greater than Solomon is here." The distinctiveness of the wonderful doctrines which He preached; the minuteness of the pure morality which He taught; the prudence with which He evaded the pursuit of His persecutors; and the appropriate answers which He gave to both His friends and His foes, at once declare that in wisdom he had not His equal.

3. There were works of love which proved that Christ was exclusive in His character. No historical annals can produce such examples of compassion, of tenderness, of forbearance, of mercy, and of forgiveness as were exhibited in the conduct of Jesus. With what compassion He relieved the afflictions of the sick and the distressed who came to Him for relief. With what tenderness He treated His weak disciples, who were at all times slow of heart to believe. With what forbearance He bore the unwarrantable taunts and insults of His bitterest foes. With what readiness He declared that every sin and blasphemy against the "Son of Man" should be forgiven; He forgave the woman whose sins were many, and did not condemn another woman who was caught in the act of adultery. With what mercy He assuaged pain and torments. With what earnestness He prayed for His murderers when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Love was blended with all His acts, and such love as the world never before witnessed. "What manner of man is this?"

III. We observe that a conviction of Christ's character

produces fear. "And they feared exceedingly." This was not the fear of danger, the fear of anger, the fear of wrath. It was a reversion of feeling from what they experienced when the storm was raging. Then they feared that they should be engulphed in utter destruction; but now the storm had ceased; there was a perfect calm. The power as well as the goodness of the man who stood before them attracted their attention, and their minds were filled with awe. The nature of this fear was therefore

1. That of admiration. They admired both the act and

the actor. Never had they stood in the presence of such a man before; never had they witnessed a character so much to be admired: it was at once great and good. Such is the feeling of the awakened sinner when he is brought to see the adaptation of Christ to his case. He no longer fears His wrath and indignation; the feeling of horror, the apprehension of merited punishment has been removed; a calm has been produced in his soul. Now he is filled with admiration of the power, of the grace, of the goodness, of the love of the Being who has condescended to do all this. In the ecstacy of his heart he says, with David, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."

2. It was the fear of reverence. They not only admired, but also revered, the person who had quelled the storm. We call Christ Master and Lord, and He asks us, as was formerly asked, "If I be a Master, where is my fear? or where is my honour?" Such a character deserves to be honoured above all others. Thinking of what He was, of what He is, of what He has done, of what He is doing, and of what He has engaged to do, we must be impressed with the claim which He has to our reverence. We honour the great, the wise, the strong, the generous, the good. Who so great, so wise, so strong, so generous, so good as Christ? We would then honour Him and fear Him with reverence.

3. This fear also implies love. There are some master minds whom we admire and reverence, but cannot love. These is a sternness of disposition, a repulsiveness of manner, which does not attract affection although it commands respect. This is not the character of Christ; whilst He possesses a master mind, comprehending all that is great, He also possesses a kindness and tenderness of disposition which must attract the deepest love of all who know Him.

Finally, implicit obedience is included in the fear of Christ. "If ye love me, keep my commandments," was His own injunction. A compliance with His command is the outward index of a fearing, loving heart.

In conclusion, if we thus fear Christ, we endeavour to follow His example. His character was one for imitation. We cannot imitate Him, it is true, in the perfection of His unerring life; but we can take Him for our pattern, and in acts of morality, of goodness, of generosity, of self-denial, of patience, of forbearance, of forgiveness, we can try to approach His image, as a copy approaches the likeness of the original. Let it be our desire, let it be our aim, let it be our prayer to imitate Christ.

161

Sexagesima Sunday.

EVENING SERVICE.-First Lesson: Gen. vi.

Verse 22.-" Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

THERE are two attributes of the Divine Being which are in their nature diametrically opposed to each other; but in Him are beautifully blended together-those are justice and mercy. His justice is in Himself pure and unmixed. He cannot do but that which is right; no motive can induce Him to do otherwise. In the eternal world that justice is dispensed in a manner which distributes unto all the exact rewards and punishments which their respective characters deserve; so that if we have the wilful misfortune of entering there impenitent and unpardoned, we shall receive from His hand the dire consequences which His justice demands. But in His treatment of His creatures in this world justice is tempered with mercy. Towards persons in a state of trial He softens the asperities of justice with the most wonderful patience, and the most beautiful benevolence. Thus the ancients painted justice as being lame, showing that it is slow in arriving. No cloud is so dark but that has a bright lining; no night is so black but that has some star of glimmering hope; no pit is so deep but that has a bottom; no cup is so bitter but that has some particles of sweetness. Though the burden of Cain's guilt appeared heavier than he could bear, God furnished him with "mark" of assurance that no one should kill him. Though He threatened the antediluvians with inevitable judgment and with irretrievable ruin, yet He gave them a hundred and twenty years' warning so that they

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might repent and avoid the impending calamity. Doubtless if they had repented He would, as in the case of Nineveh, have at least postponed the threatened judgment. But they did not repent; they disbelieved the fact, and neglected the warning. We find a parallel case in the instance of the Jews, and in the instance of every impenitent sinner.

God instructed Noah to build an ark for the salvation of himself and family. The materials, the form, and the dimensions of the ark were minutely specified, so that nothing was left to Noah's ingenuity and choice; a striking emblem of the scheme of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Noah observed the instructions of God, as every sinner should. Thereby he was saved from the catastrophe that followed. "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

Let me direct your attention, First, To the judgment, and, Secondly, To the deliverance referred to in the case of the deluge.

I. The judgment. Here it may be noticed that the punishment of the antediluvians by the deluge for their sins was an emblem of the punishment of every impenitent sinner for the same cause. That God has from the beginning, does at present, and will to the end, punish sin, is a fact which cannot be controverted. The purity of His nature, His just hatred of sin, and His unchangeable love of justice, are, in the absence of all examples, sufficient arguments to prove that sin must of necessity be punished. It was in consequence of this necessity that God's Son descended to earth and suffered for sinners. It was in consequence of this necessity that every instance of Divine judgment recorded on the pages of history occurred. Judgments, temporal or spiritual, have never been inflicted because God delights in punishing. He never hurled the thunderbolt of vengeance against any nation, party, nor person because He loves revenge. No, every motive of His benign nature contradicts