word is made to convey a meaning utterly diverse from the mind of him who hath spoken; and thus not only those passages which are evidently figurative, and which require a spiritual interpretation, but every precept, every exhortation, every narrative, and every statement is made to speak a language different from its obvious meaning, to the misleading of the reader, and to the marring the beauty and the glory of the word.

My brethren, this ought not so to be. The Spirit of God has conveyed his mind in the best language; and to understand what his mind is, we must take his words, generally, in their plain grammatical sense; and thus the greater confidence will be begotten in what is revealed; the fulfilment of prophecy will be looked for with faith and with patience; divine precepts will be received as the directions of God, for plain, and positive, and present purposes; the soul will be healthy, by feeding upon wholesome nutriment ; and darkness and doubtfulness will less embarrass it.

There may be some of the family of God who are inclined to complain that they cannot resist temptations—that notwithstanding all their watchfulness and care, they find when temptation cometh-as the mountain torrent sweeps impetuously along whatever it encounters in its courseso are they hurried away from what they love, as it were powerless of resistance. Now why is this the case? My beloved, it is because ye take not Christ for your King-because you forget his presence and his power. Were a loyal subject to

be solicited, in the presence of the sovereign whom he loves, and in whose power he has confidence, by the monarch of another realm, or by his agents, to prove unfaithful to his king, and to rebel against his government; would his solicitation, think ye, be successful ? Nay; the presence of his own sovereign, and the confidence he reposed in him, would cause him to spurn the proposition with disdain, and to kindle up afresh his loyalty and love. So when the god of this world would entice the subjects of the Lord Christ from their allegiance to him whom their souls love, if they were persuaded of his omnipotence-if they remembered with confidence his faithfulness, and his promises, could they be overcome? No; they would be "more than conquerors, through him who loves them." (Rom. viii. 37.)

In your daily walk, therefore, remember, my beloved brethren, "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. iii. 1,) to keep Christ in the view of your mind, as your great High Priest, who not only has offered the sacrifice by which you are accepted; but "who ever liveth to make intercession for you" (Heb. vii. 25.) Consider him as your Prophet, whose Spirit he has promised to his Church, "to guide it into all truth" (John, xvi. 13;) and as your King, under whose banner of love you are made always to triumph; you will go upon your course rejoicing;" you will adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour in all things;" you will "glorify your God, who hath purchased you with the precious blood of Christ, in your

and

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bodies, and in your spirits, which are his" (Acts, viii. 37, 39; Titus, ii. 10; 1 Cor. vi. 20.)

I

To those who are in their natural helplessness, say - yet not I, but the Lord-though you be poor, and miserable, and wretched, and blind, and naked, yet believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved, even as any who have been saved. The Lord Jesus, the Son of the Highest, hath "made peace for sinners, by the blood of his cross" (Eph. ii. 16; Col, i. 20;) he hath for ever "put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. ix. 26;) he died for the ungodly" (Rom. v. 6;) he came "to seek which was lost" (Luke, xix. 10.)

and to save that

"You have de

stroyed yourselves, but in him is help" found (Hos. xiii. 9;) “he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him” (Heb. vii. 25;) and he hath proclaimed to all who are in your condition, to "look unto him, and be saved" (Isai. xlv. 22;) promising, that him who cometh unto him, he will in no wise cast out" (John, vi. 37.)

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In conclusion, I would implore you, with all earnestness, and affection, and anxiety of soul-to examine the record of God's will, and see whether these things be so; to peruse it with attention and perseverance-and it may be, while you are so occupied -a flood of Divine light shall be poured in upon your mind-the glory and the preciousness of the Saviour's person, and of his finished work, shall be made ma-nifest--the covenant of redeeming love shall be unfolded, in its fulness of unconditional mercies-out of

weakness you shall be made strong—and being made a partaker of the Divine nature, (God giving you, by faith, a change of mind to the acknowledgment of the truth,) you shall have liberty of access to the throne of grace, and shall walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. God grant, for the adorable Immanuel's sake, that the reading of the Sacred Volume may be instrumental to the communicating these blessings to your souls. Amen. Amen.

REGENERATION.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

JOHN, III. 3.

it

HOWEVER lightly this saying may be esteemed -- however carelessly it may be heard-however negligently may be slurred over in reading--and however the mind may be satisfied to rest in ignorance of its real meaning, and take no pains to discover it, because it is figurative; yet if the speaker be, as he truly is, "the Faithful Witness"-if this book be the record which