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eating and drinking, sleeping and waking, preaching the Gospel to the people, weeping over Jerusalem, paying tribute for himself and Peter, and suffering death, can we refuse to acknowledge that he was perfect man as we are? Therefore do we find him called in Scripture sometimes the Son of David, sometimes the Son of man. On the contrary, when we behold him forgiving sins, working miracles, casting out devils, healing men with only a word, knowing the thoughts of men's hearts, baving the seas at his command, walking on the waves, rising from death to life, and ascending into heaven, do we not see him proved to be perfect God, co-equal with the Father as touching his godhead? I and the Father are one." This he said in respect to his godhead. But in reference to his manhood he saith, "the Father is greater than I.”

mies, and erect such a kingdom on the earth as has never yet been witbas nessed. While they delude themselves with these groundless fancies, they deny and reject Christ. Therefore is "Christ crucified unto the a Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness;" because they think it a thing contrary to all reason that the Redeemer and Saviour of the world should be treated as he was; should be despised, reviled, scourged, condemned, and at last cruelly slain. But while they thus act, let us, who hope and expect to be saved, both sted fastly believe and boldly confess that the same Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was the true Messiah and Mediator between God and man, promised and prophesied of so long before. For as truly as God liveth, so truly was Jesus Christ the true Messiah and Saviour of the world; even the same Jesus who, as this day, was born of the Virgin Mary, by the power and operation of the Holy Ghost.

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Indeed the necessity of our salvation did require such a Mediator and Saviour, as under one person should be a partaker of both natures: it was requisite he should be man; it was requisite also he should be God. For as the transgression came by man, so was it meet that the satisfaction should be made by man. Death being the just reward of sin, therefore, in order to appease the wrath and satisfy the justice of God, it was expedient that our Mediator should be such an one as might take upon him the sins of mankind, and sustain death, their due punishment. Moreover, he came in flesh, and in the same flesh ascended into heaven. to testify unto us, that all faithful people who stedfastly believe in him, shall likewise come unto the same place whither he, our chief Captain, is gone before. Lastly, he became man, that we might receive the greater comfort both in our prayers and in our adversity, when we consider that we have a Mediator who really partakes of our nature; "who also is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, having been in all points tempted like as we are." For these and other causes it was

We are taught in Scripture, that this our Lord and Saviour Christ consists of two natures; of his manhood, being thereby perfect manand of his godhead, being thereby perfect God. "The Word," that is to say, the second Person in the Trinity, "became flesh, and dwelt among us." "God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, did what the law could not do.” “Christ, being in the form of God, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, being found in fashion as a man." "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached - unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." "There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." These passages plainly prove that both natures, God and man, are united in Christ Jesus. And if any farther proof of this truth were want ing, we should have only to consider the life which he led and the works which he did whilst on earth. When we behold him hungering and thirsting,

most needful that Christ should come in the flesh.

But as no created being, who is only a creature, has, or can have, power to destroy death and give life; to overcome hell and purchase heaven; to remit sins, and give righteousness; therefore it was needful that our Messiah, whose proper duty and office that was, should be not only perfect man, but also full and perfect God, to the end that he might fully and perfectly make satisfaction for mankind. Christ appeared, and quenched the wrath of his Father, not in that he was only the Son of man, but much more in that he was the Son of God.

Thus have we heard from Scripture that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah and Saviour of the world; that he was by nature and substance perfect God and perfect man; and also for what cause it was expedient it should be so. Now, that we may be the more thankful to God on this account, let us briefly consider the manifold and great benefits which we have received by the birth of this our Messiah and Saviour.

Before Christ's coming into the world, all men universally, in Adam, were nothing else but a wicked and perverse generation, corrupt trees, stony ground full of brambles and briars, lost sheep, prodigal sons, unprofitable servants, unrighteous stewards, workers of iniquity, the brood of adders, blind guides, sit ting in darkness and the shadow of death to be short, nothing else but children of perdition, and inheritors of hell-fire. To this truth St. Paul bears witness in different passages of his Epistles, and Christ himself also, in several places of his Gospel. But after Christ came down from heaven, and took our frail nature upon him, he made all those who would truly receive him and believe his word, good trees, and good ground, fruitful and pleasant branches, children of light, citizens

of heaven, sheep of his fold, mem

bers of his body, heirs of his king

dom, his true friends and brethren,
the elect and chosen people of Go
For, as St. Peter saith," He bare
our sins in his own body on the tree;
and by his stripes we were healed.”
For whereas before, "we were a
sheep going astray," he, by his
coming, hath now brought us back
again to the true "Shepherd and
He died
Bishop of our souls."
for our sins, and rose again for our
justification;" thus making es "i
chosen generation, a royal priest
hood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people." "For we ourselves al
were sometimes foolish, disobedient, į
deceived, serving divers lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and
envy, hateful, and hating one ane-
ther. But after that the kindness
and love of God our Saviour towards
man appeared, not by works
righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which he shed on us abundantly,
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
that we, being justified by his grace,
should be made heirs, according
the hope of eternal life," through
hope and faith in his blood.

In these and other passages Scripture, is set before our eyes, äi it were in a glass, the abundant grace of God, received in Christ Jesus; which is so much the more to be admired because it did not spring from any desert of ours, but from his mere and tender mercy, even when we were utter enemies to him.

But that we may the better un derstand this, let us consider the end of his coming; so shall we per ceive how great are the benefits which the nativity of Christ has brought to us, miserable and sinful creatures. The end of his coming was to save and deliver his people, to fulfil the law for us, to bear wit ness to the truth, to teach and preach the words of his Father, to give light unto the world, 10 call sinners to repentance, to give rest to them that are weary and heavy

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way. And because he is our only Master, our only Teacher, our only Shepherd and chief Captain; there fore let us become his servants, his scholars, his sheep, his soldiers. As for sin, the flesh, the world, and the devil, whose servants and bondslaves we were before the coming of Christ, let us utterly cast them off, and renounce them, as the great enemies of our souls. And being once delivered from their cruel ty ranny by Christ, let us never fall into their hands again, lest our latter end should be worse than our beginning. But "he that endureth to the end, shall be saved." "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." "He that putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God." Therefore let us be " stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Let us receive Christ, not for a time, but for ever; let us become his servants, not for a time, but for ever; let us believe his word, not for a time, but for ever; remembering that he hath redeemed and saved us, not for a time, but for ever, and will receive us into his heavenly kingdom, there to reign with him, not for a time, but for ever. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, praise, and glory, for ever and ever.Amen*.

laden, to cast out the prince of this world, to reconcile us to God in the body of his flesh, to destroy the works of the devil; and, lastly, to become a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. " These were the chief ends for which Christ became man; not for any advantage he could derive from it, but only for our sakes; that we might understand the will of God, be partakers of his heavenly light, be delivered from the power of Satan, released from the burden of sin, justified through faith in his blood, and finally received up into everlasting glory, there to reign with him for ever. Was it not a great and singular love of Christ towards mankind, that though he was the "brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person,' he should nevertheless humble himself, and take upon him the form of a servant, and this only to save and redeem us? Oh! how much are we bound by this goodness of God! How many thanks and praises do we owe unto him, for this our salvation, wrought for us by his dear and only Son Jesus Christ, who became a pilgrim on earth, to make us citizens of heaven; who became the Son of man, to make us the sons of God; who became obedient to the law, to deliver us from the curse of the law; who became poor, to make us rich; vile, to make us precious; subject to death, that we might live for ever! What greater love than this could we desire at the hands of God!

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Let us not, therefore, ever forget this exceeding great love of our Lord and Saviour, nor shew ourselves unthankful towards him; but let us love him, fear him, obey him, and serve him. Let us confess him with our mouths, praise him with our tongues, believe on him with our hearts, and glorify him by our good works. Christ is the light: let us receive the light. Christ is the truth; let us believe the truth. Christ is the way; let us follow the CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 119.

The reader of the above sermon will easily recognize in it, " An Homily concerning the Nativity and Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ." The alterations which it has undergone do not in any degree affect the sense. They consist chiefly in the omission of a few passages, which seemed less seasonable in the present day than they were in the days of Elizabeth; and in the occasional substitution of a more modern phraseology, which has served rather to abate than to aggravate

the intensity of particular expressions on the subject of hunian corruption. Had the Bishop of Lincoln, or the Quarterly Reviewers, met with the same language in any modern divine, they would doubtless have reprobated it as Calvinistic. This, at least, we may venture to say, that they will find it difficult to produce, from the writings of any

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To the Editor of the Christian Observer. ALLOW me, Mr. Editor, to notice the paper of ELIAS, which appeared in your number for September. I will not say that I excuse the freedom of your correspondent's animadversions on my paper, inserted in your number for July: I feel really obliged to him for the attention he has paid to a very interesting subject, as well as for the friendly and

candid manner in which he has expressed his difference of opinion. My design, in addressing you at present, is merely to free from apparent inconsistency the passages of my paper quoted by your respectable correspondent. Let it, Let it, then, be observed, that it was my intention, in that paper, to recommend such an introduction of the Gospel into a parish ignorant of it, as may be calculated to win the affections of the people, and, as it were, insensibly to draw their attention to, and fix it on, the humniliating doctrines of the cross. Lest, however, this recommendation should be misinterpreted, and wrested to authorise an accommodation of evangelical truth to the depraved nature and corrupt inclinations of man, it was necessary to guard against abuse by stating explicitly that no such accommodation is, for a moment, to be allowed. Though the distinguishing doctrines of the Gospel are to be

modern Calvinist of the Church of England, or even from the writings of Calvin himself, declarations on this subject which are more unqualified in respect to the extent of hu

man degeneracy, or which are more uni versal in their application, than those which are contained in this homily. But is the homily therefore Calvinistic? Certainly that is not our opinion; but, on their own principles, the Bishop of Lincoln and the Quarterly

Reviewers are bound to think so.

The

dilemma in which they are placed is this:they must admit either that the Homilies are Calvinistic; or that they have rashly confounded with the peculiarities of Calvinism, what are the clear and determinate views of the Church of England (aud, need we add, of the Holy Scriptures) on the subject of

Original Sin.

preached in a gradual and concils tory manner, still these doctrins are, in no instance, to be fritter away or infringed upon: they are w be retained in all their purity; an to bend to no peculiar cases; a are, at length, to be fully developed If they are not all at once to be brought forward in a broad a familiar manner, still they are perf to be betrayed. If they are t gradually disclosed, still their pla is never to be supplied by a ba and unlawful mixture of script truth and human inventions.-Iis ter myself that this explanation wi cause all inconsistency to disappear. and that Elias will, upon referring to the paper in question, percent that the two passages, which he b quoted together, cannot, if viewe intheir proper connection, be thoug irreconcilable.

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After what has been urged by Academicus and Elias, it may expected that I should either retras the opinion expressed in a form paper, or advance something farthe in support of it. I would briety say, that, whilst I value the paper of Elias, as containing many usel hints and important cautions; ap whilst I think that the peculiar cumstances of some people may re quire peculiar conduct in their min sters, to whose discretion the matter must be left; still I am of opin that a clergyman, succeeding to parish ignorant of the Gospel, will in general, find it conducive to his usefulness to lay hold on sonie gee ral truths and leading principles of religion, speculatively allowed by his people: these he may upon, illustrate, and carry to their utmost extent; and by these he may prepare the way for that full dis closure of evangelical truth, to which his parish has been unaccustomed I do not think that any great length of time will be spent in the proseca tion of this introductory plan; not do I, with Academicus, feel appre hensive, lest, whilst a minister thus acts, any of his hearers should perish for lack of knowledge. If, from a

insist

sincere and earnest desire to promote the glory of God and the salvation of perishing sinners, he thus begins the work of instructing his people, his sermons will, I think, contain that which will awaken the attention, interest the feelings, and affect the hearts of his bearers; that which will stir them up to inquire into their real condition, and will finally lead to true repentance and sound conversion. If he fervently implore the blessing of God on his labours, he will not, I am persuaded, work in vain. Elias proposes, for the imitation of ministers, the example of the apostles and first publishers of Christianity; and most cordially do I agree with him in thinking that their conduct furnishes the best rules for their successors of the present day. Still, however, I would inquire, Whether, as far as their circumstances admit the com

parison, they did not act somewhat in the way proposed in my former paper? Whether to Jews they did not found the preaching of the Gospel on the economy and peculiar views of Judaism? And whether the condition of the Gentiles, with whom they had few principles in common, did not render necessary, with respect to them, a manner of proceeding not altogether applicable to the professed Christians of modern times?

With these inquiries I conclude; assuring you, Mr. Editor, and your readers, that it is my earnest wish and fervent prayer that the everblessed Gospel may spread through out the world; and that those who are commissioned to publish it, may be divinely directed to the adoption of the means best calculated to give success to their message!

Ν-Σ.

MISCELLANEOUS.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

(Continued from page 627.)

I SHALL conclude this paper by guarding your readers against some evils not uncommon in families, which are in direct hostility with the principles laid down above. This will shorten what I should otherwise say in my future communications on education.

1. Let a parent be particularly on his guard against his faults and weaknesses when in the bosom of his family. The reverse is not seldom the case. The circumspection and restraint practised abroad, are often greatly relaxed at home. Here, liberties and self-indulgences are thought more allowable; wrong tempers are not instantly repressed in the bosoin, and are suffered to deform the countenance, and also sometimes to break out in unchris

tian tones, expressions, and conduct. We must all have observed this in others; and few of us, I conceive, are unconscious of having been sometimes taken by surprise on the entrance of a friend, of having felt that it was necessary to recal both the mind and the face to greater serenity and benignity, in order to receive him properly. Now, can we seriously think, that a heart and a countenance unfit for our friend, was fit for our children, who surrounded us before his arrival? Can we estimate the mischief which such moral deformity, placed before their eyes in the person of their father, may produce? Some one says, that no man is a hero before his valet-de-chambre. I will not stop to inquire what is becoming in a hero; but a Christian certainly ought, if possible, to be more a Christian before his family,

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