of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life."

The nature of this process may be seen in the well-known Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal's situation sets forth not unfitly the condition of mankind. When the Prodigal wakes up to a consciousness of his state, when he sees the vile condition to which he has reduced himself that he is herding with unclean animals instead of enjoying the purity of his father's courts; that his food is the foul refuse allotted to beasts, in place of that to which he was heir by birth-what is all this but a description of man's feelings when he first discerns the misery of sin, and the unspeakable evil of losing his heavenly birthright? And what can he bring to his Father except the humility of a contrite spirit, which is conscious of its own absolute helplessness and incurable abasement? This feeling, then, and his subsequent acceptance, is all which the Parable sets forth. But suppose that besides this it had gone on to tell us that the Prodigal Son had incurred great debts suppose that besides wasting his substance he had incurred heavy obligations: by whom could these debts be discharged; how could he get rid of what he owed, and thus be put into a condition for going freely to his Father? Now this is truly man's estate as regards God.

:

He has a heavy

debt of sin he is burthened already by past transgressions, and for these it is that the Son of

God's love made atonement on the bloody cross. God "made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." "Whom God hath set forth. . . for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

This is the first part of Christ's work, whereby God is reconciled to man. Thus is that load of

guilt done away, which forbade our acceptance. Its removal is the first step to at-onement, since but for this saving sacrifice the whole generation of men had been for ever sunk into the pit of destruction. But when this price is paid, there is still something needed for man's acceptance. God may be reconciled to man, but how is man reconciled to God? The Prodigal's debts may be discharged; but what is there to bring him to his Father's feet in the humility of a profound repentance? Here is a work, which is as needful as ought else to man's acceptance; yet which none but the great Mediator between God and man is able to effect.

For the very curse of man in his present state is that his heart is alienated from God. Suppose I address myself to some of those many persons in this land, who neglect Church, despise God's Sacraments, forget His laws. I reason with them on their sin and folly; but their common answer in reality is, that they have no taste for such matters; they like better the employments and

objects of the world; God and His kingdom, and His service, and Christ's acts of love, and the sanctifying influence of His renewing spirit, are a dull, unattractive thing, which find no answer in their hearts. What they need, then, is some power, which may quicken their inner man to more healthy action. Without this, they cannot be truly at one with God. There can be no real acceptance, because, though God is willing to be reconciled to them, by reason of that infinite ransom which has been provided for the redemption of all men through the Son of His love, yet are they on their part, unwilling to be reconciled to God. The ambassadors of Christ have still need, therefore, to come, praying men in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. And here it is, then, that the text takes us up, and shows how the salvation of mankind is brought about through the resurrection of the Son of God. To complete our acceptance-that men may be fully reconciled to their heavenly Father-that the work wrought upon the Cross in expiation, may be followed up by the work of renewal wrought in every living member of the Son of God, did Our Lord not only die for our sins, but rose again for our justification.

II. Now what has this to do with Christ's resurrection? This was the second thing to be spoken of. You have seen that our acceptance depends on the reconciliation of God to men; and

that this was effected through the sacrifice on the Cross. But it depends also on our reconciliation to God. How is this owing to Our Lord's resurrection? For the reason which has already been mentioned; because the difficulty which is here to be overcome, is a difficulty which lies in man himself, and must be cured, not by an outward act, which is wrought for you, but by an inward act, which must be wrought within you. Suppose a careless man to be asked why he is not reconciled to God. The answer cannot be that God is wanting in goodness; there is no deficiency in that infinite and unmeasurable love which gave Christ Our Lord to the Cross for our redemption, but man's evil heart refuses to yield to such influences "they will not come unto Me, that they may have life." Men know that it is their interest to be saved-they cannot disguise from themselves that no happiness is to be found except in God's service they know that at the last day they shall have to render account of all their actions but though they know all this, they cannot feel it, they have little love to God-they take little pleasure in His service-they can no more give Him their hearts than they could relish some food which their taste refused, or some person to whom they had a natural antipathy.

Alas! how often do we see this in the world. We may speak to men ever so kindly; we may show them that what we are anxious for is their

own life. We may explain to them that the thing proposed is the true dignity and happiness of man's nature; and yet they turn away as though they were asked for some unreasonable favour, and despise Him in whom their life is, and whose are all their ways. You might as well speak to "the deaf adder, which stoppeth his ears, which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely." Now whence this folly? Are the men we speak of without natural understanding? Have they not senses, reason, memory, forethought? Yes, in this world's affairs they show no failing. But they want a spiritual taste, a sense and feeling for things divine; the flesh rules in them, the spirit is dead in their bosoms; they want faith, and love, and godly fear.

And how are these things to be produced? Where are such excellences to be found? There is no market where you can buy them. They do not grow among the spices of the east; out of the mines of the west you cannot dig them. When Adam fell, they were forfeited once and for ever by. man's nature. They retreated to their parent seat in the bosom of God. And thence only can they be obtained. These precious gifts came back in their completeness to that single child of Adam, whose birth was the signal of peace on earth, and good-will to men. His cradle was adorned by those precious gifts which the wise men of the East presented; but more precious by far were

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