how far the consistent christian can go in the ways of the world. It is not thus, indeed, that the child of God will reason; the question he is continually asking of himself, is, what shall I render to the Lord? how prove my love and gratitude to Him? I certainly find it written in the word of life, that "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world;"* and I do not exactly understand what are "the pomps and vanity of this wicked world," which every member of the Church of England stands professed so solemnly to renounce, if many of the favourite amusements which I could name, are not among them. I do not come hither, however, to judge those who think they can innocently enjoy those pursuits, against the spirit and the practice of which the allwise Searcher of hearts has entered so decided a protest, given so broad a warning; but I think there are persons in the world, neither weak in mind nor morbid in disposition, persons whose piety is cheerful as the healthy daylight, who can tell of a peace which the world cannot give, a joy with which the stranger intermeddleth not,-persons by whom THE CANNOT" serve God and mammon is well understood. They have been so raised above the friendship of a false world, by

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* 1 John ii. 16.

their high and holy communion with God, that cleaving to their gracious and blessed Lord with purpose of heart, living ever in His presence, loving to sit at His feet, and hear His word, they could tell you that His service is the very joy of their hearts. They have indeed learnt to know, by their own happy experience, that the wisdom which is from above, is more precious than rubies, and that all things that we can desire are not to be compared unto her.

To-morrow,* only to-morrow, as early as tomorrow, you may find every thing which may now seem of deep importance to you, like a dull and tedious tale. To-morrow, you may be tempted to forget, and you may hardly wish to remember the thoughts and impressions of tonight. But let me urge upon you this consideration;-if such thoughts ever come as an interruption to you in the midst of your amusements;-what must those amusements be? Is it right to follow them? and if you do, are you serving God or mammon? or trying-foolish, fruitless endeavour!-to join both services together? I call upon you, as servants of the living God, as disciples of the crucified Jesus, to shew whether the cannot serve God and mammon has its influence within you. I do not urge upon you that the Lord says you shall not, but I do This Sermon was preached on the Sunday before the race-week at Chester.

urge it upon you, that if you are the Lord's, you will say, I cannot. Certain it is, that if you rush into the world even with the determination to let no thought of the day of account trouble you, if you can dismiss every fear and every check and reproach of conscience, the sum and substance of all your pleasure will be vanity and vexation of spirit. You must not, however, suppose that if you do not conform to these vain and foolish ways, you have a right to condemn those that do. Wherever there is more light, there is also more love; more of a kind and less of a severe spirit. You will not seem to say, by your contemptuous look and your self-satisfied bearing, "Stand apart, for I am holier than thou." But by the word of God, by your own wise and lovely conversation without the word, by secret prayer, by christian consistency and christian kindness, you will invite, and not repel the careless and the ungodly; and perhaps the time may come when you will be enabled to win them to turn from lying vanities to serve the living God.

Most glorious and most gracious God! Thy service is perfect freedom! but we are tied and bound with the chain of our sins. O send the Holy Ghost, to set our hearts at liberty, that we may choose Thy service as our joyful and most blessed privilege, through our only Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

SERMON XIV.

THE TESTIMONY OF CONSCIENCE.

2 CORINTHIANS I. 12.

"For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world."

If we were asked to describe the happiest state of man, in the wilderness of this world, we should speak of that blessed peace which the world cannot give. We should not bring forward as our instance, a man placed by the providence of God in a high station of worldly rank; nor a man of large possessions; in a word, not one of the world's favourites: but one whose happiness came not from the circumstances in which he he was placed, but from himself. We cannot perhaps find a better example of such a happy man, than that of St. Paul. Hear his own account of himself, and his band of holy brethren. "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity,

not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world." Yes, he had learnt the secret of true content. He knew both how to be abased and how to abound, to be full and suffer need." He could "do all things through Christ that strengthened him." When he spoke of his rejoicing in the passage I have brought before you, he had just been telling the Corinthians of his troubles and sufferings. "We would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble, which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." But almost immediately comes the mention of his rejoicing. "Our rejoicing is this." You see, then, that this man of many sufferings had within himself "the well of living water," of which his Saviour spoke, *" the gift of God," "springing up into everlasting life." My brethren, you know of whom our blessed Lord was speaking when He described Him as the gift of God. "This spake He of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive." O lift up your hearts in faith and prayer, that to you it may be given to believe on Him, and to receive the gift of God, and to be as glad of His word as one that findeth great spoil, so that this portion of His word now before you, may bring the light and + John vii. 39.

*John vi. 10-14.