many hundred years afterwards, when they tried to gain a footing in China. Their missionaries kept back the hideous doctrine of a crucified Saviour: but he brings it prominently forward-" Whom they slew and hanged on tree: Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." There is a short sermon, but there is a sermon as full of truth as the words can hold. There is a specimen of apostolic preaching, to the very end of the world. No preacher ever preached in that way without success. No preacher ever yet, from that day to this, brought forward these truths prominently before the people without a blessing coming down from heaven. Brethren, here is the sermon of an apostle; what are its principal topics? It shows that God regards those who fear him, be they where they may, whatever may be their disadvantages, whatever may be their difficulties. It shows that the devout man, the man of prayer, shall ever be noticed by heaven; but does it show that the devout man in every nation, whatever his sentiments may be, may do very well without a Redeemer, -a very popular doctrine in this day? No. There is not the slightest foundation for any such an opinion. The apostle prominently sets forth the Gospel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, declaring that he is Lord of all; adverting to his holy life, what he did, how he went about doing good; adverting to his cruel and shameful death, and to his glorious resurrection; and then, mark, then preaching his future coming to judge the quick and the dead, but combining with that the doctrine of full remission of sins, and of justification through faith in his blood. There is the old doctrine; there is the doctrine God has ever honoured. This is the preaching which we may expect God to bless, and God will never bless any other preaching. O that every bishop, priest, and deacon, throughout the universal church, felt that he must preach as the apostle Peter preached! We have nothing to do with your mere moral

essays. They never brought a soul to God yet, and they never will. We have nothing to do with exhibitions of human eloquence, with the wisdom of words, or the power of moral suasion. No; it is the truth, the plain truth, with which we have to do. We are to hold up the Cross to all around, and to point the people to Him who hung upon it; we are to go on in this way from the first beginning of our work to the very last sermon, and to the very last hour of our existence here:

Happy, if with my latest breath

I may but gasp his name,
Preach him to all; and cry in death

Behold, behold the Lamb!

In fact, I don't know where a young clergyman, or an old clergyman, or any clergyman, can find in the whole Bible a better specimen of a Christian sermon than that which we have in these words of the apostle. The topics which are prominently brought forward; the way in which they are put; the boldness with which they were stated; the earnestness and simplicity with which they were exhibited to the people-all these things furnish to my mind, not merely a sample, but a perfect pattern of apostolic preaching.

But finally, what caused the success of Peter's preaching? We have noticed the appearance of the angel, and the preaching of the apostle; but we have something more, though very briefly, to consider, and that is,

III. THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST.-" As I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning."

I am quite aware that the words here, as they are used, include the miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit. They do most certainly include those miraculous operations; but they also necessarily include the ordinary, and sanctifying, and saving operations of the Spirit. No man was ever yet saved by the miraculous operation of the Holy Ghost. I mean by the power to work miracles, or to speak with tongues, or to heal the sick, or to raise the dead. Such power is by no means necessarily connected with salvation: for we read of many who shall at the last day say, "Have we not in thy name done many wonderful works?" And the Lord will profess unto them "I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." The grand point I

apprehend for our own spiritual benefit, the grand point which as ministers of religion, and private Christians, we should learn from the statement here made is this: without all doubt to expect the descent of the Holy Ghost whenever God's word is faithfully preached; to look for the ratification from heaven of the word which in weakness and multiplied infirmities, yet in the name of Jesus, is preached here on earth. And I do not know a more encouraging doctrine,-I would not give it up for all this world is worth. Why? For this reason. We are continually preaching to you the Gospel, though with a thousand imperfections. If we thought your salvation depended on our efficiency, or sufficiency, we should despair of your ever being saved at all. But now we have this to do, to deliver our message, to preach the cross as well as we can; we know it will be with a thousand imperfections; we feel it every day; and every day more and more; but certain we are as that we live, the Holy Spirit still descends on the preaching of his word. We are as certain as we are that there is a God, that while the Church of Christ on earth endeavours with all its infirmities to preach this Saviour, the Holy Ghost will still descend. The impressions here made; the holy resolutions formed; the hatred to sin; the love to Christ; the desire to go to him; the purpose to lead a new and holy life :-all these things came from God. From whom else could they come? The preacher! He has no power; it would be blasphemy to attribute these efforts to him. Nor is all this the effort of moral suasion. No: those holy desires you feel, those pious purposes, that fear of dying in your sins, and of being lost for ever; that desire after the pleasures of a religious life; that wish to be at peace with God; that determination to go home to pray ;-I did not give it to you: it came down from heaven; it is coming down now. I believe a sermon never was preached in the name of Jesus without some such effect. The Holy Ghost descends, working conviction in the mind; biassing the judgment towards the things of God; calling off the careless and thoughtless heart from the things of this world, and opening up another and blessed state to the view;-all these things result from the operation of the Holy Spirit. If so, then two things follow; and these two things shall be briefly stated. I*

[No. 7.]

First, We see the great duty of the clergy-our great business is to preach as St. Peter preached. Here I might enlarge, but that it does not become one of the order of the priesthood to enlarge on the duties of the brethren in the sacred office. That more properly belongs to those who are called to the higher and more responsible task of being overseers of the flock of Christ and rulers in the Church of God. I pass on, therefore, from the great duty of the clergy briefly to notice

Secondly, The great encouragement of the Church. When you assemble and gather yourselves together in Christ's name, and your authorised instructors and ministers stand up to preach to you the word of reconciliation, you may look for the descent of the Holy Spirit; you may expect that word shall never be preached in vain. Thus it is that the Church of God goes on. Some are taken away, and others fill up their places. Thus the son succeeds the father, and the daughter appears in the place of the mother. Generations of men pass away to the grave, but the church holds in perpetuity, and here we are linked by the golden chain of heavenly mercy up to the very times of the apostles; up to the very hour when Peter opened his mouth and preached salvation to the Roman officer in the name of Jesus. Brethren, if this be the case, let us be thankful for church privileges; for the opportunities we possess. Let us endeavour to improve them; and let us daily pray, that Christ's word-to quote a striking passage from the ordination service, when the bishop, giving the Bible to the candidate for the holy priesthood, prays-that the word spoken by him may never be spoken in vain. AMEN.

N.B. This Discourse was taken down in short-hand by Mr. HARDING, with my permission; and has been by me corrected for the press. Many of my Sermons having been surreptitiously obtained, and dishonestly published without any permission from me, either asked or given, I take this opportunity of saying that I cannot be held answerable for any printed Discourses to which I have not myself affixed, (as I do to this Sermon,) my name and residence.

THOMAS MORTIMER, B. D. Myddleton Square, Pentonville, August 17, 1837,

THE EFFECT OF A TEAR.

For the accomplishment of his gracious purposes in the recovery of ruined sinners, God is pleased to act in a vast variety of ways. Hence, by means apparently the weakest, and most uncontemplated, he often works his sovereign will. This will appear, by the recital of the following recent facts.

In a little village, in the northern part of the county of Essex, open-air services, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the ignorant and profligate, had been carried on, during nine successive summer seasons; and not without some salutary effects, as evidenced in the reformation of character, and the conversion of heart of several of those who came to hear what "the babbler" would say. But whilst certain individuals received the word with pleasure and profit, others only attended, in order to indulge their feelings of malevolence against their more seriously disposed or pious neighbours. Of this latter class was Joseph K-. Full of self righteousness and prejudice, he despised in his heart the preacher, his message, and all who loved the truths which he declared.

In the week, he was by necessity associated with two or three, who, since the preaching of the Gospel in their village, had tasted that the Lord was gracious, and who, as a consequence, ardently longed that others should enjoy the same holy privileges and pleasures as those in which they participated. But Joseph K- despised all their desires and efforts, because, in his heart, he viewed them only as hypocrites, or as enthusiasts. Many a word in season was dropped by these plain Christians in their daily intercourse with their fellow labourer. But, for a long time, all was to no good purpose: K- remained insensible, caring for none of these things. During the winter his master ordered him and John B- to thrash together in a barn. And often between the strokes of the descending flail, was many a stroke tenderly aimed at K-'s conscience. However, the only return which he usually made, was a taunting answer, as to some people being righteous overmuch; or else a silent, yet significantly contemptuous sneer. But his associate in labour was a man of a patient and tender spirit, yet of very susceptible feelings. He grieved