gifts and graces is regulated, is ever the same; and earnest longing for them, and a diligent use of what already is ours, are the necessary conditions of further increase. To those who hunger and thirst, He gives; to those who deem themselves already full, He imparts nothing of His grace or gifts. And surely in one very special way we may regard these words as fulfilled in connection with our Lord. For does He not fill all those who come hungering to Him, with the most precious of all gifts? Does He not feed all the faithful to the end of time, with the bread that cometh down from heaven, even with Himself? Do not all who draw near in faith to His holy Table, partake of the rich banquet of His Body and Blood, and find in that heavenly food the strength and refreshment of their soul?

And now, as the Blessed Virgin recounted the gifts and graces which through herself were to flow to mankind, she could not but reflect upon the long time of waiting that had preceded the birth of the promised Saviour. To Abraham the promise had been given, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; and since then well-nigh two thousand years had elapsed. That, indeed, had been a time of patient longing to all holy men, during which they had walked in the dim twilight of the Law and the Prophets, looking for the time, which now at length was at hand, when the Sun of Righteousness Himself should arise, and disperse the shadows which oppressed them. But God is faithful who has pro

mised; His word cannot fail, however long its accomplishment may be delayed: "He remembering His mercy hath holpen His servant Israel; as He promised to Abraham and His seed for ever." He seemed, indeed, to have forgotten His promise to the fathers; but now He has manifested and fulfilled it in Christ.

Thus, brethren, are we brought to the conclusion of this song of praise and thanksgiving: and the more we have examined it, and the more closely we have reflected upon it, the more reason have we found to admire and wonder at its simple beauty, and its marvellous depth of meaning. This, indeed, is the hymn, as one has said, to which nothing can be added, and nothing taken from it; embracing all the Gospel, its mercies, its doctrines, its precepts, its judgments, its covenant with the true Israel. of God, and the fulfilment of all the prophecies going before. This is the hymn of the Church, the hymn of our Lord, the hymn of all hymns; "the perpetual incense" of the evening sacrifice, rising daily before God "with the prayers of the saints."

Brethren, as we chant forth these divine words, let our thoughts revert to that blessed one who first gave utterance to them. Let the Virgin mother of our Lord be remembered with feelings of reverence and love: let the purity and humbleness of heart, her earnest gratitude and thoughtful piety, excite in us the like heavenly tempers: let us strive

to realize more fully the magnitude of our blessings, that so these words may be a true expression of our joy and thankfulness. Let us, above all things, remember that though she who spake them was in an especial manner blessed, they, too, are blessed "who hear the word of God, and keep it ;" that though the Blessed Virgin, as the mother of our Lord, had peculiar and special cause of joy and gratitude, so, too, each individual Christian has ample cause for joy if only he will believe and obey, that so the Word of God may dwell in his heart, and Christ be gradually formed within him. Let us, then, so live in humility, love, and obedience, that in each of us there may be the soul of Mary to magnify the Lord, in each of us the spirit of Mary to rejoice in God our Saviour.

SERMON XI.

The Royal and Priestly Character of
Christians.

REVELATION i. 5, 6.

"Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and

ever."

HIS doxology or thanksgiving, as you will per

THIS

ceive, is an ascription of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ for the blessings of redemption, and the privileges thereby conferred on mankind. Standing as it does in the front of that book which was intended to gather up all previous revelations into one, and to set forth, however mysteriously, the revelations of the Divine will for the future, it acquires a peculiar significance. He who "bare record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of the things which he saw," knew, as a matter of personal knowledge, that it was the Word made flesh, who had manifested the Divine love, and revealed the Divine will unto fallen man. That He it was who had brought life and immortality to light, that all His creatures might be delivered from misery

and death. He knew that that Word had been on earth, and suffered and died, that the enslaved bodies and souls of men might be set free; and now, therefore, that he is about to shew unto God's servants things which are to come to pass, and to declare in whom, and for what ends, God reveals Himself in different ages, he sets forth clearly the blessings which have been already revealed, and claims the redemption which had been wrought for himself and all mankind as a ground of praise to Christ, who had loved him, and given Himself for him. "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."

Here, then, we find two titles of great dignity and honour represented as having been conferred on those who have shared in the love of Christ, and been cleansed by Him from the polluting and enslaving power of sin. All those whom Christ has loved and redeemed have been raised from their former condition to the rank of kings and priests. Let us consider this awhile.

Now, if we regard our condition apart from Christ and all He has done for us, what do we find it to be? Is it not true that it is one of thraldom and of fear. If we appeal to the heart and conscience of any unhappy being who has ignored the life of grace, has taken no note of his position in the Christian Family, has either never heard glad tidings of salvation, or