trines and places, but a holy influence which is to be exerted over every part of our existence, here and hereafter. Therefore it is, that "she takes to herself almost every common action of our lives, and makes it her own by giving it a religious turn, a Church meaning. She keeps meddling with us in every stage of our lives. She comes among us in our Baptism, Education, Confirmation, Marriage, Sickness, and Death. She calls upon us to consecrate our worldly goods, by yielding a portion up to her. She bids us make our time minister to Eternity, by calling us away from a worldly use of it on her Sunday and Saints' days. She makes us put a limit even upon our natural appetites, that she may teach us, through her Fasts, obedience and self denial and bountiful giving of alms. Thus she strives to interweave herself with our most secret and common thoughts, our every-day actions, our domestic griefs and joys. She would put something spiritual into them all. She is diligent, unwearying, ungrudging as her Master, always going about doing good.

Is not this system, then, one most beautiful in all its parts, and proving what care the Church has taken of our spiritual interests? Is there any thing here left undone, which ought to have been done-any link wanting in the chain by which she binds us to the Throne of God? No, he who is once within her fold, and yet wishes to cast aside her influence, and return to worldliness, would be obliged to make an effort, before he can succeed in bursting the bands which she hath twined about him, and breaking away from her holy restraints. Not on her therefore must be cast the blame, when any who have belonged to her, fall by the way, and thus prove that they are to have no part nor lot in the Heavenly inheritance. She has provided every thing necessary for their spiritual welfare. The waters of life are flowing beside them, brightly and beautifully, but they will not stoop and drink. The Heavenly armor is before them, but they will not array themselves in it for the conflict.

Do I address one individual, then, who has ever felt inclined to distrust the Church, and to wander elsewhere, seeking food? Is there one, who fears lest he cannot grow in holiness beneath her quiet round of services, who charges

* Faber on "The Church-Catechism," p. 6.

her with formality, and wishes to turn to some place, where he can find more excitement? My brother! it is not by noise and bustle that you are to be aided in your progress to Hea. ven. The contest you are to wage, must be fought withir. -in your own heart-and from the responsibility of this, nothing can relieve you. Excitement will only lead your thoughts away to the outward world of action, instead of the little inward world of meditation. It can never produce the necessary moral discipline, and if you trust to it, you will find, when the morning of the Resurrection comes, that you are without the wedding garment.

Again; let me ask such a person another question— Have you thoroughly tried this system of the Church, to see what is its effect? She has appointed, as we have shown you, varied services. Have you faithfully attended all of these-Sundays and week-days-on Festivals and in Lent? Have you acted out that principle, by which alone her true children are guided, that nothing but an insuperable obstacle shall prevent them from being present here? If you have not, what possible idea can you form, of the influence of her holy system? She has also her regular Fast days, to discipline your spirit, and recall your affections from a world which is passing away. Have you observed them as you should, afflicting the soul here that it may be saved hereafter? She has too her Holy Festivals, when, in a spirit of subdued joy, we are to come before God in thanksgiving. Have you done so, or have those solemn, consecrated days been lost, and unmarked amidst the other days of your worldly life? Oh, if you have not, month after month sat humbly at her feeɩ, and listened to her teaching, what right have you to allege that she does not supply every spiritual want? She can only place her system before you, and then leave it to yourself to enjoy its benefits or not. She can minister only to the faithful.

Come, then, and make but trial of her power. While trouble is out among the nations, and "men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth," we call you to this ancient fold, where the landmarks are still unchanged. Her strength is unabated—her grace is undiminished—and she can now pour into your heart the same fall tide of joy, which she

has given to the saints in the generations which have gone. Still, her prayers, and Sacraments, and holy rites, remain as ɔf old, and she stands before you, in this world a home for the lonely, and at the same time a type of that eternal and unchanging home for which she would prepare you.

POPULAR OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE CHURCH.

Bide thou thy time!

Watch with meek eyes the race of pride and crime
Sit in the gate, and be the heathen's jest,

Smiling and self-possest,

O thou, to whom is pledged a Victor's sway,

Bide thou the Victor's day!

Lyra Apostolica.

THERE are some so blinded by prejudice, that every thing connected with the distinctive principles of the Church, is the object of their special anathema. They see no beauty in her ancient, solemn services-nothing venerable in the .ong succession of her Bishops, as the unbroken line comes down through eighteen centuries. They understand but little of her peculiarities-they know not what is Primitive and Catholic—and they care not to inquire. The fact that any thing which they have abandoned, has been retained by the Church, is sufficient to draw down upon it their reprobation. "Having eyes, they see not, and having ears, they hear not." They form a perfect illustration of old Fuller's description of Prynne-" So great is his antipathy against Episcopacy, that if a Seraph himself should be a Bishop, he would either find or make some sick feathers in his wings." Now, to such persons explanations are useless. Words are wasted on them. They can only be left to go on, until their wilful blindness leads them into some strange extravagance, and they thus by their conduct give a new proof of what Dr. Johnson asserted, that " fanaticism is robust ignorance."

There are others, however, who will listen like reason. able beings. They have perhaps, been educated in entire

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misapprehension of the spirit which pervades the Church, and even of the object of her services. They have heard the oft-repeated calumnies which are urged against her, yet never met with their refutation. By such persons then, a few words of explanation will often be received in that spirit which should always characterize the sincere inquirer after truth. I propose, therefore, this evening briefly to discuss some of the COMMON AND POPULAR OBJECTIONS WHICH ARE URGED AGAINST THE CHURCH. Several which I shall mention, may appear to those already within the pale of the Church, as being too trivial and unimportant to be noticed. Yet they are only such as I have often myself encountered, for few subjects connected with religion are so little understood by the great mass of those about us, as the claims and true position of our Church.

One objection employed against us iss—our use of the word" Catholic." In the Apostle's Creed, which we repeat every Sunday, we declare-"I believe in the Holy Catholic Church"-and in the second Creed set down in our PrayerBook-that called the Nicene, and which was adopted a. d. 325, to be explanatory of the first-this confession is made still more strongly-"I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church." So, too, in one of the Prayers in "The Visitation of the Sick," we pray God, that "when we shall have served Him in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers in the communion of the Catholic Church." Now, to many persons the phrase Catholic Church conveys nothing but the idea of the Church of Rome, because they have most erroneously been accustomed to distinguish the members of that particular body by the name of Catholics, although it is a title which belongs to them no more than it does to any other branch of the Christian Church.

This word is derived from the Greek word Koxxos, which means general or universal. The Holy Catholic Church, then, means the Holy Universal Church, as existing in her different branches in all parts of the earth, and in all ages of the world. For example, this is the Greek word which is employed in the New Testament in setting forth the titles of the Epistles of St. James, St. Peter, St. Jude, and the First Epistle of St. John; because instead of being address. ed to particular Churches-as St. Paul addressed his Epis