239 SERMON XIII. E SUFFICIENCY OF THE GRACE OF 2 COR. xii. 9. d He said unto me, My grace is suffint for thee: for my strength is made fect in weakness. Most gladly, theree, will I rather glory in mine infirmis, that the power of Christ may rest on me." more clearly a believer sees his own and character, as a sinner; the more rately he is enabled to enter into the acter and work of Christ as a Saviour: the more readily he acknowledges his ense obligations to Him, and his entire dependance upon Him, the more truly he may be said to be " grown in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." It is characteristic of the true Christian, that he sees that in himself he is nothing, and that in himself he desires to be nothing; and it is his great wish to be enabled to realize, in the whole of his experience, that Christ, in whom he trusts, and in whom he believes, is indeed "all in all." In whatever situation, therefore, he may be placed, and under whatever circumstances he may lie, it is his to adopt the animating language of St. Paul: "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed; but that with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death." And what is the great consideration, upon which he entertains and encourages this gracious state of mind?-Even the consideration, that his present and everlasting salvation is altogether of grace :-altoge ther the free and undeserved gift of God, in and through His own co-equal and coeternal Son, manifested in the flesh to take by in, and to destroy the works of the the sacrifice of Himself. And behe, my dear brethren, it is only as we abled, spiritually, to discern the free God's salvation, that we can either py or holy but the more clearly we er this freeness, the more triumphantwe rejoice in God our Saviour; with re simple dependance shall we look h for every thing we need; and contly, the more humble will be our orconversation in the world; the more and holy our walk with God; and re ardent the glow of gratitude and y which our bosoms will be inflamed. py dearest brethren in the Lord, and especially you, who may be setting the walk of grace, and inquiring way to Zion, with your faces thitherlet it be your grand leading concern, s as you may see yourselves to be, and s as you are, always to believe, that salvation, from first to last, is all of ; all freely given, in and with the ur, without any deservings,-any quaions on your part. The more sinful ee yourselves to be, and the fewer qua M lifications you see yourselves to possess, the more you will perceive, that such a salvation is suited to your case; and the more it will commend itself to your judgment, and your acceptance. The salvation of which we speak, was for ever finished, when Jesus died upon the cross. Then all your sins, of every kind and of every die, were for ever washed away. Then was completed that righteousness, in which you shall stand before God;-a righteousness most pure and spotless; a righteousness incapable of tarnish; but perfect and complete in all its parts; and incorruptible, and everlasting. By virtue of that finished work, the Lord Jehovah calls to you, with the most astonishing grace and affection; "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud, thy sins." And surely, it is yours to respond to the gracious declaration, "Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it :-the Lord hath redeemed Jacob; and magnified Himself in Israel.” Who, then, would have peace with God? Who would love Him? Who would walk in the holy liberty of His children? Who would have communion with Him? Who would glorify Him? Who, while he walks on the surface of this sinful earth, would anticipate the joys and the glories of a blessed immortality?-Let him return to Him who has already blotted out all his sins; already cast them into the depths of the sea; and let him give a dutiful credence to that imperishable truth :-" By grace are ye saved: -by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." It was the belief of this distinguishing doctrine of the gospel of Christ—a belief founded upon the special declaration of Christ Himself-which not only supported the apostle of the Gentiles, under the most severe trials, but actually caused him to triumph and to glory in them all. In the assurance that the grace of Christ was sufficient for him,—that in His most unmerited favour, were centered all his hopes, for time and eternity,—and that in Him was treasured up a fulness of every thing which could support him in every time of need, he was "more than conqueror" under the most difficult and painful circumstances. We are taught that this was the case, by our text, and the scripture immediately con |