His spirit was the author of your "death unto sin, and your new birth unto righte ousness." And say, how often have you forgotten, how often dishonoured and disgraced these high and holy privileges: but say you cannot, "your transgressions have been more than the hairs of your head" and a smaller offence in you has been more culpable, than sins of deeper dye in those who have not enjoyed your means and opportunities. And have you, for Christ's sake, been forgiven? are you now in a state of repentance and reconciliation is this your hope and persuasion? then truly, enough has your Saviour done to awaken your humblest deepest acknowledgment; to demand your holiest affections; to call forth the outpourings of your gratitude; to entitle Him to all the services you can render for the remainder of your days: too short they will be for your return of love; nay, you can. not recompense Him, even through the ages of eternity.

But if there be any, here asssembled,

who once lived in total forgetfulness of the God who created, of the Saviour who redeemed, of the Spirit who sanctified them, living a heedless life of wantonness and sin; and if they have been arrested in their fatal career, and brought back to. the God whom they had forsaken, and have found in Him forgiveness, and acceptance, and love, and peace; if they have left the husks of vanity, and are now. feeding on the fulness of their Father's house; if they have escaped from the gulph of everlasting destruction, and their bosoms are now beating high with the hope of heavenly glory, surely they need no exhortation, from mortal lips, to love and to praise; surely "their heart is ready, their heart is ready."

And oh ! if there be any stil lwalking in darkness, still in the bond of iniquity, unrepentant and unforgiven, may they be effectually moved by the example before them, of the Saviour's love, and the sinner's acceptance; may they leave that.

course, in which they make Him their enemy; and will find Him their enemy, if they turn not, for ever; and come and prove His friendship, and see that He is the God of love. He will say to each of them, whatever they have been or may be, "go in peace, thy faith hath saved thee:" and when they perceive and know how much they have been forgiven, much they will be brought to love: the service, which now seems irksome to them, will be found full of pleasantness; "the yoke easy and the burden light." "They will rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory:" they will have all the happiness of which man is capable, on this side the grave, in devoting their new spirit and their new powers to the Lord who saved. them and on the other side, they will see more of the wonders of redeeming love: they will strive in affection with the angels; and pay with them their tribute, and sing with them the song of the Lamb, to all eternity.

*1 Pet. i. 8.

One further word of caution in concluding: let it not be supposed, that a peculiar encouragement is here held out to the notorious sinner, as if he were a preferable object of the Saviour's mercy: we are only to infer, that if he does return, he shall be accepted; and that if he is brought to repentance and faith, he may be expected to entertain a deeper and livelier sense of the Lord's unmerited compassion, than those who have felt less need of pardoning grace and mercy. But let us all pray, that God will give us a truer and humbler view of our helplessness and undeservings, our sins and rebellions against Him; so that we may be thoroughly stricken with a conviction of the Saviour's mercy; may carry this conviction about with us in our daily fellowship with Him; and devote to Him that life, which He has so freely and graciously "redeemed from the power of the enemy."

LL

SERMON XXII.

THE CHARACTER OF ZACCHEUS.

LUKE xix. 9.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house.

TO the house of Zaccheus: and did not this announcement contain good tidings of great joy? Can we imagine any delight so great to the soul of man, as that which should flow from an assurance of salvation, by the lips of the Saviour Himself, of Him who "giveth life to whom He will;" who has power to save or to de stroy? We can scarcely help feeling interested in the character and state of a person so supremely favoured; and I pro