before God. He knows something in a proper manner of God, of His law, and of himself; and therefore he thinks, feels, and speaks as a real penitent as one who is "come to himself"-to a sound state of mind.

2. He is a true believer. He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ; receives Him, depends upon Him, builds all his hopes of salvation upon Him, rejoices in Him, and glories in His Name and in His Cross. Christ is in him the hope of glory. He examines himself, and continually discovers more of his sinfulness, helplessness, and misery. He studies the gospel; he contemplates the person and work of Christ; and is more fully convinced of His glory and all-sufficiency. In Him he sees all fulness of spiritual blessings. The fixed thought of his mind, and the cherished feeling of his heart is, that "Christ is all.”

3. He cultivates holiness. In his view the gospel is the word of mercy and power of mercy, conferring the richest gifts; of power, acting by the Holy Spirit with a transforming energy. He looks to God, to heaven, to the glorified-these are holy and those only who are holy will receive an everlasting inheritance above. He therefore desires, prays, and strives to be holy, and to advance in holiness-in all purity of mind and heart.

4. He performs his duties. He is obedient. He views the gospel as a law, which he is to observe a yoke, which he is to bear-a path, in

which he is to walk-a service, which he is to dis

charge. "What do I owe to God, to my parents, to those around me, to my superiors, to my inferiors? How am I to use my talents,-time, money, influence, rank, faculties? How can I show that I am zealous of good works?" He is familiar with such inquiries as these. He is no loiterer, saunterer, or idler in the divine vineyard. 5. He delights in religion, and in all that relates to it. Alive to the spiritual world, beholding its magnificence and beauty, its solemnity and importance, whatever relates to it is highly interesting to him. The renewed heart, so far as it is renewed, loves God and Christ, and the things of God and Christ. Is religion the science of things spiritual? If we be divinely versed in that science, we shall find that it is also the taste for things spiritual. It gives the soul not only ideas, but feelings-feelings of delight in all that is true and good, and in all that promotes the diffusion and prosperity of truth and goodness in the world.

6. He lives in and to God. There is amity and union and communion between God and him. His study and aim, his desire and endeavour, are to please God. Others strive to please the world and themselves; but he renounces the world and his own will: hence his separation from others, his peculiarity of character, his excellence as a consistent follower of Christ.

7. He is watchful, circumspect, attentive to his own spirit. He governs his affections, curbs his feelings, restrains his zeal, guards against impetuosity, in order that he may think, and speak, and act as a Christian ought. He is courageous, but not rash; firm, but not obstinate; decided, but not inconsiderate; conscientious, but not the victim of scrupulosity. He wishes to be calm, sober, and thoughtful; to be humble, kind, and gentle; to be patient, forbearing, tender-hearted, and benevolent. He would speak, without being loquacious; he would be silent, without being unsocial.

Let these particulars suffice.-But I would ask, Is my young Christian perfect? No one is more alive to his imperfection than he himself is. Does he esteem himself, and despise others? He is lowly in his own eyes, and esteems others better than himself. Is he unhappy-gloomy and melancholy, a self-tormenting and forlorn being? Ask him the question; and he will speak to this effect

"I am happy, because I renounce the world and its vanities, and, through grace, have chosen Christ to be my Saviour, Wisdom to be my Guide, God to be my Portion, Duty to be my employment, and Heaven my aim and home. Sin and imperfection belong to me; and I must therefore be an humble penitent but yet in religion, in its blessings and prospects, in its grace and consolations, I have all that fills my mind and animates my heart; and in the duties which it enjoins, and in cultivating the

spirit which it requires, I have ample scope for the proper employment of my faculties. He who lives to the world cannot be happy: he who lives to God cannot be miserable: the more detached I am from the world, and the higher attainments I make in Christian excellence, the greater and purer and more exquisite will be the happiness and satisfaction that I shall enjoy."

I leave you, my young readers, to consider at leisure the sketch that I have put before you: it is sufficient if it lead you to examine the wide difference between the thoughtless and the serious character, and give an idea of what you must realize in yourselves, if you would be happy here and for ever. If you seek the Holy Spirit, and if the love of Christ thus become your principle, you will be the character which I have described, exhibiting its excellence, and rejoicing in the blessedness that belongs to it. But here I will express my sentiments in the language of an old poet, whose lines deserve, and will well repay, your closest meditation.

"With all thy heart, with all thy soul and mind,
Thou must Him love, and His behests embrace ;
All other loves, with which the world doth blind
Weak fancies, and stir up affections base,
Thou must renounce and utterly displace,
And give thyself unto Him full and free,
That full and freely gave Himself to thee.

“Then shalt thou feel thy spirit so possest,
And ravisht with devouring great desire

Of His dear self, that shall thy feeble breast
Inflame with love, and set thee all on fire
With burning zeal, through every part entire,
That in no earthly thing thou shalt delight,
But in His sweet and amiable sight.

“Thenceforth all world's desire will in thee die,
And all earth's glories, on which men do gaze,
Seem dirt and dross in thy pure-sighted eye,
Compared to that celestial beauty's blaze,
Whose glorious beams all fleshly sense doth daze
With admiration of their passing light,
Blinding the eyes, and lumining the spright.

"Then shall thy ravisht soul inspired be

With heavenly thoughts, far above human skill,
And thy bright radiant eyes shall plainly see
The idea of His pure glory present still
Before thy face, that all thy spirits shall fill
With sweet enragement of celestial love,
Kindled through sight of those fair things above.”

THE COLLECT.

"Grant, O merciful God, that as Thy holy Apostles, leaving all that they had, without delay were obedient unto the calling of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed Him: so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow Thy holy commandments; through Jesus Christ our Lord." Amen.