shall fruit be in the vine; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." The Psalmist likewise experienced the same seraphic ardour; the contemplation of divine things so engaged his mind, that language, in all its glowing numbers, I could not describe the sensations of his soul; his desires after God were so ardent that his devotions were expressed in the accents of angelic fervour: "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so longeth my soul after thee, oh, God! My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God! oh, when shall I come to appear in the presence of God? "At another time we behold him carrying his professions of love to the feet of the throne, and declaring in the presence of God the unbounded affection which animated and fired his soul: "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee; my heart and my flesh faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." When we take a view of the lives of the Apostles, and consider the cruel sufferings to which they were subjected, we must be convinced that it was the power of godliness which supported and upheld them; had they possessed nothing but the form of religion, their hearts would have failed them in the hour of their trials, and they would have shrunk from the tribulation which awaited them; but when persecution reared her snaky crest; when multitudes who had rejoiced for a season in their light, left them unassisted; when they who had made the air to echo with hosannas, now cried crucify, crucify them! how steadfast were they in support of the truth! The power of godliness, like an anchor within the vail, enabled them to ride out the storm, and to seal their ministry with their blood. Ye who sit contented beneath the shade of a form of godliness, and who deny the power thereof, for an instant cast your eyes upon the martyr Stephen; see him surrounded by the enemies of the Lord

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Jesus! Behold them with uplifted hands preparing the deadly blow! See him falling to the earth a martyr in the Saviour's cause, calling, in his last expiring moments, for mercy upon his murderers: "Lord, lay not," said he, "this sin to their charge!" Take a view of him, I say, and then ask your hearts whether there must not be some animating principle in religion-some precious corner-stone uniting the believer to his God-some sure foundation upon which to build the superstructure of his hopes?

As a further confirmation of the influence of vital godliness upon the soul, consider, for a moment, the sufferings of Job; enter the ruins of his once stately dwelling-where are all the children of his bosom? where is all the riches with which he was possessed? Behold the man himself destitute of every earthly enjoyment, covered with wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores! When the Almighty had represented Job as one that feared God and eschewed evil, the accuser of the brethren, surveying his wealth, and enumerating his comforts, replied: "Doth Job serve God for nought? Put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." To prove the falsity of the charge, and to show the power of godliness, the Almighty said, "Behold, all that Job hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand!" Satan then attempted his seduction, but he attempted it in vain; Job stood like the house that was built upon a rock, the storms and tempest of adversity drove him nearer to his God. Yes, though destitute of human comforts, his union with Jehovah supported him; he knew that he was in the hands of a merciful God, and influenced by the power of godliness, he exclaimed, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Saint Polycarp furnishes us with another conclusive testimony in favour of the reality of religion, or the power of godliness in the support of the believer under trials. When desired by the Proconsul, to whose custody he was delivered, to swear by Cæsar's fortune, and to reproach Christ, in order that he might be restored to his liberty, the aged

follower of the Saviour answered: "Eighty-six years have I now served Christ, and he has never done me the least wrong; how, then, can I blaspheme my king and my Saviour?" When brought to the place of execution, and when they had prepared the materials with which to burn him, they wished to nail him to the stake: "Let me alone," said he, "as I am, for he who has given me strength to endure the fire, will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to stand without moving in this pile!" Yes, beloved, he not only met his fate with composure, but as a proof of the truth of what he professed, he declared while in that situation that he esteemed it his glory to die a martyr in the cause of Jesus: "I give thee hearty thanks, O Lord God Almighty, that thou hast vouchsafed to bring me to this day, and to this hour, that I should have a part in the number of thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ."

To conclude; In the resignation and triumph of these holy martyrs, we are presented with an evidence powerful and conclusive, that they who are born of God, and united to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, will be supported under trials, and made more than conquerors over every difficulty. Had they possessed nothing but a form of godliness, the dangers to which they were exposed would have overcome their fortitude, and they would have abandoned without hesitation the profession which they had made; but that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen; that faith which is the gift of God, to the confusion of their enemies, enabled them to triumph in the flames, and opened heaven to their view amidst a shower of stones. Remember, beloved, that although we may never be called to suffer as these holy men; although, like St. Stephen, we may never be stoned to death, nor like Polycarp be committed to the flames for our attachment to the Saviour, still trials we all must meet, so on erorlater. To be prepared for the pains of a dying bed, and for the dissolution of our bodies, is our duty and our interest; remember, then, that the form of godliness will avail you nothing at that solemn period; what advan

tage will the unconverted sinner derive from the circumstance of having assembled himself with the people of God, unless his heart has been changed by divine grace, and an obedience to the will of Jehovah has marked his conduct, to say at the bar of judgment, Lord, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence; our names were upon the record of the Church, and we belonged to such a society of professing Christians? What will all this avail, unless we add to the form of godliness the power thereof; unless we show the world, and prove to our own hearts, and manifest to our God, that the religion we profess is the religion of the heart, and our faith, that faith which worketh by love? When John the Baptist was on earth, many came to receive his baptism, whose pretensions to true religion he questioned; to oblige them to prove that they possessed the power of godliness, he told them to "bring forth fruits meet for repentance, for the axe," said he, " is laid to the root of the tree; every tree, therefore"-call it by what name you please" every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire." Examine yourselves, therefore, brethren-prove your own selves; nay, I would recommend it to you, to go to the feet of sus, and entreat him to search you: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and prove my thoughts, and see if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Under the influence of these things, you will advance in the Christian life; you will grow in grace, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; your Saviour will support you in the hour of distress; he will go with you through the valley and shadow of death, and at last receive you into bliss, with "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

SERMON XVI.

"And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren.”—Matthew, xii. 49.

WHEN We reflect upon those expressions of tenderness and compassion which flowed from the lips of the Redeemer, the gratitude of the sincere believer is most powerfully excited; the love of the Lord Jesus Christ kindles in his bosom the most rapturous feelings of devotion, and he is constrained to yield him the most cheerful and glowing obedience.

Before the incarnation of the Saviour; before he vacated his throne, and descended upon earth to carry into effect the purposes of redemption, he evidenced his compassion for the human family in the presence of the celestial host; to the astonishment of angels and archangels, he determined to avert the wrath of God from a guilty world, and offered himself a sacrifice for sin. When man was involved in misery; when every door of escape was closed; when Satan reigned triumphant, and was exulting in the ruin he had produced; when the regions of misery echoed with the rude transports of infernal joy; when there was no eye to pity, and no arm to save the apostate children of men, then did Jesus, the Redeemer, offer himself a ransom for sinners, and consent to bear that punishment which would