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come;" and then, after a great many particulars showing the utter corruption that people, women as well as men, would sink into, yet all the while preserving a form of godliness, he conIcludes with these words, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth," yea, "resisting the Truth," "turning away their ears from the Truth, and turning themselves to fables," false and fanciful views of Religion. According to the prophecy of St. Peter, also, that "false teachers," that is to say teachers of false doctrine, shall increase in the Christian Church, "by reason of whom the way of Truth (the Truth orig.) shall be evil spoken of."

It may then easily appear to all considerate and unprejudiced persons, that it cannot possibly be a matter of indifference, but must of necessity be of the utmost personal consequence to every single individual to embrace and hold fast Divine Truth.

Therefore, if at any time in a Christian country the foundations of the Truth are destroyed or shaken, this, as I observed on a former occasion, is not a matter which belongs to the Clergy only, or to people of scholarship or of leisure, but it touches all who know and feel that all their hopes of salvation rest on JESUS CHRIST, and on the Truth of His Gospel.

It greatly then concerns the authorized ministers of so holy a Religion as the Christian, to press on the consciences of those for whom they must one day give account before the tribunal of GOD, -to press on men's consciences, I say, the infinite consequence of their embracing and holding fast Divine Truth, and the infinite danger of slighting and neglecting it.

The world indeed, alas! that it should be so, the Christian world so called, (at least in this country,) is very resolute in maintaining the contrary opinion. A very large number of persons dislike the Church of England for this particular reason, because it lays so great a stress on religious doctrines, in the Creeds, the Catechism, the occasional Services, the Articles, and indeed the whole Prayer Book. The secret reason of this no doubt is, that in the corrupt heart of man there is a secret natural dislike of Divine Truth, as such,—whilst the false liberty which we unhappily long for, seems most secure when we are clear of forms, rules, creeds, and doctrines, in short, all those safeguards which the Church of CHRIST from the very beginning has, no

doubt under the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT, provided in defence of Sacred Truth.

Against these foundations, the enemies of GOD and man are always diligently employed.

The devil, the father of lies,-the world, which hates JESUS CHRIST, though with a show perhaps of loving HIM,-and our own carnal wills, still averse to the restraints which the service of GOD would impose on them,-these with one consent oppose themselves to Divine Truth, and seek if possible to overthrow its foundations.

And therefore people ought to consider, when they find themselves inclined to think or speak lightly of religious truth or doctrine, to say it is of no great consequence what a man's faith is, to treat the Creeds and other formularies of the ancient Church as things old fashioned, out of date, and useless,-Christians ought to consider that when they do so, they do in fact join with God's enemies in destroying the foundations of all Truth. And having considered this, they ought to beg of ALMIGHTY GOD for His dear SON's sake, pardon for what in times past they may have done wrong in this respect; for their carelessness and indifference about religious Truth, under the mask of being or being called liberal and charitable; and for the example they may have set others to follow them in these " their pernicious ways," as the Apostle says. Some persons think, and apparently with reason, that this our country can no longer be properly called a Christian nation, and therefore see with indifference, or perhaps with approbation, the Jews, the blasphemers and crucifiers of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, admitted to the same privileges with Christians.

Whatever may be the reasonableness or unreasonableness of this opinion, no doubt its prevalence is a remarkable sign of the times, a sign that Christian men and Christian nations are beginning to express open indifference about God's Truth, and then the next step is to be ashamed of it, and the next to cast it off altogether. This is no over-statement, but must be quite evident to persons of observation and candour.

Be it our care, my brethren, to beseech ALMIGHTY GOD, for the sake of His Blessed SoN, that we may be preserved from so terrible a danger, and be enabled to stand firm and unmoved in the profession of the Truth, "the Truth as it is in Jesus."

In the world around us the foundations may be destroyed, yea, in the Church itself many may make shipwreck of their faith; nevertheless, the foundation of GoD standeth sure. "The LORD is in His holy temple," the Church militant here below: "The LORD's throne is in Heaven "—the Church triumphant above.

"In this quietness and confidence may be our strength." It is our high privilege as baptized and sworn Christians, to be able to see by Faith the arm of the LORD supporting his faithful servants, and never withdrawn from them so long as they remain faithful.

We are not therefore to leave the place which God's Providence has assigned us, to desert (as some are not afraid to do) the Church in which we have been baptized, for the more enticing and popular services used among Roman Catholics, or among

Dissenters of various denominations.

If indeed the Prayer Book were to be altered, and the foundations of Christian Truth weakened or destroyed by authority, then the question would naturally be, what can the righteous do? where can the sincere Churchman take refuge?

But so long as in belonging to the Church of England we can humbly yet confidently trust that we belong to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, so long we may have the inward peace and comfort which belongs to such a thought, and bless GOD for His great mercy to us who so little deserve it.

And then our great care and anxiety should be, not to have fresh signs and tokens that we are members of CHRIST, children of GOD, and inheritors of His heavenly kingdom, (that we need not doubt,) but our anxiety should be, as St. Paul teaches in the like case, to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called," to "build up ourselves in our most holy faith," to adorn the doctrine of GOD our SAVIOUR in all things."

Now then, if the foundations are apparently being cast down around us, we are not to remain idle, inactive, and desponding, but to do what we can towards repairing them.

The cause of GOD's Truth is entrusted to us all; every one of us in our several stations can be for the Truth or against it, and not only can be, but is.

As every person's conduct is of great consequence before God, and all will be brought to account, so every person has in a manner God's Truth entrusted to him, in this way, that by our

treatment of it we cause it to be honoured or despised in the world.

If people are careless about religious Truth (as, alas! so many are) this injures the cause of Truth, and for the injury they must answer. If, on the other hand, persons are serious and in earnest about religious Truth as such, and take pains to ascertain it, and treat it with reverence and awe, and avoid as much as they can the society of those who treat it with levity and indifference, such persons no doubt have God's blessing with them, and in His good time He will recompense them for their loyalty and faithfulness.

These are things for us to consider, especially in this time of peculiar trial for the Church of JESUS CHRIST, when the crafts and assaults of the great enemy are so vehemently directed against Divine Truth.

It is indeed certain, that too many, even of those who are called Church people, do not really care much for these things; for the way of Truth like the way of Life is narrow, and few there be that find it."

But this is a reason why those who are in earnest anxious for the honour of God, and the good of their brethren, should stand forward steadily and resolutely in the cause of Truth, and not suffer themselves to be carried away from it by popular errors, however plausible, or to be alarmed by popular enmity or scorn, however bitter.

These trials are always to be expected, as well by Churches as by individual Christians, when they oppose the evil world, and refuse to bow down before its tyranny.

And we ought to think it a great honour, as the first Christians did, if in any case we may be counted worthy to suffer shame for the great Name of JESUS CHRIST, and to have our own name cast out as evil, for the sake of HIM, who is to us not only The Way and The Life, but also The Truth.

SERMON CCCXXXI

CHRISTIAN RESIGNATION.

ST. PETER'S DAY.

1 PET. iv. 19.

"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to HIM in well doing, as unto a faithful CREATOR."

WHEN the HOLY JESUS was about to remove His visible presence from this world, and to leave His Church in the charge of His Apostles, under the guidance of the unseen COMFORTER, although the promises which He made to them were on the whole of a most consoling and encouraging nature, yet, too, He gave them plainly HE to understand that they would be exposed to trials and sufferings in no ordinary measure.

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"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated ME before it hated you." Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Remember the word that I said unto you, 'The servant is not greater than his lord;' if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." "They shall put you out of the synagogues, yea, the time cometh, when whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth GOD service:" service, that is to say, an act of religious devotion and worship; that he maketh, as it were, an offering to God.

And that those holy men found the warnings of their LORD fully accomplished in the course of their after-labours in the cause of the Gospel, there is abundant evidence from the Holy Scriptures,