a word, yet it perfumes the air. The kingdom of God comes in power; yet it comes not with observation. What a change did this people experience! The blind received their sight, the deaf heard, and the sick are healed. This change must soon have been apparent to their neighbours, who rejoiced on their behalf. And so, if you have been with with Jesus and have learnt of Him, others will take knowledge of it.

Men and brethren, the grand thing is for you to feel your need of this Saviour. "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." If you feel your real condition, you know you must be healed, or perish for ever. Then remember, there is "balm in Gilead, there is a physician there." There is the same Saviour who restored all those afflicted creatures, and He is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." Can we touch Him then? Oh, yes; by faith we can not only make an application to Him, but an application of Him, and claim all the blessings He has to bestow. And may any of us repair to Him? Oh, yes; who is excluded? "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." And shall we be made perfectly holy? Not at once, indeed, but in due time. "He will perfect that which concerneth us," and will bring us to Immanuel's land, where we shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, and where the inhabitants shall no more say I am sick. "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."

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XIV.

THE FRIEND OF SINNERS.

Preached on Sunday Evening, May 18th, 1845.

This man receiveth sinners.-LUKE xv. 2.

WHAT character and conduct was ever so perfect as the Saviour's? Yet He did not escape the look of envy or the tongue of slander. "He went about doing good," yet His motives were impugned, and He had to endure the contradictions of sinners against Himself. "Marvel not," said He to His disciples, "if the world hate you; it hated me before it hated you." "If ye were of the world, the world would love its own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.' "Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also." Why, every thing foul was laid to His charge. He was a Samaritan-He had a devil-He was accused of sedition and blasphemy-He was a glutton and a wine bibber, a friend of "publicans and sinners." Our text is a reflection of the same kind; "This man receiveth sinners." The charge arises from the malice of their hearts, but it was a specious appearance; there is much in the common proverb, "Shew me a man's company, and I will shew you the man." "Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them." Our Lord does not deny the fact, and there was truth in the declaration, not, as they would insinuate, that He would encourage them in their sin, but because "He came to seek and to save that which was lost." He was among them as a physician, not for His pleasure but for their profit. "Never man spake as this man." "And He spake this parable unto them saying,

What man of you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me: for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance." Our Saviour then was as a shepherd endeavouring to restore a strayed sheep or lamb. "This man receiveth sinners" not because He delighteth in sin, but because He delighteth in mercy. "He receiveth sinners " not because He needs them, but because He knows they need Him, and without Him they are undone for ever.

Let us glance at His Character, and secondly, at his Conduct.

I. Let us glance at HIS CHARACTER. "This man."

Under this appellation, it becomes us both to distinguish and to dignify Him; for you will observe, though He is really a man, He is not a man only. A man appeared to Jacob, and wrestled till the dawning of the day, and blessed him. It was "this man." A man came to Joshua and said, “As captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." It was "this man." Isaiah said, "A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of waters in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." It was "this man." Micah said, "This man shall be the peace." It was "this man." Zechariah said, "Behold the man, whose name is the Branch." It was "this man." And God said, "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd and against the man that is my fellow." It was "this man." For "this man" was absolutely without a parallel. In His Birth He stood distinguished from all the human race beside. At the birth of whatever being did the heavens assume a new star? And here also the angels appeared to the shepherds and a multitude of the heavenly host sang "Peace on earth, goodwill towards men.” Wise men came from the east to worship Him. The spirit of prophecy again descends, and the power of miracles is again displayed when the Holy Child Jesus is born. In Him was no original corruption, "He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." The prince of this world found nothing in Him." He fulfilled all righteousness. "He was the image of the invisible God, the first born of every

creature, the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person." Angels are indeed sinless, but "this man was made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, "Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a son. And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him." And of the angels He saith, "Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire; but unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

I wish you to notice, that without admitting the Deity and humanity of the Son of God, it would be impossible to explain the divinity of attributes and actions ascribed to Him in the Scriptures, for you will there find that many things are spoken of Him, some referring to His humanity, and others to His divinity, but both of the same person. We might refer to two or three passages only. "A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." He was born in Bethlehem, and yet is the Maker of all things. It was prophesied concerning Him, "Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." And says the sacred historian, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth." If it be said that His humanity is much more mentioned than His divinity in the New Testament, we see that our principal concern lies in that nature which He voluntarily assumed, for unless He had been made like unto us, He could not be our surety; He could not go before us in the paths of obedience and suffering. Without this He could not from experience sympathise with us in our woes, have gained our confidence, and given His life a ransom for us, or put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Therefore, says the Apostle, "Because the children were partakers of flesh and blood He also Himself took part of the same." "For He verily took not on Him the nature of

angels, but the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." These, brethren, are the true sayings of God, and without the admission of this doctrine we find nothing in the Gospel to meet our state as sinners. Then it is a doctrine according to Godliness. It purifies the heart by faith. Deny it, neglect it, or conceal it, and Christ will be a poor, empty Saviour to you, and you will be a poor, empty professor of His name. Oh to be able to say with Dr. Watts,

"While Jews on their own law rely,

And Greeks of wisdom boast,

I love the Incarnate mystery

And there I fix my trust."

But

II. We proceed to consider HIS CONDUCT IN RECEIVING SINNERS. "This man receiveth sinners."

Here let us make three remarks. Whom does He receive? When does He receive them? and for what purpose?

First, Whom does He receive? Sinners. And all have sinned. "There is none righteous, no, not one." All have the same depraved nature, and "who can bring a clean thing out of an uuclean? Are all these equally wicked? A thousand things will diversify the degree and kinds of human guilt; therefore the Church says, in her confessions, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Some are far more amiable, some are more moral than others. All this is to be commended as far as it goes; but as to spiritual capacity to enjoy or serve God in time or eternity, all are naturally on a level; therefore our Saviour said, "Ye must be born again." He does not speak this of a particular individual, but Except a man "-that is all men, or every man-"be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "If any man," says the apostle-you see he applies it universally-" If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

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But now, though He receives sinners, He receives convinced sinners only. Let me explain, or this will be misunderstood and perverted. Though what we first said be true, it is not received by all. Men, so far from acknowledging the truth of it, say, "We are rich, and increased with goods, and stand in need of nothing," while indeed "they are poor, and blind and