in this state he is judged-and bound with the fetters of his own lies, he sinks irrecoverably into hell.

The word, which in our version is translated "remain," may be also rendered "to pass the night." It will indeed be night about such a one— a night of tribulation, a night of death. The sun of his pleasure has set; the glimmering taper of his false peace is extinguished by the rising storm of conscience. Now, thou vaunting roll, show what thou canst do, and save thy disciple! True, it continues with the distressed mortal, but it is only to mock his misery, and to manifest the whole extent of its own nakedness, impotence, and worthlessness. Oh how has the poor wretch been deceived! How dreadfully has he been robbed and plundered by philosophy and vain deceit ! Behold! his house, with the timber and the stones thereof, are consumed by the roll. He no longer feels any courage to pray, any consolation of grace, any confidence in a living God, any certain hope of eternal life. The unhappy wretch stands upon the ashes of his habitation, without shelter, staff, or couch, enveloped in the vapour of a sullen despondency and despair; and notwithstanding the depth of his distress, so firmly fixed in falsehood, and so beclouded by his delusions, that all idea of his ever directing his course to the peaceful haven of truth, is entirely at an end.

Do not, however, imagine that there is no rea

son to apprehend such a strengthening and confirming in delusion on the part of a gracious God. Look at Israel, that degenerate race! What has been its fate during the last two thousand years ? Israel likewise rejected the word of truth, and attached himself to the flying and lying roll of the Talmud. The roll has remained, even to this hour; and, alas! how has it consumed the house of Israel; together with the timber and the stones! Does not the whole nation resemble a city laid in ashes? How are they left-entirely in accordance with that ancient prediction (Hosea iii. 4)-" without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim." Their sentence is dreadful, and they are daily carried off in the midst of their delusions. Ah, how firmly does the roll stick to them! but there it remains, in order to render it strikingly apparent to us, that "our God is a consuming fire, and an enemy to lies!"

You now know, my dear friends, the nature of Zechariah's maledictory roll. Wherever this roll meets you, and under whatever form-whether masked or with open vizor, in a pious tone, or shamelessly blaspheming and ridiculing, in writing or in uttered words, in sermons, or in books and periodical papers-greet him with a bold "Who's there?" and look him full in the face. If it be he -the anti-Christian vagrant-make short work with

him. Cast the roll away from you. Say, 'Thou hast mistaken thy man; we correspond not with hell;' and do not give it a night's lodging in your house; for danger is connected with its reception; scorpions sleep beneath its seal. And if any one of you has already made room for its admittance, give it this day notice to quit, lest the roll of false doctrine become master in your house, and lest the Almighty fasten it in his wrath, and give free scope to the destroyer. But look, here is another roll, written by the Spirit of truth, and addressed "to all who desire to be saved." Wherever this roll of the Gospel is received, it also "remains ;" but in the character of an angel of God, beautifying and blessing. It consumes only that timber and those stones, which are of no use; and lays in their place another stone, which no fire can destroy, and points out to you a species of wood for the erection of a peaceful habitation, that is never injured by the tooth of time. To those who receive this roll, it presents nothing but salutations of affection from on high. And, lo! the Lord will also bring it forth in due time, and openly prove, in a glorious manner, that it was indeed a Divine roll, an epistle from above. Aye, and whoever hungers after righteousness, life, and peace-to him would I say, as the Lord once did to his prophet, "Eat the roll that is before thee."

This roll proclaims an unconditional amnesty to

the sinner, a speedy and eternal recovery to the sick, the most blissful liberty to the captive, and unfolds to him, who is driven about on the roaring ocean of the present life, the prospect of a landingplace, from whose peaceful shores no storm shall beat back his vessel any more. Oh! may this precious word of God be blessed to us! Let it remain your Magna Charta, my hearers! Cleave closely to its precepts, for they are your life; and inscribe on all the pillars of your church :-" Though any one should preach to us any other Gospel, than that. which we have received, even were it an angel from heaven, let him be accursed!" Amen.

WHO IS HE THAT CONDEMNETH?

DELIVERED ON EASTER-DAY.

"BEHOLD I will extend peace to her like a river." Such is the Lord's promise in Isaiah, lxvi. 12. Thousands of years have the ears of his saints stood upon the watch-tower, anxious to catch a sound of the noise of this stream. Thousands of years have his pilgrims panted after a draught from this river of peace! Now at length it has broken forth, and, gushing from its triple source-from Bethlehem, from Golgotha, and from Joseph's open tomb-rolls its saving waves along from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same.

Jerusalem, this city of God upon earth, is overflowed by this stream; but we, beloved, appear to dwell upon an arid island; at least, it seems as if this stream sent forth but small and shallow rivulets in the midst of us. Yea, how is it that on the whole there is found amongst us so little real peace and hearty joy, and a thousand times more complaining, sighing, doubting, and lamentation ?—and yet, here, too, is Jerusalem! Is it that our external prosperity is too great, and that therefore in