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the time will come, when you will find yourselves miserable without it. It can be had no where else but in Christ; he gives it, and gives it freely, to every thirsty soul.

Are there any here present who thirst for the waters of life? then hear the gracious voice of the Saviour. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." To the same import are those precious words on the last page of your Bible, with which I close. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Amen.

2 Y

SERMON

XX.*

THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST TO HIS DISCIPLES.

LUKE, xxiv. 44-53.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened be their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

I

WITH the passage now read to you, concluded the discourse the last Lord's day. But we had not time then to introduce those observations that it naturally suggests. It is too important not to engage the pleasing attention of this assembly.

You observe, that the text contains our Lord's last address to his disciples after his resurrection. He had first appeared to the women, then to the

* Delivered Lord's day, February 22, 1807, being the last sermon which Dr. Stillman preached.

two disciples, and on the present occasion they were all together. To them he gave the fullest evidence that he was their Lord who had been crucified. "These are the words," said he, "which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law, of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me." He here stamps divine authority on the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. The things they had said concerning him, he had particularly expounded to the two disciples on their way to Em

maus.

As he had just referred them to the testimony of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms, it is added, "Then opened he their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures." Their minds had been much perplexed after their Lord's crucifixion; and they knew not what judgment to form of these dark and painful events.

But

now he opened their understandings, removed their doubts and ignorance, and fully satisfied them that it "behoved him to suffer, and to rise again from the dead. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusa

lem."

These words are the commission Christ gave to his first preachers, a little before he left the world. Another of the evangelists expresseth himself thus: "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me; go ye therefore," because I have all power to send you, to support you, and to make you successful. It follows, "into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

In these last words of Christ, we observe the following particulars.

1. That Jesus Christ, as the Head of the church, had unlimited authority to send forth these men to preach the gospel. This observation will be readily admitted.

2. We have in the commission, the subject matter of their ministry. pel," says one evangelist.

"Preach the gos"Preach repentance

and remission of sins in the name of Christ,” says another. We hence learn, that by the gospel we are to understand repentance and remission of sins in the name of Christ.

These men had no right to go, till he sent them; nor were they at liberty to preach any thing to the people but what they had received in charge from Christ. They were to deliver the truths that Christ had taught them, and not the inventions of men. The sum of their ministry, we see, was repentance and remission of sins in the name of Christ. Which comprehends the following particulars.

(1.) Repentance. This implies guilt on the part of the sinner. That he is a transgressor of the law, and under its curse; that he is incapable of obtaining the pardon of his sins by any exertions of his own; that it is his incumbent duty to repent and to abhor himself in dust and ashes. For God commands all men every where to repent. It is also his duty from the nature of things.

It implies, that sorrow for sin as against God is connected with remission of sins. Such sorrow only constitutes true repentance; repentance that shall not be repented of.

or that This is

quite distinct from that sorrow for sin that ariseth from a fear of misery. The former is an evangelical, the latter merely a natural exercise of heart.

It hath been said, there is a connexion between repentance and remission of sins. There is a connexion of purpose. When the plan of redemption was devised, this connexion was established. Hence it hath been plainly and repeatedly declar. ed in the sacred scriptures. "Except ye repent," said Christ to the Jews, ye shall all likewise perish." He assures us, that he "came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." The apostles continually preached the doctrine of repentance to sinners, as connected with forgive.

ness.

There is a connexion of fitness. It is fit that the sinner should realize his sinful and guilty condition, before he have a sense of remission of sins. It is highly fit, that he should realize his misery, before he will either wish for, or receive the remedy. "The whole need not a physician, but they who are sick.”

We are also taught by our Lord, that repentance ought to be preached to mankind before remission of sins. Paul's manner of preaching he hath taught us in his written epistles. "Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." That is, knowing that all men have sinned and are exposed to the wrath to come, we persuade men that such is their awful condition. When they are brought to realize this as their condition, they will cry out for pardon. "We persuade men," says Paul, that there is remission of sins, but not for any impenitent sinner as such. To

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