could never again destroy one another as heretofore. Many have been looking for a fancied millennium ; but alas, alas! such are unacquainted with the nature of evil; as every person must be, who has never felt the plague of his own heart.

James says: From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?'

When the Judge of all the earth passed His righteous sentence upon Satan, that old serpent, He said : 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.' Satan's seed is, first, that principle of indwelling sin, which, whether known or unknown, is in every son and daughter of Adam. Paul calls it a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin which was in his members. This, my dear friends, often causes you and me, who are in this tabernacle, to groan, being burdened.

Secondly, the seed of Satan is unregenerate persons, who are left dead in trespasses and sins. Hence the Saviour said to the Jews: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.' And to the self-righteous Pharisees: Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?' In respect of these our Lord declares : 'I came not to send peace, but a sword.' Such is the enmity of the human heart, that men can never be truly reconciled to each other, until they are reconciled to God by the death of His dear Son, who hath made peace for us by the blood of His cross. This precious blood, revealed to faith, and applied to

the conscience by the operation of the Spirit, purges from the guilt of sin. Having much forgiven, they love much, and are taught of God to love one another

War, my dear friends, is not only an effect of God's righteous judgment, but it is a sore calamity, with which He visits sinful nations. When the iniquity of the Amorites was full, God dispossessed them of the land of Canaan, that He might make room for His own people. And when the Jews, through unbelief, rejected the Saviour and His gospel, their house was left unto them desolate.

Of the four great monarchies represented to Nebuchadnezzar in vision (Dan. ii), and to Daniel (ch. vii, viii), three destroyed each other in succession, and the fourth must by-and-bye be destroyed by the stone cut out of the mountain without hands. Since the fall of the Pagan Roman Empire, the ten kingdoms into which it was divided are represented by the ten toes of the image shown to the king.

It is quite clear from the Word of God that He sets up one kingdom, and puts down another, according to His own sovereign will. It is said of Israel, that He gave them a king (Saul) in His anger, and took him away in His wrath. He afterwards appointed David to be the ruler, from whom the Messiah was to spring, according to the flesh, of whom He says: My covenant shall stand fast with Him.' Yes, Jesus must reign, till He hath put down all rule and all authority and power, yea, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy

that shall be destroyed is death.'

I want Him to reign, my dear friends, in my understanding, as the light of life; in my will, by His almighty power, producing submission to the will of God; in my conscience, by His atoning blood, purging it from dead works, and keeping it clean; in my thoughts, as the chief subject of meditation; in my desires and affections, as my All and in all, as the chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely, as the source and substance of all my peace, comfort, enjoyment, and happiness. I covet all this, but I cannot attain to it. But, 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.'

I do hope that the Lord will be pleased in mercy to preserve this our poor sinful country from the calamity of war. I often tremble when I think of the evil that I find in myself; and of the sin, hypocrisy, blasphemy, immorality, and rebellion, that seem ready, like a mighty flood, to deluge the whole land; and, what is still worse, Zion is deep in the revolt. What God said of His ancient people, is but too applicable to ourselves: My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.' A meek, gentle, humble, broken spirit, a contrite heart, chaste affections, spiritual desires, a keen appetite for the bread of life, a separating between the precious and the vile both within and without, and a life, walk, and conversation according to the gospel, these, I fear, are but rarely met with in

X

our day. And yet, blessed be God! there is hope in Israel notwithstanding all this; for Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God. Yes, there are still some who sigh and cry for the abominations that are done in the land. You know God said to Abraham, that if He found but ten righteous persons in Sodom, He would not destroy it for their sakes.

During the long French war, Britain and her dependencies were miraculously preserved by the protecting hand of our gracious God: and though I fear that real godliness is at the present time very much diminished, yet the Saviour's love, whether it embraces few or many, is always the same. He will take as much care of one, two, or three, who love and fear His name, as He does of a multitude. It is nothing with Him to save whether by many or by few. A handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse is sufficient, if He is pleased to make it so.

It is Himself, my dear friends, Himself, who is, and must be our All and in all. Human reason, sense, and unbelief can never receive this, yet it is no less true. He says: 'My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Now, whether our faith appears strong or weak, He, the faithful God, is always the same. He will not, He cannot, deny Himself.

If the Lord permit, I shall hope to meet my dear friends once more at Staining Lane, on Lord's Day morning. May the good Lord condescend to favour us all with His Spirit of supplication, that we

may wrestle hard with Him for His presence, support, and blessing: that He will be with us indeed, and afford strength and ability to His poor weak instrument, and that He will bless His own word to those who hear, that he that sows and they that reap may rejoice together.-Yours affectionately in the Lord, JOHN HOBBS.

LXXXVIII.

Cambridge Terrace, South Lambeth,

Sunday Morning, Dec. 25, 1870.

My beloved Hearers,-May grace, mercy, and peace be with you. Amen.

I had fully hoped to be at Staining Lane this morning, but my gracious God has been pleased to appoint otherwise. My complaint became worse last evening, and I am unable to rise this morning.

I have been meditating on Proverbs xvii. 17, ‘A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' My desire was to tell you that this friend and brother is our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. He is indeed the Friend of sinners. He commended His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners He died for us. He loved us when we were in a state of enmity against Him, when we were dead in trespasses and sins. But He hath made us His friends, by reconciling us to Himself; and He hath truly said. 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' And, 'Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.'