I shall not now anticipate the subject of my last sermon in this series, by describing the perfection of blessedness for which we look to God. You know that hope is a pleasing expectation of some future good in all cases; and that this expectation is exhilarating to your spirits. You know, that in times of dejection and melancholy, from whatever cause, in times of trial and suffering, of whatever kind or degree, celestial hope soothes and comforts the soul. It preserves us from sinking under adversity: It renders our Christian journey under ordinary circumstances, cheerful and rapid; and, when all the other graces are in proper exercise, hope transports us beyond the limits of time to the heavenly city which we desire to see.

This, brethren, is not like the gay and playful fancy of a frivolous and volatile mind. Our hope is a glorious realitya well-founded expectation of the greatest good-a full certainty of the heavenly inheritance. It is an anchor to the soul-a hope that shall not make ashamed. Resting on the promise of God, which he confirmed by an oath, sworn in his everlasting covenant, by his own unchangeable name, we have an infallible foundation for the full assurance of hope unto the end. "God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." Why then should we be cast down by the sorrows of the present life? Let us wait patiently until the time of deliverance arrive: or rather, let us pursue our journey through the wilderness, undismayed by the frowns and the threatenings of the enemy. The prize is before us, the High-Priest of our profession is entered, once for all, into the holy place. Thence he shall come once more without sin unto salvation. In the mean time, he is Lord of the universe, he preserves and protects all that trust in him; and we

derstand the same person by "the Great God" and the "Saviour." Jesus Christ is here styled the great God. In the original the article is prefixed only before Μεγαλο Θες. God the Father is not properly said to appear. The word Επιφανεια never occurs in the New Testament but in application to Christ. Christ is, moreover, emphatically the hope of Israel, the hope of glory. Col. i. 27. and 1 Tim. i. 1. And if authority have any weight in criticism, this is supported by almost all commentators, ancient and modern.

can, by his grace, without becoming liable to the charge of presumption, join in the soul-refreshing song, of the wanderer in the forest of Hareth, "My soul shall be filled with marrow and with fatness. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." AMEN.

THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION OF TRUE RELIGION.

SERMON Χ.

JUDE 24, 25.-Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

ARISE, ye children of Zion, for this is not your rest. On earth you have no continuing city. It is in heaven, the Lord whom ye seek and serve hath prepared his throne, and there he sitteth on the right hand of God, until the time of the restitution of all things. From unbodied spirits he receives celestial homage, and upon them he confers undescribable beatitude. Behold! he is before you, entered upon the possession of your inheritance. It is he, who said, before he left the world, "I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also." Your fathers too, and your elder brethren, are, agreeably to this promise, before the throne, and serve him day and night in his temple-" They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: for the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, they raise their voices in loud and harmonious strains, saying, "Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

He is worthy, too, of our regard. Let us imitate their example, while we pursue our journey to the paradise in which they dwell; and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, let us unhesitatingly and joyfully ascribe to him glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. The only wise God our Saviour is the object of our adoration and the fountain of our happiness: He alone is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

With these words I intend to conclude this series of discourses on personal godliness. They convey, in one short sentence, an idea of the perfection of the heavenly state-an idea of the period of your transition from grace to glory-an idea of the power by which your spiritual life is preserved unto perfection.

1. All the saints are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation-He is able to keep you from falling. 2. All the saints, at their death, become absent from the body, and present with the Lord to present you before the presence of his glory. 3. All the saints shall be introduced to their God in heaven, in a glorious state, holy and without blemish -To present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

I shall illustrate each of these assertions; and give you, from the sacred scriptures, additional confirmation of their truth. I have taken care, indeed, to state each proposition in the sound speech of inspiration, which cannot be condemned; and the words of the text itself, so clearly affirm their truth, that you will not be disposed to deny it. With respect to them all, I intend no more than a brief statement of the argument in their support; and I shall then close the discussion with an address to both saints and sinners.

I. All the saints are "kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation." 1 Pet.. i. 5.

The apostle Peter addressed his epistle to those pious people who were scattered abroad over that part part of Asia, which lay to the north and west of Syria and Palestine, situated between the head of the Mediterranean and the Euxine seas. In writing to them, that are in Christ Jesus, he assumed the principle of their personal piety, and of course addressed them as elected, regenerated, justified, and sanctified men. Speaking of them and of himself, as saints, he made use of the expression quoted above, in order to animate their already "lively hope," assuring them of the nature and certainty of their preservation in holiness. The words are well calculated to exclude as inapplicable all the usual objections urged against the doctrine of the saints' perseverance.

It has never been asserted, by any one of the judicious

friends of evangelical doctrine, that a man should enjoy salvation in heaven, who was not a saint, at the very time of his departure from the world: and it is likely that no man, whatever his religious creed, would assert, that any person should be excluded from heaven, who was at the moment of his death personally and sincerely pious. This consideration reduces within narrow limits the field of controversy, occupied by the parties who appear in opposition, upon the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. If it is admitted by all, that none but those who are pious at death shall enter into life eternal, and that all who are pious at death shall enter that state, then, the only question worthy of examination is, "have we reason to believe, that those who are, at any time, pious, will certainly be so when they leave the world?" There is no need of debate upon other questions. They may divert attention, and produce confusion of thought; and they may lead to the regions of prejudice and passion, or to implicit faith in the opinions of men; but they cannot afford aid to the candid inquirer for truth. It answers no purpose whatever upon this subject, to say, if we are found doing good and loving God, we shall be safe, and if we are found negligent and in apostacy, we shall be lost. All this is true; but it is in this case irrelevant. The only question is, Have we reason to believe, that they who once loved God, shall always love him?-shall always be preserved from total apostacy?

In order to answer correctly this question, it is necessary to settle certain truths in our minds: - God is the author of piety in every heart-God is able to preserve our piety. If it be at all admitted, that the scripture speaks truly when it affirms that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith, and that he is able to save to the uttermost, then there is no longer any doubt, that God is the author of piety, and that he is able to continue, even unto the time of death, the piety which he himself, in his mercy, once produced. The field of controversy now becomes narrower still. Indeed it is reduced to a point. Hath God said, that he will himself preserve piety in every heart in which he hath produced it? If he hath said it, will he not do it? If he promised, will he not perform? If God hath said, that every saint shall continue to be a saint even unto death, the doctrine of perseverance is true; and it is an article of the Christian faith. All will admit, that apostacy is a man's own fault-that they who are wearied of the service of God, are not meet for heaven-that