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the length of their journey is marked
out by him, and then they will pass
beyond the boundaries of trial and
sorrow to that same house, to that
home of many mansions, where their
blessed Master is already gone to pre-
pare a place for them; because it is
his design, that there where he is,
there, at least, they shall be also. His
happiness is not a solitary happiness,
he will not be satisfied as to the con-
summation of the plan of grace till he
shall see of the travail of his soul and
mark the whole multitude, given to
him of his Father, with thrilling
hearts of gratitude and joy, ascribing
in his own presence
"salvation unto
Him that sitteth on the throne and to
the Lamb for ever."

But the passage of Scripture before
us, describes more minutely, The pro- |
perties of that love wherewith these
objects of his regard are loved in this
world. In the first place, the expres-
sions before us, suggest to the mind,
the disinterested nature of the love of
Christ. He mentions the subject of
his love in connection with his own
violent departure out of this present
world. The very thoughts that occu-
pied our Saviour's mind at this mo-
ment were thoughts of agony, of that
death which he was to suffer and ac-
complish on the cross. He was to be
an atonement, a sin-offering; and in
order to realize this design, he was to
pass through sufferings whose aggra-
vated nature it were difficult for us
to describe. Oh, when we think of
the pure mind of Christ, when we
think of the perfect hatred with which
he recognized evil, we may well ima-
gine that to contemplate his departure
from the world amidst the manifesta-
tion of a crime that had never known
a parallel, we may behold what must
have been the disinterested nature of
his love that he should, at this time,
connect with those sufferings the pe-
culiar objects of his regard. There
was a nobility of kindness, there was

a disinterested character in his at-
tachment to his people that has filled
Heaven with astonishment.
"God so
loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son;" and that only begotten
Son so loved his people, that he con-
sented to be this gift, this sacrifice,
this sin-offering.

But, my brethren, we should do
well more frequently to contemplate
this property of our Saviour's love,
that we have no claim upon his re-
gard, that in ourselves there not only
is put forth nothing to attract that
love, but every thing to repel that
love. It was while we were yet sin-
ners-while we were yet without
strength-while we were utterly un-
able to render to him aught that
could be accounted valuable to his
pure regard—it was under these cir-
cumstances that he manifested his
love-it is a love that has its source
in his own breast. There is, perhaps,
a type of this love seen in our own
world: that love, perhaps, may be a
type of this love wherewith a mother
thinks and feels towards the helpless
object she has brought forth. There
is nothing of intellect-there is nothing
of dignity-there is nothing of virtue

there is nothing of benevolencethere is nothing that should call forth any intense sympathy and affection in that creature, that object of her compassion; and yet GOD has selected the very emotions with which a mother's heart thrills towards that helpless being, to describe that love wherewith God loves his people. The mother's love finds its source in her own breast-it is an uncontrollable instinct, and there is in GoD when he looks on his people, and sees them lying in their guilt, he says to them live, and he loves them with a disinterestedness that we cannot contemplate surely without astonishment, and surely without at the same time encouragement and delight.

But this passage of Scripture, seems

THE PREACHER.

No. 116.]

SERMON BY THE REV. GERARD NOEL.
SERMON BY THE REV. H. Mc NEILE.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1832.

(The Rev. Gerard Noel's Sermon concluded.)

to tell us likewise respecting this love, wherewith Christ has loved us, that it is a holy love. Why did he connect his departure from the world with the mention of this love? Might not one reason be to mark out the holy nature of that love? He could not manifest that love to his people in any manner that should compromise the rights of Gop, the claims of moral obligation -be could not exercise a love that should lead any one of his creatures reasonably to question the purity of his government of the world; and therefore this love manifests its holy properties, the Son of GOD himself must suffer, that this love may honorably be exhibited. Mark, before the sacrifice of Christ this love was in existence; the sacrifice of Christ was not the source of this love, but it was the symptom and expression of this love. This love was in the breast of Deity from all eternity. It was GOD's so loving the world, ere this sacrifice was accomplished, that led him to yield this sacrifice. It was the everlasting love of GOD that sent forth the Mediator between GoD and man. There is, therefore, a holiness in GoD's love. It is an awful love—it is a love worthy of GOD to manifest; it is not the undue partiality of this world-it is not the fondness that often sacrifices principle, and is reckless of consequences; but it was love which had the very stamp of Deity upon it, it

VOL. V.

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bore the impression of GOD. There hath never been a love like this love.

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But the expression before me suggests further, as a property of Christ's love, that it was a wise love. It is said, now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And the supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from GOD, and went to GOD; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a girdle, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." I refer to this as, to my mind, bringing a very distinct conviction of the wisdom of Christ's love. He was now going to part with them-he was now to terminate his companionship in this present world, with these objects of his love; and he would seize this particular occasion to instruct them in a point which they most wanted to know, which was most essential to their welfare. My brethren, pride is the great sin of man; and there is nothing that he so slowly learns as genuine humi

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of manifesting folly and guilt; but in the love of GOD there is a wisdom that designs true happiness, and, therefore, expects the moral condition and the moral discipline of the objects of that love. Why then is it, my brethren, that the people of GoD are a tried and afflicted people, bowed down with many sorrows, heart struck with many griefs, combating with many foes? Is it because God's love is a wise love? There are some lessons that are not to be learned in the sunny valley; they must be learned on the bleak mountain's side. There are some lessons which prosperity cannot teach, yet these lessons must be learned. The people of God are training up for a world for which now they are much unfitted; their principles are erroneous-their faith is weak-their affections are deluded and corrupt-they need the discipline of their Father's correcting love, and that love is wise. Therefore the providence of GOD is often to the world's eye,—aye, and to the eye of a weak faith-a stern providence, severer, perhaps, than the murmuring heart loves to receive. But this is the key to those providences. Why do men

lity. To shrink into himself, to expand his thoughts to GOD, and to hang with a complete dependance on the grace and strength of GOD, is a lesson most essential to his welfare, and a lesson which he is most slow to learn. Our Lord, therefore, seems to me, to have selected this precise moment, this moment which memory afterwards would retrace with deepest interest and emphasis, in order to give his instructions respecting humility, in a manner the most marked, and the most likely to be recalled. He took the slave's place, and washed his disciples' feet; and he not only intended by this to convey the lesson, that no man is cleansed from sin before God whom Christ's blood hath not washed-"If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me;" but also, to give them an example that they should stoop low, that God might lift them high, and that they should, henceforth, learn dependance on GOD their Saviour. His love, then, was wise. A wise instructor times seasonably the lessons he wishes most to impress, and our blessed Lord thus shows the fittest moment in which to record his deep sense of the value of that humility that was to be the ele-weep-why do they combat-why do ment in which the affections of his they toil-why do they struggle-why people were to live, thrive, and be are they made to feel that this world sanctified to God. is not their resting place, nor this My brethren, perhaps this circum-world their scene of final condition? stance, the wisdom, I mean, of Christ's It is, that they may be trained up by love, is a key to much of that provi- these varied efforts of a kind and wise dential dispensation which marks the Providence, and be made meet, by condition of the church of Christ be- the lessons of dependance which they low. Why is the condition of the have learned, to soar, at last, with perchurch of Christ below one of conflict fect safety, into the liberty of enjoyand of trial? It is because the love ment of the sons of GOD above. of GOD is a wise love. There is no indulgence in the mind of GOD which was placed apart from the real welfare of the objects of that love. In this world's history partial fondness defeats its proper end-in this world's history fondness is often the occasion

Oh, my brethren, do you not think that that generous Saviour, who is now withdrawn from the sight of his people, is looking forward with intense interest to that time when he can pour a full tide of bliss through his people's hearts, and they shall be

tion-much imperfection; but as he found the source of love within his own breast, as he had taken the full dimensions not only of human misery, but human ingratitude and depravity, he was prepared to love through all these obstacles-he was prepared to

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tray the love of God, by referring to those images of strength and fixedness which nature furnishes. The mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."

safe under the glorious pressure of that prosperity! The time is coming when his love may give full scope in the bliss it can communicate without endangering the safety of his people. It belongs to that higher world in which the body is glorified with the soul—in which no enmity can enter-love to the end. The Scriptures porin which no snare can be spread-in which no interruption of duty can be felt it is in that world where the Spirit of GOD has consummated the work of redemption, and made "a people redeemed" to partake the very character and likeness of their GoD and Saviour. Then it is that there is prosperity without danger, there is happiness without pride. Then will our blessed and generous master be seen in the midst of his church, spreading happiness around them, that they shall contemplate and enjoy, without one uneasy sensation, one alarm, one interruption of the perfect dependance of their souls upon the grace of the gospel, a free and full and everlasting salvation.

Oh, my brethren, it is because there is constancy in Christ that the happiness of his people is secured. Could the mind of Christ waver aught, could inconstancy belong to Christ, where were human hopes? There were no anchorage for man's hopes then; but man must drift through a stormy sea and never know a harbour; he must perish in the profound abyss of misery. But the purpose of GOD in Christ standeth sure; the Lord knows them that are his, and in order that they may have strong con

But, my brethren, there is another quality of our Saviour's love, connected with those I have mentioned, which is, the constancy of his love. “Having loved his own who were insolation, in fleeing for refuge to lay the world, he loved them unto the end." Constancy is a property of our Saviour's love. We are familiar,in this world, with the term inconstancy; there is nothing lasting, nothing on which we can depend. Woe be to him who trusts on any broken reed of this world. There is no stability on anything here; it is rocking like the waves of ocean; but in GOD our Saviour's love there is a constancy and fixedness of purpose never to be unfixed. “Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end." There was much to harrass his mind in those objects of his love-much to throw a cloud over his countenancemuch perverseness-much irresolu

hold of the hope set before them, he hath confirmed that promise, that word, which was itself the anchor of the universe, in order to meet the infirmities of his people, though it needed no other declaration than "Thus saith the Lord;" yet in pity to the infirmity of man, who knows the sanctity of an oath, Jehovah himself vouchsafed such condescension as to guard that immutable word by an oath; and this was his direct design, that they might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to that hope, and that hope has proved now the anchor of the soul to escape. Oh, my brethren, the love of Christ is an eternal love! It is not like the

summer torrent from the mountains, which may run with violence and depth for a moment; but it is the settled current of the deep flowing river, yea, the unfathomable depths of the ocean! "Oh, that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea."

himself to God's work and his daily duties with a fixedness of design, and with a courage of expectation which shall enable him to burst through many a shackle, which has, hitherto, kept him back in the ways of GOD; he shall be enabled to know the nature of that holy victory which the Spirit of GOD can effect for his soul on this side the grave. "Open thy mouth

wide and God will fill it." You are not straightened in GOD your Saviour, you are only straightened in your character of GOD; " for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are GOD'S ways higher than your ways, and his thoughts than your thoughts.”

My Christian friends, let those to whom Christ is precious-let those to whom the love of Christ is a theme of unspeakable joy, often remember the constancy of Christ; and let them contrast that constancy with their own inconstancy, and the oftener they make the contrast the more will their Now, I would address a few words inconstancy be detected-the more to those who may be here assembled, will their love become settled and and to whom the love of Christ has firm the more will they cling to the never yet been a theme that they have promise of him whose promise puri- contemplated with real interest and fies the heart and settles it on the delight. They come, perhaps, on the basis of conscience. Oh, it is a sense Sabbath day to the house of GOD, of the love of Christ that nerves the partly by curiosity, partly by habit, mind for active obedience. It is when partly by a sense of shame, or partly the purposes of GOD are not foreseen by the goadings of conscience, but -it is when hazard and accident seem they have never yet taken their station to mingle with our notions of Christi- | at the foot of their Saviour's crossanity--it is then that the heart stag- they have never considered the nature gers, that the purpose is irresolute of their relation to that Saviour—they it is then that the hands hang down have never contemplated their condiand the knees are feeble. But let the│tion in this world, that they are sinners honest soul, to whom Christ is dear, under the curse of GOD's broken law, preserve and cherish the perception and that if there be truth in God there that it is the design of GOD to give must be misery for those who reject him eternal life and endless joy-that his authority and despise his goodness. it is the design of GoD to make him Oh, if there be any such here present, like himself in holiness and to com- I would, with earnestness, present to municate all the properties that are their minds this picture of the love of communicable from GOD to his crea- Christ; and I would ask, whether ture, man, through the union of the there is any object that they can fix man Christ Jesus with his Godhead, their thoughts upon in this world's enoh, let this but be perceived-let a joyments that can compare with this man but live in the atmosphere of enjoyment, to be the object of the SaGOD's love-let him spread out before viour's disinterested, holy, wise, and him the varied promises of the Gospel, eternal love! Oh, my fellow sinners, and his soul shall gather fresh courage, what will be your condition if you and his heart shall assume a nobler draw nigh to death ignorant of this and a firmer attitude; he shall address Saviour's love, with no heart to sym

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