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in the fourth chapter of the Canticles. | speaks concerning his people, saying, After, in the first chapter, the spouse "He hath not beheld iniquity in of Christ had been complaining, "I Israel, neither hath he viewed peram black but comely, O ye daughters verseness in Jacob." Observe, again, of Jerusalem." Yet Christ speaks to GOD says, " I will blot out thy transher in the fourth chapter and says, gressions as a thick cloud, and as a “Thou art all fair, my love; there is cloud thy sins." Now, what blotted no spot in thee." No spot is to be out is not seen, and cannot be disfound, no wrinkle, no blemish, nor covered. Again, "Blessed is the man any such thing in him, that trusteth in whose iniquities are forgiven, and the Lord Jesus Christ, because he is whose sin is covered." GOD covers truly one with him. Beloved bre- all his sins with the blood of Christ. thren, there is no spot in the believers So it is that GoD doth not behold it, in Jesus as they stand before GOD. because it is covered with the precious blood of Christ. Now, some one will say, doth not God know we are sinners, and doth he not know every thought of our hearts, and therefore must he not see our sins? Beloved brethren, it is one thing to know them, and another thing to see them. I may know, at this present moment, that this book is under my hand, but I see it not because it is covered with that hand, so GoD may know that my sins are in me, but he seeth them not, because they are covered with the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore let the poor trembling sinner hold up his head; yea, let him hold up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees; for GOD will not behold his sins, because he hath laid them on his wellbeloved Son Jesus Christ. This is the reason that GOD does not behold sin. It is because he hath put it away elsewhere-it is because he hath transferred it to his Son Jesus Christ, because he hath laid upon Christ the iniquities of us all; and Jesus Christ himself, like the scape-goat, hath car. ried them away to the land of forgetfulness: they are no more to be found, because "now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." By the sacrifice of Christ, sin is abolished as a cloud is dispersed by the power of the sun. Observe, every cloud contains many million water drops, but still there are more sins in the be

And let us view it in another way. We know there is no condemnation for them that are in Christ, and why is it? It is on account of the righteousness which the believer has in consequence of his union with Christ Jesus. We know, beloved brethren, that GOD cannot condemn the righteous, and he that believeth is righteous even as He is righteous. There is no such thing as condemnation on this account, because we stand complete in the righteousness of another, even of Christ our Lord. But, beloved brethren, observe the blessedness of it. Being one with Christ-Christ hath taken awayChrist hath carried away-Christ hath borne away,-Christ hath blotted out all our sins and iniquities in his most precious blood. Beloved brethren, accustom yourselves to meditate upon this, accustom yourselves to look at the simple word of GOD, and to think how great it is, and to think what a blessed word it is when it says, "The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth us from all sin." Now it is not some sin only, it is not this sin, nor that sin, nor the other sin, but it is all sin together which is washed and swept away in the flood of Jesus Christ's most precious blood. Beloved brethren, mark how Scripture delights to dwell, to rest on this truth, the putting away of sin by the blood of Christ. Yea, so putting it away that God himself

liever in Jesus than there are drops of water in the cloud; but mark when the sun rises, it is able and capable of dispelling that cloud, so that not one drop remains; and so when Christ the Sun of Righteousness rises upon the sinner by the power of his beams, he puts, away all the sin that is in him, he puts it away out the sight of Gon, so that Gon beholds it no more, | but beholds him in the righteousness | of Christ, and is well pleased with him thereby.

And one thing more will arise out of this view of the subject concerning those that come to Christ, which is this, that their state is peculiarly blessed, because GOD, seeing all their sins upon Christ, and therefore none of them upon themselves, he is not | angry with his believing people even when they revolt from him, when they know that rebellion still lurks in their heart. Still GoD is not angry-still there is not a drop of wrath in GOD, for all hath been poured out upon Christ (and GOD is not angry twice for the same offence), God will not come upon us, because he hath come and demanded of Christ the payment, and he hath paid in full for all our offences and transgressions. Beloved brethren, therefore, when we look at GOD in Christ Jesus, let us think of the words of the prophet, when he says, "Fury is not in me." There is no wrath in the mind of God towards any soul that trusteth in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is gone, gone for ever. All the seven vials of that wrath are poured out on the head of Christ who alone was able, who alone could, and who alone did bear the whole weight thereof. Therefore now GOD is well pleased with us in Christ Jesus his Son, he beholdeth us clothed in his perfections, and he is infinitely well pleased, because he sees us in the same light as he sees his Son, now that he is at his own right hand in heaven.

But, again, these things I speak not, beloved brethren, in order to incite | sinners to sin. Gon forbid. " Shail we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." It is not sonay, it cannot be so, where grace has once made a conquest in the heart, it is utterly impossible that it can lead a sinner to continue in that state in which he was before. It is of a dif ferent principle; and so, beloved brethren, the person that cometh to Christ, and who is in this blessed state before GoD which I have just mentioned, he is likewise a sanctified person, because he is sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus.

Now then, let us consider this state, not as he is before God but as he is to himself, as he appears to be in himself, and as he is towards man. Beloved brethren, the work of the Spirit of GOD upon us renews us indeed; but, then, it renews us only in part. Our body is not changed at all by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, it is only subdued; but we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus by the power of the Spirit of God; and then, that being the case, we have the very image of God himself enstamped upon our souls; we are made new men, and that new man, as Paul says, "is after GoD, created in righteousness and true holiness." Beloved, we may see perfectly well, from the Epistle of John, what it is to be a sanctified person, that is, that as many as are the children of God bear the image of GOD enstamped upon their souls. Now the person who cometh to Christ we know is a believer in Christ; and then what says that Apostle concerning the believer? "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of GoD: and every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." He is born of God, saith the Scripture, and therefore he is a child of GOD, and we know that the Father begets in his own likeness. So that when GoD

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re-begets his children he stamps upon | Again, beloved brother, what is this darkness? We know that the darkness is a darkness of an holiness, and of unrighteousness of sin, and wretchedness. The darkness in which the devil himself walks, for he himself is said to be the prince of darkness. Let no man deceive you, therefore, says the Apostle, for he that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning, and he was a liar from the beginning. Again, if God is love, and if the children of GoD are like him, what follows? but that we must walk in love, walk even as Christ walked, and Christ's walk was the walk of love. We have seen the love of GOD in giving Christ to us; we have seen the love of Christ to us in that, whilst we were yet sinners, he laid down his life for us. That being such a proof of love, and the children of the Lord Jesus Christ being like him, we ought, says St. John, to lay down our lives for the brethren. Here, then, we see the character which will be invariably contemplated on those that are brought to Christ and came to GOD through him.

them his own likeness, he places upon them his own image, and so, as the Apostle Peter says, we are made partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruptions that are in the world through lust." Remark, therefore, this, beloved brethren, we must have, if we are the people of GOD, the image of GOD upon us; and now, then, wherein does this image consist? "This is the message," says John, "which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that GOD is light, and in him is no darkness at all." So, then, that the children of GoD must be children of light, because GOD himself is light. Again, that same Apostle says, "God is love"-what follows? then the children of GOD must walk in love, must be children of love, otherwise they will not be, they could not be the children of their heavenly Father, whose name is love. Again, "GOD is a Spirit"-what then follows? "Those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, for the latter seeketh such to worship him." Therefore the children of GoD must be spiritual, because God himself is a spirit. Hence, "that which is borne of the flesh is flesh, and that which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit." Then, beloved brethren, whatever is capable of being reflected of GOD's character is en-"Love," says an Apostle, "not the stamped on the children of God, when the Holy Spirit, by his sovereign act, regenerates us and makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus-What, then, ought to be our conduct in this respect? If we are the children of light how can we have any association with the deeds of darkness? how can we walk in darkness? "Let not man deceive you-if we say we have fellow-worldly spirit which is the death of ship with God, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, GOD's son, cleanseth us from all sin."

Again, let us remark, that if such be the character of the children of light, and if the love of God be their peculiar character, how very opposite is that love to that of the world.

world, neither the things in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world." Can we, then, indeed, unite with the world? Beloved bre thren, we must come out of the world, yea, we must be separate from the world; we must not partake of that

thousands of thousands. No, we must come out from them-we must not have any thing to do with them-we must not touch the unclean thingwe must be separate from them, and GoD has promised that he will receive

us, and be a father unto us, and we shall be his sons and his daughters.

Again, if God is light, and love, and righteousness, and holiness, so likewise God is truth; therefore, the children of GOD must be lovers of truth and haters of lies, and haters of all liars. "And who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Son of GOD, he is anti-christ who denieth both the Father and the Son." Oh, then shall we go together with those, shall we make friends of those, whom the Apostle John speaking of, declares, "that it is unlawful to receive and that whoso biddeth them GOD speed, is partaker of their evil deeds!" No; we must come out from amongst them; we must be separate from them, and depend upon it, God will receive

us and be a Father unto us.

But, beloved -brethren, if such be the character which all who come to Christ must bear, if we can speak this of all the children of God, how much more ought they to possess the character who are GOD's ministers, whom he has raised up to preach the glad tidings of his everlasting Gospel? Ought not they, above and beyond all others, to come out and shew themselves separate from this wicked and perverse generation? Beloved it ought indeed to be so. We ought to shew forth by our conduct and conversation that we are a peculiar people, a chosen generation that we are a royal priesthood, and a holy nation.

Beloved brethren, the ministers of Christ are not only to come to Christ, but they are to bring others to Christ; for it is God working through their instrumentality, that brings souls to his dear Son Jesus Christ. Let us remark, and let us look into the Scriptures, and see that we are sure that we bear the marks that are there given, in order to recognize the true ministers of Christ. But, brethren, this I say, that if we look into this present time, we shall scarcely find any marks whereby we

may be so known. How shall we know ourselves to be ministers of Christ, for instance, if we do but compare ourselves with the standard which the Apostle Paul hath left, whereby to known them. He says:"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."

Is there any minister here present that can say that he bears these marks of a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ? I have never yet met with such a one, and therefore the conclusion I draw from it is this, that the church is not in the same state now that it was in the days of the Apostle. Now, some will say, aye, but the face of the world is altered, and now they are not so persecuted as they were in consequence. But I say, beloved brethren, if this be the reason, let us be sure of one thing, that insomuch as we escape the persecution of the world, by so much do we lose the spirituality of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the world cease to persecute, why is it? Is it because the world is come to us, or is it because we are gone to the world? It is not, it cannot be, that the world is come to us, but it must be that the church is gone down to the world; because, though the world has no common principle with the church, yet the church has with the world. They have the same body

of flesh, they are exposed to the same temptations continually, and the consequence is, beloved brethren, the world can only love us in proportion as it sees its own image reflected upon us, and sees the image of Jesus Christ to be absent. What is it the world hates in us? It is not our own persons, it is not the body of flesh and blood, no, nor our soul either, but it is the image of Christ which is enstamped on us. This the world cannot bear. Jesus Christ was the image of GOD, and they loved not him-they liked not him—but they slew the Prince of Life, and they crucified the Lord of Glory. And, beloved, we have the image of Christ upon us, and in proportion as they see that image in us, in that proportion will they, and must they, hate and persecute, and evil entreat us. Oh, then, it is not us they persecute—it is God they persecuteit is Christ they persecute. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" But whom was Saul persecuting? Not the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it was Christ in his members; and he says, in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Oh, then, let us see, if we would be thought Christian ministers, whether or not we have any thing of these marks. Are we, then, cast out as evil? Are our names reviled? Are we said to be deceivers, and yet true; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things? Are we as the filth of the earth and offscouring of all things? Now, these are the marks of the true Apostle of Christ, the true minister of the Gospel of GOD. My brethren, I would not say that we should wilfully throw ourselves into persecution and bring it on ourselves; but this we plainly know from the word of God, that except these things do come, we are without one of the most striking

peculiarities of the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And, beloved brethren, now to conclude, I may observe, it is because, comparatively speaking, this society is as it were a small and outcast society, for I speak by comparison, it is a small society, it is but one comparatively little known and much spoken against, that it is with peculiar pleasure I stand up as its advocate on this occasion. I know not, indeed, fully what measure of success they have had; I place it not on that; I place it on this, that they are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and those principles of which I have now been speaking; and that the great reason that induces them to go forward is for the sake of the remnant, according to the election of grace. "I endure all things," says Paul," for the elect's sake." Beloved, brethren, if we go forth in their principles there is no disappointment to be met with. We know where GoD call us he will not call us in vain -we know that God has a twofold purpose in the preaching of his Gospel, and that though it be a savour of death unto death to some, yet we shall not have gone forth without God's purpose, for we know that "the Gospel is the savour either of life unto life or of death unto death."

Beloved brethren, this being the case, and these being the motives, I would entreat you to open your hearts, and your purses likewise, in order to support those ministers, who, as far as God has given them opportunities of doing good, have met with such portions of success as we might rationally expect. We do not, indeed, expect to see the whole world converted by means of their instrumentality, but, in those dark countries, which are most eaten up by papal superstition, in the minds of Babylon on the one hand, and again, by the open infidelity of apostate Protestant nations on the other; among them we send

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