expected Messiah; and he reveals Himself to her as the very Christ. (vv. 25, 26.) At this instant his Disciples returning, the astonished woman hastens back to the city; forgetting, at once, her own errand to the well, and the thirst of the mysterious stranger; while He-his soul, it seems, absorbed in the awful subjects of their discourse, and in compassion no doubt for the guilty woman-heeds neither the water-pot which she had left, nor the food which they had brought. His Disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. And, while they wondered at his words-looking still toward the city, whither he appears with eye and heart to have followed the woman, and seeing the men of the city coming out to him-My meat, he saith, is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish his work. Then, in allusion to the forwardness of their minds to hear him, and referring to the season of the year, Say not ye, he proceeds, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal ; that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth, may rejoice together.

Such is the history and connection of our text. Interesting, however, and instructing as it is in all its parts, the one thing to which I wish to direct your present attention, is that Joy of the Redeemer, which it so strongly denotes, at the prospect of a people prepared to receive the Gospel. This is that view, in which it has particularly affected my own mind, and with which I could wish that it may

powerfully affect yours. It is a view in which it becomes, evidently, of an importance in our Missionary Concerns highly to be prized.

In pursuing this Discourse I propose-first, to consider THE CAUSES OF THIS JOY OF THE BLESSED REDEEMER; and, secondly, TO APPLY THE SUB

JECT TO THE SPECIAL PURPOSES OF OUR PRESENT SOLEMNITY.

I. In considering the CAUSES OF THE REDEEMER'S JOY on this occasion, we may trace it,

1. .TO THE FERVENCY OF HIS ZEAL FOR THE DIVINE GLORY.

This is particularly expressed in the first words of the text My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and, to finish his work,

What was that Will-that Work? A will and work of mercy indeed to man, but of humiliation and death to himself. In his abundant love toward - us, even when we were enemies, it was the purpose of the Father to restore again upon earth, that knowledge of himself and the glory of his Name, which, through the successful temptations of the Wicked One, sin had effaced from the souls of men; and to make Himself yet again, according to the very design of our creation, the object of su-preme love and delight even to our undeserving race. But how could this be effected? No attribute of the Divinity could be compromised, in any degree: that the Creator might be truly glorified, the Divine Perfections must be preserved entire. This end could be effected only by a union of mercy and -truth,. of righteousness and peace; by such means, also, as, in their operation on the subjects of divine

grace, should produce in them the deepest consciousness of their guilt and ruin, and the liveliest gratitude for their redemption-the perfect reconciliation of their minds to God, and the glad submission of themselves thenceforth to all his dispensations. And what means could be devised adequate to such difficult, such conflicting purposes? None, we know, none less than the humiliation of the Only-begotten of the Father himself, even unto death, an accursed death, for us; and the ministration of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of his sufferings, in the souls of men.

This, then, was that Will of the Father, this the Work, to do and to finish which the Son esteemed it his privilege, and more than his necessary food. It was, by the very sacrifice of Himself, to glorify among us the name of his Father-to display the adorable perfections of that God from whom we had departed to magnify his violated Law, by illustrating in his preaching and reflecting in his own life the beauty of holiness, and by manifesting in his death the curse of transgression; and thus, by his own dying love and the love of the Father, to win us through the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, to turn again to that God whom we offend and dishonour through sin, to lay aside the enmity of our carnal minds, and to be reconciled to him and his holy commandments, being made new creatures after the image of Him that created us; himself our peace, and our God the sole object of our praise.

In all the ministrations of our Lord, we clearly discern this fervency of his zeal, to exalt alone the Father that sent him, and to captivate all hearts to him. Was the Son himself to be glorified in his work? Still it was his prayer, Father, glorify thy

Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: (John xvii. 1.) and when he ascended up on high, he received gifts for men, that the Lord God might dwell among them: (Ps. lxviii. 18. Eph. iv. 8.) On the occasion before us, he had revealed to one lost sinner somewhat of the Father and the Holy Ghost, and himself as the medium of the divine blessing-numbers, on her report, were flocking to be instructed more perfectly-now would his Heavenly Father be further glorified: the spirit of Jesus, therefore, rejoiced.

2. The Joy of the Redeemer arose, we may presume, from HIS OWN AWFUL APPREHENSION OF

THE CONDITION OF THOSE WHO KNOW NOT GOD, AND HIS ARDENT DESIRE FOR THEIR SALVATION.

To the woman he had said, Ye worship ye know not what-Salvation is of the Jews.-Salvation is not in your ways: there is, there can be, salvation to none who are not regenerate, made spiritual, to know and worship God in spirit and in truth. Looking, then, from God to man, from the dishonour of the Divine Name to human misery through sin, He saw, saith the voice of inspiration, (Is. lix. 16.) that' there was no man, and wondered that there was no Intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him. He came himself to seek and to save that which was lost. What it is to be lost, the Blessed Redeemer well knew. He knew it, and he groaned continually in himself as he beheld it, in the guilt and miseries of this present life: he knew it, and felt it awfully, as he beheld it in the endless corruption and sufferings of the life to come. How powerfully indeed it wrought in his Divine Mind, how entire was the condemnation of the whole world without him, and how tremendous in his omniscient

view the destruction of sinners, we see, as in the general course of his ministry, so especially in that solemn iteration, in reference to a perishing world, which so frequently occurs within a few verses in his memorable discourse with Nicodemus (John iii. 15, &c.); and in those thrice-repeated and portentous denunciations of Hell, recorded by St. Mark (Mark ix. 43-48)—the fire that never -shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Flee from the wrath to come-Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world-He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost...but the chaff he shall burn with unquenchable fire: these were the energetic and awakening words of his great fore"runner, John the Baptist. (Matt. iii. 7, 11, 12. John i. 29). And He himself followed, saying, If ye believe not, that I am He, ye shall die in your sins-Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out-Verily, - verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John vi. 37, 40, 47. viii. 24.): such were his own expressions on many occasions, in reference to the awful condition of all men without him, and of the one only means of salvation, through faith in

him.

.

The Samaritans were a people notoriously wicked, and of inveterate prejudice against the Jews (v.9.; Luke ix. 52, 53.), with whom alone was the true knowledge of God; but, lo! they come out eagerly to hear him as the Christ, the Great Promise of God. He beheld it, and the soul of the →merciful Redeemer rejoiced in the hope of plucking some, at least, from a people so prepared, as brands from the burning, and making them thenceforth