called by his name, and engraved upon his heart, be the foremost in his cause? All seek their own-not the things which are Christ Jesus's-"What do ye more than others?"

Is the life of Christ so small in us? Is the strength of Christ so feeble in us? Is the grace of Christ so stinted in us ? Is the love of Christ so cold in us? Is the Spirit of Christ so straitened in us that we cannot rise above the customs, principles, practices, and opinions of the world that lieth in wickedness, to do something more and better than at present for him who hath done all things for us?" What do ye more than others ?”

Now, lastly, let me put the question to you as a warning: Thirdly, Are we what we profess?

Remember it is written, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Are we what we profess?

Remember it is written, "If any man,"-no matter who it is, "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Are we what we profess?

Remember it is written, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." Come, brethren, are we what we profess to be? Oh! better we should find out now if we are not, and cast ourselves upon the blood of Christ, than find it out when we shall knock, knock, knock in vain; when the door shall be shut, and he from within shall say, "I never knew you; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity." Remember it is written, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Are we what we profess to be?

I fear a great number of us have no other notion of being

born again than by the water sprinkled upon us at baptism. Brethren, that will not avail us in the day of judgment. Remember it is written, "Faith, without works, is dead, being alone." Now, are we what we profess?

In every sense of the word it is a very solemn enquiry. It is possible that there are many now, before me, of whom it might be truly said, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and ye are not saved;" only the winter is to come; pray that your flight be not in the winter.

Oh, brethren, "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." His arms are open for the chief of sinners. His invitation to you is, "Come unto me." The father's command to you is to take him, as the gift of God, to your souls, and God has pledged himself that "he so loved the world"

-this sinful, guilty world-" that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Oh! take warning; do not rest in your profession; do not rest in forms. "Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are purified from all things;" but it is also written," he that believeth not is condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on him." If we be children of God; if we be what we profess,-this is a very solemn enquiry, and associated with a deep and solemn warning," What do ye more than others."

God will have his children do more than others. He has given us a divine life. He has supplied us with a divine fulness. He has crowned us with divine love. He will not have disobedient children. The great husbandman will not have unfruitful branches without pruning them. If we

would judge ourselves, we would not be judged of the Lord, and would save ourselves many a burning tear, and many a miserable heart. The Lord is faithful to chasten his children. He loves them too well to let them go on disobedient, careless, and wilful. He has commanded his covenant for ever (see Psalm lxxxix. 30-34). God is too true, too kind, too faithful a father, to allow us to forsake his law without the rod and stripes. How much of these we often impose on ourselves by our carelessness, and after all, the worst thing he could say, would be, "let them alone." Why, then, bring down a rod upon yourselves? Ask him that "giveth liberally and upbraideth not" for more of that unction which, descending upon our hearts, consecrates our affections. God knows our enjoyment here, as well as our happiness hereafter, consists in fellowship and communion with and walking with God. The soul which has once seen and known him will never be happy whilst at a conscious distance from him.

Our God has a great work to be done in the world, and there are none to do it but ourselves. A great witness to be borne here for Christ, and we are his witnesses.

Great is God will not comfort one soul

the honour he puts upon us. but by human instrumentality. soul but by human means. silver, nor the lost sheep, except by human agency. Angels would gladly leave their thrones and come down from heaven to be engaged in this work, but God uses his own bloodbought and adopted ones to accomplish it," What do we more than others?

He will not convert one He will not find the piece of

May his spirit convince and consecrate us. May God Almighty, for Christ's sake, make you and make me real

Christians. If what I have been putting before
Christianity, there is very little of it amongst us.

make us real Christians for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. AMEN.

BY

THE REV. MARCUS RAINSFORD,

66

Preached on Sunday Morning, May 29th, 1870.

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”—MATT. xxvii. 3-6.

WE have just been singing of the Ascension of the Con

queror of death and hell into the highest heavens, and how, when his work was done, he dragged sin and Satan, and all the enemies of our souls, powerless to do us harm, at his triumphant chariot wheels, and went up to his Father, and our Father, to his God and our God. Here we have the treatment he received on earth. It is very easy to condemn others, but let us learn to condemn ourselves. How are we treating him? We sing of his ascending glory,—how are we treating him here on earth?

I wish this morning to direct your attention to a very remarkable history.

There is much of awful mystery gathered around the person and character of Judas Iscariot; so called, some say, because of the place where he was supposed to be born— Kerioth! Others think it comes from the Hebrew word Scortia, signifying a leathern bag, and that Judas Iscariot means as much as Judas with the bag, because he carried the purse. Others suppose that he was called Judas Iscariot from another word-Ascard, signifying strangled, referring to the nature of his death. This matters little.

His crime is generally represented as one of surpassing

SERM. VII.