hailed it as good news and glad tidings; or, in other words, the gospel, besides commending itself to their understandings, made a lively impression on their hearts and affections; and this is surely the fullest reception that can be given to it by the natural man. But, while we are told that these hearers embraced the truth in this manner, we are also informed, that "by and bye they were offended" at the truth, and led to forsake it; clearly proving that, with all their apparent appreciation of the Gospel, they were destitute of true faith. It may, however, be objected that this was a case in which the truth had produced but a superficial effect, and, because it is said in the passage that the hearers in question "had no root in themselves," it may be argued that they did not embrace the doctrine of Christ with sufficient depth or seriousness of conviction; and it may be contended that if they had done so the result would have been different. To meet this objection, we would now refer you to another case mentioned in Matthew, (vii. 21,) where our Lord says: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Here we find a class of persons acknowledging with peculiar fervency that "Jesus is the Christ." They call him "Lord, Lord," as if laying the greatest possible emphasis on his Divine character and power. We find, moreover, that they not only embrace the Gospel, but exhibit so much zeal in its behalf, that they take upon themselves the office of preachers, and go forth to proclaim it. But, besides this, their labours appear, to themselves at least, and possibly to others, as crowned with the greatest success. "In Christ's name they cast out devils, and do many wonderful works." Nor in all this are they actuated by any spirit of conscious

hypocrisy or pretence; for so persuaded are they of the genuineness of their faith, and of the righteousness of their works, that they venture to plead them-to place them before the Judge, on the great day of reckoning, as direct evidences of their Christian discipleship. And yet, though they live and die, and rise again with this conviction in their minds, the Judge declares that he "never knew them," and drives them from his presence as "workers of iniquity." In this case, we see that we may embrace the Gospel so thoroughly as to devote our lives to the teaching of it, and go down to death with our hopes resting upon it, and appear at the judgment bar in the confident persuasion that we have actually believed it, and yet after all only discover, when we are there, that our faith is false, and that we appear before God with sin in our hearts, and the curse upon our head, and a lie in our right hand.

3. Hence we would observe, in the third place, that, in order to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the great truth in question must be revealed to us, and the persuasion of it wrought within us by a Power from above. The person and mission of the Messias are beyond the comprehension of nature. To perceive them aright—to realise in any substantive form the transcendant mysteries involved in them-requires light that man can never find in himself, and that can alone be communicated by that Spirit "who searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God." "Jesus the Christ" is a Divine Being, the second Person in the adorable Trinity-the Son and the Compeer of Jehovah-and where is the mind of mortal birth that can rise up to the conception of the mystery that is here? "Who by searching can find out God? who can find out the Almighty unto perfection?" "Jesus the Christ" is Emanuel, God with us-one who unites in his own person the nature of the loftiest and that of the lowest of all intelligent beings, thus combining in himself the infinite extremes of actual or possible existence. He is "a child," and yet "the

mighty God"--"a Son," and yet "the Everlasting Father;" and where again is the human soul capable of comprehending the mystery that is here! "Jesus the Christ" is the Mediator-the Anointed of the Father-the incarnate Messenger of the Covenant, sent forth to vindicate the sovereignty of the Godhead in the face of the universe, and to do this by unfolding the counsels of the Divine Mind, and accomplishing the plans of the divine mercy; and where, we would ask once more, is the living man who can fathom the mystery that is here?—who can grapple with the secrets which he has revealed—with the interests which he has reconciled-with the principles, embracing heaven, and earth, and hell, that are involved in his mighty undertaking;-an undertaking that required him to stoop from the highest dignity to the lowest humiliation-from the mansions of glory to the abodes of misery-from the starry throne and the beatific crown, to the stable and the cradle, the cross and the grave! Well might the Apostle, as all these grand truths passed before his view, like a sweeping procession of planetary worlds before the luminous gaze of the astronomer-well might he exclaim, in breathless admiration-"Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory."

The

Who then can believe that Jesus is the Christ? Who can comprehend aright this great mystery of godliness? very nature of the case the divine and supernatural truths immediately involved in it-truths entering into the very depths of God's own being, and referring to the most wonderful and unsearchable of his works and ways, shows that man has no faculties capable of grasping these things; and with this obvious conclusion the intimations of Scripture directly correspond; for we read, that " no man can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost;" and you cannot fail to recollect the memorable confession of Peter, and the comment which his Master made upon it. "Whom say ye that I am? (said Jesus

to his disciples;) and Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." And if we cannot call Jesus "Lord"-if we cannot see him to be the "Son of God" but by a spiritual revela · tion from above, how will any man venture to maintain that we can believe the Gospel of ourselves—that faith is merely an intellectual act that no special work of the Spirit is necessary in order to believing. Why surely a knowledge of the Divinity of Christ, and of his mediatorial office as the Anointed one of God, are the very first lessons that we need to learn. We cannot put any faith in the Redeemer, nor can we receive any part of his testimony, till we see him, till we know him, till we have some distinct understanding of his personal character; and if we cannot see him, or know him, or properly understand him by any quality inherent in "flesh and blood,” but solely by the light and power of the Holy Ghost, then how can it be said, with any decent respect for the Word, that we can believe of ourselves? Very different from this vain and presumptuous notion, is the declaration of the Apostle in the text; for he tells us that "whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is (not shall be) born of God;" and he elsewhere reiterates the same truth with still stronger and deeper emphasis; for he says, that "whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, (not shall dwell,) and he in God."

4. But we would observe once more, that besides the evidence of the supernatural character of faith derived from the supernatural character of those truths with which it is conversant, we find that the Scriptures, in a great variety of places, and in terms the most explicit, declare that vital believing is not an intellectual, but a spiritual act-a grace implanted in the soul by the regenerating influence of the Holy Ghost. The passages in proof of this are so numerous, that our only

difficulty lies in selecting those that may be regarded as the most palpable and direct To begin with the testimony of the true and faithful Witness himself, it is said, (Luke x. 21, 23,) that "in that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes: even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight, No man knoweth who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him." Here it is said, that the knowledge both of the Father and the Son is beyond the reach of human research, and must be specially revealed before it can he truly perceived; and to whom is it that the revelation is made? Not to the "wise and prudent," who, if it came by nature, would be the best prepared to understand it; but to those who, from their natural weakness and want of knowledge, are here called "babes." To them it is that these high mysteries are unfolded, for the express purpose of showing that the power of discerning them cannot be of man, but must be directly and undoubtedly of God. On this point, listen to the true and faithful Witness again. Ah, yes! says the voice that broke through the cloud on the mount of transfiguration, "this is my beloved Son, hear ye him." "No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God: every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." Here it is declared that without divine teaching and divine

drawing, we cannot come

to Christ, or, in other words, we cannot believe upon him; and what is the nature of this teaching and this drawing? Is it such as the natural or unregenerate man may experience? If it be so, then what meaneth that saying "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." If, then, the testimony of Christ be