seal of these sacraments that "it is God that worketh

in us.

Now, as we grow older, and look back with shame and sorrow upon our many past offences, we may find that in all points in which we have fallen short in faith and practice, it has been in neglecting the injunctions of the church, in forsaking her the guide of our youth, and not giving heed to her voice.

To the young, therefore, and especially to those who are now before the church, about to take upon themselves the solemn engagements of their baptism, and who are consequently looking forward for that help and blessing which has always attended "the laying on of hands" in the church: what other advice can we give in these dangerous days, than to exhort them, earnestly to cleave to this gracious guardian, which God has provided them with in his church?

They know full well, that the way which the baptismal service and the catechism has marked out to them, is a narrow way, and in which there are but few that travel. And they know that such is the way, which our blessed Savior has told us is the only way to life.

They must, therefore, if they would be saved, dare to be singular, they must not be ashamed or disheartened from living up to the vows they have made, because other people do not.

They must labor, as the catechism has taught them, to love God with all their heart, and soul, and strength; they must not be depending upon a late repentance, nor waiting for any call or conversion; but as they have been instructed, must serve him truly all the days of their life.

Whatever may be the practice of others in these days, they must remember, that they have been taught to honor and obey the king, "to order themselves lowly and reverently--to submit themselves to spiritual pas tors to do their duty in the state of life in which God has placed them."

They must take the prayer-book for their guide, they must practise themselves to a frequent use of its pray

ers, in studying the psalms, and if possible, in reading some portion at least of the lessons which she appoints daily.

Above all things, they must remember that whatever others may do, nothing can ever justify or excuse them before God, from absenting themselves from that holy table where the catechism has assured us that "the body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received." In a matter of such infinite importance they must take heed how they are influenced by either the indifference or the scorn and ridicule of others; remembering those awful words: "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in an adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

21*

SERMON LXII.

CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF HIS WORSHIPPERS.

ST. MATT. xviii. 19, 20.

"I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

WHEN We consider the great promises which are made to prayer and particularly the great blessing attached to public worship, which the words of the text imply: when we consider moreover, how sacred and almost divine the prayers of the church are, and how those prayers themselves are almost in a manner sanctified, and made more acceptable by the holiness of the places in which we meet together; it is surely a matter greatly worthy of inquiry, how it is that Christians in general derive so little benefit from the prayers of the church, in comparison with what they might in all reason be expected to do.

There must be a great falling off or mistake somewhere to account for this: the promises of God are sure and infallible; there can be no failing on his part; and his promise is, that " every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." And not only does the Almighty never give less than he promises, but always more. Nor can there be any fault in the prayers themselves, for they are in every respect calculated to be most availing; they are prayers for things which we know are truly good and profitable for us to receive; they are prayers in the name of Christ, to which the additional promise is made, that whatever we ask the Father in his

name, he will give us: they are also the prayers of Christians united together in making the same request, to which another promise is given; "If two shall agree together respecting anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

And this will appear more clearly, if we take the prayers in detail. First of all, they may be considered as confession. The first prayer we make is a long prayer of confession, wherein we acknowledge ourselves "miserable offenders”—to have done what we ought not to have done, and to have left undone what we ought to have done. Now, how many promises does this at once entitle us to; how does it at once put us in the place of persons, who, as we read in Holy Scripture, received benefits and blessings? We have often express assurances such as this, that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity." And so very ready is our heavenly Father to watch the very first returns, however feeble, of such confession, that even when the wicked Ahab humbled himself and showed signs of humiliation, God hastened, as it were, to remove and suspend his judgments. No sooner did David after his fall confess to the prophet, "I have sinned against the Lord;" but Nathan answered, "The Lord also hath put away thy And in like manner, when the prodigal son, in the parable, had resolved to return and make this confession, his father is already looking out for him and hastening to meet him.

sin."

When we come to church, and approach God with this confession, there we stand, as it were, at once in the place of that Publican, who went up to the temple to pray, and returned to his house justified, or accepted in the sight of God, rather than the Pharisee. Our confession expresses that temper of mind which our Lord has marked in this parable as most acceptable to him. When we come to church with this prayer, we put ourselves as much as possible in the position of that person in the gospel, to whom our Lord said, “Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee:" and of that re

penting woman to whom he said, "her sins which are many are forgiven." And this the church itself teaches us, in that after this confession the minister, whom Christ has commissioned to bind and to loose in his name, then solemnly pronounces absolution and forgive

ness.

Now it really cannot be supposed that persons who come to church do in any adequate way partake of these benefits and blessings: I would not say that they who daily, or weekly thus confess their sins in church are not better and happier for so doing; it is to be hoped that most are so. But it may safely be said that the good which they derive does exceedingly fall short of the promises of God: that the benefit they do receive is nothing in comparison to what they ought to receive: and that is the case with the very best among us. Very great as the blessings are which they do thus obtain, they are little indeed, when considered with respect to the vast promises which God has made, and the abundant measure with which he is apt to bestow.

And if this is true with respect to the confession, it is equally as much so with those many other prayers for mercy or for future blessings, with which the prayerbook abounds. There is no evil which we can be subject to, but we pray to be delivered from: there is no spiritual grace or religious attainment which we do not ask for in the litany or in the collect. Why therefore do we not attain them? what reason can be given for it? the promises are unfailing and unlimited, "whatsoever ye ask ye shall receive.' Many of these requests too are made in the very words which we know were heard and accepted in Scripture, as when we pray God to "have mercy on us," in the words of the woman of Canaan; or appeal to Christ as "the Son of David," in the words of the blind men. These requests were in their case answered, and what reason can there be why they should not be equally answered in ours? Christ is equally near to us as he was to them, for where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is there in the midst of them. It cannot be otherwise than true,