love is active, painstaking; Christ's blood and righteousness their ground of acceptance; the fruits of the Spirit their meetness for glory; they watch, they pray, they fight, they conquer, they are "ready" when the Bridegroom comes.

Brethren! these ready ones are few—“many are called, but few chosen;" many there are that answer to the call of the church's muster-roll on earth, whose names shall be found wanting in the Lamb's book of life in heaven." The foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His, and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." "Nothing but sound sanctification can abide the Lord's fan." He will throughly purge His floor; He will separate the wheat from the tares at His coming, that separation shall be eternal. "They that were ready, went in with him to the marriage." Oh happy entrance thither, where" there shall be no more curse.' Oh joy of joys to enter in with Him into that city, whose "walls are salvation and whose gates are praise!" storms all past, conflicts over, death destroyed, SIN AND CORRUPTION CAST OUT, His saints satisfied, because they "see Him as He is, and are like Him."

وو

"And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready: And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints; and He saith unto me, Write, blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; and He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

Brethren, would you that these blessings should be yours? would you hear that midnight cry with joy? then WATCH; watch against the wiles of Satan, and a deceitful heart; watch against the customs of a world that lieth in the wicked one; watch against sloth and delay, in the things that belong to your peace. Watch for the still small voice of the Spirit, for opportunities of usefulness, for the rebukes of conscience, for the signs of the times; watch for the coming of the Son of Man; look for that coming with humble, holy, joyful expectation. Watch, day by day, and hour by hour; let not cares, or riches, or the Revelation, chap. xix.

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lusts of other things, hinder you in this work, "for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." There are seasons when you may be tempted to cry, "Lord how long?" but "be not weary in welldoing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not;" reckon "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in you." Blessed indeed is the portion of "that servant whom his Lord when He cometh shall find watching" of that blessedness eternity alone can disclose the fulness.

XXII.

THE BACKSLIDER WARNED.

JUDGES XVI. 20.

"And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him."

"I WILL go out," said this deceived one, "as at other times." And how was he wont to go out? "Strong in the Lord and in the power of His might," and consequently, "conquering, and to conquer;" and why is it that he does not thus go out now? "THE LORD WAS DEPARTED FROM HIM." Words these are of awful meaning, full of instruction; they lay open the secret of his weakness, they prepare us to expect that failure which the history immediately relates.-But since that mighty strength is no longer his, why so ready to go forth to meet his foes? Sin deceives as well as slays; he wist not,-the eyes of his spiritual perception were already darkened; he knew not his real state till, powerless, in the presence of his enemies, by sad experience

did he find, that "An evil and a bitter thing it is to forsake the Lord."

Samson's history is the history of many. Grant us, O God! to lay it to heart; "May it please Thee to strengthen such as do stand, to comfort and help the weak-hearted, to raise up them that fall, and finally, to beat down Satan under our feet." Grant this, Lord, for Jesus' sake.

I. Look at Samson as He Once Was.

II. Look at Samson as He is Represented in the Text.

I. Look at Samson as He Once Was. Very different indeed is the picture of him presented to us in the early part of his history to that state of declension related in our text.

1. He was then strong to do exploits.-He meets a lion in his way to Timnath, and rends him as he would have rent a kid. He slays at Askelon thirty Philistines, and takes their spoils. By means of three hundred foxes and firebrands he burns the standing corn and vineyards of the enemies of the Lord and of His people. Again, he smites the Philistines 3 Judges xiv. 19.

1 Jer. ii. 19.

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* Judges xiv. 6.