and to make it our chief care and business to carry this resolution into practice. Proceeding in this manner, and being instant in prayer for direction and strength from on high, the blessing of God will attend us, our prayers will be heard, and our endeavours shall be crowned with success. We shall meet with acceptance in every religious duty; and every ordinance in which we draw near to God, whether more ordinary, or more solemn, will prove to us a mean of sanctification and of comfort,-of spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.-Amen.

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SERMON III.

ON PENITENCE AND AFFLICTION.

MATTH. V. 4.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Ar the period of the coming of our Saviour, there were numbers who mourned, or grieved, for the fallen and subjected state of the Jewish nation, and looked with anxiety for the appearance of that long before, and frequently, predicted Personage, by whom it was not only to be delivered from its enemies and oppressors, but exalted to the highest pitch of prosperity and power. It was probably in allusion to this circumstance, that our Saviour pronounced the beatitude, "blessed are they that mourn;"-but, from the former one, "blessed are the poor in spirit," and the promise of the kingdom of heaven annexed to it, as well as from the doctrine of repentance which he formerly taught, these mourners might easily have understood that the comfort which he offered them, was not of a temporal, but of a spiritual nature. Whether they understood it so or not, it is plain that no terms could be better adapted to rouse their attention and interest their feelings, than those in which our Saviour expressed himself. For, as they deeply lamented the unhappy fate of

their country, degraded as it was by conquest, and groaning under a foreign yoke, and vehemently longing for the Prince and Saviour who was to put an end to its misfortunes, and of the increase of whose kingdom and glory there was to be no end; so, it is natural to suppose they would listen with eagerness and delight, to a promise which appeared to intimate a relief from all their sorrows, and the speedy accomplishment of all their wishes.

But even those of our Saviour's audience who understood the promise as it was meant,-i. e. as relative to their spiritual concerns only,-would be no less affected by it than the others who mistook its import; the allusion which it contained being equally intelligible, and equally interesting, to them all and their hearts being thus warmed at the commencement of his discourse, the sequel of it would obtain an attentive hearing, and consequently make a deep impression-one proof this, among many others, of the amiable wisdom, as well as zeal, to promote the real good of mankind, with which our Saviour executed the ministry he had undertaken.

In our application of the beatitude under consideration, we are in no danger of falling into the same mistake that many of the Jews did. We cannot possibly imagine that it points to national grievances and a corresponding relief. As it concerns us, it can mean nothing else than,

First, And principally, the promise of pardon and peace held forth in the Gospel, to all who feel and lament their own guilt and imperfection:

And secondly, The consolation which the Christian religion affords to those who are visited with affliction of any kind, and the spiritual benefit it teaches them to derive from it. To all such mourners, the offer of true and substantial comfort is made, by an all-sufficient and compassionate Saviour;by a Saviour who is able to make good his word, and hath shewn the extent and intenseness of his love and compassion, by laying down his life, that we might be put into a condition to avail ourselves of his kindness.

Innocence is, no doubt, better than repentance; but to those who have forfeited the one, and feel the misery of having done so; the opportunity and means of repairing that loss by the other, must appear an inestimable advantage. But who can say that he is innocent? Who is it that may with truth affirm that he has uniformly held fast his integrity, and not let it go, and that hitherto he has given no cause for his heart to reproach him? Holy writ declares, and the conscience of every human being confirms the testimony, that all have sinned, that all, like lost sheep, have gone astray, that there is not a righteous person upon earth, who doeth good, and sinneth not. We need no argument to convince us,we know, we feel, that, in numberless instances we have deviated from rectitude, and failed in the performance of duty. But how does this consciousness affect us? It must give us pain, for we can scarcely conceive of any person that he should be fully sensible of having done amiss in any instance, and that

he should, at the same time, be entirely free from uneasiness of mind; and accordingly, in common discourse we use the expressions, "being sensible of an error," and " being sorry for it," indifferently, as of the same import. The acuteness of this pain, however, does not altogether depend upon the degree of moral guilt which has been contracted. The consciences of some are more tender than those of others. Some have more leisure than others to reflect upon their past conduct; some are led, and even compelled, to a review of it, by affliction and misfortune, or by particular events and circumstances; while others, meeting with no admonitions of this kind, are so wholly engrossed by those objects which their passions have painted as the most desirable, that the disagreeable subject of their own errors can scarcely find access to their minds; and when it does intrude, meets with the treatment of an unwelcome guest,is coldly entertained, and dismissed as soon as possible. And, besides this, we may observe that all do their utmost to excuse and palliate their faults; and this, not only for the sake of character with others, but to soften as much as possible the severity of the condemnation they are obliged to pass upon themselves. Some indeed are extremely ingenious, and even successful in those attempts; but after all that can be done in this way, or in any way, it is certain that remorse, more or less poignant, finds its way into every human bosom, and is the great and principal embitterer of human happiness. The invasion of other evils is partial,—that of this one, universal. All do