haps some wandering messenger of mercy. He could not rest, but left his country to go to Jerusalem. There he found no peace, no light. Sad and weary he proceeded on his journey home. Still his heart was heavy; he sat reading Isaiah the prophet. By the mercy of God, Philip was sent to him, and in his chariot preached to him Jesus, the Lamb of God. O what a new world. now opened to the Ethiopian! He sees the way of righteousness without works. Now they come to water: "What doth hinder me to be baptized? If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him; and he went on his way rejoicing." Is this your experience, beloved? Have you sought Christ as he did? Have you found him as he did? Do you believe with all your heart? Then the Lord's table is open to you, and you will go on your way rejoicing. But, ah! it is not so with most. If some of you had been keeper of Candace's treasures, you would not have gone the length of the street to find the way to be saved. Some of you never read your Bible as that Ethiopian did-never sought instruction. You dare not say that you have believed with all your heart. Why, then, would you sit down at this holy table? You may come: but, alas! you will not go on your way rejoicing.

II. It is very dangerous.

1. They are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. There is no sin less thought of on earth-there is no sin more thought of in heaven and in hell, than unworthy communicating. Those who commit it are sharing with those who betrayed and murdered the Lord Jesus. They share with them in two respects.—(1.) In pretending love and friendship towards him; (2.) In real hatred to him in their hearts, and contempt for his Gospel. When Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus, he pretended great love for him. He had followed him during all the years of his ministry-had preached in his name. He sat very reverently at the Lord's table; dipped his hand in the same dish with Christ. His words were smoother than butter; but war was in his heart. When he came to betray Christ he said: "Hail, Master!" and kissed him; yet all the while there was awful hatred in his heart-a deadly enmity at Christ and his Gospel.

So the high priests and Pharisees pretended great zeal for God and for his cause: they pretended to be very sanctified and holy men; and yet they hated and condemned Christ to die. The soldiers of Herod pretended great respect to Christ, when they kneeled to him and said: "Hail, King of the Jews!" but all the time they mocked and hated him. Pilate pretended much to be a friend of Christ: he washed his hands, and said: "I am guiltless

of this innocent blood;" and yet he condemned him to be crucified.

So it is with unworthy communicants. You come to the Lord's table with a great show of respect. You appear deeply solemnized. You take the bread and wine, pretending that you have been converted; that Christ is your portion. You appear to be under deep emotion. Yet all the while you despise Christ and his people-ridicule conversion, and the life of grace. "Woe unto that man! it had been good for him that he had never been born."

You have the same heart as Judas, as the high priest, as the soldiers, as Pilate. You are guilty.

2. Eat and drink judgment. This is true in two ways. (1.) It is adding another sin, heaping another mountain on the burdened soul, and so bringing heavier condemnation-sinking the soul deeper. (2.) It is always hardening; all sin hardens, but especially sinning in holy things. One who makes jests out of the Bible is hardly ever saved, it is so hardening. But of all sins against holy things, unworthy communicating is the most hardening; so that an unconverted man communicating does often literally eat and drink damnation to himself. Just as a child of God drinks life, so he drinks death, out of that cup.

Some of you may be saying: Though I be unconverted, I will go; for though it do me no good, it will do me no harm. Is it no harm to add another sin to your soul? Is it no harm to harden and seal your heart unto perdition? Is it no harm to eat and drink judgment to yourself?

Some may be saying: I hope I shall cover the sins of my past six months by it. Some of you, who have only been once or twice at church all that time, will be saying: I will make up for past neglect, and cover my sins. Will it cover your past sins, to add another to the heap? Will it atone for your broken Sabbaths, to come and profane the sacrament too? Will it cover sins to eat and drink judgment?

3. Many weak and sickly, and many sleep. There are some sins which God visits with temporal judgments, as weakness of body, sickness, and death. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost, they fell down dead at the apostles' feet. When Herod gave not God the glory, he was eaten up of worms, and died upon his throne. So it is especially in profaning the Lord's table. This is God's word, who knows best; "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." The Lord Jesus, the master of the table, has all providences in his hand, and he can, and does, make use of them to bring down those who insolently profane his table. Just as God has provided a real hell of material fire that never will be quenched, in order to affect some gross sinners, who would not be moved to flee from anything but bodily pain; so in the Lord's supper it pleases God to make use of

sickness and death to keep off profane hands from that bread and wine. I have often observed God doing this. I remember three deaths which took place in such a way and at such a time, that I could not doubt it was the fulfilment of this verse. Watch and see, beloved!

Take heed, then, O beloved, lest when the bread is in your mouth you should fall down dead. Ah! it is an awful thing to die profaning the Lord's table; for you will sink lower than the grave.

"Therefore, let a man examine himself." What are your real motives for coming to the Lord's table? Is it because you are come to a certain time of life? But are you born again? Is it because your family are coming? Is it for a name? Is it for money? Ah! Judas over again. Is it to get baptism for your child? That is to commit one sin to help you to commit another. Is it to praise him for what he has done for your soul?-Ps. cxvi. Is it to show the world whom you have chosen? Is it to get nearer to Jesus? Come, then, and lean on his breast, and never draw back. Amen.

Dundee, 1841.

SERMON LXXXII.

MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."--Acts xx., 35.

THESE words form part of a most touching address which Paul made to the ministers of Ephesus, when he parted with them for the last time. He took them all to witness that he was pure from the blood of all men: "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." It is deeply interesting to notice that the duty of giving to the poor is marked by him as one part of the counsel of God; so much so, that he makes it his last word to them: "I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." These words, which he quotes from the mouth of the Saviour, are nowhere to be found in the Gospels. It is the only traditional saying of our Lord that has been preserved. It seems to have been one of his household words a common-placeuttered by him again and again; "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

I am glad of having this opportunity of laying before you this part of the counsel of God; for God knows there is no part of it I wish to keep back from you-that you ought to labor to sup

port the weak; and the only argument I shall use with you is that of our blessed Lord: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

I. We should give liberally to the poor, because it is a happier thing to give than to receive.

It is happy, because it is like all happy beings. All happy beings are giving beings; their happiness consists not in receiving, but in giving.

1. Angels. The whole Bible shows that the angels are happy beings; far happier than we can conceive. (1.) They are holy beings-ever doing God's commandments. Now, holiness and happiness are inseparable. (2.) They are in heaven-always in the smile of their Father. They " do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven;" they must be happy-no tear on their cheek, no sigh in their bosom. (3.) They are represented as praising God-one crying to another, "Holy, holy, holy," and singing," Worthy is the Lamb." Now, singing praises is a sign of mirth and gladness. "Is any merry? let him sing psalms." Now, I want you to see that the happiness of these happy spirits consists in giving. 1st, they all give: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salvation?" Upon the earth very few people give; most people like to receive money; to keep it, to lay it up in the bank, to see it becoming more and more. There are only a few people that give these often not the richest; but in heaven all give. It is their greatest pleasure. Search every dwelling of every angelyou will not find one hoard among them all. They are all ministering spirits.

2d, They give to those who are far beneath them. They are not contented to help those that can help them back again, but they give, hoping for nothing again. There were some poor shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem; yet a great angel did not hesitate to visit them with kind and gentle words; nay, it would seem that there were many more that would fain have been allowed to carry the message; for no sooner was it done than a multitude of the heavenly host were with him praising God. You remember, too, how kind the angels were to the beggar Lazarus. The dogs were the only ones that ministered to him on earth; but the angels stooped on willing wing, and bore him to Abraham's bosom.

3d, The highest love to give most. There is reason to believe that the highest angels are those who go down lowest, and give up most in the service of God. Jesus expressly says so: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant." The angels that see the face of God, stoop to serve the meanest children of God. It is the happiness of the happiest angel that he can give up more, and stoop lower down in sweet, humble services, than the angels beneath him.

Dear Christians, you often pray, "Thy will be done on earth as

it is in heaven." If you mean anything, you mean that you may serve God as the angels do! Ah, then, your happiness must be in giving. The happiness of the angels consists in this. If you would be like them, become a ministering spirit.

2. God. We know very little of God; but we know that he is infinitely happy. You cannot add to his happiness, nor take from it. We know also many things that enter into his happiness. Everything he does must afford him happiness. As when he created the world, and said, "All very good;" God was happy in creating. But the Bible shows that his happiness mainly consists in giving, not in receiving. (1.) His giving food to all creatures is very wonderful-not one sparrow is forgotten before God. The whole world has been cursed, and God could justly cast the whole into destruction; but he does not, he delighteth in mercy. The young lions seek their meat from God. He feeds the ravens when they cry. (2.) He gives to the wicked: "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust." Just think for a moment how many thousands God feeds every day who blaspheme his name, and profane his Sabbaths. He gives them food and raiment; turns the hearts of people to be kind to them; and yet they curse God every day. Oh how this shows that God delighteth in mercy. "Be ye merciful, even as your Father in heaven is merciful." (3.) But, most of all, he gave his own Son. God delights in giving. It is his nature. He spared not his own Son. Although he was emptying his own bosom, yet he would not keep back the gift. Now, some of you pray night and day to be made like God: "Blessed art thou, O God: teach me thy statutes." If you will be like him, be like him in giving. It is God's chief happiness, be you like him

in it.

Obj. Would you have me give to wicked people, who will go and abuse it? Ans. God gives to wicked people, who go and abuse it; yet that does not diminish his happiness. God makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and pours down rain on the just and on the unjust. It is right to give most and best to the children of God; but give to the wicked also, if you would be like God. Give to the unthankful; give to the vile: "Give to him that asketh of thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away, remembering the word of the Lord Jesus."

3. Christ. He was the eternal Son of God, equal with the Fa ther in everything, therefore equal in happiness. He had glory with him before ever the world was. Yet his happiness also consisted in giving. He was far above all the angels, and therefore he gave far more than them all; "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." He was highest, therefore he stooped lowest. They gave their willing services, he gave himself; "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our