Acts iv, 12. Jesus' People Heb. ii, 9. 1 Tim. iv, 10. Mark xvi, 15. Rev. xxii, 17. Thus does the Divine Man save from sin. Right- There is none other name than thine, On which to rest for sins forgiven, Name above every name! thy praise Rock of salvation! thou art mine. Thirdly There are those whom Jesus will save his PEOPLE. There is a sense, indeed, in which it is gloriously true that Jesus Christ has, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man, being the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe. Accordingly, he has authorized his evangelists to proffer his salvation to every human being: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to the whole creation." The Spirit and the bride say, Come! And he that heareth, let him say, Come! And he that is athirst, let him come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely. But while all this is preciously true-while, to use the language of Andrew Fuller, "the salvation which Jesus offers is sufficient for all who will take it, yet it is efficient for only those who do take it." And it is precisely those who do take it whom Jesus Christ calls his people; and these are How they whom he will save. Thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. And none others will he save. can he? Since the Christian salvation implies voluntary, glad acceptance on the part of him who is saved, as well as gracious power on the part of him who saves, how can Jesus Christ save the man who refuses to be saved? Omnipotence itself, considered as simple, sheer force, can not compel joyous obedience, glad love, real loyalty of heart. It is of the very essence of a moral nature that its will is free. How, then, can Jesus Christ save a man who will not be saved? In fact, Christ's salvation hinges on this very thing-the willingness to be saved: "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have John v, 40. life." Already under condemnation, and refusing or simply neglecting the great salvation, what right Heb. ii, 3. has he to escape if he could; how can he escape if he would? He that believeth not is twice condemned: first, because he has disobeyed Sinai's law; and secondly, because, having disobeyed Sinai's law, he accepts not Calvary's pardon. The Gospel, therefore, is and must be either a savor of 2 Cor. ii, 16. life unto life, or a savor of death unto death. God be praised, he has given his incarnate Son a multitude which no man can number. And these shall never perish, and no one shall snatch John x, 28. them out of his hand. They are his in the eter nal council of grace, elect according to the fore- 1 Peter i, 2, 3. knowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Listen to our blessed Lord's own prayer: John xvii. Phil. ii, 9-11. Edward Perronet. Immanuel. Matt. i, 22, 23. Isaiah vii, 14. Holy Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me; for they are thine; and all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them; and the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me: Father, that which thou hast given me, I will that, where I am, they also may be with me; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Ah, this it is to be one of Christ's people! This it is to be saved by one whose name is Jesus! Who does not feel that this wondrous name, even JESUS, is the name which is above every name? In the sphere of this peerless name what knee will refuse to bow, what tongue refuse to confess? All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him Lord of all! And now let us briefly ponder St. Matthew's comment on Gabriel's annunciation to Joseph: "Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.' This prophecy of Isaiah has been one of the great battle fields of the scholars. The various interpretations may be divided into three classes: First, the class which asserts a single and immediate fulfillment in the time of King Ahaz: this justifies Isaiah, but disallows Matthew. Secondly, the class which asserts an exclusive fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth: this justifies Matthew, but disallows Isaiah. Thirdly, the class which asserts a double fulfillment; immediate, as foretold by Isaiah; historic, as recorded by Matthew: this disallows neither Isaiah nor Matthew, and justifies both. And this is manifestly the true interpretation. God's promises are infinitely inexhaustible.* They are ever growing in scope and meaning, like concentric waves of the sea, ever multiplying and widening with the flow of time. Or, to use the familiar words of Francis Bacon: The fulfillments of divine prophecies are taking place continually, and not at the particular time only. For they are of the nature of their Author, 'to whom a thousand years are but as one day, and one day as a thousand years;' and though the height or fullness of them is commonly referred to some one age or particular period, yet they have at the same time certain gradations and processes, springing and germinant accomplishment throughout many divers ages of the world. Take, now, this prophecy of Isaiah. In God's counsel, the fact, we must believe, was before the prophecy. God adjusted the prophecy to the fact, not the fact to the prophecy. The Messianic future was rooted in and grew out of the prophetic present. And all Christian history * Habet Scriptura Sacra haustus primos, habet secundos, habet tertios.-AUGUSTINE. proves that Matthew interpreted Isaiah aright. The Church of the living God is the perpetual demonstration that there is an Immanuel, Godwith-us. Every page of Christian history is illuMatt. xxviii, 20. minated with the caption: "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Joseph's Obedience. Matt. i, 24, 25. The And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS. It is a beautiful instance of holy credence and love and trust. Name And now, above every What but this Name. Eph. i, 21. Canticles i, 3. what shall I say in conclusion? gratefully to repeat these golden words: "Thou shalt call his name JESUS; for he it is that shall save his people from their sins." Ah, friend, it is the only name by which thou canst be saved. Earthly names there are which are dear to thee. But not one of these names can save thee from thy sins. Not one of them can forgive sin, or cleanse from guilt, or speak peace to the troubled conscience. Not one of them can light up thy dying chamber with heavenly visions. Thou wilt want a mightier name than any earthly to plead when thou comest to stand before the great white throne. Thou wilt want that name which is above every name, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. It is the name JESUS, Jehovah-Saviour. It is a name most fragrant; it is as ointment poured forth. That heavenly ointment was poured forth when Jewish priests reviled that sacred name, when Gentile Pilate wrote over the cross, "This is Jesus, the |