support yourselves. I place duty, therefore, on the most intelligible ground, when I say all that you have done,-all that you will do, is quite as much to vindicate your own duty, as to encourage and inspirit me. You are the Church; you are the communion of saints; and if these holy things are objects of your reverence and love, in how far soever you assist me, you fight your own great battle. To the privileges of the Church you have a right: only I ask in return that you support me in my attempts to furnish you with their full measure.

And yet, Christian brethren, have we even here any cause for distrust in the truth of our principles, because we have failed? I say, Christian brethren, we have, on the contrary, been blessed with a large measure of success, far beyond our strivings or our deserts. I cannot but recall the circumstances of this day seven years ago. Some of you, too, can do the same. I cannot but contrast the meagre communion of eleven communicants, many of them my own family and friends, with the throngs, I may say, who on our chief festivals now approach GoD's altar with joy and gladness. I cannot but remember the miserable services, without a single accordant voice, without kneeling, or reverence, or propriety, as compared with our present decorous, in some measure beautiful, services. I cannot but with deep feeling go back to the day when I commenced my appalling duties, without a single sympathizing voice, without a single friend, without a single kindly eye,—and then, with pleasurable emotions, turn to the many steadfast friends,—friends among the poor as well as among the rich,— by whom I am now assisted in every work of love and duty. Some of those who formed our first scanty flock are still before me. I would, were it not a violation of modesty, ask them to bear witness whether I did not, on that very first day, seven years ago, announce the very same principles, and point to the very same means and the very same objects, for which I now claim some measure of success. And I claim it, not because they were my own schemes, but because I sought to revive Church principles; to teach the Church's doctrines according to the Church's mind. And it is on this ground that I would, in some distant way, apply to our own case even an Apostle's words :-"Would to GOD ye could bear with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to CHRIST. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in CHRIST. For if he that cometh preacheth another JESUS, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech,

yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of GOD freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren supplied and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of CHRIST is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting."

Yes, Christian brethren, we have all much for which to be deeply thankful. I have to be thankful that I have so far succeeded, as to gather round me some who have been with me from the very first, and whose constant attendance upon the means of grace, shows that these things have been a savour of life unto life; some who have been rescued from the various forms of schism to the unity of the one holy Church; some who, in different degrees, have been awakened from the lethargy of a careless, or the sins of an evil, life, to a stricter attention to Christian duties, and a more living estimate of their Christian privileges; some who have found in this place an answer to those sympathies and convictions, which from whatever causes they have failed to find elsewhere.

Upon all these accounts, I summon you to rejoice this day with a Christian joy some will do so because these recollections serve to recall the just and well-beloved memory of those who once knelt beside them in these same offices of prayer, and praise, and communion; some because the teaching and services here are embalmed with some soothing remembrance of a recall and summons, happily obeyed, to better things; some because, like wanderers, they have here sought confidence for their wandering wills, peace for their bruised and despairing consciences, and an animating hope and strength for the trials spiritual alike and temporal of this present world.

All, I say, have, I am sure, reason to rejoice. In the day of anguish and distress, this Church is open for your daily prayers: many who avail themselves of such privileges but seldom, still find the consolation of an access which is always open to the GOD of comfort. Some who can never join us in body are yet with us in spirit, and unite themselves, though absent, to the two or three who, night and morning, here gather themselves together. And Christian charity will cause us all to rejoice that, by GoD's blessing, so many intercessions ascend, both for those who value and for those who neglect the might of the Church's solemn and reiterated appeals. These prayers, quite apart from those who offer them, have a victorious power before Him Who has said, "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." And let me say it, even with the earnestness and directness of a personal appeal, is there one of you

who has ever found cause to regret that he has joined this congregation? I do not ask you in the spirit of vain boasting, or of carnal confidence; but still I would have you think over the self-examinations which perhaps you have attempted; the restitutions which perhaps you have accomplished; the repentance which perhaps you have commenced or deepened; the practical system of religion in self-denial, alms-deeds, personal discipline, regularity and carefulness of speech which you have sought; bad habits, and bad tempers which you have, in whatever measure, corrected; courses of practical obedience upon which you have entered. I would ask you to recall these things, and then say whether you do not owe GOD Something for all this?

Nor are we without other and visible signs of blessing, besides these more secret and blessed ones. Under the most unfavourable auspices we have built our schools; we have released them from debt; we have done at least something for the decoration of God's house, though very little in comparison with what I trust and believe you will do; gradually our congregations have increased: our alms are fast doubling; every year sees an increase of communicants; we do something both for the foreign and home missions of the Church; our attendance at the daily service does not fall off, and at particular times, as during last Lent, the prayers are very satisfactorily attended. Our Baptisms and Confirmations improve; and if I forbear to allude to more private indications of increasing earnestness and steadiness, I will still say that we are not without many cheering tokens of God's assistance, and of God's blessing, upon our poor attempts at faithful consistency, both on your part and on mine, to the principles of the Church, and this under peculiar disadvantages, to which I am desirous not to allude in any more direct way.

Now I say for all these things let us claim no individual merits; to do so were in itself sinful, and might tempt God to withdraw Himself utterly from us. But let us at least take consolation, and hope for the future; and let us show forth some gratitude for the past. All that we want for all our necessities is faith,-unbounded faith; and unbounded confidence will draw down unbounded blessings. And, amongst other motives, let us recognize this one, which may appear in some respects almost selfish. The eyes of many are turned upon us some who are friends are looking upon our exertions with kind sympathies, and are helping us with their prayers. Let us not disappoint them by failing in the just expectations with which they reckon upon our perseverance, and patience, and exertions. Some at present, it may be, stand aloof, waiting to see whether our performances equal our high professions: they, too, may be induced to join us, if we are true to ourselves, and to our avowed principles. Nothing wins so much upon the waverings as consistency and resolute exertion; they will know of a surety,

that God is with us, if we are equal to the calls which, He makes upon our obedient love. Some, again, may be other than friendly disposed to us: let us stop all gainsaying by that best weapon of controversy, consistent practice. We shall most surely succeed even with enemies, if such there be, by showing that we are not mere professors,—that we uphold no theory, no dead formalism ; but know Him upon Whom we have trusted, and show confidence in those gifts of which, if not by words, yet by practice, we boast. For I cannot conceal from myself, nor from you, that, as a fact, we do in this place challenge attention to all that we do: the least failure or disappointment will be magnified, and will be produced as evidence, not only against ourselves personally, but against those principles of the Church to which I trust that we have pledged ourselves.

In this, too, as in other parts of my ministrations, I have not sought popular acts; I have placed duty before you simply as duty. I have not, on this or any other day, brought strangers here to excite mere sentiment, and to move transient emotions. I have not adopted questionable modes of getting money. I have placed full confidence in you, and I have counted upon that blessing which is never altogether withheld from ventures made in faith. I believe you will answer this confidence; hitherto you have not been found wanting. Be ye therefore faithful unto the end. If you have much to be thankful for, show forth such thankfulness, not by words and empty professions, but by solid substantial acts of love and obedience.

And this can only be done by self-denial. I would never in this place cease to place before you the duty of such Christian and evangelical self-denial, nor avoid urging upon you to avail yourselves of its exceeding blessedness. I cannot see that gifts only out of our superfluities can be of any avail, or can lead to any blessing. The very first notion of an offering is, that it shall cost us something. I trust, therefore, that you will not go on calculating what you can spare, but give what you cannot spare; cut off some occasion of enjoyment; make some sacrifice; give up something; deprive yourselves of what you would otherwise be spending on the enjoyment and luxuries, or even on the comforts of this life. This is the only way in which the rich and poor can place themselves on an equality; every penny that the poor man gives costs him some inconvenience. Fearfully true will be the saying, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven," if we go on with the same tables, clothes, with the same dinners, dress, furniture, ornaments of our houses and persons, as before the especial call was made upon us. All that we need in such cases is faith. I ask you to exercise self-denial in thus giving : and for whatsoever you do thus in secret, fulfilling His command, GoD shall reward you openly before the blessed angels. Nor will

you in the end be poorer. Some of you can speak from experience that for what you give to GoD you are none the poorer in the end.

And do not despise the day when opportunities to serve God, such as this, are placed before you. It is a season of trial; it is an offer. Now it is a great thing to receive such an offer, even as from GOD Himself. The wicked have no offers to serve GoD: they who separate themselves from the congregation because their alms are asked, they have no offers of doing GOD service. Some day it may be they may pray in vain that they had once again the opportunity of tending Lazarus at their gates, or of giving to GoD for His service, and the needs of the Church. Many there be around us who are quite ignorant of the call which I am making upon you; haply, perhaps, some of you may have thought that it is hard and burdensome to make so large a call upon a congregation among whom the well provided with this world's wealth are so few. Now, Christian brethren, whose is the real loss, and whose is the real gain; of those who receive such offers and invitations to "give alms of their goods, that all things may be clean unto them," or of those who, from whatever cause, never receive even such calls, much less never answer them? On which side would you wish to be at the day of Judgment; among those who, perhaps, like yourselves, have stripped themselves of the delights of life, and have made themselves poor even for CHRIST's sake; or among those who, in their lifetime, received their good things, and lived, if not in luxury, at least in self-enjoyment every day?

Oh! my brethren, the time is short; the offers to serve God are very few: if we neglect this, who knows that we shall ever have another offer? Let us close with it at once: death may come over us; poverty may come upon us; next year, perhaps, we cannot give,perhaps the opportunity may not occur again. In the hour of death, sickness, or distress, let us have the comfort of knowing that we have answered one appeal; that we have not spent all upon the meat that perisheth. And for the most of you, I would say that you are called upon now by a plain rule of equity; you have the advantage of those services, towards the efficiency of which you have as yet in no way contributed. We who have given before, if we are called upon now to give again, then we have a double blessing. You who have never given may challenge your part of the same blessing, and seek, in honourable Christian rivalry, by giving largely now, to secure an equal share in that grace which is vouchsafed to holy obedience-one equal to the reward of those who have gone before you.

And here, Christian friends and brethren, I leave this matter to God's grace working in your hearts. He, from Whom all godly resolutions do spring, sow in your hearts the gift and grace of Christian love, and faith, and abundant bountifulness; and great will be your reward in heaven. And if in any measure, Christian brethren, we have