ent to us! how would it draw the people. In what crowds would they rush along the streets; how would every eye and every countenance brighten with gladness. In such a circumstance as this what should we think of a man who should come forward and say; "I am sent by the monarch who has sent you bread, to warn you to apply immediately for his bounty that you may escape his vengeance? And what should we think of the people who should spend their time to hear these terrors proclaimed? In such a time of favor and rejoicing, would it be seemly to stop the hungry and tell them they have no right to the free bounty that has arrived unless they really believe in this act of goodness? Would it be thought indispensably necessary to have a creed written, with well studied articles to the number of thirty-nine, for the people all to learn by heart before they should be allowed to taste the bread of life? Would it be treating those, who were fainting for want of food, according to the benevolent designs of the gracious donor of these ample provisions, to prevent their receiving this unpurchased, unconditional favor, by suggesting conditions, terms, and articles of faith to be complied with and believed? Suppose the articles are all made out according to the wisdom of him, who urges their necessity, but the people cannot understand them. Some are mysterious, some are in direct opposition to others; one explains them in one way; and another explains them in another way, many profess to believe them because they are told that they cannot obtain favor unless they do. Those who should believe in this case might believe themselves to death, and close their eyes without seeing the salvation which mercy had sent them: others, whose minds should revolt at a creed which contains contradictions, would be turned away as unbelievers, and fare no better than those who believe.

Jesus says; "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." The unfortunate, who have suffered hunger and thirst in sultry climes, inform us the want of drink is vastly more severe than the want of food

Here then the merciful Saviour makes use of a simile which gives the most striking idea of his goodness. Of a number of faint, weary, hungry, and thirsty pilgrims, on burning sands, if one should cry out to his fellows, here is water! How quickly would it draw them all together.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of Jesus, says; "A man shall be an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as a river of water in a dry place as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." How very inviting, how attracting how drawing are the favors here noticed. The beasts of the field and the fowls of the air seek these favors. When storms and winds beat on them, they seek a shelter; when they are thirsty you find them by the streams; and when a sultry sun is vehement you find them in the shade. Do you ask what these things mean? Do you inquire how you can obtain so great a favor? The word is nigh thee, even in thy heart and in thy mouth. Jesus is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. To be drawn to Christ is to be drawn into wisdom, whose ways are pleasantness and all her paths are peace. It is to be drawn into righteousness, which is heaven. It is to be drawn into sanctification, which is holiness. It is to be drawn into redemption, which is freedom from the law of sin and death. O Jesus, how great is thy promise! Thou wilt draw all men unto thyself. Then shall every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all which are in them; say, blessing and honnor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

LECTURE XIII.

CHRIST SOWING THE GOOD SEED, IN TEARS.

PSALM cxxvi. 6.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall, doubtless, come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

DIVINE wisdom has seen fit, that the commencement of those affairs which are designed to terminate in great and extensive blessings to mankind, should be distinguished for the hardships, painful labors, extreme difficulties, privations, uncommon sufferings, sorrow and tears which attend them. This remark will be found to be, generally, appropriate, whether applied to political or religious concerns, and is often justified by the experience of individuals. This sentiment seems symbolically expressed in our text and its introduction. To represent the reverse of condition which Zion experienced by a deliverance from captivity, the prophet says; "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall, doubtless, come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.'

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From the scanty portion of grain, on which the husbandman depends to bread his dependent family, he takes a selected portion, and having with much labor prepared his field, he commits the precious seed to the

bosom of the earth. His fears anticipate drought, blasts, and mildews; his hope endures, as seeing things that are invisible, and locks forward to the time when heaven shall reward his toils with a joyful harvest, and return him thirty, sixty or an hundred fold. The autumn comes and brings the golden harvest, and plenty calls for songs of gratitude and joy. But to the eye of inexperience how mysterious would this appear. The portion of bread corn is already scant, and the husband of a numerous family takes part of this and buries it in the earth. It appears as an unreasonable waste. Thus we frequently judge of the ways of divine Providence; and are led to say, if God were good to his creatures, why should such and such things be permitted to wound our tenderest feelings? Why should such sorrows be sent as the inheritance of the oppressed, the innocent, and the defenceless? Not being able to see the end from the beginning of events, we are often misguided in judgment, and entertain doubts of the divine goodness towards us. But could we comprehend the mysterious wisdom of God by which he turns every thing to the good of hir creatures, causing light afflictions, which are but for a moment, to work for us an exceeding weight of glory, we should at once conclude, that the measure of evil endured by the creatures of God, is as nothing when compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us, and which can be traced back to those afflictions, which, during .their continuance, were grievous.

These introductory observation seem to lead the mind into an extensive field, where an infinite variety of objects invite our attention to the contemplation of the wisdom and goodness of God, in causing light to shine out of darkness, order to grow out of what appears to us confusion, peace of mind from sorrow of heart, tranquillity out of trouble, prosperity out of adversity, in a word, good from what we call evil, strength from weakness and glory from shame. But keeping in mind that proper limits must bound the labors of a lecture, the audience is invited to contemplate our subect as manifested in the Saviour of mankind

Jesus went forth in our world weeping, bearing and sowing precious seed, and he shall doubtless come again, rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. He sowed in tears, he shall reap in joy; he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.

Our first inquiry will be directed to notice the occa→ sion of our Saviour's tears.

Jesus was possessed of the sensibilities and sympathies of our nature in their purity and perfection, which caused him to feel the afflictions of the afflicted, the sorrows of the sorrowful, and the distress of the distressed. Many proofs of this are found in the history of the Saviour. We may notice him at Bethany, where he raised Lazarus from the dead. Notwithstanding he knew what he was about to do, and that Lazarus would in a few minutes be a living man, to the astonishment and joy of his weeping sisters, such was the tenderness of his heart that when he saw the Jews, who had come to comfort the bereaved sisters, weeping, and the two disconsolate sisters weeping,_he himself groaned in spirit, and wept with them. Let those who mourn remember this, and realize that their sorrows are duly noticed by him who is the resurrection and the life, who hath the keys of hell and death. That power of life and salvation, which gloriously tri umphed at the tomb of him who had been dead four days, is still the same, and has given assurance, that as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

On that most joyful occasion of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding upon an ass, when the people in vast multitudes welcomed the King of Zion, and praised God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest; the blessed Jesus, in room of being elated with these tokens of submission and expressions of joy-in room of participating the exceeding gladness of the people, his mind seemed intent on a very different subject, the account of which is as follows: "And when he came near he beheld the city,