infinitely valuable obedience, honoured the law which we had broken; and by his sufferings unto death, endured the curse which we had deserved; and thus he made way for mercy to be extended to us, who deserved only the everlasting wrath and curse of Almighty God. It is in and through Christ Jesus alone, that the divine favour is set before us. For his sake, God says, that he is ready to pardon the sins of all that humbly seek forgiveness at his hands.

Now consider, my brethren, the value of forgiveness of sin. You have sinned against God; and if your sins are not forgiven by him, you must suffer the punishment of them, in everlasting misery; for this is declared to be the just penalty of your transgressions. But if you obtain forgiveness, then shall you be delivered from the wrath of God-your sins shall never rise up in judgment against you, to your condemnation-they shall be blotted out never more to appear against you-and, for the Redeemer's sake, you shall stand before God as innocent and free from guilt. Nay, more than this, the word of God teaches us, that eonnected with the pardon of sin, is the reward of righteousness: that for the sake of the righteousness of Christ Jesus, the man that truly accepts of his salvation, shall be put in

possession of that everlasting glory and joy, which would have been his merited reward, had he always perfectly fulfilled the divine commands.

In short, to the unpardoned sinner, God appears only as a consuming fire, an avenger ready to execute wrath upon him. He lives under the divine displeasure, and every day and hour, he is in danger of sinking into that state of hopeless misery, in which the wrath of God shall be poured out upon him without mixture. But on the other hand, to the man who has fled for refuge to the hope set before him in the gospel-who has through Christ Jesus, sought and found remission of sins, God appears as a father and a friend; reconciled to him; engaged in this world to be his guardian and his guide, to preserve him from every danger, to comfort him in every tribulation, to support him in every difficulty, to give him power and strength to have victory, and to triumph over every enemy; and in the world to come, to receive him to a state of unspeakable glory, and honour, and happiness; where every blessing he can need shall be richly vouchsafed to him, and the Lord God shall delight over him to do him good, for ever and ever. And all this, my brethren, proceeds from the "tender mercy

"of God." It was mercy which induced the Most High, to pity the guilty sons of men. It was mercy which caused him to send his Son to be our Saviour. It was mercy which led him to make known unto us salvation, through remission of sins-and if we have sought salvation, it was mercy which taught us thus to know our best interests. In short, it is mercy-free and tender mercy, which accompanies every step of the Christian, in his pilgrimage; and when he shall arrive at his Father's house above, the burden of his rapturous songs of praise, through everlasting ages, shall be the " mercy of the Lord which "endureth for ever.".

III. But let us in the last place consider, who they are, who actually partake of the blessings of which we have been speaking.

They are described in scripture under various and different appellations—the righteousthe believer - the penitent-they that fear God-they that love God-and, in our text, they are spoken of as "his people." The blessing, we are to remember, is freely offered to every one. The tender mercy of God is set before every individual of our race. It is large as are the wants and miseries of man, and there is relief sufficient for all. Not one is excluded

from a share in it, who seeks for it in the way of divine appointment. But we are not authorized to conclude from this, that every one will, at the last, partake of eternal salvation; for, the word of truth, brings before us the awful fact, that many will be found to have neither part nor lot in this matter. Not because God is unwilling to pardon and bless them, but because they will not truly seek his blessing--they " will not come "to him, that they may have life." There is, my brethren, a peculiar character, which you must bear, before you can have any good reason to hope that your sins are pardoned, and that your feet are guided into the way of peace. If you are a pardoned sinner, you are penitent before God for all your transgressions against him-you are humble in his sight-you are sorry for your sins, and you shew your sorrow for them, by renouncing and forsaking them-by turning from all your iniquities-by giving up every pleasure and every gain, which proceeds from what is displeasing in the sight of God. If you are a pardoned sinner, you have betaken yourselves to Jesus by a living faith, renouncing all hope, which arises from every other source than his free and unbounded mercy. You place all your dependance upon him, and expect salvation entirely

from his infinite compassion. You will shew the reality of your faith in him, by walking "before "him in holiness and righteousness all the days of

your life;" striving in all things to govern your conduct according to the rules and the example which he has given you, and daily endeavouring to perfect" holiness in the fear of God."

Now, my brethren, let me earnestly entreat you, to look into your hearts and lives, and to inquire what evidence you have there, that you are thus bearing the character of the people of God? If you can trace the lines of such a character in yourselves, then have you reason to hope, that salvation, with all its infinite blessings, is yours. Let me then exhort you, more and more to consider the immense extent of your obligations to the goodness of God. Think how, through sin, you lay in "darkness and the shadow of death," and how, "through the tender mercy of God, the day

spring from on high hath visited you." Remember, that it is tender mercy which hath guided your feet into the way of peace and let gratitude fill your hearts, and lead you to make the only return you can, for the goodness of your God, by devoting yourselves, your souls and bodies, to be wholly employed in serving him, and in the promotion of his great glory.

But, my brethren, what shall we say, if there