the Father, and clothed himself in humanity; and when he would, he could quit the scene of his humiliation, and reinstate himself in the empire of universal glory.

What a spectacle have we now before us! Man, the inhabitant of a little province in God's empire, had raised the standard of rebellion. A race was doomed to die. The dreary dungeon of the damned was built, and, but for the timely interposition of divine compassion, had been peopled by an entire race. God surveyed the scene of desolation with pity. Man, body and soul, was in ruins the earth was in ruins. "The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain." The bowels of the divine compassion yearned over this moral Aceldama. The outreachings of his love would have drawn the curtain of benevolence over this unlovely spot. But love, the mere outburstings of benevolence, may not triumph over justice. God would save his creature, man, but he would not save him at the expense of his justice the ruin of his government and the happiness of the universe. What then could be done? Man must die, or divine justice fall. But there was an alternative. In the wise councils of eternity a scheme is devised by which both ends may be gloriously secured. The demands of justice may be answered by substitution. Man may be saved by an imputed righteousness. But who is able to accomplish such a work? "I looked, and there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none to uphold:" when I heard a voice from the Lamb on Mount Zion, saying, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God."

Did earth, heaven, or hell ever witness such a spectacle before! What condescension, what love! He saw every step before him. He knew that when he should come to his own, his own would not receive him. He foreknew every groan, counted every thorn-numbered every tear-knew well the scenes of the garden, of the judgment hall, and of Calvary. Well did he know the bitter cup that he should drink; yet his soul drew not back. In face of all the fiery darts of hell, he entered the field and vanquished the foe.

There is something morally sublime in seeing a man buckle on his armor and grasp his weapon and rush to the rescue of his neighbor or friend. But how infinitely below all reality is every comparison when applied to Him who periled his life for sinners. In full view of all the suffering, of all the ignominy, he gave his life for us. Was ever love like this? Was ever benevolence so disinterested-compassion so large and free?

Such is Christ in the covenant of Redemption: all glorious with the Father from eternity-the King of kings and the Lord of lords; he leaves the heavens and comes down-becomes the babe of Bethlehem-the object of Herod's hate--the destitute stranger who had not where to lay his head-the mourner at the grave of Lazarus-the rejected at Pilate's bar-the object of

another Herod's scorn-the bearer of his own cross to Calvarythe sufferer on the accursed tree. Can any thing exceed the solemn sublimity of such 'a Personage, in full view of all that must befall him, entering on such an undertaking?

III. The next attitude in which I would present Christ is as Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things. The great and leading object of God, as touching this world, doubtless is the work of human redemption: and as he saw fit to commit this work, officially, to his Son, he committed to him, also, the work of previous arrangements, among which were the creation, preservation and government of the world. A suitable platform or theatre for the acting of the august drama of man's salvation, must be erected. This was the work of the second Person in the Trinity. "By him all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made." And not only the earth, but the universe: "For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him" for the manifestation of his glory, for the illustration of his benevolence in the work of Redemption.

The creation of angels, and probably of the universe, was preparatory and auxiliary to the work of Redemption. For we know not what positions and relations human redemption may have to the universal empire of God. It may be that the attributes herein developed and the principles herein exemplified are essential to the highest good and the final perfection of the entire family of intelligent beings, from the highest and holiest angel, down to the humblest of an earth-born race. Angels are Christ's messengers, ministering spirits to them that shall be heirs of salvation. Though to human vision behind the curtain, they are important actors on the great theatre-parts of the great prospective arrangement entered upon before the foundation of the world.

Nor is it enough that Christ has built the platform on which the august drama is to be acted, and fitted it up with every needed appendage, and formed all the actors, but the preservation and government of the whole is committed to his hands: "By him all things consist." "Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, upholds all things by the word of his power."

He is, too, the Governor of all he has made: "His throne is forever and ever." "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands." "The government shall be upon his shoulders." "He is Lord of all things." Jesus says, All power in heaven and earth is given to me." "I have the keys of death and hell. I shut and no one openeth; I open and no one shutteth."

To what a commanding position these few scattered declarations exalt Christ. He is the great Proprietor of all things, whether of this world, or the countless systems of worlds which occupy immeasurable space. He is the Author of all things, of men, of angels, of things visible and invisible. By his strong arm all are sustained. From the exhaustless storehouse of his riches all are supplied; and his sceptre is swayed over all the works of his hands.

Such is the Saviour to whom the Christian may come and repose an undying confidence. He may lean upon him as on a never-failing support. From this fountain of all blessedness he derives strength, grace, wisdom, all things needful either for the body or the soul, for time or eternity. What security the Christian has here! His hopes, his confidence is in the mighty One of Israel. What grounds of confidence have we here that all things shall work together for good to them that love God-to them who are the called according to his purpose. For if Christ be the Proprietor of all things, and have all needful power to exercise dominion over all things; and if it be his good pleasure --his eternal purpose--to bring all that put their trust in him to glory, all that make him their friend must be safe. He cherishes in us no delusive hope when he says, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them out of my hands." Omnipotence is engaged for them. No power in the universe can frustrate the purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And such, too, on the other hand, is the Saviour offered to the sinner. He is mighty to save-able to save to the utmost all that come to him--able to keep them from the evil that is in the world, and to present them faultless before the presence of the Father's glory-able to control all events for them in such a manner as shall bring them safe to heaven. He is just such a Saviour, or friend, as a sinner needs. But oh! what a fearful thing to have such a Being for an enemy. Suppose he were but a man, a kind, benevolent human monarch, clothed in supreme power, the owner of your property and lives, yet just and benevolent to all who should regard his will; would it not be dreadful to encounter such a potentate as your enemy? You would thereby forfeit all his favor-forfeit all your privileges under his rule, and you would engage his power, and his justice armed by his displeasure against you. You would be ruined. A dungeon and chains might be the portion of your cup. You might have basked in the sunshine of the royal favor, and shared in all the good that his vast power, and justice, and great benevolence could bestow. But you made him your enemy; you fell under his displeasure, and were crushed beneath his power. But how infinitely more dreadful to fall under the displeasure, and to be crushed beneath the power of Him who is able to destroy both

soul and body in hell. The mightiest monarch can no more than kill the body. The Judge of all can shut the soul out from his favor forever. He can destroy it in hell. What a price, then, is put into the sinner's hands to get wisdom. But oh, what a forfeiture if he fail! He must become an eternal bankrupt in spite of all that Heaven has done to make him rich, honored, and happy.

Look at Christ, my impenitent friends, in the position in which he is now before you, and say if you do not discover much-if you do not discover every thing which ought to bring you to Christ. If infinite love, and exhaustless goodness could draw you, you would come. If the fear of having arrayed against you omnipotent power, and unbending justice, and rejected and slighted goodness could alarm you, you would be alarmed, and flee from the wrath to come.

IV. I present Christ in one other attitude--as he appears in the promise made to our first parents. Whatever had been transacting within the veil-in the Holy of holies above-nothing of the stupendous scheme of mercy had before transpired on earth -not an intimation had been given before in this world, nor in the outer court of heaven where angels and archangels stand and worship the uncreated Divinity in the inner sanctuary, that there could be such a thing as the pardon of sin. Not a fact had transpired in the whole universe to warrant any such hope. This transcended the experience of angels. Their own dominions and principalities had been invaded by sin. Like a malignant sirocco, they had seen sin sweep over the fairest of the heavenly fields, and lay prostrate in its course some of the loveliest plants of Paradise. But they knew nothing of any system of restoration. Every victim of sin, they had seen instantly seized and cast out of heaven as a putrid mass-an infectious nuisancereserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day. And what less can they expect, should a similar insurrection break out in any province of God's vast dominions?

But what did they at length witness? The earth was created and fitted up for human habitation, with every comfort and convenience which could contribute to the well-being of a holy race. Nothing was wanting that could make holy beings happy. No disease had yet floated in its virgin atmosphere. No tear had flown; no groan had given signs of pain; no malignant passion had yet poisoned the social joys of a new and happy race. The intercourse, too, between heaven and earth was familiar and sweet. Man bore the image of his God, and he was the welcome companion of angels. Thus did this new world, formed, fitted up, beautified by the hand of infinite Perfection, issue from its chaotic cloud, and as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, rejoice as a strong man to run a race. Every thing

to angelic or human ken, gave promise that this planet was added as another star in the crown of the Sovereign Ruler of the skies.

But a change comes over the scene as the earth rolls on, measuring out its annual rounds of blessedness to a loyal and happy pair, its brightness is eclipsed. Its song of joy is turned into a wail of woe and lamentation. The earth is now dark; its beauty is defaced; its gold has become dim, its most fine gold changed; and all its pleasant things are laid waste and become the heritage of the spoiler. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. But what has wrought this change? What has drawn the curtain of thick darkness over a world so recently illumined by the brightness of the Father's countenance? What has so soon changed this happy spot into an abyss of woe? Oh! it is sinsin that has extinguished the light of heaven which used to shine So sweetly here. It is sin that has struck the fatal blow-that has brought death and all its woes. It is sin that has laid man in ruins, and drawn the sable folds as a winding sheet about this fallen world.

Contemplate the world in the position in which it is brought by sin. It stood in the same relation to God that the sinning angels did when they apostatized. As far as any former development of grace went to show, there was no hope in heaven or earth for sinning man. He, with all his wretched posterity had only to look forward to blackness and darkness forever-the companion of fallen angels, reserved in chains of darkness unto the great day. But, in the midst of this general gloom-amidst the groanings of the prisoners and the cries of them that are bound, what do I hear! It is but an indistinct voice-but it is the sound of peace to the troubled soul. It is the voice of liberty to the captives. It is light to them that sit in darkness-pardon to the guilty-life to the dead. It was the first intimation that sin might be pardoned and the sinner saved from remediless woe. It was the first note of redeeming love that was ever struck in this lower world-the first the heavenly choir ever sung. Yet our ears may have become so accustomed to the sounds which then were so wondrously strange, so sweetly sublime to angelic ears, that we may well nigh have overlooked this first announcement of mercy to our ruined world. It came in terms like these: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

No sooner had man fallen than Christ entered on the mediatorial work. He had undertaken it, prepared himself for it, provided the chief actors and the place on which they should act, but nothing had transpired on earth till now. The moment Satan dared place his polluted foot on this beautiful and holy earth, the angel of the covenant-the mighty angel that John saw standing on