even to the several ranks and orders of angelic beings; for all these belong to the same community; they are all inhabitants of the same celestial city. While the varied members of that blessed and holy family maintain a perfect harmony of design and feeling, and are all employed in worshipping their God and Saviour, they cannot but gloriously realise their ONENESS in the Lord; and they will be ONE in Him, to all eternity.

CONCLUSION.

It may possibly serve a useful purpose, if we concentrate the whole subject which we have now been discussing, in a few succinct propositions.

1. The main characteristic of those happy beings, who dwell in heaven under the immediate government of God our Saviour, is love towards the Supreme Being; and this love is absolutely essential, both to their employments and their joys. On the contrary, the principal feature in the character of fallen man, is the absence of this love. Hence it follows, that before he can enter heaven, the affections of man must be changed he must be born again of the Spirit.

2. The grand appointed instrument through which this change is effected, is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which are revealed to us the mercies of God, for the restoration and final happiness of man. The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation."

3. It is the nature of all passive impressions on the mind of man, to become weaker as they are repeated; and this decay can be counteracted only by

the formation of active principles. This truth applies to all our affections, and, amongst others, to that pure affection-love towards God; which will certainly wither in the soul, unless it be cultivated and carried forward into action. That divine grace by which our love to God is maintained, operates through this peculiar law of our nature; by the motive of love, it leads the soul into various acts; and by these acts, our love is increased and confirmed.

4. One of the principal of them is, the contemplation of the Supreme Being. We ought to con template him, with humble gratitude, as our Father by creation; as the bounteous Giver of all our facul ties on the one hand, and of the various provisions of nature on the other, by which those faculties are suited; as the Supreme Conductor of the chain of events for the ultimate good and happiness of his obet children; and, above all, as the Author of redempti

5. In the scheme of redemption, the Deity dis plays himself to us as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and the distinctive offices of these three, call for distinctive exertions, on our part, of heartfelt gratitude and affection. The more we reflect on the mercies of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit, so gloriously made manifest for the salvation of mankind, the more ardently shall we love the Father, the Son, and the Spirit-one God blessed for ever.

6. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." The incarnation of the Son of God, and the sacrifice made for sin upon the cross, is the centre of the whole mighty scheme, ordained for the deliverance and happiness of man. To this point, therefore, above all others, ought our contemplation to be directed, that we may be constrained, by a view of such unparalleled mercy, to love the Lord entirely and for

ever.

7. A second act of the soul, fraught with a similar tendency, is, communion with God. We commune with the LORD, because we love him; and the converse which we are permitted to hold with him, in our solitary hours, in our family circles, in public worship, and during the whole course of our daily walk-while we pour forth our mind to him, and receive the impressions of his mind in return—is a sure means of our being taught to love him more and more.

8. A third act of the soul, induced by love, and essential to its maintenance, is the surrender of ourselves without reserve to God. This surrender, which is inseparably connected with living, heartfelt faith, leads to resignation in suffering the will of God, and to obedience in doing it; and by every fresh exertion, either of resignation or obedience, our love to Him is enhanced and strengthened.

9. As Christians, we are bound to love God, not

merely because of the benefits bestowed upon ourselves, but because of his intrinsic moral perfections, so clearly displayed to us in the gospel; and if our love for him be sincere, it will excite in us an ardent desire to become like him in character. The restoration of fallen man to the image of his Creator, is the great practical purpose of the religion of Jesusa purpose which can be accomplished only as we follow the example of Jesus himself. Now the greater advances we make in holiness, the livelier will be our sense of the " beauty" of Jehovah; the more we are assimilated to Christ, the nearer will be our union with the Father and with the Son.

10. The love of our neighbour follows the love of God as a necessary consequence; and it is itself essential to a right performance of all our duties to wards our fellow-men. It dictates justice and chry towards all, and preeminent fervency of affection wards our fellow-Christians. Obedience to this commandment has a peculiar tendency to soften and enlarge the heart, and thus to improve our capacity for loving God himself-the supreme object of every pure affection.

While the acts of the soul which we have now been considering-contemplation, communion, submission, obedience, imitation of the divine character, and the exercise of charity-strengthen that love to