Thursday in the Octave of Ascension.

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It would be well for each one of us to examine ourselves this night, before we lie down to rest, on this one matter: How have I been keeping the Day, on which our LORD went up into Heaven? How often have I thought to-day of the happiness of Heaven? How often have I thought of seeing His Face with joy? of hearing from Him, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father'? of beholding Him, not 'through a glass darkly,' but 'face to face,' even as He is? Did I think of it, when I waked from my sleep this morning? Did I think of it, when I said my prayers? Did the blessed remembrance ever come into my mind, to assist me in bearing the burden and heat of the day?" Alas! I fear, were all to ask themselves such plain questions as these, very many, perhaps the greater part, would be compelled to reply that they had not once thought of the matter. Then, if we have spent this one day without thinking of heaven, how did we spend yesterday? and the day before that? and the third day again, and all our past days? Must we not confess before our GOD, that we have slighted His promises? As long as we are in this mind, I do not see how we can say a single prayer well and then what is to become of us?

SERMON X.

Friday after the Octave of Ascension.

Only imagine, how it would have seemed, if any of that favoured company had turned his back on the gracious offers of our LORD. Such a person would have forfeited the promise of his gracious Saviour, and he would not have received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Whitsunday. No more shall we, if we turn our back on the Church; if we refuse to remember our LORD in Holy Communion ; if we neglect prayer, real prayer, and diligent selfexamination. We know very well that to such as do so, Whitsunday will come and go without a blessing and so it will to those who, although they may be diligent in these spiritual exercises, are not endeavouring to be truly humble in the practice of them. There is such a thing as going to Church, praying, considering, nay, even communicating, and yet driving away GOD's Spirit. How? Because people worship, consider, communicate, in ways of their own, and not in Christ's true way. Their hearts are serious after a fashion, but they are not humble, lowly, penitent, obedient hearts. GOD preserve you and me from this!

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SERMON XVi.

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Whitsun Eve.

VERY much of these ten days might well be spent in meditation on Holy Communion: in recollecting, as we may, all His mercies vouchsafed unto us in that Sacrament from our Confirmation until now: in fear and trembling to think, how little our hearts and lives have answered to this great love of His; and in earnest consideration, how we may now become and continue, ever after, more worthy communicants. I would particularly suggest, as a sort of spiritual exercise likely to be very useful to many of us, that we should at this time go over in our thoughts the providential dealings of our GOD, whereby He has helped us all along hitherto. I would we might all put ourselves in the way of grace. Retire as much as you well can from the world: sit alone and keep silence: go over in your minds our LORD'S gracious dealings towards you: remember past Communions, how unworthy you were, and how merciful He was. Thus may you

abide in the Upper Room, the place of high and heavenly meditation, until His Spirit be poured upon you, to strengthen and refresh you more abundantly than ever for all that you have to do and suffer for His sake.

SERMON XV.

Whitsunday.

THE great work of GOD the Holy Ghost, which He came down to do as on this day, is our new birth and our new life. We were naturally lost and dead in sin; but He descended, in order to join us to Jesus Christ our LORD, and so to make us partakers of a new, a heavenly and Eternal Being. Our minds are naturally therefore turned at this time to the sayings of our Divine Master concerning our new birth and our new life, and concerning that Good Spirit, Who is the Almighty Worker of so great a change in men. GOD grant us so to live, so to believe, to pray and to use all His good creatures, that the Good Spirit Who descended even now to prepare us for that day, may be our Comforter when it comes !

SERMON Xxiii.

Monday in Whitsun Week.

Let this be the lesson settled in our hearts at this great and holy time; to believe that we are Christian brethren indeed, and to cherish in our hearts true brotherly feeling one towards another. The Coming of GOD the Holy Ghost from Heaven, to dwell in our hearts and bodies, and unite us to Jesus Christ, is so great, so vast an event, that it may well overwhelm and confound our minds, if we try to think of it all at once, and to feel all we might and ought from it: it is well that we should select some one point of what it teaches, and meditate on it with all our hearts: and let this one subject to-day be, the One Holy Spirit, with His differing gifts, abiding alike in every member of Christ.

SERMON XXix.

Tuesday in Whitsun Week.

At this time the Blessed Comforter came down, to set up the Kingdom of Christ on earth; to dwell in men's hearts so as to unite them to Christ; by which union alone they can be partakers of the great things which the Gospel promises. This time, then, is the last of the Holy Seasons; it represents to us the full completion of GOD's unspeakable plan for the salvation of the world.

SERMON XXX.ii.