housed and thrashed that it may remain in so many separate grains, but that many grains being duly prepared, and mixed into one loaf, it may so fulfil its purpose for the good of God's creatures. Even so God has not made us to be happy, each singly and apart from the rest: we must be incorporated into one Body, the Body of CHRIST; joined together, really and spiritually, as members of His Church and kingdom. This union HE HIMSELF represents to us under the figure of Bread; partly, I suppose, that we may understand how close and intimate it is; not like several limbs and joints compacted together, but like drops of water or small portions of air, mutually running one into another. 'We, being many, are one Bread and one Body." We are one Bread, by our union with HIM who is the Life of our souls; one, because we all have one and the same spiritual Life, from one Head, JESUS CHRIST, and are meant to be joined together in nearer and closer participation of HIM for ever.

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And of this the Holy Communion is a token and pledge, and the great mean, also, whereby GoD brings it to pass in this world. As the Apostle goes on and says, "We are one Bread and one Body: for we are all partakers of that one Bread." The virtue of that holy thing, which the faithful receive in the Sacrament of the LORD's Supper, is such, that it kneads, as it were together, and forms into one loaf, one Body, one CHRIST, the whole number of Christian people, in all places, and at all times. And of this the Bread which the Priest duly offers on the LORD's holy altar or table is an emblem; as the twelve loaves or shew-bread which used to be placed on the table in the outer Tabernacle, were an emblem of the twelve tribes of Israel duly offering themselves to the ALMIGHTY; not each person apart, but in that union which GOD intended them to partake of.

Thus, as the works of the harvest and the threshing-floor were meant to be to every one of us signs and remembrances of the great and dreadful day, so the Bread, the Fruit of the harvest, is the token and pledge of the blessed end of that day, to all who have not forfeited their portion in CHRIST; Union with Him and His Saints in His everlasting kingdom.

Finally, when the harvest is over, the husbandman's natural thought must be, "Here is the chief work of this year done: it is over, and cannot be recalled: if I have managed my ground

ill, and so made it less fruitful than it should be, I can but take the consequences; it is too late to think of amending it for this season. Such thoughts as these may help us to represent to ourselves the confusion and self-reproach of the slothful ones in that harvest, after which there will be no seed-time, no months of renewed labour, to make up for past negligence, no spring or summer to provide for another autumn. Such a state of mind

the Prophet seems to have had in his thoughts, when in the name of God's suffering people, full of remorses, but not truly repenting, he cried out, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and yet we are not saved."

What if this should be our case? and it will be our case, if we live not always in fear of it. We shall be chaff and not wheat, the wind will carry us away, if we be not careful to maintain our communion with JESUS CHRIST, by all holy desires, good counsels, and Church ordinances; and, above all, by strict keeping of the commandments; and by long, deep, bitter repentance, when they have been broken: and all this, as the yet more perfect and only preparation for the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of CHRIST, which is itself the way to be one with HIM hereafter for ever.

SERMON CXCIV.

ECONOMY A HELP TO FAITH.

MATTHEW vi. 33.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

It might be asked, what are the things of which our BLESSED LORD is speaking in these remarkable words? They are the things which He has made most necessary for us here in this short life; meat, drink, and clothing; along with which of course we must understand all other like things; I mean such as fuel, shelter, or lodging, attendance and remedies in sickness and weakness; all things, in short, which may be properly called "necessaries of life."

Our BLESSED MASTER knew well how much our infirm nature would be always taken up with the thought of these things, both for ourselves and for those whom He has made near and dear to us; and He has most mercifully given us a rule, sufficient, if we would truly practise it, to cure us of both sorrow and sin in all such matters. He has promised us the necessaries of life on this one condition, that we make His Kingdom and righteousness our first care. He has promised, who is Truth itself: in this, as in higher things, offering to us His peculiar gift, His peace,-the

1 Preached to a Friendly Society, in Whitsun week.

peace of GOD, given not as the world giveth. The world promises us food and raiment, and freedom from care and anxiety about it, on condition of our being worldly wise, "rising up early and late taking rest, and eating the bread of carefulness:" but our LORD promises us the same, and His blessing besides, on this only condition, that we seek first His Kingdom and righte

ousness.

Now food and raiment, support and relief, at such times as men shall not be able to get them for themselves, are the very objects with a view to which all well constituted Friendly Societies are formed. You are, in profession at least, here assembled to beg GOD's blessing on your undertaking, and His grace, that it and all your other works may be begun, continued, and ended in HIM. No words then of Holy Scripture can be better suited to the present occasion, than the promise of our LORD in the text. We may at once apply them as a kind of rule, whereby to judge whether we are going on in a way pleasing in His sight. If we and our Societies are seeking before all, God's Kingdom and His righteousness, then may we humbly hope for His blessing on them; not so in any other case.

Now I think one may perceive in the notion itself of wellordered Friendly or Provident Societies, certain helps towards seeking the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness, which may encourage us to hope that HE may look on them with grace and approbation.

There must be some little self-denial and forethought, for a labouring man to belong to such a society; more especially if times go hard with him, and he has many mouths to provide for. He must often do without things which he would be glad to possess, and save money which he would be glad to spend. Now self-denial and forethought are good things; they are, as far as they go, exercises of faith; and when any one of us tries to practise them, even but in small matters, from a sense of duty, we have good hope that God's blessing will rest upon that man. The HOLY SPIRIT will accept his little offering, if he spoil it not by wilful sin in other respects, and will give him grace to do higher and better things.

Then the turn of mind which leads people to join such societies is undoubtedly so far good and Christian, as it tends to industry,

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prudence, sobriety, and order, rather than to idleness and folly, riot and revelling. Young men, at first setting out in life, find themselves always in the condition of one to whom two ways offer themselves at once: the broad way which leadeth unto destruction, and the narrow way which leadeth unto life; the way of pleasure,

so called, and the way of duty; and it seems plain, upon the whole, that Benefit Societies, well managed, are an encouragement to those who are inclined to take the right path rather than the wrong. If they think at all, it keeps in their minds the recollection of sickness and accidents, to which they are so liable every moment, and of old age, to which they all hope to come. It helps them to know, if they have good and frugal resolutions, where they may find others to keep them in countenance. As far as it goes, it tends to remove them from among the wild and thoughtless part of mankind, and to settle them among the prudent, and regular, and considerate.

Then it is very particularly to be considered, that these Friendly Societies are in their intention not only prudent, but benevolent and charitable things. Every person who subscribes, knows that very likely he may never receive any of his own money back again. He may be taken off suddenly; and besides, for aught he knows, the rules of the Society may not be so well framed, but that it may fail, and be unable to help him, just at the time when he needs it. If notwithstanding this uncertainty he subscribes with a cheerful heart, saying, "If I never need it, so much the better; I will not grudge it to those who do:" this again seems to be a sort of temper which God, it may be hoped, will bless and encourage it partakes of faith and trust in HIM, and of a kindly, open heart towards our neighbour.

You will of course understand, that when I speak of these as so many reasons for thinking well of Friendly Societies, I mean such societies as are well ordered and conducted: such as really, and not in words only, discourage rioting and drunkenness and revelry, profane, filthy, or discontented talk, or quarrelling and disputing, where all should be brotherly love. We know it is but too easy, in this or any other company of mortal men, for such bad ways and passions to get the better; and then, of course, all that has been said in their praise will not hinder them from doing more harm than good; and so much the more, as evil is