of advancing our interest; and how frequently are we led to do this by unworthy means-by the sacrifice or the concealment of truth, by breach of principle, by neglect of religion, by injury of others, by abandonment of God! "Covetousness," says the apostle, "is idolatry1;" that is, it is a resigning to what should be regarded only with a rational and moderate attachment, those feelings and affections which are due to God alone. The same is true of every other worldly object pursued with too anxious a zeal, and without a due regard to principle;-whoever thus acts is an idolater, a slave to Satan, an enemy to God. He forgets the first and great commandment-" Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

In the wonderful scene before us, then, we have, as it were, an epitome or abstract of the various temptations of the Christian -the temptations of the flesh-the temptations of erroneous opinions, and the

1 Col. iii. 5.

temptations of the world around us. When we consider all these trials as constantly besetting our path, and leading us by every artifice from the way in which we should go, the reflection which naturally arises in our minds is this:-How careful should we be to know the nature and strength of these trials, and our own weakness-to know where we have formerly failed, and from what cause; in order that we may strengthen what has been found weak in our spiritual armour, and so fight the good fight hereafter with a better assurance of success. The deep necessity of this, our Church has well considered; and especially at this solemn season, calls upon her members to discharge this always bounden duty with strictness and conscientious care. There have been times in the church when this task of self-examination was performed rather with a superstitious than a religious feeling, and when mortification of the body was substituted for the chastisement of the spirit. But the abuse of any rite is no just argument against the utility of it when properly

exercised; and surely no practice can be more laudable, or tend more directly to edification and amendment, than that of appointing fixed times and seasons for the purpose of inquiring more rigorously into the state of our own souls. It is a melancholy truth, that those who object the most strongly to such a custom, are generally those who have the greatest need of practising it. It is very true that self-examination is a duty which belongs to all times alike; but, such is the weakness of our nature, that, without being reminded of it by some external monitor-such as the recurrence of the sabbath, or of this and similar holy seasons, we should be too apt to forget and to neglect it altogether. "The children of this world," says our Saviour, "are in their generation wiser than the children of light1:" and accordingly, we find that they have not overlooked the advantage of having fixed times and seasons for inquiring into the state of their worldly affairs. They will tell you that without this there could be

1 Luke xvi. 8.

no system and no regularity in business. Surely that great undertaking, in which we are all equally engaged-which concerns not only the welfare of the body, but the soul, and relates not only to time but to eternity-is at least worthy of equal caution and care. Surely we, also, should have our stated times, in which to see how our great account stands between ourselves and our Creator-to examine strictly in what, during the past year, we have failed, and in what, by the grace of God, we have succeeded. Thus may we turn this solemn season to our everlasting benefit, by making it a period of advancement in self-knowledge-of repentance for past failings, and resolutions of future amendment. So that, increasing in holiness, as we increase in age, we may be enabled to look back upon each successive year as a step towards that happy country where temptation shall cease for ever, and we shall reign with Him, through whose strength we have been more than conquerors, world without end!

SERMON XVI.

THE DEATH OF CHRIST A REAL SACRIFICE

FOR SIN.

HEBREWS ix. 13, 14.

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

1

APPOINTED, as we know the present season to be, to lead us to the knowledge of sin, and set apart, as it especially is, for the purpose of inquiring into the dominion which it exercises over our own minds, and of shaking off that dominion by the gracious assistances with which the Gospel of Christ has supplied us, it cannot