the morning; the prisoner in his cell watches for the morning, the mariner in the storm watches for the morning; the general who has to decide on the coming day the destiny of his campaign, watches for the morning. None, however,

watch more anxiously for the morning than the soul in anguish watches for its God.

Secondly The certainty of his deliverance. Unless he was certain that deliverance would come he would not wait anxiously for it. Waiting implies a belief in certainty. He was as certain that it would come as that the morning would come. However dark and long the night, the morning will dawn. The night always appears long to the sufferer; still the morning comes at last. The sun comes mounting the steeps of heaven, chasing the darkness away, brightening the landscape, and pouring gladness into the world. Even so deliverance will come to the good.

are

My tried brothers, it is night with thee, night in the tempest, dark waves rolling over thy spirit. The sky is starless and the elements are tumultuous; still the great sun is travelling his majestic rounds. He will soon appear on the

horizon of thy being, dispel the darkness, still the tumult, and gladden the whole universe of thy being.

TRUST IN THE LORD, THE CONDITION OF STABILITY AND SAFETY.

"They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth, even for ever." -Psa. cxxv. 1, 2.

Trusting is a necessity of human nature; men everywhere are trusting. Some trust in one thing and some in another. "Some trust in horses, some in chariots," &c. Trusting determines man's condition. He that trusts in the frail, the imperfect, the uncertain, the insufficient, the dying, must be in constant anxiety, irritation, and distress. There is ONE, and only One true and sufficent object of human trust, and that is "the Lord."

I. TRUST IN THE LORD IS THE CONDITION OF MORAL

movableness is here used as an emblem of the moral fixation of that soul that trusts in "the Lord."

First: Such a soul is firm in its love. The soul that has fixed its affections upon infinite goodness feels such perfect satisfaction and such mighty charms that nothing can tempt it away. It is rooted and grounded in love. It says, "Whom have I in heaven but thee," &c.

Secondly: Such a soul is firm in its faith. It believes not in mere propositions, but in the substance of all truth -God; and it cannot be tossed about with every wind of doctrine. Thirdly Such a soul is firm in its purpose. Its purpose is to do the will of God Nothing will turn it from this; everythingit subordinates to this. This is its firmness-its immovability -nothing can turn it from its course. It is steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. A God-trusting soul is no reed to be shaken by the windno cloud to be tossed by the tempest. Moses, Elijah, Daniel, John the Baptist, and Paul, are noble examples of this moral firmness. You could sooner move Mount Zion than move those men from their love, their faith, or their purpose.

II. TRUST IN THE LORD IS

DIVINE

on

THE CONDITION OF SECURITY. "As the mountains are now about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people." Jerusalem was not only built upon mountains, and therefore firm, but surrounded by them, and therefore protected." All around,” says Dr. Robinson in his "Biblical Researches in Palestine," "are higher hills: on the east, the Mount of Olives; on the south, the Hill of Evil Counsel, so called, rising directly from the Vale of Hinnom; the west the ground rises gently to the borders of the great road; while on the north a bend of the ridge, connected with the Mount of Olives, bounds the prospect at the distance of more than a mile." Such, then, was the natural strength of Jerusalem. By the best judges she was considered impregnable; and the military opinion of Titus, when the Roman legions destroyed tower and temple, was her unconscious echo of the touching language of Jeremiah.

How often mountains protected nations! The free winds that sweep the summits, and thunder at the sides, seem to inspire the people with an invincible love of freedom. Tyrants have often been crushed with thun

derbolts of those who dwelt amongst the fastnesses of rocky heights. And mountains, too, have often proved the asylums of freedom.

"Of old sat Freedom on the heights;

The thunders breaking at her feet.

Above her shook the starry lights; Beneath she hears the torrents meet."

But no mountains have guarded a people as God guards those who trust in him. The Eternal God is a refuge, and underneath are the "everlasting arms." He "is a fire round about" them, and their "glory in the midst" of them.

Let us trust in Him, then, that liveth for ever-trust in Him will make us calm in trial, invincible in duty, and safe amidst the rage of hell, the agonies of death, and the convulsions of the last day: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," &c.

"lifting up" here evidently refers to his crucifixion. On another occasion the Saviour spoke of his death in a similar way-"If I be lifted up," &c. His death by crucifixion was, First: The culmination of human wickedness. Human wickedness could not reach a higher point than the putting to death the Son of God. Second: The culmination of human suffering. The crucifixion involved ignominy, insult, cruelty, torture. Yet how calmly Christ speaks of this terrible death. "He endured the cross, despising the shame."

II. THIS LANGUAGE EXPRESSES UNSHAKEN FAITH IN THE TRIUMPH OF HIS CAUSE. "Ye shall know that I am he." First: He was not discouraged by apparent failure. To the world, his life, ending in crucifixion, would appear a stupendous failure. To him, however, it was a success. His death was a seed falling into the earth. Second: He did not despair of man's improvability. He believed that there would come a reaction in men's minds concerning Him; that when He was gone they would begin to think, recognise, and give Him credit for excellences which they could not see when He was among them. Thirdly: He was not doubtful of ultimate success.

He saw the day of Pentecost; saw the results of apostolic labours; witnessed the triumph of His truth through all subsequent ages; at last saw his character moulding the race to his own ideal.

III. THIS LANGUAGE IMPLIES A PRINCIPLE OF CONDUCT COMMON IN ALL HISTORY. The principle is this: Goodness disregarded when living, and appreciated when gone. We see this principle sometimes in the family. Members of a family may live together for years, and through the infirmity of tempers, the clashing of taste, and the collision of opinion, excellences may be entirely overlooked. One dies, the father, mother, brother, sister, and then attributes of goodness come up to the memory of the survivors that never appeared before. We see it in the State. Public men devoted to the common good, and loyal to conscience, so clash with popular opinions and prejudices, that they are regarded with odium, and denounced with bitternessthey die and then their virtues emerge and fill the social atmosphere with fragrance Burke, Hume, Cobden are amongst the many illustrations of this. We see it in the Church. A minister labours for years

"The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon."-Judges vii. 20. The context-We shall notice.

I. SOME OF THE EVENTS IN WHICH WE BEHOLD THE COOPERATION OF THE NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL.

First: In Providence. God works in providence only what man cannot. Man does what he can-but God does all that is beyond natural power.

Secondly: In conversion. All who would be saved must co-operate with the influence of the Divine Spirit. "Draw me." This is the work of God. "We will run after thee." This is the work of

man.

Thirdly: In the sustenance of a religious life. Fourthly: In the propagation of the Gospel.