SERMON III.

THE NEW CREATURE.

2 COR. 5. 17.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.

THERE are two ways in which we may apply this text. Each of us may ex

amine for himself whether he be in Christ, by considering whether or no he be a new creature. Or each may learn by what means he may be henceforth, if he be not already, in Christ; by becoming, that is, for the future, a new creature. But first, it may be well to explain what is meant by being "in Christ;" both that you may be the more

anxious to know whether you are so, and that, if you are not so already, you may be the more anxious to become so.

I. Now by being in Christ, the apostle means the being in a state of salvation through Him, the being so justified through faith in his blood, that in death we should be saved through his redeeming love. For though it be true, that Christ died for all men, though it be true that his merits do in amount far more than exceed the sins of all mankind, though God willeth not that any should perish, and withholdeth not his grace from any who duly pray for it; yet certain it is from Scripture, that in the end there will be many who shall not be saved, that many, even of those who know the Gospel of Christ, know it only to their greater condemnation. "Broad is the way, and wide is the gate, that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." Whilst "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life; and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7. 13, 14.)

The wheat and the tares grow together for a time, the sheep and the goats feed in the same pasture, and live together in the same world, yea even in the same Church of Christ. But the day draweth nigh, when He shall set the one on the right hand, and the other on the left; when He shall say to the angels, "Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." (See Matt. 13. 30. and 25. 33.) They who shall be then the wheat, the sheep, are they who may be now said to be "in Christ;" for those are now in Him, who shall then be with Him, who shall then dwell with Him in heaven for ever. Those are now in Him, who now so believe in Him, fear Him, love Him, and obey Him, as that if their sentence were now pronounced, it would be, "Thy sins be forgiven thee;" (Matt. 9. 2.) it would be," Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matt. 25. 21.) The being in Christ then is to be, as was before said, in a state of salvation, in

such a state as that on death we shall be saved, as that now we are by grace saved from sin, and shall be then by mercy saved from destruction. It is to be in the right road, it is to be on our way towards the strait gate that leadeth unto heaven; it is to have our names written, if whilst we are here they may be written, in the book of life. (See Luke 10. 20. Rev. 17. 8.)

Now to be in this state, and to conceive that we are in it, are two very different things, though not uncommonly mistaken for each other. For, a man may be in it, and yet not sensible of his being so; or a man may imagine himself in it, and yet be very far out of it. Thus, if you were travelling in the dark, and desirous to reach home, you might be in the direct path, at the very time you thought yourself out of it; or you might be going further and further astray, when you deemed yourself fast approaching the place of your rest. Not that our road heavenward is thus altogether dark; not but what God does, in Christ, vouchsafe,

to those who walk humbly before Him, a light sufficient for their guidance, and a cheering consciousness of his love, varying, from the most faint expectation, to the most full assurance of hope. But still daily experience assures us, that many presumptuously conceive themselves to be in Christ, whom by the text we may know to be not so: whilst many, we should hope, are so, who scarce hope for themselves, but fear rather that they fall short of his love so great. To be in Christ, then, and to imagine that we are in Him, are two distinct things; and I speak here of the former only, of being, whether we are sensible of it or not, in a state of acceptance with God through Him.

II. I proceed then to shew, how we may, in some degree, ascertain for ourselves, whether we are in this blessed state; whether, that is, we do now, whilst we live, enjoy the fulness of God's grace, and whether, if we were now to die, we should enter into his eternal rest. For though it would be unsafe to presume,