old sins, and of denying the Lord that bought them. And it is of such that it is said, that "they crucified the Son of God afresh and put Him to open shame."2

As there were mockers among the Jews in those days, who looking on their dying Saviour as He hung on the cross, derided Him saying, "He saved others let Him save himself if he be Christ the chosen of God;" and who when witnessing the presence of the Holy Ghost among men, said mocking, "these men are full of new wine;" so we are warned that in the last days there shall be scoffers-scoffers among those who profess to believe in Jesus, but who walk after their own lusts, and who, instead of loving His appearing shall say, "where is the promise of His coming, for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."3 If it should please God again to send men speaking in the power of the Holy Ghost to such as these, shall they not also be tempted to jeer and mock? Though it may be that in His great mercy He is thus giving them a final warning ere judgment come," seeing He is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."4 Alas for those concerning whom 12 Pet. i. 11, & ii. 1. Heb. vi. 6. 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4. 42 Pet. iii. 9.

the apostle says, "It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." Let us then hear his words of exhortation, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."2 An entrance into that blessed kingdom! Is it not our one joyful hope, to have our home and eternal dwelling-place there in the presence of our king, then let us indeed give diligence to make our calling and election sure. Without diligence, without earnestness, can we ever attain anything? Will carelessness or indifference ever win any prize? Least of all this highest prize of our high calling, "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Yet surely He who was so slow in casting off His unworthy people, that even after they had rejected and crucified Him, He commanded that repentance and remission of sin should be preached first in Jerusalem, He is not now willing to cast off any for whom he died. May we be found ever abiding in Him, loving His appearing, and waiting for His kingdom and glory.

FOURTH SERIES.

I.

Sin Confessed and Forgiven.

PSALM XXXII.

1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Read the whole Psalm.

"BLESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Sin-sin burdening the conscience and troubling the heart, who would not wish to get quit of it, to know that it is forgiven, to know that God is not imputing it to us? Ah! yes, you say, blessed indeed is the man that knows that. And do you not know it? Are we not told in 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, that God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and beseeching us to be reconciled to Him? Why is it then that you do not believe that He is forgiving you, that He is reconciled? Is it because in

your secret heart you know that you are not reconciled to Him, that the enmity of the natural heart which is in us all is still struggling within you? It is said here—" Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity;" but it is also added, "in whose spirit there is no guile." No guile no deceit no double-dealing with God-no covering or hiding of the sin, which we would like to think was forgiven; and you cannot say that in your spirit there is no guile. Ah! dear friends, this is the difficulty with us all. We know that if a king were to proclaim the fullest, freest pardon to rebels in arms against him, no one could really accept that pardon, and feel in his heart the peace of it, and continue a rebel still.

David tells us something of his own experience in the following verses of this Psalm; there was a time when the burden of sin was heavy upon his heart, but he kept silence-silence towards God. Could any peace or blessing reach him in this condition? He says (v. 4) while he kept silence, God's hand was heavy upon him day and night. Let us think seriously what it is to have God's hand heavy upon us, to have God resisting us, that God who has sent us such messages of peace and forgiveness; to have him resisting us by day and by night: by day-in all our works, in all our ways, in all our doings, something still

making that hand, which is so full of blessing, shut up blessing from us and press hard upon us; by night-something that prevents us lying down in peace and committing ourselves to our heavenly Father's care. David says his bones waxed sore through his roaring all the day long; and that while God's hand was heavy upon him, his moisture was turned into the draught of summer. He could bear it no longer, and so he says, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." No healing or help could come till it came to this—“ Mine iniquity have I not hid." And then how speedily, how abundantly, did deliverance come; instead of roaring all the day long, we find him uttering a Psalm of praise, and telling of the blessedness of being forgiven.

We know if a thorn run into our hand or foot, and it become inflamed and sore, we may wrap

it up and try to heal it, but we cannot do it unless we get the thorn taken out, the cause of all the pain remains there still. So it is if we are seeking to hide, to cover anything in our hearts from God; if we are not willing to let his light shine in, and shew us what is there, we are keeping the thorn that will never let us be at peace. Let us be sure that if we are not feeling at