in the former case, upon a mistaken interp a passage in the Bible. But they are at less, and have long been associated wit plicity, and benevolence, and Christian hum this body of Christians, the followers of three hundred years ago, set out upon th enterprise of making all men friends. Nov be Christian, or would it not rather be more than unchristian-would it not be ness and coarse unfeelingness to treat s and habits, and customs, with anything b and reverence?

Further the apostle enjoined this duty Corinthian converts, of abridging their Ch erty, not merely because it might give pain it, but also because it might even lead the into sin. For, if any man should eat of offered to an idol, feeling himself justified science, it were well: but if any man, ove authority or interest, were to do this, not a conscience, but against it, there would be and direct act of disobedience-a conflic his sense of right and the gratification of his or the power of influence; and then his would as much damage his conscience and n as if the act had been wrong in itself.

Now, in the personal application of thes there are three things which we have to first is this: Distinguish, I pray you, bet tenderness for a brother's conscience and serving. This same apostle, whom we he gracefully giving way upon the ground ency when Christian principles were left

the same who stood firm and strong as a rock when anything was demanded which trenched upon Christian principle. When some required, as a matter of necessity for salvation, that these converts should be circumcised, the apostle says, "To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour!" It was not indifference, it was not cowardice, it was not the mere love of peace, purchased by the sacrifice of principle, that prompted this counsel; but it was Christian love-that delicate and Christian love which dreads to tamper with the sanctities of a brother's conscience.

2. The second thing we have to say is this - that this abridgment of their liberty is a duty more espe cially incumbent upon all who are possessed of influence. There are some men-happily for themselves, we may say who are so insignificant that they can take their course quietly in the valleys of life, and who can exercise the fullest Christian liberty without giving pain to others. But it is the price which all who are possessed of influence must pay, that their acts must be measured, not in themselves, but according to their influence on others. So, my Christian brethren, to bring this matter home to every-day experience and common life, if the landlord uses his authority and influence to induce his tenant to vote against his conscience, it may be he has secured one voice to the principle which is right, or, at all events, to that which seemed to him to be right, but he has gained that single voice at the sacrifice and expenso of a brother's soul. Or, again, if, for the sake of insuring personal politeness and attention, the rich man puts a gratuity into the hand of a servant of some

company which has forbidden him to receive it, he gains the attention, he insures the politeness, but he gains it at the sacrifice and expense of a man and a Christian brother.

3. The last remark which we have to make is this How possible it is to mix together the vigor of masculine and manly intellect with the tenderness an charity which is taught by the Gospel of Christ! man ever breathed so freely when on earth the air an atmosphere of heaven as the Apostle Paul,-no m ever soared so high above all prejudices, narrownes littlenesses, scruples, as he; and yet no man eve bound himself as Paul bound himself to the ignoranc the scruples, the prejudices, of his brethren. So th what in other cases was infirmity, imbecility, an superstition, gathered round it in his case the pur high spirit of Christian charity and Christian delicac And now, out of the writings, and sayings, and deed of those who loudly proclaim "the rights of man and the "rights of liberty," match us, if you can, wi one sentence so sublime, so noble,- one that will stand at the bar of God hereafter, as this single, gle ous sentence of his, in which he asserts the rights Christian conscience above the claims of Christi liberty: "Wherefore, if meat make my brother offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standet lest I make my brother to offend."

XVII.

[Preached May 16, 1852.]

VICTORY OVER DEATH.

1 Cor. xv. 56, 57. — “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

ON Sunday last I endeavored to bring before you the subject of that which Scripture calls the glorious liberty of the sons of God. The two points on which we were trying to get clear notious were these: What is meant by being under the law, and what is meant by being free from the law? When the Bible says that a man led by the Spirit is not under the law, it does not mean that he is free because he may sin without being punished for it, but it means that he is free because, being taught by God's Spirit to love what His law commands, he is no longer conscious of acting from restraint. The law does not drive him, because the Spirit leads him.

There is a state, brethren, when we recognize good, but do not love God in Christ. It is that state when we admire what is excellent, but are not able to per form it. It is a state when the love of good comes to nothing, dying away in a mere desire. That is the state of nature, when we are under the law, and not

converted to the love of Christ. And the another state, when God writes His law hearts by love instead of fear. The one stat "I cannot do the things that I would;" state is this "I will walk at liberty, for 1 commandments."

Just so far, therefore, as a Christian is Spirit, he is a conqueror. A Christian in 1 sion of his privileges is a man whose very to have in it all the elasticity of triumph, very look ought to have in it all the brightn tory. And just so far as a Christian suff struggle in him and overcome his resolutio far he is under the law. And that is the I whole doctrine of the New Testament. Fr last, the great truth put forward is, The neither save you nor sanctify you. The C do both; for it is rightly and emphatically perfect law of liberty.

We proceed to-day to a further illustrati subject of Christian victory. In the verse have read out, the apostle has evidently the ject in his mind-slavery through the law through the Gospel. The strength of sin, h the law. God giveth us the victory throug And when we are familiar with St. Paul's thinking, we find this idea coming in perpet runs like a colored thread through embroidery ing on the upper surface every now and t different shape; a leaf, it may be, or a flow the same thread still, if you only trace it b your finger. And this was the golden recurrin in the mind of Paul. Restraint and law cann