SERMON VIII.

EPHESIANS V. 25, 26, 27.

CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT, THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE IT WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD, THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT IT UNTO HIMSELF A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT OR WRINKLE, OR ANY SUCH THING, BUT THAT IT SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH.

WHAT a golden chain of gracious truths, my Christian brethren, do these few words of the inspired Apostle exhibit before us. You have, as it were, the history of Christ's acts and purposes toward his people all drawn out. May the Holy Ghost be with us, and bless us, in our examination of it.

The Apostle makes four distinct statements in the text. He declares, in the first place, the fact that Christ hath loved the Church: next, that He hath redeemed it then, that He doth also sanctify it and finally, that He will ere long glorify it. These shall be, by the help of God, the several points of our present discourse.

I. "CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH." Now here is a wonder at the outset. For who was Christ? and what was the Church?

Who was Christ? The only begotten, eternal, and equal Son of God: as great, and glorious, and holy, as the everlasting Father.

And what was the Church? A company of fallen, corrupted, earthly, sinful men.

Mark the contrast. Hear the voice of the Father respecting each. "Unto the Son," He saith, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity." But of men it is written, "there is none righteous, no not one; they are all gone out of the way; there is none that doeth good." Mark, I say, the contrast. On the one hand, a Being all infinitely pure on the other hand, a wretch all wofully depraved. And yet the one loves the other. Christ, that hated iniquity, sets his heart on objects themselves desperately wicked. Christ, that ever loved righteousness, chooses those of whom not one is righteous, no not one.

Now, is not this a wonder? A mystery ? That Christ should love angels, angels that never sinned, we can understand. But that He should love men, sinful men, how could it ever be ?

We answer, there are two sorts of love: the love of complacency, and the love of compassion.

The love of complacency is that of one who sees in another all that delights himself, all that is pleasing to his mind, and congenial to his nature. Thus God loves Christ, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." This is the love of complacency.

But then, there is the love of compassion: that is, when one has his heart drawn out towards

another, not because he beholds what is pleasing, but because he beholds what is pitiable. He sees misery, and ignorance, and error, and ruin, and helplessness, and this awakens interest, calls forth tender solicitude, and glowing benevolence.

So God loves the world. The world lieth in wickedness. It is all unholy: just what God abhors. But the world is lost it is ruined: it is hopeless in its woe, Therefore God pities it. "God so loved the world, that He sent his only begotten Son to save the world. Such is the love of compassion.

Now this helps us to understand the truth we are speaking of: Christ's love to the Church. There was nothing in the Church, in other words, Christians, there was nothing in you to make you worthy of his love. You were all unclean. You were perishing in sin. Therefore it was Christ loved you: not because you were lovely in yourselves, but because you were most wretched not for your goodness, but for your helplessness. This touched his heart. Your sin would have repelled Him: but your misery attracted Him and so from mere compassion, and free grace, He looked upon you, and resolved to bless

you.

:

"None eye pitied thee,"—it is the Lord that speaks, and addresses his Israel of old, fit emblem of his Church at large, "None eye pitied thee, and when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy blood, I said unto thee, live. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold

thy time was the time of love: yea, I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine.

O what say you, Christian brethren, to this? Is it not most true? Christ, the Lord of glory, set his love upon you, even when you were perishing in sin; why you know not, save for this, and in truth it was the cause, that had He not done so, you must have been for ever lost. "He remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endureth for ever." not our merit, moved Him then. love of Christ passeth knowledge."

His mercy,

Truly "the

Here then, is the first thing in our text: the free and spontaneous act of the Lord Jesus Christ in taking compassion on sinners, and for their very misery setting his heart upon them.

II. We learn in our text, what the love of Christ led him to do for the Church: " HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT: that is, He redeemed it.

The Church by reason of sin was amenable to the judgment of God. God had already declared that judgment. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.' That wrath was due to the Church. Had God dealt with his people as they of themselves deserved, then must he have poured upon them the fierceness of his anger to their eternal perdition.

Why has He not done it? The answer is before us. Christ gave himself for the Church. He voluntarily offered himself to stand in his

people's place, and to endure the vengeance which their sin had merited.

This offering was accepted. Eternal justice approved the proposal. It was settled, yea before the worlds were made, that Jesus the Son of God should become the surety for the Church, and taking on himself her sin, should suffer in her stead.

Accordingly, "when the fulness of the time. was come, God sent forth his Son." He came from heaven. He clothed himself in flesh. He was made man. 'Lo,' said He, 'I come to redeem thy children, O my Father; I come to pay their debt, the debt contracted by their sin, the debt they owe to thy broken Law, thy outraged holiness on me let all thy anger fall only let them go free. I am prepared,-first to keep thy Law myself, so that I shall owe nothing on my own account, and then, whatever the weight of punishment which they deserve, whatever the terror of that curse which lies against their sin, on me let it all be poured. I give my life to ransom them.'

Such was the undertaking of the blessed Jesus. And He fulfilled it. He did obey his heavenly Father's law. He magnified it by his obedience so perfect and complete. The strictest scrutiny could find no flaw. Justice acknowledged that she had no claim against Him. He was without blemish and without spot. Sin was not in Him. Therefore for Himself He had nothing to suffer.

And for that very reason He was able to do what otherwise He could not have done. He could give himself to bear our suffering. He