tried to do for His sake. How has it been with us in this respect? It is well, I fear, if our minds have not been dwelling on thoughts just contrary to these; grumbling, discontented thoughts about our own condition; proud, self-satisfied thoughts of what little we have done. We have thought little of God's bountiful gifts, and much of our own scanty alms and oblations. Again I say, for this one week at least let us try to have better minds. Look on to next week, to Good Friday and Easter Day, and consider what He will give you then. He will give you His Only-Begotten Son, not only to die for you, but also to be your spiritual food in His holy Sacrament. What have you given, what can you give, in return for such gifts as these, that you should be proud and well pleased with yourself?

Lastly, Lent is a time for thinking much and often of our Easter communion, and as little as may be of our worldly plans and projects. Of our duties, our real duties, of course we must think; but it is well for us surely to endeavour to have in our minds, at this holy time, as little of this present world, besides our duties, as ever we can. It is well to make the most of everything which may help to convince us of the world's uncertainty, the vanity of all earthly hopes, the narrow, hair's-breadth space between us and the worst of evils. For these considerations, by the grace of God, may help us greatly in clinging to That which alone can keep us steady in this perishing world; that is, the Cross of our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus.

My brethren, we have yet seven days before the Holy Week begins, wherein to discipline our souls in these good thoughts. Much may be done in those

seven days, if we will pray and strive; but we must pray and strive. And there is one day of the seven, in which more than usual may be done; in which, at any rate, we shall have much leisure to mind our souls. You will know at once which I mean; next Wednesday, the day of the national fast. I trust that here and every where that day will be observed as Divine Providence no doubt intends. I beseech you, when we wake on that morning, let us one and all try to withdraw ourselves from the cares and pleasures of sense, from our tastes and our fancies, and let us set ourselves seriously to consider, how much we owe to that mercy, which has fed us, unthankful as we are, all our lives long unto this day. He is now teaching us, by the sad sufferings of our brethren, how entirely and utterly we depend on Him for our bread. One breath of His displeasure may in an hour blast our crop also; and then He only knows how near home the calamity may come which now weighs on our distant brethren. Let us try to awake on Wednesday morning with these thoughts, how entirely we are in His hands, how justly we have displeased Him, how lovingly He waits to be merciful to us, if only we will repent and amend. Let us encourage these good thoughts, and not let them go. Above all things, beware of turning the day into a holiday. You cannot tell how far such conduct may go towards bringing the sad calamity upon us. Scripture speaks very indignantly of those, who in the day of their fast find pleasure. Encourage the good thoughts by prayer, and by good penitential reading if you can, at home; and by devout attendance with your neighbours at the ordained public service. Let some portion at least

a See the note at the end.

of the day be spent in sitting alone and keeping silence; in sorrowful remembrance of past sin, especially of wasteful or covetous use of God's gifts; and in earnest prayer and resolution to do better for the time to come. Then look on to next week, lift up your heart to your only hope, the Cross; and if you have not done so before, begin very seriously to prepare yourself for receiving your Lord on Easter Day. If you doubt, or want help, lose no time, but go with a trusting heart to ask counsel of those whom God has set over you. You know not how much good may be granted you, on your trying to make the most of that one day. It may prove in a manner like a whole Lent to you, gathered into a few hours. Bitter of course it will prove at the time; how should penitence be other than bitter? but a blessing will go along with it, which will make it in the end like honey for sweetness.

HURSLEY,

March 21, 1847.

Passion Sunday.

NOTE. ["The year 1847 was marked by great distress both in England and Ireland. The potato-crop again failed: there was a famine in Ireland; and the Parliament voted several millions to buy food for the starving Irish."- History of England, "The Student's Hume," p. 721.]

SERMON XLIII.

ST. MATT. xxiv. 2.

"And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

T is very remarkable how much of God's Word

IT

is taken up with the history of sacred places; not of persons, but of places. It has pleased Him always to have among men distinct visible dwellings, one or more of them. And His changes of dwelling are set down as very solemn and serious things. When He took possession of the tabernacle, which Moses had reared according to His command, a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle; so that even Moses "himself" was not able to enter in there. When in after times His ark, the special token of His presence, was rudely treated and moved about, whether by Philistines or by Israelites, very sore and heavy judgments came immediately upon the offenders. When David would bring it into a more honourable place, it was a time of solemn sacrifice and great feasting, of chanting psalms, and processions of priests and people. We heard in the First Lesson this morning, how very glorious and awful it was when the temple was completed, after so many years of David's preparation and Solomon's wise-hearted work; when the ark was brought in, and the priests having left it in the

holiest place, found that even the outer sanctuary was filled with the glory of the Lord, so that they could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud. When the Chaldeans came and burned it, it was among the deep lamentations of God's prophets at home and in captivity, and there was an entire overthrow, a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Again, when the house was finished, the dedication was kept with great joy, and the prophets of the restoration, Zechariah and others, made haste to utter their songs of praise. But the most remarkable instance of all, that which most strikingly sets forth the care which God takes of His holy places, is our Lord's finally bidding the temple farewell; of which I shall say more presently.

All this taken together is clear and ample warrant of God's word for our keeping such times as the present, and also the yearly remembrance of them, with more than usual reverence and festival thanksgiving. But surely we are also taught hereby to mingle our gladness with very deep fear and trembling. And as we had this morning the joyful privilege of waiting on our God and Saviour at His solemn return to this His restored Church, so now it may do us much good (still keeping up the same thankful joy of heart), if we look on to the end of His abiding here. Consider with this view the words of our Lord in the text. He had just left the temple, declaring openly that He was leaving it for the last time; Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. How was it then left desolate? Surely by the departure of Him, whose habitation it had always been, whose presence made it what it was; without whom it was no more than a heap of earth and wood. It was not yet laid waste;