of God. But what you need is grace sufficient for you. And I venture to assert that if any one in this assembly who doubts the truth of that book, will just set to investigate its claims with the same honesty with which a botanist investigates a flower, a chemist detects a poison, a geologist analyses a mineral,—and while he works as if the whole result was to crown his investigation, will also pray, "O Thou who hast promised to lead thy children into all the truth, make thy grace sufficient for me;" such an inquirer will never come to the conclusion that this world is an orphan world, that God has left it, that it is merely a place of labour for the living, and a place of burial for the dead.

Let our prayer be, when we lift up our hearts to God, not for excess of grace, but for sufficiency of grace. We pray daily, "Give us this day our daily bread;" we do not ask bread for to-morrow, but only for to-day. So we are to ask grace simply sufficient for us, and nothing more. Behold here what encouragement to pray; God the giver, we the petitioners. Never look upon God as always exacting duties; cease to look upon him as the exacter, and try to view him as always giving blessings; and the result will be that your filial spirit, approaching a Father, will ask grace sufficient for you, and be satisfied that you shall obtain it.

What ground of peace has every Christian? Not a thorn in thy pillow without its meaning, not a bitter drop in thy cup, without its mission; not a pang in thy heart, not an ache in thy head, that God does not see; not a trouble through which you are passing that is not working out for you a far more exceeding, even an eternal weight of glory.

Your troubles will not be so light, so few, so short as poor flesh and blood would like them; but then they will not be so heavy, so many, so long as Satan would make them; they will be meted out by infinite wisdom, tempered by inexhaustible love, and so guided and so governed by the ceaseless presence of our Father, that all of them together shall work for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose. The day comes when grace sufficient for you shall evolve in joy unspeakable and full of glory. Christianity begins in sovereignty in heaven; descends to earth like an inverted rainbow, transforming by its grace all it touches; it ascends to heaven again, and is lost in unspeakable and everlasting glory.

Let me ask, have you any interest in these things? Are any of you constrained to say that what I have been speaking is all mystery? Take care lest it be that you have never thought as man should think, or felt as man should feel, or anticipated as man should anticipate, the things of God, of Christ, the soul, a judgment-seat. Let me ask you if grace has given you a new heart? if grace has revolutionized your instinctive appetites, passions, and desires? if you have ever felt, or ever entertained the question in all its grandeur and magnificence, What shall it profit me if I gain all the honour, all the riches of the world, but lose what never can have a compensation, what never can have a restoration-my own precious soul? If you are not satisfied of the truth, of the importance, of the instant importance, of determining where you are, and what you are, and whither you are going, set about the inquiry. The sceptic will be condemned,

not for his scepticism, but because he would not inquire; the infidel will be condemned, not for his infidelity, but because he devoted more time to earn a sovereign than he ever devoted to ascertain whether his soul would be saved or lost. Search the Scriptures; and as you search, and ponder, and reflect, oh! pray, "Blessed Jesus, thou who didst pity Paul, make thy grace sufficient for me too, that like him, life's bitterest ills may feel light, and not worthy to be compared with the grace that is to be revealed."

CHAPTER XIII.

CLOSE OF THE EPISTLE-SELF-EXAMINATION-ELECTION-BENE

DICTION-TRINITY.

I NEED scarcely remind the reader that the great part of the epistle, the last chapter of which is now before us, is in some degree a personal controversy on the part of Paul with those who had misapprehended the nature of his teaching, and had admitted into the Christian Church teachers and preachers of a very opposite character, and holding very different views from those inculcated by the inspired apostle. This chapter closes the whole of this remarkable controversy; a controversy on his part carried on with great faithfulness, with uncompromising plainness; but, at the same time, in a spirit of love, of affection, and of sympathy, that show there may be great differences, and yet there may be no exasperation of spirit; there may be faithful rebuke, and yet there may be no deficiency of affection; on the contrary, that the faithfulness of the rebuke of error shall be in the ratio of the affection that you feel to him who is the unhappy victim of that error. He tells them, "This is the third time I am coming to you; and every word, if you are disposed to doubt it, must be established in the hearing and presence of "-what the law of the Jews required "two or three witnesses." And he tells them candidly, "If I come to you, you must

not expect I shall speak to you peace; that would not be the duty of a faithful teacher. There are great errors among you; there is great sinfulness of temper; your conduct is most inconsistent with your profession, and therefore, if I come into the midst of you, you must expect that I shall speak with all the faithfulness, the uncompromising faithfulness, that becomes an inspired apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ."

He tells them that Christ spoke in him; and that though Christ was crucified through what seemned weakness, as if he could not overcome his enemies, yet they will admit that he now liveth armed with the power, and the authority, and the jurisdiction of God.

He then says to them, "Examine yourselves." What an important prescription is this! Is it not one that we very often neglect? What is the geographical position that is least known to each of us? Not India, not Africa, not America, but our own individual hearts. He is the best geographer who knows best the geography of his own heart. And hence an ancient philosopher said, "The very essence of practical wisdom is, Know thyself." And you ask, What is meant by knowing one's self? It is this. What is my peculiar temperament, so that I may guard against its excess? What is my besetting temptation, so that I may be ever on the watch? Where is my weakness, that I may seek to have strength made perfect in it? Where is my strength, that I may not glory in it, but give God the praise of it? Each individual has what I may call a polarity, that is, a tendency in one direction ; a tendency that, unchecked, unresisted, unrepressed, may issue in everlasting ruin. Is it not then of importance to know just what I need? to know precisely