So that we may all subscribe to what Job says: "If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet," the Lord would "plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes would abhor me." (Job ix. 30.) Indeed, it is God's prerogative: "I am the Lord which sanctify you" (Lev. xx. 8:) and again; "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you." (Ezek. you."(Ezek.

xxxvi. 25.) Give him, therefore, your polluted hearts, and pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Ps. li. 10)

As to the hardness of the heart.---When it is like a stone, impenetrable; like a rock, immoveable; neither sermons, nor prayers, nor mercies, nor judgments, can make it feel. What a melancholy case is this! The stupified person himself may smile in the midst of all, and, because he feels no pain, apprehends no danger; but by-standers weep over his insensibility, as a sad prognostic of approaching death. This also is a distemper which he only who made the heart can cure." For God maketh my heart soft." (Job xxxiii. 16.) "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within. you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." (Ezek. xxxvi. 26.)

Again a straitened heart is a distemper which gracious souls often complain of.-Instead of that freedom and fluency and fervour in serving the Lord, which they have known in times past, now they are shut up their spiritual senses are hardly exercised to discern good and evil;-their faculties are, as it

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were, benumbed ;--they seem to themselves as if they had eyes, but saw not; ears, but heard not; as if they had feet, but could not walk; grace, but could not exercise it. They cannot pray, they cannot give thanks, they cannot mourn for sin, they cannot delight themselves in the Lord; and they may as well lift a mountain, as lift up their hearts to heaven. They have lost their recollection: what passed in former times between God and their souls is as if it had never been all the experiences they have had of the divine power and grace and faithfulness, are like a book sealed up; or, if it be open, it is so confused and blotted that they can make nothing of it.-A case common, and truly pitiable, is this! Human pity will not do. What a mercy, then, that," like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him; for he knoweth our frame:" and he bids the north wind awake, and the south wind come, and blow upon our garden : he quickens us, according to his loving-kindness; and we renew our strength, so as to run without weariness and walk without fainting---yea, and to mount up with wings as eagles. It is said, that "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand on the sea-shore" (1 Kings iv. 29:) and it is from God we must expect it too: therefore we can only promise, with David, "I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart." (Ps. cxix. 32.)

I might in the same manner have gone over all the other distempers to which our hearts are subject, and have shown how God alone can heal them; but I hope these few instances may suffice. They that

are whole, need not a physician, but they that are sick while you fancy yourselves well, it signifies nothing to offer you advice; but when you feel your disorders, you will need little persuasion to apply to Him, who is eminently the Physician of value.

4. Because God alone can fill qur hearts.

Naturally we are poor, and destitute, without any thing substantial to live upon our heart and our flesh faileth, and we cry, to every one we meet, Who will show us any good?---Our carnal hearts fly first to carnal things: but can carnal things give us the content we look for? Our sphere is too confined; peither our circumstances nor our constitutions may allow us to make all the experiments which our inclinations might prompt us to; but we have upon record the testimony of one who went through all the round of vanity; and perhaps it will be better received, if I quote him, not as Solomon the Preacher, but as Solomon the King: "I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. F said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself to wine (yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom,) and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.... I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the pros vinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers,

and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was greaf, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy: for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and, be hold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Eccles. ii. 1.) This was Solomon's experience: and say, ye chil dren of this world, ye lovers of pleasure, say if it be not your experience too. You that love silver, were you ever satisfied with silver; or you that love abundance, with increase? Did not drunkenness inflame your thirst, and every gratification provoke desire? In the midst of your sufficiency were you not in straits?It is so, it must be so-however you may attempt to conceal it from the world, or excuse it to yourselves it will be always so. You might as well fill your belly with the east wind, as satisfy the cravings of your souls by making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof." But give your hearts to God, and you will find it otherwise. "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him he also will bear their cry, and will save them." (Ps. cxlv. 19.) Let the desires of your heart be never so enlarged, you will always find enough. "I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." (Ps. Ixxxi. 10.) This was the happy experience of the Psalmist, when he said,

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"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." (Psal. Ixxiii. 25.) This also was the happy experience of the Apostle, when, in the midst of outward straits and difficulties, he said, "I have all, and abound." (Phil. iv. 18.) And this is the happy experience of I believe I may say, all-true Christians at times, when God is pleased to make good. that gracious promise of Christ; "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John xiv. 23.) I say, when a believer is thus admitted to fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; when the glory of God dazzles the eye, and the love of God fills the heart, and every power finds sweet employ, and every sense is replete with joy:-no words. can express what he feels on that occasion: it is indeed a joy unspeakable and full of glory! Wants, wishes, desires, expectations-all are swallowed up in the sight, in the possession, of God, his exceeding joy.

And if God so fill the hearts of his saints here, what will he do when they arrive at heaven! Here our hearts are straitened, and encumbered besides with a multitude of worldly cares, which, in spite of all our vigilance, will steal in and occupy too much room: but then, these obstacles, and every other obstacle to our enjoyment, shall be removed: our hearts shall be enlarged, purified, and perfected: corruptions of every kind shall be done away-and then, Christians, then we shall