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that in Christ he had a safe way to the Father, he cried, with dying breath, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Oh! trembling, naked sinner, cleave to the Lord Jesus. He is as much offered to you as he was to Stephen. Take him as your surety-cleave to him as your Saviour, and you may this day have the same sense of acceptance which Stephen had, and you may die with the same sweetly confiding cry: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

III. If Christ stands up to receive the dying believer, this gives the believer great confidence, so that he may peacefully say: "Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit."

When believing souls seek for peace and joy in believing, they do very generally confine their view to Christ upon the earth. They remember him as the good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep; they look to him sitting by the well of Samaria; they remember him saying to the sick of the palsy: "Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee;" but they too seldom think of looking where Stephen looked-to where Jesus is now-at the right hand of God. Now, my friends, remember if you would be whole Christians, you must look to a whole Christ; you must lift your eye from the cross to the throne, and you will find him the same Saviour in all" the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." I have already observed, that wherever. Christ is mentioned as being at the right hand of God, he is spoken of as seated there upon his throne; here, and here only, are we told that he is standing. In other places he is described as enjoying his glory, and entered into his rest; but here he is described as risen from his throne, and standing at the right hand of God.

1. He rises to intercede: "He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." How often would a believer be a castaway, if it were not for the great intercessor! How often faith fails!" flesh and heart faint and fail;" but see here, Christ never fails. On the death-bed, often the mind is taken off the Saviour, by pains of body, and distress of mind; but, oh! happy soul that has truly accepted Christ. See here, he rises from his throne to pray for you, when you cannot pray for yourself. Look up to him with the eye of faith, and cry: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

2. He rises to defend.-(1.) The world is a sore enemy to the believer by temptation on the one hand, and persecution on the other. Oh how hard it strives to cast him down. Happy believer, you are safe in a dying hour! 1st. Because the world cannot reach beyond death. The sneering tongue cannot spit its venom beyond the grave. The stone of violence may kill the body, but it hath no more that it can do. 2d. Even if it were possible that some arrow of the world might reach beyond the grave

Jesus hath risen up to defend. His everlasting arms are underneath the departing soul. (2.) The devil is a worse enemy in that hour. He stands close by the dying bed. He often molests, but he cannot destroy, if you be cleaving to Jesus. Christ has all power in heaven and in earth, and he rises up to defend your soul. "Be not afraid," he says, "it is I." Ah! dear brethren, cleave to the Lord Jesus now, if you would have him to stand up for you in a dying hour-if you would cry with confidence: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

3. He rises to receive the departing soul. This is the sweetest of all comforts to the godly. It is a sweet thought, that the holy angels are waiting to receive the believing soul. When Lazarus died, the good angels carried him into Abraham's bosom. But, oh! it is sweeter far, to think that Jesus looks down upon the dying bed, and stands up to receive the soul that loves him.

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Oh dear brethren, he is the same kind Saviour in death that he is through life. (1.) Once you lived without prayer-without God -without Christ, in the world; did Christ not stretch out the hands all the day, even then? (2.) Once you were lying under convictions of sin; you felt yourself worthy of hell, and that God would be just if he never had mercy on your soul; did not Christ draw near to your soul, saying: "Peace be unto you?" (3.) Again, you were groaning under the power of temptation, crying against indwelling sin: "O wretched man! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" did not Christ draw near and say: "My grace is sufficient for thee; my strength is made perfect in weakness?" (4.) Once more: you may yet groan under the weight of dying agonies. The last enemy is death-it may be a hard struggle-it may be a dark valley; yet look where Stephen looked; and, lo! Jesus is standing at the right hand of God, waiting to receive you to himself. Oh! sweet death, when God is with you, the Spirit within you, and Christ waiting to receive you. Behold! he stretches out his hands to receive your departing spirit. Breathe it into his hand, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

1. Learn that death is no death to the Christian: "He that liveth and believeth on me, shall never die." It is only giving the soul into the hand of Christ. He knows its value; for he died for it.

2. Learn that to die is, to the believer, better than to live. If Christ rises up to receive the soul, then the soul goes to be with Jesus. But to be with Christ, is to be in glory; therefore it is far better. Oh! be willing, Christians, to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord. There you shall be free from pain of persecuting stones; no more sneering, cruel friends, no more doubts about your soul, no more sin within 66 heart. your Oh, that I had the wings of a dove, that I might flee away and be at rest!" 3. Learn the dreadfulness of having no interest in Jesus Christ. You must die; and yet, how will you die, poor Christless soul?

To whom will you commend your dying spirit? (1.) There will be no good angels waiting round your bed; no gentle hands of ministering spirits stretched out to receive your trembling soul. (2.) You will have no Christ rising up to receive you. You never washed in his blood; you would not come to him to have life; he often stretched out the hands, but you pushed them away; and now he will have no pity for you. (3.) You will have no God; God will not be your God; he will not be your friend; you have always been his enemy. Your proud heart will not be reconciled to him; and now you will find him an enemy indeed. Where will you go? Die you must. Your breath must cease. These eyes that look on me this day, must close in death; that heart you feel beating in your bosom, must cease to beat. And what will you do with your soul? to whom will you commend it, a naked, guilty, shivering thing, with the wrath of God abiding on it? None of the angels will dare to shelter it. No rocks, or caves, or mountains, can hide it. Hell itself will not be a hidingplace from the just wrath of God. Oh! be wise now: "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"

4. Learn, if you have lost any friends in Christ, to be comforted over them. It is true they are gone from you; but remember they have gone into far tenderer hands. You stood up to bend over their dying body; but the Lord Jesus stood up to receive their undying soul. Your feeble, but affectionate hands, were stretched out to smoothe their dying pillow; but the Almighty hands of the Saviour formed a sweeter, softer bed for their departing soul. Follow their faith; look to the same Saviour; and when you come to die, you will use the same sweet words: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

St. Peter's, Dundee, Aug. 13, 1837.

SERMON LIV.

TIME IS SHORT.

"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not, and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."-1 Cor. vii., 29–31.

In this chapter the apostle is discoursing concerning marriage. The mind of God upon this subject seems to be, 1. That in ordinary times marriage is honorable in all, provided it be in the Lord. There are some who seem to imagine that there is peculiar

holiness about an unmarried life; but this seems quite contrary to the Word of God. In the sinless world, before man fell, God said: "It is not good for man to be alone;" and the closest walker with God in Old Testament times was a married man Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 2. That in a time of distress and trouble to the Church it is better not to marry: "I suppose therefore that this is good, for the present distress." Verse 26. When the ark of God is in danger, as at present in our Church, it seems the mind of the Spirit, that all who can, should keep themselves as much as possible disentangled from earthly engagements. When the wife of Phinehas heard that the ark of God was taken, she travailed in birth, and died, calling her child Ichabod, The glory is departed. So, brethren, it does not become those who love Žion to be marrying and giving in marriage when the ark of God is in danger. 3. That even in such times it is lawful to marry : "But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned." Verse 28. I doubt not, brethren, the days are near when they shall say: "Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps that never gave suck." Still, if any will venture to meet these times, and if you think the faith of two may bear you up better than the faith of one, “I spare you." I would lay no snare upon you. You have not sinned.

Having opened up this subject, the apostle proceeds with this affecting statement, suitable to all, married or unmarried: "But this I say, brethren, the time is short; it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away." In these words there is—1. A statement made: "The time is short;" and, again: "The fashion of this world passeth away." The time to be spent in this world is very short; it is but an inch of time-a short half-hour. In a very little, it will be all over; and all that is here is changing-the very hills are crumbling down; the loveliest face is withering away; the finest garments rot and decay: "The fashion of this world passeth away." 2. A lesson drawn from this. Believers should sit loose to everything here. Believers should look on everything in the light of eternity-value nothing any more than you will do then. Sit loose to the objects, griefs, joys, occupations of this world; for you must soon change them for eternal realities. Doctrine.-The shortness of time should make believers sit loose to all things under the sun.

True in two respects.

I. Show the shortness of time. 1. The time a believer has to live in this world is very short. (1.) The whole lifetime is very short. From the cradle to the grave is but a short journey: "The days of our years are threescore

years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.' The half of men die before the age of twenty. Even when men lived for many hundred years, it was but a short life-a moment, compared to eternity. Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. Men are short-lived, like the grass. "All flesh is as grass;" and the rich and beautiful are like the flower of the field-a little fairer and more delicate. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it."-Isa. xl., 7. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."-James iv., 14. You know how swiftly a weaver's shuttle flies; but your life flies more swiftly: "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle."-Job vii., 6. "My days are swifter than a post; they are passed away as the swift ships; as the eagle that hasteth to the prey."-Job ix., 25, 26. (2.) How much is already passed away. Most believers spend their first days in sin. Many hearing me gave their best days to sin and the world. Many among you have only the lame, and the torn, and the sick, to give to God. All of you can look on the past as a sleep, or as a tale that is told. The time since I came among you appears to me just like a dream. (3.) What remains is all numbered. All of you hearing me have your bered the number of sermons you are to hear. already fixed upon. Your years are numbered. the last year they shall ever see in this world. Many will celebrate their next new year in glory. The disease is now in the body of many of you that is to lay you in the dust; and your grave is already marked out. In a little while you will be lying quietly there. Yes, dear brethren," the time is short."

Sabbaths numThe last one is To many this is

2. The time of this world's continuance is short: "The end of all things is at hand."-" The fashion of this world passeth away." A believer stands on a watch-tower-things present are below his feet-things eternal are before his eyes. A little while, brethren, and the day of grace will be over; preaching, praying will be done. Soon we shall give over wrestling with an unbelieving world-soon the number of believers shall be complete, and the sky shall open over our heads, and Christ shall come. His parting cry was: "Surely, I come quickly." Then we shall see him "whom, having not seen, we loved." A little while, and we shall stand before the great white throne-a little while, and the wicked shall not be; we shall see them going away into everlasting punishment-a little while, and the work of eternity shall be begun. We shall be like him, we shall see him day and night in his temple, we shall sing the new song, without sin and without weariness, for ever and ever. In a little moment, brethren, all this shall be: "For a small moment have I hid my face from thee; but with everlasting mercies will I gather thee.'

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