sovereign and of these realms, deliverance from the power of enemies, and the restoration of quietness and peace.

The royal family are the future hopes of the public, and in the mean time their whole behaviour is of very great consequence to it: we apply therefore, to the "Fountain of all goodness," who is thus able to supply the branches, as well as the root, for such blessings on every branch, especially the principal by name, as their condition requires; and we should not only pray for them, but pay a suitable regard to them; not listening to every idle and scandalous report which malice may propagate against them; and to think and speak of them with affection and respect, and admire and applaud their virtues, and to conceal, rather than publish their failings.

We pray for bishops and clergy and their charge, because nothing tends more effectually to promote God's glory, and the promotion of true religion in the world, than that the Church should be governed by wise and pious rulers, and conducted by zealous and holy ministers, and his house filled with humble, teachable, and godly people; and when we consider the awful responsibility which devolves on those who watch for souls, and must give an account; when we reflect on their peculiar trials and difficulties, the anxiety which they must feel, not only for the souls committed to their charge, but for their own souls also, "lest after having preached to others, they themselves should be cast away;" when we call to mind the vast concerns which in a measure depend on them, surely we must feel the duty of praying for our ministers, and greater blessings we cannot ask for them than is implored in this prayer; and if those persons who are loudest in their just complaints of the inconsistencies of some few clergymen, if they

who see these things and lament them, would give themselves to earnest prayer in behalf of their clergy, they might soon expect that every individual of our order, would faithfully preach Christ, and live according to godliness*.

By "curates" are meant not merely stipendiaries who assist the incumbent, as now the word is used to denote, but all those of the two other apostolic orders of clergy, priests and deacons, to whom the bishops, the chief pastors under Christ, have committed the cure or care of souls of some part of their flock. The bishops with these curates, and the flock or congregation committed to their charge, make up a Church.

This last statement agrees with Scripture and the opinions of the first Christians. According to our Saviour's definition, a Church is "a shepherd and his sheep that will hear his voice," to which St. Cyprian's description agrees: "The Church is a congregation of believers united to their bishop, and a flock adhering to their shepherd; whence you ought to know," says he, "that the Church is in the bishop, and the bishop in the Church, and they that are not with the bishop, are not in the Church." Now because the bishops are the guides and governors of the Church, so that all acts of the Church are ordered and directed by them, and seeing how much so high an office requires an extraordinary measure of Divine grace, we should remember them in our prayers, but especially and with peculiar affection the bishop under whom we severally live. It was indeed customary in the ancient Church to mention in the public prayers their bishop by name as well as their king.

It was stated before, that the Church usually addresses God by some attribute appropriate to the requests about to be made, and we here call on Him as

* CLOSE's Sermons.

the Being "who doest great marvels," because He hath marvellously gathered his Church from among infidels and heathens; He hath marvellously protected her against the malice of Satan, the rage of persecution, and the blind zeal of schism,-like the the bush in Horeb, burning she has not been consumed; He endued the apostles with marvellous and miraculous gifts on the day of Pentecost, and by their means many others; and He has and ever will produce marvellous effects on the hearts of believers by the ministry of his word and sacraments, and He only can do such things.

There is a peculiar propriety in petitioning God for the healthful Spirit of his grace. The influences of the Holy Spirit are in a greater or less degree necessary to be experienced by every individual that would be a Christian indeed; more especially so by those who are appointed to teach the way of salvation to others. For that he that teacheth and he that learneth must be assisted by the same Master: they must be renewed by the same grace, and derive their spiritual health from the same sources; and this we acknowledge when we pray that God would send down upon his ministers and their congregation the "healthful," that is, in Scripture idiom, the "holiness-bringing" Spirit of his grace. We conclude this prayer, "For the honour of Jesus Christ, our Advocate and Mediator," because neither minister nor people must ask for the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit with a view to advance their own glory and importance in the Church. The honour of our Advocate and Mediator must be the grand end of our petitions. Let him have all the honour of all the good we have ever received, and all the hope, and joy, and comfort we have ever experienced. An advocate is one who pleads the cause of another in a court of

H

justice; therefore Jesus Christ is called our Advocate, because he pleads our cause with our heavenly Father whom we have offended, and causes our pardon to be sealed, and our persons, accused by our sins, to be acquitted by him. He is also our Mediator, that is, the person who transacts the great affair of our reconciliation between God and his creatures. He intercedes for us, and is continually offering up his own merits for our sakes; to rescue and screen us by his all-perfect righteousness from that damnation to which we otherwise must have been eternally liable.

The prayer which follows is called A PRAYER OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM, from its having been taken out of a Greek liturgy ascribed to him. It was adopted by the Reformers, not knowing where to find a prayer, or persons to compose a prayer better adapted to the conclusion of the service. It first thankfully confesses the great goodness of our blessed Redeemer in disposing our minds, of themselves so variously and wrongly inclined, to ask unanimously of Him such things as we ought, and encouraging our applications by such explicit assurances of hearing us. Then it submits entirely to his wisdom in what manner, and how far He will think it for our good to grant us any of our particular requests, begging nothing absolutely but what He hath absolutely engaged to our prayers and endeavours; namely, that practical knowledge here of his truth, his doctrines and precepts, his promises and threatenings, that we may obtain the everlasting blissful enjoyment of his presence hereafter, being fully assured that if these two points be secured, everything else is of comparatively little value.

It is remarkable in the structure of the prayer, that it is not like the greater part of the prayers, addressed to the Father, in the name and mediation of his Son, but immediately to the Son, as appears

plainly from the promise referred to in the introductory part, which our Saviour made in his own person, whilst he dwelt on earth; and also from the omission of the usual words, "through Jesus Christ our Lord,” at the end. Not that when we address ourselves to one person only in the blessed Trinity, we are to exclude the others from our thoughts, since they are one undivided nature or substance, the joint objects of our faith and worship. Accordingly it is justly remarked in the Nicene creed, that "the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified," and in the Athanasian, that "in all things the Trinity and Unity are to be worshipped." The gracious promise of Christ alluded to is found in Matt. xviii. 19, 20, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst. of them;" that is, he will give them assurance of his presence, that he will grant their requests, 1 John v. 15. Perhaps we are but few at common prayer; but since we come as his disciples, in obedience to his precepts, to ask in his name alone, we are sure that God is among us and hears our prayers; and then such is his love to us, and power with God, that we doubt not to obtain them: and oh! whom would it not move, to lay aside all needless impediments, and come to prayers, when we are sure to meet the Lord Jesus there!

It was customary in both the Jewish and Christian Churches to dismiss the people from religious assemblies with a blessing. It was pronounced by the priest, and received by the people on their knees; nor ought any one to go out before it was given. The Jews had a form of God's making, and ours is indited by the Spirit, and is the same with which St. Paul used to close his epistles. This latter form was delivered to the Christian Church to be used instead