vinced that something must be done, and done immediately. The concerns of eternity rested upon his mind, and awakened his attention. He did not ask what may be done for me, but his inquiry was, what shall I do? "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Though sensations of distress and alarm are permitted to exercise their influence for a season, yet we shall find, from the effects which they produce, in weaning us from sin and attaching us to our duty, that they are the evidences of divine love. "Sorrow endureth for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." The alarms of the awakened sinner will be removed, the doubts under which he laboured respecting his acceptance with God will subside. By attending to the assurances of mercy to the penitent, he will reap that comfort of which they are so full. "Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden," will inspire his heart with confidence. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted," will kindle in his bosom the sincerest joy." He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted," will dispel his doubts, restore him to peace, and tranquilize his mind.

I would not be understood to say, that the conviction of sin must in all cases be as great as David experienced. But thus much, brethren, I will affirm, that as we have all offended God, and withheld from him that homage to which he is entitled; that as we have permitted the world and its delusive pleasures to hold the chief place in our affections; that as we have profaned his name, violated his Sabbaths, forgotten our obligations of gratitude, and resisted the strivings of his Spirit; that as we have fallen into those sins, we must be convinced of our errors, and pained at the recollection of them, before we will be disposed to repent, and to seek the pardon and forgiveness of offended heaven. The persuasion of our ingratitude to God will excite such an alarm for our future safety, and give rise to such distressing 'sensations in our minds, that we shall rejoice to hear that the "Lord Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted."

The mind of man is not only subjected to that anxiety

arising from the tumult of an awakened conscience, but temporal distress is also permitted to assail him; and it is in the season of trouble that the Christian derives the most solid comfort from the promises of religion, and finds the Redeemer precious to his soul. At those periods in which he is labouring under the pressure of the deepest distress; when the winds of tribulation, and the waters of adversity are sapping the foundation of his temporal comforts, and prostrating in the dust the objects of his regard; when the friend of his bosom is snatched from his embrace; when the children of his affection are torn from his arms, and the thunders of distress are rolling over his head; when in agony of mind he cries aloud, "hath God forgotten to be gracious, is his mercy clean gone forever?"—it is then that the Saviour steps in to his relief, and by the application of his word, hushes into a calm the tempest of his grief: "It is I, thy Redeemer, be not afraid:" "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I never forget thee." Encouraged by the promises, he anticipates the period when he shall see them again in glory, and meet them in that happy region where every tear will be wiped from his eye. Under the influence of such consoling reflections his distresses are appeased; he trims his lamp; he presses with increased ardour toward the mark; he sets his affections on things above; he concludes with Paul that "the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed;" he believes that all things shall work together for his good; and that distress itself, by weaning him from the world, will fit him for the enjoyment of heaven. It is by virtue of this hope; a hope which he would not exchange for worlds-a hope emanating from the Gospel, that the Saviour speaks peace to his mind, and "heals the broken-hearted."

That the conduct of the Redeemer was marked with the strongest features of benevolence, every miracle that he wrought forms a conclusive testimony. An ostentatious display of his divine authority was in no instance made; it

was to relieve the distressed, and to comfort the mourner, that the order of nature was reversed, and that his omnipotence was discovered. Witness his sympathy and affection at the grave of Lazarus; see the tear of sensibility rolling down his cheek, even at the moment in which he summoned him from the grave, and restored him to his disconsolate sisters; behold him stopping the procession of the widow's only son, reanimating with his word the lifeless clay, and speaking into silence a mother's pangs; and you will be convinced that he came to "heal the brokenhearted."

The words of our text inform us that the Redeemer is not only possessed of power to calm the distresses of the human heart, but that he came to break the bonds of our corruptions, and to rescue the penitent from the oppressive arm of sin and Satan: "He came to preach deliverance to the captives."

Man is spoken of in the Old Testament as a fallen creature, with "the thoughts of his heart only evil continually," and by St. Paul as being "carnally minded," at "enmity with God." However humiliating the consideration of human depravity; however opposed the pride of mortals may be to the fact, still as it is a principle revealed in the word of God, and confirmed by daily observation, it is impossible to refuse it a place in our minds. Although man may acknowledge the propriety and beauty of virtue; although he may approve things that are excellent, and venerate and respect those who are obedient to the divine commands; yet we find, brethren, that his practice, until he is renewed by the Holy Spirit, is opposed to the conviction of his understanding, and his life at variance with the precepts of holiness. His compliance, therefore, with the sinful propensities of his nature, is a conclusive proof that he is in bondage to Satan, for "to whom (says the Apostle,) ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey." To emancipate man from this awful servitude; to break those fetters with which he is bound, and to set the prisoner at liberty, did the Lord Jesus de

scend from heaven; "he came to preach deliverncce to the captives;" to show them the source from which to obtain every necessary assistance; to furnish them with that divine armour which will shield them from those fiery darts, the temptations of the devil; to invest them with power to subdue their sinful passions, and to make them more than conquerors through his grace.

How often hath it happened in the life of every Christian, that prior to his conviction of the weakness of his moral powers, he determined to abandon every improper pursuit, and to conform his life to the precepts of virtue. But as his resolutions were founded upon his own strength, they evaporated into air, and were productive of no lasting, no effectual change in his habits; after relapsing into the commission of sin, he has resolved again and again, to correct his errors, and to order his conversation aright; but however sincere his intentions, he has uniformly discovered that upon a recurrence of temptation, he has yielded to the suggestions of Satan, violated his solemn vows, and stamped impotency upon his best determinations.

The knowledge and experience of his weakness, a knowledge derived from the influence of grace upon his heart, taught him at last the useful lesson of humility. Perceiving from those frequent deviations from virtue which marked his life, that provided he wished to persevere in holiness, he must obtain assistance superior to any he had hitherto possessed, he consulted the oracles of God, and found that the Redeemer declared "Without me ye can do nothing; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me." Possessed of this information, he no longer trusted in his own strength, the broken reed of his own moral powers, but repaired to the only fountain from which every good and perfect gift proceedeth. In ardent supplication he looked up to heaven for assistance. "Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God." "Lead me forth in thy truth and guide me, thou who art the God of my salvation." "My soul cleaveth to the dust, quicken thou me, O Lord,

according to thy word." The compassionate Jesus, true to his promises, listened to his prayer; he invigorated his mind by his grace, and nerved the suppliant's arm. His progress then became comparatively easy; every step that he advanced in the divine life, produced an increase of happiness. His soul became more and more athirst for God; "forgetting those things which were behind," not satisfied with past attainments, "he pressed forward toward the mark for the prize of his calling of God in Christ Jesus." The powers of temptation become more and more languid, and agreeably to the language of the Psalmist, "the snare was broken, and he was delivered."

As our relief from sin can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ; as "there is no other name under heaven, whereby we can be saved;" "as the wages of sin is death,” and as a life of transgression must eventuate in the ruin of the soul, let us fly upon the wings of penitence to that Being who came to preach deliverance to the captives. Say not, I beseech you, that some future day will answer the purposes of reformation; the present time is all that we can call our own. 66 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Do you require an instance of an individual who was liberated from the bondage alluded to, to confirm your hopes, and to animate you in the struggle, look at Paul; he felt all the weakness that we can possibly feel, and under its influence exclaimed, "Who shall shall deliver me from the body of this death? Thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" To me, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." "I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me."

The text informs us that the office of the Saviour was not confined to the duties of healing the broken hearted, and preaching deliverance to the captives, but also to give the recovery of sight to the blind. That the Gentile world was involved in the grossest darkness, with respect to the nature and attributes of Deity, at the time of the advent of the Messiah, is a truth known to all conversant with profane history, and that the Gospel