viour"-and that he "shall reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." -What remains for us, but to say,

Thou art the strength of Israel, and the hope thereof. O visit us with thy salvation; and let us be among those ransomed of the Lord who shall "come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads."

THE God of Israel never sleeps;
The angelic band strict vigil keeps :
Above, below, amidst, around,

They float in air, or walk the ground;
Leave their bright mansion in the sky,
And watch the world with sleepless eye.

And shall I, then, the slave of sense,
Sink on the lap of indolence?
Shall I not wake, and watch, and pray,
Ere morn leads on the drowsy day;.
And midst the shades of night prolong
The patient prayer, and cheerful song?

Come, thou Great Shepherd of the sheep!
Come, Thou whose mercies never sleep!
Descend, as in the showers of spring;
Shed holy vigour from thy wing:
Thou swift to hear, and strong to bless,

Inspire the grace of " watchfulness!"

CHAP. XIV. ver. 22.

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

THE errors of different ages are often of the most opposite nature. If it was the mistake of one period to attach too much importance to the outward ordinances of religion, and to confound the sign with the thing signified it is equally that of our own times to set at nought the sign, and to expect the blessing in some other channel than that in which the Great Giver has appointed it to flow. It is difficult to say whether we have gained or lost by this exchange of superstition for incredulity. The first offence, springs, in many cases, from mistaken

homage to God; the last, in almost every instance, from indifference; and it is hard to determine from which the cause of truth and holiness suffers the most.

What can have less sanction in the Scriptures, than a contempt for the visible ordinances of religion? How much care was bestowed, by the Judge of heaven and earth, on the construc tion of the Jewish temple and ordinances! How anxiously did our Lord submit himself to the ceremonies and frequent the services of the synagogue, even at the moment when the church of the Jews was doomed to destruction! And what a manifest blessing has ever been vouchsafed to the devout use of the ordinances of religion! It was upon the sacrifice of Abraham that the sacred flame descended: It was over the door of the tabernacle that the

cloud of the Divine presence was suspended: It was when Daniel three times in the day prostrated himself in prayer before God, that a heavenly messenger was sent down to instruct him in the mind of the Lord: It was when David was meditating upon God, that "the fire kindled, and he spake with his lips: " It was when the servant of Candace was studying the prophetical volume, that the sacred interpreter was sent to him: It was when the disciples "were continually in the temple," that the gift of the Holy Ghost was so largely poured out upon them.

But if a high reverence be due to every ordinance of God, it must be especially due to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. A deep regard to this ordinance was the subject of one of the last injunctions of our Lord to his