"The little child led the old man up to the scene where he was to be received by the Church." I say I do not know which was most beautiful. Watts says

"A flower, when offered in the bud,

Is no vain sacrifice;"

which means, that you would never think of offering a friend a shattered flower, or a rose ready to perish, albeit a rose is beautiful in death-often most fragrant then, as was the rose of Sharon. But beloved, if thou hast passed through thy sunny childhood-if thou art no longer a young bud to be offered to the Lord in service if thou art no longer in the meridian of thy day-if thou art no longer even beneath that segment of the heavens where the sun melts away towards the horizon-if thou art come to the solemn hush of twilight-aye, with long night gathering around theeif such be thy case, my father, my mother, my aged father, my aged mother, so that thy head is whitened, thy step is palsied; think there was a step here that faltered under the weight of His cross; the Man at the right hand of God is touched with the feeling of your infirmities, knowing your age and your sorrows, understanding the burden of your sins-who has once died for you, and can save you now-save this moment, save to the uttermost of life. enemy may say, "Thou hast been a good servant; wilt thou leave me now? wilt thou forsake me now?" Or he may say, "You are too vile to be saved now, too old in sin. God will not have you now." Ah, sinner, my father, my mother, wert thou with thy one foot in the grave, and thy other foot in Merrion Hall, how sweet to lift both of them on to the Rock- -on to Jesusto-day! Oh, come! thou aged one, come! He can save to the uttermost. Come, for thy locks are thin; thy brow is furrowed; thy heart has lost its former glow; thy step, which was firm and vigorous, is now palsied; and

The

suffering mercy; for it is with long-suffering He bears with the sinner; and then mark what He is to one AS A NEW MAN. Such an one may say-I am a son, and as such have the Father's love, and have "all things in association with Christ. I have the same love, the same rank, the same inheritance, the same righteousness, the same life, and the same glory. Does He reign? I shall reign with Him. Does He sit judging the twelve tribes of Israel? I shall sit judging with Him. Does He come in His glory? I shall come with Him. Does He appear in His glory? I shall appear with Him. Has He glory given Him? He gives it to me. Does He go in to the marriage supper? I shall go in with Him. Does He sit down at the table? I shall sit down with Him: and, when He sits on His own throne, I, too, shall sit on the same throne. This is truly wonderful! Ah, angels never sat on that throne! the highest seraph never will sit on it. Says Christ, "Ye shall sit with me in my throne, even as I am sat down with my Father in His throne." Beloved saints, is there anything higher or greater than this? can there be anything higher or greater? and are we not unmindful, unthankful? Oh, how we live without thinking of this wondrous position!

"Lord Jesus, are we one with Thee ?

O height, O depth of love!

Once slain for us upon the tree,

We're one with Thee above.

Soon, soon shall come that glorious day,

When, seated on Thy throne,

Thou shalt to wondering worlds display"

Display what? Why, this self-same wondrous thing; made known before the eyes of an assembled universe

"That Thou with us art one."

Beloved, am I speaking of what is real? Are these

things realities? Are they so to us? If they are, do they form our life? Are we living in their great power? Oh, what manner of persons ought we to be! how peaceful, and holy, and grateful, and happy. A king ought to be kingly in his life and conduct. A saved sinner, who is before God as Christ is, ought to walk like Christ-have the same mind that was in Him, and be in all His affections and aims as Christ is. Oh, how great a thing is redemption, and how vast a thing is it to be a Christian. Who can tell what we now are, or what we shall be? We know only in part-but we shall know even as we are known. "Now are we the sons of God, but it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we also shall be like Him, and we shall see Him as He is."

And now, a word to the sinner. And yet this is all to the sinner. O sinner, God hath loved us- -the grace of God-the mercy of God-the justice of God-the holiness of God-the righteousness of God, -all these have worked for our salvation. And now I want, oh, I want you all to behold this love and grace of God. I want you to stand still, and see the salvation of God. I spoke just now of the man condemned to be hanged. The Crown gives a reprieve, and the reprieve is for whom? For the murderer. It is all grace. It is for a murderer; it is not for a man who does not deserve hanging, or the reprieve has no meaning. The Gospel has no meaning, unless as God's good news to the sinner, to the lost

"Not the righteous,

Sinners Jesus came to call."

Or, as the word is, Christ "came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Such is the Gospel. But what is repentance? Repentance is a change of mind, which is involved in believing, and is,

truth taught in the offerings of old. Did a poor Hebrew feel sin on his soul? Had he a weight on his conscience? Did he want to approach God? The law was, that if he came without a sin offering, he must die, but if he came with a sin offering it must die.

Just so is it with the sinner now. To go into God's presence without Christ is to be there under condemnation; but if we come through Christ-in other words, bring Christ with us - there is no condemnation.

There is no other way. It is a strait gate. There is no other name given amongst men whereby we can be saved. And why? Only Christ could have met all God's claims. He has met them, even by means of death-the death of the cross.

As to the guilty Hebrew, he came as he was. He was a sinful man, and death was his desert. But, instead of him, his victim died. Coming to God with that victim, the comer was saved-went down to his tent justified. Just so with us. We require no long process of repentance prior to the event of coming. The Apostles knew nothing of the mere fancy that those who received their message must first be in meritorious circumstances; nothing was favourable in them -but God, and Christ, and the free proclamation of the Gospel, all these were favourable. All they needed

was to come.

You understand me. "He is able to save to the uttermost all that come,"-all that come! Take this word as your warrant, and come! even now come, while you can come-come to Jesus to-day.

Beloved, only come! come only! come now! Ask not how to come. If I were to go home and say to my children, "Children, I have brought you a present, come for it," there is not a child who would say, "What does my father mean by telling me to come ?" He would never question the meaning of coming. I

wish you could so take the Lord at His word. He says, My blood has put away sin—has purchased salvation— has opened heaven. Oh! come, take it—it is all for you.

What is so offensive to God is when you come with some supposed plea of your own. Remember Cain. He brought the prime of his fruits. But they were not Christ. They were not acceptable to God. Abel brought the blood only. That blood was Christ. It is coming to God on the ground of Christ only that makes us acceptable to God, for Abel was acceptable, "God accepted Abel and his offering."

Brethren, we must insist on this. The day of God will consume as a fire all other confidence. Oh! that will test the truth of what I say. It will burn, as an oven, all our so-called religious observances, our ordinances, and our Sabbaths-all which, apart from Christ, are a very offence to God. How my soul trembles to think of it; and may the Holy Ghost, who quickens the dead, make you to tremble. Oh! that men, the multitude now out on the broad road of a mere profession of religion, would consider. It will be too late soon. When Christ rises from the mercy-seat and descends in judgment, "the door will be shut."

It is not shut now, but, since He entered with His blood, is ever open. Ah, then, stricken one, come. Once again I invite thee to come. Come as thou art— lost, helpless, just as you are. Will you not respond?

Just as I am-without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am--and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am--though toss'd about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings within, and fears without,"
O Lamb of God, I come!

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