consequences of sin,-the crucifixion of the Son of God. It forces on the memory and mind those effects of iniquity which men are so apt studiously to veil from their eyes. It is possible, my brethren, that some of those to whom I now address myself are in the habit of thinking lightly of their sins; of judging favourably of their own hearts; and of condemning the language of those ministers of religion who solemnly announce that everlasting punishment of the impenitent to which Scripture so constantly adverts.-Let such individuals approach the cross of the Redeemer, or that solemn festival which is founded upon the fact of his crucifixion. Who, let me ask them, mangled that sacred brow with thorns? who thrust the spear into that sacred side? I answer, It was not merely Pilate, or the executioner, or the Roman soldiers: it was sin-it was your offences and mine, in common with theirs; it was our joint and general transgressions; it was in part some of the very offences which pass without censure in the world, and for which perhaps we ourselves have never heaved a sigh or breathed a prayer. The Saviour has shed his blood for the very acts which have not cost us a tear!-Go, then, thou impenitent and coldhearted sinner, "look on Him whom" thy sins “have pierced," and seek pardon and grace, before the door of mercy is closed for ever.

VI. But, in the sixth and last place, how strongly is this ordinance calculated to CHEER THE HEART OF THE TRUE BELIEVER!-Even the most compassionate sovereign at length exchanges mercy for wrath, if his subjects continue to rebel against him. And we might naturally fear, that, whatever might be the original compassion of the Lord, the long-continued and aggravated sins of the world must have exhausted it. But, in this sacrament, we have a standing and perpetual memorial of the long-suffering of the God we serve. On that altar is inscribed, by his own hand, VOL. II. Qo

"The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." As the servant of God approaches the altar, he hears a voice saying, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." If sin has spread a momentary cloud between the devout worshipper and his God, still, whilst cast by this sacred ordinance at the feet of his Redeemer, he seems to hear the delightful accents, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee." The harp of prophecy still sounds in his ear the blessed intelligence: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."

Such, my brethren, is a faint delineation of the value of this holy ordinance in the particular point of view in which I have been anxious this day to contemplate it. But if such be its importance, what shall I say, in conclusion, to those individuals who continue, in spite of these and other considerations of the greatest weight and moment, to refuse an attendance upon it? How ungracious to such persons must be the office which I have been endeavouring to discharge to-day! How earnestly must they have wished me to contend that this solemn rite was of no value; that it reminded us of no mercies and privileges; that it was no memorial of a dying Saviour;-and this because, if these points were established, their neglect of it would admit of some apology! But if the representation which has been given to-day of its value and importance be just and scriptural, then surely, my brethren, such negligence is of the most culpable and alarming charactér; then am I warranted in urging you, with all the earnestness and solemnity of which I am capable, to renounce the sins which withhold you from this sacred feast; and to make haste and drink this wine here, lest you

your Father."

never "drink it new in the kingdom of Am I speaking too strongly, when I affirm, that your present admitted unfitness to partake of this ordinance is a testimony, not to be evaded or resisted, that at present you have neither portion nor lot in the promises of the Gospel. What, then, remains for you, but to seek from God a new heart; to break through the obstacles which detain you from a devout attendance at this sacred table; to "come out from among" the neglecters of it; no longer to touch the "unclean thing" but to "join yourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, that shall not be forgotten." And more especially would I, to-day, urge this solemn and delightful duty upon the young. Come, you that have not as yet given your heart to another master, come and boldly consecrate yourselves to His service and honour, who is your Father and your Friend; who has "loved you with an everlasting love;" who has "graven" you on the "palms of his hands;" who desires to fold you in his arms, to carry you in his bosom, and to give you in his house, and within his walls, a place and "a name.... an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off."

To the real servants of God, and devout participators in this holy rite; to the sincere, though perhaps fearful and disquieted, followers of a crucified Master; I may say, in conclusion, this festival is your own by the peculiar appointment of your God. It is especially the feast of the contrite; the table to which the Lord invites the lowly and broken-hearted. That table, my brethren, is now prepared. Your Master is now breaking the bread and pouring out the wine, for the refreshment of his church. Draw near with faith, and take this sacrament to your comfort. Draw near with hope; for where two or three are gathered together in his sacred name, he is there in the midst of them. Draw near with delight; for "in his presence is fulness of joy," and "at his right hand are pleasures for evermore."

SERMON XXIV.

THE GOD OF PEACE.

HEB. xiii. 20, 21.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the verses which precede the text, the Apostle has been earnestly soliciting the prayers of the Hebrew converts for himself and his brother Apostles: "Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly." But he was by no means of a disposition to seek that from others which he was not, to the utmost of his ability, anxious to impart. Accordingly, in the verses now read to you, he himself becomes a supplicant for these same individuals, and, in expressions of the utmost feeling and energy, solicits for them all that could promote their present and eternal interest. How striking and beautiful, my Christian brethren, is that influence of genuine religion which thus disposes men to seek not their own things, but the things of others; which, descending like a sacred fire from heaven, consumes what is base and sordid in our nature, softens down its animosities, and reduces the discordant elements of human society to a harmonious whole!

Let us endeavour, in dependence upon the Divine blessing, to examine the prayer which the Apostle here offers for persons in whom he has so strong an interest. And in so doing I shall notice,

I. THE TITLE BY WHICH THE DIVINE BEING

IS HERE DESCRIBED.

II. THE IMPORTANT EVENT WHICH IS ASCRIBED TO HIS AGENCY.

III. THE BLESSINGS FOR WHICH THE APOSTLE

ASKS.

IV. THE EXPRESSIONS OF PRAISE WITH WHICH

HE APPROACHES THAT SAVIOUR THROUGH
WHOM ALONE THESE BLESSINGS CAN BE OB-
TAINED.

I. And, first, we are to consider THE TITLE BY WHICH THE DIVINE BEING IS HERE DESCRIBED. May the God of peace," it is said, "make "make you per

fect in every good work."

It is, then, under the title and character of "the God of peace" that the Apostle, when soliciting blessings upon his friends, loves to contemplate the Creator of the world. And in how delightful a point of view does this title present him to our minds! The war in heaven, by which the rebel angels forfeited for ever their bright inheritance, and sank to the regions where hope and joy can never come, could not be the work of such a God. Those conflicts of ambition between man and man, which deluge the earth with blood, and whiten it with the bones of human beings, are not his work.That enmity of the human heart to God, by which multitudes are cut off from present peace and future joy, is not his work.-And, finally, the conflict in our own bosoms between the flesh and the Spirit, between reason and passion, between duty and interest, is not his work. He is the "God of peace;" and nothing that is contentious, turbulent, and disorderly, can have its origin with him.-But, on the contrary, is peace