IV. The practical influence of this subject, is very manifest and important.

It adapts itself to those who have been already justified freely by the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and have found for their enjoyment, peace in him. Brethren, I beseech you, by the arguments which it urges, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. You are a spectacle to angels and to men;-surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, who must look to your habitual conduct, as the commentary upon your doctrine, and the evidence of the actual influence of the holy principles which you profess. You are indeed, not under the law, but under grace. But suffer no temptation on this account, to lead you to neglect a watchful and persevering obedience of divine commands. You have already gathered fruits sufficiently bitter, from the things whereof ye are now ashamed. O suffer not the end of these things to be death, by a continuance in the indulgence of them still. "As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." The character and influence of the Gospel is made always dependant upon the character of those who profess it. Make this then an ever-present consideration. Have it as the object of your desire and effort, so to walk in the example of Jesus, as to shew forth his praise in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. With no boasting spirit seeking glory for yourselves,-but with an humble determination to honour the Saviour's name and truth,-be growing in humility, meekness, and separation from the world; steadfast, immoveable, ever abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The more you dwell in love for Christ, a love that will lead to a keeping of his commandments, will you increase in a happy preparation for his presence and glory forever. He hath granted you every privi

lege to enable you, and every motive to urge you, to such a walk with him, as shall adorn the doctrine which you have received. He hath set before you, the ground to be possessed, and the duty to be finished, and looks to you, to occupy, and improve, until he come. Upon the influence which you exercise, there is much resting in the efficiency of the Gospel among men. Let a sense of your responsibility control you at all times, and lead you to live as in his sight, who quick and the dead at his appearing, and bring every secret thought into judgment, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. O, that you may be blameless and harmless as the children of God, shining as lights, in the world in which you dwell.

shall judge the

But there are those perhaps before me, who are far from this justified and accepted state. To them the grace of God has been long offered in vain. Its fruitless operation upon them, may have given occasion to many objections against its proclamation to mankind. They have caused the way of truth, to be evil spoken of. This is a result for which God is not responsible, nor the word of his truth to blame. Let them look to this. These solemn revelations are not at all the less the word of God, because they are made a savour of death unto death in those who perish. If among you, our Gospel be hid, it is to those only who are lost, and are willing to remain so; in whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into them. You may have difficulties in your way. But they are not insuperable;-nor can God be made answerable for them. False and unholy professors of the Gospel may be stumbling blocks in your path-wo unto them if they are. But this is no excuse for you. You are to look off from every other object to Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith. In his example, there is no rock of offence. In his precepts and teaching, there is no blemish upon perfect excellence. I be

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seech you also, that you humbly and thankfully receive the grace of God, and as ye have yielded yourselves servants unto iniquity, so now yield yourselves, servants of righteousness unto holiness. Suffer the renewing Spirit of God, to make you free from sin, and partakers of his holiness, in bringing your souls to Christ, to be made partakers of his free and full salvation. This is the way to life eternal; walk ye in it, turning neither to the right hand, nor to the left. Glorify God who thus freely justifies and saves you, by a life of holy obedience on earth,-and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive the crown of glory which fadeth not

away.

LECTURE XII.

THE PERFECTION OF THE DIVINE LAW.

The Law of the Lord is perfect.-PSALM xix. 7.

To a sanctified mind it is a delightful privilege to contemplate the divine perfections. The psalmist occupies large portions of his inspired compositions, in the expressions of this operation of his mind. In that which we are accustomed to call distinctively adoration, which is apparently but the mere telling God how glorious he is,-acknowledging his greatness, and ascribing to him the attributes which he is known to possess, a very large portion of the psalms are entirely employed; and in none of them probably, will this subject be found altogether omitted. I do not speak of this, as a planned division of the offerings of prayer and praise, but as the spontaneous expression of a mind which has been enlightened and renewed by the grace of God, as it is employed in a contemplation of the character of God, and finds the meditation upon him to be sweet. Such a mind will enjoy instinctive delight in contemplating and commemorating the purity, and excellence, and majesty of God its exceeding joy. It will delight in exclaiming with Moses; "I will publish the name of the Lord; ascribe ye greatnesss unto our God: he is the rock; his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he." It will rejoice to say with David; "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth;""Great is the Lord, and greatly

to be praised." "Sing praises unto God, sing praises; sing praises unto our king, sing praises." It will unite with St. Paul in his enraptured offering of homage; "O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.” It will love to use the appointed ascription of our blessed Saviour; “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever." This is the employment of holy beings in a heavenly world; and the more nearly we are brought to their character and their condition, shall we be the more able to unite in the work which constitutes the happiness of their state.

It is one view of this glorious subject, and a most important one, which is exhibited in our present text. "The law of the Lord is perfect." The law of Jehovah is but a copy of himself; the revelation to his creatures of his own desire, determination, and will. And the very state of mind which leads his creatures to love himself, will lead them also to love his law. The heart that delights in him, will be ready to say, also, “O, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day.” The law or will of God is made known to his creatures in a variety of methods, and can by no means be confined, even as it is revealed to man, to the mere written testimony which God has given in the Holy Scriptures, of his commands. All of these methods of communication from God to man, are in their measure and degree, revelations of his will; of what he does and designs for himself in his government of man; or of what he requires man to do for him. And as each distinct revelation of the mind and will of God is made, and opened to our view, and subjected to our contemplation; the renewed mind will delight in considering it, and feel constrained to say of it, as of the divine character which it represents,— "the law of the Lord is perfect." This perfection of the divine law, is the subject to which I ask your attention in the