on their souls, who has declared that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven.

While many of the lower classes manifest an excellent spirit of quietness and good order, yet insubordination among them has greatly increased. Hence those fires that have consumed the produce of the earth, and disturbances in leading towns in our country. The inexpressible folly of such conduct, and its great wickedness before God, must be manifest to every Christian.

While many in the higher classes do much for their poorer neighbours, yet it must be confessed that want of consideration for the poor is another sin of this day. It is a painful fact, that multitudes of the poor can hardly by their utmost efforts procure a bare subsistence for themselves and their children. Many causes may be assigned for this; but where there is sinful indulgence or criminal neglect in their superiors, it especially becomes them to humble themselves before God. James v. 1-5.

God has indeed, in his just providence to punish the sins of all classes, brought it to pass that in the fulness of our sufficiency we are in straits. The general thirst after gain has been so eager, and excited such unholy rivalry and competition, as to produce great suffering. Hence it has often arisen that the master has been unable to employ the servant, or the servant has found it difficult to subsist upon what the master can afford to pay. The only cure for these and our other evils, is for every one to return to the Lord, each from our own evil ways. If we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we shall all find that other things are added to us.

The spirit of the Public Journals must be peculiarly offensive to Almighty God; they frequently despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities; they are often boasters, proud, fierce, despisers of those that are good, heady, and high-minded. O how sinfully are the powers of mind and imagination, property, learning, and influence perverted and employed against that God, from whom alone come these talents, and every good and perfect gift.

The crying sins of Slavery in the West Indies, and of

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the sanction of Idolatrous Worship in the East Indies, are great national iniquities.

By pride and vain glory, by covetousness, rapacity, and luxury, by frauds in trade, by slander and quarrelling, by swearing, cursing, and perjuries, we have as a nation grievously sinned against God.

The root of these sins is our casting off the fear of God, and living as without God in the world. In some, this proceeds to open and avowed infidelity, publicly proclaimed in our streets; in others it assumes the form of liberalism, or indifference to every religious sentiment; but, in all, this state of mind must be very displeasing to Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being.

Our national principles, as embodied in our Confessions, and Liturgy, and Constitution, have been eminently Christian; but our conduct has not corresponded with our principles, and in our public and national proceedings we have not duly acknowledged Him who has said, them that honour me I will honour.

Our religious divisions are another truly affecting sin. Brethren in Christ, who ought to be as one body, are divided and separated from each other, and speak against each other.

Above all, Christ, the Saviour, the glory of our religion, the only hope of sinners, the name to which every knee must bow, has been greatly neglected. His grace

has not been duly set forth, nor cordially and generally received, by those who profess his name, and are under the solemn bonds of baptismal vows, to yield themselves to his service.

We have each also personal sins to be confessed, and to humble ourselves for. All our transgressions of God's law, and all our abuse or neglect of his gospel, make a part of the national guilt, and add to its fearful

amount.

These are some of the chief causes of those heavy judgments which hang over us, and the chief reasons therefore for a national humiliation. I would now endeavour to give you some HELP FOR ITS DUE OBSERVANCE.

Fasting is a scriptural duty, especially in the time of necessity and distress. It is plainly required in God's holy word, not only privately (Matt. vi. 16-18. Mark ii. 20.), but also as a national act. (Joel ii. 12-18.)

The chief end or design of a fast is well expressed in a collect of the Church of England, that may be profitably used by us on this occasion.

PRAYER FOR GRACE TO FAST.-O Lord, who for our sakes didst fast forty days and forty nights, give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions, in righteousness and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

The mode of observing this fast must depend on circumstances. Where health will not suffer, and we shall not thereby be hindered in our religious duty, a total abstinence from food is proper; but all ought to abstain from mere animal gratifications, and like Daniel, eat no pleasant bread during the fast. The heads of Christian families may easily make arrangements for this end; explaining their intentions the evening before, having no regular meals, but such necessary food as may be requisite to prevent injury to the health.

The special duties of a fast-day are

1. SEPARATION FROM COMPANY. Retirement and seclusion, as far as our circumstances admit, in those parts of the day not engaged in public duties, that we may have time for secret communion with God, are important means of edification; much and earnest private "prayer is the root of a blessing on all other duties of this day.

2. SELF-EXAMINATION. We should look back on our past lives, retrace our whole conduct towards. God and our fellow-creatures, and compare it with the rules of God's word. Our greater offences, our secret sins, our omissions, the true state of our souls, should be subjects of close and thorough scrutiny with earnest prayer, such as David offered:-Search me, O Lord, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be

uny wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24.) Our own sins, diligently and honestly searched out, will show us how large has been our personal share of national guilt, and what reason we, individually, have to be humbled before God.

3. CONFESSION OF SIN is another peculiar duty of such a day. How particular Daniel's confession of sin was when he fasted, we see fully manifested in that striking prayer recorded in his 9th chapter. It well becomes us, this day, not only to join in the public confession of the congregation, but in private, largely and fully, freely and ingenuously, to confess, with all their aggravations, the sins which a diligent self-examination has brought before us.

4. HOLY RESOLUTIONS OF AMENDMENT should be formed in the strength of Christ, and with a due regard to his glory. We should determine, by God's grace, to turn from all our evil ways, to undo all that we have sinfully done, and make restitution to all those we have injured. Zaccheus's was a noble resolution, and may be a good pattern for all those who have acquired unjust gain-Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man I restore to him fourfold. Let us, PERSONALLY, begin anew to live to God, and consecrate ourselves afresh to his service; and let FAMILY reformations also commence on this day.

5. INTERCESSION, again, is peculiarly a duty at this season, not only in public prayer, but also in private. Thus Abraham interceded for Sodom. Thus Daniel poured out his soul in fervent intercession, and while he was speaking in prayer, he obtained an answer to his supplications. Thus David, in the time of pestilence, interceded and prevailed in behalf of Jerusalem.

6. MERCY TO OTHERS is a peculiarly suitable accompaniment to fasting. How express is the Divine record here Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest

the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily.

To strengthen you to perform these duties, lift up your eyes to Him whom God has exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins. (Acts v. 31.) He has received gifts even for the rebellious, and will abundantly give his Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. (Luke xi. 13.)

Having pointed out the duties of a fast-day, it may be well also to notice some DANGERS to which we are exposed at such a time.

1. HYPOCRISY, or outside fasting, without any inward humiliation, is very offensive to God. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke xii. 1.) Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? (Isaiah lviii. 4, 5.) To make a show of it for the sake of gaining a religious name among men, is totally to pervert that which was designed for humility and self-abasement.

2. SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, or thinking better of ourselves on account of it, and that we do something in fasting to merit God's favour, is another gross perversion of this sacred duty. The true meaning of this duty is an open confession of our sinfulness, unworthiness, and just exposure to the wrath of Almighty God, and an acknowledgment of our entire dependance on his sovereign mercy and grace for a free salvation, through faith in the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Luke xviii. 9-14.)

3. TRIFLING WITH A FAST is another danger to which, in this age, we are greatly exposed. The messengers of Hezekiah inviting the people of Israel to turn again unto the Lord their God, were by many laughed to scorn and mocked (2 Chron. xxx. 10.), but some humbled