church of the first born, who shall there surround the Redeemer's throne, and behold his glory, in a beatific vision, to all eternity. 2. Let us contemplate with holy wonder and delight, the state of our Redeemer's exaltation. God's ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts. In all that he does he acts like himself, like a God. But in the work of redemption there appear to be things, more wonderful than in any of his other works. It is not for us to say, whether we ought to be more astonished that God should condescend to unite his nature to ours, or to raise ours, by that union, to the height in which we contemplate it, in the exalted state of our Redeemer-a height, far beyond that of the tallest angel, or the brightest seraph in the heavenly host. "A thousand seraphs, strong and bright, "Yet there is one of human frame, "Their glory shines with equal beams, "Then let the name of Christ our King And all the nations own their Lord." 3. Let us often meditate on the judgment of the great day. Let us keep constantly in mind that for all we do, or say, or think, God will bring us into judgment: that then all those actions of our lives which we may now most studiously and anxiously endeavour to conceal from the world, and to which we can hardly turn our own thoughts without shame and confusion; yea, that all the secret motives, and wishes, and desires of our souls, which have never eventuated in action-that all these will be disclosed to the universe, and that we must meet them, under the full blaze of heaven, at the tribunal of Christ. Oh! if the recollection of this truth were kept on our minds as it ought to be, it would have the most salutary influence on our whole conduct. Yes, my dear youth, and it would make you feel how important it is, that you immediately flee to the Lord Jesus Christ; that being pardoned through his blood, and clothed with his righteousness, you may escape the condemnation of his enemies, and receive the acquittal and reward of his friends, in the day when "he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe." LECTURE XXVII. HOW ARE WE MADE PARTAKERS OF THE REDEMPTION PURCHASED BY CHRIST? HOW DOTH THE SPIRIT APPLY TO US THE REDEMPTION PURCHASED BY CHRIST? WHAT IS EFFECTUAL CALLING? THE next subject of discourse is contained in the 29th answer of our Catechism, and is thus expressed: "We are made partakers of the redemption, purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us, by his Holy Spirit." By redemption in this answer, we are to understand the whole of that salvation which is revealed and exhibited in the Gospel. This redemption is said to be purchased, because, having brought ourselves into a state of bondage and slavery, we could not be ransomed but at a great price. The Saviour himself declared, that he came "to give his life a ransom for many. Now, a ransom, you know, is nothing else than the price which is paid for the liberty of a captive or a slave. "Ye were not redeemed (says the apostle Peter) with corruptible things as silver and gold; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Of this redemption we are, in the answer before us, said to be made partakers: that is, we do not make ourselves partakers, because, in ourselves, we are altogether without strength, as the apostle affirms, and utterly averse to spiritual good. "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life," said the Saviour. Redemption, therefore, is applied to us by the Divine agency. Not that we are treated as machines, but dealt with, as we shall see, according to that rational nature which God has given us; yet so that the application is truly of Him. In this application, the benefits of redemption, in all their extent, are con ferred upon us and made our own, by way of free gift. You will be careful to observe, that it is as necessary to our salvation that redemption should be applied, as that it should be purchased or procured. As medicines will not heal us, nor clothes warm us, nor food sustain us, unless they are used; so neither will all that Christ has done or prepared for us, be of the least avail, unless it is applied. Nay it will not only do us no good, but it will sink us to an infinitely deeper condemnation, by our rejection of it. This application of redemption must be effectual. It must produce the effect of opening the eyes of sinners, and of turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. There is an outward application, or exhibition rather, of the benefits of redemption, in Christian baptism, which is not effectual: that is, it is not necessarily and uniformly So. Divine and saving grace may be imparted in baptism, as it may at any other time. But we think it unscriptural, and practically dangerous, to say that it is always a concomitant of that ordinance. Simon Magus was baptized, and yet we have no reason to think that there was ever a moment in which he ceased to be "in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity," previously to the time when these words were used by the apostle, as descriptive of his then miserable state. Baptismal regeneration, it is to be feared, has often proved a dangerous and fatal reliance, to those who have built their hopes upon it. The application of redemption is the office and work of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the adorable Trinity, called the Holy Spirit, because he is essentially holy; and because all his works and operations are of a like nature or character with himself. Whatever holiness is ever found in the human heart, is the effect of the operations of the Holy Spirit. It is to be remembered, that in the great work of our redemption, the three persons in the sacred Trinity, are all and equally concerned. Redemption is ordain ed by the Father, purchased by the Son, and applied by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called in the answer before us his Spirit (that is, the spirit of Christ,) because he is sent for this work more immediately by Christ, and through his mediation, and as the fruit of his purchase. "It is expedient for you (said the Saviour) that I go away; for, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but, if I depart, I will send him unto you:" and afterward, "He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." Here it also appears, that in the application of redemption by the Holy Spirit, he makes use of the truths of the written word. These truths, when communicated by reading and preaching, he effectually shows to the soul, so as to obtain its cordial approbation of them: and hence you see both our obligation and encouragement, to attend diligently and carefully to the word of God, and to pray for his blessed Spirit, to give it a saving application to our hearts. This leads us to consider the next answer in the Catechism, which is "The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling." In our natural state, we are all connected with our first covenant head, Adam, and are subjected with him to the penalty of the broken covenant of works. When we are interested savingly in the redemption of Christ, it is done by taking us away from our former covenant state, and bringing us under the covenant of grace, in which the Saviour, as our new covenant head, has completely answered all the demands of the first covenant in behalf of all his people. Now, this is done, by "uniting us to Christ," as the Catechism expresses it; uniting us to Christ the second Adam, who repairs and restores the ruins of the first. This union with Christ does, as it were, identify the soul of every believer with him; so that in virtue of this union, the believer is entitled to all that Christ has merited, purchased, and promised. This union is no |