2. Labourers sent of God. (1.) This shows we should seek ordained ministers-men sent out or thrust out by God. Some well-meaning people are satisfied if we can get private Christians, or unordained men, to do the work of the ministry. This is a deep snare into which Satan leads good men. Does not the whole Bible bear witness that no man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron? and even Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest. Woe be to them that run unsent! It was a good wish in Uzzah to hold up the ark; yet Uzzah died for it.

(2.) Converted ministers. If men may not run without an outward call, far less without an inward call. There were crowds of ministers in Christ's day. At every corner of the street you might have met them. But they were blind leaders of the blind. So we may have plenty of ministers raised amongst us, and yet be as sheep that have no shepherd.

Ah! you that know Christ, and love him—ye Jacobs who wrestle with God till morning light, wrestle ye with God for this. Give him no rest until he grant it. I have a sweet persuasion in my own breast, that if we go on in faith and prayer, building up God's altars that are desolate, God will hear the cry of his people, and give them teachers according to his own heart, and that we shall yet see days such as have never before shone upon the Church of Scotland-when our teachers shall not be removed into corners any more-when the great Shepherd shall himself bless the bread, and give it to the under shepherds, and they shall give to the multitudes; and all shall eat, and be filled.

St Peter's, Nov. 12, 1837.

SERMON XXIII.

CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also 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 to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."-EPH. v. 25–27.

In this passage the apostle, under the guidance of the Spirit, is teaching wives and husbands their duties to one another. To the wives, he enjoins submission-a loving yielding to their husbands in all lawful things; to the husbands, love; and he puts before them the highest of all patterns-Christ and his Church.

I. Christ's love to his Church.

1. The object of his love. The Church-all who are chosen, awakened, believing, justified, sanctified, glorifiedall who are finally saved-all who shall stand with the Lamb -the hundred and forty and four thousand redeemed ones -all looked on as the bright company; the Church-all who are awakened and brought to Christ-all who shall sit down at the marriage supper. I believe Jesus had compassion for the whole world. He is not willing that any should perish. He willeth all men to be saved. He shed tears over those who will finally perish. Still, the peculiar object of his love was the Church. He loved the Church. On them his eye rested with peculiar tenderness before the world was. He would often say: These shall yet sit with me on my throne; or, as he read over their names in his book of life, he would say: These shall yet walk with me in white. When they lived in sin, his eye was upon them. He would not let them die, and drop into hell: "I have much people in this city." I have no doubt, brethren, Christ is marking some of you, that are now Christless, for his own. When they came to Christ, he let out his love toward them on the land where they dwelt-a delightsome land. His eye rests on the houses of this town, where his jewels live. Christ loves some streets far better than others -some spots of earth are far dearer to him than others.

There are some apartments dear to Christ-where present-where his hands are often on the door: me, my love."

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state of the Church when first loved. (1.) They under the curse of God-under condemnationo the just wrath of God-deserving nothing but "he gave himself for it." The Church had no attract the love of Jesus, except her wrath and .) Impure. For he had to "sanctify and cleanse y within-opposed to God-no beauty in the eye I am black, spotted, and wrinkled. (3.) Nothing he love of Christ. Nothing that he could admire He admires whatever is like his Father. He had azed upon his Father, and was ravished with that ut he saw none of this-not a feature-no beauty en love where they see something to draw esteem aw none. (4.) Everything to repel his love: in thine own blood". cast out-loathsome .); yet that was the time of his love. Black-unThou hast loved me out of the pit of corruption." from ignorance. Men often love, where they do the true character, and repent after. But not so e knew the weight of their sins-the depths of ed heart.

is more wonderful than the love of Christ. freeness of the love of Christ. It is unbought a man would give all the substance of his house would be utterly contemned."-Song viii. 7. He s reasons from himself: "I knew that thou wast You have no cause to boast. He loved you, loved you-for nothing in you. O what a black hou, when Christ set his love upon thee! rreatness of that love: "He gave himself." This eled love. Love is known by the sacrifice it will a fit of love, Herod would have given away the kingdom. If you will sacrifice nothing, you love by we know that men love not Christ-they will thing for him. They will not leave a lust-a ɔmpanion, for Christ. "Greater love than this

in.

But Christ gave himself. Consider what a

self. If he had created ten thousand millions of worlds, and given them away, it had been great love-had he given a million of angels; but he gave the Lord of angels-the Creator of worlds. "Lo, I come." He gave the pearl of heaven. O what a self!-Jesus!-all-loveliness!

4. What he gave himself to. He gave himself to be put in their place to bear their wrath and curse, and to obey for them. We shall never know the greatness of this gift. He gave himself to bear the guilt of the Church. There cannot be a more fearful burden than guilt, even if there be no wrath. To the holy soul of Jesus, this was an awful burden. He was made sin: "Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up.”—Ps. xl. "Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me."-Ps. xxxviii. He endured the cross, despising the shame. He laid his soul under their guilt-shame and spitting; silent like a lamb.

To bear their wrath. A happy soul shrinks from suffering. Ask one that has always been in the love of God, what would he give to cast himself out of that love-to bear as much wrath as he is bearing love-to receive the lightning instead of the sunshine? Not for ten millions of worlds. Yet this did Jesus. He became a curse for us: Pour it out on me. See how he shrunk back from it in the garden. Yet he drank it.

"God commendeth his love to us, in that, while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us." Pray to know the love of Christ. It is a great ocean, without bottom or shore.* In the broken bread you will see it set forth, so that a child may understand: "This is my body, broken for you;" “This is my blood, shed for many."

II. His purpose in time. Verse 26. Christ's work is not done with a soul when he has brought it to pardon -when he has washed it in his own blood. Oh, no! the better half of salvation remains-his great work of sanctification remains.

1. Who is the author? He that gave himself for the Church-the Lamb that was slain. God having raised his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning every one of

"It is as if a child could take the globe of earth and sea in his two short arms."-Samuel Rutherford.

you away from your iniquities. He is exalted by the right hand of God, and, having obtained the promise of the Father, sheds him down. There is no hand can new create the soul, but the hand that was pierced. Many look to a wrong quarter for sanctification. They take pardon from Christ, then lean on themselves-their promises, &c.-for holiness. Ah, no! you must take hold of the hand that was pierced lean on the arm that was racked-lean on the Beloved coming up from the wilderness. You might as well hold up the sun on its journey, as sanctify yourself. It needs divine power. There are three concerned in it. The Father-for this is his will; the Son-he is the Shepherd of all he saves; the Holy Ghost.

2. The means: "The Word." I believe he could sanctify without the Word, as he created angels and Adam holy, and as he sanctifies infants whose ear was never opened; but I believe in grown men he never will, but through the Word. When Jesus makes holy, it is by writing the Word in the heart: “ Sanctify them through thy truth." When a mother nurses her child, she not only bears it in her arms, but holds it to her breast, and feeds it with the milk of her own breast; so does the Lord. He not only holds the soul, but feeds it with the milk of the Word. The words of the Bible are just the breathings of God's heart. He fills the heart with these, to make us like God. When you go much with a companion, and hear his words, you are gradually changed by them into his likeness; so when you go with Christ, and hear his words, you are sanctified. Oh, there are some whom I could tell to be Christ's, by their breathing the same sweet breath! Those of you that do not read your Bible, cannot turn like God-you cannot be saved. You are unsavable; you may turn like the devil, but you never will turn like God. Oh, believers, prize the Word!

3. The certainty of it. Some are afraid they will never be holy: "I shall fall under my sin." You shall be made holy. It was for this Christ died. This was the grand object he had in view. This was what was in his eye -to build a holy Church out of a world of lost sinnersto pluck brands out of the fire, and make them trees of righteousness-to choose poor, black souls, and make them fair brothers and sisters round his throne. Christ will not lose this object.

Look up, then-be not afraid: He redeemed you to make