to the disobedient;" predestining to glory, characters not persons, pledging the gift of perseverance not to individuals, but to a body of which the separate members might change. This is the doctrine set before us by that Apostle, to whom was revealed in an extraordinary way the nature of the Christian Covenant, its peculiar blessedness, gifts, and promises. We are vouchsafed a further witness to it, in the favoured Evangelist, who finally closed the volume of God's revelations, after the death of his brethren. Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. . . . . Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city'."

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And a third witness is our Lord's own declaration, which He left behind Him with His Apostles when He was leaving the world, as recorded by the same Evangelist. "If a man abide not in Me," He said, "he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." And, lest our reason should equivocate concerning the meaning of " abiding in Him," and attempt to introduce the doctrine of absolute election under it, He adds, for the removal of all doubt,

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If ye keep my comMy love 2."-Lastly,

2 John xv. 6. 10.

in order to complete the solemn promulgation of His Eternal Rule, He exemplified it, while He spoke it, in the instance of an Apostle. He knew whom He had chosen; that they were "not all clean," that "one of them was a devil;" yet He chose all twelve, as if to show that souls chosen for eternal life might fall away. Thus, in the case of the Apostles themselves, in the very foundation of His Church, He laid deep the serious and merciful warning, if we have wisdom to lay it to heart; "Be not high-minded, but fear;" for, if God spared not Apostles, neither will He spare thee!

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What solemn overpowering thoughts must have crowded on St. Matthias, when he received the greetings of the eleven Apostles, and took His seat among them as their brother! His very election was a witness against himself, if he did not fulfil it. And such surely will ours be in our degree. We take the place of others who have gone before, as Matthias did; we are baptized for the dead," filling up the ranks of soldiers, some of whom, indeed, have fought a good fight, but many of whom in every age have made void their calling. Many are called, few are chosen. The monuments of sin and unbelief are set up around us. The casting away of the Jews was the reconciling of the Gentiles. The fall of one nation is the conversion of another. The Church loses old branches, and gains new. The Blessed Spirit worketh according to His own inscrutable pleasure; He has left the

East, and manifested Himself Westward. Thus the Christian of every age is but the successor of the lost and of the dead. How long we of this country shall be put in trust with the Gospel, we know not; but while we have the privilege, assuredly we do but stand in the place of Christians who have either utterly fallen away, or are so corrupted, as scarcely to let their light shine before men. We are at present witnesses of the Truth; and our very glory is our warning. By the superstitions, the profanities, the indifference, the unbelief of the world called Christian, we are called upon to be lowly-minded while we preach aloud, and to tremble while we rejoice. Let us then, as a Church and as individuals, one and all look to Him who alone can keep us from falling. Let us with single heart look up to Christ our Saviour, and put ourselves into His hands, from whom all our strength and wisdom is derived. Let us avoid the beginnings of temptation; let us watch and pray lest we enter into it. Avoiding all speculations which are above us, let us follow what tends to edifying. Let us receive into our hearts the great truth, that we who have been freely accepted and sanctified as members of Christ, shall hereafter be judged by our works, done in and through Him; that the Sacraments unite us to Him, and that faith makes the Sacraments open their hidden virtue, and flow forth in pardon and grace. Beyond this we may not inquire. How it is one man perseveres and

another falls, what are the exact limits and character of our natural corruption,-these are oversubtle questions; while we know for certain, that though we can do nothing of ourselves, yet that salvation is in our own power, for however deep and far-spreading is the root of evil in us, God's grace will be sufficient for our need.

SERMON XII.

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

THE REVERENCE DUE TO HER.

LUKE i. 48.

From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

TO-DAY we celebrate the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary; when the Angel Gabriel was sent to tell her that she was to be the Mother of our Lord, and when the Holy Ghost came upon her, and overshadowed her with the power of the Highest. In that great event was fulfilled her anticipation as expressed in the text. All generations have called her blessed1. The Angel began the salutation; he said, "Hail, thou that art highly-favoured; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women." Again he said; "Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favour with God; and, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be

2

1

μακαριοῦσι.

2

· εὐλογημένη.