from the napkin in which they are shrouded, and from under the bushel where they are hid, and were placed at its disposal, soon might London be penetrated and pervaded in all its streets, and alleys, and obscurest recesses, with the light of the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ. We mean not to say, that, in the highest sense of the term, it would be universally evangelised. To say this, would be to lose sight, both of the depravity which the Gospel would have to encounter in those to whom you took it, and of its dependence for success on the accompanying influences of the Holy Spirit. But we do mean to say, and would aim to impress it on every Christian present, that nothing but the consecration of all their available resources is necessary, in order that, by the Divine blessing, the Christians of this city may speedily see its entire population in possession of the knowledge of the Gospel remedy. We do mean to say, that the Christians of a place are held responsible for putting all the inhabitants of that 'place in possession of the Gospel-that wherever they have devoted themselves to the object, they have succeeded—that to suppose in such a case they could have failed, is to make the responsibility which had rested on them, return and rest on him who had imposed it. We do affirm, then, that the consummation at which we aim, depends, not on the amount of your resources, but on the entireness with which you consecrate that amount, whether great or small, to the service; that were you, on the one hand, to devote a thousand fold more to it, you would not to be warranted to expect success, if still you kept back a portion unemployed-but that if, on the other, your funds, and agents, and resources, were to be ever so much reduced from what they now are, still, if they were all you could furnish, you would be warranted in expecting complete success-that if the multitude to be fed be five thousand, besides women and children, and the means of meeting their hunger consist only of five loaves and two small fishes, still, if the whole of that scanty provision be cheerfully placed in the hand of Christ, in that hand it will be so greatly multiplied, that they shall all eat and be filled. But if this representation be correct, the fact that a large proportion of the metropolis is still unpossessed of even the knowledge of the Gospel remedy, demonstrates that its Christian Churches have not yet devoted themselves to the work. And then comes back, with augmented force, the solemn question, "Why it should be so ?" If the disease to be remedied were physical, every available agency would soon be put into motion to subdue it. Why, then, when the part afflicted is the undying spirit-why, when the remedy provided is the very blood of Christ-when you are intrusted with the means of imparting it, and intrusted with them expressly that you may impart it-why, when the neglect of imparting it will be followed by the misery of the souls around you without measure and without end-and when the result of imparting it would bring glory to your Saviour, and immortal happiness to the souls which would be saved-why are you not devotedly administering the remedy? The more zealous and active members of this Society are entitled to ask you, why, when the diseased are dying around you, and you see that we are in the way of checking the ravages of the evil, and are only waiting for your co-operation in order to succeed-why will you refuse that assistance, and thus, in reality, depress our ardour, and impede our activity? At least, give us to-night more liberally of your pecuniary substance, and we will do what we can, by God's help, to supply your lack of service. The members of other religious Societies, the Christians of other places, are entitled to ask, why, when the moral recovery of London would strengthen the hands of every other agency for doing good, and operate beneficially to the ends of the earth-why will you allow large masses of its population to remain unvisited and unhealed, a source of wide-spread contamination and moral death? And are not the believers of other times-the weeping prophet" the men who sighed and cried for all the abominations" of Jerusalem-the agonised apostleare they not entitled to ask, why scenes of guilt similar to those which convulsed their hearts with grief, should leave you comparatively unmoved? Rather, is not he, the Lord of them all-he, who, when he drew near to Jerusalem, and beheld the city, wept over it—is not he supremely entitled to ask, and may he not be regarded as now inquiring, "Why, with my name upon your lips, with my example before your eyes, my cross in your hands, and my command to carry it to every house, to every creature, sounding in your ears-why are thousands around you perishing in ignorance of my salvation ?" And why is it thus ? and how long shall it remain ? Till you not merely listen to an occasional appeal on the subject, but take the moral statistics of this mighty city into your stated and devout consideration-till you vividly picture its spiritual condition to the eye of your mind, or go forth, and look into it, and gaze upon it, with your bodily eyes. Would the Almighty affect his prophet with the spiritual death of the Jewish nation? he called him to look on a valley full of dry bones. Was the spirit of Paul at Athens stirred within him? it was when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Did Jesus weep over Jerusalem? it was when he drew near, and beheld the city. And if you would be duly impressed with the spiritual destitution of your Jerusalem-look at it-dwell on it-and soon will your eye affect your heart. Have you been moved of late by graphic accounts of heathen wretchedness? and have you felt that, did no physical and political obstacles intervene, you could go through the heathen world proclaiming the Gospel of Christ? The world of London guilt stretches immediately around you, with no such obstacles to prevent your instant and entire consecration to the work of applying the Gospel remedy. No Atlantic nor Pacific rolls between you and the objects of our present solicitude-they are in your streets, and at your doors. No Chinese exclusiveness is here-London " is open" to all you can do for it-open in all its streets, and in every dwelling. No savage tribe here threatens you with immolation to its idol gods. Your only danger here lies in neglect-the danger of incurring Divine displeasure, and the upbraidings of the souls you neglect. Every consideration then urges you to activity; and the word of him that cannot lie promises to crown that activity with success. Only let your Christian endeavours correspond with your resources, and your prayers call down the Spirit of God upon the whole-and, "I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thy wounds, saith the Lord." Your very "walls shall be salvation, and your gates praise." And the name of the city from that day shall be, (Jehovah Shamma,) The Lord is there." CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM; A SERMON DELIVERED BEFORE THE HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY,* 1 say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Rom. ix. 1—3. x. 1. WHEN the apostle gave expression to these sentiments, he had long and painfully learned how difficult it is to differ in opinion from those among whom we live, or to aim at their improvement, without incurring their aversion-it may be their active and unceasing hatred. If we, of the present day, have not learnt this lesson, it cannot be for want of illustration and even experience. But the evils of this nature to which we may be expos ed, are mere inconveniences compared with those which the apostle had to endure. Picture his posi * The Home Missionary Society, composed of Congregational Dissenters, was formed in London, in 1819; its great object is the evangelization of the unenlightened towns and villages of Great Britain, in the accomplishment of which it has been eminently successful. It is a voluntary institution, and Christian liberality has contributed to its funds about £140,000, or nearly 700,000 dollars. The general results of the Society's labours may be thus presented : |