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blessed his soul; and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the neration of his fathers, they shall never see light. Man that is in honour and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

Now of that which we have spoken, this is the sum. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted but the rich, in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away; for the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die. Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty, nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that

my God in vain.

is weaned of his mother, my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.

Christians, we have been admonishing you to be content with a little of the things of this life; but God forbid you should be satisfied with a little religion-a little grace. Here you should be ambitious. Here you should be covetous. It is a holy ambition. It is a heavenly covetousness. You are allowed to seek more. You are commanded to seek more. More is attain

able; more is necessary. Therefore be not alive only in religion-but be lively-do not only bring forth fruit-but much fruit that your Heavenly Father may be glorified, and that you may appear to be his disciples. Let your faith grow exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you towards each other abound. And say with the apostle, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

DISCOURSE XX.

OUR DUTY

IN RELATION TO THE SPIRIT.

(WHIT-SUNDAY.)

Quench not the spirit. 1 Thes. v. 19.

THE works of nature, and the works of

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grace, spring from the same Author; and the former are designed to explain and exemplify the latter. We can scarcely perceive any thing in the whole compass of creation, which will not easily supply us with an emblem or a monitor of some religious truth.

The Holy Ghost, whose ministry comes this day under our review, is held forth by various images. In our Lord's conversation with Nicodemus-by the operation of the wind; The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of

the spirit. In his address to the woman of Samaria-by the refreshments of water; If thou knowest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water: for this he spake of the spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. In the words before us, the apostle derives the comparison from fire. Quench not the spirit.

All the properties and effects of fire, are strictly applicable to the spirit. Does fire penetrate and search ?-How piercing and painful are some of his discoveries and influences? Does fire destroy?-He consumes our errors and our corruptions. Does fire refine? He purifies and sanctifies. Does fire pro

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duce both light and heat?-He not only illuminates, but warms. Does fire conduce to our comfort?-He fills us with all joy and peace in believing.

It is hardly necessary to observe, that the Holy Ghost is not spoken of personally, but in reference to his agency and operations. Now these are two-fold: first extraordinary and miraculous-these were confined to the apostolical age. Secondly, common and saving, and these will continue to be experienced to the end of the world. And be it remembered, that