will not, should HE prolong his days, demand less, than that he should henceforth live unto HIM, from Whom he ought never to have wandered by transgressing His laws, and that he should bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

In conclusion, let us not suffer the present solemn season' of our Church to pass away unimproved by us; but let us all so consider our ways, as to bring to mind those things wherein we may have offended, and fortify ourselves against the temptations, which, owing to natural temperament, time of life, situation in the world, or any other cause, have hazarded our integrity, or betrayed us into actual transgression. Let us avail ourselves of our Church's solicitude for our welfare; accept her call; betake ourselves to repentance, and put not off from day to day. Do we wish for a proof that God is merciful, long-suffering, and ready to forgive, such a proof as nature could not, the most improved reason could not deduce? Hence is this grand truth to be evidenced; in that the DEITY hath revealed His willingness to pardon penitent sinners who come unto HIM, in the express declarations of His Holy Word. And this, consistently with His other essential attributes, He hath devised the method to effect, through the Mediation of His Son, "in Whom we have redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of sins." "Repent," therefore, “and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed: and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel ?"з T. F.

The Sermon was preached in Lent. 2 Ephes. i. 7.

3 Ezek. xviii. 30, 31.

SERMON XI.

THE COMPLETENESS OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS ON CONVERSION, ILLUSTRATED BY THE

AND THERE WAS A CERTAIN DISCIPLE AT DAMASCUS, NAMED ANANIAS; AND TO HIM SAID THE LORD IN A VISION, ANANIAS. AND HE SAID, BEHOLD, I AM HERE, LORD. AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIM, Arise, and gO INTO THE STREET WHICH IS CALLED STRAIGHT, AND INQUIRE IN THE HOUSE of Judas for ONE CALLED SAUL, OF TARSUS: FOR, BEHOLD,

HE PRAYETH.

We have, my brethren, in the chapter from which our text is taken, one of the most remarkable instances of the conversion of a sinner unto GoD which can be found in Holy Scripture. And in the circumstances of the history before us we see the blessed effect produced both in the heart and life of St. Paul,—his heart being thenceforth entirely devoted to God, and his life being spent in the glorious service of that REDeemer, Whom he had formerly despised and rejected, and Whose Disciples he "had persecuted unto strange cities," and even "unto death."

After the great work of human Redemption had been accomplished, and JESUS had laid down His Life in

sufferings on the Cross; after His glorious Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and after the descent of the HOLY GHOST on the day of Pentecost: we find His followers, in compliance with His parting injunction to them, "Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the FATHER, and of the Sox, and of the HOLY GHOST, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you ":— we find them, I say, setting forth, and, with the importance of their high and solemn commission ever before them, making known the glad-tidings of salvation to a perishing and a sinful world,-to a world 'sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death." That Blessed SAVIOUR, Whose servants they were, and Whose precious Blood had been shed to make Atonement for them and for all poor sinners, was proclaimed wherever they went, and pointed to as the only refuge from the just anger of an offended GOD. HE was held up as the sinner's only hope, and in HIM, the suffering MESSIAH, men were everywhere taught to "behold the LAMB of GOD, Which taketh away the sin of the world." "The miracles and wonders and signs, which GOD had done by HIM in the midst of them," were all appealed to as solemn and substantial proofs, that indeed "JESUS of Nazareth was a man approved of GOD." His Resurrection from the dead, "whereof they all were witnesses," was adduced as a fulfilment of the prophetic declaration of David, and as earnest and assurance of their own resurrection. He, the promised REDEEMER, the Seed of Abraham, in Whom "all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed," was preached as "the Prince of life Whom they had killed," but "Whom GOD had raised from the dead."

Now, when these truths were published abroad,

"the Priests and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through JESUS the Resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands upon them, and put them in hold unto the next day." Far from being damped by these severities, far from renouncing their profession or denying "HIM Whom their soul loved," when they were insultingly brought before the "rulers and elders and scribes," they boldly stood forth, and proclaimed "JESUS of Nazareth, Whom they had crucified," and "Whom GOD had raised from the dead," to be their MESSIAH and SAVIOUR, their LORD and MASTER; nay, they further affirmed, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Notwithstanding all the attempts that were made to prevent them from preaching "JESUS CHRIST and HIM crucified"; notwithstanding the various cruelties that were exercised against them, and the prohibitions to which they were subjected; still they persevered in their goodly purpose, and went about everywhere declaring, "The GoD of our fathers raised up JESUS, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. HIM hath GOD exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a SAVIOUR, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Yea, they "rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for CHRIST'S Name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach JESUS CHRIST."

No more were the ceremonial sacrifices held up as the means of drawing down the pardon and of propitiating the favour of Heaven; but JESUS, "the LAMB of GOD," the only "Sacrifice for sins," was set forth as the penitent's only refuge. No more was the bleeding

lamb each morning and evening to be sacrificed for the sins of the people, no more were the offerings enjoined in the Law to be paid by those who had transgressed its ordinances; but the sacrifices, of which they now declared God's approval, were "the sacrifices of a broken spirit," were the sincere outpourings of a penitent and contrite heart, made through faith in His SON JESUS, and in the precious Merits of His atoning Sacrifice for sinners on the Cross. The Law, in its ceremonial character and features, being thus fulfilled in "a better covenant"; the temple worship and its imposing and splendid rites, its sacrifices and offerings, its pomp and glory, all-all "a shadow of good things to come," being now declared as having necessarily given place to the milder and more comprehensive dispensation of the Gospel: the Apostles and Disciples of JESUS everywhere asserted its superiority over the Law, and pointed out thereby to sinners the necessity of "fleeing from the wrath to come," by suing for pardon and mercy through the crucified REDEEMER. "Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren," said they to their countrymen, "that through this man," the GoD-man JESUS CHRIST, "is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by HIM all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses."

But, whilst the followers of JESUS are thus setting forth the worth and superiority, the advantages and blessings, of the Gospel; whilst they are declaring, that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of GOD," and that "the Law was" truly "our schoolmaster to bring us unto CHRIST, that we might be justified by faith the chief Priests and Elders of the Jewish nation, far from giving up their formal rites and

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