shall separate us." With regard to all this world's property, if that is your substance, why it is a substance that to-morrow may be in one world, while you are in another. Can you call that substance? Can you call that something upon which to rely for the future-something to look to as a provision? You provided for! How long are you provided for? Till to-night? Till to-morrow morning? Perhaps that poor soul of yours that you have been neglecting may find itself to-morrow morning forced to quit the lodging it is in now, and go out and begin the world, with a long life before it, a life that never ends. And what has it? Has it a house built? Has it a home

ready? Has it a fortune laid up? Has it anything to begin the world with? Would it not feel, as it stood upon the entrance of that other world, that it was turned out of house and home-that it had lost all? Would it not say, with regard to all that it possesses now, "I leave this-and this-and this"-and then at last-"I leave all;" and having left all, it goeth forth and findeth that it possesses nothing. Oh! thou art poor who hast no part in Christ. Thou art ill provided for who hast no provision for thy soul: thou art homeless and friendless, and liable to be turned out, upon the wide universe, unprotected and unendowed, at any hour. But how different is it with thee, whose treasure lies in the blood of atonement, and in the Lamb of God! You have something to rely upon for the time to come; you have something to look forward to for all futurity. With regard to the world that now is, you feel that all will be well taken care of; and then when other men are leaving this and that and the other, you will leave those things too-leave them to friends equally dear; but when you have left them you will never say, "I have left all." You will feel that you have only parted with the pilgrim's garments, and that you are going

to be crowned-to find your crown, your victory, your reward, your wealth, in everlasting day. All your riches will there reappear. Every act of goodness will there be a treasure to you. There is this in goodness-that each act done from love to God, is treasured up to increase our possessions hereafter. Oh that men would give up that habit of making mysteries in religion, where things are plain. They delight to confound in religion two ideas that in ordinary life they keep as distinct as their two eyes. In religion men puzzle themselves with the idea of merit and of salvation; free grace and the reward of works. They say, "We are to be saved entirely by free grace, and therefore how can we look to have our poor works rewarded?" Does any man ever think of confounding the two ideas of wages and reward? Wages, every man feels, is simply value given for value received. You pay for a service because that service is of value to you-that is one thing. But a man will reward his child for learning a lesson, not because the action is of any use to him, but because he loves his child, and wishes him to be wise. A man will reward his child for being good, not because the action is of any use to him, but because he loves goodness, and loves his child, and wants to make him good. The reward proves nothing at all as to the child's merit, but only proves the father's goodness, and his love to the child. So it is with our great Lord above us: he gives salvation freely, royally, without money and without price. The pardon of the past, grace to work in us good works-all is a free gift, and heaven itself is entirely a free gift: and in the matter of salvation all the redeemed will be equal; they will all be saved; tears will be wiped from every eye; none will be liable to sin or temptation; none will be outside the walls of that city. But then there will be endless differences. In this world the gift of contentment does much to smooth all our

differences of lot; and there the gift of contentment, coupled with this feeling in the breast of every one, "I have ten thousand times more than I deserve, if I had my merit I should be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone,"that feeling will make every one that has been saved " SO as by fire" unutterably and perfectly contented with his lot, and he will joyfully look up and see others higher and brighter than he, and feel, "the Lord has done all things well;" he will feel that they were worthy to be higher, and as for himself, the wonder is that he is not in hell. But while thus in the great matter of salvation, grace will make all equal, there will be, I repeat, inexpressible differences. There were some to whom the Master could not say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant;" all he could say, was, "Thou shalt be with me in paradise." Blessed be God, there will be some of that class there. But then besides them, and above them, there will be many a good and faithful servant: there will be one to whom it will be said, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things: have thou authority over five cities;" and another to whom it will be said, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things; have thou authority over ten cities; and another of whom it will be said, "The Lord will make him ruler over all his goods." What these different glories mean I do not know, but they have their meaning. Some will have a brighter crown; some will have the harps of God; some will have one joy, and others another, higher and yet higher; but every one that in Christ has done one good action, will find that action will make him a richer man to all eternity. Every act done out of love to Christ, either to the body or the soul of man, is riches laid up for ever. And do not think that an act done to the body, is less thought of than an act done to the soul. Do not make those fine distinctions. The Lord loves the

body; the Lord redeems the body, and lifts it up; and the body is the way to the soul. Acts done to the human body-relief and comfort given to a man's temporal necessities are acceptable and holy in the sight of our God above us, who loves the soul as worth more than a world, and at the same time numbers the very hairs of our head.

Then in Christ there are riches of triumph. Victory is wealth in itself: and the man that overcometh feels strong and rich. But oh! the wealth of overcoming your own nature, of overcoming the world, of overcoming the devil, of overcoming death, and passing through death triumphantly-but these are subjects to which I can only just allude. Then in Christ there are riches of comfort. He that hath Christ, hath comforts that no other man has. There are the comforts of the Spirit. "He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his." Every true possessor by faith of Christ is a partaker of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Comforter. He reveals the things of God, shines upon the spirit with that light which the Psalmist delights to call "the light of thy countenance." We know not what it is, but it is a light by which the countenance of God makes the spiritual man feel, "I love thee," and makes that spirit joyfully reply, "I love thee, O God." The mind of a mother is shut up and invisible to her babe; the mind of the babe is invisible to the mother; there is no language to convey the thoughts of the two; yet that mother can look upon the eye of her child, and, we know not how, but the light of her countenance shining before that child, carries into its infant mind this knowledge, "I love you," and awakes up in the countenance of the child a light which says to the mother, "I love you." And he who has the light of the Lord's countenance shining down upon his soul feels that God loves him, and he loves God; and there is in this a comfort which

the man who really feels it would not exchange for all the comforts that wealth ever bought for all the comforts that property ever gave.

Then there are not only the comforts of the Spirit: there are the comforts of the Word, the comforts of the Prophecies. He that has Christ, has all God's word. Knowing that you belong to him, and he to you, the Bible is yours, its teachings are yours, its encouragements are yours; and then those promises, promises of kingdoms, promises of crowns, promises of harps of gold, promises of a place at the Lord's right hand, promises of light in darkness, of help in feebleness, of joy in sorrow, of comfort and support in the valley of death" all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus;" and the man that has Christ, has in him the whole of these promises. He who has the wealth that is in the Bible, and claims it for his own, feels it to be a treasure of inexpressible price.

Then there are the comforts of Providence, He that has Christ, feels that there is over him a tender Father. He is no football of chance; he is no atom, dancing in the sun and in the winds, unheeded and uncared for. The hairs of his head are numbered; his paths are marked, his way is directed; the Lord is around his path and around. his bed, and spying out all his ways: he is before and behind, and on the right hand, so that he shall not be moved; and he feels the wealth of having God on his side, of having him appointing sorrow and joy rightfully, so that they come at fit times, and under fit circumstances, and train him for a better country. Oh! there is no feeling in the spirit of man richer than this-when calmly he can say to himself,

"All the attributes divine

Are now at work for me:"