ed prayers, were anxious to bind the pastor and his flock together in the reciprocal bond of intercessive supplication to their common Father. We must, however, admit, that if a clèrical incumbent labours not "to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just :" does not in his deportment appear as a minister of Christ, and, on account of his sacerdotal function, a doubly responsible steward of his intrusted tempo ralities, he not being the minister here described, is not included in this prayer. Nor is he entitled to the affectionate respect which St. Paul claims in his Epistle, wherein he appeals to God to witness the sincerity, simplicity, independence, purity, and holiness of his deportment among his

converts.

The gospel for the day contains our Lord's reference to the works which he performed in attestation of his Messiahship, in answer to the inquiries which the Baptist despatched from prison. We cannot suppose that he who had seen the promised sign point out the Saviour of the world, should doubt its verity. He asked, to remove the incredulity of others; and Jesus, after he had satis fied the messengers, bore testimony to the divine mission of John before the multitude. These mutual attestations will be more properly consi dered when we meditate on the nati vity of that saint.

Being now advanced to nearly the vigil of her Lord's nativity, the Church becomes importunate in her addresses, and tremulous in her hope. Judgment to come, has reminded her of her provocations; the Scriptures have directed her to a Mediator and Redeemer, for whose speedy appearance in the spirit, as well as in the flesh, she eagerly supplicates; and with a reference to that awful day to which this season so peculiarly directs our views, she implores deliverance from sin, that sore hinderance to the Christian canditate, who has started to run the race whose prize is a crown of immortality,

The epistle is a brief but correct definition of religious joy. Who are

they that deny the pleasantness of a religious life, combine piety with gloom and moroseness, and describe the Christian as a constant, instead of an occasional inmate of the house of mourning? St. Paul invites him to rejoice, to rejoice always; and only cautions him not to let his exultation overleap the bounds of moderation. Why is prayer described as a tedious and unpleasant occupation? An Apostle, who was eminently familiar with holy exercises, speaks of it as an antidote to worldly anxities and painful cares; and promises those who accustom themselves to a practical dependance upon Him who seeth what is best for us, a peace which passeth all understanding." It is not here meant that prayer should supersede industry. St. Paul did not dictate one system of ethics at Philippi and another at Thessalonica, where he commanded "that if any would not work, neither should he eat;" and at Corinth enforced his precept by labouring with "his hands night and day," rather than submit to have his necessities supplied by others. It is not diligence and prudent precaution, but absorbing anxiety and restive resistance to God's appointment of our due portion of worldly prosperity, from which St. Paul dissuades us, in a text primarily intended to regulate the religious feelings of his amiable and beloved converts, the Philippian church.

On the gospel for this day (which is also connected with the history of the Baptist), we shall in this place only remark, that it is applicable to the season. Do we inquire, like the angels in the twenty-fourth psalm, who is this expected stranger, for whose appearance the church solemnly prepares us? An awful inha bitant of the wilderness of Judea comes forward to tell us that he is His forerunner ;-and though in himself so much superior to the common race of men as to have had his birth predicted, yet was he unworthy to perform the most servile offices to Him whom he had heard proclaimed the well-beloved Son of God.

We have meditated, in succession,

on the Christian mysteries as connected with our Saviour's life, and seen him re-conducted to the Heaven of heavens, to "the glory which He had with the Father before the world was." Past miracles and wonders prepare us to expect future, if they depend upon the promises of "Him who hath done these great things for us already." If we are convinced, by irrefragable evidence, that the Son of God was incarnate, died and rose from the dead, we must also believe the testimony which himself has given us; which the angels, who certified his ascension, confirmed; and which the apostles, who were imbued with his spirit, continually asserted, that He will again return from heaven to judge the quick and the dead; and that the time of His second advent will be that at which the material world will be destroyed, like a machine whose utility has terminated.

In the prophetical parts of the New Testament, the coming of the Lord has various meanings, and often applies to the impending destruction of the Jewish state. But when stripped of all figurative or allusive images, it is in the most express and literal words applied to the day of judgment. Our faith is somewhat startled, at perceiving that even in the commencement of the Christian era it was sometimes spoken of as immediate, or fast approaching. The moral use of this uncertainty respecting its time is evident; mankind want every stimulant to divert their attention from this too tenderly beloved world; and nothing could have kept up the expectation of its destruction, in those ages which were distant from the event, but ignorance of its remoteness. On the other hand, so stupendously awful is the certainty, that the necessary business of life would be suspended in the times immediately preceding it, did the inhabitants of the earth know that the hour was nigh, when all the labours of wisdom, policy, genius, and skill, would perish with the theatre on which they were exhibited. Like the hour of our individual summons, the death of the world is rendered to us indefinite.

But with respect to the intimations which were given by Christ, it is evident that his apostles misconceived him, as they did his predictions of his own death and resurrection, by supposing that the destruction of the world would immediately follow the ruin of their own nation. They mistook the meaning of the phrase, "this generation," by supposing it limited to an existing race of men; instead of implying what is in other places called the latter days," "the days of the Son of Man," or "these times;" referring to the Christian era. Ín St. Matthew, Christ plainly told them that the end would not be at present; and in St. Luke, that the times of the Gentiles must first be fulfilled. Clearer views were afforded them by that Spirit who gave them a right understanding in all things; though the Thessalonians misunderstood St. Paul, who, in writing to them, fell into a habit which is common to a raised imagination; and painted that scene as impending, which he beheld in sure expectation; but in his second letter he corrected their mistake, showing that various events must first take place. The oracle is not falsified by the erroneous guesses of the interpreter. The last day of the world will come-the Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven-the books will be opened-the judgment will sitthe irreversible doom of mankind will be

executed. Though nearly two thousand years have elapsed since those purposes were declared, they are delayed by Him in whose sight a thousand years are but as one day; and whose promise of a Redeemer, though delayed for seventy generations, was fully realized. Let us preserve this conviction, unclouded by the mist of sensuality, or sordid worldly care; unshaken by perceiving that the menacing guesses of commentators, and the calculations of expositors, have successively proved fallacious. Can the declarations of God be affected by the presumption of man? "Of that day and that hour knoweth no man; no, not the angels which are in Heaven." This only we know: Israel is still in tribulation; Pagan

ism exists; Antichrist is active, even in a three-fold state of warfare;therefore," the times of the Gentiles are not fulfilled."

The annihilation of the earth by fire is positively asserted by our Saviour, St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. John. Its former partial destruction by a deluge, of which geology affords ocular demonstration, renders the event probable. That was an awakening judgment; but many of the of its creation' were then unpurposes fulfilled; this will be deferred till all are accomplished. In its present deranged state, the earth could not be adapted to holy and happy inhabitants. Whether from its ashes a new and beautiful world will arise; whether the wretched exiles from Heaven will be doomed to inhabit its ruins; whether it will resolve to chaos, and be a blank in creation, we are forbidden to inquire.

But a scene infinitely more interesting to the inhabitants of the earth, than the exhaustation of her boiling deeps, or the disappearance of her molten mountains, will succeed; namely, the eternal determination of their individual fates. How the thoughts of every heart will be disclosed, every word repeated, every action investigated, we know not. The objection concerning the length of time which this scrutiny will take is invalid, because the great audit will not begin till the angel has declared "that there shall be time no longer." Of the result we are fully informed; for the justice of God in his dealings with man will be made apparent; the secret good works of his faithful servants will be proclaimed aloud; the pretended virtues of those who defied his authority, or disobeyed his laws, will be divested of their false lustre; they will even be compelled to admit the justice of the sentence which condemns them, "and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

On the definiteness of these terms we dare not argue. The learned agree, that the original word, implying duration, is in either case positive

and express. Who is there that would abridge the happiness of Heaven, by limiting it even to millions of years ? Who is there that dare say, that the torturing flames of Tophet shall last no longer? And, on the other hand, who can assert, that Heaven is beyond the reach of God's power, or Hell not within the limits of his mercy?

But anxious man wishes for what no man can assure, a positive repeal of the sentence of perpetual misery; and asks, if a good and righteous God will continue to punish, when the reformation of the offender is by his own sentence impracticable? We might reply, that the divine government extends over thousands of worlds, and that every part of its economy is involved in reciprocal relations. We know, that angels of the highest order sinned in Heaven; and that the blood-shedding of the Son of God was necessary to procure for sinners of mankind a state of probation, and a promise of grace. The eternal enmity of God to sin, illustrated by ter rible examples of punishment, may be salutary, nay, even necessary, to keep sin and sorrow from the new Jerusalem. Of this we may be assured, that the terrors of the Lord are not denounced against infirmity, but obduracy. "They are meant to preserve the innocent from guilt, and to convince those who have transgressed of the immediate necessity of repentance. It is not by one act of wickedness that the beneficent Father of the universe will be for ever alienated from his creatures, or infinite mercy kindled to everlasting anger; but by crimes deliberately committed against the admonitions of grace and the convictions of conscience; by a life spent in guilt, and concluded without repentance." They who so far meditate on the threatenings of God, as to make them influential on their conduct, may depend upon his grace, to preserve them from experiencing their tremendous results.

Of the nature and intenseness of future punishments, our present organs can form no conception; for as they are only adapted to the present life, they must be equally inadequate

to determine how in future they may become susceptible of Almighty merey, or of Almighty wrath. A body capable of suffering intense and endless torment, without being destroyed or a mind gnawed with the anguish of eternal despair, yet without becoming obtuse in its feelings,-are equally to us inconceivable. Yet we should not discard the material images which Scripture applies to the future residence of sinners, as figurative and metaphorical. Are not the impenitent threatened with the wrath of God; and can any thing be too terrible to be included in that tremendous denunciation, applied to a body and a soul alike susceptible and eternal ?

The moral design of these revelations concerning the future world is obvious; and, unhappily, their too frequent inefficacy is equally apparent. Beset by objects of sight, we forget the things that are unseen. We barter the safety of our souls, for what our secret convictions, and the experience of others, tell us is transient, delusive, and worthless. How shall we emancipate our minds from the seductions of amusement, and the slavery of business? By frequent retirement from the bustle of life, and by a regular use of those appointed means of grace, which teach us to remember, that we are here pilgrims hastening to an unseen world. Among these, let us especially attend to a constant and serious observance of the Lord's Day; that weekly division of time, which perpetually reminds us that it will end in eternity.

Let us consider the events of the last week on this day of leisure; and the recollection will lead to the most useful species of knowledge, self-acquaintance. But to acquire this, a man must not meditate on his gains, lossess, and expectations; nor on bis adroitness, his deserts, or the injuries, real and supposed, which have irritated and roused his feelings. His eyes must be fixed on his temptations, trials, and offences; and his attention directed to ascertain how far he has fallen short of that moral standard by which he metes his neighbour's ac

tions. His frequent lapses will prove his natural insufficiency; and that discovery, firmly impressed upon his mind, will soon familiarize him with. the energy of prayer. He will find that he wants assistance; that he requires a Spiritual Friend, a Redeemer, a Mediator, and a Sanctifier. Let him but persevere in strictly prohibiting the intrusion of worldly thoughts on this day hallowed by his Creator's rest, the resurrection of Christ, and the descent of the sanctifying Spirit; and he will go on from strength to strength, till he determines, that " one day spent in the courts of the Lord is better than a thousand." "All ideas influence our conduct with more or less force, as they are more or less strongly impressed on the mind; and they are more or less strongly impressed on the mind, as they are more frequently recollectod and renewed."

Unquestionably, supernatural supplies of grace are conveyed in holy, ordinances; but we should always remember, that if we omit the exercise and intense application of our faculties, our souls are compared to that barren vineyard which divine forbearance long spared, and mercy cultivated; but which only a miracle that would annihilate free will could make productive. Almighty and merciful God, guide us by thy gracious fayour, and further us by thy continual help; and in the hour of death and day of judgment good Lord deliver

us !"

Extract from a Sermon preached at St. John's Cathedral, in Calcutta, on the 13th April, 1815, &c. &c. By T. F. Middleton, D. D. Bishop of Calcutta.

BUT in another view of the dispensations of Providencce, I am to urge you to seek the Lord.' It was foretold by Noah, that God should enlarge Japhath, and he should dwell in the tents of Shem.* How amply and how clearly has this prophecy been fulfilled! How hath Japhath, the ancestor of Europeans, been en

Gen. viii. 27.

larged by their establishment at different periods among the descendants of Shem, the father of the nations of Asia! but most signally in that widely extended dominion, which hath been given by Providence to a distant island in the West. But the gifts of God, whether national or personal, carry with them corresponding obligations. We greatly err, if we imagine that empire is conferred upon nations merely to gratify their avarice or their ambition; we should rather apprehend, that if the tree bear not fruit, it will be cut down, as cumbering the ground. But we hope that the period may yet arrive, when the nations which surround us shall have derived from our intercourse, benefits, which the vicissitudes of the world, and the revolutions of empires, shall not be able to efface. Our le gislature has humanely declared, that it is the duty of our country to promote the interest and the happiness of its subjects in useful knowledge, and in moral and religious improvement;'t preserving, however, a strict regard to those principles of toleration, which are inseparable from the spirit of the Gospel. Under these restrictions, what a field is open to benevolence, and how powerful are the motives by which it is impelled! Who of us has not been struck with horror at the exhibition of the last few days? What Christian has not praised the Disposer of events, that he is blessed with a knowledge of the Gospel? How deeply has he felt the truth of that declaration of his Saviour, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light' With what gratitude does he reflect, that a full, perfect, and sufficient satisfaction hath been once made for the sins of the whole world!' and how ardently does he wish, that to all the world this saving truth were known! Then would pilgrimages and penances, and self-inflicted tortures, and all the modes of individual expia tion, fall into disuse, and men would adopt a reasonable service. would repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remisLuke xiii. 7. † 53 Geo. III. c. 155. The rites of Seeva. § St. Matt. xi. 30.

They

sion of sins; and they would worship their Maker in the spirit of truth." For this glorious consummation we must patiently and humbly wait; in the mean time, recollecting the part which in the scheme of Povidence is assigned to ourselves. It was said, by an early apologist of our religion, that the Christian is the same everywhere;" .** meaning, that wherever. his lot may be cast, he professes the same faith, and acts upon the same conviction. In the second century, no doubt, this praise was well-merited and just we might even conceive that Christians, living among Gentile nations, were, if possible, more circumspect in their behaviour on that very account; they would feel that they had to support the character of Christ's religion, and to establish its efficacy in reforming the morals and the hearts of men. It were too much to affirm, that Christianity, even where it is most free from corruption and decay, still retains all the marks of its early vigour; and still less ground is there to believe, that Christians, in their intercouse with the unconverted, regard themselves as living under a heavier responsibility. It is, however, most awfully important, circumstanced as we are here, that we should exceed that measure of Christian righteousness, which, in the laxity of the times, is frequently thought sufficient: a degenerate Christianity will make but few converts from an inveterate and strongly fortified superstition. Let immoral habits, however common, and in whatever form they subsist among us, be renounced:-let the day of rest be generally, not partiality, dedicated to God:-let the public worship be regularly, not occasionally, attended, when there is no reasonable impedi ment: let it be seen, that we have a religion and a Church-let its ministers, of whatever rank, where they act worthily of their sacred calling, be had in reverence and esteem:

let charitable institutions be multiplied, and, where they are applicable, extended beyond our own pale-let || Actsii. 38. ¶ St. John iv. 241 **Tertullian de Corona.