never offended him, and who serve and glorify him continually; but so great were his love and pity to sinners, who had wilfully wandered, and had no desire to return, that Jesus Christ left the mansions of his Father, and came into this miserable world, for the sake of restoring the wanderers, and of reconciling us sinners to his offended Father. Nay, he even paid a great price for us: nothing less than his own blood, that he might redeem us from sin, and obtain for us salvation. And as the man and the woman mentioned in the parables searched diligently, till they had found what they had lost, so Jesus Christ, when he came upon earth, was continually seeking to save souls from destruction. And his work still goes on for a purpose as good and as kind. He has left his Gospel, in which are recorded the words of life, and by which sinners may learn their state, their fallen state, and the means, by which they are redeemed. Teachers and ministers are also sent to warn us of the end of our wanderings from God,-to induce us to return to him, and to describe the happi

ness of those, who do return to God. And though we may have forgotten, or perhaps slighted many of their kind admonitions, still they continue to instruct us again and again, and to invite sinners to partake freely of the blessings of the Gospel. They, like the man in the parable, are more anxious for those, who have wandered from the fold, and rejoice more at their return, than over the ninety and nine, that went not astray.

We know of no chapter in the Bible, which is more encouraging to the sinner, more awakening to the conscience, one more likely to aid him on in his return to his Father's house, than the one from which we have selected our text: unless it be that one, which corresponds to it in the 15th chapter of St. Luke. That chapter alone has converted many a sinner; and we humbly trust, that it may convert many When the sinner is first made conscious of his sin,-when he begins to feel his evil ways, his first thought is one of dread. He looks back upon days that are past; then forwards to the future, and trembles.

more.

With such apprehensions he goes to his Bible: there he finds, that he has wandered far from his Father's house,—that he has spent all that he had; his intellect, his affection, his love: but in that book he finds that the Father is ready again to receive him,—willing, through the mercy and merits of the Saviour, to pardon all that he hath done amiss. And on the return of the repentant sinner, how great is the Father's joy! Yes, he rejoiceth more over that one, than over the ninety and nine, that went not astray. Not one of us, my brethren, can be ignorant of the joy felt by the return of one, who may have of fended us. Are you parents? then look into your families; call to mind the open, frank, and ingenuous youth of your own household, of your own flesh and blood. You must remember the time, when that child of yours went astray, and acted contrary to your will and desire; you must often have seen this, however you were blinded by that close affection which knit your hearts so firmly together; you must have witnessed in silent grief those little

offences so natural to us all; and for the time you must have been offended, and, perhaps, most keenly hurt. Well! one intercedes, stands between you and that child, who has offended and you

you,

become reconciled. The joy you felt at that happy moment, when the child returned to your fond embrace the gratification and love with which you received the prodigal will enable you to judge of the force of the parable. Call to mind those tears, not of grief and remorse, not of contrition and melancholy, but those tears of joy. Did not your affection rather yearn towards the returned child, than towards those who had not gone astray? But if you be not parents, yet if you have brothers and sisters, apply the like reasoning to them. All of All of you surely may remember one, who for some cause has offended you, or you may think he has; for the time he received your anger, perhaps, your indignation; but when a reconciliation had taken place between you, how great then was your joy! Such is the case of your heavenly Father:all of us have gone astray; we have wan

dered far and wide from our Father's house; we have turned every one to his own way; all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; yea, the whole world lieth in wickedness. "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who shall stand? in thy sight, O Lord, shall no man living be justified. In this situation we stand; without sufficient strength or resolution to return to our Father, who is willing to be reconciled to us all; who still is anxious that we should return,—who willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live. But, although we have no strength of our own,—although we are insufficient of ourselves, still God has not left us in this melancholy state; he has not cast off his children from him without any hope of a return. No! he hath sent his Son to restore the prodigal, -to seek and to save that which was lost, -to reconcile us to his Father, to atone for our sins,-to take upon himself the punishment due to the creature, that we might be saved from the wrath to come. By the sin of Adam we were condemned