Sermons On Doctrinal And Practical Subjects (1838) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON III. THE APPLICATION OF THE ATONEMENT IN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CONVERTED EPHESIANS. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Eph. n. 13. Ephesus was a city of Asia Minor. The inhabitants of that city before the light of the gospel had arisen upon them, were famous for human wisdom and learning; but at the same time equally remarkable for idolatry, lascivi- ousness and magical arts; so true is it that the world by wisdom knows not God, and is unacquainted with the way of approach to Him. We have said that while unconnected by the power and the light of the gospel, the Ephesians were remarkable for the things specified above; and this is confirmed by certain allusions made to them in the fifth chapter of the same Epistle, and still further in the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. They were people estranged from God, and ignorant of the way of life. But whenever divine grace is put forth, its riches and its efficacy are equally proved. It was eminently so in the case of the guilty Ephesians. From amongstindividuals of this description, sovereign grace originated a church; the greatest part of whom were Gentiles, converted to the truth by the ministry of the apostle Paul, who laboured amongst that people for about the space of three years. In the immediately preceding context, he alludes to their natural state, and distinctly reminds them of it. " Therefore," says he, " remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncir- cumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world."?This you will observe was their chara...