for all men. All men are therefore of his church. His church was unsanctified, unclean, full of spots and wrinkles, and inglorious; but by the ministration of the word of life, he will sanctify and cleanse it. But short of the completion of this work, he cannnot rest in his love. The uncleanness of human nature was the reason why his love moved him to the ministration of his cleansing word, and as long as one spot or wiinkle remains the washing must be continued; but when sin is finished, when all shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest, then will that love which moved the Saviour to give himself for us, afford a heaven of rest to him whose soul travailed for man's salvation.

Our subject may be profitably contemplated by applying it to the love which actuates the christian's heart; and especially to the love which moves the faithful minister of Jesus Christ to be vigilant in his ministry. And here let us remark, that as Jesus undertook the ministry of his grace from pure love to sinners, so it is indispensably necessary that the ministers of his word of life should have the same love which moved their divine master to our redemption. If Jesus had had no love for mankind, if he had been as strenuous for man's endless misery as many appear to be in our day, he never would have given himself for us. Remember the caution which our Saviour observed with Peter. "Simon Peter, lovest thou me?" being answered in the affirmative, says; "feed my sheep." He did not say, terrify and frighten my sheep; but feed my sheep; and Peter did most faithfully feed the sheep; and it was because of the love which he bore to the chief shepherd, and to the sheep. And this was the case with the whole of that immortal band of Apostles who went forth to feed the flock, which Christ had purchased with his own blood, and to wash the church with the washing of water by the word. They labored, they suffered, but they had peace and rest. They rested in that triumphant love which incited them to the work of the ministry. But this love could have given them no rest, if it had not he power to promise success to their labors.

For many centuries the ministry in the christian church has seemed to labor more to persuade people into a belief of the general failure of the gospel dispensation, than to inspire a hope that its success will eventually correspond with the universal and impartial love of the Saviour: and though the preachers have uniformly professed great love for sinners, and a willingness to exert all their means to prevent the everlasting ruin of souls, yet they have as constantly in sisted that they shall rejoice in heaven to see the un converted part of their congregations in a state of hopeless misery! But how is this consistent with the idea of resting in their love? It is easy to conceive how the minister of the word rests in his love to the people and to the gospel, if he has the prospect bright before him, of the final, full, and entire success of the ministry.-St. Paul says; "Having this ministry we faint not." But what is the peculiar nature of this ministry which caused the Apostles not to faint? See the answer in the same Apostle's words; "Who hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Possessing the love for mankind which the Apostles evidently did, they must have fainted if their ministry had been a ministry of death; but their ministry was a ministry of life, of righteousness, and reconciliation, in which they labored that they might "< present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." The same spirit of love, which gives rest to the faithful minister of the word of life, is the rest of every true believer. It is acknowledged by all denominations of christians, that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of love, and that this love extends to all mankind. With the different persuasions among us, there is but one sentiment on this subject. All christian people profess to love the whole human family, and to pray for the salvation of all. Now since this is uniformly the case, let us ask, what rest can they have while exercising this generous love and benevolence, and yet believing that millions of their fellow creatures must inevitably, not only be excluded the joys and peace

of heaven, but be the subjects of positive misery for ever?

It is true we have been told the extravagant story that the saints in heaven will rejoice forever in the everlasting misery of the unconverted. We have been told, that parents will rejoice in the sentence of endless condemnation passed on their own offspring in the eternal world! But will this be resting in love? If parents have as much love for their children in the next state as they have here, will that love allow them to rest in heaven, while their offspring are tortured in everlasting burnings? No, allowing the doctrine of future endless misery, those who rest must rest in eternal hatred! but in hatred there is no rest.

My brethren, did you ever find rest in a spirit of enmity in a disposition to rejoice in another's misery? Is it possible for unmerciful wrath to give rest? No, if we ever find rest either in this world or in the next, it must be in love. And love, that it may give rest, must have its vast desires accomplished.

What an unbounded field of glory and beauty our subject presents to our rejoicing eyes! The vast, the unbounded, the incomprehensible love of our heavenly Father, is his eternal rest. After all his judgments, after all his righteous indignation is fulfilled on all his enemies, he will retain his unchangeable love to all his offspring, and rest forever in seeing all the desires of his universal, impartial love fully accomplished.

Jesus, the mediator, who loved us and gave himself for us, shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied, shall see all the desires of his heart accomplished, shall have the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, and shall rest in his love for mankind forever.

The apostles of the Lamb, who following the steps and the example of their divine master, loved the human race, labored in the ministry of righteousness, and reconciliation, suffered the loss of all earthly things for the establishment and promotion of the truth, shall see all the desires of their love fulfilled, and rest in their love.

All the faithful successors of the Apostles, in the ministry, who have been excited by the powerful influences of the spirit of love, to fulfil their ministry, in the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God, shall see all the desires of their love fulfilled in the reconciliation of all things to God, through Jesus, and shall rest forever in their love.

Every true believer in Jesus, who hath been quick ened by the spirit of the gospel, which is the spirit of love, shall see the boundless desires of his heart fulfilled in the subjection of every creature in heaven and on earth, to the authority and love of Christ, and shall forever rest in his love.

To conclude-My friends, let us never seek rest but in love. "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." "Let us love one another, for love is of God." that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

"He

32

LECTURE XXVI.

THE HEALING EFFICACY OF CHRIST'S DOCTRINE.

MARK v. 31.

Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, who touched me?

THE Occasion of these words was the following circumstance. One of the rulers of the synagogue, of the name of Jairus, came to Jesus, and falling down at his feet, besought him most earnestly, saying, "my little daughter lies at the point of death. I pray thee come and lay thy hands upon her, that she may be healed, and she shall live." The compassionate Saviour was moved at a petition which flowed so directly from a parent's heart, and which indicated such strong faith in his power to heal. He immediately went with the afflicted father. No sooner was it known that he was going to heal the sick child, than a great crowd of people followed and pressed hard upon him. They were, no doubt, extremely anxious to be eye witnesses of the miracle. In this vast concourse there was a man who had been afflicted for twelve years with a distressing disorder," and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. This afflicted woman had lost all hopes of recovery by the assistance of human aid; indeed she was poor and pennyless. Her little estate had already passed over into the hands of her physicians, who in room of doing her any good, had caused her many painful sufferings. Destitute, alone and friendless, a thought came into her mind, and it immediately formed itself into a resolution accompanied with a perfect confidence, that if she could by any possible means, press through the crowd of peo