that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed; and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see. (Revelations iii. 17. 18.)

You then that are rich, and think to reign without Christ, cast away your fancied righteousness, and throw yourselves wholly and entirely upon his merits and righteousness. Accept of his perfect righteousness, and God will mercifully accept, for his sake, your imperfect obedience, the deficiencies of your best works and services. Come to Him, even to your Saviour, hungering and thirsting after a better righteousness than any of your own, and ye shall be filled. Whatever course we are pursuing, short of coming to Christ for pardon and sanctification, and redemption, we are yet in darkness and know not the truth, we are skinning over the wounds which sin has made, and rejecting that alone and perfect remedy, made known to us by the Gospel which is preached

unto us.

But forasmuch as there is not a more fatal hindrance in the way of coming to Christ than "the love of money," the bane of all religion, the enemy altogether of every serious thought respecting the ultimate destination of man; do ye

trust in riches? be persuaded to become poor that you may be made rich. Sell all that you have and follow Christ, rather than venture your souls, and trust your eternal welfare on so brittle a good. "Riches profit not in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivereth from death." They make to themselves wings and fly away, and leave the bewildered possessor infinitely the poorer for having once had them. Be persuaded then, it deserves your diligence, and that without delay, to seek for something that may be durable enough to abide with you, and strong enough to uphold you in all conditions; and that alone is the Gospel which is preached to you. To the school of Christ all must come spiritually poor. From it all depart rich; made heirs with God, and joint-heirs with Christ. His is the light which can pierce the darkest dungeon, from which all other lights and comforts are shut out, and can convert the hovel of the poor into a palace. If therefore ye place your happiness in God here; in Him ye shall have it hereafter, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. But if ye place your happiness in the things of this world, where will it be, when the world shall depart like a scroll, and there shall be no place found for it? Happy they whose hope is in the Lord their

God; who have built their foundation upon the rock of ages; have transferred their hopes and happiness to heaven, and whose hearts are with their treasures, and surely there fixed, where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sermon V.

HEZEKIAH AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH.

2 KINGS XIX. 14.

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the House of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

HEZEKIAH was a good man, though descended from a bad father. And cheering it is to be told, after so many wicked and idolatrous kings of Judah, that " he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father," that is, his ancestor and predecessor upon the throne, "had done." Thus it often happens, that when things are reduced to extremities, and "the faithful are minished from among the children of men," God raises

up some one or more of distinguished goodness and piety, to maintain the honour of his name and religion; and designed, like salt to purify the whole mass, and to keep it from perishing.

Such was Hezekiah. He sets about the reformation of religion in good earnest. With him kindred was as nothing, when compared with the duty he owed to Him who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The father's idolatries shall not prevent the piety of the son. Accordingly we read, that "he removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made, for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him, and he prospered whithersoever he went forth."

And so shall He ever be with those who "confess Him before men," who uphold His honour in the midst of a sinful generation, even in opposition to power, interest, or kindred. "Whosoever," says our blessed Lord, "loveth