The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-03-18
RErORrrD FOR rus CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN
Lecture by Rev. John Hall, D, D.

TIN. /: Is.
The old philosophers gave instructions
in brief andpithy sayings; which sayings
passed from mouth to mouth, and so per-
petuated and difused their wisdom.
There was much condensed wisdom in
these sayings of theirs, though it often
happened from deficient observation or
incorrect reasoning that they were led IN
to mistakes, and so misled others. But
this is a saying that is faithful We
need have no hesitation in receiving it,
because it comes to US on the authority
of Him who is the true and faithful wit
ness.
Some observations that men make are
very true and good in the circumstances
in which they are uttered; but they lose
their point when spoken elsewhere. Not
so with this. Wherever it is spoken,
in any tongue, in any country, the first
and immediate duty Of the hearer is to
receive it. Wherever and whenever any
hear this statement, the immediate re-
spouse of his heart ought to bel rest
on that Saviour, of whom it is testified
to me, that he came into the world to
save sinners"
Vas there no other sgay9 Could not
a creature do it? No, beloved brethren.
First of all creature has no time. A
mans servant, paid for his whole time,
has no right to give it to another. So
the creature is bound to give his whole
time to doing the work of his Greater.
The anguish that came upon the Saviour
would have crushed any creature.
But could not the sinner save himself?
We hear enough about our powers, about
what man has done, compelling the earth
to disgorge the wrath from her bowels,
the lightning to be obedient, and the sea
to give up her pearly treasure. All these
and thousand things We may say, in
praise of our own powers. But we are
powerless, dear brethren, when we set
about restoring to our own souls the lost
image of God.
But, says one, could not man atone ?
Might not suffer the penalty of my sins /;
and having endured, might not 1 stand
before God and demand that l should be
saved, and enter heaven? That might
be possible, if had reached the point at
which 1 cease to sin, but that I fnd to be
impossible. As long as creature con
tinues to sin, he has no reason to com
plain if punishment shall continue. And
we have no reason TO believe that sinners
will cease to sin in he'll.
Let us therefore be thankful for this
statement, that Jesus Christ came into
the world to save sinners.
ask you to consider the eOndeeensiOn
of this We read in the world of the
wonderful goodness of a Howard; we
read of nurses who exposed their lives in
the midst of pestilence to help their fel-
low-creatures. In all these cases there
was no previous quarrel between him
who gave and received the relief. But
in this case it was Jesus Christ, the Son
of the offended God.
Think also of its sNita5leRess. He
''came into the world" 1t is eOneeiva-
BE that it might have been wrought out
elsewhere. But then how much harder
it would have been for us to realize it
By Christ coming into the world, he has
filed the world with monuments of his com
ing. The whole countries of Judea and
Palestine are monuments of his coming.
1t is mercitltl, it is suitable that Jesus
should save uS-coming into the world.
1t has been remarked that Christ
wrought his miracles in the presence OF
crowds, in presence of the world that had
rsbelled and was in revolt against God.
He carried the war into the enemy's coun-
try. He became as bone of our bone,
and flesh of our flesh, speaking our
tongue, bearing our burdens, STOPPING
down to our poverty. We know that
men sometimes help their fellow-men with
such lofty air of superiority, as to CON-
pei them to forget that they are fellow
men. 1t was not so with Jesus. Into
our lowest degradation, into our poverty,
into surhelplessness, Jesus Christ stopped
down, stopping to Che meanest, laying
his hand upon the meanest, and making
them the companions Of angels.
Jesus Christ came into the world to
"save sinners" If he came to save the
good, then we may close our Bibles,
brethren; the Gospel is not for Us. If
he came to save those who can make some
adequate return, then zoe may fold our
hands in dispair. But no; he came to
save sinners, who can make no return.
When a man views thunder storm, or
when a traveller finds himself upon a
plain Of arid sand, or looks out from the
deck of a ship upon the rolling waves in
the darkness of the night; or when man
studies Niagara, he is compelled to feel
that Gods hand is there. So God has
from time to time laid his hold upon ex.