The world of nature is all changed.—Instead of the thorn comes up the fir tree, and instead of the brier comes up the myrtle tree. Every tree and field possesses a new beauty to the happy soul. The world of grace is all changed. The Bible was all dry and meaningless before; now what a flood of light is poured over its pages! how full, how fresh, how rich in meaning, how its simplest phrases touch the heart! The house of prayer was all sad and dreary before-its services were dry and unsatisfactory; but now when the believer sees the Saviour, as he hath seen him heretofore within his holy place, his cry is-" How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts; a day in thy courts is better than a thousand." The garden of the Lord was all sad and cheerless before; now tenderness towards the unconverted springs up afresh, and love to the people of God burns in the bosom -then they that fear the Lord speak often one to another. The time of singing the praises of Jesus is come, and the turtle voice of love to Jesus is once more heard in the land; the lord's vine flourishes, and the pomegranate buds, and Christ's voice to the soul is, Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

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As the timorous dove pursued by the vulture, and well nigh made a prey, with fluttering anxious wing, hides itself deeper than ever in the clefts of the rock, and in the secret places of the precipice, so the backslidden believer whom Satan has desired to have that he might sift him as wheat, when he is restored once more to the all-gracious presence of his Lord, clings to him with fluttering, anxious faith, and hides himself deeper than ever in the wounds of his Saviour. Thus it was that the fallen Peter, when he had so grievously denied his Lord, yet when brought again within sight of the Saviour standing upon the shore, was the only one of the disciples who girt his fisher's coat unto him and cast himself into the sea to swim to Jesus; and just as that backslidden apostle, when again he had hidden himself in the clefts of the Rock of Ages, found that the love of Jesus was more tender towards him than ever, when he began that conversation which, more than all others in the Bible, combines the kindest of reproofs with the kindest of encouragements, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these;" just so does every backslidden believer find, that when again he is hidden in the freshly opened wounds of his Lord, the fountain of his love begins to flow afresh, and the stream of kindness and affection is fuller and more overflowing than ever, for his word is, “Oh,

my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the precipice, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."

Ah, my friends, do you know anything of this? Have you ever experienced such a coming of Jesus over the mountain of your provocations as made a change of season to your soul? and have you, backslidden believer, found, when you hid yourself again deeper than ever in the clefts of the rock -like Peter girding his fisher's coat unto him and casting himself into the sea-have you found his love tenderer than ever to your soul? Then should not this teach you quick repentance when you have fallen? Why keep one moment away from the Saviour? Are you waiting till you wipe away the stain from your garments? Alas! what will wipe it off, but the blood you are despising? Are you waiting till you make yourself worthier of the Saviour's favour? Alas! though you wait till all eternity, you can never make yourself worthier. Your sin and misery are your only plea. Come, and you will find with what tenderness he will heal your backslidings, and love you freely; and say, "Oh, my dove," &c.

IV. I observe the threefold disposition of fear, love, and hope, which this visit of the Saviour stirs up in the believer's bosom. These three form, as it were, a cord in the restored believer's bosom, and a threefold cord is not easily broken.

1. First of all, there is fear.-As the bride in the parable would not go forth to enjoy the society of her lord, without leaving the command behind to her maidens to take the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, so does every believer know and feel that the time of closest communion is also the time of greatest danger. It was when the Saviour had been baptized, and the Holy Ghost, like a dove, had descended upon him, and a voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,"—it was then that he was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; and just so it is when the soul is receiving its highest privileges and comforts, that Satan and his ministers are nearest-the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines. 1. Spiritual pride is near. When the soul is hiding in the wounds of the Saviour, and receiving great tokens of his love, then the heart begins to say, Surely I am somebody-how far I am above the everyday run of believers. This is one of the little foxes that eats out the life of vital godliness. 2. There is making a Christ of your comforts looking to them, and not to Christ-lean

ing upon them, ana not upon your beloved. This is another of the little foxes. 3. There is the false notion that now you must surely be above sinning, and above the power of temptation, now you can resist all enemies. This is the pride that goes before a fall-another of the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines. Never forget, I beseech you, that fear is a sure mark of a believer. Even when you feel that it is God that worketh in you, still the word saith, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;-even when your joy is overflowing, still remember it is written, " rejoice with trembling;" and again, "be not high-minded, but fear." Remember the caution of the bride, and say, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes."

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2. But if cautious fear be a mark of a believer in such a season, still more is appropriating love. When Christ comes anew over mountains of provocation, and reveals himself to the soul free and full as ever, in another way than he doth unto the world, then the soul can say, "My beloved is mine and I am his." I do not say that the believer can use these words at all seasons. In times of darkness and in times of sinfulness the reality of a believer's faith is to be measured rather by his sadness than by his confidence. But I do say, that, in seasons when Christ reveals himself afresh to the soul, shining out like the sun from behind a cloud, with the beams of sovereign, unmerited love—then no other words will satisfy the true believer but these, My beloved is mine, and I am his." The soul sees Jesus to be so free a Saviourso anxious that all should come to him and have life-stretching out his hands all the day-having no pleasure in the death of the wicked-pleading with men, 66 Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die!" The soul sees Jesus to be so fitting a Saviour-the very covering which the soul requires. When first he hid himself in Jesus, he found him suitable to all his need-the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. But now he finds out a new fitness in the Saviour, as Peter did when he girt his fisher's coat unto him, and cast himself into the sea. He finds that he is a fitting Saviour for the backslidden believer; that his blood can blot out even the stains of him who, having eaten bread with him, lifted up the heel against him. The soul sees Jesus to be so full a Saviourgiving to the sinner not only pardons, but overflowing, immeasurable pardons-giving not only righteousness, but a righteousness that is more than mortal, for it is all divine

has yet

giving not only the Spirit, but pouring water on him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. The soul sees all this in Jesus, and cannot but choose him and delight in him with a new and appropriating love, saying, "My beloved is mine." And if any man ask, How darest thou, sinful worm, to call that divine Saviour thine ? the answer is here, For I am his: He chose me from all eternity, else I never would have chosen him. He shed his blood for me, else I never would have shed a tear for him. He cried after me, else I never would have breathed after him. He sought after me, else I never would have sought after him. He hath loved me, therefore I love him. He hath chosen me, therefore I evermore choose him. " My beloved is mine, and I am his."

3. But, lastly, if love be a mark of the true believer at such a season, so also is prayerful hope. It was the saying of a true believer in an hour of high and wonderful communion with Jesus,." Lord, it is good for us to be here." My friend, you are no believer if Jesus hath never manifested himself to your soul in your secret devotions-in the house of prayer, or in the breaking of bread-in so sweet and overpowering a manner, that you have cried out, "Lord, it is good for me to be here." But though it be good and very pleasant, like sunlight to the eyes, yet the Lord sees that it is not wisest and best always to be there. Peter must come down again from the mount of glory, and fight the good fight of faith amid the shame and contumely of a cold and scornful world. And so must every child of God. We are not yet in heaven, the place of open vision and unbroken enjoyment. This is earth, the place of faith, and patience, and heavenward-pointing hope. One great reason why close and intimate enjoyment of the Saviour may not be constantly realized in the believer's breast is, to give room for hope, the third string that forms the threefold cord. Even the most enlightened believers are walking here in a darksome night, or twilight at most; and the visits of Jesus to the soul do but serve to make the surrounding darkness more visible. But the night is far spent, the day is at hand. The day of eternity is breaking in the east. The Sun of Righteousness is hasting to rise upon our world, and the shadows are preparing to flee away. Till then, the heart of every true believer, that knows the preciousness of close communion with the Saviour, breathes the earnest prayer, that Jesus would often come again, thus sweetly and suddenly, to lighten him in his darksome pilgrimage. Ah, yes, my friends, let every one, who loves the Lord Jesus

in sincerity, join now in the blessed prayer of the bride"Until the day break and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether."

SERMON XXV.

OUR DUTY TO ISRAEL.*

"To the Jew first."-ROMANS i. 16.

Most people are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. The wise are ashamed of it, because it calls men to believe and not to argue the great are ashamed of it, because it brings all into one body—the rich are ashamed of it, because it is to be had without money and without price-the gay are ashamed of it, because they fear it will destroy all their mirth; and so the good news of the glorious Son of God having come into the world a surety for lost sinners, is despised, uncaredfor-men are ashamed of it. Who are not ashamed of it? A little company, those whose hearts the Spirit of God has touched. They were once like the world and of it, but He awakened them to see their sin and misery, and that Christ alone was a refuge, and now they cry, None but Christnone but Christ! God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Christ. He is precious to their heart-he lives there he is often on their lips-he is praised in their family they would fain proclaim him to all the world. They have felt in their own experience that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Dear friends, is this your experience? Have you received the Gospel not in word only but in power? Has the power of God been put forth upon your soul along with the word? Then this word is yours-I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

One peculiarity in this statement I wish you to notice.He glories in the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first, from which I draw this DOCTRINE-That the Gospel should be preached first to the Jews.

1. Because judgment uill begin with them—Rom. ii. 6–10. Indignation and wrath, to the Jew first." It is an awful thought that the Jew will be the first to stand forward at the

Preached Nov. 17. 1839, after returning from the Mission to the Jews.