sober judgment, will hold it better to work upon deceitful, than upon sure grounds; not one of you probably will reckon it tolerable, or any thing much short of madness, to travail continually for naught, and to feed on the bitter ashes of disappointment, while a never-failing and an abundant recompense is proposed by God himself, to every man who will diligently strive for it. Wherefore, to depart from every evil way, and instantly to follow after righteousness, must appear, on a recollection of the whole, to be the only course which a man of a commonly good understanding can adopt. But who knows not, who, that has ever seriously made an attempt, is not aware, how much easier it is to discern the path of wisdom, than worthily, and with steadfastness, to pursue it? There is scarcely a man living who may not, by his own experience, have learned to believe, that, of the many thousands who are always working a deceitful work, by far the greater number have sense enough to perceive their folly nay, themselves will frequently confess as much, lamenting, at the same time, their inability to withstand the lusts and passions of their unruly nature, which, having once gotten the mastery of them, will never cease from compelling them with their eyes open unto perdition. Hence, the final effect of such passages

as the one before us should be, to put a man upon seeking help from above. Let me, accordingly, close with exhorting you to watch and pray always for the sufficient aid of God's Holy Spirit, which He hath promised, through Jesus Christ, to them who will heartily desire it of Him, that they may be enabled really to embrace the better part. Since you cannot plead ignorance of the things which are good and profitable for man, daily implore the Divine mercy to set you at liberty from the tyranny of Satan, and the entanglements of the world and the flesh, and to give you courage and strength for the purpose of acceptably doing such things. Thus alone may you hope, in this fallen state, not only to see, but also happily to eschew and escape, the deceitfulness and miseries of a wicked course. Thus alone can you have power, so worthily to persist in sowing righteousness, as not to fail of reaping a joyful harvest, in the day of the resurrection of the just.

SERMON XXIII.

JEREMIAH Xxiii. 7, 8.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

THIS prophetical passage from the Old Tes

tament, stands appointed, on a certain occasion, by the Church, instead of one from the Epistles of the New. It was, probably, with a view to the approaching season of Advent, that such an appointment was originally made. Be the reason, however, what it may, a prophecy of a highly interesting character is thus specially commended, year by year, to our attention.

During all time both of their wealth and tribulation, it was, no doubt, a recollection full of delight and comfort to believing Israelites, that their only Lord God would abide continually, and reign. Not least, perhaps, in time of tribulation, we may suppose them to have been

66

fond of talking about His former doings, of repeating the great deliverances which He had wrought for their forefathers, and of putting one another in remembrance of Him, as "the living God, and steadfast for ever, whose do"minion should be even unto the end." The times or circumstances which gave occasion to my text, were clearly of this latter kind. "The "Lord liveth, which brought up the children "of Israel out of the land of Egypt," seems to have been, at that period, a familiar saying amongst the people. And this may signify the general nature of their distress. Wherefore

should they be recurring to that ancient mercy, instead of to many more recent ones, except because their situation had almost come to resemble that of their ancestors under Egyptian bondage, and to require an exertion of the Divine arm, such as had brought them up out of it? But, in fact, we may know this to have been the case with the Jews. The destruction of their city and temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and the carrying away of themselves as captives into Babylon, were, when Jeremiah wrote, events decidedly at hand; and to derive good hopes for the future, from some answerable past events, which in process of time had ended favourably, through the mighty power of God, was their only present consolation. "There

fore," said they," the Lord liveth, who brought 66 up the children of Israel out of the land of

66

66

Egypt; the same Lord is still in being who performed that mercy for our fathers; surely, "He will not fail to bring us up also, in like "manner, after that we have suffered a while, “from Babylon, whither we are expecting to "be led captive.”

Hereupon, the prophet was commissioned to confirm the Jews in their piously-founded hopes, by assuring them of an excellent redemption in store. Jeremiah declared to them, as from the Lord, that the days were drawing on, when their mention of the past should be superseded by a yet more glorious restoration;-when they should no longer have occasion to recall that ancient rescue of their tribes from Egypt, for their encouragement in periods of calamity or danger, but should rather take a new song, even a song of thanksgiving, into their mouths, for lovingkindness shewn upon themselves. In those days, they should say, every man to his neighbour,—“ The Lord liveth, which brought

66

up and which led the seed of the house of "Israel out of the north country, and from all "countries whither He had driven them ;" and they should" dwell," the prophet also foretold, "in their own land,"-abide, i. e. in peace and safety, unmolested by any invading adversary.