Will you say, "Oh! these impressions have been lost before." Why? Because despised by you.-I charge you, as you must answer it, mind the buds and the blossoms.

All of you may do something in this way. Have you not seen the gay in the house of God drop the head? &c.-Go home, and carry them the balm—you need no apology: they will meet you with, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

4. The lately awakened.-Despise not in yourselves the day of small things-dread nothing so much as the loss of first impressions-it is the dawn." Seek him, call on him while he is nigh." It is a crisis when a man is moved under a sermon. The axis quivers, and saints and angels hover to see the balance!-Next to hell, dread to lose it read, pray let not the sapling compare with the oak, and be discouraged. I wish to break despair and lift from despondency. He who thinks he has religion enough cannot give a more decisive proof that he has none !

** No schism caused these walls to rise.-If this church had no merit but that it unites all sects, it is worthy. -Satan had no hand here.-I would not toss the censer of adulation to any man living, yet I must express my feelings towards those who built this house from that charity which is stronger than faith and hope.-I look around me, and see that the day of small things is not to be despised.-Now fulfil my joy!-Two thousand pounds debt-well expended. Where are they? In your pockets. We hope they will not be always there. It is a year old; but it may die! We help to build the churches, and we ask a return-it is the same object.-Our great object is to make men Christians; then they may leave us.-Ours is a catholic Church. -Heavy debts are not pleasant for infant churches—“ but the times are bad."-They may be worse; then you would be sorry that you did not give: they may be better; then you would not regret it.

I trust that Britain's sun will yet shine forth, and then you will be paid-you will not regret.

SERMON LXXVII.

THE NEED OF PATIENCE.

Hebrews, x., 36.-For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Ir requires but little knowledge of the history of the primitive Church to know that they were persecuted grievously, and yet in the face of their ministers their conduct under it was the best comment on the religion of Jesus. It is easy to see the danger to which this exposed them; many did, as one might expect-they apostatized; and hence the reason why the epistles abound so much with exhortation in reference to bearing under sufferings.

It has been said that nine tenths of the Christian graces are passive ones, and refer to what we should suffer rather than do it was comparatively easy to do; but they are not to suppose that all is then over; it is needful to have patience even after they have done the will of God-a patience in suffering, as well as a willingness in doing the will of God, &c.-lying like an anvil to the stroke. Now the primitive Christians were under far different circumstances to us: it would be ingratitude to say they suffered no more than we'; but yet that we have equal need of the exhortation, I hope to show in a few points. What is patience? I do not call that patience which is a stupid insensibility; the man who feels not is not a patient man; but I mean one who feels, and feels acutely, in proportion as the edge has been sharpened by religion; yet, though he feel, he bears it! Patience is a submission to the will of God and all his dispensations without a murmur, or even fretfulness-perfect resignation. Resignation refers to submitting to whatever God appoints; but patience to what comes from man; yet that this latter is sometimes used in reference to God is clear from Job's case; his patience is spoken of in reference to God, and in this we are desired to be mindful of it.

I. Now we have need of patience: first, with regard to

the dispensations of God; his providence is his act. Put a case: a pious, honest family who wish to owe no man anything but love!—the provider, a son perhaps, on whom the aged pair depended, is laid on a bed of affliction, and, instead of being able to minister, is now ministered unto. Say you that this is not a case that needs patience? That evidently comes from God! Let none deride the feelings of this state, and make light of the affliction and deny it the name. * * * Other cases might be added.

2. Let none start if I say we have need of patience towards ourselves. Suppose a man has experienced a good degree of the measure of God, and thinks himself strong enough to combat temptation: it meets him; he finds it is more than a match; perhaps anger arises; he thinks he can never be saved from all evil tempers; he has need of patience, &c. Let him, therefore, strive, and cease not till everything, and every thought, is brought into subjection.

3. And if needful for ourselves, much more towards others. Who is the man whose lot is cast in those favourable circumstances, as to exclude from all possible liabilities to procrastination, &c. None! Man possesses different casts of mind; these produce different opinions; these different practices; for the man who acts not from opinion is the mere child of whim: we require patience for mutual forbearance in these respects; and some are naturally of unhappy dispositions. But there are some, and they take a delight in provoking you, so full of Satan as to delight in falsely accusing you, cast out your names as evil, and plague you from the mere spirit of malevolence. Others, and they injure a noble mind as much by excess of servility: this the Christian cannot bear; he has need of patience, &c., on all these and other accounts.

II. How shall we obtain this?

1. Humility is the first step, or, rather, the parent of it; patience is its legitimate offspring! The humble man sees he is the least of all God's mercies; no patience where this is not the proud man is an impatient man; he resents everything-not that a good man should not resent, in a certain sense, and inform the person that he has injured him. But

the proud man looks for more than he has a right to, and the humble man for less than he could claim!-George III. could bear the hootings of a mob.-St. Paul at Miletus. *

2. It will be farther produced by a view of his obligation to God. He sees he deserved nothing but eternal death!— he weighs his deservings by his present privileges—a child of wrath a child of God! &c., &c., &c.-and his heart is lost in this contemplation, and is ever crying, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?"

3. Inspired by remembering that whatever we have is of God! not the produce of our labour or industry, but his gift! The soul that thinks and believes this, will submit with patience. Job's patience sprang from this: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." He gave you children-he had a right to take them from you; and no man can say, What doest thou? The earth is the Lord's! his by right; and if he choose to call in any of that he lent thee, be patient!

4. A firm persuasion that all he does is for good; nay, for the best! I know no principle more rooted in my mind than this, that he who is essentially good can do nothing to injure thee whatever is, is best! True, he hides from thee his reasons; he makes darkness his covering; but remember, God is love! Say he knows best, and in that day thou wilt see it; then wilt thou bless him that thy heart has bled!

5. Keep the eye fixed on Jesus! as he was, so be you in this world! Remember, he is your copy: he was reviled, but reviled not again; he bore the "contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds." "Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.' Though he could have called legions of angels, yet he submits to ungodly men, and his dying lips quiver, Father, forgive! *

6. Preserve your union with God by Christ, and with Christ by faith remember, you are the branch in the vine. Quote John, xv.-The branch must depend on the stem for the juice and moisture necessary to vegetable life. You are called to the same union-joined to the Lord of one spirit with him, you will receive those supplies of grace which the

fifth head requires; your experience will be in spirit, and not in letter. Abide in Christ, for without him ye can do nothing.

Objection. But all my trials cannot come from God. I am ill-used, &c., &c., by ungodly men, and that is injustice, &c., and God forbids it; when he forbids, therefore, he cannot will. True, the reasoning is good; he wills not this; but he foresees that it will come, and he permits it; that is, it could not be otherwise unless he worked a miracle to prevent it; but this he will not do. But he overrules the evil, and blessings come out of it-brings good of it to his chil dren; and it is his will that by all these trials we should improve. Extract the good out of the evil, and be joyful even in tribulation, knowing, as Paul says, it worketh patience. The fruit is (Moore), having "suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

Finally, you shall inherit the promises.

THE

SERMON LXXVIII.

BLESSEDNESS OF A STABLE MIND.

Isaiah, xxvi., 3.—Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he trusteth in thee.

THIS passage and its connexion describes the state of the believer or Church in the times of the Messiah. It is applicable to us; for in our dispensation "there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." I have chosen the text rather as a motto for our subject, which is to treat of a stable mind: we shall there show,

I. What it is to possess it.

II. Its blessedness.

III. The way how to attain it.

I. The first mark of an unsettled mind is doubtfulness: you hear a Christian or a church singing,