let our faith always outlive our reverses and losses, since God the Saviour is ever the same.

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As he is a God that hideth himself," I shall never be astonished that neither the time nor the manner of his actions corresponds to my anticipations. As he has innumerable means, I shall not be surprized, if he do not employ the particular ones which I expected: I shall wait for others. Perhaps our life will pass away in expectation, our days will come to an end before God manifests himself. But has not God already done much for our preservation. He is not so hidden, but that he has already granted us many consolations and though our short life should terminate without the accomplishment of all our desires, will not the fall of Babylon be one day witnessed by our posterity? After all, is it absolutely necessary that God be to us individually a temporal Saviour, provided he be our Saviour for eternity? It is an eternal salvation, which will fully verify that title. In the present state, though he sometimes manifests himself by partial deliverances, yet he will always retain the character of "a God "that hideth himself." There will always be pains and difficulties for the faithful, and intricacies in the ways of providence: otherwise there would be no difference between this world and that which is to come. No, the desires of the Church will never be satisfied on earth: in this life we shall only have partial developments: otherwise it would be needless for the judge of the universe to pass a final decision on all things.

Let us direct our thoughts, then, to that event. To that concluding catastrophe of the world I call

you, ye righteous and wicked, ye oppressors and oppressed; and you, our fathers, who have had

our brethren, who bewail posterity, who will expeThen God that hideth

your calamities; and you, yours; and you too, our rience other revolutions. himself will appear the Saviour, confounding his enemies who now insult him with impunity, and glorifying his children. Then, the number of our fellow-worshippers being completed, we shall unite in shouting: "To him that hath saved us, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, "be honour and glory for ever. Amen."

SERMON 11.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION.

HEBREWS II. 3.

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? "THE children of this world are, in their gene"ration, wiser than the children of light." This is a truth, which the authority of Jesus Christ renders indisputable, and experience fully confirms. The active ingenuity of men, in their temporal affairs, is well known. Here, they make pretensions to wisdom, and omit nothing necessary to its attainment. Here, every one understands his own interest, carefully attends to it, and employs all the means which he thinks calculated for the accomplishment of his purposes. We may truly affirm, that diligence, punctuality, and address, in order to gain desired ends, were never more practised than at the present period. Never was less indulgence extended to faults committed through imprudence. Men are every day inventing new methods to establish and aggrandize themselves, to make their fortunes, and secure happiness in the world. They take a thousand precautions; they set every engine at work; and, if their enterprizes sometimes fail of success, it is seldom for want of attention: if they cannot escape from some calamity, it is rarely from the neglect of any expedient likely to extricate them.

Would to God, brethren, that we could say as much concerning ourselves in that which relates to salvation! Would to God, that we could equally commend the wisdom of those, who call themselves "the children of light!" But is there any thing in the world more astonishing and shameful than the manner in which professed Christians conduct themselves, in reference to the interests of their souls and their eternal happiness? Does not this our negligence call for tears, rather than reproofs? Negligence which makes us resemble irrational animals, rather than reasonable men. It excites no surprise, that the actions of brutes, which they are incapable of directing to any ultimate end, should be merely instinctive and fortuitous: but that men, who ought to have an ultimate end, and to seek their own happiness; that men, who are so ingenious in the affairs of the world, should be blind, stupid, and inconsiderate, in what regards the supreme good; and that they should take scarcely a single step necessary to its attainment, this is indeed astonishing. Negligence so much the more reprehensible, because it is altogether voluntary, and criminal. Imprudence so much the more deplorable, because, if not remedied betimes, it will inevitably precipitate us into endless misery.

We are not now treating of a trivial fault, a concern of small importance, in which we might be guilty of imprudence with impunity, or little disadvantage, and the mischief might easily be repaired. We cannot neglect our salvation, without being totally ruined. Human legislators have ordained no punishments for folly and imprudence. It is a mis

fortune sufficiently great, to be a fool; it is likewise an involuntary evil, which cannot be the subject of punishment and imprudence, when it arises only from want of experience and understanding, is sufficiently punished by the false steps which it makes, without any additional chastisement. But, alas! it is not so in the affair of salvation. Folly and imprudence, there, will be punished severely, because they are voluntary. Not only will men lose the happiness they neglect; but the justice of an incensed God has determined that those fools shall be the perpetual victims of his vengeance, that they shall for ever suffer the punishment of their folly. This is the great and terrible truth which St. Paul intended to impress upon the Hebrews, and through them upon all Christians, when he said; "How "shall we escape, if we neglect so great salva"tion?"

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It is the duty of all the servants of Jesus Christ to "be instant" with men "in season" and "out of season."* You, my brethren, have properly but one thing to do, and we have only one thing to require of you;-that you "work out your own salvation."† In vain do you hear the word, unless you hear it for that purpose. In vain do we preach, unless we preach with that design. In vain our festivals and sacraments, if you always neglect this salvation. But urging you on the present occasion, is not being "instant out of season;" it is improving a seasonable opportunity, according to the duty of our ministry. On these days, when the conscience is somewhat aroused, it calls of itself for the preacher to touch