of sins ;" and in whom alone the sinner can find pardon, peace, and hope.

Under this heavenly teaching, new light breaks in upon the soul. It had heard before of Jesus Christ : perhaps it had professed belief in his name, and bad even rendered to him a formal service; but now, it has far other and clearer views of him. It discovers in him a suitableness, which it never saw before. It sees that the salvation which the Gospel offers, is a salvation exactly fitted to its wants. With the Apostle it now learns to "count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord ;" and even to be willing" to suffer the loss of all things, that it may win Christ and be found in him, not having its own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." So great is the change, which has been wrought in the soul, since the time that it trusted in its own righteousness, and supremely valued the things of this world.

But the work is not yet complete. False grounds of comfort have been removed. The only true foundation has been discovered. An anxious desire of being built on it has been excited. But one further step yet remains; namely, actually to build on it, and to experience the comfort which belongs to it. Nor does the comforter leave this work unfinished. He enables the soul to lay hold of, and to appropriate to itself, the blessed hope set before it. He enables the soul to believe on Christ, and to rely on Him for the fulfilling of Phil. iii. 8, 9.

his promises to itself. In the course of this process, there may, by turns, be many doubts and fears. Light and darkness may alternately succeed. But hope in the end prevails; faith gains ground, and peace is thus gradually restored to the soul: a peace totally unlike that which had been lost a peace which passeth all understanding; the legacy, which Christ has left to his Church; and, as we have seen, the work and fruit of the Holy Spirit the comforter.

The use which I would make of this subject, is one which the subject itself naturally suggests. I would use it for our comfort. Possibly some of you may be at this time under the leading and teaching of the spirit of truth, and yet may be ignorant that you are so. He may have convinced you of sin. By his secret work in your soul, he may have gradually brought you to think of yourselves, in a very different way, from what you used to think. An impression, of which perhaps you can give no clear and accurate account, has, by degrees, been made upon your heart; and the effect has been that you find and feel yourself to be a sinner and such a sinner as you did not once suspect yourself to be. Many parts of your conduct, of which you formerly took little or no account; nay, on which perhaps you once looked with satisfaction and complacency, you now perceive to have been sinful. You find much more to be required of you, than you formerly supposed. And thus, while the demands against you' seem daily to be increasing, the wrath of God, and the terrors of a judgment to come, appear to you far more serious things, than was wont to be the case. The

consequence of all this inward experience is, that you are uneasy and distressed. You have lost your peace of mind. Your.comfort is gone. Those things, which used to give you peace and comfort, no longer give you any. Perhaps you even perceive, that the very trusting in them, as you used to do, was in itself a sin. You therefore feel a dislike and an abhorrence of them; and wonder that you could ever find pleasure or comfort in them. In the mean while, your worldly friends, not knowing what is passing in your heart, and totally mistaking the nature of your case, may be urging you to drive away your melancholy thoughts, and to seek the recovery of your peace in those very things, in pleasure, company, and business, where you feel that you can never find it. Nay, you yourself may greatly mistake your own case. You may perhaps be supposing, that all these things are against you; that this conviction of sin, this fear of wrath and judgment, this loss of peace, this deprivation of former comforts, are but the beginnings of sorrows, the too probable proofs that God has forsaken you, and the certain intimations and earnests of the wrath to come. May what has been said in this discourse help to undeceive you! May the Holy Spirit the comforter make use of it, to forward his gracious work in your heart; to shew you that this is indeed His work; and that by these means He is gradually preparing you for that real, solid comfort, with which, in due time he will cheer and refresh your souls! Instead then of being cast down, be thankful and rejoice. Be thankful that you have been brought to see the vanity of those foundations, on which

"He

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you once were built. Be thankful that your false comforts are destroyed; that the world is no longer` your treasure that your own righteousness is no longer your trust. Rejoice in that there is a real treasure within your reach; a sure rock, on which you may securely place your hopes. Follow the leadings of the blessed Spirit. Listen to those cheering truths which he reveals to you in his holy word. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved." that believeth on him, shall not be confounded." Lord Jesus Christ is the Pearl of great price; the true invaluable treasure. He is the Rock of Ages; the only sure foundation. Lay hold of this treasure. Build on this one foundation. Hear what the gracious, heavenly Saviour himself declares to you, and to all like you. "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." If you are one of those, whose case has been here described, you are heavy-laden. You are labouring under a distressing sense of sin, under an anxious desire of finding some real, lasting consolation. Come then unto him, who so tenderly calls you to himself; who so freely offers to give you rest. He has already sent bis Spirit into your heart to prepare the way for your coming to him. May that Spirit further incline and help you to come! May he enable you with the heart, to believe on Jesus Christ, and so to make your peace with God! May he subdue your corruptions, purify your affections, enable you to fight manfully and successfully against the enemies of your salvation, and shed abroad the love of God in your souls! Thus may he fulfil in you his graVOL. II. 28

cious work of love and consolation! May he bind up the broken heart, and heal the wounded Spirit; and as your heavenly comforter, sanctifier, and friend, abide with you for ever!

SERMON XXVI.

CERTAINTY OF SIN FINDING US OUT.

NUMBERS, XXXII. 23.

Be sure your Sin will find you out.

THERE is nothing which proves more ruinous to the souls of men, than the hope of being able to sin without incurring punishment. It is this hope, which first tempts them to commit sin, and afterwards keeps them from repenting of it. Did they feel assured that punishment would certainly follow the offence, fear would prevent them from committing it. After having commited it, were they but convinced that judgment would surely overtake them, they would at least be anxious to avert it. But resisting every assurance and all conviction of these things, they rush into sin without fear, and live in it without apprehension. Though liable every moment to be called into judgment, they feel no concern, or if a serious thought at times rises in their mind, they speedily dismiss it with the presump