strength for the day and faith for the trial. Do you think of him as a hard master ?-then you know him not. Will any of you send your servant on an arduous errand, and not consider his difficulties? Will you not grant support and countenance to your servant in his undertaking, in proportion to its difficulties? Oh, how do we dishonour God, in thinking he is more regardless of us, than we are of one another! "No! says our Lord, 'I am the vine: ye are the branches' ye shall derive life and vigour from me; and though the branch may be placed under a burning sun, which may seem to dry up all its nourishment, yet I am the vine: it cannot touch the vine: fear not: I know your troubles.'"

Therefore, St. Paul, says, "Though no man stood by me, yet the Lord was with me; and, as my afflictions abounded, my consolations also abounded."

ness.

And this is the powerful argument of the text. "We are obliged," as if the Apostle had said, "to stand by this fact: that whenever the sufferings of Christ abound, the consolations superabound." Herein God proves his sufficiency, and Christ his faithfulHe saw the martyr Stephen dragged before an assembly of enraged men, who "gnashed upon him with their teeth :" and treated his arguments, and the truths which he spake, as if they were so many falsehoods and fables. He saw him dragged out to be dashed to pieces by their stones. But, "Behold," says Stephen, looking up, "I see the heavens opened: I see Jesus, for whom I am suffering: that suffices! He is now looking at me, and saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant:" thou shalt have my light and consolation." Looking up, therefore, to his best and only friend, "Lord Jesus," said he, "receive my

spirit: lay not this sin to their charge, for they know not what they do!" How eminently did consolation here abound beyond affliction !

I shall speak a word to objectors.

Such may be ready to say, "If Christianity has such trials, I am ready to forego all and draw back. I thought all would be quietness and ease."

My dear hearers, it is to more than quietness and ease to which we invite you. We offer you consolation-comfort and joy through eternity. If you shrink back, because Christianity will cost you something, it is most evident to every Christian that you have never counted the cost; nor what it will cost-not to be a Christian.

You hear perhaps, a rude and ignorant beggar, reasoning on the education of a king's son. Says the beggar, in his ignorance, "I choose to have my own will and my own way. I have no notion of the confinement of a school. I would rather lie upon my dunghill." What would you say? You would say, "Wretched creature! he seems to have no sense of the miserable consequence of the ignorance and brutality of his present situation, and therefore scorns that on which the king sets so much value, and would pay for it at a high rate to procure it for his son."

It is thus that beggarly minds speak of the troubles of the Christian. But, because he is a king's son, he shall have an education suited to his character and prospects.

SERMON XXIV.

GODLY AND WORLDLY SORROW.

2 COR. vii. 10.

For Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

THE Wise Man tells us, that it "is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting." The house of mirth is generally the house of extravagance, the house of absurdity and vanity: but the house of mourning has better lessons, better company, better consolation, and a better end: "for godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation," and it is a thing not to be repented of;" but, not the mirth only but the sorrow of the world, worketh death.

The occasion of these words you will find in the fifth chapter of the first Epistle. Lately as Christianity had been introduced into the world, a gross scandal had crept into it: the Corinthians, instead of being humbled by it, were puffed up and careless. St. Paul wrote to them, and then they ran into another extreme. "Though I made you sorry with a letter,' says the Apostle, 'I repent not, though I did repent.' I rejoice not that this put you to pain: "I rejoice not that ye were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance: for godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death :" whatever pain, therefore, you have received from my letter, it

has done you good: it has operated as a medicine: I do not rejoice at the pain; but I rejoice at its effects.'

I shall,

1. Explain these words: and, 2. Apply them.

I. I shall EXPLAIN these words.

1. Let us consider what is to be understood by Godly sorrow.

A Christian has his peculiar sorrows and his peculiar joys his "heart knoweth its own bitterness, and a stranger intermeddleth not with his joy." If a tear fall from his eye, it falls with a consideration in his mind, like that of Job or Hezekiah, under correction. Others may think of nothing but chance, the illnature of man, the vexatious cross, and the circumstances that attended it: but this man's sorrow will be accompanied by a consideration, that God is to be acknowledged in his trouble.

"Not from the dust my joys or sorrows spring." He will mourn for his own sin: he will mourn for the scandals of the church. Perhaps it is a personal affair which afflicts him; or, possibly, it is a family concern: but, still, he will see the hand of God in the affliction of persons, and in the distress of families; and he views it with a believing eye, and with a child-like spirit, and will be ready to say with Job, "Show me wherefore thou contendest with me."

When, therefore, God discovers to him that there is some evil, something that calls for the hand of the surgeon, this discovery will work repentance: "for godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of."

And what will be the symptoms of this repentance?

"Behold!" says the Apostle: mark the symptoms! No more careless levity! "Behold-What carefulness it wrought in you; yea, what clearing of yourselves; yea, what indignation; yea, what fear; yea, what vehement desire; yea, what zeal; yea, what revenge!" These were the symptoms of a godly sorrow working repentance.

If we find Manasseh weeping, when "taken among the thorns, and cast into the prison-house," it will demonstrate that the tendency of his affliction is salutary and holy: there is a change of his mind and heart. It is the case of the prodigal, when brought to his right mind. There will be a renewal of grace. The man will be led to say, "'" Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I learnt thy word I was as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke' -but, 'turn thou me, and I shall be turned: for thou art the Lord my God.' I am ashamed, 'smiting on my thigh.'" Here is a fresh stirring up of grace. Here is a grieved spirit. "Create in me," says David, “a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Brethren! "godly sorrow," as you see, (6 worketh repentance," and that "unto salvation:" it is the operation of a spiritual medicine; for, frequently, till godly sorrow worketh in this manner, a man has no suspicion of his state.

Gurnal, in his "Christian Armour," observes that the chastisements of God put us on examination. A man, who finds the top of his house let in water, goes up to repair the breach; and discovers that the whole roof, perhaps, is in a state of decay. Some particular sin may, in like manner, give us pain: when we examine, we find that this is connected with an alarm