glorify God by fresh exercises of faith, patience, and resignation, and when the Lord's work should be accomplished, depart hence, to which (he bore testimony,) he had ever looked forward as the highest consummation of a faithful minister of Christ."

It was this oneness of desire for the honour of his Master, which made that great object of his hope, the glory to be revealed at the coming of Christ, a subject of such joyous and constant anticipation to him.

Such a persuahigher things to

But secondly, such a persuasion must produce unworldliness of spirit. "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John v. 4, 5.) sion gives us higher things to care for, aim at, than all that the world can offer us; and this too was conspicuous in our dear brother in the Lord. No one could even for a moment accuse him of a worldly spirit. He lived above it. He carried an unworldliness of character into all his intercourse with us. In the blessings and comforts, which the Lord mercifully gave him in his own family, God was recognized; and they were used, as the Christian should always use them, as affording fresh occasions for thanksgiving, according to the spirit of the apostolic injunction-" in every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. v. 18.)

And this leads me to another point-the uniform cheerfulness of his religion, which was quite remarkable. Who ever doubted the sincerity of the feeling which called forth so frequently, at the opening of a speech in public, those well-known words, "Thanks be

to our God!" He seemed to live in an atmosphere of cheerful recognition of God in everything; yea, in times which might have induced depression of spirit, in the midst of the trials and sickness of the dear members of his family, or when he himself lay on the bed of suffering, it was his part to see cause for praise, mercy in every trial ; nay, when obstacles appeared in the way of some object which he had much at heart, even then he was accustomed to look upon it only as a cause for fresh, and more animated, and more hopeful energy and when from his study of the prophetic word, he anticipated dark times of trial, and severe judgments on the church, his spirit rose above every gloomy fear, and he spoke of these troubles, as only hastening on the approach of the Lord's coming.

And what was with him, what, with the Christian, is the source of such cheerfulness? Is it merely the effect of natural temperament? or does it not rather necessarily flow from the firm hold of this truth: "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 :" from the assurance of the certainty of the promise, "All things shall work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

But we proceed now to notice another effect of the love of God towards us in Christ Jesus. I refer to that which, of all his other graces, was particularly conspicuous in our dear brother; I mean, a loving spirit. It was impossible to know him without remarking this as the grace that abounded in him; so candid, so com

prehensive, so truly catholic was his mind. Though his own opinions were formed on what he thought scriptural grounds, yet how candid, how forbearing, how full was he of tenderness and love to others who differed from him; he never shrank from stating his own convictions; he might differ from many of his brethren on various points, but he never allowed such differences to interfere either with the feeling or the exercise of love. He desired with all his heart to love all who "loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity;" to take counsel with them as brethren, to engage with them in whatever might further the cause of their common Master, to carry on His work, to help them forward in it, to set others to labour for that cause, and himself to rejoice in their labours and success. The extent of his correspondence, and the character of that correspondence, most strikingly bear testimony to this. How did his loving spirit gladden every roof, and cheer every heart where he came! How did it bring Christian brethren together, and soften down the asperities of some; and even when he stated his own views on any subject, so certain were all who differed from him of the sincerity and the love with which he spoke, that this very conviction on their part afforded him an opportunity of bearing his testimony to the truth, which he valued above all for its own sake.

Those who knew him most intimately felt most of all the sunshine of that love; that it was in him, as every thing was, a reality; that in him was exemplified the force of the Apostle's injunction, "See that ye love one another with a pure heart, fervently; (1 Peter i. 22.) for whatever he was known to be in his public character, that was he in private in a still more

eminent degree. To refer to the closing scenes of his life; what testimony can his children, and attendants, and servants, bear to the tenderness, the gentleness, the overflowing love with which he received all their attentions.

And he himself has taught us, whence was the spring of that love. In one of his sermons, I meet with this passage, *"The love of God alone first designed the plan of our recovery; the love of God alone sent His Son to die for us; the love of God sends His Gospel to us; the love of God gives us willing hearts to embrace it ; the love of God sends the Spirit to make us here like Himself, and thus meet for our heavenly inheritance; all, all from first to last is free, rich, sovereign, unceasing love to sinners. It is love too that produces its own likeness, and fills the sinner's heart, once contracted, selfish, and earthly, with all kind, benevolent, holy, and heavenly feelings towards others." Of this spirit of love he drank deeply through the abounding grace of God thus manifested in him.

But my brethren, there is another important proof of the love of God in Christ Jesus working in us, which whilst it is a proof of the existence of such a principle, is also the means of maintaining it within us. I mean the habit of prayer and close communion with God. Now, my brethren, God was pleased to give our dear brother much of this spirit of prayer. None but He who seeth in secret can tell how many hours were spent daily in private devotions in his house, or when he went out, like Isaac of old, to meditate ; or how real and earnest was the spirit of prayer in him at those times; but he has left his dying testimony to the effi

* Sermon on the overflowing of Christian grace. Occasional

Works, p. 507.

B

cacy of prayer. He said to a dear relative, "No prayer is lost; they are living and lasting; it is a wonderful thought, no prayer is lost; they ever live, they are as it were, indented round the throne of God: and when God looks around, Ile sees the prayers of His people covered with the sweet incense of the Saviour's righteousness. And how many such prayers for his parish, for his friends, for his dear family, thus remain recorded. Oh! if in this only he had been a blessing, how great would be the blessing!

Those who ever had the privilege of joining with him when he offered prayer, witnessed the fervency of spirit, the tone of deep earnestness, the sense of our fallen condition, and the certainty of the promises which appeared in those addresses to the throne of grace. We have reason to believe, brethren, that here his real strength lay. It was from communion with God in his own soul that he came forth with that unfailing spirit of love and devotedness, which every one that conversed with him observed in him, and which sought to influence all whom it reached. And what is it that gives any poor sinner, (and such our dear brother never forgot to acknowledge himself to be,) free access to the throne of grace: what gives a poor sinner comfort, happiness, yea, real enjoyment in the presence of a holy God, but the full persuasion wrought in his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given him, of the love of that Holy God even to him in Jesus Christ, a love from which nothing can separate him, because it is of God ?—

But I must hasten to the last particular which I would mention, of the effect of this precious gift of the persuasion of the love of God to us in Christ Jesus :—

That it gives peace, and hope, and joy, to the be