guilt before the mind; it is not by rolling the thunders of the law over the soul of the sinner; it is done by the Spirit bringing the sinner to gaze on Christ as pierced by him. The Spirit always works in connexion with Christ.

It is a remark of Pliny, that the diamond is so hard that no force can bruise it, but steep it in the reeking blood of a goat in the death struggle, and you may easily grind it to powder. So with the human heart; take it and let the thunder of Sinai roll over it, and it remains a stone; let the lightning scathe it, it is a stone still; but bring it within sight of Calvary; let it come within the influence of the cross; let it be steeped in the blood of Christ, and it is softened at once into the reality of godly sorrow. Do you want this sorrow? Fix then your gaze on the cross; give up trying to count your sins; the effort to tell them is vain; look at the cross, see your sins there; look at Christ dying under the burden, and you will not, cannot look in vain. 2. Its characteristics.

Intensity is one characteristic of godly sorrow. The mode of illustration adopted in the text, is frequently employed by the prophets to describe great sorrow. viii. 10.

Jer. vi. 26. Amos

The true penitent seeks solitude. Here it is distinguished from worldly sorrow. This leads those under its influence into company, that leads them alone. See the cases of Peter and Paul.

sorrow.

The spirit of supplication is another characteristic of true As this sorrow partly consists of grief for refusing the mercy of Christ, it will, if genuine, sooner or later lead to Christ.

As these, then, are the results which will attend the outpouring of the Spirit, let us be encouraged at once to adopt the means which are necessary to obtain it.

G.

XXXI.

THE NAME OF GOD AND THE GREATNESS

THAT AWAITS IT.

MAL. i. 11.-" From the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."

One of the methods adopted by Infinite Wisdom, to prepare the world for the advent of the Messiah, was to make the provisions of the gospel the subject of prophetic description. During a succession of ages, that Being, who sees the end from the beginning, caused the volume of prophecy to be unrolled, and portions of that great purpose to be unfolded, which has for its object, the winning of the world to God. Our text contains a prophetic declaration of the fact, that God shall be magnified, and honoured, and worshipped, by all nations. This will be done,

I. BY THE REVELATION OF HIS NAME.

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My name shall be great among the Gentiles."

God cannot be worshipped unless he is known. He can only be known as he is pleased to reveal himself.

We have a revelation of himself, in his word; there we are told that his name denotes himself, his nature, character, and all that can be known of him by man.

1. It denotes his self-existence.

Moses, solicitous to know the name of God, directly proposed the question, when the symbol of the Almighty appeared in the bush, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. This name denotes existence; all other existence emanates from him. There was a period in which he only existed. Creation sprang at his bidding. Go through all the forms of existence; rise through every form of ascending nature, till you come to the highest platform of created superiority; you are then only at the first step of the throne of Him who dwelleth in light inaccessible.

2. The spirituality of his nature.

The Being who filleth immensity must be spiritual. Our Saviour has placed this doctrine at the foundation of all and pure proper worship: "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 3. It denotes plurality in the unity of the Godhead.

The unity of the Godhead is a fundamental doctrine of revelation; but though he is One, he is ELOHIM-persons. This doctrine meets us on every page of revelation. A large portion of Scripture would be unintelligible without it. Genesis i. 26. Numbers vi. 23—27.

4. It denotes the harmony of his attributes.

God proclaimed his name to Moses as "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." This name of God derives its chief lustre from the cross. It is there we see God as a just God and Saviour-there, amidst blackness and darkness, and earthquakes and blood, we see the harmony of all the attributes in the name of God.

II. IN THE MAJESTY OF HIS GOVERNMENT.

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My name shall be great among the gentiles."

That this name shall be magnified, is the uniform doctrine of the scriptures. The majesty of his government is set forth,

1. In its nature.

Christ's government is eminently spiritual. It is opposed to idolatry. Idolatry is sin deified; Satan arrayed in the attributes of imaginary deity. It is opposed to infidelity, whether moving in the lurid glare of a corrupt and perverted genius, or tracking its serpent path by its slime, and entering into the habitation of the poor, turning into poison what would be their comfort. It is opposed to a mere formal or ceremonial worship. It is opposed to everything earthly, sensual or devilish. "In every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering."

2. In its design.

The kingdom of Christ is within you. It aims at bringing each thought, motive, and desire into subjection to Christ. It controls the mind, it sways the conscience, it rules the will, it influences the heart.

3. In its silent but irresistible agency.

In this government there is an influence which kings cannot see, which statesmen cannot take into their calculations, which philosophers know nothing about; yet is it an influence that is performing wonders. Christ is subordinating to himself all the talent, all the energy, all the adventurous curiosity of kings, and statesmen, and philosophers. Christ has gone forth for the salvation of the world. But his influence is secret. It is still true that he is alone in the mighty undertaking. All means are valueless without him; he is the secret powerful energy which produces every change, and is yet destined to subdue all things to himself.

4. In its results.

It is glorious to think of the times when the name of the incarnate Redeemer "shall be great.' "When he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth." When "to him every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord." When the song of triumph shall be raised in heavenly places," the kingdoms of the earth are become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."

III. IN THE CELEBRATION OF HIS WORSHIP.

This worship will be universal.

It will be offered in every place." Myriads of spirits everywhere shall be ascending in flames of pure devotion to God. Then the glorious description of the prophet will be realized, "Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give her light unto thee; but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous."

L.

XXXII.

NEUTRALITY IN THE CAUSE OF CHRIST IMPOSSIBLE.

MATTHEW Xii. 30.-"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."

It is impossible to mistake the doctrine of the text; it is that there is not, there cannot be, any neutrality in religion. Every man is either for or against Christ. Such is the proposition of the text, a proposition which militates against the idea that if we are not decided for Christ, we are not decided against him. If we are not decided for Christ we are decided against him.

I. THEY WHO ARE NOT WITH CHRIST AS DISCIPLES, ARE

AGAINST HIM AS DISCIPLES OF ANOTHER.

Christ claims entire authority over the conscience and heart of every man. He claims this in the character of sovereign. As Creator he has undoubted right to the services of his creatures. He claims this in the character of Redeemer. Every man is placed under obligation to believe in Christ, and he who does not, he who is not with Christ in the exercise of faith, is against him in the exercise of disobedience and unbelief.

II. THOSE WHO ARE NOT WITH CHRIST IN THE DESIGN OF HIS DEATH, ARE AGAINST HIM IN DEFEATING THE DESIGN OF HIS DEATH.

1. One purpose of the death of Christ was to make an atonement for sin.

In the meritorious part of our redemption, Christ was alone; none were, none could be, with him. "He trod the

winepress alone;" no obedience, no sufferings, can add to the merit of his cross; we cannot merit salvation for ourselves, neither can we co-operate in procuring salvation for others. In this sense we cannot be with Christ.

2. Another purpose of the death of Christ was to give repentance and pardon to guilty men.

Though we cannot be with Christ in providing salvation,