secure us an access to future happiness in the world to come, by making an atonement for our sins; that, therefore, we ought not in reason to look for the effects of Christianity on this side of the grave. This is indeed, in a great measure, true. It is true that this mysterious part of Christ's office is held up to us as that which is of the greatest importance to us, and which deserves our most especial gratitude; but it is not true that no part of the blessings, which were promised on His coming, were to be perceptible during our sojourn upon earth. Peace between God and man Jesus Christ has restored by His death upon the cross; but He has also informed us of truths, and pledged Himself to promises, which if we did our part with even tolerable faith, would ensure the re-establishment of peace between one man and another. And for a knowledge how these truths may assist us, and how these promises are daily accomplished for us, we have nothing to appeal to but our own personal experience. In this important matter every one must form his opinion for himself; and his judgment must necessarily be decided by the benefit which he has himself derived from his Christian privileges, the use he has himself made of the assistances God extends to him. If we lead negligent lives, and allow ourselves to be swallowed up in the business and pleasures of the world around us, it is quite impossible that we can form any idea of those invisible things with which we are no less

If we do

really, though less obviously conversant. not ourselves feel deep sorrow and contrition at our sins', we can feel no great thankfulness for the kindness which so tenderly consoles and reclaims us. If we are not conscious of our unceasing tendency to defection from God, we cannot be aware of the support by which He retains our allegiance. Christian knowledge is in fact only to be obtained by Christian obedience; and we must not expect to attain the one without the discharge of the other. Those, however, who in any good measure have ascertained by their own experience the greatness of the blessings which are already given them, will understand that, from their greatness they are, if anywhere given, a sufficient fulfilment of prophecy, even without public display of them, or extended participation.

As often then as we feel assaulted with vexing doubts, and are tempted to distrust God's watchfulness and care for us, let our eye be kept steadily fixed on the truth, that there is but one way as well. to know as to serve God; and that the only means of remedying our want of faith, is perseverance in Holy Living. Let us remember that in order to

66

['Instead of " 'deep sorrow and contrition at our sins," the Author had written first a lively sense of that wretched state of defection from God, to which we are daily and hourly tempted;" but made the substitution before finishing the sentence. This repression of his own private feelings occurs in other places in the MS.]

understand, we must use the blessings which have been extended to us; and that by deviating from the path of Christian duty, we run the chance of falling off at the same time from our Christian faith.

SERMON XVII'.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST A PATTERN OF PATIENCE UNDER DISCOURAGEMENTS.

[MATT. xi. 11.

"He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."]

WE are this day met to commemorate the birth of that great Saint and Prophet, of whom it was said by Jesus Christ, that "among those that are born of women, there hath not arisen a greater than he," one whom the Jews were to acknowledge as higher than their Patriarch Abraham, or their Lawgiver Moses, and yet one than whom the least in the Kingdom of Heaven was greater.

It is not my intention now to explain to you in what sense these two things were true of John, or to point out what were the differences between the doctrine which he was commissioned to teach, and the two other doctrines with which it is comparedthe doctrine of the Law and the doctrine of Christ : all I wish you to observe is this, that whereas he was to be exalted above all the Saints and Prophets

1

1 [Preached on St. John the Baptist's Day, 1833.]

SERM. XVII.] ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST A PATTERN, &c. 219

of the Old Testament, by preparing the way for the new and better Dispensation, yet that he at the same time was excluded from that Dispensation himself. He was to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, but in that blessed Kingdom he was to have no part himself; the least in that Kingdom was to be greater than he.

This is a point which I wish you to observe, not because it will tend to throw light on the object of John's mission, but because it seems to throw great light on his character. John was to be called on to lead a life of fasting and penance, and to preach doctrines which were sure to be very disagreeable, to make himself an object of persecution, and which were in fact the cause of his martyrdom; and for what?-to prepare the way for a new doctrine which was to be superadded to his, and in the propagation of which he was to have no part or lot. His heavy task it was to alarm a wicked and selfsatisfied age; a generation of vipers which would not be warned to flee from the wrath to come; by telling them that the axe was laid to the root of the tree, and every tree that brought not forth good fruit, was to be hewn down, and cast into the fire. He was the messenger of no comfortable and cheering tidings, nothing that would attach people to him as a teacher of smooth things; nor was he to declare any thing new or striking, which would cause him to be admired as wiser than other men; his doctrine was the simplest and most common-place that can