the honors of the world that he can enjoy-the honor of titles, the honor of victory, the honor of conquest. He has, moreover, the honor of empire, of a sceptre, of a throne, and of a crown; this is the golden termination-he can go no higher; he has wealth sufficiently ample to support his imperial dignity-wealth in abundance; he has, in addition to this, a most vigorous constitution-he has all pleasure at his command, and he lives according to the sight of his eyes day by day; he has all this at the expense of religion and the loss of his soul-and where is the profit? He has had the honors that are empty and transitory-a feeble taper that death will soon put out with his extinguisher, and he has had them at the expense of the honor that cometh froni God. He has had sensual pleasure, as much of it as he can enjoy ; but then it degrades, it leaves behind it the sting and the poison and the pain; and he has had this at the expense of the pure, satisfying, and permanent pleasure which religion inspires, and which springs from the well of life. Where is the profit? He has had the world's wealth at the expense of true riches--the riches of wisdom, of holiness, of reconciliation and joy, the riches that a man is to carry with him beyond this world-the riches of which the rude hand of death cannot rob a man-the riches that are to circulate and pass current in eternity,-these he has lost!

There lived a man that was clothed splendidly and fared sumptuously; but then he lived to enjoy himself. He died and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes; he gained the world and lost his soul. Where was the profit ?-There lived another man he too gained the world and lost his soul. He had increased his goods and filled his barns with store, till the poor wretch cried out, "What shall I do?" • Do!' What shall I do!' Oh, if the man were here, I should tell him what to do. There is enough to do. Give to support the cause of God-visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction. Do! Clothe the naked, feed the hungry. Do good-support the cause of God. But no; not he! He will do something, however what does he? Why, he pulls down his barns he builds greater, and there he bestows his goods; and then he says to his soul, Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry; thou hast much goods laid up'-Where? In heaven? Was his heart and his treasure there? No, no! His goods were laid up in the barns he had built. Was ever folly so egregious as this! God called him a fool,' and he shall not be miscalled by meThou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?' The man gained the world, but he lost his soul ! So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.' Where was the profit ?

I am willing, my friends, to indulge in supposition on this subject; for what is the supposition that truth will not justify? I will suppose a man to be the emperor of the universe, literally to be the lord of this world; and that all the tribes and kindreds and languages and classes acknowledge his sway he is the emperor of the world-he has it all-as much as he can enjoy or possess. He has all this, to the loss of religion and of his soul. How then stands the question? How little of the world can he ever see-how little can he ever enjoy? Why, the man cannot absolutely wear two crowns conveniently to himself-he cannot occupy even two of his royal palaces at the same time! Look, for a moment, at the qualities of the soul and his world! The world is material, the soul is spiritual; the world is limited, the soul has desires and capacities that are boundless-the world is too little for it! What is there here that is suited to its nature? The world is gross and senseless, the soul. is sentient and rational; the world is perishable, the soul is imperishable and shall never die ; he gains the world, and loses his soul; and where is the profit ?

I will indulge in supposition yet again, and I will suppose, if you please, a human being coeval with the world, and that that human being is to continue as long as the world endures-he would be about six thousand years old now; but his eye has not become dim -his faculties and powers of enjoyment have not failed, and he is to be satiated with pleasure, and he is to remain in the world while it continues to exist. He has had all he can desire or possess from its creation, he has had all the honor and wealth which has been enjoyed by this world's teeming population through the whole period of its existence; but now this world consumes and he expires! How stands the case? He has had the world for time-he has lost his soul for eternity! Where is the profit ?-I remember how beautifully this idea is illustrated by the ever-memorable Addison, in one of the papers in The Spectator,' where he shews, with much beauty and convincing truth, that one soul is capable of more enjoyment to eternity than could possibly be enjoyed by any given number of souls for any limited period. There is no proportion between the one and the other. There is some proportion between a particle of matter and the globe-there is some proportion between a drop of water and the ocean; but there can be none between the little drop of time and the shoreless, fathomless ocean of eternity. The man, then, that gains the whole world for time and loses his soul for eternity, can gain no profit.

But I will indulge in supposition still farther, and truth shall still justify the supposition. I will then suppose more worlds than one, and you may go on, in your imagination, adding world to world and system to system, to any given number; and suppose a man to be

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able to call them all his own-they are all acknowledged to be his, -he has them, but he has them to the loss of his soul; how stands the case? Let all these worlds be put into one scale and the soul into the other-let impartial justice hold the balance-let wisdom direct the process-let truth pronounce the decision, and we know what the language will be-World on world, one soul outweighs them both!"

Our

Thus far have I illustrated the statement in the text-What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?' Are, then, these things so? So they are, my brethren; for these, after all, are the words of truth and soberness. We learn, then, in the first place, that it must be man's first interest and highest duty, to regard the salvation of his soul as the one great business of his life. What is there that deserves comparison with it that can occupy our thoughts or engage our attention ? souls are our all-they are our understanding-they are our lifethey are our happiness! By what strange infatuation, then-by what perversity and folly do you prefer the interests of the world to those of the soul? You pronounce condemnation on Judas who betrayed his Master for forty pieces of silver; take heed, sinner, lest thou sell thy soul for a still more worthless sum ! You condemn Esau, who sold his temporal birth-right for a mess of pottage; beware, sinner, lest thou sell thy soul for a momentary gratification! Oh, but dost thou begin to see that the soul is valuable? Then that is one point gained. Dost thou begin to see that thy soul is in peril ? That is another point gained. Dost thou see that thou canst not save thy self-and dost thou ask, What must I do? I tell thee, then, there is one who is able and willing to save thee, and his name is Jesus. To save thee he lived and died and rose again -to save thee he makes intercession. Oh, that every poor sinner would flee, without delay-sinful, guilty, polluted, perishing as they are-into his outstretched arms of love! What does Jesus 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Although you ? have been so unworthy, so guilty, so base, so ungrateful—although you have so long turned a deaf ear to his call, he says, 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' Why, not to be cast out, is to be taken in-not to be excluded, is to be admitted; and he will admit you into his glorious kingdom; you shall be justified and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of your God.

say

Then, O then, in every period of your religious experience, whenever the world would allure-whenever temptation would solicit -whenever riches would entice, remember the statement of the text :- What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Let this thrill through the heart while it vibrates on the ear, and then shall you, by the grace of God, pass through things temporal so as not to lose the things that are eternal; and with heaven in reserve, you shall have heaven begun below! Finally If the soul be so valuable, those who are in a state of salvation ought to exert themselves to the utmost to promote the salvation of others. That man does not know the worth of his own soul who does not attach value to the souls of others-that man does not taste the sweets of religion himself who would not wish his fellow sinners to be blessed as he is blessed-that man is not in the way of heaven who is not anxious to take others along with him; nor has he any reason to expect happiness there, if he would wish to go alone. My friends, the religion of Jesus Christ is diffusive; and if we know the worth of our own souls, we shall duly value the souls of others. If we possess the means of grace and enjoy the blessings of salvation ourselves, we should wish all our fellow creatures to be partakers of like precious faith.

THE VALUE OF THE SOUL

-"Be wise, nor make

Heaven's highest blessing vengeance; O be wise! Nor make a curse of immortality!

Say, knowest thou what it is, or what thou art; Knowest thou the importance of a soul immortal. Behold this midnight glory: worlds on worlds! Amazing pomp ; redouble this amaze !

Ten thousand add; add twice ten thousand more ; Then weigh the whole; one soul outweighs them all, And calls the astonishing magnificence

Of unintelligent creation poor.'

THE SOUL.

By Montgomery.

What is the thing of highest price
The whole creation round?
That which was lost in Paradise,—
That which in Christ was found-
The soul of man-Jehovah's breath,
That keeps two worlds at strife ;
Hell moves beneath to work its death,
Heaven stoops to give it life.

God to reclaim it did not spare

His well beloved Son;

Jesus to save it deigned to bear

The sins of all in one;

The Holy Spirit seal'd the plan
And pledged the blood divine,
To ransom every soul of man ;
That price was paid of mine!

And is this treasure born below,
In earthen vessels frail ;

Can none its utmost value know,

'Till flesh and spirit fail?

Then let us gather round the cross,

That knowledge to obtain,

Not by the soul's eternal loss,

But everlasting gain.