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XLII.

SPIRITUAL LIFE.

(Delivered on Thursday Evening, July 17th, 1845.)

"He that hath the Son hath life."-1 JOHN V. 12.

HERE we see a character referred to, a possession expressed, and a life ennobled.

You well know

I. Here is A CHARACTER REFERRED TO. who is to be understood by this term Son of God.

There is a sense in which the term applies to every human being because they are the creatures of God. He made them and not they themselves. He formed their bodies and formed their souls within them.

It is applied to Christians in distinction from mankind generally in a way of adoption and regeneration. Adam is called the son of God in a most particular sense, as he was produced not according to the course of ordinary generation, but by the mere agency of God.

Angels are in a higher sense the sons of God. Thus it is said, when the world was produced, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy."

But you will observe that no one of them is called, as Christ is called, His own Son-the Son of His love-the only-begotten of the Father, in whom His soul delighteth, and in whom He is well pleased (with us for His sake). He "being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee? And again, "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son. And

again, when He bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him." Here we find a glory and dignity ascribed to the Saviour, surpassing all created dignity: and the glory is enhanced when it is said, "He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in passion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." This also tends to exalt our hope and to justify our confidence in Him.

II. But you will observe, there must be a possession of Him in order to our deriving salvation from Him, and the person of whom our text speaks has THIS POSSESSION OF HIM. This refers to the exercise of faith and requires a few moments' reflection.

God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all-in His incarnation, suffering, and death-that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Gospel not only describes Him, but presents Him to us; and believers accept Him and receive Him and this serves to show the nature of genuine saving faith, that it is not a barren inactive principle, not a mere opinion, or a mere assent of the truth and doctrine concerning Him in His person, and work, and grace, and sufferings, and glory. This is indeed necessary; it is fundamental to everything else; but if it goes no further it is nothing; it is dead, being alone. There must be a reception of Him arising from a conviction of our absolute need of Him, and of His all-sufficiency and suitableness to save us; and this reception of Him must have two characteristics:

First, it must be cordial. Therefore the Apostle says "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." For this submission is not compulsory. No; He worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. We are made willing in the day of His power. We therefore cheerfully and thankfully acquiesce in the dispensation. Instead of being ashamed of our profession of Him, we glory in it, and resolve with the Apostle to glory in nothing else.

Secondly, it must be universal. We must receive Him in all the offices and characters in which He is revealed, and we are told He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel and the remission of sins. He comes to the soul, as He came in the days of His flesh, by water and

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by blood. Hence there is a vital union between Him and them. He is the Head, they are the members. He is the Vine, they are the branches. Without this union with Him there can be no communion. The influences derived from the head actuate only the members of his own body; and the sap flows from the vine only into its own branches, not into those which are external, however near they may be placed, or united by external ligatures. But by reason of this we are one with Him, and called to the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord.

III. We are now led to observe, here is A LIFE ENNOBLED. "He that hath the Son hath life."

There is nothing to which men are so much attached as life. The reason is, it is the foundation of every enjoyment. Solomon therefore says, "A living dog is better than a dead lion;" and Satan spake the truth when he said, "Skin for skin, all that a man hath will he give for his life." How we value the food that sustains it! How anxious are we for its preservation! How soon we take the alarm when any danger attends it! How thankful when you escape from any perilous accident or disease! You see this in Hezekiah; upon his recovery, he says, "The living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day, the father to the children shall make known Thy truth.”

But, now, what is this life which engrosses so much of your concern? Jacob gave a true representation of it when before Pharaoh, he was asked concerning his life, and he answered, "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been." Brevity and misery not only characterised his life, but attach to human life generally. Therefore we read, "Man that is born of a woman is of a few days and full of trouble. His life is as a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away;" it is as a tale that is told, as a dream when one awaketh, a series of cares and fears, of mortifications and of distresses.

But there is a life which is worthy of the name, a life which regards the soul and eternity, the life of God; and "He who hath the Son hath life"-the life of righteousness, the life of glory; a life which consists in a deliverance from the penalty of the law we have transgressed; and the curse enters with transgression, and therefore says the Apostle, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." There is no possibility of escaping from this sentence, which renders us dead in the eyes of the law, but by Him who is "the end of the law for righteousness to every

one that believeth."

He bore our sins in His own body

on the tree, and He bore away the penalty and set us free. "And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses." This accords with His own declaration, for said He to the Jews, "He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." And the apprehension of this by faith produces peace of conscience, peace within arising from peace above; and affords the believer in Jesus boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.

"He that hath the Son hath life"-the life of renovation; and the consequences of this renovation take place in all believers, of whom it may be said, as the Apostle said of the Ephesians, "You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins."

who have But now as

Now there is a difference between a picture and a living man. There is a likeness in a picture, sometimes very striking. It seems to survey all in the room. We read of the breathing canvas. But it has no breath. Feel it, it is cold. It moves not, but remains the same. It is the same with mere professors of religion, who have a name to live but are dead, the form of godliness but deny the power thereof. to real Christians, they are dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. They are living characters. They have spiritual senses to exercise. They look at those things which are unseen and eternal; they hear the voice of the Son of God, and live; they feel the powers of the world to come; they taste that the Lord is gracious. They have spiritual appetites to be supplied: they hunger and thirst after righteousness, and they feast upon Christ the living bread which came down from heaven. They have spiritual actions to perform. They have to walk, they have to fight, they have to run the race set before them.

"He that hath the Son hath life," a life of faith. This is obvious from the Apostle's expression, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

"He that hath the Son hath life "-a life of glory. Speaking of this life under the image of water, our Saviour says to the woman of Samaria: "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life."

This shows us its tendency, and also the constancy and permanency of its effects. It is in the man as a heavenly and immortal principle. Death, which is the destroyer of everything else, makes this even flourish more and more.

And not only have we from this blessed Saviour, life, but life more abundantly. We obtain a greater degree of life than even Adam had in Paradise, or even the angels in glory; for the saints are represented in the Revelation as nearer the throne than they; and,

"Never did angels taste above

Redeeming grace, and dying love."

Oh, that is "life," indeed. There will be no languor there, no cold affections, no wandering thoughts, no imperfections in duty. The days of their mourning shall be ended, and all tears shall be wiped from the eyes.

The body is to be made partaker of this life. The body which was sown in dishonour, will be raised in glory; and sown in weakness, shall be raised in power; this vile body shall be fashioned like unto the glorious body of Christ. "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

But we attempt not a description of His glory. "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." And instead of indulging in curious enquiries after many things, it would be far better for you to use and improve what is plainly revealed. Your treasure, Christian, is in heaven, let your heart be there also; your country is in heaven, let your conversation be there too. Get as much of this future life as you possibly can here. Be always looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

But remember, while you are in expectation of this, how you obtain it; that is only in communion with Him who is our life. He said therefore, "He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life"-not only a life of righteousness, and a life of renovation, but also a life of glory. "He that hath the Son hath life."

And need you wonder that he has it already, since it is paid for, and by a price of infinite value; and insured by promise and by oath and by the oath of God? Yes, Christians have already earnests and first-fruits and foretastes of this blessed