He prayed that his human nature might be exalted to a participation of it. [This had been promised to him1— And it was now about to be conferred upon him-] This petition was highly reasonable as grounded on the foregoing appeal [He had left heaven to promote the Father's glory He ought therefore to return to it for his own glory It was right that his body, which had been the instrument whereby the Father was glorified, should itself be glorified with the Father-] INFER 1. How easy is it to see who are real Christians! [Every true Christian follows Christ, and walks as he walked But the end and aim of Christ's life was to glorify the Father Here then is a plain line of distinction whereby we may judge May we all dread the doom of the unprofitable servant!May we begin the work assigned us in good earnest!May we on our death-bed be able to make the same appeal, and offer a similar petition to that in the text!-] 2. What ground of consolation is there for true peni tents! [The work assigned to Christ was to redeem a lost worldHe perfected that work, so that nothing need or can be added to it Let penitents then confide in him, and rejoice in his salvation-] 3. How blessed is the end of the Christian's labours! glory But soon he shall be glorified with God himself He shall continue to enjoy that glory when the world shall be no more Let Christians then look forward to the end with joy—] Ps. xvi. 10, 11. i Phil. ii. 9. LXXIV. GOD'S GIFT OF HIS SON A GROUND FOR EXPECTING EVERY OTHER BLESSING. Rom. viii. 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how, shall he not with him also freely give us all things? THE gospel is justly compared to an inestimable trea sure While it reserves all the glory to God, it communicates unspeakable blessedness to men The person who truly receives it cannot have any just ground of fear Nor is there any thing so great, but he may reasonably hope that it shall be given him To this effect the apostle speaks in the passage before us He represented the salvation of believers as altogether of grace In a triumphant manner he teaches them to defy all their enemies He declares that God's past goodness to them is a ground for expecting every other blessing at his hands I. The goodness of God towards sinful man The state of fallen man was desperate No possible way was left whereby we might restore ourselves to God's favour God in compassion to us "spared not his own Son" [Nothing less than the incarnation and death of the Son of God could remedy the miseries which mankind had brought upon themselves Yet, such was God's regard for our sinful race, that, rather than they should perish, he would not withhold his only Son-] He" delivered him up" to death [God sent not his Son merely to instruct us coux iQsicuro may either mean that he spared him not in a way of justice, i. e. that he exacted of him the utmost farthing of our debt (see 2 Pet. ii. 4.) or that he spared him not in a way of bounty, i. e. withheld him not. The latter seems to be the sense in this 'place. He gave him to make atonement for our sins He sent him to die even the accursed death of the cross We"all" were the persons for whose sake God thus delivered him [All indeed are not alike benefited by this gift But there is a sufficiency in the death of Christ to expiate the sins of all mankind If any receive not salvation through him, they owe it to their own obstinate unbelief Every one, who desires acceptance through him, may say, He was delivered up for me-] This manifestation of divine goodness affords abundant ground for II. The inference drawn from it God will "give us all things" that are needful [The general expression "all things" must be understood in a limited sense God will not give worldly riches and honours to his people But all things that are good for them he will bestowWhatever they need for body or soul, for time or eternity-] He will give us all things "freely" [He does not need to have blessings extorted from him by importunity He is far more willing to give than we are to ask Nor does he give because we ask, but stirs us up to ask, because he before determined to give He will bestow every thing on his people as a father on his own children-] This may be inferred from what he has already done [Will not he, who has given his own Son, give smaller things? Will he, who was so gracious to his enemies, forget his friends? Will he, who did so much unsolicited, refuse those who cry day and night unto him? This inference is so obvious, that the apostle appeals to the reason of every man to judge of it He insinuates that to doubt it would be the height of absurdity He seems to think that God could not act otherwise-] By way of IMPROVEMENT let us 1. Endeavour to estimate aright this gift of God [God's own Son is infinitely above all creatures All the hosts of angels and all the glory of heaven were nothing in comparison of him-' Had he been a mere creature, the apostle's inference had been inconclusived He, against whom the sword of vengeance was put forth, was Jehovah's fellow Let our gratitude rise in proportion to the excellency of this gift Let us contemplate its excellency, till we exclaim with the apostle-] 2. Let us avail ourselves of the encouragement given us to ask for more [We daily need many things both for our bodies and souls And we have the fullest assurance that God will grant us what we need Let not any one then say "I am too unworthy to ask”— What worthiness was there in man to obtain the gift of God's own Son? After HIM, can there be any thing too great for God to bestow? Surely then the weakest and the vilest may enlarge their petitions If we "open our mouths wide, God will fill them"-] 3. Let us be chiefly solicitous to receive Christ himself [God will bestow every thing "with Christ" We cannot receive his blessings without HIM, nor him without his blessings Let us then in every state labour most to secure our interest in Christ If he be ours, we cannot but have every thing in, and with him-] d If our Lord were only a creature, the reasoning would be to this effect:" If God delivered up one creature to endure temporal pain, how shall he not deliver millions of creatures from enduring eternal misery? If he gave one creature, who was infinitely below himself, to be deprived of life for a time, how shall he not give himself, who is infinitely above all creatures, to be our everlasting portion?" What force or propriety would there be in such reasoning as this? Zech. xiii. 7. 1 Tim. iii. 16. f 2 Cor. ix. 15. LXXV. ADVICE TO BACKSLIDERS. Rev. iii. 2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. THE epistles to the churches of Asia seem descriptive of the state of the several churches at the time they were written But they are for the most part applicable also to other churches There are too many societies of Christians that resemble that at Sardis There was much profession and but little life among them This our Lord signified to them in the letter he dictated to St. John On account of it he gave them the salutary admonition in the text I. When it may be said that the things which remain in us are ready to die It is here supposed that there were some good things in the Sardian church, though they were much on the decline What is said therefore of their being "dead" must be understood rather in reference to their frame than their state The things which remain in us are ready to die, when our graces languish The exercise of our graces is a sure test both of the reality and degree of our spiritual life— We may form a judgment by examining Our faith [The office of faith is to realize invisible things When it is vigorous it discovers the comparative value of heaven and earth It regards the promises and threatenings of God as certain |