place, they prove that the Spirit of God has not departed from us; they prove in every instance in which sin-sick souls are cured, that the power of the Lord must be present to heal them: for though we concede anything you desire as to the tendency of well-employed means to accomplish the result, yet never will that result be accomplished, never will the dark places be enlightened, and the grovelling affections be purified and refined, and dependence be driven from self to dependence on Jesus Christ-never will the man become a new creature, unless it be by the energies of the Holy Spirit accompanying the word of truth in the Gospel of our salvation.

Well, what is the grand inference which I venture to draw from these representations? It is this; that if the Protestant Churches, notwithstanding the imperfections they discover, did receive, at the time of their discovery, in other instances of membership, the gift of the Holy Spirit—if there is such a peculiarity in the dispensation of the divine Spirit that one aspect of revival may be exhibited here, and another aspect there-and if one of these aspects have been seen among ourselves; and more than this, if there be revivals without these circumstantial accompaniments to which I refer-noiseless, resembling their Master, whose voice was not heard crying in the streets; and, in short, if we have seen among ourselves unequivocal and substantial proofs of the presence and the Spirit of God by the conversions which take place-we are warranted to conclude, that if a given order of means be employed we may anticipate a copious effusion of the influences of the Holy Spirit; that we shall see brighter manifestations, and greater things in our Jerusalem than we have ever seen.

Come we then to shew you, that THERE ARE PREPARATORY MEASURES TO be adopted IN ORDER TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THESE HIGH AND GRACIOUS DISTINCTIONS. And here I shall take up the enquiry which is associated with the text, that these preparatory measures are with respect to the promised agency of the Spirit of God. Receive then the five following directions.

Cultivate a solemn, deep, and abiding conviction of the absolute necessity and importance of the Spirit's influences, to advance the cause of genuine religion. To advance it in your own hearts; for without a supply of the Spirit there will be no improvement in your knowledge, your saving knowledge; there will be no advance in your graces; there will be no conformation in your holy habits; and there will be no substantial extension of a genuine and acceptable usefulness: nor will there be an abounding of your comforts and your joys, but through the power of the Holy Ghost. And as his influences are essential to the advancement of religion in your own hearts, so they are to the efficacy of the ministry in your congregations and in your Churches. What a humbling sentence is that "Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." He it is who chooses indeed "the foolish things of this world to confound the mighty; things which are not, to bring to nought things which are; that no flesh may glory in his presence, but that he who glories may glory only in the Lord." treasure is put into earthen vessels," but "the excellency of the power is of God." "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to do any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." And all the personal success which we hope for is in close connection with the application of the Word to your hearts in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power. And so the same influences are of course, indispensably requisite to the promotion of vital and genuine

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godliness in the Churches at large, and throughout the world. Nor until the Spirit is poured out from on high will the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be accounted for a forest.

Then I would say, secondly, Labour to put out of the way all those impediments which may tend to obstruct the descent of the Spirit upon our souls and upon our Churches. Guard against trifling with prayer; guard against cold, barren, and inoperative speculations upon the essential verities of the Gospel; guard against formality, and all that tends to hypocrisy in religious worship; guard against those things which are hindrances to closet and to family religion, which are the immediate instruments and opportunities of growth in grace. "Beye not conformed to this world," says the Apostle, "but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God:" and "this is the will of God, even your sanctification." Take care of trifling with conscience, not only in matters of religion, but even in the management and arrangement of secular affairs. Especially watch against that spirit to which, perhaps, we are tempted by the exciting character of the times-that spirit of strife, and that spirit of disputation, especially in subordinate points, which grieves the Holy Spirit of God. My dear hearers, if we would not impede the exercise of his operations, or the communications of his influences towards us, we must endeavour to breathe the spirit of which he is the author-the spirit of love, the spirit of meekness, the spirit of charity, the spirit of temperance, against which there is no law. Hear the charge which the Apostle gives in the Epistle to the Ephesians on this subject, where he says, “Put away from you all enmity, anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Thirdly: Acknowledge with thankfulness what God has been pleased already by his Spirit to effect in the midst of us. I conceive, my dear hearers, that there is a very wide difference subsisting between a humble and a lowly consciousness of our own imperfections, and a morbid kind of discontent with There is a distinction between every thing and almost every body around us.

a murmurer and a revivalist; and one reason why we have not received larger measures of the Spirit of God, is, perhaps, that we have not thankfully and devoutly acknowledged our obligations to him for that supply of the Spirit which we have already received. For think what has been accomplished by divine power, and also by the peculiar and spiritual agency of the Holy Ghost in our land. Think of the deliverance of our country from the darkness of idolatry in which the inhabitants of it long dwelt. Think of our emancipation from the lamentable tyranny of the man of sin. Think of the removal of those oppressive laws which for a long time fettered and impeded us in the proclamation of the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ. Think of the wonderful multiplication of enlightened, talented, and devoted servants of God who are running to and fro that knowledge may be increased in our land. Think of the vast increase, (more than two-thirds) of the places of public worship which have been erected within the last fifty years: and think of the myriads of children who have been subjected, during that period, to religious education: or the billions and trillions of Bibles and tracts which have been freely circulated throughout our borders. Think of the numerous efforts which have been made, and which are still making, to spread the Gospel at home and abroad; to say nothing of the

almost countless minor institutions which are connected with the various Churches in our land, the great object of which is, either to mitigate the woes and sorrows of our race, or, in association with these, to communicate that knowledge that is to make men wise to salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. I must say, that when we put things honestly, and fairly, and truly before the eye of our minds-whilst we must humble ourselves before God that much more has not been effected, there is enough accomplished, to hid us to thank God and take courage, and to renew our zealous exertions, that the savour of Christ's knowledge may be spread abroad in every place.

Fourthly: Consecrate more time to fervent and to importunate prayerful intercession. Now, allow me to say here, that I set a high value upon extraordinary opportunities which are embraced to pour out earnest supplications before God, in our social circles and at our prayer meetings, for an enlarged supply of his Divine Spirit from above. At the same time, I set a higher value upon the stated, and uniform, and habitual maintenance of a spirit of prayer in the closet, at the family altar, and at our regular meetings for worship. And nere I think, that you and I, as a congregation and a Church, are lamentably aefective for although we have been pointed out by others as having our vestry crowded (and I-am now speaking freely, for I wish to speak usefully) when we meet together for the important enjoyment of prayer; yet what are those included within such narrow walls compared with those who are accustomed to attend in the house of God? A very small proportion indeed. Whether it is from timidity, that is wrong; whether it is from a reluctance to the engagement, that is worse; or, without adverting to motives, which may influence individuals-whatever it may be which keeps us back from frequenting the house of God for one hour, or for two hours, in the whole of the week, apart from the Sabbath, to plead with him on topics of the most momentous concern, to call down the plenteous effusion of the Holy Ghost, without which all the preaching and the various ordinances which we attend, and the means which we employ will be little better than useless. Surely we must consider ourselves as guilty in this matter: and I do hope that one of the early symptoms of revival which I venture to calculate upon and anticipate within these walls, one early indication will be, a renewed determination to attend habitually on that minor ordinance, as it is called, only because it is badly attended, which however is closely and vitally connected with the growth and with the permanent prosperity of our religious society.

Now my dear hearers, be it your concern, then, when you enter into your closets to plead powerfully for the effusion of the Spirit of God. Pray, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." "Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation, and uphold me by thy free Spirit." For revivals begin in secret. When you bend your knees, with your wives and children, and your families, around the domestic altar, plead importunately for the descent of the Holy Spirit: for revivals progress and advance in the family circle, Then when you come forth into the sanctuary of God, plead fervently that God would pour down richer supplies of his Spirit than was ever known in days that are past. Say," Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?" "Revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known." If earthly parents, being evil, "know how to give good gifts unto their children," how much more has our heavenly Father promised to give good gifts unto them that ask him. When once, my dear brethren, the minister

of the Gospel conseorate their energies to devotional engagements; when once our people, members of our churches, and others whose hearts are deeply impressed with the sense of the importance of divine things, but who have not yet come into the midst of us by a more public profession; when once, like so many princes and princesses, they are taking heaven by violence, having power with God, and prevailing, saying, "We cannot let thee go except thou bless us;' then we may hope, that there will be such a rich effusion of the Spirit's influences that the earth shall in due time be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Lastly: Consider that the days are hastening on when there will be a more ample effusion of the Spirit's influences upon the Church than has ever been since the days of the Apostles. If time would permit I should have enlarged upon this point; but I will concentrate all which I should have advanced in this single observation; that if the statements which were made to you in the course of our first sermon to-day, respecting the events which are to transpire in the millenial age were scripturally represented and were correct, then it follows, that that rich and glorious result which we are led to expect from the promises, and predictions, and representations of God's word cannot take place unless we have a larger supply of the Spirit of God than we have yet had. Nevertheless, my dear hearers, let us not suppose for one moment, that our prayers for the descent of his influences, and that our anticipations for the descent of his influences and of his gifts in richer measure, are to set aside other practical works. No; you and I may judge I assure you, of the sincerity of our prayers by the subsequent dispositions that we shew, and the consequent demeanour that we display. Pray to God, in dependence for all your success, for those influences without which Paul may plant and Apollos may water in vain. Never attempt to set aside activity, but ever to brace up, to nerve, to invigorate the principles of that zeal which He discovered who said, "The zeal of my Father's house hath eaten me up." Therefore, while we would press upon you the importance of renewed intercedings for the Spirit of God, and the importance of a simple and entire dependence upon his agency for the success for which we long; let me charge it upon your souls to be zealously affected in a good cause, and labour diligently as well as dependently, in the exercise of a holy zeal, wherever you have influence and opportunity, to extend abroad that Gospel which is "the saving health of all nations"

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROVIDENCE.

REV. S. ROBINS,

PORTMAN CHAPEL, BAKER STREET, FEBRUARY 2, 1834.

"We trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." 1 TIM. iv. 10.

A CAREFUL and a pains-taking consideration of this passage, and a comparison of it with other passages of a similar tendency, will, I think, convince us that it has no direct reference to God's dealings in his dominion of grace. It is said that he is "the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." The speciality is to the believer; but, in some sense or other, the term "Saviour" may be applied even to God's dealings with those who are unbelievers. But, we know there is not one covenant blessing to which they can lay claim; we know there is not one soul-blessing that belongs to them; because belief in God is the one single channel by which every spiritual gift comes to the heart of the people of God. Therefore the unbeliever can have nothing to do with those blessings, the sole ground of which is faith in those that accept it-faith which looks unto Jesus who made the purchase of those blessings with his own blood. We come to the conclusion, then, that the word which in this passage we find rendered" Saviour," simply means "Preserver;" and then we can refer the whole passage to God's dealings in his kingdom of Providence. We know full well that he causes his sun to shine on the evil and on the good, that he causes the rain to descend on the just and on the unjust. It seems as if God were scattering the gifts of Providence with an equal hand upon all, as if there were no discrimination between the one class and the other-between those who render him the requital of thankful hearts, whose very souls gush out in affection for what the Lord hath done, and those who, with a flinty hardness, refuse to acknowledge God as the giver of his own bounties. Now, we know that, in the one case, every gift which the Lord bestows is blessed and sanctified to the soul; and, in the other case, that most fearful, that most tremendous saying is accomplished" God curses their very blessings." The unbeliever, indeed, has God for his Saviour-that is, for his Preserver; he is upheld by him, he is sustained in the midst of an existence surrounded with danger: but every mercy he receives, every blessedness that God pours out upon him, is only another item written out on the page of God's account book; it only adds another item to the long catalogue of his neglected mercies. "God is the Preserver of all men, specially of those that believe."

This brings before us two points of consideration, and upon them I desire your present undivided attention. I pray also that you ask for me that God may direct me, that I may direct you-that he may teach your minister-that ne may teach those who hear. First, I would speak of the doctrine of