own adoring wonder and gratitude, and of his earnest desire that all God's works should praise him, and that his saints should bless him. He regards him as king over all; and it is his fervent wish and prayer that all his creatures, animate and inanimate, should praise him. More especially, bearing in mind that the Lord Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Head over all things to his Church; he takes the deepest interest in everything that tends to the advancement of Christ's kingdom in the world. He rejoices in the success of faithful missionaries; he bewails the obstacles which prevent or retard the progress of Christian knowledge and pure religion. For nothing does he strive or pray more fervently, than that the kingdom of God may come, and his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. A good man's desire for the advancement of the glory and kingdom of Christ is not confined to the duties of prayer and praise. He knows that the honour of his Divine Master is closely connected with the temper and conduct of his professed disciples. They are his witnesses. They hold forth the word of life; and in proportion to the truth of their testimony, and the brightness with which they shine as lights in the world, is the honour which they reflect on Christ, and on his gospel, and the impulse given, by their instrumentality, to the advancement of Christ's kingdom. Actions seemingly unimportant, derive, from this circumstance, a magnitude in his eyes which they would not otherwise possess. The spiritual condition of other men, and the reign of Christ in their souls, may be materially affected by them. Therefore, he feels all the force of the Apostle's exhortation, "Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." He is actuated by a jealous, a holy solicitude that nothing may be done by himself or others, which may encourage other men in the commission of what they believe to be sinful, but that every part of their conduct may be so entirely in agreement with the spirit of the gospel and the law of Christ, as to curb and restrain the wickedness of the ungodly, and to strengthen and encourage the hearts of true believers in the diligent pursuit and practice of true holiness. Having thus endeavoured to answer the question, What is a good man? let me, in conclusion, request the readers of this discourse to observe, that every one of the features in the character of a truly good man is positive. It is not the mere absence of vice-it is something positively good in the sight of God. If you wish to lay claim to the character of good men, in the Scripture sense of that appellation, you must not think it enough that you are not infidels, nor apostates, nor profane swearers, nor revengeful; you must believe with the heart, you must worship God in the spirit, you must love one another, with a pure heart, fervently; you must not only keep God's commandments, but, in keeping them, you must be actuated by the principles of the gospel, and you must have for your end the advancement of the Divine glory. Is this the goodness required in the Word of God? Who then can wonder at the testimony of Jehovah himself, when He looked down from heaven on the children of men to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one." Who can wonder that he whom the Lord himself pronounced to be " perfect and an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil," exclaimed, when he contrasted the glory of the Lord with his own sinfulness, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." a "I have seen an end of all perfection," said the Psalmist, "thy commandment is exceeding broad." Oh, with what gladness ought we all to fly to the all-sufficient atonement, the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ ! Nowhere else can we find refuge to our souls, and a sure foundation of hope. With what earnestness ought we to seek the free Spirit of the Lord, who alone can begin and perfect that holiness without which no man can see the Lord! Every good and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights. Let us ask and we shall receive; let us seek and we shall find. My Christian friends, ye who have reason to believe that the good work of sanctification is begun in your souls, see that, in humble dependence on promised grace, ye go on unto perfection. Cultivate diligently and perseveringly every Christian grace and virtue. Remember that as in the sun of the firmament it is the union of many coloured rays which forms the light of day, so it is by the combination of all the Christian graces that the true believer becomes the light of the world. Abstain from that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be not contented with being blameless and harmless, but abound in every good work. Above all, see to it that your goodness be not like the morning cloud and the early dew which goeth away; but the goodness, in other words, the true holiness which, rooted in a living faith, and strengthened by the hope of an undefiled and unfading inheritance, flourishes like the palm tree on earth, and brings forth its full-ripe fruit in the courts of our God in heaven. No. 29.-SER, 27. SERMON XXVIII. CHRIST SUBDUES A PEOPLE TO HIMSELF. BY THE LATE REV. CHRISTOPHER GREIG, A.M., ST NINIANS.* Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power."-PSALM CX. 3. THIS is a psalm of David, and every part of it speaks of David's Lord. It contains a beautiful description of Messiah as a king, as a priest, and as a victorious conqueror over all his enemies. Moved by the Holy Ghost, David thus spake of him, who was to be his Son according to the flesh; and having the eyes of his understanding enlightened, he rejoiced in the prospect of the Saviour's day, he saw it, and was glad. He was, indeed, highly favoured with bright views of Messiah's person and offices; nor is there any part of the ancient prophets more frequently quoted, or more particularly applied to the Saviour, than the psalm whence the words of our text are taken. (Mat. xxii. 43; Acts ii. 34, 35; 1 Cor. xv. 25; Heb. i. 13.) The psalmist lays deep the foundation of Messiah's kingdom. He declares the divine decree by which Jehovah appointed him a king, and gave to him a kingdom. The Lord (Jehovah) said to my Lord, "sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Messiah loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore was he anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of his kingdom. The glory of a king consists in the multitude of his people. Messiah is a king, but he is described as ruling in the midst of his enemies. Has he, then, none but these over whom he is to reign-none that willingly do him service? Was he to spend his labour in vain, his time and strength for that which profiteth nothing? No! he should see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand. Jehovah promises to him, "thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." The author of this discourse died very suddenly on 11th April 1844, after a long and faithful ministry. His death arrested the execution of the purpose, which he had intimated just a week previously, of sending a sermon to the Free Church Pulpit. The present sermon is selected from his MSS. by his surviving friends; and however interesting a memorial it may be to those who were accustomed to listen to his living voice, and who enjoyed the benefit of his able and affectionate services, none will perceive so readily as they, that the discourse, as here presented, labours under the disadvantage of being a posthumous publication. In these words are contained 1st, A description of the character and condition of Messiah's subjects-they are his people. 2d, A prediction concerning them—they shall be willing. 3d, The time and the means of its accomplishment are specified-in the day of thy power. I. The subjects of Messiah's kingdom are his people, because they are given to him by the Father-because they are bought with a price, even with his own precious blood—and because they are created anew by his Holy Spirit; being thus enabled freely to give up themselves to be his only-his for ever. 66 1. Messiah's subjects are his people, because they are given to him by the Father. "No man can come to me," saith Christ, 'except the Father who hath sent me draw him." This impossibility is the result of that aversion which every child of Adam naturally has to the holy, humbling religion of Jesus. We will not come to him that we might have life; for by nature we are sinful, and we love to remain so. When all flesh had corrupted their way, Jehovah might, without any imputation on his justice, have left them to reap the fruit of their own doings. For angels who kept not their first estate, no Saviour was provided, no arm of mercy was extended for their deliverance. But God beheld man with an eye of compassion; he said, "deliver from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom." Jesus was appointed the captain of salvation, to conduct many sons to glory. No sooner had sin corrupted human nature in its root, than a ray of hope was communicated to fallen man, which through successive ages brightened apace, till at last the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings. Many subjects were indeed given unto Jesus, previous to his appearance among men; and all who in any age have ever come to him, were given him of the Father. Though we have rebelled, God is still Lord over us; we are still his creatures; and as none of us has any claim upon his favour, so he may quicken whom he will, and whom he will he may leave to harden themselves through the deceitfulness of sin. And "who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour ?" Though now we may set our mouths against the heavens in our blasphemous talk, yet the time approaches when "every mouth shall be stopped, and the whole world become guilty before God." If we do not now submit to Jesus, to be the willing subjects of his kingdom, we shall hereafter be compelled to feign submission, for Jehovah himself hath sworn that before him every knee must bow, and that to him every tongue must confess. What our Lord said of his immediate disciples is applicable to all his followers: "thine they were and thou gavest them me." We are God's creatures; our hearts are in his hand; he can turn them as he pleaseth; but unless we be thus turned, we will never cordially submit to have Christ to reign over us. No full nor faithful declaration of the truth-no alluring representation of the Saviour's compassion and love -no affecting description of the horrors which await the finally impenitent-nay, not miracles themselves, forcing conviction on the understanding, can ever prevail with an unholy creature to become a willing subject of Messiah. They must be drawn of the Father-they must be all taught of God. Jehovah beholds the end from the beginning, and the determinations of Omniscience hang not dependant on the feeble sons of earth. What think you, brethren, is it reasonable to suppose that the Sovereign of the Universe must await in anxious suspense, must remain ignorant of the consequences of his own operations, till a creature which he has made-till a creature which has unmade itself-till a creature whose desperately wicked heart cannot of itself think a right thought-till such a creature as this shall have resolved what it is to do, and how it is to act? Shall we suppose that after all his agonies, and tears, and blood, it depended entirely on the will of man, whether Messiah should see of the travail of his soul, or all these have been wasted in vain? No, let not us pretend to limit the Holy One of Israel, nor attempt with our narrow span to measure Him whose understanding is infinite, and whose ways are past finding out. He who appointed Messiah a King, appointed him also the subjects over whom he is to reign. "Even so, O Father, for thus it seemed good in thy sight.'' Jehovah promised to Christ a numerous offspring, and this promise must be fulfilled. Most, if not all, who have ever submitted to Christ, have declared that naturally they were averse, and that divine power was requisite to overcome this aversion. Still there is no divine decree, far less any positive operation on the mind, preventing men from coming to Christ. This is the result of their love of sin. So that the two positions to be held-whether we can reconcile them or not, are-all that come to Christ are drawn, taught, and influenced of God all that do not come are prevented, neither by divine influence nor decree, but simply by their own love of sin. - 2. Messiah's subjects are his, because he gave himself for them, that being bought with a price, they might be to him a peculiar people. Man, forsaking God, became the slave of sin, and was led captive by Satan. Satan's was indeed an usurped authority, of which by mere power he might have been dispossessed; but in this case the justice of God sanctioned the accusations of Satan. When the accuser of the human |