the leaven of unbelievers, and shew by our moral conduct, and by our steady attendance on the Church of God, that we are truly and zealously disposed to uphold the religion of our Saviour.

God grant that we may enjoy the comforts, and feel in our hearts the truth and authority of the Gospel! Those who have rejected it, who have wrapped themselves in the mantle of infidelity, casting from them the promise of a better world, the proud expectation of an immortal resurrection, may flourish for a time in profligate sensuality. For a short time they may rejoice in their strength, and say, "There is no Christ:" but when the days of thoughtlessness are overpast, when sorrow and sickness shall become their lot, on what hold shall they rely, and from what source shall they draw their consolation? when the things of this world no longer yield present pleasure or cheering recollections, and nothing appears beyond but the dark night of total annihilation, or the tremendous terrors of an insulted God! It is in the hour of sickness, under the visitation. of affliction, and at the last moments of his pilgrimage in this world, that the Christian feels the deep excellence of his religion; and with what feelings should he turn from those, who make it their impious trade to tear from him the sweet comfort of those melancholy hours, to shake his confidence in those hallowed promises, which are a balm to all his sorrows, a comfort amidst all his apprehensions, and a beam of glory in the last weak moments of his trembling existence! Let us cling to those holy consolations! Let us all unite with one heart in gratitude to our Redeemer, and exclaim with one voice, "Glory be to God on high, on earth peace and good will towards men!"

Let us render thanks to him with all humility; let us worship him in the true spirit of faith; with that holy confidence which arises from a due sense of his all-powerful and all-merciful perfections. Now, &c.

SERMON II.

ON THE EDUCATION OF THE POOR.

Preached at the Belfrey Church, York, on Good-Friday, 1819.

Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.-MATTHEW XXV. 40. THESE words, and the rest of the passage in which they are introduced, were addressed by our Saviour not only to his first disciples, but to the Christians of every succeeding generation, as the strongest incentive to acts of charity and benevolence that could be held out to man as a rational creature, depending upon the Deity for his existence and every thing that he enjoys in his present state, and hoping for that happiness in a future world, which he can only obtain by conciliating the favour of the Almighty. Imperfection is the fundamental character of human nature; and there has never existed, since the commencement of the world, any human being (except that blessed man who gave himself, as upon this day to be an expiation on the cross for the sins of mortality) that could stand before the throne of God with the firm satisfaction of having in every point, according to the strictest letter of the Gospel, fulfilled his obligations to

his Maker, and his duty to his fellow creatures. Which is there amongst us who can affirm that he has been prosperous, yet never elated; preferring the welfare of others to his own; oppressed and yet undaunted; sor rowful, but never murmuring; perfect in obedience; zealous in thankfulness and piety, but in all things humble, unostentatious, cheerful, promoting the smile of innocent enjoyment, and tender to the failings of his brethren; a stedfast and uniform pattern of holiness, fidelity, and benevolence?

If it were possible for man in his fallen state to attain that measure of perfection, it might have been looked for amongst the first apostles of our religion, whose feelings were electrified by the actual presence of their Redeemer, who were fed from the same table with God their Saviour, who witnessed the revelations of the Almighty, and were sanctified by the immediate Spirit of their Maker. Yet even amongst them we find bickerings, mistrust, contentions for pre-eminence, and a failing of confidence in the hour of trial. The great Apostle of our faith, who denied his Lord in the moment of tribulation, affords a memorable warning to all those who would presumptuously rely on their own strength and intentions.

How then, if imperfections are so inherent in our natures, that by the utmost exertion of our spiritual powers over the temptations of the flesh, we cannot hope to fulfil the dictates of our Saviour according to the letter of his Gospel, and yet without our performing the will of our Maker his redemption is not available, how is unfortunate man to ascertain, whether the measure of his negligence or transgressions, is such as to entitle him to the forgiveness, or draw down the vengeance of his Crea

tor? How is he to acquire the comfortable assurance, that he is in the road to salvation?

There is a conscientious monitor implanted in the breast of every man; which, if he will take the pains of consulting it, will teach him, whether in all humility the general tenor of his conduct deserves his own approbation and the favourable compassion of the Almighty. But the Gospel has also plainly stated to us in many instances, and particularly in the passage I have cited, upon what terms the indulgence of the Almighty may be obtained for the frailties to which our nature is unfortunately liable; and by what line of conduct we may ensure to ourselves a claim upon his mercy. There is perhaps no other passage in the Scriptures that opens to the frail creatures of mortality a prospect so cheering, and an incentive so powerful to philanthropy and benevolence. We are not only assured that every act of kindness to the humblest of our fellow-creatures in need or in adversity, will be registered on high and remembered in our day of trial, but that our eternal Saviour, to whom all judgment is committed by Him at whose word the universe was created, and at whose word all things that it contains will return to the dust from which they sprang, will, in the last day of retribution, consider the most unfortunate and deserted of his creatures as his afflicted brethren, and hold himself bound to repay the debt of gratitude for the meanest of mankind. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

If therefore sin is so interwoven in the texture of our dispositions, that there is no individual amongst us, who will not be forced to pray for the compassionate mercy

of his Creator at the throne of judgment; can there be a more solid satisfaction than to know that we have at our command the certain means of inducing a favourable regard to our petitions; that every act of kindness to our fellows, which has proceeded from the warmth of the heart, and not from the cold hand of ostentatious charity, will by the benign condescension of our Maker be looked upon as a claim upon his goodness. Consider each of you with what aspect you would look upon the person, who had clothed you in nakedness, fed you in destitution, visited you in captivity, guided you in ignorance and blindness, comforted you in sickness, and cheered you in the hours of sorrow! With what feelings of delight, with what eagerness of gratitude would you spring forward, to promote (if you should find the means of so doing) the wishes of such a benefactor! And even those feelings our heavenly Saviour has promised to adopt unto all those, who have so conducted themselves towards the most insignificant of their fellow-creatures.

In addressing you therefore, my brethren, on behalf of the children of your indigent neighbours, praying for your contributions towards a fund which may procure for the body food and raiment, and for the soul instruction, I am asking that which with the grace of God will tend to conduct the giver and the objects of his beneficence to the mansions of eternal happiness. And although the instruction of the ignorant be not expressly mentioned amongst the several acts of charity enumerated in the passage from which the text is quoted, let not any one doubt that he who devotes his time, or contributes by the application of his bounty to furnish that education to his neighbour, which will amend his heart, improve his