escaped, and forward towards the Jerusalem that is to be, and upward to the heavenly Zion, and they feel that there is evidently a great change in them. They hope that they may have power granted them from above to proceed as they have begun. They find the flesh drawing them back, and the Spirit drawing them forward. They feel that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh weak."

And all these thoughts together, connected with the vast alteration that has really taken place in them, inevitably produce in their minds a great excitement. They are in a manner beside themselves. The infinite mercy of God, opening to them the prospect of the entire forgiveness of all their sins, strikes them with astonishment. The reflection occurs again and again, Whether they possess that true and lively faith which is needed,-whether they do indeed truly repent with their whole heart, or are only deceiving themselves with a false repentance.

And the excitement thus produced does not pass away at once; it continues perhaps for a considerable time, and during all that time they seem to be, in a manner, scarce awake to the awful realities of invisible things, and might well cry out with the Psalmist, “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, then were we like unto them that dream."

Now, here it is very important for such persons 1 Matt. xxvi. 41.

to understand, that mere feelings by themselves, apart from any thing else, do not constitute religion; and that, however hopeful their condition may be, it is not for a moment to be compared with the state of those who have been for a long time pursuing an earnest, sober, practical, patient, religious life. Grant that they are really returned from the captivity of spiritual Babylon: is there not Jerusalem yet to be rebuilt, and the wall, even in troublous times? Are there not Are there not many ruins of former corruptions to be removed out of the way? Is it reasonable for them to exclaim with the Psalmist, "Lord, Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob?" And shall they not add, with him also, "Wilt Thou not turn again and quicken us? Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation."

Here it is that men fail. They too often content themselves with this excitement, with this dreamy feeling. It pleases them, it keeps them in a sort of rapture. They are glad to be like unto them that dream. They think that enough. So they sit down amid the havoc of former desolations of sin, and there, instead of steadily and laboriously working out their salvation, they scarce even endeavour to remove the filthy rubbish of former impurities, but are content to dream on and on, pleased and excited, and listening to the voice of Revelation as though it were no more than the

pleasant sound of singing birds, "or a very lovely song."

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Are there any present whose minds are more or less in the condition which I have been describing? Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." It is well, it is hopeful, that your views of religion have changed, have become more serious. It is well, it is a happy, a blessed, a merciful thing for you that, by the grace of God, you begin to see the absolute necessity of serving sin less, and serving God more; that you see the great need of holiness in all those who would be one with Christ as Christ is one with God. Shall I say, it is well also you feel excited by the consideration of your Saviour, you who formerly were affected by no such thought? Shall I say, it is even well that you possess this dreamy feeling of your altered condition, you who, before this, did not even dream of Christianity?

But is this enough? No, believe me it is not. Bear with me, whilst I urge upon you the consideration, that if your present condition is to end ultimately in that sober, earnest, settled state, of which faith is the life, and which alone can be accepted through Christ in the last day,-if you really and truly desire this happy termination, you must seek it, not in indulging the dream as a dream, nor in cherishing the excitement as an excitement, but 1 Ezek. xxxiii. 32. 2 Ephes. v. 14.

by entering immediately and at once upon some definite duties of obedience.

It is in the nature of excitements to grow feeble by repetition, and of dreams to break up and disperse. Beware that this be not your own case. Remember that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." At present you are filled with rapture and wonder at the thought of God's infinite love and forgiveness, in freely receiving, for Christ's sake, all repentant sinners to the arms of His mercy. If this be the case, if the thought excites you, if your mind dwells upon it, then, in the name of that infinite love and forgiveness, I urge upon you to put these thoughts at once into action, and bring them to bear on the ordinary duties of your situation in life. situation in life. Otherwise they

will end in nothing.

Commence at once. Learn to be temperate, to be gentle, to be charitable, to be self-denying. Humble yourself before those who despise you. Submit to your superiors with a willing mind. Be strictly honest and honourable in your dealings. Assist those who have injured you; be even earnest in assisting them. Make an abundant restitution to all whom you have yourself injured in any way. Open your hand liberally to supply the necessities of others. Visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Keep yourself unspotted from the world. Be diligent in your prayers. Be earn

1 Jer. xvii. 9.

2 James i. 27.

SERMON XXI.

THE WAVERING CHRISTIAN.

JAMES i. 6.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

It appears from these words, that even in the times of the Apostles there were persons who, although they did not omit praying, prayed nevertheless to no purpose. Their prayers were not heard; or rather, were heard and rejected. They obtained nothing from the Lord, although they prayed to Him: and doubtless thence arose, even in those days, many cavillings against the Christian profession; many relapses into sin, through a despair of God's aid; and many false estimates of the true nature and object of prayer.

Numbers in our own times are, it is to be feared, daily led into similar errors, from observing in their own cases the apparent neglect with which their