regulate his thoughts, affections, words, and actions with a dutiful regard to his authority, and an implicit submission to his will. He will set the Lord always before him, that he be not moved to do evil. An habitual remembrance of what God is, and of what he has done for us, and of the obligations which we are under to him, will have a powerful and permanent influence in forming the character and in directing the conduct of every one who truly and thoroughly believes in this first article of a Christian's creed.

Here I would pause, and make my appeal to your understandings and consciences, whether the language and sentiments of the Stage, and the scenes exhibited in a Theatre, be not directly at variance with the influence, and increase, and even the very existence of such a faith as this? Would any one, who is desirous of having and exercising such a faith, and of being under its habitual ascendency, ever think of venturing himself, for the purpose of amusement, where God's holy Name is profaned ;-where his sacred word is frequently introduced in so light and irreverent a manner, and its aweful truths associated with such a train of low and ludicrous ideas, as must tend to weaken its authority, and destroy its influence?-Would he be found where heaven and hell, and the solemnities of eternity, and of a judgment day,—and even the fearful attributes of the Deity, are employed for the purpose of pointing

a sentence, or rounding a period; and where this solemn language proceeds out of the same mouth from whence are heard, nearly in the same breath, oaths, and curses, and filthiness, and foolish talking, and jesting; and where both the one and the other are uttered for the diversion of a pleasure-loving audience, who are assembled for the mere purpose of idle amusement, and time-wasting dissipation? Will the man, who, by a realizing faith in the being of God, lives "as seeing Him who is invisible," enter a place where the tendency and effect of the whole exhibition are such, as to obliterate all consciousness of the divine presence, and to disincline and disqualify the mind for the affections which we ought to exercise towards God, and the duties which we owe to him?

Again. We profess "to believe in God the Son, who hath redeemed us and all mankind.” Now, such a faith implies a previous persuasion of our natural state of guilt, and curse, and danger; that we are, in ourselves, lost and ruined sinners, exposed to wrath and damnation. It further implies a hearty acceptance of the mercy and free grace of the Gospel, and a thankful remembrance of that meritorious cross and passion, whereby alone we obtain remission of our sins, and are made partakers of the kingdom of heaven. It implies that we have not neglected "the great salvation," but are deriving our hope and drawing

our consolations from Him, in whom we have redemption through faith in his blood. Now could any one, who calls to mind what it has cost to redeem his soul;-who knows the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,-what he suffered and why he suffered ;-could he turn from the believing contemplation of Calvary, and then look into a Theatre, and hear and see what is passing there, and not have his heart most deeply pained for the dishonour done unto his Saviour? Instead of amusement and enjoyment, would he not be ready to weep over a scene of vain delight, which he cannot but fear, will, in most instances, be succeeded by an eternity of deepest woe? Could the disciple of the crucified Jesus, who feeds him in his heart, by faith, with thanksgiving, sanction for a moment a place of amusement, where the very sacrament of our redemption,— the holy mysteries which our Saviour Christ hath instituted, as pledges of his love, and the memorials of his death, have been exhibited for the entertainment of a vain, gay, thoughtless, worldly company; which, if I am rightly informed, was the case, night after night, in this very town?

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But further:-the third leading article of our creed is a belief in "God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth us and all the elect people of God.” This implies the knowledge and conviction of our need of the help of his grace, and that without it nothing is strong-nothing is holy; that

it is by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and in no other way, that we must become "pure in heart," and follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, and be made like the image of the only begotten Son of God. It implies also, that we have a deep sense of the blessedness of being under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit; and that we desire and seek the communications of his grace, and the comfort of his help.

Now, is it reasonable to think, that such an one will expose himself to the sinful levity, and vain mirth, and dangerous contamination of a Theatre? Will he, who has received the full persuasion that it is by the sanctification of the Spirit, no less than by the belief of the truth, that he must attain to salvation;-who fears to grieve the Holy Spirit, and daily prays, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me;"-who truly desires to be holy as God is holy, and because God is holy, and therefore "purifieth himself as Christ is pure;"will any such person go in this way of sinners; and listen to the counsel of the ungodly, and sit with scorners? Will he join in amusements, the whole nature and tendency and effects of which are directly contrary to the nature and influences and fruits and graces of the Holy Spirit; and can only serve to oppose and obstruct that work of conversion and renewal unto holiness, which every real Christian desires to have begun, carried on, and perfected in him, by the Holy Spirit?

No-my dear Brethren,-Theatrical Amusements are utterly incompatible with any and every part of our professed faith. It is impossible to make them consistent. The true believer in the articles of the Christian's creed, and an attendant on Theatrical Amusements, are characters as opposite as light and darkness;-they will never combine and coalesce, or be found together in the same individual.

The third part of our baptismal engagement, is a promise "obediently to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of our life."

Now we might take the various precepts of the divine law, and all the several particulars of the revealed will of God, and then shew you the direct opposition of Theatrical Amusements to the whole; and as our pledge and promise of obedience extends to every day of every year, till life's latest hour, it follows, that we cannot, on any occasion, join in these amusements without the violation of our vow.

But the path of obedience has been trodden with undeviating rectitude by one, who walked therein for the express purpose of leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. And, therefore, it is said by our Church, that "Baptism doth represent unto us our profession; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him." A promise therefore to keep God's holy will, and to walk in the way of his com