them with readiness to choose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," and to "esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures" of the world; for they "have respect to the recompense of reward." They know that it is better to suffer any thing here, than to come short of happiness hereafter;-better to enter into life halt, or maimed, or with one eye, than having two hands, or two feet, or two eyes, to be cast into everlasting fire. And, even in the meantime, they are happier than they could be on any other principles. Though the fig-tree should not blossom, though all that the worldling calls happiness should have fled, they can still rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of their salvation. Let me, then, persuade you who hear the word of God and keep it, that you are most blessed, and that you ought to be most thankful. "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." A spirit of dejection ill becomes you. It is safe and meet for yourselves, and it is due to that God who makes and who pronounces you blessed, that you should actually be, and appear to be happy, and that you should now rejoice in that in which you are to rejoice for ever. It is quite within the bounds of truth, then, to say, that those who hear the word of God and keep it, are more blessed on that account, than on account of any worldly advantages.

It is, however, still more exactly in accordance with the spirit of this amendment, to remark that those who are believers are more blessed on that account than they are, or can be, on account of any outward religious privileges. Our privileges, in this respect, are great indeed. To have been born, not in any of the dark places of the earth, which are the habitations of idolatry, impurity, and horrid cruelty, but in a land of Christian light; to have in our own language the Word of God, that guide to a glorious immortality; to have our ministers, our Sabbaths, our sanctuaries, our sacraments, and all our means of conversion and edification:these are valuable privileges, in of which it may consequence be said to us," Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear." But what did even the bodily presence, and teaching, and miracles of the Son of God avail the multitudes who would not hearken to him? Instead of proving a blessing, these privileges aggravated their guilt and condemnation. In like manner, it can be no cause of congratulation to any, that, in this age and this quarter of

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the world, they are enjoying distinguished privileges, if they are failing to improve them. On such persons, the Lord Jesus, instead of proclaiming a blessing, may be considered as denouncing a woe. It was such conduct which, of old, called forth the unusual voice of his upbraiding:"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!"thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell.”. "I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." Is it not obvious, then, that it is the being enabled to improve these privileges, so as to hear the word of God and keep it, which constitutes the chief cause of happiness? To every one to whom these outward means have proved effectual for inward illumination and vital godliness, our Lord may be considered as saying, as he did formerly to the son of Jonas, "Blessed art thou; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven."

It is thus, too, with regard to all those gifts, and attainments, and services, which are not the accompaniments of real piety, and of the belief and obedience of the truth. However great these gifts and attainments may be, they are of far less moment to their possessor than even the smallest portion of saving grace. However much, for example, a man's intellectual powers may be exercised on the subject of religion, however strong and retentive his memory, however uncommon his ability to speak and act; nay, however splendid the success which may attend his instrumentality: all these circumstances together do not constitute him a Christian; and therefore, he has less reason to rejoice in them, than in those less dazzling, but more substantial blessings, of genuine piety, which are common to all the heirs of glory. We read, in the 10th chapter of Luke, that some time after our Lord had sent forth the seventy disciples to preach the gospel, and to work miracles, they "returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. On this, our Lord, among other things, said: "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." It was not that these victories over Satan afforded no cause for joy: on the contrary, we are expressly told that "in that hour Jesus" himself "rejoiced in spirit." But he saw something not altogether right in the temper of the seventy, or at least, some error into which

they were in danger of falling. They were, perhaps, somewhat vain of their gifts, and in danger of placing them in the room of the graces of pardon and holiness; or, the celebrity which these miraculous powers had procured, was leading them, comparatively, to forget their own obligations to divine mercy. He therefore directed them to another and more solid cause of joy, namely, their own personal interest in electing love, and heavenly citizenship. We know that, at the last day, many will say to him, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" to whom he will profess, "I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." And we also know that he will welcome to his heavenly kingdom the humblest and weakest of his loving and obedient people. There can be no doubt, therefore, who are now to be pronounced "rather blessed."

The same holds true as to the being closely connected with eminently pious persons. By all right thinking men it must be felt as a call for much gratitude, and a source of great comfort, that they have been, or that they are, related to persons who, there is every reason to believe, are either arrived at heaven, or on the way that leads to it. The passage before us, however, lifts up a warning against building on such an advantage, to the neglect of personal religion. Surely, if any human relation could have saved any of the fallen race of Adam, the relation of Mary to Jesus, as his mother, must have saved her; but we have seen that it had no such effect, for she had her salvation from him, as her surety and her Lord, believed in and obeyed. It is also to be particularly remembered, that though Christ's mother was a believer, the generality of his near relations were not believers, for it is said, "Neither did his brethren believe on him." Where is he, then, that congratulates himself on the piety of his parents, or children, or brethren, or any of his dear connexions, when to that piety he himself is a stranger? Dost thou not consider, O blinded man, that a parent's, or a child's, or a partner's, or a brother's, or a sister's, or a teacher's, or a minister's, or any relation's or friend's example, but example not copied and advices and entreaties, but advices and entreaties disregarded-and prayers and tears, but prayers and tears uttered and shed, as for thee, in vain; -dost thou not consider that all these circumstances now prove thee to be inexcusably and deeply guilty, and are all

* John vii. 5.

registering to be brought forth against thee at the final reckoning?"When the Lord Jesus Christ shall 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; and when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe:"-thinkest thou that any of these connexions will avail for thy safety and triumph in that day? Impos-sible! It will then be seen that, in consequence of thine own infatuated choice, thy intercourse with them is at an end, and all opportunity of thy being advantaged by them for ever gone by. And does thy heart sink within thee at the thought of being for ever separated from those who are so dear to it?-now is the time for taking steps to prevent so sad a parting. Now is the time, if thou wouldst be saved, I do not say by, but with, thy godly friends, now is the time to follow them-now is the time to "take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew," "* of him who is a believer, a Christian, and to say, "I will go with you, for I have heard that God is with you." If this be neglected till the trump of God shall have awakened thee from the dust, and summoned thee before the judgment-seat, it will be too late for thee to think of it then. Vain will then be the attempt to take hold of the skirt and to implore the help of any of thy pious friends, that with them thou mayst be borne aloft to bliss: for, while they are caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the sky, thou shalt sink down by thine own weight-a leaden weight of impenitence and of despair. Happy, thrice happy they, who are knit together by those ties of grace which shall only become closer and more endearing, when all earthly ties shall be loosed, and when they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, but be as the angels in heaven! Blessed in that they have religious connexions, they are far more blessed in that they themselves are kindred spirits with them in Christ; for thus they form part of the most noble of all families, and thus they have, and ever shall retain, God for their Father, Jesus Christ for their elder brother, the Holy Spirit for their Comforter, and the whole saints and holy angels for their companions in all the blessedness which the Lord hath pared for them that love him.

* Zech. viii. 23.

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We shall now advert to two points, in concluding.

First. This passage, taken as a whole, teaches us right views of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In conjunction with other passages of sacred writ, it establishes her claim to be thought of with pleasure, to be imitated in various respects, to be spoken of with the regard which is due to a holy and honoured human being, and to be called blessed. It would be quite unscriptural not cheerfully to allow all this; and those who deny it fall into the extreme of disrespect. At the same time, there is another extreme which is here guarded against, and which, while it is more dangerous in itself, has unhappily obtained a most melancholy prevalence among many who bear the Christian name— -the Popish extreme of exalting her to a participation in that worship which is due only to the Deity, and in that intercessory work which is performed only by her Son. Not to insist on the excessive length to which this absurd superstition has been carried in the variety of strange inventions which have been foisted into her history, and in the almost endless repetitions of the Ave Marias and other addresses, which, pervading the worship of the Papists, appear in a most extravagant light in what they call the Rosary and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin: the leading principle, that she is to be applied to, to intercede for us with her Son, that he may intercede for us with God, is, in respect of Scripture, utterly baseless, and in respect of reason, utterly absurd. Nowhere does Scripture hint at her, or any other person in heaven, being applied to, to intercede for us with Christ; but everywhere does it teach us to go directly to Christ, and to Christ alone, to intercede for us with the Father. Mary was a mere woman, possessed only of human power; nay, she was a sinner, though a sinner saved by grace: how then can she have influence, or merit, or any store of grace, or be any channel of grace, for the salvation of other sinners? That the angel should address her, when actually present, in the words, Hail, highly favoured," was quite natural and becoming: but for any to fall down on their knees, and address her, Hail, Mary," now that she has left the world, is doubtless very absurd and unscriptural. To suppose that she can now see and hear her votaries on earth, is very irrational: but, as it is supposed by multitudes that she does see and hear them, while they invoke her in every quarter of the world, this is to ascribe to her the divine perfections of omnipresence and omniscience, and no sophistry can so

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