price," which every one who finds, will sell all that he has to purchase1 ? What, though we behold him not with our bodily eyes, is our joy the less on that account ? No : for " though we see him not, we love him : yea, though now we see him not, yet, believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; receiving even now the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls m."]
In conclusion, I would beg to ask two questions :
1. Have you attained this happiness yourselves? [The Lord Jesus Christ has been fully made known
among you, and " has even been set forth, as it were, crucified before your eyes11." Observe on what slight evidence of his Messiahship his first Disciples rejoiced. Neither he, nor John his Forerunner, had wrought any miracle : yet, because the Holy Ghost had descended in a visible shape upon him at his baptism, both John and others believed on him. Thev, more- over, could have but very indistinct views of his character ; and yet they rejoiced in him. How strong, then, should be your faith, and how exalted your joy, now that you have a full dis- covery of his glory ; a discovery, which not even the angels in heaven enjoyed, till it was given to them through the medium of the Christian Church0! Surely you have cause to be ashamed, if, amidst all your privileges, you remain ignorant of the Saviour's love, or strangers to the salvation which he has obtained for you.]
2. Are you endeavouring to impart it to others ?
[You find not any in the days of old, who, having found the Saviour themselves, did not endeavour to make him known to others. It is indeed impossible to feel our need of him, and to be experimentally acquainted with the blessedness of his salvation, and not to labour, according to our ability, to make others partakers of our joy. I know full well, that a zeal for his glory, and for the salvation of our fellow-men, will entail upon us a considerable measure of reproach, as enthusi- astic, and " righteous overmuch." But why should we regard such a contemptible imputation as that ? It is remarkable, that Philip was under a mistake, when he announced Jesus as "of Nazareth ;" for he was not of Nazareth, but of Beth- lehem. Yet because Philip supposed him to be of Nazareth, where he was not born, but had only sojourned, he willingly proclaimed his Master as of that place, notwithstanding the obloquy universally attached to itp. So let us never be ashamed of Christ, because of the odium that attaches to a profession of his name. We should not indeed, by ignorance
1 Matt. xiii. 44—46. m 1 Pet. i. 8, 9. » Gal. iii. 1.
0 Eph. iii. 10. p ver. 4(3.