THE YOKE OF CHRIST.

The yoke is the symbol of subjection and obedience. To take the yoke of Christ, is to become voluntarily subject to him. It comprehends the subjection of the understanding to his teachings, of the conscience to his authority, of the will to his pleasure, of the heart to his love, of the active powers to his service, and of the substance to his use and advantage. It is the subjection of a child to a parent, of a servant to his master, of a client to his patron, of a scholar to his teacher. This subjection is not external merely, but primarily internal. And it is supreme. Some kinds of subjection are incompatible with it. All are subordinate to it. This supreme subjection to Christ, includes allegiance to him as a king, reliance on him as a senior, application to him as a teacher, confidence in him as a guide, imitation of him as an exemption, and inviolable attachment to him as the greatest and best of friends. This is what he demands, when he says, "Take my yoke upon you for it is easy."

The world know not the nature of the Christian life. They see at best, but one half of it. The better and more blessed part is concealed from them. They may know our trials, but not our supports; our temptations, but not our succors; our difficulties, but not our helps; our sorrows, but not our joys; our trouble, but not our tranquility; our loss, but not our unspeakable gain. The former, they are at least in part acquainted with,

for they have felt the same; but with the latter, the stranger intermeddleth not. They see the yoke of Christ in all its nakedness, and they think it must be hard, but they know not what expedients Christ has to make it easy. Oh, if they would but try this yoke, they should soon find how sweet is submission to the will of Christ.

Every man must wear some yoke. We must be in subjection to some being or thing. The alternative before us is not independence or subjection. We have only the choice of masters. Wisdom consists not in rejecting all, but in choosing the best.

The Scriptures exhort the saints to hold fast their profession. Does not this show the necessity for all to take it up? If God's soul hath no pleasure in them that draw back, has it pleasure in them that never come forward? If there remaineth to the apostate no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall consume him, what remaineth to them that have never fallen away from Christ, only because they have never gone to him?

PROFESSION OF RELIGION.

There must be professed as well as real subjection to the Gospel. It is "with the heart that man believeth unto righteousness" it is "with the mouth that con

Some persons act

fession is made unto salvation." precisely as if the latter part of this declaration were an interpolation. But it is not. To be disciples of Jesus Christ, and to declare ourselves his disciples, the two constitute our duty. Neither part may be dispensed with. Words and actions are intended to confirm each other. It is true that actions speak louder than words, but the harmony of both is an utteranee louder still. Let those who hesitate respecting the obligation of a public profession of religion, read what Christ, in the Gospel, says respecting those who "confess" and "deny" him "before men." Did he mean nothing by such language? Nothing? But, say some, "if we obey Christ's commands, will not our actions declare unequivocally what we are? If our subjection to the Gospel be real, will it not of necessity be sufficiently manifest?" But how is a person to obey all the commands of Christ, without a distinct and open confession of him, when one class of these commands requires such confession? To obey in part only, is not having "respect unto all his commandments."

A profession of Christianity is never complete, unless it be made both by works and by words. Without the former, it is the merest pretence-without the latter, it is materially defective, perhaps essentially so. I advise no man to try eternity without both a real and professed subjection to Jesus Christ. When you appear before him as your judge, you will not like to have it in remembrance that you had not been known on earth as his disciple, never numbered among his friends; that you never, by any voluntary and public act, connected your,

self with his church; never entered into communion with his disciples; that you never met with them to pray and to sing a hymn to Christ as God, as Pliny says the primitive Christians did; that you separated the sacraments, which God hath joined together, and were satisfied with a covenant sealed with only one seal, and that affixed by your parents in your unconscious infancy.

It is true that some do not profess religion, because they have it not to profess. This is melancholy. But, to have religion and conceal it-to attempt to get to heaven by stealth, and defraud Christ of the public honors of our allegiance and salvation here, is mean— is perilous.

REPARATION.

So far are religious services from rendering reparation unnecessary, that they may not be performed until it is made. The gift is to be left before the altar until it is made, and then offered.

It is a fatal mistake to sup

pose that what you do towards God will make amends for what you have undone towards men,

UNION.

It is a silly conceit of some, that unity of sentiment among men is not on the whole desirable. How do such reason? Is not truth one?—and is it not desirable all should believe the truth? Agreement in the truth is that thing which of all others is most to be desired. To the want of this, is to be attributed almost all the discord, wrath, and wrangling found among men. Diversity of faith necessarily proves the existence of error, and error never existed anywhere without doing mischief. The world had been evangelized long ago, but for the difference of sentiment. One of our sweetest anticipations is that we are going where all are of one mind and of one heart.

GOOD MORALS.

He who does not honestly intend and heartily try to pay his just pecuniary dues, is as deep in arrears to God as to his human creditor. And he, who overreaches his neighbor in trade, is guilty of an attempt to defraud God. And the man who, taking the advantage of the superior strength which nature gives him, and of the authority that law concedes to him, maltreats in