ing his disciples to abound in acts of godliness-in works of faith and labours of love-that they might thus "lay up for themselves treasures in heaven.” And again, the same truth is distinctly and directly taught us by Christ himself, when, in one of his parables of the kingdom of heaven, he tells us, that the man whose talent gained five talents was made ruler over five cities, while he whose talent gained ten was made ruler over ten cities. Observe, then, my young friends, I would here appeal to your ambition; and the appeal is legitimate, it is rational, it is scriptural. Remember, I beseech you, that you are placed in this world as in a school for the education of your souls; to fit you for the active business of an endless life--for the duties and the honours of an everlasting kingdom. Remember that if you neglect the education of your souls in godliness during life, even though you were sure of obtaining an entrance into heaven at death, you could not possibly be qualified for any exalted station there. Depend upon it, that while your entrance into heaven is obtained solely through the merits of Christ, your rank and station in heaven will be assigned to you according to your own merits. Depend upon it, that your advancement in glory in heaven will be in exact proportion to your advancement in godliness on earth. Be assured, therefore, that by early embracing and assiduously exercising the principles, the precepts, and the practices of piety-of true godliness, you will be "laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven," you will be preparing yourselves for exalted stations of trust, and honour, and dignity, and glory, in a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Is not godliness, then-is not youthful godlinessprofitable for the life that is to come? Let me now, then, III. Briefly but earnestly urge upon you to embrace and act upon the principles which I have been explaining and commending. I have not the smallest doubt, my dear young friends, but that, from what has been said, you are, every one of you, convinced in your judgment that the saying in my text is indeed "a faithful, a true saying, and worthy of all acceptation;" but O! that I could now persuade you all to act upon that conviction! O! that I could persuade every one present to give to the sentiment I have been illustrating his and her cordial, immediate acceptation! What will it avail you, my young friends, to know--to be convinced that "godliness is profitable both for the life that now is and also for that which is to come,"-if you do not, each one of you for himself, realise the sentiment in your own experience? And how can you do this but by becoming godly, if you have not already done so? Remember I have told you that you are not, that no human being is, naturally godly; that you must be "taught by the grace of God to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live. soberly, righteously, and godly." But observe, the grace of God "hath appeared" for this purpose; it is exhibited in God's gift of his only begotten and well-beloved Son to die for sinners, that sinners might live. Remember I have told you how this grace becomes available for teaching you to deny ungodliness and to become godly;--I have told you that you must come to Jesus Christ-acknowledge him as the Son of God-the Saviour of sinners-the LORD of all, and submit to his authority accordingly ;-yielding up your heart and affections in love to him, and resolving henceforth to "live no longer unto yourselves, but to him that died for you and rose again”— to live in holy and humble obedience to his will, and dependance on his word. This, and this alone, is to become truly godly. Now, my dear young friends, I wish to speak to you plainly and pointedly on this all-important subject. Bear with me, therefore, for a very little longer. Either you are godly, or you are not. You sce that godliness is something distinct and definite: you know, therefore, whether you are or are not godly. Now, to those who are, I have only to say, persevere in the path you have chosen; persevere in the practice of piety; persevere in your course of humble obedience to and dependance upon the Lord Jesus Christ; and rest assured that the profit of piety--the gain of godliness-shall be yours; that you shall ultimately realise in your own experience the full import of the text, that "godliness is profitable unto all things;" profitable both for "the life that now is, and also for that which is to come." But it is with those that are still ungodly-those that have not as yet given their hearts and affections to Christ-that I have especially to do at present. Let me entreat you, then, my young friends, to reflect closely and seriously on what has now been addressed to you. Be persuaded, as you value your prosperity, your respectability, your comfort, and your happiness in the life that now is; as you value the salvation of your souls; as you value their eternal exaltation in the ever growing glories and honours of the life that is to come;-O! be persuaded to secure for yourselves the profit of piety, by embracing cordially -by embracing immediately, the principles of piety! Delay is dangerous-awfully dangerous! Time past cannot be recalled. Opportunities neglected can never be recovered. Every week, every day that you delay, you are losing much both for time and for eternity. If you delay embracing these principles till you become old, remember that the loss of all the profits of piety, at least as respects the present life, is inevitable; and the risk of your dying in ungodliness is fearfully great! And O! remember that if you die ungodly, you not only deprive yourselves of all the gain of godliness, both in the life that now is and in that which is to come, but you also subject yourselves to God's righteous judgments—his awful judgments—against ungodliness. His immutable decree is that he "will render to every man according to his deeds-viz., to them who, by patient continuance in well doing, scek for glory, and honour, and immortality, he will render eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness" --continue in ungodliness-he will render "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every c 2 soul of man that doeth evil,-for there is no respect of persons with God.". Remember this, then, my young friends, I beseech you; and remember, too, that you have it in your power to become godly if you will; you have it in your power to choose whether you will continue "to live unto yourselves”to serve Satan, sin, and self-and so earn the wages of sin, which are misery and death; or whether you will henceforth serve the Lord Christ-"live unto him who loved you and gave himself for you”—and so obtain an interest in the gift of God, which is eternal life, along with all the profit of piety-the gain of godliness-for the life that now is, and also for that which is to come. "Choose ye, therefore," and O! choose "this day whom ye will serve." And be assured that if the choice of Joseph and of Joshua be yours, if you seek the Lord early-if you seek him now-you shall find him; and you shall soon be enabled to say, addressing him in the words of the poet, but in the sentiments of your own heart "Thou art the source and centre of all minds, |