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talents are not always fanctified to the poffeffor. Beneficial to others they may be unprofitable or even pernicious to the man himself. He may speak with the tongues of men and of angels he may have the gift of prophecy, and understand all, myfteries and all knowledge; he may have all faith fo as to be. able to remove mountains; he may lay out his whole eftate in works of charity, and even fubmit to fuffer martyrdom, and af ter all remain deftitute of that principle which alone admits into the kingdom of heaven. The magicians of Egypt performed wonders, but they ferved only to harden the heart against God. Balaam was a true prophet, but " he loved the wages of unrighteoufnefs:" he knew and approved the better. course, but he deliberately perfevered in the worle. Simon had the art of bewitching the people of Samaria with forceries; "to him they all gave heed, from the leaft to the greatest, laying, this man is the great power of God." "He himfelt believed allo, and was baptized," but his "heart was not right in the fight of God;" he was ftill" in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." "Not every one that faith unto me,. Lord, Lord, fball enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in. thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I protefs unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Where. God has bestowed much, he will expect much, and in proportion to the number and value of the gifts received is the account that must be given. Who was equally honoured with the apoftle of the gentiles, by extraordinary communications from heaven? but it is not expedient for me," lays he" to glory:" of myfelt I will not glory, but in mine infirmities." In what then does a Paul, in what does every believer chiefly rejoice and glory? In the compofing reflection," my name is written in the book of life." "I know whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous judge, fhall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love his appearing." Compared to this, what a poor trifle it is for a man to know that his name is in an opulent teftator's will for a fplendid bequest, were it even the reverfion of a kingdom? This is that peace of God which paffeth all underilanding, which hall keep the heart and mind through Chrift Jefus," and which the world can neither give nor take away.

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This is "the hour," the eventful hour when" Jefus rejoiced in fpirit" the hour when the great Sovereign of the univerfe was fubjecting fpiritual wickedneffes to human agents, and perfecting praife out of the mouths of babes and fucklings; when all the glories of the kingdom of heaven unveiled themfelves to his view, and the nations of the earth haftened into it. The scenes of forrow and fuffering which muft intervene are abforbed in contemplating the bleffed effects which they were to produce."In that hour Jefus rejoiced in spirit, and faid, I' thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes: even fo, Father; for fo it seemed good in thy fight." Here we behold our great pattern fetting us the example of referring every thing to God, as the firft caufe and the laft end of all; who acts by his own uncontrolable, inexplicable fupremacy, and with a view to his own glory. But we are not to understand our Lord as giving thanks that the wife and prudent" were kept in a state of ignorance respecting the things of God, but that while they were fo, while they remained under the power of wilful blindnefs, it had graciously pleafed God to manifeft these things to the comparatively fimple and illiterate. We have a fimilar mode of expreffion, and which falls under the fame mode of interpretation, in the epiftle to the Romans, vi. 17, where the apoftle fays: "But God be thanked that ye were the fervants of fin;" meaning obvioufly," that although, that whereas ye were the fervants of fin, ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" So here," I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that while the wife in their own conceits, and the prudent in the eftimation of the world, neglect and defpife the things which belong to their peace, their all-importance is difcerned, felt, prized and improved by perfons, lowly in their own fight, contemptible in the eyes of men, but estimable in the eyes of Him who " refifteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

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Jefus afcribes to the Father univerfality of dominion, under the title of "Lord of heaven and earth ;" and he refolves all creatures and all events into divine fovereignty: "Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight." He giveth not. account of any of his matters.' He doth according to his, will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can ftay his hand, or fay unto him, What doeft thou ?" That which is good in the eyes of man is frequently a fore evil; but that which is good in the fight of God muft be good in itfelf; and when Deity fhall have executed the

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whole plan of his providence, the myriads of his faints and an gels fhall with one voice proclaim "all is good." "Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

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Having made this afcription of univerfal power, authority and property to the Father, he reprefents himself as invested in an equal extent of dominion, as fole and fovereign adminiftrator of the world which he made, which he upholds, and which he came to redeem. All things are delivered to me of my Father." God is "Lord of heaven and earth." Now thefe two words imply all space, with all the beings which inhabit the worlds" vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers." To the utmoft extent of the words, therefore, and of their import, the fovereignty of God Redeemer extends, and it is afferted and afcribed neither in a fingle paffage, nor in doubtful terms. All power," fays he in another place, "is given unto me in heaven and in earth" authority to execute judgment allo;" હૈદ power over all flefh, to give eternal life." "The Father raifeth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even fo the Son quickéneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Now this is either, mere pretenfion, unfounded as that of the devil over all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," or it is a claim of right: and who but God can fupport fuch a claim? Who but God can poffefs and exercise the power of quickening the dead, of executing judgment upon all, not only according to their works, but according to their moft fecret thoughts, and of beflowing eternal life? Is a creature, a mere man like ourfelves, to be entruffed with, is he capable of managing such an empire ? No; Where all power, then, is lodged, there is Deity;" in that he put all in fubjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him." Behold, Chriffian, and fejoice in fpirit, the powers of darknefs proftrae under the feet of the Prince of Peace: He" maketh his angels fpirits, his minifters a flaming fire," and "are they not all miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them who fhall be heirs of falvation?" Behold the heathen given him for his inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for à poffeffion; "He muft reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet." We, my beloved brethren, are part of the all things which are delivered by the Father unto the Son; and the precious depofit is fecurefy placed: Thine they were, and thou gaveft them me :-thofe that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is "loft:""

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and you are going this day folemnly to deliver up yourfelves to him, to be taught by his fpirit, to be governed by his laws, to be protected by his arm, to be fupplied by his providential care; therefore" ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body, and in your fpirit, which are God's."

It is added, and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom' the Son will reveal him." That is, the nature, excellency, and dignity of the Godhead can be known only by Deity. God is infinite in all his perfections, but in contemplating infinity all created understanding is loft. This reciprocal knowledge of the Father and of the Son is itself a mystery infcrutable, for it prefents at once plurality and unity; which human reafon finks under. "No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath de. clared him." If man has been enabled to form any right notion of God, he is indebted for it to the revelation of Jefus Chrift the Son of God. That revelation has unfolded God's' purpofe and grace, before the world began. That revelation has explained the hiftory of Providence through ages and an erations paft. That revelation has difclofed an eternal duration to come, for unfolding, in endless fucceffion, the inexhauftible treasure of the knowledge of "the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom he hath fent." Every paff, every prefent, every future difcovery of the divine counfels, and of their execution, is the operation of the great light of the world; for God, who commanded the light to fhine out of darknefs, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift."

If fuch were the honour and the power conferred on the Twelve and on the Seventy fimple Galileans; if through the grace of Chrift they not only exceeded the attainments of fcience, and the operations of art, but exercifed authority over the devil and his angels, then what may not man become What bounds shall be fet to the progrefs of an immortal being "the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs ?" The eye of fenfe difcerns a frail child of duft, finking under a load of growing infirmity; "in heavinels through manifold temptations;" through fear of death fubjected to bondage." The eye of faith beholds in that fame for. lorn creature, one haftening unto the refurrection of the dead about to affume a glorious body fafhioned after the fimilitude of that of a rifen and glorified Redeemer, arifing" to meet the Lord in the air" triumphing over death, and "him who has the

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'power of death,"" with open face, beholding as in a glafs the the glory of the Lord, and changing into the fame image from glory to glory."

Chrift has taught us, my brethren, to refort to the radical fource of confolation; "rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." It is a pleafant and an honourable feeling to take complacency in an illustrious or even reputable defcent; to reflect on the attainment of eminence of station by eminence in talent; to contemplate wealth earned by induftry and fairdealing. But these, and such advantages as thefe, are tranfient. They may be marred and embittered by untoward circumftanfaces. But to meditate on an inalienable, unalterable good, running through the whole progrefs of duration, increafing continually in luftre and value; to think that all is the free gift of a Father, whose love is not liable to change, whofe bounty is inexhaustible, whofe power fuftains the worlds vifibie and invifible, and whofe exiftence is from everlafting to everlafting: this foothes the foul to peace, this fweetens the bitterelt morfel, this quenches the flame of the fiery trial, this difarms the king of terrors. These things faith he that hath the feven *fpirits of God, and the seven stars." "He that overcometh, the fame fhall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confefs his name before my Father and before his angels."

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The highest privileges which Chriftianity confers, and the faireft profpect which it opens, powerfully recommend the fpirit of humility. Is thy name written' in heaven? What hand wrote it there? Might not the hand that wrote blot it out again? Has not thy own right hand made many a dreadful attempt to erase the fignature? If it has found a place on that hallowed page, if it has been permitted to remain there, if it has not in fatherly difpleafure been forever obliterated, it is vall of free fovereign grace. Art thou an heir of" a kingdom which cannot be moved ?" "it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom," have grace, whereby you may "ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly tear." The higheft and the holiest are also the humbleft of beings. With whom does" the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is Holy," delight to dwell? "With him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." He who is most humble has the greateft fimilitude to his divine Master, and to be like Chrift is to poffefs the highest glory which the <creature is capable of attaining. Learn of me," fays he, not walk upon the water or rebuke the wind, not to open the

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