need. This is your very case. It is your wisdom and your duty to cultivate this gracious intercourse with heaven, thus bountifully afforded to you. Be much in prayer continually, and let every disagreeable thing you meet with, call forth your dependance on the divine promises. Thus shall you know for yourselves, that the Lord is faithful to his word, and the repeated experience of it will strengthen your faith. This must, indeed, originally be grounded on the word alone, but yet experience of success will strengthen it. While you go on in this way, how light will crosses sit on you! how pleasant will wisdom's ways be made to your souls! and how will you be stirred up to thanksgiving and praise to your God. This is to live like a christian; a life of prayer and of praise. And your conduct and walk will adorn the gospel, when your heart and conscience are thus regulated by christian principles. But watch and pray, keep up the precious intercourse with your God, and grieve not his Spirit. Always retain exalted and honourable thoughts of your God. For sure there is "none like the God of Jeshurun, who rideth on the heaven for your help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Happy, indeed art thou, O Israel, a people saved by the Lord, who is the shield of your help, and the sword of your excellency*." These grand expressions of Moses, a little before his death, have their glory, when applied to Israel of old, just going to march, in the fullness of Jehovah's protection, to take possession of the earthly Canaan. But to those who are walking to

+ Deut. xxxiii. 26-29.

heaven, in the strength of God, they " abound in glory."

Certainly the sun shines not on any object, in the world, so valuable, so precious, and on the whole so happy, as a true believer in Christ. He lives in heaven while yet on earth. Trouble cannot seize him, but it gives him an opportunity of getting aid from his God, and receiving some fresh token of his loving-kindness. He has a God to go to, in all distresses. The rest of the world tread on the water. Their comforts are as unstable as a shadow. But he treads on solid ground. He knows whom he has believed. Others may speculate on religion at a distance. He feels it. He has tasted that the Lord is gracious, and is sure of that which fills his heart with divine love, makes him a new creature, opens his eyes to see the beauty of God, ravishes his soul with the prospect of eternal felicity, and disposes him, day by day, to live above the world, and cultivate every disposition of meekness, patience, charity, and whatever may render him more and more like his Saviour.

Ye are not far from this blessed state, who feel yourselves ruined by sin, and would gladly be saved by Christ, and made like unto him. Come near to him. Stand not aloof. He is no such dreadful object, that poor souls, who feel their own wretchedness, and how suitable he is to them, should keep at a distance from him. He is more merciful and compassionate than you can conceive, or surely he had not left the unspeakable bliss of heaven to undergo for you on earth and on the cross what he did. Come to him, and he will, in due time, comfort and bless you.

I have only a word to say to those whose hearts are set on this world altogether. What can it do for you? You seek above all things the favour of men, of the great and the rich; what can they do for you? Even in life you must feel many evils which they can never redress, and in death they will be sure, one and all, to forsake you. You that are yet young and in good health and spirits, fancy that pleasures and amusements will do much for you. Assure yourselves they are all vanity and vexation of spirit. A little time and experience will make you feel the emptiness of these things. The love of money, by which some of you are governed, is, perhaps, the meanest of all passions. Had you the riches of both the Indies, could they avert the stroke of death, or the anger of God for sin? No. Turn your eyes to HIM who alone can do it. Behold the views laid open in this rich chapter of St. John. See the precious offers of eternal life made to your souls, through Jesus. Place all expectation of bliss on this foundation.

But begin, here, to seek your comfort in Christ's true religion, if ever you expect it hereafter. Heaven and hell are both begun upon earth. Our present life is a preparation either for a happy or a miserable eternity. Our ruling taste and character here is fitting us for the society of the blessed in heaven, or of the miserable in hell. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth unto the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; and he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

SERMON XXXI.

IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER.

Luke, xviii. 1.

And he spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

THIS parable is perfectly similar, in its drift and use, to another recorded in the 11th chapter, where we are given to understand, that importunity will effect what even friendship itself cannot do. "Friend, lend me three loaves.-I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." If importunity be so prevalent among men, who are often hard-hearted, how much more with God, who is perfect goodness itself. "If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him."

Nevertheless, the Lord often delays to answer the warmest and the purest prayers of his dearest servants; and though delaying is not denying, men are apt to think so; and while we measure God's ways by our own, we find ourselves tempted to distrust God, and through distrust to cease waiting upon him; not considering that God waits for the

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fittest season of answering the requests of those that seek him. Of that season he only must be the judge. But as hope deferred maketh the heart sick," our Lord gives us another parable, to encourage men to pray always, and not to faint; assuring them of success in the end.

“There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man:' a person destitute of any principles of conscience or of honour to move him to the equitable discharge of his office. "And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." Thus the motives by which profane and wicked men are often influenced to do the thing that is right, are set forth. These motives are not fear of God, not sense of justice, not even regard to character, but desire to avoid trouble, to rid themselves of importunity. Now let us attend to our Lord's application. "And the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" God's own elect, his dear servants whom he loves with fatherly love, and who are related to him by ties of the nearest kind, will surely be more acceptable to God, and their prayers in all distress and trouble more likely to dispose their