within them to the present day, with like sensations under similar enjoyments; the flame of divine love is kindled in their souls; the words of his mouth appear to them sweeter than the honey of the honeycomb; his doctrine drops like the rain, and distils like the dew, and sensible that none teacheth like him, they admire and love him before all others. Oh! how excellent a thing it is thus to

love the Saviour.

Let it be our happiness to sit at his

feet; and with meekness receive the ingrafted word of truth, which is able to save the soul, so shall its admirable Author rise daily more and more in our estimation. Finally it was the glow

(4) of holy animation of soul.

Divine light broke in upon their minds, and dispersed their remaining unbelief; they were elevated above the world to the contemplation of their adorable Redeemer. He touched their finest feelings; he filled their souls with the sublime joys of his salvation; he inspired them with pure devotion, and fixedness of heart, and while he led them to the consideration of Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, he prevented them from being weary and fainting in their minds. And oh! Christians, what sweet moments; rich in blessing, have you enjoyed, when in converse with Immanuel. "Whether in the body, or out of the body," you have hardly been able to tell; drops of heaven have been bestowed upon you here below, the light of the Divine countenance has caused you to take your harp from the willows, and make every string speak to the praise of love divine. Did not your hearts burn within you? Were you not like Peter on the mount, who, in an ecstasy of joy said, "Lord, it is good to be here ?" You anticipated the joys of the blessed, you

drank of the brook by the way, and seemed ready to depart and to be with Christ, to drink wine new with him, in the kingdom of his Father. This holy delight in God is real, and not enthusiastic; it is bestowed only on the new born heirs of grace, and it is given them as a pledge of joys to come; their hearts burn within them while he talks with them by the way.

In reflecting on this subject we are struck with the idea. that we often have to blame ourselves for not sufficiently estimating our mercies during the time of their continu

ance.

These disciples, notwithstanding the pleasure they had found in his society, did not, till just as he left them, discover him to be their Lord; to the present day Joseph often knows his brethren, whilst they know him not. And then afterwards they say, did not our hearts burn within us? True, they did. But why did not we value the blessing while we enjoyed it? Why did we not say, as the word of wisdom dropped from his mouth, it is the Lord? Again, a review of past favors greatly supports the mind under present bereavements.

When we seem forsaken; when our affections towards Christ appear but cold, oh! what a privilege it is to be enabled to revert to a period when our hearts did burn within us, while he talked with us by the way. This thought cheers the drooping spirits, and raises the fainting head; it excites our hope, too, that he will be with us again, and hold converse with us, even till the hour of death; yea, it makes us argue, that if the Lord had intended to destroy us, he would not have made our hearts burn within us by his divine communications.

It is the duty and interest of us all earnestly to pray for the society and conversation of Christ.

The blessing itself is so desirable, for it is to have the honor of dwelling and walking with Christ, and the sensations which he, by his discourse excites in the mind, are so pleasing and delightful, that we ought earnestly to beseech. him to tarry with us; if he is an instructor and companion, how short will the distance to heaven appear, and how light and momentary the trials of the way.-Lastly,

If those who travel with the Saviour, are thus blessed, how miserable are they who are altogether alienated from him.

Sinner, you never yet enjoyed the society of Christ, nor do you wish it. You are loading him with reproaches, and will have none of his counsel, and he will never say of you, 'they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy;" the fever of lust, and the torment of envy shall be your curse, while you live in the pains of hell, your portion after death, when you will burn in the "fire that never can be quenched, and the smoke of your torments shall ascend up for ever and ever." Oh ! may we, instead of this awful glorfied with his constant presence

doom, be honored and

in a better world; so shall the chosen of Nazareth be praised and adored by us for ever and ever.

417

SERMON XIX..

DEATII BY ADAM-ETERNAL LIFE BY CHRIST.

"As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."-1 CORINTHIANS xv. 49.

"THE proper study of mankind is man ;" and the best science to which any of us can attain is, to know ourselves; for "all wisdom centres there." Human nature is a fit subject of investigation, and will well repay the mind's attention to it; it has frequently been represented in unjust and improper points of view; men have formed very mistaken ideas of themselves and of their condition, and have too often represented their case to be rather what they wished it, than what it really is. The testimony of the Bible, however, viewed in connection with facts which we are every day called to witness, will appear to be the best teacher of what we are in our true character, our real condition, and our bounden duty. originally was, what he now is, excellence he ought to attain. fruit of heavenly wisdom, can we derive proper ideas of human nature. Here its past excellence, its present degradation, and the only means by which it can possibly be restored, are detailed with unquestionable veracity, and told

Here we learn what man and to what standard of From the Bible alone, that

by the Spirit of God. Here we learn that, as in Adam all whom he represented, the whole human race, fell and died; so in Christ Jesus all to whom he is a covenant head shall live forevermore: and that as these characters, before conversion, gave awful evidence of fatal union to their head, so by the grace of God shall they now be made to resemble Jesus, who is given as a covenant of the people, who is the Head of the body, the church. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Here, then, you perceive the depth of misery to which you fell, and the height of happiness to which you are raised. My text shows you the man, by whose disobedience you lost your peace, your happiness, your God. My text presents you also with that glorious Redeemer, who has restored that which he took not away, and given you more blessings than your father lost. In discoursing upon this text, we must

I. Confirm the lamentable fact, that, by nature, we all bear the image of the earthy.

II. Rejoice in the glorious truth, that, as believers, we shall bear the image of the Lord from heaven.

It is necessary that I

I. Show that we all bear the image of the earthy Adam. So says my text; so says experience, the melancholy experience of all ages and nations; so witness the shrieks, the groans of dying infants; so testify our own eyes, beholding the miseries that are abroad in the world; so witness our own feelings in the endurance of those ills to which mortality is subject. Here, too, let it be remembered, that the