These things I have spoken unto you that, in me ye might have peace. In the world ye fhall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

EVERY inftant of a thinking man's life may be confidered as a point of profpect, or a point of reflection. We are either reviewing the past, or diving into futurity. We are like travellers, who avail themselves of every little eminence on the road, to measure with their eye the track which they have been pursuing, and the space which is ftill extended before them. The prefent moment continually difappears at the moment; just as the fpot on which we ftand to view a landscape, itself difapears, though it be the centre and focus of all that we behold. It was an object of importance before we reached it, and it will recover its importance when we come to look back upon it. Our profpect neceffarily take a

colour from our retrofpects. It is natural for us to expect, in fome future attainment or deliverance, a compenfation for the disappointments and difafters which we have endured; and, from the goodness of an indulgent Providence, we hope for the continuation, progrefs and improvement of the bluffings which we have enjoyed. "Man never is, but always to be bleft:" he never lives and enjoys, but is continually bufied in making preparations to live and to enjoy. Whatever he poffeffes, there is ftill a farther poffeffion attainable; whatever he may fuffer, hope looks forward to a period of repofe and recompense. But fear likewife mingles in the cup of human life, and embitters it. The prefent good may be loft, it may be marred, it may be impoisoned by fome baleful infufion. The prefent preffure may increase till it become intolerable; and this forrow is, it may be, but the beginning of forrows. The visible world vanishes, and the world of fpirits rifes to view; time expires and eternity refumes its awful empire. Man in old age, in decay, even in death, feels the principle of immortality ftrong within him; and, according to the prospect before him, it is a fource of the pureft delight, or of the moft oppreffive forrow. The first great concern, then of a reasonable being, is the improvement and amelioration of his prefent

condition, in a confiftency with the felicity of a future and eternal duration. That weighty concern, the Father of our fpirits has graciously taken into his own hands, and, viewing his creature man as intimately connected with both worlds, has provided, and difclofed, the means of certain happiness for him, in the life which now is, and in that which is to come. Man himself was wholy unequal to this. Man left to himfelf becomes a mere creature of this world, and, fwallowed up of the things of time, becomes infenfible to the powers of the world to come; or, under the influence of an ill-informed principle of religion, makes it a duty to facrifice the present life entirely to the profpects of immortality. The religion of Jefus Chrift, if we had the wifdom to be regulated by it, firmly establishes the one, without fhaking the foundation of the other, It ftrengthens the bands of human fociety, rivets the obligation of relative duty, fanctions and fanctifies innocent and lawful earthly enjoyments, rectifies the diforders, and controuls the effects of human paffions, adminifters confolation under, and finds a way to efcape from, all the miferies which fiefh is heir to. But at the fame time we are not permitted for a moment to forget, that all these things are tranfient, that they are a preparation for, and a progrefs towards, a higher, a

holier, a happier, and a more permanent êxiftence, brought to light by the Gospel. To unfold the native influence of Chriftianity on our present state and condition, are a farther proof of its divine original, is to be the attempt of this lecture.

THE life of man is not merely a current flowinceffantly downward, with uniform speed, in a channel throughout of the fame depth and widenefs, but a ftream undergoing every inftant, fudden and unexpected variations; now precipitated over the rock, and anon, flumbering through the plain; here, confined within barriers which hardly afford a paffage, and there, spreading into an ocean; to-day, fwollen above its banks by the torrent from the mountain, to-morrow, drunk up by the fervent heat of a vertical fun. He muft have lived a very fhort time in the world, or life muft have flowed in a very even tenor indeed, or he must be a perfon little given to observation, who is not confcious of fomething more than the mere lapfe of time, of the tranfition from one measurement of human life to another. Who among us is fo young as not to have felt, and fo forgetful as not to recollect, the fad tranfition from health to sickness, from eafe to pain, from joy to forrow? Were there not seasons and fituations in which we needed a counfellor, a com

forter, a supporter; when we looked for them but found them pot? Are there not cafes which baffle all created fkill, to cure, or even to miti gate? Dare we hope to be in future exempted from the common lot of humanity, or can we believe that the arrows of the Almighty are exhaufted; or is it poffible to prefume on our own internal refources against the evil day? If not, O let us liften to the words of life, flowing from the lips of Him who fpake as never man spake: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft."." These

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things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye fhall have "tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have over64 come the world."

In these words, Jefus fairly proposes to his difciples, what he both could and would beftow upon them; all the bleffings included in the comprehenfive term of peace; and He points out where it refided, "in me ye fhall have peace." With equal candour He declares what they were not to expect from their relation to him; not worldly cafe, honor, power, riches; but worldly diftrefs and tribulation. He adminifters ftrong confolation under the worst that could befal them; it was temporary, and therefore tolerable; it could reach the body, without affecting the