the house of my friends?" If you had never declared yourself on my side, how much neglect and scorn might my religion have escaped! Thus let us feel how justly he might reproach us, and on this account reproach ouselves, till we melt into contrition for our backslidings, and seek to make up by redoubled diligence, holiness, and zeal, for our past miscarriages. We may practise a holy revenge upon ourselves, and our spiritual enemies, by the vehement abhorrence we pour out upon these false ways, and a constant and persevering inculcation of the more excellent way. How was Satan's triumph over

Peter's fall turned into mortification and shame, by his subsequent zeal, fidelity and intrepidity: redeeming his promise at last of going with his Master to prison, yea, and to death, for his sake, rather than deny him!

This regenerate state, moreover, brings with it its own punishment, in the shade it casts over our future prospects. Christians who give diligence to make their calling and election sure, are animated with hope and confidence. The promises of scripture and prospects of future glory, sparkle in their view, and light up their path with a cheering and inspiring radiance. The undimmed eye of faith brings the prospect nearer. But in a state of backsliding, we are unable to apply these promises to ourselves; for though we know that this state is distinguishable from apostacy, and

that we are far enough yet from that abhorred pit, how can anything certify us, short of complete recovery from our blacksliding, that it will not thus terminate? Who can assure us that we shall not be overtaken in our present state by death, which would be fatal to all our hopes? We read that "the righteous shall hold on his way," but how do we know that we are the righteous, while declining from the good ways of God? "He that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger," but we, on the contrary, have waxed weaker and weaker. We come far behind other christians in holiness, righteousness and good works; we fall far short of the patterns set before us in scripture for imitation; and when this fact occurs to us in a convincing light, what but painful forebodings must rise up within us! In short, while in a retrograde course, though we may possibly be in a state of salvation, we have not the comfort of knowing it: nor was it intended we should, lest it should degenerate into presumption. We have but an obscure and faint light, instead of the bright shining of the sun of righteousness, to cheer us in affliction, temptation, and approaching death. Our past experience, how rich soever it might have been in a sense of God's loving kindness, has now a dubious hue cast over it from what has since occurred. We can no more live upon experience which has not been renewed, than the Jew upon the manna

which he had laid by, to release himself from the trouble of gathering up a fresh store daily.

Let not despondency, however, seize upon us, and induce us to resign ourselves hopelessly to what has come upon us, as if recovery from it were impossible. The dehortations from apostacy in scripture, addressed to believers, are intended to be preservatives from it and the more appalling their representations of its irrecoverableness are, the more carefully should we regard them, that we may deter ourselves from approaching towards that apostacy. A thrilling fear in perusing those warnings is to be esteemed a favourable sign that we are not insensible to the danger, nor so entangled as to be unable to escape. Until we are "past feeling," we are yet out of the state of reprobation. The difference between backsliding and apostacy is that between a body benumbed, stiffened, and all but deprived of life by the cold, and the same body petrified and hardened into stone. In the former state it may, by suitable remedies, be restored to animation and activity again, but in the latter, life is extinct, and all attempts at restoration are hopeless.

Let not, then, even great sins, if not persisted in, debar you from laying hold of the promise of a multiplied forgiveness, and a revivification of your drooping graces. As after the creation of light the world was never left in total darkness again, so neither is the soul that was once savingly enlightened with the truth and grace of

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God. His favour is a sun which such may deserve to have eclipsed, but which will pursue its wonted course, and re-appear to those looking for it, to their joy and comfort. The favourites of earthly princes, aware of their instability and infirmity of purpose, may despair of regaining their favour when once they have forfeited it but those who have once enjoyed the favour of the Monarch of the Universe, if they should lose it, need never be deterred by so dispiriting a conclusion, from seeking after its renewed manifestation. How long did God hide his face from David, who fell into sins that even heathens themselves deemed disgraceful; yet he was proved to be not one of them by being brought out of that degenerate state to receive a new impression of sanctity-the seal of his being "the man after God's own heart!" The intercession of Christ in heaven is for all believers who have been given to him by the Father, and is available for all such, as though each were mentioned by name; and as the faith of Peter recovered from the shock of his shameful prevarication, and was rendered indestructible by that act of Christ in his favour, so also will that be of every believer, to whom Christ sustains the same indefeasible relation. "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them!" Amen.

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DISCOURSE VI.

ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION.

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."-1 Thes. 5, 23.

To sanctify is to set apart-to separate an object or person from a secular to a sacred purpose, and thus make it holy. Christians are holy in this sense. They are separated from other persons to serve God in righteousness and true holiness. "Know thou that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself." In this appointment they themselves concur, and make it their own act and deed. They are self-consecrated, and devoted to the service of God; to which act they are called by the voice of the gospel; "I beseech pu, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,