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knowledge of the truth, because then there will remain no more sacrifice for sin. He will find himself warned against drawing back, not merely for a time, but drawing back into perdition. He will find himself warned against trampling under foot the Son of God, and counting the blood of the covenant, by which he hath been sanctified-that is, by which the Christian hath been sanctified,-an unholy thing. And, indeed, how insulting to God is this wish, that men should be assured that however they sin, they cannot finally fall. You profess to love God, and yet venture to contemplate his dishonour, and you wish to be protected from the consequences of it. You are thinking it possible that you should aim a deadly blow at your crucified Redeemer on the one hand, while you expect to receive a pardon for the offence on the other. Surely this is monstrous; it is most unnatural; it is impossible. No, my brethren; God has promised to protect us against every thing except one thing, and that is wilful sin-wilful negligence, but against this he has never promised to protect us. Whatever may be a man's professions-whatever may be his experience-whatever he may be able to say about his former conversions, about Christ's love to his soul-however he may be acquainted with all the doctrines of the Gospel,--let him be assured that Heaven can never be attained but by his own active diligence; and if this statement seems to be inconsistent with the doctrines of God's grace as revealed in Scripture, it is an inconsistency that belongs to Scripture itself. "The Lord is with you"it is written" while ye be with him, and if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you." And nothing can be stronger than the text itself— "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."

Beloved brethren, the errors we have warned you against in this discourse may be partly the cause of the low standard of Christian practice which prevails amongst us. To a re

flecting mind it is really most painful to hear the vain and trifling excuses which are made for the neglect of the things of God. It is really as if heaven and eternal glory were worth nothing-no, scarcely the least trouble; as if men might go dreaming on through this life, and yet attain hea

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venly glory at the last. It is really miserable to see what pains men will take about worldly things, while, when heaven is the cause, as they profess it to be, they will scarcely give themselves the least trouble. Brethren, let us consider this plain matter--unless we give diligence, we cannot secure eternal life. And now let me ask you a plain question,-Are we giving diligence? Put it to your own consciences. each one look upon his own conduct for the last week-for the last month for the last year, and see how many acts of his can fairly be characterized by these terms, that they have been diligent acts-diligent in the pursuit of heavenly things. Are we acting as men who are in pursuit of something that they fear to lose-which they tremble lest it should escape from them? Are we using all means of grace lest, peradventure, we should fall short by the neglect of any one? We must not think-indeed we must not-that we can find an easy path to heaven. "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Even the righteous, as we are told, are scarcely saved; and all Scripture testifies that we must be earnest or we shall be lost. Sacrifices must be made; self-ease and self-indulgence, and lazy habits, must be given up. Persons must not come to church and even refuse to do the common honour of God, by kneeling in his presence, just because sitting happens to be more comfortable to the body; but we must be ready to sacrifice our own self-ease, or our own self-indulgence, in order that we may secure what he has promised. Labour must be welcomed; patience must be endured; we must please God, and not ourselves. Deceive not yourselves; but remember that it is for your life.

And now to God the Father, &c.

LECTURES ON THE CORONATION SERVICE,

BY THE

REV. J. R. BARBER, A. M.
Delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, Vauxhall.

LECTURE THE FIRST.

THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 27th, 1837.

TEXT." And Zadock the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon."-1 Kings, ch. 1st, v. 39th.

I HAVE, beloved brethren, at stated times, already called your attention to every part of our authorized ritual; that is, to the whole of our liturgy, and to all the articles of our church. I have now to direct your attention to a form not contained in, or, rather, not bound up with our Book of Common Prayer, but still no less an integral part of the formularies of the church. It is not bound up with our Common Prayer-Book, because it is only used on one certain occasion, and in one particular place. It was for this very reason that for a long period of time that ceremony of our church, the ordination of deacons and priests, and the form of the consecrations of bishops, was not bound up with the services of the Church. But it did not thence follow that the ordination of bishops, priests, and deacons, was not a part of the Common Prayer-Book because it was not bound up with it. That form was not at first bound up with it because it was not of very general use; because it was not wanted on every Sabbathday, or every time that the Church assembled together for worship. But it has been since bound up and incorporated with it, wise and worthy men having introduced the practice because it was thought necessary that the people should be enlightened with regard to the ordination of their pastors; and I know that much ignorance still prevails in the church, and more especially amongst our dissenting brethren, with regard to the form of ordination. If it be necessary then that the form of the ordination of

those who are set apart to the holy office should be brought before the people, it is no less necessary that that of those who are to rule and govern in church and state should be well known by the people. If it be necessary that the people should know the duty of the pastor, and that the people should know their duty to the pastor, it is no less necessary that they should know the duty of the king or queen, and their duty to the king or queen. And what was the declaration which we read in the lesson tonight? St. Paul, in addressing his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, whom he had appointed to set in order the things that were wanting, and to ordain pastors in every church, declares in the very commencement of his epistle,” İ exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." Now, my dear brethren, if when Paul addressed Timothy in the reign of the cruel and persecuting tyrant Nero, and thus exhorts him that prayers and supplications should be offered up for kings and all in authority, that Christians may, under them, lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, how much more does it become us to recognize the power and authority delegated by God to Christian princes, kings, and rulers? And I think if those individuals who are now so clamorous, and there are many so clamorous, for the separation of Church and State, I think if such individuals will read their Bible without any preconceived notions, and with an humble desire that God would teach them and lead them, and that they should be guided into the truth, they would see that it is impossible but that a king, being a true Christian, must endeavour, as it is the bounden duty of every private Christian, to do all that lies in his power to disseminate divine truth: and if he does so, he must protect the ministers who are sent forth to proclaim it, and prevent every lett and hindrance to the spread of Gospel truth and light.

It is indeed, beloved brethren, one of the greatest earthly blessings, which we enjoy under the present_government, and the present church establishment. I do

to the Old Testament:" Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was Christ." That is, it typified Christ. "But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness." The conclusion which he draws is this:-" Now, all these things were our examples." God's dealings with his ancient people are to be to us as an example and warning, and, if so, we must take heed to the pattern thus given

us.

Again, in Romans, chap. 15, verse 4th, he thus addresses another Gentile Church, not the Hebrews only, but a Church collected both from among the Jews and the Gentiles:-"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope."

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Now, let me lead you to the deducement-to the conclusion drawn from all this, in reference to God's dealings with his people, the Jews,-St. Paul says-" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. And he says, that "whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Now, what are we told in those Scriptures? We find that God himself instituted an Established Church; that God himself graciously condescended to establish the ceremonials of that Church; that the whole ritual was of his own appointment. What follows from this? It necessarily follows that an Established Church cannot be a sin, because we have God himself setting up an Established Church in the land of Canaan, and appointing all its rites and ceremonies according to the pattern that he showed to Moses in the Mount; and God is not the author of sin. Moreover, we find that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning." Now, if God established a Church, and that establishment is written in the Old Testament, it is, therefore, written for our learn

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