Physician-bewail it, and mourn over it, that the precious blood of Christ may heal your wounds. "For if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous

ness."'15

Does the remembrance of the omission of any duty weigh heavily upon your soul? Conceal it not from your heavenly Father— attempt not to hide that, which his eye has already noticed; but meekly humble yourselves before him,-implore forgiveness for your past offences, as well as divine grace and strength, that you may be preserved, more steadfast in your course, in time to come. And if the Lord, in his mercy, shall lift up the light of his reconciled countenance upon you; if he shall restore you from your backslidings, and freely forgive your wanderings, do not, on this account, acquit and forgive yourselves. Never cease to bewail your corruptions-never cease to be deeply abased on account of your departure from God. The prayer of David, when con

vinced of his transgression, was-"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight."16

III. We may learn, moreover, our habitual proneness to wander from God.

There are certain maladies which attach to particular constitutions, and which frequently break out upon the body, notwithstanding the greatest care and attention, on the part of the patient to prevent it. Now, sin in the soul, is what these diseases are in the body, except that, instead of existing in particular constitutions only, it has insinuated itself into all-it pervades all—it has corrupted and contaminated all. For, from this most fearful of maladies none are ex16 Psalm li. 1-4.

empt; it is mingled with our very nature; it clings to us in every stage of our existence; it descends with us to the tomb! The seat of this distemper is the soul, and it shows its baneful influence over the corporeal frame, by making the members of the body "instruments of unrighteousness."

The prophet's lamentation over Judah strikingly paints our spiritual malady. "The whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint; from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores." 17 This is an illustration of the disease itself, as it exists in the soul of every child of Adam. Let us notice the manner in which an inspired apostle speaks of its moral actings, or its effects upon the conduct. They are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing 17 Isaiah i, 5 and 6.

and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes!" 18

Plain and faithful statements of the doctrine of human depravity oftentimes offend the unrenewed man; because a lofty imagination and a proud heart do not like to be robbed of their assumed importance and self-dependence. This grand and fundamental doctrine, however, is as distinctly recognized, and as strongly set forth, in the various formularies of our Church, as it is clearly exhibited, and forcibly urged, in the pages of Holy Writ. Both concur in their solemn and repeated testimony, that "we have erred and strayed from the ways of God like lost sheep;" that we "have turned everyone to his own way."

The language of the second homily, upon our Lord's Passion, is peculiarly strong upon this subject and, although some of the expressions employed may, perhaps, offend a

18 Rom. iii. 12 and following verses.

fastidious taste, or distress the refinement of a modern ear, we must not forget that they are the recorded and authorized sentiments of the National Church. In allusion to the fall, this homily remarks, "Adam took upon him to eat of the forbidden tree, and in so doing he died the death;" that is to say, he became mortal; he lost the favour of God; he was cast out of Paradise; he was no longer a citizen of heaven, but a firebrand of hell and a bond-slave of the devil." And, in reference to the entail of Adam's guilt upon his offspring, it goes on to remark: "to this doth our Saviour bear witness in the Gospel, calling us lost sheep.' To this also doth St. Paul bear witness, saying, that by the offence of only Adam, death came upon all men to condemnation. So that now, neither he, nor any of his, had any right or interest at all in the kingdom of heaven, but were become plain reprobates and castaways; being perpetually condemned to the everlasting pains of hell-fire. In this so great misery and wretchedness, if mankind could have recovered himself again, and obtained

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