tation on heaven, its inhabitants, its joys, its glories, till its influence descends upon you, and its temper is formed within you.

1. Think of heaven, as the abode of perfect and everlasting peace. Its God is the God of peaceJesus is the Prince of peace-the Blessed Spirit is the Spirit of peace and all its inhabitants enjoy perfect peace for ever! Dwell on this view of heaven, till all distracting and disturbing passions die away within you, and heaven's peace descends, like the outspread wings of the halcyon calming the tempestuous waves, to tranquillize all your troubled feelings into a sweet and holy rest.

2. Think of heaven as the abode of perfect and everlasting love! Its God is love-Jesus is divine love embodied in a human form-the blessed Spirit is a Spirit of love and all the family of heaven are a family of love. Dwell much on this view of heaven, till all unkind and uncharitable feelings die away within you-and heaven's love descends and sheds its atmosphere around you, and you dwell in love; for "he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him ;" and to dwell in God, even on earth, is to dwell in heaven.

3. Think of heaven as the abode of perfect and everlasting holiness. Its God is the Holy One-Jesus is Holy—the Blessed Spirit is the Holy Spirit—and all heaven's inhabitants are saints in light! Dwell very much on this view of heaven; till all unclean

and unhallowed desires die

away within you; and heaven's purity descends, and pours its light around you; and you become not merely pure in lips and life, but pure in heart also; for "blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God on earth in the veiled brightness of His grace, and they shall see God in heaven in the unveiled brightness of His glory." Thus resting in peace, dwelling in love, and walking in holiness, you shall find a heaven within, the pledge and foretaste of the heaven above, the abode of the God of peace, and love, and holiness, for ever and ever.

SERMON X.

GODLINESS PROFITABLE FOR ALL THINGS.

1st TIMOTHY, iv. part of the 8th verse.

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Or all the paradoxes that are maintained in this paradoxical world, the saddest and strangest is perhaps the most prevalent, namely, that godliness and gloom are so identified, that they mean one and the same thing—that is, in other words, that the service of that Being, who is the fountain of all happiness, is a melancholy service that the light of His countenance, whose smile is to archangels the source of all their bliss, will here overshadow with gloom the spirit on which it shines; and that the well-founded hope of eternal happiness in heaven, if habitually cherished, will incapacitate its possessor for the enjoyment of present happiness

upon earth. That this most monstrous paradox, stamping worse than an idiot's folly on proud, reason-boasting man, may be partially attributable to the unattractive exhibition of Christianity, which has been sometimes given by those who, either from mistaken views or constitutional temperament, have invested the religion of the gospel with a morose or melancholy aspect, may be admitted— but it cannot be denied, that the grand source from which the error springs, is that enmity of man's natural heart against God, and that ignorance of man's natural understanding about the things of God, by which he is altogether incapacitated for judging aright of that service which is perfect freedom, "whose ways are ways of pleasantness, and all whose paths are peace ;" and till his understanding is enlightened, and his heart renewed from above, man will continue to cherish the impious error, which proves him a fallen creature indeed, that devotedness of heart and life to the service of the ever-blessed God will cast a gloom over the spirit, and dry up the springs of gladness in the soul. In opposition to this insulting libel on true religion, I would observe in the words of a profound and powerful writer, that there is necessarily "no melancholy in religion, and no religion in melancholy;" and on higher authority than uninspired man's, I would declare, that "the kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the

Holy Ghost ;" and that it is the peculiar privilege of the believer, by a strange sweet paradox, even while "sorrowful, to be always rejoicing;" yea, I would appeal to higher than human testimony, even that of the angels, who, on ushering in, at the Redeemer's birth, the dispensation of the Gospel, proclaimed it to be "good tidings, glad tidings of great joy!" yea, I would appeal to the very highest authority in the universe, that of the Lord of Angels, who declares-"blessed (or, as the word might be rendered, happy) are the meek, the merciful, the poor in spirit, the pure in heart;" and surely, those whom He esteems happy must be truly so-those whom He calls blessed must be blessed indeed! Were I then called upon to embody and delineate the spirit of the religion of the Gospel, I would not dip my pencil in the black dye of melancholy, to paint a dark and dismal figure, with clouded countenance, and gloomy brow; clothed in sables, and heaving sighs; with a downcast look and a mournful step, as if the world were one wide burialground, and her pathway was continually among graves, and the only light that gleamed upon that path was the ghastly light that glimmers in the charnel-house, and the only sounds that met her ear were the shriek of the death-struggle and the chant of the funeral dirge! No, I would dip my pencil in the loveliest hues of heaven, to paint a bright and beautiful spirit from the skies, with the