Perhaps you say-I once thought myself converted; but it proved to be superficial. Then see your mistake, and avoid it now; but do not plead a former superficial conversion as a reason why you should not now profoundly turn to the Lord. You may have chosen salvation, and not Christ; reformation, but not godliness; godliness, but not by believing on Christ. Now renounce unbelief, self-righteousness and formality, and turn fully to God in Christ. Have you grown out of the earth far enough to resemble the blade? If so, this is but the beginning,-progress is now your duty. For a plant not to grow is to die. Your growth depends upon a power not your own. But the promise of that power is conditioned on your faithfulness. It may be granted, to make you faithful. But for that there is no promise. Your responsibility respects the promise of the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer; of a blessing in the right use of appointed means. Some shoot above the ground, and there they remain stationary stems, never growing, never bringing fruit. Some have been in that state for many years. They have no strong desire to be otherwise. They have not renounced all belief that they are Christians. But they have renounced the hope of ever making much out of Christianity, or of it making much of them. They grow in nothing; they aim at no growth. This is a miserable condition. This is a miserable use to make of the glorious redemption of Christ. It comes to give you life; to raise you up from earth; to make you a child of God, an heir of life eternal; and you are content to get only so much as a poor, leaky hope, that is every moment liable to sink and carry you down with it when a storm shakes the ocean around you.

Arouse thee, arouse thee, dreamer; this is not thy rest it is no time for any to slumber. Every day you live in this supine state, you make it doubtful whether you ever were converted, and make it more difficult to disentangle yourself, and start vigorously for the celestial city. Are you grown so far as the corn in the ear? There is still a work before you. The end is not attained. You have a firmer will, though less emotion than formerly. You dread sin more, but see more evidence of it in yourself. You have grown downward as well as upward. Leaving all other sources of strength, you have taken a stronger hold of Christ. Your character is mellowing into more meekness and gentleness. You can get along better with others; and they with you. You have less impetuosity than formerly, but more purpose. There begins to be a symmetry in your character, a harmony. None of the fruits of the Spirit are ripe in you yet, but they are all there. It is manifest that the world stands much lower with you than it once did. It is evident that you have found out something about the Bible and prayer that you once did not know. There is a power in your example at home and abroad; there is a steadiness of Christian zeal that did not formerly exist. The plant has evidently passed the first stage of growth. It is no longer the blade; the ear is visible, well-formed, complete; yet not full, nor fully ripe.

Brother, I congratulate you. It is a glorious thing to be growing into the fulness of a tree of Paradise. Yet I also exhort you. The height is not yet reached; the battle is not over. Still you must "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." You want a more complete crucifixion of

self, a more full knowledge of our infinitely adorable God and Saviour, more intimate communion with him, more ardent love to his cause; more ardent desires for the heavenly state; more intense interest in the salvation of the lost; more of that prayer that shuts and opens heaven.

But perhaps I address one who is ripe for heaven. It may be a disciple youthful in years, matured in godliness. It may be one combining maturity of powers and experience with a matured religious character.

You can look back and see the successive stages of growth, and confirm what has here been said. Your own agency, vigilance, solicitude, struggles, tears, selfdenials and diligence, have been all demanded in this work; and yet an unseen power has achieved the blessed results you have now reached. You can see what of natural disposition grace hath changed, and what new forms your character has assumed. Let us bless his name together this day. It is grace; free, wondrous, victorious grace. It is power divine employed by love divine!

When I think of such a case, I am much impressed by this passage in the text "immediately he putteth in the sickle." "But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harWhen you look at the earthly side of

vest is come." this, you see the

sower, who went forth in tears bearing precious seed, casting it into the cold bosom of the earth. For long months he has waited, watching the clouds and the winds. But now his fears and anxieties are subsiding into a calm delight. The blade has sprung up; then he sees it has not perished in the earth. The ear puts forth; then he rejoices still more.

Now the corn is full in the ear, and fully ripe. With what gladness does he put in the sickle, to gather it home to his garner! This poor earthly solicitude, followed by this joy, is one of our teachers. It shows us something of our Redeemer's feelings in reference to our growth in holiness. Fellow disciple, no eye has watched your progress, your declensions, your recoveries, your conflicts, your fears, your hopes and your efforts, with such interest as he has felt. And now he sees you ripe for heaven. Perhaps a few more suns must shine upon you, a few more rains must fall; he sees something yet not quite complete; but the time is near, it hastens, when you will feel the sickle. Fear it not; you know what hand holds it. It cuts down only the straw. The precious grain is garnered. There may come the sharp-edged sickle, and then the tremendous blow of the flail. That ends your earthly history. The rest dates from heaven. A soul ripened for glory in this field of sin and death! Surely the joy of the harvest thrills through the heavenly mansions.

O ye sowers! be diligent, "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as ye know your labor is not in vain in the Lord!" O ye plants of heaven! growth is your great work. "Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; to virtue, temperance; to temperance, patience; to patience, godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; to brotherly kindness, charity; for if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

LECTURE VII.

THE TWO DEBTORS; OR, LOVE TO CHRIST PROPORTIONED TO THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF SIN.

LUKE VII. 36-50. "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at