everlasting fire, and yet not pray for you. They will see the smoke of your torments going up for ever and ever, and yet cry, Alleluiah!

Ministers will no more desire your salvation. It will no more be their work. The number of the saved will be complete without you; the table will be full. Ministers will bear witness against you in that day.

Even devils will cast you off. As long as you remain on earth, the devil keeps you in his train; he flatters you, and gives you many tokens of his friendship and esteem; but soon he will cast. you off. You will be no longer pleasant to him; you will be a part of his torment; and he will hate you and torment you, because you deceived him, and he deceived you.

IV. Wicked men shall be cast away by themselves.—It is said, they shall wish to die, and shall not be able. They shall seek death, and death shall flee from them. I believe that some suicides experience the beginnings of hell. I believe Judas did; he could not bear himself, and he tried to cast himself away. This will be the feeling of lost souls. They will not be able to bear the sight of themselves; they will be weary of being; they will wish they had never been. At present, unconverted men are often very self-complacent. They love to employ their faculties; the wheels of their life go smoothly; their affections are pleasant. Memory has many pleasant green spots to look back upon. How different when the day of grace is done! 1. The understanding will be clear and full to apprehend the real nature of your misery. Your mind will then see the holiness of God, his almightiness, his majesty. You will see your own condemned condition, and the depth of your hell. 2. The will in you will be all contrary to God's will, even though you see it add to your hell; yet you will hate all that God loves, and love all that God hates. 3. Your conscience is God's vicegerent in the soul. It will accuse you of all your sins. It will set them in order and condemn you. 4. Your affections will still love your kindred. "I have five brethren," you will say. Earthly fathers who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children. Even in hell you will love your own kindred; but ah! what misery it will cost you, when you hear them sentenced along with you. 5. Your memory will be very clear. You will remember all your misspent Sabbaths, your sermons heard, as if you did not hear; your place in the house of God, your minister's face and voice, the bell; through millions of ages after this, you will remember these, as if yesterday. 6. Your anticipations. Everlasting despair. O how you will wish you had never been! How you will wish to tear out your memory, these tender affections, this accusing conscience! You will seek death, and it will flee from you. This, this is to be lost! This is everlasting destruction! This is to be a castaway.

LESSONS.-1. Let believers learn Paul's wicked life will end in being a castaway. together, and no man can sunder them.

earnest diligence. A These two are linked

2. Hell will be intolerable. I have not spoken of the lake of fire, of the utter darkness, and the worm that never dies. I have spoken only of the mental facts of hell; and yet these by themselves are intolerable. O who can tell what it will be when both meet, and meet eternally? "Who knows the power of thine anger?" O do not keep away from Christ now. Now he says, Come; soon, soon he will say, Depart. O do not resist the Holy Spirit now. Now he strives, but he will not always strive with you. Soon, soon he will leave you. O do not despise the word of ministers and godly friends. Now they plead with you, weep for you, pray for you. Soon, soon they will be silent as the grave, or sing halleluiah to see you lost. O do not be proud and self-admiring. Soon you will loathe the very sight of yourself, and wish you had never been.

3. The amazing love of Christ in bearing all this for sinners. Christ is a wrath-bearing surety. All that is included in being a castaway he bore. Amen.

January, 1843.

SERMON XXIII.

A COMMUNION SABBATH IN ST. PETER'S.

I. SERMON.

"Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.-John xvii., 24.

66

This is the

I. The manner of this prayer.-" Father, I will." most wonderful prayer that ever rose from this earth to the throne of God, and this petition is the most wonderful in the prayer. No human lips ever prayed thus before-" Father, I will." Abraham was the friend of God, and got very near to God in prayer, but he prayed as dust and ashes. I have taken upon me to speak unto God that am but dust and ashes." Jacob had power with God, and prevailed, yet his boldest word was, " I will not let thee go except thou bless me." Daniel was a man greatly beloved, and got immediate answers to prayer, and yet he cried to God as a sinner"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and do!" Paul was a man who got very near to God, and yet he says. " I bow my knees to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." But when Christ prayed, he cried, "Father, I will." Why did he

66

pray thus? He was God's fellow. "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow." He thought it no robbery to be equal with God." It was he that said, "Let there be light, and there was light." So now he says, " Father, I will." He spoke as the Intercessor with the Father. He felt as if his work were already done-" I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." He felt as if he had already suffered the cross, and now claims the crown. "Father, I will." This is the intercession now heard in heaven.

He had one will with the Father." I and my Father are one." One God-one in heart and will. True, he had a holy human soul, and, therefore, a human will; but his human will was one with his divine will. The human string in his heart was tuned to the same string with his divine will.

Learn how surely this prayer will be answered, dear children of God. It is impossible this prayer should be unanswered. It is the will of the Father and of the Son. If Christ wills it, and if the Father wills it, you may be sure nothing can hinder it. If the sheep be in Christ's hand, and in the Father's hand, they shall never perish.

66

II. For whom he prays." They also whom thou hast given me." Six times in this chapter does Christ call his people by this name " They whom thou hast given me." It seems to have been a favorite word of Christ, especially when carrying them on his heart before the Father. The reason seems to be that he would remind the Father that they are as much the Father's as they are his own; that the Father has the same interest in them that he has; having given them to him before the world was. And so he repeats it in verse 10, "All mine are thine, and thine are mine.' Before the world was, the Father chose a people out of this world; he gave them into the hand of Christ, charging him not to lose one, to bear their sins on his own body on the tree, to raise him up at the last day. And, accordingly, he says, "Of all whom thou hast given me have I lost none." Is there any mark on those who are given to Christ? They are no better than others. Sometimes he chooses the worst. A. Yes. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." One of the sure marks of all that were given to Christ is that they come to Jesus-" They all come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling." Are you come to Christ? Has your heart been opened to receive Christ? Has Christ been made precious to you?-then you may be quite sure you were given to Christ before the world was. Your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life, and your name is on the breastplate of Christ. It is for you he prays, "Father, I will that that soul be with me." Christ will never lose you. The Father which gave you to him is greater than all, and none is able to pluck you out of the Father's hand.

He reminds the When there was

III. The Argument-" For thou lovest me." Father of his love to him before the world was. no earth, no sun, no man, no angel-when he was by him-then thou lovest me. Who can understand this love, the love of the uncreated God to his uncreated Son? The love of Jonathan to David was very great, surpassing the love of women. The love of a believer to Christ is very great, for they see him to be altogether lovely. The love of a holy angel to God is very ardent, for they are like a flame of fire. But these are all creature loves; these are but streams; but the love of God to his Son is an ocean of love. There is everything in Christ to draw the love of hist Father. Now discern his argument-If thou love me do this for my people.

Just as he said to Paul, "Why persecutest thou me?" he felt himself one with his afflicted members on earth, Just as he will say at the last day, "Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, ye did it unto me." He reckons believers a part of himself—what is done to them is done to him. So here, when he carries them to his Father, this is all his argument,"Thou lovedst me." If thou love me, love them, for they are part of me.

See how surely Christ's prayer will be answered for you, beloved. He does not plead that you are good and holy; he does not plead that you are worthy; he only pleads his own loveliness in the eyes of the Father. Look not on them, he says, but look on me. Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Learn to use the same argument with God, dear believers. This is asking in Christ's name--for the Lord's sake-this is the prayer that is never refused. See that you do not come in your own name, else you will be cast out.

Come thus to his table. Say to the Father, accept me, for thou lovedst him from the foundation of the world.

IV. The prayer itself. Two parts.

1. "That they may be with me." (1.) What he does not mean.He does not mean that we should be presently taken out of this world. Some of you that have come to Christ may this day be favored with so much of his presence, and of the love of the Father -so much of the joy of heaven, and such a dread of going back to betray Christ in the world—that you may be wishing that this house were indeed the gate of heaven-you may desire that you might be translated from the table below at once to the table above. "I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ." Still Christ does not wish that. "I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but thou shouldst keep them from the evil." "Whither I go thou canst not follow me now." (Like that woman in Brainerd's journal-"O blessed Lord, do come! O do take me away; do let me die and go to

Jesus Christ. I am afraid if I live I shall sin again.") 2. What he does mean.-He means that when our journey is done we should come to be with him. Every one that comes to Christ has a journey to perform in this world. Some have a long and some a short one. It is through a wilderness. Still Christ prays that at the end you may be with him. Every one that comes to Christ hath his twelve hours to fill up for Christ. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. But when that is done, Christ prays that you may be with him. He means that you shall come to his Father's house with him. "In my Father's house are many mansions." You shall dwell in the same house with Christ. You are never very intimate with a person till you see them in their own house-till you know them at home. This is what Christ wants with us-that we shall come to be with him at his own home. He wants us to come to the same Father's bosom with him. "I ascend to my Father and your Father." He wants us to be in the same smile with him, to sit on the same throne with him, to swim in the same ocean of love with him.

Learn how certain it is that you shall one day soon be with Christ. It is the will of the Father; it is the will of the Son. It

is the prayer of Christ. If you have really been brought to Christ, you shall never perish. You may have many enemies opposing you in your way to glory. Satan desires to have you, that he may sift you like wheat. Your worldly friends will do all they can to hinder you. Still you shall be with Christ. We shall see your face at the table of glory. You have a hard heart, an unbelieving heart, a heart deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. You often think your heart will lead you to betray Christ. Still you shall be with Christ. If you are in Christ today, you shall be ever with the Lord. You have lived a wicked life. You have dreadful sins to look back upon. Still if you are come to Jesus, this is his word to thee," Thou shalt be with me in paradise." In truth, Christ cannot want you. You are his jewels, his crown. Heaven would be no heaven to him, if you were not there. This may give you courage in coming to the Lord's table. Some of you fear to come to this table, because, though you cleave to Christ to-day, you fear you may betray him to-morrow. But you need not fear. "He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ." You shall sit at the table above, where Christ himself shall be at the head. You need not fear to come to this table.

2. To behold my glory which thou hast given me.-There are three stages in the glory of Christ. It will be the employment of heaven to behold them all.

1st, The original glory of Christ--This is his underived, uncreated glory, as the equal of the Father. It is spoken of in Prov. viii., 30, "Then I was by him as one brought up with him; I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." And, again, in