Thus far, then, England's 'HOLY SEED' has proved her 'substance;' for the future also it is solemnly entrusted with the custody of all her brightest hopes. How fearful must be then the pressing obligations of her pious men! I do intreat you weigh them well, and most industriously consider how they are to be discharged with most effect.

1. IN THE FIRST PLACE, we must all, of course, BEGIN AT HOME! Every Christian, at the outset, ought most earnestly to look to, and to cultivate HIMSELF.

Every individual is part of the community-whether the position which he occupies is prominent, or whether it is hidden in obscureness, he is still a part,—a part whose vigour or debility more or less affects the whole. In every individual, moreover, as in the entire nation, there are two leavens' constantly at work,—the one, the 'old' one of corruption,'—the other, the 'new' one of 'life': and it is the leaven' which predominates, as in the nation, so also in the individual, that imparts the character, in the one case to the MAN, as in the other to the STATE. Religion has, I need not say, two aspects, the one developed towards GOD, the other towards MAN:-it is, after all, the law that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind,' and that we should love our neighbour as ourself,' inscribed upon the heart, embodied in the character, and fulfilling in the life. The leaven' therefore which, as in the NATION, so also in OURSELVES, we should be most solicitous, especially at present, to destroy, is that of sin,-of sin in all its aspects, and in all its forms; while that which we should correspondingly both pray and labour with increasing earnestness to cultivate, is that of universal righteousness,— of righteousness which, whilst it gratefully ascribes his due to God, will not in any mode or any measure, even transiently deprive our fellow-man of his.

The great necessities of our present times, in indi

viduals, are in the FIRST PLACE, thoroughness; in the SECOND PLACE, decision; and in the THIRD PLACE, simplicity.

(i.) Godly men will, in the first place, now do well to cultivate in their religion THOROUGHNESS:-that earnest habitude, whose resolute determination, by the help of God, never to do wrong, but always to do right, is everywhere predominant;—that identifies the least infraction of a single record of the second table, with proportional infraction of the records of the. first;-and that brings THE MAN, in the integrity of all his powers, under the benign, ennobling, and most peaceable control of Christ. The glory' of one-sidedness and conventionality has 'departed.' Asceticism, semi-superstition and sentimentalism are effete. Frames and feelings, passions and experiences' so called, are being estimated at their proper worth. The man of our age, must be a man of principle, a man of power, -one who acts in everything he does, upon the dictates of a 'pure' conscience, and the 'unction of the Holy Ghost.' Creeds have lost their fascination; forms have ceased their influence; religion is considered, and most justly, to consist in peace and righteousness;' and the question is no longer what do you FEEL?-or, where do you WORSHIP?-or even, what do you BELIEVE?-So frequently as, what do you DO? WHAT DO YE MORE THAN OTHERS? The eyes of all men are attracted to the church, not in her distinctive dogmas or her ostentatious forms, but in the every-day and every-hour actions of her members' lives. Give me the THOROUGHNESS for which I plead,-Oh! let me but enjoy the vision of a church adorning 'her profession with the beauty and the dignity of universal holiness, and the indications of a glorious future for the land of my nativity already brightening in the distance of her horizon, I have confidence, will, under God, be surely accomplished; for in such a church of righteous men,' I

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can discover' substance,' life, and strength, but nowhere else!

(ii.) Godly men will secondly do well to cultivate

DECISION.

Hesitancy, always dangerous, is now becoming 'shipwreck;' and wavering, always weakness, is already ruin. Circumstances and events are marshalling the hosts' for a collision which shall finally deter mine whether of the two shall lead the age. England, though in different sort and manner,' trembles in the balance equally with other nations, and invites the godly to her rescue, seeing that she has no other hope. Soon, to all appearance, will her 'holy seed' be driven to cast off the vacillating and the truckler, and the man who is afraid of sacrifice, as utterly unworthy of the glorious mission which it is already summoned to discharge. The times require independent and determined men,-men whose decision never falters even, much less fails,-men who gather their convictions from the right and wrong of everything, who invigorate their principles by earnest and devout communion with the fountain of refreshing at the 'mercy-seat,' and who contemplate, steadily and constantly, as their only model, Him, who for the world's sake, stripped his glory, robed himself in sorrow and in shame, and ultimately sealed his mission on the ignominious cross! "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation," that model once declared-and the saying has emphatic meaning now-" of him the Son of Man shall be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." All that is dear to us as men, as citizens, as patriots, as phi lanthropists, yea, and everything that is dear to us as men of God, already joins to give effect to this appeal. Be faithful, resolute, in earnest, and the age is YOURS! hesitate,-be wavering,-and the age is LOST!

(iii) THIRDLY: the church will now do well to cultivate the most transparent and upright SIMPLICITY.

The double-minded man' is too 'unstable' to sustain himself in times like these. Such a character will henceforward more than ever be exposed to absolute contempt. Appearances of every kind are stripping to the skin. Vain is the hope which any man conceives of being able to conceal his real motives from the searching gaze of public scrutiny. Factions, parties, sects, and selfishnesses, of whatever kind, are rapidly retreating to their merited obscurity. The age requires honest men,-men whose motives are transparent, and whose preservation' is their positive integrity.' It was always difficult, it will soon become impossible, even to appear to serve two Masters.' The alternative is pressing-GOD OR MAMMON! "No man CAN serve" them both; "for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other!" "The light of the body is the EYE: if therefore thine EYE be single, thy whole body shall be full of light; but if thine EYE be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore THE LIGHT that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness !"

On these and similar suggestions, I forbear to enlarge. The elements of character to which they relate, are elements whose cultivation rests exclusively with ourselves. Public teaching may indeed direct attention to their indispensable necessity; it may also indicate the means to be employed for their growth; but, after all, the effort must be personal. I challenge serious observation of the fact. With affectionate and godly earnestness, I do implore you, rest not satisfied with passive acquiescence in the truth of these remarks. Search, examine, every man himself! Give, my brethren, earnest heed' to your multiplied responsibilities. Confer devoutly with the models everywhere exhibited for your imitation in the Holy

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Scriptures. Above all, look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith' -' in whom was life,' and life' that was the light of men.' Strive and pray to become like-minded' after that example.' Forget not your absolute dependance on the promise of the Holy Ghost: plead it, plead it earnestly, plead in the exercise of living faith before the mercy-seat.' Then shall ye become indeed blameless and harmless, the sons of God, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;-HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE!

Having thus begun at home,' the Church ought, SECONDLY, to gird herself afresh for action on the world.

To shrink into retirement was always wrong, it has now become a crime! Each of us is possessed with faculties of thought, and aim, and utterance, for which he is responsible to God and to his age. No one is excusable for ignorance of what is passing,-still less for indifference to the possible result. Every one, however humble, may do something; and he ought to feel himself constrained by every motive of humanity and righteousness, to do his very utmost, that his country may be elevated, that his race may be enlightened, and that the mission of the church whose privileges he enjoys, and whose responsibilities he participates, may be fulfilled!

THE ACTION ON THE WORLD, for which I plead, is partly IMMEDIATE and partly INDIRECT: the one, however, is of such importance as preparatory to the other, that you will permit me to insist upon it first.

Let

I begin then with the discipline and order of your families. Solicitously guard the conversation that you countenance. Eschew all paltriness, and personality, and foolish talking,' as becometh saints.' things,' not men,' be your topics-principles, not usages, your ultimate appeal, in all the sentiments which you adopt, or circulate. Beware of what is