and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you; but I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city." Our Lord then adds, verse sixteenth: "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."

My beloved friends, as children of Adam's fallen race, "sinners of the Gentiles," we claim no privilege for ourselves. We expect salvation only by the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are dependant altogether, from first to last, upon the grace of God, even as others; still for your sakes we must magnify our office.

We must make known to you that the gospel of peace cannot be preached in vain. "We are," says the Apostle, "unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one

we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things ?"* What servant of the Lord does not tremble, when he thinks of the office his divine Master has entrusted to him? That he never enters the pulpit, or privately opens the word of God, but his message is connected with eternity.

Surely such a consideration-whilst it may quicken your inquiries as to your own personal edification-whether the ministry of the Gospel has been a savour of death unto death, or of life unto life, unto you,-should also call forth your earnest prayers for your ministers. That the Lord may accompany their word with the power of his Holy Spirit; may give them more wisdom, more simplicity, more of a heavenly mind, more of that deadness to the world, and of earnest desire for the salvation of the souls of their people, that they may pursue their high calling "as dying men speaking to dying men.”

* 2 Cor. ii. 15.

This I can with the greatest truth affirm, that the things I have seen and heard since we last met, and during that interval I have seen and conversed with some of almost every station of society, from the highest among the nobles to the humble cottager,— convince me, that if there ever was a time in which the message of peace should be at once received, now is the time: for such is the acknowledged uncertainty of events at the present moment; such the rocking, as we might term it, of the kingdoms of this world, that no person but the sincere Christian, the true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, is safe. Yes, my beloved friends, now is the time in which these words, spoken by our Lord to his disciples, should sink into our hearts: "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. Oh that the Lord may enable you rightly to receive the truth; and, now that the word is proclaimed "Peace be to this house," joyfully to accept the offered blessing!

I pass, however, to a third lesson, which this instructive portion of the word of God affords, namely, THE JOY OF OUR DIVINE MASTER.

At the seventeenth verse it is noticed that the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name." To remove, however, all high-mindedness and self-exaltation, on account of their gifts, our Lord thus replied unto them: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Thus shewing them the essential difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the graces of the Spirit-that it was not their power of working miracles that would save them, since, as our Lord declares, in his sermon upon the mount,

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Many will say to me,

Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy

name, and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Their miraculous powers, therefore, were no proper ground for exultation; but this should be their glory, that they were his true disciples, among those "whose names were written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world."* Having given them this caution, it is said at the twenty-first verse, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."

;

There are few more beautiful or more encouraging parts of our Lord's character than this sentence displays. His benevolence appears so great that he could not, or rather would not, restrain his feelings. In general

*Rev. xiii. S.