of the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD! If he fails, then the great plan of redemption lies unfinished before the eye of God and the universe forever! And what a failure! It is not that of a human being, but of a God! The desire of the righteous is not granted!" The blood of Christ is shed in vain! Angels cease. forever to rejoice at the return of the sinner! Their golden harps remain untuned to the song of redeeming love! Darkness, gloom, despair, sorrow, settle down upon God's universe forever! Can this be? Heaven forbid ! No. It cannot be.

'For we have

seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.'

'Before the world was made,

Or sun or planets shone,
Salvation's base was laid

In God's anointed Son,

Who came to spread the truth abroad,
And reconcile a world to God.

Hail, all-triumphant hour

In which my Saviour rose!
The grave has lost its power;
My soul, forget thy woes.
Widely he'll spread his grace abroad,
And safely guide a world to God.'

LXVIII. SERVANT.

'Behold my Servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.'

Matt. xii. 18.

THIS word is applied to the Saviour in ten instances. It is the same word that is used for slave; but then a servant differs materially from a slave, for the one performs the work assigned to him with the concurrence of his own will, but the other must fulfil his task whether he will or not. His will is absorbed in that of his master, without a right of calling it in question. Of course we are not to view our Saviour in that sense, for though he came to perform the will of the Father, yet there was a perfect harmony between them both, and such a union as the world never has seen in any other instance whatever.

The motto is taken from a passage in Isaiah, quoted by our Lord himself. This whole subject may be embraced under three heads.

I. A servant must not create his message.

II. He must be properly qualified for his work. III. He must do his duty, whether his message is received or not.

I. A servant must not create his message. Jesus said, 'For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will, that of all which he hath

given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.'* When standing before Pilate, in the judgment hall, he said, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.' The message of this Servant was prepared for him long before he came into the world. And what a message! It was full of love and tenderness to the human family; full of grace and truth. 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, *** not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.' 'Herein is love.' The universe is crowded with proofs of the benevolence of God, but here is a proof that outweighs them all! How much he loved us, we can never know; we have no line with which to fathom, no standard with which to compare; but he so loved us that he gave his only-begotten Son, that the world through him might be saved. Such, then, was the message which this Servant brought to man.

II. A servant must be properly qualified for his work. And how eminent were the qualifications of this Servant of God! He knew what was in man.' He could weigh every motive, and see every desire within the chambers of the soul. Therefore he could penetrate every heart, reveal every hidden plan, and adapt his instructions to the mass of mind by which he was surrounded. To the ignorant he could impart knowledge; to the wayward, stability; to the mourner, consolation; to the despairing, hope. His nature was sweet; his manners humble; his words

*John vi. 38, 39. † Ib. xviii. 37.

Ib. iii. 16, 17.

wise; his comportment grave; his questions deep; his reproofs severe and charitable; his pity great and merciful. His qualifications are admirably and beautifully expressed in the tender language connected with our motto: A bruised reed shall he not break,

and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.' Bishop Pearce says, This expression means that he shall be so gentle as not to hurt even that which is of itself ready to perish. The Jews used flax, as we now do cotton, for candles, or in lamps. This, a little before it is quite extinguished, gives more smoke than flame, and, therefore, this sense seems a proper one.'* much tenderness is comprised in these few words as applied to the Servant of God! 'He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.'t

How

III. The servant must perform his duty, whether his message is received or not. This is so obvious that a few remarks only will be necessary. And what a variety of incidents in the life of this Servant, illustrative of this point, could we bring, if our limits would permit. We see him going on from day to day in the discharge of his duty. No obstacle retarded him. Plans were formed by his enemies, and difficulties presented, but he heeded them not. At the very commencement of his ministry, 'he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. ***The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.' * * * And we are told, 'All they in the

*Com. on the place.

† Psa. cxlvii. 3.

synagogue were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.'* At another time, 'the Jews took up stones to stone him.' Finally, they brought the cross, the cruel nails, and the soldiers, and yet he was faithful to the last, and, even in the agonies of death, he prayed, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'

There is a great moral truth connected with our subject which must not be overlooked; for it is a part of the message of this Servant to the world: 'Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.' What a message for the ambitious to receive! What! is that the way to be great, first to become a servant? Is that the road to true greatness? Then what becomes of the Alexanders, the Hannibals, and the Napoleons? They are then the least among men, for they aspired to universal conquest. 'Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.' 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.'|| How slowly the world learns the great essential truths of Christianity! How desirous men are to lower its standard to their own narrow views and sordid feelings. But this cannot be done. The mind must be brought up to the standard; that will never be brought down to the mind. Christianity came to elevate man; and it does this

*Luke iv. 16-30. § Matt. v. 5.

† John x. 31.

Prov. xvi. 32.

Matt. xx. 27.