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hour. The question must ever be brought before the visible church of Christ, and the Apostle tells us this; "if ye then be risen with Christ; if ye be among the blessed number, then seek those things which are above." which I cannot but think that the Apostle's argument seems to run in this way-" Since our Lord has now ascended-he did not tarry long -he had soon seen enough of earth -he is now at the right hand of God when he finished his work he went to his Father; do ye not, then, set your affections upon a poor dying world-it did not satisfy him—the moment he finished the work he wanted to be away-the moment that he had done that which the LORD gave him to do, he wanted not to sojourn longer; and, if it be so, then do ye set your afaffections on things above."

May the Holy Ghost graciously lead us in the midst of all our ignorance, in the midst of all our short-sightedness, may he lead us to some holy and profitable views of this most important portion of his sacred word, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." The First point that presents itself is this, that the believer in Christ is one that has been raised from the dead. condly, as such, he is exhorted to seek and set his affections on things above, and not on things on the earth. Thirdly, the great motive that is laid before him is this-Christ is at the right hand of God and sitting there. THE BELIEVER RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

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IS ONE THAT IS

He was once in the grave-the grave of his iniquities. He was dead in the iniquity of his nature. I cannot but refer you to that affecting description of our nature, which is the same now as it ever was, though it was

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then spoken of the people before the flood, but it is precisely line for line and feature for feature in us at the present moment, in every one in a state of nature. Now, in the sixth of Genesis, you see what a horrible pit, what a dreadful grave is the iniquity of man's nature. "And GoD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth"-He saw the act of sin-but then he saw, that this stream came from a poisoned fountain-"GOD not only saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, but he saw, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ;" And yet we are perpetually hearing men talk about the goodness of man's heart. The LORD could see no goodness. I think it is one of the most wonderful passages in the Word. Observe, it is not only the thoughts, but it is the imagination of the thoughts-not only the thing formed in the mind, but the very imagination, yea, every imagination-and that not only of his intellect but of his heart—and that not only evil but, only evil, evil continually. How easy it is for a man to take up the Bible and say, I believe it. But do you believe thoughtless, careless sinner who hearest me, or thou who art trusting in thy selfrighteousness to save thee, dost thou believe that every imagination of the thoughts of thine heart is only evil, and that continually? Never dost thou believe it. If thou didst believe it, if that was brought within the reach of thy conscience, thou wouldst at this moment stand before GOD, and say, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

But not only is that grave to be looked at-there is another gravethere is the grave of our actual enmity. Look at that first of Colossians, “And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies"-enemies to whom?enemies to God. My dear hearers, what a thing is it to be an enemy

to the best of beings; nay, an enemy to Him who is the only good, perfectly good being. For what said our Lord? 'Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is GOD." As if he had said, All the goodness of my human nature I derive from GOD-I have but a derivative goodness as man-I take that from God-why dost thou call me good? there is but one who is infinitely and perfectly good, and that is God.

My dear hearers, GoD is so good that there is nothing good out of him; and all the goodness of his creatures is but a little drop out of himself. We meet with kindness-we meet with tenderness-we meet with sympathy-we meet with affection—we meet with compassion; we find the saints of GOD praying when one is brought low-when one is triedwhen one is placed in the furnacewhen one seems ready to be burnt up -we find the saints of GOD sympathizing with one, bearing one upon their hearts, yet all their kindness is but a little drop out of the inexhaustible ocean. Their little spark does but come out of the ocean of fire. It is but God's goodness that he has communicated to them-it is but his kindness that he has put into their hearts -it is but the overflowings of their compassion that they feel; and if they weep when we weep, and if they mourn when we mourn, it is but the compassion of GOD communicated unto them by his blessed Spirit.

All that is good in the creature is of GOD; and there is but one that is perfectly good, and that is God himself; and yet the heart of man is enmity to GOD. What an awful thought! There is something deeply humiliating in our having so much in common with the beasts that perish; but they are above us-no beast hateth GOD. See what sin has done for us-see what iniquity has done for us-see what cor

ruption has done for us. We are placed by sin lower than the beasts that perish! May every thoughtless, careless sinner who hears me, be made to feel that truth in his conscience this day. We lament that we have so much in common with lost spirits, with devils; and yet be it known to you, that preached as the Gospel is within these walls (I trust so), the name of Jesus Christ lifted up-remission by his blood-the GOD that gave his own Son to die for the ungodly-and that GoD proclaimed-the man that goeth away and liveth in his sins is guilty of a sin that the devil himself committeth not, and he placeth himself below the very lost spirits themselves. Oh, what an awful truth is this! Let it be weighed well and looked into. Yes, beloved, we are in our natural state enemies to God.

But grace brings the dead soul out of its tomb. Think not of finding materials in man's fallen nature. It is the mighty fiat of GOD-his sovereign, electing love that does it, and nothing short of it. It is the same mighty word that said, "Let Lazarus come forth," that has made you, poor sinners, come and bend before the cross of Christ. It was the same God that said, "Let there be light, and there was light," that has brought you to repentance, and made you to walk in newness of life. Look back on the past of your existence-look back on the days that are gone-see if you can trace aught of cause of God's love in yourselves! Away with the tinsel-away with that which passes current with God's saints, because they cannot look beneath the surface-but when you and I come and turn beneath the surfacewhen we come in and commune with GoD in our chambers and are stillwhen we look in upon motives and principles and practices, then, I would ask why was it that you and I have not been permitted to remain still in that

grave of iniquity? Because the eter-hibition in a somewhat wider circle nal God did say, "Lazarus, come forth." "Let there be light, and there was light." Oh, let GoD have the glory-let GOD have the praise due to him-glorify him in your souls; and if any one of you have been led to quarrel with this most holy, precious, sanctifying truth, may the axe be laid at the root of that pride, which would bring down to your reasoning-bar the Judge Eternal, and make you a competent witness concerning his motives.

GOD ALMIGHTY grant that we may never cease to feel the eternal debt of gratitude we owe to him, who calls things that are not as if they were. There is a resurrection, a spiritual resurrection; and when it is said, "If ye then be risen with Christ," I would merely remind you of what I have before spoken, that the church, in consequence of the resurrection of our dear Lord, are made in time partakers of the spiritual resurrection by the mighty pouring forth of the Eternal Spirit into their hearts. Happy they, amongst those that hear me, that are made to feel the movement of inward life drawing them from themselves to Christ, and from the world unto God.

than this, and say, set not your affections on any thing on the earth. Your dearest comforts, vehicles, as the LORD may make them, of spiritual comfort, they are frail, they are vain, they are perishable, they are not Christ. I do believe that there was in the mind of the Apostle when he told them, "To set their affectious on things above, not on things on earth," a tender prohibition to settle not down on any creature, on any thing short of Christ himself to set not the affections upon any perishable materials, even if they be made the vehicles of communicating spiritual mercies to the soul. Pained have I sometimes been to hear the extravagancy of some in speaking of the ministers of Christ. I believe one way for continuing our mercies, is to hold them loosely. The Apostle warns us against setting our affections on them, and that precept which he has embodied in his own words, may GoD embody in our hearts.

But not only is there a prohibition, there is an exhortation. The exhortation, observe, consists in seeking and in setting our affections upon But now observe, SECONDLY, THE things above. There is an intensePRECEPT. "If ye then be risen with ness in the passage-there is not only Christ, seek those things which are a force, but there is an intenseness of above. Set your affections on things expression in it. It reminds me above, not on things on the earth." of the words of our dear Lord, ask The precept must be looked at in a—seek—knock. A man may ask and double point of view. There is a not seek a man may seek and not prohibition-there is an exhortation.

knock-a man may seek a thing, and The prohibition is, "Set not your yet not set his affections on the thing. affections on things on the earth.” But the exhortation here is, seek and "Love not the world, neither the set your affections on things above. things that are in the world. For all Happy they who not only seek the that is in the world, the lust of the LORD for good things, but who seek flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the him with such an importunity of depride of life, is not of the Father, but sire, that they can say with Jacob, is of the world. And the world passeth "I will not let thee go, except thou away and the lust thereof; but he that bless me-the time I leave with thee doeth the will of GoD abideth for thou mayst answer me by contraries ever." I shall, however, take the pro--the mode I leave with thee, thou

mayst meet me with a rough wind when I expect the gentle breath of evening, but that I leave with thee, only LORD I cannot leave thee without the blessing."

It is one thing, beloved, to seek the LORD, and another thing to set our affections upon the thing that we seek. The LORD is not displeased with our importunity. I believe He is often displeased with our heartless seeking. There is too great a proneness in us to rest in the seeking. May the LORD stir us up to seek the things that are above, and seek that we may find, to knock that it may be opened unto

us.

Let me call your attention to three or four portions of Scripture on this most interesting point; for I suppose most of us, alas! know the way to the bed of the sluggard. Let me remind you of the forty-second psalm. Happy they amongst those who hear me, that are enabled to find an echo in their hearts to the words of the Psalmist. "As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O GOD. My soul thirsteth for GoD, for the living GOD: when shall I come and appear before GOD." "One thing have I desired," said the Psalmist, "and that will I seek after." I will not merely desire it, but I will seek after it. Look into the second of Proverbs and see how great a stress is laid by the Eternal Spirit on this very point. "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thy

heart to understanding: yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding: if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as hid treasures"-digging into the mine after it-toiling-labouring. Oh, for a laborious, prayerful reader of God's word! you do not find it every where. Oh, for a man to dig, as, if it were, to find silver, praying and looking upward-looking into God's word for the heart of GOD, and there led to open his heart to GoD, then, do we find the word a blessing, and not till then. "If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures: then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD; and find the knowledge of GOD." My dear hearers, turn to the Song of Soloman. "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not." She did not say, "Then the LORD has decreed I should not find him"-but she said to the watchmen who go about the city, "Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth." And again, the very same truth in the fifth chapter-"I sleep but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night."

(To be continued.)

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it is not this book that will satisfy me, I want GoD in this book. Happy, happy they who are led to experience this in ever so small a degree! I should say thy lot is mercy. The dealings of thy God have been the tenderest dealings to thy soul, and thou hast cause to bless him for it, with a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.

(The Rev. J. H. Evans's Sermon concluded.) She answers, "I have put off my resting in ordinances, never resting in coat, how shall I put it on? I have means I cannot rest till I find theewashed my feet, how shall I defile thyself can alone satisfy. It is not them? My beloved put in his hand mere prayer will do for me, I want by the hole of the door, and my bowels GoD in prayer-it is not praises that were moved for him. I rose up to will satisfy me, I want GoD in praises open to my beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone: my soul failed me when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." Then observe in the next chapter, "Whither is thy beloved gone, oh thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved is gone down into his garden," that is, as I conceive, gone into his blessed promises-and then she says, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."

Oh, happy souls, who are thus amongst those that hear me, I should say happy if the LORD laid his heaviest hand upon them, for his heaviest hand is but love! Let him speak where he will-when he will-by what means he will, if the heart is but led to that posture I will seek my beloved; and if I find him not, I will seek still, never

VOL. II.

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Let me refer to one passage more. Phil. ii. 7-11. If I could point out one instance more strong than another of a man's toiling diligently, painfully, laboriously, up the steep ascent of the divine journey, I should point to this chapter. Oh that blessed setting his affections on things above-counting all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, his Lord! This was the starting point— the Lord Jesus had revealed himselfhe had disclosed his work-he had disclosed himself-he had put his hands through the hole of the lockhis fingers had dropped with myrrh. Paul had seen his beauty-he had been brought to taste his love, but that made him so far from being satisfied with short wretched attainments (and compared with his, what are

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