THE GOSPEL AND ITS PRESENT BLESSINGS. THE mystery of the gospel is that sinners, both Jews and Gentiles, are brought into union with the Son of God-"fellow heirs, and of the same body." Eph. iii. 6. The testimony of the gospel is the record that God has given of His Son-it testifies of the Father, because it proclaims the Son. "He that hath THE SON hath life; and he that hath not the SON OF GOD hath not life." 1 John v. 12. The purpose of God in the gospel is to bring sinners "nigh" unto Himself-into the relationship of adopted and regenerated sons, the objects of the same love wherewith the Father hath loved Jesus-to be "holy and without blame before Him in love," by being united "to Him who is raised from the dead." The present blessing of the gospel of the grace of God is the gift of eternal life, deliverance from condemnation, forgiveness of sins, sonship, completeness in Christ, the church builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit, &c., all being of grace through faith. See John vi. 47. Rom. viii. 1. Acts x. M 43. 1 John iii. 2. John i. 12. Col. ii. 10. Gal. iii. 26. Eph. ii. 8-22. The comfort of the gospel arises from knowing our participation in the blessings of it. Peace of soul, holy stability of walk, and strength in conflict, accompany the enjoyment of God's salvation. Our blessed Lord sought to establish His disciples, on leaving them, in the present blessing to which the gospel of the grace of God had brought them, when He said, "the FATHER Himself LoveTH YOU, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God." John xvi. 27. How tender the Lord's solicitude that His people should have the assurance of the Father's love! and how precious the knowledge of being a child of God, grounded upon the infallible testimony of the Holy Scriptures! I It is the privilege, and, in measure also, the experience of babes in Christ, to know the Father. have written unto you, little children," says the Holy Ghost by the apostle John, "because ye have known the Father." 1 John ii. 13. This acquaintance with the Father is not the result of spiritual growth and attainment, but that which is connected with simply believing the grace of God in Christ-that glorious revelation, that "THE FATHER sent THE SON to be the Saviour of the world." 1 John iv. 14. The covenant of grace constitutes believers in Christ Jesus children of God. Not to be a child of God is to be "afar off," "dead in sins," and "having no hope;" though per haps many a believer, spoiled by tradition of men, or lacking a simple knowledge of the divine testimony, may be exercised with fears as to whether he is a child of God or not. The persons our Lord addressed were "by nature children of wrath even as others," but they were "born again"-they had "received Him" who came down from heaven. All their hopes were concentrated in Him. When others, offended at His doctrine, "went back," &c., the response of their hearts to the touching enquiry of Jesus was, "Lord, to whom shall we go, Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the SON of the living God." This was their faith, and a precious specimen of the faith of the gospel it is, for they had received the life-giving Son whom the Father had sent : -the "living bread which came down from heaven." They were very ignorant, it is true, concerning the work of Christ, so much so that when the Lord foretold His death and resurrection, one of them exclaimed "that be far from Thee, Lord;" but with all this lack of divine intelligence* there was a simple and believing apprehension of the Person of Christ-the Son of * When we think of the ignorance and weakness of these disciples, we should always remember, that though they were regenerated by the Spirit, they were not dwelt in by the Spirit, as is the case with the regenerate now, for "the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified." John vii. 29. the living God. mands now to be And surely this is what God combelieved, even "that Jesus is the CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD; and that believing we might have life through His name." John xx. 31. It is God manifest in the flesh that is the great mystery of godliness-He who was preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. 1 Tim. iii. 16. When Peter confessed "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," the testimony of the Lord Himself was, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. xvi. 17. The Lord's solemn declaration of His Godhead to the unbelieving Jews-"If ye believe not that I AM HE, ye shall die in your sins," shews the same thing; while the faith of the Ethiopian eunuch, "I believe that JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD," further exemplifies what the faith of the gospel is. So also the emphatic statement of the apostle John-"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." 1 John v. 1. Very blessed it is to have enlarged views of the Lord Jesus, and spiritual intelligence of His finished work; happy, indeed, to have it in such measure as to be able unfeignedly to say, He "loved me, and gave Himself for me;" but what is so weighty in the subject before us is, that the failing and unintelligent disciples of our Lord were to reckon themselves the objects of the Father's love, because they loved Jesus, and believed that He came out from God. The Person of Christ was the special object of their faith and the same blessed Person is preached now for the obedience of faith. It is the divine, intrinsic excellence of the Word made flesh-the man Christ Jesus, that gives "perfect peace" to the believer, because He proclaims both the ability and willingness of God to save sinners. By virtue of what He was in Himself, He was able to, (and upon the cross He did,) present to God an infinitely efficacious atonement for sin, as well as the perfection of obedience; and His being raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, proves that the believer is accepted in Him, and that too on grounds of the strictest justice and profoundést holiness, as well as of the richest love and grace. Dear reader, ponder this bottomless ocean of immeasurable and everlasting consolation! Consider what God has called us to believe, and beware of being corrupted from the simplicity of Christ. But "faith worketh by love"-they are inseparably associated. However feeble the believer's faith in the Son of God may be, it is always connected with a personal application for pardon and peace, and therefore with exercise of affection. Faith pleads the name of Jesus at the throne of God, as the sole ground of acceptance, and the only way to the Father. The believing contemplation of the love of God, in giving His only begotten Son to die "for the ungodly," constrains the soul to fear, serve, love, and obey Him. "We love Him, because He first loved us." But how little do we |