.%. .^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) /, y 'A 1.0 I.I ■i^lilM 12.5 12^ ^ 1^ 12.0 L2| IIIIIU. 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14:'>0 (716) 873-4S0:> •1 \ qv :i>' ^v <«^>. % r o .v^'^* ^<^\.% ^ v . Q- £»/ ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical MIcroreproductlons / Instltut Canadian de microreproductlons historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couieur |~~] Covers damaged/ Couverture andommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicul^e Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couieur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couieur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couieur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents D D D Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long da la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6tA film^es. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires; L Institut a microfilm^ la meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a et* possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger una modification dans la mithode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couieur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/o( Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxei Pages ddcolor^es, tachet^es ou piquees Pages detached/ Pages ddtachees Showthrough< Transparence Quality of prir Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary materit . Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seuie Edition disponible r~l\ Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~7| Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I 1 Pages detached/ r~7] Showthrough/ rn Quality of print varies/ I [ Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ D Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata .slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., cnt it^ fiimdes d nouveau de facon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. JOX 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy filmed hw has bean reproduced thanks to the generosity of: L^islature du Quebec Quebec The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres« sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impree- sion, and «nding on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The laat recorded t^rame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. ly^apa, plates, charts, etc.. m>y be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand comer, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrama iliuatrate the method: L sxemplaire filmi fut reproduit grdce i la gin^rosit* de: Legislature du Quebec Quebec Lee images suivantas ont ixi reproduites avec le plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet* de I'exempiaire film*, et en conformity avec lea conditions du contrat de fllmage. Lea exemplaires originaux dont la couvertura an papier est imprimte sont filmte an commoncant par le premier plat at an tarminant soit par la derniAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impreesion ou d'lilustratton, soit par le second plat, seion le caa. Tous las autrss axMrnplaires originaux sont filmte en commenqant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impreesion ou d'lllustration at an tarminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symholee suivants apparaitra sur la damiAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le caa: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ', le symbole V signifie "FIN". Lee cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte i dea taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cllchA, il eat film* A partir de i'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche k droite. et de haut en baa. 9n prenant le nombre d'Images n^cessaire. Las diagrammes suivants illuatrent la m*thode. 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 W'TA- 1 V Ib^' '^^^ 9i,i<< # THE SOLDIER'S THAJ^KSGIVING, A SERinOIV PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF QUEBEC, UrON OCCASION OF DIVINE SERVICE HELD on the I6th of November, 1843, AT THE DESIRE OF THB Major-Comiuandiiig, the Officers and the Men of the Right Wing of the 2d Battalion of the 1st or Royal Regiment of Infantry ; J0' IMMEDIATELY UPON THEIR SAFE RETURN TO QUEBEC, «n" AFTER EXTREME DA.SOER FROM SHIPWRECK, OFF CAPE CHAT, AND SUBSEQUENT SEVERE EXPOSURE. BY GEORGE J., LORD BISHOP OF MONTREAL. QUEBEC: PRINTED BY T. CARY &, CO., Upper Tovm Market. 1843. ^T LIE THAT TO HIS EXCELLENCY LIEUT.-GEN. SIR RICHARD DOWNES JACKSON, K. C. B., COMMANDER OF THE FORCES IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA, who hat been pleased to unite in the desire for tbe publication of this Sermon : TO MAJOR BENNETT, Commanding the Second Battalion of the First or Royal Regiment of Infantry, AND THJE Officers and Men of the Right Wing of the Battalion, WITH WHOM THAT DESIRE ORIGINATED, THE SERMON IS NOW INSCRIBED, WITH EVERY FEELING OF RECIPROCAL KINDNESS AND WITH THE FERVENT WISH THAT IT MAY BE PERMITTED, IN WHATVER FEEBLE MANNER TO JUSTIFY THEIR ANTICIPATIONS OF ITS EFFECT, BY THEIR FAITHFUL SERVANT IN THE GOSPEL, G. J. MONTREAL. » « It is something so common to make apology for produc- tions of this nature, when they have been unexpectedly called for, to be given to the press, that, were there only common reason for it, in the present instance, the Author would abstain from what might seem almost a matter of form. But although he has not felt that he could be justified in declining compli- ance with a request very kindly proposed to him, he does feel it necessary to explain that, owing to the extreme shortness of the notice and the pressure of many occupations, the materials of the Sermon were imperfectly put together, and possibly not all the points were touched upon, which circumstances might have rendered it desirable to embrace. Yet, since it has been asked for, he lets it go into the hands of those who have taken charge of the publication, just as it was delivered. S L: II M () N. Ps. cxvi. 12, 13, n.-W/uit shall I render unto tfu Lord for all His benefits toward mc ?-I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now in the presence of all his people. My brethren of the Civil Congregation of this Uhurch,— It IS a gratifying circumstance that the service for which we are assembled, is held at the spontaneous desire of those gallant and hardy men, here among us, fresh from a scene of suffering and peril, who have not judged it derogatory to their gallantry or hardihood to be sensible of the mercy of' their God. 1 he feeling which has prompted them, upon this oc- casion, to ;>«// their votes unto the Lord in the presence oj his people, is a feeling which originated purely with hemselves, and appears to have animated all ranks of them alike. And I hope it may be regarded as one among many indications of the falsity of a notion found sometimes to prevail among mankind, that the pro- fession ol arms is inconsistent with the serious and earnest profession of Christianity ; that the soldiers of an earthly sovereign are ill-fitted to be soldiers of the oross. A.irainst such a notion we cannot too earnestly contend specially on account of its dangerous effect upon the mmds of military men themselves. As if expressly to guard against such an error, the new Tes- tament, (not to go back to the many instances of eminently pious warriors recorded in the old,) very prominently sets before us examples amply sufficient to contradict it. The soldiers were among (he persons who came to seek instruction from John the Baptist. 1 he individual of whom our Saviour Christ avers that he had not found so great faith, no, not in Israel, as in him, was a Centurion or Captain of a hundred men, m the Roman army. The first Gentile convert, with immediate reference to whose case a special revela- tion was made to St. Peter, was anothtT Centurion. ii and we read in that narrative, of a devout soldier among them that waited upon him continually. But blessed be God, we may appeal in our own day, to numerous and unquestionable examples, familiarly known ; and, upon this occasion, I cannot forbear to mention among them, the author, ( for, if I am not wholly mistaken, he was an officer of the army,) of that intensely interesting account of Jhe loss of the Kentt East-lndiaman, which has been published as a tract by the Society for Promoting Christian Know- ledge. The circumstances of that calamity, far sur- passing in its horrors any of those connected with the recent occurrence which has here called us together, and differing from this in being attended with the mournful loss of many lives, yet bore in some particu- lars a close resemblance to it ; and the perusal of the tract could not fail to be peculiarly instructive to those who are now acknowledging the mercy of their own deliverance.* In that deliverance we have all a lively interest upon the principle of sympathy laid down by the Apostle, that if one member suffer, all the members suffer ivith it, and if one member rejoice, all the mem- bers rejoice ivith it '; nor can we fail to recognise an additional claim to our interest in the obligations which we lie under to the Queen's troops, and in a signal manner to this gallant regiment, for protection, by the divine blessing, in dangers of our own of no very remote occurrence in this Province, — dangers proceeding from a mis-guided portion of our feliow- subjects, whose errors we will cheerfully consign to an obli/ion not to be permitted towards our benefac- tors. The preservation of those who were thus our friends in need, (nobly seconded, indeed, by the loyal part of the population,) must be matter of gratitude to us. As our friends, then, my military hearers, I ad- dress you : and with the voice of a friend I charge it upon you to remember to your dying da)^ the mercy • A limiled number of copir.s of this tract, being all that the Qiipbec Repoisitory of the Society P. C. K. could fiiriiisli at the time, «ere afterwaids distributed in the Regiment. and the warning which you have experienced. O if there are any among you who, in the immTnent crisis of your danger, brought to the verge of deal and eteratty. were untouched by the thought of you sa vation, he sense of your dependcncf upon God and the need which you had of pardon at his hand -or who in the hour of your providentiardeUver^ce fteu no vow of praise within your hearts, nor rc'olu ion of future devotedness to him,-\et me conjure vo- look back »«» upon the scen^ and"sk wTe her i f the elements, let loose, by his pleasure, inThel furv had swept you to destruction, you were prenTredTo go before him. Prepare to meet thy Go/Ts a sum jnons which we find recorded in his-^hdy 'word • a^J It is not a summons sounded in our ears bv all it tainT "If .''hances which we witnes'sh Sils uL*! n7hi nTi "' Tl^''^ '"""^'^ '"^^ a «™>npet of alarm deeol'^ZH ^'^^ "•'■" ''"<=°™'er<='l "Pon the rS deep And having just escaped from such a -»i.iy aepartment of creation, and we are ahsnlnto Lent t^'^' f '^'' F""^--' -W^h rTsetd te' teJs of the R r'' '""•^'=«'°''^ display, when the wa! £ passa-e IZ """'' ""^" '° °P^" themselves for Christ, rebukin, V^Zd'anTl^^^^'^t s^ ^r/'cl "r"^?! '^ ^-^ ""^^-^ ""^ there waTa great Calm. By that power, bringing you into dan- ger to make you sensible of mercy,^oVare now alte 8 and sale, and under the shelter, at this moment, of the sanctuary itself',- -paying your vows in the presence of Go(Vs people. —You have seen the works of 'he Lord and his wonders in the deep : You have seen, at his word., the stormy wind arise which lifteih up the waves thereof — you have (experienced the terrors of tem- pest and of shipwreck in a bleak season and upon an almost desolate shore, and you have been brought to a haven where you would the n surely have said that you tvoidd thankfully he : Mark then the words of the Psalmist which follow, — that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the won- ders that he doeth for the children of men ! To this call, indeed, 1 ought to presume that you have, in a body, responded : — Yet suffer me to charge upon you, m.y brethren, the necessity of cultivating an abiding sense of mercy, and manifesting a per7nanent effect from this dispensation. Let it not be thought that your vows are to evaporate in the first bursts of your grateful excitement, or to leave no trace beyond the solemn publh service of this day: but seek to be numbered among those, the only safe and happy class of hearers, who, having heard the word of God, kei;p it and bring forth fruit with patience. In the hope and prayer, therefore, that I may assist you in this endeavour, I leave here all notice of parti- cular circumstances attaching to your present case, and pass to the general consideration of the duties which are presented in our text, and which lie before you so long as you are spared in the flesh. Frst, then, ivhat shall we render unto the I^ord for all his benefits towards us ? All his benefits ? — How can we describe or count them? — When or where has he left himself ivithout imtncss 7 Is it not in Him, that we live and move and have our being 1 Is it not He who openeth his hand and filleth all things living with plenteousness ? — Look at all the magnificence of nature : lift your eyes to the glories of the firmament : survey all the varieties of creation: contemplate all the wonders of its animal, its vegetable, its mineral departments : consider their adaptation to the wants ol man, and the powers of man to turn them to his beneht: pursue, in all its details, so far ns man can low them, the workmanship of God : ponder upon he mechanism oi your own bodies ; the principles of lite and motion; the contrivances of the or-ans of the coiporeal faculties, acting upon all the resources ot Li cation, and rendering the universe itself tributary to man:-^cal up m review the scenes throuo-h which you have individually passed in life, the^prot^c- ion which you have experienced, the supplies which have been lavished upon you, the bountie^^which you have enjoyed, the de iverances which you have had to ac Inowledge, from the days of helpless infancy to the fZl -l "" '''^\'^ ^""^ "^""y ^^^^ ^^^e» permitted to reach_is it not all, all from the hand of God'^-is he not the source the spring, the centre of all, and does not all depend wholly upon his inexhaustible love'' -And can you, then, forbear to enter into the spirit Tnif T '^^ ^?S"'^^ ^^ *^^ P'^^J"^^st, Praise the Lord O my sonl, and all that is tvithin me praise his holy name : Praise the Lord, my soul, and for- fllf fj''^'ffl' > ^oho forgiveth all th, sins and and healeth all thme infirmities; who save'th thu life Jrom destruction and croimeth thee with meret and lovmg-kmdness ; tcho satisfieth thy mouth with good mngs making thee young and lusty as an eagle.- jiutstay— in this enumeration of blessings, we find the '^!!^Tihfrn '^'^J'^'^'^^^.^f infirmities, the saving of the life irom destruction : Whence is all this ? and why, in the scenes w^hich are stamped by eternal goodness and regulated by eternal wisdom, should sm, infirmity, and destruction be permitted to ^Zl ^P^^f Vy^cannot rise to the ahitude nor fathom the depth of the divine counsel : it is as high as heaven, what canst thou do ?-deeper than hell, what canst thou know ?— but, ill as we are qualified to pronounce upon these mysterious points, needless as it is that we shnnlH L-nnw m"/-!^ vv^r-o Jr> ro!-^— * them, than the means of remedy, and manifest as is 10 that general characteristic of our present condition that we do know but in part, — yet this we can dis- cern, that the properties of merc^s beneficence, com- passion, long-suffering, and forgiveness, all suppose, on the part of the recipient of blessing, the existence either of want or wretchedness, or sin, or some com bination of these ;— and that, therefore, the most gracious attributes of God himself, can only find their exercise in a world which suffers by the activity of evil influences. The traces of a fall are not to be mistaken : the signs of mischief are sufliiciently plain : the characters of a curse are written legibly enough upon *he face of things belcw : moral and natural evil, often r the most frightful forms, pervade the world thro - iout, and make up a vast proportion of the history of man. Sin, sin is the poison which has in- fected the whole system and has run through all its growth: the transgression of the eternal law; the rupture of our holy connection and happy communion with the source of light and life ; the admission of a principle which works within us in opposition to the will of God, and works most strongly in those who least observe it in themselves, — these con?^itute the causes of our misery, and afford the presage of our destruc- tion ;— for, at the close of our little day, we render up our breath, and go before God ; and we cannot, in the rags of our unholiness, and with no other introduction or testimony but such as must at once condemn us, go before him with any hope. His awful justice, his immaculate purity, his resplendent holiness, necessa- rily forbid our approach ; and thus consigned to an eternal exclusion from his presence, we have nothing left to look for, but the blackness of darkness for ever. Here, then, is the field for the interposition of mercy such as none but God could shew, and the exercise of love such as his wisdom could alone contrive. With- out prejudice to the claims of his justice, without violation of his purity and holiness, a method is de- vised by which man can enjoy pardon and peace and be made the heir of glory— a ransom is found— a substitute is provided— the Cross is planted in the 11 ground, and the proclamation is made, by him who hangs upon \U—Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. Herein is Love : not that tee loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. God was in Christ, recon- ciling the world unto himself, not imputing their tres- passes unto them : and in Christ all fulness dwells : all fullness of comfort and mercy, grace and light and hope; all needful supplies of strength for the service of God and discernment of the way of life, all secu- rity of title to a happy portion beyond the grave, — all flow from that only fountain of blessing, and the wayfaring men, though fools, cannot err in reading the inscription where it springs, whosoever will, let him take of the ivater of life freely. What, then, shall ice render unio the Lord for all his benefits towards us ? What do we, for the most part, render ?— What return is commonly made on the part of man for the unbounded beneficence and mercy of his God ?— Alas ! what other return than one which verifies with sad exactness the declaration that, in continuing his bounties to us. and prolonging our day of ^race, he is kind and good to the unthankful and the evi. . — O stony hearts and stupified minds !— has God done all this for you and have you so deep an interest at stake, and does he still wait in vain to be gracious ?--will you turn from him and put off the thoughts of him, and fl^ to any thing to occupy them, rather than to him ?— Do we fail to stay you, or t.o fix your attention, precisely because we speak to you of God and your immortal souls ?— are these just the subjects upon which you do not choose to be trou- bled ?— But suppose the case different : suppose some interest awakened in these enquiries and some im- pression produced of the debt which we owe to God, —what shall we render to him ?— an equivalent ?— a compensation ?— a benefit to him in any conceivable manner ?— a satisfaction of any possible kind ?--Ah ! we are deceived indeed, and nothing can surpass the crossness of our delusion, if we think that we can me- rit anything by our performances or atone by one 12 course of actions for the amount of offence accumu- lated by those of another complexion. The Gospel IS a Gospel of Grace— but Grace is at an end— Grace, as the Apostle speaks, is no more Grace, if we can make out a debt a.gainst God for our works. What then, once more, shall we render?— My brethren, you need not be told, at this day, as a piece' of information, what you must render to God, nor are there wanting those among you, as I hope and trust, who practi- cally understand it : but, time after time, the preach- ers of the Gospel must, in many ways, re-iterate the sanie instructions, in the hope of yet gaining the ears which have been dull of hearing :—You must render to God your ^m-/s— you must bring the offerings of your faith, your fear, your trust, your love, your pray- ers, your praises ; and to evince the genuineness of all these, you must render your obedience, your confor- mity of temper, conduct, and character, to the Gospel, your fruitfulness in good works, your profitableness! according to your ability, in his service,— that so an entrance may be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Woe be to those who, after all the care and culture bestowed upon the vineyard of which they form a portion, make the return of only wild and worthless fruit ! First, however, you must render your repentance. I he sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, God, thou loilt not despise. A deep sense of our own natural sinfulness, a feeling ot compunction for our own actual transgressions,-^ a longing to escape from the remaining power of sin, and to serve God more truly and devotedly,— these he at the foundation of our Faith, and without them we cannot be qualified to become parties in the cove- nant of Grace. Consider these things, my brethren, and put the question fairly to your own breasts, what do you ren- der to God for all his benefits towards you f— What evidence do you yield of being duly impressed with a sense of thoso benefits ; of having TURNED TO 13 GOD, and of having established yourselves in safe Chni^tTP^wl""'f ' "'* '"'""' •''""g'' his son Jes s i^hnst ?--Without going over the whole range of en- quiry which It IS necessary for „s to pursue in asce"- Tn^T, °r TT^ conclition,-the resoS.ion of he po nt Itself whether we are making a due return to God, may often be found within a ve% small com- pass, and by means of very simple tests. What does the Psalmist tell ns that he wi'll render 7-7 »;//«! !n ■• .^^'^'""g *e consideration of what it is to t? 7?^' """" "f *^ ^°'^- ^« ""^y here observe tha that there IS one solemn and specific act o our Rel g on, to which we may at least be warranted in applying the words, 7 uill receive the Cup of S^l- JfZT'^ '"^ 'I '' "'"= "' ">« benefits of this act that It may be made to ourselves a touch-stone for the ?r/, r'.'R'"'""',''""'- " ^"^ 'he practice of the Jews to feast, in a religious manner, upon the remains of the sacrifices and drink-otferings ; and it was a c7,! torn that the master of the feast, ^h^uld pasTround a cup of wine upon the occasion, with certain solemn and eucharistical benedictions. To receive the Cup bPtfkl' "' ""'■''^"''' «"hough the w-ords may also be taken in a more general and figurative sensef was to attend upon the sacrifices which foreshadowed The immolation of Christ upon the Cross,and to pa take in the solemnities which have been just described. And now vve come to the point. IVe have our representa- tion of the death and blood-shedding upon the Ci^ss ^ectfve'? ll.''"-'"'"' """? '^^"'' ''^'^^"^e it is retro- spective . fVe, in our ordinance, commemorate the tkngdone, of which tke,/, in theirs, kept a°h'e the haf d led "h^V' '™=-'°°!"^'^ <"" ^--" has coine! ?! u 7 J ^^ "f " '*«""'• has re-ascended to Heaven has shed down the Spirit of promise. He said it ." FINISHED, and he gave up the Ghost. This is what we are called upon, what we are aflCectionately invit- ed and solemnly commanded to remember, by the cirp or BLESSING tithirh tae hle..i.t. xuhi^h := ih' „/....,. NION OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. O thillk HOt to shel- 14 ter yourselves, if you refuse this pledge, by pleadin*; (what is true in itself,) that the forms and ceremo'^ nies of religion are little in comparison of an exem- plary and useful life— or, taking a higher tone, little m companson of a truly converted heart and spiritual state of the affections If you acknowledge the Gospel of Jesus Christ,then you admit that you cannot possibly serve God nor lead the life of a Christian, without his special Grace ; and can you suppose for a moment that you are enjoying this, while you repudiate an ordmance which he has commanded, and turn your backs upon the appointed remembrance of his love ?— And if you would manifest an advanced degree of spirituality in your Religion, begin by a conformity to the example of your master, who, with reference to the use of an appointed ordinance, after insisting upon submitting to it, himself, establishes the rule that thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Never think that it is a mark of spirituality or an effect of evange- lical freedom, to take liberties with God and to jud^^e ourselves privileged to dispense with any one thing which he has commanded. There are other and more common causes, servino- to keep men away from the table of the Lord, upon which I cannot now touch, but which are often the subject of notice from the pulpit. Whatever be the excuse, it may be met, at least in part, by some of the arguiix^nts which have been just used ; and let me conjure all who see the table spread and go their ways, to ponder these things. In conjunction with the act of receiving the Cup of Salvation, the Psalmist declares that he will call upon the name of the Lord, and pay his vows in the presence of all his people Then began men, we are told in an early portion of the Sacred history, to call upon the name of the 'Lord; and this is conceived to be the first intimation of the establishment of public worship among the follow^ers of the true and living God. The Patriarchs also in their removals from place to place, erected altars in particular spots, and there called upon the name of the Lord. To call .ipnn tl.o nn^rie 15 ofihe Lord is. by th( h-m ; and we are assured ha n ^°''' ^""""""'on with Joe], cited upon a memnrlM P^^^'S" "^ "le Prophet Lord shall be saveiL-nJflu'P'"' ^l"^ ^me of the "lat our invocation of tl ^''-'mportant is it, then -eial worship,' shouU b \re?h°' ""^ ^--d. in o"; "My and form !-Hoav np?„ '"= "''"•'' "i^ cere- where the material febrL h„fh'"'^ '° '^"^'"ber that service has been rSriv If M-T^'^'^d and divine mockery of God unlss Z ^f ^"'.^ed, all is but a eommg to Christ «7o'/,v"<"''''''PPe'-s themselves ItonesaUo, built up all 21V"^'' "" «* «4' hood, to offer up spirit,jT2 i *""*<" ' «» ^olu mieJ. h Jesus Chrisi^vZ[lT!^fi'^''' ^'^'Mc t'^l'U worthless our solemn mee^n"""''-,'^''!.'" «°'e»>niliest services,* and lost to us a 1: h""''' °'"' ''««"«'■« the,rd,(rerentparts,unie welo '"PP^ distribution of ' "• "W deprecation of iud.^men "^ '^""'ession of --elves, our imerces^'l^l'Khers "o''uPr''h''';'''' ''<''• s-l:.t£ ""=»i?:a ;dirn^^^^ voluntary services nf?.-'^^"'""cn,arrano-ement^h=. i. Civil congregation in the lTT\ Y'"' '''^ « W ' a th. 1' ''''^•=''°" °' '^^ s!me correct deportmen ) uZ^'f '^'^^ ''^"^^^""ie wh «? "°A"'?'^"' '° ^«y that (heVe actually formed Ee' Co" fhaf •?■'"" ""«^' '^'^h reS„*^e {^'^fi '" «'='"'""' '•°'- E several who evinced n ^ '' '" ^he hour of their mn,f -"'^ """"g "lem who 'f-c only hope o?Sul "mfn T°h ' »^?'""^'"^ ^^Z^it^^:!'''' PC"aere were a consentaneous fee inp-rii ?^^^''^ 'n^^'viduals, unnromn.. n"''°*^^ reliance upon ej^ the con.,enct?K'r1 ^° :"''"' ""^ -pSrK^Wh other, yetSh '''" a»fui .ifuation, their trust h,";L'''''''?*'"g *" ^^ "tanner dSlv'"^^ ""r'"'""- " W/hy those fear ^' T'^/ T."^ Christ -l!"""^ appropriate ta "H^'^3theheCa^S3!^;£^- 16 thems of praise, our unanimous profession of our faith in the Creeds, our hearing of the appointed portions of the word, our recognition of the Law which we seek mercy for having violated, — truly echo the sen- timents and principles which are seated in our hearts. While, therefore, we call, with our lips, upon the name of the Lord, let us remember the charge of the Apostle, / beseech you brethren, by the mtrcies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, ivhich is your reasonable service; i. e. that you cheerfully surrender your whole persons, your whole man, to serve the God who made and the Saviour who bought you. The same test must be applied to all those special acts in which we pay our vows to God in the presence of all his people. The vow of baptism declared by the Sponsors : the assumption of that vow upon our- selves in Confirmation : the vows interchanged before God, with solemn prayer and benediction, in the cele- bration of marriage : the vows of the woman who has been brought safely through the trial appointed, from the date of the Fall, for ner sex,— all these will be utterly repudiated before God, if once they are suffer- ed to degenerate into formalities, and nothing more. And here we are irresistibly brought back for a mo- ment, to the subject of taking into our hands the cup of salvation in the supper of the Lord— for in that act we assuredly 7)a?/ o?/r VOWS in the presence of the people of God : Vows which, if they are rightly under- stood, are happy as v/ell as holy vows — but they do not comport with the lax and easy notions of the world: they are expressed by the Church in words which are borrowed from a passage of Scripture just above cited, and which her members make their own by the responsive .dmen, at the close of the prayer : " And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, " ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, " holy and lively sacrifice unto thee : humbly beseech- " ingthee that all we who are," at any time," partakers " of this holy Communion, may be fulfilled with thy " Grace and heavenly benediction/' Let our hearts prompt us to say Amen to them now : Amen and Amen!