this by his Spirit; he will ensure the final perseverance of his saints. Here is one possessed of power to destroy all his enemies, and he will reign until all enemies shall be subdued. Here then we find the truth pervades the royal office of Jesus; but we also find what must endear him to every believer, that truth pervades every relationship he holds; as a brother, as a friend, as a guide-he is truth; he never forsakes. Indeed we find that all the titles and offices he bears are filled with infinite and eternal truth. We see in Jesus the perfections of Deity shining in the perfections of humanity; we see fertility springing from barrenness. The earth, when Christ was here, was a more interesting spot to angels than heaven itself; they followed his steps from place to place, to learn lessons of instruction, and to admire the perfections of Deity displayed in a creature like themselves.

II. Secondly, but this prophecy in the text applies also to the MESSIAH, AS THE MYSTICAL HEAD OF HIS CHURCH. By nature man is destitute of truth; he is falsehood itself; he views nothing with accuracy, unless taught by God. We cannot be correctly acquainted with any finite being unless we view it in its relation with infinite. Endow man with all you please,

with all intellect, with all acquirement, with all beauty, with all urbanity; still in a spiritual point of view he is falsehood, and yet God will impart truth to such a bosom, by uniting him to himself-teaching him by his Spiritconvincing him he is not partially, but wholly wrong, and leading him to believe in Christ. There is in this principle infused, though as yet but in embryo, a glory which will eventually unfold itself and prove itself to be a more glorious integrity than that of angels. Faith does justice to all the perfections of Jehovah--and all obedience in scripture, is called the obedience of faith. There can be no love where there is no faith.

III. Lastly. To CONSIDER RIGHTEOUSNESS AS

LOOKING DOWN FROM HEAVEN IN IMMUTABLE

AND ETERNAL COMPLACENCY ON JESUS. The acquittal of Jesus at His resurrection, and the acquittal of the believer when he believes are one. You may perhaps think me too bold, and that the truth is too valuable to be true; but no, he was acquitted, as the head and representative and surety of his church, and we, by believing in Him, obtain all the benefits of his sacrifice. Righteousness—that is, God, as a righteous judge, is here represented as looking down from heaven, and what does he say when he views

Christ; "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honorable."1 Infinite glory is the work of an infinite being. Sin, in a certain sense, may be called infinite, because committed against an infinite being; but the obedience of Jesus is infinite in the most glorious sense, because it was performed by an infinite being. Now are you and I possessed of this obedience? No principle of integrity, as I told you before, can be found in any human bosom, until faith be first found there. Am I then a believer? Am I persuaded of my own ruined state? That Jesus is a Saviour to the uttermost to all such as come unto him by faith? Do I then appreciate him, and do I, as the scriptures prophecy of the true worshippers, worship him in spirit and in truth? Do I believe in these truths, as expressed and typified in all the Jewish sacrifices? The scriptures prove these truths; read the promise of the thirty-second Psalm, as quoted by the apostle in his epistle to the Romans-" Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Another thing to be noticed is, "truth

1 Isaiah xlii, 21.

shall spring out of the earth." Whether it is applied to the Messiah, or to the brethren of the Messiah, a truth presents itself in considering these words, that nothing but destruction can await the sinner, unless he is found in Christ. When Christ said to his disciples, "Will ye also go away?" they replied, "To whom else should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life;" implying, if we forsake thee and the truth, we only travel the road to everlasting destruction.

Another thing presents itself—the knowledge of Jesus is the one thing needful. thing needful. And what will be the consequences of knowing Christ in all his offices? An earnest desire and endeavour to bring others to the same knowledge. We are living in an interesting day; many efforts are making to diffuse knowledge, and nothing is more delightful to a well-regulated mind, well-regulated by the Spirit of God, than the contemplation of this increase of knowledge. Among other means is that of the instruction of the young.1

1 Here Mr. Howels concluded with advocating the cause of the Charity School of the Parish, for which there was to be a contribution after the Sermon.

SERMON XXXV.

May 23, 1824.

THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF SIN, ITS DESERT AND REMEDY.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now and take now and take your rest.

MATT. XXVI. 44, 45.

In perusing or hearing the history of great men, we are disposed to inquire of the circumstances that attended their death. All the histories of the most eminent saints who ever existed (and here I would include those whose names are inscribed in the volume of inspiration before me) are worth little compared with that of Jesus Christ. There is in all he said and did, something so highly interesting to us, that did we value rightly all which is recorded of him in scripture, he would be perpetually in our