lasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day; and that the sons of men who have died uninterested in the sacrifice of Christ, will be condemned for ever to misery and woe. It is written in letters, which he that runs may read, "The soul that sinneth it shall die, and there is no repentance in the grave whither ye are hasting." they know that as man leaves this world, his destination is for ever fixed; that then it will be said, "He that is unjust let him be unjust still, and he that is filthy let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous let him be righteous still, and he that is holy let him be holy still."

But let us remember, my brethren, whilst we acknowledge that angels may be better informed on these subjects than ourselves, we have quite sufficient for the direction of our steps aright in the path of happiness and heaven, and for a moment ask ourselves, whether we believe that there has been joy in heaven on We have fathers and mo

our account.

thers, husbands and wives, and children there has the glad sound been heard throughout the heavenly regions, that they whom they so loved on earth, have begun a career which will only terminate in the world of glory? O my brethren, examine yourselves, diligently examine yourselves, and see if your hearts and affections are set heavenward; if you have repented of your former sins and iniquities, and determined, by the help of, and reliance upon, the merits of your Saviour, to lead a new life and devote your future days to his service, and to the promotion of his glory; for consider, there are but two roads, the one strait and narrow, leading to heaven, the other broad and much frequented, leading to hell. And who is willing to dwell with everlasting burnings? Which of you does not tremble at the very thought of meeting the anger of God, of being destroyed eternally, of dying day by day for ever? Which of you does not shrink with horror from the apprehension of sustaining

this dreadful character of absolute turpitude, of becoming an eternal enemy of God, and of every intelligent being-of being known by others and knowing himself to be only guilty, odious, and despicable throughout endless ages? which of you is not overwhelmed with amazement at the thought of living for ever in the midst of fiends and fiend-like men; being tossed and convulsed by furious passions, rankling with envy, malice, and rage; hating truth and righteousness, forming no plan, pursuing no purpose, but to dishonour God, and to ruin each other? Do not your hearts die within you, and become as stone, at the thought of inhabiting that world whose light is as darkness, and which is overspread with the shadow of death; of dwelling in endless solitude in the regions of mourning, lamentation, and woe; alone in the midst of multitudes, without a friend, without a comfort, without hope? When, my brethren, you consider the dreadful alternative, that there is no means of escape without repentance,

can you wonder that those holy, pure, and benevolent beings who are ever around the throne of God, of those who have gone before you into the world of glory, should rejoice over one sinner that repenteth? And when you consider this, should you not be ready by all the means in your power to increase that joy, both by your own repentance and the causing the repentance of all those who surround you?

And this leads me to the third consideration-How we may promote this joy.

But before I make any further observations, let me ask, do you believe the doctrine?-you have often read it, you have often heard it, but do you believe it? We should, be assured, want nothing to induce us to exertion in the christian cause, if our faith failed not. But in a congregation of professing Christians, we need not surely argue the point, we have only to consider and be satisfied with the repeated declaration of our Saviour, "There is joy in heaven over one sinner

that repenteth-there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." What a source of happiness this opens, my brethren, to our view! We lose a friend, who has been our comfort in affliction, our joy in prosperity; nature struggles and yields, it is true, but not without repining, although consoled by the reflection of David, I shall go to him, although he will not return to me. The remembrance that the beloved object is safe for eternity, that eternal happiness is secure, whatever dangers may attend our own, affords true consolation ; but selfishness must yield to a still holier feeling, when we consider that he is not lost, he is only invisible, and that we are still able to promote his joy, whose happiness on earth was the object of our every thought; for there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. Who among you does not remember the closing scene of some dear relative, some father or mother, husband or wife, son or daughter? how bitter was the parting moment!

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