instruction-no benefit from parental culture-no faithful warnings and admonitions-no holy example to direct and regulate-no warning to restrain—no encouragement to animate in the path. The other may have been surrounded by all the helps and inducements to right consideration—to holy fear-to correct conduct; and, therefore, his sin is marked with a far higher degree of aggravation than the sin of the other; and thus, in the sight of God, the judge on the bench often may be far more guilty than the criminal at the bar. Let us examine ourselves, and reflect on our individual conduct, and we shall find abundant cause for this grateful acknowledgment of the Divine mercy; -He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve.

And then, my friends, in proportion to our actual knowledge of God, our actual experience of the Divine mercy, our actual acquaintance with the Divine goodness, is the aggravation of our guiltiness. Apply this to the feelings and recollections of a truly enlightened, humble, and spiritual mind. A believer who has long known, long felt, and long experienced the power and the application of Divine truth to his mind, has, therefore, in proportion to his elevation in religion, in proportion to the depth of his spirituality and attainments, an humbling estimate of himself. Those who know little of themselves, may wonder, perhaps, at the terms of seeming exaggeration in which we sometimes find inspired writers describing their own sinfulness. St. Paul, who, compared with his fellow-apostles, was not a whit behind any of them; yet, in relation to God, he felt himself the least of all saints; and when he reflected on his transgressions, he calls himself the chief of sinners. This was not mere exaggeration, it was not the language of passion and feeling, but it was the language of deep conviction: he knew more of himself than he could know of others.

My friends, when we think how we have grieved the Divine Spirithow we have sinned against inward conviction, against manifestations of mercy, against our own resolutions, against the vows we have often uttered in times of trouble, against engagements we have often found in the sanctuary, in the closet, at the footstool of the Divine Majesty, at the table of the Lord; when we think of the experience we have had of the power and influence of Divine grace, and yet look at the low state of our religious feeling, our grovelling spirit, our worldly-mindedness, our vain affections, our wandering thoughts, our unholy desires, our carnality; oh, what reason have we for humiliation. In every view, therefore, which we form of man, which we form of sin, which we form of self individually in the sight of God, we have reason to exclaim,—He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve.

We may remark, Secondly, that He has not dealt with us as he has dealt with others. Have we not reason then for grateful adoration, for astonishment at the Divine forbearance and long-suffering? Look at the conduct of a just and holy God towards fallen angels, who kept not their first estate, and are reserved in darkness unto the judgment of the great Day,-look at the conduct of GOD toward the antediluvian world-look at the cities of the plain who were sinners before God-look at the sufferings of the ancient Israelites for their backslidings and wanderings from the Most High, and let each individual,

especially when self-love, when pride, when vanity, when an undue estimation of self may lead him to wander and rebel against God, let him think of the conduct of God, as of all that is unimpeachable and righteous; let him think of the conduct of God towards others, and think of the conduct of God towards himself. Whatever your trials and afflictions, your losses and privations-whatever the darkness of the clouds, and the storms, and the tempests of the Divine conduct towards you, think of the sufferings of others for the purpose of leading your minds, not to self-righteousness, not to an estimation that shall fill your hearts with vain glory in the comparison, but let your mind look at others for the purpose of deepening your gratitude and raising your admiration of the conduct of the Divine mercy towards you.

"Not more than others you deserve,
Yet God hath given you more."

This is often a profitable subject of reflection, particularly in those seasons of pressure and trial, which are apt to excite to rebellion and ingratitude our carnal and depraved hearts.

He has not dealt with us as he has dealt with others. Whatever he may have done to others is right, for the Judge of the earth must do right. He can never exceed in any possible way or form or degree what justice may demand. He may, in the exercise of mercy, go inconceivably and infinitely beyond what he has promised, but he can never go beyond what he has threatened; and in reference to ourselves, recollect, if we had suffered ten thousand times more than we have suffered, it would not have come up to the standard of what he has threatened against sin; so that at all times we have reason to say, "He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us after our iniquities."

This, especially, will be a train of reflection greatly beneficial to our minds, when we enumerate our mercies of a personal and relative kind-our mercies of a civil and religious kind-our mercies temporal and spiritual, the means of grace, the privileges surrounding us, the mitigation of suffering, the unexpected concurrence of events overruled by Divine Providence in our favour, the staying of the rough wind, in the day of his east wind, blessing in the fury of the blast, merciful in unnumbered storms to show, that he is a God of compassion and forbearance; when he corrects, it is in mercy, when he chastens, it is in love.

Hence, we remark, Thirdly, that his dealings towards us have always been mingled with mercy even in the severest dispensations. In this respect, may each reflecting Christian say, "He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." Had he done this, there would have been no mercy and no hope-there would have been no termination, no diminution, no alleviation of suffering. The cup would have been filled to the uttermost, would have overflowed, and we should have been called upon to have drunk it to its dregs. But when we think of the mercy mingled with all his judgments and chastenings, have we not reason to adopt the language of

the Psalmist, and say, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." It is expressly said, "in mercy he dealeth with us.' "Afflictions, therefore, are not dealt out promiscuously, and with a careless and profuse hand; but when he gives us mercies, they are lavished without number, there is profusion, there is amplitude in the communication, which corresponds with the exuberance of the Divine love, which proves he goes beyond his own declaration in heaping favour on us. But when he corrects, it is all weighed, it is all rightly applied, all is wisely fitted; as a physician knows precisely the exact amount of the separate ingredients that enter into the bitterest and most painful medicine, so our heavenly Father adjusts and measures out all that is requisite in the ingredients of affliction for our moral improvement, for our spiritual correction, for the welfare of our souls. This is a thought well adapted to give to the mind under the pressure of trial, peculiar solace and support. It may seem a hard dispensation, flesh and blood may not like it: often the clouds of the Divine dispensation may seem thick and dense-they may turn into rain, and we think when they have abated their fury, all will be sunshine again; but then will come another storm, and we say with the Psalmist, "all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me," yet even under this dispensation every thing is nicely balanced and wisely adjusted by our Father in heaven.

Ought not this to lead the mind of the humble afflicted believer to grateful submission, to filial, unreserved, implicit submission. " I know that in faithfulness thou correctest me," is the language of the Psalmist; and when I am tried, I shall come forth as gold." I shall be cast into the furnace no longer than is meet; if even beated seven times more than ordinary, it shall still be under the direction of him whose skill and power are equal, and whose faithfulness and love guide all the procedure.

In the next place, there is mercy in the support we have under affliction. He does not allow us to suffer alone. One sufferer endured alone,― He trod the wine-press alone, there was none with him, he felt the stroke, he drank the cup to its very dregs, and he said, "Father, not iny will, but thine be done." But oh, what consolation, is mingled in the cup of suffering placed in our hands! what promises! what supports! what precious everlasting consolation and a good hope through grace! Have we not reason to say, therefore, with the Psalmist," as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him,”- the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those that fear him ". "for as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him."

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This is particularly manifested in the support, and the fulness of the Divine consolations enjoyed by the suffering and afflicted people of God. I appeal, my Christian brethren, to your own consciousness and to your own recollection, whether you have not found the chamber of sickness and the period of suffering, in numerous cases, your best, your holiest, and, therefore, your happiest periods? Have they not endeared to you the promises of his love? Have they not brought you nearer to his throne? Have they not given you nearer and more vivid perceptions of the glory of his Gospel, and the sufficiency of its

consolation?

Have you not had a nearer and more direct view of eternal glory revealed? Yes, this has been the experience of the church in all ages. For, Lord, I thank thee that my heart is humbled," has often been the recorded declaration of those whom God has wounded that he might heal, chastened that he might exalt, and depressed that he might comfort.

And then consider that there is mercy in the removal of affliction. How often do we find the God of grace and of providence wonderously interposing, not only to give us adequate strength in the time of chastening, but to remove the affliction by unexpected means, by unthought of alleviations, by circumstances of which we had not the least conception, by bringing round, in one form or another, the events of Providence, the interposition of friends, the various links, so to speak of cause and effect, so as to strike out in the right juncture and right way, the kind of deliverance which we have desired; if it has not been what we desired, it has been, in innumerable instances, so much better than we could possibly have anticipated, that we are compelled to say, this is the finger of God," he who has thus wounded has healed; he who has caused the bitter cup to be filled, has imparted, in due time, the thanksgiving, and led us to bless and magnify his holy name.

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Now consider, in the last place under this topic, the mercy which is displayed in the results of his dispensations. What is the end for which he thus afflicts us, though "he does not deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities?" His end is our correction- his end is that discipline which shall subdue, which shall spiritualize which shall elevate our minds-which shall raise us nearer to himself-which shall give greater assurance to our faithwhich shall give us to possess more of communion in spirit with himself --which shall bring us to the enjoyment of his love, and that realizing perception of it, as shall confirm all the graces of the Spirit, and make us partakers of his holiness. For there is much of pride to be subdued-much of worldliness to be overcome-there are idolatrous attachments from which we are to be weaned-there is a cleaving to the dust-and we are gravitating to the earth as our centre, instead of seeking our portion and happiness in God; and he intends by blighting the gourd, to bring us to the shadow of the tree of life-he intends, by cutting off the stream, to bring us nearer to the fountain of living waters-he intends, by putting the taint of bitterness in our earthly comforts, to bring us to taste that he is gracious. "The Lord our God is a jealous God;" and this is written upon all his conduct towards us. He will have the heart-he will reign supreme and unrivalled in our highest affections and regard; and it is the end of his dispensations, therefore to make us more humble-m e-more watchful-n spiritual-more holy-more afraid of sin-more alive to God and eternity. It is especially the object of his chastening dispensations to endear to us the discovery of his love and mercy in the Gospel of Christ to teach us how much we owe to his rich sovereign and abounding grace-to lead us to live by faith and not by sight-to lead us to long for that world where we shall see him as he is ;-and, therefore, preparation for heaven, meetness for the inheritance of the saints

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in light, is the result of all his dispensations to his people. This is strikingly set forth in the fifth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, where you will find the apostle stating the privileges of those who are accepted and justified; and mark his language-"Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

All this is delightfully animating, and adapted to call forth the mind's highest and loftiest view of the character and perfections of God. See by what progress it is that God fits his children for heaven -prepares them in the school of trial for their inheritance. They are not now in their Father's house, but they are going through a process of trial, through a course of discipline, to meeten them for their inheritance. Even in this world, characters eminent for their moral dignity and spirituality, acquire that maturity of excellence by a long course of experience, vicissitude and trial. Such characters, whatever moral excellence may surround them, are not formed at once -are not formed hastily-are not formed by a few events, and a few dispensations: but it is by a process under the guidance and conduct of Divine mercy that they reach this high degree of spiritual culture and meetness for their heavenly inheritance. All this is designed to terminate in their preparation for, and their possession of, their heavenly inheritance. Recollect what an estate is in reversion. If a man were educated for the royal dignity, you would expect that he received an education fitted for that station; you look for a course of pursuits comporting with what the mind assumes to be the elevation and dignity of that station; and as God intends that all his church shall be kings and priests to himself-shall reign with him-shall sit on the throne of his glory-shall for ever be associated with the highest order of created intelligence-shall be for ever associated with himself, he prepares them in this world of trial and change for that future dignity; and, therefore, tribulation, by giving scope to patience -by confirming hope-by purifying the mind-by rendering submission-by giving firmness and stability to the character, forms the parts of the moral process by which the believer is prepared for glory, honour, and immortality. Such is the statement of the apostle"We glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience; and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us."

Then may not every believer adopt the language of the Psalmist, and say, "he has not dealt with us after our sins"-he has not dealt with us as our sins deserve-he has not dealt with us as he has dealt with others—his dealings towards us, under the severest dispensations, have been mingled with mercy-mercy in the measure of justicemercy in the spiritual enjoyments-mercy in the supports enjoyed under affliction-mercy in the manifestation of his love- mercy in the removal of affliction-mercy in the great results accomplished by it. II. MY FRIENDS, WHAT NOW, ARE THE PRACTICAL USES WE SHOULD MAKE OF THIS DECLARATION.

In the first place, it should lead us faithfully to inquire what has