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is in you of a truth. He turns to Christ and to His salvation. He has found all that he needs. Here, and nowhere else, is God to be found; here is His holiness, here is His power, here His wisdom, and here His love. He knows and feels that there is none other name given under heaven whereby he may be saved, but only the name of his Lord Jesus Christ. He confesses that this God is his God for ever and ever: He shall be his guide unto death.

So

This should be the effect of Christian prophesying: such it should be made by us and by you. Such it should be not once only, but perpetually; once it may be with peculiar force and power, but not once for all. As often as we eat the bread, and drink the cup of Christ's communion, we do show the Lord's death till He come. also, in all Christian prophesying, wherever any are gathered together in Christ's name, there the word spoken is of the Lord's death, and so it will be till He comes again. And why thus often,— why does Christian prophecy still speak the word of Christ crucified? why does Christian communion show forth in its solemn act and deed the same truth? It is because we ever need it. Not once only at the beginning of our Christian course, as if from that time forward we should have no more to do with Christ crucified, but only with Christ risen; as if conviction of sin, insight into our heart's

secrets, falling down before Christ in joyful penitence, were for one point of our lives only; to be never needed again, or if needed never gained. They are always needed; they may always be gained. As sin steals upon us, and our hearts have hardened, so we again need to be convinced and judged. As self-deceit has blinded us, so we again need to have the secrets of our hearts made manifest; as we have walked coldly with Christ, so we again need to fall down on our face before Him, and own Him for our only Lord and God. It does not follow that we should have utterly gone back from Him: it is enough that we have walked coldly and carelessly, and therefore need to be awakened-need to be reminded of His death, which none can ever keep steadily in his mind, and at the same time live coldly and unthankfully.

This we are to bring home to ourselves, from Christian prophesying and from Christian communion. Our word is not God's word if it be not fitted to minister such thoughts to you; and if it be so fitted, and yet fails to excite them, then see if there be not a fault in you. I do not mean that Christ's death should immediately be the subject of all our prophesyings, or should be directly brought to your minds by your own receiving of them. But if our words serve to edifica

tion, they will bring you to Christ's death sooner or later; for all feelings of true self-knowledge, of repentance, of confidence, and of devotion, must lead to the cross of Christ. Our words fail, either through our fault, or through yours, if they do not lead you to look into yourselves, if they do not in some degree convince, judge, open to you the state of your hearts, and dispose you from the knowledge so gained to seek after salvation; that is, to come to Christ crucified. The first impression may have nothing to do with Christ; it may be only one of general seriousness, of a disposition to consider your ways, and look into your hearts and conduct. And this is a good and wholesome impression,-a work of Christ's Spirit, though as yet He has not wrought it in Christ's name. But if followed up, it will and must lead to Christ; and if it does not, then it will be sure to fade

away, and to end in nothing. If any of you has

received this word as God's word, as Christian prophesying, then it will convince him and judge him; it will make him feel that all is not right with him, that inquiry into his own heart is wanted. Let him so inquire; let him search it carefully, and find out its weaknesses, and pray to God to pardon him and to strengthen him, and turn with faith unfeigned to Jesus Christ, in whom he will find both pardon and strength. And then, needing

as he will do the pledge of pardon and of strength sure and perfect, let him draw near next Sunday to the holy communion; and in showing forth the death of Christ, let him receive them both to his soul's salvation.

RUGBY CHAPEL,

May 31st, 1835.

SERMON XXVIII.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT.

1 CORINTHIANS, xii. 14.

The body is not one member, but many.

THE chapter from which these words are taken, the lesson for this evening's service, is one of those passages in St. Paul's epistles, the wisdom and profit of which are most inexhaustible, and yet have been most neglected. Nor is this to be wondered at, when we know how little able men are to go beyond the letter for any good and wise purposes, however fondly they may depart from it in the way of fancy and superstition. Now this chapter speaks of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as they were enjoyed in the early church; and as these gifts have long since ceased, it may seem to those who follow the letter of a rule without entering into its spirit, that the directions given

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