66

that there was blood upon them, and for the matter about Uriah it may be, were not clean enough. In such a good work there must be no vain glory, no vanity, no ostentation,-all must be for the honour of God, so that here, as in worship, a man shall say, “ I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord, and so will I go to thine altar; that I may show the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous tworks. This thine house, O Lord, have I caused to be repaired and beautified as an unworthy and unprofitable servant should, because thou hast showered down blessings upon my head; Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth, and thus have I humbly wished, unwilling as I am to let my left-hand know what my right-hand has done, to let my light shine before men!" Happy the people blessed with such a benefactor! Happy the man who is thus wise to salvation. The Holy Spirit has opened his heart as he did Lydia's', -nor has he known the Saviour only by the hearing of the ear, but he has found the Christ the Saviour of the world.

And now, Christian brethren, in conclusion let me exhort you to be thankful, and to show that you are so by being a people zealous of good works, leading a righteous, and a sober, and a godly life here, that when your earthly tabernacle fails, and you return to your dust, Christ may be your righ

1 Psalm xxvi. 6, 7.

2 Acts. xxvi. 14.

teousness, and save your souls alive. In the doing so you will best please your earthly benefactor, of whom you may almost say, in the words of Ezra, Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this into the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord'—and most assuredly you will so please your Father which is in heaven,your Benefactor which is above-even the Lord, who has bade you to keep his sabbaths, and to reverence his sanctuary, and who has so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Lastly, as ye know that except the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost that build it, let me call upon you to pray for yourselves and for your children in that beautiful collect of our Church, which says, "O Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion: that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace, may ever more be defended by thy mighty power, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

3

1 c. vii. 27.

2 John iii. 16, 17.

Ps. cxxvii. 1. On accidentally turning to Bishop Reynold's Works (long after this sermon was written) I found he had made a somewhat similar application of these words of the Psalmist. See vol. iv. p. 316. Ed. 8vo. 1826.

EXTRACT

FROM

GEORGE HERBERT'S TEMPLE.

THE CHURCH PORCH.

PERIRHANTERIUM.

Restore to God his due in tithe and time;

A tithe purloined cankers the whole estate.
Sundays observe, think when the bells do chime,
'Tis angels' music; therefore come not late.
God then deals blessings; if a king did so,

Who would not haste, nay give, to see the show?

Tho' private prayer be a brave design,

Yet public hath more promises, more love:
And love's a weight to hearts; to eyes a sign.

We all are but cold suitors; let us move

Where it is warmest. Leave thy six and seven; Pray with the most; for where most pray, is heaven.

When once thy foot enters the church, be bare.
God is more there than thou; for thou art there
Only by his permission. Then beware,

And make thyself all reverence and fear.

Kneeling ne'er spoil'd silk stockings : quit thy state;

All equal are within the church's gate.

Resort to sermons, but to prayers most;
Praying's the end of preaching. Oh be drest,

Stay not for the other pin.

Why, thou hast lost

A joy, for it, worth worlds.

Thus hell doth jest

Away thy blessings, and extremely flout thee;

Thy clothes being fast, but thy soul loose, about thee.

In time of service seal up both thine eyes,

And send them to thy heart; that, spying sin,
They may weep out the stains by them did rise.
Those doors being shut, all by the ear comes in.
Who marks in church-time other's symmetry,
Makes all their beauty his deformity.

Let vain or busy thoughts have there no part:
Bring not thy plough, thy plots, thy pleasure thither.
Christ purg'd his temple; so must thou thy heart.
All worldly thoughts are but thieves met together
To cozen thee. Look to thy action well,
For churches either are our heaven or hell.

Judge not the preacher, for he is thy judge:
If thou mislike him, thou conceiv'st him not.
God calleth preaching folly. Do not grudge
To pick out treasures from an earthen pot.

The worst speak something good. If all want sense,
God takes a text and preacheth patience.

He that gets patience, and the blessings which
Preachers conclude with, hath not lost his pains.
He that, by being at church escapes the ditch
Which he might fall in by companions, gains.

He that loves God's abode, and to combine
With saints on earth, shall one day with them shine.

Jest not at preacher's language or expression:

How knowest thou but thy sins made him miscarry? Then turn thy faults and his into confession.

God sent him whatsoe'er he be.

Oh tarry,

And love him for his Master! His condition,
Though it be ill, makes him no ill physician.

None shall in hell such bitter pangs endure,
As those who mock at God's way of salvation;
Whom oil and balsams kill, what salve can cure?
They drink with greediness a full damnation.

The Jews refused thunder, and we, folly.
Though God do hedge us in, yet who is holy?

Sum up at night what thou hast done by day,
And in the morning what thou hast to do.
Dress and undress thy soul. Mark the decay
And growth of it. If with thy watch, that too
Be down, then wind up both. Since we shall be
More surely judg'd, make thy accounts agree.

In brief, acquit thee bravely: play the man.
Look not on pleasures as they come, but go.
Defer not the least virtue. Life's poor span
Make not an ell, by trifling in thy woe.

If thou do ill, the joy fades, not the pains :
If well, the pain doth fade, the joy remains.

THE END.

GILBERT & RIVINGTON, Printers, St. John's Square, London.