studies of inferior importance become such | all controversy, shall he be, who shall oba serious concern; if the desire of an tain a place, though the lowest, in the imaginary immortality has such power heavenly mansions; but for men to mark over the mind; will this noblest of studies, out to themselves boundaries in the path the science of being good, have no attrac- of virtue, beyond which they are resolved tions for the soul? Will this passion for not to go; for men, with impious prea real immortality have no power over the sumption, to cut out to themselves just heart? Under the influence of this prin- such a portion of duty as they think will ciple, will not every one who has the faith entitle them to an inestimable reward; of a Christian, or the feelings of a man, this is undervaluing the pearl of great join with the apostle, "Yea, doubtless, I price; it is sacrificing the riches of the count all things but loss, for the excellency Divine goodness to their own indolence; of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my it is doing despite to that Spirit of grace Lord, that I may know him, and the which might have been a powerful principower of his resurrection and the fellow-ple of advancing holiness in the heart. ship of his sufferings, being made conform- Had he to whom in the parable ten talents able to his death, if by any means I may were given, gained no more than he to attain to the resurrection of the dead." whom five were given, can you think that Under the influence of these principles, he would have obtained the title, and rewill not every person who desires to make ceived the reward of a good and faithful advances in the path of the just, adopt servant? No, but of a slothful and unalso the resolution of Job, "While my profitable one, who had not improved breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is aright the deposit of his Master. What in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak saith the apostle upon this subject? wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit; "Brethren, I count not myself to have till I die I will not remove mine integrity apprehended;" to have already attained from me my righteousness I hold fast, perfection; "but this one thing I do; and will not let it go; my heart shall not forgetting the things which are behind, reproach me so long as I live." 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."

In the second place, in order to make progress in the path of the just, you must never rest satisfied with any degrees of holiness or virtue which you attain. The Forgetting the things that are behind," law of the spiritual life is to aim at per- saith the apostle. What things had this fection: the intention of Christianity is apostle to forget? He had to forget his that we may stand perfect and complete labors in the course of his apostolical in all the will of God. "As he who hath functions, his unwearied zeal, his unremitcalled you is holy, be ye holy in all man- ting industry in discharging the trust ner of conversation." Absolutely perfect, committed to him; his perilous journeys indeed, we can never become in this life; and voyages over the greatest part of the but we must be always aspiring and en-known world, to propagate the religion of deavoring after perfection. There is no Jesus; the many noted persons he conend of your journey till you come to hea- verted by his ministry; the many flourishven; there is no place by the way where ing churches he erected in the course of you are to expect a termination from his travels; the many famous nations he labor, or a period of repose. It is not brought over to the Christian Faith;-he uncommon to hear persons express them- had to forget what of all things the best selves in terms of great indifference about men pride themselves most in, the persethe higher attainments in sanctity and cutions which he suffered for the sake of virtue. They seem to be much afraid of the Lord; the imprisonments which he being better than their neighbors; they endured, the wounds which he received, have no ambition, they say, to be saints; and the stripes which he bore as a witness they do not desire to rank among the very of truth, and a preacher of righteousness; best; and they would be content with the lowest place in heaven. Happy, beyond

he had to forget that he was not behind the very chiefest apostles; the many mira

cles which he wrought; the frequent revela- | pier climes, to adorn the paradise of tions that were made to him;-he had to God. forget that, in the vision of God, he had ascended into the third heaven, and was admitted to scenes, the beauties and the joys of which, eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, and the heart of man cannot conceive. If, notwithstanding such a high degree of grace and favor; if, after a life of such extraordinary piety, this apostle forgot the things which were behind, and reaching forth to the things which were before, pressed toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; where is the man who can pretend to say, "I am already as perfect as I can ever expect to be?" Where is the man who is entitled to set a boundary to himself in the path of righteousness, saying, "Hitherto shall I go, but no further?"

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In the fourth and last place, in order to make your endeavors effectual, you must abound in prayer to God for the as"No man sistance of his Holy Spirit. becomes good without the Divine influence. No man can rise above the infirmities of nature unless aided by God. He inspires great and noble purposes. In every good man God resides. The strength which renders a man superior to all those things which the people either hope or dread, descends from him. So lofty a structure cannot stand unsupported by the Divinity." These, my friends, are the words of a heathen, and express a doctrine equally agreeable to reason and to revelation. consequence of our. corrupted nature, we are unable of ourselves to produce the virtues and graces of the Divine life. But we are not left without a remedy. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, aids are promised from above, to repair the ruins. of our nature, and to restore the powers of the soul: God hath not forsaken the earth: as at the first of days, the Divine Spirit is still moving over the world to produce life. The Lord is ever nigh to them who call upon him in the sincerity of their heart. While we strive against sin, we may safely expect that the Divinity will strive with us, and impart that strength and power which will at last make us more than conquerors. As he who continues in wicked devices shall be

In the third place, in order to make progress in the path of the just, be always employed in the improvement of your souls. There is no standing still in the path of heaven. Your evil habits, those cords that hold you in captivity to sin, you may not perhaps be able to cast away at once; but through the Divine grace, you will insensibly weaken, and at last break them asunder. Your inclinations that may have taken a wrong bent, you may counteract, and at last recover to their original rectitude. Where nature favors a particular exertion, or habit has formed you to a particular virtue, the one you may cherish, the other you may culti-sure to find Satan standing at his right vate; upon both the fruits of righteous- hand, so he who begins a good life, shall ness will grow. Afterwards, be still at- find God befriending him with secret aid. tending to the culture of the soul, and He will assist the spirit that is struggling meditating improvements, by calling forth to break loose from the bonds of its capgraces that have not yet made their appear- tivity; he will aid the flight of the soul ance, and bringing forward to perfection that is taking wing to the celestial manthose that have. Thus will your minds sions; he will support our feeble frame resemble those trees, in which, at one and under the trials and conflicts to which we the same time, we behold some fruits are appointed, and lead us on from grace arrived at full maturity; some half advan- to grace, till we appear in Zion above. ced and others just formed in the opening" They that wait upon the Lord shall reblossom. By cultivating these graces in new their strength; they shall mount up the soul, you will not only have an earnest, as on eagle's wings: they shall run and but also an image of heaven. The trees not be weary; they shall walk and not which thus grow up by the rivers of be faint." water, which bring forth their fruit in their season, and whose leaves continue ever green, shall be transplanted to hap

I come now to the last thing proposed, to exhort you to a life of progressive virtue. In the first place, then, it is your duty

to make progress in the ways of righteous- [require the exercise of different virtues. ness. In your sanctification, you are ena- What is accepted from the young soldier bled more and more to die unto sin and will not be excused in the veteran; what live unto righteousness. It is not enough is an "ornament of grace" to the youththat you continue steadfast and immov- ful brow, will not be a crown of glory" able; you must also abound in the work to the hoary head. of the Lord, if you expect your labors to Secondly, Let me exhort you to this be attended with success. It is not suf life of progressive virtue, from the pleasing ficient that you continue in well-doing; consideration that you will be successful you must also grow in grace, and increase in the attempt. In the pursuit of human with all the increase of God. This pro- honors and rewards, the successful candigressive nature of righteousness is implied dates are few. In a race many run, but in all the figures and images by which a one only gains the prize. But here all good life is represented in Sacred Scrip- who run may obtain. In the career of ture. It is compared to the least of all human glory, time and chance happen seeds, which waxes to a great tree, and unto all, and many are disappointed. "The spreads out its branches, and fills the race is not always to the swift, nor the earth. It is compared to the morning battle to the strong; nor riches to men of light, at first faintly dawning over the understanding; nor favor to men of skill.” mountains, by degrees enlightening the There is a concurrence of circumstances face of the earth, ascending higher and required to raise a man to reputation; higher in the heavens, and shining more and when these circumstances concur, if and more unto the perfect day. We are the moment of opportunity be not emsaid to be here at the school of Christ; braced, the field of glory may be lost for and in order to attain the character of ever. In human life there is a favorable good disciples, we must not only retain hour which never returns, and a call to what we have acquired, but also add to fame which is repeated no more: even the acquisitions we have made. The in its best estate, men ought to lay their Christian life is represented as a warfare, account with disappointment and vexation. and in this warfare we shall never gain What thou hast set thy heart upon from the victory, unless we not only maintain thy youth; what has been the aim of all the ground we have got, but also gain thy labors; what has been the object of upon the foe. It is represented as a race thy whole life, accident, artifice, ignorance, set before us, and in running it we must villany, caprice, may give to another whom continually press forward, or we shall thou knowest not. When thy ambition is all never gain the prize. Every degree of on fire; in the utmost ardor of expectagrace which you receive, and every pitch tion, in the very moment when thou of virtue to which you attain, is a talent stretchest out thy hand to grasp the prize, for which you are accountable; a talent, fortune may snatch it from thy reach for which if you only retain, but not improve, ever. Nay, thou mayest have the mortifiyou will receive the doom of a slothful cation to see others rise upon thy ruins, and wicked servant, and be cast into to see thyself made a step to the ambition outer darkness. The Christian life is a of thy rival, and thy endeavors rendered life of continued exertion. At every the means of advancing him to the top of stage in our pilgrimage on earth, new the wheel, while thou continuest low. scenes will open; new situations will pre- In the pursuits of ambition or avarice, sent themselves; and new paths to glory you may be disappointed; but if by a prowill be struck out. The sphere of action gressive state of righteousness, you seek varies continually. We have, one while, for glory and honor and immortality, I in to support adversity; another while, to the name of God assure you of success. adorn prosperity; sometimes to approve Never was the gate of mercy shut against ourselves to God in solitude; at other the true penitent; never was the prayer times, to cause our light to shine before of the faithful rejected in the temple of men in society. Different situations in heaven; never did the incense of a good the world, and different periods of life, life ascend without acceptance on high.

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Liberal and unrestricted is the Divine | to strength; and the greater acquisitions benignity: free to all the fountain flows. we make, we are enabled to make still There is no angel with a flaming sword to greater. How pleasant will it be to mark keep you from the tree of life. At this the soul thus moving forward in the brightmoment of time, there is a voice from ness of its course! In the spring, who Heaven calling to you, "Come up hither." does not love to mark the progress of naAnd if you are obedient to the call, God ture; the flower unfolding into beauty, assists you with the aid of his Spirit; he the fruit coming forward to maturity, the lifts up the hands that hang down; he fields advancing to the pride of harvest, strengthens the feeble knees, and perfects and the months revolving into the perfect his strength in your weakness. You are year? Who does not love in the human not left alone to climb the arduous ascent. species, to observe the progress to maturiGod is with you, who never suffers the ty; the infant by degrees growing up to spirit which rests on him to fail; nor the man; the young idea beginning to shoot, man who seeks his favor, to seek it in vain. and the embryo character beginning to unYour success in the path of the just will fold? But if these things affect us with not only be pleasing to yourselves, but also delight: if the prospect of external nature. to all around you. In the struggles of human in its progress, if the flower unfolding unambition, the triumph of one arises upon to beauty, if the fruit coming forward to the sorrows of another; many are disap- maturity, if the infant by degrees growing pointed when one obtains the prize. But up to man, and the embryo character bein the path of the just, there is emulation without envy, triumph without disappointment. The success of one increases the happiness of all. The influence of such an event is not confined to the earth: it is communicated to all good beings; it adds to the harmony of the Heavens; and is the occasion of new hosannas among the innumerable company of angels and spirits of just men made perfect, who rejoice over the sinner that repenteth.

Thirdly, Let me exhort you to make advances in the path of righteousness, from the beauty and the pleasantness of such a progress. Whatever difficulties may have attended your first entrance upon the path of the just, they will vanish by degrees; the steepness of the mountain will lessen as you ascend; the path, in which you have been accustomed to walk, will grow more and more beautiful; and the celestial mansions, to which you tend, will brighten with new splendor, the nearer that you approach them. In other affairs, continued exertion may occasion lassitude and fatigue. Labor may be carried to such an excess as to debilitate the body. The pursuits of knowledge may be carried so far as to impair the mind; but neither the organs of the body, nor the faculties of the soul, can be endangered by the practice of religion. On the contrary, this practice strengthens the powers of action. Adding virtue to virtue is adding strength

ginning to unfold, affect us with pleasurable sensations, how much greater delight will it afford to observe the progress of this new creation, the growth of the soul in the graces of the divine life, good resolutions ripening into good actions, good actions leading to confirmed habits of virtue, and the new nature advancing from the first lineaments of virtue to the full beauties of holiness! These are pictures that time will not take away. While the animal spirits fail, and the joys which depend upon the liveliness of the passions decline with years, the solid comforts of a holy life, the delights of virtue and a good conscience, will be a new source of happiness in old age, and have a charm for the end of life. As the stream flows pleasantest when it approaches the ocean; as the flowers send up their sweetest odors at the close of the day; as the sun appears with greatest beauty in his going down; so at the end of his career, the virtues and graces of a good man's life come before him with the most blessed remembrance, and impart a joy which he never felt before. Over all the moments of life, religion scatters her favors, but reserves her best, her choicest, her divinest blessings for the last hour.

In the last place, Let me exhort you to this progressive state of virtue, from the pleasant consideration that it has no period. There are limits and boundaries set to all human affairs. There is an ul