into the question; Christ is worthy, and that is enough; it is his work, and he will do it. Say not, I must be so or so convicted of inbred sin, before I can be sanctified; that conviction is his work, and he will give you so much as he sees necessary to the work that is to be done; to believe is your work; believe now, and Christ will now accomplish his own work in your soul; do not prescribe how he should do his work, hold on to his command, his promise, his will, and his sacrifice; dismiss that soul-destroying sin of unbelief, and with the wrestling patriarch say, 'I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.' Let your whole heart enter the contest; hear no reasonings of unbelief; seize on the reasoning of faith; say God can and will do it; I will and CAN receive it even Now, now is the accepted time, Behold now is the day of this salvation.'

Lastly: keep in mind that what is your privilege by faith, is a present privilege; and that what comes by faith, is a free gift; if eternal life is the gift of God, as St. Paul saith, then surely all the gifts that qualify you for that life, must of course be free, and if free for one, consequently free for all; for God is no respecter of persons; be then a persevering beggar on that free bounty of him, who, by his infinitely meritorious death, hath purchased all for all, who come unto God through him; and you shall prove, by happy experience, that he will not send you empty away.

it.

Finally, let me say, Life is but a vapor,-that soon vanisheth:' would you improve time for heaven, rest not another hour, short of Would you avoid backsliding, be ye holy, for I (saith God) am holy.' Would you have victory over the world the flesh and the devil, let the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Do you feel an impure heart, 'Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, PERFECT

ING HOLINESS IN THE FEAR OF GOD.

Man is subject to innumerable evils.-Embarked on a tempestuous ocean, he is driven by every wind and tossed by every wave. The disappointments of to-day bedew his cheeks with tears and swell his heart with grief. Disappointment and sorrow, pain, sickness and death are his common lot. In this world of troubles he needs a refuge. In what shall he seek it? Shall he seek it in riches, in honor, in an arm of flesh? Riches will make to 'themselves wings and fly away.' The laurels that deck the brow of honor will fade; and that brow will become food for worms. There is no refuge in an arm of flesh, it is so weak, so frail, so changeable.

The Psalmist sought not his refuge in man. He knew that all human power was impotence-that wealth and splendor could shed no ray of light upon the darkness of the soul-that no ties of friendship could save him from the grave. He sought a He sought a refuge that could shelter him in the hour of adversity-that could not be shaken by the changes of time, nor dissipated by the flames of the last day. He looked to the throne of the Eternal, and exclaimed with confidence, My refuge is in God. He is my defence, my strong tower, the rock of my salvation.'

In God must we seek our refuge, if we would have any shelter from the storms of life, or from the eternal tempest. We shall find God a certain refuge. We may trust in man, and be disappointed. We may form friendships which are ardent and strong in prosperity, but they may not abide in the day of trial. Friends and neighbors may desert us in the midst of misfortune and distress, and none be left to relieve or to cheer. We may place our dependence on relations, and at the very time we need them most they may be taken from us. The parent may fondly hope that his beloved child will be the stay and the staff of his declining years; but the blooming cheek may wither, the youthful pulse may cease to bound, and the parent's hope be buried in the tomb. But God is unchangeable. None who put their trust in him will ever be disappointed. He will be a present help in every time of trouble. The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.' Let us only be enabled to say with the Psalmist, 'My refuge

is in God;' and we may look with composure upon all the trials and troubles of life. If friends forsake us, we have a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother." If afflicted with disease or burden

ed with sin, we may go to him for relief. If fortune frown upon us, and the world cast out our name as evil, we still have the smiles of Heaven, and know that our names are written in the book of life. If our portion of this world's goods be small and scanty, we are heirs to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' Under all circumstances in life, we have a sure, an everlasting refuge. In the deepest affliction, in the most excruciating pain, in contending with the last enemy, we have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us.'

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God is an all-sufficient refuge. Friends may pity, but they cannot always relieve. They may shed the tear of sympathy as they see us mourning for our sins; but they cannot heal the wounded conscience. They may be kind to us in our distress-may gather around our dying pillow; but they cannot rebuke our disease-cannot detain the departing spirit. But God is able to deliver us out of all our troubles. He can save us from the malice of our enemies, from the wiles of the wicked one-can ease our troubled mind, speak peace to the guilty soul, direct us through our earthly pilgrimage, and pour the light of Heaven upon us, as we pass the valley of the shadow of death.' He is perfectly acquainted with all our wants, with all our sufferings, and his grace will at all times be sufficient for us. In danger and in darkness we need 'fear no evil, for He is with us;' we shall be safe under the shadow of His wings.' He has all power in Heaven and on earth; there is none that can deliver out of His hand.' The conspiring efforts of wicked men and fallen angels cannot injure us, while our refuge is in God. Surely he is an all-sufficient refuge.

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He is also an eternal refuge. Our friends and relatives may be numerous; their kindness to us may be great; but they all dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is the dust, which are crushed beneath the moth.' Their kindness is limited to the present life. They cannot accompany us to the world of spirits, nor tell what shall be our portion there. But if our refuge is in God,' when flesh and heart fail us, he will be the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever.' His arm, His arm, which has been our strength in life, will be our support in death, and will guide us to his kingdom. His voice will one day awake our sleeping dust, and his presence will be our refuge and our delight for ever.

CHRISTIANS, this certain, this all-sufficient, this eternal refuge, is yours. It is not provided exclusively for angels and the higher order of beings. It is provided for him that believeth in Jesus.

Flee to this refuge, and you shall receive consolation in all your troubles. Remain in this refuge, and you shall suffer no more in time than will be for your best good: and in eternity, all suffering and sorrow will be at an end. Remain in this refuge, and when the 'heavens shall pass away and the elements melt with fervent heat,' you shall awake in the image of holiness, and, as you wing your way to the courts above, shall unite in the triumphant song, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Impenitent Sinners, you have no refuge! No refuge from the dreadful evils which await you in this life-no refuge from the storm and tempest of divine wrath! You are without God and without hope; in the midst of danger the most imminent-the most alarming. Oh! flee to this ark of safety, while it is yet open to receive you. Hasten to this city of refuge-this covert from the tempest. Time flies while you linger. Soon, very soon, it will be too late. 'Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.'

SERMON X.

DIVINE PREDESTINATION, OR THE SUFFERINGS AND GLORY OF THE

SAINTS.

BY REV. WILLIAM JEWETT.

OF THE NEW YORK CONFERENCE.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

'Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called and whom he called, them he also justified. and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' ROMANS, viii. 29, 30.

IT is very important to us, that we have a correct knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. There are many things to prevent our coming at truth, and especially the truth as it is in Jesus. Men are prone to read the Scriptures with an eye to some particular creed, by which means, they very often make them speak a language they were never designed to speak; as, for instance, the words of our text, have, time and again, been brought forward to prove, that God before the foundation of the world, elected a certain number of men and angels to eternal life; and foreordained the rest to everlasting death, and the number is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.' It seems to be taken for granted, that because the term 'predestinate' is used by the Apostle in the text, it applies to the above mentioned doctrine. And to make this (they say) the more certain, the Apostle uses the phrase, As many as he foreknew, he did predestinate.' Now it appears, that the Apostle did not say, as many as he foreknew,' but, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate;' the two phrases may convey very different ideas, and will, when properly considered, afford no proof of that doctrine. But, it is still urged, that as many as he (God) specially called, he justified fully, and glorified eternally, and therefore all men will be saved. Here then we

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have (as others affirm) a legitimate child of the just named doctrine, the doctrine of Universal Salvation, and this, the text is supposed to support. Now, in regard to either of the above-named doctrines, we think they have no foundation in the text, even admitting they were true, but even here we hesitate, and are ready to say, as yet we see no reason to believe them, however we will not stop now to accion our reasons.