all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." This was Solomon's way; oh! how many parents teach their children to get money. But see the 10th and 11th verses of the context: "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." Yes, they must part with it. True, they hold it as long as they can, as the miser dying feeling his gold; but it descends to others. But

3. Persevere in seeking. A beggar would not come and leave his petition, and return no more; if he get not the answer then, he comes again and again.-You know it takes you a long time, frequently, to learn your tasks; you do not throw the book away because it is not at first acquired. Come again and again; plead the promise-plead it very humbly; tell the Lord you know that you do not deserve it, but that he has promised it for the sake of his Son, and say, Lord, I am a little child.-And do not be discouraged because you know so little: "Who hath despised the day of small things?"

4. And always obey up to any light you receive, however small he will give more grace do what he revealsleave undone what he forbids; you once said naughty words, now you know it is wrong-forsake it; you once played with bad boys-now you would not play with a sweep-keep yourselves unspotted.

III. When may I obtain it?

Why, this is just the time; to you I emphatically say, this is the accepted time; "early" in life, just as the bud is opening, offer God the flower; you have a special promise; God peculiarly loves little children. Oh! how different to a wrinkled sinner, debauchee-casting his old polluted carcass, which is a sink of iniquity, upon God. See the woman who was forty years hearing sermons, and yet thought her soul a large bone. *

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Early" in the day: "Early will I call upon thee;" "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning." Oh! it is so sweet a time; and then you come down to breakfast so heavenly looking, and apply to your lessons; and God blesses

you in school all day. Yes, and let me tell you that Dr. Doddridge *

Now, my dear children-I love you; I hope to meet you in heaven where Jesus is, and I know that this is the way; I do not tell you that I believe it, but I know it: will you come along with me? Mark the promise: "They shall find me." I promise you-Solomon promises you. But a greater than I or Solomon-God promises you.

I will pray for you in the morning; will you all meet me at a throne of grace in the morning? Which of you will? -(Conclude by an ejaculatory prayer.)

THE

SERMON XX.

BELIEVER LONGING AFTER IMMORTALITY.

2 Corinthians, v., 1-4.-For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which. is from heaven ;

If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

WHAT is the principle which causes the martyr to meet the stake with a smile, as if going to a wedding-feast? What induces the missionary to bear every clime? What bears the private Christian up above all the trials to which he is exposed? It is the subject which animated the apostle's mind in the words before us.

The Christian and the man of the world are not more distinguished than by this one thing: the latter is taken up with time; he sees not afar off; his heart and treasure are both here; but the Christian looks not at the things which are seen, but at those which are unseen and eternal.

I. Enlarge a little upon the subject the apostle presents to our view. Death was a subject familiar with him; he had looked at it in every feature. Mark the familiarity and propriety of his expressions:

"Earthly house:" Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou

return.

"Tabernacle:" The Arab's tent not more liable to be struck-and we are gone.

But is not this the lot of all men? Why, then, do you not all view it thus? Is there a shrinking from this thought? Ah! death is not familiar with you. Wherefore the difference between you and the believer? You cannot follow us now in the text.

"We have a building of God"-he looked with rapture to the time when he should receive his glorious body; this is God's building, "eternal"—not earthly-" in the heavens," fitted for that pure state of enjoyment.

"We know this." It is no conjecture.

II. The impression this made on the apostle's mind. "We groan," not that we are querulous or complaining, but we are from home! like pilgrims in the desert, like children in a far country, we sigh, "I have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better."

"Being burdened." Carrying a load with us; a load of corruption, pressing down the spirit and driving our duties into a corner; burdened with sickness, disease; burdened with temptation, always buffeted by the powers of hell. See preceding chapter, verse 8: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair."

Yet, in the midst of all this, with the big tear in our eye, for, believe me, we feel our sorrows, we exclaim as in the 17th verse, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Our tears form a rainbow-and faith brings us near.

"Not that we would be unclothed."-Our desire is not so much to die; we wait our appointed time. God wills us to remain here, and we have learned to submit thereto, "as it is in heaven." The duties we owe to others also cause us to be reconciled; it is more needful for you that we abide in the flesh-for us to live is Christ.

"But clothed upon :" here is our desire: &c.

"That mortality might be swallowed up of life." Oh! this longing after immortality.

III. More particularly point out the characters to whom this prospect is laid open :-in this chapter.

They are thus distinguished: "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." Abba-Father-the earnest of our inheritance: the Spirit itself bears witness.

"We walk by faith, not by sight;" we have not seen, yet have believed. See the examples, Hebrews, xi.

"We are confident"-a full certainty "that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord: wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him ;" not idle-whether present or absent-to be accepted of him! here is our aim-the applause of man is pleasing, but then our work is with the Lord! our eye is on him! his opinion is the final decision on our case! Shall not I labour for this? indifferent to the frown or flattery of men; "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

Application. Lay hold on the 10th verse to apply to the sinner, and the 11th and 15th verses to apply to Christians. Hold on a little longer.

SERMON XXI.

THE DUTIES OF THE DAY PERFORMED IN THE DAY.

PREACHED IN BEHALF OF SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.

John, ix., 4.-I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.

THE history of the life of our blessed Lord and Saviour is highly interesting in all its parts and happy in all its connexions. He never for a moment lost sight of his one great

business in the world; it lay near his heart, and out of the heart's abundant fulness his mouth always spake.

At a period of life when others are slumbering over the fancies of childhood we find him in the Temple amid Jewish doctors; and when his anxious mother chidingly reproved him on account of the anxiety he had caused her, what was his reply?"Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

:

While urging on his rapid career, and fully engaged in the character of a prophet sent from God, in which he intimately blended the display of the Divine benevolence, his lips again and again echo the music of his heart: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work." In short, as long as he was in the world he was the light of the world his business must be done while it was day-his night of death came, wherein he could no longer work; the Sun of Righteousness was eclipsed; creation participated in the shadewas enveloped in darkness and shrouded in her sablest hue; but the eclipse was of short duration-while angelic hosts seized an interval to retune their harps for higher strainsthat they might sing "to him who was dead and is alive;" who rose with healing under his wings, and has finally taken his seat on his mediatorial throne!

But are we therefore not partakers of his light? Yes; for though the material sun may withdraw himself from our bodily eyes, yet we walk in the reflection of his rays even after his body is concealed from observation; so, though the Sun of Righteousness, after having displayed his glory on our earth a few years, took his rapid flight to the regions of eternal day, yet he has left him that refulgence that he that keepeth his words shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life! The influences of his Spirit, which he has shed on us abundantly, shall enlight en and enliven all who truly call him Lord, till we are lost in the full splendours of him "whom, having not seen, we love; and in whom, though now we see him not, yet, believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!"