your foe! While the lamp of life burns brightly, consider that "to obey is better than to sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." If you have hitherto neglected the ordinances of your Maker, and the gospels of your Redeemer, retrace your steps: and consider, that, where there is unfeigned sorrow in man, there is never-ceasing mercy in hea

ven.

You must not only resolve, but act up to such resolutions. A future life of holiness will be the best testimony of contrition for past negligences and follies. Your everlasting happiness or misery depends upon your obeying, or scorning, the laws of Almighty God. Eternity is no subject to be trifled with. While, therefore, one hour out of the twelve remains, hasten to find admittance into the vineyard, whose fruit shall never fail, and whose Master is the Saviour of the world.

SERMON XIX.

PSALM li. 10.

Make me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

In order to understand the full import of these words, it may be essential to turn our attention to the verses which precede and follow the one of which the text is composed. From the very commencement of the Psalm from which it is taken, it is evident that the inspired author seems deeply impressed with the sinfulness and depravity of man's heart of the necessity of seeking for mental purity, and of praying earnestly for moral amendment. And it is not a little consoling, from the very opening of this Psalm, that God's mercy encourages the suppliant monarch to make his avowal of turpitude-and to offer up his hope and prayer that he may be forgiven: "thoroughly cleansed from his sins."

Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy

great goodness: according to the multitude of thy mercies, do away mine offences. Wash me throughly from my wickedness; and cleanse me from my sin."

Here therefore, my brethren, you see, on the one hand, a confession of the mercy, the loving kindness, and the unspeakable goodness of Almighty God: and, on the other, an equally frank avowal of the offences and wickedness of the human heart. After a yet farther scrutiny into the turpitude of human nature, and a continued confession of divine

mercy, the Psalmist goes on to say: "Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds." And then, in order that such desirable end may be accomplished, he pours forth this prayer at the throne of grace. "Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

From these words it would appear, that cleanliness of heart and rectitude of spirit were two essential objects towards the attainment of human happiness, and a reconciliation with Almighty God: for no man, I am persuaded, can be thoroughly happy in this world, who is conscious of being unable to stand before his Creator in private.

Let us observe, first, that we must have a

clean heart: and that no one can have a right spirit without this cleanliness of heart. It is not worth a minute's delay, to enquire concerning what is actually meant by the word heart. Every person, whose understanding is in the least cultivated, is alive to the sense and spirit of this expression. Without a good heart, or good principles, we can do nothing becoming a Christian. It is true, that our hearts are deceitful above all things: but if they sometimes lead us wofully astray, at other times they impel us to the performance of much that is noble and generous. There seems to be little or no medium in thus estimating the character of human nature. We are told, in another place, to keep our hearts with all diligence; for out of them are the issues of life: that is, if our hearts be good, our actions will partake of this benevolence of disposition: if they are bad, they will as necessarily be depraved.

A good heart is the temple of virtue. One man is witty, another is learned, a third is ingenious, and a fourth affluent; and, as such, respected:-but where we have nothing of the "good and true of heart" (as the Psalmist in another place expresses it) we have not the most interesting traits of human

nature to contemplate. David was rich, and powerful, and feared, and dreaded, and respected: but in communion with the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, he knew that these qualifications availed him nothing. He prayed to God to have a clean heart and a right spirit renewed within him: knowing, without doubt, that the great Jehovah looked into the heart and reins-into the inner man : and that if all were not right there, it availed nothing to bring forward the splendour of his household, and the popularity of his name.

My brethren, this mode of considering the subject is fraught with very useful advice and instruction to us all. It shews us that, if abilities and situations like those of David, be alone insufficient to obtain God's grace and favour, we must have recourse to some other and more efficacious expedient: and it shews us too, what we should never fail to bear in recollection, that the qualities which David prayed for, are such as we may all attain unto. I mean, goodness of heart and rectitude of spirit or principle. God Almighty does not require of us to be merely rich, respected, and admired, but he requires of us to be good and virtuous: and, in order that we may be so, he would seem to urge