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Otago Witness, Issue 1805, 25 June 1886, Page 28

Lord of lords, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, who is omnipotent uiid omnipresent, the Ruler of the Universe, by whom all things were and are created — that He, that mighty Being, came down from Heaven to take upon him the form of man, sinful man, who had sinned and rebelled against His Holy law.?, and who had forfeited all claim to an inheritance with tho blessed ; yes, He even condescended to assume the conditions of the ordinary lot of mortals, as a helpless babe, born in a lowly manger and undergoing the usual vicissitudes which occur during childhood and youth, until Ho arrived at length at manhood; then, notwithstanding that, had He chosen, with a word He could have destroyed his adversaries, or even have eon* deinned this sinful and uugrateful world to destruction, yet He consented — wonderful condescension !— to undergo contumely and reproach, insult, and mocking, and finally to suffer an ignominious, yea] an agonising, death upon the Cross, in company with thieves and robbers, amidst the insults and gibes of a heathen soldiery. Yet He who hung there, racking and bleeding on the Cross, and crying in agonising strains, as He felt the dread load of mankind's sin resting upon Him, " My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" — was none other than the Immortal, the Eternal, the only wi?e Go l, the Second Person in the ever-glorious Trinity.

It is expressly stated in Holy Scripture that Christ having died once, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him. How favoured, then, must be this parth, of all 'the vast and incalculable series of starry and planetary bodies, the myriads upon myriads of our little globe, to have been so honoured as to have befn the scene of such incomprehensible condescension on the part of the Omnipotent Creator ; and yet, alas ! how little do its inhabitants regard the amazing and fearful events which occurred at so comparatively recent a period. We will, for a moment, endeavour to suppose that oue of the most distant of the myriads of heavenly bodies is peopled with inhabitants eudowed with mental faculties simila,r to our own ; with what mingled feelings of awe and wonder would they be filled were it revealed to them that in that distant insignificant star, rile earth, almost imperceptible to their vision, and surpassed by far in brilliancy and lustre by millions of other stars — that He, who id the Creator aud Ruler of the entire serried mass of starry bodies, had resigned, for a time, His glorious position in Heaven, and had taken upon himself the nature of the inhabitants of that planet, and had, wonder of wonders, actually permitted Himself to be cruelly toitured, aud slain by them, suffering the excruciating paugs of an agonising death, in order that such of them who chose to accept the offer might obtain an entrance into his glorious abode — Heaven — the title to which they had lost by tbeir sin and rebellion against Him. But would not those feelings of awe and wonder give place to sentiments of utter amazement, bewilderment, and astonished anger were it told them that very many of the inhabitants of that planet thought less of that extraordinary manifestation of the Divine love aud condescension of the Almighty than of the very commonest affairs of their shortlived terrestrial existence, notwithstanding that they were fullyjalive to the fact that upon the acceptance of that Saviour depended their future fate for ever, either in the glorious realms of Heaven or in the fearful depths of Hell !

We will now ask why the Lord Jesus Christ consented to undergo that, suffering and death at the hands of His remorseless judges. It was in order that mankind, who had wickedly and without cause sinned against His holy laws, and thereby incurred the loss of all claim to a blessed eternity, might be rescued from everlasting destruction, might be saved from the torments of Hell, from that fire which i s never quenched, prepared for the devil and his angels, where, if we are to believe the express statement of Holy Writ, those who refuse to acceiit the proffered salvation must suffer punishment.

But, blessed be God, a way is open whereby we may escape with certainty from being condemned to that fearful punishment — a way is now open whereby we may instead partake of everlasting joy and unspeakable happiness and bliss— such happiness and bliss as man in his present mortal state is wholly unable to understand in the least degree. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which the Lord hath prepared for them that love him." Yes, there is a way open whereby we may ensure the highest possible state of happiness and heavenly joy for ever nnd ever; and that way is in the Son of God, who is tho Way, the Truth, and the Life ! " For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Believe, then, in the Lord Jesus. The sole and only way to attain everlasting salvation is through Him, and Him only. Take His yoke upon you, for its ea-.y, and His burden, for its light. Flee from the wrath to come. Flee unto Him, who is able and who his willing to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him — unto Him who will not cast out any that come unto Him in faith; who died that we might live, and who ever intercedes for us with the Father.

The Christian must not, however, think that because he believes in the perfect and complete efficacy of tho atonement, it is permitted to him to lead an indolpnt life, barren of good works, and useless to his fellows. No, the whole Gospel teems with exhortations to good works, and deeds of charity, and if a man be destitute of these, it is a proof that his faith is dead, and that he has not the love of God within him (for the tree is known by its fruits), anfl to neglect to exercise the virture of practical charity is a direct disobedience to our feord's commands.

We are, however, justified by faith, not by good works, which are only an evidence of our faith, and cannot in any degree whatever be substituted for faith.

Many are deterred from becoming Christians from the fear that it must involve a melancholy and pleasureless life, and that anything like pleasure of any sort must be renounced, and that many of the harmless and pleasurable forms of social intercourse must be given up. But is not that idea entirely opposed to the whole tenor of Scripture? In what part of the Bible, let it be asked, is it stated th.it salvation is to be [attained ;by perpetual mortification and penance ? Rather do we not read that the conditions of salvation are faith iv the Son of God ? " Believe in the Lord Jesns and thou shalt be saved.'' " God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "He that believeth in Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already." In olden days, when the plague of serpents was sent upon the Israelites, those who had been bitten by the venomous reptile had only to look up to the brazen serpent which was raised by Moses iv the wilderness, and those who did so were immediately healed. Precisely in the same manner those who have been poisoned by the venom of sin, which is the inheritance of all the