Tuesday.

Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, or who shall rest upon thy holy hill? Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life, and doeth the thing which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart; he that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour, and hath not slandered his neighbour; he that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes, and maketh much of them that fear the Lord: he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; that hath not lift up his mind unto vanity, nor sworn, to deceive his neighbour;-he shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.-PSALMS 15 and 24.

On the duty of self-examination.

FTER rightly understanding the nature of the blessed Sacrament, the first thing necessary to do is to examine whether we are in a fit state of mind to partake in this service, and whether we may reasonably hope for the benefits to be derived from it. St. Paul says to the Corinthians," Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat; for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself." This address

to them was in consequence of the improper manner in which they celebrated the Lord's Supper they met, not merely to partake of bread and wine, as symbols of the crucified body and blood of Christ, but they made a feast: "one was hungry, and another was drunken;" they profaned the mystical elements, as if they had been common food; they ate and drank in an unworthy manner, "not discerning the Lord's body;" and thus, instead of promoting their eternal salvation, by performing a solemn act of religion, they provoked the Lord to lay heavy judgments upon them; and, " for this cause," says St. Paul," many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." This passage in the 11th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, is urged by some persons as an excuse for not partaking of the Eucharist, from the fear of being unworthy, and therefore likely to incur this condemnation; but the reproof of the Apostle is directed to the manner of the reception, not to the unworthiness of the receiver; and though that unworthiness is certainly implied, ⚫ he is so far from prohibiting the Corinthians from attending this service on that account, that he rather commands them to come, but first to examine themselves. We may, then, from their example learn, that sickness and death are the punishments which God sometimes inflicts for the neglect of, or irreligious manner of fulfilling, his Ordinances; and that, lest we should, in like manner, condemn ourselves, we must examine ourselves before we presume to perform

any religious duty, and especially before we present ourselves at the Table of the Lord.

There is no duty in Christianity that is of more serious necessity and importance than this of self-examination: yet how carelessly do we perform it, if, indeed, we perform it at all! Yet, if we consider that every circumstance of our lives may have in it temptations to withdraw us from the path of duty, we ought to examine ourselves not only when we are going to the Lord's table, not only when we are preparing our minds for the performance of a religious duty, and may, therefore, easily excite for a time all those devout affections which would fit us for a due reception of these mysteries,-but in the daily occurrences of life, in order to discover whether we have been drawn aside, and how we might have avoided falling by the temptation that assailed us, if we had been sufficiently watchful. It is nevertheless especially incumbent upon us, when we mean to partake of the Lord's Supper, to examine how far we have kept our part of the covenant between God and ourselves, before we presume to eat and drink at his table, and ask there for those blessings of which we feel ourselves in want. The inquiry is not of light nature, since it is to discover, not what we are occasionally, but in every part of our lives, daily and hourly, in public and in private, in all circumstances and conditions. We are to consider our failings as if we knew that our last hour in this world was nigh at

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hand, and repent of them as if we heard the punishment for them already denounced.

The chief thing to be examined into is, how far our actions correspond with our professions. Whatever we are sincerely desirous to obtain, we generally use our utmost endeavours to procure; and yet, though all men would say that they desire to be saved, it does not appear that all prove their sincerity, by putting in practice the means of salvation which they possess, nor examine how far they have neglected them. Do I therefore endeavour to act, as far as lies in my power, according to the principles I profess, and the precepts of the Gospel? or do I endeavour to gain the applause of the world by the affectation of merit, while I overlook the secret motions of the heart?-I was baptized into the faith of Christ, and a promise was made for me, at my baptism, which, by the act of Confirmation, I have since taken upon myself, "that I should renounce all evil ways, should follow the commandments of God, and keep myself unspotted from the world." Have I so walked all the days of my life? Have I fulfilled the baptismal vow, and indeed renounced the Devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of the world? Have I acquired, or endeavoured to acquire, such a habit of feeling that the eye of God is always upon me, as to be preserved from contamination from the world, and the temptations which continually occur on every side, or rather, when I am engaged in the

business or pleasures of this life, when I am elated with joy, or depressed by sorrow, am I not engrossed by the interests or cares of the situation I am in, and unmindful of the hand which directed every circumstance of it? The Scriptures do not enjoin us to live in seclusion from the world, but only to withdraw our affections from it, to endeavour to live in it unspotted; and nothing can conduce more to this end than an entire and habitual confidence in God's assisting grace, knowing, as we do, that he sees every action, understands every thought, and has promised to assist at all times those who pray to Him. Such a habit of thought would surely restrain every disposition to sin, would give support under every trial, make every duty lighter, and give pleasure to every act of selfdenial; every Christian virtue would daily receive more strength, there would be an increase of faith in the promises of God, of trust in his mercy, and of charity to all his creatures, while the ineffable results to ourselves would be, unruffled peace of conscience, satisfaction during the present life from duties faithfully fulfilled, and hopes of ever-during happiness in the life

to come.

Fervency in devotion is another subject for examination. They who come to the holy Sacrament, must have earnest affections towards God and religion, and particularly towards these divine mysteries. Am I desirous of using all opportunities of joining with my brethren in prayer? Do I attend the house of God, and