which Christ delivered those to whom he also extended the benefit of his forgiveness. May God grant that you shall never know it-that you shall not by experience be brought to know the anguish and the tribulation of a troubled spirit, in which the sick man strives to make himself acquainted with the thoughts concerning his immortal interest-the agony with which he strives to apprehend them, in an hour when the sinking spirit, the tormented frame, and the confusion of thought renders it impossible correctly to understand. But warned by the instruction which our blessed Saviour gives, may you, whilst you are spared, in the hour of strength, apply yourselves to obtain those thoughts which you shall find dear and familiar to you, and yielding precious consolation, upon a sick bed.

Again, I would say to you, if you have been acquainted with sickness, and have been recovered, the example of our blessed Lord teaches you where you ought to return thanksgiving. I cannot but regret that the instances are so few in which congregations are edified by the public returning of thanks. I cannot satisfy myself that we are to account religion in a prosperous state until we shall find more frequently public acknowledgments of God's mercy for restoration to health. It would be useful to the congregation as it would to individuals, if those raised up would come and return thanks for the Lord's deliverance; as you should, when you read the Gospel of our Lord, remember that it was for ourselves especially that all these miracles of mercy were Tought, in order that we might never be for a moment at a loss to understand hat, when we are raised to newness of life, our gratitude is due to Him who nade it his special characteristic so to raise men.

Those who would believe in this attribute of our blessed Saviour, and those who are grateful from a sense of his mercies, either in protecting from disease, or in raising them up from its effects, will not be slow to extend their acknowledgment in the form of grateful offerings to multitudes, who are dependent upon such offerings for protection from disease.

Now is it not very marvellous that ancient Rome, in all its greatness, in all its wisdom, in all its splendour, in all its wealth, has not recorded on history the boast that there was within its extended circumference one asylum for the recovery of the sick? And how can this be explained? We have the remains of their triumphal arches; we have the monuments of their glory in war; we have the proof in the works they achieved, by wealth, and art, and boundless labour, that man's ingenuity and man's perseverance could triumph over natural obstacles, and, we may almost say, conquer in: and yet there does not remain one proof, that amidst all this glory, all this wealth, all this luxury-luxury, remember, which proves that there must have been extremities of conditionluxury which testifies to us, what the wants of the poor must have been, as well as what must have been the dangers of the rich; yet, with all this, there is not handed down to us that, that immense city, the mistress of the world, had within her walls one hospital. And how was this? How is this to be explained? Was Rome unacquainted with the wisdom which should teach them that these things were necessary? Was Rome unacquainted with those periodical outbreaks of the population which might have taught her that the poor should be cared for? Was she indifferent to the necessity of having infection kept from her palaces? Was she insensible to the important benefits that would arise from having physicians rightly trained to minister to her

senators in their sickness and their disease? Assuredly not. How then can be explained the singular circumstance that she had no hospitals, unless we admit the truth that sordidness is blind, and that although selfish principles may actuate men to sustain institutions of which they have already reaped the benefit which they desire to be continued; yet will no feelings, except those that are in their nature charitable and disinterested, serve to set forth an institution such as is not immediately profitable to those originating it; and none but charitable and religious feelings will be available to their continuance.

I commit the institution, for which your support is requested, to the feelings of your heart, in the full confidence that you will not abandon your duty. If you are grateful to God for his benefits to yourselves—if you regard the poor as you must if you delight to honour Christ's name, and to give a testimony to his religion that it imparts peace-you will not, in a place where all your hearts are open before him, and where he is in the midst of you-you will not say that you believe him the Lord of life, and the Lord that healeth diseases, and go out of this place giving proof that you are totally indifferent to the privilege you possess.

THE GRADUAL CORRUPTION OF CHRISTIANITY.

"No enormous evils connected with what is really good, ever reach their completion and maturity at once. The progress of corruption in the case before us was gradual. It began early. The principles were working even in the days of the Apostles. But there were for a considerable time hinderances to their full development. While the Church was in a state of opposition and suffering, it preserved no little purity and true lustre. But when the Roman government ceased to be Pagan, and Christianity was established by Constantine, it was soon secularized too; so that to become a Christian was no longer the way to become a martyr, but the high road to bask in the sunshine of royal favour, and to gain the honours, and riches, and places, and preferments that come from man only. Thus passages were opened and allurements spread for the entrance of every improper and unprincipled pretender. Conversion was no more a proof of sincerity, but might equally well shew only an appetite for loaves and fishes.

"To what a state of degeneracy religion was reduced in the course of a few centuries, we have sufficient testimonies from Popish writers themselves; though many attempts have been made since these confessions were delivered, to suppress, or deny, or qualify them.

"It matters little where we begin, or in what order we proceed, provided our statements be true; and never was there a subject in which there could be so little need of exaggeration.

"By a concurrence of favourable circumstances, a priest called the Pope obtained in himself the union of both spiritual and temporal power. His sovereignty was absolute; and he determined that to him every knee should bow and every tongue confess. Numberless offices and dignities lay at his disposal. He had his palace, his court, his council, his ministers. His ambassadors intrigued; his bullies threatened; his soldiers slew; and his locusts devoured Cabinets were cajoled by his agents; and kings held their dominion as his dependents, and paid him the most slavish homage. If any disobeyed him, he interdicted all the usual worship in their realms, and absolved their subjects from all allegiance to their authority. The most abject bondage, or the most fearful anarchy, hung upon his smile or frown. To all the wickedness, was annexed the title of Holiness; to all the falsehood, the claim of infallibility. The ministers of the sanctuary, instead of being the servants of the meek and lowly Jesus, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many, lorded it over God's heritage, were tyrannical and rapacious, indolent and self-indulgent; so that Isaiah would have said, His' watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand. they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come

ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.' 'Like people, like priest. Nothing could have exceeded the ignorance and depravity of the common ranks, who in blind submission yielded up, bound hand and foot, their understandings and their consciences to those that had the rule over them, and did not watch for their souls. Almost every thing, Jewish and Pagan, was blended with the simplicity there is in Christ.' Instead of a pure offering in righteousness,' and a spiritual service, there were introduced an endless number of saints' days, and a round of unmeaning, unprofitable, superstitious usages, unsanctioned by the first and purer ages of the Church, as well as at variance with the word of life. They forbad to marry, and commanded to abstain from meats which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believed and knew the truth. Touch not,' said they, 'taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using; after the commandments and doctrines of men. Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.'

"But the time would fail me to tell—of transubstantiation, or converting the bread and wine in the Lord's supper into his very body and blood; of the adoration of images and relics; of the mediation of saints; of prayers to departed spirits; of pilgrimages; penances; compositions for guilt; sales of indulgences; prices set on every species of sin; morals poisoned at the fountainhead; persecution justified and extolled; heretics, i. e. all who receive not the mark of the beast, fined, imprisoned, banished, put to death: and all this to do God service! Justification by faith, a doctrine by which a church stands or falls,' was exploded. Works were meritorious of salvation; yea, they could produce a superflux of merit remaining after the performers had been indemnified and rewarded, to constitute, with the merit of Christ, a general fund from which portions might be taken and applied to the prevention or shortening of the pains of purgatory. The service was in an unknown tongue. The Scriptures were withholden from the laity. Yet there was no salvation out of this church! And all was confirmed by lying wonders! Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. And could you have witnessed the whole instead of hearing a thousandth part of it this morning, how would you have sighed, O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad."—Jay's TERCENTENARY SERMON.

THE ADVENT OF CHRIST.

REV. F. ELLABY, A.M.

PERCY CHAPEL, CHARLOTTE STREET, FITZROY SQUARE, LEC. 6, 1833.

"He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."-LUKE, xix. 12, 13.

My brethren, I have often asked two things of you; the lifting up of your hearts unto God in prayer, and the fixing of your eyes upon his Word, that you may receive of the Spirit, and by the Word, instruction, and grace, and blessing. I press for such prayer and such attention, on the present occasion, more earnestly, because, in conformity with the requirement of the church, I have chosen my subject, and in accordance with the Collect and Epistle of this day, I am about to refer you to various passages of Scripture, for the right understanding and reception of the doctrines of which, any power less than divine, and any attention less than an undivided attention, will be of no avail.

Give yourselves then, I beseech you, unto prayer, and have your Bibles ready and open, and give your undivided attention to instruction from the Word of God, touching the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which He himself so pointedly speaks by the text.

Anxious to commend the truth on this, as on all other subjects, to every one's conscience as in the sight of God, I offer an observation or two before I come to my special design. And first, let it be remembered, that our Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself, by his angel, to his servant John in Patmos, as the Alpha and Omega, the Lord who was, and is, and is to come, THE ALMIGHTY. And let it also be borne in mind," that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation;" for it served the men of God, by whom it came of the Holy Ghost, and also their generation and age; and it serves us for present uses and application as it served our fathers, and will serve our children all through this age; and will be needed for the age to come, which, witnessing the Lord's glory, will witness the world's prophetic fulfilments until all shall be accomplished: so that there is a resemblance between the Lord and his Word, or between the living Word and the written Word; for both are immutable, and of both it may be said, "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

For this reason, although I have a special object in view, I wish to commend to you the whole Word, and every doctrine it contains; and lest any of you should imagine that I have no other food for my own spiritual or mental en. joyment, than that which duty, as well as inclination, constraineth me to