Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord," if you are not saved from your sins, but living in them; if you are not attending to the things revealed by Christ as your Prophet, not trusting in the sacrifice which He offered as your Priest, not obeying the commandments which He has given you as your King!

But it is as our Redeemer that we are here more particularly taught to believe in Jesus Christ; "who hath redeemed me, and all mankind." "Redeemed;" then we were in bondage, sold under sin, bondslaves to the world, the flesh, and the devil. In order to redeem us Christ took on Him our nature. Having been from everlasting truly God, He was made truly man, being "conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." In order to redeem us Christ suffered for us, "was crucified, dead, and buried." He went to the place of departed spirits; "He descended into hell." And that by dying He overcame death, this was proved by the fact, that "He rose again from the dead." He died for our sins. He rose again for our justification.

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(See Rom. 4. 25.) Thus did He redeem all mankind. Thus is every one of us warranted in saying, "I believe in God the Son, who hath redeemed me." Let me earnestly ask you all, "Believest thou this?" Let me beseech you all to examine yourselves thoroughly, whether you are fully established in this most vital point of faith.

The believing in Christ as our Redeemer, is, as you must be well aware, the very root and ground, or rather the very sum and substance, of Christian faith. Hear Paul and Silas, answering the keeper of the prison, when he asked them, in the deepest anxiety, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" hear them answering him thus: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16. 30, 31.) Hear our blessed Lord Himself, laying down this as the source of comfort in tribulation, of safety in danger, of comfort, of safety, and of peace, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." (John 14. 1.) And observe that when our Lord proposed to Martha the searching question in the text, the words which He had spoken

Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord," if you are not saved from your sins, but living in them; if you are not attending to the things revealed by Christ as your Prophet, not trusting in the sacrifice which He offered as your Priest, not obeying the commandments which He has given you as your King!

But it is as our Redeemer that we are here more particularly taught to believe in Jesus Christ; "who hath redeemed me, and all mankind." "Redeemed;" then we were in bondage, sold under sin, bondslaves to the world, the flesh, and the devil. In order to redeem us Christ took on Him our nature. Having been from everlasting truly God, He was made truly man, being "conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." In order to redeem us Christ suffered for us, "was crucified, dead, and buried." He went to the place of departed spirits; "He descended into hell." And that by dying He overcame death, this was proved by the fact, that "He rose again from the dead." He died for our sins. He rose again for our justification.

who was crucified for us, He who offered Himself a sacrifice for sin, He "ever liveth to make intercession" for us. (Heb. 7. 25.) The nature which He took on Him, to be man as well as God, that nature He retains in heaven where He is, and where He intercedes for us with our heavenly Father. For, as the apostle writes, "there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim. 2. 5.) And that " He ascended into heaven," what is this, but that He is gone as He said to prepare a place for us? (See John 14. 2.) And that He will come thence" to judge the quick and the dead,” this means, that both all they who shall be "quick," or alive, at his coming, and all they who shall have died from the begin ning of time, shall stand before his judgment seat, and shall there give account of all the works done in the body. "Believest thou this?" Be then well aware, that the love of Christ in dying for thee, and his all sufficiency in saving thee, do not exempt thee from the obligation of serving God, by holiness and true righteousness before

Him, all the days of thy life. No, thou must still answer for thy conduct here; thou must answer to thy Saviour Christ Himself. And what will be thy shame, and confusion of face, thy agony of horror and despair, to be confronted in that day with the merciful Redeemer, whom thou hast dishonoured by thy sins, and find that it is He who is to be thy Judge!

But to those who walk by faith in Him, whose faith works by love, who are touched by the sense of his love in saving them, who rejoice in being saved from their sins whilst here, as well as in being entitled to an inheritance in heaven, to them how full of glory is the hope of their Lord's coming the second time to judge the world! By them how much to be desired is the day, when He shall give to every man according as his work shall be! Not that they have any confidence in their works; God forbid! Not that they think their works deserve heaven; God forbid! But of this they are persuaded, that their works have been wrought in them by the Holy Spirit of God, and have been done on their parts