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of heaven. There is a little difference in the sight of GOD, but when compared with the great distance that all men are from Him by nature it sinks into nothing. The whole world may be said to be equidistant from the sun, so it is with the character of mankind from GOD. They differ one from another in the sight of their fellowworms upon the earth; but as to Jehovah's character and their distance from him, they are all equidistant. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD." The most moral individual in this assembly, in the state of nature, is as far from God as any poor prostitute in the penitentiary, and the Gospel is as free to them as to the highest, and noblest, and most amiable of you. Yea, and our Master hath taught us to say more that through the state of their character, despised before men, the more apt, the more ready are they to receive a token of kindness if it be afforded them, and to feel that they deserve it not―"They go into the kingdom of God before the Pharisees." "The Pharisees and the Scribes murmured against him, saying, This man receiveth sinners." Some of the poor sinners received by him wept tears of love upon his feet, and wiped them with the hairs of their head. You see the difference between the proud Pharisees reproaching Jesus for receiving the sinner, and the poor convinced sinner weeping, kneeling at his feet-washing his feet with her tears, and wiping them with the hair of her head.

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repentance is only hypocritical, and that when they leave the institution they return to their former coursethat it is a mere waste of time and waste of money. Alas! alas! my brethren, it is but too true that there have been many instances of this description; but do not all the world hear of God's love, and hear it in many cases in vain? Oh, if God had argued so― if he had said, "It will be a waste of the lavish expenditure of my love in my Son, to give him for the world, because the world is obdurate and will not believe;" we had been ruined. But GOD gave his Son, and it is our business, our duty, our privilege, to carry the proclamation of his love to all such as have erred. It is time to bring such persons as we are now considering within the reach of the hearing of the Gospel. And surely there is no justice in the objection which is sometimes urged, that such seminaries will only prove encouragers of vice? Can it be truly said, that the Humane Society is an encouragement for persons to throw themselves into the river? Can it be truly said, that the modern discoveries of surgery are encouragements to men to drink poison? As truly may it be said that an institution of this sort is an encouragement to women to commit sin. Oh, no! No one is led into that course at first by the prospect of such an asylum as this at last. An advantage may be taken of it, and evil arguments may be grounded upon it, and in a moment of depravity and wickedness the tongue of a seducer, envenomed with poison from hell, may advert to it as the last resource of the victim of his lust. But such an argument would go-if good for any thing

Oh, my brethren, what is it that keeps any of you alienated from GoD, when there is such a token of GoD's love? How is it, why is it, that you, and they, and all who hear this mes--would go against all alleviating efsage, are not willing to come to GOD? It is objected by some persons, that this and similar institutions do no good-that the characters received remain obdurate that the appearance of

forts made upon a large scale for mankind, because it would go to say, that as soon as sinners should know of the alleviating effort made by the benevolence of Christian men, they would sin

in order to get within the reach of that
alleviation. No, the argument proves
too much, it cannot be maintained
wisely; and I am persuaded it is but
the objection of those who wish for an
objection, and who do not grieve be-
cause there is one, who do not sin-
cerely grieve over the extent to which
the objection is true, but who rather
wish to find an excuse against con-
tributing to such an institution. It
is too true-I repeat it. But it is not
there only, but in the whole world that |
the Gospel message is slighted, and
GOD's love in Jesus Christ is rejected.
To hear of his love, and to reject his
love, is a climax of iniquity which is
peculiar, so far as we know of it at
least, peculiar to man. Oh! can any
words aggravate the idea we have of
man's depravity, from the fact that he
hears and rejects God's love in Jesus
Christ? To break GoD's law-to
violate the great law of creation--was
bad enough, but to hear of God's love
and reject it is worse. Even the very
devils have not had an opportunity of
committing such wickedness as man
has committed. They have violated
the law of creation in not keeping
their first estate, but they have not
rejected God's love in a Saviour. They
have no opportunity of doing so; for
no Saviour has been preached to them.
There is a spectacle on earth of more
heinous wickedness, of greater pro-
gress in iniquity, than is exhibited
even by hell itself. And yet this
iniquity would be displayed in every
individual case of the human species
if men were left to themselves, if the
expenditure of God's love in his Son
were proclaimed to the world, and
nothing more were sent forth than an
invitation to the feast. If the oxen
and the fatlings were killed, and all
things were ready, and only the invi-
tation were given, not a guest would
come, not a sinner would be found at

the table, not a man would be saved. All men are alienated from the love of GOD through the ignorance which is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. The guests, in point of fact, that were invited, according to the parable, would not come. And shall the King's design be frustrated? And shall the King's feast be spread in vain? And shall the King be disappointed? And shall his Son have no guests at the supper? No, my brethren, it must not be, and therefore what follows. He said to the servants, go out into the high-ways and hedges and compel them to come in. Here is the place where the sovereign grace of GoD in overcoming man's enmity comes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes not in, in limiting the provision-it comes not in, in restricting the provision, or in hindering any man from coming to the feast; but it comes in in hindering the feast from being in vain to all men; it comes in in securing some men, not in rejecting any man. We may say in reference to the provision of the feast, how gracious, how longsuffering, and how merciful is our GOD! But we may say in reference to the election, according to grace, how powerful in mercy is our God! Powerful in mercy!-it is the triumph of mercy. It is the Lord's out-going of power, in order that his offers of mercy shall not be in vain to the world. If any man will be contentious-if any man, instead of humbling himself before GoD, and not crying mightily for the Holy Ghost to break his hard heart, will be contentious, and will say, "Why is not this grace exercised on all men?" The answer, in point of fact, in the Scripture is, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Chosen is here put in opposition to called. We are not to understand here, chosen to the outward privileges

and calls of the Gospel, as the Gen- | effect his own plans. He is controlled, tiles were chosen-in that case chosen indeed, by the law of the land in some and called mean the same thing; but things, and at times he is held by that the Lord puts them in opposition, the restraint; but as far as he can, he will one to the other-" many are called, please himself, and please no other. but few are chosen." And as this is He hates to be dependent, and he the scriptural answer in point of fact, hates God. That is the secret of his so the scriptural reason is, "Even heart. If you could follow the man so, Father; for so it seemed good in into his self-indulgence—if you could thy sight!" Jesus rejoiced in spirit tell him of God's hatred to sin-if you when he used these words. He had could tell him of the flames of hell, of grieved in spirit over the unbelief of God's anger to the wicked, you would the people, he had been tempted to make no impression upon him. He is think that he would suffer in vain, ac- prepared for it, he is steeled against it. cording to the word spoken by Isaiah, The enemy will not yield to such "I have laboured in vain, I have treatment, because the enemy is hatred spent my strength for nought, and in to God, and that hatred is increased vain;" but when he considers the by it. All you can tell him upon that love of the Father, and recollects that score adds to his alienation from GOD, all the Father hath given to him shall and his alienation from GoD is the and must come to him, he rejoices in groundwork of the enthronement of spirit, and he says, "Even so, Father; self in the heart, and the enthronement for so it seemed good in thy sight." of self is the root of his wickedness; and all you can tell him of God's anger against him only adds to his hatred of GOD, to his alienation from GOD, and to his determination to continue in his disobedience against GOD.

My brethren, I have said thus much in order to set this portion of divine truth in its true connexion with that which is the main object we have in view to-night, namely, the exhibition of God's love to you in Jesus Christ. Oh, let that love win you to-night. What is it that leaves that man in the continuance of his sin? What is it that leaves that man in enmity against GOD, so that he can go and join with evil companions-go and join, and drink, and swear, and commit iniquity, and give cause, by his abominable selfindulgence, for such a remedy as we are now asking for these poor helpless, wretched creatures, who are the victim's of such men's lust and passion? What is it that leaves the man in that state? It is the love of self, so engendered in his heart that he prefers it to the love of GOD! He loves himself-he is a god to himself—he is determined to please himself-he will have his own way-he will allow no superior-and he will exercise all the powers of his intellect to carry into

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What shall we do then? Oh, we will tell the man, without limitation, without condition, without hesitation we will go to the man and say, GoD loves you, God gave his Son to die for you, GOD is willing to receive you to himself, GOD stands in Jesus Christ receiving sinners: there is no man upon earth who is kept away from GoD by an act of God. You are kept away by yourself; there is nothing in him to keep you away from him; it is your own alienation that keeps you away. God loves you, Jesus Christ mourns over you, Jesus Christ is willing to receive you and make you happy. Perhaps the man will not believe this record-he may have a hundred objections to put in; but this is the message-this is the most likely weapon, the only justifiable weapon that any minister of God's gospel can use against

of man.

starve in the street. No-I believe it not. No-the person who would cast herself in faith on GOD, and make up her mind to starve rather than to live in sin, would not be allowed, bad as the world is, alienated as men are, no one would allow her really to starve.

Oh, if there be any poor helpless young woman in this congregation tonight who has determined to forsake the course she is pursuing, but whose heart has failed her at the prospect of what is before her, I beseech you, by the mercy of GoD, to look at God's mercy to you in Jesus Christ. Let GOD's endearing love allure and win you away from your evil courses; let God's love to you open your heart, and touch your souls with penitence for the crimes you have already committed! Let God's love to you; let his acceptance of sinners by Jesus Christ prevail ! He is willing to receive you whatever the state of your character may be, however polluted your mind may be by reflection and meditation that has been forced upon you-however polluted your body may be, Jesus Christ is willing still to receive you freely, to make you holy, to shed the love of GOD in your soul, which is happiness, which is heaven, because it is holiness.

such a rebel. It is the weapon that | to open, she will not be left to die of GOD honours. Oh, that God may ho- | hunger, she will not be permitted to nour it among you this night, and subdue your hearts! If this message were carried home to your hearts that are here present, I shall have done more to lessen the crimes of this city this night than can be done by any contributions to the Penitentiary-I shall go farther to slay the root of the mischief that springs up and flowers into such abominable produce in the world—I shall go farther, I say, to root out the mischief, if by GoD's mercy this message were carried with power to your hearts this night, than it would be possible to do by any amount of money expended in any way that can be devised by the ingenuity or the wisdom Oh, let money be given and expended by thousands and thousands of pounds, and yet if the root remain unsubdued the branches will still bring forth their bitter fruits! But let the love of God be planted in men's hearts, and they will cease to idolize self; they will cease to lay prostrate the happiness of families at the feet of their brutish lusts; they will cease to be seducers, when they have learned to be lovers of God; and the poor, helpless, wretched creature that is cast out of her home-that is cast in a measure on the streets-that is reduced to famine and starvation, and is often driven to sin as a mere refuge against hunger, in opposition to the better feelings of her mind-she, too, would be rescued. She, too, loving God, would take his chastisement-she would take the bitter chastisement, and rather die of hunger, and destitute, than live on the wages of iniquity. Yes, the love of GOD in her soul would strengthen her -the Holy Ghost in her would subdue her flesh, so that she would rather die of hunger than live a sinner. And surely, my brethren, if this same principle were lodged in the mind of others, were lodged in those that have doors

My dear brethren, shall I beseech you in vain to see this evil in its right point of view, to see that it is our privilege to be permitted during our Lord's absence, and while the world is under the power of the usurper, and the whole creation is groaning and travailing together-that it is our privilege to mitigate some of these pangs-that it is our privilege to soothe, as far as it lies within our power, the helpless widow, and the helpless orphan, and the helpless outcast, who is brought before you this night: I say, to soothe creation's groans, to be upon the Lord's side

now in his absence-on his side who will put an end to all these groans when he returns, who will put an end to sin, and all the concomitants of sin and sorrow. Now be on his side; enter now into his mind; begin now, in some measure, to do the work that he will do effectually when he comes. All these works of mitigation are but little aims of ours at redemption, at redeeming a portion of wickedness out of the vortex, and winning it back to GOD. They are like a sort of first fruits of redemption, a sort of breathing of redeemed men after the redemption of the creation. This is the nature of such efforts; and ye who see this and know the connexion of this present dispensation with the hopes of a future, give yourselves to it as your Lord gave himself to it. See how exactly you are following your Lord's steps. He went about redeeming what could be redeemed in the Jewish dispensation in its last days. went about delivering souls from sin, and delivering bodies from sickness, and purging the temple from the money-changers, and delivering all that could be delivered in the way of man's interference, in the last stages of that dispensation; and now we are called to follow his example-we are called to assist the sorrowful-we are called to administer to the necessities of those that are in want-we are called to contribute, as far as lieth in us, by means of our substance, and, by our kindness, to redeem some portion of the wickedness around us, and bring it back to God.

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My brethren, consider this with respect to these poor women. There are numbers of them assembled in this institution; there are efforts made for them to instruct them in the knowledge of GOD, in the love of GOD, in the redemption of Christ Jesus. Some of them have shown that the power of GOD has been exercised in them;

some of them have conducted themselves while in the institution, and since they have quitted it to go to service, in a way that is highly encouraging. Some of them are still receiving instruction with a readiness of mind which gives encouragement to the hope that they will go and do likewise. But the expenses of the institution are considerable; and I grieve to be obliged to tell you that the stated income is much diminished. I have been informed, and I grieve to say, that one hundred pounds has been withdrawn from the annual subscriptions to the institution! Although the occasional collections and donations have been increased, it is the stated annual support of subscribers which alone can justify the conductors in keeping up the stated expenditure. Therefore, dear brethren, come forward to this amelioration of the misery of many of your poor fellow-creatures. Enrol your names tonight as subscribers to an institution for so laudable a purpose. One of the conductors will be in the vestry to receive them after service.

Let your prayers ascend before GOD, that the word of eternal love, brought before these poor women, may be rendered the power of GOD to their salvation, by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven-that the invitation to the supper of the Lord be made effectual, and that Jesus Christ may be received-in short, that they may not only stand ready to receive him, but that they may be known to receive him

that they may be known to love Him who first loved them-that they may be taught to sigh for holy fellowship with him.

Gracious, oh, gracious and merciful GOD, make this people all to love thee! Thou knowest all them that love thee! Thou knowest all them that are grieved, because they do not feel that they love thee! Oh, make them to love thee ! Let none of them continue

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