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feignedly believe His Holy Gospel." By this I understand simply, that the Minister declares to the People, that, if they do actually and truly repent of all the sins which they have just been confessing, God will as certainly pardon them for the sake of our blessed Saviour; for He has said so in His Holy Word.

God alone knows the heart of each one of us: but if it really be in that state of true and sincere repentance which the lips have just declared, then we may firmly and comfortably believe that all our sins which have been committed to that moment are blotted out for ever through the all prevailing merits of our Saviour. "They shall not be mentioned unto us." And this I firmly believe that the Minister is sufficiently authorised to declare.

This is most certainly told us in Scripture. "Return unto the Lord with all your hearts""the Lord is not willing that any should perish," says St. Peter, "but that all should come to repentance"" if we confess our sins," says St. says John, "God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness""if the wicked,” says God by His prophet Ezekiel, "will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall

not die, saith the Lord: all his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him; in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live." "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you," says the voice of the Redeemer Himself" him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out"-we are told that if we repent and return to God though our sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow"-that "the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin," and "that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."

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Now, inasmuch as our Lord declared to his Apostles that "whosesoever sins they remitted they should be remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins they retained they should be retained unto them"-and as we find that ever since the time of the Apostles the power and authority of pronouncing God's absolution over penitent sinners have been constantly exercised by the ministers of Christ, who are called his "ambassadors," and "the stewards of his mysteries;" and since God has promised to be with His Church "even unto the end of the world," we may set our minds perfectly at rest upon the subject, and feel a firm confidence and most certain assurance, that, if "we do truly repent

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of our sins, and unfeignedly believe God's Holy Gospel"—that is, if we really and truly turn from our sins, and our belief is a lively, fruitful, and practical belief-the Absolution pronounced by the voice of the Minister is a record of the Absolution promised and pronounced by God. To this end I need only remind you that the Repentance must be sincere, and the Faith a lively one—one "which worketh by love." Therefore, we are next told to "beseech God that He will grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that those things may please Him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy." My beloved brethren, I do most firmly believe that if such were our feelings, and such our wishes, intentions, and prayers, the Absolution pronounced by me this day was "bound in heaven"—we are verily and actually "in Christ Jesus"-we "are one with Him, and He with us." To such we are told, and blessed be God for the assurance, "there is no condemnation."

From the above discourse I shall derive the few following brief remarks:

1. You must see the extreme propriety of commencing our daily service with a sentence or two of Scripture stirring us to Repentance, with an Exhortation, a Confession of Sins, and a declaration of God's Absolution. Before we venture upon

praising God, reading the Scriptures, or offering up our other prayers and thanksgivings, it is wisely and religiously provided that we should confess our sins to Him, and hear our Absolution declared by the Minister of Christ. "Before thou prayest prepare thyself," says the son of Sirach; and until we feel a genuine sorrow for having offended God, and come to intreat earnestly the pardon which is offered us through Christ, He will not accept us; but when we have done this, we are well qualified to proceed with the other offices of religious worship.

2. Those persons who come late to Divine Service, whether it be from negligence or from thoughtlessness, omit a most material part of the duties, and lose a very important share of the blessings, of the Sanctuary. How punctual to the moment are many such people in attending any worldly engagement, in keeping an appointment of business, or in visiting a scene of pleasure. Why will they not, touched and affected at a sense of their manifold and grievous sins, overwhelmed with feelings of love and gratitude at that infinite Mercy which condescends to receive them, "haste into His presence" in sufficient time to confess their sins, and to hear God's Absolution pronounced over them. Surely, if it be not ignorance, it is an insensibility, or an indifference, to the calls of Grace and

Goodness, which suffers so very many in every congregation to be absent when this most solemn and important part of Divine Service is going on.

3. In the course of a series of Lectures which I trust I may be enabled to deliver to you on our Common Prayer Book generally, I shall frequently repeat various words of which I could wish you, my brethren, to retain the exact meaning. The words Liturgy and Litany will frequently occur, and they are often confounded together. Liturgy means a service; and by the Liturgy I mean the Prayer Book generally. Litany means a solemn form of Supplication, and, as you are aware, it is applied to one particular part of our Service. Rubric means Red; and by the Rubrics I mean the directions which are printed in small characters, but formerly in red letter, to point out how the service should be done. To these Rubrics I would guide your attention generally, as they contain a fund of useful and important information, and explain to us the meaning of many parts of our Service which would not otherwise be easily understood.

Lastly. Do not think that these discourses will be either uninteresting or unprofitable. If they shall, by God's blessing, lead you in any way to see with what a holy, spiritual, and acceptable worship the Church has provided you;—if they