556 AN EARNEST PREACHER. and the voice which comes from him on the cross is, "Behold me, behold me.' In these words we have the preacher's theme-the preacher's call-and the preacher's earnestness. The preacher's theme.-"Me, me." His theme is himself. Behold what I am. I am God manifest in flesh, apparently suffering, apparently dying; and my divine nature imparts infinite value to my sufferings and my death. I am thus a suitable and almighty Saviour for thee behold me, and live. Behold what I am doing. I am suffering, O reader, for thy sins. Justice demands thy death, and I am paying the ransom-price. That ransom procures salvation for thee, and my gospel brings it nigh. "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow." Behold what I am willing to do for thee. My heart is full of love, my eye is full of pity, my arms are widely extended to embrace thee; and I am ready to pardon thy sins, to save thy soul, and take thee to heaven at death. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The preacher's call.-"Behold, behold." This call refers not to the eye of flesh; for many saw the crucified Jesus with their eyes, and passed by wagging their heads. They might have been saved and blessed, but they would It refers not to a speculative view of Christ. Many see him in the Bible, many hear of him in the conversation of his friends, and many listen to the preaching of the gospel, and yet are not saved; but it refers to the look of faith, of confidence, and of expectation. It is a looking away from every other object as a source of relief or happiness, and fixing the look on Christ. It is the look of the anxious sinner who feels sin to be a crushing burden. It is the look of the perishing sinner, who dreads the indignation of an offended God. It is the look of the serpent AN EARNEST PREACHER. 557 bitten Israelites, sinking into death. O my soul, look to him, and be enlightened, and healed, and saved. He who feels the burden of sin, sorrow, and affliction, looks away from himself to Jesus, and finds relief. looked to him, and were lightened." "They The preacher's earnestness.—“Behold me, behold me." This is a double call. He calls not only once, but twice; and this proves his earnestness. He is earnest, because you are indifferent. You are active about the world, you are active in the service of sin; you are careless about your soul; your fears need to be awakened, your attention needs to be arrested; you are in danger, and need immediate safety hence his earnestness. He is earnest because he loves you. He ardently desires your salvation. He pleads with you, and is ready to weep over you: "How often would I have gathered you, but ye would not come." He is earnest, because your eternal all depends on this look: "Look unto me, and be ye saved." Would you have the pardon of your sins? would you have a new nature? would you have the good hope of heaven? "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." DECEMBER 4. At Ease in Zion. "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."-Amos, vi. 1. HERE we have certain characters marked out: "They are at ease "the aggravation charged against them they are "in Zion”—and the doom pronounced: "Woe to them." Think of the characters marked out." They are at ease." This implies abundance. In their own estimation they are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. They imagine that they have enough of knowledge, enough of religion, and enough of holiness; while they are poor, and wretched, and blind, and naked. It implies idleness. They have to prepare for death, judgment, and eternity; and they have to do this in a very limited time; yet they are idle and at ease. They have to seek the salvation of their friends and neighbours, and build up the church of God; yet they are at ease. They may read, but they do not search the Scriptures; they may pray, but they neither cry nor wrestle. It implies security. There is no security on the brink of a precipice, or on the top of a mast; but they put the evil day far away, while it is very nigh, and at the door. It implies sensuality. They lie upon beds of ivory, and cushions of velvet; they eat the best, and drink the best, and indulge in every luxury; but they are not grieved with the desolations of sin, nor the afflictions of the church. Think of the aggravation charged.-They are "in Zion." To belong to the church, and yet to be at ease, is insulting to God. He is graciously and immediately present in the church, and every member has a post of duty, and is under the eye of the Shepherd of Israel; and if he slumbers at his post, is this not insulting to God? It is hurtful to religion. The worldling is active for the world, the man of pleasure is active seeking out new sources of enjoyment; but if the professing Christian is not active for God and the church, he will bring reproach on religion, and give the ungodly cause to say that Christians are no better than others. It is freezing to fellow-Christians. One Achan in the camp does more harm than a thousand open foes. He throws cold water on the schemes of others, and quenches their zeal. It is deceiving to themselves. They are in the church, and imagine that they are righteous and while they are going down to destruction with a lie in their right hand. safe; Think of the doom pronounced.—"Woe to them." This doom is certain. God says it-he has power to execute it -his patience waiteth, and nothing but his forbearance prevents its execution at this moment. It is dreadful. A curse from man is light; but a woe uttered by the omnipotent Jehovah is overwhelming. It is more fearful and appalling than the concentrated indignation of the universe. It is deserved. They cannot plead ignorance, nor want of warning; for while they are deceiving themselves and others, they ought to know that it is impossible to deceive God. And it is eternal. The eternal weight of glory completes the happiness of the active Christian; and the eternal weight of woe completes the misery of the idle and hypocritical. DECEMBER 5. Christian Character and Dignity. "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."-Matt. xii. 50. RELATIONSHIP to Jesus is the highest honour attainable by man, and, blessed be God, it is attainable. Let us think of the Christian's character-and the Christian's dignity. The Christian's character." Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven." We do the will of God when we read and hear his word. In this word it is God that speaks to us, and speaks in love; therefore we should hear with reverence. He speaks to us on matters of the greatest moment, that refer to our souls; therefore we should hear with deep and earnest attention: and he speaks for our instruction, conversion, and salvation; therefore we should hear with faith and self-application. We do the will of God when we believe on his Son. We are fully warranted by unconditional and earnest invitation to receive Christ, and fix our faith upon him for salvation. By faith in Jesus, we are saved; and without faith it is 560 CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND DIGNITY. impossible to please God. Whatever we do, if we fail to meet the great requirement of the gospel, all will be lost. We do the will of God when we pray to him. Prayer is spoken of in Scripture as comprehending the whole of religion: "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find." "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In this way, the terrified Peter, when sinking in the water, cried, "Lord, save me," and was immediately delivered; in this way the publican was justified, and the expiring thief taken to paradise. We do the will of God when we obey his commands. Obedience is the best evidence of religion, and should be sincere, cheerful, and constant: "He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him." Assurance without obedience is presumption and delusion. The Christian's dignity.-"The same is my brother, and sister, and mother." He has a union of natures with Christ : "He that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." They have close friendship with Christ. They have the same origin, and belong to the same family. He has a union of actions. His sins are accounted Christ's, and Christ's righteousness is accounted his: "He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." He has a union of interests. When Saul persecuted the followers of Christ, he arrested him on his way to Damascus, and viewed his persecution as directed against himself: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" When we do a kind action to another for the sake of Christ, he looks upon it as done to himself: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." There is a perfect and eternal union. The connection of the believer with Christ is so close, that while Jesus is |