a father so transcendent, a brother so exalted, a family so noble ?

2ND REASON.He is more excellent in his works. The works of the flesh are, "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:" but the righteous are redeemed from these, and being “grafted into the true vine," bring forth "the fruit of the Spirit," which is "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."-Gal. v. 19-24.

3RD REASON.-The righteous man is more excellent in his education. The masters of the worldly man are "the world, the flesh, and the devil:" but the righteous man "is taught of God," and is the disciple of him who "spake as never man spake."

4TH REASON. He is more excellent in his state. He is "blessed in his basket and his store," while the other is accursed; He is rich in his poverty, while the other is poor in his wealth; He can rejoice in tribulation, while the man of the world "knoweth no peace;" He "has washed his robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," while his ungodly neighbour is "wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;" He is redeemed from sin, to which the other "is in bondage;" "All things are working together for good" to the one, but the other is dead while he liveth."

5TH REASON.-The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour in his death. The wicked man "is driven away in his wickedness," but the righteous is gathered as a full shock of corn into the garner of his God. The righteous man never dies; he only "sleeps in the bosom of good old Abraham till the resurrection morn." "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord: Yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours.”—Rev. xiv. 13. 6TH REASON. He is more excellent in his resurrec tion.

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory,

and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of his glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on the right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand," Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" but to those on his left hand, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.-Matt. xxv. 31-46.

SIMILES.

HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

QUOTATIONS.-See Psalm i.

Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.-Numb. xxiii. 10.

The foolish (i. e. the wicked) shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity; . . . but let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, . . . for Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous: with favour wilt Thou compass him as with a shield.-Ps. v. 5. 12.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken. (But) evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the Lord shall be desolate.Ps. xxxiv. 19-21.

See Psalms xxxvii. 9-25.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. . . . They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.-Ps. xcii. 12. 14.

In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.-Prov. xv. 6.

As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more; but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.—Prov. X. 25.

The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.-Prov. xxi. 18.

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him. (But) Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him.-Isa. iii. 10, 11.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.— Matt. v. 5.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.-Matt, vi. 33.

Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.-1 Tim. iv. 8.

All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours: and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.—1 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

CONCLUSION.

THEME CIII. No Friend like the Friend of Publicans and Sinners.

INTRODUCTION.

1ST REASON.-Because no other friend has done so

much for us. "He made himself of no reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross:" and thus were we redeemed, "not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”—Phil. ii. 7, 8. and 1 Pet. i. 18.

2ND REASON.-No other friend knows so well our necessities. "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are:" He can see into the heart and read its bitterness: He can see into the chamber of sickness and death when the door is shut to, and no other eye is fixed upon it; "He knoweth whereof we are made, He remembereth we are but dust.”—Heb. iv. 15. and Ps. ciii. 14.

"Be

3RD REASON. He not only knows from experience our necessities, He is also ever ready to assist us. hold I stand at the door and knock;" and as He knocks He saith, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give ye rest !"-Rev. iii. 20. and Matt. xi. 28.

4TH REASON. He is not only more willing and ready, but more powerful than any other friend. His power is infinite both morally and physically. He has satisfied the justice of the Almighty; "All power is given unto Him in heaven and earth;" and in that " He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted."-Matt. xxviii. 18. and Heb. ii. 18.

5TH REASON. He never changes; but is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Whatever our dangers, whatever the number of our enemies, whatever our weakness, whatever our provocation, whatever our unworthiness, "He will never leave us nor forsake us;" "For I am persuaded that. neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."-Heb. xiii. 8. and Rom. viii. 38, 39.

6TH REASON. His interest is more closely united to ours than that of any earthly friend can be. This union is represented under the figure of a "vine and its branches," "a foundation and its superstructure," "a body and its meinbers," "a spouse and her bridegroom;" yea, we are

said to be, one with Christ, even as Christ himself is one with God."-John, xv. 13.

SIMILES.

HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

QUOTATIONS.-There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.-Prov. xviii. 24.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.—John, xv. 13.

Scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die: But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.-Rom. v. 7, 8. The noblest friendship ever shown,

The Saviour's history makes known,
Though some have turned and turned it:
And whether being crazed or blind,
Or seeking with a biassed mind,

Have not, it seems, discerned it.-Cowper.
To look at Him, who formed us and redeemed,
So glorious now, though once so disesteemed;
To see a God stretch forth his human hand,
To uphold the boundless scenes of his command;
To recollect that in a form like ours,

He bruised beneath his feet the infernal powers,
Captivity led captive, rose to claim.

The wreath He won so dearly in our name;
That, throned above all height, He condescends
To call the few who trust in Him his friends;

That, in the heaven of heavens, that space he deems
Too scanty for the exertion of his beams,

And shines, as if impatient to bestow
Life and a kingdom upon worms below;
That sight imparts a never-dying flame,
Though feeble in degree, in kind the same;
To mount the cross He left the realms of bliss;
Was ever woe, was ever love like this?— Cowper.