This is the same, therefore, which Peter refers to when he says, "He hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light." It is the same as that which the apostle prays for for the Ephesians, when he says, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." This is the knowledge of which he speaks in reference to himself, when he says, "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."

Let us notice the Author of this knowledge. "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord." They are instructed in the hidden wisdom. All Christians have a divine Teacher, they are taught of the Lord. "Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of lights." Isaiah, speaking of the husbandman and his sowing, says, "His God doth instruct to discretion, and doth teach him." Hence the discoveries for which the children of men are distinguished. But He shines in the heart "to give the knowledge of His glory as it is in the face of Jesus Christ." It is here, brethren, we are to behold Him, and none teacheth like Him. None so patient, accommodating Himself to our weakness, teaching us as we are able to bear it; none so effectual, He gives the faculty as well as the lesson; none so perfectly unerring, for under His instruction, "a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein." He gives spiritual understanding, of which we find much among the poor and unlearned, while men of condition, and the worldly wise are ignorant of it. The reason is, the one is naturally taught, while the other is Divinely instructed. But there is a vast difference between their present and future knowledge; now they know as children, then they shall know as men. Then "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."

The second thing is the extensiveness of it. "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord." honour have all the Saints."

"Such

They are all born from above; they are all born to wealth, for they possess "unsearchable riches; " they are all born to

honour, the honour that cometh from above; they are nobles, and princes, and priests. God will not suffer any of His children to grow up savages. They are all "made meet for the inheritance of the saints of light." Though they are all taught of the Lord, they are not all equally taught; some have little knowledge, but though small in the degree, it is peculiar in its kind; it is spiritual, saving knowledge.

Are you the subjects of this Divine tuition? How are we to know it? We will only mention a plain but decisive. proof, furnished by our Saviour. "Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me." He goes to Christ, therefore, to deal with Him concerning the salvation of his soul. He goes to His cross, he goes to His throne, he goes to His house, and he finds in the Saviour "wisdom, and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." One that has been divinely taught will be continually coming to Christ; so says the Apostle, "To whom coming as unto a living stone." And the promise is, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out."

II. We now pass to the second blessing, "PEACE." "And great shall be the peace of thy children."

The nature and degree of this we just glance at.

As to the blessing itself it is peace. Peace means prosperity. David says "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee." "For my brethren and companions' sake I will now say, Peace be within thee." The Saviour says, "My peace I give unto you; not as the world give I unto you." Joseph said, "God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Artaxerxes superscribes peace, and at such a time. And Jehovah Himself says, "This man shall be the peace." In all these instances it means welfare or prosperity, and in this sense "great shall be the peace of thy children." Yes, they are blessed, truly blessed. It is not every kind of knowledge that increases happiness; so far from it that Solomon says, "He that increaseth knowledge increases sorrow." But here "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance." Yes, says Isaiah, "Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him." Happy are they who can use the language of David in the twentythird Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters." The Apostle says, "Jesus came and preached peace to them which were afar off and to them which

"

were nigh." and we read of "the gospel of peace." Jesus is called the "Prince of peace," and God is called "the God of peace." Here peace refers to holy tranquility of soul. Our Saviour said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in Me ye shall have peace.' He does not mean an abundance of good things. He said unto His disciples, "Peace I give unto you, my peace I give unto you," and it is here clearly intimated that this peace is connected with the results of divine teaching, for says our text "All the children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children."

There is what is called a peace that results from ignorance, but it does not deserve the name; and therefore the prophet declares that "there is no peace for the wicked." No, it is all delusion; it is like the calm of a dead sea, or like that amazing stillness in the air, observed just before an earthquake. The Holy Spirit destroys this false peace, and makes way for, and enables us to embrace the gospel of peace. This peace of God in the soul will always be increased in proportion as the believer has clear and reverential views of divine things. When things are right, a knowledge of it is always satisfactory. If a man fears that his house is not built upon the rock, the examination of it may fill him with confidence. If he supposes his title to an estate is not valid when it is, then the search will fill him with satisfaction: so will it be with the believer in Jesus. The Apostle says, I know whom I have believed, and that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day."

We notice briefly the degree of this blessing, having considered its nature. "Great shall be the peace of thy children." This is often referred to in Scripture. "Great peace have they that love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them." "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." "In His days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth."

In order that you may see the greatness of the peace of God's children, let us briefly view it in five stages.

First, see the relief it brings the conscience under a sense of pollution. When the law cries "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to do them," the man sees the curse ready to fall upon his head, and owns the righteousness of it; and what but the sight of the Cross can loosen the burden? But this can do it. So says the Apostle, "We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have

received the atonement ;" and "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Secondly, view this peace under the afflictions of the righteous. I pity the man who has it not under his trials; he is apt to "charge God foolishly;" but, says the believer, "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." "Athough the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat: the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

Thirdly, view it in the hour of death. David did, and said, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." We have seen enough, my brethren, to verify the language of our sweet singer :

"Jesus can make a dying bed

Feel soft as downy pillows are,
While on His breast I lay my head,

And breathe my life out sweetly there."

Fourthly, view it in the last day, "Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesss ;" and then the child of God may lift up his head with joy, knowing that his redemption draweth nigh.

Lastly, you may see it in heaven. There he enters into peace, pure and lasting peace. Oh, who can describe it? Then the days of his mourning shall not be suspended only, but ended, and then the last tear, whatever occasioned it, shall be wiped away; well, then, may we exclaim with the prophet, in the words he employs after our text, "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."

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VIII.

AN IMPERATIVE COMMAND.

(Preached on Sunday Evening, January 18th, 1846.)

Turn.-EZEKIEL XXXIII. 2.

WHEN we take an address of this kind we must always expect to encounter an objection. It arises from professed orthodoxy; it seems specious, but is easily answered. If, say some, you believe the scriptural account concerning the depravity of human nature; if you believe that men are left without strength, that they are blind and dead, with what propriety can you call upon them to awake, to see and live? Because, my brethren, these things are spoken of morally, and not physically; because if the persons are blind, it is moral blindness; which consists with a rational mind which is capable of illumination, or otherwise we should no more address them than the beasts of the field. If they are dead, they are "dead in trespasses and sins," a death which consists with a rational life, which is capable of spiritual life, and without this we should no more think of addressing them than addressing the stones in the street. We call upon them to be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus," for if they have no strength of their own, there is one near to them who says, "Take hold of My strength;" "Ask, and ye shall receive: seek, and ye shall find." In the beginning God called things which were not, and they appeared. Angels might have said, "Of what use is it to address nothing? nothing cannot hear." But nothing did hear. There was no light, but He said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Means are so far from excluding agency, that they always imply and require it, and means are not left to their own natural aptitude and tendency, but accompanied with His own presence and blessing. So," says He, "shall my word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void."