VIII.

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good.”—Mic. vi. 8.

THIS is an answer given through Balaam (a prophet, though an unrighteous man) to the question of Balack (stated in the preceding verses,) a carnal man, who, terrified at the displays of the power of the God of Israel in behalf of the Jewish people, anxiously inquired by what sacrifice he might propitiate his favour and engage the Lord on his side. The matter lay so near his heart that he was willing to make any sacrifice ever so costly to attain his object. It appears from the close of his question that the sin of his soul was that which made him apprehend the displeasure of Jehovah: he desired only to have it stated, what he should give for this, and he was ready to give it. He was yet a carnal man; and this question was never proposed by any but a carnal man: its terms import ignorance of the object, ignorance of Jehovah, of sin, and of himself. It has more or less forced itself on the mind of every man in one form or another. It is a question that weighs with various degrees of solicitude upon various men, and upon the same man at various times: but there are times and occasions when all men are disturbed with the inquiry, and propose it with anxious uncertainty. Those who know God, or rather are known of him, cannot any longer ask it (except, as knowing the answer, to call the attention and admiration of themselves or others to the vanity of the question, and the glory of the answer.) Yet it has commonly been considered as one which, if only proposed with sufficient solicitude, argues the inquirer to be either in a gracious state, or approximating to it; in a state called conviction of sin. On the contrary, it proves him to be altogether ignorant of sin, and of the true God. Look at the question. Two beings are introduced in it -the inquirer a creature, and a sinful guilty creature-and Jehovah, the creator, glorious in holiness and righteousness and truth: the proud worm degrades the living God to a level with himself, and proposes to give Him something to bribe Him from his purpose against sin. A real knowledge of Him and of sin bars every such thought; and if it be supposed unaccompanied with the knowledge of the joyful answer, an acquaintance with which is inconsistent with the disquieting solicitude of the inquirer, can leave the sinner in no state short of absolute despair. No TRUE hope can spring in the sinner's mind but from a view of that which is the answer Jehovah is declared to have shewed. Till the sinner sees this he is looking out in vain for something to take away sin; and any hope derived in this way is the proud presumptuous vain hope of one under the power of darkHE hath shewed what is good-what He is well pleased withwhat he has accepted as taking away sin. If He had not exhibited

ness.

it, (He against whom we have sinned) we could have no good hope. But He has, in the first promise, and in all the subsequent revelations of himself to the patriarchs-in all the types and sacrifices of the Levitical law-by all the prophets-by John the Baptist-by the Apostles: they all point to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and with one voice testify to him as the propitiation for sin. And what doth he look for from us? not any thing to do that which he has already done-a work which all the angels would have trembled at the thought of laying their hand to; but that in the believing view of what he has revealed, in the happy enjoyment of the peace which he has made, we should have our conversation as becometh the Gospel-doing justice or bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, as accepted of God as dear children ;—(an unrighteous man cannot work righteousness;)-loving mercy, the rich mercy whereby we have been saved,-delighting in every act of mercy towards our fellow sinners;-and walking humbly with our God. There can be no walking with God, but as our God;-How can two walk together unless they be agreed? nor except humbly; the proud he beholdeth afar off; walking by the faith of what he has shewed in Christ Jesus, as we have received Him.

IX.

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood."—Rom. iii. 25.

THIS passage marks the nature and great object of all divine revelation, from the first to Adam to the last by the Apostles of Jesus Christ. How solemn is the thought that God hath made a revelation to man! yet man, generally acknowledging the fact, is commonly indifferent to the inquiry what the matter of this revelation is, and passes through life contented to borrow from it certain phrases and forms inherited by tradition. This indifference is partly to be accounted for by the apprehension with which the guilty conscience of a sinner regards the idea of a divine revelation: Adam hid himself. Yet, from the blessed nature of this revelation, the guiltiest sinner needs not be afraid to hear it: for it is a revelation of divine mercy to the guilty;-of that which every sinner needs; without which he is lost for ever, and with which he is blessed for ever.-Suppose but one sinful creature upon earth;-let us view him-fallen from Goda rebel against Him-What does he need? What can do him good? can all that is in the world-its riches, its honours, its pleasures? can these bring blessedness to a dying sinner? even if he possesses

them all through this life, and goes on intoxicated by them, he but forgets his misery for a moment, but to awaken wretched and accursed: "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." This then is what the sinner needs-to have his sin taken away; and all men more or less feel this want at times, and inquire anxiously, "what shall I give for the sin of my soul?" a vain inquiry-the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination.-But now God himself hath set forth the provision of his own mercy; a propitiation for sin; and this in his own son-one with Him--who alone could interpose in behalf of a guilty race, and who took upon Him the form of a servant to do this gracious will of his heavenly father.— He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, by bearing the sins of many. The perfect sufficiency of this atonement is marked in the words of the Apostle by the declaration that God has set him forth in that work, and for that purpose; and the faithfulness of the revelation is crowned by the truth, that this righteousness of God is unto and upon all them that believe, without difference.All have sinned-all stand on one common level in the divine sight : all flesh is brought in guilty before God; that the glory of Jehovah may be revealed and all flesh see it together.

X.

"Then Eli answered and said, go in peace: and the god of Israel grant thy petition that thou hast asked of him."

"So she went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad."-1 Sam. i. 17, 18.

It is plain that she went her way, believing that she should have the petition which she had asked, and which the high priest had sanctioned, when he dismissed her with his blessing.

And in all our approaches unto God, when we pour out our hearts before him, have we not a great high priest sanctioning our requests, who has lifted up his hands and blessed us, and whose language is, peace unto you! "my peace I give unto you!" why should our countenance be any more sad?

XI.

THE GOSPEL; OR, GLAD TIDINGS.

THAT is a very brief, but very comprehensive, statement of the Gospel, which the Apostle gives in 1 Tim. i. 15, when he says, that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Whoever understands and receives this saying, in the plain and only true meaning of it, is wise unto salvation.

was

Who is it that is here said to have come into the world?-Christ Jesus. The literal meaning of the Hebrew name Jesus-is JEHOVAH, the Saviour and He who came into the world, who humbled himself to become the Son of Man, is declared to be the Son of GOD, "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," one with the Father, yea "GOD blessed for evermore." He" took upon him the form of a servant," and appeared in the last age of the world as "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," to accomplish the merciful will of his Father, "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," dying the just, in place of the unjust. But though he numbered with transgressors," and crucified between two malefactors, he is now highly "exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour;" his resurrection from the dead, of which the Apostles were chosen witnesses, being the divine evidence that he is indeed the CHRIST, that GOD has accepted his sacrifice, and "is well pleased for his righteousness sake." The name of CHRIST, or the MESSIAH, imports the Anointed One: and as under the Jewish law persons were set apart to various offices by anointing them with oil, so this Anointed One of GOD" was consecrated by the fulness of the Spirit resting upon him to that office, which he sustains by the divine appointment. But what is this office?—That of saving sinners. Not (as so many doctors of lying divinity teach) of putting men into a way in which they may save themselves, in which they may make their peace with God, and may obtain eternal life by some good endeavour after it. No: his office is absolutely "to save unto the uttermost" those who have been "given to him out of the world;" to "give them eternal life;" to bring them unto glory, "as the Captain of their Salvation." In his character of the great High-Priest over his Church, he " gave himself for it," "offering himself through the eternal Spirit unto God;" and "has made peace" by his blood, and "obtained eternal redemption" for his people, by bearing their sins in his own body on the cross. Set as "King upon the holy hill of Zion," "head over all things to his Church," he has sent forth his word as the sceptre of his power out of Zion, and rules in the midst of his enemies, giving that word entrance into the minds of those who have been "ordained to eternal life," and calling whom he will to the belief of the truth; thus turning them from darkness unto light, and from the dominion of Satan into the kingdom of God; and keeping them through the

power of the same word, unto the full enjoyment of that salvation, wherewith he hath saved them.

And what is the character of those, in whose behalf he came for this purpose into the world? Are they persons well-disposed and good? or half-good?-Quite the reverse. They are sinners, nothing but sinners; ungodly and without strength; whose sins had righteously earned that curse, the sentence of which was executed upon Him as their substitute, in order that they might be "blessed in him,” in the only way consistent with the righteousness and truth of God. And who are they that are partakers of this salvation, which is thus altogether of GOD?-Whosoever believeth the divine report of it, sent throughout the world in the Apostolic word. Whosoever ; without distinction or exception: for God is no respecter of the persons of men. "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of GOD that sheweth mercy:" and "therefore is it of faith, that it might be by grace (or mere mercy), that the promise might be sure to all the seed."

The CHRIST testified of in this word, revealing the glory of the only true God, "is despised and rejected by men," by all but those whom God calls to the knowledge of him by convincing them of its truth: and they are "a little flock," despised and "hated of all men" (as far as their sentiments are known) for the Son of Man's sake. But the day is approaching, when He, for whom they wait, "shall come the second time without sin unto salvation," to their joy, and to the confusion of those who hate him.