which the early Christians fell, when they were so severely persecuted; and such are those which good men now experience, when they meet with vexations and afflictions, and pass victoriously through them. The other sort of temptations are those occasions of sin, which but too often occur, that are by their own violence, and the weakness of those to whose lot they fall, insurmountable. It is obvious that they are these latter against which we pray, as these only are prejudicial to us, the former tending to the glory of God and the good of our own souls. “Preserve us from evil :"-that greatest of all evils, Sin, and the consequences of sin, the anger of God, are here principally intended: but yet, in an inferior degree it is certainly allowable to have in our eye a preservation from temporal evils; but this must be accompanied with the filial submission of our blessed Saviour to the disposal of the Almighty—“ Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."

The concluding clause of the Lord's Prayer is called the Doxology, the meaning of which is, a form of ascribing glory to God:-" For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen." Thou hast a perpetual and immoveable authority, by which at all times thou directest and governest all things, wherefore we profess to rely on thee alone, and have a full confidence in thee in all our wants; thine is the glory; all honour and reverence, all love and thankful

ness, are due unto thee, as in the beginning, so at this present time, and will be to all eternity."

Having thus gone through with each article of the Lord's Prayer separately, I shall conclude with taking a more connected view of it, by presenting you with it in a short paraphrase.

O thou, the great creator and preserver of me and all the rest of the universe, who art enthroned in majesty above all height, and dwellest in light which no eye can approach; mayest thou be honoured by all thy innumerable creatures, as thy unspeakable greatness requires! may their minds be impressed with just sentiments of thy wisdom, goodness, and omnipotence !

Thy kingdom come." Oh! hasten the period when the religion which thou hast graciously revealed to us by thine only begotten Son, may be professed all over the world in its original purity, and may obtain such an influence over the hearts and lives of all its votaries, that thy will may be submitted to and performed on earth as it is in Heaven! that we, as far as the weakness of humanity will allow, may as exactly be guided by thy good pleasure as the blessed angels!

"Give us this day our daily bread." During our passage through this transitory state, do thou, who gave us life, give us the means of supporting it; we pray not for superfluities to consume on our own lusts, nor do we too anxiously look forward into futurity; we will be satisfied with a moderate present provision, nor have we the foolish desire to be independent of thee.

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." Remember that we are but dust, and, on our sorrow and amendment, pardon us all in which we have offended; be not extreme to mark what we have done amiss. And as thou hast justly made it a condition of obtaining mercy from thee, that we shew mercy to our brethren, afford us thy assistance to conquer any imperfections in our temper; subdue in us all tendency towards malice and resentment; and grant that our benevolence may be universal, and without exception!

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Permit us not to fall a sacrifice to the snares of the world, the allurements of the flesh, or the artifices of the devil; let us not be tempted above what we are able to bear; in every age, in every station, in every change of circumstances, surround us with the shield of thy allpowerful protection! In prosperity, and in distress, in health, and in sickness, let thy Holy Spirit guard us from the approach of spiritual evil; and when we arrive at the closing scene of our earthly pilgrimage, still be thou near to aid and support us; suffer us not at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee; nor let thy care of us conclude with this mortal life, but in the day of judgment also, of thy great mercy, good Lord deliver us! Save us from the bitter pains of eternal death, and receive us into the happy mansions of saints and angels. These petitions, we humbly offer to the throne of thy grace,

in full confidence both of thy mercy and omnipotence thou who spake and it was done, commanded and it was made fast, all that we can ask or want, thou canst abundantly confer on us; for boundless and uncontrollable is thy power and dominion, and to thy glory and kingdom there is no end!

R

SERMON XXVI.

ON THE CATECHISM.

ST. JOHN XIII. 35.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.

I AM now arrived at my concluding discourse on the catechism; it will be taken up with explaining the two sacraments; those peculiar rights of the Christian religion, ordained by Christ himself, as the distinguished marks by which his disciples were to be known. In doing this, I shall observe the method of the catechism itself, and, first, explain the nature and meaning of a sacrament in general; 2dly, I shall consider the sacrament of baptism; and 3dly, that of the Lord's supper.

"How many sacraments hath Christ ordained in his church?" In the answer to this first question, we are told that there are "two sacraments only, as generally necessary to salvation." The number is mentioned, because in the church of Rome they observe several others, for which we Protestants affirm there is no foundation in the