our chambers within, and in our sojournings abroad, a deep and humiliating sense of our own unworthiness, and of the infinite wonders and mercies of the redemption of the world, through his son, the same Jesus Christ our Lord: who, as at this season, "came to visit us in great humility:" that he has given us the power to act, as well as the sense to feeland that one year, following another, passed in weak resolves, and unproductive efforts, is not the casting away of the works of darkness and putting on the armour of light. Figurative as may be this expression, its meaning and application are sufficiently obvious and binding upon us christians. Every man,

however humble, has his task assigned to him; and the faithful and honest execution of that task, is as surely registered in heaven, as of any task, or situation, however splendid and important. Born and baptised in the belief and faith of Christ Jesus, the code of lawsor, if I may so speak, the weapons of defence, wrought and consigned to us by that same Saviour-will enable us to ward off the fiery darts of the devil, and to be cased in the armour of light. Our moral duties—our spiritual hopes and happiness-our probable destiny in the world which is to come—are all

clearly developed, and strongly inculcated in the book of life and immortality. The sceptical shall not avail himself of his jeer, nor the profane of his scoffing: there shall be no balm for the reprobate, nor peace for the wicked.

With these feelings, let us all meditate upon God's word, in our Bibles, and in our Liturgy. Let us seek comfort for a wounded spirit in the consolations of the Gospel: let us press the cross of Christ to our hearts, as, from our infancy, we have been taught, by our Pastors and Masters, and those who are put in authority over us, to reverence and respect it. Let us draw near to the sacramental table with faith and feed upon Christ in our hearts, with thanksgiving. So that-when the night of mortality is followed by the interminable day of eternity—in the last day— when the same Saviour shall come again “in his glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and dead, we may rise to the life immortalthrough him, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and ever."

SERMON XXIX.

1 TIM. vi. 9.

But they that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts; which drown men in destruction and perdition.*

In order to understand the full import of these words, let us read the context in the two immediately following verses. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which, while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness."

Such is the impressive language of the great Apostle of the Gentiles to his beloved disciple TIMOTHY: language, of which the tenor is, more or less, enforced in the

* Preached at St. Mary's, on the Sunday (Dec. 5, 1824) following a late awful catastrophe.

Gospels, and throughout the Epistles of the several Apostles. But from the lips of no one does similar advice flow more frequently and more powerfully than from those of our blessed Saviour:-who constantly places before his auditors, either by express injunction, or by parabolical illustration, not only the real character of wealth, but the temptations to which an inordinate love of it leads, and the results, palpable and ruinous, that ensue from an improvident or a nefarious expendi

ture.

That great authority was himself but too deeply versed and experienced in the truth of the doctrine which he delivered. He had been tried by the like temptation. Indeed, as your recollections will immediately supply you with the fact, it was from an insolent, but ill-grounded presumption, on the force of this world's treasures and glories, that Satan reserved this-the last, and, as he thought, the most likely to be successful, of all his temptations-to overcome the Saviour of the world.

The circumstance is thus recorded in the fourth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, all these

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things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Then saith Jesus unto him, "Get thee behind me, Satan-for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

Thus, you observe, the possession of millions of this world's treasure-involved in the possession of the kingdoms, and the glories of them, set before the eyes of our Saviour by the tempter-is instantly, and unhesitatingly, discarded and rejected;—and the author of the proposal treated with the scorn and indignation which he merited. What an inconceivable grasp of mind-what a wonderfully intuitive and unerring knowledge of every thing developed by the possession of such incalculable wealth-was displayed, and put in practice, upon anoccasion so trying and so unprecedented! It was natural therefore, my brethren, that that pure and lofty spirit, which possessed our Lord and Master, in regard to a just appreciation of wealth, should also, in some degree, possess THOSE who were sent to preach the doctrine which such an authority inculcated; and accordingly you see, every where, throughout all the apostolical writings, that correct estimate, and luminous exposition, of the doctrine in