husband; and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them; and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away."

And are we not ready to exclaim, in contemplating these animating prospects, - the soul for ever rescued from sin and sorrow, the body raised from the dead and gloriously changed, and both reunited in the enjoyment of happiness eternal," Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power?" Yes, blessed indeed; infinitely blessed. But then in proportion to the inestimable value of the blessing is the loss, if we come short of it. Let us then seriously ask our own hearts, Are we aspiring after this blessedness? Are we diligently inquiring how it may be attained? Are we shunning all that is inconsistent with it? Are we seeking it in the only way which God has appointed for arriving at it; not living in carelessness and indifference; not in a state of formalism and self-righteousness; but depending wholly upon the merits of the Saviour and endeavouring by the grace of God to walk in his steps. For if we would "bear the image

of the heavenly," as on earth we have borne the image of the earthly; if we would see God, and be like him, and enjoy his presence for ever, we must begin to be like him here: our souls must be renewed after his image in righteousness and true holiness. These bodies, which, if we are true members of Christ, will undergo so glorious a change hereafter, must not be made the instruments of sin upon earth. If we die thoughtless and worldly, impenitent and unbelieving, no miracle will be wrought after our decease, to qualify us for the enjoyment of heaven. The holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, must be engrafted in us in the present state. We must be prepared for an eternal world, by repentance, and faith, and sanctification of heart and life. Then, unworthy though we are, yet, through the infinite merits of our Saviour, those mansions of blessedness shall be our eternal portion. There safely arrived, we shall find it to have been our highest wisdom to have made our calling and election sure while upon earth; to have prepared for death, judgment, and eternity while the brief space of life was allotted us for that purpose; to have entered as it were upon a course of spiritual education for the unseen world, and to have learned already those anthems of gratitude and adoration which are the delight of the spirits of the just made perfect in heaven.

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SERMON XXVII.

THE JOY IN SAMARIA

ACTS Viii 8.

And there was great joy in that city.

THE city here spoken of, called the city of Samaria, was possibly Sychem, or Sychar, where our Lord had himself preached in the beginning of his ministry. And what was the cause of the great joy mentioned in the text? When we see the population of a city festively thronging together, we naturally inquire into the reason of such a spectacle. Is it to celebrate the birth or marriage of some prince or ruler; or the success of a battle; or the return of some popular leader from the field of victory; or some rite or ceremony connected with the history and supposed honour and prosperity of the city? None of these were the causes of the joy that was exhibited in the city of Samaria: nor was it a joy which displayed itself in riot and intemperance; in the sinful indulgence of the appetites and passions; or in the pomp and

pride of worldly splendour. It was a joy of a higher and purer kind. The privileges which it celebrated, were infinitely more valuable than any merely earthly blessings. It was a joy caused by the intelligence of those glad tidings which the Son of God himself came into our fallen world to proclaim to mankind. It was the introduction of true religion, with all its attendant blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, into that city. Then Philip," says the sacred historian, "went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them, and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city."

In reflecting upon the cause and the cha

racter of this joy, the passage which has been cited will lead us to consider, First, the message which Philip proclaimed; and, Secondly, the reception it met with, and the effects which followed upon its proclamation and reception. On both these points, the narrative furnishes brief but explicit information.

First, then, we are to inquire what was the message which Philip had proclaimed.

The Philip here mentioned was Philip the deacon, who, after the death of St. Stephen and the general dispersion of the infant church of Christ, came to the city of Samaria, and, knowing that the wall of partition between the Jew and the Samaritan was now broken down, proclaimed to the inhabitants the coming of that promised Messiah, through whom alone both Jew and Gentile could be saved. It is said, in the fifth verse, that "Philip preached Christ unto them;" and again, at the twelfth, that "he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ."

To preach Christ to them was to shew them their need of him; to proclaim to them their iniquities and the anger of God against them; to teach them their inability to help themselves by their own supposed strength or virtue; and then to point them to the atoning sacrifice of the Saviour, who, though rich, for their sakes became poor, that they through his poverty might be made rich. To preach Christ, was to exhibit him in all the relations which he is pleased to bear to guilty perishing sinners, redeeming them by his blood, justifying them freely by faith in virtue of his infinite merits, renewing them by his Holy Spirit, and ruling over them as willing subjects, causing them to triumph over death and hell, and translating them to his eternal glory in the kingdom of