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himself to look at Jesus, in five minutes he more experiences what true sanctification is, than in all the previous workings of his heart, during his whole life! Oh! blessed connection between sanctification and justification; and sanctification in order to justification; and no real sanctification before justification!

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My dear hearers, it ought to cheer and animate us, to be looking forward to perfection; while that we feel, day by day, we have so many thousand spots! Ah! it is easy, to pass muster-to come into that table pew, to be counted as a saint! The longer I live, the more my spirit feels convinced that (though I would desire you to give good evidence to those around you) yet there can be such a thing as having a name to live," and yet being "dead." The longer I live, the more I feel how little can one man know of another man before God-the spots, the defilements, the short-comings, and the self-seekings, in the midst of all that seems to be seeking for God's glory. It may well make us lay our mouths in the dust, and make us long for the time, when all that is wrought in us by the Holy Ghost shall be perfected and consummated for ever. But oh! to be willing, as we pray for deeper sanctification, to lay aside what hinders it! That which we know is a great hindrance, may we have our eye fixed specially upon; not for our own self-crucifixion, but that the Lord would crucify us on that very cross to which He hanged; that there our evil affections and our evil lusts may be crucified day by day!

And if all this blessing stand connected with a full perception of Jesus, what posture of spirit and what temper of mind ought you and I desire to be in day by day? I have nothing in common with those, who are perpetually speculating upon the Lord's coming. It has a tendency, I am persuaded, to lessen the hold men have on their Bibles; it reduces all to uncertainty, and always seems to lead to something visionary. And when once we come to this conclusion -that man's judgment is in any respect to be trusted, we are in a fair way not to put our confidence in God for anything. But, dear hearers, to be prepared,—to be "looking for, and hastening unto, the coming of the Son of God;" to be in that state and in that engagement, in which we would wish to be found if He were to come at this moment—this is the great secret of life, and the great remedy for its chief miseries.

And I conceive, too, that there is a subject of deep thought here. When the world is passed away like a cloud, like a vapour, and the whole temple is accomplished, and you and I see the

next stone to us one we looked coldly upon when on earth, suspected, kept at a distance, treated without love-I will not suppose, that regret and sorrow could be in heaven, but if anything could cause us regret, it would be that: to see one close by my side in that glorious temple and to know, that when on earth I treated him coldly, unkindly; kept him at a distance, and without any love; suspected. And why? Because he did not fall down before me, worship my drag, and sacrifice to my net."

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There is one thought here which presents itself to me, and with which I will conclude. I feel for poor sinners. (Indeed, I do feel shame that I feel no more for them.) And well I may ! The longer I live, the more I am convinced of this-that many have false ideas of heaven. Theirs is a sort of Mahomedan heaven. They think of delight and pleasure, music and splendour, and cessation from trouble; but their ideas of heaven have nothing spiritual in them. And I think, too, they are without any spiritual view of hell. They fix their ideas on bodily anguish. I dare not deny the existence of bodily anguish; I believe there will be in that "fire" (unintelligible as it is, because it affects spirit as well as body,) that which is far above our powersof comprehension, but enough is asserted, to make it clear, that there will be the utmost of bodily anguish. But bear with me, if I say, that the chief anguish will be the torment of the soul: when a man reflects-'I heard of Christ a hundred times in John Street; I attended the preached Gospel there, I heard of Christ willing to “save to the uttermost all that came to Him;" 1 beard again and again—a hundred times-that He never cast out them that came; I was told, the world was empty,-I knew it; I was told of the biting conscience, that stings like an adder,-I knew of it; I was warned, entreated, and dealt with honestly; but I despised it allah! then the reaction of that will be the "worm," that will gnaw, and gnaw, and gnaw, by a reflex act of conscience, throughout an endless eternity. And I believe, the clearer the light in the head has been, the deeper the material for misery and wretchedness in the reaction, when that Gospel is rejected, that brings hope to the hopeless, and "salvation to the uttermost ;" that has no such thought, as rejecting any one soul that ever came to Jesus for pardon.

The Lord bless the Word, and accompany it with the power of His own blessed Spirit; and to Father, Son and Holy Ghost, be all the glory.

A SERMON,

BY THE REV. J. H. EVANS, M.A.

PREACHED AT JOHN STREET CHAPEL, KING'S ROAD, BEDFORD Row, ON SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 22, 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. So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife,loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church; for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery : but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."-Ephesians v. 25–33.

We have considered the precept given to Christian wives in the twenty-second verse-the principle of submission. It would be needless to quote the many passages that confirm (this truth, because I trust that they are familiar to your ears, and familiar to your hearts. But the great principle itself it is, that one would lay great stress upon. We have looked at the limit of it—" as unto he Lord;" and we have looked at the extent of it—“ in every thing." That is, in every thing that is not forbidden by the Word of God; in every thing that is in agreement with the principles of the Gospel. Of course "unto the Lord" necessarily makes that the limit. And by the subjection and submission, one does not understand the subjection of an abject, slavish spirit; the Gospel is altogether opposed to such a spirit. It is not the submission of an inferior; it is the submission of an equal. It is the submission of a rational, intelligent, responsible being; who out of love to her husband submits, and from the higher principle of love to her Lord.

And now we come to the other principle, that which bears upon busbands. And I shall confine myself to the twenty-fifth verse, enlarging substantially upon that which is unfolded in all the other verses. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the VOL. XI.-No. 372.-February 13, 1845.

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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. So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church."

There are here two points for our consideration; first of all, the command; and then, the extent of the command. The precept or command-" husbands, love your wives;" the extent of the command--" even as Christ loved the Church."

I. With regard to the command, the precept: it is given for the happiness of His people. Happiness in the marriage state is its necessary element and principle.

My dear hearers, the highest, closest, and most exalted union, next to the union of the Three Divine Persons in the one essential Godhead, and the union of the Divine and human nature in one person of the Son of God, is that of Christ to His Church. It is set forth, as you are well aware, by a variety of figures, that have oftentimes been in some degree touched on within these walls. It is set forth by the vine and its branches: by a temple and its walls, all the stones of its walls and the foundation forming one temple. It is set forth under the representation of the body, of which Jesus is the head, and the Church its members. It is also set forth under the character of the husband and the wife, "no more twain, but one flesh;" and this, perhaps, is the highest, the most elevated, and the clearest of all the figures, by which this high and mysterious union has been set forth. We see in this view of their union how they are legally one. It gives me the clearest view of the imputation of sin to our blessed Lord; it shows me why it was, because He was the Husband of the bride, all her debts became necessarily His, legally; so that He became answerable for them, and He did pay them, because He was so made answerable for them. In this view of the union between Christ and His Church, one sees why His Church has a legal interest in all that He has, in all His merit, in all the merit of His obedience, the obedience of His whole life, and the sufferings of His death. In this I see why she is interested in His ascension and glorification, and in the infinite merit of His incarnation. In this view of their union, one sees most distinctly how they are one in interest-so that when one is abased, the other is abased; and when one is exalted, the other is exalted. If Jesus be

exalted, then His Church must be exalted; and if He be abased, the Church must be abased; He takes her place, and in His glory she is glorified.

Next to this high, this close, this holy, this mysterious union, is that of the married life. Though it be but a span long, though the term of our existence is but as a moment, while the union between Christ and His Church is for eternity; yet is it a most glorious unfolding of that union, it comes nearest to it, and it is set forth more at large in this chapter on that subject than any other shadow whatsoever. Beloved, I would say more than that; when it is really acted out in its high principles-Christian principles-and no others are there that are high and holy-when the principles of the married life are really acted out upon the high principles of Christianity, I would say it gives me the nearest approach to heaven's happiness. Here is the sympathy of kindred spirits; here is the union of loving hearts; here is the association of immortal minds; they are one in point of interest, one in sorrow, one in joy, and one in object. I repeat, it gives one, when acted out upon the high and holy principles of the Gospel, the nearest approach to heaven's happiness. But it is easy to see, beloved, that while there are the elements of this high happiness in this union, so there is the element of great misery. As the contact is so close when the union is under the high and holy controul of the Spirit of grace, growing and reigning in the heart, that the peace of the soul, the quietness of the spirit, and the true enjoyment of each advances: so when not under this high and holy controul, misery is the certain effect and consequence. As the Lord, then, has given us this alleviation of human misery as an antidote in a sense to the miseries of human life, so He has given us that command, which, when realised, can alone put us in possession of it. He commands the wife to a loving obedience; and He commands the husband to a loving controul. And I would say, that by this, when wrought effectually in the heart by the Holy Ghost, has He planted many a garden of Eden in the midst of this desert world.

But not only is this precept given to us for the sake of the happiness of His children, but for His own glory. It is greatly for the glory of God, the exhibition of this principle in the world. Here are two beings having in themselves enough of discord and disunion to produce a world of misery, yet in love to each other, they are props to each other, are helps to each other, are comforts to each other; as the means to the end, by the Eternal Spirit, of promoting as much happiness in each other as is consistent with a world of sin and trial.

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