"From thence he shall come to judge, the quick and the dead.”›› At the moment when Christ ascended to Heaven, his Disciples were left in astonishment:" And behold, two men (that is, two angels) stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven." (Acts, chap. i. ver. 21.)

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Christ himself forewarned his Disciples of this great day, saying, "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the Holy Angels with him, then shall he sit down upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations." (Matthew, chap. xxv. wer. 31.) And St. Paul," Then shall we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, raccording to that he hath done, whether good or bad." (1 Cor. chap. y. sver. 10.)St. John says, "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father." (chap. v. ver, 22.)

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These texts fully show the authority upon profess sbelief in the future judgment. "We know not the day nor Exp our when our Lord cometh." Scripture has not disclosed it, nor need a presumptuous curiosity endeavour to calculate the period that lies before us; whether it be in our time or not, it matters little; death is the end of our preparation. There is no repentance in the grave. Whether we be found at our Lord's coming among the quick or the dead;-whether we may live to see that terrible day on earth, or await its arrival in the mansions of departed spirits; The day of the Lord shall come, in which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent chap. iii. ver. 10.)-"The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God" and then shall every man be judged according to his works. (1 Thess. chap, iv. ver. 16.) masardelt oz „29ugno) to

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"I believe in the Holy Ghost" to 2191atol viel edt gnideset The word Ghost signifies Spirit-the Holy Spirit of God. In the Nicene Creed, this Article, as I have already observed, is stated more fully. By that profession of our faith, we declare our belief in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who, with the Father and the Son together, is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the Prophets."

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In examining the doctrine of the Trinity, I showed you why we are to believe in the Holy Ghost, as the Lord and Giver of Life, reminding you of the share he took in the Creation. We believe that he proceedeth from the Father and the Son; for St. John says, "The Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father;" (chap. xv. ver. 26.)-and from Christ's own declaration, mentioned by the same Evangelist, in the foregoing chapter,--" He said to his Disciples, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you

for ever, even the Spirit of Truth;"-and afterwards, "It is necessary for you I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.".

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Now you ought rightly to understand, that the Holy Spirit is unl doubtedly a person as much as God the Father or God the Son, though he does not come to us in a fleshly form as Jesus did, but that he visits us in spirit,-that he assists us with his grace, by pouring into the souls of all true believers who ask him fresh powers of resisting temptation, converting them from sin, warming their hearts with the love of God, strengthening their faith, and comforting them when in affliction. In Christ's beautiful Sermon on the Mount, he says, “If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him."-And St. Peter, when he preached on the day of Pentecost, said, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost."

Let me caution you, however, lest you misinterpret these promises. The Holy Spirit does not come upon us in a sudden and wonderful manner, as upon the Apostles; he works upon us in secret. Divine grace is obtained by earnest and repeated prayer, and affects our minds, not by any sudden or certain assurance that we are accepted, or thenceforward safe from falling away from God. We must persevere to the end: salvation is never secure, and no mistake is more fatal than to fancy ourselves suddenly converted, or assured of being chosen beforehand to salvation by the divine favour. All may obtain it, and are furnished with the means which the Gospel affords to every one who E diligently seeks instruction from the Scriptures, and help by prayer. 193 The Holy Spirit "spake by the Prophets." He inspired them with wisdom for the instruction of mankind, and revealed to them those future events, which proved that their knowledge came from God; he enlightened the minds of the holy Apostles; he gave them the gift of tongues, so that in an instant, of poor fishermen, he made eloquent Ministers of the Gospel. They went forth speaking all languages, teaching the Faith of Christ with irresistible powers of persuasion, and performing mighty wonders in the name of Christ, to prove the

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si mort alsw9900TY "The Holy Catholic Church.”[

The word Catholic signifies universal. In this sentence we state our belief that it has been the will of God, from the beginning of the world, to unite all his creatures in one common obedience to him their Sovereign Lord and Father; and however disobedience, ingratitude, and unbelief may have hitherto thwarted his gracious design, men being left to their own free choice whether they will obey and believe him or not; whether they will, of their own accord, forfeit his favour, and bring upon themselves eternal misery; still it will one day be accomplished, and all creatures, both in heaven and earth, will acknowledge his power, and adore his goodness. via llada od ome,

"The Communion of Saints."

Saint is commonly used to signify the Prophets and Apostles,-those inspired men to whom was revealed the will of God, and who were commissioned to deliver his commands, and to preach instruction to mankind; but this Article of the Creed is not confined to them.

The word Saint here signifies any holy person. We believe all good" men, all true believers, will form that great society or communion, continually increasing as time rolls on, whose service is accepted, whose pleasure and delight is in praise and thanksgiving before the throne of God, and who will live for ever happy in the presence of the ever-blessed Trinity.

"The forgiveness of Sins."

This article cannot be more clearly explained, than by one of the sentences usually read at the opening of Morning Service:"If we' say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" but "if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." chap. i, ver. 8 and 9.)

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Every man is born naturally inclined to sin from the corruption he inherits from Adam; but when we receive the sacred rite of baptism the curse laid upon us for his transgression is taken away; the debt of original sin belonging to our nature is paid for us. Still, though the penalty is removed, we have the same corrupt nature. We cannot be obedient at all without the helping grace of God; and even those who most earnestly seek it, and most resolutely endeavour to live without sin, daily transgress. God knows our weakness; he makes allowance for our sinful nature; he has promised forgiveness of sins to those who truly repent and unfeignedly believe his Holy Gospel. He receives us back to his favour, whenever we are heartily sorry, and earnestly resolve to serve him faithfully in future. But let this be no encouragement to any of you to persist in your sins because God is merciful. If we presume upon his goodness to continue in sin, it is rebellion, it is ingratitude, it is defiance of his power, it is a mockery of that love which Christ our Saviour showed to us. Nor let this be any encouragement to put off the day of repentance; for this is equally daring God's anger, it is equally showing ourselves unmindful of Christ's death and sufferings for our transgressions.

with an ajri rapor "The Resurrection of the Body.",

In the very ancient Book of Joby which was composed at least as early as the time of Moses, we have the following remarkable prophecy : I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though, after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; and mine eyes shall behold, and not another?"FRIEDA GUA

The doctrine of the resurrection seems to have been very imperfectly understood until our blessed Saviour rose from the dead, and gave this

undoubted assurance of the general resurrection of all mankind at the last day. It certainly had been declared beforehand, but none seem properly to have understood it. The lifting up of the brazen serpent, by Moses, in the Wilderness, was referred to by our blessed Saviour, as a figure signifying his own resurrection. Even his Disciples, notwithstanding his frequent assurances, did not expect it," And when they heard he was risen, the words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." (Luke, chap. xxiv. ver. 11.) «ՈՏՈ

St. Paul has given the fullest account of this doctrine, in the 15th chapter of his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians. The whole chapter is highly deserving of your attention. But at present we will consider a few parts of it. He says, "If Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead; If Christ be not risen, your faith is vain; if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we" (that is the Apostles under persecution,)" are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For singe by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

There is a foolish pride among some men to believe nothing in the Bible they cannot comprehend. Such men say, how is it possible we can be raised again with the self-same bodies we now have, perhaps thousands of years after they have been destroyed, and every particle dispersed by the elements, with which they will be mingled. Yet such men have no doubt of the bodies they now possess, though they forget that they can as little account how the materials came together now, as how they will be united again then.

The seed put into the ground does not spring up till it has rotted in the earth. So also is the resurrection of the dead. We shall be raised with our own bodies, but we shall be changed in an instant, for when Christ descends from Heaven to judge the world in glory, the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.

Of this instant change we may form some notion, by the description of the transfiguration of our blessed Saviour, witnessed by St. Peter and John. Such a change probably may be peculiar to good men, that their bodies may be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body, according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.

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We believe that after this life is over we are to pass into another state of existence, which will never endto The knowledge of the Bible is become so generally spread, that this belief is now almost universal; and perhaps you can with difficulty be persuaded that whole nations, in ancient times, believed that existence ended with the grave. shyIn this world we often see the wicked prosperous, the virtuous miserable; not indeed that it is commonly so, for goodness generally brings its own reward; but if there was not a life after this, certainly rewards and punishments would be very unjustly distributed. But when we know this life to be a state of trial only, we perceive that the gifts

of this world are not always blessings, for they have often the worst effect on us by hardening our hearts against religion; while on the other hand we feel by experience that the most grievous affliction often turns out to our true benefit, by bringing us to such an acknowledgment of God's mercy and power, as will render us eternally happy in his future favour.

The Bible teaches us that our fate is to be everlasting. Whatever may be the judgment upon us in the last day, it is to endure for ever. Good or bad, happy or miserable, there will be no change when once Christ has decided our fate. Our Lord himself, when speaking of the last judgment, has said, "The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." (Matt. chap. xxv. ver. 46.) Whether there be any foretaste of that sentence in the state of departed spirits, Scripture has not declared. Some have thought that the souls of the just may have a separate abode in shades from that of the wicked. Christ says, In my Father's house are many mansions." Each may be placed in that state suited to the degree of reward or punishment to which he will be eternally sentenced. This notion is probably founded on our blessed Lord's promise to the expiring thief,

"This day shalt thou be with me in paradise," a word which does not appear to signify Heaven. And St. John, in the Book of Revelations, says, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours."-But with respect to the state immediately after death all must be conjecture; nothing certain is revealed; and as time is the measure of this life, while eternity has no limits, the departed may arise to the life immortal without any consciousness of interval between death and judgment. It is enough for us to know that our preparation is to be made in this world. Now is the time, the only time in our power, to make sure of salvation in eternal life; therefore, my beloved brethren, "Be ye stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain." (1 Cor. chap. xv.) Festa Ene dish790 oz blow

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We have thus examined the Articles of our Belief and we have seen their high importance. Belief or unbelief you see is followed by eternal salvation or destruction, Can any one reflect upon this without alarm? Can any person remain indifferent whether his faith be firm or undoubted. There is one proof which cannot deceive him. if sound, his practice must agree with his faith, or or else be sure it is not firm it is hollow and unsafe. If any man felt certain that he was to be put to death to-morrow mor would he hesitate to do the only thing that could save him to-day? Would such a man be careless about the matter, or put it off one hour, while he was yet spared ?Eternal death lies before us; it is certain. The only way to escape is to believe, and obey what we believe. Do we live as though we believed this? Do we act as though we were anxious to secure our pardon? Shall we venture then to put off repentance even tance even for an hour, while we are yet audi smse et vi9200914 spared through God's mercy on flise This is an awful thought. It must make the stoutest heart tremble. We must believe or perish! esed siirid EDITOR L

* Bishop Horsley.