themselves unto the righteousness of God."

(They think too

What a solemn

well of their state to shine in another's robes.) description is this here given ! It is as true as can be. You look at the spirit of mortals; it is exactly true what the Apostle here says, and has been so from generation to generation. "The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of fools." "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The man that humbles himself is he that is truly humbled by the bruising teaching of the Eternal Spirit ; and such an one needs the righteousness of God's dear Son. You think over these words when I have done talking. They describe all true and false religion-what God will frown upon, and what He will smile upon-what will save, and what will damn. Think of it-you will be found either with the righteous or wicked: with Pharisees and Antinomians, in the pit; or, with God's . humbled, bruised saints, gathered into the garner; while He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Oh, what an anxiety among men what they shall eat, what they shall drink, or wherewithal they shall be clothed! But you ask them whether they are interested in God's righteousness, and they don't know what you mean.

Three out of four parts of the world don't know whether Christ is God, and don't care. Yet the devil tempts me, because Christ is the whole of my salvation. If he can strike away Christ, he strikes away my only hope. If Christ be God, I am right for ever; if not, I must go to the pit. We read of the fearful, who shall have their part in the lake. Who are they? They that are afraid to venture their everlasting all upon God's righteousness. Poor sensible sinners have nothing else to roll their guilty souls upon. Hath God's righteousness been applied to you, speaking peace and assurance for ever? Are you brought to know you can do nothing toward your salvation-to complete your salvation? Now, turn it round. As to being ignorant of God's righteousness, I should like you to point me to anything I could for one moment expect to

stand in the presence of a righteous God in, except as interested in the blood and obedience of God's dear Son, the way of His own casting up? If I cannot stand before Him in any other way, how can you? What do you know about Christ? What do you need of Him? When did you seek and desire Christ? When did you get a glimpse of His Person? and when did you feel the better for the dawning of His favour? Oh, sinner, it is out of the question, to have the least hope out of Christ! It cannot be that my soul can appear before God in peace for a single instant but in the way of His finding in the righteousness of His Son.

"Other refuge have I none,

Hangs my helpless [guilty, lost] soul on Thee."

Oh, these truths are burnt in my soul !

"All the fitness He requireth

Is to feel your need of Him;
This He gives you—

'Tis His Spirit's rising beam."

And, if He does not supply your needs, He leaves His work half done; and that is not like Him. I cannot find words to express what I feel of my utter ruin, and my state as a sinner.

Mine is a poor case. I know that "out of the heart proceed

evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications," and all uncleanness, and that "these are the things which defile a man." Then how can we be just with God unless interested in the blood of His Son? I know my heart is desperately wicked, that it is quite out of the question to look for anything but to be banished to hell when I die, if not found interested in the righteousness of the Son of God. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, for hope of interest in Jesus Christ!

Then we are not ignorant of His righteousness. There is a people that are, and a people that are not. Those that are not don't go about to establish their own righteousness. I want to live and walk among men as becometh the Gospel of

Christ. I desire to be as honest, as truthful, as upright before men, as if my salvation depended on it; and yet I loathe the thought of resting a finger upon anything but the righteousness of God. Believers in Christ are not ignorant of God's righteousness; they prize it, they value it; it is all their salvation, and all their desire. They don't want to add to the perfect work of Christ. After they have done all, nothing but the reigning grace of Christ keeps them from the gallows and hell. They don't go about to establish their own righteousness. I cannot tell how heartily willing, how determined my soul is to venture ▾ upon nothing, receive nothing, trust in nothing, mention nothing by way of free salvation, but the blood and obedience of God's dear Son. What a character I am! But God can save poor sinners to the uttermost. I am unworthy the bread that perisheth; and then to be delivered by the atoning blood of Immanuel, and brought to glory at last! What can we do but→

66 Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all"?

"Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy and Thy truth's sake." Oh, no! we don't want to establish our own righteousness, or add our rags to His perfect robe-God forbid! As to being willing to venture on Christ-the lying devil may say He is not God. Devil, I have no hope but in Him, then. The saints are heartily willing in life, in death, to venture their everlasting all upon the blood and obedience of God's dear Son. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Sinner, here is a law-fulfiller who abolished death, made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness. Lord, increase our faith-that faith which works by love, that will lean upon no staff but Christ, that will know no righteousness but His, and that I will never rob Him of His crown! "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

SUNDAY, June 19th, 1881.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”—MATT. v. 16.

He spake as

THIS is part of Christ's sermon on the mount. never man spake. These are the true sayings of the true and living God. You read them, and see if you can come in with one instance where God has blessed the soul. For whom He has blessed shall be for ever blessed. And, if you can come in with one character, you can, more or less, with the whole. Grace, though in small measure, is the gift of God to poor needy souls.

I am brought to despair of ever getting from indwelling sin, and the temptations of the devil, while I live; I am about brought to give it up. As to indwelling sin, I am like a poor man with his head stuck in a gutter and held there. I never know what will crop up in my wicked heart; and I would, if I could, loathe it more than I do. My flesh goes with it, and my spirit against it; but we have no self-loathing but by the renewings of the Holy Ghost. Walking down the street, in the past week, my soul met with a hard blow in the wrong direction, and it had a direful effect on my poor mind. It came rushing into my thoughts that the Jews believe to this day that Christ was an impostor. What a blow! Why, my all for time and eternity centres in Him. "You should not listen," say you. But "the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." And have you not heard me say my carnal mind is as big an enemy to the Christ of God as any slip-shod Jew in Whitechapel.

Oh, how this does plague my soul! and yet I don't feel afflicted as I would. But, "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." And, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." And His pity is joined with power. Poor sinner, think of it.

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain : and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." What a decided point it has been, and will be, who are the Lord's people who shall inherit glory. God says "The wise shall inherit glory "who are they? They that know themselves, and something of Jesus Christ—" but shame shall be the promotion of fools." It will make a vast difference to us whether we spend an eternity in everlasting bliss or endless woe. If we spend it in heaven, Christ has suffered for us, the Just for the unjust, to bring us unto God; if in the pit, we shall receive the just reward of our sins. And--think of it, dying sinner-thy breath is in thy nostrils. Every moment brings us nearer eternity.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Christ settles the point. None will enter heaven but the poor in spirit. Then it becomes us to consider, Are we poor in spirit, or proud in spirit? there are but two spirits.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There is no separating poverty and need. A poor man has need of everything, and what a rich man would despise will gladden his heart. "To the poor the Gospel is preached." And what is the Gospel but salvation, full and free, by Jesus Christ? And,—

Let not conscience make you linger,

Nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him;

This He gives you-
'Tis His Spirit's rising beam.