must be laid aside. I am the one thing needful-I am the pearl of great price. They that seek me must push aside everything that stands in the way. Even if they lose their life in coming to me, they would find life eternal. “He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Those that know the real worth of Christ will make everything subordinate to their finding him. Those who will not, never will find him.

(1.) Consider how precious Christ is: "In him is life eternal." In him there is pardon for the vilest of sinners. In him there is sweet peace of conscience-peace with God. In him there is rest for the weary soul the way to the Father-an open door into the fold of God. In him there is a fountain of living waters-unsearchable riches-full supplies of grace and truth for weak and weary souls. In him there is acquittal at the judgment-day, and a glorious crown. Oh! should you not leave all for this? Shall a lust, or a pleasure, or a game, or the smile of a friend, keep you from all this? "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

(2.) Consider how sad your case without him. The number of your sins is infinite: "Innumerable evils have compassed me about." Your heart is as full as ever-ready to gush out with sin to all eternity. God is angry with you every day. There is no refuge but Christ. If you do not get into him, you will never be saved. You will be outside the ark when the flood comes. You will knock, and cry, Lord! Lord!--but it will be too late. God will be your enemy. The great day of his wrath will be come, and who will be able to stand? Some of you have felt a little touch of concern-you have never felt the millionth part of what is the truth. Oh! then, will you let some poor lust, or pride, or love of dress-some Herodias-keep you out from Christ?

If any

Be entreated to cleave to him at whatever cost. business comes between, takes up too much time, disturbs your Sabbaths, hinders you from coming to Christ-let it go. If any pleasure comes between, lulls your convictions, deadens you at prayer and Bible, quickens your desire for the world and sin-let it go. If any friend comes between you and Christ—if their company indisposes you for seeking Christ-takes off your mind-if their ridicule or vain talk brings you back to the world-let them go. Never

mind though they laugh and sneer--- think you odd-ridiculous-call you Methodist; it matters not—one thing is needful-Christ is precious-eternity is near. If you do not, you will lose your soul. Like Paul, I count all things but loss. 3. If we would be Christ's, we must give up ourselves to his service for ever. The poor Greeks said: "Sir, we would see Jesus." Jesus here tells them that a mere sight of him will not do: "If any man serve me, let him follow me." Many people are willing to be saved from hell; but they are not willing to give themselves up to Christ to be his servants and followers; but every one who is under the teaching of the Spirit, gives himself up to be the Lord's. So Matthew. The Lord said: "Follow me; and he arose and left all, and followed Jesus." One who is truly taught of God feels indwelling sin a greater burden than the fear of hell: "In me, that is in my flesh, there is no good thing." "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Therefore, that soul is willing to be Christ's servant for ever-willing to have his ear bored to the door of Christ's house.

This will discover hypocrites. Are you willing to be Christ's servant-to follow him in hard duties-to be brought under the rules of the Gospel? If not, you are a hypocrite. Count the cost of coming to Christ.

III. The reward.

You may

"To

1. You will be with Christ. be cast out by men-father and mother-offscouring of all things: day shalt thou be with me in paradise"-be with the Lamb on mount Zion. Sit with me on my throne: "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory."

2. The Father will honour. You will lose the praise of men-perhaps of some you esteem; but you will gain the honour of God.

(1.) In this world. Ye shall be a peculiar treasure. He will guide you with his eye-hear your prayer-be with you in trouble-fill you with his Spirit-give his angels charge over you-be with you in death.

(2.) In eternity. He will receive you-show you his salvation-wipe off tears from your eyes-be your God and portion. Jesus will confess you before his Father: This soul followed me.

SERMON XXX.

THOU THAT DWELLEST IN THE GARDENS.

"Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices."-SONG viii. 13, 14.

I. The description of the Church, or of the believing soul: "Thou that dwellest in the gardens." This is true of the believer in two ways.

Great

1. He is enclosed and separated from the world: "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse."-Song iv. 12. All believers dwell within an enclosure. Just as the gardens in the East are enclosed with a fence of reeds, or of prickly pear, or by a stone wall, so all that are Christ's are enclosed out of the world. Jesus says: "If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Paul says, he was “separated unto the Gospel of God." And again, John says: "The world knoweth us not, even as it knew Him not." mistakes are made here. There are many hedges that are none of Christ's planting. Many are separated, but not unto the Gospel of God. (1.) Some are separated by education. They are brought up far away from the noise and bustle of the world. They see little of its vices, and hear little of its profanity. They are never allowed to come within its magic ring. They are a kind of separated people. But, ah! they have a world in their own heart. (2.) Some, again, are separated from the world by worldly griefs and distresses, or by sickness of body. Their proud spirit is broken. Their heart used madly to follow the world; but now it sickens and dies within them-desire fails. They have no more heart for their idols. These are a kind of separated people. But, ah! they dwell not in the gardens-that is the separation of nature, not of grace. (3.) Some have a haughty separation from the world-like those that said: "Stand back, for I am holier than thou"-like the Pharisees, who would not speak to a publican. These are known by their little compassion for the world. Ah! these do not dwell in

Christ's garden. (4.) There is a nominal separation from the world. These people have a name to live, and are dead. They belong, it may be, to a peculiar congregation, and to a peculiar prayer-meeting-they have a Christian name and a Christian appearance-they often speak as Christians, and are spoken of as Christians—the world are afraid of them, and treat them as if they were believers; but all the time beneath that mantle there beats an unchanged, unbelieving, un godly heart. Ah! brethren, this is a separation of Satan's making.

But all that are truly Christ's are dwellers in the gardens. They are separated from the world by an infinite, impassable chasm.

1st, By blood. Just as the houses of Israel were separated from the houses of the Egyptians by having the doors sprinkled with blood; so there are a set of men in this world, the doors of whose hearts have been sprinkled with blood. The blood of Christ upon their conscience marks them out as pardoned men. They had the same nature as other men the same enmity to God, and desperate departure from him—they had the same love of idols as other men—they spent their youth in the same sins as other men-many of them went into the lowest depths of sin; but the Lord Jesus loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood. "Justified by faith they have peace with God." These are they who dwell in the gardens. Ah! brethren, have you been separated by blood?—have you got the red blood of Jesus, making your soul different from the rest of men?

He

2d, By his Spirit. All that are truly Christ's are separated from the world by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. "If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature." has got new desires given him. Once he desired what other men do-praise of men, a name, power, money, pleasure. These were the chief objects set before him. Now these have lost their power over him. The world is become crucified. Now he desires more nearness to God-more complete change of heart; he desires to spread the knowledge of Jesus over the world. He is separated unto the Gospel of God. He has got new sorrows. Once all his sorrows were worldly sorrows-he wept at the loss of friends or this world's possessions; but now these sorrows are light afflictions. His heaviest grief now is, when he is deserted of God-when he wants the presence of Christ and the smile

gardens.

Dear souls, have you been thus separated f world? "We are bound always to thank God beloved; because he hath from the beginning ch to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit a of the truth." Ah! brethren, does the blood of parate you from the unpardoned world? Does of Christ separate you from the unregenerate w there a real, eternal separation made between you world? If not, you will perish with the world.

2. Dwelling in the gardens seems also to mean in delight. When God made man at the first, a garden eastward in Eden; and out of the gro the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasa sight and good for food-the tree of life also in of the garden. And the Lord God took the ma him into the garden of Eden, to dress and to keep garden was a sweet type of the delight of Adam's there, day by day, he heard the voice of God walk garden, in the cool of the day. When Adam fell, him out of the garden into this bleak world, co thorns and thistles, to earn his bread by the sv brow. Man no more walked with God in a garden But when a sinner is brought to Christ, he is br Christ's garden: "We who believe, do enter into says: "I sat down under his shadow with gre and his fruit was sweet to my taste." He becom dwells in the gardens. True, he is one comin the wilderness. This world is a wilderness to th -full of pain, sickness, sighing, death-a world cified his Lord, and persecutes him-a cold, u ungodly world. Still, the soul dwells in the gard soul shall dwell at ease." True, a believer has b desertion, and clouds, and doubts, and deep w such times, his cry is: "O wretched man! his eye rests on Jesus, his soul dwells in a gar lights.

Oh! brethren, have you been brought into C den-have you found great delight in him—a b a right to the tree of life that is in the midst o