his sins are infinite, and his heart a rock; a fountain of pollution, unsearchable, uncontrollable, insufferable; and when he discovers Jesus an almighty and all-loving Redeemer, divine and glorious in his person, and yet wounded and broken under the wrath of God, borne for us; when the sinner commits his poor, guilty, helpless, polluted soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus! Heavy-laden sinner, commit thy soul to Jesus. It is in great danger. The law condemns thee. Thy sins are many-thy deserved hell is beyond thought terrible. Satan is resisting thee; tempting thee; beguiling thee. Jesus alone can save: Into thine hand I commit my spirit."

66

2. Time of temptation. This seems to have been peculiarly the time alluded to in the Psalm: "Pull me out of the net." Verse 4. The temptations of God's children are very dreadful. Often a child of God goes on a long time without temptation. He is like Naphtali, "satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord." Perhaps he laughs at temptation, and thinks it will never come near him. Suddenly the sky is overcast, a strong current of temptation is allowed to set upon his heart.

"Instead of this, He made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part."

The world concurs. Satan stirs up all his malice. What horrors now surround the tempted soul! He flies to his knees; but he is afraid to pray. He flies to his Bible; but it is a sealed book. Sin darkens the mind, and scares him away from prayer. All the while God's people admire and praise, though their words are like gall; what can help the tempted man? None but Jesus. O to discover Jesus in such an hour!-the Redeemer-that diedthat lives-the Advocate with the Father! O to be enabled to commit one tempted soul into his hands! Poor tempted soul ! give thyself away to Jesus; he can blot out the sin, and change

the heart.

3. In time of affliction. Some Christians have little affliction. They sail on a smooth sea; they enjoy health of body for years together; they never knew what it was to want a comfortable meal. Death has perhaps not once entered their dwelling. They think it will be always thus. But a change comes. The "harp of thousand strings" becomes out of tune. The "clay cottage" gives tokens of decay, or grim Want invades their dwelling, or Death comes up into the window. Ah! it is hard to bear. No affliction for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous. Who can comfort? None but Jesus. He knew all sorrow-deeper sorrows than we have ever known, or ever will. His heart is not of stone. He feels along with us. Afflicts not willingly. Seeks to bring us more to himself. O afflicted believer, commit thy

weeping, suffering, pining, trembling soul to Jesus: "Into thine hand I commit my spirit."

4. In time of duty. Often at first the convert thinks only of enjoyment, of hearing sermons, enjoying sacraments, and Christian converse. I have often been struck how often the inquiry is made. Did you enjoy that sacrament, or that sermon ? How seldom did you improve it! What change has it wrought in your life? But when God stirs up the soul, a path of duty is seen stretching before it. Often perplexed and intricate, often steep and slippery, often dangerous and terrible. Oh! what shall I do? How difficult to know the right way; and when I know it, how hard to follow it! Commit thy soul to Jesus. "In him are hid treasures of wisdom and knowledge." His grace is sufficient for thee. "He brings the blind by a way which they know not." He has light to guide thee, strength to uphold, and grace to give thee courage: "Into thine hand I commit my spirit."

5. In time of death. Few ever think of dying till dying comes. The last enemy that shall be overcome is Death; and an awful enemy he is. We go alone. No earthly friend goes with us. We never went the way before. It is all strange and new. The results are eternal. If we have not rightly believed, it is too late to mend. These are some of the solemn thoughts that overshadow the soul. What can give peace? None but Jesus; the sight of Jesus as a Redeemer; the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; the same sight we got when first we knew the Lord; when first he chose us, and we chose him; when first he said, Seek ye my face, and we said to him, Thy face, Lord, shall we seek? To see him as a God of truth; the Lord that changes not; the unchanging One; the same Jesus; thus to see him and to cry, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit ;" this is peace.

Dundee, 1842

SERMON LXXXVII.

GREY HAIRS ARE UPON HIM.

Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not."-Hos. vii., 9. THESE Words describe a state of secret backsliding, the most dangerous, perhaps, of any. It is a common thing for persons grown up in years to turn old and grey-headed without observing it. Most people are unwilling to be thought old. They do not love to notice the progress of decay, and the marks of old age are allowed to steal upon them unobserved. The teeth drop out one by one, the hand loses its steadiness, the limbs lose their elasticity,

the eye becomes dim, and grey hairs are here and there upon the head, and we are in old age before we are aware. So is it in the decay of the soul in divine things.

It is a solemn and most affecting truth, that the life of God in the soul is subject to wither and decay. It cannot really die. If God has once given spiritual life to the soul, I know he will maintain it to eternal glory. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Have respect unto the work of thine own hands."Ps. cxxxviii., 8. But still it is liable to many and sad decays. This is plain from Scripture. God says: "Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how, then, art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?"-Jer. ii., 21. "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you."-Jer. iii., 14. "My people are bent to backsliding from me."-Hos. xi., 7. Nevertheless I have this against thee, that thou hast left my first love."-Rev. ii., 4.

Alas! my friends, it is plain from ourselves. Though I praise God he seems to be adding to the Church among you still "such as shall be saved," though some of you appear to be going from strength to strength, yet of how many it may be said: "Grey hairs are here and there upon you, and you know it not." How many have lost their relish for the house of God! It is not with you as in months past. The Thursday evening is not so prized as it once was; the private prayer-meeting is seldom if ever visited; the company of the world is more sought after; the company of Christ more lightly esteemed. Is there not less zeal for the conversion of others, less prayer, less praise, less liberality? Ah! brethren, we as a congregation are a monument that there is such a thing as spiritual decay.

How earnest you once were in hearing the Word of God! You would not miss an opportunity, week-day or Sabbath-day. You heard as for your life. Your praises were fuller and more fervent once than they are now. How careful you were in treasuring up the Word; repeating it to yourselves, and your children, and your companions! How fervent in your prayers! On many of your hearts I fear we must write, "Ichabod-The glory is departed."

Another solemn fact is, that this decay is always secret and unnoticed. It is like the approach of old age. "Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not." Old people never observe the gradual advance of old age. In general, they do not like to think of their getting older. So it is in the decay of a believer's soul. It goes on secretly and silently; the eye of faith becomes dimmer and dimmer; the hand loses its firm hold of Jesus; the soul loses its fresh delight in Immanuel's finished work: and yet he knows it not. Sinful compliances steal upon the soul. "Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not."

I. Marks-some of the " "grey hairs."

1. The Bible neglected. When a soul is first brought to Christ, he delights in the word of God; he has appetite for it "as a newborn babe." Just as an infant has a constant, steadily-recurring appetite for its mother's milk, so has the soul for the Word. He has spiritual understanding of the Word. It seems all sweet and easy; it all testifies of Jesus. The soul grasps the meaningearnestly inquires from ministers and others the meaning of diffi cult passages. He has growth: "That ye may grow thereby." It is felt to be the daily nourishment of the soul-the sword to ward off temptation. What a difference in decay! No relish for the Word. It may be read as a duty, or as a burdensome task; it is not delighted in. Other books are preferred to the Bible. There is no growing in the knowledge of the Word; no selfapplication; no receiving it with meekness; no frequent recurrence of the mind to the chapter read in the morning; no answering Satan by " Thus it is written," and "Thus saith the Lord." Ah! my friends, how is the gold become dim! "Grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not."

2. Prayer neglected. "Behold he prayeth," was the first mark that Paul was brought from death to life. The soul enjoys great nearness to God, enters within the veil, lies down at the feet of Jesus, and pours out its groans and tears there. The believer rises, like his Lord, a great while before day-waking in the night -cries in secret to God; before entering any company, or meeting a friend, or answering a proposal, the heart would wing its way to the mercy-seat; so that he prayed without ceasing. He poured forth earnest cries for deliverance from sin-the sins he was most tempted to, he prayed most against. His intercessions for others were deep, constant, wide. Once it was sweet and easy to pray for others: "Forbid that I should sin against God by ceasing to pray for you." All this secretly changes. The soul is far from God-no putting prayers into the golden censerentering within the veil-drawing near. No early rising now to pray, no cries in the night-no prayer on sudden emergencies. We now frequently answer proposals in our own spirit, without asking counsel of the Lord. Little praying against sin now! We dare not pray against some sin, or only feebly, and without resolving to forsake it. Little intercession now-little bearing unconverted friends on our heart before God-little prayer for the Church, for the Jews, and the Heathen. Ah! these are some of the grey hairs.

3. Christ little esteemed. When first we know the Lord Christ is all in all. He is the Fountain for sin, where we are continually washing our souls from sin and uncleanness. Under his white-shining robes we are continually hiding our naked souls. He is the Rock, giving out living water, which ever follows us. He is the compassionate Husband and elder Brother on whom we

lean, coming up from the wilderness. He is our King, at whose feet our heart is laid down, that he may reign over it for ever and ever. When we decay it is not so. There is much guilt on the conscience, but little travelling to the Fountain; there is a doubt and dislike of the way of Salvation by Christ. There is little hiding beneath the righteousness without works. There is little drinking out of the Rock-it seems dry, or we are removed from it There is no leaning upon Christ-no sense of his presence by night and by day. Ah! this is a sad mark of grey hairs.

4. Sin not hated. When first we knew the Lord, how did sin appear? We had awful discoveries of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It appeared evil and bitter; the load that had crushed the Lord Jesus to the lowest hell; we could not bear it-we fled from temptation with our whole heart-we were quick-scented (Isa. xi., 3-margin) in the fear of the Lord. Like those animals that quickly scent game, so the new creature easily discovered the approach of sin, and fled from it. Now we have little conviction of sin. Dry eyes in confession-little confession, or none at all; no time set apart for the confession of sin. Temptation little feared, the soul becomes bolder and bolder in its approaches to sin.

5. Christians lightly esteemed. Once we loved all that loved the Lord; all our delight was in them-the mark that Christ left as the mark of a true disciple applied to us: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."-John xiii., 35. We had all things in common with them, so that none of them could be in want; we exhorted one another daily, as iron sharpeneth iron; we would not suffer sin upon our brother; we spoke with such love, and frankness, and humility, that they could not be offended. Now we look on them with coldness; we are not so intimate with them-we fear lest they see our guilt. We are not so careful of the poor saints as once we were; we have sworn to our own hurt, and we begin to change; we do not exhort one another daily; when they reprove us, we turn angry, and we do not reprove in love, but with a bitter spirit, or we speak evil of them behind their back.

6. The ungodly not warned. Once we wept over them in secretpleaded with God night and day for their conversion-abhorred their ways: "I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."-Ps. ci., 3. Now our bowels do not yearn over them-little or no prayer for their conversion; we now, perhaps, guiltily smile on their wicked ways. If we do not partake, at least we do not reprove them.

II. Causes of decay.

1. A lust allowed to prevail. So with Israel: "They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker,"-Hos. vii., 4. This was the cause of Israel's decay. So it will be with you and