loftiness of his aspirations, said, "Come, let us make a tower, whose top shall reach unto heaven." At any rate, I have thought that if the mind of man, now so luminous, should explode, it would be in a shower of sparks, astonishing the world with the brilliancy of its corruscations. The prophet, some twentyfive hundred years ago, referring, as we verily believe, to the very age in which we live, uttered the prophecy, "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." How clear must have been the visions of him who could predict such things! Every thing was as if then passing directly and in full view before his eyes. Surely the most sceptical must now bow before the power of divine truth. Surely the most obstinate must admit that "prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

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And now, if these prophecies are true, must not all others recorded in the same sacred volume bear the same sacred character? Permit me simply to remind you of a few:Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with them; wo to the wicked, it shall be ill with him." "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not, shall be damned." "The hour cometh when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of

the Son of God, and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation." Let then the righteous rejoice, for heaven, with all its joys, is just at hand! Let the sinner tremble, for hell, with all its sorrows, is not far off! Another moment, and the Christian may be in paradise with God and his angels! Another moment, and the Christless soul may be in tophet, with devils and damned spirits! Awake, one! awake, all! for eternity is nigh, even at the door, and the night cometh, when no man can work! Let no one trifle with matters of such high import! The Bible is true, and all its declarations may assuredly be depended upon. The argument for the inspiration of the sacred volume drawn from prophecy, is only one amongst many, but is of itself convincing; and the man who is an unbeliever, in view of the evidence drawn from this source, would not believe though one rose from the dead. Permit me, also, to guard you against infidelity. As this is a day of abounding iniquity; as intemperance, profane swearing, Sabbathbreaking, gambling, and other kindred vices, are, alas! too common in our midst, we may expect infidelity, at least in some of its forms, to keep pace with these things, for, as one well remarks, "Infidelity is a disease of the heart,

not of the head." Let the morals be corrupt, and the sentiments will soon become loose. Let the heart be infected with vice, and infidelity will forthwith spring up, like green scum upon the surface of a foul and stagnant pool. Beware of infidelity! It wars against reason and common sense, against God and the best interests of man. Beware of infidelity! It teaches that man is not responsible to his Maker for his actions, however atrocious they may be, and that in the end, it will be as well with the gambler and the pirate as with the man of virtue and religion. Beware of infidelity! It curses the body, and curses the soul; it curses you in time, and it will curse you through all eternity. Beware of infidelity! It will poison the stream of public morals, and public happiness it will rob you of your dearest hopes and sweetest comforts: it will rob you of the favour of God; will hang around your dying bed the curtains of gloom and despair. It will lay your body in an unblest grave, and your soul "in the urn of everlasting death!" I have heard the saying, "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war;" but he who encourages infidelity, in a more fearful sense cries "havoc !" and lets slip, not the dogs of war, but the spirits of Pandemonium, and the demons of the pit! Young man, listen to me: I repeat once more what I have said before-your Christian

mother is right-the Bible is true! and if you die without the repentance which it enjoins, and the Saviour which it reveals, mark my word, in the great day of judgment you will wish you had never been born!

SERMON III.

NATURE, SINFULNESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF UNBELIEF.

He that believeth not, shall be damned.-MARK xvi. 16.

THIS is one of the most awful declarations found in all the sacred volume: and it assumes a character of peculiar interest and solemnity, when we recollect, 1. By whom this declaration was originally made; and 2. The circumstances in which it was made.

By whom was this declaration originally made? It was not by an enemy, but by a Friend-the sinner's best Friend-even the loving tender-hearted Saviour himself. Yes, it is none other than the blessed Jesus, who died for sinners, and before whose judgment-seat we must all one day appear, who said, "He that believeth not, shall be damned." And when did he utter this awful language? In the most interesting circumstances which can well be imagined. It was in his last interview

with his disciples. He had died on the cross; he had risen from the tomb, and he was now just about to ascend to heaven. His disciples are around him, and there is the cloud, like a chariot, hovering over him, and angels waiting to attend him to his home in the sky. In these peculiarly interesting circumstances, our great Redeemer gave his parting charge: "Go, my disciples, into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved"— here we have the overtures of mercy for those who accept of the way of salvation proposed in the gospel-" but he that believeth not, shall be damned." Here we have solemnly announced the certain doom of those who reject it. Remember, these are among the very last words which fell from the lips of our blessed Saviour, when on earth, and they may well be depended upon; for who can suppose that He, whose love for our race was stronger than death, would use language unnecessarily harsh? or who can for a moment suppose that our Saviour would utter vain words, especially in circumstances of such peculiar interest and solemnity. No, my friends, the declaration in our text may not be lightly regarded: it presents a truth of tremendous import, and must stand for ever-"He that believeth not, shall be damned."