you during my absence, will be instead of my being in bodily presence with you. He, the blessed Lord, implies, shall, "take my place; He is another Comforter to you; I have indeed been to you a Comforter:" and now He, the promise of my Father, even the Spirit of Truth, shall abide with you for ever." Another Comforter. Blessed substitute! The Lord has gone into heaven, and is with His Father. The Spirit, who was with His Father, is now down here with us, nay, in us, telling us of Jesus, "bringing all things to our remembrance, whatsoever he hath said unto us."

The

But as to the promise, brethren: are you looking for Him? With such a promise, the disciples felt they might expect Him at any moment. Hence Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ;" and enjoined them, "Let your moderation be known unto all men: the Lord is at hand." Corinthians, we are told, "came behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;" and the Galatians waited for "the hope of righteousness.” Is it so with you? Alas! what disclosures, when He does come, will be made of neglected love, of affections estranged from Him, and of cold ignorance of His promise! How many-alas! that it should be so-will be ashamed at His coming!

And we who are working for the Lord, we want but two things. We want the conversion of sinners, and we want the Lord to come. The one has a special connection with the other. For the Lord cannot come until the Church, which is His body, is complete. When the last sinner, in this dispensation, is converted, then we believe the body will be complete. And then, doubtless, the Lord will come. He now delays His coming, in long-suffering goodness, not willing_that any should perish. The doctrine not practical! Who says it? Not those who believe it. Is it not charac

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teristic of those who are looking for the Lord's coming, that they are constantly working? No- the doctrine is practical. Time grows short. The sands of the night are fast running out. Our salvation is nearer now than when we believed. Therefore we watch, and are sober. We wait, and watch, and work-looking for day dawn. We are like watchmen, each out upon his beat mid dead-of-night, to meet at sunrise!

And now, beloved, if any of you are in trouble, this is the panacea. The promise is good-" He will come;" ""Let not your heart be troubled."

There will be no widows' weeds, nor orphans' tears, nor sinning, nor dying in the Father's house. Are you in sorrow or suffering? "Comfort one another with these words." How sweet are they to the mourner! How they seem to tell him, "Thy brother shall rise again"! Hast thou a husband, a child, the wife of thy youth, beneath the sod? Do they sleep in Jesus? When God comes, He will bring them with Him. What reunions and recognitions then! What restored friends and renewed joys then! Each loved one conformed to the image of His Son-bearing the image of the heavenly.

And He, who Himself was a pilgrim and a mourner here

"Who found on earth no resting-place,
Save only in the grave"-

what a hope for Him! Well does He speak of "the word of his patience," for the Head is waiting for His

members the Saviour for the saved-the Chief Shepherd for His flock-the Messiah for His reign-the Bridegroom for His bride. Ah then, what a consummation! We, who are His members, shall sit with Him on His throne, see Him as He is, shall be like Him, and be with Him for ever and ever.

A valuable practical use of this truth is, that it renders us comparatively insensible to everything here. We are not of the earth, that fadeth away. We are not seeking a portion in that from which we may be taken at any moment. We are not anxious to amass wealth; we may not want it. If the Lord come, with whom would it be left? We need not be over anxious, even if we have not health or ease. We have the promise" I WILL come.' How it separates from the world! You are a saint: that is separate. If you are looking for His coming, and love Him, you would not like to be in scenes unsuitable to your trust, and contrary to Him.

And let us cherish boldness in this truth. If His coming be my hope, can I so far deny my convictions as to refuse to speak of it, and because some may not receive it? No; let me speak of it as my joy; and let me love it. Paul says of the crown, "not for me only, but for all them also who love his appearing." Brethren, looking for Him is what will take your eye off greed, and sin, and care-out of mere three cents., bank stock, and consols-out of all the perishing things of earth, its vain show, sordid affections, and questionable praise; that ye may be "like men who wait for their Lord."

per

And now, one word to the sinner. I love the sinner, and I love to think that souls may be seeking the Lord here. All this, sinner, is for you, if you will believe it: yes, this very hour, if you will turn and take the words of the twenty-second psalm; for those words were the words of Jesus, while bearing our sins-"They

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pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me." And again, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" O sinner, see Him pierced!-His hands and His feet; pierced on the cross. See Him die the just for the unjust the sinless for the sinful. Own Him as having died for the sinner-for you, and that now your punishment, which He took, is overpast. Believe it now; and take up the crown along with the cross!-the hope with the faith!—and whilst He who testifieth these things saith "Surely, I come quickly," let your response be, "Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus;" or, as it is more literally, "Amen! yes, be coming, Lord Jesus." Rev. xxii. 20.

"But come, Saviour, come,
And take us all home;
We long for the glory

With Thee on Thy throne."

ADDRESS VII.

WE WOULD SEE JESUS.

"Sir, we would see Jesus."-JOHN xii. 21.

I WANT to commend to your minds, beloved, for your meditation this morning, the conduct of these Greeks. They wanted to see Jesus. You have been saying of "Jesus,"

"Sweetest note in angels' song,
Sweetest sound on mortal tongue,
Sweetest anthem ever known-
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."

You have been singing of the time when the preciousness of that name will be fully revealed, and saints and angels will for ever join in "Hallelujahs to the Lamb;" and what I want for your own soul and mine is, that we may have deeper desires for the Lord Himself, that we may say with these Greeks, "We would see Jesus."

There are some here who are in deep desire for Him; they want Him beyond and above everything else. Others of you are longing to have the sense of Him renewed, which you had in past days. Is it not possible to be so occupied with work, or exercised about truth, that you may lose the sense of the