which took place at Gateshead in Christmas week, after great excesses had been committed by the inhabitants.

III. We proceed to our third remark, that the intercession of the righteous is the most probable means for the removal of this calamity.

With regard to the Egyptians, to the men at Kibroth Hataavah, and to the Assyrian army, there appears not to have been any intercessor in their favour, nor was there time allowed for the work of intercession. But in the other cases alluded to, where the judgment was less rapid, and where a mediator was at hand, the Lord was graciously pleased to grant a successful issue to the mediation of his servants. For example, in the chapter from which our text is taken, both Moses and Aaron are said to have fallen on their faces, to intercede for the people; whilst Aaron, the High Priest was farther commissioned in virtue of his office, to make an atonement for them.

He

took a censer and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and went quickly into the congregation, and there "he stood," nothing appalled at the sight of so many dead, and so many dying around him," he stood between the living and the dead," trusting in the arm of the Almighty, pleading earnestly for those that were ready to perish, offering the ceremonial atonement prescribed in the law, " he stood," lifting up his heart to God, "and the plague was stayed." Had he gone without his censer, or had that censer not been kindled with the sacred fire of the altar, instead of benefiting the people, he would probably have perished in the attempt himself. But as it has been well observed, nothing is so likely to purify the air from God's plagues, as the smoke of earnest and effectual prayer,' which his Holy Spirit kindles. The intercession was no sooner

made, than a gracious answer was returned.:

Farther still, in the case of the Midianites, when the children of Israel had been grievously defiled by their idolatries and sensual lusts

there, likewise, the work of intercession proved effectual. Moses and the whole congregation are represented as weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Phineas, the son of Eleazer the Priest, was raised up to execute judgment, and to make reconciliation for the people. In that instance, also, was the wrath of the Lord turned away, and the plague was stayed.

Once more, in the interesting narrative of the plague in King David's time, that illustrious monarch became himself the intercessor for his people. He was sensible that he had sinned in causing the order for numbering his people to be issued, and under the full conviction, "David spake unto the Lord, when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo! I have sinned and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house." And it is said, "the Lord repented him of the evil, and the Lord was entreated for the land and the plague was stayed from Israel."

But it is not merely upon the history of the past, that I rest this part of my argument. There are promises, most precious promises, in holy scripture, of the very same import. That in the 7th chap. of the 2nd book of Chronicles has been already referred to, but it is so striking a passage, that it may well bear to be repeated again and again. "If I send pestilence among my people, if my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will

heal their land." Nor is this a solitary promise. Take the following to the same effect, "Call on me in the day of trouble, so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise me."-" I have not said unto the house of Jacob, seek ye me in vain."-"If thou shalt seek the Lord, thou shalt find him; if

thou seek him with all thy soul, when thou art in tribulation."-To the same effect, it is said of him that trusteth in the Almighty :"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and honour him, and with long life will I satisfy him."

With these promises in view, and persuaded as I am, that there is a remnant in the land of faithful worshippers, who bear their country on their mind at a throne of grace, I still hope that we shall not be utterly cut off as a nation, however discouraging the prospect may sometimes be. I trust, that even the prayers of the people this day, united for this one object in various parts of the kingdom, will ascend up before the mercy-seat and bring down a blessing upon the land.

IV. But though the work of intercession is highly important, it is not all that is required :-we must, lastly, beware of those sins, which have brought down the just judgment of the Almighty upon the land.

What these sins are, has been in part already explained: the spirit of tyranny and oppression-discontent and murmuring-sensual lusts -habits of lewdness and drunkenness-idolatrous regards, the love of this present evil world; unbelief, pride, impenitence. These must be given up and utterly forsaken, and returned to no more. These, my brethren, are the great moral pestilence which infects us all by nature, and which is infinitely more to be dreaded, than any outward contagious sickness, how terrible soever that sickness may be. Be

cause the pestilence, though it slays its thousands, can but infect the body-whereas the moral plague of sin infects the nobler part of man, even the heart and mind, and destroys the soul for ever in hell. How, then, are we to be delivered from this sore malady, and rescued from eternal destruction ? Are we to suppose that God will hear our prayer for deliverance from temporal calamity, and that he will not hear us, when we ask for spiritual and eternal blessings? Not so, my beloved brethren; every prayer, that is offered up in faith, will be assuredly heard and answered, both for our own salvation, and for that of others.

Nay, more than this, we have an intercessor of far mightier power and authority than Aaron ever possessed, engaged on our side, pleading on our behalf, presenting the incense of his own most precious merits, as an acceptable offering, a sweet smelling savour, before the throne of his Father.-Jesus, our great High Priest, stands as it were, between the dead and the living, making an atonement for us, with his own blood. And think you, my brethren, that atonement will not prevail with God? Was the typical expiation of Aaron sufficient to heal the people of the pestilence, and did his prayers enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth? And shall not the richer offering of the Son of God be made effectual to the salvation of the soul? Shall not the Father much more hearken to the mediation of his dear and only Son; shall he not indeed turn from the fierceness of his wrath, and shall not the plague be stayed for ever and ever? Indeed it shall.

My brethren, believe only in the Son of God, and you shall be saved. Accept the offer of your Saviour's loving-kindness, and trust in his powerful mediation, and all shall be yours, Sin shall be no more imputed a new heart will be given you, and a new spirit will be put

within you. He will subdue and mortify your former corrupt and vain desires, and make you holy in all manner of conversation and godliness. Through his merits, you will gain a ready acceptance at the throne of grace, and will learn to intercede there, not for yourselves alone, but for those also who knowing not that privilege, are still lost and dead in sin; and you will be filled with love to God and man.

Oh! that in this sense the plague might indeed be stayed amongst us! that every diseased soul might be born again! Then we should dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and abide under the shadow of the Almighty; and hereafter, also, we should be admitted to join the songs of the righteous, in the mansions of eternal health and joy.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,-Death speaks to man with a voice louder than the trumpet's sound, or the cannon's roar, It speaks in intelligible language to all ranks in society, and in all parts of the world, at the same time. It makes every ear to hear, and every mind to consider; for if this object be not effected before its dart is actually struck, it will be immediately after-so that wisdom points out the necessity of being prepared for its approach, and suggests the question, what does its voice proclaim? and it is from the Book of Wisdom, the Holy Bible, we are to derive the materials for affording the proper answer.

First-It proclaims, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." "All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass." That which keeps us from corruption is the immortal spirit which dwells within. As soon as that returns to the God who gave it, the eyes are motionlessthe tongue is dumb-the limbs are powerless-the countenance is fallen-and in a few days we are glad to "bury our dead out of our sight." (Gen. xxiii. 4.)

Secondly-It proclaims that all earthly distinctions are at an end, and that neither wealth, nor honour, nor family greatness, has a

place in the gloomy prison of the grave. There, nothing is to be found but a lifeless body shorn of all its decorations. There," the rich and poor," the honourable and ignoble, meet together, and remain together until the morning of the Resurrection. They lie indiscriminately in the same grave-yard. The field on which a battle has been fought presents a correct emblem of the still wider field of death-the field that is co-extensive with the boundaries of the earth. On the former the bodies of officers in command, and of soldiers under authority, are SO mingled together, that oft-times the keenest eye cannot distinguish the one from the other; their blood flows in the same streamand they are covered without a coffin or a shroud by the cold sod of their mother earth.

Thirdly-It proclaims the salutary warning," Prepare to meet thy God." "After death comes the judgment; and then an account must be rendered of the deeds done in the body: then faithful memory will bring home to the conscience the recollection of sins which had been long forgotten-sins against a law of terrors, and against a Gospel of peace and love. There is no work, nor wisdom, nor device, in the

grave to which we are hastening," and therefore it follows, that reconciliation with God must take place now or never. Have you ever felt the need of it? Have you ever been convinced that without it you will be eternally miserable? Have you ever been brought to know how, in your individual cases, it may be effected? Unless there be a conviction of sin, the value of this great blessing will never be felt. Where such a conviction exists, the Holy Spirit which produces it, will make known the way of pardon and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the one sacrifice which he made once for all, when he died upon the cross, has opened the gates of heaven to all believers. It is by grace a sinner is to be saved, and not by merit— it is through faith, that is, believing what the Scriptures declare concerning Christ, and not through any works of his own, either done or purposed. O! that I could im press upon your minds this divine truth, which, above all others, displays God's glory, and is calculated to promote man's real happiness.

Fourthly-It proclaims that there is no time to be lost. Death comes like a thief in the night. It is often at the door unseen and unexpected, as was the case with your deceased brother, who fell not in action, but was cut down in a very short period, by a fatal disease, which rapidly advanced upon him. Military operations are frequently suspended-perhaps during winter, or after some general action, but the warfare carried on against man by that great destroyer, called "the last enemy, never ceases. The

sword is never sheathed-the hand that holds it is never wearied or palsied, and every moment some individual of our race falls beneath its stroke. In battle the destruction caused by death is brought more close to human observation; but it is not more sure than that which is in regular progress every

day. He whose remains now lie before you was little aware not many days ago, that in less than a week he would find every earthly tie broken, and that he would be separated from his associates in arms, and no longer participate in the pleasure resulting from their friendship and esteem. For twentytwo years he maintained a character worthy of the distinguished corps in which he held his com mission, and worthy of that army of which it forms a part. An army whose valour has never been surpassed, and whose clemency and moderation in the hour of 'victory, I will be the theme of admiration while there is an historian to record its triumphs and its prowess.

A soldier should be as prepared to die as he is ready to fight, for he knows not but that in the very next conflict his "soul shall be required of him;" and, oh, what a melancholy thing would it be to shout victory in this world, and to mourn over defeat in the next-to behold the flight of those who can kill the body, and to suffer for ever under the wrath of Him who is "able to destroy both body and soul in hell." As a soldier is accountable like all other men-as he must, like them, stand before the judgment seat of Christ—as he has a soul as well as others, capable of experiencing the feelings of joy and sorrow and as it must be saved or lost, he should never account it as a proof of fear, or weakness, or folly, to be engaged in the humble, quiet, constant, perusal of the Holy Scriptures. The laugh or the frown of man cannot for a moment be put in competition with the favour of God; the former can exist but for a few years in time, the latter will be enjoyed through the ages of eternity by those who have once been made partakers of it. Joshua and Gideon-David and Cornelius, feared God, and worshipped him in secret and in their families. Where there is real piety,

there will be consistency, and where there is consistency, not only will the character of the individual be respected, but God will be honoured. It is when profession appears unaccompanied by principle that religion falls into disrepute, and that those who speak upon the subject are esteemed to be hypocrites. A genuine British soldier is a highly honourable character but there is one that surpasses him in character—in prospects-in triumphs-and even in valour; one styled by the Apostle a good soldier of Jesus Christ." He belongs to the army of the living God; he marches and fights under the great Captain of Salvation; he may receive a contusion or a wound, but it cannot prove a mortal one, for his soul is protected by impenetrable armour. Onward! is the word of command he delights to hear; it is his high privilege to be always on the advance, and he feels the need of circumspection that he may guard against a surprise. Victory is sure to him, for his "leader and commander never was and never can be defeated. Better to fight under this commander than under a Cæsar, a Frederick, or a Wellington; for his victories are achieved without blood, and the results of them are peace, and blessedness, and glory. He invites you to flock to his standard, and he regards all who do not accept the invitation as actually joined to the opposing army of the Prince of Darkness, whose usurped dominion over our fallen race he came to destroy. He refuses none-for he can make all fit for his service-he can make the coward brave-he can make the weak strong-he can make the imprudent judicious-he can make the hasty cool-he can make the sluggish active. His grace is allsufficient for the accomplishment of his great purposes of love; and he says to his followers when in the

presence of his enemies, as David when about to be assaulted by the vaunting Goliah, "let no man's heart fail because of him." David fought and conquered single handed that mighty giant; and if there be now an enemy greater than Goliah, there is a friend and a conquerer greater than David, even Jesus, who is "mighty to save." It was said of Edward the Black Prince, that he never fought a battle which he did not win: and of the great Duke of Marlborough, that he never besieged a city which he did not take. Shall that be said of mere men which we deny concerning Christ, who is the Most High God? Is he, can he be less successful than human generals? Shall these invincibly prevail, and grace be liable to defeat? Impossible.

One word more and I have done. The day in which we live is perhaps as much marked by infidelity as any one that has preceded it, and I would as a friend to your best interests, lift up my warning voice against a system so destructive to the soul, however imposing it may be in the eyes of those who are untaught in the Sacred Scriptures. It is doubtless, advocated by persons of great name in socicty, but it is not the less false or dangerous on that account. Our great spiritual enemy is too wise and too experienced not to employ the weapons that are best fitted for the accomplishment of his deadly purposes. None of his agents can, however, equal in wisdom those who are taught by the Spirit of God, and influenced by his word. They can testify that "wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and that all her paths are peace.

May God in his rich mercy, abundantly bless to your souls what has now been spoken from real love to them; and to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be praise and glory, for ever, Amen.