be unstopped; when the heavens shall be on fire above their heads, and the earth shall rock beneath their feet; when the sea shall rage and rise and invade the distant land; when all the elements shall make war on man; when they shall flee from the waves and the flames shall devour them,—from the prodigies in the heavens, and the opening earth shall engulph them; when they shall stretch out their hands to God, and find him only a consuming fire; when more piteous shrieks shall be heard from every quarter than were heard in the days of the flood; when they shall see the Noahs whom they despised riding above their heads, and themselves sinking in surges of fire; ah, what will be their sensations then? O sinners, if you will believe God in season, now is your time to avoid the terrors of that day. Seize the ark and make sure of Ararat. By all the solemnities of that coming scene I entreat, I beseech you to hasten into the ark. Come, for the floods are rising. Come quickly, or the next hour may be too late.

SERMON IV.

A FRIEND CLOSER THAN A BROTHER.

PROV. XVIII. 27.

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

It is a law of the physical world that a particle of matter which is not attracted to others, cannot attract others to itself. A similar law prevails in the social world. The Ishmael whose hand is against every man, will find every man's hand against him. One of the few things in which mankind are agreed, is to detest the wretch who loves none but himself. This indeed is no more than just: for who has a right to claim more than he is willing to render? "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly." To such a one the willing tribute of love is paid. The man whose heart can melt at others' woes, whose hand is ready to relieve their wants, whose life is devoted to offices of kindness,-though envy and hatred of the truth may create him ene

mies, will always have friends. Two virtuous minds of kindred tempers, are susceptible of a union more tender and indissoluble than that which is formed by nature. "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Such a friendship subsisted between Jonathan and David. But turn your eyes to Calvary, and behold a greater than a Jonathan is here. Here more than any where else is seen the "friend that sticketh closer than a brother." This is the friend to whom I would call your attention. And in doing this I shall,

I. Describe this friend.

II. Show that he is such a friend.

III. Prove that we must show ourselves friendly if we would enjoy his friendship.

IV. Consider our need of him.

I. I am to describe this friend.

But who is equal to this task? Happy is the man who, by the power of faith, can form even a faint conception of his glories. Millions of ages hence the highest seraph will not have completed the discovery of these.

To form any just conception of his character we must contemplate him as God, as man, and as Mediator. He was one of the eternal Persons of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father; and yet he became truly man by being personally united with a human body and soul. By forming this union, and by sustaining an agency wholly distinct from that of the Father, (as distinct as that of an appeasing Mediator from that of an offended Sovereign,) and by bringing out the distinct agency of the Spirit in

the work of conviction and sanctification, and by frequently applying to the three, in the language and hearing of men, the three personal pronouns, he revealed the great mystery of the Trinity, which could not have been brought to light by any other conceivable means.

As a man he was marked by a supreme regard for his Father's glory, unerring obedience to his commands, perfect submission to his will, self-denial, patience, and fortitude that knew no bounds; gentleness, meekness, and humility; unconquerable love to men with a godlike faithfulness to reprove their vices; unwearied labors for their instruction and reformation; the most compassionate toils to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and to cast out devils; sometimes weeping over Jerusalem; full of devotion;-spending whole nights in prayer upon the bleak mountains, and sometimes rejoicing in spirit and saying, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes." Not a human excellence that shone not perfect and unrivalled in him.

As Mediator he came to reveal God to the creation and to fill the universe with his glory. And "the glory of God" which shines "in the face of Jesus Christ," in other words, which is displayed in the person and work of the Saviour, is the principal glory which God has ever set before the eyes of creatures. One part of this revelation consists in the instruction which Christ imparts as a Prophet, comprehending all that has come, from the begin