and he has promised to meet you, and go with you, foot for foot. A few more tears-a few more temptations-a few more agonizing prayers-a few more sacraments, and you will stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion!

IV. Perseverance is needful to salvation: "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel."-Verse 23. All whom Christ reconciles will be saved; but only in the way of persevering in the faith. He grounds and settles them in the cleft rock, and keeps them from being moved.

Dear believers, see that you continue in the faith. Remember you will be tried.

Satan may

1. You may be tried by false doctrine. change himself into an angel of light, and try to beguile you by another Gospel. "Hold fast the form of sound words."

2. You will be tried by persecution. The world will hate you for your love to Christ. They will speak all manner of evil against you falsely.

3. You will be tried by flattery. The world will smile on you. Satan will spread his paths with flowers; he will perfume his bed with myrrh, and aloes, and cinnamon.

Will you continue in the faith? Will you not be moved away? Can you withstand all these enemies? Remember perseverance is needful to salvation-as needful as faith, or as the new birth. True, every one that believes in Christ will be saved; but they will be saved through perseverance: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into