his hands and his feet; abide ye hard by the cross, and let the sponge, the vinegar and the nails, be subjects of your devout attention. This year seek to penetrate into his very heart, and to search those deep farreaching caverns of his unknown love, that love which can never find a rival, and can hever know a parallel. If ye can add to this a knowledge of his sufferings, ye will do well. Oh! if ye can grow in the knowledge of fellowship-if ye shall this year drink of his cup, and be baptized with his baptism-if ye shall this year abide in him and he in you-blessed shall ye be. This is the only growth in grace which is true growth; and all other growth which leads us not to increase in the knowledge of Christ is but the puffing up of the flesh, and not the building up of the Spirit.

Grow in the knowledge of Christ, then. And do ye ask me why? Oh! if ye have ever known Him you will not ask that question. He that longs not to know more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet. He that ever sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction, that we want to taste more, and more, and more, and more. Oh! if ye know the love of Jesus, I am sure as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will you pant after him. If ye say ye do not desire to know him better, then I tell you ye love him not, for love always cries, "Nearer, nearer, nearer." Absence from Christ is hell; but presence with Christ is heaven; and, as we get nearer to him, our heaven becomes more heavenly, and we enjoy it more, and feel more that it is of God. Oh! may you this year come to the very well of Bethlehem, and not merely receive a vessel from it, as David did, at the risk of the lives of three mighty men; but may you come to the well and drink-drink from the well itself, from that bottomless well-spring of eternal love. Oh, this year may the secret of the Lord be with you, and may you be in the secret place of the Most High! My Master, shouldest thou permit me to ask thee one thing as a special favour, it should be this, that I may "know him and the power of his resurrection, being made conformable to his death!" Nearer to thee, blessed Lord, nearer to thee: this all our cry shall be. The Lord grant that our cry may be heard, that we may grow in the knowledge of Christ!

We wish to know Christ this year as our Lord-Lord of every thought and every desire, of every word and every act. And as our Saviour too, our Saviour from every indwelling sin, our Saviour from every evil past, from every trial to come. All hail, Jesu! we salute thee as Lord. Teach us to feel thy Kingship over us, and to feel it every hour. All hail, thou crucified One! We acknowledge thee as Saviour; help us to rejoice in thy salvation, and to feel the plenitude of that salvation in all and every part of spirit, soul, and body, being wholly saved by thee.

I have thus, men and brethren, sought to expound the point of theology; I lift up my heart in prayer for you all that you may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

II. In the second place, we have A GRATEFUL THANKSGIVING, WITH A MOST SUGGESTIVE TERMINATION: "To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."

The apostles, we must remark, very frequently suspended their writing in order to lift up their hearts in praise. Praise is never out of season, and it is no interruption to interrupt any engagement in order to laud and magnify our God. "To him be glory." Brethren, do not let me preach now, but let me interpret your emotions. Let it be not so much my utterance, as your utterance by my lips. Let every heart joyously feel this doxology, To him, the God that made the heavens and the earth, without whom was not anything made; to him who in his infinite compassion became the surety of the covenant-to him who became a babe of a span long-to him who was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief to him who on the bloody tree poured out his heart's life that he might redeem his people to him who said "I thirst," and "It is finished!"-to him whose lifeless body slumbered in the grave-to him be glory. To him that burst the bonds of death-to him who ascended on high and led captivity captive-to him who sitteth at the right hand of the Father and who shall soon come to be our Judge-"to him be glory." Yes, to him, ye atheists, who deny him-to him, ye Socinians, who doubt his Deity-to him, ye kings, who vaunt your splendour, and will not have this man to reign over you-to him, ye people, who against him stand up, and ye rulers who against him take counsel to him, the King whom God hath set upon his holy hill of Zion-to him be glory. To him be glory as the Lord: King of kings and Lords; "Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." And yet again Hosannah in the highest-Hallelujah! King of kings and Lord of lords. To him be glory as Lord. To him be glory as Saviour. He alone hath redeemed us unto God by his blood; he alone hath "trodden the wine-press," and "cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength." "To him be glory." Hear it ye angels: "To him be glory." Clap your wings. Cry "Hallelujah! to him be glory." Hear it ye spirits of the just made perfect; sweep the strings of your celestial harps, and say, "Hallelujah, glory to him who hath redeemed us unto God by his own blood." "To him be glory." Church of God respond! Let every pious heart say "To him be glory." Yes, unto him be glory, ye fiends of hell, as ye tremble at his presence, and see the key of your prison-house swinging at his girdle. Let heaven, and earth, and hell-let things that are, and were, and shall be, cry, "To him be glory."

But the apostle adds, "now"-"to him be glory, now." O brethren, postpone not the day of his triumph; put not off the hour of his coronation. Now, NOW.

"Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all."

Now, now; for now, to-day, he hath raised us up together, and made us sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God;" now are our sins forgiven; now are we robed in his righteousness; now are our feet upon a rock, and our goings are established. Who is there among you that would defer the time of your

hosannahs? "To him be glory now." O cherubim above, "To him be glory now!" for ye "continually do cry, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts." Adore him yet again, for, "To him be glory now."

"And for ever." Never shall we cease our praise. Time! thou shalt grow old and die. Eternity! thine unnumbered years shall speed their everlasting course; but for ever, for ever, for ever, "to him be glory." Is he not a "Priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek?" "To him be glory." Is he not king for ever?-King of kings and Lord of lords, the everlasting Father? "To him be glory for ever." Never shall his praises cease. That which was bought with blood deserves to last while immortality endures. The glory of the cross must never be eclipsed; the lustre of the grave and of the resurrection must never be dimmed. Oh, my beloved brethren, my spirit begins to feel the ardour of the immortals. I would anticipate the songs of heaven. My tongue, had it but celestial liberty, would begin e'en now, to join those thricemelodious sonnets sung by flaming tongues above. O Jesus! thou shalt be praised for ever. Long as immortal spirits live-long as the Father's throne endures-for ever, for ever, for ever, unto thee shall be glory.

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But now, there is a conclusion to this of the most suggestive kind, "Amen." Brethren, I want to work this amen out-not as a matter of doctrine, but as a matter of blessed transport. Come, give me your hearts again. "To him be glory both now and for ever, Amen." What means this Amen? Amen has four meanings in Scripture. By the way, the Puritan's remark-it is a very remarkable thing-that under the old law, there was no amen to the blessings; the only amen was to the curses. When they pronounced the curses, "All the people said Amen." Under the law, there never was an amen to the blessing. Now, it is an equally remarkable, and more blessed thing, that under the gospel, there is no amen to the curses, the only amen is to the blessings. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all, Amen." "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha." No amen. There is no amen to the curse under the gospel. But "all the promises of God are yea and amen, in Christ Jesus." Now, the "Amen," and here I am greatly indebted to good old Thomas Adamsmeans four things. First, it is the desire of the heart, "Behold, I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." We say amen at the end of the prayer, to signify, "Lord, let it be so," it is our heart's desire. Now, brethren, give me your hearts, then-for it is all a heartmatter here. "To him be glory both now and for ever, Amen." Is that your heart's desire? If not, you cannot say amen to it. Does your heart long, pant, thirst, groan, and cry out after Christ, so that you can say, every time you bend your knee, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen." Can you say, "Amen, Lord, let thy kingdom come." Brethren, if you can say it in this sense, if it be your heart's desire that Christ's glory should be extended, and his kingdom should come, say "Amen," aloud this morning. Now join with me, for my heart glows with it. I can say it, and the Judge of all knows how my heart longs to see Jesus magnified; join with me then, ye who can

do it honestly, while I repeat the doxology-"To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.""

[The congregation very heartily, aloud said, "Amen."]

So be it Lord. Thou hearest thy Church as it cries "Amen;" verily, it is our heart's desire.

"Amen, with joy divine, let earth's
Unnumber'd myriads cry;

Amen, with joy divine, let heaven's
Unnumber'd choirs reply."

But it signifies more than this; it means the affirmation of our faith. We only say amen to that which we really believe to be true. We add our affidavit as it were to God's promise, that we believe him to be faithful and true. Have you any doubts but that Jesus Christ is glorious now and for ever? Do you doubt his being glorified of angels, cherubim and seraphim, to-day? And do you not believe, my brethren, that they that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and that his enemies shall lick the dust? If you so believe, if you have faith to-day amid the world's obstinacy and the sinner's pride, amid abounding superstition and dominant evil, if you have faith still to believe that Christ shall be glorious for ever and ever, then join with me and again say Amen. "To him be glory both now and for ever, Amen." The congregation again said "Amen."]

Lord, thou hearest it, though it is a feebler cry than aforetime, for there are more who can desire it than there are who believe it. Nevertheless, thou abidest faithful.

"This little seed from heaven

Shall soon become a tree;

. This ever-blessed leaven
Diffused abroad must be:

Till God the Son shall come again,
It must go on. Amen! Amen."

But there is yet a third meaning to this amen; it often expresses the joy of the heart. When of old they brought forth a Jewish king, the High Priest took a horn of oil and poured it on his head; then came forward a herald, and the moment he had sounded the trumpet, one with a loud voice said, "God save the king! God save the king!" and all the people said "Amen," and one shout went up to heaven, while with joy of heart they saluted the king in whom they hoped to see a prosperous ruler through whom God would bless them and make them victorious. Now, what say you? As you see King Jesus sitting upon Mount Zion with death and hell beneath his feet, as to day you anticipate the glory of his Advent, as to day you are expecting the time when you shall reign with him for ever and ever, does not your heart say "Amen?" I can remember, in a season of the greatest darkness of mind and weakness of body, there was one text which used to cheer me beyond all measure; there was nothing in the text about myself; it was no promise to me, but it was something about him. It was this-"Him hath God highly exalted and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee

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should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Oh! it seemed so joyous that he was exalted. What did it matter what became of me? What did it signify what should become of all of us? King David is worth ten thousand of us. Let our name perish, but let his name last for ever. Brethren, this morning I bring forth the King to you. I bring him before the eyes of your faith to-day; I proclaim him king again, and do you if you desire him to be king, and if you rejoice in his reign, say "Amen." Here, here he stands in vision before your eyes. Crown him! Crown him! Lo, he is to-day crowned afresh. "To him be glory both now and for ever." Joyous hearts lift up your voices, and with one accord say "Amen." [The congregation again said "Amen."] Amen, Lord, be thou King in the midst of us all.

"Yea, amen, let all adore thee,

High on thine exalted throne!
Saviour, take thy power and glory;
Claim the kingdoms for thine own:
O come quickly!

Hallelujah! Come, Lord, come."

But, lastly, and this is a very solemn point. Amen is sometimes used in scripture as an amen of resolution. It means, "I, in the name of God, solemnly pledge myself that in his strength I will seek to make it so; to him be glory both now and for ever." Now I shall not want you to say "Amen" to this aloud, but I shall pause to let you say it silently in your own souls by-and-bye. I walked last week through the long galleries which vanity has dedicated to all the glories of France. You pass through room after room where especially you see the triumphs of Napoleon in writhing bodies, and in the blood, and vapour, and smoke. Surely as you walk through the pages of Scripture, you walk through a much more marvellous picture gallery, in which you see the glories of Christ. This book contains the memorials of his honours. In another place in Paris there stands a column made with the cannons taken by the Emperor in battle. A mighty trophy, certainly. O Jesus! thou hast a better than this; a trophy made of souls forgiven; of eyes which wept, but whose tears have been wiped away; of broken hearts that have been healed, and of saved souls that for evermore rejoice. But what trophies Christ has to make him glorious, both now and for ever; trophies of living hearts that love him; trophies of immortal spirits who find their heaven in gazing upon his beauties! What must the glories of Christ be for ever when you and I and all the ten thousand millions he has bought with his blood shall be in heaven. Oh! when we have been there many a thousand years we shall feel as fresh a rapture as when we came there, and if our spirits should be sent on any errand from our Master, and we should have to leave the presencechamber for a moment, oh! with what wings of a dove we will fly back to behold his face again. When we shall all surround that throne, what songs will I give him, the chief of sinners saved by blood! What hymns will you give him; you who have had your iniquities cleansed and are to day saved? What praise will all those multitudes give him who have all been partakers of his grace? But this has more to do with "for