Christ; "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Infinite glory is the work of an infinite being. Sin, in a certain sense, may be called infinite, because committed against an infinite being; but the obedience of Jesus is infinite in the most glorious sense, because it was performed by an infinite being. Now are you and I possessed of this obedience? No principle of integrity, as I told you before, can be found in any human bosom, until faith be first found there. Am I then a believer? Am I persuaded of my own ruined state? That Jesus is a Saviour to the uttermost to all such

as come unto him by faith? Do I then appreciate him, and do I, as the scriptures prophecy of the true worshippers, worship him in spirit and in truth? Do I believe in these truths, as expressed and typified in all the Jewish sacrifices? The scriptures prove these truths; read the promise of the thirty-second Psalm, as quoted by the apostle in his epistle to the Romans-" Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Another thing to be noticed is, "truth

1 Isaiah xlii. 21.

shall spring out of the earth." Whether it is applied to the Messiah, or to the brethren of the Messiah, a truth presents itself in considering these words, that nothing but destruction can await the sinner, unless he is found in Christ. When Christ said to his disciples, "Will ye also go away?" they replied, "To whom else should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life;" implying, if we forsake thee and the truth, we only travel the road to everlasting destruction.

And what

Another thing presents itself—the knowledge of Jesus is the one thing needful. will be the consequences of knowing Christ in all his offices? An earnest desire and endeavour to bring others to the same knowledge. We are living in an interesting day; many efforts are making to diffuse knowledge, and nothing is more delightful to a well-regulated mind, well-regulated by the Spirit of God, than the contemplation of this increase of knowledge. Among other means is that of the instruction of the young.1

1 Here Mr. Howels concluded with advocating the cause of the Charity School of the Parish, for which there was to be a contribution after the Sermon.

SERMON XXXV.

May 23, 1824.

THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF SIN, ITS DESERT AND REMEDY.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now and take your rest.— MATT. XXVI. 44, 45.

In perusing or hearing the history of great men, we are disposed to inquire of the circumstances that attended their death. All the histories of the most eminent saints who ever existed (and here I would include those whose names are inscribed in the volume of inspiration before me) are worth little compared with that of Jesus Christ. There is in all he said and did, something so highly interesting to us, that did we value rightly all which is recorded of him in scripture, he would be perpetually in our

thoughts; the circumstances of his life, and those of his death, are all eminently interesting.

He prayed, saying, "O, my father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." There was not anything sinful in this petition; there was imperfection, but innocent imperfection; there must be this imperfection in every prayer; because the person who offers it must be a dependent creature-every being must hate suffering. "And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" His sympathy in them was delightful, but he seems also to have delighted in their sympathy for him"And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words; "-these words expressed the same shrinking from suffering, while innocence pervaded his prayer, and at the same time thorough acquiescence in the will of his father. "Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest." He now bids adieu to every sympathy, the Captain of our salvation takes the field alone, against our spiritual

1 Matt. xxvi. 40.

enemy, and says, "Sleep on now and take your rest;" do not be afraid of taking the necessary rest for the restoration of exhausted nature; the vengeance of our heavenly father in consequence of your sins is about to rest on

me alone.'

I. I shall first shew THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF SIN. The foundation of true religion consists in a knowledge of the evil and desert of sin. Where this is not felt in the heart and affections, there is no stability, no perseverance in religion. I have often remarked upon the symmetry of the religion of St. Paul, and trace it to his knowledge of the evil and desert of sin. "I am," says he, “crucified to the world, and the world unto me; and whence flowed this blessing?-From a crucified Redeemer. Without this, religion is a plaything; and when the hour of temptation comes, this religion will be found not worth possessing. The grand defect in the profession of every apostate, is the ignorance of the evil and desert of sin. To see the evil of sin, we must adopt the law of God as our standard. Contrast teaches us many things; sin cannot be known without its contrast. To the law and to the testimonywhat do they say? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour