his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal,” St. John xii. 25. These noble witnesses, of whom the world was not worthy, possessed the enjoyment of the full assurance of faith; and a hope, fraught with a blessed immortality, fired their zeal with a celestial flame, the floods of the enemy could never quench-which was stronger, and shone brighter than the fierce flames that consumed their mortal bodies. Listen attentively, and you will hear them sing the song of triumphant victory in the midst of cold, hunger, nakedness, famine, pestilence, and in the face of devouring fires, the sword, and death: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We now proceed, fourthly and lastly, to the truth and infallible certainty of this consoling promise, "Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Verily, or as it is sometimes translated, amen, is of itself a pure Hebrew word, signifying firmness, stability, faithfulness; it is expressive of consent or desire, so be it; in this sense it concludes prayers, and also thanksgivings, St. Matt. vi. 13. Rom. xv. 33. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. Rom. xi. 36. xvi. 27. It is used as a word of affirmation; in truth, verily it is so. St. Matt. v. 18, 26. vi. 2. In this signification we are to understand it in the text. It is likewise worthy of your marked attention (according to the observation of a learned critic) that no one but our blessed Redeemer ever uses it in the New Testament at the beginning of a sentence as a definite word of affirmation. Yet in this sense it concludes all the four gospels. It is also applied to our blessed Lord as a noun, which was to certify to the mind of all repentant sinners, that he not merely spake the truth, but that he was the unerring and infinite Fountain of truth.-"These things saith the AMEN, the faithful and true witness." Rev. iii. 14. In this character as the faithful Saviour, he is indeed unyielding firmness and immutable stability - neither smiles nor frowns-pleasures nor pains-prosperity nor adversity—

could ever cause him for a moment to relinquish what he had undertaken to accomplish for the salvation of his people, and the glory of God, when he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He courageously travelled the path of unexampled tribulation alone. "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me." The treachery of friends and the implacable hatred of his evil and relentless enemies, combined and strengthened with the craft and assaults of the devil, could not in the least influence his stedfast and faithful heart to give up that cause which was dearer to him than his life, namely, the stupendous undertaking of human redemption, which he emphatically calls his Father's business; a work far exceeding in wisdom, power, grace and glory the heavens and the earth. "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders."

Ever bear in mind that the merciful declarations of the Son of God, are not like the pompous promissory affirmations of deceptive men, who mean nothing but words, nor do they resemble the vain shadows, and empty bubbles of this perishing world, that is rapidly passing away, which disappoint our hopes, and blight our expectations; no: they contain imperishable and eternal realities, and enrich the believer with all the unsearchable riches of Christ, which never fade away, and ultimately bring the saints to the possession of those blessed mansions, where sin, sorrow, and tribulation, cannot enter, and where they will for ever triumphantly reign with their exalted Redeemer, in his glorious kingdom, in all the bloom of immortal youth. "All things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." Our divine Redeemer and exalted Sovereign. Lord will in the language of triumphant joy welcome home all his redeemed family, saying, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world.'

That the invariable faithfulness of the Saviour was confirmed by this significant word verily, to the comfort of the convicted malefactor, upon which he simply depended, even in his last breath, will be easily ascertained, if we

attend to our blessed Lord's usual method of introducing to the notice of his hearers some mighty and important truth. I have only time to furnish you with one illustration of the foregoing remarks; and it is in reference to the gospel doctrine of the new birth; the veracity of which no real christian can doubt, no more than he can doubt the existence of a God. The Lord Jesus introduces this all-important subject to Nicodemus, in the following impressive and emphatic manner-" Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And to assure the penitent thief of the truth of his declaration, he saith, "verily ;" or amen, I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." As if he had said, As certain as I am the faithful and true Witness, thou shalt not be deceived in reposing implicit and unlimited confidence in me; for I most solemnly affirm, as thy dying Saviour, and the everliving Jehovah, that I will receive thy deathless soul in a few hours into the kingdom of my glory. And has not every returning prodigal, I ask, the same solid ground of confidence? Why should any believing sinner doubt the fulfilment of his gracious and free promise of pardon, peace, life, and salvation, when the blessed Jesus is faithfulness itself? Remember,

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"The voice that rolls the stars along,

Speaks all the promises."

And finally, it is written, "All the promises of God in him are yea, and in him, amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Having now shown you, my friends, a little of the exceeding riches of divine grace in the conversion and salvation of one of the thieves who was crucified with our Lord; this monument of mercy will be a standing proof to the end of time, or the last burning day, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief.

The young man, whose name I have before mentioned, in some measure experienced the efficacy of the same grace, in opening his eyes to see and feel his condition as a lost sinner, and working in his heart true repentance, that (with others who attended him) I have reason to believe, like the penitent thief, he is now with Christ in everlasting glory. A week before he suffered, his eldest brother called upon me with the melancholy intelligence;

and told me, that he was using every effort—that three petitions had been sent to Mr. Secretary Peel, very respectably signed, in order to obtain a commutation of punishment to transportation for life; but they were all unavailable, because the judge who tried him refused to sign them, for the following reasons:-1. Because he had been in prison before, for buying stolen poultry. 2. Because he manifested a degree of hardihood on his trial unbecoming his awful situation, which was particularly marked by the judge and the court; but I have since been credibly informed, that this arose more from his natural manner, than a design to behave unseemly. 3. He was connected with a gang of nightly depredators; and as sheep-stealing is now practised to an alarming extent, the judges are determined to punish the offenders with the utmost severity of the law, in order to deter others from the commission of the crime, and those of a similar nature. He had been to hear me preach in Bury Street Chapel, about three years ago, when his attention was more than usually arrested, and he appeared deeply to regret that circumstances obliged him to return into the country, lest he should be again entangled with his wicked companions, and brought to ruin. Alas! his fears were too well founded! Knowing that the poor young fellow was under sentence of death, and that there was no hope for him in this life, as he was appointed to die in a few days, I sent him a plain letter, in which I briefly pointed out his wretched condition as a sinner before God; earnestly and affectionately exhorted him, under a sense of his guilt and aggravating transgressions to flee from the wrath to come, fervently praying to Christ for mercy, and trusting in him alone for pardon, holiness, and eternal life, who died for the ungodly.

As it may not be deemed irrelevant by the generality of my readers, I present them with a copy of the letter, which is as follows:

MY DEAR FRIEND,

March 27, 1829.

I am indeed unspeakably grieved to hear of your truly calamitous and awful condition. It is my fervent prayer, that the Lord Jesus Christ would be pleased to have mercy upon you, and work in your heart by his Holy Spirit true repentance unto eternal life. Amen. As there is not the least hope for you in this miserable world, I most

earnestly and affectionately beseech you, not to lose a moment of time in praying to God, in the blessed name of the Lord Jesus, that he may open your eyes, and let you see and feel your sinful state by nature and practice. Ever recollect, we are all vile sinners against God, whether we know it or not; that all mankind are born in sin, so that we have gone astray from God ever since we had a being, and we are all both unable and unwilling to return unto the Shepherd and Bishop of our never-dying souls. This being the helpless state of all the children of Adam, we cannot possibly be saved because of any goodness in us, for we have all gone out of the way of truth, "There is none righteous, no, not one." See Romans, chap. 3. Never forget, then, that you are a poor, ruined, and lost sinner that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief! Therefore, whatever your iniquities may be, you can be but the chief of sinners! You ought not to despair, as long as it is written, "The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth from all sin.” 1 St. John ii. 7. The greater sinner you see and feel yourself to be, the more welcome you are to come to the all-sufficient Saviour, who hath faithfully promised, "HIM THAT COMETH UNTO ME I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT." St. John vi. 37.

My fellow-sinner, fall down on your knees before God, and humbly confess your sins, and constantly beg of him in the name of Jesus Christ to have mercy upon you a miserable sinner. In your prayers plead the above-mentioned promise of the Saviour, made to all them who are enabled to come by faith to him. I hope you feel your sins great and numerous, but remember they are not as great as the Almighty Saviour. He is infinitely more able to save you from sin, hell, and everlasting destruction, than all your spiritual enemies are able to destroy. Should you groan under the weight and burden of your sins, saying, They are too heavy a burden for me to bear; pray to the all-merciful Jesus, and all-sufficient Redeemer, that he would be pleased to give you grace to come unto him by faith, and help you to cast your burden upon him; then you will find rest for your weary soul.

Read with humble and fervent prayer the encouraging promise which the Lord Jesus hath graciously made to you, and all other sinners, who are crying out, "What must we do to be saved?" Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30. If you are tempted at any time to think that your sins are too great