greatness of their master; but had they not subdued their worldly and ambitious feelings, it is evident they would never have obtained the crown of glory.

of

O! it is the fastening with the eye faith on the glorious realities of the world to come; the realizing in our mind, that great day of account when the earth with all its parties and politics shall pass away; and kings and subjects, statesmen and politicians, the rulers and the ruled, shall all stand in one common array before the great judgment-seat; when the hearts of men shall be disclosed-and all our secret thoughts, all those motives to action, which perhaps even we ourselves knew not, shall be revealed;—and our only plea for mercy will be that we are found clean through the blood of the Lamb ;-clean of all strife, envying, and worldly lusts, through the all-purifying efficacy of his atonement;—it is only by fixing our minds intently on these awful truths, that we can learn to raise our thoughts above the paltry strivings of this present world, and

direct our steps safely amidst its perilous

scenes.

Let me intreat all of you, my beloved brethren, of whatever party you may be, to reflect deeply on these awful truths. It would ill become me in this placethough in other places I might claim the full right of asserting my opinion, with the same freedom which is accorded to other citizens--but in this place it would ill become me to say one word on worldly politics. All I would request and intreat you, is, that whatever be your opinions, you be honest, peaceable, charitable; and above all remember that you are Christians; and that the cause of Christ, and the salvation of your souls, should be paramount to every consideration of temporal interest. It would be a poor bargain indeed, if you could gain every object of worldly ambition, and lose your own soul.

Let me add one word of caution to those amongst you whose political bias may be of an opposite tendency to that

before alluded to. Take great heed, I pray you, that you suffer not a mere worldly partisanship, or friendship for the Church and its ministers, to stand in the place of a cordial attachment to vital religion. I honour your zeal, I accept your friendship; and on this account even with the more affectionate earnestness, I entreat you to look closely to your hearts, and make sure that your religious zeal is genuine; and I pray God, that when we all stand together at the judgment of the great day, we may not rest for salvation on the circumstance of our having been members, however zealous, of an established Church-but on our fellowship in Christ's body, and the claims which we have to the benefits of his holy bloodshedding.

SERMON XVI.

NATIONAL PROSPERITY DEPENDENT ON

NATIONAL RELIGION.

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JEREMIAH xxii. 8, 9.

Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus to this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God."

1

We have lately brought to a close the course of historical reading appointed for the public services of the Church; and to those who have given it their serious

1 This Sermon was preached Oct. 4th, 1835, the Third Centenary of the Reformation.

attention, a most interesting and profitable field of contemplation has been opened, in the recorded progress of God's chosen people.

We have seen a single family selected by the Almighty for certain wise purposes, trained up to strength in the midst of hardships, established by "a strong hand and mighty arm," in the land of "nations both greater and mightier" than themselves, and governed by a code of most just and singular laws, which were adapted by divine wisdom to their peculiar circumstances.

In the progress of their history we have witnessed this remarkable fact, a fact not in the least to be wondered at, being perfectly just and natural; but one which cannot have escaped our observation, and deserves well to be noted for our own guidance and instruction,-namely, that in exact proportion to their adherence or non-adherence to their national religion, was the measure of their national prosperity or adversity. When, in the days of David and Solomon, the whole people was cordially united in obedience to their Almighty

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