love of the truth that they might be saved. "For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they might believe a lie, that they all might be damned, because they received not the love of the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." "Wo unto them, when I depart from them."

The sinner may be given up while young. He may have done such despite unto the Spirit of grace, as even in youth, to be given over to a hard heart, and a reprobate mind. "Turn you at my reproof," said Christ. "Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you." Then he adds, with awful solemnity, "Because I have called, and ye refused—then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me."

But how do sinners resist the strivings of the Spirit? Sometimes, by rushing into thoughtless company, and into scenes of amusement. This they may do through ignorance, not knowing that the Spirit is striving with them. They are, not unfrequently, advised to this course, by ministers and parents who do not believe in conviction and conversion. In this way, they sometimes succeed in banishing their religious. impressions;—and sometimes these things only increase their distress. Not unfrequently they are advised to journey, to divert their minds, and in some instances, medical aid has been sought. So it was in former times. The celebrated Dr. Darwin was often called to prescribe in such cases, but he could do nothing for the relief of his patients. He called the disease "Timor orci"-the fear of hell; and although

he was an infidel, he acknowledged that he could prescribe nothing better than the gospel of Christ. For although the patient had lost all his interest in the concerns of this world, he said he might be cheered by the prospect of a happy immortality. Poor Darwin— O that he could have known from experience the value of his own prescription.

Sinners resist the Spirit by postponing the subject of religion, like Felix, to a more convenient season-by self-righteousness-by an unwillingness to see the worst of their case-by refusing to retire from the world to confess their sins to God—and by being ashamed of the subject of religion.

Let us consider,

III. The consequences of the Spirit's ceasing to strive.

When the Spirit has departed, the sinner may be cheerful. He may feel little

concern for the salvation of his soul.

He may even laugh, and make sport of the subject of religion. He may listen to a preached gospel-to the most solemn warnings, and to the most melting invitations ;-but it will be all in vain. He will slumber on in impenitence till he awakes in hell, and his soul is lost forever.

SERMON XXXVII.

Salvation for the lost.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.-LUKE Xix: 10.

THE incarnation of Christ, his doctrine, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, are topics familiar to you all. What astonishing truths? And yet heard, O with what indifference!

Suppose, my hearers, that you had never heard this until this evening-that you were now assembled for the first time to hear this interesting story that "the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost;" with what interest would you listen? Here I am reminded of a fact related by one of our early missionaries.

"As I sat in my window," he says, "I saw the heathen assembling from all quarters-each one running with all his might, and taking the shortest course to the place of worship, to hear the wonderful story how that the son of man had come to seek and to save that which was lost. As I entered the place of worship, I found it crowded with the young, who had outstripped the aged and decrepid, that were lingering about the doors and windows. As I commenced reading the trial of our Saviour before the bar of Pilate,

every eye was fixed, and every ear intent. As I advanced, the interest increased until I arrived at the passage 'It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.' At this point, every individual involuntarily dropped upon his knees."

Or suppose that it was not true that Christ had come, and that you had now assembled for the first time to learn that the whole Christian world had been under a mistake—that he had not come to our world, but had gone to some other world-that the Bible by some means had been dropped into our world—that its contents were true, but not in application to us-that Christ had gone to some other world to seek and to save that was lost. How would you now feel?

Some would doubtless cry out. Who can dwell with devouring fire? Who can dwell with everlasting burnings? It would indeed be solemn, you say; but it is not so. Christ has come to our world, and we may set our hearts at rest. But remember although Christ has come, all out of Christ are lost.

My object will be to show in what sense sinners are lost.

A thing may be lost past recovery;—or it may be lost, and afterwards found.

1. The sinner is condemned by the law. He is under sentence of death—as really so, as the criminal who has heard his sentence from the lips of his judge. "Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Should the sinner die and go to judgment as he now is, he ould find himself condemned for every failure of fect obedience to the divine law. Thus he is lost -or dead in point of law.

2. The sinner needs pardon. This is implied in what has been said under the last head; but I name it distinctly because every sinner who needs pardon, is of course condemned already; and no sinner ever did, or ever will, in earnest plead for pardon, who does not see and feel that he is lost. All those passages in the Bible which show the sinner's need of pardon, imply that he is lost.

"I am

3. The sinner is invited to Christ for life. come," said Christ, "that they might have life." He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." Sinners are invited to Christ that they may receive life. And Christ says, "ye will not come unto me that ye might have life?" Now it is clear, that none but those who are under sentence of death, and are destitute of spiritual life, are invited to Christ for life. The offer of life, is proof positive that all to whom the offer is made, are lost. The gospel offer, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," is made to those, and those only who are spiritually dead.

4. That the sinner is lost, is evident from the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Every sinner who makes this inquiry sincerely, feels that he is lost. And when the sinner comes to Christ, from that very moment he is saved. When the prodigal returned, his father said, "This my son was dead, and is alive again;-was lost, and is found.”

The occasion on which our Saviour uttered the text, reveals the same truth. He entered and passed through Jericho. And Zaccheus sought to see him, and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.