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has been described, the Curses are recorded and not the Blessings; whereas in the corresponding transaction on the mount of Olives, from thence called the mount of the Beatitudes, the Blessings only are specified. The silence of Scripture is often mystical and significant. The "Law had only a shadow of good things to come;" the realities, of which the law of Moses furnished the shadow, or "Grace and Truth, came by Jesus Christ."-Heb. v. 1.-John i. 17.

The Levites were appointed to pronounce the Curses as well as the Blessings. The Ministers of Religion must denounce "the terrors of the Lord" against the impenitent, as well as declare his mercy to the penitent believer. It is an act of unfaithfulness in an ambassador from God to withhold either the one or the other. In publishing and calling attention to the curse of the Law, the "wrath of God" as "revealed against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men," they act a part that is affectionate and charitable, however their intentions and feelings may be misunderstood and misrepresented. This Divine ordinance in the history of Israel illustrates two appointments of our own church.

It illustrates the reason why the ten Commandments are appointed to be read at the opening of our Communion service, and the short prayer which is provided for the use of all her members after each commandment. That prayer, as we shall presently see, answers to the word Amen, required to be said by all the Israelites after every curse denounced by the Levites on mount Ebal. It is a paraphrase on that word. The object for which the commandments are read at the commencement of the communion service, is evidently this; It "is required of them who come to the Lord's supper"-"To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life;"

-whether they "have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death," and whether they "be in charity with all men.' "" Now the ten commandments, the law of God, are the rule by which this self-examination must be conducted. "By the law is the knowledge of sin;" and the knowledge of our own sinfulness is indispensably pre-requisite to the exercise of faith in Christ, and to "a thankful remembrance of his death," as the only atonement for sin, and the only ground of hope that we shall be saved from it. Indeed, repentance, which always accompanies faith, is immediately connected with that knowledge of the sinfulness of our own hearts and lives, which the law, understood in its spiritual meaning, must always produce.

The other appointment in our own church, to which an allusion has been made as illustrated by the awful ceremony on Mount Ebal, is the Commination Service on Ash-Wednesday. Both the reading of the Ten Commandments at the opening of the Communion Service, in preparation for partaking of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Commination Service at the beginning of Lent, are wise, affecting, and impressive, appointments. They are designed and suited to awaken the careless to consideration; to undeceive the mere formalist in religion; to deepen repentance in those who have become penitent believers in Christ, and to produce compunction in the impenitent; to excite the faith of the true Christian to more lively exercise; to increase his love and gratitude to the Redeemer of his soul; and, lastly, to confirm him in the path of holy obedience in which he is desirous of walking all the days of his life.

Objections have been raised against the Commination Service of our Church. It has been said, that those who attend the service of Ash-Wednesday

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"go to church to curse their neighbours." The remark is the effect of ignorance, and proves in him who makes it a sad want of self-knowledge, and also of an acquaintance both with the Law and the Gospel. It is the sole prerogative of God to pronounce and inflict the curse of his own law, as well as to forgive sins committed against it. It is the office of his ministers to declare in his name, and by his authority, the awful consequences of sin, and the curses denounced in his law. It is the duty of every one, who hears the denunciation to assent to its equity. Did those who cavil duly consider the subject, they would find that it is a declaration of God's displeasure against themselves as sinners, to which they assent when they say, AMEN. There is one of the declarations in Deut. xxvii., which charges every individual with guilt, "and concludes all under sin." It is the last of those denunciations—“ Cursed be he that confirmeth not all these words of this law to do them,"-which St. Paul has quoted and expounded, Gal. iii. 10;"Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them." That man must be deplorably ignorant of the nature of the law of God, as reaching to every thought and intent of the heart, as well as to every act of the life, who can suppose that he has 'continued," through the whole course of his life, "in all things which are written in the book of the law," so as to have yielded all unsinning obedience to it. Indeed the response required to be used after every commandment proves, that the church considers every member of her community to have transgressed every commandment in thought, word, or deed; for how else shall we account for her directing even her communicants, those whom she considers fit to be admitted to her most sacred ordinance, to say, "Lord, have mercy upon us, and

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incline our hearts to keep this law." The disinclination of the heart to every branch of the law of God is here supposed; and that disinclination is itself the essence of all sin.

But let us inquire more particularly into the propriety of the Rubric which requires that "the people," that is, every one who joins in the worship (which all who call themselves churchmen are supposed to do) "shall say AMEN," after each denunciation of the wrath of God, as was required to be done by the Israelites on Mount Ebal.

The word "AMEN" does not necessarily imply a wish or imprecation, it often merely affirms some fact." It is so"-" It is just that it should be so." Were an assembly of true Christians, persons who feel it to be their duty to love their neighbours as themselves, to hear sentence pronounced on a criminal in a court of judicature, they might without any breach of charity say AMEN to that sentence. It would only declare the justice of the conviction and punishment of the offender: were a penitent criminal, after being found guilty of a capital crime, to hear the sentence of death pronounced on himself, it would be his duty, the evidence of a penitent state of heart, to say "AMEN; the sentence passed on me is just."

We

The duty then, here enjoined, of saying AMEN after every denunciation of the curse of God, as incurred by transgression of the Divine law, is a profession of faith in the certainty of all God's denunciations against impenitent sinners. thereby avow our firm persuasion that he whom God pronounceth cursed, is cursed. This the ungodly do not believe, or they would not continue in impenitence and unbelief, without fear of the consequences. But the true churchman mixes faith with all the threatenings of the Divine law, as well as with the promises of the Gospel, and is assured that they will all be accomplished.

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The duty is, moreover, an assent to the equity of the curse denounced. It expresses a conviction that the Judge of all the earth is justified in his awful denunciations of wrath. "The law is holy, and just, and good." Rom. vii. 12. No one can, however, join cordially in this assent who does not comprehend the reason why the curses were inscribed on the altar of sacrifice. It is the cross of Christ alone that reconciles the conscious sinner to the law of God, and enables him to say that "It is holy, just, and good."

The word AMEN therefore, as used in the Commination Service, is intended to include a penitent confession of sin. The word expresses what we subjoin to the commandments in the Communion Service-Lord have mercy upon us." It implies what we admit in the general confession of that. service. Indeed, that confession may be considered as a paraphrase of its meaning-"Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sius and wickedness which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy Divine Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord-Amen." There is a beautiful uniformity in all the services of our church, which all suppose man to be a lost sinner, who has no other hope of pardon and salvation besides that which is to be