Now, were you naturally as holy as angels, it would become you to be as humble as they are in the presence of God. But how profound, then, ought that humility to be when you recollect that you are by nature not saints, but sinners; children of wrath, even as others; dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked; and that you are even now but brands plucked out of the fire, and by grace ye are saved!

(3.) But consider more particularly your present character as saints. How came it to pass that you were made such? In order to remove from you the curse of sin, and to procure for you the Spirit of grace, God was manifest in the flesh, nay, God incarnate died! That you, who had deserved everlasting banishment from your Creator's presence, might again have the privilege of being "about him," and be indulged with free access to him in these religious assemblies, the precious blood of Christ was shed. The chastisement of your peace was upon him, and it is by his stripes that you are healed. Salvation is, in itself, a joyous thing; but the means of procuring it, though wise and glorious, were most painful and terrible. The mercy which appears in its conception ought to excite our gratitude; but the terms of righteous severity upon which it has been dispensed, should inspire us with penitent awe. Our pardon is written, as it were, in the blood of God's dear Son; on which account we see strict propriety in that saying of David, "There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." And as it is only while we look to Jesus crucified that we can scripturally rejoice in God, or worship him with acceptance and comfort, it follows, of course, that all Christian joy is tempered with reverence and godly fear. If our rejoicing be genuine, it is "with trembling." For it is connected with a lively apprehension of our Saviour's death and passion. As a fine writer observes, (adopting the popular interpretation of a well-known verse in Zechariah,) "If the prophet speaks once of a lover of mankind who was wounded in the house of his friends, we Christians are as if we always dwelt in the very chamber where that affecting scene was transacted. The marks of it are to be seen fresh on every wall. We eat even our passover of thanksgiving joined with

that bitter herb, the remembrance of the agonies whereby our peace and safety were purchased. And if the frequent repetition of this knell cannot now be said to be shocking to us, yet exceeding reverential, tender, and deeply serious its effect upon us must still be." (Gambold.)

(4.) The privilege itself, which has been thus expensively procured for you that, I mean, of assembling about the Lord-is such, in its nature, and in its solemn ultimate consequences, as ought to excite your reverence. Christian ordinances, though intended to be means of life, will be found, if not improved to that end, to be unto death. "For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life." "So speak ye," says St. James, "and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." Whether we consent to be saved by it or not, all we who hear it, under this roof or elsewhere, must be judged by it. And if its judgment be unfavorable, the sentence will be more severe than that pronounced against such as are judged only by the law of nature or of Moses. There are many intimations in the Scripture, that it is sadly possible for men thus to pervert the very means of salvation into occasions of aggravated ruin. One such warning may suffice. You find, in the thirteenth chapter of St. Luke's narrative, that Jesus went through the cities and villages teaching; and many people went to hear him. Now, one of his gossiping hearers came and asked him, "Lord, are there few that be saved?" This man appears to have been one of a large class of curious and speculative inquirers. If books had been printed and published in those days he might probably have written one with the title, "ARE THERE FEW THAT BE SAVED?" How different this question from that of the penitent jailer, "What must I do to be saved?" Mark, then, our Lord's answer: "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us! and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are," then those who have supposed,

apparently up to this moment, that there was no danger of their being shut out-who have always contrived to think so well of themselves, and of whom many others have thought so well, and hoped so well-shall be utterly astonished at their exclusion, and at Christ's refusal even to acknowledge them; and shall begin to say, Not know us? Not know US? "We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity! There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God," including many on whose ministry you have attended with deep interest, and often with solemn impression, "and you yourselves thrust out! . . . And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last." Now, the very possibility of a result so awful from those privileges and opportunities which we enjoy, but which also we are prone to abuse, should fill us with watchful jealousy, and make us deeply serious in the presence of God. To be conscious that we are about the Lord, to have access to the greatest and the most gracious being in the universe, and at times even to taste of his grace, and obtain some hold of his mercy in Christ Jesus, and yet, by our unfaithfulness, to lose all, and to lose heaven after all, what a disaster, and what a terrible sin! "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."

(5.) I observe, lastly, that reverence and all kindred habits are demanded by the very terms of access and acceptance, which God in his word has connected with the promises he has made to his worshipers. "Thus said the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." In

this spirit, therefore, you must necessarily draw nigh to God; for only in that case is he pledged to draw nigh to you. Reverence, seriousness, and contrition, with lively faith, are essential to secure those covenant blessings of which religious ordinances are the appointed channels. While mere triflers, after many years' attendance on God's house, remain the same sinful and miserable beings as ever, those who thus worship him in spirit and in truth, and who give earnest heed to his holy word, shall infallibly receive the most substantial benefits. In his light shall they see light. They shall be made wise unto salvation. They shall be favored with the delightful assurances of pardoning mercy. Their souls shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Thus shall they go from strength to strength, till in that Zion which is above every one of them shall appear before God.

Briefly, in conclusion: Let us all endeavor, when we come together to the house of God, to keep in view the great objects of our assembling. Some attend a place of worship from curiosity, some from custom, some for intellectual entertainment, some to meet and salute their friends. Now, it is better to come from such motives than not to come at all. You have already heard that these assemblies are not exclusively composed of saints; nor is it desirable that they should be so, as long as there are any unsaved sinners in the world. For they are intended to be ordinances of salvation, as well as means of edifying grace. This Man receiveth sinners: who else will receive them, to love them, and pray for them, and bring them back to God and to peace, but the Lord Jesus and his united saints? Christ's house is called "a house of prayer for all people;" and many who have entered it to trifle, or even to scoff, have remained to pray. Myriads have come in sinners, either careless or miserable in their sins, and have gone away saints in Christ Jesus. We welcome all comers, then, from whatever motive they come. Nevertheless, let us for ourselves always repair to God's house with an express and pure intention to glorify God, to learn his ways and his will, and to enjoy that communion with him which is carried on by the exercises of prayer and praise on our

part, and, on his, by the manifestations of his cheering and hallowing presence. With these right objects let us labor to connect the true spirit of worship. Let us cherish a reverent and recollected frame, and earnestly implore the grace of God the Comforter to help our infirmities, especially in holy things.

And let us look forward to the general assembly in heaven, for which these earthly assemblies, when thus sanctified and improved, have a blessed tendency to prepare us. All the saints, of every age and clime, a multitude which no man can number, will be there collected, to laud and magnify God, and to spend a never-ending Sabbath with each other and with Christ the Lord. And in the heavenly assembly there will be none but saints, and saints without fault before the throne. No sinner, and no sin, will be found in all that blest society.

"And, if our fellowship below

In Jesus be so sweet,

What heights of rapture shall we know

When round his throne we meet!"

In the mean time let us prize these earthly tabernacles of our God; frequent them, with our families and households; and cheerfully bear our part of the expenses of their maintenance. Let us emulate the zeal of ancient Israel, in response to the call of Moses, as we read in Exodus xxxv: "They came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments." May God grant us this grace!