the blessed boon of salvation at the expense of the blood of the only begotten Son of God.

II. We notice briefly the character of the Redeemer as represented in the text.

1. "The government shall be upon his shoulder.”

He sustains the government of the world in general, all the motions of the universe are conducted by His command. St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, tells us, that "all things shall be subdued unto him," for at the last day He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. When He gave that memorable commission to His disciples, "Go, and preach the Gospel to every creature," He said for their encouragement, "all power in heaven and in earth is given to me." This He has proved by making all things subservient to His will and purpose. Not an angel, nor seraph, nor cherub moves a wing nor modulates a cadence in heaven but by His direction; not a devil dares shake a chain in hell but by His permission. All the elements of nature, all the beasts of the forest, all the birds of the air, all the fishes of the sea, and every individual man are subject to his control. "The government is upon his shoulder." He has not only the government of the world in general, but also the government of the Church in particular. He "has been given to be the head over all things to the Church." This child has been born to a royal dignity. He is the " King of saints," as well as the "King of kings, and the Lord of lords." At His command we engage in the conflict with the foe-under His banner we fight-by His laws we are governed by His Spirit we are guided by His grace we are supported, and from His munificent hand we receive all our encouragement and success. "The government is upon

his shoulder."

2. "His name shall be called Wonderful."

As wonderful as His name are all the circumstances of His mediatorship. He is wonderful in His person, being truly God, and also truly man. He is wonderful in the disposi

tion of His mind, and in the attributes of His soul. He is wonderful in His love for His people, and in His sympathy with their infirmities. He is wonderful in His humility, meekness, and patience. He is wonderful in the greatness of His wisdom and virtue. He was wonderful in the whole course of His life, and more so in the circumstances of His death. It is wonderful that He should have died at all-that He should have died with His own, and with His Father's consent that He should have died for sinners, even for the chief, and that by dying He should have procured eternal life for His people-that He should have abolished death, and have destroyed him who had the power of death, even the devil.

3. He is here called Counsellor. This title belongs to Him in connexion with the Father and the blessed Spirit in the work of creation, providence and grace, for all the Divine dispensations are carried on by a perfect harmony of design between the persons of the glorious Trinity. If God said, "Let us make man," in the formation of our nature, so we may infer that the same consultation has been exercised in all the arrangements of Providence, and especially in the grand scheme of salvation. He is also the great Counsellor of His people, by whose direction they are guided and protected through this world, and ultimately conducted into everlasting glory.

4. The mighty God. This clause is conclusive in respect to the Divinity of Christ, so that whoever will admit this passage as referring to Him cannot consistently deny His eternal power and Godhead.

5. The everlasting Father. This title is not given to Him in respect to His position in the Trinity. In that respect the title is confined to the first Person. Christ has indeed said, "I and my Father are one;" "I am in the Father, and the Father in me;" "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also;" yet, they are perfectly distinct as regards the Trinity. But in respect to the operations of Deity in creation and regeneration He is equally Father with the first Person; and in forming the plans of those things which were

to be executed in time, He might with propriety be called the everlasting Father, for as all are the result of eternal design, the second and third Persons were from eternity concerned in their formation,-" The everlasting Father."

6. Finally, He is the Prince of Peace.

man.

A Prince both by birth and by office, as He was originally the Prince of the Lord's hosts, the Prince of life, and the Prince of salvation, so He is also exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour in His capacity as Mediator between God and As the Prince of Peace He is the author of peace between all parties in heaven and earth. This, St. Paul assures us when he says, "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Through Him peace has been established between God and man-peace has been produced in the guilty conscience, and peace has been introduced between man and his neighbour. "Glory to God in the highest, peace upon earth, goodwill towards men," are the dictates of His kingdom, so that under His universal government there will be no more war, nor rumours of war, but the "Swords shall be beaten into ploughshares, and the spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not raise sword against nation, nor learn war any more; but peace shall flow as the river, and righteousness as the waves of the sea."

In conclusion, brethren, let us see what practical lesson we can derive from the subjects which we have briefly considered. Is He a child born unto us? Then let us rejoice. that we have a Saviour possessing a nature identical with our own; who was in all things made like unto His brethren. A High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, being tempted in all points like as we are, and therefore able to succour those who are tempted. Is He a Son given unto us? Then let us admire the love and condescension which made the Son of God the Son of man. Is the government laid upon His shoulders, and is He the Almighty God? Then let us not fear amid all the trials and

vicissitudes of this fleeting world. As the reins are in His hands, nothing shall harm us whilst we are His; the surges may heave and the billows may roar, and the winds may blow, and the tempests may rage; "All things shall work together for good to them that love God." Underneath us are the everlasting arms. He will be our sun and our shield, "He will give grace and glory, for no good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly." Is He a Counsellor? Then He will not allow His people to be led away to perdition, but He will guide them with His counsel, and afterwards bring them to glory. Is He our everlasting Father? Then can we approach Him with boldness, knowing that He delights to hear the prayer of His children, and however unworthy and prodigal those children may have been, His compassion longs to pity, and His love is prepared to save. Is He the Prince of Peace? Then you who are pressed with the weight of your sins may cast your burdens down at His cross. Here you may find peace and pardon in believing. Your guilty conscience which dreads the infliction of eternal wrath may be cleansed from all its pollutions, whilst the soul that comes to Him, may "sit and sing itself away to everlasting bliss."

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Christmas-day.

EVENING SERVICE.-Second Lesson: Titus iii.

Verse 8.-" This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

THE few verses which compose this evening's second lesson contain in themselves the whole which is required for man's salvation. God's part first, and man's part secondly, are here prominently brought before us in the most lucid and expressive form. On God's part we find that every person in the glorious Trinity acts distinctly in our salvation. The original cause, or the spring and source of our happiness, lies in the kindness and love of God the Father. The meritorious and procuring cause of the application of this love is Jesus Christ, in His incarnation and consequent mediation in our behalf. The immediate and efficient cause of the communication of the love of God the Father, procured by the mediation of God the Son, is God the Holy Spirit, in the work of regeneration. Then man on his part is to act out the whole bearings of this love by faith and good works.

Having in the morning entered pretty fully into the subject of our Lord's incarnation, and the nature of His person as God-man, we shall endeavour this evening to show the effects of those facts on the world, and we shall observe―

I. The one great design of Christianity, and the end of God in the revelation of the Gospel by the incarnation of His Son, was to reform the lives and manners of men, and to oblige all persons both to be good, and to do good.

The primary object of Christ in assuming our nature was

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