his

As he was pursuing his subject, he lifted up hands, and waving them, said, that our Lord Jesus was upon his throne, sending forth his gospel, accompanied with his Spirit, to bring his people home effectually, by the knowledge of his person and work, to believe on him to life everlasting. While he was preaching, death arrested him, which he feeling, recovered himself so much as to finish his sermon; when not being able to come out of the pulpit, he was carried from it to his own house, where being put to bed, he soon fell asleep in the arms of Jesus, experiencing the truth of his Divine Master's words, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord."

The words of my text, which are, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ," contain an account of Paul's view of himself. By a singular expression, which he has chosen as his peculiar motto, he stiles himself, “ less than the least of all saints." He then declares his qualifications for the work in which he was engaged, "Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given." Then he declares the subject of his ministry, "the unsearchable riches of Christ ;" and points out the persons to whom he was to preach them, the gentiles.

These are the particulars contained in the words before us; and I shall only touch on the former, as introductory to the latter. Therefore I shall divide my text only into these two heads. First, the subject of the apostle's ministry, "the unsearchable riches of Christ."

Secondly, the persons to whom he preached these unsearchable riches, the gentiles, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ."

The expression here used by the apostle, is singular; he stiles himself "less than the least of saints;" which is very expressive of the state and views of his own mind; a full proof of his littleness in his own eyes. This is the fruit and effect of grace, and is realized in the experience of many great saints, whose names are recorded in the bible. Abraham, the father of the faithful, and the friend of God, though admitted into free and holy familiarity with the Lord, cries out, "I am but dust and ashes." Jacob, though he was favoured with a vision of Jehovah at Bethel, and afterwards with several manifestations and communions with God-Jesus, yet he says, I am less than the least of all thy mercies." Moses, though favoured with the presence of the angel Jehovah at Horeb, and afterwards admitted on the mount with God, yet when he

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heard his voice speaking out of the midst of devouring fire, cried out, "I exceedingly fear and quake." This was likewise the case with Job, who, when the Lord spake to him out of the whirlwind, cried out, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." So Isaiah, when he was favoured with a vision of Jehovah Jesus, in the temple, (as he was to be in the fulness of time, when incarnate, God manifest in the flesh,) attended with the seraphim, who worshipped him with a thrice holy, and veiled their faces with their wings, as unable to behold his essential, personal, and mediatorial glory, it being beyond all that they could possibly take in and conceive, he cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts."

We have the like example of humility and self-abasement in our apostle, who had been in heaven; yet when he classes himself with the apostles, he says of himself, "I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." When he puts himself among sinners, and speaks of himself as a sinner saved, he adds, "of whom I am chief." And here, numbering himself with saints, he entitles him

selfless than the least of all saints." We see from hence, that the more the mind is enlightened by the Holy Ghost, to apprehend the majesty, holiness, purity, and perfections of God, and to conceive the same as reflected on us in the person of the God-man, Christ Jesus, and in his glorious mediation, the more self-loathing and self-abhorrence is produced.

We have also another instance in the case of the apostle John, who, though dignified with the title of the disciple whom Jesus loved, and favoured with most sweet, free, and heavenly communion with him, yet, in the isle of Patmos, ia the Archipelago, when favoured with a visionary representation of one like unto the Son of man, he tells us," when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." And he would have remained thus, had not his most gracious Lord and Saviour addressed him, saying, "Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of hell and of death," Rev. i. 17, 18.

The apostle having taken his motto, speaks of his qualification for his work. He ascribes it to a gift of grace; "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

That he should be elected in Christ to grace and glory before the world was, was altogether

of grace; it was altogether out of the same free sovereign grace, that God had revealed his Son in him, and called and appointed him to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the gentiles: hence he says, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given." His call to the apostolic office, his being separated to the gospel of God, his mission, and commission to preach the everlasting gospel, were altogether of grace, free, rich, and sovereign grace; and he values it as such, esteeming it next to his own personal and eternal salvation. This appears

from that most solemn doxology, which he offers up in the first chapter of his first epistle to Timothy.

Our apostle was the chief of the apostles, and greatest preacher of the free grace of the eternal three, of the everlasting covenant, and transactions of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the finished salvation of the God-man, Christ Jesus, in the new testament church. His love to Christ was fervent and sincere; his attachment to the truths and doctrines of the gospel, its worship, and ordinances, firm and stedfast; his zeal in the cause of God and truth, great; his knowledge clear; his judgment sound; his labours many, arduous, and abundant; his success in winning souls to Christ, such as was never exceeded, and, we may safely add, never will be. Yet it was all of grace; it was no part of his