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"I am bought with a price." If our hopes have not a purifying and sanctifying influence upon our hearts and lives, we ought to be jealous of them, as dangerous and delusive. Can any one ra tionally entertain expectations of heaven, and not study holi ness?

Gospel hopes awaken in the soul fervent breathings for communion and fellowship with God and the Saviour. Their earnest wish will often he, "Tell me O thou, whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon." The Psalinist after declaring God was his hope, imme diately subjoins, "Early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth af ter thee as the panting heart for the water brook."

A genuine hope, when it loses sweet communion with Christ, will feel like weeping Mary and say, "They have taken away "my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him."

This hope raises in the soul the most exalted ideas of the dear Redeemer. "His beloved, is more than another's beloved; he "is the chief among ten thousand. As the apple tree among the "trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the song.”

This hope is ever accompanied with humility. It places the christian, under a view of the glories presented to his expectation, in the deepest dust. Jacob when his hopes were strong, cries out, "That he was less than the least of all the creatures of God." Hoping and humble Paul declares, "I am the chief of sinners, less than the least of all saints."

Another fruit of true hope, it causeth pleasure and delight in duty. Prayer and praise are the joy and comfort of his heart. His language is, "I will keep the commandments of my God. I "delight to do thy will, O my God."

There would be no end of retailing the fruits, effects, blessings,

and advantages of this hope. An use or two must close the subject.

First, It affords an important use of gratitude and praise. The language of every heart, which enjoys this precious hope must be, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits?" "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whe "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in "Christ."

Secondly, It affords a serious use of self examination. To be often trying ourselves by almost every doctrine, and every duty is of great importance, in order to the knowledge of ourselves, for humiliation, reproof, repentance; to awaken us to greater circum-, spection in life, and more engagedness in religion. Self application of truth and self examination are duties too much neglected by christians. And with regard to the nature of their hope, they are often afraid to examine it. Yet in respect to the operations of the human mind, few call for a more serious and accurate attention. All men have hope. They hope for better circumThe excepstances in this world, and for happiness in the next. tions from this axiom are few, and rarities of wonder, destraction, lunacy and dispair.

Now seeing hope is universal, and few are possessed of it as a saving grace, for few shall be saved; hence it becomes all to enter into their own hearts, and judge their exercises, experiences and conduct, especially the nature, grounds and reasons of their hope by the oracles of truth.

Our text is a certain criterion for distinguishing a false from a true hope. A false hope allows its possessor to proceed on in life in carelessness, hypocrisy, security and sin; permits him to live in the neglect of prayer, the duties of religion, and in the indulgence

of a multitude of vices. If his conscience reprove him for his wickedness, or inform him that he is not a good man, his false hopes comfort him, that he wiil repent, reform and become good, or that God is merciful, will not damn his creatures for trifling neglects, and little natural deviations from the rules of propriety. Thus they are lulled on in the lap of folly to eternal ruin.

A true, genuine and gospel hope, a hope begotten by the spirit of God, is the perfect reverse of all the strange hopes that buoy up the human mind. It aims at the holiness of Christ, and to pu rify and conform to his example.-It disposes the happy possessor to deny every ungodly propensity, to cultivate every grace, to practise every gospel duty, to live in the love and fear of God, and to perform all righteousness, truth and charity towards men. This is a christian's hope, and by this we ought to try ourseleves. "Examine yourselves, try yourselves, know you not your own"selves how this hope is in you," except you should be disapproved of God.

Let all who hope they have this hope, praise and bless the Lord, for the wonders of his grace and mercy. Rejoice in hope of the "glory of God. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Bear in mind, O christian, your hope will soon be swallowed up in fruition.

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What can be said to the many who are supported by hopes, which it seems nothing but death and eternity, and the invisible judg ment can correct. However incorrigible these fatal flatteries and delusive hopes may be, my duty as a minister of Christ, is to leave with their judgments and consciences, the declarations of God. "The hope of the hypocrite shall perish. The eyes of the wicked "shall fail, their hope shall be as the giving up the ghost." The last text I leave you is, and may divine grace impress it on every heart. * When a wicked man dieth his expectation shall perish, and the

hope of unjust men perisheth." O my brethren, let us try our selves, before the heart searching God in respect to our hopes. And if in sincerity of soul, in faith and love, we are building all our hopes for glory, on Christ Jesus and him crucified, we have the most perfect assurance, they will not be disappointed.

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SERMON XLI.

GROWTH IN GRACE.

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II. PETER III. 18.

grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

AN advancement in piety and religion is one of the benefits flowing from justification and sanctification. To be making progress in the christian life, is of high consequence to our peace, comfort, usefulness and hope in the world, and it raises the growing soul to greater degrees of felicity in the future state. To be possessed of saving grace, reconciled to God, interested in Christ, and washed in any measure from our sinful pollutions, is such mercy as cannot be expressed, but by an eternity of gratitude. Yet glory to the Most High, this pre-eminent favour is conferred upon some of our guilty race. This acquisition all ought to give diligence to make, and when acquired, it must not only be maintained, but care must be taken to progress therein ; a direct counsel on this point is admininistered to us in the words of our text. "Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord "and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Allow me here to introduce one observation in support of divine revelation; that no book but the bible, recommends and establishes every virtue, from the lowest to the highest, that

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