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SEAM.

XXXVI.]

OF

CHRIST'S ATONEMENT.

103

V.

The atonement of Christ

is

an

argument of

pre-

vailing force

to

be

used

in

prayer,

when

we

plead

for

the

aids of

the blessed

Spirit;

when

we

ask

for

his

sacred in-

fluences

to

enlighten,

to sanctify,

or

to

comfort our

souls.

The Spirit

flows

down to

us

in

the blood

of

Christ.

Reflection,

"

Holy

Father,

thou

hast not

with

-held

thy Son

Jesus,

but

hast

given

him to

die for

me;

and

wilt

thou

not

give me

thy

Spirit

to

live in

me,

and to raise

me

to a divine

life? Even

when

I

was

dead

in

trespasses

and

sins, my

blessed Saviour

poured out

his own soul to

.

death,

that

I

might

be

recovered to

thy

favour

;

and

shall

I not

have thy image impressed

upon

me by

the

Spirit,

that I

may

appear

before

thee

in

the beauty

of

holiness

?

Shall

I

be

sprinkled

with

the blood

of

Christ,

and

have

my

errors

forgiven,

and shall

I

not

have divine

light bestowed upon

me,

that

I

may

not

wander afresh

in

the

ways

of

error

and darkness? Is

my

guilt cancelled,

and are

my

iniquities removed

by

the

great

atonement

of

the

Son

of God, and

wilt

thou not

bestow thy

sanctifying

Spirit upon

me,

to

guard

me from

renewed

guilt

and

fresh

iniquities? Lord,

have

I

not

fled

to lay hold on

the

hope set before

me

?

Hast

thou

not

forgiven

all

my

sins

?

And shall

not

the Spirit, the Comforter, speak peace to

my

soul,

and

fill

me

with

hope and

joy

in

believing

?

Wilt

thou deny

thy

Spirit

to

any

creature, for

whom

thy

Son has

poured

out

his

invaluable

life

and blood

?"

[If

this

sermon

be

too

long,

bere

is

a

proper pause.]

Hew great

and desirable are the advantages

that

we

have found

already

to be derived from

this

gospel

of

atonement?

May our souls possess and improve them

all

!

But there

are

still

more treasures

of

divine grace

to

be dug

out of

this

golden

mine

:

It

is

an

inexhausted

fountain

of

duties and

blessings.

I

proceed therefore to

point out

more

of

them

to

the

eye

of

faith.

VI.

We

should use this

doctrine

of

propitiation

for sin

by

the

death

of

Christ,

as an

everlasting spring

of

holy

love to

God the Father, and

to

his

Son

Jesus

Christ.

Great

and unspeakable

was

the

love

of God

the

Father

I

.John 4,

10.

" Herein

is

love

;

not that

we

loved

him,

but

he

hath

lOved us,

and sent

his Son

to be

the

propitiation

for

our

sins."

Great

and unspeakable

is

the love

of

Jesus

the Saviour

;

it

has heights,

and depths,

and

lengths,

and breadths in

it

which pass

our

knowledge,"

1-1

4