Saviour who had called him from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, he can scarcely find words to express the feelings of his heart. While writing under these impressions to Timothy, and declaring the exceeding abundance of the grace of our Lord, as displayed in his own person, he breaks out into a more general strain, and is led to magnify the love and mercy of God in the offer of salvation to all men: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.".

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In this passage we are led to consider the mission of Christ, and its claim to our attention.

I. The mission of Christ includes two particulars; his appearance in the world, and the end for which he appeared.

1. The expression is remarkable-" Christ Jesus came into the world." We read, in other parts of Scripture, that he was born of a woman, made under the law;"

the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us;"-" he took not upon him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham;" with many other phrases of a like kind. Now in all these phrases there is something very peculiar. We do not say of Moses, or St. Paul, or St. John, or of any mortal, however high his rank or attainments, how ever holy his character or dignified his commission, that he came into the world, was made of a woman, was made flesh, &c. We cannot but feel that this mode of speech implies something extraordinary in the person to whom it is applied. It is proper only as applied to a superior being, and not to a mere man. Jesus Christ came into the world, not as his proper place of residence, but as the inhabitant of another country. He took our na ture, not as belonging to himself, but as foreign to his own. This was in him an act of humiliation, of condescension. He veiled the majesty of a higher nature in this

tabernacle of flesh I notice this merely to shew that the inspired writers do indirectly, as well as di rectly, bear witness to the exalted nature of the person of Christ. It is not in this case the dignity of office or of character, but of person} and this we cannot deny without doing violence to the plain forms of common language.

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2. The end for which Christ ap peared was "to save sinners." Those who are contented with the plain meaning of the word of God, will feel no doubt upon this point. He came not merely to vindicate the honour of his Father's law; or to do away the peculiarities of the Jewish system, as little suited to mankind in general; or to set before us an example of obedience and virtue: he had still nobler ends: he came to save sinners." It was for us men, and for our salvation, that he left the glories of his throne, and visited the earth in great humility. It was to redeem us from sin and all its dreadful consequences, and to raise us to the blessedness of heaven, that he became man, and lived, and laboured, and died.

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And here an important question arises: In what way does the mission of Christ avail to our salvation? That he came to deliver us from the wrath of God, and from the awful punishment denounced against sin, is readily admitted. But who are the persons to be saved? Do the blessings of salvation extend to all who have sinned, or only to a part of mankind? What saith the Scripture?" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved:" "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." The promise, then, is made to those that believe, and it is made to them alone: "He that believeth, and is baptized,shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned."

We see, then, how inexpressibly.

of God and heirs of eternal life. Many are even now able to rejoice in the persuasion that the Redeemer, in whom they have reposed their hope, is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him; and that God, for his sake, is still faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if we could open the gates of the invisible world, and hold converse with those who dwell in the paradise above, what countless multitudes would bear testimony to this faithful saying! But there is no need that heaven should be emptied of its hosts to establish the veracity of the word of God: if we believe not Moses and the prophets, neither should we be persuaded though one rose from the dead.

2. It is a saying "worthy of all acceptation;" or, as we have it in the version used in the Liturgy, of all men to be received." On what ground, then, is it to be received? It is worthy to be received both ou account of its authority and importance. It rests on the declaration of God. The great end for which the Son of God took upon him the likeness of man, has been revealed to us by Him who is the source of all wisdom, and knowledge, and truth. And can we doubt his veracity, or be inattentive to his word? And if this be indeed a faithful saying, it makes known the most wonderful and important fact which ever occurred in the history of mankind. For what does it promise? Exemption from some present evil, and the attainment of some future good? It is a deliverance from every evil, and gives the prospect of greater blessings than the tongue can utter or the heart conceive. If a nation were placed on the verge of ruin, and some wise counsellor should propose a method by which it might escape danger, and rise to an unexampled height of prosperity and greatness, would not his advice be worthy of acceptance?

How much more forcible is the argument when we look upon a world lying in wickedness; when we reflect that we ourselves, in common with the whole human race, are by nature and practice sinners, and, as such, exposed to the wrath of God-under a sentence of ever, lasting destruction from his presence, and of banishment to that state in which the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched! How important, then, is the intelligence of redemption; of a Saviour who has interposed between the Majesty of Jehovah and his offending creatures, who has himself paid the forfeit and penalty of guilt, and made reconciliation for our sins! Who, that believes in the immortality of the soul, can be indifferent to its eternal state? Who, that considers how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, would reject the offer of salvation, and declare himself unwilling to accept of everlasting life? "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

1. Let us, then, receive this intelligence without delay or hesitation.-What man, who is in peril of his life, would put off the means of preserving it to a future day, if they were now in his power? And is it safer to trifle with eternal than with temporal pain? Would any rational being, who is awake to his real condition, and who has heard of a Saviour, defer to some season of leisure attention to this momentous concern? How can time be employed to any pur pose more valuable than this? "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Let all worldly objects be considered as subordinate to the things which accompany salvation.

2. Let us also receive this message with gratitude.—It is wonderful how prone we are to ingratitude with respect to God. Many, who would on no account be wanting in

expressions of due thankfulness to their fellow creatures, appear to be wholly insensible to the nobler blessings which descend from the Father of mercies. If our minds were under the influence of right feelings, we should find abundant reason of gratitude to God for the ordinary benefits of every day. But great as are these benefits, how far are they surpassed by the rich and abounding grace of our Lord and Saviour! If there be a subject calculated to kindle within us the feelings of gratitude and praise, surely it is the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. While we were yet enemies, he assumed our nature; and through all the contradiction of sinners, and all the agonies of his passion, he pursued the work of our redemption. The inhabitants of heaven are represented as pouring out in full measure their grateful adorations: "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and bast made us unto our God kings and priests."

3. We should, in the last place, receive this intelligence with entire submission to the wisdom of God. -If he has ordained this way of salvation, we should be content to follow it. It is not for beings like us to question the wisdom of his proceedings, or the propriety of his appointments. As for God, his way is perfect, and it is our best wisdom to acknowledge our ignorance, and to look to our Lord Jesus Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. If he has declared himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, it is our duty to receive him as such. It may be mortifying to human reason that we cannot explore the wonders of redemption; it may be offensive to our pride, that without Christ we can do nothing, and that our hope of acceptance with God must rest entirely on the merits and mediation of his Son; yet, since this is the assurance of the word of

God, it is ours to submit, to reject all idea of desert in ourselves, and to rely wholly and exclusively on Him who came into the world to save sinners.

To conclude-In what manner has this saying been received by us? Surely, if we have any perception of the evil of our doings, any knowledge of the danger that awaits us, any thought of futurity, this is a saying which should meet with a ready and cordial reception. It carries the promise of pardon and peace even to the chief of sinners; and all who are weary and oppressed will find, in Jesus, the rest and salvation which their souls require. It is possible that the repetition of the intelligence may diminish its interest; and, although it involves all the happiness of this life, and all the blessings of the world to come, we may, by the mere force of habit, become indifferent to the subject, and turn from it as if we had no part nor lot in the matter. How many poor and ignorant heathens, who have received this saying when first proposed to them with all acceptation," will rise up in judgment against numbers in this favoured land who bear the name of Christ, and condemn them! It were better for them never to have heard his invitations, never to have mixed with the assemblies of his people, than thus to do despite to the Spirit of Grace, and neglect the offers of salvation.

And as for those who have learnt duly to value this "faithful saying," and have received it into their hearts by faith, they may be assured that, however great the consolations which it now affords, the time is coming when its truth and importance will be still more fully felt. Our views of salvation are at present inadequate, as our knowledge of the future world is extremely confined; but when we

come to know even as we are known; when we are called to the actual enjoyment of those things

which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor imagination conceived; when we tread the pavement of heaven, and mingle with the company of the blessed; then we shall value as we ought the nature of salvation, and perceive how faith ful, and how worthy of all men to be received, was the intelligence of a Saviour! Let this saying, then, be deeply impressed upon our hearts; let us cherish the impression by reading the Scriptures, meditation, and prayer, and by all the means of grace which remind us of the dying love of our Lord, and of the blessings which he has purchased for us; and let us live like those who know the stable foundation of their hope, and are looking for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to perfect in glory the happiness of his saints, and to bestow eternal salvation on all them that believe! Amen.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. ALTHOUGH you have already published a systematic reply to Mr. Mant's Tracts, you perhaps may not object to the insertion of the following extract from the writings of a divine whose name will not be under any suspicion of Calvinism-I mean Bishop Burnet. It occurs in his Exposition of the 27th Article. His words are these:-"That does indeed belong to baptism, it makes us the visible members of that one body, into, which we are baptized, or admitted by baptism; but that which saves us in it, which both deadens and quickens us, must be a thing of another nature. If baptism were only the receiving us into the society of Christians, there were no need of saying, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It were more proper to say, I baptize

thee in the name, and by the au thority of, the Church. Therefore these august words, that were dictated by our Lord himself, shew us that there is somewhat in it that is internal, which comes from God; that it is an admitting men into somewhat that depends only on God, and for the giving of which the authority can only be derived by Him. But after all, this is not to be believed to be of the nature of a charm, as if the very act of baptism carried always with it an inward regeneration. Here we must confess that very early some doctrines arose upon baptism that we cannot be determined by. The words of our Saviour to Nicodemus were expounded so as to import the absolute necessity of baptism in order to salvation; for it not being observed, that the dispensation of the Messias was meant by the kingdom of God, but it being taken to signify eternal glory, that understood to import this, that expression of our Saviour's was no man could be saved unless he were baptized; so it was believed. to be simply necessary to salvation."

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