Christ; but from all these high recommendations there are so many deductions to be made,—such as worldly conformity, indecision of conduct, an unnecessary and sinful association with men, of whom, to say the least, their characters are equivocal, that, after all, we are unable to determine with whom we ought to class them. May I hope better things of you, and that if any among you have been of this description, you will henceforth avow yourselves on the Lord's side? Let me, however, remind the undecided of the dreadful consequence of their indecision in the last day." Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels."*

Again, let your light be constant as well as clear. It must not be as the blaze of a comet, those "wandering stars," whose visits to the hemisphere of our globe are "few and far between." The promise is, "that he who endureth to the end shall be saved." It is not to a beginning well, but to a patient continuance in well-doing, that eternal life will be granted. Nothing can have a more beneficial influence on all who behold our good works, than a steady perseverance in their performance. This is to be seen in all companies, and, more or less, on all occasions. It is to be visible to all with whom you may travel, or with whom you may trade. It is possible for a man to rise very high in his professions, for a few weeks, or a few months, as an apology for sinking very low at other times; but we are exhorted to be "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." That you will have discouragements in

* Mark viii. 38.

M

your course, and that there is a danger of growing weary, cannot be denied. But the Saviour has promised you grace sufficient for all your duties and all your trials. That such a course may likewise expose you to some degree of loss, as to this world, is probable, for "the world will love its own." But surely you will not decline so slight a sacrifice as the favour of men, for the sake of your Lord! Come forward, then, my beloved hearers, and boldly appear in the ranks of the Captain of your salvation. The profession must be made, if you would be saved; and will be, if you are his disciples, without delay or reluctance.

One remark more. As the sun shines in the firmament, for the benefit of men, so your light is to shine before them, not for the sake of admiration, but utility. The salvation of their souls is to be the ultimate end of all your zeal, liberality, and unwearied diligence; and as the light in the heavens invigorates the natural and physical world, so you must diffuse an enlivening and exhilirating influence through the moral world. Shall I show you how this may be done? You may do much in a way of kindness and charity. A merciful disposition, and a tenderness of spirit, are strong recommendations of the gospel to the world. Love will do infinitely more than knowledge, gifts, or even martyrdom itself. Moreover, by the instruction of the ignorant, a punctual attendance on the ordinances of the sanctuary, and a cultivation of all those lovely graces, which are distinctly specified in the preceding beatitudes, you are, according to your several stations and ability, to fulfil your appointed character.

Secondly. Consider the motive which our Lord urges for the discharge of these duties. Your light is not to shine for ostentation, but that "others may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven." The religious deed, unseen by men, may be profitable to your

selves, and acceptable to God, but it cannot allure those who do not behold it. The Christian who retires from the world, and shuts himself up in secrecy, resembles the soldier who wears the uniform of his regiment, but declines combat with the enemy; and who would have support from his country without doing anything for its protection and welfare.

There is one plain end stated in the text, to which all our actions are to be directed:-It is the glory of God. And our works will lead others to glorify Him, if they accomplish their conversion to Christ. The world in general entertains an unfavourable opinion, both of the understandings and motives of such as embrace evangelical truth. It becomes them, therefore, to counteract this impression by the lustre of an unblemished life; thus maintaining good works for necessary purposes. If you profess a belief in Christianity, you should evince a readiness "always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ."* In short, there is a variety of ways in which the light of the Christian, derived from his Lord, has tended to the glory of God. In some cases it has glorified Him by the visible display of his grace. Thus, when the report of the Gentiles reached the ears of certain of the brethren, it is said that "they glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."+ "When Barnabas came to Antioch, and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord."‡ And frequently the zeal of some hath provoked many.

* 1 Pet. iii. 15, 16.

† Acts xi. 18.

Acts xi. 23.

Thus, it is said of the Thessalonians, that they "were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia."* One Christian church, living up to its privileges, and shining as a light in a dark place, has aroused other churches to a sense of duty, and they have eventually glorified God, by following the same course. There has been often, in this respect, a powerful action in the moral world; so that the zeal of one body of Christians has constrained others to be zealous likewise.

But I must close. You profess to be his children, and He calls himself your Father. It becomes you, therefore, not to decline the service which He claims at your hands; or disgrace, by indolence and inconsistency, the sacred relation. And finally, be encouraged by the consideration, that the exhortation affords a triumphant argument in behalf of the truth and purity of the gospel. An impostor would have sought the covert of secresy rather than the eye of day for the propagation of his system: but your cause will bear inspection, embrace it cordially, and diffuse it widely. Amen.

1 Thes. i. 7.

LECTURE XII.

MATTHEW v. 17, 18.

"THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL. FOR VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, ONE JOT OR ONE TITTLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED."

My brethren, it is of infinite importance that we should be preserved from the natural self-sufficiency of our minds, and, that we come as little children to their instructor, whenever we open the pages of the Bible, or listen to the publication of their contents. From what painful and injurious mistakes would the church have been preserved, had all her members adopted this method in their professed enquiries after "the truth as it is in Jesus." But the evil has been, that men have but too commonly formed certain opinions, and embraced certain peculiar views, which they are determined to uphold and defend; and then they commence an unsparing attack on all such passages of the sacred volume as lie most obviously against their scheme, and bear the hardest on their unscriptural and favourite doctrines. And perhaps it would be difficult to find any single portion of the word of God that has been more "wrested" by the cunning devices of mistaken and