Yet is trust in God a sovereign remedy for all these evils. We are safe when they are close upon us; and even when they are only apprehended, and they exist only in our own alarmed minds, we are "quiet from the fear of evil." He that "dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my Rock; my God, in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."

Not a few are "all their lifetime subject to bondage, through the fear of death." It is, indeed, a solemn thing to die. None of us can tell how fearful the struggle is with this "last enemy." Go to that chamber of mourning. See that pallid, lifeless form, once glowing with animation and beauty, but now motionless, cold as marble, and already beginning to be a loathsome, putrescent carcass. This is death. Descend into yonder cemetery; walk around it, and listen while these once-living men seem to "say to corruption, thou art my father, and to the worm, thou art my mother and my sister." This is death. Yet men are exposed to it every day, every hour, every moment. Our lives are forfeited to justice; and no living man can tell how soon the penalty, in his own case, may be executed. A very little matter, the slightest circumstance in the world, may call us from time to eternity. A loosened bolt or nail, a breaking rope, a mistaken and heedless step, a single wave, and no human power or skill can

save us. Our companions and friends, alas! how many of them have passed from the land of the living, and sunk into the bosom of the treacherous deep! Many a stately merchantman, and still more gallant warrior of the seas, have gone down in a moment, and carried with them brave and noble hearts, over whom the old ocean rolls, and whose funeral dirge is sung only by the moaning, howling winds. We cannot always anticipate the dying strife, the desperate struggle, with composure. Courage, sailors! " At what time I am afraid, I will trust in thee!" It is a fierce foe you have to grapple with; but to those who trust in God, he is a vanquished foe-vanquished on the cross. We look not on death alone, but on him who "has abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light." Sin 'hath reigned unto death; but grace reigns unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ, our Lord." Those who trust in God die but once. Death is their "last enemy." Pain invades their couch no more. Griefs and fears no

more oppress

them.

"Their languishing head is at rest,

Its thinking and aching are o'er;

That quiet, immovable breast

Is heaved by affliction no more.".

Shame on the seaman who has no confidence in God! He may not give dying grace for a living hour; yet as "thy day is, so shall thy strength be." Trust him. And then when you come to the dark valley, it shall be illumined by the light of his countenance.

What losers are they who cast away their confidence in God! Whence is it that you cannot feel safe in the hands of God? O lift up your eyes beyond the

everlasting hills and the foaming ocean, whence cometh your help. Fear God, and love his Son. Then you will be safe and happy. That brooding anxiety will pass away. It is no mystery that you sometimes find yourselves friendless and forlorn, if you have no trust in God.

"How are thy servants blessed, O Lord,
How sure is their defence!
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help Omnipotence.

"In foreign realms, and lands remote,
Supported by thy care,

Through burning climes they pass unhurt,
And breathe in tainted air.

When by the dreadful tempest borne,

High on the broken wave,

They know thou art not slow to hear,
Nor impotent to save.

"In 'midst of danger, fear, and death,
Thy goodness we'll adore;

We'll praise thee for thy mercies past,
And humbly hope for more.

"Our life, while thou preserv'st that life,
Thy sacrifice shall be;

And death, when death shall be our lot,
Shall give our souls to thee."

SERMON IX

THE TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP.

MATTHEW XVI. 24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

MANY a man thinks he is a Christian, who is not so; it is, therefore, important to understand what it is to be a Christian. Many a man persuades himself that he is willing to become a Christian, and would at once become one if he only knew how. Now the declaration of Christ in the text exactly meets this state of mind. It is a most beautiful passage, and so full of instruction, that if, by God's favor, I can only spread it out before you, and rightly explain it, it can hardly fail to be profitable to you. If any man wishes to become a disciple of Christ, it teaches him what he must do. He must deny himself-take up his cross-and follow him. These three things he must do, or he can never become a Christian.

It is not every man who wishes to be a Christian. The great mass of men do not desire any such thing. Many do not think enough about it, to desire it; while very many who have thought, and do think a great deal about it, had rather not be Christians. They do not want the trouble, and anxiety, and responsibility; but greatly prefer to live on as they are. They do not

wish to be singular; but choose rather the broad way with the multitude, than the straight and narrow way with the few.

} But there are those who are so convinced of the truth and importance of religion, that they desire to possess it. They have lost the interest in the things of this world which they once felt. They have no relish for its pleasures, and scarcely any heart left for its ordinary occupations. They are unhappy, and feel that they need something which this world cannot give them. Little as they once thought of Christ and religion, they have different views now, and wish to be Christians, and desire to become the true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Nor is this a vain and unmeaning desire. They wish to be instructed in the school of Christ, and to belong to his family. They wish to enlist under him as their Leader, in the conflict they are entering upon with sin and the world; to sign the articles of the engagement by which they bind themselves to him as their great Captain and Commander over the perilous voyage of human life. They do not wish to be Christians in name only, but in reality. They sincerely desire to consecrate themselves to Christ, and to be devoted to him in body, soul, and spirit. Just as some men desire to be learned, and others to be rich; just as one desires to be a merchant, another a mechanic, another a seaman; so those of whom we are speaking desire to be Christians. They desire above all things to be Christians; they never expect to be happy until they become Christians; they do not look in any way to better their condition, until they become Christians.

Are any of you, my friends, sensible of having such