Sermon 496. The New Song

(No. 496)

Delivered on Sunday Evening, December 28th, 1862, by the

Rev. C. H. SPURGEON,

At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington

"O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him thevictory."-Psalm 98:1.

THERE MUST BE NEW SONGS on new occasions of triumph. It would have been absurd for Miriam with her timbrel to conduct themusic of the daughters of Israel to some old sonnet that they had learned in Egypt. Nay, an old song could not have spokenout the feelings of that generation, much less could it have served to utter a voice, the jubilant notes of which distantposterity should echo. They must have a new song while they cry the one unto the other, "Sing unto the Lord,for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." The like had never been knownbefore, but henceforth father to son must show forth its fame. In after times, when Deborah and Barak had routed the hostsof Sisera, they did not borrow Miriam's song; but they had a new psalm for the new event. They said, "Awake, awake, Deborah;awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam." In after years, at the buildingofthe temple, or on the solemn feast days, it was ever the wont of the inspired poets of the age to cry, "O come, let ussing unto the Lord a new song." Thus the grateful notes of praise have gathered volume and augmented their compass as theages have rolled onwards; and these as it were only the rehearsals for a grand oratorio. What then, shall be the marvellousnovelty and the matchless glory of that song which shall be sung at the last upon Mount Zion, when ten thousand times tenthousand ofthe warriors of God shall surround Jesus the conqueror, when we shall hear a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters,and like great thunders, when shall be heard the voice of harpers, harping with their harps; what shall be, I say, the strangenovelty of that new song which they shall sing before the throne, when the four and twenty elders and the four living creaturesshall fall before God upon their faces, and worship him for ever and ever? Would that our ears could anticipate thattremendous burst of "Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."

I want to carry your minds, if I can, to-night, for a little season to that last and grandest, because the decisive victory,which shall tell out the name and fame of Jehovah in all his mighty attributes, and in all his majestic deeds, when the battleshall be over for ever, and the banner shall be furled and the sword shall be sheathed, because the last foe shall be destroyed,and placed beneath the feet of the Almighty victor; "His right hand, and his holy arm, hath himthe victory." My text seems, however suitable it may be to other occasions, to be most fitting to that last and most splendidtriumph.

Three things there are in it: victory transcendent; Deity conspicuous; holiness glorified.

I. First in our text we perceive very clearly VICTORY TRANSCENDENT.

What shall we say of that victory? The shouts thereof already greet our ears, and the anthem that celebrates it is alreadyprepared, when all the principalities and powers of this world shall be laid low, the pride of earth shall burst like a bubble,the great globe itself shall dissolve, and the things that are seen shall be folded up like a vesture, worn out, and crumbledwith decay, that victory will be transcendent; there shall be none comparable to it; it shall standmatchless and unrivalled in all the wars of God, of angels, or men.

Well, we must say of that victory, there shall be none to dispute the claim of God the Most High. The most splendid victories of one army have frequently been claimed by the opposite partisans. If you stand beneath thetriumphal arch in Paris, you will see the names of some battles which you simple-minded Englishmen always thought had beenwon by British soldiers; but you discover that our history was all a mistake, and that the Frenchmen really retired victoriousfrom the plain. I suppose in America it is always difficult to ascertain who has been the conqueror; and where there areno generals, and the whole affair seems to be which shall kill the most and wade through the most blood, there naturally mustbe difficulty in ascertaining who has won the day. But in this case there shall be no dispute whatever. The dragon's headshall be so completely broken, that he can do nothing but bite his iron bonds and growl out his confession that God is strongerthan he. The hosts of hell shall have been so utterly routed, that the deep groans of dismay and shrieks of terror shallbe the confession that Omnipotence rules their terrible doom. As for Death, when he shall see his captives all loosed beforehis eyes; as for the grave, when the key shall be rent from her grip, and all her treasures plucked from her grasp-death andthe grave shall both acknowledge that their victory is gone for ever; Christ has been the conqueror, the Son of God who inournature has already taken away the sting. There may be to-day some who write their names down as Atheists; there may beothers who openly avow that they are the adversaries of God; and throughout the universe there are never wanting those whoare hopeful that the issue will turn out as they wish-they are hopeful that wrong will master right; that evil shall driveout good, and darkness extinguish light. But there shall not be one such being left on that great day of victory; it shallbeacknowledged even by the lip of despair that the Lord God, "with his own right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten himthe victory." Blazoned across the sky in lightnings such as the eye of terror has never beheld before; thundered out withtrumpet louder than even that which startled the sleeping dead, every tongue in earth and hell shall confess, because everyear hath heard, that the Lord reigneth, and is king for ever and ever.

But further, as this victory will be certainly beyond all dispute, let me remind you it will be transcendent, because there shall be nothing that can occur to mar it. When the last shock of the dread artillery shall have been endured by the hosts of God's elect; when the last charge shallhave driven the foes before them as thin clouds fly before a Biscay gale; then, as the heroes sit down to read the story ofthe war, they shall discover that there is nothing tomar the splendor of that glory, for it has been a victory throughout. Of all other victories we read, at one time thebalance trembled-sometimes the host on this side wavered; perhaps for the first half day it seemed not only doubtful whichwould win, but it appeared as though the adversary at length defeated would certainly be the conqueror. But, beloved, whenwe shall read history in the light of heaven, we shall discover that God was never conquered-that never did the ranks reel;weshall see that even the most disastrous strokes of Providence, even the most dire calamities that ever occurred to theChurch, were only the on-march, the tramp of victories yet to come. I am certain that those things we most deplore to-daywill even become the subjects of the most marvellous gratitude to-morrow. We look to-day upon the black side of the question,and say, "Ah! here, indeed, goodness was foiled;" but when we look at the whole matter through, we shall see that every darkandbending line meets in the center of the divine plan, and that which seemed the most incongruous and out of place withits fellow, was the most fitting and the most necessary of the whole programme. Satan at the last shall not be able to puthis finger upon any spot of the battle-field and say, "Here my hosts routed the troops of Emmanuel." Everywhere it shall beseen that, from the dawning day, when first he struck the blow at Eve and made her sin, to the very last, when Christ shalldrag himup the everlasting hills, led captive at his chariot wheels, from the first to the last, the Lord's "right hand, and hisholy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

Remember, too, that this is a victory all along the line. The general's cautious eye marks that there the left wing has driven the adversary back, but for that right wing bring upthe reserves, let not the ranks be broken. Stern liners, let your chivalry be seen yonder for that wing reels. Generally inthe battle some part must fail, while in this portion or the other there shall be success. Ah! but at the last when Christshall stand, and bare his brow in heaven'ssunlight, and all his angels shall be with him, it shall be seen that they were everywhere triumphant. The blood on Madagascar'srocks shall not defeat the on-march of God's armies. Saints may be burned, may be sawn in sunder, may wander about in sheepskins and goat skins, but they shall be victorious everywhere. Spain may shut her gates against the gospel, and the inquisitionmay make that place its stronghold, but as sure as there is a God in heaven, Christ shall be conqueror there. Tyrantsmay pass edicts to exterminate Christians, conclaves may make decrees to drive out the religion of Jesus, but in everyplace, in every land, where ever foot of man has trodden this green earth, shall there be victory; from the north to the south,from the east to the west, everywhere shall be triumph-China and Japan, Brazil and Chili, the islands of the south, the frozenregions of the north, even Africa with her sable sons, the dwellers in the wilderness shall bow before him and lick thedust at his feet. There shall be victory all along the line. Not from one place merely, but from all, shall be heard thetune-"His own right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

And it shall be a victory Sustained by the news of the morrow. Not so among the embattled hosts of men. How hard to brook the morrow! Then the general's brow is dark, and his eye is heavy,for the list of the dead and wounded is brought in for inspection. "Another victory like this," says one, "and I am defeatedfor ever. It is dearly purchased," saith he, "with the blood of these mothers' sons. My comrades and companions in arms mustbite the ground to let thecountry live." But in that last great battle of God the muster-roll shall be found without one missing in it; as theycall their names they shall all answer, there shall not be one left dead upon the field. "How so? How so?" saith unbelief,"are they not dead and buried now? Have not their bodies lain to bleach upon the side of the Alps? Have they not been burnedin the fire and scattered as ashes to the four winds? Do not the saints sleep to-day in our cemeteries, and in our grave-yards,anddoth not the deep engulf full many a body that was a temple of the Holy Ghost?" I answer, yes, but they shall come again.Refrain thine eyes from weeping, O daughter of Jerusalem; refrain thine heart from sorrow, for they shall come again fromthe land of their captivity. We that are alive and remain shall not have the preference beyond them that sleep, "For the trumpetshall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed; so when this corruptible shall have putonincorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,Death is swallowed up in victory." "His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

And sometimes, on the morrow, the general feels the glory of the victory is marred, for there are many prisoners; they arenot dead, their corpses lie not on the field, but they have been taken off by the opposite parties, and they are a prey; andwho knoweth what may become of them; what dungeons may contain them; to what tortures they may be put. But in this last victoryof God, there shall be no prisoners, no prisoners left in the hand of his enemy. I know thereare some who say that we may be children of God, and yet fall from grace and perish. My brethren, it is a foul slanderupon the faithfulness and power of the Redeemer. I know that all he undertakes to save he will save, and he will bring thetroops off from the battle field, every brow crowned with laurel, not one slain, not one a prisoner; the gates of hell shallnever enclose the ransomed of the Lord; amongst the groans of the lost there shall never be heard a sigh from one that wasonce asaint before God. There are no prisoners. March out your prisoners, Prince of Hell, bring forth, if you can, one soulthat Jesus bought with blood, one soul that the Spirit quickened, one soul that the Eternal Father gave to the hands of theGreat Surety to keep for ever-bring him forth. Ah! ye have none. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captivedelivered?" Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, "My ransomed shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlastingjoyupon their heads;" then shall it be said, "His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

But, beloved, after the battle is over, the conqueror wipes his brow and says, "Ah, but the scattered hosts may rally, andthey who were driven to-day like chaff before the wind, may rise again, and long may be the campaign, and fierce the struggle,before we have stamped out the sparks of war. "Sleep on your arms," saith he, "you may be attacked to-morrow, be ready forthe cry of 'boot and saddle,' for there may be a charge again ere many hours are spent." But not so inthis case: the victory is crushing, total, final; it is once for ever with evil, with darkness, with hell; they shallnever again be able to tempt the righteous, or to cast them down, or to pale their cheeks with fear; they shall never be ableagain to win the world to their dominion, they are routed, routed, routed for ever. Hosts of evil, it is not your heel thatis bruised-your head is broken; the Lord hath used his people as his battle-axe and his weapons of war, and he hath cleftye andleft ye without might or strength for ever and for ever. So, dear friends, this is our joy and comfort, that once thebattle over, the whole campaign is ended; there shall be no further onslaughts; we rest eternally; we triumph everlastingly;no more fights to risk, no more conflicts in which to tug and strive. This shall be the note that shall ring throughout thearches of eternity-"The Lord's right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory for ever and for ever."

I think these are two good reasons why I should say this victory is transcendent-there is none to dispute it, and there isnothing to mar it.

But yet further we will venture to enlarge upon this victory by shewing its particulars. The ultimate triumph and victoryof God in all his purposes will lie in several things. How glorious the fact that all whom he ordained to save are saved! Calling was the first work which he wrought in them; they were called every one of them, but like the rest of mankind theywould not come; their wills were so desperate that they resisted long; the minister preached at them;their mother wept over them; their father entreated them; providence came and hewed them; afflictions broke them in pieces,and they were unsaved still; but not in one case where God ordains to call has the calling failed. In every case where hiselecting love hath set its purpose, the will is turned round, the affections yield, the judgment gives way, the man is subdued-heis called, he is quickened. There may be some such here to-night, who think, "Well, I never would be saved upon suchterms as acknowledging the sovereign grace of God, even if he wills to do it." Thy will must give way before the crushingforce of the will of God. He hath mysterious ways of finding an entrance into the most reluctant heart, and taking up histhrone there for ever.

How clearly is this victory seen in the subjugation of the lusts and passions of the called sinner! He may have been a drunkard, he thought he could not give it up, but the rod of iron "dashes in pieces the potter's vessel."He may have loved the pleasures of the flesh, they were dear to him as his right eye, but grace overcame the most darlinglust, and threw to the earth the most pampered sin.

Not less conspicuously will it appear in the perseverance of every saint. Not a stone will have been left unturned by theadversary to prevent the saints holding on; the caverns of hell will be emptied against God's redeemed; Satan and his myrmidonswill do their utmost to cast them down to destruction, but they shall hold on their way, they shall wax stronger and stronger,and when at last the gates of heaven shall be fast closed, because there are no more to enter, itshall be proclaimed, while devils bite their iron bands in shame, that not a soul who was written in the Book of Lifewas lost, not one whom Jesus bought with blood has been unredeemed, not one quickened by grace suffered to die, not one whotruly began the heavenly race turned aside from it, not one concerning whom it was said, "These are mine, and in the day whenI make up my jewels they shall be mine;" not one of these is lost, but all saved, saved eternally. Oh! that will be a splendidvictory! What can be greater? You that know the conflict through which the child of God has to pass will bear me witnessthat if you get to heaven, you will sing with all your might the conqueror's hymn. And I think we all should do the same.I remember saying once that if ever I got to heaven I would sing the loudest there, for I owed the most to sovereign grace.But when I came down stairs, one said to me, "You made a mistake, I shall sing more loudly than you, for I owe more than youdo."And I found that was the general opinion, that each brother and each sister thought that he owed most to divine grace.Now, if we are all to sing loudest what a shout of triumph there will be! And I suppose the verse in our hymn is quite trueto the apprehension of each of us-

"Then loudest of the crowd I'll sing,

While heaven's resounding mansions ring

With shouts of sovereign grace."

What a transcendent triumph!

Not a few shall there be to share the triumph, but a multitude that no man can number; for the glory shall be enhanced by the salvation of so many. Heaven is none of your narrow places for narrow-hearted bigots. No, brethren, our largest imagination never yet could graspheaven, but it will hold multitudes of multitudes. Nor will the praise be any the less, when we consider that there were somany of such varied clans and climes, some of all kindreds on theface of the earth, swarthy or white. There shall be found in heaven the vilest sinner that lived, there shall be broughtthither the proudest rebel, and the stoutest hearted, and the most obstinate of sinners; there shall be such in heaven aswould have made a wonder in hell, some, I say, who would have been such great sinners, had they been suffered to go to hell,that their dreadful fall would even hell itself appal, but they are in heaven, saved by sovereign grace. And, O beloved! asthereare such persons, this will help to make the victory grand, that they were saved by such means, such simple means, bythe simple preaching of the gospel; not by wisdom, not by science, not by eloquence, but by the simple telling out of thestory of the cross. How this will tend to make the triumph brighter than it could have been in any other way.

And, O beloved, this victory will excel all others in the routing of such foes, such cruel, such crafty, such mighty, such numerous foes. Sin, sin, it is a name of horror-sin o'erthrown. Death-what glooms are concentrated in that word!-death destroyed. Satan-whatcraft, what cruelties, what malice linger there-Satan bound hand and foot, and led captive. Such a victory over such foes.I find no words in any tongue by which I can describe its magnitude. Andoh! the results of that victory, how bright! Souls knit to Christ by such love, tongues tuned to such music, hearts burningwith such fire, heaven filled with such devout, such holy inhabitants, the ears of Deity regaled with such grateful music,heaven filled with such myriads of happy spirits. The peaceful results, setting aside the overthrow, will be enough to makethis victory grander than all the triumphs of men or angels put together.

Say now, and gather up all your enthusiasm to say it-What a victory shall that be, when there shall not be a single trophy in the hands of the adversary. The victory shall be unparalleled in this, that all the success which the enemy thought he had achieved shall only tend tomake his defeat the more galling, and add lustre to the victorious King of kings. You see sometimes hanging up in old minsterstattered flags, that were taken from the adversary; sometimeswhen the report of battle comes in, we are told the battle was won, that so many cannon and so many flags were left withthe enemy. But, O Lord God! thou hast not left a single trophy in the hands of thy foe. I said he had no prisoners, but heshall not even have a flag, not one truth rent in pieces, not one doctrine of revelation hung up to rot in the minsters ofhell; not one single attribute of God that shall be trailed in the mire, not one single truth of Christianity to be laughedat, anddespised by fiends, not a trophy; there shall not a hair of your head perish, not so much as that shall Satan gain, nota bone, not a fragment of the saint, either of his body or his spirit-no trophies left. And all this will make hell angry,to think that God gave him vantage-ground, let him contend with poor feeble men; but God was in man, and fought with Satan-man,a poor feeble worm, fought with Satan, and, like David, he threw the stone of faith at the giant's head, and destroyed himwith his own weapons. God hath destroyed death by the death of Christ, destroyed sin by the great sin-bearer, yea he hasdestroyed the dragon by the seed of a woman, who bruised his head with that very seed whose heel the serpent once did bite.Glory be unto thee, O Lord! This is thy victory. The more we muse upon it, the higher doth our rapture rise, and the moreprepared do our hearts grow to peal forth the words of the Psalmist, "His right hand, and his holy arm hath gotten him thevictory."

II. Secondly; observe that DEITY IS CONSPICUOUS HERE.

Man is not made mention of. There is no name of Moses, or of the prophets, or of the apostles here; I read not the names ofChrysostom and Augustine, nor of those modern fathers of the Church, such as Calvin, and Zwingle-the stars are lost in theblaze of the sun. O God! how glorious is thy right arm, and how do thy disciples, thy children, hide their heads and say,"Not unto us, but unto thy name be all the glory!" But mark, beloved, as they are not mentioned it is notbecause the mention need to be avoided, for the more we talk of instrumentalities, or rather think about them-(I do notsay the more we think of them, but the more we think about them)-the more persuaded we shall be that it only adds to God's glory to use men, for men are such poor tools to work with.You have heard of the celebrated painter who gained renown by painting with poor brushes, when the good ones were stolen;and Quintin Matsys, who made a cover for the wellwithout tools, when all the proper tools were taken away; he wrought the ironwork with such poor implements as he couldget. So was the skill of the painter or artisan admired in that he could produce such effects under such disadvantageous conditions.Ah! then what an artist must he be! they exclaim concerning the one. And they look upon this piece of ironwork, and say ofthe other, "What! no graving tools, no casting, how could he do it?" So when we shall come to look at men, when we look atthem in the light which eternity shall reveal, we shall say of the best of them, "How can the Lord have won such victorieswith such poor things as these!" So that you may mention the instruments every one of them, from righteous Abel down to thelast preacher of the Word, and yet it shall be true, that the victory shall speak the sole praise of the General. No doubt,dear friends, this will be a part of the splendor of the triumph to think that he did win by man. It was in man that Satanconquered: Adam and Eve were led astray by the crafty wiles of Satan. It is by man that death came, and by man comes theresurrection of the dead. This will be gall and wormwood in the cup of the lost, when they shall see the Man Christ Jesus, the seed of the woman, sitting at the right hand of God. This is judgment's greatest terror, "Hide us fromthe Lamb;" and this shall be hell's greatest horror, "Hide us from the Lamb; let us not behold his face." But glory be untothee, mostgracious God, for thou hast lifted man up above all the works of thy hands, and given him dominion above all creatures,so that principalities and powers are put beneath his feet in the person of Christ. And all this only proves that "His ownright-hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

I wish I might enlarge here and speak of the conspicuous glory of God in this respect, that all the persons of the Trinitywill be glorified, the Father, the Son, the Spirit. All the attributes of God, his unsearchable greatness, and his unrivalledmajesty, his grace, his power, his truth, his justice, his holiness, his immutability, these shall shine forth with resplendentlustre. His wondrous works and his terrible acts shall declare his praise; they shall be the themeof every tongue, and the topic of every conversation. "Men shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power."All his decrees shall be seen in their final accomplishment, every one of them fulfilled, the counsel answering to the providence.Of all that the Father willed, of all that the Son performed, of all that the Spirit revealed, not one thing is frustrated.How shall I gather up these things? O for the voice of a mighty angel! O for a seraph's lip of fire, to speak now of thesplendor of that last day, when not only the great but the little, not only the abundance of God's providence, and thegreat deeps of his counsel, but even the small deeds of his lovingkindness shall be made to sing forth his praise, when notonly the leviathian deeds of God shall make the deep to praise the Lord, but even the little fish that move therein, shallleap up to join the chorus, and everywhere from everything, for everything, there shall be heard the tune-"His right hand,and hisholy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

III. We have in our text a third thought, which we can only hint at. In all this-HOLINESS WILL BE GLORIFIED.

Note the adjective,-"His holy arm." When we contemplate any actions of God, you will notice that the name which cherubs utter, "Holy, holy, holy, LordGod of Sabaoth," is always brought out. Where Christ bears sin, and overcomes it, I hear the cry of "Holy, holy, holy," fromthe cross. Where Jesus breaks the tomb, and conquers death, I seem to hear the note of "Holy, holy, holy," for it makes theday holy on which the deed was done. And when he ascends to glory,and the Father says, "Well done," we seem to hear still the note, "Holy, holy, holy." In everything, from the manger tothe cross, and from the cross onward to the crown, holiness becometh God's house, and all God's acts for ever. Is it not,dear friends, after all the hinge of the struggle? Is not this the point, just as you know in great battles, there is someone mountain or hill, which is the object of struggle, not for the value of that particular hill, but because on that thebattle willdepend, so holiness is just the point, the rallying point between God and Satan. Here are the two war-cries. The hostsof evil cry, "Sin, sin, sin;" but the cry of the armies of the Lord of hosts is this, "Holiness, holiness, holiness." Everytime we strike a blow it is "Holiness;" and every time they attack us it is "Sin." Sin is the real object of their aim. WhenSatan attacks, it is to stab at holiness, and when we resist, it is to guard holiness, or to drive back his sin. Mark you,this, Isay, is the point of the battle, and by that ye shall be able to judge on which side you are. What is your war-cry? Whatis your war-cry? When Cromwell fought with the soldiers of the covenant at Dunbar, you will remember they were distinguishedby their cries, on the one side, "The Covenant, the Covenant;" and on the other side, "The Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts."And so to-night there is the cry on either side, "Sin and the pleasures thereof." Is that your war-cry, friend? You say"No,"-how is it then you were at the theater the other night? You say "No,"-how is it then you frequent the tavern? Yousay "No,"-how is it then you have got so many misgotten gains about you now? You say, "No,"-how is it you make appointmentsfor deeds of sin, and perhaps to-night, or to-morrow night, intend to fulfill them? I tell you, sirs, there are many of youwhose war-cry to-night is "Sin, and the pleasures thereof." On the other hand, I trust there are not a few in this vastthrong, who can say, "Oh! sir, feebly though I speak it, yet my war" cry is 'Holiness, and the cross'"-that goeth withit, "Holiness, and the cross." Ah! beloved you are just now on the side that is laughed at, the world points at you and says,"There are your saints." Yes, here they are, sir, what dare you say against them? Abide your time, man, and have your jeeringout; ye shall change that laugh for everlasting howlings by-and-bye. "There are your Methodists; there are your hypocriticalprofessors." What, sir, dare you say it? The servants of the living God will know how to answer you in that day, whentheir king shall be revealed in the clouds of heaven, and his glory shall be manifest, and they shall share his triumph, andall flesh shall see it, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. "It dothnot yet appear what we shall be, but when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Come, wewillpass that question again to-night, "What is your war-cry?" There has been a good deal of wickedness these last few daysin London. I love to see holy mirth; I delight to see men well feasted. I like Christmas; I wish it came six times a-year.I like the generosity of those who give to the poor. Let it be extended. I would not stop a smile. God forbid me! But cannotmen be happy without drunkenness? cannot they be mirthful without blasphemy? Is there no possibility of being happy withoutlasciviousness? Are there no other ways of finding true pleasure besides selling your soul to the devil? O sirs! I saythere have been thousands in this huge city who have been going about the streets, and whose cry has been, "Sin, and the pleasuresthereof! Where is the music-hall? Where is the Casino? Where is the Coal Hole? Where is the tavern? Where is the ball-room?Sin, and the pleasures thereof." O Satan! thou hast many soldiers, and right brave soldiers they are, and never are theyafraid of thy cause, nor ashamed of thy name nor of thy unholy work. Ay, thou art well served, O prince of hell! and richwill be thy wages when thy drudges earn the fire for which they have labored. But I hope and trust there are some to-nightwho will change their watch-note. Ye have not nailed your colors to the mast, have you? Even if you have, by God's grace Iwould pull the nails out. Are ye determined to die? Will you serve the black prince for ever, and perish with him? Jesus Emmanuel,the captain of our salvation, bids me cry to you, "Enlist beneath my banner." Believe in him, trust in him, and live.Oh! trust the merit of the cross, the virtue of the blood, the tears, and the dying groans. This it is to be a Christian,and ever afterwards this shall be your war-note-"Holiness, and the cross thereof!" O take this, all! Fear not. The cross withholiness will bring the mortifying of the flesh, the shame of the world, and the reproach of men. Take both, for now the battleisraging. But, O my brethren, another crush, and another, and another, and another, and we shall gain the top of the hill,and the shout of "Holiness and the cross!" shall be answered by the echoes all round the world, for everywhere holiness shallbe victorious, and men shall know the Lord. Ay, and the echoes of heaven shall answer, too, and the spirits of the sanctifiedshall cry, "Holiness, and the crown thereof!" Then we will change one word of our watch-note; and as our enemies have brokenbefore us and are utterly destroyed; as they melt away like the fat of rams; as unto smoke they consume away, we willsing for ever, "Holiness, and the crown thereof! holiness, and the crown thereof!" But that shall be only one note: this shallbe the song-"His own right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

I would that some soul would believe in Jesus to-night, that it might share in the victory. I would that young man's heartwould be given to Christ to-night, or yours yonder. He deserves it of you: if it were only his mercy in having spared you,he deserves it. And thou greyheaded sinner there, does he not deserve thy heart for sparing thee so long? Yield, I pray thee;his love meets thee. Yield; his terrors threaten thee. Yield; lay down thy weapons, and be for everforgiven. May God help thee to do it. The Lord prove his sovereignty and his power to-night in the conversion of manyof his chosen; and unto him shall be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.