seemeth joyous, but grievous; but afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness in those who are exercised thereby." Again; "If ye were without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." Now says the hearer, the speaker has certainly contradicted himself; for he says, Jesus is the gate of heaven, and he says also that chastisement is the gate of heaven! Reply: Jesus, who is the gate of heaven, who is the Lord our righteousness, who is the way, the truth, and the life, who says, I will draw all men unto me, says, likewise, that he will reward every man according to his work. He that knoweth his master's will and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. But how does it become the Saviour to have the disobedient beaten with many stripes? Answer: in order to make them obedient. This brings them to him and to rest.

Let us now notice the provisions which the house of God affords for his numerous family. We can understand this by adverting to the promise which the Lord made to Jacob at the time to which our text directs us-" Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This is the covenant which God made with Abraham and Isaac. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the promised seed, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Here again, we find the house of God and the gate of heaven. Jesus is said to be God's covenant of the people, and a light to the Gentiles. All that we have proved to belong to the family of God, are here, in this covenant, provided for in the most ample manner.

Now wherever it pleases God to make known to the heirs of salvation, this divine covenant, this promise concerning all the families of the earth; wherever he makes a display of Jesus the

promised seed, who is the Lord our righteousness, and who is our peace, there is the house of God and the gate of heaven.

Let the space, locally speaking, be great or small, it is large enough and none too large for this house of God. In your hearts, my brethren, if you love God, and your neighbours as yourselves, there is room enough for this house of God, in which there are provisions for all the families of the earth; yes, and room enough too for all nations to meet together and feast for ever on the bread of life. Jesus says; "I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." This divine truth is Christ in you the hope of glory. How widely he spreads his arms, how affectionately he cries, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and you that have no money, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." This is the language and desire of every true believer in Jesus.

Do you ask your humble servant where he finds the evidences that there are grace, mercy and truth for all men? He replies, he finds them in the house of God; they are in the covenant which our Father in heaven made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they are in Christ who is this covenant; they are in every believer's heart, where Christ the hope of glory resides.

But says the hearer; I believe in Christ, but I have not the evidence that all men are the sub

jects of his grace. We must say you are under a mistake. You have this evidence if you truly love God; for if you love him you love all men, and this love testifies that all men are its object, and you are under the necessity of contradicting this testimony of divine love in your own souls, in order to maintain your creed. And we furthermore say, that until you believe in a doctrine of grace which will comprehend all men, you will not believe in one that comprehends yourselves.

Make your creed large enough for your own souls, and it will be large enough for all mankind.

Furthermore, these evidences appear, as "a cloud of witnesses," in the testimony of those angels, who ascend and descend on the Son of man. These renowned messengers, who have delivered to us the glad tidings of the gospel, comprehend all God's holy prophets since the world began, who have spoken of the coming of the Messiah, and of the glory which should follow, and the final restitution of all things; also "the faithful and true witness" himself, and the Apostles whom he appointed to bear his name to all nations. And to all these may be added those celestial messengers, who have been permitted to taste the heavenly pleasure of announcing salvation to man.

There is such a peculiar harmony in all this testimony, delivered during many hundred years, and such a perfect agreement with the covenant of promise, which was announced to Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the law by Moses, that it appears evident, that if Jacob, in vision, saw so bright a cloud of glory, it must have affected his physical system, ended his slumbers, and opened his eyes.

In accordance with this covenant of promise, which gave assurance that, in Jesus, all the nations, all the families, and all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed, the sweet singer of Israel testified as follows; "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name."

The evangelical Prophet, Isaiah, ascending Jacob's ladder to celestial heights of divine wisdom, and descending to earth with the glad tidings of universal favour, bears the follwing testimony; "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow

unto it-And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things— And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it."

The gracious design of the whole discipline of God's house is thus compendiously expressed by the prophet Jeremiah; "For the Lord will not cast off for ever; but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.”

Let these quotations from the prophets suffice as a sample of their whole testimony respecting our subject, and let us lend a moment's attention to the joyous declaration of celestial messengers. "Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord-And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." These angels ascended and descended on the Son of man; and we may associate with the witness which they gave, the testimony of the apostles, a sample of which we may quote from St. Paul, who says; "And we declare unto you gald tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again-who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification-that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time-For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and

by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven-For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus-Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life-For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Jesus said, as has been noticed, "I will draw all men unto me." Why? Because they were all in his heart, his love comprehended the whole, and his divine determination and promise are, that he will never leave nor forsake them until he shall have fulfilled all his desire.

Jesus said, to the woman of Samaria, "The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the FatherBut the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth-God is a spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Christ is the truth, and he says, "I will draw all men unto me." This is the truth, and wherever it is manifested, there is the house of God and the gate of heaven. This is our Father's house where there is bread enough, and to spare.

The wisdom of this world has framed a very different doctrine from this which we have endeavoured to set before you at this time; but it is not the house of God, nor is it the gate of heaven. It is the house that is built on the sand, and it is the wide gate that leadeth to destruction; and many there be that go in thereat.

My Christian friends, you will permit me to speak the honest conviction of my heart, without giving offence.

As the doctrine of God, of love, of grace, of peace and of truth, the doctrine of Jesus, of life