"He that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." "The curse of God entereth into the house of them that steal and swear falsely; and consumeth it with the stones thereof and the timber thereof:" "His table becomes a snare, and that which should have been for their welfare, becomes a trap." We often see the wicked designs of men turn to their own confusion and ruin. It is so in private life. It is remarkably so in public and national transactions. In the judgments of God on sinners in this world, we have evidence that there is a God, who judgeth in the earth; and we have a prelude of a future judgment, by which God will render to every man according to his works.

Sinners not only sell themselves for nought, but for that which is worse than nought-for death and misery. Death is the wages of sin the wages in which it pays off its servants at last. And what would a man be profited, if by sin he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul! And what can he give in exchange for his soul.

Death here stands opposed to intend eternal death. The un

Death, when it is denounced in scripture as the final consequence of a sinful life, intends not merely a natural death, but the misery of the soul after death. "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life." eternal life, and therefore must righteous shall go away into everlasting punishment-but the righteous into life eternal. The scripture when it speaks of the wrath to come, from which Christ died to save us, signifies that there is a wrath to come, to which the ungodly are exposed, and to which they are bound over by the sentence of God's holy law.

This completes their bondage. They are criminals, condemned to suffer the demerits of a corrupt heart and a sinful life.

How awful is their condition? They are slaves while they live, and miserable when they die.

As they have sold themselves for nought, they have no means in their hands by which they can redeem themselves. They deserve the threatened punishment. And there is nothing which they can do, and there is no price which they can pay, to cancel

this desert. They have sold themselves-their slavery is voluntary-it is what they have chosen-and there is no opposite choice; no love of spiritual liberty, which will prompt any effectual exertions to deliver themselves from their bondage. Hence they are said to be dead in trespasses and sins. If ever they are quickened and made alive to the love of holiness, it must be by a Divine influence, and not by any natural principle of holiness in themselves. If they are saved, it must be by grace from abovenot of their own works. The power of sin consists in a prevailing love, and predominant inclination to moral evil. Where there is a predominant inclination, there cannot be at the same time, a prevailing inclination to oppose it. An opposite prevailing disposition must be from divine excitement, not from the corrupt heart itself. A sinner left wholly to himself will continue in sin. He will wax worse and worse. He will add sin to sin. He has loved it, and after it he will go. "His own iniquities will take the wicked himself; he is holden in the cords of his sins, and in the greatness of his folly, he will go astray." The Apostle speaks of those who have yielded themselves servants to sin, as proceeding from iniquity unto iniquity.

Such is the dreadful condition of habitual sinners. Is there, then, any hope for their deliverance?-Yes. There is hope. Of those who had sold themselves, the text says,

II. Ye shall be redeemed. But how ?-They had sold themselves for nought; and what had they with which they could purchase their redemption?-Truly they had nothing, and they needed nothing; for it is said, "Ye shall be redeemed without money." Here lies the sinner's hope. If he would be redeemed only by money, his case would be desperate. For he has no money that can be received as the price of his redemption. This must come in another way-in a way of grace-in a way of absolute favor. God has sent a Redeemer into the world. He has paid the price of our redemption by his own blood. The apostle says, we are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb, without blemish and without spot. And the benefits of this redemption are offered to us freely, without money and without price. They are

offered to such as have no money-and such are we all. We are in debt, and have nothing to pay. If we humbly and penitently accept this redemption, we are graciously and frankly forgiven.

The redemption by Christ is two-fold-from the power and polbution, and from the guilt and condemnation of sin. One branch of redemption is from the power and pollution of sin. The apostle says, He gave himself for us to redeem us from iniquity-from our vain conversation, and to purify us unto himself.

This part of redemption is effected in that change which is called renovation, regeneration, repentance and conversion.

This change consists in a new temper and disposition of mind, which is the reverse of the former slavery to sin. In the renewed soul there is a supreme love to God, and a general benevolence to mankind—there is an extirpation of former ungodly lusts and guilty passions, such as envy, hatred, malice; and an introduction of opposite tempers. The understanding is enlightened to discern spiritual things in their excellency and importance. The reason is employed in examining and proving the good and acceptable will of God. The conscience becomes tender, and susceptible of holy impressions. The heart of stone is taken away and a heart of flesh created in its place. The affections are withdrawn from earthly things, and set on things above. The perverse will is subdued, and made subject to the will of God. The life is devoted to God in new and willing obedience. The language of the renewed soul is, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? What I know not, teach thow me. Wherein I have done iniquity I will

do no more."

This change is effected in the soul by the word and spirit of God, both which are procured for us by the redemption of Christ. The apostle says, "God hath saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he hath shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ the Saviour, that being justified by his grace we may be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

The word of Christ is the means of conversion, and the Spirit of Christ accompanying it gives it efficacy and power. Hence the word is called the sword of the Spirit. The apostle says,

"God of his own will hath begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be holy as the first fruits, which were dedicated to God." "Therefore," "Therefore," says he, "be swift to hear, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word."

The word comes to us as a free gift. We have done nothing to procure it. It is not owing to ourselves that a revelation has been afforded to mankind, or that we were born and educated under it. Our enjoyment of this privilege is the fruit of God's sovereign goodness. It is he who has made us to differ from the many thousands, who have never known the gospel.

The Spirit is God's free gift through Christ. It is a benefit, which our guilty race could never have claimed. It is called the spirit of grace, because it is granted in a way of grace. They who have been the subjects of its awakening and renewing influences must acknowledge that God of his own will hath begotten them; he worked in them of his own good pleasure. The Spirit has come to them freely without money-without any previous works of their own, which could give them a claim to it. The convert when he looks back on his past life, sees that he has done much to grieve the Spirit, and nothing to give him a right to it either on the foot of his own desert, or on the foot of God's promise. He admires that grace, which has made him to differ from those, who still are under the bondage of sin.

The other part of redemption is from the guilt and condemnation of sin. This comes by Christ without money-without any desert of our own. As transgressors of God's law, we are under a sentence of condemnation. And the sentence is just. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. He gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, that God might, consistently with the ends of his government, pardon our sins, and receive us to favour. He has been made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This plan of redemption is all free-all gracious. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

"Jesus so loved us, that he gave himself an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were sinners Christ died for us."

These two parts of redemption perfectly coincide. The re mission of guilt without renovation of heart, would be no real benefit, because if the power of sin remained in full operation, guilt and condemnation would immediately return. The pardon is necessarily suspended on our repentance of sin and deliverance from its power; for otherwise pardon would cease to be pardon. It would still leave us obnoxious to eternal misery.

Let us admire that grace which brings salvation in such a wise and wonderful manner. It teaches us to live soberly, righteously and piously, and thus to look for the blessed hope of salvation, through Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from iniquity, and purify us unto himself, and make us zealous of good works.

Let us all examine ourselves whether we are among those who have sold themselves to sin. If we find in ourselves the characters of such slaves, it becomes us to consider the dangerous predicament in which we stand. Slaves now, and bound over to punishment. Let us realize the infinite importance of a speedy deliverance. Final condemnation for sin we all dread. We wish this may be prevented. The prevention of it depends on our present emancipation from the slavery of sin. This emancipation as we have heard, is not effected by the powers of our corrupt and enslaved nature.

But God has put into our hands the means of deliverance, and he has give us reason to expect, in the use of these, such concurring influences of the spirit, as may be sufficient to render the means effectual. This, therefore, is the command of the gospel, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you of his own good pleasure.'

You have perhaps felt, and now sometimes feel, the awakening and convincing power of the word. This effect is, doubtless, owing to a Divine excitement. Resist not the spirit-obey its