the fire, and they are burned." Behold, in Jesus there is strength for perseverance. This bread and wine to-day are a pledge of that. Seek persevering grace to-day. Ask this when you take that bread and wine.

Hypocrites! you will one day be known by this. Many of you seem to be united, who truly are not. All who have had convictions of sin which have passed away-all who have the outward appearance of Christians, but within an unconverted heart-all who attend ordinances, but live in some way of sin-you will soon be discovered. You put on an appearance-you pretend that you do cleave to Christ, and get grace from Christ-oh! how soon you will be shown in your true colours. Oh! that the thought may pierce your heart, that even now, though you came with a lying profession in your right hand, you may be persuaded to cleave to Jesus in truth. Amen.

St Peter's, Aug. 1, 1841.—(Action 'Sermon.)

SERMON XXVI.

MY GOD, MY GOD.

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"-MATT. xxvii. 46.

THESE are the words of the great Surety of sinners, as he hung upon the accursed tree. The more I meditate upon them, the more impossible do I find it to unfold all that is contained in them. You must often have observed how a very small thing may be an index of something great going on within. The pennant at the mast-head is a small thing; yet it shows plainly which way the wind blows. A cloud no bigger than a man's hand is a small thing; yet it may show the approach of a mighty storm. The swallow is a little bird; and yet it shows that summer is come. So is it with man. A look-a sigh—a half-uttered word—a broken

feed your souls!

I. The completeness of Christ's obedience. 1. Words of obedience: "My God, my God." obedient unto death. I have often explained to the Lord Jesus came to be a doing as well as a dyin -not only to suffer all that we should have su to obey all that we should have obeyed-not onl the curse of the law, but to obey the commands When the thing was proposed to him in heaven "Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God!""Ye is within my heart." Now, then, look at him obeying his God. See how perfectly he did it—e last! God says: Be about my business he obey ye not that I must be about my Father's business

God says: Speak to sinners for me—he obeys meat to eat that ye know not of; my meat is to of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Die in the room of sinners-wade through a wrath for the sake of enemies-hang on a cross, and die for them-he obeys: "No man taket from me. The night before he said: "The cup Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" B he will shrink back when he comes to the cross? three hours the darkness had been over him, y says: "My God, my God." Sinner, do you ta as your surety? See how fully he obeyed for t great command laid upon him was to die for sin hold how fully he obeys!

2. Words of faith: "My God, my God." T show the greatest faith that ever was in this wor is believing the word of God, not because we se true, or feel it to be true, but because God b Now Christ was forsaken. He did not see tha his God-he did not feel that God was his God he believed God's word, and cried: "My God, (1.) David shows great faith in Ps. xlii. 7, calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water spou waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet will command his loving-kindness in the day time,

lieving when we do not see. (2.) Jonah showed "All thy billows and thy waves passed over me: I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again holy temple."-Jonah ii. 3, 4. He was literally m of the sea. He knew no way of escape-he

—he felt no safety; yet he believed the word of was great faith. (3.) But, ah! a greater than re. Here is greater faith than David's greater onah's greater faith than ever was in the world, er. Christ was now beneath a deeper sea than "he tossing billows of God's anger raged over was forsaken by God-he is in outer darkness ; and yet he believes the word of God: “Thou ve my soul in hell." He does not feel it-he it but he believes it, and cries: " My God." to show his confidence, he says it twice: "My od.” “ Though he slay me, yet will I trust in r believer, this is your surety. You are often -distrustful of God; behold your surety-cling ■ are complete in him.

s of love.

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My God, my God." (1.) Those of sweet submission and love which Job spake, took away from him property and children: me I out of my mother's womb." Sweet, that ess God even in taking away from him. (2.) weet submissive love which old Eli spake, when m that his sons should die: "It is the Lord, -hat seemeth him good." (3.) The same sweet e bosom of the Shunammite who lost her child, prophet asked: "Is it well with thee?—is it y husband?—is it well with the child? And ed, It is well." (4.) But, ah! here is greater er, sweeter submission, than that of Job, or Shunammite-greater than ever was breathed in rld before. Here is a being hanging between eaven-forsaken by his God-without a smile drop of comfort the agonies of hell going over et he loves the God that has forsaken him. cry out, Cruel, cruel, Father!-no, but with all ce of affection, cries out, "My God, my God."

M

Dear, dear souls, is this your surety? Do you take him as obeying for you? Ah! then, you are complete in him. You have very little love for God. How often you have murmured, and thought God cruel in taking things away from you; but, behold your surety, and rejoice in him with exceeding joy. All the merit of his holy obedience is imputed to you.

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II. The infinity of Christ's sufferings. He was forsaken by God: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The Greek Liturgy says: "We beseech thee, by all the sufferings of Christ, known and unknown." All the more we know of Christ's sufferings, the more we see that they cannot be known. Ah! who can tell the full meaning of the broken bread and poured-out wine?

1. He suffered much from his enemies. (1.) He suffered in all parts of his body. In his head-that was crowned with thorns, and smitten with the reed. In his cheeks-for they smote him on the face, and he gave his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: "I hid not my face from shame and spitting." In his shoulders-that carried the heavy cross. In his back: " I gave my back to the smiters." In his hands and feet: "They pierced my hands and my feet." In his side a soldier thrust a spear into his side. Ah! how well he might say: "This is my body, broken for you." (2.) He suffered in all his offices. As a prophet: "They smote him on the face, and said, Prophesy who smote thee?" As a priest-they mocked him when offering up that one offering for sins. As a king, when they bowed the knee, and said: "Hail! king of the Jews." (3.) He suffered from all sorts of men- -from priests and elders-from passers by and soldiers-from kings and thieves: "Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round". 66 Dogs have compassed me "They compassed me about like bees." He suffered much from the devil: "Save me from the lion's mouth." His whole suffering was one continued wrestling with Satan; for he "spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his cross."

(4.)

2. From those he afterwards saved. How bitter would be the scoffing of the thief who that day was to be forgiven and accepted! How bitter the cries of the three thousand who were so soon brought to know him whom they crucified!

3. From his own disciples. They all forsook him and fled. John, the beloved, stood afar off, and Peter denied him. It is said of the camomile flower, that the more you squeeze and tread upon it, the sweeter is the odour it spreads around. Ah! so it was in our sweet Rose of Sharon. It was the bruising of the Saviour that spread sweet fragrance around. It is the bruising that makes his name as ointment poured forth.

4. From his Father. All other sufferings were nothing in comparison of this: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Other sufferings were finite-this alone was an infinite suffering. It was little to be bruised by the heel of man or devils; but, ah! to be trodden by the heel of God: "It pleased the Father to bruise him."

Three things show the infinity of his sufferings.

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1. Who it was that forsook him. Not his people Israel -not Judas the betrayer-not Peter his denier-not John that lay in his bosom-he could have borne all this; but, ah! it was his Father and his God. Other things little affected him compared with that. The passers by wagged their heads-he spoke not. The chief priests mocked him -he murmured not. The thieves cast it in his teeth-he was as a deaf man who heareth not. God brought a three hours' darkness over him— the outward darkness being an image of the darkness over his soul-ah! this was infinite agony: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 2. Who it was that was forsaken: “Me." (1.) One infinitely dear to God. Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world, yet thou hast forsaken me. I was always by thee-rejoicing always before thee. I have basked in the beams of thy love. Ah! why this terrible darkness to me? "My God, my God." (2.) One who had an infinite hatred of sin. How dreadful to an innocent man to be thrust into the cell of a condemned criminal! but, ah! how much more dreadful to Christ, who had an infinite hatred of sin, to be regarded by God as a sinner. (3.) One who had an infinite relish of God's favour. When two friends of exalted minds meet together, they have an intense relish of one another's love. How painful to meet the cold averted looks of one in whose favour you find this sweet joy! But, ah! this is nothing to Christ's pain.

3. What God did to him-forsook him. Dear friends, let us look into this ocean through which Christ waded. (1.) He was without any comforts of God-no feeling that