The Churches at Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea have perished. The candlestick has been removed out of its place. The Spirit strives long with the disobedient ; but there is a time when he ceases. Invitations, warnings, and judgments are employed for a certain period, to arouse and save sinners; but that period is limited. Even in this life some are consumed with terrors, and driven to distraction under the torturing agonies of a conscience which has ceased to remonstrate, and begun to upbraid. There are some who are made to experience an earnest of the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched. They know that the anger is kindled against them which will burn like a devouring fire, and that there is no peace to them in time or in eternity.

There are others, however, who have no bands in their death their strength is firm to the last. But after death comes the judgment, and then they are loaded with everlasting chains. They may die peaceably; but they will instantly lift up their eyes, being in torments. They may enjoy their good things in this life, while the good have their evil things; but this will only heighten the contrast hereafter, and aggravate their despair. Their desolation will come upon them suddenly and unexpectedly. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Sinners are happy in the midst of visitations and warnings, only because they keep themselves blindfolded and

deaf. Theirs is the joy of the beasts that perish; the illusory bliss of a dreaming man; and they have only to awake, as one day they must awake, from their dream of perdition, to find the illusion gone, and its baseless fabric melted into air. There is no peace to

them in those dreary mansions to which they are hastening.

Let us now endeavour, in the spirit of self-application, to draw from this subject instruction and improvement to ourselves.

We have seen that the great trespass of which the Jews were guilty was their joining in affinity with the heathen around them. Now, the inquiry naturally presents itself, what sin, if any, similar to the trespass of Israel, may professing Christians be guilty of? If we bear in mind the reason assigned by Moses, why the Jews were forbidden to join in affinity with the nations, we shall be enabled to come to a satisfactory conclusion.

As the covenanted people of God, the Jews were solemnly bound to renounce all idolatry, and all familiar intercourse with idolaters, lest thereby they should be turned away to serve other gods. As Christians are God's covenanted people now, they are under similar obligations to renounce the world, and all familiar intercourse with those whose character and conduct might prove to them a snare to beguile them into sin. If this is granted, then it is obvious that on our part, as disciples of Christ, a sin similar to that of the Jews "great trespass" will be, our mixing freely, and entering into intimate friendships, with the men of the

world. Such familiar association must have a pernicious effect upon ourselves, and, through us, must be highly dishonouring to the holy name by which we are called. St. Paul thus exhorts the Corinthians : "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore

come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." You will observe that the Apostle assigns a similar reason with unequally yoked together. congruous and monstrous.

Moses for their not being
The union in itself is in-
It is an attempt to mingle

light and darkness, holiness and sin, and to make an

agreement betwixt Christ and Belial. The Apostle

therefore says,

"Come out from among them, and be ye separate," even as Moses, in like manner had said, "Take heed with thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee."

There is an essential and irreconcileable difference betwixt nature and grace-the flesh and the spirit. And in so far as these principles predominate in the soul, there must exist a similar difference between those who are the subjects of them. The spirit of the world,

from the very beginning, was opposed to the spirit of truth and godliness. The children of that old serpent the devil, have ever shown themselves the bitter enemies of the seed of the woman, and of all in whom the divine image can be traced. The children of darkness cannot be supposed susceptible of sympathy with the children of light. The Redeemer spoke of his own in these terms:-" I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." The principles of the world and the principles of the church can never coalesce, for there is no affinity between them. If we love the world, the love of the Father cannot dwell in us. And if we are truly the disciples of Jesus, we cannot, without a gross violation of consistency, without a sad dereliction of principle, without the traitor's guilt, join in affinity, and hold familiar fellowship with those who are none of his-the enemies of the cross of Christ.

In almost every similitude employed in the Word of God to characterise the situation and deportment of believers, we find something bearing a pointed allusion to this matter. They are called a "little flock," separated from the worldly herd of sinners; "brethren," living together in the same family; "a garden inclosed;" a lily among thorns ;" "hidden ones;" a peculiar people;" "the light of the world," shining amid the surrounding darkness. The Christian is represented as a "soldier," enlisted under the banner of the "Captain of his salvation," and who obviously cannot discharge his duty if he consort with his Master's enemies, or if

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he "entangleth himself with the affairs of this life." He is a pilgrim, who has bidden adieu to all the friends and follies of his youth, and who has set out, it may be, alone on his wilderness-path. In all these figures, the idea of separation from the world is clearly implied, and in many of them is also implied the idea of union and sympathy among believers themselves. And this just leads us back to the position in which the Jews were placed, and discovers to us the reason why they were prohibited from joining in affinity with the people of the land.

Now, my brethren, have we as a Church of Christ, and as individual members of his spiritual body, not fallen into the "great trespass?" Are we not habitually guilty of mingling amid all classes of society, as if we could sympathise with them in their feelings, and countenance them in their pursuits? Would the world be justified by appearances in saying of any great number of us, these are Christians; they are not of us; they walk by faith and not by sight? Can it be affirmed of many of us, that the world hates us, not because we willingly give offence, but because the holiness of our character is felt by them as the severest rebuke upon their ungodliness, the most intolerable light that can pierce the darkness in which they love to dwell? Is the testimony borne by us as witnesses for Christ so clear, and explicit, and uniform, that the world is in no way perplexed in its examination? Alas! brethren, if we are weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, we shall be found wanting. The Church and the world, though essentially distinct, have been mingled in the