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1. The way of God's commandments.-This is the pure way of light in which holy angels walk. They do his com mandments, hearkening to the voice of his word, Ps. ciii. is a pure way, having ten paths in which the feet of the upright love to go. "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight." From this we go astray as soon as born, speaking lies. One of these paths says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour;" but this is one of the very first that is forsaken -speaking lies; Isaiah liii. 6, "We all like sheep have gone astray, turning every one to his own way."

2. The way of pardon.-Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way;" and again, "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life." The same, Isaiah xxxv. 9, "The redeemed shall walk there." From this way also "they go astray as soon as born, speaking lies." Life is given to sinners just that they may enter upon this way, but they spend it in going further and further away. The parable of the lost sheep shews the true state of every unconverted soul wandering away from the good shepherd. He is seeking w save the lost; you are wandering further and further away. Romans iii. 12, They are all gone out of the way." "Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known." And, oh! what fearful meaning does this give to the declaration "speaking lies ?" for it is written, 1 John ii. 22, "Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?" And again, "He that believeth not God, hath made God a liar." No man can go away from Christ without speaking lies.

Learn-The fearful condition of those of you who are natural men.

1st, From the day you were born you have gone astray from the path of God's commandments. Every year, month, week, day, hour, minute, has been filled up with sin. Every day has seen you go farther from holiness, farther from God, nearer to hell. You are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. Oh! what a treasure-keeping up fuel to burn you through eternity. If any of you live in drinking or swearing, or any one sin, you are heaping up fuel for your eternal hell. You are getting farther on in your sin. You are wreathing your chains more and more round you. By a law of human nature, every time you sin, the habit becomes stronger, so that you are every day becoming more completely

like the Devil. It is every day more hard to turn. Experience shews that most people are converted when young. Dear young people, every day you live in sin it will be more impossible to turn. They that seek me early shall find me.”

2d, From the day you were born you have gone astray from Christ. The good shepherd has been seeking you. Every day you remain unsaved, you are wandering away from him. Every day you are getting nearer to hell and farther from Christ. Unbelief gets stronger every day.

III. The deadly enmity of natural men to God—" Their poison," &c.-For two reasons:

1. Because they are the children of the old serpent, the Devil.-All natural men are the seed of the serpent. See Gen. iii. 15. All who oppose and dislike the children of God, do so because they are the seed of the serpent, and the poison of the old serpent remains in them. John the Baptist called the Pharisees a generation of vipers, Matt. iii. 7,“ O generation of vipers." In a still more dreadful manner did our blessed Lord, Matt. xxiii. 33, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers." The Pharisees and Sadducees were not of a different nature from us; they had the same flesh and blood, and the same wicked heart; they were children of their father, the Devil, and the lusts of their father they would do:"Their poison was like the poison of a serpent." 2. Because they have a mortal enmity to God.-The poison of the serpent is deadly poison. When it darts its envenomed sting into a man it seeks to kill him. Such is the cruel venom of the natural heart against God. He is a mortal enemy to God's holy government. It has been said, "If the throne of God were within your reach, and you knew, it would not be safe one hour." He is a mortal enemy to the very being of God. Psalm xiv. 1, "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." It is in his heart he says this; this is the secret desire of every unconverted bosom. If the breast of God were within the reach of men, it would be stabbed a million of times in one moment. When God was manifest in the flesh, he was altogether lovely; he did no sin; he went about continually doing good: and yet they took him and hung him on a tree; they mocked him and spit upon him. And this is the way men would do with God again.

Learn-1st, The fearful depravity of your heart. 1 venture to say there is not an unconverted man present who has the most distant idea of the monstrous wickedness that is now

within his breast. Stop till you are in hell, and it will break out unrestrained. But still let me tell you what it is;-you have a heart that would kill God if you could. If the bosoin of God were now within your reach, and one blow would rid the universe of God, you have a heart fit to do the deed. 2d The amazing love of Christ—" While we were enemies, Christ died for us."

IV. Deaf to the voice of the Gospel.—It is a well known fact that many kinds of serpents can be tamed by the power of music. This is referred to in Ecclesiastes x. 11, and Jeremiah viii. 17. Many travellers in Egypt and India have seen this. But there is said to be one kind of serpent which is either deaf, so that it cannot hear the music, or it has the power of making itself deaf for the time, so that it is not charmed. So it is with unconverted men

Christ is the great charmer. His voice is like the sound of many waters. Never man spake like this man. When Andrew and Peter heard it, they left all and followed him; so did James, and John, and Matthew. When the bride

hears him, she cries, The voice of my beloved! When the sheep hear his voice, they follow him; when the dead hear his voice, they live; when the heavy laden hear it, they find

rest.

But unconverted men will not hear. They are like Manasseh-they will not hearken; they are like the Jews when Stephen preached-they stopped their ears and ran.

Ah, how many of you are doing this very thing-stopping your ears ? How many of you stop your ears with the noise of the world, its business and care-some with a favourite lust? The voice of the great charmer has been often heard in this place, and some have heard it and followed him; and why are you left behind?

He is charming you to

Learn-1st, The folly of this. bless you to bring you to peace, pardon, holiness. "There is no other name given among men whereby you can be saved." 2d, The guilt of this. It is the highest sin of all, to refuse him that speaketh from heaven. Heb. xii. 25. It is put last here. It is unpardonable. All manner of sin and blasphemy may be forgiven to you, but if you will not hear the voice of Christ you must perish. Christ is knocking at your door and saying,-" If any man hear my voice I will come in." Oh, think of the guilt of letting the Son of God stand at your door! Some would fain lay the blame off themselves,

but God washes himself clear of the unbeliever's guilt. It is you that stop your ear; ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. You will one day find that he that believeth not shall be damned

SERMON XVIII.

"O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away."-HOSEA vi. 4.

Doctrine. The impressions of natural men are fading. In these words, God complains that he did not know what to do with Israel, their impressions were so fading. He says, verse 5, that he had hewed them by the prophets, and slain them by the words of his mouth: and their judgments were as the light that goeth forth. At one time he sent them severe awakening messages of coming wrath; then messages of love and grace, as bright and as many as the beams of the sun. They were a little impressed by them; the cloud of distress began to gather on their brow-the dew of grief seemed to start to their cheek, but it soon dried up. It was like the morning cloud and early dew that goeth away. So it is with all the unconverted persons in this congregation, who will finally perish. God has sent them awakening messages hewed them by the prophets—and slain them by the words of his mouth. He has sent them also sweet encouraging messages; his judgments have been like the light that goeth forth. They think, and are impressed for a little, but it soon dies away. "O Ephraim, what shall I do," &c.

I. The fact that the impressions of natural men fade away.

1. Prove the fact from Scripture.-The Scriptures abound with examples of it. 1st, Lot's wife. She was a good deal awakened. The anxious faces of the two angelic men-their awful words, and merciful hands-made a deep impression on her. The anxiety of her husband, too, and his words to his sons-in-law, sunk into her heart. She fled with anxious steps; but as the morning brightened, her anxious thoughts began to wear away. She looked back, and became a pillar of salt. 2d, Israel at the Red Sea. When Israel had been led through the deep water in safety, and when they saw their enemies drowned, then they sang God's praise. Their hearts were much affected by this deliverance. They sang, "The Lord is

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my strength and song, he also is become my salvation. They sang his praise, but soon forgot his works. In three days they were murmuring against God because of the bitter waters. 3d, Once a young man came running to Jesus, and he kneeled down, saying, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" A flash of conviction had passed over his conscience; he was now kneeling at the feet of Christ, but he never kneeled there any more; he went away sorrowful. His goodness was like a morning cloud. 4th, Once Paul preached before Felix, the Roman Governor; and as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. The preaching of the gospel made the proud Roman tremble on his throne, but did it save his soul? Ah, no! ".Go thy way for this time, when I have a more convenient season I will send for thee.' His goodness was like the morning cloud. 5th, Again, Paul preached before King Agrippa and his beautiful Bernice, with all the captains and chief men of the city. The word troubled Agrippa's heart-the tear started into his royal eye-for a moment he thought of leaving all for Christ. "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." But ah! his goodness was like a morning cloud and early dew. In all these the cloud gathered over them—for a moment the dew glistened in their eye, but soon it passed away, and left the hard rocky heart behind.

2. Prove the fact from experience. Most men under a preached gospel have their times of awakening. If the impressions of natural men were permanent, then most would be saved, but we know that this is not the case. Few there be that find it. Perhaps I would not go far wrong if I were to say, that there may not be ten grown up men in this congregation who have never experienced any concern for their soul, and yet I fear there may be hundreds who will finally perish.

1st, How many have had a time of awakening in childhood -when they were prayed over by a believing mother, or warned by a believing father, or taught by a faithful Sabbathschool teacher ? How many have had deep impressions made at the Sabbath-school? but they have passed away like the morning cloud and early dew.

2d, At their first communion, when they first spoke to a minister about their soul, and heard his piercing questions and faithful warnings, when they got their token from his hand, when they first received the bread and wine, and sat at the table of the Lord—they trembled the tear dimmed their eye - they went home to pray. But soon it wore away. The