1. Be diligent to get into Christ. In order to be found in peace, without spot and blameless, a man must be found in Christ. If any man be out of Christ, he is not at peace with God, neither is he without spot and blameless. There is but one way of being unspotted and unblamable before God, and that is by being in Christ. By nature, "there is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth; there is none that seeketh after God; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” You are all spotted by your constantly wicked heart; and your wicked life is a continual blot before God. Be diligent to be found in peace. (1.) Seek it as the one thing needful: "One thing have I desired of the Lord." Most in this congregation have some desire to be saved. You would like not to be cast into hell-you would like to be received into glory; but not many will be diligent, or press into the kingdom of God. Get your heart so engrossed with this, that it shall be your main concern, sleeping and waking. Ah! if you knew the worth of Christ, you would be diligent to be found of him in peace.

(2.) Leave no means untried. When a man is diligent in seeking some earthly thing, he leaves no means untried to get at his end. When a merchant is seeking goodly pearls, he goes from market to market. When a beggar is seeking his meat, he goes from door to door; a hundred refusals do not daunt him-he still knocks on at the next gate. And So, if you are really in earnest, you will leave no means untried-Bible-prayer-united prayer-faithful ministers, and godly friends.

(3.) Give up all that hinders. When a man is diligent in worldly things, he gives up all that would mar his success. If a man is thoroughly set upon going a journey, he leaves his bed early in the morning. If a man is running for his life, he soon throws away every weight. So, if you are diligent in seeking Christ. If your way of business prevents you-if it brings so much care as to hinder you, so that you see it will be your ruin, you will give it up. If any company is ruinous to you, destroys your seriousness, hinders your prayers, and wastes your precious hours, you I will break it off. If any idol hinders your cleaving to Christ, cast it away. Be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace. Herod would not give up his Herodias.

2. Be diligent to abide in Christ: "Beware lest ye fall from your own stedfastness."-Verse 17. Abide in him, little children, that when he shall appear ye may have confidence,

and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1.) Leave no guilt upon the conscience. Guilt mars our communion with Christ-hides the reconciled face-brings clouds, hidings, frowns. Give daily diligence to come as you came at the first. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. (2.) Be diligent to grow in grace. A growing tree is a living tree. When a tree ceases to grow, it is in danger of being blown down. So with a believer. Get more knowledge-faith-love. (3.) Seek daily likeness to Jesus. We are not justified by our sanctification; and yet without sanctification we cannot have abiding peace or communion. We are justified entirely by the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus; and yet, when justified, he will change us into his image; so that the longer we are justified we should be the more sanctified. Study holiness, if you would have peace now, and be found of Christ in peace. The holiest believers are ever-more the happiest.

III. Motives to diligence.

1. The most are very careless. The most around you are living as if there were no coming Saviour-no heavens on fire no earth to be burned up. The people of this town are like the people of Sodom-they are at ease in sin. Though they have not fulness of bread, they have abundance of idleness. The most of believers are very careless, not looking for the Bridegroom; therefore be you diligent. Let their carelessness make you the more diligent. Tremble lest you be infected with the general carelessness and slumber. It is an infectious disease.

2. There is need of all your diligence. The righteous scarcely are saved. You live in a world of enemies—your own heart-the temptations of the world-the snares of the devil. Few get to heaven without desperate falls. If you were travelling in Alpine countries, among rocks and precipices, you would see your need of diligence, lest you fall, and break your bones. Such is your journey now.

3. The time is short: "What! could ye not watch with me one hour?" If you have yet to get into Christ, the time is short. You are like a traveller who has a long journey before him, and has slept till the day is far spent. He must double his pace, and so must you. If you are in Christ, the time is but short. You are like a sentry on guard. Your hour is a short one; do not grow sleepy, but keep awake. Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.

4. Your diligence will be too late, if Christ find you Christless. When the bridegroom came, the foolish virgins went to buy; but they were too late. So many of you will begin to seek when too late. When you lift up your eyes in hell, or when Jesus comes, you will cry, “Lord, Lord;" but all diligence will be then too late. When the boat has left the shore, it is in vain for you to run. Now your diligence may be to good purpose. Yet there is room the door is now open. “Be diligent, that ye may be

found of him in peace."

Dundee, May 14, 1842.

SERMON LIV.

FOLLOW THE LORD FULLY.

"But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it."-NUMB. xiv. 24.

THE children of Israel lay encamped below Mount Sinai for about a year, during which time God gave them the law and the tabernacle. Moving across the desert with the pillarcloud before them, they soon came to Kadesh-barnea, in the edge of the desert, and on the border of the promised land. Here, by God's direction, they sent twelve spies to search the land, and to bring back word "whether the people were strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds."-Numb. xiii. 18, 19. Accordingly the spies searched the land from one end to another, going up by the rocky dells of Hebron, and returning by the pleasant Vale of Eshcol. After forty days they returned, bearing a cluster of grapes between two upon a staff; also some pomegranates, and some figs. And as they stood in the midst of assembled Israel, all eyes rested on them all ears were open to hear their report. The land was good, they said, flowing with milk and honey; but the people were strong, and their cities walled, and

very great. Two men alone of the twelve stood boldly forward-Caleb and Joshua; and Caleb said: "Let us go up at once, for we are well able to overcome it." But the people wept that night, and bade stone Caleb with stones. -Numb. xiv. 10. And God was angry, and said that the congregation should die in the wilderness. "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it."

Doctrine. It is a blessed thing to follow the Lord fully.

I. What it is to follow the Lord fully.

1. To follow Christ all our days. This was the way with Caleb; he followed the Lord all his days-he followed him fully. We find it recorded of him, forty years after, when he was an old man of eighty-five, that "he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel." He did not follow God for a time, or by fits and starts, but all his days-he followed him fully.

(1.) There are many like Lot's wife, who flee out of Sodom for a while. She was greatly alarmed-the angels laid hands upon her-she heard the words of warning, and fled for a time; but she soon gave up—she looked back, and became a pillar of salt. So, many are awakened and flee for their life-they weep-pray-seek salvation; but they do not hold out-they are allured by an old companion or a favourite lust, and so they draw back. (2.) Many are like those in John vi.: They follow Jesus for a time, and are called his disciples; they hear the gracious words that proceed out of his mouth; but by-and-by some discovery of doctrine or duty is made which offends them: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Jesus." It is those who never go back that follow him fully. (3.) Many are like the Galatians. When Paul first preached to them, they received him " as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." They spoke of the blessedness of being in Christ, and the great salvation. They loved Paul, so that if it had been possible they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him (Gal. iv. 15); and yet they did not follow the Lord fully. They were soon removed from the Gospel of Christ to another gospel. "0 foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?" And now they hated Paul for speaking the truth to them. So with

many of you. This is not following fully. (4.) Many in affliction begin to follow Christ.-Ps. lxxviii. 34. When laid on a sick-bed, or when some bereavement occurs, they take to their Bible-begin to weep and pray. But the world comes back upon them-temptation-old companionsand they go back. They do not follow the Lord fully.

Ah! how many in this congregation are witnesses that ye have not followed the Lord fully. Ye did run well, who did hinder you? How many of you were impressed! Divine things appeared great and precious in your eyesyou came to the Lord's table-you sat down with solemnity -and where are you now? Have you not gone quickly out of the way?

2. Those of you who would follow Christ fully all your days.

(1.) Must be like Lot: Not only flee from Sodom, but flee to Zoar-you must not rest in convictions, however deep. It is a good thing to be awakened, but, ah! you are not saved. If you would follow Christ fully, you must get fully into Christ. (2.) You must continue in his word: " Then said Jesus to those Jews that believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."-John viii. 31. Remember " ye are saved by the Gospel, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." You must be like Mary, who sat at his feet and heard his word. (3.) You must be like aged Simeon : "Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, the same was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel." Perhaps he was converted when a young man; but it was no slight work-soon over; he followed the Lord fully all his days; and now, when he was an old man, he was still waiting for the Consolation of Israel. He followed the Lord fully, and now he follows the Lamb in paradise. (4.) You must be like the palm tree : "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing."-Ps. xcii. The palm tree and cedar have both this wonderful property, that they are fruitful to the last : and so it is with the living believer-he is a Christian to the lastfull of the Spirit, full of love, full of holiness to the last. Like fine wine, the older the better. "The path of the just is like the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the per