of the Christian religion. I have made it the rule of my life, and it is the ground of my future hopes."

We return to the case of Nathanael, and we observe, that as the character, attributed to him by our Lord, may be our example in the investigation of divine truth, so the promise made to him by the same high authority may be our encouragement. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

The promise was fulfilled, even in its literal meaning, by those visible ministrations of celestial visitants, which occasionally attested to the disciples the divine mission of their Lord. More generally, perhaps, by the testimonies of divine power which attended him, independently of any special visible interposition of the heavenly messengers. At all events the faith of Nathanael was rewarded by his being admitted to fuller proofs of the Messiahship, the sovereignty, and the divinity of Jesus. To those portions of divine knowledge, which we possess, we may cherish the hope, that, pro

vided we duly entertain them, continual accessions will be made. Even in this life we may trust, that our faith, being duly encouraged, will become clearer and stronger; till it receive its final consummation in that future state, when "the things now hoped for" shall be realised in enjoyment; and "the things now not seen," otherwise than by the evidence of faith, shall be rendered visible in the presence of our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier, one God, blessed for evermore. Amen.

Collects.

“O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who didst give to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy word; Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy Church to love that word which he believed, and both to preach and receive the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen i.”

"ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee

Collect for the day.

and the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen."

"ALMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may alway serve thee in pureness of living and truth, through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

And fair the moonlight's robe of white, O'er earth's green surface thrown:

But Alpine snow, nor crystal stream, Can pure delight impart,

Nor moon, nor evening planet's gleam, To match the guileless heart.

For these material works of God
Of Him memorials stand,
And tell the Maker's power abroad,
The wonders of his hand:

But guileless truth and innocence,
By God to men consign'd,
Reflect his moral excellence,

An image of his mind.

ST. MATTHEW.

Matthew the publican. MATT. x. 3.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ST. MATTHEW.

THE Saint, who is the subject of the Church's commemoration this day, is distinguished from his brethren in the apostleship by two remarkable circumstances: by the situation, which he occupied previously to his becoming a follower of our Lord, a situation peculiar to himself alone; and by the union, which he exemplifies in his own person, of the office of an evangelist or recorder in writing of the Gospel of our Lord, with that of an Apostle or primitive preacher of the Gospel; an union which he participates with only one other of the Apostles of our Lord. By which latter character, namely, that of uniting in his own person the functions of an Apostle and an Evangelist, he is distinguished likewise from the other Evangelists, St. Mark and St. Luke.