my Dear Brethren, continually look for fresh supplies of strength, and in so doing, we shall find with the Apostle, that when we feel ourselves "weak," then indeed we are "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." All other sources of strength in which we place confidence are no better than broken reeds, which will "pierce our hands when we come to lean upon them." But "the grace which is in Christ Jesus" is a staff that will never fail us, not even when passing through the valley of the shadow of death. Nor need the remembrance of our sins, however manifold and grievous they may have been, discourage us from trusting to it; for it is written, that "where sin hath abounded, grace did much more abound."

Confiding in the "exceeding abundance" of this grace, we may rest secure in the midst of dangers and temptations. Let our most powerful enemies take counsel together against us and they shall be brought to nought, for "in the name of our Lord we shall destroy them." "Let them gird themselves, and they shall be broken in pieces." Yea, let them gird again, and again they shall be broken in pieces, "for with God for our strength and our shield, no weapon that is formed against us can prosper."

Oh! what a blessed privilege is this, my Brethren, for those amongst us who have faith to believe in it. Well may the Apostle say to us,

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." "Thanks be to God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ Jesus." Amen.

Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God

the Holy Ghost, &c.

SERMON V.

THE NATURE OF THOSE SACRIFICES OF RIGHTE OUSNESS WHICH THE LORD'S PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO OFFER HIM.

PSALM IV. 5.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

THE fact that the Lord Jehovah has always had a chosen people on earth in whose lives He will be glorified, is one respecting which no attentive reader of his Bible can entertain the slightest doubt. Even at the worst period of the Old Testament dispensation, when idolatry had reached its zenith, and the spiritual worship of Jehovah fallen to its lowest ebb, we read that He had "reserved unto Himself seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee to Baal." And so likewise throughout all the succeeding ages of His church, there has been, as St. Paul declares, "a remnant according to the election of grace;" and the question which is of greatest importance to us, my Brethren,

is-what is the description given of this remnant? or, what are those marks and characteristics by which the chosen people of God may be distinguished from others?

And first, with respect to the Old Testament church, we find the Lord God thus addressing His people by the mouth of His servant Moses in the 19th chap. of Exodus, 5th and 6th verses. "Now, therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me, above all people, for all the earth is Mine, and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation." Observe, my Beloved Brethren, the Lord's faithful and obedient people whom He has chosen unto Himself, are here said to be a

kingdom of priests." The office of a priest we know is to offer sacrifices unto God; and accordingly we find it written of the Lord's people, in the 33d chapter of Deuteronomy, 19th verse, that they should "offer unto him sacrifices of righteousness.” And that this description is not applicable exclusively to members of the Old Testament church, but intended to designate the Lord's people in all ages of the world, is very plainly declared to us by the Apostle Peter, in the 2d chapter of his first Epistle, 5th verse, where he says (addressing himself to Christians in general), "Ye also are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus

Christ." And again, in 9th verse, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."

Thus we find that the chosen people of God are described as being universally a " royal priesthood," or a kingdom of priests, whose peculiar duty and privilege it is to offer unto God spiritual sacrifices, so called in opposition to those fleshly sacrifices of bulls and goats, offered by the Levitical priesthood, which were "the shadow of good things to come." In this respect, therefore, every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must, without doubt, be considered as a Priest, and it is to this characteristic of the Lord's people that David alludes in our text, when he says, 7 66 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.” Which words, it may be observed, like many other equally short and significant passages of Scripture, contain in them two things; first, a positive precept, and secondly, a blessed privilege. "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,”—this, my Brethren, is the precept; and then, "Put your trust in the Lord,”—this is the blessed privilege of those who obey the precept. As if the Psalmist had said, "The great business of all God's true and faithful servants, is to offer unto Him the sacrifices of righteousness; and having done so, it then becomes