Even among those of whom we might have expected better things, some omit to sing the praises of God; some make no effort to pour forth their hearts to God in their own language, but rest contented with betaking themselves to written forms of prayer. And, indeed, it is so far well when, under a sense of weakness, and with a view to prepare themselves for direct addresses to the throne of grace, men do betake themselves, for a time, to forms of prayer: but where they are resorted to as permanent substitutes for the expression of the heart, we fear they will produce little but a resting in forms, and a meagreness of thought, very little akin to the "inwrought fervent prayer of the righteous man, "* whose infirmities are sustained by the indwelling spirit of God.+ Some do not find time to praise and pray to God both morning and evening, and are satisfied with one service of family worship; some are so much occupied with the world, that they can find leisure to wait upon God, with their families, only on the Sabbath; and thus, one solitary weekly service is substituted for the daily morning and evening sacrifice; and we have too much reason to fear, that a large majority of our people never, on any occasion, call the members of their households together, to confess their family sins, and to acknowledge their family mercies. What can we expect, brethren, but that if we thus forsake God, he will forsake us, and give full and free access to temptation, strife, and misery, to invade the peace, and destroy the happiness of our families?

Again, we urgently call upon you to repent, and do the first works; to resist the feelings occasioned by a false shame; to seek from the Holy Spirit the knowledge of your own infirmities and wants, and those of your families; and then to pour forth your own words before the mercy-seat on high, and to lift up your hearts with your voices to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We intreat you to secure time for the regular discharge of this duty; to fix upon an hour for your morning and evening services, that may most advantageously meet your other engagements, and punctually to adhere to that hour; and you will soon see established, by the steadfast, conscientious, and heartfelt observance of this exercise, order and regularity in your domestic arrangements, as well as seriousness and decorum in the character and deportment of the mem

James v. 16—†1 Cor. iii, 16~‡ Rom, viii, 26.

bers of your households-for "godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." Still another of those duties, in the performance of which our forefathers were scrupulously exact, was, attendance on the public worship of God. No man would have been acknowledged by them as a Presbyterian, who absented himself from the house of God on the Sabbath, for any cause short of absolute necessity. Regularly as the Lord's day came, they were to be found in their places in the house of prayer; and no reason would have been held sufficient to account for their absence from their pews, which would not have been also held sufficient to account for their Minister's absence from the pulpit.

Of

But here, again, the declension is most alarming. the many hundreds of thousands of people who call themselves Presbyterians, in the Province of Ulster, how small a proportion is to be found in their respective places of worship on the Lord's day. Even many who are in the habit of partaking of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, are lamentably defective in their attendance on divine worship, as is evinced by the fact, which is familiar to you all, that when this ordinance is administered, the number of persons present is much greater than on ordinary occasions. And how many are there who never partake of the Lord's Supper, and are never seen in the house of God at all! The multitudes who, with the profession of Presbyterianism on their lips, are living without God, and without hope, we dare not attempt to compute. Awake, brethren, awake from your dangerous security, and turn to the Lord, that he may have mercy upon you, and to our God, who will even yet abundantly pardon.

Our

The last of those symptoms of declension from holiness of life, which we shall mention, is the neglect and abuse of those talents which God has committed to our stewardship, to be employed in his service, and to his honour. forefathers were characterized by temperance and moderation, while, in the cause of God, they were " ready to distribute, willing to communicate," according to their means. At a time when there was much less money in circulation amongst them than amongst you, they erected, without foreign assistance, their own places of worship, kept them in repair, and, with but little aid from government, not only provided respectably for their Ministers, but frequently raised large contributions for securing the preaching of the Gospel to their successors, or sending it to distant parts of

the country. Without expressing an opinion upon the wisdom of endowing congregations, we cannot but feel, that the number of the older Presbyterian congregations, both in Ireland and in England, to which funds have descended from their predecessors, evinces a liberality of spirit, in the service of God, which, viewed in connexion with the frugality of their habits in matters of mere worldly gratification, forms a noble feature in their religious character.

But it is with heartfelt sorrow that we are forced to confess a visible change of manners amongst us in this respect. The Presbyterians of Ulster, as a body, have, indeed, become liberal in personal indulgence, and in every thing connected with the pleasures and pursuits of this world; but, in the cause of God, they evince much want of the spirit of liberality. We rejoice, indeed, to say, that when we thus speak, we do not pronounce a universal censure.. There are to be found amongst us some noble examples of individual and congregational liberality in religious concerns; yet truth compels us to declare and to lament the decay of this noble principle, and to show our people where those riches are wasted, which, under sober direction, would be amply sufficient to extend the great and common cause of Bible-education in our schools, and of propagating the Gospel in our churches. We grieve to say, that one chief expenditure amongst many of our people, as well as the other denominations by whom they are surrounded, seems to consist in the purchase of ardent spirits. Every village and market-town is crowded with dealers in that - poison of the body, and of the soul. Thousands of families in our country are reduced to beggary and ruin by the vice of drunkenness. When the fruit of their labour is carried to market, the returns are diminished to a fearful extent by the quantity of spirits consumed; while, at the same time, the habits of industry, and feelings of propriety and religion, are impaired in a similar proportion. The resources of the people being thus wasted by drunkenness, and its attendant vices, little money, and less zeal, are left amongst them for promoting the cause of God.

We know, indeed, that our churches may truly say, they are not worse than others-nay, perhaps, it may be admitted, that, in some things, they are better. Still we must not "compare ourselves amongst ourselves, nor measure ourselves by ourselves," but try our works by "the law and the testimony;" and an appeal to that rule makes evident the public sin, and commands us plainly and loudly to in

culcate universal repentance. We entreat you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to humble yourselves before him, seeking the forgiveness of your sins. "For if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.*"

It was because of the grievous sins, now enumerated, which have entered into the bosom of the Presbyterian church, and threatened to dry up the sources, and the very life of religion amongst us; and because of the other sins, both of the churches and the nation, specified in our last address, emitted from our meeting in Cookstown, that we recommended a day of public and solemn humiliation and special prayer to be observed throughout our congregations. A recommendation, which, we are happy to say, was received with general attention, and has, we trust, been followed, by deepening our impressions of the evil of sin and the obligations of duty,

It was also under a deep sense of past unworthiness and guilt, and under an awful apprehension of God's impending and justly-deserved judgments, that we have recommended, at our meeting in Coleraine, that the last Wednesday of the present year should be observed by our churches as a day of public prayer, and of " considering our ways before God.

In examining the word of God, we find that humiliation was observed with fasting and prayer, when sin was committed-Josh. vii. 8. Ezra ix. Neh. ix.; in the time of public calamity-Joel i. 14. Judges xx. 26. 2 Chron. xx.; in the season of private sorrow and affliction-2 Sam. xii. 16; for obtaining some eminent mercy, or success in great undertakings-Esther iv. 16. Ezra viii. 21. Acts xiv. 23. Acts xiii. 3; and for conquest over some eminent temptation-Matt. xvii. 21.

We trust that our recommendation of an observance, which has been singularly attended, in all ages of the church, by a manifestation of the divine favour, will be received by our congregations in the spirit in which it is offered, and who knoweth if God will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him?

And, indeed, brethren, whilst we would, as a church,

* 1 John i. 5-9.

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openly confess our sins and lament our unfruitfulness, we have yet reason to anticipate and hope for better days from the Lord, because of the great and precious promises which Christ has bequeathed to his children; and which, as head over all things to the church, he has, in this our day, already begun to bestow. Amongst these blessings we cannot overlook the revival, which the Lord has granted, in the faithful preaching of the Gospel-faithful in reproving sin -in teaching duty, in denouncing error, in declaring the whole counsel of God, in labours for the instruction of the people, and that so abundantly, that not a few of our Ministers are almost daily engaged in preaching the Gospel. Similar reason have we to bless the Lord, that the minds of many of our Elders have received a new and salutary impulse in the cause of God. Many have been thoroughly awakened to a sense of the responsibility of their office, of the importance of their example, and to renewed zeal in the exercise of discipline, and the organization and superintendence of prayer-meetings in their districts. Nor can we overlook the blessing that the Lord has bestowed, in pouring forth upon us a measure of the missionary spirit. The missionary spirit is just the love of God and the love of souls. It is a gift thrice blessed of the Lord. It is a blessing as it comes down from above-as it goes forth from the church to enlighten the world ;-and, as it again returns into our own bosom, in a sense of gratitude to God, and joy in his mercies. Much reason have we, also, to bless the Lord, for the revival he has bestowed in the work of education. The Bible has, after much opposition, resumed its place, as the great instrument of public instruction, in our daily and Sunday schools; and the effect is beginning to be obvious to all, in the increasing knowledge and piety of the rising generation. Amongst our many mercies, we cannot forget the encouragement we have received from the people, both in their approval and profiting under the faithful ministrations of the word. That both we and our people do, "in many things offend," and "in all things come short of the glory of God," we are ready to confess and to lament; yet in many things we have been prospered from above-for all which we would say, "Bless the Lord, O our souls, and forget not all his benefits."

In conclusion, we would remind you, brethren, as connected with the present crisis of our history, that if you would commend to others the religious principles which you have received from your fathers, it must be by returning to