restore the rites once practised by your fathers, and again bend your necks to the yoke of Rome. But I understand you. The proposition fills you with horror, as that of Joshua did the Jews. your pastors, or a small minority of your number, to be the only persons "As for me and my house, we will serve "the Lord." This is the language of all your hearts. Then I will say as Joshua did: "Ye

You will not allow

to say,

are witnesses against yourselves, that ye have "chosen you the Lord to serve him." These walls, this temple, this pulpit, your pastors, your consciences, will all be witnesses against you. You cannot henceforth take the least step inconsistent with the fidelity you owe to God, and the attachment you profess to his truth, without being the most perfidious, the most guilty of mankind.

My brethren, I am more concerned about your dispositions in reference to practical piety and morality, than to faith and doctrine. It is the morality of religion that seems to displease, there is so much rebellion against its precepts. But whom then would you serve? Do you find the world, the devil, and sin, better masters than God, and would you prefer them to him? Do you think avarice, ambition, and impurity, those divinities of worldly men, entitled to your homage? Their reign, indeed, is very ancient and extensive: they had the first possession of your hearts. But would you therefore submit to their empire? Ah! if this is your resolution, may God preserve us from so wretched a choice. No; ye dangerous passions, thou deceitful world, we will not serve you.

Christians, redeemed by the blood of Christ, will not choose you for their masters. You have tyrannized over us too long. But in spite of all your promises and efforts to retain us, we and our houses have for ever cast off your yoke, and are determined to serve no other than the Lord.

Let us all form this resolution immediately, without delay. A choice so just, a resolution so There will necessary, ought not to be deferred. be a time when this design may come too late. To-day then, in the sight of heaven and earth, we once more protest that we will serve the Lord; and if ever we violate this vow, may we hereafter be witnesses against ourselves. Let us serve God without division, restriction, or reserve, universally and absolutely, without reluctance or regret, always attentive to his voice, always obedient to his commands, equally cheerful and free, prompt and diligent in our obedience. Let us be "fervent in "spirit, serving the Lord." Let sincerity, zeal and ardour, humility and perseverance, distinguish our services. Let us emulate the obedience of angels to our common master. Let us serve him at all times, in prosperity and adversity, health and sickness; in all places, in all things. Let the high and low, parents and children, vie with each other in making it their glory and happiness to practise all that religion prescribes; that so piety may reign in our hearts and houses, in our lives and deaths, and may descend from us to our posterity. May we at length eternally glorify and adore in heaven the same God whom we shall have faithfully served Amen. on earth. To Him be glory for ever.

SERMON XI.

DEATH CONQUERED.

I CORINTHIANS XV. 55-57.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

SAMSON, that miraculous man, once met a young lion" that "roared against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, "and he rent" the furious and formidable animal as he would have rent a kid." Some time after, he was curious to see this animal lying on the ground, and having "turned aside" to feast his eyes with the spectacle of his vanquished foe, he found "a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase "of the lion." From this circumstance he afterwards took occasion, at a banquet, to "put forth "a riddle" to his guests, according to ancient custom at festive meetings, where the parties used to amuse themselves and exercise their ingenuity in the proposition and solution of obscure and ambiguous problems. Samson's enigma was this: "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of "the strong came forth sweetness.”*

If this enigma were proposed to us to-day, might

* Judges xiv. 5, 6. 12. 14.

we not justly apply it to death conquered by our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the advantages resulting to us from his victory? Nothing is stronger than death which makes all mankind its prey; nothing more voracious than the grave which "never saith, "it is enough."* But our Samson has vanquished the most dreadful of foes; he has triumphed over "the king of terrors.". death fell upon him, like a roaring lion; but, wonderful to relate! when he seemed overcome, then, "O death," he was "thy "plagues; O grave," he was "thy destruction." This fierce enemy of the human race was conquered in attempting to conquer the Saviour. As this dreadful monster, bereft of strength, is now lying prostrate on the ground, let us turn aside to contemplate the striking spectacle, and to admire the victory of our Samson. We have indeed found that "out of the eater has come forth meat, and "out of the strong, sweetness," since Christ by his death and resurrection has delivered us from the fear of death, the condemnation of the law, and the bondage of sin. By his death and resurrection he has opened to us the way of life, and assured us of immortality: perpetual source of joy and consolation! Matter of triumph and confidence! which gives us reason to exult over our conquered enemies, and to give thanks to him who has destroyed them. "O death, where is thy sting? O

grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death "is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But "thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory "through our Lord Jesus Christ.

* Proverbs xxx. 15, 16. + Job xviii. 14.

Hosea xiii. 14,

With these words St. Paul concludes the subject of the resurrection, which he has solidly established in this chapter, against some false teachers who called it in question. Victorious over his adversaries by the force of his arguments and proofs; victorious over distrust and unbelief by the force of his faith and hope; already triumphant over death itself, he desires it, he braves it; he raises a trophy to the glory of God and of Christ. Happy we, if persuaded like him of the certainty of the resurrection, feeling already like him the effects of grace in our hearts, we can also assure ourselves, that being members of Christ we shall share in the fruits of his victory, and can use with confidence the same language as this great apostle.

In the explication of the text we propose two things. First, We shall consider THE INSULT OR DEFIANCE WHICH ST. PAUL GIVES TO DEATH, TO DEATH ARMED WITH SIN AND WITH THE CON

DEMNATION OF THE LAW: "O death, where is "thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The 66 sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is "the law."-Secondly, We shall notice THE SOLEMN

THANKSGIVING WHICH THE APOSTLE RENDERS

TO GOD, AS IF HE WERE ALREADY ON THE shore OF ETERNITY, AND HAD SEEN ALL HIS ENEMIES SINK TO RISE NO MORE: "Thanks be to God, "which giveth us the victory through our Lord "Jesus Christ." From both parts of our subject may we derive powerful consolations against death; and learn what ought to be our conduct in this world, while expecting the great day of the perfect triumph of the children of God! Amen..