He is the lamb of God-the light of the heavenly world, and receives the homage of angels and glorified spirits and is he unworthy of your love?

When from his exalted throne, he beheld the miserable enemies of God, sitting in the region and shadow of death; he left the bosom of his Father and with the keys of death and hell at his command, passed by the fallen angels, opened the prison-doors of rebel man, and lighted up his dreary abode with rays of celestial hope-and is he unworthy of your love?

Admiring angels, eager to bear the news of his entrance into our world, announced to the shepherds the birth of their incarnate God, and sang "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will to man"-and is he unworthy of your love?

He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief—He knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth-yet he was treated as a stranger and an outcast-as one unfit to live. The world knew him not. "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests," but your Saviour "had not where to lay his head." He was esteemed as less worthy to live than the vilest robber. Barabbas may live, but he must die. He was stoned, and found no rest in his passage through this world. He was falsely accused, unrighteously condemned, scourged, arrayed in a purple robe, crowned with thorns, a vast multitude of feeble worms hailed him with acclamations of mock homage, they spit upon him, smote him with the palms of their hands, and nailed him to the cross. There he yielded up the ghost. But he arose from the dead, and ascended to his throne of glory, from which he now invites you to his arms, and beseeches you to accept

the salvation which he has purchased with his bloodand is he unworthy of your love?

"If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

I must close my feeble entreaties, and leave the event with God. This is, perhaps, the last time that I shall speak to you, in the name of God, on this side of the eternal world.

Sinners, must I leave you where I found you, unreconciled to God? Your business is not with a fellow mortal. I have done; and the whole remains to be settled between God and your souls. However hard you may think of this message, it is not mine. God beseeches-God commands your compliance now. And will you raise your feeble arm to oppose? God is on the throne; and have you an arm like God? However opposed you may be, yet God is on the throne, and what can you do? God is on the throne, and will dash his enemies in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Before I close, I must remind you, that with some of you this may be the last call-the last offer of peace which God will ever send you. But a different message will soon arrive. You will shortly hear again. from your offended Sovereign. Before the setting of the sun, the messenger of death may be despatched with a commission to drag some guilty soul to his dread tribunal. He may now be even at the door.

By the mercies of God, and by the terrors of his wrath-by the joys of heaven and the pains of hellby the merits of a Saviour's blood, and by the worth of your immortal souls, I beseech you, lay down the arms of your rebellion; bow and submit to your right

ful Sovereign. Oppose, and still he will reign. "For God hath set his king upon his holy hill of Zion," and hath sworn by himself that unto him every knee shall bow.

Once he has descended with a message of peace and good will to men. But shortly, he will be "revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”

SERMON XXI.

The certain ruin of all who do not seek salvation aright.

For many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.-LUKE xiii: 24.

THE question was put to Christ, "Lord, are there few that be saved?" His reply to this question was, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, 1 say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Here is an interesting question, and a useful, though alarming answer.

be saved?"

It is a quesWhether few,

To the question, "are there few that mankind have given different answers. tion above the reach of human reason. or many, or none, will be saved, are questions which cannot be determined without a revelation from God.

Discarding the opinion of fallible mortals, we appeal to the omniscient Saviour. Whatever others may say, the Son of God has declared, "Many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." What proportion of the human race will finally be saved, and what proportion will be lost, it is not for me to say. But one thing is certain. "Many will

seek to enter in, and shall not be able."

Let us contemplate the fact asserted in the text.

1. Many have sought, and have failed of salvation. All who pay any attention to the subject of religion, do, in some sense, seek to enter heaven. Even the heathen, who know nothing of a Saviour, are concerned about a future state, and often do much to secure their eternal interests. They build temples, worship idols, offer sacrifices, and sometimes subject themselves to the most cruel tortures. And for what? To atone for their sins, and to obtain pardon and eternal life. All these efforts, are demonstrations of anxiety and concern about a future state. Thousands and millions have sought, in this manner to enter heaven, and have not been able. Of idolaters, it is expressly affirmed, that "they shall not inherit the kingdom of God." "Without are murderers and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

"He

Cain, as well as Abel offered sacrifice. brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." The Lord had respect to the offerings of one, and not of the other. Both sought, but both were not accepted.

The Jews in the time of Isaiah, offered abundance of sacrifices. They appeared before the Lord in solemn assemblies, and made many prayers. And yet the Lord declared, "When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you; yea when ye make many prayers, I-will not hear."

When Christ was on the earth many were diligent in their observance of the externals of religion. They prayed, and fasted, and paid tithes of all that they possessed. In this manner they sought, and yet they were excluded. "For" says the Saviour, "I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed