mind; and it must never be forgotten, that these two, the old and the new man, will lodge together in the same breast until death destroys the old, and introduces the new man to everlasting bliss! Remember that it is the constant opposition between these two natures which makes the Christian warfare, and produces real experience. In proportion to the strength, health, and victory of the hidden man of the heart, personal sanctification advances. In making that estimate, be careful to distinguish the fruit of the old from the virtues of the new man. Trust the Lord to complete his own work. Live daily upon Christ, the only food of the new man. Be zealous for the Lord who hath done so much for you; and, in a little while, the new man of grace shall be in the new world of glory, to praise the Lord for ever and ever!

Internal evidence assures the man

Who feels it of the pow'r of truth divine;
And truth divine assures the man who sees

Its hidden beauties of a place in heav'n.
But rich experience will produce rich fruit;
And holy meditations in the heart,

Nurtur'd, will into holy actions spring.

Thoughts, words, and actions, in one golden chain
Together link'd in harmony, and worn

With the becoming grace, experience adds,
Is Christian beauty, flourish where it may.

SWAIN.

D

LECTURE IV.

THE HAPPY SABBATH.

REV. i. 10.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.

In holy duties let the day

In holy pleasures pass away;

How sweet a Sabbath thus to spend
In hope of one that ne'er shall end!

Stennett.

THE history of God's people evinces, that the most painful events are frequently subservient to their greatest advantage; and it is equally true, that their faith and love never appear more resplendent than in the furnace of affliction. God turned the curse of Balak against Israel into a blessing; and equally so, when Domitian sentenced John into exile, in the Isle of Patmos, God there gave him the brightest views of the glory of Christ; revealed to him a variety of the most important events which should take place in the world and in the Church; and, at the same time, indulged him with the richest experience of celestial love and communion with himself. Though John was banished from the public assemblies of the Church, he was not unmindful of the Lord's day; nor did the Lord of the day forget him. He was in the Spirit. From thence alone the pleasures of the Sabbath can arise, whether in exile, in the private chamber, or in the congregation of the Lord. It is my intention, therefore, in this discourse, to show you the influence of the Spirit of God upon the soul of man, in order to the enjoyment of an happy Sabbath; sincerely wishing you

may personally experience what it is to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day.

1. By the Spirit of God alone a communication can be opened between a sinner and his God. He must be born again of the Spirit, else it is absolutely impossible the soul should move towards God in prayer and praise, which are the two principal parts of worship. God is a Spirit; and they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth. Just views of God, who is the object of worship, a consciousness of our sinfulness, and an hope of acceptance in the person, righteousness, and intercession of the Lord Christ, are derived immediately by the soul of man from the Spirit of God. Through Christ we have access, by one Spirit, unto the Father. And it is well known, after this intercourse is opened by the Spirit of God, that the worshipper meets with numberless temptations and evils to interrupt his mind in maintaining the comfort of communion with his God, in his closet, and in the Church, on the Lord's day. We are, therefore, directed to the Spirit, who helpeth our infirmities; and by whose agency the mind is illuminat. ed, faith is called into exercise, and the power of prayer raised in the heart, so that the pleasures of fellowship with God flow abundantly into the soul. This is that communion of the Holy Ghost which Paul so ardently wished the Corinthian Church. This gives wings to prayer; for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. This it is that constitutes the true circumcision; and those who possess it worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

You now clearly see, that to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day, is not only for the Spirit of the Lord to be in you, but that it is his holy influence which must enliven,

warm, and actuate your souls, in order to enjoy the sacred sweets of devotion on the Lord's day. May the unction of this blessed Spirit be more abundantly poured out upon you, that, whether in private or public, your Sabbaths on earth may be spent in the most sensible communion with God.

2. It is with peculiar pleasure I assert that to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day, is to have a sight of the glories, and a taste of the love of the LORD OF THE DAY. On reading the book of Revelations, who but must stand in profound admiration at the grand and infinite excellence of the appearance of Jesus Christ to St. John! What is the Sabbath day to a true Christian if he hath no sight of Christ the beloved of his soul, and the fountain from whence all his hopes and comforts flow? Jesus assured his disciples that the Spirit of truth should come; he should guide them into all truth, bring all things to their remembrance; and that he should glorify Christ, by taking of his excellencies, and reveal them to their understandings, so as to afford them the most sublime joy of heart. From this source also, we must receive all our views of Jesus, and derive our hope in him; for no man can callJesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. We may here easily discover the cause why we are so little acquainted with Christ, and so seldom, with David, see his glory in the sanctuary. Ah! how often do we grieve the Spirit of Jesus in this branch of his holy work, and rob ourselves of the true pleasures of the Lord's day! Were we more habitually under the influence of this GLORIFIER OF JESUS, what frequent and transcendant views should we enjoy of the grandeur of Immanuel's nature! We should behold the variety and virtue of his offices, the endearing relations he bears to his people, the complete

ness of his redemption, the unsearchable riches of his grace, and the promise of his coming in the brightness of his glory, to receive us to himself! Let us then remember, as God hath promised his Spirit to them that ask him, that our duty, interest, joy, and happiness, call upon us to plead for the soul-animating influence of that Spirit. In proportion to our views of Christ, and our experience of his grace, will be the true pleasures of the Sabbath. That must be a gloomy Sabbath, in which the Sun of Righteousness does not arise and shine upon you. In our future days, may each, with rapture, be able to declare, I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet unto my taste!

3. Another invaluable privilege of possessing the Spirit on the Lord's day, is an evidence of ADOPTION. To worship God is certainly the duty of rational beings; but the case with man, by sin, is such, that he has lost his moral power and inclination to this duty. If any, therefore, are found to worship God, it must be upon a principle which nature can neither bestow nor devise. God, as the God of grace, hath adopted his children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. The knowledge and experience of our personal interest in this adopting grace, is by the teaching of the Spirit. Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Possessed of this Spirit, you are enabled to worship God in private or in public, not as slaves or as foreigners, but as children begotten again of the Lord, made night by the cross of Jesus, and heirs of God through Christ. The love of your everlasting Father, you will enjoy as shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost given unto you, and enable you to delight in God; pray in sweetest