longer is it told by days, or months, or years, nor by observation of the heavenly bodies; for the planets which mark these periods are hidden from their sight. Its flight is no longer noted by events perceived by the senses; for the ear is deaf, and the eye is closed. The busy world of life which wakes at each morning, and ceases at every night, goes on above them; but to them all is silent and unseen. The greetings of joy and the voice of grief, the revolution of empires and the lapse of ages, send no sound within that narrow cell. Generation after generation are brought and laid by their side; the monumental marble tells the centuries that have passed away; but to the sleeping dead the long interval is unobserved. Like a dream of the night, when, with the quickness of thought, the mind ranges time and place almost without a limit, there is but a moment between the hour when the eye is closed in the grave, and when it wakes to the judgment.

We sicken over the sins of men, and sometimes wonder why they are not always found out in the present world. But at that Day everything will be revealed just as it is. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God." The Son of Man shall come with power and great glory, and "before him shall stand all nations." Sovereigns and slaves shall be there. Rich and poor, young and old, male and female, seamen and landsmen, shall be there. Deeds of solitary and associated wickedness shall then stand forth; long forgotten deeds shall then be remembered; deeds till then unknown shall be disclosed. Deeds committed under the veil of night shall then be set in the light of God's countenance. Deeds done in foreign lands, or in

the islands of the sea, and far away from human eyes, shall no longer lose their atrocity in the distance of place, time, or retirement; but every ear shall hear of them.

The sentence of men will be of little moment then, compared with the judgment of God. Yet will his judgment be sanctioned, justified, honored by the unanimous voice of all the universe. And what is never to be lost sight of by the man who would fain cover up his wickedness, the magnificent scenes of that Day, and all its solemn splendor, impressive and affecting as they will be, will be lost sight of in the more impressive and affecting developments of the character and conduct of men. God will do justice to the secret transgressor then; and the secret transgressor will be forced to do justice to himself. His history shall no longer be secret; nor shall he ever again ask the question, " Will it ever be known?" The truth will then never be forgotten, and the sentence will eternally vibrate on his ear, "Be sure your sin will find you out!"

SERMON VII.

THE GREAT ALTERNATIVE.

MARK XVI. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

THE offer of the Gospel is not a mere offer, which men may receive or reject at their pleasure. It is an authoritative offer, and one which they are commanded to receive, and cannot reject with impunity. Rebellious man is invited to return to his allegiance to the God of Heaven; and if he does so, he has the promise of pardon and life. But if he refuses to do so, it is at his peril. It is a princely offer, which may not be trifled with. Our Lord Jesus, after he had been "delivered for our offences, and raised for our justification," came to his disciples, and said, "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me. Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned."

These are gracious words, yet are they fearful words. A great and solemn alternative is this-life or death, heaven or hell! Let us dwell upon both the parts of it; for we have an interest in it momentous as eternity.

I. In the first place, he that believeth shall be saved. Mark the precision of the language. It is one of the most definite and comprehensive sentences in the Bible.

It instructs us who of all the fallen race of man will be saved. And who are they? A vile and blood-shedding king, like Manasseh, might say, I can never hope to be saved; for I have filled the world with the bodies of the slain, and have waded to the throne through rivers of blood. A relentless persecutor, like Saul of Tarsus, might say, There is no salvation for me; for I have kindled the fires, and erected the gibbet, for thousands of the people of God. The hardened sailor may say, It is of no use for me to think of being saved; for my heart is hard as adamant; I am a profane swearer, a thoughtless Sabbath-breaker, and have from my youth up been a despiser and reviler of God and his Christ. But what saith the Scripture to all such men? Its language is simple and strong; this is what it says"He that believeth shall be saved." Not a few there are who feel that they are not good enough to be partakers of this great salvation; and that if they were only better men, and more holy and righteous, they would stand a better chance of finding mercy. But Jesus Christ says no such thing. He declares that the man who believes in him, no matter who, nor where, nor what he is, shall be a saved man. Not a few there are who would persuade us that no man can enter into the kingdom of God, unless they belong to some one particular denomination of Christians. But if this were so, the language of Christ would have been very dif ferent from what it is in the text. He would have told us what sect and which clan we must belong to. But he simply says, that we must be Christians, and believers in his blessed Gospel.

A sweet and delightful truth this, that "he that believeth shall be saved." No man may take anything

from it, nor add to it anything. There it stands single and alone, the only, the divine charter of the sinner's hopes. It is like the peering out of the north-star when the bewildered mariner has lost his compass; it is like the blue sky just opening over his head in the midst of a long storm.

But you ask me, what is it to believe the Gospel? The question is a proper one, because there is a false faith as well as a true. False faith is holding the truths of the Gospel in unrighteousness; it is the belief of the head, without the belief of the heart; it is believing that the Son of God came into the world to save sinners, without loving him; it is such a faith as the devils have. True faith is humbly receiving Jesus Christ as your teacher, your Lord, and your Saviour; giving yourself to him, and trusting in him alone for salvation. Some things we believe on the evidence of our senses; some on the testimony of our fellow-men; but the Gospel is received on the testimony of God. If we receive the testimony of man, the testimony of God is greater. "This is the testimony of God; that he hath given us eternal life, and that this life is in his Son." There is salvation in no other; he is mighty to save; those who come to him he will in no wise cast out. These are great and precious truths; faith receives them, obeys them, lives upon them. Humbling as they are to his pride and self-righteousness, the believing sinner rejoices in them, and chooses to be saved in the way by which he is humbled and God exalted.

The Saviour's declaration is, "He that believeth shall be saved." He shall be saved. What is it to be saved? The salvation here spoken of is indeed a great salvation-a salvation which will require ages to un