be the opinion of the church, that her Redeemer must, according to the covenant-engagements of the Triune Jehovah, see of the travail of His soul to His full satisfaction, before He will come to dissolve the present system of things. With a view to this we are taught to pray in the burial-service, that God would "accomplish the "number of His elect and hasten His kingdom." And how lovely doth the character of the Redeemer appear, while we hear Him by His ministers addressing sinners in the affectionate language of the Angel to Lot, and in allusion to the true Zoar, the refuge which the gospel presents, "Haste thee, escape thither, for I "cannot do any thing till thou be come thither!" May every one who hears the tender admonition, "shew all diligence to make his calling and "election sure."

The request which we are taught to make for the conversion of sinners, ourselves and others, supposes that all men are by nature in a state of disobedience to God and to His will. The epithet by which the collect, citing the words of Malachi and his paraphrast the angel, has described those on whose behalf prayer is to be made, is frequently used in Scripture as characteristic of fallen man. The Ephesians were all without exception "children of disobedience," till they were quickened" from their natural state of death in trespasses and sins." Eph. ii. 2. This is the general character of all, on whom the wrath of God is coming; that is, of all "who know not God and obey not the gospel "of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph. v. 6. In the catalogue of the disobedient, all unbelievers are included, 1 Pet. ii. 7, 8. All sin is disobedience to God; for sin is the transgression of

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His law. But the sin of sins is disobedience to the gospel. And it is worthy of remark, that the same Greek word means both disobedience and unbelief, and is sometimes rendered in our English version by the former word, and sometimes by the latter.

All the human race then are implicated in the charge of disobedience, for "all have sinned "and come short of the glory of God;" and all stand in need of that conversion of heart for which we are taught to pray. We have been disobedient to the law of works, the eternal rule of rectitude to rational creatures; and we have also been disobedient to the law of faith, and continue so to the present hour, unless He whose office it is to "convince men of sin, because "they believe not on Christ," hath given us that faith which is of His sole operation. Unbelievers may be compared to undutiful and perverse children, who, having disobeyed the just and gracious commands of a kind parent, persist in their contumacy, and even obstinately refuse to listen to the terms of reconciliation which have been proposed to them. "They will "not come to Christ that they may have life."

It is the great object of the ministry to "turn,' or convert, "the hearts of the disobedient to the "wisdom of the just," and thereby to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." The stewards, therefore, of Christ's household are "always to have it printed in their remembrance

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how great a treasure is committed to their "charge. For they are the sheep of Christ, "which He bought with His death, and for "whom He shed His blood. The church and "congregation whom they serve is His spouse "and His body. And if it shall happen "the same church, or any member thereof,

"to take any hurt or hinderance by reason of "their negligence, the fault is great and the pu"nishment that will ensue horrible." They are to "see therefore, that they never cease their labour, their care and diligence, until they "have done all that lieth in them, according to "their bounden duty, to bring all such as are "or shall be committed to their charge, unto "that agreement in the faith and knowledge of "God, and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ, that there be no place left among "them either for error in religion, or for vi"ciousness in life." By God's grace, his ministers are required to "give themselves wholly to "their office," to "apply themselves wholly to "this one thing, and draw all their cares and stu"dies this way." They are to "pray continually "to God the Father, by the mediation of our only Saviour Jesus Christ, for the heavenly as"sistance of the Holy Ghost; and daily to read "and weigh the Holy Scriptures" that they may "wax riper and stronger in their ministry."* Such is their duty, and this they promise before God and His church to do, "laying aside the "study of the world and the flesh."+

"The wisdom of the just," or of justified persons (for those only are righteous, who are constituted such by an act of grace through faith in Jesus Christ) consists in their submission to the Gospel of Christ, as the only mean of acceptance with God, and both the motive and rule of conformity to his will. Without this, all the wisdom of this world is egregious folly; and the conduct of the prudent, whatever aspect it may bear on the things of time, no better than the imbecility

of idiotism, or the distraction of lunacy. "For "what is a man profited, if he shall gain the "whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what "shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Without such a submission of the understanding, the will, and affections, to the Gospel of Christ; without a surrender of the soul to Him, as our prophet, priest, and king; the forms of religion are vain, and its rites of no avail. "Without faith it is "impossible to please God." Faith in the Son of God is the true wisdom; for, without it, no peace can be enjoyed in the conscience now, nor any solid expectation of happiness in a future life be indulged. "Let not the wise man" therefore"glory in his" worldly "wisdom; neither "let the mighty man glory in his might; let not "the rich man glory in his riches: but let him "that glorieth, glory in this, that he under"standeth and knoweth the Lord, who exerciseth ❝ loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness "in the earth."

As the nature of true wisdom is a subject of immense importance, a specification of some points, in which it may be viewed, may not be useless. In doing this, no better method can be adopted than an assumption of those maxims which are generally admitted and pursued in the conduct of our temporal affairs, and an application thereof to the interests of the soul.-Wisdom, then, consists in a providence for futurity: it dictates the necessity of "laying up in store against the time to come," viz. a death-bed and a judgment-day, "that we may lay hold on "eternal life." It teaches the necessity of strenuous exertion to arrive at a certainty respecting things of moment; or of using "all diligence to "make our calling and election sure." The wise

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merchant insures his valuable cargo from accident by storms or an enemy; the wise builder lays the foundation of his edifice, if it be large and designed for a long duration, on a rock, without sparing expence in digging deep for it. The former, however, may be disappointed by the bankruptcy of the insurer; and the latter by the convulsion of an earthquake: " but he that doeth "the will of God," by the obedience of faith, "abideth for ever." True wisdom, moreover, leads its disciple to improve those opportunities of enriching himself which occur. Under its influence he embraces the favourable moment of promoting his own interest; aware that such a moment, if suffered to elapse without improvement, may never offer itself a second time. "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation, in which the unsearchable riches of "Christ" may be obtained, and an inexhaustible treasure be acquired. The man of wisdom, therefore, embraces the present "mediatorial hour," and, laying aside every other consideration, addresses himself to this one pursuit. He attends to that business first which is most weighty. He knows that "one thing is needful;" and, like the prudent tradesman, who postpones or intirely relinquishes every trifling avocation, when the calls of business are urgent; he "presses towards "the mark for the prize of the high calling "of God in Christ Jesus." The man of wisdom is also distinguished from the hasty and inconsiderate schemer by his care in scrutinizing the character and stability of the man whom he trusts. He is not satisfied with common report, but examines closely before he confides implicitly. Thus, were a tender parent about to choose a trustee for an only child, whom he found himself