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rit. In his death, doubtless, he voluntarily yielded up his life; but this appeared in his voluntarily submitting to be cut off by means of the awful and deadly pressure of the curse upon his soul, and not merely by a direct act of his own, without the intervention of means. Thus sin was expiated-the divine law magnified and made honourable-the character of God vindicated and fully displayed, and the salvation of the guilty completely secured. "It is finished," said the wondrous sufferer. Resigning himself into the hands of his God, he exclaimed, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit, and bowing his head, he gave up the ghost." Thus died he: at once as a sacrifice for sin, and as "the Prince of Life." C. But was the Lord Jesus obliged to suffer all these things?

M. No, Catharine, he was under no necessity to suffer for mankind; but his love constrained him to suffer for them, that they might be happy with him. "Christ," says the apostle, "loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."

E. Has our blessed Lord received a reward equal to the greatness of his sufferings? F. The supreme desire of Christ was to

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glorify his Father and receive his approbation; and you know that, while on earth, the Father repeatedly testified his delight in him, and entire approbation of his conduct; and this was most eminently displayed by raising him from the dead, and setting "him at his own right hand in the heavenly places." Our Lord, when on earth, anticipated this not only as the highest honour, but as the full consummation of happiness. "In thy presence there is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.' "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, O Father, glorify me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Long since his desire has been gratified, and his prayer answered. "He is made exceeding glad with his countenance." The heart of the Redeemer was set upon the salvation of sinners; to accomplish this he bled and died; and the Lord the righteous lawgiver has said, "He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied, by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Our Lord anticipated the period when he would draw all men unto him, and that event is now at no great distance, when "all the ends of the world shall remember and turn

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unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him, and men shall be blessed in him, and all nations shall call him blessed."

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HOW WE OBTAIN AN INTEREST IN THE MEDIATION OF CHRIST.

H. You said, Father, that all nations shall be blessed in Jesus Christ. How are they to be blessed in him?

F. To be blessed, Henry, is to be happy; could you say how all nations could be made happy?

H. I cannot well say; I have read of different people being in a very wretched condition. The Indians in America, and the inhabitants of Africa, are often in very great distress for want of food and clothing; and some, like the Greenlanders and Esquimaux Indians, that have to catch seals and kill whales for food at the peril of their lives. Would not these people be happy if they were to live like the people in our favoured country?

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F. I agree with you so far, that a people who are in a civilized state, as the people are in this country, must be much more comfortable than untutored savages; but what you have mentioned as happiness are only some of the external temporary effects of the blessedness which the nations shall enjoy in Christ. Many people have enjoyed, and do enjoy every thing that their appetites may crave or heart could wish, yet they are not happy. And though the whole world were to be made a paradise, and fitted to gratify every sense, yet men would be restless and unsatisfied.

H. I do not understand you, Father. What do you think will make the nations happy?

F. Men can never be happy till their hearts are right with God. True happiness consists in being like God, loving him, and being beloved of him. This blessedness Christ will confer upon the nations. By the power of his grace he will make them conformed to the image of God; he will teach them to love him, and will show them that they are the objects of divine love.

H. Has ever any of the nations of the world been thus blessed by Christ?

F. We certainly have never heard of every individual of a nation being blessed in Christ. But there have been thousands and tens of thousands of various nations, that have enjoy. ed the blessedness which he bestows. You may be ready to ask how he does it. When

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he was upon earth he told the people that he came to give his life a ransom for many." I have already informed you of the manner in which he yielded up his precious life. After he had risen from the dead, he gave commandment to his apostles to go and preach the Gospel to every creature. This Gospel is, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" to be a propitiation or sacrifice for the sins of the world; "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." This was the important discovery which the world needed. Men had felt their minds oppressed with guilt and with fearful apprehensions. They had offered sacrifices of all kinds to take away the sin of their souls; yet they were not relieved. But the apostles said to all men, that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

E. But what were men to do in order to their being reconciled to God?

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