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from ruin; the fires of the pit are quenched; the great God of heaven and earth becomes the sinner's Friend!-yea, smiles with ineffable sweetness upon him, and for him prepares a sparkling crown, a throne of glory, and joys which shall never end! And, to make this glorious peace better still, it is settled upon a sure foundation-it is through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is purchased by his death, it is inspired by his Spirit, and guarantied by the blood of his cross. If this peace were dependent upon any thing in us, it would be most precarious; but no, thank God, we have this peace through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is ever worthy, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! O! how will the possession of this peace sweeten the bitterest cup, and brighten the darkest scene! How it will soften the dying hour, and cause the Christian to exult and triumph amid the solemnities of the last closing scene! But this is not all. 2. Being justified by faith, we have not only peace with God, but we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. We are not only pardoned, we are accepted. We are permitted to come into the presence chamber of our God, with all the feelings of a child, and all the assurance of Divine love.

"Our faith shall Abba, Father, cry,

And thou the kindred own!"

A rebel may be pardoned by his prince, and yet not permitted to come into his presence. Absalom's crime in slaying his brother Ammon was forgiven by David, his father, but he must not see his face. "Let him not see my face," said David. But here is the blessedness of a state of justification with God; it not only brings us into a state of peace with God, but nearness to him-yes, permits us by faith to draw near unto God, with all holy reverence and assurance, as children to a father, able and ready to help us in every time of need. O blessed state! O glorious privilege! privilege! How precious to the patriarch Jacob when, fearing the wrath of Esau, he turned aside and prayed this prayer: "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, Lord, lest he come and smite me, and the mother, and the children." How precious to king Hezekiah, when sick, and admonished by the prophet to prepare for death, he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, and wept sore, and was heard in that which he feared. And how precious is this privilege to the people of God in every age-what time afflictions come, and the waves of sorrow begin to roll! Yes, what though the sunshine of prosperity be clouded, and the dark night of affliction envi

ron us on every side; what though the dew of death be upon our cold brow, and the shades of death be upon our faded eye; what though we be in the very midst of the dark valley, and the waves be rolling at our feet-if God, as our covenant God and Father, be with us, we have a sweet solace-we are safe-we are happy! for our days of mourning are ended, and heaven is at hand.

But this leads me to speak of a third benefit connected with a state of justification with God. Not only have we peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ--not only have we also nearness of access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, we are permitted to rejoice in hope of the glory of God. This was what Moses so much desired. And Moses said unto God, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." And the Lord said unto Moses, "I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord; and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand, for there shall no man see me and live." But in heaven there shall be no occasion for the cleft of a rock, nor for the covering, for there we shall see God face to face-we shall see the king in his beauty-shall see him amid all the splendours of that eternal world of glory! O, how rap

turous will this vision be, and how transforming! for there, we all, as with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, shall be changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. Brethren! Bright prospects are before the believer; great things are in reserve for him. A crown of glory, a throne of glory, a weight of glory, an eternal weight of glory, an exceeding and eternal weight of glory! Yes, child of God, hear it, and let your heart leap for joy! When you reach your eternal home, you will have glory above you, and and glory around you!

glory beneath you, You will swim in

glory as in the sun-light of heaven! things are in reserve for you, and

All these

you may

Yes, you

rejoice in the sure hope of them. need not wait until the heavens are rolled together as a scroll. You need not wait until the voice of the archangel shall announce that your coronation day is come. No, nor wait even until this mortality shall have put on immortality; you are now permitted to anticipate things to come; you are even now permitted to rejoice in hope of the glory of God. O! who would not be a Christian? Sinner, would you? Then come to Christ. He calls,

he bids you come.

O, come now!

God help

you to come! Amen!

SERMON V.

NAAMAN.

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.-2 KINGS v. 12.

THE account given of Naaman in this chapter is truly interesting and instructive. It furnishes an exact delineation of the human character, and is a complete developement of the pride and carnality of the natural, or unrenewed man. Naaman was a great man, in the popular sense of that term. He had been raised to a high military station, and had justified the confidence reposed in him. Leading forth the hosts of the king of Syria, he marched against the enemies of his country. He was victorious, and returned to Syria crowned with laurels, and greeted with the acclamations of his grateful countrymen. The king himself honoured him; and he was acknowledged by all, as the political saviour of his country: because, that "by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria." Crowned with laurels, and enriched with spoils, he stood upon a proud eminence; the boast of his country, the admiration of all! Yet, there was one thing against him; one thing to humble the pride of his heart-he was a leper. This leprosy was

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