something august about this duty, which is an obligation positively binding on the church. It is bringing us into a wonderful resemblance to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is termed "the faithful and true witness." While he lived and moved on earth he gave a perfect testimony. He said himself, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." I have given such a representation of God, I am moving about and exhibiting such a view of the character of God, that he that looks on me looks on God. He delivers a testimony, such as we can never deliver; but what a glorious thing it is to be placed, in some measure, side by side by Christ, so to live, that we may give a testimony for God, and appear, as those who are faithful and loyal on his part, against all those who are disloyal and disobedient. We should be animated, methinks, by the grandeur of this duty, by the greatness of the cause, by Him whom we are to serve, by the confidence which he has in us by calling us to this duty; by all these we should be animated to faithfulness.

Let us remember the very many obstacles, temptations, and dangers by which we are surrounded with respect to this matter. We are perpetually bribed to give a false evidence, bribed by our own depravity, by indulgence, by shame, by selfishness; bribed by the world, and tempted at times to be frowned down by the opposition of the world, or to be seduced over to the other side by its blandishments. We must be careful, and on our guard against the enemies that are without, and the enemies that are within, that we may be faithful and steadfast in our testimony for God.

Am

Now, brethren, impress also on your minds the guilt of that professing Christian man, who gives by his inconsistences a false witness for God, so that men, looking at it, can see nothing at all of the divine character. They have no testimony as to the divine truth, purity, and rectitude; and they ask, "Is this religion? I to judge of the God you profess to serve by yourselves? If so, happy am I that I profess no such thing." How often have men of the world been hardened by witnessing the false testimony which inconsistent Christians give! Now, my dear friends, lay this matter to heart. I would have every one of you ask yourselves very solemnly to-night this question: "The persons with whom I habitually mingle observing the daily current of my habits, conversation, and character-what can they learn, what do they learn, from all that of God?" Supposing a reflective, a thoughtful man, whose mind is frequently dwelling on the great subjects of religion and eternity,

were to live with you for a week, habitually, night and day, observing you for a week, would he learn any thing of God? Would he learn even God's existence? Is there any thing about you, any thing you ever do or say, which would prove to this continual observer that there was a God, that you believed there was one? Would he learn any thing with respect to the character of that God, or the nature of his religion, or what he expects of men, or what he expects his people to do for him? I believe some of you must feel that your habitual character and conduct are such that that individual would learn nothing at all of these great subjects from observing you most closely and accurately. Well, then, are you witnesses for God? No; but you are witnesses against him; you are saying as much as you can, there is no God, and that you have been an infidel, by your whole habitual behaviour; that would be the testimony which you would convey. Now this is a serious consideration lay it to heart; and may all now in the presence of God to whom this remark applies, be led to serious consideration and prayer!

What would be the consequence of an universal faithful testimony in the church on behalf of God-an universal faithful testimony to the world by the church connectedly and individually? O the consequences would be great and blessed indeed! Our Lord has referred to it in his intercessory prayer for the church, when he prayed that they all might be one, that the world might believe in the divinity of himself, his mission, and his religion. But by the distractions, and the separations, the coldness, the indifference, and the hostility between church and church, and between Christian and Christian, there is a broken, distorted, false testimony given to the world of the loveliness and beauty of our faith; and the world cannot, therefore, receive the testimony which the church ought to give with respect to the nature of religion, because there is altogether a defect in its presentation. If there is, therefore, to be a union and a communion, a real and actual fellowship among all who hold the Head, there is then a public open testimony to the world of the reality and power of our faith, which will produce an impression on the world. So in respect to the exhibition of the truth in every way, and the holiness and zeal of individual Christians.

The world not only does not believe us, but does not believe that we ourselves believe what we say on account of the inconsistencies of many of us, they not only reject and deny what we say, but say

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that we ourselves do not believe it. I remember a very striking circumstance which a neighbouring minister mentioned to me in proof of this. There was in the town in which he preached a determined and avowed infidel, believing in neither Christianity nor God. He saw this man one Sunday evening in the place of worship. He was preaching on some of the great verities of the faith, and the duties resulting therefrom. As he was the next morning passing the door of the man, he was standing at it. He said, "I saw you at worship last night, and was rather surprised to see you there, because you don't believe what I was saying." "No," says he, "nor you either." "Indeed!" "No. Why, if I believed things" (he went on to say), " if I were to believe what you say to be true, which you set forth, and which are written in your books, I should not know how to contain myself; I should feel their importance so much that I should exhibit them wherever I went; I should not know how to hold in the enthusiasm which they would excite. But I don't believe them, nor do you, or you would be very different people from what you are." This infidel said to the minister of God, to his face, that there was such a defect about the conduct and consistency of Christians that led him to think they did not themselves believe the testimony which they gave. Well, then, if there was real, downright consistency of conduct and character in the church, what an influence it would have on the general belief of the world, by persuading the world of our own sincerity, and thus lead them to a more serious consideration of the duties we have adverted to.

Let us dwell for a moment on the reward which awaits the individual who gives a faithful testimony for God. There is a reward in the present world: the individual who consistently and faithfully testifies for God, has the privilege of mourning if the church be depressed in her fortunes and character. He has "delivered his soul;" he has given his testimony; and if the church is in darkness and sorrow, in persecution and oppression, it is his privilege to be permitted to mourn. If he had not given his testimony for God faithfully, that would not have been his privilege; and if he mourned over the ashes and depression of Zion, God would say to him, “Be silent; thou hast been silent with respect to testimony for me; and now be silent with respect to the condition of my church: thou shalt not have the privilege to mourn; thy silence, which was before thy guilt, let it be thy duty and thy punishment." So the Christian might be permitted to rejoice and to celebrate the

triumphs of the church, if the church were successful, because his testimony would have contributed, in some measure, to that; and at the day of judgment he will be recognized before men and angels as a good and faithful servant and witness, and would enter into the joy of his Lord. And when the cause of God triumphs (for it will triumph: God will not always be excluded from his rights and dominion; he will assert those rights, and will reign), then he will be permitted to share that triumph, and to participate in the reign. One word, in conclusion, with respect to the character, the duty, and the doom, of those who render this testimony of the church necessary: I mean all sinful, unbelieving, worldly, impenitent men. Your character is, opposers of God, deniers of God; refusing his claims and his rights, and expelling him from the very earth that he has made. Your duty is, immediately to receive the testimony given by the church; to be led by it to examine the record, to see the foundation upon which the church rests, and the hope and blessedness which the church enjoys; to repent and to believe the Gospel; to unite yourselves to the church; to come forth to the world and give your testimony against your present associates, by telling them you have seen your error, your delusion, your guilt, and rejoice in having passed from that darkness into God's marvellous light. It is your duty to receive the Gospel, and to receive the church's testimony respecting its truth; and if you do not do this if you remain opposers of God, impenitent, unbelieving, unaffected by a sense of your guilt and danger, unaffected by the exceeding mercies of God, unaffected by his exhortations and beseechings that you would be reconciled to him, unaffected by the testimony given in every Christian assembly, and by every Christian man, then your doom will be, that God will triumph over you; his cause will triumph against you; and he will glorify himself, his own power, and his own justice, in your eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. God forbid that this shall be the case with any of us! Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way: take hold of his strength, and so make peace with him. Receive the testimony which God has given, and which the church is perpetually presenting thus accept the mercy, and take the blessing, which in the Gospel is provided. Stand forth, testifying to the ungodly world what you have found, and what they have lost; and thus rejoice in living to the glory of God. Amen.

THE BEATITUDES-EVIDENCES OF POVERTY OF SIRIT.

REV. J. RUdge, d.d.

ST. SEPULCHRE'S CHURCH, SNOW HILL, NOVEMBER 21, 1824.

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."-MATTHEW, v. ?

In the two preceding Sermons on this beatitude, I have explained its true nature and character, and have analyzed that heavenly temper of mind, and disposition of soul, to which the gracious promise of the kingdom of heaven has been annexed by our blessed Lord. The present exercise will be devoted to a consideration of the marks, or signs, by which all may be able to ascertain, whether they possess this grace, or beatitude, of our holy religion.

Continue, we beseech thee, O God, to assist us in these exercises; and as nothing is holy, nothing is rich, without thee, so, in a proper humility of spirit, we implore thee to vouchsafe the dews of thy grace, that the word preached may be fructified and enriched to thy glory and to our good!

Why the divine preacher began his sermon with pronouncing a blessing on poverty of spirit, rather than on any of the other graces, may thus be explained. Poverty of spirit is the basis and foundation of all the other graces which he afterwards enumerates, and on which he pronounces the other beatitudes. Without it they could have no existence or efficacy. It is, then, the root of all religion. It is the acorn, from which the sturdy and most magnificent oak of the forest ariseth. It is the seed which gives the magnificent product of all that God delighteth to behold in the temper and conduct of his creatures. Without poverty of spirit, which gives to a man a sight of his sinful deformities, how could he mourn for his crimes, and apply to his Saviour for that healing power, and hardening mercy, with which he is ever ready to absolve and purify the heavy laden sinner, and the deeply polluted criminal? Without poverty of spirit, which makes a man sensible of his want of holiness, how can he "hunger and thirst after righteousness?" This poverty of