the ordinary occurrences of life should produce such wonderful effects, when even miracles have been lost upon others of like passions with ourselves. Some sudden terror, or some great evil may produce momentary purposes of amendment, but these, alas! soon die away, and the evil habit returns again. Even old age but seldom wears away the propensity to wickedness; and it is but too commonly seen, that the more men advance in years, the more do they cleave to the world, and its vain and sinful allurements. Let us not listen, then, to these deceitful reasonings; but rather let us attend diligently to the Apostle's admonition-" to-day, while it "is called to-day," to hearken to the voice of religion and conscience, forsake our sins, and pay obedience to the divine laws.

I shall now point out for your consideration one general remark more, and with this I shall conclude.

When the Almighty employed such mighty power in behalf of His Gospel,when all nature itself was interrupted in

its operations to announce that the Lord of it was come to save the world;—when miracles were displayed in such number as the world had never before seen;-can it be imagined that such a scene of wonders was finally closed with that age?or can it be a small offence coldly to receive, or negligently obey a divine revelation deemed by Infinite Wisdom deserving of so astonishing an introduction? It certainly cannot:-and at that great period, when the whole work of man's redemption through all ages shall be found to have been one regular connected scheme, then assuredly shall these instances of authority and divine power be brought forth against both Jew and Christian, who shall have despised so great salvation ;—then will they throw deeper confusion over every guilty face, and justify the wrath of God displayed towards obstinate and impenitent sinners. What though the miracles themselves were never displayed before our eyes! still are we no less interested in them: for if we believe the facts and are not influenced by them ;

if we read and admire the wonderful power exerted by Christ, and disregard His precepts, then whereinsoever we condemn the Jews, we therein condemn also our ownselves.-For the Almighty confined not the Gospel nor the evidences of it solely to that nation and that age; and He may therefore justly exact suitable returns from all, to whom it is made known. For, not for the benefit of a few individuals only did Christ perform all His mighty works; but to excite the love, the gratitude, and obedience of all men at all times. He wrought for us, indeed, more than for them: He restored them to health, to sight, and to life, in order to raise us from mental blindness, from bondage to sin, from death eternal, unto righteousness, and peace, and everlasting joy.

SERMON V.

ST. JOHN i. 11.

He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

THE person here spoken of by the Evangelist is the Son of God; He, who "was "in the beginning with God" as to His person, and in His nature God Himself:He, by whom all creatures were made, and "without whom was not any thing "made that was made.' This Divine Person, the mighty Creator of the world, was pleased to come into the world which He had created, to be the life and light of mankind; and, as St. John in the text declares, He came more particularly “to "His own," that is, the nation of the Jews. In divers places of Scripture, Christ is declared to be peculiarly connected with the

Jewish nation. He is styled the “ Angel of the covenant, "* which God made with them ;-their Redeemer from captivity ;— the Giver of their law;—and lastly, when He took upon Him human nature, their King, as being descended from David. In these views, therefore, the children of Israel were Christ's "own" in an eminent manner." He came unto His own," says the Evangelist, "and His own re"ceived Him not;" a fact which was too apparent at the end of His ministry. When He first began to preach unto them, and "spake," as they themselves confessed, in a manner that "never man "spake;" and when His instructions were accompanied with miracles "such

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as no man could do except God were "with him;" they shewed in general the utmost willingness to hear: we are repeatedly told that "multitudes were ga"thered together, and pressed upon Him "insomuch that He had not leisure even to "eat bread;"-that the Pharisees, when they sought to take Him, feared lest there

* Malachi iii, 1.