a long trial: "I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer my terrors I am distracted." He was "a man of sorrows" from his youth. Often, often, he sank under the dark cloud of his Father's anger, till he groaned his last on Calvary. There was nothing in the nature of things to oblige him to do it. There was nothing good or amiable in those for whom he died; they were vile sinners, not asking him to die for them, blind to his excellency and divine glory. Yet he was obedient unto death. This is the obedience by which he covers and justifies all those, however sinful, that come to God by him.

3. The consequence: "Many are made righteous." We have seen that in the fall and ruin of man, it pleased God to deal with man, not as a field of corn, each standing on his own root, but as a tree, in which all the branches stand or fall together. We were not made sinners, each by his individual sin, but all by the sin of one. In like manner it has pleased God to justify sinners, not each by his own obedience, by his own goodness and holiness, but " by the obedience of ONE." Just as Adam by his one sin brought death, the curse of God, and total spiritual death, not only upon himself, but upon all branches, even the most distant, even the minutest, even though unborn; so the second Adam, by his own obedience, brought pardon, righteousness, spiritual life, and eternal glory to all his branches, even the most distant, the smallest, even those unborn.

(1.) They are made righteous. Those who betake themselves to Christ are made righteous. It matters not what they have been before, they are righteous now. They belong to a righteous family, to a righteous tree; the root is righteous, and so are all the branches. They are not forgiven only-not only have their infinite sins been blotted out, but they are made righteous. They are not only made innocent, as if they had done no sin, but righteous, as if they had fulfilled all righteousness. All that Christ did and suffered is counted theirs. Neither are they made righteous as if they had obeyed, but as if they had obeyed divinely. They are made righteous all at once. We were made sinners all at once by one blow-by one man's sin; so those of you who cleave to Christ are made righteous all at once. You have not to wait many years before you find acceptance. You find it the moment you cleave to Christ: "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life"-"In the Lord have I righteousness and strength" "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory."

(2.) Many, not few. The first Adam was the root of a numerous family, to whom, by his disobedience, he transmitted death and sin. The second Adam is the root of a numerous family, to whom he gives pardon and holiness. They are scattered over every country and every age, so that often they seem few, but they are many when gathered together. "So shall thy seed be."

"I saw a great company which no man could number," every one made righteous in this way. "In my Father's house are many mansions," and none of them will be empty, yet every one will be righteous in the disobedience of one. O will ye not be among the many!

(3.) Many, not all. The second Adam offers himself to all. He is willing to be co-extensive with the first Adam. Ruin, by the fall of the first Adam, extended to every creature; and so the gift of the second Adam is to every creature ; "Go, and preach the Gospel to every creature." The Gospel is preached to every creature under heaven. Christ stands willing to be a root of pardon, and righteousness, and eternal life, to every creature. Yet all do not, and will not, come. The most stay away, and die in their sins. I fear the most of you are now staying away from Christ. O that you were all made righteous in God's way!

III. Lessons.

1. Most are on the wrong way. Many people are in earnest in a wrong direction. When a ship is wrecked, and the sailors take to the long-boat, they toil hard to get to land, but often they row in wrong directions. So with sinners. Many of you are in earnest, but not in the right direction. Most are trying to be righteous in the obedience of many-each in his own. You want to stand on your own root. You will not take guilt from the first Adam, neither righteousness from the second. Are you wiser than God? If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. You are trying to make Christ useless. Is it not better to submit to God's way-to fall in with the divine scheme-to submit to the righteousness of God?

2. All believers are equally righteous before God. I have seen a family of children all dressed alike, that none might boast over the others, all being equally fair. So it is with God's family; they are all righteous in the obedience of One. One garment covers them all-the robe of their elder Brother. Believers differ

in attainments, in gifts and graces, but all are equally justified before God. It is not work of their own that justifies them, it is the work of Christ alone. Ah, brethren! there is no boasting in Christ's family. "Where is boasting then? It is excluded." This is what keeps most away. They cannot bear to be on the same level with a drunkard or a publican. They cannot bear to come before God along with Mary Magdalene and the dying thief.

3. You may come always to God this way. It is not once only that you need this divine obedience to cover you, but all your life long. The moment you forsake Christ, you lose your righteousness before God. But you may return now. This obedience is always the same-always full-always divine. You say you are changed: Christ is not changed. You say you have got new guilt: Christ is still the same. You may still be made righteous

once more in the obedience of one. Why stay away from Christ? Can you make yourself righteous away from him? Can you be righteous any other way than by submitting to him? Dundee, April 17, 1842.-(Action Sermon.)

SERMON LXXVIII.

THE LORD KNOWETH HOW TO DELIVER.

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”—2 Peter ii., 9.

THERE are only two great classes of people in the world-the godly and the unjust; and the way in which God deals with these two classes makes up the history of the universe. To one of these classes every one of you belongs. 1. The godly are those who have been born again-made partakers of the divine nature, and live unto God. 2. The unjust are those who are ungodlywho have never been born again--who live to themselves and to the world. God deals very differently with these two classes.

I. His treatment of the godly.

1. He allows them to fall into temptations. The whole Bible shows that it is common for believers to be carried through many and great temptations. Temptations may be understood in two ways. (1.) Solicitations to sin. All believers are allowed to fall into these. The old nature remains; though crucified, and morti fied, and hated, yet it remains. Satan shoots his fiery dartslays snares for the soul. The world watches for our halting. No doubt Noah felt these in the old world, and Lot as he walked through the streets of Sodom. (2.) Trials. All kinds of trial which try the soul whether it will abide in Christ or no-reproaches and persecutions. Often the trial is fiery. The whole Bible testifies that it is common for believers to fall into these. The ordinary course of a believer passes through these: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able."-1 Cor. x., 13. Think it not strange. James says: Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." And Paul says, "that he served the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears and temptations."-Acts xx., 19. You may think it strange that God should take us by such a way to gloryby tears and temptations. Why did he let Noah live so long in a world of trials? Why did he let Lot remain in the midst of Sodom?

1st, To manifest the reality of grace. It is said: "There must

be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you."-1 Cor. xi., 19. For the same reason there must be temptations, that those of you who are really God's children may be made manifest. In a time when there is no trial or temptation, it is easy to receive the Word with joy, and many among you appear to be Christians; but when temptation comes, many go down--many that seemed to get good at one time, to be moved, and to wait diligently on the Word. Perhaps if you had been allowed to go smoothly through life without temptations, you would have remained with a name to live all your days; but temptation came, and you sank, just to show that you were none of his. But Noah is kept in the midst of the old world, not conforming to the world, to show that there is a divine power working in him-to show that there is an electing, forgiving, upholding God. Lot is kept in Sodom to show the same thing. And you that are believers are kept by the power of God, through manifold temptations.

2d. To condemn the world. Noah was moved with fear, by which he condemned the world. When a poor fellow-worm and fellow-sinner was enabled to live above the world, to commune with God, and to go in and out among them, living for eternity, it proved to them that there was a Saviour-that there was a God of grace. A believer is a living demonstration of the way of salvation. Lot condemned the men of Sodom, when he vexed his soul from day to day, when he lived among them a pardoned sinner, upheld by the Holy Spirit. And so the few believers in this place are condemning it. O, if you had never seen what conversion is if you had no examples of a holy, renewed believer in your neighborhood, you would stand with a bolder face in the judgment! But, ah! every believer in this place condemns you. Why not wash where we have been washed?

3d, That we may be conformed to Christ. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. Christ was tempted by the devil, and hated by the world; and we must be glad to share in his sufferings. God desires us to be like our Head in all things.

2. The Lord knows how to deliver them.

And

(1.) They know not how to deliver themselves. I have no doubt Noah often said: I fear I too shall be carried away with the flood; I fear my faith will fail me; I know not what to do. Lot often trembled in Sodom; and David, when Saul pursued him. Many of you do not know how to deliver yourselves. You are compassed about as with a flood, by old companions, old lusts, a hating world, a roaring lion. (2.) Man knows not how to deliver you. It is common for souls under temptation to ask counsel of ministers, but they cannot deliver you. Nothing is more vain than the help of man in an hour of temptation. (3.) The

Lord knows. More is meant than the mere words imply. The Lord not only knows how to do it, but will certainly deliver the godly out of temptation. He loves them. Every godly one is a jewel in his sight; he died for them, and he will not lose one. When he puts them into the furnace, he sits as a refiner. He has promised they shall never perish: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." He will with the temptation make a way of escape: "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."

It matters not what the temptation be. It matters not how great the temptation be, and how weak the believing soul. Some children of God say sometimes: If it were a lesser trial, I could bear it; if the furnace were not so hot, if the temptation were not so great, I could get through; or, if I had more strength, if I were an older and more experienced believer. Look at the words: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation." Is anything too hard for the Lord?

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It matters not how few the believers be. There was but one Lot and one Noah. Perhaps they said: "The Lord hath forgotten me, and my God hath forsaken me." God is as able to deliver one as a thousand. One soul is precious in his sight: "I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and bring you to Zion""I will sift the house of Israel like as corn is sifted in a sieve; yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"-" Those whom thou hast given me have I kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

II. God's treatment of the unjust: "God knoweth how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished."

1. The end of all the ungodly is to be punished. Whatever be God's present dealings with the ungodly, their end is to be punished. Whatever shall be found laden with sin, his end is to be punished. The angels sinned. They were of a noble nature— originally in the image of God; yet God did not spare them, but cast them down to hell. The old world sinned-a great multitude-a world full; God brought in the flood upon them. An individual town sinned; God turned it into ashes, and made it an example to all that should afterwards live ungodly. This will be the end of all in this congregation who live on in sin. Ah! it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for you. Your end is to be burned.

2. Not now: "God knoweth how to reserve." Judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily. During the French Revolution, a young man stepped forward, and dared God Almighty to strike him dead. No evil followed. Many of you have gone on in sin thus. The first time you sinned, you trembled lest you should be quickly summoned to judgment; but no evil followed, and now your heart is fully set in you to do evil. Ah! you little understand. "The Lord knoweth how to reserve." God's ways