And if it seem choose you this

whether the Gods which

in truth, and put away the Gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt, and serve ye the Lord. evil unto you to serve the Lord, day whom ye will serve, your fathers served, which were on the other side of the flood, or the Gods of the Ammonites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other Gods; for the Lord our God, He it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed. And the people said unto Joshua, the Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

I trust, my brethren, that some of you who may have been wavering hitherto, have come this day to the same holy resolution; if not, I have spent my breath in idle words, idle as to your profit, but not perhaps without their weight as adding to your condemnation; for God himself has said "If thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his evil ways, he shall die in his iniquity." But let me

humbly hope that they have not been scattered altogether by the way side, so that the devil shalt be able to snatch them at once out of your hearts, nor upon a rock, so as to be incapable of taking deep root, nor among thorns, so as to be choked as soon as they spring up; but that in some instances at least they have fallen upon good ground, which, by the blessing of God, will bring forth a plentiful produce of true religion and holiness of life. Amen.

SERMON XVIII.

GROWTH IN GRACE.

2 PETER iii. 18.

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

It is a common observation that " as a man grows older he grows wiser." Certainly in all reason it should be a true one. As infants we know nothing; but we soon begin to acquire ideas, and by daily experience and acquaintance with men, and books, and nature, and the business of life, our minds expand, our knowledge accumulates, like a ball of snow by constant rolling. This is a remark applicable to man in general; we may see it more distinctly verified, if we take the case of persons engaged in particular arts, studies, or professions. We should

think it a reproach if they did not improve in knowledge or in practical skill as they advanced in age. The infirmities of old age, it is true, sometimes put a stop to this advancement, especially in those instances in which bodily vigour and exertion are required; but with this occasional exception, it is to be expected as a general rule, that there should be a continual progress from the beginning to the end of life. One man indeed, by superior abilities, or greater industry, or by having more opportunities of improving himself, may outstrip another who is his senior in years; but still all (some at a quicker, some at a slower pace) are moving onwards in their several paths, continually gaining a step towards perfection.

Shall the children of this world "be so wise in their generation," and "the children of light" be so much less wise?" Shall we, in the point of earthly knowledge and earthly attainments, almost invariably proceed according to this rule, and not think it a disgrace if the like progress is undiscernible in our spiritual condi tion? Shall man, merely as man, advance in experience and information as a student, as an artist, as a mechanic, as a man of business, and be constantly making some further proficiency in the line to which he devotes his chief attention,