it, and walked directly in the path of God's com~ mandments, he had soon arrived at the blessed place of his destination. But he listened to the suggestions of the Tempter, who caused him to wander in the wilderness, where there was no way through the serpentine mazes of sin and error, till aghast with horror he saw himself on the brink of the pit of perdition, and his treacherous guide preparing to push him into the dread abyss. But no sooner was man a sinner than God was a Saviour. The great Shepherd of the sheep himself came down from heaven to seek and save that which was lost. And when he found it, he called together his friends and acquaintance by the voice of his Apostles, saying, "rejoice with me, for I have found that which was lost." Jesus Christ died for us, that he might lead us forth by the right way, and go before us himself in fulfilment of his scriptural promise. "I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight;" and all that are his sheep even now know his voice, and hear him saying unto them, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,

and ye shall find rest unto your souls. When the valley of humility and resignation is exalted by faith in Christ, and the mountain of pride and self-sufficiency brought low in your hearts, the crooked path shall instantly be made straight before you, as well as "the rough places plain." This is the last particular, and finishes the work of moral regeneration, as described in the figurative language of the text. For when the low ground is raised, and the high levelled, and the whole marked out with a line, and made straight, nothing remains but to clear away all obstructions, and make it smooth and plain. Thus in the lxii. chapter of Isaiah, after the proclamation is made, "cast up the highway," the next words are, "gather out the stones," i.e. all the obstructions and stumbling blocks that the spiritual enemy has put in the way of christians, "and make even paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way, and that the wayfaring man may not err therein." God shall so hold up their goings in the path of life, that their footsteps shall not slide, or cause them to fall either into sensuality or unbelief, the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life.

The words of the text being thus explained, what remains but that we apply them to ourselves for the direction of our practice; and to this in

C

deed every thing else is but introductory. For though we understood all mysteries, could explain the spiritual things of the Bible, from one end to the other, and have not that love which proves itself by keeping the commandments of our God, even divine knowledge will only puff us up, and professing ourselves wise, we shall become fools in the sight of God. The end and design of preaching is to turn sinners from the error of their ways, and the only true praise of a sermon is, that the hearing of it caused some evil to be forsaken, or some good to be done. But those who are desirous of having this effect wrought in them, must attend to a sermon as an ordinance of God, for the salvation of his creatures, not as the amusement of a vacant hour. They must not resort to this place, to mark with censorious rigour the defects of the Minister, or with vain curiosity, "to hear some new thing," when, alas! there is nothing new to be heard, nothing but the old commandment, which was the same from the beginning, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever, the end of the law yesterday, the fulness of the gospel to-day, and the glory of his people for ever, the world's Almighty Creator, all-wise Governor, all-merciful Redeemer, and omniscient Judge.

His ambassadors are the Christian ministry; and their only business is to direct men to him who forgiveth all their sin and healeth all their infirmity, who fills their hearts with grace here, and will, if they be faithful unto death, crown their heads with glory. Such was the ministerial office of the holy preacher described in the text; and to all those that have taken, and shall take upon them the office of this ministry to the end of the world, the voice of the Baptist, beheaded for the noble testimony he intrepidly bore to a profligate court, speaks from the tomb: “Be ye followers of me," ye who succeed me in the office of preparing a way in the hearts and affections of men, for the reception of the meek and humble spirit of a suffering Redeemer; preach the same gospel of repentance and faith in the living God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. In your preaching disdain the eye-service of men pleasers, use no false colourings of vice, no temporising flattery, show no respect of persons, no mean disposition to connive at wickedness in high places, but constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake. Then, however your ministry may be received among men, it will find a glorious recompence in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

From his throne in heaven, where he dwells in majesty inaccessible, yet a little while and the Saviour shall descend to his garden planted in the wilderness, to see the fruits produced, and pass final sentence upon every tree; to transplant the good into the paradise of heaven, and to burn the bad with unquenchable fire. He who had a way made for him to go from earth to heaven, shall have a way for him to return from heaven to earth; he who walked with us in the humility and sufferings of his incarnation, shall return, supported on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The voice of his messenger the Baptist gave notice of his coming as a Saviour in the wilderness of Judea; the voice of the trumpet shall proclaim his entrance as a Judge into the wilderness of the world; the mouth of the Archangel shall proclaim for the last time, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Every valley that has been depressed on earth shall be exalted in heaven; and every mountain and hill that have been exalted on earth shall be made low in hell; the things made crooked by the fall of man shall be finally made straight, and the rough places plain, in the sight of men and angels, and the glory of Jehovah