is the primary truth of revelation, and inseparably con nected with the experience of salvation, no wonder it was taught by the institution of the sacrifices under the Hebrew law. The paschal Lamb, and the scape goat, clearly taught Messiah, as the sin-bearer of men, to the believing Israelites; and we look to the same divine Person as having completed his work, and now passed into heaven; there to appear in the presence of God for us. Most affectionately do I wish all who now hear me may obtain faith to behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. For you, in your own persons, to bear the guilt, the punishment of your numberless sins, O how dreadful the thought, how awful the consequences! Yet it must certainly be so, or Christ must bear them for you. Remember, there is none other name by whom you can be saved. Interested in Jesus, you have peace with God, boldness at the throne of his grace, and shall triumph in prospect of acceptance in final judgment. Possessing the least faith in this great Redeemer, we gladly unite with an honourable believer now in glory, and

say

And wast thou for transgressors given?
And did th' incarnate King of heaven
For us his foes expire?

Amaz'd, O earth, the tidings hear!

He bore, that we might never bear

The Father's righteous ire.

4. We now enter one other interesting part of the office of Jesus, as the BEARER of his people, through all the SORROWs of their lives. The journey of the Israelites is a striking emblem of the progress of Chris

tians to the land of rest in glory. Moses declared to that people, The Lord thy God bear thee, as a man doth bear his son. Not an enemy, nor a slave, but a son; that is, with all tenderness, affection, and care. Be assured, that such is the love and faithfulness of the Lord to thechildren of his grace, that he will bear them through the sorrows of their lives, and crown them with glory. The same preservation is taught by an instance in natural history. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord leadeth and beareth us, to prove that there is no strange God with us. The support of God may not be alike sensible to us, whether it be under outward afflictions or the deeper exercises of the heart. But, in the conflict, or after it, we certainly shall find that Christ, by his secret grace, hath kept us from destruction, and brought us safely through. Trust, then, the protection of the Lord. On the wings of his faithfulness and love he will assuredly bear you safely through, above the reach of every foe. It is enough that he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. The words of our text are charmingly adapted to console the heart in old age. Even to hoar hairs the Lord hath said, He will carry, and will deliver you. When the aid of the most skilful physician fails, and all the charming scenes of nature vanish, the Lord will afford the most ample support and sublime joy. How adequate a Saviour, therefore, is Jesus, to bear our PERSONS, Our NAMES, our SINS, and our SOULS through the sorrows of this world, the valley of death, and finally to receive us to heaven! Glory be to the Saviour! We will praise him for all that is past, and trust him for all that is to come.

5. Upon the whole, it is no wonder that we find it prophesied by Zechariah, that this Saviour should bear the glory. The glory of nature, providence, and grace, devolves on Christ: For by him, and for him, were all things created. Christ is the glory of his Church; all his ordinances, his word, and his Ministers, unite in bringing glory to the Lord Jesus. Every mercy we receive, every victory we obtain over sin, sends us with shouts of praise to our adored Emmanuel. And to which we may add, all the spirits of the just made perfect in heaven bow before the throne, and with united voices exclaim, Unto him that washed us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory and dominion for ever and

Ever

LECTURE XLIV.

THE CHARACTER OF A GOOD MAN.

ACTS xi. 24.

He was a good man..

How happy is the good Man's lot,
How free from ev'ry anxious thought,
From worldly hope and fear!
Confin'd to neither court nor cell,
His soul disdains on earth to dwell,
He only sojourns here.

J. C. W.

WITH most men, 66 a good man" is a vague and inde finite character, generally estimated from partiality, social connections, or misguided judgment. Indeed, every conscious man wishes to have this character decided in his own breast, that he may know the honour and the felicity connected with it. Who then shall draw the por~ trait? What hand shall form the lines by which we may determine for ourselves the good man's character? Let us appeal to the sacred Scriptures, which are the only standard of truth; and while we pursue that ample page, may each desire the good man's character may become his own!

Let us first examine the texture of the good man's heart,... which is the fountain of action; for, if the heart be not right with God, the character must be base. It must be acknowledged, that man, by nature and by practice, is the very reverse of his original creation. The testimony of God is, there is none that doeth good, no not one. And such is the depravity of the heart, that it is dceitful

above all things, and desperately wicked; that out of it proceed every evil thought, and every evil action. If any man's heart, therefore, be made good, it must be God that makes it so. He begins what the Scriptures call a good work in the soul; that is, regenerates, and makes it capable, by holy principles, to perform good actions. Our Saviour, therefore, saith, A good man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; for, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. This treasure can be none other than the unsearchable richies of Jesus Christ; consisting of all the plenitude of grace, pardon, peace, and love from God, capable of assuring the heart of salvation, and of giving it power to perform the good and acceptable will of God. Thus the tree being made good, the fruit also will be good. Like Barnabas expressed in our text, a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith. This is the origin of a good man; it is a creation in Christ; and without the communication of this grace, a good education, the best example, or the most splendid profession, will leave the heart contaminated and vile. With this grace the conscience is made good; just views of God, sin, mercy, time, eternity, possess the mind. As whatever comes from God, leads to him; so the heart which is made good, possesses the warmest desires after the Saviour, the sweetest comforts in communion with God, and strives to walk humbly hefore him by every good word and work. If this is not the way in which the heart is made good, in vain will philosophy and the powers of reason point the path. But of this we are certain, Paul, Zaccheus, Magdalene, and a number which no man can estimate, of every age and clime, have proved the virtues of the grace of God, in converting them from iniquity to the