living in such a manner as the corrupt nature of men inclines them to; indulging such a disposition as every one may find in himself and perceive in others. And there is a way of living to the will of God; making it our first and last business to serve him, and not ourselves. These two ways are contrary one to the other. No man can live in both. No man of his own accord, and of his own natural disposition, till it is changed by divine. grace, lives to the will of God: and no man who is led by divine grace lives to the lusts of men.

The worst and commonest of those evil desires and practices are now mentioned, that the Christian may from the first renounce them.

3. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.

Here he speaks of those who had not been early brought to the knowledge of God, or honoured their Creator from their youth, and who had therefore much to leave, and change, and repent of. The time past of our life may suffice us to have lived as the Gentiles who know not God; following the evil desires of their nature, and not considering what God commands or approves ;-rioting in excess of wine; not taking the comforts or refreshments of life as blessings sent from God, to be used with thankfulness to his glory; but abusing them to their own disgrace as reasonable creatures, and to the dishonour of him whom they ought to serve. Taking a part in revellings and banquetings: joining

in assemblies where those meet who pay no heed to God's will, and where those who have any respect for him, are too apt to lose it by the influence of the company around them. These are the idols of the world; and to be given to these is abominable idolatry: not indeed the idolatry of the heathen of old offered to graven images, but the no better idolatry of the heart, and just as contrary to the renewed and purified nature of the Christian. That nature is far too weak and feeble to bear discouragement; the old nature is far too strong and rebellious to require the excitement of revellings, or banquetings, or excess of wine. For all these things, if these things have unhappily been indulged, the past time may suffice, and more than suffice. A single day of our short fleeting life is too much to live in neglect of God or disregard of the soul. So the Christian judges: he "lives no longer unto himself, but unto him who died for him :" and if in the former days of his ignorance he has lived to the world and not to God, he resolves that what remains shall be spent in a better service, and aim at a worthier

return.

A man who is following this course, will not only be different in his ways from what he has been before, but he will be different from many of those around him; and these will see his altered habits, and wonder, and perhaps think it ground of blame.

4. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

5. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

6. For for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Many think it strange; wonder to see the Christian walk so strictly, so circumspectly, and deny himself the carnal and worldly pleasures which others follow-follow so eagerly as if it was impossible to live without them. This was what the Gentiles and the unconverted Jews thought of those among their brethren who had been brought over to the faith by the apostles' preaching. These became a subject of astonishment to them. They saw them leading new lives; becoming new creatures; giving up the practices in which they had before indulged, but which they now knew to be sinful practices and whilst they renounced such habits, pursuing instead the ways of holiness and piety, walking soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, for the sake of a reward in heaven. And this appeared to them strange and unintelligible. So the ways of those who live for one world, will always seem to those who are living for another. That life cannot be right in the sight of God, which is not too precise and solemn in the eyes of the careless multitude. This, we perceive, was the case eighteen hundred years ago; and this is the case still. The courses being different, those who take them are opposite to one another. But whereas the worldly and ungodly man looks upon the sincere Christian with dislike, speaking evil of him: finding cause of accusation and ridicule against him ;-the Christian looks on him with pity. No scoffs or taunts can

ruffle his mind, much less divert him from his course. For many reasons, and for this among others, which the apostle mentions: he knows that they who utter such reproaches shall give an account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. He knows that such has been the case from the first that they who have gone before, and are now fallen asleep in the hope of the gospel, have been judged according to man's judgment, and suffered in the flesh whilst living to God in the spirit. Men have condemned them; but they live unto God; and "their hope is full of immortality."s

It is this which the Christian often calls to mind. It is this which makes him consent to suffer in the flesh, by mortifying its irregular desires; it is this which makes him fly from all unrighteousness, all excess of riot into which others run:-he remembers the end he remembers him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead: and therefore he often asks himself, What account shall I be able to render, if I use the talent entrusted to me as an unfaithful steward if I waste my talent of fortune, in banquetings and revellings: my talent of time, in the idle and profane company which attends them: my talent of understanding, in things which only pertain to this present world? He knows that the day is at hand, when sensuality and excess will seem far more hateful to those who have indulged them, than holiness and temperance seem now and that the

3 Any interpretation which may be attempted of this 6th verse, can only be considered as a choice among difficulties.

profane and worldly will most sincerely wish that they had followed that righteous and godly life, which they now wonder at and speak evil of in others.

The time, whether for suffering in the flesh, or for indulgence, is not long and the only spirit which befits the Christian during the short interval allotted to him here, is a spirit of sobriety, watchfulness, and prayer. For this spirit alone will enable him to 66 deny ungodliness and worldly lusts," and to live his time in the flesh to the will of God, answering the purpose for which he was redeemed.

LECTURE XXXVI.

CHRISTIANS EXHORTED TO WATCHFULNESS, PRAYER, AND BROTHERLY AFFECTION.

1 PETER iv. 7-11.

7. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

In what we were last reading, St. Peter had exhorted to mortification and self-denial. And the shortness of the time during which the pain and labour of self-denial can be endured, is a strong reason for indifference towards earthly things, a strong inducement to strive after things heavenly.