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a Saviour as he had represented himself to be: and, though the whole relating to him was involved in mystery which they could not comprehend, they saw in it nothing but what was honourable to the character of God, and nothing but what was conducive to the happiness of man. Hence they were content to receive the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and to found all their hopes of happiness on him alone.

Thus in him was found precisely such a test as the world needed: and]

The use of this test was seen in,
III. The actual effect of his advent-
Mark the effect of his advent:

1. Whilst he himself was on earth

[This discrimination of character was seen from the first moment that he entered on his ministry. Never did more gracious words proceed from the lips of man, than those which were uttered by him in his first public discourse at Nazareth; insomuch, that "all who heard them bare him witness, and wondered:" yet, upon his reminding them of two events in their history, the sending of the Prophet Elijah to be supported by a Sidonian (a heathen), and not an Israelitish widow; and the healing of a leprosy, by the Prophet Elisha, in the person of Naaman, a Syrian, and not of any of the lepers that were in Israel; they were instantly fired with such indignation and wrath, that "they thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong," and destroy him. Now, what was there in his discourse to produce so instantaneous a change? The Jews considered themselves as exclusively the objects of God's regard; and they could not endure the thought that he should have mercy in reserve for the Gentiles and the suggestion of this was in their minds an evil worthy of death. Again: when our blessed Lord wrought miracles in confirmation of his word, many, instead of yielding to conviction, took occasion, from the very works which they could not but acknowledge to be miraculous, to accuse him of a confederacy with the devil: and, in the very passage before us, they made his restoring a man to sight on the Sabbathday a ground rather of accusation against him, as a sinner, than of acknowledging him to be, what he really was, the true Messiah. And to his latest hour they evinced the same spirit, calling out for a sentence of death against him; when his very Judge declared him innocent, and not a person upon earth could be found to convict him of the slightest sin. Nor was it

f Luke iv. 18-22.

g Luke iv. 25-29.

the mere populace who thus persecuted him: they were only instruments in the hands of their superiors: it was the act of the Scribes and Pharisees, and of all who presided in their nation, whether in the Ecclesiastical or Civil department and this shewed how, by his ministry, their hypocrisy was detected: and that, in the midst of all their pretended piety, they were decided enemies to God in their hearts.]

2. In the whole of the apostolic age

[The preaching of his name was productive of the very same effect as his personal ministry had produced. It was universally "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness"." If we except the instance of the Saviour himself, there never existed, from the foundation of the world, such a contest as that which was maintained by the Apostle Paul; he doing every thing that man could do, and suffering every thing that man could suffer, for the salvation of a perishing world; and they, whether Jews or Gentiles, uniformly and universally seeking his destruction. The same treatment was shewn to all the Apostles, and to all the followers of Christ, in proportion as they, by their activity and zeal, drew the attention of those to whom they ministered; insomuch that, with the exception of John, not one of the Apostles was suffered to die a natural death.

On the other hand, there were many to whom the mystery of the Gospel was "the wisdom of God and the power of God." In all its provisions they beheld an excellency and glory and they found, by experience, that it was "the power of God to the salvation of their souls." And who were they that thus displayed its energy? Were they the great, the wise, the moral? No: "ye see your calling," says St. Paul, "how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things. which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence1:" so fully did the Gospel answer the end predicted by the prophet; "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed "."]

h 1 Cor. i. 23.

1 1 Cor. i. 26-29. VOL. XIII.

i 1 Cor. i. 24.
m Isai. vi. 9, 10.

K K

* Rom. i. 16.

3. At the present hour

[No where is Christ faithfully preached, but "a division" is made among the people: and in all the families where his truth prevails, "a sword" is introduced, even amongst the nearest and dearest relatives". No caution in the preacher will suffice to abate the enmity of the heart against God. Only let Christ be exalted, and some will call the preacher an enthusiast and deceiver, whilst others will " regard him as an angel of God, or even as Christ Jesus himself"." The very same word is still, as in the days of old, " a savour of life to the salvation of some, and a savour of death to the condemnation of others P. And so far are the admired characters of the world from being most favourable to the truth, that even "publicans and harlots enter into heaven before them:" so true is it still, as in the days of old, that "the last are first, and the first last."]

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And now let me ADDRESS myself,

1. To those who are unconscious of their own blindness

[This was the state of the Pharisees, to whom our Lord addressed the words of my text. Perceiving that he had in his mind a reference to them, they confidently and indignantly asked, "Are we blind also?" But our blessed Lord told them that their conceit only tended to enhance and aggravate their guilt. If they had, indeed, never been favoured with means of instruction, they would have had the less to answer for: but, in proportion as they supposed themselves already informed, they shewed their impiety in rejecting him. Now this is the very caution which I would give to you: The more confident you are that you are already in possession of the truth, the more you make it manifest that "Satan hath blinded your eyes:" for to make you reject Christ, is the work in which that subtle adversary is incessantly engaged'. O! learn this humiliating truth, that you" are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;" and you will then have no difficulty in discovering the excellency of Christ, who offers to you gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and eye-salve, that you may see; and raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness may not appear." Only resemble the man who was willing and desirous to believe, and Christ will soon make himself known to you, in all his excellency, and in all his glory.]

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2. To those who are willing to be taught of God

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[The docility of a little child is one of the choicest gifts that can possibly be bestowed upon you. It is a certain prelude to divine instruction, and the best preparative for all the blessings of the Gospel. You need not be discouraged at the thought of your own weakness: for " what God has hid from the wise and prudent, it is his delight to reveal to babes "." "The wise he will leave to be taken in their own craftiness *:" but the more you are a fool" in your own estimation, the more certainly and effectually shall you be made truly wise. The Holy Spirit is promised to you, as "a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ":" and though the Gospel must ever remain to you an unfathomable mystery, you shall have such an insight into it as no unenlightened man can have, and by means of it be "guided safely into the way of peace."]

Matt. xi. 25, 26. y 1 Cor. iii. 18-20.

x Isai. xxix. 14. with 1 Cor. i. 19, 20. Eph. i. 17, 18. a Matt. xiii. 11.

2

MDCLXII.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

John x. 9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

THE importance of sound doctrine cannot be too strongly insisted on. Error, especially in the fundamentals of religion, is as destructive as vice. In innumerable instances, it brings both those who propagate, and those who receive it, into eternal ruin : hence St. Paul denounced anathemas against any one, even though he should be an angel from heaven, who should blend Judaism with Christianity. Our Lord himself also spake of false teachers with indignation. The Pharisees, while they rejected him, taught the people to look for salvation to their own ritual or superstitious observances; Jesus therefore declared them to be only as "thieves and robbers," who, instead of belonging to the flock of God, sought eventually their destruction, and, in opposition to their false doctrines, affirmed himself to be the only door of admission into the fold of God.

a The affirmation is exceeding strong, ver. 7. and it is repeated in the text.

We shall consider,

I. The metaphor by which Jesus represents his own

character

He had been delivering

the parable" of "the Good Shepherd";" in elucidating which, he speaks of himself as "the door of the sheepfold."

The Church of God is here compared to a sheepfold

[All men in their natural state are wandering at a distance from God: they neither acknowledge him as their Shepherd, nor feed in his pastures; they are strangers to that flock which is under his immediate care. But in every age God has had "a chosen and peculiar people:" in the days of Moses he brought them into a visible fold; till the time of Christ all his sheep were kept within the pale of the Jewish Church. But our Lord announced his purpose to introduce the Gentiles also into his fold. Now all who name the name of Christ are called his sheep. All however who are nominally his, are not really sof. It is to be feared that his sincere followers still form but "a little flock;" but the truly upright, of whatever denomination they be, belong to him: they are indeed often ready to cast out each other as aliens; nevertheless they are equally the objects of his superintending care.]

Of this fold Christ is "the door"

[Parts of Judæa were probably still infested with wolves: the sheepfolds therefore were better secured than ours: perhaps the entrance into them was guarded by a door. Now, what that door was to the fold, that is Christ to the Church : every sheep must enter into it by faith in him. We are expressly said to have access unto God through him; nor indeed has there ever been any other way into the fold. It was the blood of the sacrifice which procured admission for the high-priest within the vail. Through that, all believers, from the very beginning, were brought nigh to God'; and, through that, we also have boldness to enter into the holiest m. Some, it is true, have "climbed up into the fold some other way":" they profess to be his without having ever believed in him; but they are regarded by him only as thieves and robbers; nor will they ever be admitted into the fold above.]

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