He is a sort of compound creature, composed of matter and mind. What a strange piece of complicate mechanism is man! Who, that has any knowledge of the construction of the human frame, can help exclaiming, " O Lord, I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" And how marvellously is this wonderful machine kept in motion by the circulation of the blood! Just for a moment consider it. Each ventricle of the heart contains, at least, an ounce of blood. The heart of a healthy person contracts 4,000 times in an hour; from which it follows that there pass through the heart every hour 4,000 ounces, or nearly 350lbs. of blood. Now the whole mass of blood is said to be about 25lbs; so that a quantity of blood equal to the whole mass passes through the heart 14 times in an hour, which is about once in 4 minutes." And we ought to be thankful that this is involuntary, and no way dependent upon us,-whether we are in motion or at rest, awake or asleep, this process is still going on with but very slight variation. It is thus that the body is animated and rendered capable of action; so that I can, at my own pleasure, move any of my limbs in any direction I think proper, and can transport myself from one place to another at my own will. But now appears the necessity of a manager to this wonderful engine, to command its actions, and direct its movements. Then consider the mind, or soul, how it is exactly adapted for that purpose. It possesses precisely the requisite properties, particularly its power of perception, by which it conceives of things correctly, and its power of volition, by which it is able to choose or refuse at discretion. E. gr. I am exhausted; set before me good wholesome food; by my power of perception I see its properties and utility; and by my power of volition approve, choose and resolve; the body obeys the dictates of the mind, and I eat. Offer me poison, and tell me its character, I at once see its effects and refuse it,— the body co-operates,-I shudder, and turn away. But it may be asked, If this be the case, how is it, that with respect to spiritual things, man should so frequently choose the evil and refuse the good? This leads us to inquire, 3. What is man morally? He is not what God created him. He is a fallen crea ture, sinful, depraved, infatuated, and ignorant of spiritual things. Prior to his regeneration his judgment and understanding are misled by the god of this world. Being in a state of alienation from, and rebellion against, God, he is led captive by the devil at his will, and driven by the evil propensities of his own wicked heart, quite against his reason, his better judgment, and his conscience; so that he frequently says in his heart, "I see the right,—and I approve it too; Condemn the wrong, and yet the wrong I do." And why so? Because there is a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin and death. What is he to do then? Arise, and call upon God, who is able to save and strong to deliver: pray for repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ: for a humble, contrite, believing heart;-and the gracious Lord will answer his prayer, and melt, subdue, and renovate his soul. Now it will be seen that there is need to do this, when we ask further, 4. What is man legally? A transgressor! a rebel! He has violated the Divine command,-broken that law which is "holy, just and good." By that law he is condemned, as well as by his own conscience, and by the righteous Judge of all the earth. He is a debtor, and has nothing wherewith to pay; he is a criminal, and has nothing in or of himself to plead. He must therefore receive a full and free pardon as a free gift he must be saved and renewed by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, or perish everlastingly. But, 5. What is man graciously? By this expression I mean, What is he, when, by repentance and faith on his part, and free and unmerited grace on the part of God, he becomes the subject and recipient of gospel salvation? In the expressive language of the apostle, he is "a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." Restored to the favour and image of God, he now grows in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He brings forth the fruits of the Spirit. He enjoys a sweet and constant communion with God, and daily advances in righteousness and true holiness. And if he continue steadfast in the faith, he shall grow stronger and stronger. His path shall shine brighter and brighter until that perfect day when he shall be introduced into the joy of his Lord. Viewing man in these aspects, we may exclaim with the poet, "How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, A worm a god!-I tremble at myself, YOUNG. II. In what sense is the Lord mindful of man ? 1. In the rich provision he makes for him by the bounty of his providence. Psalm cxlv, 15, 16; Matt. v, 45. 2. In the salvation procured for him by the sacrifice of Christ. John, iii, 16; 1 Tim. i, 15. 3. In the instruction and encouragement contained in the Holy Scriptures. John, v, 39; Rom. xv, 4. 4. In blessing him with the light, testimony, direction, and comfort of the Holy Spirit. John, xiv, 17; xvi, 13. III. How does he visit him? 1. By the powerful influences of his Spirit, restraining and convincing. John, xvi, 7-12. 2. By the various and mysterious Dispensations of Providence, sending him, alternately, health, affliction, prosperity, adversity, &c. Job, v, 6, 7. 3. In the time of trouble and temptation, to support and deliver him. Psalm 1, 15; 2 Pet. ii, 9. 4. By death, to introduce the christian to the enjoyment of eternal felicity. Luke, xvi, 22. COMFORT. LUKE, Xvi, 25. Now he is comforted. Ir has been a controverted point, whether the account of the rich man and Lazarus, with which our text is connected, be a narrative or a parable; but it seems, perhaps, most likely to be of the latter description. It is, however, a matter of perfect indifference, for whatever it be, it represents, in a most vivid manner, the folly of sensual pleasure, and the excellency of piety: it convinces us that the soul will exist after death in a state of happiness or misery; and that both the happiness and misery will be extreme and eternal. There was a certain rich man ;" and if Providence had blessed him with abundance, he was no worse for that, provided he had used his riches properly, and not trusted in them. Although not many rich, not many mighty, are called, yet there are some, Luke, xix, 2; 2 John, i; so that this man was not damned for being rich, any more than Lazarus was saved because he was poor. It is not riches, but the love of riches, which is so destructive to the soul. But, O, how difficult it is to be rich and not earthly minded. He" was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day." Here were the marks of the evils; by these it was manifest that he loved the pleasures of this present evil world. His very dress showed that he was vain, and his sumptuous living that he was sensual. Not very far from the stately mansion of this rich gentleman, there lived, or rather wandered, a very opposite character, "a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores"-friendless, comfortless, ragged and hungry-a most pitiable object, well known to his honour's dogs, that occasionally "came and licked his sores." In this forlorn situation the beggar often waited, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table;" and whatever other faults the esquire might have been guilty of, we have no reason to believe that he was covetous and cruel. It is not said that he refused to give those crumbs to Lazarus; on the contrary, from the circumstance of his being habitually at the gate, it is natural to suppose that he received alms; and this appears still more probable, from the facts, that the rich man so soon recognized him in the other world; that he requested Lazarus to be sent to his brethren; and that Abraham does not lay the sin of inhumanity to his charge. Luxury and carelessness were his great failings. He most likely permitted the beggar to receive his crumbs; but had he been a pious and thoughtful man, he would have paid more attention to the poor diseased creature, he would have had his "sores" attended to, and his wants better supplied. Time, however, which brings about so many vicissitudes, effected a complete change in the circumstances of poor Lazarus, which, although of little or no consequence to the rich man, was of the greatest importance to himself. The beggar died." Whether he died while lying at this, or at some other gentleman's gate, or in the arms of some feeling brother mendicant, who was bearing him to some convenient place to obtain alms, or in some wretched hovel or out-building, we are not told; but he died, “ and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." Mean and obscure as he was in the eyes of the world, the holy angels had faithfully watched over this heir of salvation, and as soon as ever death had released him from his sufferings, they were ready to carry his happy spirit into the separate and invisible abode of the departed pious-to Paradise, and to a very distinguished situation there, viz. "into Abraham's bosom." But death visits, with equal indifference, the palace of a prince and the cottage of a peasant. Gay clothing and high living are so far from preventing the approach of death, that they frequently hasten it. "The rich man also died, and was buried," and doubtless there would be a very pompous display at his interment; but, alas! poor creature! what were all the funeral pomp and sable trappings to him, for" in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." From hell, or hades, the separate abode of miserable disembodied spirits, he "seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." And if he could recognize Lazarus from his dreary prison, surely the ransomed of the |