And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory, and honour, and thanks, to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

The Gospel. St. John iii. 1.

HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto

nature when we only recognise as its ruler a notional and impersonal Deity. But the system of grace requires for its explanation that threefold personality so sublimely exhibited in the solemn visions of the Apocalypse. There we behold the glorified Son clothed in the attributes of eternity, -and there the Comforter, designated by the mystic title of perfection," the Seven Spirits of God;" while in the Unity of the one Lord God Almighty, they receive the homage of the Church and of universal nature.

thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not; how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

THE GOSPEL.-There are certain introductory principles in the science of heavenly truth; and there are the grand and comprehensive doctrines which support the whole mystery of godliness. If the former be not received and understood, much less can the latter. Jesus describes the one under the name of earthly things, whereby He means that they are subjects which come within the range of common observation, or belong to the elemental knowledge of religion;-things which may be rendered familiar by comparison with objects seen and understood;-or which by their simplicity and contracted influence are not to be long dwelt upon: while the higher doctrines which He was soon about to teach had a close and immediate connexion with eternity. The doctrine of baptism and spiritual regeneration ought not to have surprised a master in Israel. If he had rightly employed the advantages which every Israelite possessed, he would have seen in the typical washings prescribed by his own religion the necessity of a spiritual baptism. The proselyte had to be cleansed thereby, and when admitted into the family of God's people, was regarded as a new man. Raising his thoughts but a little from the old religion of signs and types to that spoken of by the prophets, he might have understood that as in this all was to be real and substantial, yet spiritual, so the change to be wrought in those receiving it was to be a renovation, vital and entire. The religion of Christ is received by the world at large rather according to the teaching of its own favourites than as it is set forth either by the Gospel or the Church of God. We might almost imagine, from the manner in which it is sometimes spoken of,—from the authoritative tone with which doctrines are rejected or modified, that there were no such fixed standard of faith as Scripture, and no such interpreter as the blessed Spirit. Christianity as professed by the world is a religion without mystery ;-a system compounded of precepts and general promises, both the one and the other wanting the foundation on which alone they can be reasonably established. It is presented altogether under an earthly aspect ;—as a system appreciable by earthly understandings, and capable of being easily supported by earthly arguments and sanctions. But the world does not in reality, and with good faith, accept the system with which it has thus ventured to interfere, and so greatly modify in order to suit it to its wishes and apprehensions. It leaves itself at liberty to reject, for the sake of expediency, both the doctrines and the precepts which it has outwardly acknowledged. For the proof of this, witness its practices, and compare them with the admitted commands of Christ. Listen to its ordinary language, and then turn even to the summaries of doctrine which it consents to receive as containing correct exhibitions of the Christian system. No further proof will be wanted to demonstrate its folly and its inconsistency.

The First Sunday after Trinity.

GOD, the strength of all them that put their trust in thee, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping of thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COLLECT.-We have passed, step by step, along the pathway of evangelical history; and are now brought, as it were, to expatiate in the wider fields of spiritual doctrine. This and the other Collects for the Sundays after Trinity are taken from the Sacramentary of Gregory. The present prayer acknowledges, by an act of faith, the power and the mercy of God, and the utter helplessness of unaided mortality. His grace is sought because no good thing is possible to man without it; and in the true spirit of Christian holiness, the power which it bestows is desired in order that we may be enabled to keep God's commandments, and, in the ways of holiness, find peace and joy.

The Epistle. 1 St. John iv. 7.

B

ELOVED, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us; because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love;

THE EPISTLE.-The perfect system of the Gospel proposed to, and accepted by, the Christian, it becomes his duty to inquire into the great characteristics of the religion, as intended to produce the most noble effects on the state of mankind at large. "Love is the fulfilling of the law," is the sublimest statement that ever fell from the lips of a teacher. Neither poet nor philosopher had ventured thus simply and comprehensively to declare the truth which, of all others, is most essential to the happiness of the world. St. John, who rejoiced in the privilege of being appointed to unfold the higher mysteries of the Gospel, insists with a never-tiring energy on this grandest of moral truths. In his record of Christ's words, he had made known the necessity of the new birth of a regeneration which should leave nothing in the will of man hostile to the purposes of God. Here, speaking by the Holy Ghost, he shows what we are to look for in those who have been born of God, or in whom "His love is perfected." God Himself, he tells us, is love; and the reality of our regeneration must be proved by the manifest participation of our souls in that prime attribute of the Father. By this new quality of our nature, we become capable of knowing and glorifying Him; and by the same divine principle it must be that we are rendered tender, useful, and compassionate to our fellow-men. One heavenly Spirit regenerates and endows us with life, and fills the channels of our immortality with the copious streams of an unfailing love!

but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment: He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

The Gospel. St. Luke xvi. 19.

HERE was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple, and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs,

which fell from the rich man's table:

moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried: and in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also