A THIRD SERMON,

BY THE REV. J. H. EVANS, M.A. PREACHED AT JOHN STREET CHAPEL, KING'S ROAD, BEDFORD ROW, ON SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 15, 1844.

“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."-Ephesians v. 25-27.

We have considered that great display of the Saviour's love-His giving Himself for His Church: yet not merely a great display, but that which was peculiar to Him as a husband, showing His peculiar and preeminent love unto His Church. And the end for which He gave Himself was, "that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word." The great end, beloved, wherefore He gave Himself for His Church, as it referred to God, was evidently the Divine glory; that the varied perfections of Deity might not only be displayed, but gloriously and harmoniously displayed, in the salvation of that Church. All things are for the glory of God, whether in earth, or heaven, and (awful thought!) in hell: there shall not be found one soul in that place of hopeless misery, but what shall realise throughout an endless eternity, that the very wicked are "formed for Himself." But, as it regards the Church, the great end here is, "that He might sanctify and cleanse it." Whilst He gave Himself to die for her sins, it was not the end, but the great means to the end. Therefore He justifies in order to sanctify; and therefore He sanctifies by justifying.

This we have already considered, and therefore I will not longer detain you this morning on it, but rather hasten to the great, and important, and glorious subject before us that there was another end-" 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." Upon which words I would begin by remarking, in the first place, that this does not deny, by any means, that the Church is at this present moment a glorious Church; but, VOL. XI. -No. 369.—January 23, 1845.

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secondly, that He had a further purpose, namely, that He might consummate its glory. May the Lord help us, by His own blessed Spirit, to have a right, holy, and personal apprehension of these truths in our own souls.

I. With regard to the first point, it is not denying that the Church is at this present moment a glorious Church. Yet not in her outward appearance; not in the grandeur, the magnificence, the show and the pomp of this world; this is not the glory of the Church of Christ. It has nought of outward glory. I will not debase the subject by saying it is like attempting to paint the diamond, to bring out her glory; but it is a sad forgetfulness of her true nature and principles. She is the Church of Him, who before men, had "no form nor comeliness; nor any beauty that they should desire Him."

Yet notwithstanding, she is substantially glorious. She is glorious as a witness for God. She is His golden candlestick; receiving light from Himself, in order to reflect that light in the midst of a world of darkness. Her materials are not tin, nor lead, nor silver, nor molten gold, but beaten gold-wrought out. She receives light from Him who is the true light-" the very light and life of men;" and in Him and by Him, she is the light of the world. How bright her testimony! how clear her witness! How bright her light! when she actsnot onher own will and passions, but when she acts in any real measure on her own principles, and displays the light of holiness and the light of the truth of the Gospel, in the midst of a dark world! Oh! well were it for her, if this were more duly remembered by her, more marked out by her and more exhibited in the midst of a dark world; well, not only for her, but for every Christian man and woman, if this were but duly, holily, and personally considered. But yet, with all her imperfections, she is God's witness. she is apostate-ruined. I deny it. Her testimony is feeble to what it ought to be, her light is dim to what it ought to be; but she is God's witness notwithstanding. The true Church of God acknowledges no head but Jesus; she does not claim for herself legislation. She bows before God as her King; she receives Him as her Prophet; and rests all her hope upon the sacrifice which the Priest offers up, or has offered up. Is this apostacy? She loves His presence, and loves that those who love it not may love it. She is never happy, but when she has it. Is this apostacy? When she is in her right mind

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she longs for His coming; she loves His presence, and longs to be with Him. Is this apostacy? Faint is her light, feeble her testimony, compared to what it ought to be; but, beloved, she is God's witness in this world. All that is truly good emanates from her; all holy endeavours to spread the truth spring from her. She is still the "Jerusalem above," and "the mother of us all;" "the Lord is there." The Lord dwells in her; God in the flesh is her light, and her life, and her Head. When He dies, the light is gone. Then she is apostate, but not without. If her Head dies, she dies;

but if her Head lives, she lives, for her "life is hid with Christ in God;" and, "because He lives she shall live also." She is glorious in this, that she is God's witness upon earth.

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She is glorious, too, as His temple;-living stones deriving life from the life-giving stone. The true Shechinah is still in her. reveals Himself, makes Himself known, displays His glory; and the glory of His temple as much exceeds Solomon's, as the glory of heaven exceeds that of earth. Turn to the second chapter of Haggai, and the sixth verse. "Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land :" you know the reference in the twelfth of Hebrews, how it refers to the Church of God on earth, and the kingdom of God in this world-not a future kingdom, but the kingdom of God here: "I will shake all natious, and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts." Debase not your minds by thinking that the glory of the temple consists in silver and gold, but see" the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former;" because, what are all the stones dug out of a quarry, what are all the silver and the gold, and the vestments of priests, and the incense of the censer, and what are all the trumpets, and the cymbals, and the shawms, compared with the glory of the Church of God, filled with Jesus-the God-Man, and His glory, and all the Divine perfections shining in Him?

My dear hearers, all the worship of God upon this earth, is in His Church. This is her glory. She is glorious as His temple.

Look at her security. She is glorious in that. It is oftentimes pleasant, to think of "angels and ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that are heirs of salvation." I confess, that I lay more stress on their ministrations, than many of God's people do.

But we could not glory in angelic power, or in angelic watchfulness, or in angelic care and keeping. The glory of the Church is, that the Lord Jehovah is her glory. He says, by His prophet Zechariah, the second chapter and the fifth verse-"I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her." Is not this glorious?

Let us look at the subject in one point of view more. Look at her as the bride of the Lamb. Look into the forty-fifth Psalm, and see what her gorgeous apparel is. "The king's daughter is all glorious within her clothing"--I apprehend, her outward clothing-" is of wrought gold;" clothed in the righteousness of God. Is not this glorious? Can angels show equal glory? How is she glorious in the sanctifying grace of the Holy Ghost! Is not this glorious? She is a glorious Church-at this moment glorious.

We know she is mean in the sight of historians. They see no beauty in her. We shall find many a man write a history of England, and never discern any thing of the Church of God in it. The rich, and the high, and the lofty, and the noble, ay, and the learned too, can see no glory in the Church of Christ. She is a worthless pebble in their eyes. Yet for her, God became incarnate; He took our nature, and as man He died in that nature; and now He lives for her at the right hand of God. He makes intercession for her; and though a worthless pebble in the eyes of the world, yet is she a precious stone, valuable, glorious, shining, scarce, precious, borne not only upon His hand, but upon His heart before the throne of God. True, she is black in her own eyes," black as the tents of Kedar;" yet, what is she in His eyes? "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." True, her voice appears harsh and dissonant in her own eyes; "but let Me hear thy voice," He says, "for sweet is thy voice, and thy couutenance is comely." Is not the Church glorious? How all the glory of this world fades before it! It seems nothing less than nothing. One looks on a gew-gaw world, compared with it; all its glory perishing, all its glory dying, and all its pomp of nought. Her glory is imperishable as Deity beginning here, to be perfected in heaven.

II. But observe now, secondly, that this is not all for which the Lord gave Himself: He gave Himself, "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." It was

to consummate her glory that He gave Himself. Not that ever His people should be more justified. Blessed thought! the weakest believer that hears me at this moment is as completely justified as the apostle Paul. They never will be more justified, never be more pardoned, never be more accepted, never have a more glorious righte ousness. She stands in the righteousness of God before God at this moment. Not that ever the Church of God shall be more adopted than it is at this moment; for ye "are the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus"-the weakest as much as the strongest; the babe of a day old in the ways of grace as much as those with boary hairs. Some have been in the ways of God, that are at this moment hearing me, more than seventy years, yet the babe in Christ is as much a child of God as those who have been there threescore years and ten; yea, as the saints that are now among "the spirits of the just made perfect." Nor does He imply, that they shall be more beloved than they are. They are as dear to God as they can be. I would always reason from the cross; go back to the cross; and we can say, that "He that spared not His own Son," has none so precious as these; "he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye." It is not true, that they shall be more loved. But it is, that their work of sanctification, which He hath begun upon earth, should be consummated and finished, and perfected in glory for ever. This was what the Lord gave Himself for; one of the great ends, and objects, and purposes of His heart. He brings them to Himself; they live on Himself for righteousness; and living on Him for righteousness, they are sanctified by His Spirit. He leads them forward in faith, and repentance and holiness, and holy obedience; and at the last, will perfect them in glory. They shall have a full fruition of God; they shall have a perfect likeness of God; and they shall be with Him for ever. When sin is annihilated, their desire shall be to be filled with God, and their desire shall be satisfied; they shall be full of holiness, full of happiness, full of Christ, full of God. This was what our Lord gave Himself for— nothing less than this.

Ah! my dear hearers, what a glorious sight that will be, when Satan is thus manifestly thrown down-for ever cast into the bottomless pit; when all the perfections of God are thus gloriously manifested! What a sight! Why, when one soul is converted, when any of you have been brought in your poverty to the foot of the