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SERMON XVI.

GALATIANS I. 4, 5.

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

"To write the same things unto you," saith St. Paul to his beloved Philippians, " to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe." St. Peter uses similar language: "I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." It is observable, how constantly St. Paul acts upon this principle. His writings often consist of one long-sustained argument, in which he is either combating dangerous errors, or enforcing a line of conduct worthy of the Gospel: yet in the full flow of his reasoning, prompted by love to his Master, and by

ardent affection towards those for whom Christ died, he is continually inserting short and comprehensive sentences, in which the very marrow of

the Gospel is presented to the hungry soul. These we may, without injury, take out from the context in which they stand. They are complete in themselves. And it will be little to our credit, as "followers of him who thus followed Christ," if either the Preacher be ashamed to speak, or his hearers weary of receiving at his mouth, "the same thing."

One of these comprehensive summaries of the Gospel is before us in the text. Christ" gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father; to whom be glory, for ever and ever. Amen."-You perceive at once, that there is nothing new in these words. But alas! we continually need to have fresh and deeper impressions of the truth which they contain. These the Holy Ghost alone can give unto us. Let us pray, then, that he would enable me so to expound what is here written, that it may come to your hearts" in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

I shall confine my remarks, almost entirely, to the two points suggested by the Apostle for our consideration at the beginning of the text; which sets before us, first, The principal Fact of the Gospel, and secondly, Its intended Effect.

I. THE PRINCIPAL FACT OF THE GOSPEL is, that Jesus Christ" gave himself for our sins."

1. "For our sins"-there was the Occasion for this act. Divine goodness was intent upon our welfare; but there was an impediment standing in the way, which rendered his kind purpose impracticable. We were sinners against a just and holy God: and what goodness could be shewn to sinners?

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Did you ever reflect, my brethren, on the peculiar nature of this property, which is here said to belong to us- our sins?" They are the only thing which we can truly call our own. Everything else that we possess, is given-nay, it is but lent to us; it came, in many instances, without our seeking, and we must quickly part with it again. But "our sins" are our own. The possession of them is of our own making and acquiring. We may, indeed, have had partners, prompters, assistants-each of whom has thereby added to his own accumulation of this property. But our share remains undiminished-there is none to divide it with us. And, what is worse, it is a property which, when once acquired, cannot be alienated or put away. Such as we were in the moment that sin became ours, we still are at this present time: except, indeed, as new and large additions have been made to it from day to day.

Need I say, that it is a most worthless, most injurious, nay, ruinous possession? You thought so once yourself, when the brief pleasure, with

which it was sought and gained, began to pass away. You then felt, that all the riches of the world would be but a trifling sacrifice, if you could by such a sacrifice regain your previous innocence of that sin. And does not your subsequent state of mind fully confirm this appeal to your own conscience? You cannot bear to be reminded of your sins. You like to be told of your wealth, of your talents, of your skill, of your beauty, of your influence over your fellow-creatures; but of your sins you will not hear. Yet you do hear of them sometimes. There are awful moments, in which the word of God and the Spirit of God rehearse in your ears the terrible catalogue; and then your heart sinks within you: "Oh wretched man that I am," you secretly exclaim, "who shall deliver me?"

There is indeed good reason for all this anxiety: for our sins both deprive us of many present blessings, and entail upon us many future woes. God, as I said before, is desirous of approaching you, now and hereafter, in the character and with the kindness of a friend: but these sins of yours stand in his way. They hold up a shield, like that which was borne before Goliath the Philistine, so that he cannot come near you-he cannot pass over them. That God should be blind to their accumulated amount, or to their heinousness, is impossible: so accurate is his memory of them, that it is written, "He hath set our iniquities

before him, our secret sins in the light of his countenance." And can you suppose, that that which gives you such uneasiness, is no offence to Him? No-how much soever we may hate the remembrance of our sins, he hates the sight of them infinitely more. I would fain love,' he says, 'that wretched being, Man; but his sins will not let me. Them I must abhor-them I

must punish-them I must hereafter visit with all the indignation of my offended Holiness. And alas! the sinner and the sin must go together; there is no separating them. Oh, who will take up this difficult case, and find out a method whereby sin may be effectually avenged, and the sinner yet be made capable of enjoying a Father's love?'

those sins.

2. Our text, my brethren, while it names the great Fact of the Gospel, answers this difficult question. Christ "gave himself for our sins"and that in such a manner, as to leave the fatal property just what it was, hateful, and condemned by God and man, while its owner is set free from its curse. Take me,' he exclaimed, instead of Diminish not one hair's breadth of the misery which is due to them: but let it all fall on me; and then do as thou wilt with the wretched offenders.' The proposal was accepted. It accorded, in fact, with "the eternal purpose" of his heavenly Father; who now proceeded to transfer to his own dear Son the entire guilt of a sinful world, "A body was prepared for him," that he might be