by the sacrifice, and become our own saviours. * Like Naaman, the Syrian, if the Word of God had commanded us to do some great thing, we would do it willingly; but we despise the simple precept of the Gospel, "wash and be clean." +"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Many proud sinners have willingly undergone torturing penances; pain, hunger, and poverty, in

"going about to establish their own righteousness," and their fellow sinners have sainted them, and even worshipped them, for those very deeds which sprung from the foul pride of our sinful nature: those very deeds which were so many witnesses against them, that they had no trust in the Saviour of sinners ;-no faith in the full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice which he made by the one offering of himself for the sins of the whole world." Seeing that this sinful pride is so deeply rooted in the natural heart of man; we cannot too frequently or too decidedly oppose it, (both in ourselves and others) by comtemplating and proclaiming the humbling truths of the Gospel; by proclaiming our Saviour's own gracious words,

* 2 Kings, v. 13. † Acts, xvi. 31.

Rom. x, 3.

*"I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. "Woe unto you scribes and

pharisees, hypocrites."

In the parable of the ten virgins we are told that when the foolish virgins found that their lamps had gone out, and that they had no oil with them; they applied to the wise to give them some of their oil. This request was refused by the wise, not because they were unwilling to share it with them, but lest there should not be enough for both. They then gave them the advice contained in our text. "Go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves:" from which it appears that there was some place, where the foolish virgins might buy oil; and that they had a sufficient price to pay for it.

The Holy Spirit, who seems to be represented to us by this oil, is the Lord and Giver of life. It is by his powerful influence that the salvation of the Gospel is applied to the hearts of sinners: therefore the purchasing of this blessing would include in it, all the blessings of the Gospel salvation. And what price is sufficient to purchase the eternal salvation of

* Matthew, ix. 13. † Ibid ix. 12. Ibid. xxiii. 27.

our immortal souls! it cannot be any thing earthly, for our Saviour shows us, that even one soul is of more value than the whole world, when he asks us, *"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" did a man sell his soul for the whole world, he would be a loser by the bargain; for his soul will live in eternity, when the same all powerful word which first called this world into existence, shall again consign it to its original nothingness.

We must seek the price of salvation beyond the boundaries of the earth, and above the sun, the moon, and the stars; for they, as well as our world, shall fall from their spheres when their appointed time is ended. We must seek it at the very throne of God, for as the guilt of sin is infinite, (being committed against an infinite Sovereign) the ransom of sinners must also be infinite; and there-there, on the very throne of the Almighty Jehovah, we find the price of our salvation, the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the Almighty Jehovah himself. This is the invaluable price that we must bring to obtain the divine influence of the Holy Spirit, as well as

* Matthew, xvi. 26.

every other blessing of salvation; with this price we may purchase the favour of God, and a title to eternal glory in heaven. And when we approach our Creator, pleading the precious blood of Christ as our only hope and trust, we have as strong a claim upon his justice as upon his mercy for we bring a sufficient price to redeem us from hell and to purchase the kingdom of heaven. And the infinite. justice of God will be as highly glorified by the salvation of the disciples of Jesus, as his infinite mercy, for their iniquity is purged both by mercy and truth, in the cross of Christ, mercy and truth are met together.

Let us now enquire how we may obtain this inestimable price of our salvation, for many who acknowledge that they can only be pardoned and justified before God by the atonement of our Saviour; yet imagine that they must bring some smaller price in their hands to purchase the benefit of that atonement. And if such a bribe be necessary to render our Saviour merciful, it must surely be something of the same nature, as that which brought him down from heaven to die for sinners. And was it the good intentions or good works of man, that brought our Lord down from his throne of glory in

heaven? No, it was the love of God! *"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." § Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." This same infinite love, which induced our God and Saviour to lay down his life for us, still moves him to have mercy upon us. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." He has paid the price of our redemption, and he now offers us everlasting salvation as freely as he gives us the light of heaven, or the air we breathe. And even before our Saviour became the Son of Man, we find the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah thus proclaiming the free salvation of the Gospel. **Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no mo

* John, iii. 16. † Romans, v. 8. § 1 John, iii. 16.

Titus, iii. v.

1 John, iv. 10.

** Isaiah, lv. 1, 2, 3.