receipt of custom, counting the money; and perhaps Jesus is eyeing how much he pockets. "Matthew, follow thou me.' He heard the voice of the Son of God; and the money, and the tables, and the books, and the tax-gathering, he leaves them all, and follows Him. A mighty, irresistible voice had penetrated his soul, and God's call proved his election. In another case that we read of, a poor sinner had determined to hide himself. He will not be called. He likes to satisfy his curiosity, however, and see this wonderful being, Jesus of Nazareth, and away he runs up into a sycamore tree. Supposing himself to be well concealed, he peeps through the foliage, to have a glimpse of the Saviour; but Jesus, coming under the tree, stands still and looks up into the outspread branches. I dare say the disciples and the people around Him wondered why He should come out of the way to look up there. But, oh! there was an elect vessel of mercy in that tree, beloved from (eternity, and given in charge to Christ. "Zaccheus, make haste and come down," said He; and all the sycamore trees in the world could not have prevented him. If he had tied his legs and his hands to the branches, he must have obeyed the call. "Make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house." It will not do to-morrow. Yesterday would not have done; it must be "today." I do not mean to say that the external or audible voice is to be heard; but I insist that the inward, penetrating call, the precious, powerful voice of Christ, even though it be but the accents of the "still small voice," is as effectual, as forcible, as successful in piercing the poor sinner's conscience, when Jesus speaks to him from the pulpit or the press, in the closet, or by the Bible. Whenever Jesus speaks, there is no resisting Him. It is an effectual call.

Now, beloved, ask yourselves this question: Have you heard the voice of the Son of God? When He changes the metaphor, He speaks of His people as sheep, and says, "My sheep hear my voice, and they know it." And when He has spoken peace, and pardon, and comfort, and joy, in your personal experience, you know His voice, and can distinguish the difference between it and any other. Then it is said to be a calling out of darkness into light. He spake before of it as from death unto life. Here is another expression to describe it. Then the whole world are in darkness, until Jesus calls them; and it is truly appalling to witness the darkness of multitudes, who have the light of reason, the light of nature, the light of literature, and of science, and of some system or scheme of theology, as it is termed; and yet, in gross, palpable darkness. The very light that is in them is darkness; and, believe me, beloved, as you must meet me at the bar of God, there is not a soul of the whole race of Adam, but lives and dies in the gross darkness which covers the people, unless the voice of Jesus is heard calling it out of that darkness into His marvellous light.

Moreover, the calling is from uncleanness unto holiness. Man, by nature, is as unclean as dark, and as dark as dead. An awful position this! But it is the doctrine of the fall that he is wallowing in sin, in love with uncleanness, and never washed from his filthiness. Even though the external appearance be decent, and the life moral, yet multitudes of such answer the description which the Holy Ghost has given, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness." They may be pure in the eyes of others too, and no blemish appear in their daily life, yet never have been "washed from their filthiness." And I tell you, that the fountain

which is open for sin and uncleanness, must pour forth streams of atoning blood into your consciences, before you can be washed from your filthiness. Therefore, the apostle, in congratulating the Church of God at Corinth, exclaims, "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified"—that is, recovered from uncleanness unto holiness" in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Then the Lord's family are said to be like sheep, loving clean pastures and pure rivers of water, and they cannot bear that which has been defiled by the foot of abominable Arminianism; their delight is in the pure river of water which flows from the throne of God itself. But we need go no further here, than the language preceding our text, in which the apostle says, "His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue; to glory in the cross, to glory in the accomplishment of full salvation, by Jesus, in His official character, and in our relationship to Him. So also to virtue, which is the purity and cleanliness of which we have been speaking. One text more on this point, before passing on to the following particular of our discourse "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." And surely that is enough, in speaking of this calling, to enable you to prove the matter for yourselves.

I have now traced the effect to the origin-the "calling according to His purpose.' The purpose of God must stand; and that purpose is, that every elect vessel of mercy shall be called by grace in due time, shall be called out of darkness into marvellous light. Now, if you cannot read the purpose, can you discover the calling? Can you make sure of that? Has the calling of the voice of the Son of God made you hate sin, and love holiness? Has it led you from self unto Christ? Has it led you out of darkness into light, so that the light of the gospel of the blessed God shines into your heart? Has it led you from death unto life, and from Satan's slavery to Christ's liberty; and to glory and virtue, according to the statement I have just referred to? Oh, beloved, examine this matter well.

III. And now I shall proceed to give a little advice and counsel with regard to the diligence here set forth :-" Give diligence to make your calling and election sure;" but, before doing so, let me make this remark, to connect the two things, that if you can prove that God has called you by His grace, you can prove that God has elected you by His love. The one shall never be separated from the other. Whom He loves and predestinates, He loves and calls; whom He loves and calls, He preserves and saves; and whom He preserves and saves, He glorifies, without the possibility of losing one.

Now, then, a word or two relative to the diligence mentioned in my text. "Rather, brethren, give diligence." suppose I should be. heartily laughed at, if I were to go to the graves in the churchyard, and mingle among the tombstones, and the congregation of the dead, and exhort them all to diligence; to make haste and come to the dinner-table, or to look after an estate, which was no doubt theirs. Why, I should be laughed at, and justly; yet we are told that this diligence is to be urged upon dead sinners. It is not so in my Bible. I cannot find it there. That speaks only of the "brethren," the grace-family, the persons who have "like precious faith," and are made partakers of

the Divine nature. These are the persons who are exhorted to diligence, in the additions of which we read at the commencement of this service, in the chapter from which the text is taken.

Now, I conceive that there are two things of vast importance here; namely, diligence to obtain evidence of the Holy Spirit's witnessing with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and diligence for an increase of the life bestowed, and the blessings connected with it: Diligence in the use of means. If the closet be neglected-even though by the Christian, for I speak unto the "brethren "—if the Bible be neglected-if the house of prayer be neglected, where is your diligence? The lack of it may lead to fall; if not to a fall, certainly to a loss of peace and comfort; for it is a robbery of God, for that honour is not brought to His name which is His due. Oh! "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness," is the exhortation of Scripture. Well, say some, we do worship Him once a week, or once a fortnight; but that is not using diligence-" Rather, brethren, give diligence." I would that my hearers never neglected one sermon that it is at all within their reach or power to hear, at whatever sacrifice. I sometimes sigh when I think of this, and especially when I perceive an empty pew. I sigh over it, and say, Well, they may not hear any more from my lips; and I should wish, if it were the will of God, that they might hear more of these things, and have them in remembrance after my days are numbered, and I am gone. I ardently long after your souls' prosperity and growth in grace, or I would not be thus urgent with you. Ah! but I must dovote my time to business. Rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure." Oh, but I must throw my energies into the increase of my property, and the accumulation of a fortune. Rather, brethren, throw them into God's cause, and be diligent in the use of the means of grace, and obtain therein the witnessing of the Holy Spirit with your spirit, that ye are the children of God. It is not enough for me--and I hope it is not enough for you—that you should once have had the witnessing of the Spirit, that ye are the children of God; I want that witnessing often-I want it repeated in every sermon, and at every prayer-meeting, whenever I prostrate myself at the family altar, and in every season of my spiritual experience-the Spirit of Jehovah taking of the things of Christ, and applying them unto me. Oh, for more of this enjoyment! "Give diligence to obtain it." Everything may be spared, rather than the use of the means whereby God descends to bless your souls. Therefore, the " rather give diligence."

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ever.

Moreover, I want diligence, for the express purpose of increasing light and life, and love and liberty. Oh! say you, where are these things to end? End?-they are endless. I will just name a few, howA diligence in the use of the appointed means of grace for the increase of life; for, says Jesus, "I am come," in the public means of grace, "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly;" that they might have it increased, and strengthened, and made to grow. Then, with an increase of life, is an increase of light, a more clear discernment of the truth. And with an increase of life and light, is an increase of love; for the more we cling together in the use of the means of grace, the more will our hearts be knitted together in love. Therefore, give diligence for this purpose; and then, increasing in life and light, and love for one another, you will increase in the liberty of the gospel. Now I want you to give diligence to get

at this liberty of the gospel; for if the Son makes you free, then are you free indeed.

IV.—But I find both my time and my strength almost worn out; and therefore I must come to the last head of my discourse somewhat abruptly. The standing promised: "If ye shall do these things, ye shall never fall." I shall not detain you to speak of final falling, for that is utterly impossible with the "brethren," the election of grace; "though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand." But the falling here spoken of, is of a description that is distressing to think of; because we have witnessed many, of whose end we had good hope, who have fallen from their profession, who have fallen from their usefulness, who have fallen from their happiness and enjoyment, who have fallen into sin, who have fallen so as to disgrace the cause of God, who have fallen so as to pierce themselves through with many sorrows, and, like David, so as to break their bones, and therefore he prays that the bones which are broken may rejoice.

There are a variety of ways in which the poor believer may be left to fall but the best way to avoid these falls, is the use of diligence. The apostle says, concerning those who "will be rich," that they "fall." What? Yes!" into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Though this may not be the case with God's children, yet it is a terrific and dreadful thing to see a man that we believe to belong to God's family, so fallen as to have lost all his comfort, and all evidence of an interest in God, and all his honour among the children of God; so fallen, as to be of no further use in the Church of God. I want you, then, to "give diligence to make your calling and election sure," for my text says, "if you do these things, you shall never fall." Then there is a promise of standing in confidence, in comfort, and in circumspection. That is the standing I want you to maintain; and it is what my text points at. I have insisted that the standing of the brethren for glory, is in Christ, that He holds them up, and will never allow one of them to perish; but they may fall, and fall distressingly and disgracefully, so as to ruin all their happiness and comfort in this world, and say, with Hezekiah, "I will go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul." In the diligent use of means, those who are called by God's grace His own elect, are promised that they shall never fall. 66 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." They stand fast on their Rock, they hold fast their confidence, and do not cast it away, because it hath a great recompense of reward. The Holy Ghost, their Comforter, dwelleth and resideth in them; and, standing fast in their circumspection, they are as a light before men; and others, seeing their good works, do glorify their Father which is in heaven.

May the eternal Spirit, whilst satisfying you of your Divine calling, lead you from thence to lay fast hold of electing love, and to be so diligent in the use of all appointed means, as never to fall, but stand fast in the Lord and the power of His might; and His name shall have all the praise. Amen.

Delivered in Grove Chapel, Camberwell, Sunday Morning, Dec. 3, 1848. BY THE REV. JOSEPH IRONS.

Therefore His people return hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them."-Ps. lxxiii. 10.

It is a sweet relief to a spiritual mind, when reading in God's holy Word, the lengthened descriptions which it contains of the ungodlytheir conduct, their pride, their elevation in external circumstances, and their end-to find interspersed here and there a "His people," a "thy people," "the people of the living God," another family distinguished, another description of character, a class of persons who are not exempt from the plagues, though in multitudes of instances they are deprived of their carnal enjoyments. This is the case in the Psalm before us, which we have been reading at length (Psalm 1xxiii). The Psalmist is led to describe the prosperity of the foolish, or the prosperity of the wicked," as he terms them; and his description of them is really appalling. He says that they are not only so corrupt as to "speak wickedly concerning oppression," but so blasphemous as to "set their mouth against the very heavens;" and yet they prosper in the world! A very awful description this! Moreover, he says that Infidelity is in their character and language, and they say is there knowledge in the Most High? "Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world, they increase in riches." And yet, in the very midst of this appalling history of the ungodly, he brings in the language of my text, almost as if it were in the form of a parenthesis: "Therefore His people return hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them." "Hither." Where? I presume he must mean to the very position which he, in a state of unbelief and rebellion, was occupying; as though Published in Weekly Numbers, Id., and Monthly Parts, price 5d.

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