He wept over sinners,-from mere compassion for them. But this was not all that he did for them. He led a life of toil and suffering, and endured a painful death to save their souls. And his example, in this very respect, is commended to us for our imitation. The apostle John says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." That is, we should shrink from no pain or self-denial, even to the laying down of our lives, if need be, to save souls. How is it, Christian reader, with you? Have you wept in compassion for sinners? Have your souls been in agony for them, before the throne of grace, as his soul was in the garden of Gethsemane? And have you shrunk back from no effort to save them, because of the self-denial it required? And have you lived out the spirit of Christ? Have you shown the same spirit of devotion, which led him so often to the mountain retreats for prayer? Have you ever got so near to God as he habitually lived, so that you can often say in gratitude, with him, " Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me. And I know that thou hearest me always." Can you come to God in that spirit of loving, childlike confidence, intimate fellowship and nearness of communion, which breathe through his last prayer with his disciples, recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John? It was the devout spirit of Christ, which gave his words such spirit and life. And if we would carry with us habitually the same spirit, our words would be "sharp arrows of the Almighty, in the hearts of the king's enemies." Even the very expression of our countenances,-the heav

enly radiance that would beam through them, would carry conviction to the heart of the sinner, and be a stronger testimony to the truth of Christianity, than all the arguments that the most learned men have been able to produce. Moreover, we are not only to live out the spirit of Christ, as it respects his zeal for the glory of God, his compassion for sinners, and his devotional habits, but in respect to the comparative estimate of temporal and eternal things. He was so constantly in communion with invisible things,-his thoughts and feelings were so habitually upon things unseen and eternal, and he saw so distinctly the glories of heaven and the pains of hell; and so clearly perceived the unsatisfying nature, and the comparative insignificance of temporal things, that this world had no hold upon his affections. If the world could see us living so, they would believe there was a reality in religion. And if we would allure them to seek the pearl of great price, we must show, by our general conduct and spirit, that we possess that pearl ourselves, that we have an object of pursuit infinitely above theirs. But if they see us driving as eagerly after the world as they do themselves; as much engrossed in its cares and pursuits; and as ready to drive a hard bargain as they; how can we make them believe this? I commend to you, especially, the study of the spirit of Christ. Hold up before your minds, as a pattern, the spirit of his piety. And do not think it is too high to be imitated by us. Of course, I speak not of the degree of his piety, as though it were to be expected that any of his followers were to possess this spirit in the same degree that he did. But I speak

of the kind; and the word of God expressly declares that, if we have not this spirit, in some degree, if we do not in some measure sympathize with him, in the objects which he pursued, in the emotions which he felt, and the spirit which he manifested, we cannot be his disciples. When we speak of the piety of Christ, we speak of him as a man; and whatever he did, as a man, fulfilling the relations of a man to his Creator, he did for our imitation. Let us then study the character of his piety, as a character to be imitated; and strive, as we behold the glory of God shining through it, to be changed into the same image, from glory to glory.

8. Finally. Christ is presented in the subject we have been contemplating, as an object of love. There is one view of Christ which I think we are not sufficiently accustomed to contemplate. That is, his embodying the divine image in a perfect human form. When we attempt to contemplate God as an invisible Spirit, it is difficult for us to get any realizing apprehension of his holy nature. But, then, all our ideas of human nature are formed from the acquaintance which we have had with it in its ruins. But when man was first created, he was one of the most lovely beings in the universe. He was fashioned after the image of God. He embodied that image in a human form. There are some remains of the fall, which appear beautiful and lovely. The natural affections, sympathies, and sensibilities of human nature are of themselves lovely; and if sanctified and made holy, every one of them would be so lovely as to call out towards them the affections of holy beings. Now we

are to contemplate Jesus Christ as a perfect man. The ruins of the fall are not seen in him. All the natural sensibilities, sympathies, and affections of human nature appear in him, purified from every thing base, sensual, or selfish. Here is a man capable of disinterested love and friendship. Here is a man, keenly alive to every benevolent emotion, in whom no spot appears. When we look around upon our friends and acquaintances, we see many lovely persons; but our contemplation of their characters is always disturbed with some defect,-some dark spot,-some shade, which intrudes in the way of the outgoings of our love. But fix now your eye on that friend you love the most; and suppose all these dark shades banished, every imperfection removed,-benevolence glowing in every feature of his countenance,-love running through alf his actions,—selfishness entirely removed from his soul,-all his powers of mind perfectly developed,—all the affections of his soul pure and heavenly; and then, to this perfect man add the mysterious union of the Divine Nature, and this Being acting out his benevolent sympathy in laying down his life for his enemies, and we have the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God," God manifest in the flesh." And can we gaze upon such a character as this, without admiration and delight ?-without having our souls drawn out towards him in holy affection? And will not this affection and delight rise into rapture, when we contemplate this Being as our Saviour? And shall we wonder that the dying saint, catching a glimpse of such a character, should be ravished with the sight, and call out in broken accents to others to be

hold the beauty of Christ ?* And though yet in the flesh, can we not get so near to him as to behold his beauty, and be ravished with the sight, and "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory?"

* Miss CAROLINE RICHARDS, a lovely youth of fifteen, who died in Roxbury, Mass., a few months ago, having maintained a credible Christian profession for five years, when her speech was nearly gone, called to her mother, and said, in broken accents, Beauty, beauty,—beauty;" and, on being interrogated as to what she saw so beautiful, replied, "CHRIST."