And the consciousness of this, like the retrospect of visions and revelations on the part of the Apostle, endangers the begetting of that spiritual pride, which, if we do not crucify, God will, unless He mercifully by humiliation prevent it. And the more intimate our fellowship, and the brighter our hopes, and the more uninterrupted our joy in the Lord, the stronger will be our temptation to exalt ourselves, and to despise others. It was probably to prevent or to cure this, that Job was allowed to be so grievously afflicted. Hezekiah fell into the snare, and being left to himself that he might see what was in his heart, learned humiliating lessons by a sore experience. David and Peter suffered in the same way. John the Baptist, after a life of unparalleled devotedness, apparently either to prevent or cure this evil, was thrown into prison, as one worthless and cast aside, that on his translation into that place where all is lowliness, he might see and feel that he was nothing, and God could do His work without him. Let the spiritually minded, then, watch and pray that they fall not into this temptation. Let the cry of their hearts be,

and let the afflicted believer rest assured that there is a "needs-be" for his sufferings, and that their cause may be a gracious design to prevent unsuspected evils, to provide against unknown dangers, to guard against self-exaltation, from the abundance of the revelations vouchsafed to the favoured soul.

2. And, finally, a word to those who know not what these things mean; who are not conscious of such fellowship with God, or of that manifestation of Himself which "Christ makes to His people, and which He makes not to the world; "—who are in no danger of being lifted up through any sense of spiritual dignity, or eternal heirship, because they have no spiritual dignity or everlasting inheritance to lift them up.-Brethren, what an awful condition is yours! Believe it, you must attain some experience of this fellowship, of its enjoyments and its perils, or you must perish. We know what the consequence must be if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ; but you have no love, no obediential affection: for Christ says, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." We know what the result must be, if we be not the children of God by adoption and grace, and through faith in Christ Jesus; for "if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

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Listen, then, to the Divine invitations; let not "the farm and the merchandise" have greater attractions for you than "the marriage supper of the Lamb." Behold," saith the Saviour of mankind, "I stand at the door and knock: if any man open unto me, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me." The Lord invites you -yea, solicits you-to very near and tender intimacy with Himself, even on this side the grave; and here must that intimacy be commenced and cultivated, and in a great measure ripened in you, too, or it will never have place in the world to come; and you will see at last the now inviting Saviour, only to hear from His lips those words of terror, the obliteraters of hope, "I never knew you, depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."

The Immutability of Christ.

BY THE

REV. THOMAS PITMAN,

INCUMBENT OF ST. JUDE'S, ISLINGTON.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."-Heb. xiii. 8.

In this chapter St. Paul closes his letter to the Hebrew Christians, "He had written them a letter in few words;" yet most interesting and important had been the subject of that letter. It was Jesus Christ in the stead of Jewish forms and Jewish sacrifices. And as the Apostle, throughout this his letter, had invited the attention of the Hebrews to Jesus, so now, about to close it-after mentioning a few important duties, and warning them against some especial sins-he returns again to the one great purpose he had in addressing them the manifestation of Christ Jesus. Lately, it would seem, they had lost some faithful ministers; doubtless, they missed them; naturally, they mourned over their loss; but let them not sorrow as those without hope; for one would continue with them even to the end; -one minister remain, always to guide, ever to cheer them;-Jesus Christ Himself, "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

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I propose to draw your attention to two important truths arising from the text. The first shall be the changing nature of everything here; the other shall be-the unchanging nature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And, oh, that while a new year is still open before us, and life and opportunity are ours, we may be led by the Holy Spirit, not merely to contemplate, but also to act upon these truths, to walk, by faith, and not by sight; to run the race that is set before us; "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

I. It must be admitted that change is written upon everything here, yet suffer a few particulars. In the world in which we live we are constantly reminded that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come." When we look into Bible history, how plainly this fact stands out before us. Look at the great cities men

SERMON X.

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tioned there; Babylon, for instance-Nineveh, Tyre; all their glory gone. And respecting one, we only can conjecture now as to whereabouts it stood. How clearly the truth of the text stands out before us. Or, again, in our own experience and taking our native place as an example. Where are the old buildings now? Where now the pleasant fields ? Where now the dear companions-the loving friends and acquaintances of childhood? Many of these are gone; these, too, have felt the change. The village, it may be, long since sprung into a town; the companions dead and gone; the place which knew them once knowing them now no more. Verily, beloved brethren, this is but a changing world, for change meets us in everything. Again, we see the same truth in the condition of the inhabitants. What changes we meet with here, again. The rich man fallen from his wealth; the poor man gathering his riches; "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh,"―births, marriages, and deaths, quickly following each other, the shout of rejoicing, the groan of disappointed hopes,-blending together, lost in each other, and happening every day! Every day many are born, every day many die! Life and death striving as it were with each other for the victory. We see the same truth again in the inventions of man. This he will tell you is a law of his success; he must invent: there is a craving for invention, and this craving must be satisfied; the most successful inventor wins the prize The world itself is ever restless for change. Is it not so, dear brethren? Do not our railways, telegraphs, and even our postal system, teach us as much as this? These were matters which our forefathers knew not of; but lately invented, they are not yet perfected; we are looking forward to future discoveries of science, future masteries of genius, and God, in His higher wisdom, is turning this craving to account. The steam-press, and the journey by steam, and the winged message of the telegraph, all in His hands subserve His precious Gospel; hasten His willing messengers; bring the coloured man and the Christian face to face, and so proclaim salvation to the heathen, salvation" by Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

Again, we may see the same truth in the glorious works of God. Look at His wonderful creation-here again all repeats the lesson. Above us the glorious firmament-the sun, the moon, the stars, the very clouds-these, as I need not stay to prove, have each of them their changes,-fulfilling their silent courses; governed by firm laws, ruled by unerring counsel, and yet their very principle being change. So also with the seasons-the winter with its biting wind, its hoar frost, its ice and snow. How desolate vegetation now! -the trees stripped of their foliage, the husbandman stayed from his labour; the little bird bereft of its summer habitation; and yet all of these cared for, all loved, all provided for, by a love that changes not; by an eye that never closes, never sleeps.-Then again, spring follows, with its delicate and attractive flowers-its soft green leaf, its song of birds, to tell us that "winter is past, the rain is over and gone. Then again come the glorious, long, bright summer days, when the lamp of light seems scarcely to expire, when night comes

on us tardily, and day breaks on us imperceptibly-when we begin to gather in the harvest; when we crush the grape; when we meet with another change, gifts from His overflowing hand, but rendering all things new, and yet immutable and sure to His chosen and redeemed people. And then comes autumn. Autumn, with its lovely colours, the leaves of the woods beautiful even in decay; the glowing sky, but shortening days-and yet bringing in new charms: invested with a beauty of their own, but all serving to remind us of our own great change to follow, telling us that our sun also must soon set our day soon close in night-our life soon be hidden in the grave.

The same truth again meets us in the wondrous arrangement of the body; the same law governs this as everything else the law of universal change. These bodies of ours are never long the same, but day after day are undergoing a silent alteration. In a few years and nature has experienced an entire change. We only see this at marked intervals, such as infancy, manhood, and old age; yet the change is a daily law to us. "Man never continueth in one stay;" he cometh up, and is cut down like a flower. In the morning it is green, and groweth up; in the evening cut down, dried up, and withered. As a vesture shalt thou change them." Change what, dear brethren? Why, everything here, heavens, earth, and man upon the earth. "As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” Once more, we see this principle in the religious world as well. Here, indeed, change is often an evidence of growth; for where change is not, there scarcely can be life, for spiritual life is evidenced by change. Solemn test for us, dear brethren, that if we have had no changes, we have made no progress in religion! If we have made no advances nearer to the kingdom, we ought to doubt whether as yet we live; seeing that growth is the evidence of life! And yet this very growth how it varies in different people-in some it is slow, in others very rapid. Some dear Christian people grow in grace so evidently, that there is a marked change in them every time we meet them; others again advance but very slowly. They meet with great drawbacks, are often put back, have strong habits they cannot overcome, and terrible temptations which stay them on the road. And in the same Christian character, too, what changes we find; now rejoicing, now downcast, now triumphing over every hindrance; now enfeebled again by some bygone temptation; and well is it, indeed, for one so inconstant and fickle as man, that he has to deal with an unchanging, everlasting God-with one whose character is pourtrayed to us in the language of the text, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."-Look, again, at the connexion of minister and people for this falls also under the same pervading law of change; ministers feel it in connexion with their people, and people feel it in connexion with their ministers. There is, when it is rightly considered, something very interesting, in this view of the Christian ministry. The true minister of Christ has been called by Jesus Christ-so was it with St. Paul. "I thank," he says, "Christ Jesus,

our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." Again, he speaks of himself as separated unto the gospel of God. Again, he tells us he was "called to be an apostle." Oh! it is a great comfort when as ministers we can realize this great truth to ourselves. There is no argument so comforting, no hope so unfeigned as the truth, "Thou, oh Lord, hast called me, and sent me. I have spoken these things at thy word." Again, the Christian minister is a painstaking, laborious man. Some look at his work as soon over, and easily accomplished; but such people know nothing of the constant anxiety, responsibility, watchfulness, and "wakefulness" belonging to this high and exalted calling. Then again, a minister depends much for success on the prayers of his people; as he would soon come to nought were he to be always working without praying, so would his people soon cease to be advantaged by his ministry-soon become dead and lifeless in religion, without their earnest prayer in his behalf.

Oh, what showers of blessings we should have, dear friends, if you would only pray for us yet more-if you would but remember us day by day with God-if you would but intreat of Him that our sermons might help and strengthen you; that the sinner might really be converted to God, and God's children might be effectually helped. Oh, what a blessing would follow for your own souls and ours. God would then, according to His promise, "open His windows in heaven, and give us such a blessing that there should not be room enough to receive it." And yet this happy connexion, this lovely bond between a people and their minister, how soon it is severed! What a mere accident will close it. We only learn to know a little of our people, and we see them not again. Change of locality, of circumstance, and the great change of all is constantly affecting this. How many we meet with in our ministry whom we shall never meet again in this world. Some gone into the country, some out to foreign lands, some down into the grave; and so that here again, here in this small circle, the same truth approves itself, the variableness, the uncertainty of everything here.

And what a change, beloved, is still waiting for us in the distance! After these, and many others we might also mention, after all the great change lingers yet behind. Oh, what a surprise it will be! This world, with its glare and show, its puerility and tinsel, its anxiety and joy, its hope and its alarm-all left behind us in the grave. What a change awaits us there! And after this the judgment. And then no further alteration, but a fixed and everlasting state. "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still; he that is holy, let him be holy still; he that is righteous, let him be righteous still." Change, you will observe, up to the very last, and then the fixed decree. Constant change here, but no change there. Well might the prophet Job resolve: "All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come."

II. But let us now consider, in the next place, the unchangeableness of Jesus Christ. What a relief, dear friends, to turn away from a world that is ever changing, ever varying, to one who is incapable of change-to" Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for