of conduct: if, instead of merely personal decoration, pride, pomp, vanity, and sensuality, he cast his eye around to see who are the deserving poor and needy, and friendless, and desolate, and oppressed. If his riches occasionally, like the rains of heaven, fall in bounteous showers upon such objects-he may rely upon it that his own comforts will never be diminished, while his actions will be recorded in that place, where no good deed is registered in vain. It is time, therefore, to arise from the couch of sloth, of dissipation, and of luxury. If the rich man wish to establish a fame from wealth, let it be that which is recorded by the united praises and thanksgivings of those whose hearts he has made to sing for joy. While God Almighty hath blessed his victuals with increase, and enabled him, from a well-directed industry, and virtuously-earned prosperity, to educate his children, and administer comfort to such of his relatives and friends as may be sitting in the valley of darkness and despair, let it be the chief business of his life to express his deep and unfeigned gratitude for such mercies vouchsafed unto him: never turning his face from the laborious and deserving poor man: and never forgetting, in the plenitude of his

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gratifications, the SOURCE whence his prosperity flows.

For the poor-much is there, in this parable, whereby they may take comfort to their souls. They will see, and must be convinced, that God Almighty will never forsake them-if they forsake not him, by leading an idle, a vicious, and an abandoned life. Disease is no cause of despair. Their country provides them with means of mitigation and of cure: their God regards them, should all earthly means fail, and human skill be vain, with that merciful eye-which will assign to them, in a future state, an habitation among those mansions where the spirits of just men, made perfect, reside.

SERMON XII.

St. JOHN, xiv. part of 21st verse.

He that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.*

THE Chapter from which these words are taken, is remarkable for the open and explicit manner in which our Saviour makes known to his disciples the relative situation between the Almighty, Himself, and his followers. A part of it has been selected by the framers of our Liturgy for the altar-service of this sacred and particular day. The whole is indeed well deserving of your closest attention; inasmuch as the sentiments contained in it were conveyed by our Saviour to his disciples under the fixed and deep impression of his being very shortly about to take leave of them. To console them, on his departure, he promises that his Father will send unto them the Holy Ghost, the COMFORTER, who

* Preached at St. Mary's, on Whitsunday, 1824.

shall teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever he had said unto them. That comforter-that testimony of the protection of heaven-that seal and safeguard, which was to mark the disciples as under heavenly guidance and inspiration— did, in fact, afterwards descend upon them, on the day of Pentecost, when they were all with one accord in one place. How the descent of such a Comforter was marked, has been related to you in the Epistle of the Day.

Observe, my brethren, in the outset of our enquiries, that our blessed Saviour made good his promise, by the descent of the Holy Spirit. There was no offer of what could not be granted; there was no hope held out, but what could be realised. Observe, also, in what a peculiar and abundant manner the comforts of the Holy Spirit were distributed -God always making the means conformable to the end proposed. These poor men, who were the humble, zealous, and sincere Disciples, or Scholars, of Christ, were to propagate the Gospel over the whole known and civilised world. But this could not be effected without a knowledge of the several languages spoken in the countries where this new doc

trine was to be promulgated. The Spirit of God, therefore, descended as cloven tongues of fire-sitting upon each of them :-and they were all, in consequence, filled with the Holy Ghost, and began, as St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles tells us, to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The multitude were, naturally enough, amazed; and marvelled, saying one to another"behold are not all these Galileans? — and how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born?-we do hear them speak in our tongues, the wonderful works of God!!"

It was no doubt, a wonder, equally delightful and astonishing to the Apostles-as they must now be called-to find themselves thus gifted with the means of making known the extraordinary works of God:-of thus finding, that he who had promised, had performed his promise: that he, who had now ascended into heaven, was again, as it were, present, and mixed with them by the descent of his Holy Spirit that, wheresoever they went, and whatsoever they suffered, their blessed Master and Redeemer upheld and comforted them by the infusion of his Grace-by the support of his power-and by the promises,