the Holy Ghost in the ordinances of Christ's appointment, go far, if not all the length, to commit the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which cannot be forgiven.

But, before I conclude, I would present to you, as it were, a bird's-eye view of the subject under consideration, which is worthy of all careful study; forasmuch as it concerneth God, and hath reference to that claim which he interposeth in right of Creator, but especially in right of Redeemer, to the services of men. And, in order that ye may judge of the unholiness of these, compared with former times, I pray your observation of these three heads, of holy persons-the holy Scriptures-and holy things.

Holy persons consist of all who are set apart by any ordinance of the church: in the first degree, the priesthood; in the second, the communicants who partake of the Lord's body; and, in the third, the baptized. Now, I ask you, without attending to the reason of it, to answer me as to the fact, whether the unholiness of the times be not shewn in a growing disrespect for the priesthood. Caused, no doubt, ofttimes by our own unworthiness of holy orders, but still more by the spirit of desecration and unholiness which is gone abroad, the very name of priest hath become a scoff, and the name of churchman a derision. Our order is no more sacred; our office is without authority; our persons without respect. In public newspapers our infirmities are blazoned abroad; in public streets we need

only to be known, in order to be the song of the vulgar. If, again, I speak of those who sit down at the Lord's table, who are the "holy persons," as the baptized are the "holy infants" of the church: not only the sacredness, but the very esteem of that distinction seemeth to be departed, in the relaxation and almost extinction of ecclesiastical discipline. Though the church hath done her utmost, by most venerable, august, and solemn services, to draw the sacred fence around the communion, how every aspirant or expectant of office will trample them all down under his profane foot! Thus the distinction of holy persons is desecrated by the unholy people. No gild, nor city company, nor masonic society, but would be more reverenced in the entering to it, than is the royal priesthood, and chosen nation, and peculiar people of God. And it is as much despised by the multitudes, who never deem it worth their while to take on the voluntary profession of Christ, as it is profaned by those who do. And for the baptized, it hath required me the labour of many homilies, and will require the labour of more still, to make you understand that they are in any thing more holy than the pagans. So much for holy persons. To which I could add, the profanation of the elder's office in our church; the profanation of the priest's office for a piece of bread in every church; its base subserviency to patrons on the one hand, and submission to the people upon the other.

But I proceed to open perhaps the greatest sign of the unholiness of these times, in their treatment of the holy Scriptures, which even the Papacy held sacred during the dark ages, until the Council of Trent; when, to sustain a tottering superstition, they dared to decree that the Apocryphal books were canonical Scriptures. But we, to sustain no church, to serve no interest of any church, but straight in the teeth of the canons, and subversive of the foundations of the Protestant church, have adopted the profanity of the Trent Council; and, out of pure irreverence-they say, liberality and generosity; and so it is, but an unholy liberality and generosity-out of voluntary irreverence for the sacred Scriptures, and pure blindness of spirit that there is any evil in the thing, we have set afloat and circulated the Scriptures all intermingled and adulterated with these unsanctioned and unsanctified writings. Ah me! what would the ancient Jews have said to this?--the ancient Jews, who would not suffer a king to enter the sanctuary, and who ofttimes died at the sacrifices, rather than suffer the time of them to be desecrated in the straitness of their sieges? The only man in London who was found zealous enough to thrust his hand through the window and pluck down the blasphemous picture of the invisible God, and surrender himself to pay the penalty, was a Jew: and the only nation worthy to keep the oracles of God pure, will be found yet to be Jews. They, and they only, have the right

idea of the sacredness and value of Divine revelation.

And for sacred things-in which I include the Sabbath, and the house of God, when it is occupied for Divine worship, and the sacraments, and the ordinances of Divine worship -to speak of them a little in order. First, of the Sabbath: I cannot tell how it was in this city thirty years ago; some say better, some say worse; but I well know what it was in other parts, and can bear my witness that in no way more than in growing disrespect for this holy day, is the increasing unholiness of the age shewn forth: and how much Satan hath poisoned men's minds with respect to the principle of the Sabbath altogether, and shaken their faith in it as a standing ordinance of the church, I can likewise testify, having had more arguments to maintain with young men of my own standing, upon that, than upon any other subject: and I believe it is an evil custom, a desecration of that holy day, which was not known thirty years ago, that lawyers should keep their offices open, and merchants their countinghouses, and money-changers their banks. As to the house of God, during the hours of public worship; it is such a weariness and vexation to my spirit to see how it is profaned by loungers and idlers coming in and going out, as if it were a place of public entertainment, that I can hardly bear to speak of it, but will content myself by telling you how it was wont to be in

the days of old. John Knox, our Reformer, using the liberty of his office in preaching, chanced to give offence by his boldness to the Lord Provost of St. Andrews, who, being offended, dared to interrupt the holy service by leaving the church abruptly, in the midst of the sermon. The Reformer said nothing at the time but next Sabbath, when he saw him in his place, he publicly rebuked him before the congregation. But such now is the unholiness of men's minds, that if I were to do such a thing in my place, to any one of the many who thus daily offend, I should be thought either a conceited fool or an arrogant upstart, so to intermeddle with the liberty of the subject. Without going into details, let those instances suffice to shew you the state of unholiness to which the minds of men are come. The same thing might be demonstrated by comparing the holy men of these times with the holy men of ages past; the sacred literature of these times, with that of times past; or by any other test of comparison whatever; but, preferring the method of direct declaration to that of comparison, I have shewn you, by these three sketches of holy men, holy writings, and holy things, how unholy the spirit of these times is become.

And thus, dear brethren, have I again sought to reveal another of the characteristics of the church in these times in which we live,-its profanity, or unholiness. And I confess to you,