and severity At the poles it is perpetual, and under the equator it is unknown. But is this the only winter to which our race is subject? No; there is WINTER IN RELIGION. What multitudes of the human race suffer a perpetual moral winter. The rays of the Sun of righteousness, either never reach them, or fall. so obliquely as not to thaw their frozen souls. No love to God warms their hearts, quickens their affections, or produces the fruits of holiness in their lives. In them all is spiritual silence, barrenness and death. The con science is benumbed, the passions tempestuous, the will unsubdued.

Even where a work of grace is begun in the soul, theChristian is exposed to his winter seasons. He wanders from God, and then God withdraws from him the light of his countenance. He deviates from the path of duty, and the " Light of the world" is seen less frequently and at a greater apparent distance. His affections become cold, his desires and resolutions languid, his devotions formal his interest in the means of grace sensibly diminished, and his efforts to live godly in Christ Jesus are in a measure palsied. His seasons of spiritual darkness are frequent, long and distressing. When he looks within, the prospect is gloomy. His heart is hard and un-. promising for a oral culture. The songs of praise are changed to sighing. He groans in spirit “O that it were with me as in months past, when the candle of the Lord; shone about me.

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In this moral winter the man suffers his attention and affections to be too much engrossed by the things of this world, and his spiritual interests to be overlooked and neglected. Then he is less solicitous than usual about the promotion of God's glory, the prosperity of Christ's Church and the salvation of perishing souls. As few fruits of holiness are brought forth in his life, few fruits of the Spirit are found in his heart. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, must fail of coming to maturity when it is winter in the soul..

In different persons and at different periods, these seasons of spiritual winter are unequal in duration and severity. Few Christians are, however entirely free from them, though they must commonly if not always be attri

buted to sinful causes. There may indeed be seasons in which the truly pious, under a deep sense of their vile-ness, unworthiness and barrenness, may conclude that it is winter with them, when in reality they are then growing most rapidly in humility, self abasement, and other eminent Christian graces. Besides, when the body is disordered, it may produce a depression of spirits under which every thing appears dark even to Christians. We ought to discriminate accurately respecting the real causes of particular frames of mind. On the one hand there may be a great flow of animal spirits in religous duties, where there are no gracious affections. On the other hand grace may be in vigorous exercise, when the animal spirits flag. "The spirit may be willing when the flesh is weak."

Some few Christians perhaps may live so near to God, in the habitual frames of their minds, as not to know moral winter. Happy are they indeed, though in this life they never arrive at sinless perfection. Such are the evergreens of the spiritual kingdom.

Winter in nature often extends far and wide. And it is lamentably common for moral winter to be extensively and severely felt even in Christian communities. This fact is indeed deplorable.

Once more: THE WINTER OF THE GRAVE claims our attention. The spring of youth is succeeded by the sum mer of manhood. This is quickly followed by the au tumn of old age, terminating in the winter of man

When

entering on that period the frosts of death collect on the temples, the limbs are benumbed and stiffened, and the last particle of living warmth becomes extinct. The body, then a cold, inactive, insensible lump of clay, is committed to its kindred dust. Then the limbs are in-capable of motion, the eyes are deprived of sight, the cars no longer hear, and the tongne is mute. The pur ple currents in the veins cease to flow. They are bound » in fetters not to be loosed till the resurrection - morning. The cold clods of the valley press upon the bosom once warmed by the social affections. And the worm riots securely on all that was fair, active or vigorous in life. Such is the termination of all earthly hopes. All is then torpor and unfruitfulness. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge in the grave

This winter has overtaken all our race from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to this generation, with the exception of Enoch and Elijah, on whom the high privilege of escaping it was conferred. They passed from the summer of life to the perpetual spring above. The change will be similar to those Christians who shall be living when the arch-angel's trump shall summon the dead to rise for judgment. Not even our blessed Lord himself chose to be exempted from taking part with hu manity in this. He descended into the grave, though he saw not corruption. The present generation must all pass through that dreary winter, for there is no discharge in this war. This too will be the lot of all succeeding generations of men except the last. The period that men's bodies will lie in the grave will be very unequal, from thousands of years to only a few days. Thus we have briefly and faintly traced the analogy between winter in the year, winter in religion, and winter in the grave. They are alike COLD, TORPID and UNFRUITFUL.

Here let us make some application of the inquiry which our subject suggests. We are now surrounded with the scenes of winter in the natural world. But what is our moral state? Is there not too much evidence that collectively we manifest the coldness, inactivity and barrenness, of moral winter? A spring time of religion is now felt in many places. And is it not of equal importance in other places, that Christians should be awake, zealous and active to promote truth and piety; that they should bring forth much fruit unto holiness, to the glory of their heavenly Father? Souls are infinitely precious. If their moral seed time, their probation season, is spent without moral culture on their hearts, without their sowing to the Spirit, nothing but winter, unmitigated, everlasting winter, to the soul can be expected. There is no provision made for the Sun of righteousness, to warm and fertilize hearts in eternity, which through time remained cold, dead, and barren of any holy affection. Dying with uninterrupted winter in their breasts, they must then be removed to an awful, hopeless distance from every cheering ray from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Shall not this consideration arouse professing and hoping Christians, to double their diligence, and see to it that their calling and election is made sure? Shall it not

quicken them to pray and strive that no spiritual coldness and indolence of theirs, may encourage sinners to think their state secure while it is not? Shall it not arouse them to renewed and vigorous exertions in behalf of souls entwined about their social affections ? souls directly about them, and souls more remote, who are in danger of having the tempests of Divine wrath, unremittingly and forever beat on their guilty and defenceless heads?

In this land of Bibles, of Sabbaths, and Christian ordinances; the high impulse of holy gratitude should arouse us to feel and act in behalf of others. We live where the VERTICAL rays of the Gospel fall, We are in circumstances peculiarly favourable for moral vegetation to flourish, if watered with effusions of the Spirit. Without these, we shall indeed be like the sands of Afriea. But when we reflect, that hundreds of millions of our race, are under the moral poles, where a dreary winter has reigned for scores of centuries, have they not elaims on our moral sympathies? Shall we not recognise them as brethren, and do what we can to relieve their necessities? Blessed be God for the triumphant hope which DIVINE VERACITY inspires. A long millennial summer is before those lands now lying in the darkness and frost of polar winter. They shall yet be light; and warm, and fruitful as the garden of God. Already the twilight of that thousand years summer is commencing. And though it advances but slowly; yet He who in due season visits the arctic and antaretie regions with the benign rays of bis sun, will as certainly cause the Gospel's influence to be felt to the ends of the earth.

We know that the winter of the grave is near to all. The aged ought to feel that this is inevitably the next season to the autumn of life, on which they are, entered, and which may be almost spent. The middle-aged and the young have no security against having the intermediate seasons struck out with them. What if your souls should this night be required of you? Could your flesh rest in hope and your spirits depart in peace? The man who squanders his seed time and harvest, by studiously for getting winter, cannot prevent its approach. Nor will thoughtlessness in religion, delay the approach of death. Presently your graves will be ready for you, whether

you are ready for them or not. pare for the winter of the grave.

O be aroused to pre

Let the Saviour's words remind us to pray, that it may not be winter with our souls, when called to take their unknown flight into eternity. A death bed has distressing attendants enough without the gloom of moral winter. Acute pains, exhausted strength, gasping lungs, and the ghastly features of the king of terrors staring us in the face, need the counteracting influence of a lively Christian hope, and strong religious consolations, to render the passage from time into eternity comfortable. As we desire calmness, and support on our dying pillows, let us fervently pray that we may be preserved in life from spiritual coldness and unfruitfulness, and that through light and love and comfort from Christ, our last moments on earth may be filled with the peace of God which passes all understanding. Let us pray that our souls may be in the waiting posture of Simeon, and Paul. 66 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day;-and not to me only, but unto all them also who love his appearing." Then we could commit our bodies to the dust, in the lively hope of a springtime from the grave, when winter of every name and in every degree would be for ever past. The resur rection of the just will entirely free them from ever being incommoded with winter's cold, frozen hearts, or the terrors of the grave. It will effectually arouse them from all the torpor and inactivity of these winter seasons. This unfruitfulness will then be terminated.

Winter is an uncomfortable and undesirable season in itself considered; but it makes spring more delightful, and in the economy of Providence is useful: So moral winter and the winter of the grave, are, in themselves considered, dreary and appaling; but they have their utility in the economy of grace, and they will add fresh delights to the resurrection morning, and to the heavenly Paradise. There the smiles of spring, the delights of