pent? They look to you for the portion of goods that fall'eth to their share; not only "the meat which perifheth, but that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." If you are unfaithful they are undone. On the other hand, "great is your reward" on earth, and ftill greater "your reward in heaven," if you are honoured to become their spiritual parents, as you are parents after the flesh; if, after having introduced them into this world of nature, you are made the happy inftruments of introducing them into the kingdom of God; if you and they together are at length added "to the general affembly and church of the firft-born, which are written in heaven, and to the fpirits of juft men made perfect," through Jefus the mediator of the new covenant, and the "blood of fprinkling, that fpeaketh better things than that of Abel." Young man, thou wert in early infancy, by the piety of affectionate parents, baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. The birth of nature beltowed on thee the name of thy Father after the flesh; when thou wert sprinkled with water, another name was prefixed to it, which continues to be thy diftinctive appellation. Both were indeed imposed without thy consciousness or confent, but in both thou haft cheerfully acquiefced, perhaps they are a fource of pride to thee. Even the acquifition of an eftate will hardly induce a man of fpirit to forego his parental defignation, but the Chriftian name is indelible. Every time thou writeft it then, every time thou heareft it addreffed to thee, thou art admonished of thy dedication to God Baptifmal engagements rife into view. "I am not my own, for I am bought with a price. What, deny my name! What, fell it for a painted bauble! No, I glory in it; I will not permit it to be dishonoured. What my parents did in my behalf when I was a little child, I now openly avow. They have done their part, through the help of God I will do mine. The name of Chrift fhall not be blafphemed through my unworthinefs. My brothers bear with me the common name of our ancestors, but I will render my own diftinguished among many brethren. I will never blush at being called a Chrif❤ tian." My friend, thou haft paffed through the water at the age of puberty. Baptifm was thy own act and deed. Thou haft entered into the kingdom of God, confcioufly, deliberately. The vows of God are upon thee. That young perfon, made a chriftian by the act of parents, when come to years may difallow that act, may renounce the name, but thou haft fubfcribed with thy hand unto the Lord. 66 Thou haft put the yoke of Chrift upon thy own neck and haft affumed his burthen. Thou haft opened thy mouth unto the Lord, and muft not look, must not go back. Thou ftande ft pledged to God and to the world to fupport the honour of the Chriftian name, to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." You feel and acknowledge the obligation; no temptation, no compulfion can induce thee to retract it. Next facramental folemnity the vow fhall be renewed, repeated. The language of thy heart is: "I am not afhamed of the gofpel of Chrift: for it is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth :" "God forbid that I fhould glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." If the spirit and power of the inftitution, we repeat it, are thus understood and felt, let a man pass through water into the pale of the church of Chrift, or procure that privilege for his child, by the rite of aspersion as confcience may prescribe, and let us "be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another." The Evangelift, at this interval, prefents us with the genealogical table of Chrift's defcent from Adam downward. It brings us all to the common level of brethren, Through endlefs and intricate ramifications every man finds himself derived from one and the fame root, "the son of Adam, the son of God." And the Chriftian is "born again," he is "a new creature," being "begotten again unto a lively hope, by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." The law of nature binds us to each other as men, the law of the gospel doubles and strengthens the cord of love. This is Chrift's "new commandment," the badge of difcipleship," the fulfilling of the law," " the bond of perfectness." "A new commandment," fays our bleffed Lord, "I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another. By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, it ye have love one to another." Has God vouchfated to give fuch teftimony to the Son of his love? Receive it, reft upon it, improve it as a rule of life, as a fource of confolation. Ye" have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we have made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift;" for though you were eye-witneffes of his majefty," you have a more fure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as not 66 66 unto unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-ftar arise in your hearts." Ye call Chrift "Mafter and Lord :" and ye fay well, for faHe is. "It became Him to fulfil all righteoufness ;" He put refpect on the ordinances, on the houfe, on the word of God: "leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his fteps." Let the name, the day, the temple, the word of the Lord be hallowed in your eyes. "Know ye not, that fo many of us as were baptized into Jefus Chrift were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death; that like as Chrift was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.' "The Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily fhape like a dove upon Him" when He was leaving the world, and going unto the Father, he promised his difciples to "give them another Comforter, to abide with them for ever; even the Spirit of truth." That Comforter was to teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance. "He fhewed himfelf" to them "alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs:" He repeated his promife; "He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promife of the Father, which, faith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." It was accordingly fulfilled: "When the day of Pentecoft was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And fuddenly there came a found from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were fitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it fat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Thus were they comforted for their Master's departure; thus they received" an unction from the Holy One," whereby they were fet apart unto, and fitted for their great work; thus were they ftrengthened to begin and purfue a career which will be felt till time expire. The fame Spirit is promifed, and is given to us to" help our infirmities," to" guide us into all truth," to take what is Chrift's and fhew it unto us, to "comfort us in all our tribulation," to fhew us things to come. We look not for a, miraculous effufion, to enable us to speak with tongues, to prophecy, to work miracles; but we have good ground to ask and to hope that God will give us "the fpirit of power, and of love, and of a found mind." Ofend out thy light and thy, urath; let them lead me, let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and and to thy tabernacles; then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy." Our bleffed Lord entered on his public miftiftry at the age of thirty, and it was accomplished within the fpace of little more than three years. Think how much was done in that fhort space. Were the things which Jefus did, as they ftand on this record, and the "many other things" not recorded therein, to be "written every one," fuch would he their number and their luftre, that they would to the world appear to be abfolutely incredible, and therefore the world would not be disposed to receive them. Here we have an illustrious pattern of the employment, of the improvement of time. "I must work." fays he, "the works of Him that fent me, while it is day;" the duty of the feafon in its feafon. How ought we to blufh at our laborious idlenefs, at our pompous nothings! What have we to fhew for our thirty, forty, fifty, threefcore years? Hardly enough to furnish a decent infcription for a tombstone. Were the hiftory of the most induftrious and useful life to be fairly delineated, the world would have cause to wonder at the frequent and hideous chafms, the wild confusion, the indecent rapidity, the caufelefs delay which the detail would prefent. What a picture then muft the life of the profeffedly idle and diffipated, of the profligate and vi cious exhibit! All enters into the book of God's remembrance, and muft all come into judgment. What precious time, what invaluable opportunities of doing and of receiving good, have been fhamefully neglected, have been vilely caft away ! What moment granted man without account ?' What years are fquaader'd, Wisdom's debt unpaid! Much is irretrievably loft. Who knows how little may remain? Now it is high time to awake out of fleep: the right is far spent, the day is at hand : let us therefore caft off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.. Let us walk honeftly as in the day," and " put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift." "Awake thou that fleepest, and arise from the dead, and Chrift fhall give thee light. See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wife, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." LECTURE LECTURE X. MATT. IV. 1-11. Then was Jefus led up of the spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fafted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the templer came to him he faid, if thou be the Son of God, command that thefe ftones be made bread. But he answered and jaid, it is written, man fhall not live by bread alone, but by ev ery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, caft thy/elf down: for it is written, he fhall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jefus faid unto him, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and faith unto him, all thefe things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then faith Jefus unto him, get thee hence, fatan : for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and miniftered unto him. JONDERFUL is the influence which external objects poffefs over the mind of man: wonderful it is to reflect how body and spirit act upon each other. On a fimple determ-* ination of the will, every limb is in motion, every nerve is exerted and the man is burning under the line, or freezing at the pole. Let the blood be tranfmitted with a little more than ufual rapidity, or move a little more fluggishly, and all the mental faculties are deranged a new world arifes, every former idea is blotted out. The glance of that eye, at one time, chills me with terror, and at another it melts me into love. This note rouses me to the battle; and that foothes me into melancholy. Internal ferenity and depreffion are produced by a clearer or groffer ftate of the air. And if we are thus liable to be affected by objects merely material, what must be the influence of mind upon |