with us is of a very peculiar kind ;” and in proof of this, among other facts," their having amongst themselves the fixed forms of all devotional expreffion which the heart of every Christian man, just in proportion as it is thoroughly imbued with the Holy Spirit, naturally takes as the best and most chofen mode of expreffing its own defires—all of these bind us to this ancient people of God by a special tie of brotherhood. Every one of us, who, ftanding over the open grave to which we have been committing the bodies of those dear to us, has felt that the words of the Pfalm which we then recite in our Liturgy, have been the very words above all others in which he would defire to offer up his heart's fubmiffion to God, must feel that he has a duty to that ancient people. Every one who has wept in fecret, and fmitten upon his breast in the consciousness of tranfgreffion, muft feel that the brethren

of that Royal Pfalmist, from whose broken heart the Spirit of Jehovah drew forth the fifty-first Pfalm, is ours in an especial brotherhood-ours in the brotherhood of repentance, in the unity of a wounded spirit."

Ours, too, I would add, in the gentle fympathies which the fcourging hand of a common Father is wont to create ours to acknowledge, "Before I was afflicted I went aftray but now have I kept Thy word."

And now, brethren, while we confider the short description which David gives of his character and life in the text, every faithful child of God will trace the refemblance to himself the spiritual family likeness (if I may so speak) which distinguishes those who, in hearty affection, are privileged to addrefs Jehovah as "Our Father!" cc Abba, Father! Three ftates or divi

fions of his life are referred to by David :

First. The period of going aftray "before he was afflicted."

Secondly. The time of his affliction. Thirdly. The refult of it in his character. "Now have I kept Thy word."

First. The period before affliction, when the heart goes aftray: "Ye were as sheep going aftray, but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your fouls," writes St. Peter.

Now, when we fpeak in this figurative language of "going aftray," we encounter no oppofition in the hearts of unenlightened men. The painful truth declared in the expreffion is not fo evident as when clothed in language divefted of metaphor. Accordingly, multitudes will join in the confeffion of our Church, " Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like loft fheep." (The very fame idea and expreffion.) But yet, when

preffed to acknowledge this confeffion individually, many and varied are the tortuous methods by which minds, flimed over by the subtle serpent of Eden's garden, slip out of and elude the clenchings of the application: "Well, they don't know if they have been fo very bad, after all; certainly they are no worse than their neighbours ;" and a variety of fuch-like heathenish pleas of felfdefence are produced. I can only fay that fuch perfons, if they ever thoughtfully refpond at all in the humble confeffion of our public fervice, must think that the words are fingularly inapplicable to their cafe. How can a pharifee, of felf-applauding notions and high ideas of excellence-how can fuch an one allow "that he has followed too much the devices and defires of his own heart—that he has offended against God's holy laws that he has left undone those things which he ought to have done, and

done those things which he ought not to have done, and that there is no health in him?" How can fuch cry out, "Have mercy on me, a miferable offender!" when the fecret of his heart is, that he is clear of offence?

But it is no natural acknowledgment for a man to fay, "I went aftray." He muft first be acquainted with the strictness of God's holy law- he must be taught of God's Spirit that "fin is the tranfgresfion of the law:" the law is, as it were, a decifive line of demarcation-one fide is right, the other wrong. He that tranfgreffes, or steps across from one fide to the other, from right to wrong, he breaks the law-he fins-he goes aftray, and is guilty in God's fight. When a man has learned this leffon, and has proved, by fad experience, that, according to this code, no man that breathes is free from fin, then he begins to acknowledge that he has indeed