God, identifying himself with Almighty power. Selfdenial and earnest prayer combined; form an order of instrumentality to which the church is comparatively a stranger-the power of which it has not tried on any extensive scale-and yet it is the only order of instrumentality to which God has promised unlimited success, and on which he can consistently confer it.

Brethren, may not this be the one great lesson which the Head of the church is about practically to impress on his people?. It is well for us that he does not delay his blessing until our instrumentality is as perfect as it might be that from the moment we begin to seek the salvation of men, he begins to honour the attempt— and that in proportion as we grow in devotedness, he graciously augments our usefulness.

But the time arrives when, proceeding even at this rate, our opportunities of usefulness exceed our means of improving them-when our success begins to be burdensome. So much more in earnest for human salvation is God than we are, that his blessing on our most defective instrumentality so enlarges our field of operation, that the time at length arrives when we find · ourselves shut up to earnest prayer and willing selfdenial. That time, we think, is approaching in the history of most of our great religious societies-has actually come in the history of this society. His blessing on what you have done, renders it necessary that you should do more. His blessing on your past instrumentality, shuts you up to the necessity of more entire devotedness and of more earnest prayer.

IV. Then let us attend to some of the reasons which should induce this devotedness; and we shall find, fourthly, that, besides the great general motives for seeking the salvation of our countrymen in common with that of others, some of the special reasons which moved the Apostle, should equally operate upon us.

1. Now let me ask, in earnestly desiring the conversion of his countrymen, was he not yielding to the natural promptings of sanctified humanity! Our ob

ligation to preach the Gospel to every creature is founded partly on our family relation to every creature; for God hath made "of one blood all the nations on the face of the earth." The closer our relationship, then, to any part of the human family, the more specific and urgent our obligation to seek their salvation. So far from violating or disregarding any of our natural ties, the Gospel draws them closer, makes them sacred, employs them for the highest purposes, renders it impossible for us to look on our friends and relations as perishing, without yearning to save them. My friends, the inhabitants of your own country are more nearly related to you than those of any other; only yield to the impulse of humanity, and to their salvation you will devote yourselves supremely.

2. And, in thus acting, your highest relative interests would be found to coincide with your duty. The Apostle had ties more tender even than those of country; and he knew that the welfare of those whom he most ardently loved was closely bound up with the spiritual condition of his nation generally; and would not that induce him to desire its conversion? Brethren, it accords with the government of God to deal with a nation collectively-to bless it or to punish it collectively in this world. The depraved condition of a people in one age of its existence, is visited with its evil consequences in a subsequent age. The spiritual state of Britain in the present age, is preparing spiritual consequences for the next age. As you now sow, those who come after you will reap. For it is not possible for one part of a people, any more than of the human body, to suffer, without all the parts suffering with it. By a regard, therefore, to the welfare of those who are the dearest to you-parts of yourselves -to the welfare of your children's children to the latest posterity, the obligation is laid on you to minister devotedly to the spiritual interests of your country. As you could not hear that a fatal contagion was invading the land, and sweeping off the population,

without feeling that your own family were endangered, look on the moral contagion which rages around you, as involving the entire community, and, therefore, those whom you feel for most, in special danger.

3. We have spoken of the holy patriotism of Christ -of the tears which he shed over Jerusalem-and of his command, that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Yes, no sooner did he find himself in a capacity to bless, than he began with blessing the inhabitants of Jerusalem. While their eyes were yet gleaming with the fire of triumphant revenge, he commissioned his servants to hasten and open the charter of redemption within sight of Calvary. And could the apostle know this without corresponding effect? The example of his Lord alone would have sufficed; his solemn command left him no alternative. His heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel was, that they might be saved.

Brethren, I assume not for Britain the same specific relations to Christ which Israel sustained. But if there be value left in signs-if any meaning in providential events-then Britain has long been the Judea of the West. That we are not favoured for our own sakes alone, but also for other and ulterior designs, we must be blind not to perceive. But equally blind must we be, not to perceive that we are distinguished by God in a surpassing degree. Blessings, compared with which the sacred contents of the ark were insignificant, have long been collected, and almost deposited, with us. Privileges, of which the temple, the whole theocracy, were only emblems, have long been dispensed to us in rich profusion. "He hath not dealt so with any people." And can we know that he hath thus "set his love on us," without falling in with his gracious views, and sympathizing with a Society whose object it is to promote them? My friends, do you admire the devotedness-the heroic self-devotion of the apostle, in affirming that he could wish himself accursed from Christ for the sake of his people? "Ye know the grace of

our Lord Jesus Christ,”—he actually became a curse for us-he endured and exhausted every penal curse for man--took our place in the universe-opened his bosom -and welcomed to his heart the stroke which man had deserved. And now, we repeat, the Gospel of his salvation has long been given to Britain-not exclusively indeed, but pre-eminently, in our possessionwith all the rich blessings which come in its train. Oh, if there be any meaning in providential arrangements, never can our prayers and efforts for Britain's salvation exceed the concern which he has manifested—is still manifesting for its entire recovery to God.

4. And this reminds us of another motive. When the apostle had protested his readiness to suffer for his brethren, why think you did he finish the sentence by adding, "who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises?" Partly, doubtless, to show his profound regard for their peculiar privileges. But partly, also, to account for his anxiety for their salvation, by intimating, that in proportion to the value of these external privileges, was their responsibility and danger if they failed of the grace of God.

Look, brethren, at your fellow-countrymen in the same light. Think of their superior facilities and external means of salvation-their Sabbath and other schools for religious instruction-their places for the worship of God-the Bible completed, translated, and placed before them—the glorious Gospel of the blessed God statedly proclaimed by twice ten thousand tongues -privileges which might well awaken the idea that they are adopted in the stead of God's ancient people. But if such their advantages, who shall estimate their responsibility? If a heathen incurs responsibility by coming within even the distant sound of the Gospelif the presence of a single missionary in a heathen district introduces a new element of responsibility into that district, where is the arithmetic which shall describe the vast responsibility of our countrymen? But then,

if such their advantages and responsibility, what is their moral condition? I will not refer you for a reply to the statistics of national crime-to crowded jails and penal colonies. I will not refer you to the dense population of our cities-where thousands live on the vices of others, and thousands more are training up as their successors. I will just refer you to that part of the population which is to be found in the field which this Society especially occupies-our rural districts. Would you see ignorance in its most besotted state ?— you must repair to some of our remote villages. Would you see intemperance carried to beastly stupidity ? and brutality wantoning in the infliction of animal suffering? and the moral and reasoning powers all but extinguished ?—still you must repair to some of our rural districts. Would you see man's nature in its most unimpressable and unimprovable state-in a word, would you see heathenism in its essence-in every thing but its accidental forms?-then must you visit our retired districts. We are accustomed to speak of ancient Bethsaida and Chorazin as standards of human guilt. But, considering our pre-eminent advantages, and the prevailing neglect of them, every county in Britain has its Chorazin and Bethsaidaequally calling for a "woe unto thee!" We speak of Jerusalem as containing, at the death of Christ, a fearful concentration of guilt;—from our land it would not be difficult to collect together elements of depravity equal to those which Jerusalem contained, when the sight of it drew from the eyes of Jesus bitter tears. We are apt to think of the Jews as, at that time, exposed to a fearful doom, and therefore, as objects for peculiar compassion. But, when Paul was ready to lay down his life for them, say what element was there in the danger which they had incurred, to which the unconverted of our countrymen are not equally exposed? No, brethren, the great difference is, that he looked at their danger-thought of it at night-recalled it in the morning-carried the subject with him through the day-followed them in thought to the bar