We should rejoice with them that laugh; we should mourn with them that weep; now gladdened with the prosperity of our neighbour, and now condoling in his sorrows. There should be no jealousy nor ill-feeling betwixt any; but as members one of another, as the united parts of one great whole, we should all work together, and hold together in unity and harmony, and single-minded affection; we should live and love as brethren, "perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment;" we should meet together "with one accord, in one place," and offer up our common prayers, and praises, and thanksgivings. Oh! let us all thus dwell together in unity, and remember that we are all the adopted sons of God, and heirs of the promises through Christ Jesus. Heaven is the common inheritance of us all; and that we may not lose the actual possession of it hereafter, let us now strive together to fulfil our baptismal vow in all its parts and duties.

LECTURE III.

A.........

A child of God and an inheritor of the

kingdom of heaven.

Persons in the higher ranks of life are sometimes apt to pride themselves upon their noble and ancient family; they point with feelings of vanity to a long line of ancestors, extending backwards many hundred years, and connected with the former sovereigns of the country. They boast of the many generations through which the property they now hold has passed from father to son in uninterrupted succession; they express their determination to hand it down, as good trustees, in unimpaired condition, and to keep the honour and dignity of their family unblemished and untainted. Now I have not referred to this expression of family pride, as it is usually called, for the single purpose of condemning it; that is no business of mine at present. But I wish to awaken within you all something of the same sort of feelings; I do not say of pride, for that would be sinful. For we may boast of

C

a pedigree far more noble and ancient than

any of the highest born of earthly sovereigns and potentates. We talk not indeed of our ancestors after the flesh, but we trace up our descent unto God. We are the children of God, His adopted sons and daughters; "of His own will begat He us with the word of truth." And if we are His children, then are we also brethren of Christ; and consequently heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. We have a title and a claim to a goodly heritage, to that precious, blessed, and glorious inheritance, reserved in heaven for the true saints of God. Now when we look to our descent from God, to our close relationship with Christ, and to the immense property in heaven entailed upon us, and of which the gospel is the title-deed, have we not more reason to boast and glory than all the kings and nobles of the earth? And would that at all times we were careful to maintain the dignity of our heavenly birth pure and unsullied! Would that we would so live, and speak, and act, that our divine extraction might be manifest to all! that our Christ-like temper and conversation might at once distinguish us, as the children of God and brethren of Christ! But great and blessed as our present privileges are, unspeakable as are our future hopes, let us not depend upon them with idle security. True, that at the present time we are inheritors of the kingdom of heaven; heirs-apparent to the crown of glory, to an inheritance incorruptible,

undefiled, and that fadeth not away! What then? are we infallibly certain of coming into possession hereafter? Is it not possible that we may be disinherited after all, and never actually enjoy the blessings of the high estate for which we are destined? Possible, undoubtedly it is. Many a child never possesses the property to which he is lawful heir: some die in their father's life time; others, through their disobedience or extravagance, incur his displeasure and are disinherited; others are unjustly deprived of what they are entitled to. And as the heir to worldly property is thus liable from various causes never to possess what is entailed upon him; so we, as inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, may also forfeit our titles to those "good things, which God has prepared for them that love Him."-But are we indeed heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? Then need I say that during the present life we must prepare ourselves for the exalted station to which we are called? We see how the Prince of Wales is at the present time" under tutors and governors," appointed to train and discipline his mind, to teach and instruct him, that he may be qualified to rule over this nation with wisdom and prudence, should it ever be his lot to sit upon the throne of this country. And though he is heir to the sovereignty of the most powerful people in the world, still the natural waywardness of his temper must be controlled; his childish wishes and longings must be

denied, his naughty passions corrected.

He must

endure trials like the rest of us, and submit to the authority of his parents, and be in subjection to his And this course of dis

spiritual pastors and masters.

cipline, and instruction, and correction, is thought necessary (and rightly so) upon the probable ground that he will one day be called upon to rule over this country. Probable only, I say, because there are instances in the history of England, in which the heirs-apparent have never succeeded to the throne." But our inheritance stands on a surer footing. Nothing can hinder us from actually possessing it, except our own wilful and fatal sin,-we may possess it if we will; God is not as a jealous and capricious Monarch, that we need entertain any fears of being disinherited by Him. He would rejoice, we may believe, to see the crown of glory placed upon the head of every one of His adopted children. We, therefore, have this advantage over heirs of worldly property; we are certain to receive our heritage, if only we be true to ourselves. But as in their case, so in ours; much training and preparation are requisite to fit us for the high station to which we are called of God. And to prove this to you, (if proof be necessary,) I need but turn your attention to the value of the heavenly inheritance, and our unfitness to possess it in our natural state. Now if the price paid for a property be a correct test of its worth, then the Christian's inheritance must be