their impenitent heart they treasured up wrath against the day of wrath," because they knew not the day of mercy.

Now all this, my brethren, is in the very strongest manner applicable to ourselves whenever we come to church. Do we then long to put off the old man, all that appertains to our dead evil nature, and to be clothed with the new, Which is Christ? One consideration particularly in point is that of the Absolution. We first turn to God with a very humble confession of sin; and if the Searcher of hearts knows that we are sincere in thus lamenting our sins, we are in a state to receive His pardon. And He is no doubt in the midst of us. After this confession the priest, in the Name of Christ, turns round to the people and pronounces the forgiveness of sins. When the priest was ordained, it was said to him by the bishop, "Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office of a priest," "Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained."

Now we are all, with regard to our souls, so far in the state of the paralytic, that we need to be renewed and restored. Will it not be good for us to obtain this forgiveness thus pronounced, shall I not say daily, or twice a day? A good man is always described in Scripture as growing in grace, as going from strength to strength, as being daily renewed, as being changed from glory to glory, as increasing in stature to the fulness of Christ. Now I would seriously put it to every man's conscience, must not this Absolution, pronounced daily in the Name ɔf Christ, in that assembly in which He has Himself promised to be present, have some effect on a penitent and thoughtful mind? Is it possible to believe anything, and to doubt that He Who said to the paralytic, "Son, be of

good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee," and Who gave him strength to take up his bed, nay, by His word, gave him, I may say, obedience also,-that He does not now meet in the same manner every penitent soul who listens for the Absolution in church, and on whom it falls as dew from Heaven on the parched ground.

And here observe that when Christ pronounced those words of old, so full of unspeakable consolation to the penitent, there were very many who hardened their hearts and believed not. They indeed looked upon Him with bodily eyes, but they believed not, because His power was then confined to a small space; we now see Him, not with bodily eyes, but we behold His power throughout the whole world. In both cases alike it must be by faith; for the temptation to unbelief is the same now as then.

SERMON LXVII.

The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.

Ephes. v. 15-21. St. Matt. xxii. 1—14.

LOVE AND JOY IN THE SPIRIT.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.—ST. MATT. xxii. 11.

L

ET us first shortly notice the Epistle by itself, and we

may afterwards further consider the same in connexion with the Gospel. See then, says St. Paul to the Ephesians, that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. That is, take heed that ye walk with all carefulness towards those that are without, as they who have the Spirit of wisdom, and therefore, in dangerous days, obtaining good from occasions in themselves evil; delivered from evil in evil days, and by the loss of temporal advantages, procuring opportunities for eternal gain.' Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. This wisdom will give you to know what the will of God is, and by obedience will become a light to guide you in the way of

1 So St. Aug. vol. v. pp. 133. 489; and St. Chrys. ad loc.

peace. And thence will spring forth in the heart joy and thanksgiving, as he adds: And he not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Nor is this joy of heart to depend on outward blessings, but to exist under all the evils of this world; "always and for all things" is the heart of a Christian to be thus filled with thanksgiving; as it is here described. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And to this the Apostle adds, Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. For there is no true thankfulness to God without the spirit of obedience to man; it is the same temper in both; the peace which passeth all understanding combines both. And so St. Paul, in like manner, in his Epistle to the Colossians passes from one to another; thanksgiving to God and submission to one another in godly fear. Walking as in a dark night are they to be ever looking around, yet singing withal in melody of heart, as free from care, and casting away fear.

To this short and beautiful passage for the Epistle is attached a Gospel of the very deepest interest. When this parable of the marriage of the king's son was delivered by our Lord, it was all throughout one great prophecy ; but from that time to this it has been in course of fulfilment, so that now one point only remains to be accomplished, and that is the coming in of the king to see the guests. At the time when our Lord spake, the Sacrifice was not slain for the feast, the dinner was not prepared. The king had not sent forth his armies to destroy the murderers and burn up their city; neither had they gathered into his house the bad and good of every kind,

and filled the room. But all these things have since been in the course of accomplishment. So that, at this time, the world sees two great miracles going on, the one of darkness, the other of light, like night and day proceeding together; the darkness is that of the Jews, those murderers whose city has been burnt up, wandering all over the world, which are unto this day in gross darkness, such as 66 may be felt," being shut out of the light of the marriage festival; but Christians are admitted into that light, both bad and good, so that the wedding is furnished with guests; and now we are waiting for the manifestation and appearance of the King to see the guests, His great Advent.

Jesus said, The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, who made a marriage for his son; and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants; and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, the king who had been so gracious unto them, pressing upon them his invitation with so much loving-kindness-he was wroth; and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Now such has been the history of the Jews. It is here expressed with what earnestness God sent unto them; and it surely must have occurred to us in reading the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, with what pressing anxiety our Lord sent His invitation to "the lost sheep