again; and the next, and equally certain is, to wallow in their mire more than ever. And thus this man's last state is worse than his first. And in this state perhaps he is suddenly cut off by the judgment of God.

We must not be lookers on for a moment hone ony sin is going on. things

come.

ܶ ha possi

That one look may slaves for ever; and even if we

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in the sin (which indeed is not he that allows it his countenance must suicy abet it), we shall have our share in the judgment. Do we not continually meet with examples, in the case of riots, for instance, where the unoffending spectators are mixed in the same destruction as comes upon the rebels? Yes, and not undeservedly so. They are not really unoffending. They had no business there. Their presence gave encouragement to the t. The rioters took them, of course, (as tey did not resist them in their resistance to 1 ) to be their friends and abettors, and therefore were more daring than they would otherwise have been; so if man's justice could have distinguished them from the rioters, it would have punished them notwithstanding. It is so also in God's judgments: He will allow no one to look upon an act of sin, and at the same time reckon him innocent of it; but will set his portion with the most wicked among them, and raise him up in the same company to judgment. So many

disgraceful scenes would not take place as they do, in every neighbourhood, if they were not encouraged by these backward looks of such as know better.

Let all, then, remember Lot's wife, how and why she became a standing visible monument of the judgment of God, with which He will visit not only upon actual sin, but also upon all who turn back to look upon sin; when, as Christians, they have professed, and vowed, and promised to forsake it. Our Church intended especially to warn us against it at this season '. God grant that she may not have warned in vain!

5 First Sunday in Lent.

SERMON V.

THE SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION.
(Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.)

LUKE Vii. 14.

"And he came and touched the bier : and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise."

WHAT an example is here of the gracious loving-kindness of the Redeemer of the world! what a glorious earnest of the putting forth of his power at the last day by the resurrection of the dead! To the poor weeping widow He restores her last and lost worldly hope and comfort, in her revived son, her only child. To all beholders He manifests the stupendous spectacle of the dead returning to life, not through the power of prayer to God, as of Elijah's before Him, and of Peter's after Him, but by power of very command as very God, the Son of God. "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." As He said also on another occa

sion, "Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise." And as at the last day He will say, "Return, ye children of men." Let me endeavour to improve the blessed occasion of our having this remarkable work of our Lord brought so conspicuously before our notice, and offered so directly to our attention on this day.

Observe the circumstances mentioned in the text. Jesus touched the bier. Why was this? Our Lord almost invariably accompanies his miracles with some sign, proper to the occasion. So here He touches the bier, as if He would say, "Bearers! stop! there is no need of your going further on to the grave. For you shall not be bearing a dead corpse a moment longer. The man shall return to the city of the living together with you, alive as you are." And the bearers, suddenly struck with his sign of authority, stood still. Then He addressed the young man in these words, the like of which shall ring at the last day. through all the vaults and sepulchres of the earth, and all the depths of the sea, and the dead shall hear the voice of his trumpet and arise. And then the bystanders saw the colour return to the cheeks, the eyes open, the lips move, the breast heave, and all the rest of the signs of returning life in a shorter time than I have mentioned them, and Jesus delivered him to his mother.

How many of us would have been delivered from tears of sorrow and groans of anguish,

if the Redeemer had thus interposed with his quickening might, to shut the mouth of the grave against some beloved member of our family or kindred! But the time is only delayed, and we meanwhile are warned to prepare for that day which will come to us, even as it has come to them. Let us then consider our own condition, and let the words of the text be the guide to serious thoughts and heavenly affections.

They give a particular instance of the merciful dealing of our Redeemer. Let us go on from it to a general example. Has He not delivered the whole body of mankind from death, and that death not only of the body, but of the soul and spirit? For man lived once in the city of God, where is the palace of his presence, and the Church of his saints, whose people are the elect of God, and whose gates. are righteousness. He had angels for fellowcitizens, and God for his governor. But he sinned, and he died. So he was carried out as a corpse, full of corruption, hateful to all the living spirits there; and the pit of the grave was dug for him, the deep and bottomless pit of everlasting destruction. But as they were carrying him out, when they had now borne him far onward to the grave, the Son of God met them; and He had compassion. He stopped the bearers to destruction; He bade man arise, and return to the city of