THE GREAT CHANGE. 461 -sinners by nature and by practice, and sinners in heart and life. "There is none righteous, no, not one." "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Reader, however offensive, however unwilling to own it, thy name is sinner. Some were great transgressors, bad characters, and noted for their wickedness; and in the two previous verses we have the black catalogue, yet such as these were saved. All Christians were once unworthy of heaven, and unfit for it. Their sins merited the wrath of God; and if they had not repented and believed, their sins would have. crushed them down to hell. The change undergone.-"Ye are washed." Christians are washed from all the stains of sin in the blood of Christ, and separated by baptism from the world lying in the wicked one. There is not a stain too deep, nor is there pollution too degraded, to be beyond the reach of this precious blood. "Ye are sanctified." Christians were once sensual, earthly, vile; but they are made holy, and are made saints by the word of truth, and the Spirit of truth. The atmosphere of heaven is holy, and they are fitted to live and breathe in it. "Ye are justified." We are justified before God on the ground of Christ's righteousness, and justified before men by our good conduct, and justified in the great day by the sentence of the infallible. Judge. Thus washed, and sanctified, and justified, all our past sins are forgiven, and we may exult in the prospect of heaven's joys, and with rapturous delight contemplate the place where Jesus reigns. The way it was effected.- "In the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." It was effected through the mediation of Christ. His righteousness wrought out, and brought in, is the grand instrumental cause of the change. Jesus saves, and Jesus only. Faith lays hold on Christ and eternal life. He gives himself, and all saving blessings, to us in the gospel, and we accept 462 THE GREAT CHANGE. and claim them; and so Christ becomes ours, and God the Father becomes ours. by the Spirit of God. He opened our eyes to see our sin and danger, he shewed us the suitableness and attractive glory of Christ, he turned our stubborn will from the love of sin to the love of holiness, and he disposed us to embrace the Saviour, and cast in our lot with his people. He is "our God." It was effected OCTOBER 12. The Field of Missions. "There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed."―Josh. xiii. 1. LET us think of the field of missions-the possession of it -and our duty. The field of missions." There remaineth yet very much land." Its vast extent. If the population of the globe is eight hundred millions, three-fourths, or six hundred millions, are without the Bible, without God, and without hope in the world; while many of the one-fourth are acquainted only with a Christianity of superstition or error. Its degraded state. Beings overwhelmingly numerous, and possessed of immortal souls, are ignorant, vicious, miserable. Bloody wars, horrible slavery, cruel tyranny, blind idolatry, with all its robberies and murders, and relentless death, are carrying them out of time into eternity, at the rate of thousands every hour. Its capability of improvement. Our country was once peopled by naked savages and idolaters, and the past success of missionary effort, and the encouraging predictions regarding the future, give evidence that it is time to work, and that in working for Christ we may expect success. The possession of it." To be possessed." It must be possessed by the circulation of the Scriptures. The sword of the warrior brings desolation and death, sorrow and THE FIELD OF MISSIONS. 463 tears, widows and orphans; but the sword of the Spirit brings life and peace, comfort and hope, salvation and heaven; hence Christians must circulate the Scriptures, till every one has a copy, and be able to read it. It must be possessed by the preaching of the everlasting gospel. The heralds of the cross must go forth to every land, and preach plainly, earnestly, and perseveringly, till every one hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God. It must be possessed by holy Christians, whose living example shall influence others. Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works, may be induced to glorify God. The watchword of Julius Cæsar to his soldiers was, Come; and in like manner, the watchword of every Christian should be, Come, and let us follow Christ. Our duty. We are to pray for the spread of religion, and the conversion of sinners: "Ye that make mention of the Lord, give him no rest till he establish and make Jerusalem a praise on the earth." We are to exert ourselves in trying to save souls. Every Christian should have a post of duty, and labour at it. "Let him know that he that converteth a sinner from the error of his save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins." are to give of our substance. We are commanded to honour the Lord with our substance-it is a proof of our love to Christ, and it is the sure way of enjoying both temporal and spiritual prosperity. way, shall We OCTOBER 13. Christian Armour. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."-Ephes. vi. 11. HERE we have the Christian's danger-the Christian's defence and the Christian's duty. 464 CHRISTIAN ARMOUR. The Christian's danger.-This arises from "the wiles of the devil." The devil tempts men at fit opportunities, by evil suggestions, and through the instrumentality of the ungodly. Sometimes he persuades the sinner to believe that he is lost, while the lost are the very persons Christ came to save. Sometimes, that he is rejected; while, at the very moment, Christ's eye beams love upon him, and Christ's arms are extended to welcome him. Sometimes he makes use of the world, and tries to persuade man that it is a satisfying portion, that its smiles will make him. happy, and its frowns render him miserable. At other times he persuades man to believe that all pleasures are harmless, while he ought to remember that there is no real pleasure but in the love and service of God. How often does he also suggest that religion is another word for dulness or melancholy, while religion's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace! The Christian's defence." The whole armour of God." This armour is sevenfold-the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and resolute prayer. These different parts of a soldier's armour are specified, to intimate that the Christian must avail himself of all the means which the word of God and the grace of God bring within his reach, to overcome the evil one. Truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, influence of the Spirit, and earnest prayer, must all be employed to obtain a victory. The armour is divine, that which God has provided for us, to the exclusion of carnal weapons. Our whole armour, offensive and defensive, must be from God, and not from man; and we must not be without any part of that armour which God has provided. The Christian's duty.-" Put on, stand." The armour must be put on and worn, in order that we may be ready, CHRISTIAN ARMOUR. 465 constantly ready, to fight our spiritual foes. We know not the moment when we may be attacked, and if we have our armour to seek, we may be overcome. Always armed, we shall be able to stand and resist. What a comfort it is, that Satan has no power over us without our consent; and that, properly armed, we are perfectly able to resist and conquer! Others have proved themselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and why should not we? Others have fought the battles of the Lord, and gained a victory and a crown ; and why should not we? With the sword of the Spirit rightly employed, and without any carnal weapons, we shall be more than conquerors, through him that loved us, over all our enemies, however strong, active, and cunning. OCTOBER 14. The New Birth. "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."-John, iii. 7. It is inward and spiritual. THE new birth—its nature. There is no new faculty, no physical change, no change of mental powers; but a new heart-a heart that loves good instead of evil, a heart whose aspirations are after spiritual and eternal objects, instead of those that are earthly, sensual, and perishing. The same powers are in the new man as were in the old, but they have a new direction. They love God and holiness, instead of sin and the world. It is a great change. It is called a new creation, a resurrection, a passing from death unto life, a coming out of darkness into light; hence the new-born Christian loves what he formerly hated, and hates what he formerly loved. It is a change felt and experienced. The once blind man now sees, and he knows it; the once diseased man now enjoys health, and he feels it; the once imprisoned man |