It is not only equal to my dying, but it is far more glorifying to God and his holy law, than if I had suffered a hundred deaths. "Comfort ye, comfort ye; ye have received at the Lord's hand double for all your sins." His obeying in the stead of sinners is enough, and more than enough, to cover our nakedness. It is not only equal to my obeying, but it is far more glorifying to God than if I had never sinned. His garment not only clothes the naked soul, but clothes from head to foot; so that no shame appears; only Christ appears, the soul is hid. His Spirit is not only enough, but more than enough, to make us holy. There is a well in Christ which we never can exhaust still rivers of grace which we never can drink dry.

Christians, learn to feed more on Christ: "Eat, O friends! drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!" When you are asked to a feast, there is no greater affront you can put upon the entertainer than by being content with a crumb below the table. Yet this is the way the Christians of our day affront the Lord of glory. Oh how few seem to feed much on Christ! how few seem to put on his white flowing raiment! how few seem to drink deep into his Spirit! Most are content with now and then a glimpse of pardon, a crumb from the table, and a drop of his Spirit. Awake, dear friends! "These things have I spoken unto you that your joy may be full."

(2.) A feast of fat things, of wines on the lees.

The fat things full of marrow are intended to represent the richest and most nourishing delicacies; and the wines on the lees. well refined, to represent the oldest and richest wines; so that, not only is there abundance in this feast, but abundance of the best. Ah! so it is in Christ. First, There is forgiveness of all past sins. Ah! this is the richest of all delicacies to a heavy laden soul. As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. A good conscience is a perpetual feast. Oh! weary sinner, taste and see. 66 "I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." These are the apples that a weary soul cries out for: "Comfort me with apples; for I am sick of love." Second, There are the smiles of the Father. The Father himself loveth you. Oh, to pass from the frown of an angry God into the smile of a loving Father! this is a feast to the soul; this is to pass from death unto life. Third, The droppings of the Spirit into the soul-ah! it is this which comforts the soul. This is the oil of gladness that makes the face to shine. This makes This is the full well rising within the soul, at once comforting and purifying. Dear friends, be not filled with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. These are the flagons that stay the soul. May you be in the Spirit on the

the

cup run over.

Lord's-day!

3. For whom is it? Unto all people. "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the

Jew first, and also to the Greek." "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." Ah! there is not a creature under heaven for whom the feast is not prepared. There is not a creature from whom we can keep back the message: "All things are ready; come to the marriage."

Dear anxious souls, why do you keep away from Christ? you say Christ is far from you; alas! he has been at your door all day. Christ is as free to you as to any that ever came to him. Come hungry, come empty, come sinful, come as you are to feed on glorious Jesus. He is a feast to the hungry soul.

Dear dead souls, that never felt one throb of anxiety, that never uttered one heartfelt cry to God, this message is for you. The feast is for all people. Christ is as free to you as to any other: "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love your simplicity ?" "The Spirit and the bride say, Come."

II. The tearing away of the veil.

1. Observe there is a veil over every natural heart, a thick impenetrable veil. (1.) There was a veil in the temple over the entrance to the holiest of all, so that no eye could see the beauty of the Lord within. (2.) There was a veil over the face of Moses, when he came down from the mount, for something of the brightness of Christ shone in his countenance. When the veil was down they could not see his glory. (3.) So there is a veil upon the hearts of the Jews to this day, when Moses and the prophets are read to them. (4.) So is there a veil over your hearts, so many of you as are in your natural state; a thick, impenetrable veil; its name is unbelief. The same veil that hid the beauty of the promised land from Israel in Kadesh-barnea-" for they could not enter in, because of unbelief”—that veil is over your hearts this day.

Learn the great reason of your indifference to Christ. The veil is upon your heart. God may lay down all the riches of his bosom on the table-the unsearchable riches of Christ; yet so long as that veil is over you, you will not move. You see no form nor comeliness in Christ: "And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”—Isa. liii., 2. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."-1 Cor. ii., 14.

2. Who takes the veil away? Ans. The Lord of hosts: he that makes the feast is he that tears the veil away. Ah! it is a work of God to take away that covering. We may argue with you till midnight, telling you of your sin and misery-we may bring all the sweetest words in the Bible to show you that Christ is fairer than the children of men ; still you will go home and say, We see no beauty in him. But God can take away the veil; sometimes he does it in a moment-sometimes slowly; then Christ

:

is revealed, and Christ is precious. There is not one of you so sunk in sin and worldliness-so dull and heartless in the things of God-but your heart would be overcome by the sight of an unveiled Saviour. Oh let us plead this promise with God "He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.' Come and do it, Lord. "I will pour out my Spirit unto you." Pour quickly, Lord.

3. Where? "In this mountain"-in the same place where he makes the feast; he takes the soul to Calvary. Ah, yes; it is within sight of the crucified Saviour that God takes every veil

away.

Anxious souls, wait near the cross. Meditate upon Christ, and him crucified. It is there that God tears the veil away. Be often at Gethsemane-be often at Golgotha. Oh! that next Sabbath he may reveal himself to all in the breaking of bread. As easy to a thousand as to one soul!

III. Effects.

1. Triumph over death. (1.) Even here this is fulfilled. Often the fear of death is taken away in those who trembled before. The soul that has really had the veil taken away can go through the valley, if not singing, at least humbly trusting, and can say at the end," Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Ah! nothing but a real sight of Christ can cheer in death. Worldly people can die stupidly and insensibly; but the unveiled Christian alone can feel in death that the sting is taken away. (2.) In resurrection. When we stand like Christ in body and soul-" When the sea has given up the dead that are in it, and death and hell the dead that are in them"-" When this corruptible shall have put on incorruptionthen shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

Dear friends, what solemn scenes are before us! Ah! nothing but a sight of Christ as our own Surety and Redeemer can uphold us, in sight of opening graves and reeling worlds. We shall remember his own words, and be still: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave: I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction." "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me may be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory."

2. Triumph over sorrow. (1.) Even here, God wipes away the tears of conviction, the tears of sin and shame, by revealing Christ. A work of grace always begins in tears; but when God takes the soul to Calvary-look here: There are thy sins laid upon Immanuel; there the Lamb of God is bearing them; there is all the hell that thou shalt suffer. Oh, how sweetly does God wipe away the tears! Anxious souls, may God do this for you next Sabbathday! (2.) Complete fulfilment after. There will always be tears

here, because of sin, temptation, sorrow; but there "they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

3. Triumph over reproaches.-Even here God lifts his people above reproaches; he enables them to bless, and curse not: "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." But there shall be full triumph yonder. He will clear up our character. Here we may endure reproaches all the way! Christians are slighted, despised, trampled on, here; but God will acknowledge them as his jewels at last. The world will stand aghast.

SERMON XLV.

THE HEART DECEITFUL.

"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."-Jer. xvii., 9, 10.

I. The state of the natural heart.-Verse 9. This is a faithful description of the natural heart of man: The heart of unfallen.

Adam was very different. "God made man upright." His mind was clear and heavenly. It was riveted upon divine things. He saw their glory without any cloud or dimness. His heart was right with God. His affections flowed sweetly and fully towards God. He loved as God loved, hated as God hated. There was no deceit about his heart then. It was transparent as crystal. He had nothing to conceal. There was no wickedness in his heart; no spring of hatred, or lust, or pride. He knew his own heart. He could see clearly into its deepest recesses; for it was just a reflection of the heart of God. When Adam sinned, his heart was changed. When he lost the favor of God he lost the image of God. Just as Nebuchadnezzar suddenly got a beast's heart, so Adam suddenly got a heart in the image of the devil. And this is the description ever since. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."-Verse 9.

1. It is "deceitful above all things."-Deceit is one of the prime elements of the natural heart. It is more full of deceit than any other object. We sometimes call the sea deceitful. At evening the sea appears perfectly calm, or there is a gentle ripple on the

waters, and the wind blows favorably; during the night a storm may come on, and the treacherous waves are now like mountain billows, covering the ship. But the heart is deceitful above all things: more treacherous than the treacherous sea. The clouds are often very deceitful. Sometimes, in a time of drought, they promise rain; but they turn out to be clouds without rain, and the farmer is disappointed. Sometimes the clouds appear calm and settled; but, before the morning, torrents of rain are falling. But the heart is deceitful above all things. Many animals are deceitful. The serpent is more subtle than any beast of the field; sometimes it will appear quite harmless, but suddenly it will put out its deadly sting and give a mortal wound. But the natural heart is more deceitful than a serpent; above all things. It is deceitful in two ways; in deceiving others and itself.

(1.) In deceiving others.-Every natural man is a hypocrite. He is different in reality from what he appears to be. I undertake to say, that there is not a natural man present here to-day in his true colors. If every natural man here were to throw off his disguise, and appear as he really is, this church would look more like the gate of hell than the gate of heaven. If every unclean man were to lay bare his heart, and show his abominable, filthy desires and thoughts; if every dishonest man were now to open his heart, and let us see all his frauds, all his covetous, base desires; if every proud, self-conceited one were now to show us what is going on below his coat, or below that silk gown; to let us see the paltry schemes of vanity and desire of praise; if every unbeliever among you were openly to reveal his hatred of Christ and of the blessed Gospel, O what a hell would this place appear! Why is it not so? Because natural men are deceitful; because you draw a cloak over your heart, and put on a smooth face, and make the outside of a saint cover the heart of a fiend. Oh! your heart is deceitful above all things. Every natural man is a flatterer. He does not tell other men what he thinks of them. There is no plain, honest dealing between natural men in this world. Those of you who know anything of this world, know how hollow the most of its friendships are. Just imagine for a moment that every natural man were to speak the truth, when he meets his friends; suppose he were to tell them all the bitter slanders which he tells of them a hundred times behind their back; suppose he were to unbosom himself, and tell all his low, mean ideas of them; how worldly and selfish they are in his eyes; alas! what a world of quarrels this would be. Ah, no! natural man, you dare not be honest; you dare not speak the truth one to another; your heart is so vile that you must draw a cloak over it; and your thoughts of others so abominable that you dare not speak them out: "The heart is deceitful above all things."

(2.) It shows itself in another way, in self-deceit. Ever since my coming among you I have labored with all my might to sepa