journey; may you find all at home well and happy; may the world continue to smile upon you; and may you have good health to enjoy it.' -No one wishes you worldly prosperity more cordially, as far as it would do you good: but I believe you will accept accept it as a token of truer friendship and affection, if at parting. I only say, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

Here you wish me to tell you,

I. What is meant by the grace of Christ; and on what accounts it is so desirable;

II. How it appears to be better than any thing else that could be wished you.

Let us consider then,

I. What is meant by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"It hath pleased the father that in him should all fulness dwell:" and "he hath given him to be head over all things to the church, which is bis body;" and "of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace.' grace." Whatever we want for the beginning or the carrying on of the divine life in our souls, cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, through the hands of his beloved Son, whom he hath appointed his almoner, the distributer of his gifts among the children of men. The

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grace of Christ," therefore, comprehends converting grace; sanctifying grace; strengthening, quickening, comforting grace ;-it is, in short, the same as wishing that God would "bless you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." If you have not this grace, it signifies nothing what other things you have; and if you have that, it matters little what other things you want."

You ask, Why it is so desirable. I answer, You can neither live nor die comfortably or safely with out it; but more particularly,

1. You want it to deliver you from the condem nation of hell.

You were by nature children of wrath, even as others; and are every day as malefactors under the sentence of death; and if you are cut off in that condition, you are undone for ever. It is a wonder how you can venture to sea in such a state. Suppose a storm should rise; or suppose you should spring a leak, so that your lives be in danger; what horrors must you be thrown into, to think 'Perhaps the next gust of wind will dash the vessel upon the rocks, and blow me into eternity! Per haps the next wave may swallow us all up, and sink me deeper than the bottom of the ocean,-it may sink me into the bottomless pit l'--Do you not shudder at the thoughts of it? Well, nothing but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can deliver you. He is the way, and the truth, and the life;" neither is there salvation in any other. You may be happy without so much money in your pocket, or such good clothes on your back, as some other of your acquaintance have; but you cannot be happy, and one would think you would not be easy, a moment, without the grace of Christ: for he that hath not the Son, hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Whether you are at sea or ashore, in your cabins or upon deck, the curse of God follows you, like your shadow, wherever you go, and you are in hourly danger of being drowned in perdition. But "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." If he have made

peace by the blood of his cross; if his grace have wrought a saving change in your heart and state, if he have brought God to love you, and (which was the greater difficulty of the two) if he have. brought you to love God, and there be a mutual and cordial reconciliation: then you may go any where, and fear nothing; then no danger will ter rify you; your heart will be fixed, trusting in God:and when your graceless companions are trembling at the raging tempest, and ready to sink into dis traction and despair, you will possess your souls in patience, and sing, with the Psalmist, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into. the midst of the sea: though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." (Psalm xlvi. 1.)

2. You need it for the pardon of your daily sins.

And daily sins I suppose you will all have, which call for daily pardon. One Apostle saith, "In many things we offend all" (James iii. 2): and another, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John i. 8.) It should seem there were some in the Apostles' days, and for aught I know there may be some.. in our own time, that boast of a sinless perfection in this life but whoever they are that make this boast, we are here taught what to think of them, namely, that they deceive themselves, and that the truth is not in them. "Who can understand his errors!" says David (Psalm xix. 12:) Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from

sin ?" said Solomon (Prov. xx. 9.) Let the best of you look back on your past life, and though (through restraining grace) you have escaped the grosser pollutions which are in the world through lust, yet you will see many blemishes and defects: and if you look into your hearts, there you will see still greater cause for grief and humiliation-such motions of pride, unbelief, anger, envy, worldly-mindedness, and the like. I need not hesitate to say, that, be as careful and circumspect as you will while you are abroad, you will every day contract fresh guilt; not merely in your diversions, but in your very devotions, by your careless, cold, and hypocritical manner of performing them. I hope you will never be able to sleep quietly under the burthen of any one sin unforgiven-at least, unconfessed and unlamented;-and then you will see the need you have of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, for procuring mercy to pardon, and grace to help in time of need.

9. For subduing your corruptions.

Why else doth the Apostle cry out so piteously, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?" (Rom. vii. 24.) If you commune with your own hearts as often and as seriously as you ought, I need not tell you how strong the power of indwelling sin is, even where, through grace, it hath been in part subdued: you must see and feel it to your sorrow. You are now going abroad, where you will be more exposed to temptation than you are at home; and you will be out of sight of those whose presence, perhaps, is now some restraint upon you. You may be tempted to drink; you may be tempted to swear.-I tremble to think what

sins you may this summer be betrayed into; you may be led captive by Satan at his will, and be the dupe of every vain companion. -What should hinder? Perhaps just now you are ready to say, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do such things?" You may go over the Bar with a strong resolution that you will not run with others to the same excess of riot; that you will deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; and that you will live soberly, righteously, and godly, wherever you are. So you may intend, and resolve; but if you have nothing better than this to depend upon, you will find the most solemn resolution is no more before a strong temptation, than chaff before a whirlwind. It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ alone that can enable you to stand your ground. The Apostle found it so:-A messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him: he strove against it, he prayed against it, again and again; and still it troubled him: at length Christ came, and only said, My grace is sufficient for thee," and presently the temptation vanished; the tempter was vanquished; and the poor, tempted, struggling, fainting believer, came off more than a conqueror, through him that loved him. (2 Cor. sii. 9.) And there too lies all your strength.Inward corruptions, outward temptations they will, any of them, be too hard for you, if you do not implore and obtain the assistance of the great Captain of salvation. And yet, resist them

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you must, and subdue them you must, or it will end fatally for you at last: "For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." The same grace that broke the power of sin at first,