began at one evil moment in the counsel of the ungodly, and he never ceased till it brought him at last to sit in the scorner's chair. He stood before the Redeemer, our blessed Immanuel, our Lord and our God, and he mocked and reviled him.

His end, after this, was an affecting one. History tells us, that through an intrigue at the court of Rome, he was shortly banished from his kingdom. He was sent into exile to the city of Lyons, in the kingdom of France. Herodias, the partner of his sins, still went with him, and there he died.* He ended his days with the dreadful sin, unwashed and unrepented upon him, that for the sake of a carnal gratification, for the sake of adultery, itself a sin, he had murdered the greatest of prophets, and joined in the sentence of death upon God's beloved Son.

My friends, where is he now? How has he borne to behold that suffering Saviour, whom he had mocked upon earth, exalted to royal dignity, God over all things, blessed for evermore! Perhaps in the time of his age and exile, perhaps in his sickness, and on his dying bed, the suffering countenance of Jesus Christ, as the man of sorrows, whose face was marred more than any man's, and, with the weight of grief that was upon him, more than the sons of men, perhaps that suffering form and countenance which he had mocked and derided, would often present itself before him and haunt his guilty mind. But when his eyes were closed in death, and opened on the visions of eternity, how should he look at that risen and glorified Lord? His countenance clouded no more with sorrow, but shining as the sun in its strength? His gorgeous and shining robe of earthly royalty, with which Herod for mockery had arrayed him, exchanged

* Antiq. Joseph. lib. 18. c. 9. The same historian says: de bello lib. 2. c. 16., that he afterwards removed into Spain.

for the garment of Godhead,* and as it was at his transfiguration, white as the light, so as no fuller on earth can white them.

In conclusion, we have still to draw from this latter part of our subject two or three practical and personal remarks.

My friends, the case of Herod, Herod's falling short of conversion, solemnly calls upon you to beware of three things, which were the cause of his doing so. Beware of the first beginning, the after-progress, and the final victory of sin. This is the second of our defective cases; the falling short of conversion through the deceitfulness of sin.

Salvation is free to you. Grace is sufficient. The love of Jehovah is omnipotent and everlasting. But you must not sin. You must walk in the light, and wash your hands in innocence, or you will not be able to retain the knowledge of God, to enjoy his presence, to lay hold of his promises, or to do his will. Sin, if you practise it, will certainly keep you from grace, whereas this is the order: grace you must seek for, which is able to keep you from sin. Sin will harden your conscience. Sin will extinguish the light you have. Sin will increase to more ungodliness. It will give you, like Herod, a questioning, unbelieving, miracle-seeking mind. And then, when you call to the Saviour, he will answer you not a word.

On the other hand, for ever blessed be his name, that he is to be found and enjoyed by the humble, penitent, seeking soul. Seek in the spirit of a little child. Sit like Mary at his feet to wait for and hear his word. And he will surely answer you. He will teach and instruct you. And if you do his will, you

Psalm civ. 2.

will certainly know his doctrine, and know that it is of God. Your light will be brighter, and your knowledge more certain and large and clear. Your sense of a present and personal salvation, will amount to a personal assurance, and at last you will rejoice in his name all the day with joy unspeakable and full of glory. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand; my Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand: I and my Father are one."

SERMON V.

CLASS II. DEFECT IN PRACTICE. SECTION II.

JUDAS ISCARIOT.

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? John vi. 70.

THE history of Judas appears to offer an illustra

tion of what has been considered in the case of Herod, defective practice in religious conduct, but also arising from, and therefore combined with, a very marked exemplification of the former defect we spoke of, defective principle in religious character. It is a mournful and affecting example of secret unfaithfulness :— want of fidelity and truthfulness in the actual conduct, because of the same untruthfulness in the inward principle. The one arises very naturally from the other; the act from the disposition. The course of progress is very justly described in the 78th Psalm, concerning the ancient backsliding Jews: "They flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongues; for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant." And then, as the natural result of such a condition of character, "they tempted and provoked the Most High God, and kept not his testimonies; but turned back and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers, and were turned aside like a deceitful bow."

I mean then by secret unfaithfulness, a disposition to deal treacherously with God. The want of truth in the inward parts. The want of upright and virtuous principle to love the thing which is right, and to do the thing which is right in the sight of God. And this will eventually show itself in the having some indulgences of secret sin, which are still persisted in, or else in the criminal abuse of secret exercises, which, to the habitual jeopardy of the conscience, are greatly slighted or neglected.

One of the names of the Saviour's people upon earth is that they are the " Faithful." That is, just as we speak of a faithful friend or a faithful servant, so those who are truly and in godly sincerity followers of Jesus are his faithful friends and servants. It is the name and the character of their Master likewise : "His name is called, Faithful and True." And why are his people called the Faithful? Because they have a charge which he has given them to keep, duties to fulfil, and sins to flee from; a conflict and warfare to maintain; a life to conform to his will; and in short to take up his cross and deny themselves and follow him. And they are called the Faithful because they do this; because they keep that charge which their Lord has given them. But when they forget and do not keep this charge; when they neglect that duty which they owe to Jesus Christ; when they are careless about pleasing him and living according to his Gospel; then they are unfaithful to him, and the sin of unfaithfulness is upon them.

And, my brethren, this is not an uncommon case, or one that seldom occurs. A very little observation shows us that there are many individuals exactly in this state. Once they seemed to be enlightened, and to taste the powers of the world to come. Once they were happy in the worship and service of the Father,