SERMON XVI.

"And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren."-MATTHEW, xii. 49.

WHEN We reflect upon those expressions of tenderness and compassion which flowed from the lips of the Redeemer, the gratitude of the sincere believer is most powerfully excited; the love of the Lord Jesus Christ kindles in his bosom the most rapturous feelings of devotion, and he is constrained to yield him the most cheerful and glowing obedience.

Before the incarnation of the Saviour; before he vacated his throne, and descended upon earth to carry into effect the purposes of redemption, he evidenced his compassion for the human family in the presence of the celestial host; to the astonishment of angels and archangels, he determined to avert the wrath of God from a guilty world, and offered himself a sacrifice for sin. When man was involved in misery; when every door of escape was closed; when Satan reigned triumphant, and was exulting in the ruin he had produced; when the regions of misery echoed with the rude transports of infernal joy; when there was no eye to pity, and no arm to save the apostate children of men, then did Jesus, the Redeemer, offer himself a ransom for sinners, and consent to bear that punishment which would

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have crushed in ruin a guilty world. When angels, perhaps, were silent; when their harps were hung upon the willows, at that sad prospect of misery which awaited the descendants of a fallen Adam, then did the compassionate Jesus advance before the throne of Jehovah, propose himself as the Mediator between God and man, and declare himself ready to meet the most rigorous demands of divine justice: "Lo," said he, "I come to do thy will, O God; in the volume of the book it is written of me, that I should fulfil thy will, O God! I am content to do it, yea, thy law is within my heart;" as if he had said, in the volume of Scripture it is written, "That the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head;" in the volume of Scripture it is written, that the Redeemer of man "should be wounded for the transgressions of mankind, and bruised for their iniquities:" and that the Lord would lay upon him the iniquity of all the human family. In conformity with these prophetic declarations, he substituted himself in the sinner's place, satisfied the divine justice, preserved the veracity of God, and rendered it possible for Jehovah to be just and immutable in his denunciations against sin, and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.

In the fulness of time, when the important work of redemption was to be completed by his sufferings, he left the regions of glory, where adoring seraphs were chaunting his praises, and took upon him our nature. When the cherubic train, animated with his love to man, proclaimed his nativity to the shepherds, the Sun of Righteousness arose ; his joyful rays illumined a benighted world, and reflected upon man the light of immortality and bliss.

As the Redeemer advanced in life, his conduct formed a conclusive evidence of his benevolence and love; he went about doing good, imparting vision to those who were involved in darkness, and enabling the lame to walk; he preached the Gospel to the poor, and invited the heavy. laden sinner, however complicated his offences, to fly to

him for succour.

It was in the discharge of this important duty that he

was engaged when he was informed that his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. The multitude imagined that the Messiah's particular regard was due to his immediate relatives, and that they, as comparative strangers, had but a secondary claim to his consideration; but that Being, whose sympathy and affection is universal, in language of parental tenderness thus interrogated the messenger, "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren ?" Art thou insensible to the nature of my office; is my heart a stranger to the wants of any of the human family ; are not all who listen to my voice, and conform to my precepts, allied to me by the dearest tie of affection? Look around you, observe those weeping penitents who are lamenting their sins, and seeking counsel at my lips! It is such who have an interest in my regard and demand my pastoral care; it is for such that I have undertaken to labour and to die; "and he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, behold my mother and my brethren;" in them I am well pleased; they have taken up my cross, and are pressing toward a better world.

As the concerns of eternity, brethren, are of the most lasting importance, and as the least mistake may be productive of the most serious consequences, the path to heaven is rendered by the Scriptures so plain, that "the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein." The blessed Jesus, therefore, in the verse immediately succeeding the text, has furnished us with a criterion, by which we are to distinguish his disciples from the children of the world; and as we are to judge ourselves by the same rule by which we form an estimate of others, it behoves us to examine our hearts with the strictest scrutiny, in order that we may ascertain our title to celestial joys. "Whosoever," said Christ, "shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, my sister, and my mother."

The Christian, who considers the Lord Jesus as an infallible teacher, and who receives his declaration as the

standard by which to judge of the pretensions of mankind, must believe that the presumptuous offender, the man who habitually violates the precepts of heaven, can have no solid reason to conclude that he is in a state of safety. He who lives regardless of the Almighty, who tramples upon his authority, and who refuses to live in subjection to his moral government, instead of viewing the Saviour as his brother, has just cause of alarm. The man whose object of worship is the world, whose chief delight is found in the gratification of his passions, in scenes of dissipation, of riot, and of profaneness, cannot come within the description of those who do the will of God. The man to whom the worship of Jehovah is a burden; who holds no intercourse with the Almighty in prayer; and in whose view the duties of religion possess no charms, can have no claim to the distinguished character of an heir of immortal joys, the child of God.

To afford you an opportunity to judge of your connection to the Lord Jesus, and to discern whether ye are entitled to the appellation of his mother, his sister, or his brother, I will give you the general outlines of the Christian character; outlines, brethren, drawn from the sacred writings, and warranted by the declarations of the Saviour himself.

One of the first marks belonging to the believer, a distinctive feature acknowleged by Christians of all denominations, consists in a heart-felt knowledge and confession of sin. Thus the Psalmist, "I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me;" "I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, and so thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Connected with a true confession and sorrow for sin, will be found a disposition to supplicate Jehovah for pardon, and to ask for the assistance of his Spirit to enable the penitent to conform his life in future to the glory of God. Thus, you perceive, that when David was convinced of sin he entreated for mercy and forgiveness; "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mer

cies blot out my transgressions;" "Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God." The same disposition was evidenced by the publican in the temple, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" and by Peter, who "went out and wept bitterly." This act of prayer the believer considers not only as a duty, but views it as his greatest privilege; to be deprived of that comfort would obscure his prospects and break his heart. Knowing that the Almighty has declared, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will hear thee;" believing that the Lord Jesus has said, "Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you;" recollecting that the apostle has enjoined him to "pray without ceasing," he engages in the exercise of it with pleasure; and finds from its devout use, that it produces a tranquillity of mind which the world can neither give nor take away.

Another feature in the Christian's character consists in his attachment to the public worship of Almighty God. Jehovah having, by a solemn mandate, commanded an observance of the Sabbath, he repairs to the sacred temple with alacrity, to mingle his devotions with the people of God; and to worship the father of his spirit, the author of all his comforts, in the beauty of holiness. Instead of viewing it as a burden, he acknowledges the goodness of God in the appointment of it, and exultingly says with the Psalmist, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the the house of the Lord," " for one day spent in his courts, is better than a thousand;" convinced of the beneficial effects arising from an observance of the Sabbath, he brings his children with him, in order that they may partake also of those blessings dispensed by the King of saints. While within the walls of the sanctuary, he recollects that it is the place where Jehovah more particularly dwelleth; a solemn seriousness pervades his whole conduct; he is attentive to the word of God as it is read and preached; he comes into the temple of the Great Eternal, not as a critic but the humble follower of Christ, and his prayers are of fered up with that solemnity which becometh the house of God.