He bear long with them?" Yes! though He seem to linger, "He will avenge them speedily!" HE will appear for them at the first moment His wisdom knows to be right. How must we tremble to muse on the fate of many who would not abide that time, but, reasoning in their hearts, "My LORD delayeth His coming," have cut short that profitable interval! how many a ruined soul now wishes he had said with the prophet, "I will wait upon the LORD, That hideth His face from the House of Jacob, and I will look for HIM!" or, with the patriarch, "If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come!" The very wants we suffer are designed to cast us upon HIM. Had the guests at Cana never felt the want, the prayer had never been made, JESUS never been manifested to them.

From the faith of St. Mary let us look to that of the servants. "Whatsoever HE saith unto you," said she, "do it." "do it." "Fill the waterpots with water!" A strange command truly, when wine, not water, was demanded. That made no difference. CHRIST COMmanded it, and HE was obeyed. "They filled them up to the brim." They would not be remiss in the smallest particular: the word was, "Fill," and they would not spare till they had performed the command to the letter. "Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast." Not a word of hesitation. "They bare it." Such is the obedience which CHRIST loves and blesses: exact, unreserved, and unhesitating. "Go ye," says HE, "and teach all nations, baptizing them"-" he that believeth and is baptized, shall be 2 Matt. xxiv. 48. 5 Matt. xxviii. 19.

1 Luke xviii. 7, 8. 4 Job xiv. 14.

3 Is. viii. 17.

saved." "How," says one, "shall a few drops sprinkled in the Name of the Trinity make any difference one way or the other?" Doubtless, in themselves they have no such power: but they have as much power to do this as to become wine. It is the Presence of CHRIST that is all. "As many as are baptized into CHRIST have put on CHRIST," are the words of the HOLY SPIRIT. It is the command of CHRIST which makes Baptism profitable and necessary. It is the same command which enforces the necessity of the other Sacrament. It is His Will that gives power to prayer-His Word that assures every blessing of time and eternity. We may contend in prayer, but we can never contend with HIм in any other way except at peril of our souls. "Who will say unto HIM, What doest THOU ?" His command is quite enough—we may obey it with these dutiful servants, and reap His favour and His glory; or we may trample upon it, and with it reject His Grace, and our own temporal and everlasting happiness.

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Lastly, let us observe the faith of the disciples. "His disciples believed on HIM." There was indeed a sense in which they had believed on HIM before. That they had become His disciples was proof of their belief-and that belief was of a very high and exalted character, as appears from the account of it in the first chapter of St. John's Gospel. There we find they had confessed HIM the MESSIAH, "HIM of Whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write," "the SON of GOD," and "the King of Israel." But what the MESSIAH was to be was a point which they did not clearly comprehend, nor indeed did they gain this knowledge in all its extent, until the SPIRIT had descended upon 1 Mark xvi. 16. 2 Gal. iii. 27. 3 Job ix. 12.

them on the day of Pentecost, and led them into all truth. But still their belief after the miracle at Cana . was very different from what it had been before. His Wisdom had before converted them-now His Power and His Goodness assured them. They now saw that He could wield and command the elements at His pleasure yet that His submission to His FATHER'S will had restrained HIM from any premature exhibition of His Almighty energies; and that, when they were exerted, it was not for personal display, (for some who were present were unaware of what was done) but for kindly benevolence, and at the humble desire of one, who, though so dearly connected with HIM, was yet in outward condition but an obscure and lowly peasant. Well might they indeed believe! But theirs was then the miracle of Cana only; we have wonders of the same hand almost endless, till we are lost in their variety and our astonishment: and the Evangelist who records this and others has told us, "Many other signs did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye might believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, the Son of GOD; and that, believing, ye might have life through His Name." Let us take heed, my Brethren, lest we suffer the SPIRIT of GOD to inspire His servants in vain. If these things were written that we might believe and have life; let us believe, lest we fail of that life which they declare and promise. Let the meditation of CHRIST'S miracles confirm and exalt our faith and with respect to that before us, let us use it as a key to the general dispensations of the SAVIOUR. Let us remember that even those pleasures which are innocent and commendable draw all their worth from His Presence and His Blessing. Let us have none to which 1 John xxi. 31.

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we cannot invite HIM; let us join none to which HE cannot be invited. Yet even the purest earthly gratifications endure not ever-but like the wine at Cana, are at last wanting. While the best pleasures of earth satiate, or disappoint, or vanish away, CHRIST can turn even the simplest occurrences, the lowliest duties, to sweet and uncloying delights. "Come," He says, "buy wine without money and without price." It is then that the value of spiritual pleasures, of communion with CHRIST, of the treasures of His word, of religious comforts, becomes fully apparent. The world sets forth her best pleasures first, and "when men have well drunk" of them, then they find them "worse"; but CHRIST keeps the good wine till last; it loses not its flavour on the fevered lips of death, but is still best when all else is tasteless; and if we store it till then, when it is most needed, we may hope to drink it new with HIM in His FATHER'S Kingdom, at "the marriage supper of the LAMB."

SERMON XVI.

PUBLIC WORSHIP A SACRIFICE.

Third Sunday after Epiphany.

HEB. XIII. 15.

BY HIM, THERefore, let us OFFER THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE TO GOD CONTINUALLY, THAT IS, THE FRUIT OF OUR LIPS, GIVING THANKS TO HIS NAME.

ment.

It is commonly supposed that the immediate object and end of Public Worship is edification, and that we assemble ourselves together in GOD's House of Prayer, mainly, if not solely, for our own benefit and improvePersons who are better informed will, indeed, admit that the honour of GOD is also intended in Public Worship; but it is evident, that most people are far from realizing this truth, set forth in this Evening's First Lesson;' else, we should never hear, as we generally do, our churches called after the name of the preacher, nor would persons be found excusing their absence from the assembly of saints, on the plea that they were as profitably employed in reading the Bible or a sermon at home.

1 Isa. lvi. 7.