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an oath. "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Now his word of itself is a sufficient warrant for believing what he says. He is a God of truth. All his words and all his ways are true. There is no unrighteousness, no falsehood, no changeableness in him. And as he is the Supreme Being there is no conceivable motive for his not speaking the truth. Men often speak that which is false. Even when put on their oath they often utter falsehood either to conciliate the favour or avert the frowns of men; either to shield themselves from evil or to gain some actual good. But God can be influenced by no such motives. He is the eternal, the self-existent Jehovah; he is dependent on none; he is exalted above all blessing and praise. None can injure him, or take from his happiness or glory. None can profit him, or add to his essential happiness or dignity.

No motive, therefore, such as man is influenced by, can actuate the divine being to lead him either to suppress the truth, or to speak that which is not true. But to render this declaration more forcible or, at least, that we might be induced so to regard it, he condescends solemnly to swear to the truth of his word. Men are accustomed to regard an oath in a more solemn and binding light than a mere declaration, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of strife. Stooping, therefore, to our weakness, God says, "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live." He could swear by no greater, he therefore swears by himself. As I live, saith the Lord God. The proofs of God's existence surround us in great numbers and in overwhelming power. "The heavens declare his glory, and the firmament showeth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge" concerning

VOL. XII.-FOURTH SERIES.

him. The earth, the air, the sea, with the myriads of beings that inhabit them, all testify to his power and Godhead. Our own existence, being fearfully and wonderfully made, with the conscience that is within us, accusing or else excusing us, testify that God is; but it is not more true that God exists, than it is true that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

Another illustration of the truth of this statement is drawn from the provision which God has made for man's everlasting welfare. When our first parents fell from the estate in which they were created, he gave them a gracious promise, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; and in the fulness of time God sent his own Son into the world, made of a woman, made under the law. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." The scheme which God has devised and carried into effect has for its object the deliverance of man from the condemnation into which his sins have brought him. Its purpose, also, is to make him a possessor of happiness to which he has no right or title. By it his sins are forgiven; peace is spoken to his conscience; joy dwells within his heart; hope animates his spirit, and the mansions in our Father's house at last become his home. This provision fully meets the necessity of the case for which it was devised. The law was broken; Christ magnified it and made it honourable. Justice called aloud for vengeance; in Christ a ransom was found, and man was delivered from going down to the pit. The atonement of Christ has laid the basis for man's acceptance with God so strong and so broad, that whosoever cometh unto God by him shall in no wise be cast out. The iniquity of man's sin demanded punishment for ever, and

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Christ hath by one offering perfected for ever them who are sanctified. Man is altogether sinful; he is altogether vile and corrupt; "his heart is deceitful and desperately wicked;" but the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sin. Man can lay no foundation of his own for salvation; but Christ lays in Zion a chief and precious cornerstone, and whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed or confounded. Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He commands us to repent and believe the gospel, and has told us that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," and that "if we believe we shall never perish but have everlasting life." This rich provision, then, for our eternal well-being may teach us that " God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his way and live."

The truth of this statement may appear again, if we remember that Christ has commanded his disciples to make known the news of mercy to all the world. His language to them was, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and whosoever believeth not shall be damned." This preaching of the gospel is a testimony against man's sin and iniquity; and while it makes known the anger of God, deserved by and justly falling on all transgressors, it also proclaims peace on earth, good will from God towards men. To many nations this word has been preached, and its good news and glad tidings made known. God has been constantly raising up labourers, and sending them into his harvest, and multitudes of souls have heard and known the joyful sound. God has put this word into the hands of his

church, that it may be preached throughout the whole earth. It is the word of life, the word of salvation; and it makes known life from the dead, and salvation to the lost and perishing. His people have with varying zeal and energy been making known his word since the time when the command was first given; and it is only for the church fully to realize its obligations, and fully to discharge its duties in the spirit of fervent love to Christ and immortal souls, and in the spirit of earnest prayer, and humble and hearty trust in the promise of the Redeemer, for the world to hear the glad tidings of salvation, and for all men to know that God has no pleasure in their death. Many different nations have heard it, and have been blessed in receiving it; and although many of the nations that first heard it have it not now, yet it has gone into other lands, and there, also, has gained its victories. It has travelled east, west, north, and south, and has never been without its triumphs. Sinners have been turned from the error of their ways, and in the flocking of multitudes to the cross, the Redeemer has seen of the travail of his soul. In the numbers it has rescued from death, in the tears it has wiped from their eyes, in the grace it has imparted to keep them from falling, in the peaceful and happy deaths it has secured, as, also, in the glorious hope of, and entrance into eternal life it has conferred, there has been written in many lands, as with a beam of light, this gracious word, "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." And, my reader, the gospel has been sent to you. God has cast your lot in a land where gospel privileges are largely increased, where bibles are multiplied in number and cheapness beyond all former precedent, and where the proclamation of good news and glad tidings is heard on every hand. You have heard this word, it

has been often preached in your hearing. By it, therefore, you have been warned to flee from the wrath to come; by it you have been taught that Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him; by it you have been invited to come and partake freely of the waters of life; by it you have heard the true and faithful promise, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." The purpose for which this word has been thus sent to you is one of mercy and kindness, even this, that you may be alarmed at your danger, and flee to the only refuge, Christ Jesus; that your heart may be filled with yearning after good, and that you may find it in Christ the good Shepherd, who is ready to lead you into green pastures and beside the still waters. You have, then, evidence before you, addressed most closely and personally to you (oh, that you may feel and yield to its power!), that God has no pleasure in your death.

The forbearance of God towards the wicked furnishes another illustration. A remarkable instance of this was manifested towards the old world, which was destroyed by water. God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually; he, therefore, determined to destroy man whom he had created, from the face of the earth. Yet during the space of one hundred years or more, while the ark was being prepared, and while Noah was a preacher of righteousness to them, did God exercise towards them his long-suffering and forbearance. This resolve to destroy them was only taken in consequence of their great wickedness in God's sight, and he forbore to punish, that his longsuffering and goodness might lead them to repentance. So, also, towards our world and its inhabitants at the present time is long-suffering exercised, that it may be accounted and made the means

of salvation. It should ever be remembered that God has full power to punish; he hath power to kill the body, and after that to cast the soul into hell fire. He can at once assign its portion in the bottomless pit, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. He hath made all things, and by him all things consist. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? There is sufficient reason, too, why God should punish. Your transgressions are many; they have been continued through a long series of years; they may be multiplied not only by the years, or months, or weeks of your existence, but by its days, and minutes, and seconds. Your transgressions have been wilful; the result of your own choice. The good has been placed before you, and also the evil, and you have chosen the evil. The way of life has been set before you, and also the way of death, and the way of death you have chosen. You may have been influenced by persuasion or by example, but still sin has been, after all, your own choice. Your transgressions have been aggravated. Conscience, the word of God, the bitterness of the ways of sin, have often warned you, but still you have sinned. Many things that you have done you have known to be wrong, but still you have done them; God has said, and you have felt it," Be sure your sin will find you out," but you have added sin to sin notwithstanding. It is even to be feared that the forbearance of God itself has been abused by you into an occasion of sin; for when judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily, it is often the case that the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to do evil. So it may have been with you. You have thought God has not observed you, or that he has forgotten to punish you, or that he is altogether such a one as yourself, and has pleasure in iniquity. If for your ways, evil and depraved as they

have been, God had long ere this poured out upon you the fierceness of his anger, it would have been no more than you have merited, nor could a word of complaint have been justly uttered against him, if he had done so. Your mouth must have been stopped, being convicted of guilt in his presence. But as he has forborne to punish, and has spared and preserved you till now, you have in this, the extension of his long-suffering towards you, a most convincing proof that he has no pleasure in your death. Yet once more it may be mentioned as a confirmation of this statement, that life life everlasting, is promised to all who turn to God and seek his face. The exhortations to repent and believe the gospel, are enforced upon our notice, by the most gracious encouragements, that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When the prodigal son came to himself and repented, and resolved to return to his father, and did return, then his father welcomed him to his house and his heart, and graciously forgave all his iniquity. Thus God deals with returning prodigals; the soul that hideth its sin shall not prosper, but he that confesseth and forsaketh it shall find mercy. And when the 3000 on the day of pentecost cried, "Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved?" and in conformity to the direction of the apostles repented and were baptized for the remission of sins, then God forgave them, and adopted them into his family.

in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God having a full and perfect understanding of our wants, and miseries, and destitution, has placed himself before us under those aspects which encourage our trust, and assure us of every blessing. He says, "I am the bread of life. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven, if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever." This is the promise of life given to all who repent and turn to Christ. On the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, on the last, the great day of the feast, "Jesus stood, and cried, saying, If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Is it necessary to mention more of the promises? Hear again the word of the Lord, " Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Multitudes have by faith in the divine promises, and in Christ in whom they are all yea and amen, found acceptance with God, have received the pardon of their sins, peace in their consciences, joy in their hearts, life in their souls, and have gone on their way rejoicing in Christ Jesus as their life, with joy un

So, also, with respect to faith. Christ is proclaimed "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Thus as a righteousness is neces-speakable and full of glory. These insary in order to our acceptance with vitations and promises are held out, my God, and our entrance into heaven, he reader, to you, that you may forsake your becomes our righteousness when we be- sins, and seek and find mercy through lieve; and this is the gracious promise Christ Jesus. Held out as they have of life to every one that exercises faith | been to you for so long; waiting as God

still is to be gracious to you; ready as | gospel." "Repent, and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." 9, Coborn Street, Bow Road.

he is to fulfil them in your experience, they give to you a most convincing proof that God has no pleasure in your death. "Repent, then, and believe the

THE GREEK WORD WHICH SIGNIFIES IMMERSION.
BY THE REV NATHAN BROWN, A.M.

MR. BROWN, a missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union labouring in Assam, has recently published two sermons on the Gospel Message and on Christian Ordinances, to which are appended Illustrative Notes. From a copy of this work with which he has favoured us, we extract an article of the Appendix containing Greek and other testimonies to the meaning of the word baptism, which will be new to many of our readers, though others are interspersed with them which have often been quoted. It is as follows:

attached to the doctrine and ritual of primitive Christianity?"

"While travelling in Greece," says Mr. Hague, "I was struck with the fact that it is impossible for a Greek to associate any idea with the term baptism except that of immersion. At Kalaimachi, a village on the Gulf of Athens, I was introduced to a learned Greek who spoke various languages. Among other subjects of inquiry, I spoke of the Greek church, and took occasion to say to him, the Italian church does not practise baptism as you do. As if to correct my inadvertent phraseology, he immediately rejoined,

(sprinkling); we have baptism." Hague's Hist. Discourse, p. 178.

In the year 1837, the bishop of the Cyclades, who is a member of the synod of the kingdom of Greece, published at Athens a theological treatise, entitled

The Rev. Mr. Hague, in his His-Baptism! oh no, no-they have rantism torical Discourse on the second centennial anniversary of the first baptist church in the United States, gives the following extract from a work of ALEXANDER DE STOURZA, a writer of the Greek church, published at Studgart in 1816. "The western church" The Orthodox Doctrine." Referring to has done violence both to the word and the idea, in practising baptism by aspersion, the very enunciation of which is a ludicrous contradiction. In truth the word baptize has but one signification. It signifies literally and perpetually to immerse. Baptism and immersion are identical; and to say baptism by aspersion, is the same as to say immersion by aspersion, or any other contradiction in terms. Who, then, perceiving this, can hesitate to render homage to the sage fidelity of our church, always

to the popish practice of sprinkling, he exclaims: "Where has the pope taken this practice from? Where has the western church seen it adopted, that she declares it to be right? Has she learnt it from the baptism of the Lord? Let Jordan bear witness, and first proclaim the immersions and the emersions. From the words of our Lord? Hear them aright; 'Disciple the nations, then baptize them.' He says not, then anoint them, or sprinkle them, but he plainly commissions his apostles to bap

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