hat our
Lord Jesus Christ brought with him. If all the race of mankind had
continued righteous, as man was when first brought into being, the
word GRACE would never have had a place in heaven's vocabulary. But
since man has fallen, fallen into sin, into death both corporeal and
spiritual, into sickness and sorrow, into labor for his bread, into
hunger and thirst, and anxieties and cares, God has ever pitied him.
Instead of our Lord's saying, "God so loved the world," he might have
said, "God so PITIED the world."

In reading the New Testament now you need not wonder why the word
GRACE is so often met with. It means just what Jesus has brought into
the world--_love for sinners_. "He came not to condemn the world, but
to save the world." But notice, he brought not only _love_ but _truth_
with it, and _truth_ is neither more nor less than the forms or
manifestations of true love. Let me illustrate this. You love your
brother. But he does not know it until you manifest your love by the
thousand ways that are open for this in your associations and dealings
with him. Every manifestation of this love is a _truth_ by which you
prove that you do love him.

How does our Lord prove that he loves sinners? By the TRUTH that
manifests or shows it. In the first place he went about doing good, in
the way of healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, cleansing the
lepers, making the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dead to
come to life. In the next place he showed his love by the meekness and
patience with which he bore the scoffs and sneers, and persecutions of
the opposing Jews. In the next place, by the promises of eternal life
and salvation which he gave to the very worst of sinners, on the easy
terms that they repent of their sins, by turning to God and living a
life of faithful obedience to his Word. In the next place,--and all
the other proofs culminate in this,--by dying upon the cross, by which
he atoned for the sins of the whole world. In this, his last
temptation, he conquered sin, death and hell; and as a mighty
Conqueror he has become the Captain of our salvation and the Author of
eternal life to all them that obey him.

But light will not enter the eye that is closed; neither will the
words of grace and truth enter the heart unless there be a will to
take them in. Some here present, I feel sure, have taken the words in,
and ye rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Yours is the joy that no
man taketh from you. Y