solemn resolutions have been obliterated from our minds as our disease subsided. Like the ungrateful lepers, we have been unmindful of the mercies of Jehovah; we have forgotten that Being who arrested the malady under which we laboured, and have not returned to give glory to God.

In addition to those temporal mercies we have received, how abundant is that provision which has been made for the healing of our souls! Yes; when there was no eye to to pity, and no arm to save; when destruction appeared to be inevitable, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, the Prince of Peace, vacated his throne, left the realms of bliss, and suffered upon the cross, that man might escape the condemnation of the law, and be rescued from eternal ruin! What returns of gratitude have we made for this unbounded stretch of mercy? Here and there, indeed, a solitary individual may be found who preserves a consistency of conduct, and returns to give glory to God. But where are the nine? Where are the mass of those who are pensioners upon the divine bounty; who have been relieved in the hour of distress by thy merciful compassion? Where, gracious God! where are the creatures for whom Jesus died upon the cross, and shed his precious blood? Where are those upon whom he so often called in tenderness? Where are those who have sworn allegiance to the Redeemer, and have once professed themselves his followers? Where are the nine in the text? They are unmindful of the agonies and sufferings of the Saviour; they have turned their backs upon him whom they once professed to love, and are now trampling under foot that blood by which, notwithstanding their ingratitude, they still hope to be saved.

To justify a neglect of sacred things, by adducing as a plea the ungrateful conduct of the many, is to reason against the convictions of our hearts and our understandings. Who that will exercise his reason, does not approve the conduct of Noah, who, in the midst of an adulterous generation, boldly espoused the cause of truth; who dared to be virtuous; who had the fortitude to obey his Maker,

amidst the frowns and contempt of surrounding thousands? Who does not commend, in accents of the loudest approbation, the conduct of the leper, who, animated with gratitude, returned to give glory to God, and to worship that Being who had favoured him with his love? Yes; when we see him falling upon his face, and bowing to the earth, at the feet of Jesus, our souls are enkindled with the fire of devotion, and we exclaim in rapture, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant;" angels also, who, from the heights of bliss witness the scene, re-echo our cries, and sing "Glory to God in the highest!"

It appears from a general view of the history of the lepers mentioned in the text, that the nine who proved so unmindful of the goodness of God were Jews-men instructed in the principles of religion, and acquainted with the nature and attributes of the Deity: while the one whose heart was impressed with gratitude for the favours he had received, was a Samaritan, a stranger to the covenant of promise, and shut out from every avenue of religious information.

Thus, brethren, we often perceive that the returns of gratitude which we make to heaven, are by no means proportioned to the knowledge which we possess, or to the blessings we enjoy. Instead of improving our spiritual advantages, and reflecting upon the world that light with which we have been favoured, we are not found to give that glory to God which might reasonably be expected. A coldness of devotion too frequently marks our lives. If we are not positively ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, we feel but little interest in its cause; and those whose advantages are more circumscribed than our own, put, by their actions, intelligent Christians to the blush. God unquestionably expects that our returns of praise will bear a due proportion to the blessings which we receive. Let not the Samaritan, therefore-let not the individual, who in a great measure may be ignorant of the attributes of Deity, exceed the intelligent Christian in the closeness of his walk with God; but let us take up the cross, and

"glorify God in our bodies, and our spirits, which are his." To conclude. The success which attended the lepers, in their application to the Saviour for assistance, convinces us, not only of his ability, but also of his disposition to befriend us. His word, remember, is as effectual now, as it was in the days of his flesh. No malady can be so severe as to withstand the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. A hospital of incurables can be relieved by him with as much ease, as the distresses of an individual can be removed. Ten applied to him at the same moment for assistance, and they were instantly restored to perfect health; and if there had been ten thousand, the effect would have been the same, for "he spake, and it was done."

The diseases of the soul, also, however great, can be cured by his sovereign word. The chief of sinners-the most flagrant offender-the leprous transgressor, who is without the least soundness in him, by a cry to the Lord Jesus for mercy, will obtain a full and perfect pardon. Fly to him, therefore, while opportunity is afforded you"Jesus, master, have mercy upon us!"

Again. When the Saviour, in answer to your prayers, has removed your distress, give glory to God, I beseech you, by a life of obedience to his precepts. Should you at any time, after the reception of his mercy, be led by the world into any improper situation, or by accident mingle with sinful company, let the inquiry of the Saviour, "Where are the nine?" arrest your attention, and force you instantly from the place. Parley not with transgression, but "Escape for your lives, lest ye be

consumed."

When engaged, Christians, in your duties, the Redeemer will behold you with complacency and delight; and how pleasing will it be for you in those moments, when, in condescending goodness, he inquires, "Where are the nine?" instead of blushing at the inquiry, to be able to answer: We are engaged, blessed Jesus, in conversing upon that love which brought thee from above to secure

our salvation. We are employed, blessed Saviour, in singing thy praise; we are kneeling at thy footstool around the family altar, to implore a continuance of thy favour and loving kindness, and entreating thee to assist us, in training up our children in the knowledge and fear of God. We are engaged in feeding the poor of thy flockin clothing the naked-in visiting the sick-in drying up the widow's tears-and in assuaging the distresses of the helpless orphan. That such may be the answer of our hearts to the solemn inquiry, may God, of his mercy, grant!

SERMON III.

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."-1 KINGS, Xviii. 21.

THAT remarkable display of divine power which attended the ministry of the Prophet Elijah is a conclusive evidence of the love and mercy of God. It shows us that the Almighty takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner. It proclaims him long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and in love; and constrains the reflecting believer to exclaim in admiration, "What could have been done more for his vineyard than he hath done in it."

The ingratitude of the Jews, in deviating so repeatedly from the commands of God, should impress our minds with a due sense of the depravity of our nature. It should excite in our bosoms a spirit of vigilance and attention, lest, through the effects of temptation, we should prove equally unmindful of the mercy of heaven, and regardless of the efforts of redeeming love. When, therefore, we feel a spirit of indignation excited in our minds, by the wanderings of the Israelites, let us be upon our guard: and "let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed, lest he fall."

The particular mercies which the children of Israel experienced at the hands of their Creator, rendered their backslidings and disobedience doubly criminal-" for to whom much is given, of him will much be required." They were rescued by the power of God, from the oppressive yoke of Egyptian bondage, guarded by his particular