him because of his loveliness. Pilate himself, who heard all that his enemies witnessed against him, declared in open court, in the most solemn manner, that he found no fault in him, and his disciples have left it in record to all ages, that he was a "lamb without blemish and without spot." Even life to the dead. He was especially kind to men's souls. He instructed the ignorant, he reproved the guilty, and went throughout all the cities and villages of his country, preaching and teaching the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. After he had spent the day in teaching and working miracles, he frequently passed the night in prayer. His great business on earth was to seek and to save that which was lost. But this was not all. He was not only free from all evil; he excelled in all that was good. His tempers, his words, and his whole behaviour were one consistent and affecting exemplification of purity, of piety, and of love. How humble he was! He might have been a king if he would, but he refused he might have been attended by the rich and mighty; but he preferred the company of his poor disciples. He might have lived in palaces, and ruled men by the force of arms; but instead of that he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and had not where to lay his head. He welcomed to his presence those whom the haughty scribes and pharisees would not look down upon. If men were truly penitent; if they had renounced their sins; if they were truly desirous to be reconciled to God, and to live in newness of life, it was enough for him. It mattered not how poor they were, nor how abandoned they had been; he received them into the number of his followers, and regarded them with the greatest tenderness. Look at his temperance. He made no provision for the flesh; the thought of fleshly indulgences appears never to have entered his mind. He was content with the poorest accommodations, and the homeliest fare: his meat and drink were to do the will of his Father, and to finish his work. Look at his charity. His whole soul was love, and his whole life was one long list of benevolent labours. He was known by the name of "Jesus of Nazareth, who went about doing good." And the name was an exact description of his character. He had a heart that could feel for all that were in distress; and a hand that was always ready to afford relief. He healed the sick; he cleansed the lepers; he fed the hungry; he gave sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf, and speech to the dumb, and feet to the lame, and And his meekness was as great as his love. On In his labours to bless mankind he met with innumerable reproaches, and with the most cruel persecutions; but nothing was able to turn him aside from his benevolent purpose, or to provoke him to wrath. When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but went meekly forward with his labours, instructing and blessing the children of men. He endured the temptations of the devil, and the cruelties of an ungodly world without a murmur. one occasion his soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death: and being in an agony, he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. Still he murmured not. He prayed, it is true, and he urged his petition thrice; but deep as his affliction was, he was still resigned; and as he offered up each time his prayer,he exclaimed, "Father,not my will, but thine be done." When his agony was ended, his enemies came and laid hold of him, and dragged him to the judgment hall. There he was mocked and derided; he was buffetted and spit upon; he was derided and scourged; and, on the testimony of false witnesses, he was condemned to death: but he was still unmoved. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. And even when they nailed him to the cross, when he hung amidst the agonies of a cruel and shameful death, his love and meekness were still unconquerable, and he prayed, even in behalf of his murderers, "Father, forgive them: they know not what they do." Such was the character of the Redeemer considered as a man. And is there a heart that can contemplate this character without emotion? I confess that while I read the story of his sorrows, and contemplate But Christ has still further claims upon our love, in virtue of what he has done for us. We are, in fact, indebted to him for every thing we enjoy. We are told in the Scriptures that he made the world; that all things were made by him, and that without him was not any thing made that was made. We are therefore indebted to him for our very being, and for all our daily blessings. The light of the sun, the fresh air of heaven, the herbs and flowers, the blossoms and the fruits, the clouds, the mists, the showers, the woods, the streams, our rest by night, our joys by day, our life and friends, all that sustains and all that sweetens life, all are his gifts; all come as messengers of his love, and claim for him the affectionate and grateful homage of our souls. But it is as our mediator that we are especially called to view him; it is the work of redemption which gives him the principal claim upon our hearts. What is it that he has done for our redemption? We were lost in darkness and pollution; we were living without God and without hope; and we were sinking beneath a weight of guilt, into everlasting perdition. And there was none on earth to help us, and we were unable to help ourselves. It was in this wretched condition that he beheld us; and such was his love, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. He clothed himself in flesh; he took on himself the form of a servant; he lived in this world of pain and sorrow; he toiled, he wept, he prayed; he be came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He has undertaken and accomplished every thing that was needful to our salvation. He has become our teacher; he has revealed to us, in all its glory, the character of God; he has unfolded to our views the mysteries of his providence; he has brought life and immortality to light; he has made plain the plan of salvation, and given us the clearest and the fullest instructions in reference to our duty. He has made our duty plain and attractive by his perfect and lovely example, and he has demonstrated the truth of his doctrine by a multitude of unparalelled miracles. He has in this way delivered us from the painful perplexities of pagan darkness, and from all the terrible apprehensions and anxieties of pagan superstition. He has become our high priest, and made an atonement for our sins: he gave himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for the sins of men. He has become a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the world. He died the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. He has thus removed the obstacle to the bestowment of pardon and peace on fallen man. God can now be just, and the justifier of the ungodly that believeth on him. He has also become our regenerator and sanctifier. He has procured for us the Holy Ghost; and sent him forth to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. By his powerful and sanctifying operations, he regenerates our souls, makes us new creatures, cleanses us from all filthiness both of the flesh and of the spirit, and makes us holy even as God is holy. He frees the will from its rebelliousness; he frees the affections from their impurity and earthliness; he sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God and the love of man, restores the whole soul to the image of God, and fills it with the light and purity of heaven. By that same Spirit he bears witness to our adoption into the family of God; gives us an assurance of the divine favour; enables us to draw near to the throne of grace with freedom and confidence ; assists us in our prayers; comforts us in times of trouble; leads us in times of doubt; strengthens us for difficult and painful undertakings; supports us in times of temptation, gives us delightful foretastes of eternal blessedness, and fills us with joy unspeakable and full of glory, He is, in short, our all in all. Thy mighty name salvation is, And keeps my happy soul above: Jesus, my all in all thou art; My rest in toil, my ease in pain: The medicine of my broken heart; In war my peace; in loss my gain; My smile beneath the tyrant's frown; In shame, my glory and my crown. In want, my plentiful supply; In weakness, my almighty power; In bonds, my perfect liberty; My light in satan's darkest hour; In grief, my joy unspeakable; My life in death, my heaven in hell. Words cannot speak forth his loveliness; and the soul has not compass sufficient fully to comprehend it. When I contemplate his character, and consider the blessings which he bestows, I am lost in wonder and love. And I feel that he deserves the devoutest affections, and the most unbounded emotions of gratitude, of which my soul is capable. I can adopt the language of the poet again, "When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gains I count but lost, And pour contempt on all my pride. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all." The heart that can look on such glory, and on such perfection of moral beauty and grandeur, as are found in Christ, and that can contemplate such riches of grace and blessing as he has procured for them by his sufferings and death, without being melted into gratitude and love, must be harder than a rock. But many of you whom I am now addressing, do love the Saviour. You have studied his character, you have experienced his love, and, in return, you have surrendered to him your hearts. Your desire is to know and to do his will; to present to him some suitable expression of your love. The text tells us what expression it is that he requires: it is to feed his lambs; and to feed his sheep. The lambs are the young converts, especially such as are both young in grace and young in years. The sheep are the elder followers of Christ, who have had greater experience in religion. The lambs and the sheep together make up the whole flock. To feed them is to do for them whatever is calculated to promote their welfare, both with respect to the present world and the world to come, Some of the flock may have gone astray; those we must endeavour to bring back, and restore them to their places in the fold. If then we would manifest our love to Christ, we are to endeavour, as far as we have the opportunity and ability, to seek the salvation of souls, and to promote the temporal and the spiritual interests of our fellow Christians. We are in the first place to feed Christ's lambs. Young converts are in great need of religious instruction, and we must give it to them. We must teach them in our class meetings we must encourage them to read, and furnish them with useful books; and we must seek to minister to their spiritual improvement by our daily social intercourse with them. We must read and expound to them the sacred scriptures; and those who are called to the work of the ministry, must preach to them the word of life. Every church should have a library and a school connected with it, and the means of useful information should be placed within the reach of every member. We must take care so to live that we may instruct them by our examples. We have it in our power to do an incalculable amount of good or evil to young converts by our examples. The lambs are almost sure to follow the sheep, go which way they may and it is much the same with the lambs of the flock of Christ. If elder members of the church are remarkable for their gravity and wisdom, their integrity and charity, the younger members of the church also will be likely to be the same. If the elder members of the church are foolish, earthly, covetous, or intemperate, the younger converts are likely to be infected with the same vices, or driven altogether from the flock. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, if we would serve the best interests of the flock of Christ, that we should pay special regard to our own conduct, and set before them as spotless and as perfect an example as possible. { Attention to young converts, and especially to those who are converted in their youth, is of the utmost importance both to the church and to the world. It is from among the youthful converts that we are to look for a supply of pastors and teachers, of missionaries and authors, and of every kind of useful officer in the church. If the young disciples are neglected, the church will degenerate, and the world will sink deeper in darkness and sin: but if we give them the attention which the Redeemer requires, each coming race shall be better than their fathers were; the church shall become spotless and glorious, and the world shall be speedily converted to God. If you love the Saviour, feed his lambs. And feed his sheep. Instruct them, as you have opportunity, and seek to promote their piety and usefulness in every way you can. Kindly admonish them, if you see them in error; and comfort them, if you see them in trouble. If they are in want, relieve them; if they are sick, visit them; if they are tried and afflicted in spirit, endeavour to minister to their support and consolation. Every church should see to it that all its members have what is needful to their support and comfort. All that are unable by their own industry to support themselves, should be assisted by their abler brethren. No faithful member should be allowed to want, so long as the church is able to afford relief; and when a church is not able to provide for its poor itself, it should ask help of other churches that are able. And this duty of feeding the flock of Christ is binding on all that profess to be Christ's disciples. It is not binding on ministers only; but on all that profess love to Christ. All have not the same talents, and all are not required therefore to take upon themselves the same kind or the same amount of labour; but every one is required to do what he can. The rich must employ their abundance, and the poor must contribute their mites. Pastors must attend to the whole flock, and parents must attend to their families every one labouring according to the ability which God hath given him. And to this work we should consecrate our all. Whatever the faithful discharge of this duty may require, we ought to part with it with joy. When Peter went forth to gather and to feed the flock of Christ, he shrunk from no hardships or dangers. He was repeatedly brought before rulers, and repeatedly cast into prison; but he suffered for his Saviour with joy. And it was the same with Paul: he counted nothing dear unto him, so that he might bring back the wanderers to the fold, and promote the welfare of the flock. And we should imitate their example. The conversion of sinners, and the improvement of the church, should be the one great end of our life. For this we should labour, and for this we should pray, and for this we should be willing to die. We should be industrious in our callings, and we should be temperate in our way of life, that our ability to serve the flock of Christ, and promote the salvation of the world may be increased. And nothing should make us weary. Reproaches and persecutions should rather rouse us to greater diligence. We should not only be steadfast and unmoveable, but always abounding in the work of the Lord. Unless we thus seek the salvation of souls, and promote the interests of Christ's flock, our professions of love to Christ will be all in vain. He laid down his life for his sheep, and it is impossible he should love us, unless we regard them with a similar affection. What is done to his flock, he takes as done to himself. If we should neglect the least lamb in his flock, he would take it as a slight upon himself: while the least act of kindness we can do, if it be only the giving of a cup of cold water to one of his disciples, shall not lose its reward. And if you are faithful to death, then, when Christ the Great Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Amen. The preceding discourse, lately preached in Newcastle and Gateshead by one of the Editors of this periodical, may serve as an answer to those who ask, What are the sentiments of the Editors with respect to the Divinity of Christ, and the Doctrine of the Atonement? CHAPEL DEBTS. I consider debts on places of worship to be great evils, especially when they are very heavy, and I think that efforts should be made by Christian churches to pay them all off as soon as possible. 1. It is generally considered to be the duty of Christians as individuals to keep out of debt, as far as practicable; and if it be their duty as individuals, I cannot see why it should not be their duty as churches too. 2. Chapel debts are frequently the cause of unpleasantness amongst the trustees. When there is a scarcity of funds, the trustees begin to quarrel with each other. One is afraid that the rest have not done their duty in looking after the chapel interests, and another thinks that his brethren have not been sufficiently liberal in their own subscriptions. The consciousness of a deficiency has of itself an unhappy influence upon the minds of the trustees, and without any intention, and perhaps unknown to themselves, they speak in such a way as is calculated to give each other pain, and to lead to misunderstandings and strife. And when men are at variance among themselves, it is impossible for them to do much for the prosperity of religion. 3. Heavy chapel debts oblige the trustees to have frequent recourse to the people for supplies of funds, and when those applications to the people become so frequent, they tend to discourage them, and to cause them either to leave the chapel, or to go on their way with heaviness. 4. The longer debts on chapels are allowed to remain, the more difficult it becomes generally to pay them off. It is not always easy for a man to pay his own debts, but it is still harder to pay debts contracted by others. And when debts are allowed to remain on chapels for ten, or twenty, or thirty years, it generally happens that the persons who contracted them die off in that time, and leave the burdens to others. Thus persons become responsible for debts on places which they had no hand in building for places which, if they had had them to build, they would have built, as they think perhaps, on a better principle, or in a B better situation. And it is not comfortable to have to pay money for what they may consider other peoples' mistakes. 5. Again, heavy chapel debts tend to injure congregations. People do not like to go to chapels that are understood to be heavily burdened. They may be liberal, but they may not think it the best way to spend their money, in giving it to pay off old debts on chapels. They had rather contribute their money towards doing something new, than towards paying for something that was done so long ago. And the idea of a heavy debt on a chapel, would be enough to keep some people from attending it, even if they were sure they would never be called upon to take any part in paying it. heavy debt is not a pleasant thing to think about. I should not myself feel so comfortable in a place of worship heavily burdened with debt, as I should feel in a place that was free, or burdened but lightly. I had rather, if it were possible, worship in a place that owed no man anything. A 6. To have heavy debts on chapels must be very painful to the minds of the trustees. I have known trustees who have been almost ruined both in body and soul, by the unhappy situation in which they have been placed by their responsibilities for chapel debts. These things ought not to be allowed. We ought to make the situation of every officer of the church as easy and as pleasant as possible. If we were trustees, we should not like to be left under crushing burdens; and we ought not quietly to leave others under them. 7. Again, the greater the burden on a chapel, the more difficult it is to get people to bear it. Many will take upon themselves a little burden, that would shrink from a greater one. Men like to give their help, where they are sure it will afford effectual relief. They do not like to bestow their money where it is doubtful whether it will effectually meet the case or not. A little debt is paid off at once, and people contribute towards it with pleasure. But a big debt swallows sum after sum, and seems to grow no less, till the contributors are quite dishearten |