TO ALL ENGAGED IN OUR SOLEMN CHURCH SERVICE.

WE read in the 29th chapter of Isaiah of a people who drew nigh to God with their lips while their hearts were far from him, "having a form of godliness, but destitute of the power thereof." I fear many are to be found in this our Christian land, as it is called, who bear a very near resemblance to the character of those worshippers: openly declaring in the language of our sublime Church Service that they are 'miserable sinners,' and beseeching God to have mercy upon them as such, whereas they do not in reality consider themselves as such; sin is no misery to them; nay the very reverse: they delight in the service of sin and Satan, and yet openly before the Church and in the presence of an heart-searching God affirm what they really do not mean.

My friends, it will be of no consequence in the end of the day whether you had been engaged with the idolatrous worshippers mentioned in 1 Kings xviii. crying, "O Baal, hear us," or have been raising your voice in the midst of a Christian Church with, 'O God the Father of heaven, have mercy upon us miserable sinners,' if that petition is not offered with a feeling sense of your own unworthiness and misery. They that are whole, says our Saviour, need not a physician, but they that are sick; or in other words, they who do not feel their misery by reason of sin-how useless, yea how unmeaning, to profess to God to cry for mercy-God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, John iv. 24.

You, my Friends, make this open profession of lip

TO ALL ENGAGED IN OUR SOLEMN CHURCH SERVICE.

WE read in the 29th chapter of Isaiah of a people who drew nigh to God with their lips while their hearts were far from him, "having a form of godliness, but destitute of the power thereof." I fear many are to be found in this our Christian land, as it is called, who bear a very near resemblance to the character of those worshippers: openly declaring in the language of our sublime Church Service that they are 'miserable sinners,' and beseeching God to have mercy upon them as such, whereas they do not in reality consider themselves as such; sin is no misery to them; nay the very reverse: they delight in the service of sin and Satan, and yet openly before the Church and in the presence of an heart-searching God affirm what they really do not mean.

My friends, it will be of no consequence in the end of the day whether you had been engaged with the idolatrous worshippers mentioned in 1 Kings xviii. crying, "Baal, hear us," or have been raising your voice in

of a Christian Church with, 'O God

n, have mercy nnon us miserable

service every Sabbath, how far your heart is interested therein remains for you to determine. You say you "believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth," &c. Pause one moment, and ask yourself this solemn question, Do I really believe in God-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? If so, Christ must be precious; for St. Paul says, "Unto you which believe he is precious," 1 Peter ii. 7; and "he that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself," 1 John v. 10. Have you this witness? If not, to what purpose is your repeating the Apostle's Creed, or in short any Creed. Without this you are guilty of mockery before God, "offering the sacrifice of fools, who consider not that they do evil," Eccles. v. 1, "professing to know God, but in works. denying him," Titus i. 16, "having a name to live yet dead."

May the Holy Spirit seal those truths to the hearts and consciences of all those who professedly unite în those solemn services. Remember, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, that is vitally and spiriritually, but by the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. xii. 3. You may utter those truths with the lip, as multitudes do, but if the heart and affections be uninfluenced by them such services are but an abomination in the eyes of him with whom we have to do. "For the kingdom of God (saith the Apostle) is not in word, but in power," 1 Cor. iv. 20.

Hoping these few remarks (if it be the Lord's will) may be attended with his blessing, to his name would we ascribe the glory. Amen. J. J.

THE CHURCH MISSIONARY DEPUTATION. OUR next sermon was at the parish Church of our host, who had received us at first, and under whose roof we were still privileged to abide as our head quarters. The congregation was a full and an attentive one, with more of that cheering responding of the people in their part of the blessed services of our Church than we are commonly privileged to hear. Our text was from the interesting parable of the "sheep that was lost," (Luke xv. 3-7.) In our application of it, having drawn attention to the practice of our Lord while on earth in calling sinners to repentance; to his Apostles going forth under his commission to the same work, we thus continued our discourse, 'let me call your attention to the same work still going on. Cast your eye upon the world, and what do you see? Millions going on in heathen darkness, whom no other language than our text "lost" can describe. Alas! you will say, we have wickedness enough at home; true, but wickedness at home is wickedness in spite of the bright shining of Christian light; in the face of faithful Ministers warning you of the error of your way; in opposition to the bible, which finds its way to every house; through neglect of the means of grace incessantly and uninterruptedly pressed upon you. But far different is the case in heathen lands, there wickedness and misery are the necessary consequence of the want of Christian light; through lack of faithful Ministers; through ignorance of the revealed will of God in the bible; from utter destitution of the means of grace. In the case of the heathen, their very light is darkness, their ministers the very models of licentiousness, of super