But as nothing which is done in GoD's house ought to be thought so lightly of, so we have seen that a charitable gathering there is such a thing, as, in the first and best days, filled the heart of the zealous Apostle, and caused it to overflow with joy. We are bidden to be followers of him, as he also was of CHRIST. Let us try to have such thoughts of a Church gathering as he had faint and low they must be in comparison with his, yet they may be the same kind of thoughts. We may use ourselves to consider these occasions, as each being one among the ten thousand ways, in which our LORD and His SPIRIT show themselves in His Church.

All Church gatherings may be thus considered: but in this which we have to-day recommended to us, there is something over and above this.

For, in the first place, it is recommended to us by our Bishop: and the approbation of their Bishop is always a special comfort to good Christians, and his presence and direction is a token of CHRIST'S.

Next, the particular purpose of to-day's gathering, is to raise a sum for building and enlarging Churches within this bishoprick to which we belong. Now, a Church, a building set apart and hallowed by the Bishop's prayers and blessings, for solemn prayers, and teaching, and administration of the Sacraments, is one of the plainest outward signs of the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT among us being the very place where our LORD has promised to be, since there, whoever are gathered together, are surely gathered in His Name.

When we ask an offering, therefore, for the building of Churches, we do in a more particular manner remind one another of the holy unspeakable Gift. Our very asking means no less than this: "You have been so many years members of the Body of CHRIST, endued with His SPIRIT; you have come here from time to time, trusting to His promise, have heard His holy word, have received His blessed Sacraments; and now some of your brethren at a distance, who for one cause or another have less share in these outward and visible means of grace, seek to you for aid to be brought nearer their SAVIOUR.

Perhaps they are inhabitants of some crowded town, where even if they desired to worship GoD in His Church, they would

find it almost impossible to gain admittance, so few and so small are the holy buildings in comparison of the number of people.

Perhaps (and this is the commoner case, in our part of England particularly) they might indeed find room if they came to Church; but the Church is so far from them, that it would be a great charity to help them to one at their own doors.

Perhaps their Church is old and decayed, or so unworthily and meanly fitted up, as to be quite unworthy of the house of the MOST HIGH; So that to let it stay as it is, would be bringing on us the rebuke of the LORD by His Prophet: "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house to lie waste?"

Surely in each of these cases there is a call on us to feel for our brethren, who are less favourably circumstanced than ourselves. We know, or ought to know, the blessing of having the Church close to us, of being able, without much trouble, to find a place in it when we go there; therefore we ought to make a point of sparing something for our less fortunate brethren, who have less of these helps to draw near GOD, these tokens of the unspeakable gift. It is but doing as we would be done by.

A good and fair beginning has been made in the work; such as, by God's blessing, may help to save many souls; and one way of obtaining that blessing on what has been already done will be, not to grow weary in well-doing, but still to go on offering of what we can spare.

A great deal remains to be done. For taking the whole number of persons in the Diocese, and comparing it with the whole number of places in the several Churches, it appears that there is not room for one-fourth of the people. And another thing to be considered is, that in many crowded places nothing like this quantity of room can be found. In one town, where there are fortyfive thousand, and more, there are places for only seven thousand four hundred. Who can doubt that it will be a real charity to help in providing for such cases as that? or a real act of devotion, to give something, as David did, out of regard to God's honour and glory, for making God's service more magnifical, and worthier of a Being so great and glorious?

And may I not be allowed to say, that those especially seem called on to contribute to this fund, who have had the benefit of

Churches long ago builded for them, without being called on to contribute any thing themselves,

All

And this indeed is the case generally with regard to the inhabitants of any country which God's Providence long ago made Christian. As the children there born are made members of CHRIST before they can know or chuse any thing, so when they grow up, they find a holy place made ready for their worship, as part of a regular sacred inheritance, without any cost or labour of their own. Thus, if they be at all thoughtful persons, the ALMIGHTY brings home to them the fact of their election; their very outward eyes, among the first things they see, are made aware of this great and distinguishing mercy, that they are chosen in CHRIST out of the world, to be made partakers of His holiness and salvation, while so many others are left in darkness and the shadow of death. It is supposed that not above one in four of those who now live on the earth are called to be outwardly and nominally Christians. that we see are so, and therefore too many of us have thoughtlessly esteemed it a matter of course, and forgotten to be duly thankful for it. Let us not be always so childish. Let us realize to ourselves, and never forget, that our being Christians at all is an instance of mysterious favour towards us, denied to the far greater part of our fellow creatures, and vouchsafed to us, our friends, kindred, and countrymen, of God's free and sovereign grace, surely without any desert of our own. The more we meditate on this plain truth, and bring it home to ourselves, the greater surely will be our fear, lest we fall short in our acknowledgments of His merciful election. The less we ourselves had to do with the first foundation of these our Churches, or with our own admission to them, the more earnestly, as it seems to me, would a right-minded person, a man having true faith, lay hold of all opportunities to praise and thank GOD for the gift of His SPIRIT in His Church, not by words only, but by some free and cheerful offering.

Only let us take care that what we give, be given reverently; not merely given, but offered, with true and real thought of the Awful Presence we are in; and that it be not offered, as I fear sometimes happens, with a heathenish mind, as though alms had some power to make up for sins in some other kind, and prove in

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themselves satisfactory to ALMIGHTY GOD. Again, that it be offered thankfully, not grudgingly; devoutly, not lightly and at random and that whilst we are sparing an alms to Churches elsewhere, we lose not the blessing which those alms might have hoped for, by neglecting our own Church, or coming to it profanely.

SERMON CXCVI.

PAST MERCIES, A PLEDGE OF MERCIES TO COME.

PHILIP. i. 6.

"Being confident of this very thing, that HE which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of JESUS CHRIST."

THOSE Whom the grace and good providence of God has led to think at all of their own spiritual condition, are generally very earnest in seeking out "comfortable texts,"-passages of Scripture which fill them with pleasant hopes of God's forgiveness and favour towards them. It should seem as if this Epistle to the Philippians were written in part with express purpose of meeting this our natural desire, and supplying comfort to sick souls. It is an Epistle full of consolation from beginning to end; yet full of warning and instruction too. It is full of consolation, as might be expected from an epistle to that church, which of all to whom St. Paul wrote, appears to have received the Gospel the most faithfully and affectionately from the very first. The Epistle is also full of warning and instruction, as being written in evil times; times when, besides their own natural corruption, Christians were on every side beset with especial snares and perils. Both comfort and warning may be drawn largely from this, the very first sentence of the Epistle: the comfort is plainly spoken out; the warning is not darkly hinted.

"I thank my God," says the Apostle, "upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun

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