confined to the rich. There are superior difficulties in the path of the rich; but there are difficulties insuperable in the path of the poor; and in the path which seems most favourable, that of middle life, there are insuperable difficulties to encounter,difficulties which only God can overcome. And if you want to be satisfied of this, I must come to my old suggestion; Try, try what you can do; try what reality you can give to the unseen world; try what violence you can put upon your appetites, how much your spirit can do against your flesh. What? you are convinced you are able. Then is that conviction effectual? Does that conviction really lead you to that renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil, which you have vowed? Well then, my remark here is, whether you be poor, or whether you be rich, your salvation is impossible, except God give you his special grace. And I cannot do better than advise you in the words of the Church catechism," his special grace, which you must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer."

Well then, I have a question for you here; Are you calling upon God for it by diligent prayer? O, beloved, let this be my advice, and it is comprehended in very few words,-Pray. But you tell me you do pray. Then I say, do you pray for the grace of God as that which alone can give you an insight into the heavenly state, that insight which is necessary in order that you may make choice of it, and pursue it

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with sincerity? O, beloved, pray especially,—I might say, (such is the earnestness of my heart about it,) pray singly and alone, for the special grace of God, that this impossibility may be turned into possible by the interposition of his omnipotence in the bestowal of his special grace upon you.

Then I would especially say a word to the young; to whom and to whose case I thank God that I have of late been especially directed. Beloved, all that can be said about riches I would say about you. I do not think it is possible to aggravate the difficulties of the rich beyond yours. My young friends, who are at present full of health and natural vigour,-to fulness of health, and fulness of natural vigour, what can we present out of the invisible world? My friends, take notice of my words; I am making them as few as possible. I ask you, young people,-young men, young women,—what can nature present to you which shall induce you to abandon the world, and to abandon your own bodily enjoyments, for the things which are to be had years hence, for the things upon which no eye rests? Why then, I tell you, your difficulties are fitly expressed by the word here which I venture to apply to you also. "How hardly shall they that have youth and natural vigour enter into the kingdom of God! But with God all things are possible." And I refer you to God to overcome them. I know you have difficulties. I know what youth and vigour are. And I know that it does not require much of the artifice

of Satan to make the flesh a powerful and an insuperable adversary to all spiritual instruction.

But then again, if I address myself to the old, what am I to add? Have the old no difficulties? Why, they have their difficulties too. You would certainly be a false interpreter of Scripture, if you supposed that the Lord Jesus Christ meant to say that the poor had no difficulties to encounter in the way to the kingdom of God. And equally so should I be, if I were to say that the old had no difficulties, or that those in middle age had no difficulties.

The fact, the simple fact, is, that only to the omnipotent grace of God are the difficulties of any period of life, and of any station in life, and of any cast of mind, superable. And O that you may know this! And O that you may feel this! And O that you may make that wise, that sober use of it, to which I call you! I care not if all the world cavil at it; I care not if all the world say, What now? you are going to set on this people to pray! Yes, I am going to set on this people to pray. And I appeal to your I am not ashamed to appeal to a man's reason. If a man were a brute or a stone, he would not be the subject of divine interference. But you have an intellect. And having an intellect, I appeal to you. And my appeal to your intellect is, to bid you do, what you do in common cases of human life. A great man has possessions to bestow; to his will you must find an appeal to bend it. Will not you go and ask

reason.

him? Will not you go and try to move his will? Would not you address yourself to him? Then where is the difference between this possessor of earthly benefits and the Almighty? What you would do with men, do with God. If you would ask a man to give you what he alone can bestow, ask of God to give you what He alone can bestow,-his omnipotent grace; but ask as those who know assuredly that only his omnipotent grace can make you master of your difficulties and your temptations. Taking up this language as applicable individually to our own case,— With men this which I am desiring,—even entrance into the kingdom of God,-is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

September 6, 1829.

INTRODUCTION TO SERMON XXII.

Extracts from a Sermon preached on August 23, 1829, containing a brief outline of the argument in proof that the observance of the Lord's day is not to be referred to the fourth commandment, but to the mind of Christ as made known to the Church by his apostles.

The subject naturally arranges itself under two heads of enquiry:

First, Why not refer its observance to the fourth commandment?

Secondly, What evidence have we that it is the mind of Christ that we should keep the Lord's day?

I. Then with respect to the first of these,-the question why we should not refer the Christian Sabbath to the fourth commandment,-I have reasoned thus:

i. Because, in the first place, the very letter of the commandment is contradictory to our ordinance. It enjoins