(2.) He laid down his life. In this he obeyed a special commandment of his Father. Adam was not only under the ten commandments, but he had a special commandment given him, to try his obedience to God's will, namely, that he should not eat the forbidden fruit. In like manner Christ was not only under the ten commandments, but under a special commandment, the most difficult that ever was given to any being-that he should die for sinners: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life. This commandment have I received of my Father."-John x. 17. And a little after: "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”—John

xviii. 11.

Therefore does he say: "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart."—Psal. xl. And, "Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."-Phil. ii. 8. This was the most amazing trial of obedience that ever was. It was a long trial: "I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted." He was " man of sorrows" from his youth. Often, often, he sank under the dark cloud of his Father's anger, till he groaned his last on Calvary. There was nothing in the nature of things to oblige him to do it. There was nothing good or amiable in those for whom he died; they were vile sinners-not asking him to die for them-blind to his excellency and divine glory. Yet he was obedient unto death. This is the obedience by which he covers and justifies all those, however sinful, that come to God by him.

3. The consequence: "Many are made righteous." We have seen that in the fall and ruin of man, it pleased God to deal with man, not as a field of corn, each standing on his own root, but as a tree, in which all the branches stand or fall together. We were not made sinners, each by his individual sin, but all by the sin of one. In like manner it has pleased God to justify sinners, not each by his own obedience, by his own goodness and holiness, but "by the obedience of ONE." Just as Adam by his one sin brought death, the curse of God, and total spiritual death, not only upon himself, but upon all his branches, even the most distant, even the mi

nutest, even though unborn; so the second Adam, by his own obedience, brought pardon, righteousness, spiritual life, and eternal glory to all his branches, even the most distant, the smallest, even those unborn.

(1.) They are made righteous. Those who betake themselves to Christ are made righteous. It matters not what they have been before, they are righteous now. They belong to a righteous family-to a righteous tree; the root is righteous, and so are all the branches. They are not forgiven only-not only have their infinite sins been blotted out, but they are made righteous. They are not only made innocent, as if they had done no sin, but righteous, as if they had fulfilled all righteousness. All that Christ did and suffered is counted theirs. Neither are they made righteous as if they had obeyed, but as if they had obeyed divinely. They are made righteous all at once. We were made sinners all at once-by one blow-by one man's sin; so those of you who cleave to Christ are made righteous all at once. You have not to wait many years before you find acceptance. You find it the moment you cleave to Christ: "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life"-" In the Lord have I righteousness and strength"-"In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory."

(2.) Many, not few. The first Adam was the root of a numerous family, to whom, by his disobedience, he transmitted death and sin. The second Adam is the root of a numerous family, to whom he gives pardon and holiness. They are scattered over every country and every age, so that often they seem few, but they are many when gathered together. "So shall thy seed be." "I saw a great company which no man could number," every one made righteous in this way. "In my Father's house are many mansions," and none of them will be empty, yet every one will be righteous in the obedience of one. O will ye not be among the many!

(3.) Many, not all. The second Adam offers himself to all. He is willing to be co-extensive with the first Adam. Ruin, by the fall of the first Adam, extended to every creature; and so the gift of the second Adam is to every creature: "Go, and preach the Gospel to every creature." The Gospel is preached to every creature under heaven. Christ stands willing to be a root of pardon, and righteousness, and eternal life, to every creature. Yet all do not, and will not, come. The most stay away, and die in their sins. I fear

the most of you are now staying away from Christ. O that you were all made righteous in God's way!

III. Lessons.

1. Most are on the wrong way. Many people are in earnest in a wrong direction. When a ship is wrecked, and the sailors take to the long-boat, they toil hard to get to land, but often they row in wrong directions. So with sinners. Many of you are in earnest, but not in the right direction. Most are trying to be righteous in the obedience of many-each in his own. You want to stand on your own root. You will not take guilt from the first Adam, neither righteousness from the second. Are you wiser than God? If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. You are trying to make Christ useless. Is it not better to submit to God's way-to fall in with the divine scheme to submit to the righteousness of God?

2. All believers are equally righteous before God. I have seen a family of children all dressed alike, that none might boast over the others, all being equally fair. So it is with God's family-they are all righteous in the obedience of One. One garment covers them all-the robe of their elder Brother. Believers differ in attainments, in gifts and graces, but all are equally justified before God. It is not work of their own that justifies them, it is the work of Christ alone. Ah, brethren! there is no boasting in Christ's family. "Where is boasting, then? It is excluded." This is what keeps most away. They cannot bear to be on the same level with a drunkard, or a publican. They cannot bear to come before God along with Mary Magdalene and the dying thief.

now.

3. You may come always to God this way. It is not once only that you need this divine obedience to cover you, but all your life long. The moment you forsake Christ, you lose your righteousness before God. But you may return This obedience is always the same always fullalways divine. You say you are changed-Christ is not changed. You say you have got new guilt-Christ is still the same. You still be made righteous once more the obedience of one. Why stay away from Christ? Can you make yourself righteous away from him? Can you be righteous any other way than by submitting to him? Dundee, April 17, 1842.-(Action Sermon.).

may

in

SERMON LII.

THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER.

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."-2 PET. ii. 9.

THERE are only two great classes of people in the worldthe godly and the unjust; and the way in which God deals with these two classes makes up the history of the universe. To one of these classes every one of you belongs. 1. The godly are those who have been born again-made partakers of the divine nature, and live unto God. 2. The unjust are those who are ungodly-who have never been born again-who live to themselves and to the world. God deals very differently with these two classes.

I. His treatment of the godly.

1. He allows them to fall into temptations. The whole Bible shows that it is common for believers to be carried through many and great temptations. Temptations may be understood in two ways. (1.) Solicitations to sin. All believers are allowed to fall into these. The old nature remains; though crucified, and mortified, and hated, yet it remains. Satan shoots his fiery darts-lays snares for the soul. The world watches for our halting. No doubt Noah felt these in the old world, and Lot as he walked through the streets of Sodom. (2.) Trials. All kinds of trial which try the soul whether it will abide in Christ or noreproaches and persecutions. Often the trial is fiery. The whole Bible testifies that it is common for believers to fall into these. The ordinary course of a believer passes through "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not you to be tempted above that ye are able.”—1 Cor. x. 13. Think it not strange. James says: "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."

these:

suffer

And Paul says, "that he served the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears and temptations."-Acts xx. 19. You may think it strange that God should take us by such a

way to glory-by tears and temptations. Why did he let Noah live so long in a world of trials? Why did he let Lot remain in the midst of Sodom?

1st, To manifest the reality of grace. It is said: "There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you."-1 Cor. xi. 19. For the same reason there must be temptations, that those of you who are really God's children may be made manifest. In a time when there is no trial or temptation, it is easy to receive the Word with joy, and many among you appear to be Christians; but when temptation comes, many go down-many that seemed to get good at one time, to be moved, and to wait diligently on the Word. Perhaps if you had been allowed to go smoothly through life without temptations, you would have remained with a name to live all your days; but temptation came, and you sank, just to show that you were none of his. But Noah is kept in the midst of the old world, not conforming to the world, to show that there is a divine power working in him—to show that there is an electing, forgiving, upholding God. Lot is kept in Sodom to show the same thing. And you that are believers are kept by the power of God, through manifold temptations.

2d, To condemn the world. Noah was moved with fear, by which he condemned the world. When a poor fellowworm and fellow-sinner was enabled to live above the world, to commune with God, and to go in and out among them, living for eternity, it proved to them that there was a Saviour that there was a God of grace. A believer is a living demonstration of the way of salvation. Lot condemned the men of Sodom, when he vexed his soul from day to day, when he lived among them a pardoned sinner, upheld by the Holy Spirit. And so the few believers in this place are condemning it. O, if you had never seen what conversion is-if you had no examples of a holy, renewed believer in your neighbourhood, you would stand with a bolder face in the judgment! But, ah! every believer in this place condemns you. Why not wash where we have been

washed?

3d, That we may be conformed to Christ. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. Christ was tempted by the devil, and hated by the world;