Christ

Christ Best Known in Heaven. — Christ will be best known in eternity. The riches of Christ are not so much to be enjoyed here as there. He will give you by the road and on the way to heaven all your needs; your place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks, your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure; but it is there, there, THERE, where you shall hear the song of them that triumph, the shout of them that feast. My dear hearer, if you get Christ, you have obtained riches which you can take with you in the hour of death. Tie rich man clutched his bags of money, and as he laid them on his heart, he murmured, l i They will not do; they will not do; take them away!” If you receive Jesus into your heart, he will be death’s best antidote. When your disembodied spirit quits this poor clay carcass, as it must, what will your silver and gold do for you then? What will your farms and your broad acres

do for you then? You must leave them all behind. Even if men buy you a coffin of gold, or bury you in a sarcophagus of marble, yet of what avail will that be? But oh! if you have Christ, you can fly up to heaven to your treasure, and there you shall be rich to all the in tents of bliss, world without end.

Drop Into Christ’s Arms. — Your condition is like that of a child in a burning house, who, having escaped to the edge of a window, hung on by the window-sill. The flames were pouring out of the window underneath, and the poor lad would soon be burnt, or falling would be dashed to pieces; he therefore held on with the clutch of death. He did not dare to relax his grasp till a strong man stood underneath, and said, “Boy! drop! drop! I’ll catch you.” Now, it was no saving faith for the boy to believe that the man was strong — that was a good help towards faith — but he might have known that and yet have perished; it was faith when the boy let go and dropped down into his big friend’s arms. There are you, sinner, clinging to your sins or to your good works. The Savior cries, “Drop! drop into my arms!”

The Triumph of Jesus. — When a Roman general had performed great feats in a foreign country, his highest reward was that the Senate should decree him a triumph. Of course there was a division of spoil made on the battle-field, and each soldier and each captain took his share; but every man looked forward rapturously to the day when they should enjoy the public triumph. On a set day the gates of Rome were thrown open; the houses were all decorated; the people climbed to the roofs, or stood in great crowds along the streets. The gates were opened, and by and by the first legion began to stream in with its banners flying, and its trumpets sounding. The people saw the stern warriors as they marched along the street returning from their blood-red fields of battle.

After one half of the army had thus defiled, your eye would rest upon one who was the center of all attraction: riding in a noble chariot, drawn by milk-white horses, there came the conqueror himself, crowned with the laurel crown and standing erect. Chained to his chariot were the kings and mighty men of the regions which he had conquered. Immediately behind them came part of the booty. There were carried the ivory and the ebony, and the beasts of the different countries which he had subdued. After these came the rest of the soldiery, a long, long stream of valiant men, all of them sharing the triumphs of their captain. Behind them came banners, the old flags which had floated aloft in the battle, the standards which had been taken from the enemy. And after these, large painted emblems of the great victories of the conqueror. Upon one there would be a huge map depicting the rivers which he had crossed, or the seas through which his navy had found their way. Everything was represented in a picture, and the populace gave a fresh shout as they saw the memorial of each triumph. And behind, with the trophies, would come the prisoners of less eminent rank. Then the rear would be closed with sound of trumpet, adding to the acclamation of the throng. It was a noble day for old Rome. Children would never forget those triumphs; they would reckon their years from the time of one triumph to another. High holiday was kept. Women cast down flowers before the conqueror, and he was the true monarch of the day.

Now, our apostle had evidently seen such a triumph, or read of it, and he takes this as a representation of what Christ did on the cross. He says, “Jesus made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Have you ever thought that the cross could be the scene of a triumph? Most of the old commentators can scarcely conceive it to be true. They say, “This must certainly refer to Christ’s resurrection and ascension.” But, nevertheless, so saith the Scripture, even on the cross Christ enjoyed a triumph. Yes! while those hands were bleeding, the acclamations of angels were being poured upon his head. Yes, while those feet were being rent with the nails, the noblest spirits in the world were crowding round him with admiration. And when upon that blood-stained cross he died in agonies unutterable, there was heard a shout such as never was heard before for the ransomed in heaven, and all the angels of God with loudest harmony chanted his praise. Then was sung, in fullest chorus, the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, for he had indeed cut Rahab and sorely wounded the dragon. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Christ the Bond of Union. — I have often noticed that as soon as we begin to discourse upon the atoning death of our divine Lord, we are at home with one another. There may be brethren present from various churches, and they may not be well at ease when we handle other subjects, but when we come to the precious blood we come to the heart of the matter, and are all at one. This is one of the secret signs of our spiritual free masonry. I have had my heart warmed and cheered against my own will sometimes by devout writers, whose doctrinal theories I do not believe, and whose church I could not join, and yet when they write about my Lord they win my heart. “Aliquid Christi,” as one old divine used to say: the something of Christ in them awakens our affections and draws us nigh. Even books which are corrupt with sacramentarianism have occasionally such a sweet savor of Christ in them that we cannot utterly cast them away, but feel bound very carefully to pare the apple, and cut out the rotten places, and remove the objectionable core, for the sake of the sweet morsels flavored with the love of Christ. As the sweet honey-bearing flowers attract the bees, so does the name of Jesus draw all his saints to him, and so to each other. Give me your hand, my brother, if you also know my Lord we belong to the same family, the infallible mark of the redeemed is upon us both.

Christ our Priest. — If her Majesty should give me the title-deeds of an estate, signing the transfer with her own hand and seal, I should smile at the lackey who should kindly offer to add his authority to her Majesty’s act and deed. Where the word of a king is there is power, and this is preeminently true where the word of the King of kings is concerned. I have believed in Jesus Christ as he is set forth on the authority of God himself, and who are you, Sir Priest, to come between me and God?

The Soul’s Food and Drink. — Consider, too, that if Christ be both meat and drink, what need we have of him! because there is no need in the world, I suppose, that is greater than the need of meat and drink. You hear the shout of “Fire!” in the street, and it startles you; but those who have ever heard the cry of “Bread I” in a bread riot, say that the alarm of “Fire!” is nothing to it. There is something so sharp, so awful, so determined, so ferocious, so like the yell of wild beasts, about men and women that scream for bread, that it is the most awful of sounds. And “Drink!” What a word that must be for a number of poor wretches shut up as they were in the Black Hole of Calcutta, raving through those little windows at the guard outside for drink; and stretching out their hands and beseeching them to turn their carbines upon them, and shoot them,

rather than let them die there a lingering death of suffocation and thirst! How when a little water was passed in they fought and struggled for it, if so be a man might but get a drop, or suck a handkerchief that had been dipped into it, and linger on a little longer. Now, nobody can have a greater need than an actual want of bread and want of water; but that is what you want, my dear friends who are without Christ; your soul wants bread and water. Think not that you are rich and increased in goods if you have not Christ, for in truth you are naked, and poor, and miserable. If you do not trust him, love him, serve him, your poor soul has not even a drop to drink.

Wear Christ’s Uniform. — You know how the recruiting sergeant makes a soldier: not by asking the man to give him something, but by getting him to take the Queen’s shilling. Take Christ — that is God’s enlisting money — and you are enlisted. Do not bring any thing, but take the water of life freely. If you will trust the Lord Jesus, and take him to be your salvation, you are then enlisted as a soldier of Jesus. Oh! may you have grace to do that! But recollect, all soldiers have to fight. One of the first things you will have to do, if you be come a Christian, is to carry a cross. Ah! you do not like it.” His yoke is easy, and his burden is light; n take it upon you: and yet to carnal shoulders the cross is very galling, and nothing but grace can make it light. You will have to give up your sins; you will have to give up your empty pleasures; you will have henceforth to bear witness for Christ before a crooked and perverse generation. Do not think to be Christ’s soldier, and yet not wear his livery. No, you must put on his regimentals; you must wear his crest — his crest is the cross; you must take his shield, the shield of faith; and his sword, which is the sword of the Spirit, the word of

God, and resting alone on him, depending alone upon his merit, you shall certainly win the victory.

Christ in the Dying Hour. — There is a young girl jn heaven now, once a member of this church. I went with one of my beloved deacons to see her when she was very near her departure. She was in the last stage of consumption. Fair and sweetly beautiful she looked, and I think I never heard such syllables as those which fell from that girl’s lips. She had had disappointments, and trials, and troubles, but all these she had not a word to say about, except that she blessed God for them; they had brought her nearer to the Savior. And when we asked her whether she was not afraid of dying, “No,” she said, “the only thing I fear is this, 1 am afraid of living, lest my patience should wear out. I have not said an impatient word yet, sir; I hope I shall not. It is sad to be so very weak, but I think if I had my choice, I would rather be here than be in health, for it is very precious to me; I know that my Redeemer liveth, and I am waiting for the moment when he shall send his chariot of fire to take me up to him.” I put the question, “Have you not any doubts?” “No, none, sir; why should I? I clasp my arms around the neck of Christ.” “And have not you any fear about your sins?” “No, sir, they are all forgiven; I trust the Savior’s precious blood.” “And do you think that you will be as brave as this when you come actually to die?” “Not if he leaves me, sir, but he will never leave me, for he has said, * I will never leave thee nor forsake thee/”

Sanctuary in Christ. — I saw the other day a remarkable picture, which I shall use as an illustration of the way of salvation by faith in Jesus. An offender had committed a crime for which he must die, but it was in the olden time when churches were considered to be sanctuaries in which criminals might hide themselves and so escape. See the transgressor — he rushes tow ards the church, the guards pursue him with their drawn swords, all athirst for his blood; they pursue him even to the church door. He rushes up the steps, and just as they are about to overtake him and hew him in pieces on the threshold of the church, out comes the bishop, and holding up the crucifix, he cries,. “Back, back! stain not the precincts of God’s house with blood! stand back!” and the guards at once respect the emblem and stand back, while the poor fugitive hides himself behind the robes of the priest. It is even so with Christ. The guilty sinner flies to the cross — flies straight away to Jesus, and though Justice pursues him, Christ lifts up his wounded hands and cries to Justice, “Stand back! stand back! I shelter this sinner; in the secret place of my tabernacle do I hide him; I will not suffer him to perish, for he puts his trust in ,me.”

Christ in the Heart a Disinfectant. — Myrrh, again was used as a disinfectant. When the fever is abroad, we know people who wear little bags of camphor about their necks. They may be very good; I do not know. But the Orientals believed that, in times of pest and plague, a little bag of myrrh worn between the breasts would be of essential service to whoever might carry it. And there doubtless is some power in myrrh to preserve from infectious disease. Well, brethren, certain I am it is so with Christ. You have to go into the world, which is like a great lazar-house; but if you carry Christ with you, you will never catch the world’s disease. A man may be worth never so much money — he will never get worldly if he keepeth Christ on his heart. A man may have to tug and toil for his livelihood, and be very poor — he will never be discontented and murmuring if he lives close to Christ. Oh you who have to handle the world, Bee to it that you handle the Master mor* than the world. Some of you have to work with drunken and swearing men; others are cast into the midst of frivolities; oh, take my Master with you! and sin’s plagues can have no influence upon your moral nature.

For Christ’s Sake. — I met, in one of Samuel Rutherford’s letters, an extraordinary expression, where he speaks of the coals of divine wrath all falling upon the head of Christ, so that not one might fall upon his people. “And yet,” saith he, “if one of those coals should drop from his head upon mine, and did utterly consume me, yet if I felt it was a part of the coals that fell on him, and I was bearing it for his sake, and in communion with him, I would choose it for my heaven.” That is a strong thing to say, that to suffer with Christ would be his heaven, if he assuredly knew that it was for and with Christ that he was suffering. Oh! there is indeed a heavenliness about suffering for Jesus. His cross hath such a majesty and mystery of delight in it, that, the more heavy it becometh, the more lightly doth it sit upon the believer’s shoulders.

Christ Always New. — To-day, stepping in to see a gentle man, I observed a table which had upon it a great variety of objects. I wondered what they were, and took the liberty of asking him. He told me that he had some beautiful stereoscopic views there which had been taken at an immense expense in Egypt, in the Holy Land, and in all parts of the world; and he showed me one or two Scriptural subjects which very much interested me. They were certainly preeminently excellent as works of art. He said, “There, sir, I never get tired of looking at those things. I could look at them constantly, and never get tired of them.” “Well,” I said, “I quite understand that; they are excellent; for really there is the study of half an hour in this on« picture; and then one might begin again, it is so full of beauty, and it seems so true to the original.” But I thought to myself,” Excellent as they are, I think, if I call to see my friend in a year’s time he will tell me that he has had to buy a fresh lot of views, for he has been looking at these so often, that he has become altogether tired of them. They would have no freshness to him, because he had seen them so many times. But mark; the reason why he could look at them so often was because they were so excellent. If they had been bad views, if there had not been great skill and great art bestowed upon them, he would soon have become tired of looking at them. There are some views in nature which a man might look at a hundred times, and yet always wonder at them; but the reason is, because they are so beautiful. There are other things which might strike one’s eye at first, but which when they are looked into would lose their freshness, because there would be no real ground for admiration, because there was no excellency. But Christ Jesus will always have the dew of his youth, because he is always so excellent.

Bleating of the Sheep.” — If you learn of Jesus you will have rest from the fear of men. I recollect, before I came to London, being at a prayer-meeting where a very quaint brother prayed for me that I might be delivered from the “bleating of the sheep.” I understood it after awhile, he meant that I might live above the fear of man, that when such a person said “How much we have been edified to-day,” I might not be puffed up; or if another said, “How dull the discourse was to-day,” I might not be depressed. You will be delivered from “the bleating of the sheep” when you have the spirit of the Good Shepherd.

Yoked with Christ. — When bullocks are yoked, there are generally two. I have watched them in Northern Italy, and noticed that when two are yoked together, and they are perfectly agreed, the yoke is always easy to both of them. If one were determined to lie down and the other to stand up, the yoke would be very uncomfortable; but when they are both of one mind you will see them look at each other with those large, lustrous, brown eyes of theirs so lovingly, and with a look they read each other’s minds, so that when one wants to lie down, down they go, or when one wishes to go forward, forward they both go, keeping step. In this way the yoke is easy. Now I think the Savior says to us, “I am bearing one end of the yoke on my shoulder; come, my disciple, place your neck under the other side of it, and then learn of me. Keep step with me, be as I am, do as I do. I am meek and lowly in heart; your heart must be like mine, and then we will work together in blessed fellowship, and you will find that working with me is a happy thing; for my yoke is easy to me, and will be to you. Come, then, true yoke-fellow, come and be yoked with me, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me,”

Christ Grows on the Growing Christian. — Like the traveler ascending the Alps to reach the summit of Mont Blanc; at first he observes that lord of the hills as one horn among many, and often in the twistings of his upward path he sees other peaks which appear more elevated than that monarch of mountains; but when at last he is near the summit, he sees all the rest of the hills beneath his feet, and like a mighty wedge of alabaster Mount Blanc pierces the very clouds. So, as we grow in grace, other things sink and Jesus rises. They must decrease, but Christ must increase; until he alone fills the full horizon of your soul, and rises clear and bright and glorious up into the very heaven of God.

0 that we may thus see “Jesus only!”

Running Into Christ’s Arms. — It was a brave saying of Martin Luther’s, when he said, “I would run into Christ’s arms even if he had a drawn sword in his hand.” Now, he has not a drawn sword, but he has his wounds hi his hands. Run into his arms, poor sinner. “Oh,” you say, “May I come?” How can you ask the question? you are commanded to come. The great command of the gospel is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus.” Those who disobey this command disobey God. It is as much a command of God that man should believe on Christ, as that we should love our neighbor.

Not Works but Christ. — Remember what that eminent Scotch divine said, when he was dying. Some one said to ‘him, “What are you doing now?” Said he, “I am just gathering all my good works up together, and I am throwing them all overboard; and I am lashing my self to the plank of free grace, and I hope to swim to glory on it.” So do you do; every day keep your eye only on Christ; and so long as your eye is single, your whole body must and shall be full of light. But if you once look crosseyed, first to yourself and then to Christ, your whole body shall be full of darkness.

A True Friend. — Young lady, you speak of a dear friend whom you acquired last night in a ball-room. Do not,

1 beseech you, misuse the word; he is not a friend if he was acquired merely there; friends are better things than those which grow in the hot-house of pleasure. Friendship is a more lasting plant than those. You have a friend, have you? Yes; and he keeps a pair of horses, and has a good establishment. Ah! but your best way to prove your friend is to know that he will be your friend when you have not so much as a mean cottage, and when, houseless and without clothing, you are driven to beg your bread. Thus you would make true proof of a friend. Give me a friend who was born in the winter time, whose cradle was rocked in the storm; he will last. Our fair weather friends shall flfee away from us. I had rather have a robin for a friend than a swallow; for a swallow abides with us only in the summer time, but a robin cometh to us in the winter. Those are tight friends that will come the nearest to us when we are in the most distress; but those are not friends who speed themselves away when ill times come. Believer, hast thou reason to fear that Christ will leave you now? Has he not been with you in the house of mourning1? You found your friend where men find pearls, “in caverns deep, where darkness dwells;” you found Jesus in your hour of trouble. It was on the bed of sickness that you first learned the value of his name; it was in the hour of mental anguish that you first did lay hold of the hem of his garment; and since then, your nearest and sweetest intercourse has been held with him in the hours of darkness.

The Elder Brother. — It is saying a great thing to affirm that “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother;” for the love of brotherhood has produced most valiant deeds. We have read stories of what brotherhood could do, which, we think, could hardly be excelled in the annals of friendship. Timoleon, with his shield, stood over the body of his slain brother, to defend him from the insults of the foe. It was reckoned a brave deed of brotherhood that he should dare the spears of an army in defense of his brother’s corpse. And many such instances have there been, in ancient and modern warfare, of the attachment of brethren. There is a story told of a Highland regiment, who, while marching through the Highlands, lost their way; they

were overtaken by one of the terrible storms which will sometimes come upon travelers unawares, and blinded by the snow, they lost their way upon the mountains. Well nigh frozen to death, it was with difficulty they could continue their march. One man after another dropped into the snow and disappeared. There were two brothers, however, of the name of Forsythe; on« of them fell prostrate on the earth, and would have lain there to die, but his brother, tho barely able to drag his own limbs across the white desert, took him on his back, and carried him along, and as others fell, one by one, this brave, true-hearted brother carried his loved on his back until at last he himself fell down over come with fatigue, and died. His brother, however, had received such warmth from his body that he was enabled to reach the end of his journey in safety, and so lived. Here we have an instance of one brother sacrificing his life for another. I hope there are some brothers here who would be prepared to do the same if they should ever be brought into the same difficulty. It is saying a great thing, to declare that “there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

Christ’s Tender Care. — A queer thing I once read in an old book about God’s children and people being a part of Christ and in union with him. The writer says —” A father sitteth in his room, and there cometh in a stranger: the stranger taketh up a child on his knee, and the child hath a sore finger: so he saith, ‘My child, you have a sore finger; ‘Yes! ’ l Well, let me take it off, and give thee a golden one! ‘The child looketh at him and saith, ‘I will not go to that man any more, for he talks of taking off my finger: I love my own finger, and I will not have a golden one instead of it.’ So the saint saith, ‘I am one of the members of Christ, but

I am like a sore finger, and he will take me off and put a golden one on.” No, said Christ, ‘No, no; I can not have any of my members taken away; if the finger be a sore one, I will bind it up; I will strengthen it, “The Savior. — I had a friend, who, standing by the side of a piece of frozen water, saw a young lad in it, and sprang upon the ice in order to save him. After clutching the boy, he held him in his hands and cried out, “Here he is! Here he is! I have saved him.” But, just as they caught hold of the boy, he sank himself, and his body was not found for some time afterwards, when he was quite dead. Oh! it is so with Jesus. My soul was drowning. From heaven’s high portals he saw me sinking in the depths of hell; he, in his supreme mercy, plunged in:

“He SANK beneath his heavy woes,

To raise me to a crown;
There’s ne’er a gift his hand bestows,
But cost his heart a groan.”

Ah! we may indeed regret our sin, since it slew Jesus. Christ Seeking After Sinners. — A friend of mine, who has been a clergyman in Ireland related it to me himself as a veritable narrative. A clergyman of an Irish parish said, that “he went round to visit all his parishioners, but,” said he, “there was one poor woman in the parish who had been an abandoned character, and I dared not go to visit her, because I thought it would ill become my position, so I passed by. Ah! brother,” he said, “I know it was an evil pride, or else I should have gone after the chief of sinners, for the care of her soul was in some measure committed to my hands.” One day he saw her in church, and he thought he heard her repeating the responses, and fancied he saw the tears rolling down her cheek. 0 how his bowels yearned for her soul! He longed to speak with her, but he dared not. She came there month after month, a constant worshiper, and yet he passed by her door and did not visit her. At last one day she came to the door, and said, “Sir, I want you;” he then went in, and she put out her hand, and taking hold of his, said, “0, sir! if your Master had been in this village half as long as you have, I am sure he would have been to see me, for I am the worst sinner in the parish, and therefore I want his help the most; but tho you have not been to see me, I know who has said: * This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.7”

Christ Pulling at Our Hearts. — Remember that pretty par able given by one of our ministers, of the boy’s kite. He made it fly aloft: it rose up so high that he could - no longer see it. Still he said he had a kite, and he held fast by it. “Boy, how do you know you have a kite?” “I can feel it pull,” said he. This morning we feel our Jesus pull. He draws us with a far greater force than a mere string. He is gone into heaven, and he draws us after him. 0 Lord, draw us with greater power than ever.

Christ a Victor. — I know of no better theme to stir the pulses of my soul with holy exultation than the thought that Jesus is victor. I have heard of wounded men crushed amid a heap of bleeding bodies lying on the battle-field, and rousing all the life that remained in them when they saw the great Napoleon come riding over the plain. With their legs gone, they raised them selves upon their arms once more to salute their captain. Poor souls! to be thus enthusiastic for one who shed their blood like water; far more wise is our enthusiasm for him who shed his blood for us. If I knew that I must die in a ditch, and be forgotten or slandered and abhorred of men, I would yet rejoice and cry “Hosanna” at the prospect of my Lord’s sure victory. Yea I will salute him now with my most hearty praises, and be glad, because I know that he is even now King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah! He of whom they said, “Crucify him, crucify him,” is now head over all.

Christ Ever the Same. — Men in the days of Toplady looked back to the days of Whitfield; men in the days of Whitfield looked back to the days of Bunyan; men in the days of Bunyan wept because of the days of Wycliffe, and Calvin, and Luther; and men then wept for the days of Augustine and Chrysostom. Men in those days wept for the days of the Apostles; and doubtless men in the days of the Apostles wept for tht days of Jesus Christ; and no doubt some in the days of Jesus Christ were so blind as to wish to return to the days of prophecy, and though more of the days of Elijah than they did of the most glorious day of Christ. Some men look more to the past than the present. Rest assured, that Jesus Christ is the same to-day as he was yesterday, and he will be the same for ever.

Christ Seeking the Lost. — “I am lost,” said Mr. Whitefield’s brother to the Countess of Huntington. “I am delighted to hear it,” said the Countess. “Oh,” cried he, “what a dreadful thing to say!” “Nay,” said she,” ’ for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost; ’ therefore I know he is come to save you.’’ 0 sinner, it would be unreasonable to despair. The more broken thou art, the more ruined thou art, the more vile thou art in thine own esteem, so much the more room is there for the display of infinite mercy and power.

The Humiliation of Christ. — Never was there a poorer man than Christ; he was the prince of poverty. He was the reverse of Croasus — he might be on the top of the hill of riches, Christ stood in the lowest vale of poverty. Look at his dress, it is woven from the top throughout, the garment of the poor! As for his food, he oftentimes did hunger; and always was dependent upon the charity of others for the relief of his wants! He who scattered the harvest o’er the broad acres of the world, had not sometimes wherewithal to stay the pangs of hunger? He who digged the springs of the ocean, sat upon a well and said to a Samaritan woman, “Give me to drink!” He rode in no chariot, he walked his weary way, foot sore, o’er the flints of Galilee! He had not where to lay his head. He looked upon the fox as it hurried to its burrow, and the fowl as it went to its resting-place, and he said, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but I, the Son of man, have not where to lay my head.” He who had once been waited on by angels, becomes the servant of servants, takes a towel, girds himself, and washes his disciples’ feet! He who was once honored with the hallelujahs of ages, is now spit upon and despised! He who was loved by his Father, and had abundance of the wealth of affection, could say, “He that eateth bread with me. hath lifted up his heel against me.” Oh, for words to picture the humiliation of Christ!

No Caste to Christ. — I recollect in Martin Luther’s life that he saw, in one of the Romish churches, a picture of the Pope, and the cardinals, and bishops, and priests, and monks, and friars, all on board a ship. They were all safe, every one of them. As for the laity, poor wretches, they were struggling in the sea, and many of them drowning. Only those were saved to whom the good men in the ship were so kind as to hand out a rope or a plank. That is not our Lord’s teaching: his blood is shed “for many,” and not for the few. He is not the Christ of a caste, or a class, but the Christ of all conditions of men.

Christ Our Only Resting-PIace. — I spoke to a friend this week who is sore sick, and I said, “You are resting in Christ, my brother,” He replied “I have nothing else to rest in.” I said, “Your hope is in the atoning sacrifice of Christ,” and he answered, “What other hope could I have?” While we have fifty ways of salvation we shall be lost; but when we see that “other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ the righteous,” then we shall build upon it and be safe.

Christ the True Physician. — Have you been to Doctor Ceremony? He is, at this time, the fashionable doctor. Has he told you that you must attend to forms and rules? Has he prescribed you so many prayers, and so many services? Ah! many go to him, and they persevere in a round of religious observances, but these yield no lasting ease to the conscience. Have you tried Doctor Morality? He has a large practice, and is a fine old Jewish physician. “Be good in outward character,” says he, “and it will work inwardly, and cleanse the heart!” A great many persons are supposed to have been cured by him and by his assistant, Doctor Civility, who is nearly as clever as his master: but I have it on good evidence that neither of them apart, nor even the two together, could ever deal with an inward disease. Do what you may, your own doings will not stanch the wounds of a bleeding heart. Doctor Mortification has also a select practice; but men are not saved by denying themselves until they first deny their self -righteousness. Doctor Excitement has many patients, but his cures seldom outlive the set of sun. Doctor Feeling is much sought after by tender spirits; these try to feel sorrow and remorse; but, indeed, the way of cure does not lie in that quarter. Let everything be done that can be done apart from our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and the sick soul will be nothing bettered. You may try human remedies for the space of a lifetime, but sin will remain in power, guilt will cling to the conscience, and the heart will abide as hard as ever.

Jesus Belongs to AH Humanity. — I admire the Welch sister who was of opinion that the Lord Jesus must be Welch. When they asked her how she proved it, she said that he always spoke to her heart in Welch. Doubtless it was so, and I can, with equal warmth, declare that he always speaks to me in English. Brethren from Ger many, France, Sweden, Italy — you all claim that he speaks to you in your own tongue.

Christ’s Joy in Soul-Saving. — Some of you have been salmon fishing in the Scotch rivers; you have fished on and on until you have hooked a huge fish, and by the time you have landed him, on taking out your watch, you discover that it is long past your dinner hour, and you are surprised that you had not noticed that you were almost faint. Your excitement kept you going: only when it was over did you begin to hunger. Thus the Master was so taken up with soul-saving that he had meat to eat that others knew not of.

Christ’s Ownership in His People. — If I possess a love-token that some dear one has given me, I may rightly desire to have it with me. Nobody can have such a right to your wedding-ring, good sister, as you have yourself; and are not Christ’s saints, as it were, a signet upon his finger, a token which his Father gave him of his good pleasure in him? Should they not be with Jesus where he is, since they are his crown jewels and his glory? We in our creature love lift up our hands and cry, “My Lord, my Master, let me have this dear one with me a little longer. I need the companionship of one so sweet, or life will be misery to me.” But if Jesus looks us in the face, and says, “Is thy right better than mine?” we draw back at once. He has a greater part in his saints than we can have.

Christ the Outcast’s Savior. — One said to me the other day, talking of her sin, and of her repentance, “Yet, sir, I am an outcast.” That word pierced my heart like a dagger. I said, “Yes, but the Church of Christ was made on purpose to be a home for outcasts: here is a new household for you, new brothers and sisters for you, a new future for you; for now you are one of the solitary ones whom the Lord in His infinite wisdom, will set in families.”

Overpowering Love of Christ. — “They shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.” The words are true to the letter. Take a case: Peter went a fishing; and if he had caught a few fish, his boat would have floated high on the lake; but when the Master came into the boat and told him where to throw the net so that he pulled up a multitude of fish, then the little barque began to sink. Down, down, it went, and poor Peter went down with it, till he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord.” He was confused and overwhelmed, or he would never have asked the blessed Master to leave him: Christ’s goodness had fairly beaten him till he was afraid of his Benefactor. Know ye not what it is to be weighted down with infinite goodness, oppressed with mercy, swept away by an avalanche of love. I, at least, know what it means, and I know of no experience which has made me so little in mine own eyes.

Christ as Engraver.- - 1 was surprised when I was told, the other day, by a friend, who was a maker of steel-plate engravings, how much of labor had to be put into a finely-executed engraving. Think of the power that has cut lines of beauty in such steel as we are! Think of the patience that lent its arm, and its eye, and its heart, and its infinite mind, to the carrying on of the supreme work of producing the image of Christ in those who were born in sin! Think of the skill which makes heirs of God out of heirs of wrath!

The Lost Child. — If you have ever been in a house with a mother and father, and daughters and sons, when a little child has been lost, you will never forget the agitation of each member of the household. See the father as he goes to the police-station, and calls at every likely house, for he must find his child or break his heart. See the deep oppression and bitter anguish of the mother; she is like one distracted till she has news of her darling. You now begin to understand what Jesus feels for one whom he loves, who is graven on the palms of his hands, whom he looked upon in the glass of his foreknowledge, when he was bleeding his life away upon the tree; he hath no rest in his spirit till his beloved is found. He hath compassion like a God, and that doth transcend all the compassion of parents or of brothers, — the compassion of an infinite heart brimming over with an ocean of love. This one thought moves the pity of the Lord — “if he lose one of them.”

The Seeking Shepherd. — -A son is taken ill far away from home. He is laid sick with a fever, and a telegram is sent home. His mother says she must go and nurse him; she is wretched till she can set out upon the journey. It is a dreary place where her boy lies, but for the moment it is the dearest spot on earth to her. She joys to leave the comforts of her home to tarry among strangers for the love of her boy. She feels an intense joy in sacrificing herself; she refuses to retire from the bedside, she will not leave her charge; she watches day and night, and only from utter exhaustion does she fall asleep. You could not have kept her in England, she would have been too wretched. It was a great, deep, solemn pleasure for her to be where she could minister to her own beloved. Soul, remember you have given Jesus great joy in his saving you. He was forever with the Father, eternally happy, infinitely glorious, as God over all; but yet he must needs come hither out of boundless love, take upon himself our nature, and suffer in our stead to bring us back to holiness and God. “He layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing.” That day the shepherd knew but one joy. He had found his sheep, and the very pressure of it upon his shoulders made his heart light, for he knew by that sign that the object of his care was safe beyond all question.

The True Shepherd. — “The sheep follow him, for they know his voice; and a stranger will they not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers.” I remember hearing a brother tell how he disproved the notion that sheep only know the shepherd by his dress. When in Palestine he asked a shepherd to allow him to put on his clothes. Then he began to call the sheep, but never a one would come, not even a lamb. The most sheepish of the flock had sense enough left to know that he was not the shepherd, and even the youngest kept aloof, heedless of the stranger’s voice. He might have called till he was hoarse, but they would not come. So God’s people know their Lord, and they know the kind of food which he gives them.

Christ the Plant of Renown. — Did you ever hear the legend of a man whose garden produced nothing else but weeds, till at last he met with a strange foreign flower of singular vitality. The story is that he sowed a hand ful of this seed in his overgrown garden, and left it to work its own sweet way. He slept and rose, and knew not how the seed was growing till on a day he opened the gate and saw a sight which much astounded him. He knew that the seed would produce a dainty flower and he looked for it; but he had little dreamed that the plant would cover the whole garden. So it was: the flower had exterminated every weed, till as he looked from one end to the other from wall to wall he could see nothing but the fair colors of that rare plant, and smell nothing but its delicious perfume. Christ is that plant of renown. If he be sown in the soil of your soul, he will gradually eat out the roots of all ill weeds and poisonous plants, till over all your nature there shall be Christ in you.

Christ as King. — Christ in us is Christ reigning. It reminds me of Mr. Bunyan’s picture of Mansoul, when the Prince Immanuel laid siege to it, and Diabolus from within the city strove to keep him out. It was c, hard time for Mansoul then; but when at last the battering rams had broken down the gates, and the silver trumpets sounded, and the prince’s captains entered the breach, then on a day the prinea himself did ride down the city’s streets, while liberated citizens welcomed him with all their hearts, hung out all their streamers, and made the church towers rock again as the bells rang out merry peals, for the king himself was come. Up to the castle of the heart he rode in triumph, and took his royal throne to be henceforth the sole lord and king of the city. Christ in you is a right royal word. Christ swaying his scepter from the center of your being over every power and faculty, desire and resolve, bringing every thought into captivity to himself, oh, this is glory begun, and the sure pledge of heaven. Oh for more of the imperial sovereignty of Jesus; it is our liberty to be absolutely under his sway.

Christ the Sinner’s Only Physician. — Suppose that a man has heard of a great physician who understands his com plaint. Ha has travelled a great many miles to see this celebrated doctor; but when he gets to the door they tell him that he is out. “Well,” says he, “then I must wait till he is in.” “You need not wait,” they reply, “his assistant is at home.” The suffering man, who has been often disappointed, answers, “I do not care about his assistant, I want to see the man himself: mine is a desperate case, but I have heard that this physician has cured the like; I must, therefore, see him. No assistants for me.” “Well,” say they, “he is out; but there are his books; you can see his books.” “Thank you,” he says, “I cannot be content with his books, I want the living man and nothing less. It is to him that I must speak, and from him I will receive instructions.” “Do you see that cabinet?” “Yes.” “It is full of his medicines.” The sick man answers, “I dare say they are very good, but they are of no use to me without the doctor: I want their owner to prescribe for me, or I shall die of my disease.” “But see,” cries one, “here is a person who has been cured by him, a man of great experience, who has been present at many remarkable operations. Go into the inquiry-room with him, and he will tell you all about the mode of cure.” The afflicted man answers, “I am much obliged to you, but all your talk only makes me long the more to see the doctor. I came to see him, and I am not going to be put off with anything else. I must see the man himself, for myself. He has made my disease a specialty; he knows how to handle my case, and I will stop till I see him.” Now, dear friends, if you are seeking Christ, imitate this sick man, or else you may be sure you will miss the mark altogether.

Christ Inspires Enthusiasm. — When great commanders are known to have come into a camp what a thrill of joy it causes among their trusty warriors. When the soldiers have been much dejected it has been whispered in their tents —

“The king has come to marshal us,
All in his armor dressed,”

and from that moment every man has cheered up. At the sight of the king as he comes riding into the camp the host raises a great shout. What means it? It is a shout of loyal love — they are glad to welcome their leader. So is it with us when we sing —

“The King himself comes near,”

we are all as glad as glad can be. Those who cannot come out to see their prince, because they are lying on their sick beds in hospital, clap their hands, while even the little children in their mothers’ arms join in the general joy. “The king is come,” say they, and his presence kindles their enthusiasm till they make the hills ring again. You know how the stern Ironsides felt when Cromwell came along; every man was a hero when he led the way. They were ready for any adventure, no matter how difficult, as long as their great chief was there. That enthusiasm which was inspired by Alexander, and by Napoleon, and by other great commanders, is the earthly image of the spiritual fervor felt by the church when the Lord Jesus vouchsafes to be in the midst of it.

Christ’s Delight in His People. — When Cyrus took the Greek ambassador through his garden, he challenged him to admire its charms. The Spartan approved all he saw, but still his admiration was cool and critical. “This garden,” said its master, “yields me more pleasure and satisfaction than you can imagine or I can express.’1 “And why?” asked the visitor. “Because,” replied Cyrus, “I planted every tree in it myself. I planned all the paths, and all the flowers have I reared. No hand but mine has dug the soil, tended the plants, pruned the trees, or done aught beside but my own.” His toil and his trouble thus endeared the place to the king. So, truly, Christ can say when he looks upon his people, “There is a fruitful bough there: I pruned that. He was sick, long laid aside from business, he feared his family would be starved: I was pruning him then; but I love the fruit that is on him because I know how it came there. That plant yonder which is blooming now and shedding such a sweet perfume of love, well do I recollect when it was drooping and ready to die. I came and watered it. She, timid disciple, would say, l Blessed be the gentle hand that shed the dew and poured nourishment on my poor, parched, and withered root!” Yes, the Savior gives us “grace for grace” that we may produce grace. I leave the thought with you for meditation, and the issues for your edification, only praying earnestly that his Holy Spirit may work in you “grace for grace.”

Christ Sufficient for AH Kinds of Sinners. — A worthy, consistent, industrious woman was married to a low, worthless, dissipated husband. Both of them, however, were alike ignorant of the gospel. They came together to the house of prayer; they heard together the tidings of mercy; they each believed, and each of them received the Savior, and they both were saved the same way; they both found mercy on the same terms. To the rich, free, sovereign grace of God they vied with one another in ascribing the praise.

Christ as a Ferry-Man. — A negro was once sent by his master on an errand that did not suit him; he did not want to go. So when he came to a river he turned back, and said, “Master, I came to a river, and I could not swim across it.” “Well, but was there not a ferry boat?” “Yes, there was a ferry-boat, but the man was on the other side.” “Well,” said the master, “did you call to the ferry-man to come and take you across?” No, he did not think of doing that, for, as he did not wish to go over, he was glad to find an excuse. Now, it is true, sinner, that you cannot save yourself, but there is One who can. There is a ferry-boat and there is a Ferry -man. Cry to him! Cry to him, — “Master, across this river be pleased to take me; I cannot swim it, but thou canst bear me over it. Oh! do for me what I can not do for myself! Make me to be accepted in the Be loved!” If you seek the Lord he will be found of you.

Christ the Door. — I read a story the other day of some Russians crossing wide plains studded over here and there with forests. The villages were ten or a dozen miles from each other, the wolves were out, the horses were rushing forward madly, the travelers could hear the baying of the wolves behind them; and, tho the horses tore along with all speed, yet the wolves were fast behind, and they only escaped, as we say, “by the skin of their teeth,” managing just to get inside some hut that stood in the road, and to shut-to the door. Then they could hear the wolves leap on the roof; they could hear them dash against the sides of the hut; they could hear them gnawing at the door, and howling, and making all sorts of dismal noises; but the travelers were safe, because they had entered in by the door, and the door was shut. Now, when a man is in Christ, he can hear, as it were, the devils howling like wolves, all fierce and hungry for him; and his own sins, like wolves are seeking to drag him down to destruction. But ht has got in to Christ, and that is such a shelter that all the devils hi the world, if they were to come at once, could not start a single beam of that eternal refuge: it must stand fast, tho the earth and heaven should pass away. Now, to every man and woman Christ says that if they have entered in by the door, they shall be saved.

Suffering for Christ. — There was a certain king whose son was sent upon an errand to a far country, and when he came into that country, altho he was the lawful prince of it, he found that the citizens would not acknowledge him. They mocked at him, jested at him, and took him and set him in the pillory, and there they scoffed at him and pelted him with filth. Now, there was one in that country who knew the prince, and Le done stood up for him when all the mob was in tumult raring against him. And when they set him on high as an object of scorn, this man stood side by side with him to wipe the filth from that dear royal face; and when from cruel hands missiles in scorn were thrown, this mm took his full share; and whenever he could lie thrust Limself before the prince to ward off the blows from him if possible, and to bear the scorn instead of him. Now it came to pass that after awhile the prince went on his way, and in due season the man who had been the prince’s friend was called to the king’s palace. And on a day when all the princes of the court were round about, and the peers and nobles of the land were sitting in their places, the king came to his throne and he called for that man, and he said, “Make way, princes and nobles! Make way! Here is a man more noble than you all, for he stood boldly forth with my son when he was scorned and scoffed at! Make way, I say, each one of you, for he shall sit at my right hand with my own son. As he took a share of his scorn, he shall now take a share of his honor.” And there sat princes and nobles who wished that they had been there, ay! envied the man who had been privileged to endure scorn and scoffing for the prince’s sake! You need not that I interpret the par able. May you make angels envious of you, if envy can ever pierce their holy minds. You can submit for Christ’s sake to sufferings which it is not possible for seraphim or cherubim to endure.

Christ the Root. — I like that story of the Sandwich Islanders who had been converted through some of our missionaries, and the Gospel had been preached to them for years. At last, two or three gentlemen in long black gowns landed there, and the people asked them what they had come for. They said they were come to instruct them in the true faith, and to teach them. Well, they said, they should be glad to hear it. If their teaching was true, and like the Scriptures, they would listen to them. By and by, a little diagram was exhibited to the natives after the similitude of a tree. This tree had many branches. The twigs which were farthest of.! were the different saints, the believers, those who do good works; then the limbs, which were a little larger, were the priests; the bigger boughs were bishops; the biggest boughs were the cardinals; and, at last, these all joined on to the trunk, which was the Pope, and that went all the way down to the bottom, till it came to Peter, who was the root, deriving his authority immediately from Christ. So the natives asked about all these twigs, and branches, and specially about certain rotten branches that were tumbling off into a fire. What were they? They were Luther, and Calvin, and other heretics who had been cut off from the true tree of the church. “Well,” said one of the islanders, “and pray what is the root of the tree?” Of course? that was allowed to be Jesus Christ. So they clapped their hands at once for joy, and said, “Never mind about the branches, and stems, and twigs; we have never heard of them, but we have got the root, and that will do to grow on.” In like manner, brethren, we can say to-night, if we have got Christ, we have got “the root out of the dry ground.” We have got the root of the matter, the basis, the sum, the substance of it.

“Let others trust what forms they please,
Their hopes we’ll not contest.”

Christ Grows on His Disciples. — So, when we were carnal, and did not know King Jesus, we esteemed him to be very much like anybody else, but now we begin to know him, we find out that he is much greater, infinitely greater than we thought he was. And as we grow in grace, we find him to be more glorious still. A little star to our view at first, he has grown in our estimation into a sun now, a blazing sun, by whose beams our soul is refreshed. Ah! but when we get near to him, what will he be*? Imagine yourself borne up on an angel’s wing to take a journey to a star. Traveling at an inconceivable rate you open your eyes on a sudden and say — “How wonderful! Why, that which was a star just now has become as large to my vision, as the sun at noon-day.” “Stop,” says the angel; “you shall see greater things than these,” and, as you speed on, the disc of that orb increases, till it is equal to a hundred suns; and now you say, “But what f “Am I not near it now?” “No,” says the angel, “that enormous globe is still far, far away,” and when you come to it, you would find it to be such a wondrous world, that arithmetic could not compute its size; scarcely could imagination belt it with the zone of fancy. Now, such is Jesus Christ. I said he grows upon his people here, but what must it be to see him there, where the veil is lifted, and we be hold him face to face?

Christ the Pole Star. — There are some of the stars that are extremely useful to sailors. I scarcely know how else the great wide sea would be navigated, especially if it were not for the Polar Star. Jesus is the Polar Star to us. How the poor negro in the olden times, when the curse of slavery had not been taken away, must have blessed God for that pole star — so easy to find out. Any child with but a moment’s teaching will soon know how to discover it in the midst of its fellows at night, and when the negro had once learned to distinguish the star that shone over the land of freedom, how he followed it through the great dismal swamps, or along the plains which were more dreadful still; how he could ford the streams, and climb the mountains, always cheered by the sight of that pole star. Such is Jesus Christ to the seeker. He leads to liberty; he conducts to peace. Oh! I wish you would follow him, some of you who are going about a thousand ways to find peace where you will never find it. There is never a Sunday but I try to speak, sometimes in gentler tones, and at other seasons with thundering notes, the simple truth that Jesus Christ came into the world to save shiners. I do try to make it plain to you that it is not your prayers and tears, your doings, your willings, your anything, that can save you, but that all your help is laid upon one that is mighty, and that you must look alone to him. Yet, sinners, you are still looking to yourselves. You rake the dung hills of your human nature to find the pearl of great price which is not there. You will look beneath the ice of your natural depravity to find the flame of comfort which is not there. You might as well seek in hell itself to find heaven as look to your own works and merits to find some ground of trust. Down with them! Down with them, every one of them! Away with all these confidences of yours, for

“None but Jesus, none but Jesus,
Can do helpless sinners good.”

Just reverse that helm; and shift that sail, and tack about! Follow not the wrecker’s beacon on yonder shore luring you to the rocks of self-delusion, but where that pole star guides, thither let your vessel drift, and pray for the favoring gales of the blessed Spirit to guide you rightly to the port of peace.

Christ Our Banner. — The banner was ever a source of consolation to the wounded. There he lies, the good knight; right well has he fought without fear and with out reproach; but a chance arrow pierced the joints of his harness, and his life is oozing out from the ghastly wound. There is no one there to unbuckle his helmet or give him a draught of cooling water; his frame is locked up in that hard case of steel, and tho he feels the smart he cannot gain the remedy, He hears the cries, the mingled cries, the hoarse shouts of men that rush in fury against their fellows: and he opens his eyes — as yet he has not fainted with his bleeding. Where, think you, does he look? He turns himself round. What is he looking for? For friend? For comrade? No. Should they come to him he would say, “Just lift me up, and let me sit against that tree awhile, and bleed here; but go you to the fight.” Where, where is that restless eye searching, and what is the object for which it is looking? Yes, he has it; and the face of the dying man is brightened. He sees the banner still waving, and with his last breath he cries, “On! on! on!” and falls asleep content, because the banner is safe. It has not been cast down. Tho he has fallen, yet the banner is secure. Even so every true soldier of the cross rejoices in its triumph. We fall, but Christ does not. We die, but the cause prospers. As I have told you before, when my heart was most sad — sad as if never was before nor since — that sweet text, “Him hath God the Father exalted, and given him a name that is above every name,” quite cheered my soul, and set me again in peace and comfort.

Christ the Center of Attack. — Whenever the old Knights of the Red Cross fought the Saracens they always endeavored to make their steel ring upon the helmet of men whose hand held the crescent, the standard of Mohammed; ever the fight was bloodiest around the standard. * Sometimes, when the battle was over, if you walked the field you would see it strewn with legs and arms and mangled bodies everywhere. In one place there would be a heap where they were piled one upon another, a great mountain of flesh and armor, broken bones and smashed skulls, and you would ask, “What is this? How came they here? How trampled they so one upon another, and fought in pools of human blood?” The answer would be,” ;Twas there the standard-bearer stood, and first the adversary made a dash and stole the banner, and then fifty knights vowed to redeem it, and they dashed against their foes and took it by storm, and then again hand to hand they fought with the banner between them, first in one hand and then in another, changing ownership each hour. Well, dear friends, we must remember that Christ Jesus has always been the object of attack.

Christ our Guide. — When Mr. Andrew Fuller was going to preach before an association, he rode to the meeting on his horse. There had been a good deal of rain, and the rivers were very much swollen. He got to one river which he had to cross. He looked at it, and he was half afraid of the strong current, as he did not know the depth. A fanner, who happened to be standing by, said — “It is all right, Mr. Fuller; you will get through it all right, sir; the horse will keep its feet.” Mr. Fuller went in, and the water got up to the girth, and then up to the saddle, and he began to get uncomfortably wet. Mr. Fuller thought he had better turn round, and he was going to do so, when the same farmer shouted — “Go on, Mr. Fuller; go on; I know it is all right;” and Mr. Fuller said, “Then I will go on; I will go by faith.” Now, sinner, it is very like that with you. You think that your sins are too deep, that Christ will never be able to carry you over them; but, I say to you — It is all right, sinner; trust Jesus, and he will carry you thro hell itself, if it were needful and possible. If you had all the sins of all the men that have ever lived, and they were all yours, if you could trust him, Jesus Christ would carry you through the current of all that sin. It is all right, man! Only trust Christ. The river may be deep, but Christ’s love is deeper still. It is all right, man! Do not let the devil make you doubt my Lord and Master. He is a liar from the beginning, and the father of lies, but my Master is faithful and true. Rest on him and it is all right. Herein lies the supreme consolation of this earthly life.

Loyalty to Christ. — Dr. Payson had once been out to tea with one of his people, who had been particularly hospitable to him, and when he was going, the doctor said: — “Well, now, Madam, you have treated me exceedingly well, but how do you treat my Master?” That is a question I should like to put to some of you. How do you treat my Master? Why, you treat him as if he were not Christ, as if you did not want him. But, you do need him. May you find him soon, for when you come to die, you will want him then, and perhaps then you may not find him.

Christ Trustworthy. — There came to me the other day a young man who wished to speak with me about his soul troubles, and he began thus, “Dear sir, I cannot trust Christ.” To which I answered, “Have you found out something fresh in his character? Has he ceased to be trustworthy? Pray let me know all about it, for it is a serious matter to me; I have trusted him with everything I have for time and for eternity, and if he is not fit to be trusted I am in a terrible case.” He looked at me, and he said, “I will not say that again, sir; I see I have made a mistake. Truly the Lord Jesus is in every way trustworthy.” “Well, then,” I said, “Why can not you trust him?” I left him with that unanswerable question. A man is certainly able to trust one whom he regards as trustworthy. My young friend saw that at once, and asked me further: “But may I trust Christ to save me? Am I permitted to trust my soul with him?” I said to him, “Is not this the command of the gospel: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved? And are you not warned that if you do not believe in him you will be damned? How can we doubt that we are permitted to do that which is commanded us of the Lord? I am to preach the gospel to every creature, and this is the gospel: — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!” He said, “So, then, if I trust Christ, he will save me?” and I replied, “Certainly he will; he is the Savior of all them that put their trust in him. He says, ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, It is written, 1 He that believeth on him hath everlasting life; ’ he that trusts in Jesus is saved.” He thanked me, and saying that he had found out the secret, he went on his way rejoicing. I told him the gospel; he received it; and he entered into rest.

Christ Bringing Men Back. — Ah! we cannot always tell when we are driving poor souls away from Christ Often, when we think we are wooing we are driving them away; when we would be winning to the Savior, some harsh expression of ours frightens sinners away from him. Ah! poor soul, hast thou been driven awayf Dost thou understand and sympathize with what I have said? Before I knew the Lord, I could declare that I was driven away. Once, under a powerful sermon, my heart shook within me, and was dissolved in the midst of my bowels; I thought I would seek the Lord, and I bowed my knee and wrestled, and poured out my heart before him. I ventured within his sanctuary to hear his word, hoping that in some favored hour he would send a precious promise to my consolation; but, ah! that wretched afternoon I heard a sermon wherein Christ was not; I had no longer any hope. I would have sipped at that fountain, but I was driven away; I felt that I would have believed in Christ, and I longed and sighed for him. But, ah! that dreadful sermon and those dreadful things that were uttered; my poor soul knew not what was truth, or what was error; but I thought the man was surely preaching the truth, and I was driven back. I dared not go, I could not believe, I could not lay hold on Christ; I was shut out, if no one else was. Ts there some one here who has been driven away? I may have done it, and I will weep before God in secret on account of it. But let me cheer you. Hear this: “I will bring again that which was driven away.” As surely as you ever did come once you will be brought back again; that heavenly hour shall once more return; that blessed day shall dawn afresh; Christ shall appear, and his love and mercy shall be bestowed on you. He has drawn you once and he will draw you again, for God never fails. He may, for wise ends and purposes, suffer you to be driven away once; but he will ultimately bring you to himself, for he has said, “I will bring again that which was driven away.”

Immediate Healing. — We love the physician who heals speedily. If you find a skillful physician who can heal you of a sad disease even in years, you go to him, and are thankful. But suppose some wondrous man who with a touch could heal you, who with the very glance of his eyes could make you well at once, and stanch that blood or stop that disease, or turn aside that evil thing and make you well, would you not go to him, and feel that he was a great physician indeed? So with Christ. There shall be a man standing there with all his sins upon his head, and he may yet go down these stairs just, complete in Christ, without a sin, freed from its damning power, delivered from all his guilt and iniquity, in one single instant! It is a marvelous thing, beyond our power and comprehension. It is done in an instant. God stamps it; the man is pardoned. He goes away in that same instant justified, as the publican did when he said, “Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner,” and received the mercy for which he sued.

Christ the Only Ark of Safety. — Some animals, like the camelopard, whose heads are higher than other animals, might have to bow their necks to go in by the same entrance as the waddling ducks, who naturally stoop, even as they enter a ba”rn; and so, some of the lofty ones of this world must bend down their stiff necks, and bow their proud heads, if they would enter into the church by Christ. Thus, again, the swift horse and the slow-paced snail must enter by one door; so, too, the scribes and pharisees must come in the same way as the publicans and harlots, or be for ever excluded.

All the beasts God had chosen went in by the one door and if any had stood without, and said, “We shall not oome in that way,” they would have been standing with out till the flood overtook and destroyed them; for there was only one door. There is only one way of salvation, and there is only one means of getting into it. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” but “he that believeth not,” whoever he be, must “be damned.” There is no hope of any other way of salvation. He that cometh in by the door shall be saved; and Jesus saith, “I am the door.”