cheering, when the mind and body are weary. After a few hours' walking, or remaining in an erect posture, how the body tires! add to this, anxiety, perplexity or care, and the mind, by degrees wrought up to a high pitch of excitement, suddenly droops, and both body and mind require release-relaxation. Withhold this, and fever, delirium, total prostration, ensue. For this emergency, our kind and loving Benefactor hath provided an antidote. Sleep comes to our aid. Disrobing ourselves-taking off the garments which just now protected us from cold or heat-we gladly throw ourselves upon our bed, and quickly fall into forgetfulness. And who shall estimate this-so common-privilege: so little thought of, and less regarded, because so constant, so unceasing? Who can appreciate the faithfulness, or compassionate regard, of Him who watches over and protects us through the midnight—the defenceless hours? What! oh, what would be the consequences did our God leave us but for a single night amid the thousands, during every moment of which He watches over us with an ever-vigilant eye? How quickly would Satan employ some one or other of his emissaries to take advantage of such an hapless hour!

But at length a longer sleep is needed, absolutely so; the Christian wants some more protracted slumber; worn down by temptation, pain, and sorrow, his Lord and Master, as an ever-watchful parent, sees it necessary to put his child to sleep: gently He takes the tabernacle down -the child is weary; and like a fond mother, the Lord takes off the garments one by one, and with such a careful hand! Touchingly does the poet describe the weary, yet anticipatory, moment:

"How should we scorn these clothes of flesh,

These fetters and this load;

And long for evening to undress,

That we may rest with God."

Mrs. Sturton chimes in, most sweetly, upon the same subject:

"Should death be at hand, I'll fear not undressing,

But cheerfully throw off these garments of clay;
To die in the Lord is a covenant blessing,

Since Jesus, to glory, through death, led the way."

Dr. Watts brings up the rear, and pleasantly sings:

Yes, here is the mercy: it is in Jesus, as set forth by the apostle in the 14th verse. And to the redeemed; to those who are delivered from the curse of the law, in and by their life-standing in Christ, death may be assimilated to the child's falling asleep in the arms of a fond parent-it is sleeping in Jesus. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is

the death of his saints." Surely this expression denotes interest; and why is the Lord interested in the death of his saints? Because they are one with him, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, and they, the members, cannot suffer, without Himself, the Head, feeling an unspeakable sympathy with them. "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it." Further, the Lord is interested in the death of his members, because He has so much at stake. What would Satan and the world say, if the Lord were to conduct his children safely on to the last hour of their lives, and then to forsake-to let go his hold-of even a solitary one of them during the last struggle? Why, such an astounding fact would set heaven in confusion, and hell in an uproar !

"O'er heaven's gate a motto stands engrav'd,
'Let sin alone be damn'd, but sinners sav'd;'
And o'er the gate of hell's dark dismal cave,
'Jesus the purchase of his blood WILL have.'"

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Brethren, you who suffer from the fear of death-and, blessed be God, however much you may apprehend its being a black mark against you, it is not, for the word of God clearly speaks of those of the living family who, "through fear of death, were all their life-time subject unto bondage "you, may be ready to question the validity of the expression "sleep;" and it may be suggested to your ever-susceptible minds, that the apostle here, as elsewhere, merely spoke by permission, and not by positive direction from the Lord (1 Cor. vii. 6). Beloved, whilst we remind you 'that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. i. 21), and that, as the mouth-piece of the Lord, what they uttered was by the immediate authority of the Lord, and to be as conclusive as if the Lord gave utterance to it, face to face; the apostle, as if anticipating the objection, meets it most pointedly in the 15th verse, where he distinctly says, "We say unto you by the word of the Lord"-that is, "by the Lord's own authority-at his express command-we declare this unto you."

And if any of you should have further scruples, and think that the figure"sleep" is too harmless-too placid-too desirable a metaphor to set forth that which is in itself so repulsive; bear in mind, that what the Lord says he means, that of every figure which he uses, he knows the full and diversified bearing-and of every metaphor or type, so adopted by the Lord, our ideas fall short-we do them the greatest injustice.

Space forbids enlargement; but, if the Lord will, we purpose returning to the soul-animating subject.

D
September, 1846.

THE EDITOR.

A SERMON BY THE LATE REV. J. SAUNDERS, RECTOR OF ST. ANN'S, BLACKFRIARS, OCTOBER 23rd, 1831.

"That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual jaith both of you and me."-Rom. i. 12.

I HAVE been absent from you, my dear friends, the two past Sundays; but though absent in body, I have been present with you in spirit. When I go away from among you, I trust it is under the guidance of God, and in the spirit of prayer, and whilst absent I think much of you; earnestly desiring to return again under the influence of the same Spirit, in the hope that I may, through God's blessing, be the means of communicating to you some spiritual gift, that you may be more and more established, and that we may be comforted together as the language of my text expresses it, "by the mutual faith both of you

and me."

These short separations when attended by such circumstances as these, are not only not injurious, but perhaps, beneficial to us; especially, if we are to improve the future by reflection, by a retrospective view of the past, by contemplating the present, for a better life in times to come; as mortals living for a few days here below together, and as immortals to live eternally hereafter. And oh ! if your minister, under such circumstances as these, is restored to you, and desires to speak the word of God to you with still greater plainness of speech, and with more boldness than he has been accustomed to do before; and oh! if the people under his charge are led to deeper consideration, and to give more earnest heed than ever to the things they have heard, lest at any time they should let them slip; then our souls will be abundantly benefited; then the word of the Lord must run and be glorified; to the awakening of some, to the building up of others, and establishing all in the holy faith of the everlasting gospel. And now we are come together, may the Lord return as of old to the thousands of Israel, and may he in his great mercy grant, that our coming together may not be in vain in the Lord.

The words of my text, then, are very suitable for the present occasion; they are the words of the apostle Paul, addressed to the members of the church of Rome. The church of Rome! What, the church which is now thus denominated? No: they took their name from the same place; but oh! how fallen.

The church of old established in that city, was established by God

himself upon Jesus Christ, the true foundation; the apostle Saint Paul, who was the great instructor of the people, led them by God's grace into the knowledge of his name, and into all truth; and there is scarcely a single error in the modern church of Rome, but what was pointed out and condemned, in the ancient church of Rome. For truth is one at all times; truth shall remain the same in time and throughout eternity.

In the first place, let me call your attention to the most prominent feature in our text, which is faith, "That I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." And then we shall lead you to notice the peculiar characteristic or property of this faith; in its being ordained of God for the comfort and consolation of the church, communicated to the apostle, and through him to all the individual members committed to his charge.

And then, lastly, we shall see what influence it ought to produce on the minds of all ministers and people as individuals, and as a collective body. Oh! that we may be comforted together with the mutual faith both of you and me.

First, then, with regard to this faith spoken of in my text.

Faith is a very wide and comprehensive term, and is sometimes used for a whole system of religion; so that we are accustomed to speak of the Catholic faith, the Mahomedan faith, the Jewish faith, and the Christian faith. But the apostle knew nothing of these miscalled faiths he knew but one system worthy of this name, and that is, the Christian faith; seeing that is founded upon him, who is before all things, and by whom all things consist, and by whom, and through whom, are all things for ever and ever.

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See

The apostle speaks of this faith in a very distinct manner, and when writing to the Galatians he tells them, that he neither received it of man, neither was taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. the first chapter of Galatians, verse 12 to the end. And he says, They glorified God in me." This is one of the finest testimonies concerning the faith of God's word that can be found, and the Scriptures, remember, are no human authority; "They glorified God in me." They did not glorify the apostle, or his faith, or the word that was in him; but "They glorified God in him and through him."

And this is a point, worthy indeed of the ambition of every Christian minister and individual, that they may so believe the word, so receive the word, and so prove that they have received the word, and so live up to the Spirit of the word, that the faith of God may shine so conspicuously in them, that men may glorify God in them.

Now the apostle's faith had Jesus Christ alone for its basis, or rather, I may say, the apostle's faith had God's revelation for its rule, and the Lord Jesus Christ for its object; and this is the character of true faith, and has been from the beginning; and by this rule, all men may discover whether they possess true faith or not; for true faith rests on the word of God only, unsupported by any collate

ral evidence; as in the case of Abraham of old, he believed God, because God had spoken. I say true faith has the word of God only for its rule, and the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for its chief object.

The apostle Paul was, we know, an inspired man, and received supernatural gifts from God, yet all his instructions were in exact accordance with all that God had written in his sacred Scriptures, and as it was with the apostle so it is with us; there is no foundation or rule for our faith, but God's word, and no right object for our faith, but the Lord Jesus Christ; and the church to which we belong is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.

The apostle received his faith from God: see his testimony concerning it, Gal. i. 11, 12, "But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." And in his Epistle to the Romans, we find he was made, under God, the medium of conveying it to others; hence he speaks of their mutual comfort, and mutual faith, in the happy enjoyment of which they mutually rejoiced together. Hence we see "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God" (Rom. i. 1-12).

This is the point I am aiming to fix on your attention, the apostle's reception of this faith from God; and we must go to the same fountain, my dear friends, or we never can receive the same streams.

Well then, it was concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that the apostle Paul preached, by virtue of that faith which he himself had received from God; for remember, all who receive faith from God, if they are ministers, are sure to preach about the object of faith; and private individuals who have received the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the faith which is of the operation of God's Spirit, look only to the same object, and bear unceasing testimony to the same truth.

You see, then, when the apostle Paul had received this faith, how it wrought with him, constraining him to preach the gospel with great sincerity, earnestness, and simplicity. "I determine," says he, "not to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. ii. 2). So far, then, from wrapping up these things in a language unintelligible to his hearers, like the Roman Catholics of later times, we see how desirous he was to promulgate it, how anxious that every-one who heard him ought not only to hear, but understand minutely, the things concerning their everlasting salvation.

Observe the great earnestness with which the apostle preached the gospel of Christ (2 Cor. vi. 1-12); and how his faith wrought in him. The dew and rain of heaven seemed to fall sweetly upon his soul, and the very windows of his mind were opened, in order, that by God's grace, he might be watered to the refreshing, enlightening, and enlivening, of the hearts of God's people.