of some worldly enjoyment, will you continue to provoke the Divine Displeasure, and to despise the wrath of Him, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell? What will sinful gratifications, what will worldly enjoyments do for you, when God shall rise up against you? What can they do for you now in comparison with what Jesus Christ can do for you? He can make you far happier in this life, than sin or the world can make you. He can and will give you more solid gratification, more real enjoyment, than they can ever give you. O that you would make trial of Him, and His ways: for he never disappointed any one, who came to Him for life and happiness! O that you would comply with His offers of reconciling you to God: for He would even now so fill you with joy and peace in believing, that all the things which at present fill and engage your heart, would appear to you the veriest trifles, lighter than vanity, and more worthless than chaff? He would Himself become your Life, your Peace, your Hope, your Joy; your Portion in this world; and your exceeding and eternal Great Reward for ever and ever.

My brethren, on whom have I wrought? Whom have I persuaded? Who among you is willing this day to be reconciled to God? The Lord seeth your hearts. May He see

many among you at this moment lifted up in spirit to him, and saying Lord, receive and pardon me. Reconcile me to God. Make my peace with Him. I accept thy 'mediation: I resign myself to thy will. I 'will be thine, and thine only for ever and ' ever.' And may the blessed effects of this Reconciliation be speedily felt and manifested, in a lively experience of inward peace, and in a copious display of outward holiness, for His name and for His mercy's sake, to whom be glory for ever and ever!

SERMON II.

THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH BUILDER.

MATTHEW, vii. 24, 25, 26, 27.

Therefore whoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

THE Bible teaches us, that there are two sorts of Christians, pretended and real ones; in other words, nominal and practical Christians; those who are Christians only in name, and those who are Christians indeed also. It also strongly points out to us the

folly and misery of one of these sorts of Christians, compared with the wisdom and happiness of the other sort. The pretended and nominal Christians, being only unbelievers and hypocrites, will at last have their portion with such, and will be reckoned among the workers of iniquity; while the real and practical Christian, being not only a hearer of the word, but a doer also of the work, will be blessed in his deed, and will have his happy lot with the people and children of God.

It is this aweful distinction, both in their character and end, that the Parable in the text is designed to teach. It likens these two sorts of Christians to two different Builders, both of whom are represented as building a house for themselves and both of whom, it is supposed, had the opportunity of choosing the spot on which their house should be placed. One, indeed, of them was wise, and the other was foolish; and it was in their choice of a foundation that the wisdom of the one, and the folly of the other appeared.

The wise Builder placed his building on a rock; and in so doing shewed his wisdom. For the Building thus placed defied the winds and storms. Though assaulted by the rains and tempests, it stood secure; and

man who had built it on such a firm foundation, it also repaid him for his wise precaution, by affording him shelter and security at the very time, and under the very circumstances, when he needed them most.

Here, then, we have a representation of the true Christian; of the Man, who is a Christian not in name only, but in reality also; of a sincere practical Christian. Observe the way in which our Lord describes such a man. "He heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them." He heareth the sayings of Christ. He gets acquainted with the doctrines and precepts of the Gospel. He listens to them, understands them, remembers them; and, above all, he also doeth them. He receives the truth in the love of it, and obeys from the heart the form of sound doctrine with which he is become acquainted. He is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word. He abstains from the sins which it forbids; he practises the duties which it requires; he from the heart believes the truths which it reveals. His thoughts and affections, his words and actions, the temper of his mind, and the tenor of his life, are regulated by the word of God, and made conformable to the Gospel. In short, he walks in the obedience of faith. Religion is in him a real vital principle, which moves and influences his whole conduct. "He lives; yet not he, but Christ