olc[ln8ing e.w[ly of Iniquity, and the assure.nee, curied home to the very soul, that God loves ond would save the sinner. Despised anrl rejected of men was he? Yes; and it must ha~e been so. Sinful hu1:1anity could not bear the reproach of the presence o( perfect virtue. The forces of evil would be sure to wrestle hard against him who camu that he might COllt them out and destroy them. Die, did he, a. mournful shameful death? Judgmcnt says-There, amid the verv shame of the cross, thrown' up by the very darkness thot lies behind it, shine forth rays of transcendent glory. There, in those hours of agony, may be seen sublime self-sacrifice, mystery of spiritual sufferina, Divine sin-bearing, and the most persuasive manifestation of Gcxl's love to men. The~e is God "not sparing his own Son, but delivering him up for us all;" and there is God's Son "bearing our sins in his own body on the tree." On that sober judgment the apostle based his new life-motive. He set the love of that dying Saviour so high in his soul that it became from henceforth the master motive of all that he did. II. TBE WAY IN WHICH THE CHRISTIA.N MOTIVE WORKS. "They which live shoulrl not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,and rose again." The motive works by establishing a new law for the ruling of our life and conduct. It is the not-unto-self law. We do not know ourselves as we really_ are in our carnal state if we think that is not a new law. Gratification of self is the great unnatural human law. The not-unto-self law is the chosen life-principle of all the good. It is the law of God, the life-rule of Jesus the Christ; and, learnt of him, it has made many a. human story since then beautiful and gracious. Could it be established. in all hearts, the golden age would have come, in which the unselfish King can rei,,.an for ever and ever. The only possible deliverance from the sway of the old self-law is found in the elevating of some new and inspiring love to the throne of the heart. And Jesus makes himself the Object of just such love. The new motive also works in another way. It gives an inner spiritual force to sustain us in the endeavour to obey the law. Love becomes to us what it is to the child. The love of the parent becomes the law of the child's life; but the love, as it dwells in the heart of the child, makes obedience easy. So our love to Christ can become the inner force by which our obedience is S'Ulitained day by day.-R. 'l'. Ver. 19.~God the Reconciler. " God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." "This is the first occurrence, in the order of time, in St. Paul's Epistles, of this word' reconcile' as describing God's work in Christ. The idea involved is that man had been at enmity and had now been atoned (at-oned), and brought into concord with God. It will be noted that the work is described as originating with the Father and accomplished by the mediation of the Son" (Plumptre). I. 'l'HE DISTURBANCE WBI0H OJ.LLB FOR RECONCILIATION. This may be presented as a disturbance occurring between (1) a Creator and his creatures; (2) a King and his subjects; or (3) more worthily in this case, a Father and his children. The point of impression is, the.t the disturbance is in no sense due to any action or neglect of God as Creator, King, or Father, but is wholly due to the self-willed and rebellious conduct of the creatures, subjects, or children. It involved a state of enmity, a withdrawal of pleasant relations, and acts of judgment on the po.rt of God. All these statements need illustration and enforcement. Only as the difficulty is duly estimated can the grace of the remedy be fully understood. II. TBE SIDE ON WBICH WA.B THE EARLIEST DESIRE FOR RECONCILEMENT. Not man's side. The offenders did not seek forgiveness and restoration. Show that this. is true (1) historically, (2) experimentally. None of us, now, are before God in seeking reconciliation. The offended Creator, King, and Father seeks to make both one, and break down the middle walls of partition. " God we.a in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." The deep ground of redemption is God's pitying love for us sinne~. We must not think that we claimed the love or:the.t Christ persuaded God to show'it. "God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son." The en~ity of m~ to him grieved him, IIIld love found the ways in which to break the enmity, and wrn, by a free forgiveness, the very heart of the offenders. Ill. 'l'IIE WAYS IN WHICH GOD EFFECTS THE RECONCILEMENT. All are summed up in Christ. He is tho A"ent throu<>h whom God practically carries out his reconciling purpose. We lll!\Y gather all "'tho ways under two heads. 1. God reconciles by 144 THE SEOOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [on. vl.1-18.
removing the hin<'lrances. 2. God reooncile~ lly persuading the offenders. For both Christ is the Agency. He takes "the b1mdwriting of orrli11Anoo11 that was n11ninst us out. of the way, naili1!g it to h!s cross." . He ooul~ s,RY, "I, .i~ I be lifted"' up, will draw all men unto me. Plead, 10 conclus1on, that Gods reconc1lm" mercies embodied in Chri~t Jesus, ought to be a mighty persuMion on us to yield ourselv:ia to him. They should B&y in our hearta, "De ye reconciled to God."-R. 'l'.
Ver. 21.-The Sinle..~s counted a,s a sinner. We give but the bare outline of a course of thought on this subject, be~use it iil, so suggestive o_f c?ntroversial theological topics, :ind can be treated from the pomts of view of several distinct theological schools. I. CmtIST AS A SINLESS MAN. What proofs of thi■ have we? And how does such sinlessness separate him from man and ensure his acceptance with God? II. THE SrnLESS CAN NEVER, IN FACT, BE OTBER THAN SINLESS. Neithor God nor man e&n be deceived into regarding Christ &e a sinner. No exigencies of theology may make us speak of God as reg&rding Christ as other than he was. III. THE SINLESS CAN TAKE, AS A BURDEN ON HEART AND EFFORT, THE BINS OF OTHERS. Show fully in what senses this can be done. IV. VlITH SIN THUS ON BIX, A STh'LESS lllAN KAY BUllHlT TO BE TBEATED AS IF HE WERE HIMSELF A BINNED. V. WHEN THE STh'LESS lllAN TBtTS TAKES TBE SINS OF OTHERS ON Billl BE BEARS THE sm ALTOGETnEc AWAY. Jesus took up the matter of our sin that it might be a hindrance and trouble t.o us 110 more for ever.-R. T.