It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD, who can destroy both body and soul in hell; where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched'.

These being the very words of God, you will do well to consider into what a condition you have brought yourself; and indeed, the only comfort you have is this, that you are yet alive, and that the day of grace and repentance is yet afforded you. Which that you may make use of, I must also let you know, what God has declared concerning such as repent and turn unto GOD, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

To the LORD our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him 2.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 3.

And our blessed SAVIOUR, to show us what great compassion GOD has for him that has gone astray, and returns to his duty; He represents Him as a man, who having found his lost sheep, takes it upon his shoulders, rejoicing.

And in another parable, to make us understand the love of God for penitent sinners, he shows us how we may hope to be received, even as a compassionate father received his prodigal son, whenever he became humble and sensible of his faults; he embraced him, he clothed him, he rejoiced with his whole family. And such joy there is amongst the angels of God, when a sinner repenteth *.

Such great encouragement you have to return to GOD. But then, you must do it sincerely; you must not only appear outwardly a penitent, but with a true penitent heart come before God and His Church. Which if you do, you will not look upon this as a punishment inflicted upon you by the Church, but as a wholesome medicine administered for the good of your precious soul. Without which, you might have gone on, adding sin to sin, until there had been no more space for repentance.

You will suffer yourself to be admonished; acknowledge your offence; and give glory to God, in owning His power to punish you in the next life, though you should escape in this.

You will testify to

others that it is, indeed, an evil thing and

1 Heb. x. 31.

31 John i. 9.

2 Dan. ix. 9.

4 Luke xv. 10.

bitter to forsake the LORD. And owning this so publicly, you will be ashamed to return to the sins you have repented of.

Then we shall all pray to God that He would, for CHRIST'S sake, accept of your repentance; that He would enable you to live for the time to come in obedience to the laws of JESUS CHRIST, that your souls may be saved at the day of judgment.

These are the wholesome ends the Church proposes in her censures; following herein the Apostle's directions 1, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Therefore, dear brother, consider that you are in the presence of GOD-the searcher of hearts. You may, indeed, deceive this congregation with a feigned repentance, but you cannot deceive Him that made you; who, if you dissemble in this matter, will shut you out of heaven, though you continue a visible member of His Church here.

But that we may take all due caution, I must in the name of this congregation, ask you these questions :

Are you from your heart sorry for the sin you have committed?-Answer. I am.

Will you be more careful for the time to come; and by GoD's help, avoid all temptations to it ?-Answer. I will.

Will you constantly pray to GOD to assist you to do so?— Answer. I will.

Do you desire the forgiveness of all good Christians, whom you may have offended ?-Answer. I do.

And do you desire that others, seeing your sorrow, may beware of falling into any grievous sin ?-Answer. I do desire it.

Will you take patiently the admonition of such as, after a Christian manner, shall advise you, if they shall see you forget yourself and the promises you have now made?—Answer. I will.

Then shall the Minister say,

May the gracious God give you repentance to life eternal; receive you into his favour; continue you a true member of the Church of CHRIST; and bring you unto his everlasting kingdom, through the same JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

Amen.

1 2 Tim. ii. 25.

After which he shall speak to the congregation as follows:

Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this person is moved by the good SPIRIT of GOD to confess his sins, and to be afflicted for them; let us, that we may mourn with him as becomes good Christians, consider that we are all subject to sin, and to death eternal;

That there is nothing so vile and wicked which we should not run into, did not the grace of GoD prevent us ;

That, therefore, we have nothing to value ourselves for above others, but what the good SPIRIT of GOD has given us.

Let him, then, as the Apostle advises, that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.

Let us ever remember the words of CHRIST, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; because our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh continually about, seeking whom he may devour.

Let us learn never to be ashamed to acknowledge our sins, but let us confess and forsake them, that we may find mercy. For it is far better to suffer shame here, than the wrath of God hereafter.

In a word; let us all with penitent hearts call our sins to remembrance, and judge ourselves, though we are not censured by the Church. Let us confess our sins unto God, who is most willing to pardon us, if we turn unto Him with all our hearts, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life. Which God grant we may all do, for JESUS CHRIST's sake. Amen.

Then shall be said distinctly the fifty-first Psalm, together with the Prayers appointed in the Commination service for AshWednesday.

OXFORD,

The Feast of St. James.

[NEW EDITION.]

These Tracts are continued in Numbers, and sold at the price of 2d. for each sheet, or 7s. for 50 copies.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. G. F. & J. RIVINGTON,

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, AND WATERLOO PLACE.

1839.

GILBERT & RIVINGTON, Printers, St. John's Square, London.

TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

RICHARD NELSON.

No. III.

"Ye hear in the Gospel the express words of our Saviour Christ, that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Whereby ye may perceive the great necessity of this Sacrament, where it may be had."-Office of Baptism for those of Riper Years.

DURING the summer, after the conversation last related, in which, as the reader may remember, we had been speaking of the Athanasian Creed, I was called away to a distance from home by the unexpected illness of a near relation, which became serious, and lasted so long as to keep me absent for two or three Sundays. The time of year was about Midsummer, and it so happened that one of the Sundays was the eighth after Trinity. Thinking over the first morning lesson of the day, as I sat watching by my kinsman's bedside, I was forcibly struck by the awful way in which it appears to impress upon men the duty of separating themselves, in some way or other, from unbelievers. "Eat no bread, nor drink water, neither turn again by the way that thou camest:" that is," however tired, hungry, and thirsty you may be, and however kind and pressing they may be, have nothing at all to say to them do not even return the same road, but make yourself as strange among them as ever you can." Long and deeply, with my Bible in my hand, did I muse upon this history, and the more I thought, the more I was convinced, putting every thing together, that such as I have said is its true moral and meaning. I must own, however, that the train of thought was not altogether agreeable to me. I could not disengage myself from an unplea、 sant, though not a very distinct, conviction that this material part of piety, separation from the enemies of GOD, had not been suffi

VOL. I.

A

ciently pressed on my people, in my course of parochial instruction. The thought came across my mind, "What if any of them now should go astray for want of due warning on that point, and should come to a bad end?" And I secretly determined with myself, in the silence of the sick room, that I would endeavour for the future to supply this great deficiency, and that until Church discipline can be restored again (which the Prayer Book teaches us to wish and pray for), I would try to prevail on those who were most likely to be prevailed to act upon the principles of it, and establish something like it in their own houses; using a kind of holy reserve towards those who will not hear the Church. These thoughts occupied me that night during most of my waking hours, my patient happily sleeping soundly, and my anxiety about him of course growing less: and when towards morning I was relieved on my post as nurse, the same thoughts still haunted me in my dreams. At last I settled into a sound slumber, and, as was not unnatural, overslept myself. I was awakened on the Monday morning, an hour after the usual time, by my friend's servant bringing a letter into my room, which I saw by the postmark came from my own parish, but I could not at all recollect the hand writing. I opened it eagerly, not knowing what to expect, and read as follows:-

"Honoured and dear Sir,

"I make bold to trouble you with a few lines, as I find on calling at the Parsonage that Mr. Mason is not yet well enough for you to leave him: which a little troubled me, for I wanted to ask your kind advice on a matter of some consequence, and I could do it much more comfortably by word of mouth. As it is, I must try and state my case to you by letter, hoping that I shall be able to make it plain, and knowing that you will excuse other defects, which will be many. The thing, Sir, is this: you have seen something of my nephew, young Philip Carey, the bricklayer of Amdale. For I remember, when he had some work in our parish, he went to you to buy a Bible, and you had some talk with him, and named him to me afterwards, seeming rather pleased with him; and indeed he is a steady, good-tempered lad, though I it that should not say it. Well, Sir, that Bible was intended

say