in such and such afflicting circumstances?" "How should I be ever able patiently to endure such and such terrible agonies of mind or body?" To all questions of this kind our gracious Lord has been pleased to give an answer, which it is the privilege of those who sincerely believe in Him, to apply to themselves individually. "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy day is so shall thy strength be"-"My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." -"Fear not, I am with thee, be not dismayed, I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness"-" When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle around thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Saviour."

Let not your hearts, therefore, be troubled, neither let them be afraid; ye believe in God, believe also in Christ." For once more, as it is with things temporal, so is it likewise with respect to things eternal. "We know," saith the Apostle, "that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." "For

beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth

not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, and every one that hath this hope in Him, purifieth himself even as HE is pure." Thus, my Brethren, we see the truth of the Apostle's words, "that though Christ was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we, through His poverty, might be made rich."

*

To conclude, What is it, let us ask, that secures these unspeakable privileges unto us, my Beloved Brethren? What is the ground of our confidence, that we are really partakers in these inestimable blessings, these "unsearchable riches," which are so abundantly provided in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all His believing people? This is, indeed, a most important question, and one which deserves our gravest consideration. For of this we may rest assured, it is not the name of Christian, it is not the outward profession of Christianity, it is not the regular attendance upon Christian forms and ceremonies, the calling Christ "Lord, Lord," with our lips, the eager following after favourite preachers, nor yet the abstaining from disreputable vices, and maintaining "a form of godliness, without the power thereof," that can entitle us to a participation in any of these privileges.

The question (as was stated at the commencement of the discourse) is resolvable into this, Are

we true believers in the adorable Son of God? Does our faith work in our hearts by sincere love to Himself, and obedience to His commandments? Have we been brought by the power of His grace to see our own utter vileness and worthlessness? -our total want of every thing good in ourselvesand our entire dependence upon Him for all things; for the preservation of our bodies in this world, as well as for the salvation of our souls in the world to come? If our consciences testify that this is indeed our case, we may be certain that all these privileges, are perfectly and eternally secured unto us, and the ground of our assurance is this, "we are Christ's: He hath bought both our bodies and souls unto Himself, with the price of His own precious blood." And as "in Him all fulness dwells," "so from His fulness do all we receive, and grace for grace." In Him we have obtained that inestimable treasure, "that pearl of great price," for the sake of which, His faithful servant Paul "counted all other things but loss, and judged them to be dung." Nor need we fear that having once obtained, we shall ever lose it, seeing that Christ is God's-He is the "well beloved Son," to whom the Father has eternally given us, as the stipulated reward of His sufferings, and obedience unto death, and none can pluck us out of His hands." His Father which gave us unto Him, is greater than

all, and none can pluck us out of His Father's hands, "He and His Father are one." Thus then, being, by, a true faith, united for ever to Christ, as our covenant head, we are in and through Him, eternally united to God. "And what shall separate us, my Brethren, from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. And we may be persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Amen.

Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, &c.

SERMON XV.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE

NEW COVENANTS.

HEBREWS Ix. 15.

And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new covenant, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions which were under the first covenant, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

THERE are some passages in the sacred Scriptures, particularly in the writings of St. Paul, which, in few words, comprehend a copiousness of meaning, more easily understood than expressed. And our text is one of these passages. Were we to set about considering every member of this portion of Scripture, with that attention which it deserves, we should find that it would furnish abundant matter, not merely for one, but for several discourses. I shall not, therefore, detain