far than even a sight of those torments-he hath invented a way of drawing us to holiness. By showing us the love of his Son, he calleth forth our love. He knew our frame-he remembered that we were dust-he knew all the peculiarities of our treacherous hearts; and, therefore, he suited his way of sanctifying to the creature to be sanctified. And thus, the Spirit doth not make use of terror to sanctify us, but of love: "The love of Christ constraineth us." He draws us by "the cords of love-by the bands of a man." What parent does not know that the true way to gain the obedience of a child, is to gain the affections of the child? And think you God, who gave us this wisdom, doth not himself know? Think you he would set about obtaining the obedience of his children, without first of all gaining their affections? To gain our affections, brethren, which by nature rove over the face of the world, God hath sent his Son into the world to bear the curse of our sins. " Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be made rich.”

And, oh! if there is but one of you who will consent this day, under a sense of undoneness, to flee for refuge to the Saviour, to find in him the forgiveness of all sins that are past, I know well, that from this day forth you will be like that poor woman which was a sinner, which stood at Christ's feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head; and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Forgiven much, you will love much-loving much, you will live to the service of Him whom you love. This is the grand master-principle of which we spoke; this is the secret spring of all the holiness of the saints. The life of holiness is not what the world falsely represents it—a life of preciseness and painfulness, in which a man crosses every affection of his nature There is no such thing as self-denial in the Popish sense of that word in the religion of the Bible. The system of restrictions and self-crossings, is the very system which Satan hath set up as a counterfeit of God's way of sanctifying. It is thus that Satan frightens away thousands from Gospel peace and Gospel holiness; as if to be a sanctified man, were to be a man who crossed every desire of his being who did everything that was disagreeable and uncomfortable to him. My friends, our text distinctly shows you that it is not so. We are constrained to holiness by the love of Christ; the

love of him who loved us, is the only cord by which we are bound to the service of God. The scourge of our affections is the only scourge that drives us to duty. Sweet bands and gentle scourges! Who would not be under their power?

And, finally, brethren, if Christ's love to us be the object which the Holy Ghost makes use of, at the very first, to draw us to the service of Christ, it is by means of the same object that he draws us to persevere even unto the end. So that if you are visited with seasons of coldness and indifference-if you begin to be weary, or lag behind in the service of God, behold! here is the remedy: Look again to the bleeding Saviour. That Sun of Righteousness is the grand attractive centre, round which all his saints move swiftly, and in smooth harmonious concert-“ not without song." As long as the believing eye is fixed upon his love, the path of the believer is easy and unimpeded; for that love always constraineth. But lift off the believing eye, and the path becomes impracticable-the life of holiness a weariness. Whosoever, then, would live a life of persevering holiness, let him keep his eye fixed on the Saviour. As long as Peter looked only to the Saviour, he walked upon the sea in safety, to go to Jesus; but when he looked around, and saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and, beginning to sink, cried, "Lord, save me!" Just so will it be with you. As long as you look believingly to the Saviour, who loved you and gave himself for you, so long you may tread the waters of life's troubled sea, and the soles of your feet shall not be wet; but venture to look around upon the winds and waves that threaten you on every hand, and, like Peter, you begin to sink, and cry, "Lord save me!" How justly, then, may we address to you the Saviour's rebuke to Peter: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Look again to the love of the Saviour, and behold that love which constraineth thee to live no more to thyself, but to him that died for thee and rose again.

College Church, Aug. 30, 1835.

SERMON V.

ARISE, SHINE.

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."—Isa. lx. 1–3.

THESE words are yet to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. It has been long trodden down by the Gentiles-its walls are desolate -its temple burnt, and the Mosque of Omar raised over it in cruel mockery. The ways of Zion do mourn; because none come to the solemn feasts. No sunbeam pours upon the dark brow of Judah; no star of Bethlehem sparkles in their sky. But another day is at hand. The time is coming when a voice shall be heard saying to Jerusalem: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."

Observe, 1. It shall be a time when the world is in darkness: "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." The whole Bible bears witness that the time when the Jew is to be enlightened is to be a time when the world is dark and unenlightened. Paul says plainly that the world will be dead-one great dead mass when God gives life to the Jews: "If the casting away of them has been the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?"

2. In that time of darkness, the Lord Jesus shall reveal himself to the Jews-the veil shall be taken away, and that glorious Bridegroom shall come forth to them: "The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Like the rising sun appearing above the hills, tinging all Mount Olivet with living gold-then pouring down upon the prostrate ruins of Jerusalem, till the holy hills smile again in his cheering ray; so shall it be with desolated Judah. Christ shall arise upon their souls-the day shall dawn, and the day-star arise on their hearts. Christ shall appear beautiful and glorious, and they shall submit

ground-desolate-in darkness; but when Chris to them, they shall give life to the dead world be the lights of a dark world. The word is, "A As Christ rises upon them, so they must rise world; as Christ shines upon them, so they mu beauty and his brightness all around. Even a in itself dark and desolate, does not drink in th sun, but arises and shines, reflecting his beams earth; so shall it be with the enlightened Jews

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4. The effect: "The Gentiles shall come to t kings to the brightness of thy rising." When the ransomed Israelites are heard in their nativ -their mouth filled with laughter and their singing then shall the nations say: The Lor great things for them." Ten men out of all lang nations, shall take hold of the skirt of him t saying: "We will go with you; for we have hea is with you." When the psalms of Israel rise their vine and their fig tree, even kings shall crowns, and come to learn of them the way to p brethren, pray for the Jews-pray for the peac lem. Oh! hasten the happy day. The Lord v in his time.

Doctrine.-Christ arises and shines upon so that they may arise and shine.

I. By nature men are in a state of darkness "Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness When Christ arises upon a soul, he finds it in

ness.

1. He does not know himself. A man in t not see himself-he cannot see his own hand b he cannot tell whether his hands are filthy or cl with all of you who are in an unconverted stat not know yourselves. Your fingers are defiled ments are stained; but you know it not. Im are written in your heart; but you cannot r there. You say: "Peace, peace, when there is

2. A natural man shrinks from the light who has been long in a dark dungeon, cann

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མ0མ་ མ་་ ཕ ལསཔསསྡུཔ TPལ>u shrink back from it. When Jesus, who is the f the world, is preached unto you, you shut your ser than before. Is there none of you who has felt en Christ is fully preached to you-when you have ompelled for a little to bear the light of his lovely ance shining through the Word-when you have me, did you not creep back with delight to other s of sin and worldliness? The more that sun shone, e you have closed your eyes. Oh! how plainly you arkness, and a lover of it.

natural man gropes after salvation. A man in gropes like the blind. If he wants to find the is obliged to feel for it; he gropes about, not knowere to place his hand; often he goes in the very direction; so is it with natural men seeking salvaey grope for it in the dark. "We grope for the e the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places men."-İsa. lix. 10. Do you not remember a en you were alarmed about your soul?-a sudden ing of death-or the near approach of a sacrament, ed you to tremble for And where did you soul. your eace? You did not know where to go; you groped you did not know where to turn yourself. You rected to Jesus; but you could not comprehend The darkness comprehended it not." How plain that in gross darkness!

hey know not at what they shall stumble. A man ark does not know what he may come against. His p may be over a precipice, or upon dark mountains; with Christless souls: "The path of the wicked is ness; they know not at what they shall stumble." or blinded souls, that walk so boldly in sin; ye ot what ye do. You that know you have never Christ, and yet walk with a light, confident step, u were to walk on a smooth carpet for ever, awake, ls.

Do not rush on in the dark; for fear, and the the snare are in the way, and many bold sinners ne down quick into hell. Give glory to the Lord our feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while

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