but kindness is intended; they encourage others to think meanly of them, when they are so careless of truth, so long as any thing is to be gained by a lie; they are great respecters of persons, and show a very low sense of justice and goodness, when they excuse acts of dishonesty, or even of violence, so long as they are committed by the poor against the rich. If the poor wish to be respected, let them hate falsehood and dishonesty, by whomsoever committed, and for whatever object. But these things are not subjects on which we may reproach one another: rather, let us bear our own burdens, without looking to those of our neighbours, and each ask forgiveness of God for our sins, and grace heartily to repent of them. Doubtless the times are awful; and evil of every sort, outward and moral,-distress of nations, tumults, war, and, in our own bosoms, unbelief and uncharitableness,-are threatening our happiness, here and hereafter. What the result may be, as far as regards the nation, or this world's prosperity, is kept among the hidden things of God. But it is among the things revealed for our comfort, that no labour of faith and love is ever lost for him who works it-that He in whom the Christian trusts is able to save to the uttermost those who come to him; and that, amidst all tribulations, he who shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

SERMON XXXII.

MARK, X. 29, 30.

Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

SUCH was the promise; and, for its fulfilment, we have only to turn to the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles: "The multitude of the believers had one heart and one soul; neither said any one among them that aught of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had all things in common. Neither was there any among them that lacked; for as many as were possessors of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the prices of what they sold, and laid them at the Apostles' feet; and distribution was made to every one according as he had need."

What our Lord promised to those who should leave all for his sake, was this: that even in this life they should be gainers by it; they would be happier than they were before. Nor did he mean this only of happiness of mind, of that inward peace which on another occasion he promised them. His words are to be understood of happiness in its plainer and more common sense; of happiness, as it is derived from things out of ourselves,—from our worldly condition, and the treatment which we meet with from those around us. They who parted with house and lands for Christ's sake, would have their loss more than made up to them, even in houses and lands; they who lost the love of their natural friends, would have the place thus left empty in their hearts filled with more and dearer friends than nature had given them. Yet two little words are added to this description, to show that it was to be no state of perfect enjoyment. The houses and lands which they were to share,—the friends whose love they were to gain, were to be theirs, but accompanied "with persecutions:" they would have much to suffer from others, how happy soever they might be amongst themselves. Life, in short, was by no means to be stripped of its trials; but they who followed Christ in sincerity, were to have wherewithal to bear them, not only patiently but cheerfully.

Now, granting all that can be granted to account fairly for the difference between the first Christians and ourselves;-allowing that when the persecutions ceased, the armour against persecution was not needed,—that when men were no longer called upon to part with their property and their natural relations, they would not require to find houses, and lands, brothers, sisters, parents, and children, in the liberality and kindness of the Christian society at large;—granting, further still, that to men expecting in a few years to see the utter destruction of their country, as was the case with the early Christians at Jerusalem, the common business and pursuits of life must have lost much of their interest;-still, allowing all this,which may very reasonably make a considerable difference between the first Christians assembled at Jerusalem, and ourselves now, yet is it not true, that we do not find in the Gospel that bond of mutual kindness, that perfect principle of social union, which we might, and ought, to find in it? Whether, in short, these times of outward calm, which we have so long enjoyed, have not made us neglect what is alike the preserving salt of prosperity, and our only stay and shelter in evil days; whether, although, blessed be God, there are thousands of Christian individuals amongst us, there are many marks to be seen of our belonging to a Christian society?

VOL. II.

Z

This is one of the points, perhaps, on which a stranger may speak with greater advantage than one to whom the circumstances of a congregation are fully known. What I say, cannot by possibility be personal, or meant to touch this place more than any other. But as I never yet knew the place which was not deficient more or less in that which I am going to speak of,-and as I see the whole kingdom from one end to the other suffering grievously from this cause, so I am sure that to no congregation can it be otherwise than seasonable to dwell upon it.

A time is spoken of in the Revelation of St. John, when the kingdoms of this world were to become the kingdoms of God, and of Christ. We look to this, as to the last period of prophecy,-as to a state of happiness more like heaven than earth. But what shall we say if this very state has been ours for a thousand years, and we have all that time been wasting and abusing it? What shall we say if this, and every other country of Europe, has long been presenting a picture, which St. John, could he have had it laid before him, would have held to be utterly visionary and monstrous that they have been long in name the kingdoms of God and of Christ, but in spirit and in power hardly less than ever the kingdoms of the world?

Let us put ourselves for a moment in the time