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had made. Ah! it was love that tied his tongue. The cords with which the soldiers bound him were tight and strong; but, oh! his love bound him more firmly than all. The nails that pierced his hands and feet held him firmly on the bloody cross; but, oh! his love was the strongest nail-it was stronger than death. When the Jews accused him, and he answered not a word, it was love to sinners which made him hold his peace. When Herod questioned him, and Pilate condemned him, his trembling humanity said: I am not guilty. But, oh! his love said: Yes; I am guilty of all. When his Father bruised him with weights of mysterious agony, in the garden, and on the cross-when the infinite wrath of the infinite God was all summed up in a three hours' agony -when all that bowed down his blessed head, his shrinking humanity said, inwardly: I never sinned-this wrath is not mine; I should not bear it. But, ah! his love said: Either I or my people must bear it; I will bear it for them. Oh, believers! behold how he loved you. Surely this love was stronger than death. A deluge of wrath could not quench this love. Can you count the drops of the ocean? Then you may fathom the depths of his love to you. you measure the distance between the highest throne in heaven, and the lowest dungeon in hell? That is the measure of his love to you.

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Some of you dare not believe in Jesus. Ah! is this the way you requite the love of the silent Lamb of God? He would not answer when he was accused, He would not murmur when condemned. When God poured wrath on him, he would not stand upon his Godhead purity, but consented to bear wrath, that every sinner looking to him may go free; and yet you will not look to this Lamb of God. Oh! you grieve him, and crucify him afresh.

4. He was silent, because he sought his Father's glory. I have often tried to show you that it is more glorifying to God when sin is punished in his own Son, than when it is punished in the poor worms that committed it. If sinners bear their own sins, then they must suffer eternally, so that God's justice will never be satisfied. They will always have more to suffer, and God will never have full glory out of them. But when Christ suffers in the room of a sinner, then God is satisfied at once. He is infinitely glorified. Now, Christ knew this quite well. He came seeking his Father's glory: "I am come to do, not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." Therefore it was he was

dumb, that God might have more glory from the finished sufferings of his own Son, than from the eternal sufferings of sinners. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Therefore did he say: "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Therefore did he hasten to go up to

Jerusalem.

Speak to awakened.-Some of you refuse to believe, lest you should tarnish the glory of God. You fear that it cannot be consistent with the glory of so pure and holy a God to receive you to pardon and peace. Are you wiser than Christ? Christ feared that God would lose some of his glory if sinners were allowed to bear their own sins, because infinite justice never could get enough of suffering out of them. Therefore was he dumb under the wrath of God, that justice might be fully satisfied out of his infinite sufferings. Be wise, I entreat of you; God is more glorified by your suffering in Christ, than by your own suffering in hell. It will be far more honouring to God if you will cleave to that bleeding silent Lamb, than if you were to bear the wrath of God for ever and ever. Give glory to the Lord, before your feet stumble on the dark mountains.

III. The broken bread represents the silent sufferings of Christ.

This day, my friends, I set before you the plainest and simplest picture of the silent sufferings of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. In that night in which he was betrayed he took bread. Why bread? 1. Because of its plainness and commonness. He did not take silver, or gold, or jewels, to represent his body, but bread, plain bread, to show you that when he came to be a surety for sinners, he did not come in his original glory, with his Father's angels. He took not on him the nature of angels-he became man. 2. He chose bread, to show you that he was dumb, and opened not his mouth. When I break the bread it resists not-it complains not-it yields to my hand. So was it with Christ—he resisted not-complained not--he yielded to the hand of infinite justice. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

Some of you believe not. You do not consent to take this silent Lamb as a sin-offering for your soul. Either you,

Some of you believe in the silent Lamb of God. It was my sin that lay so heavy on his heart. My the thorns that pierced his brow. My sins were that pierced his hands and feet. My sins were that pierced his heart. He loved me, and gave h me. Come, then, to the broken bread and poured -feed on them-appropriate Christ in them; a you feed upon the emblems of the silent Lamb, remembrance of Jesus.

Dundee, 1837.-(Action Sermon.)

SERMON LVIII.

AS THE HART PANTETH.

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my so O God."-Ps. xlii. 1.

THESE are supposed to be the words of David wh from his son Absalom. He seems to have been in some solitary wild on the side of Mount He stream of Jordan flowing at his feet. David see been full of pensive meditation, for his enemies him daily, saying: "Where is thy God?"-nay, seemed to forget him; all his waves and bill going over him-when suddenly a deer bounded It had been sore wounded by the archers, or p some wild beast on the mountains of the leopar and weary, he saw it rushing toward the flowi and quenching its thirst in the water brook. quickened by the sight. Is not this just a pictu I should be? Is not my God to me all that t stream is to that wounded deer? "As the ha after the water brooks, so panteth my soul afte God."

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I do hope that many of you have come up this day with the same panting desire in your bosom. None but gracious souls can pant after God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. As the loadstone attracts nothing but what is made of steel to itself, so an uplifted Saviour, God manifest in the flesh, draws nothing but what is awakened by his own Spirit to him. May God enable me to show you shortly some of the reasons why the believer pants after God!

I. The burden of sin makes the soul pant after God.

1. Unawakened souls-those who feel no burden-do not pant after Christ. (1.) "The full soul loathes the honeycomb." Christ is the honeycomb which God has provided for poor sinners. The sweetest honey is to be found in the clefts of that Rock; but unawakened persons are full-full of peace-full of business-full of pleasure. They have no desire after Christ-they loathe the honeycomb. (2.) Unawakened persons are "dead in trespasses and sins.' They are as dead to Christ and eternal things as the dead in the church-yard are to the things of this world. The dead bodies in the churchyard are at present within reach of the preacher's voice. If they could look up out of their graves, they would see the table spread with the bread and wine; and yet when we speak they do not hear-they do not weep-their bosoms do not pant-they do not rise and come. Dear friends, the dead souls within the Church are just as dead as they. You too are within reach of the preacher's voice -you too can see Christ evidently set forth crucified; yet you have no desires after Christ. Your eyes weep notyour bosoms pant not-you have no heart-longings after Christ. (3.) When Israel was in the land of Egypt, they had leeks, and onions, and garlic-they sat by the fleshpots, and did eat bread to the full. They did not cry for manna-they did not seek water out of the flinty rock. So it is with those of you who are unawakened. You have got the leeks and the onions of this world's pleasures, and profits, and diversions; and you care not for Christ, the bread of life. You do not pant after forgiveness and a new birth-you have no heart-longings for the living water, of which if a man drink he shall never thirst again.

2. Many awakened persons do not pant after Christ. There are some who feel like the deer stricken by the archers; but they think they can pull out the arrows, and

heal their own wounds. (1.) When Naaman the Syrian came to Elisha, he felt his loathsome disease, and he longed to be cured; but when the prophet told him: "Go wash in Jordan seven times, and thou shalt be clean,” he did not believe God's word: "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." So do many awakened souls among you. You are made to feel your loathsome disease—you sometimes tremble for fear of hell; but when we tell you of Christ's blood cleansing from all sin, you go away in a rage. (2.) When the flood came upon the earth, when the rain fell forty days, and the bowels of the great deep were broken up, I doubt not there were great pantings of heart. Many fled from the wrath to come. Some fled to the top of snowy Lebanon-some to the peaks of Ararat; but Noah only believed God's word, and entered into the ark. So, many of you tremble about your souls, who yet are not believing God's word, and not panting after Christ: "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (3.) When Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven, it is said all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. There will not be one unawakened person in earth or in hell. Not the proudest and deadest of you will keep from trembling in that day. But, ah! it is only those who believe his word that will flee under his wings. Dear friends, it is not enough that you are anxious about your soulsyou must be fleeing to Christ; yea, you must be in Christ, before you are safe.

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3. All who are taught of God long after Christ: "Every one that hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” When a sinner is convinced by God that his sins are a burden heavier than he can bear-that if he die they will crush him into an eternal hell; when convinced that God has provided a Lamb for a burnt-offering-that this Lamb is free to all-he rushes through the crowd. Others may keep back, but he cannot. He places both his hands on the head of the divine Lamb, and says: My Lord, and my God"—"This God is my God for ever and ever; he will be my guide even unto death"-" As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.".

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If there is any of you convinced that you are perishing

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