Divine life™. We should not give way to sloth, like the foolish Virgins; but have " our loins girt, and our lamps trimmed, and ourselves as those who wait for the coming of their Lord." We should look forward with a holy longing for that day, as the termination of all our conflicts, and the consummation of all our joys11 — ■ and comfort ourselves with the assured ex- pectation that then we shall be ever with the Lord0. With that period before our eyes, we shall " be diligent to be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless p."]
Permit me, in conclusion, to urge this matter, after the example of the Apostle in my text
m 1 Cor. i. 7. n Tit. ii. IS. 2 Pet. hi. 12.
0 1 Thess. iv. 17, 18. p 2 Pet. hi. 14.
Phil. iv. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand.
TO lay the foundation of a sinner's hope, is the first duty of a minister : but he must proceed to raise the superstructure also, even such a practice as the Gospel is intended ultimately to produce. The Apostle doubtless felt it a privilege to insist on joy in the Lord ; " Rejoice in the Lord alvvay ; and again, I say, rejoice :" but he felt no less the importance of inculcating the duty of moderation with respect to all the things of time and sense ; since without that it would be impossible for any one to maintain that high exercise of mind which joy in the Lord imports. It is by a conformity to this latter precept, no less than by his obedience to the former, that the true Christian will be distinguished. In fact, this precept enters very deeply into the divine life : and it is only in proportion as its influence is exhibited in our lives, that we have any satisfactory evidence of our con- version to God.
That it may operate effectually on our hearts, let us consider the two parts of which it consists ;
I. The duty enjoined —