Scriptures, what I am bold to say, | ject which ought to be close to the however your prejudices may rise heart of every Christian, which he against it, your judgment cannot gain- should bring before God as one of the say at present, whatever plausible ar- heaviest sins of our country, beseechgument you may derive by and by ing forgiveness for our rulers, praying from it: but the fair and honest expo- for amendment on the part of our lesition of these chapters, your judg- gislature, and imploring our merciful ment cannot now gainsay; and that God to withhold the blow which we fair and honest exposition is, that all deserve for our oppression of the poor these gifts and graces should have been African stranger, whom we have carcontinued in the Church, and should ried to our Colonies, and made to have been in the Church now. drudge as a beast of the field? O my brethren, the evils which lie on us upon this account are innumerable. I believe that even this blessed subject of Christian feeling, with this earnest petitioning both of God and man against slavery-this very subject will now be made, and is now made, an instrument in the hands of the devil, by causing Christians to league with the infidels and the liberals, because those infidels and liberals cry for liberty against oppression and slavery. The Christian who sighs against that oppression joins them in the cry; and Christians have been betrayed into an expression of approbation on the side of liberalism in writing their petitions against Colonial Slavery.

This is a very important subject. If these things be so-if this be the true picture of what the Church should be, look at what she is; and you find a readiness for the judgments which we pronounce to be coming on her-a readiness to have all the outward prosperity with which the Lord has blessed her taken away from her. For she has forgotten her inward strength; through unbelief she has grieved the Holy Spirit: so that there is paralysis in her heart. And who shall keep her hands steady when her heart is paralysed? Who shall keep her outward benefits when her inward support is gone? Who shall keep houses over her head, and lands for her to feed upon, when the Spirit is gone, and faith and love Now, I would suggest this to you, are gone from her heart? She is in that it should be said by us, and that decrepitude, she is in old age: and in- it should be avowed and maintained stead of the beautiful description of by us, that the duty of a man upon the infancy of the Church being ap- Christian principles is, submission to plicable to her, the description of the the power that governs in every thing Prophets of the decrepitude of Jeru- short of sin against God, whether that salem, when she was ready to be cast power be the despotism of Nero, or off, are much more applicable-not in the cruelty of a slave-driver. On this country only, but throughout Christian principles submission is man's Christendom. Take this description duty; but then we should earnestly of the prophet Ezekiel :-"In thee and respectfully exhibit the baseness, have they set light by father and mo- as well as the sin and the danger, of ther in the midst of thee they have any power who calls itself Christian, dealt by oppression with the stranger: ruling on the principles of Nero, and in thee have they vexed the fatherless expecting the people to submit on the and the widow." How this has been principles of Paul. If Christianity be done, my brethren! Here I speak appealed to by governors as inculcating much more closely to what you must submission, it should, on the other feel to be the experience of the coun- hand, be acted upon by them, and good, try, than when I describe the love that here and hereafter, should be the parais to be found in the Church. There- mount object of the rulers. If Chrisfore I say the decrepitude of Jerusalem tian principles be discarded by the is more applicable to the Church now, rulers, what can we expect, but that than the beautiful description of the the people will act also on natural infant Church. Have they not set principles. We would regret even light by father and mother? Is not that: we would hope they would show insubordination in families proverbial? a more excellent way. Have they not dealt oppression to the the ruler reason to expect who disstranger? Need I instance that sub-cards Christianity from his principles

But what has

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Psalm, cxix. 108.-" Accept, I beseech thee, the free-will offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments,”

our Heavenly Father-that at once causes us to draw nigh to him, and prevails with him to draw nigh to usthat encourages and invites, and enables us in all things to make our requests known unto God: are we worthy of such a privilege? are we deserving of such a distinction? Are we fit to enter into communion with our Maker? Have we any claim that our prayers should be heard, and accepted, and answered by him, excepting what we derive from his own free promise and voluntary engagement? Or take the volume of the Scriptures-that treasury of heavenly wisdom-that depository of the revealed will of Godthat unerring guide through things temporal to things eternal-that which, when duly and regularly consulted, becomes a light to the feet, and a lantern to the paths of those who would otherwise walk in darkness ;are we worthy to be put in trust with the pure word of God-to study it under the teaching of the Divine Spirit

WHEN Christians in the present day, and among our own congregations, are most urgently, and most constantly, invited to honour their Redeemer by obeying his departing precept, "This do in remembrance of me"-when they are from time to time reminded, that the symbols of his precious body and blood are not only openly exhibited, but freely proffered to all who are willing to partake them-when, too, it is impressed upon them, that the whole of their previous education in the knowledge of the Gospel has been, or should have been, a kind of preparation for the holy ordinance of the Sacrament; they too often continue to hold back, sheltering themselves under the hackneyed, and sometimes insincere excuse, that they are not worthy. But it altogether escapes these persons, that the same excuse might be alleged for the omission of every religious observance whatever. Take prayer for example the precious privilege of drawing nigh to God as a reconciled Father in Christ Jesus of urging at to find in it the gem of great price, his throne of grace a plea which he the treasure of inestimable value, has pledged himself never to reject the wisdom unto salvation? Or are of confiding to him all our necessities, we worthy to enter into the house of trials, wants, and distresses, under the God on the Sabbath-day, to join in guidance of that Spirit who will not the common offering of prayer, the only teach us what to pray for as we general ascription of praise-to assoought, but will himself make inter-ciate ourselves with the most eminent cession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered: take prayer that brings us daily within the notice of

VOL. I.

and experienced saints in the same supplication for God's mercy, the same expression of reliance on his promises,

M

vah, even while he presumed to ask it. The man after God's own heart would not even prefer his prayers to his God without accompanying them with a petition that they might find favour in his sight:-" Accept the free-will of

O Lord; and teach me thy statutes." Here then, Christians, is an example for us all; an example more especially for those who design to unite this day in the most solemn ordinance of our common faith. But how shall all be enabled to examine and to profit by it? Only by Thy help, most gracious Spirit, without whose present light and influence the fervour of a Paul, the eloquence of an Apollos, would be altogether in vain. Prepare our hearts, then, for the reception of thy truth: let us experience this day, that the entrance of thy word giveth lightthat it giveth understanding to the simple: and may we have grace henceforward to say with the Psalmist, from our own blessed experience, "Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore doth my soul keep them: thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it."

the same assurance of eternal life | undeserving of acceptance with Jehothrough the atoning blood of Christ? Surely we can have no answer to these questions, but that of the Patriarch Jacob-"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant." If therefore Christians were, in every in-ferings of my mouth, I beseech thee, stance, to act consistently with the principle on which they pretend to act with reference to the Holy Sacrament, they would desist from prayer, because they are not worthy to be heard; and cease from reading the Scriptures, because they are not worthy of the exceeding great and precious promises which are here revealed; and absent themselves from the house of God altogether, because they are not worthy to mingle their petitions with those of the great congregation, which comprehends the true and spiritual members of the body of Christ. But they do not act thus, because they feel, and feel justly, that in so doing they would virtually abjure all hope, and all prospect of obtaining the inheritance of the Saints in light. Why, therefore, I may ask, are they to carry their groundless, if not insincere scruples, to that ordinance which appeals to their observance with all the force of a positive, unlimited command? If they are worthy to pray-to read the Scriptures to attend the house of Godwhy are they not worthy to assemble around the table of the Lord, to receive the lively symbols of the body and blood of Christ?

The fact is, that this excuse, in a great majority of instances, is nothing better than a mere subterfuge. Men say they are not worthy, because they have no desire to become so; because they fear, that, by this act, they will be constrained to take upon themselves a more strict and severe profession of religion; because after partaking of the Holy Sacrament they will not dare to live as they have lived, and to sin as they have sinned; but they must henceforth be more moderate in their indulgences, more guarded in their conversation, more circumspect in all their conduct. If the plea of unworthiness were really felt, they would be encouraged by the example of the Sacred Writer in our text, who virtually acknowledges, by the very wording of his prayer, that he was

FIRST, What are we to present to God? "The free-will offerings of the mouth." SECONDLY, The means by which we are to seek for their acceptance - by beseeching God.” THIRDLY, What is to be the object of our further petitions, when we have thus prayed for the acceptance of our very prayers? "Teach me thy statutes."

First, WE ARE TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE PSALMIST, IN PRESENTING to God the free-WILL OFFERINGS OF OUR MOUTHS-that is, voluntarily, and without constraint of others, to draw nigh to his throne of grace, in the act, and in the attitude, and with the words of prayer. But it may be asked, Did the Psalmist do no more than this? Did he only present the offerings of his mouth? Was not his heart also engaged in the duty of devotion? Did he not present that of which himself said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise?" On most occasions, unquestionably, he did: but this passage appears to have been recorded by the Divine Spirit expressly for the com