flowed down from Aaron's beard and went down to the skirts of his clothing, so pray we our great High Priest that His love may flow down into our hearts, and overflow upon all with whom we live. Thus repenting of our own sins, for which we need forgiveness; believing in the great Absolver; praising His Holy Name for sins forgiven, and loving one another, as He gave us commandment, God's love is perfected on earth. And our Communions here are foretastes, antepasts, of that communion hereafter, where sin shall be no more to be repented of and forgiven; where faith shall give place to sight; where praise will be our endless song; and where God's love and peace in our hearts shall flow as a river.

"O God! whose thoughts are brightest light,
Whose love always runs clear,

To whose kind wisdom sinning souls
Amidst their sins are dear!

"Sweeten my bitter-thoughted heart

With charity like Thine,

Till self shall be the only spot

On earth which does not shine.

"Hard-heartedness dwells not with souls
Round whom Thine arms are drawn ;
And dark thoughts fade away in grace,
Like cloud-spots in the dawn.

"I often see in my own thoughts,
When nearest Thee they lie,
That the worst men I ever knew
Were better men than I.

"Thou art the Unapproached, whose height Enables Thee to stoop,

"Love's changeful mood our neighbours' faults O'erwhelms with burning ray,

And in excess of splendour hides
What is not burned away.

66 Again, with truth like God's, it shades
Harsh things with untrue light,
Like moons that make a fairy-land
Of fallow fields at night.

"Then mercy, Lord! more mercy still!
Make me all light within,

Self-hating and compassionate,
And blind to others' sin.

"I need Thy mercy for my sin;
But more than this I need,-
Thy mercy's likeness in my soul
For others' sin to bleed.

""Tis not enough to weep my sins;
'Tis but one step to heaven:
When I am kind to others, then
I know myself forgiven.

"Would that my soul might be a world
Of golden ether bright,

A heaven where other souls might float,
Like all Thy worlds, in light.

"All bitterness is from ourselves,

All sweetness is from Thee;

Sweet God! for evermore be Thou
Fountain and fire in me."

-FABER.

VI.

SINS OF INFIRMITY.

'My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins."-1 JOHN ii. 1, 2.

In

THUS far we have considered together, I trust not without mutual profit, the conditions of worthy Communion. I have enlarged on Repentance, Faith, Thanksgiving, and Charity, and in showing the relation these have one to the other, have also sought to show you how strictly evangelical is the teaching of our Prayer Book. reply to the question in one of her familiar formularies : "What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper?" we answer "To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins; steadfastly purposing to lead a new life; have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of His death; and be in charity with all men." I have pointed out, step by step, for your encouragement, or warning, as the case may be, how Repentance, i.c., "godly sorrow," precedes "lively, saving Faith;" how the feeling of joy, finding expression in Praise, cannot precede its immediate cause, and how there can be no real Love one for another except in so