ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” It is easy to sail with a gentle sea and the wind in the west, but the gale tries whether the ship be rightly balanced. It is easy to believe in a sunny day like this, when broken bread and poured out wine have been in your hands; but stop till you are in the wilderness, or afar at sea alone--stop till fresh guilt lies on the conscience--stop till a strong temptation blows-Oh then to rely on Christ alone for rightoousness ! Under a sight of sin--Satan grappling with the soul-Oh then to look up into the face of Christ and say, Thou art my robe, my righteousness, my shield—thy blood, thy obedience is enough for me! This is to believe.

II. Pray in the Holy Ghost.— When a believer prays, he is not alone-there are three with him : the Father sceing in secret, his ear open; the Son blotting out sin, and offering up the prayer; the Holy Ghost quickening and giving desires. There can be no true prayer without these three. Some people pray like a parrot, repeating words when the heart is far from God. Some pray without the Father. They do not feel. They are speaking to the back of their chair, or to the world, or to the empty air. Some pray without the Son. They come in their own name--in their own righteousness. That is the sacrifice of fools. Some pray without the Holy Ghost. These are not filled with divine breathings. Dear friends, if you would live, you must pray; and if you would pray with acceptance, you must pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, and by his Spirit quickening.

(1.) Get the Holy Ghost.- Many seem not to know if there be a Holy Spirit. Jesus being raised by the Father, tias obtained the Spirit. Ask Him.

(2.) Let Him breathe within you.-Do not vex Him.

(3.) Pray without ceasing.- Whatever you need, ask Him immediately. Have set times of approaching God solemnly. Let nothing interfere with these times. Take your best time.

III. Keep yourselves in the love of God. It is when you are built on Christ, and praying in the Holy Ghost, that you keep yourselves in the love of God. There is one glorious Being whom God loves infinitely. “I am not alone, for the Father is with me." He loved Him from eternity, for the pure, spotless image of himself. He loved Him for laying down his life. He is well pleased for his righteousness' sake. The eye of the all-perfect One rests svith perfect complacency on Him. Have you this day come into

Christ—this day come under his shield—are this day found in Him? If you are in the love of God, keep yourselves there.

(1.) Care not for the love of the world. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Its best smiles are little worth. The world is a dying thing—a crucified man to them that are in Christ.

(2.) Prize the love of God.—Oh, it is sweet to be in the garden of spices—to have God for your refuge-God rejoicing over you! First, This takes all the sting away from affliction. God is love to me. The hand that wounds is the gentlest and most loving. Second, This takes their sting from the world's reproaches. Third, This makes death sweet. It is a leap into the arms of infinite love, though to some a leap into a dark eternity. Oh keep yourselves in the love of God!

IV. Looking for mercy.-You will be incomplete Christians if you do not look for the coming again of the Lord Jesus. If the table has been sweet to-day, what will it be when Jesus comes again to receive us to himself? If his love-letters and love-tokens, sent from a far country, be so sweet, what will the Bridegroom himself be when He comes and takes us by the hand to present us to himself, and acknowledge us before an assembled world?

(1.) You will get an open acquittal on that day.--Now He gives us sweet acquittal at the bar of conscience-He says: “ Peace be unto you.” But when it is open, we shall wear the blood-washed robe. It will need to be mercy even at that day.

(2.) Perfect deliverance from sin.—Now He gives us the victory by faith. He gives us to feel the thorn, and to look up for grace sufficient. Then He will take the thorn away. We shall be like Jesus in soul and body. Oh, be casting sweet looks of love toward that day! When a child is expecting an elder brother's return, when he is to bring some gift, how often he runs to the window and watches for his coming! Your elder Brother is coming with a sweet gift. Oh, cast your eye often toward the clouds, to see if they will break and let his beautiful feet through! Shorten the time by anticipation.

(3.) Jesus no more dishonoured.--Honour to the Lamb is a sweet mercy to a believing soul. A high day like this, when Jesus gets many a crown cast at his feet, is sweet to a believing soul. How much more the day when we shall wear his full crown, and when the slain Lamb shall be fully praised; and when He shall come to be glorified, who once came to be spit upon! That truly shall be mercy to our poor soul. Our cup shall run over.

SKETCHES OF HIS SERMONS,

WHICH HE EXTENDED IN THE DELIVERY.

"Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been

as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea."-ISA. xlviii. 18.

I. Their peace would have been like a river.-(1.) It has a source. It begins at the fountain of Christ's blood. (2.) It is fed from above. Rains and showers feed the rivers : the shower of grace swells the rivers of peace. (3.) It has inundations, as the Nile. An awakening providence often makes it overflow. Afflictions and the consolations under thein always, if the sufferings are the sufferings of Christ. Sacramental times also; hence the desirable ness of frequency in the administration of the Lord's Supper. (4.) It gets broader and broader to the sea. The Tay. “The path of the just is like the shining light.” Try yourselves by this text. (5.) It is fertilizing. It conveys nourishment. Egypt owes all its fertility to the Nile. The peace of Christ makes every grace grow. Holiness always grows out of a peaceful breast.

II. Their righteousness would have been as the waves of the sea.The righteousness of Christ is compared to the waves of the sea. Because, (1.) It covers orer the highest sins. (2.) It covers again and again. (3.) It is infinite righteousness. You cannot count the waves of the sea.

Inference.—God wishes men to be saved. God sometimes pleads with men to be saved for his own pleasure: it would be pleasant to Him; it would make Him glad; as in the parable of the lost sheep. Sometimes He pleads for his own glory. Jer. xiii. 16; Mal. ii. 1. But here it is for the happiness of sinners themselves. So Ps. lxxxi. 13. Once more, He pleads with men, because unwilling that any should perish. 2 Pet. iii. 9.

* Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not imputo ein."--Rom. iv. 4-8. 1. The way in which the natural man seeks salvation.—“Worketh," ver. 4. Wishes it to be of desert.

not."

II. The better way. The old way. David's, Abel's. “Worketh III. The blessedness.—David speaks of this.

At a later period he took the same text, dividing it thus :-
I. The working plan.
II. The believing plan.

"Fools make a mock at sin : but among the righteous there is favour."-.

Prov. xiv. 9.

I. What the natural heart thinks of sin.-(1.) Men sin easily. As a fountain casting out its waters. Jer. vii. Such is the natural flow of their heart. (2.) They bear the load lightly. At ease in Zion. (3.) The heavier the load, they sin the more easily. Like a river filled. Eph. iv. 19.

II. What God thinks of sin.-(1.) He says He hates it. Jer, xliv. 4. (2.) He has prepared hell for it. (3.) He has punished it in his Son.

III. What awakened souls think of it.-Rom. vii. 9; John xvi.; Ps. li. The jailor. The sting.

IV. What believers think of it.

" Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God; and every one that loveth

is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Ilim. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of his Spirit."-1 JOHN iv. 7-13.

I. It is a delicate love.—“ Beloved, let us love one another.”

II. It is self-denying love.—Hear its language: “If God so loved us, we ought,” etc. Ver. 11.

III. It is God-like love.Ver. 12. It is produced by the Spirit of God moving in the heart, and it imitates God. "If God so loved," etc.

IV. It is never-failing love.--For no fountain is so unfailing as the heart of God, which is its fountain.

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jeru

salen, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son, and they shall be in bitterness for Him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born ...... In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. for sin and for uncleanness."-ZECH, xii. 10, xiii. 1.

I. The great spring.--"I will pour."
II. The great agent.—“ The spirit of grace and supplication.”

III. The effect.—They look; they mourn; they see the fountain opened.

- The Lord our Righteousness." —JER. xxxiii. 16.

DEEP wounding, from views of Christ pierced by our sins, precedes deep peace from views of his righteousness. Originally spoken to Judah and Israel.

I. It is the sight of a divine righteousness.—Jehovah has made the atonement.

II. It is a living righteousness.--Jehovah is the righteousness. A living one gives it. He is exalted to give it. He comes to you with the offer of it.

III. It is an appropriated righteousness. It would not give me peace to see all the world clothed in Christ, if I were not. No delight to me except I am sitting under his shade myself—under the rock. The joy of Paul was, “ Christ is made unto us;" of Thomas, “My Lord.”

Application.—(1.) The rest of a believer consists in knowing that Jehovah is his righteousness. (2.) The folly of those who rest in seeking is evident- ever learning.” (3.) We see the misery of unbelievers. There is a glorious divine righteousness that would make the blackest fair. It will be your eternal torment, that 80 glorious a righteousness was offered you, and you died withcut it.