through the same channel-through that great allsufficient Saviour, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

So far then of the chief instruction there is for us in the account of Jacob's dream. Therein as I have shown you Christ is revealed-Christ in His office of Mediator between God and man. Therein a way

is opened, by which the soul of sinful penitent man may scale the far heights, and ascend on the wings of prayer to Him who made us. There we behold

"The world's great altar stairs,

Which slope through darkness up to God."

There we may go with our weight of cares, of whatever sort they be, and find relief.

"Whatsoever ye

shall ask of the Father" in His name-the name of Jesus Christ-" He will give it you."

He renewed the

Let us notice next, the particular promise which God made to Jacob in this verse. covenant that He had made with Abraham, giving him the land on which as a stranger and an outcast he was lying, and promising that from him should spring-the desire of nations-the Messiah, He in whom all the families of the earth should be blessed. Moreover He added the gracious assurance of His protection and presence to the forlorn wanderer. "Behold I am with thee; and will keep thee in all

places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." And this too is written for our comfort. Not to Jacob only, but to all who are placed as he was in situations of trial, of loneliness, does God speak the words, "Behold I am with thee; I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, I will not leave thee."

Think of it brethren: think of God's promises to those who are in trouble, sorrow, sickness, or any adversity. I am with thee-I will keep thee-I will not leave thee-trust to those promises in the day of your own need. Put God in mind of it, pray to Him a humble prayer, Thou hast said, "I will never leave thee or forsake thee," He will assuredly make it good. He will not go from His word, for He is a God that keepeth promises, mindful of His covenant. He is a Father to the fatherless. He delivereth the outcast, for He is a Refuge to the oppressed, and delivers in the needful time of trouble.

Once again, look at the effect of this remarkable dream on Jacob. When he awaked out of his sleep, his soul was filled with awe. "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, place! this is none

and said, How dreadful is this other but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!" That was the language of a soul that realized God to be nigh; that felt the awfulness of

holding communion with the Holy God, of speaking to God, and hearing God speak. It were well if something more of this reverent spirit were to be found amongst us here: for here too is God's house, here we come to speak to God in words of common prayer, to hear God speak through the pages of His written word. Here, if anywhere, our souls should be afraid, should be hushed and serious, and yet how often is this forgotten. How often have we to hear complaints of levity and careless behaviour in Church. It is not to reproach you I say thisthings indeed are better than they were, and more seriousness and more heartiness is to be observed in our services than was the case some time ago. Still there is room for improvement, still there are those, especially amongst the young, who need to be reminded how they should behave in the house of God. And it is to them I say it, "The Lord is in this place," though ye act as if ye knew it not. O fear the unseen Power Who is present here in the midst of us. O when you come hither remember you come into the immediate presence of God that this is none other but His House-His House of Prayer -that it may be, if you use it right, to you the very Gate of Heaven.

SERMON VII.

THE EVERLASTING SON OF THE FATHER.

(Lent.)

ST. JOHN VIII. 58.

"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was I am."

It is a common practice, and I think a good practice, for clergymen to select their texts from the Gospel or Epistle of the Sunday, for it gives the opportunity of explaining some difficult parts of those scriptures, and of enforcing the especial lesson which they teach while they are yet fresh in the mind of the hearer.

We shall always find too that those scriptures have been chosen with a view to edification, they are replete with matter for our instruction, frequently

too they combine with the lessons, and then shew the harmony of the Bible; how both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both Man and God. Let us then brethren turn our thoughts back to what we have already heard, those twelve verses from the eighth chapter of St. John which form the Gospel for the Sunday; we shall find there abundant matter for our meditation. A passage of holy scripture "profitable for counsel, for doctrine, for instruction in righteousness."

"Which of you convinceth me of sin, and if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" "He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

They were spoken by Christ to the Jews who did not believe on Him. It was a heavy, but a true accusation. They did not "hear His word because they were not of God."

They greatly resented the charge, and they met it, not by argument but by abuse; They answered. and said unto Jesus, "Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil?" To call a man a Samaritan was the bitterest taunt that a Jew could use, we have no word quite equivalent : Infidel, Schismatic, Heretic, the word Samaritan implied all that; it included, in a Jew's mind, all that