reflect how it must be with such worldly-minded souls, when the message is brought to them that they must die, and when all that they have so highly valued and esteemed; all that they have so ardently loved, and in which they have always so much delighted, yea, all that which constituted the true life of their lives-I say, when they have all at once to leave all these beautiful things, and nothing more to hope for from them for ever-must not this painfully pierce the heart? Must it not penetrate into

the bones and marrow?

Therefore, my beloved friends! let us, by grace, magnanimously and steadfastly forsake all external things; let us make our burden as small as possible. Let us possess that which we possess, as if we possessed it not, even as Paul recommends, 1 Cor. vii. 30. Let us make our hearts free and loose from all that is external, so that we may be every moment in readiness to part with it, and to surrender it with a perfectly resigned mind, in order that we may prosecute our journey to eternity without any impediment. O with what ease and alacrity does he walk, who has no burden to carry! An abstracted Christian, who has nothing to which his heart adheres, can live as free as a bird in the air. By this means, he attains, in a very complete manner. to the rest of eternity, re-enters into the friendship and fellowship of God, tastes the powers of the eternal and future world, and uses the things of this world with a holy abstraction, and without any attachment to them.

Such abstracted hearts, who have thus

detached themselves from every thing, find here, in this life, their eternal rest of soul, and will enjoy it perfectly after death. Dying is then no dying to them; but they merely pass over with their spirit into that state in which they have already lived. Let us labour therefore to enter into rest, by the renunciation of all visible and temporal things, in order that we may become partakers in our hearts of the uncreated good.

Fifthly, we must not only renounce the things that are without us, but if we are desirous of finding the true and eternal rest in this life, and of fully attaining to it at death: we must also enter, by grace, into the denial of ourselves. Now, this is the most difficult point, and the hardest lesson. Then it is, as Satan said to God, "Skin for skin-all that a man hath, will he give for his life." (Job ii. 4.) For although we may think ourselves perfect in the renunciation of outward things: we are yet far from being so, with respect to the denial of ourselves. We often deceive ourselves also, and suppose we are really practising self-denial, when we are able to give up some particular things, to which our natural inclination is not directed. A covetous man may suppose he exercises the denial of pleasure, because he is no spendthrift; and a voluptuary may imagine he is practising self-denial, because he is not covetous, and the like. When, however, the covetous man is no longer covetous, but becomes beneficent; when the voluptuary becomes temperate, correct, and chaste, and when the proud man becomes humble, and when all this is from the heart, and not

merely in appearance: it may then be said, or at least hoped of him that, through grace, he has attained to the denial of himself.

But there are two ways in which we enter upon the denial of ourselves; the one actively, and the other passively. By the former, I understand, when by divine assistance, and the strength of grace bestowed upon us, we apply ourselves, on every occurring opportunity, to break our own will and intentions, to quench and tame our own evil lusts and inclinations, to restrain our wandering senses in hearing and seeing, in the pleasures of the palate, &c. Such like things are frequently passed over, under the pretence, that they tend to legality; although they are indispensable in order to attain to the promised rest. The Saviour not only says, "He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple," (Luke xiv. 33.) but it is also his will, that we hate and give up our own lives. That is, that we not only gladly lose our own lives for Christ's sake, but especially, that we should destroy the life of our corrupt nature within us. This is pointed out to us by the offerings, and in particular, by the sacrifices of the children of Israel in the wilderness. These sacrifices were not only a type of Christ, but they also point out to us the mortification of our corrupt nature and its animal propensities, in order that we may become an acceptable offering to God in Christ, as Paul also expressly says concerning our bodies. (Rom. xii. 1.)

Many neglect also the mortification of their own will, on which however so much depends. They will have every thing according to their own mind and will. Their will must be attended to-must take place; because they imagine, that they know and understand better than others Yet, my dearest friends! self-will continues self-will, even though it appears to will something good. When that which I will, is really good in itself: yet this does not therefore make my self-will good, so that it should on that account please God; no! all that I will from a selfish principle, all that I will with impetuousness, all that I will, in such a manner, as not to desist from it, is an evil and sinful self-will, which I must mortify, if I desire to attain to true rest. It is the adversary, who persuades and induces us to think, that we ought to remain thus firm to our own opinions, and our self-will, in order that we may thus gradually learn to resist even the will of God, and finally fall into pride, in which case, God must necessarily resist us. For "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."

Such is also the case with reference to our anger. It is easy to believe that we must not be angry unjustly but when there is the greatest right to be so, we believe that it is permitted us to be angry. But no, my dear friends! for the wrath of man, even in the most righteous cause, worketh not that which is right before God. Hence those, who do not mortify their wrath and anger, and do not earnestly seek to deny themselves in this respect: can

not attain to the promised rest. For wrath deranges the mind, so that the individual cannot perceive, even in a natural manner, what is right or wrong; it brings the mind into disorder and confusion; it is then impossible to be at rest. Nay, an angry man cannot even possess outward rest and peace amongst men, since by means of his irascibility, he produces the same effect in them, and thus causes himself nothing but vexation and disturbance.

that men would seek to strangle this poisonous reptile, this pernicious naughtiness in its first birth, in order that they might attain to rest, and not deprive themselves for days and years of their precious and valuable peace ! In the same manner, many are very slothful and negligent in mortifying the sensual lusts of the body. They give the body all that it desires, and a very immoderate degree of ease. What can be found of meat and drink that is only good and savoury, must be immediately sent for; never reflecting how prejudicial such things are to the rest of the soul; that the body, by such like tender treatment becomes lustful, but the soul enervated; that such like conduct is contrary to the doctrine of the Apostle, who enjoins us not to make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Rom. xiii. 14.) And the same is the case in every other respect. O my dear friends! it is not by following our own will, but by breaking and deny

ing it; not by yielding and cleaving to the cupidity of our corrupt nature, but by mortifying and overcoming it; not by letting the old man live, but by