to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

But though the secret things belong to GOD, the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children; and though our eyes cannot see the glory of GoD, yet since our blessed Saviour for our sakes was pleased to appear on earth as man, and to suffer for us, we are allowed, and commanded, to look upon him with the eye of faith, to trust in his merits, to observe his instructions, and to imitate his example. We can not see him as the Apostles did, for he is again ascended to his Father; but we must attentively read and consider what is told us in the New Testament. There we find a full account of the life and death of our blessed LORD, which should be the constant study of every Christian; and from thence we may collect the following particulars, among many others.

Our Saviour JESUS CHRIST was pleased to be born, and to live, in a state of poverty, His youth was spent in submission to his parents; and during the first thirty years of his life, he appears to us only as a pattern of humility and obedience. When he afterwards appeared as a teacher sent

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from GOD, he instructed the ignorant, he reproved the guilty, he comforted the afflicted. He bore all the insults of his enemies with patience and meekness. He went about doing good. He was kind even to the unthankful, and prayed for his murderers. His bitterest enemies, Jews and Gentiles, joined to attest his uprightness. "Have thou nothing to do with that just man," said the wife of Pilate. Pilate himself declared, "I find no fault in this man." Judas, who had every possible opportunity of knowing the character of his Master, cried out in the agony of despair, "I have betrayed the innocent blood." And the Roman centurion who watched at the cross, gave in his evidence, "Certainly this was a righteous man.' His delight was to do the will of his father. He spent whole nights in prayer. He observed the sabbathday, and the public service of the Church; and in the performance of every duty, to GoD and to man, he has left us an example that we should follow his steps.

But he was not only the best of men, he was much more. He spake as never man spake; and he performed miracles which no man could per

* Bishop Horne's Sermons.

form, except GOD were with him. He restored sight to the blind; he raised the dead; he said to the storm, "Peace, be still." "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him ?"+ Even the devils were forced to to confess that he was the Son of the Most High GOD. In him were fulfilled all the ancient prophecies. We may read these prophecies in the Old Testament, and their wonderful accomplish. ment in the New; and we shall see that they can be applied to no other person who ever appeared in the world. JESUS CHRIST was himself the greatest of prophets. He foretold that Judas should betray, and that Peter should deny him. He foretold the time and the manner of his death, and his glorious resurrection. He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, and pointed out the time, by circumstances which enabled all the Christians to escape from the punishment prepared for them who uttered at his crucifixion those dreadful words," His blood be on us and on our children."* These and many other prophecies, extending even to the end of the world, have, in every age, proved the divinity of CHRIST; and they will continue to do so, till the last shall

+ Matt. viii. 27.

Matt: xxvii. 25.

be fulfilled, when his murderers shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. To crown every other proof of divinity, he rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven. Can any man con. sider these things, and not cry out with the cen turion, "Truly this was the Son of GOD?" But we have higher witness than that of man; the voice of God himself proclaimed from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.”*

There is still another light in which our LORD JESUS CHRIST is revealed to us; there is another character in which he commands all our veneration, gratitude, and love. Though he was born in a stable, and laid in a manger, a choir of angels attended to proclaim his birth; and they did it in these consoling words, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is CHRIST the LORD." The holy child JESUS shall not only be the best of men, a teacher sent from GOD, nay, the Son of GOD himself; great and glorious as these characters are, they offer no hope to sinful man;—but he

↑ Matt. xxvii. 54. ‹ * Matt, xvii. 5. ↑ Luke ii. 10, 11.

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shall be a SAVIOUR.

He shall die for our sins; he shall reconcile us to GOD; he shall take away the handwriting that is against us, nailing it to his cross; he shall bring life and immortality to light; he shall guide us by his spirit, and after death he shall receive us into glory. These tare, indeed, glad tidings to every son of fallen Adam and cold and insensible must that heart be, which does not join in the triumphant song of the angels," Glory to Gon in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men."*

This, my brethren, is the great, the distinguishing doctrine of the Gospel; this is the corner stone of Christianity. "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world;" put all your trust in him; look unto him and be saved, all ye ends of the earth. "As in Adam all die, so in CHRIST shall all be made alive. CHRIST is risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that sleep." The great Captain of our salvation has overcome death, and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. He has shewed us the way to heaven; he will lead us to eternal glory,

But let us not forget that these glorious pro, mises are made only to the faithful servants of * Luke ii. 14