both small and great beasts. There go the ships" for the sea is the great highway for the commerce of all nations, and therefore a noble act of divine wisdom and goodness" there "there go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee: that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good." And, again: "The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live" (Psalm civ. 31, 33). A keeping of divine Providence in remembrance, and an acknowledgment of him in all our ways, is not only a duty, but an impelling motive to love, prayer, and praise, a fruitful source of intellectual enjoyment, and a great persuasive to obedience. The second lesson we learn from the words, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," is the duty of gratitude for all those blessings which out of that fulness he has showered on this nation in general, and on us as individuals in particular. Of Great Britain, it may truly be said, God hath not dealt so with any other nation. An island, small in population, and little in extent, compared with the rest of the world, has been appointed to triumph over formidable foes by land, to obtain the sovereignty of the ocean, and to send forth her twenty-five thousand merchant ships to every port under heaven. To her mild government have been consigned one seventh of the whole human race. She has been entrusted with the most extensive colonies, abounding with every variety of produce. She is blessed with an unrivalled constitution, with laws and institutions which are the admiration of the world, and with a sovereign who lives in the hearts of the people. And, notwithstanding our multitudinous interests in every part of the globe, Great Britain has for several years been permitted to enjoy peace with all the world; so that her subjects now may sit "each under his own fig-tree, none making them afraid." Above all, she is favoured with an established church, so evangelical and apostolical in her doctrines, and so distinguished for moderation, piety, and usefulness in her practice, as to afford the best model to other Christian communities, whether at home or abroad. All these are favours conferred upon her by the King of kings and Lord of lords, of whom it is said in the text, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;" for from his good providence descend the blessings of the moral no less than of the material world. For these and all his blessings we can never be too grateful. And this duty of gratitude and praise would be brought more home to our own hearts did we reflect as we ought on the innumerable domestic comforts we enjoy, and on the means of support which we daily receive. When we see the tens of thousands in our crowded streets, we wonder how they live; nor can we account for the miracle without directing our thoughts upwards to him whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, and whose mercy is over all his works. The third lesson we learn from the text is this, that, since the world and its fulness is God's, not ours; as he can give, so he can take away. This consideration teaches us that there is no room for pride, none for vain glory: "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath; they die, and return to the dust." The sovereign Disposer of all things may withhold the fertilizing showers from your native vales, hills, and plains; or he may commission the sun to scorch the land of yon eastern climes; and, by tornadoes and earthquakes, he may desolate your fairest possessions of yon western climes; or, by permitting disaffection in your armies abroad, and in your manufacturing population at home, he may send ruin as a swift arrow into the vitals of the nation, let out the life-blood of her credit and commerce, and spread the paleness of poverty, wretchedness, and woe over the whole face of society. A serious reflection on these things should induce a reverential fear lest the Sovereign of the universe thus execute his threat: "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." rather The fourth inference we draw from the text is, that as all the earth is God's, in proportion as he hath distributed to us some part of its fulness, so for the use or abuse of whatever is put in trust with us we are responsible to him. The things which are consigned to our care are not our own, but God's. We are only stewards, and we shall have to give an account of what has been lent to us. At best, we are only tenants for life, say tenants at will. "Occupy till I come." When the lease of life is expired, or perhaps before, we are ejected from our fancied possession. Severe will be the trial: "Give an account of thy stewardship. I have lent thee one, five, or ten talents. How hast thou employed them? What interest hast thou gained? Has thy wealth been wasted on luxuries sinful pleasures and riotous living, and things which profit not in the day of wrath? Or has it been devoted to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, founding schools and churches at home, or in aiding the kingdom of Christ abroad?" A consideration that we live as they that must give account, should induce us to be true and just in all our dealings in getting wealth, and to make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness in so expending it, as that wealth, which ruins so many souls, may be employed in such a way as to win the divine approbation in that welcome, "Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you." Lastly, the verse out of which the text is taken declares not only that "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," but also "they that dwell therein." "All souls are mine," saith the Lord: "your faculties of mind and body, your thoughts, words, and actions, should therefore be devoted to my service." If, then, "the earth is the Lord's, the fulness thereof, and they that dwell therein," and if he has blessed you with a goodly portion of that fulness, pray that your soul may not rest in earthly things which perish in the using, but let them lead you forward to the seeking of those spiritual blessings which, unlike those that are temporal, shall endure to and in eternity. With eternity in view, earnestly seek redemption by Jesus Christ: "For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" A well-founded hope of salvation by Jesus Christ will banish fear in adversity, sweeten every toil, and brighten every hope: "My God shall supply all your need out of his riches in glory by Jesus Christ." "Man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth." "Lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth where moth doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Do not barter away your souls to Mammon for the baubles of the world, or you will surpass the folly of the poor savages of New Zealand, who for a worthless string of glass beads have been known to exchange vast districts of fertile land in perpetuity. Do not sell your birthright for a mess of pottage. Doubtless it is your duty to labour with industry and integrity in your several callings; but remember that "this is not your rest, that here you have no abiding city." As you cannot serve two masters, take care that Mammon may never supplant God your Saviour in your affections. Let Christ reign supreme in your soul; in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and sanctification and redemption. If to the disposal of divine Providence belong this world and its fulness, then remember that in Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," and that Christ is the channel of all the blessings of redemption and justification. No longer bow down to gold as your idol, but esteem the riches of Christ greater gain than the riches of Egypt. May the Author and Giver of all good grant that you may "use the things of this world as not abusing them," and that you may "so pass through things temporal, as, finally, not to lose the things which are eternal." A NEW USE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. THE scriptures abound with plain and decisive declarations of the utter worthlessness of all sacred services, without a heart cleansed from unrighteousness and submitted to God. Therefore, when the heart is not given to the Lord, the act of worship is hypocrisy, and is so far from procuring reconciliation and favour, that it does but increase the evil condition in which the sinner is living. 66 Behold," said Samuel to Saul, "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Yet there are many who imagine themselves to be walking satisfactorily in the way of duty, when at the same time they are proceeding in the grievous neglect of one of the clearest injunctions of him whom they call their Lord and master. We are required to celebrate and keep the sacrament of the Lord's supper, because it is the institution of the Lord for all his followers, because it is the means appointed to every disciple for showing the Lord's death until he come, of maintaining a holy and perfect communion with him; and we must obey him in this ordinance as well as in every other. It is my present purpose to show such inconsiderate and mistaken persons, who omit this duty, that they cannot repeat even the Lord's Prayer, nay, not even any single petition of it, in such a manner that it will reach the throne of grace, and that God will accept the offering. They hear this inimitable form in our liturgy; and great would that it was not daily faithfully offered up in their be their indignation, perhaps, at any insinuation private devotions; but their insincerity and inconsistency will, it is to be hoped, appear from the following brief examination, little as they may imagine the charge to be well-founded. "Our Father which art in heaven." Christians are not only God's children by creation, but also by redemption. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord," said our Saviour during his ministry on earth, and do not the things which I say?" "Why call ye me, your heavenly Father," will God say to us from heaven, "and feel not towards me as sons ought to feel?" It is true God is the Father of all, evil as well as good; but a father may have rebellious children, and he will disown all those who disobey, forget, or neglect him. They will find that they have forfeited their inheritance; that they will be banished from his presence, and never taste the joys prepared for his dutiful children. We must feel towards the Almighty as children, and behave to him as such, that we may not lose the blessedness which Christ has purchased at so great a price. "Ye are my friends," he that all who are not striving to do what is pleas says, "if ye do whatever I command you:" so ing in his sight do in fact deprive themselves of the right and happiness of calling him Father. Might he not remonstrate, in the words of Mala- | chi, with those who turn their backs upon the holy table? "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master. If, then, I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?" Here they are stopped upon the very threshold; and still the first clause presents another stumbling-block. "Hallowed be thy name." To hallow anything signifies to pay becoming reverence to it, to consider or treat a thing or person as being holy; and the name of God means all that belongs to him. We here pray that all men may live in the true fear of the Lord, performing that honour to the divine majesty that their subjection to him calls for, by ordering their lives according to the doctrine and example of his Son Jesus Christ, and as becomes the children of so holy a Father. We mean, may God be praised, worshipped, and glorified in the hearts and lives of all men. Can this, however, be the wish of those "who wilfully abstain from the Lord's table, and separate from their brethren who come to feed on the banquet of that most heavenly food?" "Thy kingdom come.' In one sense we pray that all men may both more clearly know, and more worthily obey, the true and only God, the Lord of heaven and earth; that the blessed gospel may be spread abroad in all the world; that his spiritual kingdom may extend still more and more to the glory of his name, and to the salvation of our fellow creatures. But there is another sense in which these words may as justly be received: we pray also that his kingdom of grace may come into our hearts; that every thought may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; and that, his kingdom being formed within us, we may have "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.' If, therefore, we would seek it in earnest, we must seek it in the only way by which it can be found; we must employ the means that Christ has appointed; we must pray that God's Holy Spirit may take possession of our hearts, there to set up his kingdom, and reign over all our corruptions, that so we may be truly and entirely his subjects. Is it consistent, then, or respectful to tell your Saviour that, though you have been repeatedly warned to prepare for the sacrament of his holy supper, you have not chosen to think seriously upon the subject, but have cast it aside as a thing that may be safely delayed? Your Saviour says, "Come unto me;" but you answer, "I will not come." Can any one say that he has the honour of his Redeemer at heart, that he is prepared to take up his cross and to follow him who rejects this invitation of his heavenly Master? "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." These words include the very essence of all prayer and all religion; for to do the will of God completes the Christian character. It is therefore very expedient that we should be most fervent in this petition, because it is by our advancement in this duty that we approach the nearer to the example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who in all things sought the will of his heavenly Father, "who came down from heaven not to do his own will, but the will of his Father who sent him." By the expression God's will we understand, in a general sense, whatever he has made known to us in his word respecting it; whatever he communicates to us, through the dictates of 66 our own conscience, as agreeable to him; or whatever appears, in the order of his providence, to be his good pleasure; so that, in this petition, we pray that we and all mankind may both submit to and cheerfully obey whatever God sees fit to appoint or command. Our Saviour instituted this sacrament the night before he suffered, and left his dying directions to all his followers to observe the sacred rite in memory of what he had done for them. Can we suppose that, when he said, "Do this in remembrance of me," he meant to make it a matter of indifference whether we should obey him or not? They who draw back from the holy table disobey the positive command of God; and, whilst in this respect they are regardless of his will, it is mere mockery to repeat with their lips "Thy will be done." "Give us this day our daily bread." This petition also contains a spiritual meaning. It is not only bodily food and comforts, but likewise the nourishment which God daily ministers to our souls, that we must solicit at his hands; since our Saviour tells the tempter that "men do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God:" it is the bread which nourisheth to eternal life, the participation of that bread that came down from heaven, of which, if we do not partake, we have no life in The soul stands in need of food no less than the body, and must perish without it; and, accordingly, our Lord directs us to "labour for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life"-that spiritual food by which the soul is supported, strengthened, and refreshed. Is it, therefore, possible that we can utter this request in its full and obvious sense, that we can be really desirous of obtaining the assistance of the Holy Spirit, that we can indeed be hungering and thirsting after righteousnes, while we persist in the refusal of the principal means of grace? us. "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." The pardon of sin may be regarded as the grand benefit which the gospel promises to man. Whatever means, then, be proposed for our attainment of this blessing, whatever conditions it may have pleased God to attach to it, with those means and conditions it must be our full determination and our unceasing endeavour to comply. We cannot live without the blessing; we cannot acquire it except in the Lord's own way; and therefore, if we are sincere in our belief and profession, we shall take heed that there is nothing in our conduct which shall exclude us from the divine forgiveness. St. Matthew uses the word "debts" for "trespasses;" for by every failure of service, every unrepented iniquity, we contract a debt. Without taking into consideration other transgressions, call to mind how often, since the time of confirmation, you have missed the opportunity of partaking of the holy communion," although so lovingly called and bidden by God himself;" how repeatedly you have turned a deaf ear to the publicnotice and your pastor's exhortations, walked out of the church before the completion of the service, or altogether at such times kept away, slunk from the sick chamber, and thus resisted the convictions of conscience. What a vast amount of debt is here incurred! But, if we proceed to the entire clause, we shall CHURCH OF ENGLAND MAGAZINE. still find an argument applicable to some at least | of the offenders in question; for it is by no means an uncommon excuse alleged by non-communicants, that they have had a quarrel with a neighbour. Most true it is that they should leave their enmity behind them; but, as long as they indulge this feeling, can they even use the Lord's prayer? If we pardon not the little offences of one another, there is no hope for us of pardon from God. This is the only passage on which our Lord gave a comment; and no doubt he gave it because he saw the perverseness and malice of the human temper, because men were looking for pardon and acceptance with God while their hearts were swelling with hatred and uncharitableness; and on this account Jesus calls their attention strongly to that clause in the prayer which bears on this point, in which we ask forgiveness of God only according as we forgive; and thus, if we forgive not, we are in effect praying against ourselves. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." We are continually exposed to the evil suggestions of a deceitful heart within, and to the temptations of a wicked world without. We live in the midst of enemies who are ever plotting to destroy our souls: we have the prince of darkness always "going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour;" and there are snares laid for us on every side in our worldly occupations, in all the walks of public and private life, even in our spiritual exercises of meditation and prayer. Seeing, then, that we are thus encompassed with temptations, and that "we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves," we pray that God will grant us such strength and protection " as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations." To secure this divine help we must follow the rules our Lord himself has presented to us; and it is the height of absurdity to imagine that we can, with any truth or propriety, request God not to lead us into temptation, while we are slighting the most effectual means of obtaining his aid. "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the Amen." We here glory, for ever and ever. affirm expressly what indeed has been implied throughout the prayer, that his is the kingdom, or the rightful authority and supreme dominion over all; his the power by which all that is just May the eyes those who attend unworthily; but it is not against "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he XXXVII. 1. and good is brought to pass; his the glory of rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth.”—ISA. whatever his creatures do or enjoy or hope for; and, as all dignity, might, or honour are his, so they are his from everlasting to everlasting. When we say that his is the glory, we should remember to seek his glory in all things, that he may be honoured and glorified by us, not only with our lips, but in our lives. Yet, who that delays this serious business to a dying hour can in any sense adopt our Saviour's words: "I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do?" The word "amen" impresses both wish and approbation-" so be it," or "thus may it happen"—and signifies our assent to that which went before, with an earnest desire of its accomplishment. It has now, I trust, been satisfactorily proved that no portion of this admirable prayer can be uttered, in spirit and in truth, by those who are guilty of this omission, and that they stand convicted of false and treacherous dealing. Many of my remarks of course apply with equal force to Meditation. 66 "O, there is never sorrow of heart If but to God we turn and pray WORDSWORTH. "When any affliction cometh, say to yourself, How shall I respect it? with what countenance shall I receive it? Shall I entertain it with a frowning brow and an angry eye, with a disquieted look, and a heavy aspect? No: I will welcome it gracefully; with an humble but a cheerful spirit. I will embrace it as a friend, and then be confident it will not be mine enemy. I will ask it what it comes for, and desire it to deal plainly with me. I will tell it that I am whatsoever it will teach me. Surely then I shall be its disciple, and am ready to sit at its feet, to learn the better for it, and we shall part with a more pleasant countenance than we met" (Bp. Patrick). Prayer.-O Father of mercy, thou God of compassion and tender pity, hear me, I beseech thee, in the day of my trouble and rebuke, when thou bringest down my heart with labour, and I fall down, and there is none to help: hear me when, for the greatness of my sin and the multitude of my transgressions, the day of darkness overshadoweth me, and I lie me down in sorrow; and, of thine infinite loving-kindness, lead me, by thy Holy Spirit, humbled and penitent, with trembling knee but a full heart of faith, lead me unto him who cureth iniquity, that all my corruptions and offences may be washed out in the fountain of his atoning blood. Thou God that hearest prayer, unto thee will I lift up the voice of my supplication; for thou art faithful, and wilt not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear. For his sake, in whom I seek refuge in the time of my distress, thou wilt regard my misery and hear my cry, and thou wilt save me out of my sore vexation: even as thou dealedst with Hezekiah, be thou pleased, gracious Father, to deal with thy contrite one. And though, in thy good pleasure, thou shouldest delay to answer and receive me, and thy terrors should grow darker and fiercer around me; though all things be against me, and the light be short because of darkness; yet, gathering strength from the experience of thy merciful dealings, will I abide in meekness and patience while thine indignation is poured out; and I will again take unto me words, and spread out my confessions and my repentance before thee. With weeping and strong cries will I approach unto thy throne of never-ceasing grace, O Lord God, that dwellest between the cherubims. And thou wilt incline thine ear unto me: yea, thou hast torn, and thou wilt heal me; thou hast smitten, and thou wilt bind me up. Did Christ the righteous, the alone just and sinless, did he, thine Anointed, the eternal Son of thy love, bear our griefs and carry our sorrows; was he stricken, and smitten, and afflicted; and shall I, a sinful worm of the dust, not be content to endure thy fatherly correction? Did Hezekiah, thy chosen servant, rend his clothes and cover himself with sackcloth, and go up again and again to thy house, imploring deliverance at thy hands, and shall I, suffering under the rod of thy just displeasure, murmur and rebel against thee, and trample upon mine own mercies, when thou callest me to sow in tears, that I may reap in joy? when thou judgest and chastenest me, that I may not be condemned with the evil world? Endue me, O, endue me with thy grace and strength, thou Saviour of men, my only rock and defence! Endue me with the spirit of thy divine resignation and meekness, that I may discern in this, thy heavenly Father's dispensation, how very tenderly he dealeth with me, yea, even as with a son. O, make me to know that he visiteth me for my profit; to the end that, purified and sanctified by thee, I may be partaker of his holiness. And grant, sweet Jesus, thou who art love itself, that, although this his present providence seemeth not joyous but grievous, I may at the last taste the peaceable fruit of righteousness, and be glad also with exceeding joy when thy glory shall be revealed. And this I beg, my Lord and my God, not for mine own afflictions' sake only, but in behalf of all who mourn and are discomforted within them; for the poor and the needy; for those that hope in thee, as well as such as have no hope; in fine, for all that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. O, let thy rod and thy staff comfort them! S. K. C. EVENING. "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." "Love one another."-2 JOHN 7, 5. Meditation.-"We have no Lord but Jesus, no doctrine but the gospel, no teacher but his apostles....I do not marvel that any man, bearing the name of a servant, of the servants of Jesus Christ, will go about to draw us from our allegiance. We are his sworn subjects: it is not lawful for us to hear the things that are not told us by his apostles.... Saith Hilary, 'Those things that are not written in the book of the law we ought not so much as to be acquainted with them"" (Hooker). "Let God himself, that made me-let not man, that knoweth not himself-be my instructor concerning heavenly mysteries" (St. Augustine). "Charity is the love of God for himself, and the love of man for the love of God.... No man loves God who doth not love his neighbour; nor can any man love his neighbour truly who does not first love his God" (Elench. Mat. Theolog.) Prayer.-O Son of God, who alone art the way and the truth and the life, and camest in the flesh, to pay the penalty for our rebelliousness, and to redeem us from the wiles of him that was a liar from the beginning, anoint us, we pray thee, with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, that we may not be tossed about with various blasts of doctrine, nor ensnared and lost for ever by the false reasonings of those deceivers who confess not thee. But grant that, taught of thy good Spirit, we may make the holy scriptures the alone anchor and rule of our faith, thou thyself being the chief corner-stone. O, make our souls to rejoice in their glorious light, and our whole lives to reflect the purity and beauty of its brightness. Above all, we would worship and adore thee, the Incarnate and the Crucified; and trust in thee, our Lord and our God, Emmanuel, the Son of man! Keep us, O divine Master, sted fast in thy faith and love; nor, in the presumptuousness of our proud and fleshly hearts, suffer us to lose those things which thou hast wrought for us, by a vain and soul-destroying conceit of our own judgments, or the excellency of man's wisdom. O, what need have we, weak and frail creatures, for stedfastness, when even the beloved and elect lady with her children were exhorted to walk after thy commandments and in thy truth, lest they should lose the recompence of the reward! Didst thou not, O Christ Jesus, graciously establish thy church by the mouth of thy apostles, especially of thy beloved disciple, at what time pernicious heresies and lying wonders and delusions were first brought in to corrupt its doctrine? O let the same thy watchful providence be its constant shield and defence, that it never go astray: cast thy bright beam of light upon it, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy blessed apostle and evangelist, St. John, may so walk in the light of thy truth that it may attain to the light of everlasting life. And do thou, O merciful Lord God, who art good and doest good to all; do thou, who extendest thy loving kindness to all thy creatures, the works of thine hand, yea, even to the unthankful and the evil; yea, do thou who wouldest that we love one another even as thou, O Father |