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but by a present assurance-"I am come!" cious! how prompt! He comes at the bidding of his people! In all ages and circumstances. See two instances: Dedication of Temple by Solomon. (2 Chron. v. 2—13, 14.) Visible, perceptible, immediate answer by Holy Ghost and power! See again, hundreds of years afterwards, eleven disciples, timid, trembling, in upper chamber: no pomp, circumstance, or show-in some obscure lane of the same city; they pray, "and, behold! Jesus stood in the midst, and said, Peace be to you!" &c. 'I am come into my garden," &c. Perpetual promise: " Where two or three," &c. "there am I in the midst," &c. (Matt. xviii. 20.) Equally to each and every one of his people in lonely prayer! "If a man love me," &c. "my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John xiv. 23.) How marvellous the power of prayer!

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III. CHRIST PREPARES A RICH AND ABUNDANT REPAST

FOR HIS PEOPLE.

1. Metaphors multiplied to illustrate the delightful nature of this feast:

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-all that is fragrant and grateful to the senses of man: odoriferous perfumes, "myrrh and spice," delicious incense; these are not so delightful to our bodily faculties, as Christ is to the soul of believers. What is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb"? What is more refreshing than wine," "which maketh glad the heart of man"? What more nutritious than "milk"? Yet all these, and many other terms, are used to describe the rich spiritual viands which Christ prepares for his people—in his word, his ordinances, his holy sacraments. "A feast of fat

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things," &c. (Isaiah xxv. 6.) That is, consolation, grace, strength, pardon, holiness, and every blessing of the Gospel.

2. All these are His, and he gives them to us: myrrh," "My spice," "My wine," &c.

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My

His by purchase: he bought them with his blood-all treasured up in him-all flow from him. Every gleam of hope in us cost him a sigh or a tear! Every comfort, mercy, blessing, wrought out by his groans and agonies. So dearly bought by him, so freely given to us! His hand is full of gifts;" yea, for "the rebellious!" Oh, what love! Such a rich and costly feast for sinners so unworthy!

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IV. TO THIS BANQUET OF HIS LOVE HE GRACIOUSLY INVITES HIS PEOPLE: Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!"

1. By another endearing title he addresses them: "O friends beloved friends!"

Wonderful condescension! Even more, if possible, than in the former terms, because more of equality and familiar confidential intercourse. The wife leans on her husband, the sister on her brother; but a man takes the arm of his friend, and they walk together as equals. "I call you not servants, but friends," &c. (John xv. 15.) Abraham was "the friend" of God, and Moses also (Numb. xii. 8); and St. John lay in Jesus' bosom. All once, formerly, were enemies; now friends-" he is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

2. How urgent the invitation! drink, O beloved!"

"Eat, O friends; yea,

He presses his suit upon heedless sinners: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock!" (Rev. iii. 20); or again, “My oxen and fatlings are killed; come to the supper!" How shall we refuse him that speaketh from the cross, from the tomb, yea, from heaven! Let the feeble come, and the guilty, and the sad, and the care-worn-"all who labour and are heavy laden," &c., repenting, forsaking sin and the world, and all for Christ!

3. It is an abundant repast! "Drink abundantly!"

There is no fear of intemperance here! "Be not drunk with wine," &c. "but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephes. v. 18.) The gifts of God's grace are not parsimoniously dealt out, but fully, freely, abundantly. "I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly!" (John x. 10.) "They shall be abundantly satisfied," &c. (Psalm xxxvi. 8.) Don't sip of this water; drink deeply of these inexhaustible wells of salvation. "We are not straitened in God; we are straitened in ourselves." "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Let our expectations be large, and large will be the blessing. "With joy let us draw water out of these wells of salvation."

1. The Head of the Church wills his people's happi

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"Dust and ashes" may be their portion for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.' "The joy of the Lord is our strength." Gloomy penance, and long years of self-torment,

prescribed by some, are contrary to the happy genius of the Gospel, and the freedom and riches of God's grace. Humiliation is good; but cheerless, hopeless self-castigation, is no part of the Gospel remedy for sinners:

2. They who partake of the feast which Christ has prepared for them, should live and walk as those who are accounted worthy of such honour.

"What manner of persons ought they to be!" Can they partake of this feast, and "of the table of devils"? Let them separate themselves from "the pomps and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh." "Let them shine as lights in the world." Let them justify their spiritual joys and consolations by the humble, holy, unostentatious, but convincing testimony of a godly and virtuous life.

XII.

THE USE AND ABUSE OF HOLY DAYS.

Romans xiv. 5, 6. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

UNIFORMITY in the external rituals of the visible Church of Christ, is a figment of the school-men—it never had, nor probably ever will have, any existence. The greatest diversity of ceremonials is discernible in the apostolic churches; nor did the inspired authorities attempt to reduce them to one arbitrary standard, to be enforced on pain of excommunication. On the contrary, the whole of St. Paul's exhortations in the text and context, and in many other places, imply entire liberty of conscience and individual responsibility. The inysterious and still undefined authority termed "The Church," had not yet been developed.

The distinction of days here noticed by the Apostle, had reference only to Jewish feasts and fasts, which some esteemed binding under the Christian dispensation, and others did not. His answer to the Galatians, "Ye ob

serve days, and months, and times, and years," (Gal. iv. 10,) must have referred to the same; there is no trace in the word of God of the institution of any holy days among Christians, excepting that of the "first day of the week" the Christian Sabbath. All fair reasoning must lead to the conclusion, that as St. Paul argued respecting these days of voluntary consecration, he would argue now with regard to those which custom and human authority have sanctioned in the modern Church of God. If we may not learn our duty respecting holy days from these and similar passages of God's word, we are left totally without any inspired instruction on the subject. Taking, therefore, the Apostle for our guide, we shall proceed to consider some of the popular abuses of the solemn religious seasons appointed by our Church to be observed; and then shall offer some directions for their proper observance.

May the Holy Spirit enable us to understand our duty, and incline and enable us to perform it!

I. ERRONEOUS VIEWS AND POPULAR ABUSES OF HOLY

SEASONS.

II. THE ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM A DUE OB

SERVANCE OF THEM.

I. ERRONEOUS VIEWS AND POPULAR ABUSES OF HOLY

SEASONS.

1. Some attach to them almost Divine authority.

Christmas-day, Easter, Whitsuntide, and Lent, are observed by some with superstitious reverence; they would regard any violation of their sanctity as an act almost as criminal as the breach of the Sabbath-day. In the Church of Rome this is carried to the utmost extent; and while the "Lord's Day" is flagrantly desecrated, and with perfect impunity, the smallest neglect of saints' days, &c. is visited with severe penances!

Yet all these days rest on human authority alone: this cannot be too urgently insisted on. The Sabbath is a law of God-all other days are the mere imposition of man. Even the date of the institution of most of our feasts and fasts is unknown,* though they are nearly all of undoubted

* Christmas-day is the most ancient. Chrysostom says, "it is of great antiquity." The earliest notice of it is in the second century. The term "Advent" was not used until the seventh or eighth century. Even Lent cannot be traced to the Apostles. A short fast before Easter was of great antiquity: Irenæus is the first that mentions it, but he was not an apostolic father. For three centuries men were left free to choose how many days they should fast.

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antiquity. Great is the peril of confounding ecclesiastical with Divine authority-it is "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' (Matt. xv. 9.) It invites the curse appended to those who add to the word of God. (Deut. iv. 2; Rev. xxii. 18.) What God commands-as the Sabbath-day-must be observed, whether man approves or not; but what the Church enacts must be tested by God's word and each man's own conscience; and he has perfect liberty-" he that regardeth the day, regardeth it to the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."

2. Others are equally censurable who proudly despise all such days, and refuse to observe them.

St. Paul did not censure even the Judeo-Christians in their double observances, nor denominate them superstitious, although he pointed out their possible abuse. True; we have no direct scriptural authority for the appointment of such days; but the right of every Church to enact such or similar observances has never been questioned; and their wisdom and utility have been abundantly established. Some say there is no need of particular seasons to commemorate the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus, because we ought always to remember them. This argument avails against the holy sacrament itself" This do in remembrance of me." Why so? we ought always to remember him! But He knew our natural tendencies when he instituted the commemorative-feast. The instincts of nature testify against such rationalism—the birthdayjoys, and the sad return of days consecrated to sorrow, witness to the same. Stated days of remembrance are the voice alike of nature and of grace! If our Church has authority to enact, we ought to obey such enactments, when not contrary to God's word: humble acquiescence is not the sin of our age, but proud independence is!

3. Too many grievously abuse them to their souls' injury.

(a) Some, it is to be feared, trust to a rigid observance of such seasons as an atonement for a life of vicious indulgence: they fast and pray during Lent; abstain from guilty pleasures; mortify and punish themselves; and then come to the Lord's table, and think that all is well with their souls! Fearful delusion! especially when it is followed with a quick return to licentiousness!

(b) Little less perilous are the ceremonial observances of those who lead a life of dissipation and worldliness:-prayers on Wednesday and Friday in Lent-attendance at church every day in Passion-week-the ball-room and card-table are for

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