these words addressed to ourselves, or to Peter, James or John, or any one else but ourselves. Could we meet such a heart-searching question without some misgivings? Is there no likelihood that we might, in such trying times as those were, be found among the faint-hearted or worldly-minded professors, who went off from him? Or should we promptly and heartily join Peter in his excellent reply, "Lord, to whom shall we go,-thou hast the words of eternal life?" How few of us could bear the test of character which Jesus applied to that amiable, but, till that moment, much too self-satisfied young man! Should we not, if we entered fully into his situation, feel our souls thrill with apprehension, to have the Saviour say to us, one thing thou lackest ;"—and that too such a thing, -to part with all,-alas, how few of us would not go away sorrowful, and give up Christianity rather than the world, if such a test of adherence to it were proposed to us;-or even if it were required of us to give up only some one darling indulgence. 66 I will mention but one more instance, though we might go through most of the gospel history in the same way. If we were in the habit of reading the account of that impressive scene at which the supper was instituted, in such a manner as to identify ourselves with the twelve disciples,-should we not obtain new views of the excellent tendency of that rite, and of our obligation to attend upon it. If we once brought home to our own minds that solemn charge,-" do this in remembrance of me,"-were we once to realize those words to have been spoken to ourselves, could we ever afterwards neglect this sacred duty? Could we, year after year, as many of us do, keep back from this simple expression of attachment to our blessed Lord? Can we believe that those, who were actually present at that af fecting scene, could live in the neglect of it? Could any thing tempt us to do so, had we been among that favored number? Yet what is there to make it a reasonable, or important, or interesting service to them which does not make it equally so to us ?-The remembrance of him who gave up every thing for us,-of his character, his sufferings, and his bitter death,—is as important to be kept alive in our hearts as it was in their's; his memory ought to be as dear to us as it could be to them. Could we thus habitually realize our connexion with the Saviour;-could we use ourselves to give a close and searching application to ourselves of his impressive words, we must believe we should soon come to regard him with a juster sense of our being in truth his disciples,-of his being really a Master to us, our Lord and our Saviour;-an object of reverence, gratitude, obedience and love, to us, as truly as he ever was so to the apostles, saints and martyrs. 2. We said we considered a strong feeling of a close and intimate connexion subsisting between the Saviour and ourselves to be of vital consequence to our attainment of the true christian character. To be a Christian is certainly something more than to maintain an observance, ever so strict, of the precepts and rules which Christ enjoined. We might as well believe in Socrates, or in Plato, as in Jesus, if we are merely to live in the same cold, distant performance of his injunctions and commands, which we should pay to their moral sentences; if we are to have no feeling of near relationship to him,-no union of ourselves to him in purpose, mind and heart. Christ beautifully illustrates the close connexion that must take place between him and the believers on him, as being like the union of the vine to its branches. "I am the vine; ye are the branches." "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine,—no more can ye, except ye abide in me;"—and there is more to the same purpose. This shows us that there are great and important purposes to be effected through Christ in our characters, which make it necessary that we should live with the idea of our being closely connected with him constantly in our minds. He is the Mediator between God and man;-the appointed medium by which we are to approach to God, and by which spiritual blessings are to be conveyed from God to us. God is a pure spirit;—an infinite being. We are limited and confined in our capacities;—we cannot comprehend God; we cannot imitate him directly'; for we have never seen him, and none of our faculties can give us any idea of him. Creatures of sense, as we are, have need of help; we need a mediator ;—a being that shall exhibit to us a representation of those perfections of Deity which we are to imitate, and at length to introduce into our own characters. Such a Mediator is our Lord Jesus. Made in all points as we are, he yet remained sinless,—and presented to us in his life, his piety, his sufferings, the brightest display of the divine attributes of which the human nature is capable. Now all this provision of means is made for our sakes. We are sinners; we have offended God,-wandered from him and defaced his image impressed on our souls. This Mediator between him and us has come to persuade and to help us to shake off the power of sin ;-to give us new and better principles of action; to stamp his own divine image,-the image of holiness and purity,-upon our hearts;-and this is the way in which he is to reconcile us to God;-this is the great work of our redemption or recovery from sin. We say, he has come to persuade and to help us to accomplish it. But he may plead with us forever in vain, if we keep ourselves at a distance from him. He can produce no effect upon our hearts, unless we put ourselves within his reach. We must have the same union and incorporation of our souls, our desires, purposes and affections, with his, in which his were joined to God's. We are to connect ourselves with him in heart, affection and holy purpose, just as he connected himself with God. "If ye keep my commandments," says he, "ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." It was meat and drink to him to do the will of his heavenly Father. It refreshed and strengthened his soul to let his thoughts ruminate on the perfections of the Infinite Spirit, which were never revealed so fully to any human apprehension as to his. Now, our part is to feel the same satisfaction and delight in doing his will, which he felt in accomplishing the will of God. His holy example, his exalted piety, his patience, his submission, his gentleness, his unresentful and forgiving spirit, ought to be the matter of our daily contemplations. We should aspire after them with an assurance that in them is our life. We should feel our virtuous purposes and desires kindled anew on this altar. We should feel that he indeed lived and died for us,that we might live and die like him. Christian friends, when the Saviour becomes thus the you centre of your thoughts and affection ;-when you make your connexion with him a perpetual spring of holy influences to your character,-then, be assured, you are not living in vain; you are answering the end of your existence; you are answering the purposes for which, in regard to you, Jesus lived and died. So far as each of has his character formed in you, so far he rejoices over you as one whom he has redeemed from sin and has brought to God,-one, whose depraved and vicious inclinations, whose sinful habits and whose misery he has borne away,-one, for whom he did not sacrifice himself in vain, when, like a lamb, without spot or blemish, he offered himself to take away, if possible, the sins of the whole world. THE SAVIOUR. How beautiful, 'midst childhood's sunny dreams, Calm, lovely days of childhood, where are ye? But, O Redeemer! our deep love for thee, Our Guide! our Comforter! our changeless Friend! |