fulfil all his threatenings: "Have I said it, and do it?" The sinner's mouth is stopped, and he st before God.

2. The second argument is the Gospel: "Be believe not on Jesus." This is the strongest o ments, and therefore is chosen by Christ here. reads in the Word that "he that believeth on t everlasting life;" and now the Spirit convinces never believed on the Son of God-indeed he doe what it means. For the first time the convic upon his heart: "He that believeth not the So see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." glorious and divine that Saviour is, the more is less soul convinced that he is lost; for he feels out of that Saviour. He sees plainly that Chris mighty ark riding over the deluge of God's wra how safe and happy the little company are that a within; but this just makes him gnash his teet for he is not within the ark, and the waves are coming over him. He hears that Christ stretching out the hands all the day to the chief not willing that any should perish; but then h himself into these arms, and now he feels that be laughing at his calamity, and mocking wh cometh. O yes, my friends! how often on the when the natural fears of conscience are aided b of God-how often, when we speak of Christhis atoning blood-the refuge to be found in hin and happy all are that are in him-how ofte dying sinner turn it all away with the awfu But am I in Christ? The more we tell of t the more is their agony increased; for they feel the Saviour they have refused. Ah! what a m that give to these words: "The Spirit convin because they believe not on me."

1. Now, my friends, there are many of you that you never believed on Jesus, and yet yo unmoved. You sit without any emotion-yo meals with appetite, and doubtless sleep soun Do you wish to know the reason? You have

convinced of sin. The Spirit hath never begun his work in your heart. Oh! if the Spirit of Jesus would come on your hearts like a mighty rushing wind, what a dreadful thought it would be to you this night that you are lying out of Christ! You would lose your appetite for this world's food -you would not be able to rest in your bed-you would not dare to live on in your sins. All your past sins would rise behind you like apparitions of evil. Wherever you went you would meet the word: "Without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world ;" and if your worldly friends should try to hush your fears, and tell you of your decencies, and that you were not so bad as your neighbours, and many might fear if you feared, ah! how you would thrust them away, and stop your ears, and cry: There is a city of refuge, to which I have never fled; therefore there must be a blood-avenger. There is an ark; therefore there must be a coming deluge. There is a Christ; therefore there must be a hell for the Christless.

2. Some of you may be under conviction of sin-you feel the dreadfulness of being out of Christ, and you are very miserable. Now, (1.) Be thankful for this work of the Spirit: "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father." God hath brought you into the wilderness just that he might allure you, and speak to your heart about Christ. This is the way he begins the work in every soul he saves. Nobody ever came to Christ but they were first convinced of sin. All that are now in heaven began this way. Be thankful you are not dead like those around you. (2.) Do not lose these convictions. Remember they are easily lost. Involve yourself over head and ears in business, and work even on the Sabbathday, and you will soon drive all away. Indulge a little in sensual pleasure-take a little diversion with companions, and you will soon be as happy and careless as they. If you love your soul, flee these things-do not stay-flee away from them. Read the books that keep up your anxietywait on the ministers that keep up that anxiety. Above all, cry to the Spirit, who alone was the author of it, that he would keep it up. Cry night and day that he may never let you rest out of Christ. Oh! would you sleep over hell? (3.) Do not rest in these convictions. You are not saved yet. Many have come thus far, and perished after all— many have been convinced, not converted many lose their convictions, and wallow in sin again. "Remember

Lot's wife." You are never safe till you are within the fold. Christ is the door. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able."

Dundee, Feb. 4, 1837.

SERMON XLV.

CONVICTION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

"And when he [the Comforter] is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."—JOHN xvi. 8.

IN

SECOND DISCOURSE.

my last discourse from this passage we saw that the first work of the Spirit on the heart of a sinner is to convince of sin-to give him a sense of the dreadfulness of his sins, and to make him feel how surely he is a lost sinner. And from that I drew an argument, that it is the duty of all faithful ministers to do the same; that if the Spirit of gentleness and love begins his work on the soul by awakening in it a deep sense of sin and coming wrath, we are not to be called cruel, or harsh, or too plain and outspoken, if we begin in the very same way-by convincing you of sin, and showing every unconverted soul among you how utterly undone you

are.

But I now come to the second work of the Spirit, from which he is properly called the Comforter: "He will convince the world of righteousness." When he has first broken the bones under a sense of sin, then he reveals the good Physician, and makes the very bones which he hath broken to rejoice. When he had first revealed the coming storm of wrath, so that the sinner knew not where to flee, then he opens the secret chamber, and whispers: Come in hither; it may be thou shalt be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. When he has cast light into the sinner's bosom, and let him see how every action of his life condemns him, and how vain it is to seek for any righteous

ness there, he then casts light upon the risen Saviour, and says: Look there. He shows the Saviour's finished sufferings and finished obedience, and says: All this is thine, if thou wilt believe in Jesus. Thus does the Spirit lead the soul to accept and close with Christ, freely offered in the Gospel. The first was the awakening work of the Spiritthis is the comforting work of the Spirit. And this shows. you plainly that the second work of the faithful minister is to do the very same-to lead weary souls to Christto stand pointing not only to the coming deluge, but to the freely offered ark-pointing not only to the threatening storm, but to the strong tower of safety-directing the sinner's eye not only inwards to his sin and misery, but outwards also, to the bleeding, dying, rising, reigning Saviour. Brethren, he is no minister of Christ who only terrifies and awakens you-who only aims at the first work of the Spirit, to convince you of sin, and aims not at the second work of the Spirit, to convince you of righteousness. He would be like a surgeon who should tear off the bandages of your wounds, and lay open their deepest recesses, and then leave you like Israel with your sores not closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. He would be like a man who should awake you when your house was all on fire, and yet leave you without showing you any way of escape.

Brethren, let us rather be taught to follow in the footsteps of the blessed Spirit, the Comforter. He first convinces of sin, and then convinces of righteousness. And so, brethren, bear with us, when we first awaken you to a sense of the dreadfulness of your sins, and then open the refuge, and say: Come in hither—" hide thee as it were for a little moment, till the indignation be overpast."

I know there may be many of you quite offended because we preach Christ to the vilest of sinners. It was so with the Pharisees; and doubtless there are many Pharisees among us. When we enter into the haunts of wickedness and profligacy, and, in accents of tenderness, proclaim the simple message of redeeming love-that the wrath of God is abiding on sinners, but that Christ is a Saviour freely offered to them, just as they are; or when a child of sin and misery comes before us, and the minister of Christ first plainly tells of God's wrath against his sin, and then as plainly, and with all affection, of Christ's compassion, and freely offered righteousness-oh! how often the decent

moral men of the world are affronted. The very imagination that the same Saviour is offered as freely to the veriest offscourings of vice as to themselves-this is more than they can bear. What! they cry; do you offer these wretches a Saviour before they have reformed their livesbefore they have changed their character? I answer, Yes. The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick: and I beseech you to mark that this is the very way of the Spirit of God.

He is the Holy Spirit-of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He is the Sanctifier of all that are in Jesus; and yet, when he has convinced a sinner of sin, his next work is to speak peace-to convince that sinner of righteousness. If you ask me, then, why I do not say to the child of sin and shame, Go and reform yourself become honest and pure, and then I will invite you to the Saviour: I answer, Because even the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, does not do this. He first leads the soul into the wilderness, and then he allures it to come to Christ. He first shuts up the soul in prison under a sense of guilt, and then opens a door-reveals Christ an open refuge for the chief of sinners.

Brethren! do not forget it-he is the Comforter before he is the Sanctifier. Ah, then! do not blame us, if, as messengers of Christ, we tread in the very footsteps of that blessed Spirit. If even he, the Holy Sanctifying Spirit, whose very breath is all purity-if even he invite the vilest sinner to put on these beautiful garments— the divine righteousness of Jesus-do not say that we are favouring sin-that we are the enemies of morality, if we carry this message to the vilest of sinners: "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."

I. What is this righteousness?

I answer, It is the righteousness of Christ, wrought out in behalf of sinners. Now righteousness means righteousness with respect to the law. When a person has not only never broken the law, but has rendered complete obedience to it, that person is righteous. It consists of two parts, then-first, freedom from guilt; and second, worthiness in the sight of God.

1. In the case of an unfallen angel, for example, he may be called righteous in two ways. (1.) He is negatively righteous, because he has never broken the law of God-he