its misery. Religion is more, much more, than simply what you are making it a soothing, pleasant way of spending an idle hour of a particular day. Religion is submission of the heart to Christ. Use it for all it is worth; not merely for part, and that such a small part.

He who stood before Saul as a poor player is thus described: 66 Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing (but far more than that). He is a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him." Such also is the Saviour I offer you to-day!

Henderson & Spalding, General Printers, Marylebone Lane, Londor, W.

CONCERNING AUDIENCES, PREACHERS,

SERMONS, AND CONVERSIONS.

A Sermon

DELIVERED IN REGENT SQUARE CHURCH ON SUNDAY, MARCH 9TH, BY THE

REV. JOHN MCNEILL.

"Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God."-ACTS x. 33.

THIS chapter, as you are aware, notes for us the beginning, the entering-in of the Gospel among the Gentiles. That is its great interest. That is why, no doubt, so much detail is given of this gathering and of this sermon. The Lord is here doing a new thing. For generations, for centuries, He had committed the revelation of Himself and the workingout of His gracious purpose among men, to one narrow channel. To Israel's people mainly He had confined Himself; but now that Christ has come, that narrow channel was to be broken down, and the stream that was flowing in it was to overflow all its banks. Here, in this chapter, is the beginning of the breaking down of all Jewish dykes, and the outbursting and overflowing of that brimming river of grace and salvation, the waves of which are gently lapping at our feet to-day. So we have a special interest No. 18.

in taking up this text, because the Spirit of God seems to point to this audience through it, and to be saying to us, "Now, watch this people; see how they gathered together, and learn from them something about audiences and preachers and sermons, as long as audiences shall gather, and preachers shall confront them, to open their mouths, like Peter, to testify of God and His Son Jesus Christ." May we be helped to-day with this familiar Scripture to see where we are, and to know that this is no vain gathering. It is not a gathering of chance, neither is it a gathering entirely explained by long familiar custom and routine. The arm of the Lord has been shepherding you to meet me, and the same arm of the Lord has brought me forth, as out of His own very presence, to speak to you ; and the Spirit of God, who fell upon the hearer's heart then, is the same Spirit who seeks to-day to fall, with all His gracious power, upon thy heart and life, even while thou art waiting here.

"Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." There is something unusual in the text, in this, namely, that before the preacher began his sermon this "innovation" takes place the audience spoke up to the preacher, the pew spoke up to the pulpit, and said, "Now therefore are we all here present." It was a splendid audience, though not so very large; but splendid when you look at it from the point of view of the narrative. How earnestly they came together! What a solidarity there was in this company! How these people were all bound together as one! Eyes front, heart front, mind front, conscience front. No wandering thought or eye, but all was focussed and settled; calm and purposeful both in body and soul; so that ere the preacher began, one man could speak for the whole company, and say in truth and soberness, “Now therefore, are we all here present before God." I should like to have seen that company. Well, I trust I see it as often as I am here, and that all of us preachers have the

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same conditions given us, in the midst of many difficulties with which we have to contend, without and within. May this audience bring its contribution to the preacher and the sermon, while it expects the preacher certainly to bring his! The contribution he has a right to expect is, that the people should come to hear-that the people should come united, full of expectation, led into the temple like Simeon of old, who was led into the temple by the Spirit of God, at the very moment when the parents of Jesus came to present Him before God, according to the custom of the law. chance, no hap-hazard in this gathering. We have not come here to spend an idle hour. It is wrong to say, as, perhaps, some may say carelessly, when they go out of this place and are asked, "Where have you been this morning?"-it is wrong to answer the question by saying, "Oh, I dropped in to Regent Square." You did not drop in, my friend, nor drop out. You came in purposely. The Lord's providences for the whole of the week, like so many collie dogs, have been barking you in here, hedging up your way, and securing that to-day, at a certain time, you should be here. Fall in with God's arrangement. Let all depressing feeling which comes from custom and routine be taken away. I know you are apt to say, "Yes, there is something very vivid and fresh in this idea, as it relates to the first gathering; but you know, preacher, that was many centuries ago, and to come to church is now so regular and steady a thing, that it is hardly just to apply this text to this gathering to-day." My friend, all things here are spiritual, and belong to faith; they do not belong to sense and sight and mere human arrangement. Do not regard your presence here, on this lower plane of your own habit and intention; but see how the Word of God sets this hour in a strong, clear, and eternal light. God brought the people there, and had a great purpose in view concerning them. As it was then, so it is for ever— God has a purpose in bringing us to His house this day

and hour.

I like to dwell on the word all. The people were invited. Cornelius invited his kinsmen and his near friends, and the invited people came. This morning the very hour invites us, "the bell invites me" to this place. I trust we have all come-that we are all here present. The husband is here, the wife is here, the children are here-no, they are not. It is of no use pretending they are, for they are not. That is one of the drawbacks in the gathering. We have not the young people as we should have them. We are not all here, and I feel when we haven't the children we lack a splendid part of the audience. I know there are explanations. I do not go into them, but let us try our utmost to fulfil this condition: "We are all here present before God." I know there are many excuses. I know you can tell me about young children, and sickness, and waiting on the sick; about fogs, and bitter east winds, and long distances, and wet days, and I don't know what besides. But making full allowance for all these things, there is still great need for the preacher, now and again, even with a full congregation, to take up this text, and insist upon this word being repeated every Sabbath as far as may be, "We are all here present before God." For there is often, with all our talk about this place and day, when you come to the practical point, there is often a heavy discount to be taken off. There is a great discrepancy between our creed about the Sabbath day and our actual conduct. In many families, at ten o'clock on the Sabbath morning, attendance at church is still an open question. Often in a working man's house, and in others that are not working men's, after waking, after dressing, after breakfasting, it is an open question, "Will you go out to-day?" It is no open question on the Monday morning, John, will you go to work to-day?" They never dream. of asking such a thing. Oh," said a farmer in Scotland, when a minister rebuked him for not attending church, and said, "You know, John, you are never absent from the market." "Oh," was the reply, "we maun gang to the

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