great truths of religion, which makes them easy to comprehend and to remember: to put on the wedding garment is to put on Jesus Christ and his righteousness; it is also to put on the new man, which is renewed in righteousness in the image of Jesus Christ 2. These are the two parts of one great whole. It is a robe washed in the blood of Christ; for it is only in virtue of his purity that a sinful creature can ever stand with acceptance in the presence of the holy God. This is made our own by faith; but yet it is not a mere outward seeming; that would be but a whited wall, an hypocritical abomination; far otherwise: the character, the tempers, the mind, which was in Christ Jesus, are also put on, and convert the inmost soul into his likeness here is genuine conversion and hearty repentance. He who sincerely looks to Christ as his Saviour is saved from his sins, he gains the victory over them and in him, who through the power and grace of the Saviour has "washed and cleansed himself from the evil of his doings, has ceased to do evil and learnt to do well," God sees the reflected image of his beloved Son, and accepts him as if he had ever been perfect and spotless. Repentance and faith, in short, joined in one indissoluble band, are the wedding garment required. They are required for admission into the Church; and every

1 Gal. iii. 27. Rom. xiii. 14. Phil. iii. 9.

3 Is. i. 16, 17.

2

Eph. iv. 24.

baptised person solemnly professes them; they are required for admission into heaven, and when the king comes in to see the guests, strict inquisition will be made into our claim to the possession of them; during every intermediate moment, therefore, of your Christian life the exercise of these essential graces, the clothing with these heavenly garments, is bound upon you by your own solemn promise, and by God's assurance that your admission to glory depends upon it. We ask then no strange or peculiar preparation, when we require repentance and faith in order to partake of the Lord's Supper. Correctly speaking, indeed, we do not require you to repent and believe before you receive the Sacrament, but to examine into your heart and conduct, and to see whether you live in the practice of repentance and faith. To make certain prayers, to utter certain expressions of sorrow, to make vehement protestations of trust and love in the Saviour-these are valuable only as they are evidences of the habits of the soul. We call upon you indeed at a certain time to examine yourselves, because without examination you will sink into ruinous error and carelessness, and because it is fit that certain times should be fixed for more solemn self-examination; otherwise it will not be practised at all. How miserable then is the condition of those who turn their backs on Christ's invitation through his ministers. By this refusal, we do not condemn them; but they openly condemn themselves; they "put from them," like B b

the Jews of Antioch, "the word," and promises “of God, and so judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life." They acknowledge that they possess not the wedding garment.

Let us, finally, bear home with us this short but weighty observation. None among the vast multi

tudes who dwell in this Christian land can doubt that they are among the "many that are called." To all of them is the word of this salvation sent. And he who listens, and repents, and accepts the forgiveness and the holiness which are freely offered him, shall as certainly swell the number of the "few that are chosen."

1 Acts xiii. 46.

SERMON XXV.

BENEFICIAL POSSESSION.

MATTHEW xiii. 12.

"Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath."

THESE words appear to have been a well-known proverb among the Jews. Our Lord adopts them on several occasions, and thereby gives the decisive weight of his approbation to their truth and usefulness. A good proverb compresses much wisdom in a few words, and is often proposed in the form of a paradox; in words which at the first hearing seem to carry something unreasonable in them. This is done designedly, in order to awaken attention and inquiry; to cause men to sift the matter to the bottom, and thus to fix it deeply in their memories, that they may reap practical benefit from it. By such a process we retain the fruits of the thought and experience of other men, wiser than ourselves, which may direct our judgment in the intricate business of

life. I must, however, observe, that proverbs are generally conversant about the prudent management of our life and conversation, not about the laws of God, and the plain duties which his commands have bound upon us. This is not their proper province. A proverb would be useless that told us we were not to commit murder, adultery, or theft. Proverbs therefore are mainly about indifferent matters; about things which may be either right or wrong, in consequence of the temper or the degree in which we do them. And this makes a great distinction between the use of a Law and of a Proverb. The law must be obeyed in all cases, and at the highest cost; no excuse will be accepted at God's tribunal, for not doing what conscience tells you it is your duty to do. But the rules given in proverbs are only right for the most part. In usual cases it may be best to follow them. But many situations occur, in which other maxims of prudence, or some claim of duty renders it right to give up the guidance of the proverb, and to act contrary to it. It is not unnecessary that I should explain this distinction, for it is not always perceived, and serious mistakes are sometimes made in consequence. Most of us have some favourite maxims ready at hand. You hear men say, "I make a rule of doing so." It may often be right; but if their rule be invariable, they are sure to be sometimes wrong. For worldly matters are so entangled, such contrary motives at the same time urge us, so much both of good and evil seems

It