affectation, and leading to mere excitement. Those professors who have voice enough on all topics save that of Christian experience, and who are eloquent everywhere except in the Class-room, have generally sickly souls; and would do well to inquire whether they are in the faith? whether they love the Lord Jesus? and whether their hearts be right with God and their neighbour? "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." To David it was evidently no cross to publish the lovingkindness of God: he longed for opportu nities of doing so; and when these did not naturally occur, he created them, inviting his fellow-saints to come and hear his song of praise. Love to them, as well as zeal for the honour of the Most High, made him “ declare”—speak out—what God had "done for his soul."

5. We should do it humbly. What "He hath done." In such meetings it will often be necessary to speak of our labours in the Lord's vineyard, of our sufferings for His name's sake, and of our conflicts and triumphs in the prosecution of our Christian warfare; but such statements should always be made with a single intention to glorify God, and not to exalt ourselves. David ascribed every honour with which he was crowned, every gift with which he was enriched, every conquest he gained over his enemies, the forgiveness of his sins, the healing of his diseases, the redemption of his life from destruction, to the power and goodness of God. Paul, too, sets us an example in this matter. "By the grace of God I am what I am.......I laboured moré abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God." So, whether we speak of blessings received, or afflictions endured, or work done, or successes achieved, by ourselves or others, let our spirit and speech be in harmony with the words of the Psalmist, on another occasion, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy merey, and for Thy truth's sake." "It is God which worketh in" us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure." And this meets an objection which has sometimes been started against our Class-meetings, namely, "that they foster pride." That they may be made to minister to pride and self-elation, is undoubted: the best and holiest things have been, and may be again, perverted. But that they do not necessarily lead to such a result, is manifest. Does it foster pride in the pardoned criminal, to tell how his sovereign has graciously rescued him from an ignominious and merited death by the exercise of royal clemency? Or in the patient, who was the subject of a dangerous and loathsome disease, to tell of the painstaking skill and potent remedies, by which his physician restored him to perfect soundness? Or in the orphan, to set forth the poverty and wretch

elness in which his benefactor found him, and from which he delivered him,-raising him to affluence and honour, by his unmerited beneficence? No. The burden of our testimony on earth is, "By grace are we saved through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast:" and our song in heaven will be, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

6. With reverence and regularity. The place of meeting may be humble, but it is hallowed by the Word of God and prayer; the company may be small, and some among them may be poor; but they are the disciples of Jesus, and He will assuredly be in their midst. The hour devoted to Christian fellowship has its commercial value, and importunate suitors will claim it for secular purposes; but we must resolutely guard against its abridgment, or absorption, by company, recreation, or worldly engagements. Instead of grudging the time requisite for social intercourse with our Christian brethren, let us bless God that we belong to a branch of His Church which not only believes in "the communion of saints," but which practises it. As the exercises in which we are about to engage are sacred, as the persons with whom we are to assemble are the excellent of the earth, and as our great end is the glory of God, and our brethren's edification, let us pray to be delivered from wandering thoughts, from grovelling affections, from unbelief, and every feeling contrary to love. As we enter the Class-room or vestry, let us say,—

"Lo, God is here! Let us adore,

And own how dreadful is this place!
Let all within us feel His power,

And silent bow before His face;
Who know His power, His grace who prove,
Serve Him with awe, with reverence love."

Let us join heartily in the introductory exercises of praise and prayer, believing that God is able and willing to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." While our brethren and sisters are relating their experience, let us, by mental prayer, maintain "fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ," and try to profit by the statement of each. If some are in trouble through the death of near relations, while we sympathize with them, let us thank God if our own family circle continues unbroken. If others are weighed down with bodily affliction, or the infirmities of age, while we pray that the grace of God may be made sufficient for them, let us praise God if our own health is preserved, and our bow abides in strength. If others mourn over shortcomings and forfeited joys, while we weep with them, and pray for the restoration of their peace, and the

recovery of their souls, let us give glory to God for having kept us from falling, and pray that our hearts may be more and more established with grace; and if others are able to testify that the blood of Jesus "cleanseth them from all sin;" and that, through Christ strengthening them, they "have learned, in whatsoever state" they are placed by the all-wise providence of God, "therewith to be content," let us, while we glorify God in them, and rejoice in their joy, pray that He would "cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, that we," also, "may perfectly love Him, and worthily magnify His holy name." When we leave the place of meeting, if possible let us retire in silence, guarding the good impressions made on us, meditating on the instructions received, and purposing, in the strength of God, to secure the privileges which have been set before us. If we thus reverently and regularly keep up the communion of saints, worship God in the great congregation, and show forth our Lord's death in the sacrament of the Supper, our "profiting" will appear unto all; for we shall "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." But if we forsake the "assembling of ourselves together," slight the ministry of the Word, and neglect the Table of the Lord, we shall grieve the Holy Spirit of God, fall from grace, become stumbling-blocks to others, and probably make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.

To those who sincerely desire to save their souls and find their way to heaven, and who are not in actual fellowship with any other Church, we would say, “We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you. Come with us, and we will do you good for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel." Membership with the Church does not necessarily imply acceptance with God; neither does it render final salvation certain. The figtree, though in the vineyard, may remain barren; and those who put their hand to the plough, by looking back may become no longer ❝ fit for the kingdom of God." Personal acceptance depends on personal faith in Christ; and final salvation hinges on our abiding in Christ and working righteousness to the close of life. But though union with the Church does not of itself save, it is a Divinely-appointed means of salvation. God hath spoken good concerning His Israel, and He has made it her privilege to do good to those who from right motives join her militant host. To all who come out from among the ungodly, and refuse to "touch the unclean thing," He says, "I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters." Union with the Church gives a right to all the ordinances of the Gospel, brings us into fellowship with the excellent of the earth, saves from worldly friendships and corrupting alliances, and secures an interest in the sympathies and prayers of those who have power with God. It has been the design of the Most High,

from the beginning, to have a people in the earth, and by uniting with His congregation we promote that design; whereas those who stand aloof from the followers of Christ do what in them lies to thwart it. The wise and good of all ages have lived and died in fellowship with the Church of God, and we tread in their steps when we unite with His people. The "holy place" in the Tabernacle was the type of the Church on earth, the "holy of holies" of the Church in heaven; and even the High Priest could not enter the second without passing through the first. Union with one or other of the tribes of God's Israel is an obvious duty, and a high privilege; and it is no less foolish than presumptuous, in those who desire to enter Canaan, to decline joining the camp. To think that men can live as holy, and die as safe, out of the Church, as by living and dying in its communion, is mere delusion. It is in effect to assert, that men can lead holy lives and die triumphant deaths, though they disobey the Divine law, neglect duty, slight ordinances, are wise above what is written, and prefer the friendship of the world to the fellowship of saints.

The Christian Church is a Divine institution, which has Christ for its Head; and, under Him, and through Him, salvation for its end. He is its defence and Guide, and the glory in the midst of it; and those who would find Him must seek Him in its ordinances.

We do not, as the manner of some is, call ourselves "the Church," as if all who are not within our pale were heretics, left to the uncovenanted mercies of God: we are a branch of the catholic, or universal Church, which is composed of all believers. Our organization, as a distinct community, is comparatively recent ; but our doctrines, and the great principles of our polity, are drawn from the Holy Scriptures, the fountain of truth. Our ministers are converted men, who have been moved to enter on the work of the Christian ministry by the Holy Ghost, who has attested the genuineness of their call by giving them "souls for their hire, and seals to their ministry." We do not pretend that our people are all as holy as they should be; but, as a body, they have left spiritual Egypt, set their faces Zionward, and are journeying to the place of which God hath said, "I will give it you." Our discipline is strict; but not stricter than that of the primitive Churches. Our social means of grace are, in substance and design, the same which existed among the first Christians; and the blessing which attends their use, proves that they are sanctioned of God. We owe our existence as a Church, not to human policy, or Acts of Parliament, but to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the faithful preaching of salvation by faith in a crucified Redeemer, and the over-ruling providence of God. Though we have not "wrought such deliverance" in the earth as we might have done, yet God has honoured us by making us a blessing to the nation, a means of quick

i

ening to the Protestant Churches in the land; and, what we account our special glory, He has made us conspicuous in the great Missionary movement, by which Protestantism is now attempting the conversion of the heathen world to Christ.

We can still say with Wesley, "the best of all is, God is with us." By His rich grace our ministry is evangelical, our sanctuaries are multiplied, our pastures are green, we have peace in all our borders, and are hoping for "prosperity" in all our "palaces." We pretend to no monopoly of the "great and precious promises;" but neither do we admit that any Church on earth has a better right to these promises than we ourselves possess. Our reliance for future prosperity is not on numbers, nor wealth, nor past success, nor on rites and ceremonies; but on the promised presence of Christ in our public and private means of grace, and on a richer effusion of the Holy Spirit, in connexion with the proclamation of a present, a free, and a full salvation, through faith in Jesus's name. Our commission is to every creature, and especially to those for whose souls no man cares. To you, therefore, who feel your guilt, who see your danger, and who are willing to be saved by grace, through faith, we say, in humble reliance on the Holy Spirit's aid, “Come with us, and we will do you good." If you are ignorant we will instruct you; if unpardoned, we will lead you to Jesus, in whom you will obtain redemption, the forgiveness of your sins; if sick or sorrowful, we will visit and comfort you; if perplexed, we will give you counsel; if you err, or fall into temptation, or be "overtaken in a fault," we will admonish and restore you "in the spirit of meekness." If you give yourself to God, and to us, by the will of God, we shall joy in your joys, grieve with you in your griefs, lift up your hands when they hang down, and stimulate your zeal when you are in danger of growing weary in welldoing. As your talents improve, and your piety deepens, as your knowledge expands, and your graces ripen, we shall aid you in your endeavours to serve God and your generation. "In all labour there is profit;" and whether you devote yourself to the instruction of the young, the visitation of the sick, or the reclaiming of the profligate, God is sure to bless you, and we will rejoice in your success. Solitary conversions are rare, and yours may be the first of many. If you abide in Christ, walk in love, and live for eternity, some one or more of your relatives and acquaintances, when they see the change God has wrought in you, will in all probability yield themselves to Him, saying, "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." And thus you will be made instrumental in "saving souls from death," and of "hiding a multitude of sins." P. M'O.