travail)—men animated with a holy courage to do and dare all things for His sake-men beset with temptations, hardships, difficulties, but rising in the might of His Spirit superior to them all-men made triumphant through the power of faith over themselves, over the world, and over the devil-men gaining the victory under His banner over every power and principle antagonistic to God, bruising the serpent's head under their feet.

My brethren, let His benevolence be the law for ours. Let us not reason in this matter on principles which would have excluded ourselves from the blessings of Redemption. It is misery which constitutes the title to relief. The indesert of the object is no legitimate check upon our bounty.

But it is freely admitted, at the same time, that the relief of misery may be so injudiciously administered as to multiply the sources of misery-nay, even to give a physical relief to the miserable at the expense of a moral injury. But have we not seen, here too, how the Divine benevolence furnishes a pattern for ours? Have we not seen that God has introduced into His Scheme of free Salvation provisions which guard it against abuse, clauses, if I may so call them, in the charter of Grace, which furnish a real trial of character, and a field of moral discipline, and a stimulus for moral exertion? And the Institution for which we plead is, as you have heard, conducted upon a similar principle. Its bounty is administered with a wise discretion, and in subjection to certain laws, which secure for it a beneficial moral influence. Nor do we know a spectacle, upon which the eye of Christian benevolence can rest with greater satisfaction, than that of one of the daughters of the children of men, who has been

snatched back from the precipice of blank despondency, to whose brink a false step had conducted her, stimulated by the timely benevolence of an Institution like this to retrieve her character, and to exhibit her penitence by the active usefulness of her life. Many such deeds of benevolence, followed by such happy effects, are jewels in the diadem of the Foundling Hospital.

Need I say more to stir you up to the liberal support of an Institution, founded in such a spirit of Christian philanthropy, and administered on principles so judicious? Yet one word more I will say; and its object shall be to place before you the same Divine Person of whom we have already so often spoken, not now as the Model, but as Himself the Solicitor of your bounty. Between Himself and the miserable, Christ is pleased to recognize and assert an identification of interests. In them He speaks: in them He pleads: the accents of their distress are the accents of His appeal for your aid. "Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me."

"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh." Of yore He took little children in His arms, and blessed them. And His heart of love is not changed. His interest in the helpless and dependent members of the human family is the same, now that He fills the Mediatorial Throne, as when of old He moved along the margin of the Sea of Galilee. His charge to His Church respecting them, is that of Pharaoh's daughter to the mother of Moses-"Take this child, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." Wages! and shall there be wages, when each act of Christian liberality has a flaw in it, and the utmost stretch of it is but a sorry acknowledgment of blessings which

P

transcend imagination? Yes; for it is written"Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in nowise lose his reward."

SERMON XII.

THE SEARCH AFTER WISDOM.

A Sermon preached in Carfax Church, Oxford, in aid of the Funds of Alderman Nixon's School for the sons of freemen of the city of Oxford.

“Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

“But where shall wisdom be found ? and where is the place of understanding? Nan knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

“Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

“Bestruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.

“And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”JOB Xxviii. 1. 12, 13. 20. 22, 23. 28.

THE chapter from which these verses are selected1 forms in itself a complete poem, which might be appropriately entitled, the Search after Wisdom.

Before entering upon the discussion of its several parts, I would ask, "Who is there among us this morning, my brethren, that is really anxious to follow the inspired writer, or rather the inspired

1 In preaching the Sermon, verses 1. 12, 13. 20. 22, 23. 28. were selected for the text, as forming a sufficient skeleton of the whole chapter.

speaker, in his investigation? Who is there among us that is at once prepared to embark on this voyage of discovery with holy Job, and to search. after true wisdom until he find it?" I fear that there are some in every congregation who, from indifference to divine things, feel little interest in this voyage of discovery; and others, alas! who entertain a positive distaste for it, from an instinctive feeling that wisdom, when found, will lift up her voice and condemn them. Yes, there are doubtless some before me too giddy, unthinking, and frivolous, to concern themselves in a search professing to have so grave an object for its end; and others who, as being conscious that wisdom must dwell in the light, fear to engage in pursuit of her, because they love darkness, and demur to enter upon an investigation, which, if conducted with honesty and candour, and followed out by the light of God's Word to its due result, would (they are well aware) discompose them in their sinful indulgences.

But there are, we trust, many others here who are serious enough and candid enough to feel a sincere interest in this investigation; who, as prudent men, looking before and after, unfeignedly desire to attain that true wisdom which alone in the hour of death and day of judgment is able to stand them in stead; and, as honest men, unbiassed by partialities in favour of sin—wishing neither to spare "delicate Agag," nor to plead for "little Zoar,"—are ready at once to embark upon the search, without alleging excuses or counselling delay.

Let us

To them we address ourselves and say, accompany this holy man, even Job, who proposes to himself the very search which we are bent upon. Let us say to him (as it is written in the Prophets),