And now, having closed my subject, I humbly " commend you all to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified8."
s Acts xx. 32.
1 Tim. i. 15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
IT is said of the Athenians that "they spent their time in nothing else but in telling or hearing some new thing." This, to say the least, was a very un- profitable way of employing their precious hours : for of the reports that are most industriously circu- lated, many are false, many doubtful, many frivolous; and of those that are true and important, the far greater part do not properly concern us. But there is one report that has spread far and wide, in which we are all deeply interested ; the particulars of which, together with the general character of the report itself, it is our intention to lay before you. I. The report itself —
In general the report is, that " Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." But because of its singular importance, it will be proper that we enter into particulars, and tell you distinctly,
1. Who Jesus Christ was — [He was a man in every respect like ourselves, sin only excepted. But he was God also : he was the only-begotten Son of God, " God of God, light of light, very God of very God." To declare fully who he was, is beyond the power of any finite being : since " none knoweth the Son but the Father3:" yet we know infallibly from Scripture that he was the eternalb, immutable Jehovah0, God manifest in the flesh d, God over all, blessed for evere.]
a Matt. xi. 27. b Mic. v. 2. with John xvii. 5.
c Heb. xiii. 8. d 1 Tim. iii. 16. e Rom. ix. 5.