And what can be more venerable, grand, and impressive, than the assembling together of a number of immortal beings, in the presence of the Lord of angels, to engage not in any of the affairs of this world, but in those which concern the soul and eternity, and the consequences of which will affect us for ever? Well therefore may we exclaim with Jacob; "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." Let us impress ourselves with the thought when we are repairing to the sanctuary. Nothing will tend more to preserve us from a roving eye and a wandering heart; nothing will conduce more to our profiting by the means of grace, than our engaging with a serious and thoughtful frame of mind. David therefore said, "In thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple." It is the more necessary, because of the frequent return of these solemnities. If familiarity does not always breed contempt, it must always tend to reduce veneration.

But what caused these pious Jews to be "sorrowful?" See how they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they chat are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Their metropolis was destroyed, their palaces were demolished, strangers possessed their fields and vineyaris; but though their calamities were great and numberless, nothing distressed them in comparison with the destruction of the temple, and the loss of their sacred institutions. They were "sorrowful because of the solemn assembly." This was now broken up and dispersed. "Ah!" said their aching hearts, "thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregrations. We see not our signs: there is no more

any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long." "Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers worshipped, is burned with fire, and all our pleasant things are laid waste."

Blessed be God, we cannot be thus sorrowful for the solemn assembly. Our temples are standing, our Sabbaths are continued, our eyes see our teachers, our ears hear the joyful sound; we sit under our own vine and fig tree, and none makes us afraid. Yet we ought, and, if we are spiritually minded, we shall on many accounts be sorrowful for the solemn assembly. Sorrowful when deprived of opportunities of being found in it. This may be the case owing to the calls of urgent business, or accident, or sickness, or relative affliction. When indeed we are thus providentially detained, the Lord will not leave us comfortless: yet when we remember these things, we shall pour out our souls in us; for we had gone with the multitude, we went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day. Sorrowful that it is so little attended. Many so undervalue the privilege as to suffer the most trifling expense or impediment to keep them from the courts of the Lord. Sorrowful that it is so little improved. How many attend frequently and regularly who receive the grace of God in vain, and are no wiser and better for all their advantages! Sorrowful that it is so impoverished and declining-That there is less spirituality and fervour; that we do not see the children instead of the fathers; that while the old are removed, so few in early life are coming forward to fill their places; that so few are led to inquire, What must I do to be saved? that so few increase with all the increase of God. Sorrowful that it is dishonoured and degraded

-By apostacies, backslidings, inconsistencies, and falls, in the members of it; so that the enemies of the Lord blaspheme, and the way of truth is evil spoken of, and the Redeemer wounded in the house of his friends. Hence it is here added, "to whom the reproach of it is a burden." All this "is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation."

Yet if we feel the distress, it is a token for good. It is godly sorrow. And blessed are they that thus sorrow-For, says God, "I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly." This means, with regard to these Israelites, that they should be united again from their dispersion, and led back to enjoy their former privileges, and again see his power and glory as they had seen him in the sanctuary. With regard to other sorrowers, the Lord will gather them in two ways; gather them for safety, and gather them for glory.

Moses said to Pharaoh, upon his announcing the plague of hail, "Send now and gather thy cattle, and all that is in the field;" that is, house them from the storm. Thus the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and affords them a safe and comfortable retreat from the weather and the birds of prey. Our Lord uses this image; and David had also said, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." What an encouragement is this in times of public and general calamity! Indeed without it we should not be able to live a day in quiet from the fear of evil. The husbandman, when the grain is ripe, gathers the wheat into the barn. The bride

groom is said to go "down into the garden to gather lilies." It is thus the Lord, when they are made meet, removes his saints from the Church below to the Church above, and from earth to heaven, by the hand of death. Thus they are continually gathering one by one to their own people. At length he will send forth his angels, and will gather together his elect from the four winds: and the aggregate will be perfect. To this the Apostle refers, when he says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him."

Two things result from hence. First-that sensibility attends genuine religion. The Lord takes away the heart of stone out of our flesh, and gives us a heart of flesh. Secondly-Nothing is more pleasing to God than a feeling, lively, public spirit, that will not allow of our looking on our own things, but also on the things of others, and especially the things that are Jesus Christ's. If we have no concern for the welfare of Zion, we are not living members of the mystical body. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee."

JULY 9.-MORNING.

"And it came to pass, that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." LUKE xi. 1.

THOUGH "one" of the disciples only said this, we have no reason to think the rest differed from him in sentiment. He was the mouth for them all. When our Lord said to the twelve, Will ye also go away?

Peter answered-but it was in the name of his brethren; and expressed the conviction of each of them -"Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." It is very probable he was the speaker here: for his heart was always very near his lips. But, whoever the speaker was, every thing here was praiseworthy.

I admire his decorum. Some are satisfied with the moralities of conduct: but there are the proprieties too; and these are not to be overlooked. "Let every thing be done," says the Scripture, "decently, and in order." This should be peculiarly the case in our holy assemblies. Let us guard against every thing that is unseemly and disturbing. Let us avoid coughing as much as we can. Let us not look and stare all over the house of God. Let us not talk or whisper. Let us beware of coming in during the service. How painful and injurious is it to the preacher and worshipper to be interrupted and diverted in those sacred moments in which we ought to attend on the Lord without distraction! Observe these disciples. They surrounded our Saviour while he was engaged—but with breathless silence, and did not break in upon his devotion, but waited-till he had "ceased praying."

I admire his emulation. Having heard his Master, he began to say, Well, this is prayer. What dignity! what wisdom! what reverence! what submission! what fervour, are here! According to this, we have. never prayed yet. Lord, teach us to pray. Indeed, the more we attend on him in any thing, the less shall we think of ourselves. The beams of this Sun will soon darken our tapers.

I admire his wish to resemble what he so much. admired. We should always endeavour to improve