Finally. From the doctrine contained in the text, that unexpected accidents frustrate the regular and usual means of obtaining success, we deduce the uncertainty of all human enjoyments; and hence we learn the wisdom of pursuing those spiritual joys which are beyond the reach of accident and misfortune. All worldly means may fail us; we cannot, therefore, be sure of obtaining worldly joys. Even when attained, all human efforts to preserve them may prove ineffectual. Are then all the pursuits of man liable to uncertainty? and are all his joys thus insecure? No-those pursuits which promote the perfection of our being, those joys which arise from the favour of our God, are not exposed to "time and chance." In regard to these, it is a law pronounced by God, and unchanging in its operation" Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened."* To the guilty sons of men it was pronounced by their Saviour himself, as an unchangeable promise"Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out."+

Here then, 'man, tossed on the uncertain waves of this troublesome world, thou shalt find rest. The mercy of thy Saviour, the favour of God, the glories of heaven, these afford joys that last for ever; the means of attaining these are certain and effectual. Seek ye then the Lord now, for he can now be found; call ye upon him now, for he is now near; to-morrow he may swear in his wrath that ye shall not enter into his rest. Turn then from your sins by repentance, live in the fear and service of him who rules in heaven and in earth; and then you

need not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be cast into the midst of the sea; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and he hath promised to be the strength of his people, and their portion for ever..

Yes, Christians! the means of attaining the prize of glory, through the mercy of God, are in your hands; faithfully use them, and success is certain. Here the race is to the swift, and the battle to the strong. In proportion to your efforts in the Christian life, will be your progress here, and your felicity hereafter. Wait then upon God your Saviour, and ye shall renew your strength. Wait upon him especially in that ordinance where he offers his body and his blood to be the spiritual nourishment and strength of his people. Ah! what prospect of attaining the prize of glory can they have, who refuse that divine strength which alone can ensure them victory? Q Christians! your Saviour at his holy table now offers you spiritual strength, pardon, peace, immortality.* Go, penitent, believing and obedient, and you shall receive a title to a felicity, which, exalted infinitely above the attacks of that time and chance to which all sublunary joys are exposed, will flourish for ever in the presence of him who is the hope of his people, the Saviour of all them that believe.

Preached on occasion of administering the holy communion.

SERMON VI.

THE CHARACTER OF SIMEON.

LUKE ii. 25..

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

THIS was that venerable saint of Israel, who, blessed with the view of the new-born Messiah, considering the summit of his earthly hopes as attained, poured forth the ardent prayer-" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."* And from the character given of him in my text, we may pronounce that he was not unworthy of the distinguished.honour of being one of the first to welcome the glorious Saviour of the world.

It is one of the admirable excellencies of the sacred writings, that they enforce the lessons of piety and virtue, not only by the most luminous and impressive precepts, but by the still more interesting force of splendid and illustrious examples. When we attentively contemplate those holy men who were admitted to intimate intercourse with Jehovah, and were the depositories of his will and the subjects of his distinguished favour, we are strongly excited to emulate those virtues which their character and lives inculcate, and by which they rose thus high in the favour of heaven.

* Luke ii. 29, 30.

Let us now, then, seriously consider the character of him who is presented to us in my text; and when we contemplate his virtues as delineated by the evangelist, let us be excited to imitate them, by the inspiring confidence, that with him we shall then see the salvation of God.

"There was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; the same man was just."

His whole conduct was regulated by the precepts of the divine law; and the blameless tenor of his life was marked by no actions that wounded the feelings, destroyed the peace, or injured the property of others. That sacred rule which reason has written on the hearts of all men, and which the Gospel has published with divine sanctions, of "doing to others as we would they should do unto us,"* was the rule by which Simeon regulated his conduct. It led him to cultivate not only the virtues of integrity and uprightness, but those active virtues of benevolence and kindness which are the perfection of the exalted virtue of justice. "He did justly, he loved mercy, as well as walked humbly with his God." Preserving a conscience void of offence towards God as well towards man, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, he merited and obtained the character of a just or righteous man.

Brethren, unless the unbiassed testimony of our hearts authorize us, after the faithful examination of our lives, to cherish the humble conviction, that, through the grace of God, we regulate our conduct by the precepts of the divine law; unless we can

* Luke vi. 31.

† Micah vi. 8.

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assert the humble claim, that, as far as human frailty will permit, we are just and righteous, all our pretensions to religion are empty and vain. He who impiously presumes that the warmest professions of zeal for the glory of God, and the most punctual and regular discharge of all the public duties of religion, will atone for any acts of injustice or dishonesty, for any violation of those moral virtues that constitute the ornament, the perfection, and the happiness of our nature, however he may flatter his own heart, is obnoxious to the wrath of that almighty Being who cannot be deceived, and who has required, as the only infallible evidence of our love for him, that we keep all his commandThe dissembling hypocrite may hope, by zealous professions of religion, and by external acts of homage to God, to conceal, or to carry more securely into effect, the purposes of injustice or licentiousness: but on him will certainly be executed the wo denounced against the Pharisees of old-" Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! who cleanse the outside of the cup and platter, but within are full of extortion and excess."*"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"+

ments.

But while Simeon was careful to cherish all the moral virtues, he was not unmindful that they could be rendered acceptable to God only when sanctified by the divine principle of piety and devotion; while he was sedulous and faithful in the discharge of all those duties which his fellow-men could claim from him, he felt the full force of those sacred obligations that bound him to the greatest and best of Beings, his Maker and his God.

* Matt. xxiii. 25.

Matt. xxiii. 33.