duty, or that he does not wish and endeavour to acquire every Christian grace in which he perceives himself to be deficient. Yet there are certainly many graces which he possesses only in a very limited degree.

In like manner, there is an instability in his Christian course. He is not influenced by such a stedfast and constant principle, as to make him uniformly watchful and zealous. Sometimes he appears penetrated with a deep concern for his soul, and an ardent desire to glorify the name of Christ; but soon you find him cold, inattentive, and thoughtless. Now he is much impressed under the word of God; but afterwards you perceive that his actions do not satisfy the hopes which that impression had excited.

Add to this, that the man who is not yet perfect or established in Christ, is more or less defective in every act of obedience. There is no grace which he carries to its proper height; there is no principle which produces a full and complete effect upon his mind. He loves God, but not, with that fervour which the Bible enjoins: he is humble in a measure; but is not properly affected by his unworthiness. He is not destitute of love to his neighbour; but that love is so weak that it produces no active exertions of benevolence. He worships God; but his gratitude is faint, his thanksgivings deficient in fervour: there is little real contrition in his confessions of sin, and he prays for an increase of grace without any intense desire for a higher degree of holiness.

But the Christian who is advanced to the stature of a perfect man, is established in knowledge, in faith, in love, and obedience. His attention having long been engaged in considering the great truths of Scripture, and having often tried by that unerring standard his own heart, and the maxims and habits of the world, he is not moved with every wind of doctrine: his mind is not harassed by tormenting doubts and suspicions respecting the truths of the Gospel. He sees the evil of error; he understands the truth in its relations, con

nexions, and dependencies; his knowledge of the Gospel is extensive, clear, and copious. He knows that he has not followed cunningly devised fables, and is ready to give an answer to every man concerning the hope that is in him. And as he is established in the knowledge of the truth, so also is he in faith in Christ. His dependence upon him is constant, sincere, and uniform. He places no confidence in the flesh: he attributes nothing to his own power: he has no trust in his own righteousness. Dependence upon the Divine power, grace, and faithfulness, is habitual to him; and is the principle upon which he is daily acting.-Observe also, his affections and his hope are stedfast and lively: his love is pure, regular, and increasing; his dread of sin strong and habitual; his desires uniformly directed to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, and of the grace of God in his soul. You do not find him temporizing and worldly in his spirit: his heart is whole with God. His patience under suffering is constant; his resignation to the will of God complete: he is ready to lay down his life whenever God calls for it, without murmuring or repining.-His conduct is also such as becomes these affections. It is exemplary and pure: you remark in him not merely strict integrity and a sober demeanour, but such a purity, watchfulness, charity, and good will, that the world around see his good works, and glorify his Father which is in heaven.Such is the design of the preaching of the Gospel! It is to present men truly holy in the great day of the appearing of Jesus Christ. It is first to cleanse them from all the guilt of sin, by the efficacy of his blood, and then to sanctify them by the influence of his Spirit blessing the word, that they may become a holy and peculiar people, zealous of good works, and meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Thus Christ is said to have given himself for the church, "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.”

Although this great end is never fully answered in this life, yet there is a gradual approach and tendency towards it. He who was once corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts of the flesh, without God and without Christ, now is become a new creature in Christ Jesus, and is growing in grace and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour. He is making a constant progress in real religion; he is continually using the means of grace, and is thus daily mortifying the body of sin, and attaining a greater conformity to the image of Christ.

II. But, secondly, Jesus Christ is the subject of the preaching of his ministers; and, by preaching Him, the great end which has been considered is to be accomplished.

To preach Christ, is to preach the Gospel of Christ. This Gospel was intrusted to the Apostles and after them to successive ministers, as the word by which the kingdom of Christ was to be established, and man to be restored to the image of God. The Gospel of Christ comprehends the whole of his doctrine. It may be considered as consisting of two parts: the one relating to the efficacy of his death, and the benefits which all true Christians derive from it; the other enforcing and explaining the nature of that holiness which is required of all who are made partakers of his great salvation. It is not an uncommon error to confine the preaching of Christ, wholly to the first of these two great divisions of Christian truth; whereas, the second is here expressly stated as a branch of the Apostle's office: he was to warn and to teach every man, in all wisdom.-But as that subject more properly belongs to the last of the three topics I propose to consider, I shall here only shew, that proclaiming the death of Christ is eminently calculated to produce the great effect which I have described. This will appear, if we consider the obligations which it inculcates, and the principles which it supplies.

1. The obligations which it inculcates are of the highest nature. It teaches us to regard ourselves as redeemed by the most precious blood of the Son of God, from a state of endless ruin and misery. A state more awful cannot be conceived. We were under the wrath of God, destitute of power to retrieve ourselves, the slaves of sin, and under the dominion of Satan: led captive by him at his pleasure, we were passing rapidly forward to eternal perdition, and were utterly unable to arrest or suspend our progress. In this state our eyes were opened to our misery and ruin, and we trembled under the sense of our danger. But the Gospel tells us of redemption in Christ: it exhibits him with a love and pity which can know no parallel, coming down into the world to make atonement for sinners: it reveals him as able and willing to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him: it shews the sinner the efficacy of his Redeemer's death; his meritorious intercession; his care over his church; the promises he gives to his people; his watchfulness and protection of them; his boundless love and wonderful grace. And, while the Gospel reveals these glorious truths, does it not discover, in the fullest manner, our obligation to live to Christ, to consider ourselves as no longer our own, but bought with a price, and bound therefore to glorify God with our bodies and spirits, which are his?

2. The preaching of Christ having thus exhibited to man the obligations under which he lies to his Redeemer, proceeds to inculcate and confirm the most powerful principles of action which can affect the human heart. It addresses a man's most serious fears, his warmest hopes, his liveliest gratitude and love. It represents in so awful a light the misery of separation from Christ-the dreadful state of those who are excluded from the kingdom of heaven-the danger of yielding to the world and the devil, and, above all, to that corrupt flesh which is the enemy of God and of godliness-that the Christian's chief apprehension is lest he should be rejected by his Saviour. Therefore

he watches, he prays, he reads the word of God, he seeks in all things to approve himself as the servant of Christ. But his hopes are awakened not less than his fears, and are directed to the same great end. The hope of dwelling with Christ and beholding the felicity of his chosen people; the hope of entering into rest from all the troubles of this evil world; the hope of being endued with grace to glorify God, and to honour his name on earth, inspire him with earnestness in running the race set before him, and with a holy resolution to overcome every difficulty and opposition. To these principles he adds the still stronger motives of gratitude and love. He feels that he owes to his Redeemer all his happiness, present as well as future. He sees that Christ can call him to no self-denial which he is not bound by the most sacred obligations of gratitude to endure, and that the greatest sacrifices he can make are incomparably inferior to that which his Saviour has made for him. He is stimulated to more earnest exertions while he sees in this evil world how few honour and love the name of his Divine Master. He feels with the Apostle that all things are but dross and dung compared with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord. Like him, he says, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of Jesus Christ." Thus is he prepared to devote himself wholly to the service of God. He feels that he is bound no longer to live to himself, but to pass a holy and useful life, devoted to the service of him who gave himself for him.

Such obligations, and such principles, the preaching of Christ is intended to inculcate; and it is therefore obvious that the constant instruction of the minister, and constant attention of the hearer, will be necessary to give a right direction and guidance to principles so powerful.

III. Thirdly, then, In what manner is this instruction to be given? The text sets before us the practice of the great Apostle-"warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom."