Meditation for Saturday Morning.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

"The love of Christ which passeth knowledge." -Eph. iii. 19.

The love of Christ! but where shall we begin, and where shall we find an end? With holy wonder and adoration we exclaim, O the breadth, the length, the depth, the height of that love in which all creation is swallowed up! O the boundless nature of that power, wisdom, righteousness, and mercy, which finite knowledge can neither comprehend nor express! The angelic choir proclaimed the high praises of the infinite Jehovah, all whose perfections are alike unlimited, when they sung, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good-will to men;" but we must learn this spiritual song on the summit of Calvary: There in beholding the creator of angels hanging upon the accursed tree, even as the suffering lamb of the sin offering, we understand the divine declaration, "They crucified the Lord of glory:" there we perceive wisdom, holiness, and love united, as in one centre. The Creator becoming man, in order to make his fallen creatures again the objects of that everlasting friendship

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which was lost in our first head, but restored by the Lord from heaven. There we see the ransom paid down for miserable insolvent debtors; the law, the impress of the divine holiness, receiving full satisfaction; the requisitions of an infinitely righteous judge seeking and obtaining complete and sufficient fulfilment in the perfect, all-surpassing obedience of the Lamb; whilst at the exclamation, "It is finished!" hell trembled; Satan stood dismayed; the rocks, the mountains rent; the dead were raised; and the veil of the temple was divided in twain! there we behold the mystery of the sinner's 'justification, his regeneration and sanctification, in the shed blood of Emmanuel; in his burial, resurrection, ascension, and in the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! well may the Scriptures say, that to Jesus Christ give all the prophets witness, since he alone is the eternal rock of ages, upon which the soul being founded, obtains remission of sin, and a title to everlasting life.

What holy shame must cover our face when reflecting on what have been our returns for the loving kindness of such a Saviour! when we behold ourselves in this light we dare not lift up our head! Blessed be God there is a

sufficient source of comfort in the boundless ocean of divine love, which has neither bottom nor shore, yet must our soul be often grieved and wounded by our ingratitude, when we ask ourselves, where is that hatred and aversion to sin? where is that love towards Christ and his people? where that following after holiness and every other virtue which is seen brightly shining in many of his children? not that they are a ground of confidence, oh! no, this is quite beyond ourselves, being in Christ Jesus who has loved all his people with everlasting love: oh! to walk more humbly before him and with him: oh! to look more habitually into the garden of Gethsemane, and the awful scene of bleeding Calvary, then should we wait in a lowly posture at the feet of the great Teacher, and so would this love which passeth knowledge be abundantly shed abroad in our hearts.

HYMN.

Thanks be unto God for the gift,
Th' unspeakable gift of his love,
Come, sinners, let gratitude lift
Our joyful affections above:
This gift ev'ry other outweighs,
Its value we cannot conceive,
The gospel its riches displays,
And blessed are they that believe

How wretched and lost was our case,
By nature and practice undone ;
To save us, oh wonder of grace !

The Father withheld not his Son.
He gave him, the just for the vile,
To die that we rebels might live;
In him he is pleased to smile,

And faithful and just to forgive.
Yet when we were enemies doom'd
To regions of guilt and despair,
The Saviour our nature assum'd,
Himself our infirmities bare
He sav'd us from sin and from hell,
When lost and just ready to die,
And rais'd us with princes to dwell
In mansions of glory on high,
What tongue can the mercy unfold,
Its height and its depth are unknown
Yet sweetly its worth we behold
Reveal'd by his Spirit alone;
But more shall its glories employ
Our praise in his temple above,
While ever beholding with joy
Th' unspeakable gift of his love.
PRAYER

For Saturday Morning.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, heaven and earth are full of thy glory; all by creatures praise thee, and thy saints bless

thee; and well may they bless thee who know thy name, and the riches of thy grace displayed in Christ Jesus thy Son. Adored be the Lord our God for this unspeakable gift. Thou hast not spared thy Son, thine only son, but hast freely give him up for us all, and blessed be his name he has not spared himself for us; he beheld our lost estate, and fled to our relief: we know, and with thankfulness would we remember his grace, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be made rich: oh! what shall we render unto thee for all thy benefits: help us to receive Jesus Christ the Lord; to receive him as set forth before us in the gospel; as our Prophet, Priest, and King; may he be made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; and may we esteem as more precious than rubies the unspeakable blessings of his grace: may our hearts be filled with wonder and gratitude at the exceeding greatness of his love, and from his fulness may we all receive and grace for grace. Bought with such a price may we be anxious to glorify thee with our bodies and spirits, which are thus doubly thine,-thine by redemption as well as creation: henceforward may they also be thine by a full and unreserved consecration of ourselves of thy service and glory: constrained