Hath God Hath he in mercies ?"

mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? forgotten to be gracious? anger shut up his tender Psalm 1xxvii. 7-9. "For the grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth," Isa. xxxviii. 18.

As times of affliction are praying times, or times to give ourselves unto prayer; so times of prosperity are times for praise, for thanksgiving, and for singing with grace in our hearts, making melody to the Lord. If we would sow to the Spirit we must observe these things; and likewise shun all damnable heresies, which have the least tendency to depreciate the Son of God, or to eclipse his glory, or lessen him in our esteem or affections. The Holy Spirit is both the testifier and the glorifier of Christ, and he will never countenance any low, mean, unworthy, or unbecoming conceptions of him. I am not speaking of the evil suggestions or fiery darts of Satan, which we cannot help, and which are Satan's sins, and not

ours; but of those damnable principles and sentiments which some men hold, and which divest the Saviour of all the glory and majesty of deity, and debase him to the level of a mere creature, which is what God the Holy Ghost will ever resist and resent.

Sowing to the Spirit internally is to walk as the Spirit leads us; he is to guide us into all truth, and not to speak of himself. This chiefly respects our principles, the object of our faith and worship, and the true and spiritual worship and adoration which God requires of us; the whole of which is included in what the scripture calls "the way of holiness," (Isaiah xxxv. 8;) which is following the Lord "in the regeneration," Matt. xix. 28. In which following all things become new; not only a new birth, but we are brought into the bond of a new covenant, are made to serve in the newness of spirit, with new views and new principles, and to walk in a new and living way.

The Spirit leads us to "walk with God in peace and equity.” These two, peace and equity, always go together.

When the believer keeps a conscience void of offence, he delights himself in the abundance of peace; he makes straight paths for his feet, and he finds his ways to be pleasantness, and his paths peace. But, if he make a crooked path (and all the ways of sin are crooked, because they are counter to the will and word of God), he that goes therein shall not know peace. But

2. There is a sowing to the Spirit externally. And the apostle's explana.. tion of this sowing to the Spirit is given by himself: "Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

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And then tells us what he means by welldoing, As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good' unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith," Gal. vi. 9, 10. To do good to them that are not as yet in the faith, is to labour to recommend Christ and his gospel to them by a becoming life and conversation, to drop a word of reproof or instruction to them when opportunity offers, or to use our endeavours to bring them under the word. "And

the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17. After our Lord had called two or three of his first followers, he made use of these to bring others. Andrew, hearing and seeing John point to Christ, followed him; he then finds his brother Peter, and brings him to Jesus; the next day Jesus found Philip; and then Philip finds Nathaniel, and brings him; and, blessed be God, this work is going on still.

Moreover, by doing good unto all men, the apostle inculcates liberality. Poor people have more exalted notions of alms-deeds than they have of any other good work whatsoever. You may talk to them about faith, and about love to the brotherhood, and the patience of hope, and of suffering afflictions, of bearing the cross, and of self-denial; but these are all out of their sight, and out of their reach; but circumspection in life and a liberal heart are obvious to all, and stop the mouths of all, unless it be the devil himself. And in this the

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child of God has a double advantage. The world loves its own; sinners love sinners, and will give and lend to sinners; but sinners cannot love saints as, saints, and because they belong to Christ; nor can they relieve them, or be charitable to them, because of God's love to them in Christ Jesus. "When saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" The answer is, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to these," my brethren, ve did it not to me." Not one of all these ever relieved a child of God as such; whereas there are thousands of sinners, persecutors, and even enemies both to God and to his church, who do partake largely of the liberality of the people of God; and this is acceptable to God, as may be seen in the prayers and alms of Cornelius the centurion (Acts x.); and in the nobleness of mind which Abraham shewed to the King of Sodom. By these means some are drawn or won to hear the word of God, and that to profit. The mouths of others are stopped, while the believer makes it manifest