sight? Do you hear of any fresh amusement that is promised?"-then I say, while men live and die in this manner-trifling with their time, when time will soon be no longer-let them call themselves any thing but sober-any thing but virtuous-any thing but religious; for God calls them infatuated, and mere worshippers of their present idols!

4. Ministers may labour to stop men in this infatuated state, and to convince them of their strange levity of heart; but let us, lastly, remark how merciful it is in God, to mean and drive men from the world, as well as to draw them by the invitations of the Gospel.

If our friend's house is on fire, we would bring him out kindly and carefully, if possible; but, if our persuasions do not move him, we drag him out of danger! When God sent a message to Lot in Sodom, it is said, that "he lingered:" but "the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city." It is thus that God frequently acts with respect to us, when we appear to rest satisfied with the pageant as it passes. It is a merciful dispensation, however severe and mortifying to the feelings, that drives thee, Christian, to reflection; that rouses thee from thy sleep of death; that prevents thy perishing in thy dream; that preaches to thy heart; that says, This is not your rest, it is polluted.

My dear hearers, what practical feeling have you of these truths? Many of you, I doubt not, saw the affecting scene that passed through this city the other day. What instruction have you gained from it? If you say, "I know not any. I merely went to gratify

my curiosity. It was enough for me, that it amused me for the time"-then I will tell you a more affecting scene than that which passed before your eyes: the levity and vacuity with which many thousands look upon such a sight, is a more affecting scene to the moral eye! their minds are like a feather in the wind-no sentiment! no meaning! no wise reflection! no serious consideration! not so much as a thought, "The pageant of this world is also passing by, and will soon be over!"

A scene, however, approaches, which will oblige men to think:-A scene to which all other solemnities are as the dust in a balance. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed!" And then, brethren, you will not need the preacher, to demonstrate to you how the pageant of this world passeth by you will not need the preacher, to show you how little worldlings know of that world of which they boast to have so thorough a knowledge: neither will you then need to be taught, how gracious it was in God, to meet your wants as a guilty dying creature; nor how infatuated and criminal the worldling is, who sleeps on, under these warnings, in his carnal state: nor will you want any conviction, how merciful it is in God, to drive men, when they will not be drawn; and to bring them to their senses even by the most painful methods; as the prodigal, when he could not estimate the blessings of his father's house and protection, must be sent to sit with the swine, and to famish, before he came to himself. Then shall it clearly appear, what part was allotted to us to perform; and that it was the right part, provided we

performed it aright. We shall see, indeed, that the world passeth away; but we shall see some standing at the right-hand, who knew, while it passed, how "work out their own salvation with fear and trembling."

to

That you may have that wisdom, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, afforded to you, may God, of his infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ our Lord!

SERMON XXIII.

CHRISTIAN CONSOLATIONS ABOUNDING IN SUFFERING.

2 COR. i. 5.

As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

"HOPE travels on," says the poet: "Hope travels on, nor leaves us till we die :" and this is a distinguishing feature of Christianity.

A vast variety of things raise hope in a man: but they do not beguile him. They excite fond expectations: they promise great things: but they delude him they leave him in extremity; and, what is worse, they leave him when it is too late to take hold of a better object. In extremity, they scorn his misery, and say, "We can do nothing."

But Hope travels on with the Christian; and when every thing else seems to say, "We can do no more for you," he lifts up his head with joy, knowing that his redemption draweth nigh.

Christianity, therefore, is the true remedy for trouble. There is no other remedy.

St. Paul bears his testimony to this, in the passage which we have read. It is thus introduced: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." We can tell them our experience: we can prove to them that God "the father of mercies," is "the God of all comfort." And, he adds, if we are afflicted, it is, among other reasons, that we may be able, as exercised persons, to show what God can do in affliction; "for, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

The sufferings of Christ were, in some respects, peculiar. He was a public person: he undertook what none but himself could undertake: therefore there was a peculiarity in his sufferings. But the Apostle is here speaking of sufferings on account of Christ, which Christians pass through in conformity to him; that, as he was, they should be in the world. I shall, therefore, show,

1. What are the sufferings of Christ, of which Christians, in every age, are partakers.

2. How consolations are made to abound by Christ in those very sufferings. "As the sufferings of Christ

abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

I. We are to consider WHAT ARE THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, OF WHICH CHRISTIANS, IN EVERY AGE, ARE par

TAKERS.

1. A Christian will partake of the sufferings of Christ as a witness for the truth.

If, like Christ, he stands a witness for truth, he must needs have to oppose a host of falsehoods: and this host of falsehoods will put out all their force against him. Our Lord, "the faithful witness, witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate; and, while he stood at the judgment-seat, he would not conceal the truth. Though he knew his confession would lead to his death, yet he told the true state of things, both with respect to himself and them before whom he witnessed his confession.

The Christian has before him a book of realities. "Here," says he, "I read God's own account of his dealings with men. Here I read his declaration of what Satan is doing, and what I am doing, and whither I am going. Here is his account of the end of the world, and of the only method whereby a sinner can escape when standing before the judgmentseat of Christ. This will do me most important service! This is a book of realities, which lies before me: I am bound, therefore, to be a witness for truth. I know the truth. I have felt its power."

This man hears continually of falsehood riding triumphant, and reads false sentiments in almost every publication which he takes up, according to "the wisdom of this world that cometh to nought." But he knows the falsehood of these things: he does not think them false, but he knows them to be so, because he