love of goodness, harmony, and order, | friendship and support in our weakin the works of GoD and in his creatures, leads us to love him. ness and afflictions, prepare us to entertain the love of God. II. BUT GOD HATH IN THE REVELATION OF HIMSELF WHICH HE HATH MADE ING ABUNDANCE OF HIS LOVE, AND HATH CALLED US BY THE WORKING OF MIRA- 3. Our natural desire and need of love and support prepare us to entertain the love of God. To communi- BY HIS Son, poured out THE EXCEEDcate our pleasures and to give substance to our enjoyment by means of society-to seek for those who are of the same mind and desires with ourselves; this is human. GOD alone is all sufficient in himself, yet is revealed to us as delighting in the friendship of the holy. Thus doth he condescend to instruct us. Thus we read that the delight of eternal wisdom was with the sons of men! But where is solitude so full of peace, so reconciled to our social nature, as when contemplation feels no hunger, nor is sensible of any thirst, but of that after GOD. How frequent and exalted a pleasure did David find from his meditation in the divine call! All the day long it was the theme of his thoughts: the affairs of state, the government of his kingdom might indeed employ, but it was this only that refreshed his mind. And to GOD do all our weakness, all our disappointments, all our dangers lead us back, however unwilling. Then the sleeper awakes and calls upon GOD. Then the proud man humbles himself, and when the world forsakes him, knows that GOD hath pity yet, and is never wearied. Then the man of pleasure becomes a penitent, and renounces the vanities that had deluded him, flying henceforth to the merciful kindness of GOD to supply his thirst from purer fountains, and to heal his wounds by more sincere, more lasting consolation than this world can afford. Thus do our natural desires of knowledge and truth, our natural admiration of goodness, and need of "He that loveth not, knoweth not GOD, for GOD is love." Herein is the love of GoD manifested, in that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Here is the spring in the Christian's heart of that purifying affection which searches the ground of the heart, does not suffer transgression, under any form, to take up its abode in it, and makes our duty the meat and drink of the soul, its life and health and joy. For if this truth be but presented to him who knows, and feels, and laments his own unworthiness, how shall he fail of love, of self indignation, and of astonishment, at the mercy which thus spared him, thus sent down the Son of GOD to be made man, that he might plead for us with strong crying and groans to him whom we had despised, the Father of mercies, the Almighty God, whom neither his glory nor his lovingkindness had preserved from our neglectful disobedience and unreasonable disregard? To be a Christian a man must love that GOD who thus forgives-that Saviour who by his life, his agony, and death, thus powerfully delivers from death to life. Let us reflect, then, let us wonder and adore. We have brought before us the greatest, the most marvellous of the works of GOD. When his Son was sent forth to make reconciliation for our tres-. passes, the last and greatest proof of the divine power and love was let down from heaven. "Herein is love," saith the Holy Ghost, "not that we loved GOD, but that GOD loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation," the way of pardon, "for our sins." When we behold the excellent beauty of creation, when we search into the glorious works which we see, and the nature of which it is the delight of the mind to search out, we are the more disposed to confess how boundless is the power of GOD! But when our faith shews us the Son of GOD made man, the eternal wisdom veiled in human flesh, is this too cold, or too low and poor a contemplation to fix the soul in wonder and in praise? How must we have been loved how must you, how must I, how must the most wretched and obscure and miserable being upon earth have been loved by his Creator, that God should not keep back his only beloved son! It is a mystery received only by a child-like faith; but so received, there is nothing that can be compared with it. It is called the wisdom of GOD, and unspeakable; and when GOD is said to love the world, the Evangelist deems it enough to give this as the proof that God is love. To this one act of Almighty love four thousand years pointed. This one act eternity bore in solemn silence in the mind of GOD! This act has been the divine life of frail and weak and sorrowful men like ourselves, through eighteen hundred years. This act is to dwell for ever and for ever on the tongues of men and angels, when time shall be no more. III. Let us now pass, my beloved brethren, to CONSIDER THE EFFECT OF THE LOVE OF GOD ON OUR HEARTS; HOW HE THAT LOVETH GOD KNOWETH HIM AND MORE fully, more hAPPILY FROM DAY TO DAY. And here we may immediately adore the kindness of Him who makes known according to our love, his majesty and his very nature. For love apprehends the mystery of his nature. Love willingly bows to that glorious truth which pride put away from her with disdain. Love reverences the Creator, and with simplicity pours forth her daily prayer, saying, "Our Father which art in heaven." Love lies low at the Redeemer's feet, and confesses to him her sins, and looks upon his merits before every prayer that she utters, and every good work that she performs. Love confides herself in his hands, and fears not to go down with her to the chambers of the tomb. Love ever beseecheth the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and in every thought and act hath regard to his presence. Thus Love knoweth the nature of GOD, and is in a high degree a partaker of it. 2. Love knoweth his will, understandeth his laws; not only that there is a law by which all should direct themselves, but that this law is a delight, honourable and full of peace ; not a law only but a reward to him that doeth it. For the love of GoD leads us to search into the excellent spirit of its purity, shews us how perfectly it tends to secure the happiness of all; proves to us how much we owe to every restraint it places upon our desires, every check it maintains over our passions, every trial of prudence and of self-possession it appoints to our faith. The love of God thus seeth that GOD is love that he is no arbitrary master, no severe exactor, but a faithful parent, watchful over our good; providently ensuring our peace, when, for the moment, we would imagine he seeks only to lessen our pleasure, to break our spirits, and to tempt our impatience. The love of GOD makes the meditation of his law sacred to us, and the performance of it, natural. 3. The love of God knoweth the suffereth calumny and persecution of soul and body. Love contentedly honours him in silence and obscurity; for he seeth, and it is enough. For GOD is love. So every day increases the knowledge of GOD, unfolds his natureFather, Son, and Holy Spirit; knows the excellent power of his law, and the goodness of his providence, and lives by this truth, that GOD is love! wisdom of his providence, that all is good that seemeth good to him. To follow God in all his ways, and to confess them all worthy of a good and faithful Creator, is a knowledge | that Reason alone cannot attain unto, but only Faith; and not faith of itself, but only by love. For it is the love of GOD alone that satisfies us, that as he is good, so he can only do that which is good. Love teacheth us to consider his very justice as a part of his goodness; his love of goodness it is which prompts his displeasure against transgressors. And how often, how continually, are those who love God reminded, that his providence is altogether gracious. For whether we suffer, it is for our own good, or to be an example to lead others to GOD, and to keep them from sinning. And patience turns all our sufferings to glory; for if we are denied our wishes, is it not because GOD knoweth that he can do better for us than our wisdom or our self-principle—that principle we have regard can desire? But love doubts seen to be Love. not: "Hath he given us his own dear Son? He will, then he only can do us good. And now, my brethren, what is our affection toward GOD? Great as he is, unspeakably great, he wills not that we should serve him through a slavish fear, or be contented to dwell at a distance from him; he wills not to shut us out from his presence, or that we should for ever abide apart from him. Our faith is to be the submission of the understanding with love. Our duty, as it is various and often difficult, and as it is always at hand calling us to action, requires a constant, a prompt, and a powerful And to this end we have seen that with our heart we are to believe, and to obey. The merciful forgiveness of our sins through the sufferings and death of our most blessed Saviour, is to be as the dew upon our souls, morning and evening, that we may be fruitful and abound in all goodness to the praise of his name who Love will not suffer us to think evil of him, but only of ourselves, and our degenerate and weak nature. Love asketh not to pry into the secrets of his government, any more than the bodily eye dares to hold communion with the searching bright-loved us and gave himself for us ! ness of the sun. Love is assured that GOD is love. Therefore doth she fear no tidings of ill, for God cannot be moved; and she hideth herself under his wing till all the darkness of life, all the tyranny of wrong, be overpast. For the end of all things shall vindicate the glory of that Power, in whom she confideth, and shall manifest to every creature the righteousness of his ways. Therefore doth love endure all things, for GOD is with her. Love Talk we of religion, and yet forget our redemption? It is unchristian ignorance; it is a worthless offering, when we present any thing to God, not hallowed by the name of his beloved Son. Nor can we love GoD perfectly till we love the Son who hath redeemed us. Nothing but the love of GoD can restore us to that high purity of the affections and will to which we must be brought before we can see the kingdom of GOD. In this respect the wisest of men are but children. They have all severed from the truth, however well they may be acquainted with its fitness and beauty. All are liable to be deceived; all are interested judges of their own motives; all are ready to stop short at that heavenly state to which it hath pleased GOD to call them. ness of our indolence, and proud nature is soonest opposed. Otherwise, it would be as general to enter eagerly upon religion with alacrity as it is now to take up a lukewarm show of religion, yet it remains true that happiness and innocence and the love of our blessed Father and Lord dwell together. Receiving these truths, be ye men in understanding, whilst as children ye love God in order to know him. But let the love of Christ, their Saviour, open their hearts to the extent of his claims upon their service, and all this self-satisfaction will be Seek not to exercise your underbrought low; this danger of self-standing but with a spiritual mind, esteem will be taken away, and love a bias rather of humility than of cuwill convince us that every day must riosity. Seek to know by meditation advance our steps in the paths of upon all the works of God, how great heavenly wisdom, every day must his care for you. Learn by the cross add zeal and freshness to our will, of Christ, how he loveth you Read and build us up more firmly on the in every thing that GoD permits or revealed word of GOD, and godlike doth, that he is the same good GOD, love to men. making all things work together for good. Cruel and hard-hearted is the spirit of the world that separates men from their Creator, and sinners from their only Saviour. Dead and appalling is that spirit which places the duties we owe to heaven, to ourselves, and to each other, on utility and decorum only; which represents the love of GOD as a something unattainable. Pitiful and miserable is our nature, when trusting, in fact, to fortune and to itself, it has no union to the Divine will and Providence through love to the Author and Giver of every good and perfect gift. Yet this filial spirit, the very strength and peculiarity of true religion, the very means by which it enables us to fulfil its precepts, is that to which the sinful Let your youth thus contemplate him. Then wisdom shall temper your thoughts with prudence; your appetites and wills shall cheerfully yield to GOD, and you be early formed to that pure knowledge of him which will make you alike honorable, and preserve you alike secure in prosperity and in adversity. By the love of GOD you may glorify him, whether in the enjoyments or in the affections of life-in health, or on the bed of death. Only let this be the ground of your heart-let this be your highest wisdom, and your sweetest content; that God is love, and is known effectually by love. A Funeral Sermon, DELIVERED BY THE REV. H. BLUNT, OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF W. WILBERFORCE, ESQ., AT HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, CHELSEA, ON SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 4, 1833. 2 Kings, ii. 12.-" And Elisha saw it, and he cried. My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof! And he saw him no more." THE departure of a man of GOD must | ance, every instance of success is at all times, and under all circum- declared in the revealed word of stances, afford matter of deep and GOD, to have been the result of Eliprayerful reflection to the survivors: jah's prayers. At his effectual ferthe departure of a prophet, and of vent prayer the rains of heaven were such a prophet as Elijah, must have intercepted for the astonishing period been, at the time of its occurrence, of three years and six months; and one of the most striking events in the at the prayer of this same righteous history of the Israel of GOD. In man the heavens gave rain, and the himself he might be almost said to earth brought forth her fruit: at his have combined the offices of a pro- prayer the widow's barrel of meal phet, a priest, a king, and a con- wasted not, neither did the cruse of queror; and this although he has oil fail: at his prayer the false pronever put on the priestly ephod, or phets of Baal were disgraced and worn the kingly diadem, or drawn discomfited; the armies of the aliens the conqueror's sword. were utterly destroyed; the bodies of kings were given to the dogs; fire came down from heaven to destroy the enemies of GOD; and even the very dead were brought to life again. He was pre-eminently a man of prayer; and so deeply indebted was the whole nation to the prayers of Elijah, that, when he was miraculously received to his divine inheritance, his beloved companion broke forth into the apostrophe of the text. "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof!" intending by this remarkable expres 66 And, brethren, whence was this? How came it that a whole nation was thus deeply indebted to one of whom the apostle declares that he was a man subject to like passions as we are." The cause was this; not merely that he was miraculously endowed with the superior gifts and graces of a prophet, but that, as he himself declares, he was very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts." He bent all the energies of his supernaturally endowed mind to this one all-important subject; and while he devoted himself to the service of his Creator, hesion to imply, that the real safeguard might have said with the apostle, "I give myself unto prayer." This was the great secret of his abundant usefulness, and unexampled success: prayer was his all-prevailing weapon throughout his long and remarkable life. Almost every incident of import of Israel was not her thousand chariots of iron, that the true cavalry of Israel were not her horsemen; but that both were to be found in one prayerful and one devoted man of GOD. The words of the text, and the in |