"Abba, Father" comes up spontaneously from the depths within. And this is just the evidence which the Gospel offers; and they whe rest short of it enter but slightly into its true genius, and but poorly avail themselves of its provisions.

This evidence, so indispensable to our peace at the outset, is seconded, confirmed, and almost forgotten, in the progress of experience, in that of love, which becomes the engrossing principle in a state of mature piety. The tendency of spiritual life and gracious influence is to produce a oneness of purpose with Christ, a sympathy with His interests and glory, an intense affection for His character, attributes, and designs, which in some measure supersedes, or rather involves and absorbs faith, hope, and every other grace and virtue. The soul imbued with love to Christ is one with Him in such a sense as to feel a spontaneous assurance of His favor. It thinks little of what proof may exist of a fact which is part and parcel of its existence, which has living demonstration in all its strong impulses and aspira tions. Such a one communes with Christ. Christ is formed within him, lives in him, and he no longer asks, Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ from above, or who shall descend into the deep, that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead? The confidence of loving and of being loved becomes entire, wanting nothing; and to be Christ's forever becomes more a reality already entered upon than a question about which there are doubtful inquiries to be held.

It is quite in the spirit of my text to notice how much the incar nation of Christ and His participation of our nature tend to the production of this blessed confidence in Him. We contemplate Him as a man born of a woman, partaker of our weaknesses and wants. We look upon Him as a son-a kinsman-a philanthropist. Our sympathies warm-our affections are elicited. We dare to love-we can love Him. The distance and the dignity of the infinite are vailed, and we hail a Brother, and receive a Friend and a Benefactor into our swelling hearts.

DISCOURSE SEVENTY-EIGHTH.

JOHN SUMMERFIELD, A.M.

THE "seraphic Summerfield," as he has often been called, was born in England, January 31, 1798, and came to New York in 1821. His appearance, like a bright comet shooting athwart the heavens, attracted universal admiration. Crowds flocked to the places where he was to preach, and hung with emotions of wonder and delight upon his lips. His course, however, was destined to be as short as it was brilliant. Health failed him, and on this account he was compelled to visit France in 1823; but the mild climate proving of no avail, he returned to New York, and died June 13, 1825, aged twenty-seven years.

As a field-preacher, Summerfield stood alongside of Whitfield in powerful, persuasive eloquence. An eye-witness has said of him :--" In very early life, a student in Washington city, I heard the famous Summerfield, a young Methodist itinerant. His face and form were of womanly, almost of angelic beauty. A divine luster beamed in his eyes. His clear, full, sonorous voice fell like the tones of a mountain-bell one moment, and anon came crashing, thundering down, with terrible effect, on the startled masses, forcing them to cry aloud and crowd together, with uplifted arms, as though for shelter from an impending avalanche. His eloquence shook sin from its citadels, and dragged vice and fashion from their 'pride of place.' The sensation he produced was tremendous, and multitudes followed his footsteps."

Much of Summerfield's power over an audience was doubtless due to his manner and action, which are said to have been perfect. His style of address, also, was simple and natural, and the truths he presented were such as were instinctively responded to by the human heart. This admirable simplicity of style could not fail to produce its effect. But the peculiar charm seems to have been his meekness, sweet humility, fervent piety, and lowliness of spirit. Every one saw in him, as it were, the personification of the meek and lowly Jesus, and could not but admire and love.

But few, if any, of Summerfield's sermons were written out in full, as he preached from a brief outline. He was, however, in the habit of writing down from recollection what he had delivered; and to this we

owe the volume of sketches and sermons which has been given to the public. James Montgomery, the poet, having examined a volume of his sermons, in manuscript, remarked of them: "They are exceedingly methodical in plan and in execution; they are distinguished chiefly by sound doctrine, exact judgment, and severe abstinence from ornament." Many of his sermons are of real value, containing striking thoughts and beautiful imagery. To this class belongs the one which we have selected.

THE HEAVENLY INHERITANCE.

"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."-2 PETER, i. 11.

Of all the causes which may be adduced to account for the indif ference which is so generally manifested toward those great concerns of eternity, in which men are so awfully interested, none appears to me so likely to resolve the mystery, as that unbelief which lies at the core of every heart, hindering repentance, and so making faith impossible. Men hear that there is a hell to shun, a heaven to win; and, though they give their assent to both these truths, they never impress them on their mind. It is plain that, whatever their lips may confess, they never believed with the heart, otherwise some effect would have been produced in the life. The germ of unbelief lies within, and discovers itself in all that indifference which is dis played, in the majority of that class of beings whose existence is to be perpetuated throughout eternity.

If these thoughts do sometimes obtrude themselves on their serious attention, they are immediately banished from their minds; and the dying exclamation of Moses may be taken up with tears by every lover of perishing sinners: "O! that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" When God, by His prophet Isaiah, called the Israelites to a sense of their awful departure from Him, His language was, "My people do not know: My people do not consider." How few are there like Mary, who "ponder these things in their heart," who are willing to look at themselves, to pry into eternity, to put the question home,

"Shall I be with the damn'd cast out,

Or numbered with the bless'd ?"

This question must sooner or later have a place in your minds, or awful will be your state indeed; let it reach your hearts to-day; and

if you pray to the Father of light, you will soon be enabled in His light to discern so much of yourselves as will cause you to cry, "What shall I do to be saved?" While we shall this morning at tempt to point out some of the privileges of the sons of God, O! may your hearts catch the strong desire to be conformed to the liv ing Head, that so an abundant entrance may be administered unto you also, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The privilege to which our text leads us, is exclusively applicable to those to whom that question has been solved by the Spirit of God; those who have believed to the saving of their souls; who have experienced redemption through His blood, and the forgiveness of sins; and who are walking in the fear of the Lord and in the com fort of the Holy Ghost.

I. The state to which we look forward: the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour."

:

1. It is a kingdom. By this figurative expression our Lord has described the state of grace here and of glory hereafter; our happiness in time and our happiness in eternity. They were wisely so called Jesus has said as well as done all things well; for these two states differ not in kind, but in degree; the one is merely a preparative for the other, and he who has been a subject of the former kingdom will be a subject of the latter. Grace is but the seed of glory, glory is the maturity of grace; grace is but the bud of glory, glory is grace full blown; grace is but the blossom of glory, glory is the ripe fruit of grace; grace is but the infant of glory, glory is the perfection of grace. Hence our hymn beautifully says, "The men of grace have found glory begun below," agreeing with our Lord's own words, "He that believeth hath everlasting life;" he feels even here its glories beginning-a foretaste of its bliss.

Now the propriety with which these two states are called kingdoms, is manifest from the analogy which might be traced between them and the model of a human sovereignty. Two or three of the outlines of this model will be sufficient.

In the idea of a kingdom it is implied that in some part of its extent, there is the residence of a sovereign; for this is essential to constitute it. Now in the kingdom of grace the heart of the believer is made the residence of the King Invisible! "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" Such know what that promise means, "I will dwell in them, and they shall be My people." St. Paul exultingly cries, "Christ liveth in me."

Again, it is essential that the inhabitants of a kingdom be under

the government of its laws. An empire without laws is no sover eignty at all; it ceases to be such, for every inhabitant has an equal right to do that which seems good in his own eyes. Now the subjects of Christ's kingdom of grace are "not without law, but are under a law to Christ;" they do His righteous will! Lastly, it is essential that the subjects of a kingdom be under the protection of the presiding monarch, and that they repose their confidence in Him. To the subjects of the kingdom of grace, Christ imparts His kingly protection; this is their heritage: "No weapon formed against them shall prosper;" nay, He imparts to them of His royal bounty, and they enjoy all the blessings of an inward heaven.

But how great the perfection of the kingdom of glory mentioned in our text! Does He make these vile bodies His residence here? How much more glorious is His temple above! how splendid the court of heaven! There, indeed, He fixes His throne, and they see Him as He is. Does He exercise His authority here, and rule His happy subjects by the law, the perfect law of love? How much more in heaven! He reigns there forever over them;, His govern ment is there wholly by Himself; He knows nothing of a rival there; His rule is sole and perfect: there they serve Him day and night. Are His subjects here partakers of His kingly bounty? Much more in heaven! He calls them to a participation of all the joys, the spiritual joys which are at His right hand, and the pleasures which are there forevermore. Yet, after all our descriptions of that glory, it is not yet revealed, and, therefore, inconceivable. But who would not hail such a Son of David? who would not desire to be swayed by such a Prince of Peace? Whose heart would not as cend with the affections of our poet, "O! that with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall?"

2. But it is an everlasting kingdom! Here it rises in the scale of comparison. Weigh the kingdoms of this world in this balance, and they are found wanting; for on many we read their fatal history, and ere long we shall see them all branded with the writing of the Invisible Agent, "The kingdom is taken from thee, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof;" "For the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ;" they will be all absorbed and swallowed up in the fullness of eter nity, and leave not a wreck behind! Every thing here is perisha ble! The towering diadem of Cæsar has fallen from his head and crumbled into dust; and that kingdom whose scepter once swayed the world, betwixt whose colossal stride all nations were glad to creep to find themselves dishonored graves, is now forgotten, or, if