109SermonsbyJCRyle
the Holy Spirit. There is no middle path here. You cannot make it a matter of indifference whether you think rightly of Christ or not. The question is very short, very simple—but the answer to it involves life or death. The book of Judges tells us that the Gileadites slew fortytwo thousand men of Ephraim, because they could not pronounce a word aright—but the pronunciation of that single word was the proof whether they were enemies or not. And just so stands the case between you and God in the matter of my text. I ask you a little, plain question—but if you cannot give the answer God requires, I warn you, in love and tenderness, you are traveling on the broad way that leads to destruction!
There are some, I know, who believe that to think and preach so much about Christ is not true religion; that it would be better if I spoke more about plain practical duties, that it does not signify so much what men think about Christ. But I trust they are so few, that I shall say nothing to them. Plain practical duties are very well—but they cannot put away sin—or give men new hearts—or save souls. All that is Christ's office; Christ is the mainspring and subject of all Scripture; Christ, we read, is the Bishop of souls, the Author and Finisher of faith, the Bread of life, the Captain of salvation, the Cornerstone, the Door, the Mediator, the Prince of life, the Prince of peace, the Rock, the Shepherd, the Sun of righteousness, the Light of the world. And surely, then, I may fairly tell you that to think rightly of Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of religion.
I. Let us then inquire, beloved, what it is to think rightly of Christ.
1. First, then, with respect to His Person, we must think that He is perfect God, equal with the Father, and together with Him and the Holy Spirit, making up the ever-blessed Trinity. If we do not think this we contradict the words of Scripture. If we do not think of Christ as God, we cannot explain how He can be so mighty to save—or why His fulfilment of the law and crucifixion can have been so meritorious, so complete a sacrifice for sins in the sight of His