comfort, soothing in adversity and chastening in prosperity, and rendering every thing to us what it ought to be. There is also the blessing of God's watchful care and preservation. And oh! what a blessing is this in this world of sin and temptation, with such evil hearts as we naturally possess, and with such a powerful and subtle enemy as we have to deal! How rich in encouragement is the assurance, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," "My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weakness." What power of strength and confidence to keep the mind at peace is conveyed by the promise that God will "bruise Satan" under the feet of his people, and “preserve them from every evil work unto his heavenly kingdom!"

These are present blessings, and when they are all completed and have been enjoyed on earth, there is the blessing of eternal life in the very presence of God himself in the heaven where he dwelleth. Oh! who can imagine the blessings of that state, perfect holiness and perfect happiness pervading

every glorified spirit, and reigning with them during all eternity. Oh! when God has blessed that soul of man, which has experienced his love upon earth, with the full fruition of himself in heaven, what unspeakable and inconceivable bliss will it then enjoy! This greatest and best of all blessings is reserved for those who have received the salvation of his Son Jesus Christ. This is the heritage of the people of Christ the portion of his saints.

The curses which are threatened to the ungodly the impenitent and unbelieving, and which most assuredly will fall upon them, except they repent and believe the gospel, are in like manner curses of a spiritual nature. True it is that sin has many a heavy penalty attached to it even in temporal things; and loss of substance and character, loss of health and peace, loss of temper and comfort, continually attend upon it, so that "the way of transgressors is hard," and

fools, because of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.", These curses however are not always the

remorse.

inseparable attendants on vice. But there are curses which may ever be expected to fall upon the devoted heads of the wicked. There is the withholding or the withdrawing of the Spirit of God. That is the greatest curse which a man can have upon earth. Where he no longer strives in the soul, absolute carelessness, indifference, hardness of heart, and contempt of God's word, prevails. Sin is continued in, often increased to an enormous extent, without compunction or All the interests, nay the very being of the soul, are forgotten or disregarded. Men live without God in the world. All their thoughts, views, projects, motives, objects, arise out of the world, and return to it again. God is not in all their thoughts. Eternity is lost sight of. Heaven and hell are disregarded. Where the Spirit of God strives not, man makes himself an outcast from all the mercy and favour of God, from all the principles and motives of good, and gives himself up to the world, to sin, and to Satan. Is it possible that there can be a greater curse than this?

Yes, there is still a greater curse than this, that curse to which it is preparatory; the curse of God upon the soul in the eternal world. It is thus pronounced, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the people that forget God." It is thus spoken of, "Their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched." To that condition, above all others, the words of the book of Revelation will be applicable, for there they will "Gnaw their tongues for pain, and blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repent not of their deeds." Oh! who can endure that outpouring of the wrath of God? "Who can dwell with that flame? Who can lie down in those everlasting burnings?" We love not to describe that curse and all its misery. Nothing but the strongest necessity induces us to speak of it. Nothing but the fearful danger lest you should suffer it. And God loves not to inflict it. He swears by himself that he does not. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his evil way and

live."

"Turn

"Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" Oh! who will madly fly in the face of God's wrath, and as it were compel him, though unwilling, to execute it? Who will obstinately plunge himself into that eternal wretchedness and misery which the Devils suffer? Who will wilfully heap upon his own head all of that curse which Jesus died to remove? Pause, my beloved hearers, pause in the midst of destructive course. Pause, I intreat you, ere the final judgment of the great God fall upon you, and you sink into perdition under the weight of his irreversible sentence.

your

That if possible a stronger impression may be made upon you through the grace of the Holy Ghost, let us, in conclusion, return again to the contemplation of this awful solemnity of the Mosaic dispensation. Think of the people all assembled together on those two mounts, the mount Gerizim and the mount Ebal. See the whole congregation thus standing before the Lord. Hear the priest with a loud voice pronouncing in the hearing of them all the blessing and the curse