have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all." Isa. liii. 4. 6. " I am the good shepherd," said Jesus, "I lay down my life for the sheep. They shall never perish, but I give unto them eternal life." John x. " Whom God hath set forth," says the apostle Paul, "to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Rom. iii. 25, 26. And can any one believe that Jesus humbled himself as a man, and suffered as if he had been a malefactor, for the sole purpose of saving sinners; and yet suspect that he will refuse salvation to those that seek it from him? It was for "the joy" of saving sinners that he "endured the cross, disregarding the shame." Well may it then be said, that "there is joy in heaven over every sinner that repenteth." May you now believe in Christ, that he 66 may see of the travail of his soul” in your salvation, "and be satisfied."

Consider what is said in the text, "He went about doing good." He not only never rejected one request for help, of all the numberless persons who applied to him, but he went about, in order "to seek and save that which was lost." He travelled for this purpose on foot, with much weariness and faintness, from one end of the land of Canaan to the other, again and again. He compares himself to a shepherd, who seeks far and wide for a poor wandering sheep, that never could have found its way back to the 'fold. So his willingness to do good to sinners is still proved, by his command to those who are intrusted with the Gospel, that they should preach it to all mankind; by his providence, in sending his disciples throughout the world, without which the Gospel would to this day have been unknown in England; and by the influence of his Spirit upon the heart of all them who are made willing, in the day of his power, to lay hold on the hope set before them; for what but the sovereign grace of God makes any of you, who long for his salvation, to differ from the rest, who reject it to their everlasting destruction? If we feel any love to God, it is “because he first loved us:" and he hath said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to

me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Brethren the Scriptures inform us, that besides the two great purposes for which, as we have observed, Christ came into this world, there was a third. He came, not only to declare to us the will of God, and to offer himself up for the pardon of our sins, but also" To leave us an EXAMPLE that we might walk in his steps." "He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." We are unworthy to be called Christians, if we do not imitate him. Let us set his bright and blessed example before us, as the text holds it forth. Let us do all the good we can to those around us, both to their bodies and their souls; yea, even to "our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers ;" but especially to our relations and friends, and to those who serve God. Let us remember Christ's labour and patience in going about to do good to those, who either could not or would not come to him to receive it. We are humbly trying to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, in coming here to do you good. Our consciences bear us witness that we earnestly desire your welfare, and have no other end in view. We know nothing that can do you greater good, than to lead you to think more of God, and eternity; and to promote in you the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. We hope that God is visiting you by our means; and that he will, by his Spirit, make this meeting useful to your souls.

If you remain strangers and enemies to God, it is not for want of the power or willingness of Christ to do you good. Do not forget what he has said to you on this subject. "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present yourselves living sacrifices to him, holy, and acceptable, which is your reasonable service." If you do not, every mercy you have received, and the very means of instruction you have now had, must appear against you at the day of Judgment.

But if your hearts are now seriously affected with what you have heard; if you feel yourselves to be guilty and helpless creatures; if you earnestly desire the pardon of your sins, through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to have your minds renewed, and made like the mind

that was in him; these things should encourage you to pray to Christ, to depend upon his grace, and to rejoice in the fulness of his salvation. We shall be extremely glad to find that this is the case, with any among you; for we know, that "he who begins a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Christ."-"Now, to Him, who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now, and for ever. Amen.

SERMON XLIX.

THE CHRISTIAN TEMPER.

Philip. ii. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,

HOEVER takes a view of Christianity, as displayed in the precepts and example of Christ, its great founder, must acknowledge it to be a very lovely religion; admirably calculated to promote the happiness of man in the present world, as well as to secure his eternal salvation in the next.

"It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners"—to save them "from their sins:"-not only to deliver them from the wrath to come, which is the wages of sin, but also to restore in them the holy image of God, which they had lost by their fall in Adam. He came, not only to restrain the practice of sin, but to purify the fountain of the heart, from whence the streams of sinful practice proceed.

To effect these great designs, he became a sacrifice for sin; he was made sin for us: he died for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. He procured for us, and sent down to us, the Holy Spirit, the great sanctifier of the church. And having given to the world the purest precepts that were ever delivered, he gave infinite force to them, by a perfect example of purity, in his own temper and walk, and has left us this example for our imitation.

All true Christians are followers of Christ; they must walk even as he walked; and in order to this they must possess the same holy temper; or, as it is expressed in the text, "the same mind," must be in them, which was in Christ Jesus. This mind or disposition, is the subject of the present discourse. May the good Spirit of God explain it to us, and produce it in us!

We might express the whole in a single word. LOVE is the mind of Christ; for "God is love." The whole law is fulfilled in love: love to God, and love to man. This filled the heart of the great Redeemer, actuated him in the whole of his obedience and sufferings, supported him under them, and rendered them acceptable, meritorious and efficacious to the salvation of the Church. This is the mind that was in Christ; this his prevailing disposition; and the principal part of our holiness consists in being like him, and living under the daily influence of love to God and love to man. But it is necessary to be more particular, and to consider the christian temper in its several branches. We begin with,

1. HUMILITY. This deserves the first place, both because it is that grace in Christ, to which the text refers, and because it is, in every believer, the root of all other graces. Wonderful indeed was the humility of the Son of God, "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross!" Behold, here, the greatest example of humility that the world ever saw, or ever will see! and this example is proposed to our imitation. And what argument can be so forcible? for, shall the glorious Saviour be humble, and the miserable sinner be proud? How preposterous! How absurd!

Pride is natural to apostate man. It was a principal ingredient in the sin of Adam, and every child of his is born proud. Adam got it from the devil, and we get it from Adam. And, yet, it is truly said, "Pride was not made for man;" it ill becomes him. For a sinner to be proud, is the most monstrous thing in the world! Nothing is so

hateful to God; and if we are born of God, nothing will be so hateful to us. Now faith lays the axe at the root of pride. Faith beholds the majesty and holiness of God, and shrinks, as it were, into nothing before him. The proud man swells by comparing himself with other sinners; but the Christian compares himself, his conduct, and then his heart, with the most pure, holy, spiritual law of God: this prevents self-righteous boasting, and shews that even his best duties are tinged with sin. He was "alive without the law once; but now the commandment is come, sin revives, and he dies." This experience will force him to the cross; he will gladly renounce his own works and righteousness, and supremely desire to be "found in Christ."

Let but the Christian think of three things, and it will promote his humility--what he was--what he is--and what he shall be. He was a poor, blind, naked, filthy rebel; an enemy to God, and an heir of hell. He is, by grace, a pardoned sinner, and an adopted child; but, Ó, what imperfection in all his graces! What defects in all his duties! What strength in his corruptions! What a disproportion between his obligations, and his returns to God; between his professions, and his practice; between his privileges, and his enjoyments! So that he can cordially unite with a better man than himself in saying, "I am the chief of sinners," and "less than the least of all saints." Let him also consider what he shall be-he shall be "with Christ;" he shall be "like Christ;" he shall wear a crown of glory; he shall possess a heavenly inheritance; he shall be a king and a priest to God. Amazing prospects! Animating, yet humbling hopes! He will then, with David, sit down, and say, "Who am I, O Lord God, that thou hast brought me hitherto: and, as if this were a small thing in thy sight, thou hast spoken of thy servant's house for a great while yet to come: and, Is this the manner of men, O Lord? and what more can David say unto thee?"

2. PIETY, or "the fear of God," or "godliness," was an eminent branch of the mind that was in the man Christ Jesus. These terms are nearly of the same import, and denote the habitual, prevailing frame of the mind, in its regard to the blessed God. It is the character of the na