and defects in his works; mercy to advance his works to the possibility of attaining an infinite and endless reward. He must confess with St. Paul, that 'Eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ.' That it is the rich purchase of Christ's most precious blood, by which alone a covenant of eternal life was established upon the gracious condition of 'faith working by love;' that it was the grace of the Divine Spirit promised in the same covenant, that prevented him, and co-operated with him, and continually assisted and followed him in all his good works: and consequently, that though his crown of glory be 'a crown of righteousness,' that is of God's righteousness, whereby He is obliged to make good His own covenant; yet that it is a crown of mercy too, because that covenant itself was a covenant of infinite grace and mercy.

Here then is the sum of the whole matter. We shall not be saved for our works, but we shall never be saved without them. And knowing this, let us pray, and labour, and strive, that no day may pass over our heads without our having made some progress in the work of sowing unto righteousness; let us watch ourselves the more carefully, thể more progress we make, lest any taint of self-righteousness should render our poor service hateful instead of acceptable to God: and while we cheerfully and

hopefully endeavour to work out our own salvation, as knowing that it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do, of His good pleasure; let us cast away every high imagination, and own ourselves, as in truth we are, to be most wretched and miserable, and worthless; let our prayers of acceptance be ever couched in some such humble words as these, "God, for Thy dear Son's sake, be merciful to me a sinner!'

3*

SERMON II.

FORGETFULNESS OF GOD.

PSALM ix. 17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell: and all the people that forget God.

It is to be feared that through our familiarity with the words of Scripture, we often times lose the force of what those words contain, just as we are frequently tempted to repeat the prayers which we know by heart, without thinking of their meaning, or of Him whom we address. Not a day, it is to be presumed, goes over our heads but we repeat the Lord's Prayer, for instance, twice at least; and yet who will say that this very habit of using the most perfect of all prayers so frequently, does not prove a snare to him; -that there are times in which, though he says the prayer, he does not pray,-that though he repeats the several clauses one after another, he attaches no meaning to them, so that he both worships he knows not what, and asks he knows not what?

So again in another instance. I suppose if we had never heard it before, the gladdest tidings that ever fell upon our ears would be those in which is repeated to us, so soon as we have made the general confession of our sins at the commencement of Divine Service, the declaration that God has given power and commandment to the Ministers of His Holy Catholic Church to declare and pronounce to His people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. What comfort is here for the weary and heavy laden soul, over-burdened with a load of sins from the guilt and punishment of which it knows not how to escape! And yet, because this message of mercy from our Heavenly Father is thus graciously delivered on each fresh occasion of our expressing contrition, we listen to it as a matter of course, and too often, it is to be feared, without being at all seriously affected, or moved by it.

Now there have been those who, from their experience that the mind is apt to grow inattentive to objects with which it is familiar, have condemned all forms of prayer, as tending to make men careless and indevout. Men cannot repeat the prayers which they have been in the habit of using from their youth up, without sometimes saying them mechanically, and thereby offending God, and perilling their own souls; and, therefore, these persons argue, that it is