then without righteousness-without a covering from the wrath of God-without a way to the Father. The law will again condemn you; God's frown will again overshadow you; you will again have terrors of conscience. Hold him then, and do not let him go. Whatever you let go, let not Christ go; for he is our peace-not in knowledge—not in feeling-but trust in Him alone.

2. Holiness flows from Him.--No true holiness in this world, but it springs from him. A living Christ is the spring of holiness to all his members. As long as we hold him, and do not let him go, our holiness is secure. He is engaged to keep us from falling. He loves us too well to let us fall under the reigning power of sin. His word is engaged,—“ I will put my Spirit within you." His honour would be tarnished if any that cleave to him were suffered to live in sin. If you let him go, you will fall into sin. You have no strength, no store of grace, no power to resist a thousand enemies-no promises. If Christ be for you, who can be against you; but if you let go his arms, where are you?

3. Hope of glory is in Him.-We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. If you have found Jesus this day, you have found a way into glory. A few steps more, you can say, and I shall be for ever with the Lord. I shall be free from pain and sorrow-free from sin and weakness-free from enemies. As long as you hold Christ, you can see your way to the judgment seat. "Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and receive me to thy glory." This gives you such joy, such transporting desires after the heavenly world. But let Christ go, and this will be gone. Let Christ go, and how can you die? The grave is covered with clouds of threatening. Let Him go, and how can you go to the judgment—where can you appear?

II. Means.

1. Christ promises to keep you holding Him.-If you are really holding Christ this day, you are in a most blessed condition, for Christ engages to keep you cleaving to him. "My soul followeth hard after thee, and thy right hand upholdeth me." He that is the Creator of the world is the upholder of it, so he that new creates the soul keeps it in being. This is never to be forgotten. Not only does the Church lean on her beloved, but he puts his left hand under her head, and his right hand doeth embrace her "I taught Ephraim how to go, taking them by their arms. It is good for a child to hold

fast by its mother's neck, but ah! that would be a feeble support, if the maternal arm did not enfold the child, and clasp it to her bosom. Faith is good, but ah! it is nothing without the grace that gave it. "I will put my fear in your heart."

2. Faith in Christ -The only way to hold fast is to believe more and more. Get a larger acquaintance with Christ -with his person, work, and character. Every page of the Gospel unfolds a new feature in his character-every line of the Epistles discloses new depths of his work. Get more faith, and you will get a firmer hold. A plant that has got a single root may be easily torn up by the hand, or crushed by the foot of the wild beast, or blown down by the wind; but a plant that has a thousand roots struck down into the ground can stand. Faith is like the root-many believe a little concerning Christ-one fact. Every new truth concerning Jesus, is a new root struck downwards. Believe more intensely. A root may be in a right direction, but, not striking deep, it is easily torn up. Pray for deep-rooted faith. Pray to be stablished, strengthened, settled. Take a long intense look at Jesus-often, often. If you wanted to know a man again, and he was going away, you would take an intense look at his face. Look then at Jesus-deeply, intensely -till every feature is graven on your heart. Thomas Scott overcame the fear of death by looking intensely at his dead child, who had died in the Lord.

Isaiah xxvii. 5, "Take begin and pray after anLet it be real intercourse

When the
Nothing is

3. Prayer.-Jacob at Bethel. hold of my strength." You must other fashion than you have done. with God, like Hezekiah, Jacob, Moses, &c. 4. By not offending Him.-1st, By sloth. soul turns sleepy or careless, Christ goes away. more offensive to Christ than sloth. Love is an ever-active thing, and when it is in the heart it will keep us waking. Many a night his love to us kept him waking. Now, can you not watch with him one hour? Song v. 2. 2d, By idols. You cannot hold two objects. If you are holding Christ today, and lay hold of another object to-morrow, he cannot stay. He is a jealous God. You cannot keep worldly companions and Christ too. "A companion of fools shall be destroyed.” When the ark came into the house of Dagon, it made the idol fall flat. 3d, By being unwilling to be sanctified. When Christ chooses us, and draws us to himself, it is that he may sanctify us. Christ is often grieved away, by our desiring to reserve one sin. 4th. By an unholy house "I brought

him into my mother's house." Remember to take Christ home with you, and let him rule in your house. If you walk with Christ abroad, but never take him home, you will soon part company for ever.

SERMON XXI.

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory." -COLOSSIANS i. 27.

The gospel is here described as "Christ in you the hope of glory.' There are two distinct senses in which these words may be taken, and I cannot positively determine which is the true one. It is possible that both may be intended. I shall open up both.

I. Christ in you, means Christ embraced by faith as our righteousness and strength; and this is the sure ground upon which we hope for glory. In this sense it appears to be used, Ephes. iii. 17, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." When a sinner's heart is opened by the Holy Spirit, when the beauty and excellence of the Saviour is shewn to him, the heart inwardly embraces and cleaves to Christ. Every new discovery of Christ to the soul renews this act of inward cleaving to the Lord Jesus. Every reproach, every temptation, every fall into sin, every bereavement, makes the soul more really, firmly, and fully embrace the Lord Jesus; and so, by continual faith, Christ may be said to dwell in the heart; as in Ephes. iii. 17, "That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith.' Christ thus embraced is the hope of glory. It is this constant abiding faith-this close embracing of Christ as all our righteousness-it is this which gives a calm, sweet, full, peaceful hope of glory. The soul that can say, Christ is mine, can also say, Glory is mine; for we need nothing but Christ to shelter us in the judgment-day. Can you say that Christ is thus in you the hope of glory? If you have not got Christ, you have no good hope of glory.

II. Christ formed in the soul by the Spirit.-See Gal. iv. 19. Christ formed in the soul is also the hope of glory; and this I take to be the full meaning of this verse. So, John xv. 4, " Abide in me and I in you;" John xvii. 23, “I in them and thou in me;" v. 26, " And I in them."

By the mind, I understand Now, every believer has the He thinks as Christ doesmind,” 2 Tim. i. 7. This is

1. The mind of Christ is formed in the soul; 1 Cor. ii. 16, "We have the mind of Christ." the thinking powers of man. mind of Christ formed in him. "This is the spirit of a sound being of the same mind in the Lord. I do not mean that a believer has the same all-seeing mind, the same infallible judgment concerning everything as Christ has; but up to his light he sees things as Christ does.

He sees sin as Christ does. Christ sees sin to be evil and bitter. He sees it to be filthy and abominable-its pleasures all a delusion. He sees it to be awfully dangerous. He sees the inseparable connection between sin and suffering. So does a believer.

He sees the Gospel as Christ does. Christ sees amazing glory in the Gospel. The way of salvation which he himself has wrought out. It appears a most complete salvation to him-most free-most glorifying to God and happy for man. So does the believer.

He sees the world as Christ does. Christ knows what is in man. He looked on this world as vanity, compared with the smile of his Father. Its riches, its honours, its pleasures, appeared not worth a sigh. He saw it passing away. So does the believer.

He sees time as Christ did. "I must work the work of him that sent me while it is day; the night cometh”—“ I come quickly." So does a believer look at time.

He sees eternity as Christ does. Christ looked at everything in the light of eternity. "In my Father's house are many mansions." Every thing is valuable in Christ's eyes, only as it bears on eternity. So with believers.

2. The heart of Christ.-By the heart I mean the affections that part of us that loves or hates, hopes and fears. We have Christ's heart formed in us- "I will put my spirit within you"- "I in you"-" My words abide in you."

1st, The same love to God.-What intense delight Jesus had in his father! "6 Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee"- "I am not alone, for the Father is with me"-" I thank thee, O Father"- "Abba Father"-"Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit." So with every believer.

2d, the same aversion to God's frown.-Psalm xxii. 1, "Why hast thou forsaken me ?" verse 15. “Thou has brought me into the dust of death;" Psalm lxxxviii. 7, "Thy wrath

lieth hard upon me;" Psalm cii. 10, "Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down." So with the children of God. Psalm xlii. 9, "I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me ?"

3d, The same love to saints.-Psalm xvi. 3, " To the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight;" John xiii. 1," Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end :" John xv. 13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;" John xiv. 3. "I will come again, and receive you to myself;" Acts ix. 4, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?" So it is with all true believers. Every one that loveth is born of God.

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4th, Compassion to sinners.-This was the main feature of Christ's character. This brought him from heaven to die. This made him weep over Jerusalem-long to gather her children. This makes him delay his coming, not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter iii. 9. All Christ's own are like him in this. The same heart throbs within them.

5th, Tenderness to the awakened." He will not break the bruised reed." O the tenderness of the lips that said, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.' Such are

all Christians.

3. The life of Christ.—They live the same life in the main that Christ did in the world. Though they have many falls, wax cold, &c., still the main current of their life is Christ living in them. Gal. ii. 20, "Christ liveth in me;" 2 Cor. vi. 16, " I will dwell in them, and walk in them.

Bearing reproaches.-1 Peter ii. 23, "When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." Christ felt reproach keenly-" Reproach hath broken mine heart." Still he reviled no man, but prayed for them. So believers.

In doing good." He went about doing good." He made this his meat and drink. So will all who have Christ formed in them. They do good, and to communicate forget not. They are the almoners of the world. They parted to all

men," Acts ii. 45.

In being separate from sinners.-Christ walked through the midst of sinners undefiled. Like a beam of light piercing into a foul dungeon, or like a river purifying and fertilizing, itself untainted, so did Christ pass through this world; and so de all his own. Ps. ci. 4, "I will not know a wicked person."

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