quired, to leave home and kindred, and take up his abode with savage men-to exchange the delicacies and refinements of the city, of the parlour, and the toilet, for the destitution of the wilderness and the filth of the wigwam, he is ready to say, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead," Phil. iii, 7-11.

And is there not something truly desirable in the testimony of a good conscience, and a full assurance of the divine protection and blessing? If we can lie down to rest with peace of mind, and a full assurance that whether we awake in this world or the other, all is well; and arise in the morning with a grateful song of praise bursting from a full heart; surely we are in an enviable state of mind. In a world of utter uncertainty and fluctuation, what state so desirable as that which is implied in the language of Paul: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor

angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. viii, 35-39. This is the present triumph of perfect love. How desirable is this state, then, if we look merely to the present life!

But how does the importance of the attainment increase when we look to the final hour? When called to contend with the swellings of Jordan, of what inconceivable importance will it be to us to be in a state of entire readiness to pass into our changeless state! Mr. Wesley gives it as his opinion, that most Christians are not wholly sanctified until just before death. The evidence of this is not only the fact that they do not enjoy the blessedness of the state of perfect love for any considerable portion of their lives, but also the fact, that as they approach the final struggle, they usually pass through a series of painful and agonizing regrets with regard to the past, and the most distressing misgivings with regard to their future and final state; and are brought at length to a full surrender of themselves to God, and then they resign the world with all its dearest interests, and sink into eternity full of hope. Now believing, as we do, that we may pass through this struggle, and come into the possession of a faith that lays firm hold of immortality any length of time before death, as well as in its immediate prospect, why should we delay the work until the moment in which, above all others, it is the most difficult. How much better to be able to say with Dr. Clarke, who, when his friends saw his end was near, and suggested to him that it would be necessary for him to prepare soon to meet his Judge, said promptly, I have prepared already: to feel that we are ready for the approach of death in

any form and at any time; and when death shall come, to welcome him without fear or alarm: to be able to say with Paul, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Tim. iv, 6–8.

Look, also, to the day of judgment, and to an eternal state, and see what an accumulation of motives here present themselves for an early and complete victory over sin. Will it be of no importance, then, that we shall have triumphed early over the evils of our natures? Will it detract nothing from our honour and happiness that we retained to the very last in our hearts some of the enemies of the Lord? In what light will we then view our littleness of faith, our apathy in relation to the great work of entire holiness? When Wesley, and Fletcher, and Carvosso, and others are seated near the throne, where will we be? These are serious questions, which it becomes us wisely to answer. But I must forbear. The theme is one in the sublimity of which our utmost conceptions fail.

If the souls of men are precious; if we are made in any measure responsible for them; if heaven and hell are realities; and the judgment day is not a phantom, "let us go on to perfection." O let us be moved by the Saviour's sweat, and tears, and blood; by the agonies of the garden; by the groans of Calvary; by the solemnities of death; by the terrors of the judgment; by the pains of hell and by the joys of heaven, to go on to perfection! Pressed by such motives, why "stand" we "here all the day idle?" Earth groans! heaven invites! hell threatens! and yet we sleep!!

Time flies, the Saviour woos, eternity is at hand!! When will the great-the all-absorbing motives of God's word exert their appropriate influence upon Christians? Shall we be moved by the trifles around us? shall we spend our time and strength in labouring to acquire riches, honours, and pleasures? and shall there be no place in our minds for such considerations as I have adduced?

"Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,

With all thy quick'ning powers,

Kindle a flame of sacred love

In these cold hearts of ours."

LECTURE XX.

THE EVIDENCES OF ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION.

46 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him. self," 1 John v, 10.

It is but reasonable to conclude that if such a state as we contend for is ever attained in the present life, it would be accompanied by certain signs or evidences which would satisfactorily indicate its existence; at least the subject of it would have some sort of evidence of his being in that state. It shall be the object of the present lecture to inquire into the evidence which a person entirely sanctified may be expected to have of that great change.

And in the first place, fully to guard against all mistaken conclusions, it will be proper to consider the subject negatively-to speak of several things which are not to be considered as evidences of this state. 1. Exemption from temptation is not to be considered as a consequence of the great change implied in tire

sanctification, or the continued enjoyment of that holy and blessed state.

Temptation in general signifies trial or test; and when it has reference to moral evil, it is permitted as a trial of our faith or virtue. Temptations to sin are from without-that is, they are not impulsions of the mind, but the suggestions or.solicitations of an evil agent. Evil impulses are themselves sin. They arise from the corruptions of the heart. "From the heart proceedeth evil things," &c. A heart that sends forth, as a fountain its streams, corrupt impulses, must consequently be unsanctified. But the assaults of evil agents may be made upon the purest mind. Our Lord Jesus Christ" was in all points tempted like as we are and yet without sin." The great difference between the temptations of those who are entirely sanctified and those who are not, is, that the temptation coming into contact with the latter, often stirs the sediment of corruption, while, assaulting with equal violence the former, it meets with uniform resistance, and leaves no trace behind but an increase of moral power and the fruits of a new triumph.

The following views of the subject of temptation cast much light upon its most common and ordinary forms. I do not present them as a perfect analysis of the whole subject, nor wish them to go for authority any further than they are true to the decisions of Scripture and experience. Dr. Bates says of temptations:

"1. They may be distinguished by their quality. Unnatural thoughts against ourselves, and blasphemous of God, are usually from the tempter.

"2. When they make terrible impressions upon our spirits, they are his fiery darts. For the native offspring of our hearts are conceived with freedom and complacency.