You are moving about amidst deadly sickness, the touch and the breath of infection are daily upon you; each has the disease in him, adding fresh poison to that of his neighbour. Yet those who would fly with the utmost cowardice from the fancied danger of the presence of bodily disease, even in the same neighbourhood, are bold and careless in the very midst of spiritual sickness; they infect and are infected daily. For this nevertheless there is a true security, not to be obtained by cowardice but by faith; the security of trusting that the Lord is gracious; that blessed are they who trust in Him, and that they who fear Him lack nothing.

June 6, 1841.

SERMON XIII.

MEETING AFTER SICKNESS AND DEATH.

PSALM CXIX. v. 176 or last.

I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments.

ONCE more, after a separation of unusual length, we are here assembled; not all of us indeed, nor the largest part of our numbers, but yet we here form a congregation; the church in our house, if I may use such an expression, is come again into existence, bringing with it to all its members their various duties. And if we remember what cause has kept us apart so much longer than usual, and what circumstances of most unwonted solemnity marked or followed the time of our last dispersion, we shall all see that never did it more become us to make haste as it were to offer ourselves before the Lord; to utter our confessions, our prayers,

and our vows, that at once and without any delay we may be His church, not in word only but in power, assembled into one congregation to promote His glory, and the salvation of our own souls.

Well therefore do the closing words of that Psalm which was read this afternoon in our service, become us all to use in the deepest earnest this day. They are that mixture of confession, of entreaty, of holy resolution, which should meet in our prayers. "I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost," is the confession; "O seek thy servant," is the entreaty; "I do not forget thy commandments," is the penitent and holy resolution. Without some such resolution either conceived or expressed, there could indeed be no acceptable because no true prayer. To say, "I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost," would be mere mockery, nay it would be like a horrible glorying in sin, if there was not at the same time in the heart the good purpose, "I do not forget thy commandments." But because that good purpose will not of itself prevail, but we should ever have to repeat in spite of it our confession of having gone astray like a sheep that is lost, therefore the entreaty for help is well interposed between them, and we say and must say ever, "O seek thy servant." May thy help change my weak purpose into a strong and victorious resolution, that I may

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not go astray, but really and truly remember thy commandments, remember them to do them. Amen to such a prayer may be well said by us all.

"We have gone astray like a sheep that is lost." It is the very language of the general confession of our church service, yet some may think that it is too strong for all to repeat, that there ought to be some at least of Christ's people who abide with Him always, who, having been found by Him once, have gone astray no more. And doubtless our Lord's words to His apostles have been true of many since, when He said to them, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, and is clean every whit; and ye are clean, all except one." We may allow then thankfully, if we will, that all could not say continually that they "have gone astray like a sheep that is lost;" gone astray they have from the narrow road that leadeth unto life, but not far, nor habitually; they need not, to use our Lord's figure, save to wash their feet, and are clean every whit. Nay it is possible, very rare, doubtless, but still possible, that some having been brought to Christ in their infancy, and having been trained up carefully from their earliest years in His faith and fear, have never within their remembrance gone astray from Him altogether, like the sheep that was lost. Yet even these must know enough of their own natural inclinations,

and must be taught sufficiently by their actual faults, to be able to apprehend but too well the meaning of the words, even though in their strictest sense their own experience has been a stranger to them. If any one then amongst us has been so true to his baptismal covenant as to have walked with Christ all his days, surely his deep thankfulness to that mercy which has so kept him, and which has confined his experience of the words only to a light and partial sense, will lead him to join in the entreaty and in the resolution which follows with an earnestness, I had almost said, beyond us all. But for the most of us, are not the words quite true of some period at least within our memories? Are they not true of many periods, of some not very remote; nay, are they not true of the very time which has just now passed, since we met here together last? Within the very last three months, have not many of us,-God knows who or how many, God knows and so do our own consciences if we ask them,-have not many of us gone astray like a sheep that is lostay, in all the fulness of the words? Have we not gone astray, not for a few minutes only, in some hasty words, or passing temper, but for hours and days, if not more? Have we not gone very far astray, out of sight altogether of our divine Shepherd, to a distance where we forget Him entirely? Have we not lived just as we should have