humble and a faithful heart; he never drove from his presence those who came in sorrow and penitence for their past offences. And it is even for sinners that he has ordained this sacrament; for sinners weary of their sins, and anxious to cast them off; for sinners, who are longing to be righteous, and who are seeking earnestly for forgiveness. Come then in penitence and humility to this holy feast. Come in faith and hope to the commemoration of your Saviour's love, and the anticipation of your Saviour's joy. Come hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and he will satisfy your souls with good things. Come seeking that communion with him which is the source of your spiritual life, the pledge of your eternal happiness, and he will guide you with his counsel here, and receive you to glory hereafter.

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SERMON XX.

GOD THE AUTHOR OF ALL GOOD.

PREACHED ON SUNDAY, MAY 1st, 1831; WHEN SEVERAL YOUNG PERSONS, FOUNDLINGS, HAVING SERVED THEIR APPRENTICESHIPS FAITHFULLY, ATTENDED DIVINE SERVICE, TO RETURN THANKS TO ALMIGHTY GOD, FOR THEIR PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION IN THE HOSPITAL.

JAMES i. 17.

Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning.

THE more we attempt to investigate the apparent inconsistencies which are continually presented to our view in the transactions of divine providence, the more useless and unsatisfactory do all our conjectures seem. And so it must for ever be, if we measure by our own reason, things that must be far above its finite standard. It is, perhaps, one of the strongest evidences of a disposition little accordant with the real spirit of

religion, to allow the mind to perplex itself with the subtleties of human wisdom, when employed in the contemplation of the perfections of God, and the relation which we bear to him, as his accountable though fallen creatures; instead of submitting at once to the simple declarations which are given to guide us into that truth which maketh wise unto salvation. There are points of knowledge which reason fails to compass, and which an implicit faith can alone render available to practical utility: and the humble and teachable spirit which thus submits its fancied wisdom to the true wisdom of God, is influenced by the highest principle of holy obedience, and will receive a blessing upon its faith. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God."

The indulgence of feelings contrary to that humility, which ought to dwell in the mind of man, has been in all ages the fruitful source of difficulties and doubts. Men have been unable, according to their received principles at least, to reconcile the existence of evil, with the power and attributes of God: they cannot account for the prevalence of sin, and sorrow, and temptation in a world confessedly under the superindence of a Being, in whose character is united all that is holy, and just, and good. Even holy men of old have not been free from doubts and perplexities on these subjects. "Wherefore

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hast thou made all men for nought?" exclaimed the Psalmist. "Then said I, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency." And it appears to have been not without long and serious reflection, that the inspired preacher of Israel arrived at this conclusion : Lo, this only have I found, that God made man upright, but they have found out many inventions." Similar doubts the apostle endeavours to combat in the passage from which the text is taken. He denies that God tempteth any man with evil; and declares, that " every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." And to confirm the minds of those to whom he writes, he displays the true character of God in the words of the text. Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." From the source of all good, nothing but good can descend: the gifts which he bestows are like himself, good and perfect; and if the best blessings of heaven fail sometimes to appear as such, the cause of this must be sought in the unworthiness and the folly of men, who know not how to use them aright, and thus turn them to their own destruction.

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Meditation upon the character of God, as the giver of all good, must tend to raise our feelings

of gratitude and love to him; and thus stimulate our hearty and zealous obedience to his laws, as well as promote our resignation to his will. And the unchangeable nature of his perfections will also inspire us with confidence in his everlasting mercy, and teach us that he will not forsake us, if we do not ourselves forget his benefits.

Whatever may have been the perplexities of those who lived without the blessings of a divine revelation, we may now, by the light of revealed truth, avoid all the consequences of these lamentable errors. We know, from the most indisputable authority, that the introduction of sorrow and death was the result of the fall of our first parents: that sin brought all the complicated woes of humanity into the world; woes which have ever since been aggravated and multiplied by the increase and the prevalence of crime. But we need not rest satisfied with the general acknowledgment of this truth; we may convince ourselves most fully by our own experience, that the same causes produce the same effects, even in their more immediate relation to our own selves. If we could, calmly and deliberately, examine the origin of our own troubles or calamities; if we could dispassionately probe our own hearts, and recal to memory many of our actions that have passed unnoticed, and are now forgotten, how often should we trace the beginnings of sorrow to our own follies, and dis