telling Him and the world that he cannot decide which of them to choose-cannot decide whether he will prefer God or Satan as his master, to honour, serve, and obey. Were it not mockery, or worse, to ask if these affronters alike of God's majesty and mercy, have put on the Lord Jesus Christ-if they are following the steps of Him, who, in leaving heaven and visiting earth, in all His words and works, in all His sorrows and sufferings, in life or in death, had but one aim, one object, which, with a holy fervor of zeal that was never for a moment damped or dimmed, a holy determination of purpose that never for a moment wavered or compromised, He uninterruptedly pursued, even to do the will, to finish the work, to honour the name, and to advance the glory of His Father in heaven? Is the cold formalist, is the wavering compromiser modelled after Him? Oh! my dear friends, is it not enough to make one shudder to think, by the review we have taken, what immense multitudes who call themselves Christians, when thus weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, are found wanting, branded with the mark of condemnation by that awful sentence, "If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of His." But why do I dwell on the melancholy theme? Is it that I feel a gloomy pleasure in proving how fearfully narrowed is the circle within which the faithful followers of the Son of God are to be found? No! no! from my

heart I can say would to God that all who hear me this day, were not merely almost, but altogether such as He was, for then would I rejoice, with such joy as could only be understood by a pastor who loves His people, and desires to see them, as his crown of rejoicing, in the day of Christ's appearing. Do I then wish those who, by want of conformity to the Saviour's character, are proved as yet to have no interest in the Saviour's righteousness, therefore to despair of His salvation, instead of coming to Him as a Saviour? God forbid; not such is the message I am commissioned to proclaim, not such the ministry with which I am entrusted. No; it is a message of mercy; a ministry of reconciliation; and this is its glad tidings, "It is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," to purchase pardon for the guilty, righteousness for the ungodly, redemption for the ruined, salvation for the lost. The most abandoned and the most amiable are alike warranted, and alike welcome to come to Him for a free, full, everlasting salvation, and must alike, if they do not come, perish everlastingly. The penitent Magdalene, and the pious Mary, are equally welcome to sit at His feet, and hear from His lips the words of eternal life. Do I then wish you, who are now unlike the Saviour, to wait till you have attained some measure of confor mity to His character, before you come to Him for

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salvation. No, my friends, this were to reverse the Gospel process. Christ must be received as a Saviour, before He can be followed as an example; we must have learned to trust in the merits of His death, before we can learn to walk in the footsteps of His life; we must come to Him first for pardon, then for holiness, and confide in His cross before we can copy His character. Come then at once to this almighty and all-merciful Redeemer, all ye in this assembly who feel convinced you are not yet modelled after His example, nor conformed to His image-fling yourselves at His feet this day in a firm, though humble confidence, grounded on His own words, of His equal willingness and power to save you to the uttermost, and pour out your hearts in penitential sorrow and fervent supplication, saying: "All-sufficient Saviour of sinners, all-glorious King of Saints, I confess, with deep shame and anguish, that I have hitherto borne Thy name only to disgrace it, and professed Thy religion only to dishonour it. Oh! take me as I am, and make me what I ought to be; wash out my sins in Thine own blood, clothe me in Thine own righteousness, and by Thy Spirit, stamp Thine own image on my soul, and O Redeemer! grant, that while trusting undividedly in Thy meritorious obedience unto death, the features of Thy divine character may be seen reflected in mine with increasing clearness and brightness, every day, till I

see Thee face to face, in that world where the glorified spirit, like an unsullied mirror, shall reflect Thine image without one sullying spot, or stain, in pure and perfect holiness, for ever and ever. Amen, and Amen."

SERMON VI.

THE SAVIOUR'S CHARACTER.

[CONTINUED.]

ROMANS, xiii. part of the last verse.

"Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ."

We live in an age of extraordinary religious excitement and profession. Religion—evangelical religion, as it is popularly termed, is almost become fashionable, and ranks among its votaries many of the high-born and honourable in the land. The preaching of evangelical ministers is crowdedly attended, evangelical treatises are eagerly read, and evangelical doctrines warmly discussed, in circles where, some time since, such treatises and doctrines would have been deemed equally unfashionable and unwelcome. This is confessedly matter of heart-felt joy, and devout thanksgiving, for we are warranted to hope that, though not in full proportion with the extent of profession, still there is