who sleep, or talk with one another, or laugh, or suffer their eyes and thoughts to wander after vanity, when they should seriously attend to the word of GOD read or preached to them! Methinks these men, though they regard not the angel on earth, the priest; though they have no respect to the congregation of faithful and devout Christians, yet should be awed into more reverence by the presence of the angels of heaven; and so indeed they would, if they believed and seriously considered it."-(Bp. Bull on Primitive Christianity, Sermon XII.) It is no less presumptuous and contemptuous to leave the Church without seeking pardon for known and secret faults in worship, and a blessing on all we have done and heard. Gen. xxviii. 17. Those who make this last omission not only forfeit a privilege, but interrupt others' enjoyment of it. As a rule, it is well that all should remain till the minister rises, which would obviate confusion, and interpose a calm interval.

Do any of you, brethren, think these things trifling, and beneath spiritual people? S. Paul, in whom the SPIRIT dwelt, thought not so. He reproves the Corinthians for this very notion. (1 Cor. xiv. 37.) The best proof of spirituality is obedience to the SPIRIT'S commands; and they are, to worship with spirit and understanding, with decency and order. He who sets himself against these, however spiritual he may think himself, will be found to have fought against GOD. "Whoever affirms we cannot pray by the SPIRIT in the words of a form, must beware his ignorance betray him not into a dangerous uncharitableness, and, perhaps, blasphemy. For the saints of the Old Testament prayed by forms, and so did CHRIST

Himself in the New, and He taught His Apostles a form to pray by: and dare any say they prayed not by the SPIRIT ?"-(Dean Comber's Preface to the Companion to the Temple.)

True it is, as we have warned you at the first, brethren, that prayer with the Spirit is the first thing, and that no observance of the rubric, without that, will be of the smallest avail-nay, will rather move the Divine displeasure, Isa. i. 10-15. Yet, if your hearts be right, will not your lips be ready? (S. Matt. xii. 34.) If your hearts are humble, and contrite, and penitent, will you not fall down before GOD? (1 Cor. xiv. 25:) will you ask forgiveness of Him in a posture in which you would not ask it of a human superior? If our hearts go along with our prayers, so too will our bodies. And if our souls rise to the raptures of the Psalms, or the boldness of the Creed, they will raise our bodies too. If our hearts be in the work of devotion, we shall pray silently before and after Service. We shall not rush away as if we were glad the Service was over the spirit of prayer will detain us when its voice has ceased. Ask yourselves, brethren, why you are negligent in these things? You will find that it is because you do not understand, or feel, or heed-not conditions of mind suited to obtaining blessing. Public worship is so important a means of grace, that whatever interferes with it interferes with our blessings. It requires therefore all our diligence; we must keep the heart, (Prov. iv. 23,) but we must keep the feet; (Eccl. v. 1;) pray with the spirit, but yet too with the understanding. All things must be done to edifying. (1 Cor. xiv. 26.) ·

XLI.

Whit-Tuesday.

Subject. The fruit of the SPIRIT.

Text. Gal. v. 22. "The fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."

Illustrative Texts beside those to the two last Outlines. Prov. viii. 19; xi. 30; Cant. iv. 16; S. Matt. vii. 16-20; xii. 33; S. Luke iii. 8-14; xiii. 6—9; Rom. vi. 22; Eph. v. 9; Phil. iv. 8; S. James iii. 17, 18; 2 S. Pet. i. 5-7. Every substantive in the sentence is emphatic.

THE greatest wonder of the Whitsun dispensation is not the most striking. That which fixes the reader's attention is the "rushing mighty wind," the "cloven tongues" of fire, the gift of languages, the boldness of men who a few days before were hiding from danger, the eloquence and clearness of their discourse, who, a little while before, could not see what seems to us most plain in the Holy Scripture, and in their LORD'S declarations. Doubtless, these things are astonishing marvels; but look at any habitual, hardened sinner, or any one who has committed some one enormous sin: how difficult to make him change his course, regard his sin with horror, be the opposite of all he was! to make the brawler an example of gentleness, the sen

sualist of purity, the drunkard of sobriety and industry! (Jer. xiii. 23.) The practice of public worship, which Christians find so delightful, from which it might be thought men could only be kept by force, (Ps. xlii., lxxxiv., lxiii. 1, lxxiii. 26, cxix. 20,) how hard it is to induce those who have wilfully neglected it to adopt it! There is no excuse, however absurd, that they will not employ. They will walk into the churchyard in the hour of prayer; but go no further. They will shelter in the porch from the casual shower, but go no further, lest they hear the voice of prayer, or the Word of Life. Surely the conversion of such into ardent and intelligent worshippers, is as strange as healing by a word! And in truth it needs no lower Agent, whoever be the instrument. But now mark the fruit of the Pentecostal dispensation: on one day, three thousand souls were converted! And of what kind were most of these? Men charged in the very discourse which converted them with the blackest sin ever committed. Some had insulted, or aggravated their SAVIOUR'S torments; some had borne their part in the savage cry, "Crucify Him!" some had called down that innocent Blood on the heads of themselves and of their children. Conceive such becoming gentle, quiet, holy, meek, forgiving, pure, devout, dedicated servants in life and death to their LORD! Yet so it was. For, after all allowances for devout Jews from every nation, and the first fruits of the Gentile harvest, S. Peter's discourse leaves no doubt that most of those whom he addressed were implicated in the deadliest of sins. And now mark the conduct of those who were converted. Him Whom they had rejected,

insulted, crucified, they worshipped as their GoD and SAVIOUR; them whom they had desired to murder as His disciples, they joined in doctrine and fellowship. Nor was it a passing compunction; they continued stedfast in both. There was no wavering, no separation. These murderers and blasphemers were now become regular communicants! Hearts, once swollen with rage and malignity, were single and joyful, humbled in stedfast and continual prayer before GOD! Lips, which had only opened in blasphemy, were vocal with supplication and thanksgiving! Love to their SAVIOUR and their brethren cast all their possessions into a common stock; they were now daily in the Temple, taking every opportunity of worship and instruction. And all this too in the certainty that they must undergo from their unconverted countrymen all the horrors which they themselves would formerly have exulted to inflict on the disciples of the LORD. (Acts ii. 42, seqq.)

Surely this was the most wonderful part of the Pentecostal dispensation! That it was the greatest is certain, (S. John xiv. 12,) since it was for works like these that all the rest was done; and this was to be perpetual. (Acts ii. 39.) Let none, then, continue in sin, under a persuasion that return is impossible. You have been baptized-repent. True it is that your return will be more difficult than that of the three thousand, for you have sinned against baptismal grace; yet it is not impossible. The HOLY SPIRIT, Who converted your SAVIOUR's murderers, is waiting to be gracious to you, who have crucified Him afresh. Only observe that they did not say, "This work may be done when we