that of HIS FATHER? If we have not, in life, learned to commend ourselves into our Heavenly FATHER'S Hands, how shall we begin to commend our spirits into His Hands at the last?

Rather let us, day by day, live as those whom the LORD JESUS CHRIST came into the world, in the Flesh, to save. Let us, having been born again after His ourselves to that Image.

Image, conform Being regenerate,

and made His children by adoption and grace," let us pray and strive that "we may daily be renewed by the HOLY SPIRIT." So when "the glory of the LORD " shall once more "shine about us," making its way into the graves, and calling up the dead to the second Coming of the LORD, we may lift up our heads with joy, and join the angelic host in singing "Glory to GoD in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." 1 The Collect.

SERMON XI.

ON FASTING.

For Ash-Wednesday.

S. MATT. VI. 17, 18.1

"WHEN THOU FASTEST, ANOINT THINE HEAD, AND

WASH THY FACE; THAT THOU APPEAR NOT UNTO MEN TO FAST, BUT UNTO THY FATHER WHICH IS IN SECRET; AND THY FATHER, WHICH SEETH IN SECRET, SHALL REWARD THEE OPENLY."

OUR Blessed LORD, when on earth in the Flesh, declared, "He that rejecteth ME, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last Day." If, then, the word that He hath spoken is to judge those who reject it, surely it much 1 The Gospel for the Day.

2 S. John xii. 48.

behoves us, my elect brethren, well to be on our guard that we receive His words, and all of His words, with the deepest care and confidence. For if, "for us men and for our salvation, He came down from Heaven," and "spake as never man spake,” in order to teach us the way thither, and yet, during our time of trial here, we make no account of His words; what can we reasonably expect will be the end of it, but that the word that He hath spoken, the same shall judge us, and condemn us, in the last Day?

Surely this should be a consideration sufficiently strong to make us search out and follow, as far as in us lies, "every word that proceeded out of the Mouth of " the Incarnate "GOD," when He came on earth. Surely this should teach us the aweful value of all Scripture, when we know and are sure that it will judge us in the last Day.

But, if these things be so, we shall needs have to give an account, in that Day, of the manner in which we have either received or rejected those His words in the text—“ when 1 S. John vii. 46.

2 S. Matt. iv. 4. The Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent.

thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy FATHER WHICH is in secret, and thy FATHER, WHICH seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

The first thing to be observed is, that the words imply, of course, a direct command that we must fast. I pray you take notice of the manner in which our LORD introduces the subject. In this sixth chapter of S. Matthew He gives His commands on three, among other points; these three points are Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting.

You will observe that He makes no difference whatever in the language with which HE enforces these three several duties of Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting: HE uses the very self-same expression in all its height, depth, and breadth, the very self-same expression, in reference to each of the three points. So that nothing can be clearer than that He would enforce each of them alike on Christians.

Whatever He says of Almsgiving, He says HE of Prayer; and whatever He says of Almsgiving and Prayer, He says of Fasting. HE does not command one of the three, or two