thou art on the brink of a fiercer furnace of fire: and God thy enemy, and an eternity of misery before thee; and art thou not concerned about thine own life, thy eternal life? What infatuation hath seized thee, that thou art so insensible?Canst thou contend with the Almighty Jehovah? "Hast thou an arm like God?" (Job xl. 9. )— Canst thou resist his determinations, or elude his judgment? Dost thou fear when the forked lightning's glare flashes into thy chamber, or tremble when the thunder of God's power bursts from the cloud and rocks the ground? And how canst thou then look forward, so unconcerned, to that dread hour when the Judge "shall be revealed in flaming fire;" (2 Thess. i. 7, 8.) when the heav ens shall be wrapped together as a scroll, and the elements melt with fervent heat;" (Isai. xxxiv. 4.-2 Pet. iii. 10.) the earth be shook from its foundations, and be dissolved; and all created nature sink around thee in one promicuous ruin ?

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Or wilt thou make him a liar, and his speech of none effect? "Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numb. xxiii. 19.) To indulge thee in thy sins, will he dishonour his faithfulness, forfeit his justice, and deny himself? Surely "the hope of the sinner is as the spider's web." (Job viii. 14.) But are not these, say you, the phantoms which priestcraft hath invented to overawe the minds of the superstitious? No, sinner; thou wilt find these are dreadful realities; too true for thee: and if not believed in time, thou wilt be made to feel what now thou affectest to despise. But the curse delays. The up-lifted arm of vengeance is suspended. The collected wrath yet waits a moment. The warning voice is heard.

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Sinner, arise, tremble; look upwards. See with an eye of faith that sign, that bloody sign. Pardon and peace await thee beneath the banner of the cross. O that thy heart felt thy sin and ruin inevitable; and sought, whilst yet he might be found, that Jesus who can alone deliver from the wrath to come. Under his shadow thou mayst be safe. He will interpose his own body between thee and the curse of God: and there thou mayst yet be hid in the day of God's fierce anger. His deep wounds afford a safe retreat; his heart is opened for thee, that there thou mayst be covered from the descending storm. O that under his wings thou mayst be gathered before the trump of judgment awakes, and Time is no longer!

Secondly, Beware of seeking help from the destroyer. "The strength of sin is the law." (1 Cor. xv. 56.) Seek not to this for healing. More perish not by negligence than by error. We nat

urally seek to fly the curse by flying to the law. Pride ever weds us to it. We think still to make our foe our friend: but ever must the curse remain, whilst by the works of the law we seek ac'ceptance with God: yea, never so sure remain as when we fancy it is removed thereby. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (1 John i. 8.) If we say, "by works of righteousness which I have done," I shall be saved, verily we have " a lie in our right hand." We must be dead to the law. We must expect no more to escape wrath by it, than by rushing upon the sword of our enemy. We have not kept it. We cannot keep it. We are cursed by it. We are undone by it for ever. We must know ourselves to be so. We must feel ourselves ungodly. We must know that we have no strength to be otherwise. We must lie down and say that we have

sinned. We must despair for ever of ourselves. One sin brings us to this state. But whose sins are not innumerable? Beware of all dependence then on your own doings. Your sorrow, your amendment, your promises, your endeavours, your sincerity, or whatever else; these cannot save you. They must be utterly renounced; they are incapable of removing your guilt, or obtaining God's favour. Your case for any thing you can do is helpless and hopeless; to see it to be so is the very way to help and hope. For then,

Thirdly, There is deliverance at hand. The lost and the desperate need never perish for want of help. The Son of God is come on purpose to seek them. "He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for us.' (Gal. iii. 13.) What we could never do he hath done for us. He hath become the sinner's surety. The law hath been put in force against him. He hath stood trial in our name and character. "He hath taken away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Heb. ix. 26.) Sin is everlastingly "condemned in the flesh," (Rom. viii. 3.) by the sufferings of the Son of God. The law hath no more demands upon Christ. He died for sin once. The curse is endured. "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus;" (Rom. viii. 1.) for he is risen again; it is plain thereby he hath obtained a legal discharge. Death hath no more dominion over him, for he hath put an end to wrath: All is finished. What a hope is this! A door of mercy is opened for sinners! O who will not croud into it? With what urgency should we press to him? Guilt is confessed; the law hath decided; the executioner is at our heels. O! blessed Jesus, hear, help, save us, dying sinners! We fly to thee, for elsewhere help and hope we find not! Open to us; Lord, open to us the

for us.

door of safety! Open thy heart which once bled Hide us in the cleft of this rock! Then shall we at a distance only hear the thunder's roll, safe from fear of evil. Where no law reaches, no wrath descends, no curse seizes the helpless criminal: but pardon, peace, redemption, glory, are the blessings freely bestowed upon the chief of

sinners!

SERMON VIII.

REDEMPTION BY JESUS CHRIST.

GALATIANS III. 13.

CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US.

WHILST man affects to be "wise above

what is written," the gospel of Jesus must expect an unfavourable reception. At reason's tribunal, truths, because incomprehensible, are counted absurd; and it is sufficient to stamp them as folly, because they cannot be fully understood. Yet such are the grand truths of christianity too deep for this shallow line to fathom; and simply resolvable into the authori ty and veracity of him who hath revealed them. "Whoever therefore will be truly wise, must become a fool that he may be wise." (1 Cor. iii. 18.)

That the eternal God should stoop to be incarnate; that he, whom the heaven and the hea→ ven of heavens cannot contain, should lie, hid in the womb of a Virgin; that he, "who bindeth the deep in swadling bands." (Job xxxviii. 9.) should himself be wrapped in swadling clothes and laid in a manger; that he, who is the ancient of days, should be born an infant; that he, who is "the everlasting Father,' should be a Virgin's Child; that he, who is in