Jesus! Behold them with uplifted hands preparing the deadly blow! See him falling to the earth a martyr in the Saviour's cause, calling, in his last expiring moments, for mercy upon his murderers: "Lord, lay not," said he, "this sin to their charge !" Take a view of him, I say, and then ask your hearts whether there must not be some animating principle in religion-some precious corner-stone uniting the believer to his God-some sure foundation upon which to build the superstructure of his hopes?

As a further confirmation of the influence of vital godliness upon the soul, consider, for a moment, the sufferings of Job; enter the ruins of his once stately dwelling-where are all the children of his bosom? where is all the riches with which he was possessed? Behold the man himself destitute of every earthly enjoyment, covered with wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores! When the Almighty had represented Job as one that feared God and eschewed evil, the accuser of the brethren, surveying his wealth, and enumerating his comforts, replied: "Doth Job serve God for nought? Put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." To prove the falsity of the charge, and to show the power of godliness, the Almighty said, "Behold, all that Job hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand!" Satan then attempted his seduction, but he attempted it in vain; Job stood like the house that was built upon a rock, the storms and tempest of adversity drove him nearer to his God. Yes, though destitute of human comforts, his union with Jehovah supported him; he knew that he was in the hands of a merciful God, and influenced by the power of godliness, he exclaimed, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Saint Polycarp furnishes us with another conclusive testimony in favour of the reality of religion, or the power of godliness in the support of the believer under trials. When desired by the Proconsul, to whose custody he was delivered, to swear by Cæsar's fortune, and to reproach Christ, in order that he might be restored to his liberty, the aged

follower of the Saviour answered: "Eighty-six years have I now served Christ, and he has never done me the least wrong; how, then, can I blaspheme my king and my Saviour?" When brought to the place of execution, and when they had prepared the materials with which to burn him, they wished to nail him to the stake: "Let me alone," said he, "as I am, for he who has given me strength to endure the fire, will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to stand without moving in this pile!" Yes, beloved, he not only met his fate with composure, but as a proof of the truth of what he professed, he declared while in that situation that he esteemed it his glory to die a martyr in the cause of Jesus: "I give thee hearty thanks, O Lord God Almighty, that thou hast vouchsafed to bring me to this day, and to this hour, that I should have a part in the number of thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ."

To conclude; In the resignation and triumph of these holy martyrs, we are presented with an evidence powerful and conclusive, that they who are born of God, and united to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, will be supported under trials, and made more than conquerors over every difficulty. Had they possessed nothing but a form of godliness, the dangers to which they were exposed would have overcome their fortitude, and they would have abandoned without hesitation the profession which they had made; but that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen; that faith which is the gift of God, to the confusion of their enemies, enabled them to triumph in the flames, and opened heaven to their view amidst a shower of stones. Remember, beloved, that although we may never be called to suffer as these holy men; although, like St. Stephen, we may never be stoned to death, nor like Polycarp be committed to the flames for our attachment to the Saviour, still trials we all must meet, so on erorlater. To be prepared for the pains of a dying bed, and for the dissolution of our bodies, is our duty and our interest; remember, then, that the form of godliness will avail you nothing at that solemn period; what advan

tage will the unconverted sinner derive from the circumstance of having assembled himself with the people of God, unless his heart has been changed by divine grace, and an obedience to the will of Jehovah has marked his conduct, to say at the bar of judgment, Lord, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence; our names were upon the record of the Church, and we belonged to such a society of professing Christians? What will all this avail, unless we add to the form of godliness the power thereof; unless we show the world, and prove to our own hearts, and manifest to our God, that the religion we profess is the religion of the heart, and our faith, that faith which worketh by love? When John the Baptist was on earth, many came to receive his baptism, whose pretensions to true religion he questioned; to oblige them to prove that they possessed the power of godliness, he told them to "bring forth fruits meet for repentance, for the axe," said he, "is laid to the root of the tree; every tree, therefore"-call it by what name you please" every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire." Examine yourselves, therefore, brethren-prove your own selves; nay, I would recommend it to you, to go to the feet of Jesus, and entreat him to search you: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and prove my thoughts, and see if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Under the influence of these things, you will advance in the Christian life; you will grow in grace, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; your Saviour will support you in the hour of distress; he will go with you through the valley and shadow of death, and at last receive you into bliss, with "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

SERMON XVI.

"And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren.”—Matthew, xii. 49.*

WHEN We reflect upon those expressions of tenderness and compassion which flowed from the lips of the Redeemer, the gratitude of the sincere believer is most powerfully excited; the love of the Lord Jesus Christ kindles in his bosom the most rapturous feelings of devotion, and he is constrained to yield him the most cheerful and glowing obedience.

Before the incarnation of the Saviour; before he vacated his throne, and descended upon earth to carry into effect the purposes of redemption, he evidenced his compassion for the human family in the presence of the celestial host; to the astonishment of angels and archangels, he determined to avert the wrath of God from a guilty world, and offered himself a sacrifice for sin. When man was involved in misery; when every door of escape was closed; when Satan reigned triumphant, and was exulting in the ruin he had produced; when the regions of misery echoed with the rude transports of infernal joy; when there was no eye to pity, and no arm to save the apostate children of men, then did Jesus, the Redeemer, offer himself a ransom for sinners, and consent to bear that punishment which would

have crushed in ruin a guilty world. When angels, perhaps, were silent; when their harps were hung upon the willows, at that sad prospect of misery which awaited the descendants of a fallen Adam, then did the compassionate Jesus advance before the throne of Jehovah, propose himself as the Mediator between God and man, and declare himself ready to meet the most rigorous demands of divine justice: “Lo,” said he, “I come to do thy will, O God; in the volume of the book it is written of me, that I should fulfil thy will, O God! I am content to do it, yea, thy law is within my heart;" as if he had said, in the volume of Scripture it is written, "That the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head;" in the volume of Scripture it is written, that the Redeemer of man "should be wounded for the transgressions of mankind, and bruised for their iniquities:" and that the Lord would lay upon him the iniquity of all the human family. In conformity with these prophetic declarations, he substituted himself in the sinner's place, satisfied the divine justice, preserved the veracity of God, and rendered it possible for Jehovah to be just and immutable in his denunciations against sin, and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.

In the fulness of time, when the important work of redemption was to be completed by his sufferings, he left the regions of glory, where adoring seraphs were chaunting his praises, and took upon him our nature. When the cherubic train, animated with his love to man, proclaimed his nativity to the shepherds, the Sun of Righteousness arose; his joyful rays illumined a benighted world, and reflected upon man the light of immortality and bliss.

As the Redeemer advanced in life, his conduct formed a conclusive evidence of his benevolence and love; he went about doing good, imparting vision to those who were involved in darkness, and enabling the lame to walk; he preached the Gospel to the poor, and invited the heavy. laden sinner, however complicated his offences, to fly to him for succour.

It was in the discharge of this important duty that he