rid of the numberless corruptions of our nature? No, my brethren, before we leave this world, if we hope to get to a better, we must, as the Apostle directs us, put on the new man of righteousness and holiness. And how is this to be done? By watchfulness and prayer. By watching against temptations-forsaking every evil way to which we know we are inclined-by denying the sinful lusts of the flesh which teach us to dishonour God and disgrace ourselves, and by earnestly praying God to cleanse and purify our hearts, and to give us the comfortable assistance of His Holy Spirit.

Let me again repeat it, this short life is our appointed day, in which we are to work out the salvation of our souls. How long our day shall last, how soon the dark night of death shall overtake us, we know not; this is hidden from us for the present, but we shall all know it soon enough. God has hitherto spared us, and yet continually reminds us of our latter end, that we may do that which he sent us into the world to do-prepare to leave it. Our fellow creatures are going before us

every day, of all

ages, of all ranks, of all conditions, by all manner of ways-by sudden accidentsby untimely deaths-by lengthened sick

nesses;

-some young, some in fullness of their health and strength, but the fewest, I believe, by far, in old age. We cannot come to the house of God, without seeing around us the graves of those who are gone: gone into happiness or misery, according to the use which they made of the time of their visitation. Which of us can say that in another week our last bed shall not be made with theirs? O, how does it concern every Christian to think seriously of these things! it concerns every minister of the gospel, lest when he has preached to others he himself should be a cast-away. The young are concerned to think of them, that they may take heed lest they fall early into a sinful course of life, which will harden their hearts and blind their understandings, and lead them to their ruin. The healthy and the strong should think of them, for health and strength cannot keep them safe from death; and surely the aged are concerned to think of these things, for in the

nature of things their time cannot be long: it concerns all men to remember that this little life is the time of their visitation, and that we must all account for the employment of it.

God visits every one of us. To the ignorant He sends instruction by His mi nisters. To the careless He sends His judgments to arouse them. He awakens with affliction those who are neglecting their souls. He visits us too by His Spirit. He comforts those who fear Him and mourn for their sins the soul that is weak, and looks up to Him for help, He never refuses to strengthen and support: to those who have made a good use of the grace which He has given them, He gives more grace; but from those who receive his mercies without profiting by them, He takes away what He before had given.

I have thus shewn you the instruction which every one of us may receive to his soul from the words of my text, though spoken by our Blessed Saviour of the city of Jerusalem. I am unwilling to finish my sermon, without drawing your attention to

one thing contained in them, which is well suited to give us comfort.

We are told that when Jesus beheld the city, He wept over it. Wept over it! what should make Him weep? what else but sorrow for its sins; sorrow for the punishments which were at hand, and sadness of heart to think that a people so long, so highly favoured, was about to be cast off from His Father's love?

Be comforted thou troubled, thou repentant soul: be soothed thou broken, contrite heart! shall not these gracious tears shed by the Son of God for the sins and sorrows of Jerusalem, cheer thee, and cheat thee of thy grief? He weeps-the Friend of sinners, the Saviour of men, the Judge that shall be-weeps for a people that had sinned--we are a people that have sinned-WE have all gone out of the right way; but if we repent, and continue stedfast in our repentance, let us be assured that we shall also share the pity and compassion of our Saviour. So let us repent, so let us continue as long as the time of our visitation lasts. And that we may not,

when it is gone, be sent to that wretched place, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for ever, but may go to that happy world where tears shall be wiped from every eye, let us never lose sight of those things which shall be hereafter.

Think seriously of death, and let the thoughts of that to which we are all hastening, mortify and destroy in your hearts pride and vanity, covetousness, over fondness for the world, and every other thing which is unworthy of a Christian.

Think seriously of heaven, and let the joys and glories of that blessed place which are freely offered to us all, through Jesus Christ, encourage you to pass your lives in obedience to His gospel; and to dress, as it were, your souls with the clothing of holiness and pureness, without which heaven cannot be yours.

Think seriously of hell, and let the pains and torments of that miserable place to which the unrepentant sinner will be for ever doomed, lead you to break through your sins, and utterly forsake every evil way, for the wages of these things is death.