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say "Amen;" that is, in most humble penitential manner, you own that the curse of God is due to that sin; so, you accuse yourself if, in any degrees or instances, you are guilty of it, and "judge yourselves, that you may not be judged by the Lord."

But does not a man curse himself? Or, how can he come to church to keep this day, and say "Amen," if in thought, word, or actions he has been guilty of any one of the sins there mentioned ?

I answer: So much the sooner for that; so much the more reason; and so much the more necessity there is, for his coming; and so much the more humility, piety, and safety there is, in saying the penitential" Amen;" which, to answer your question, in this office, does not signify the same that it does in the end of a prayer, that is, "so be it," or "Lord grant this;" but it signifies, "this is true," or so it is," or "Lord, I grant this;" "Lord, I own it to be true; I humbly, and with a relenting spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, acknowledge thy curse to be due to those who commit this sin; I own this curse to be due to myself, if I commit it."

In a word, it is an indicative, and not an optative Amen; such an Amen as is at the end of your Creed, and not such an Amen as is at the end of prayers; a mere declarative or affirmative Amen.

So that this, and nothing else but what follows, is or can be meant by saying Amen in this office. For example :

Priest. Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour secretly.

People. Amen.

Which is to say, "This is certainly true, and we

own and acknowledge the truth of it, and that the wrath and judgment of God are due to every one who in any degree, by thought, word, or deed, is guilty of this sin. God be merciful to us, and every one of us who deserve His curse for this sin; we here, in most humble penitential manner, acknowledge our deserts; we accuse, judge, and condemn ourselves, that we may not be judged by the Lord in the great day of revelation of the righteous judgments of our God."

O come then, my dearly-beloved brethren, let us resolve, and prepare thus humbly, thus penitently, to come and accuse and judge ourselves at our own tribunal here, that our compassionate Father, looking down from the mansions of glory, and seeing us confessing our sins and acknowledging His wrath to be due unto us, may spare us hereafter.

When the prodigal did this, his father, "though he was yet a great way off, saw him, and had compassion on him.”

Come then, let us (whatever others intend to do) piously resolve, like true votaries and her true sons, to bear a part in the commination of the Church, in her prayers, and fastings, and sighs, and tears, and humble ourselves, as it were in dust and ashes, while the anger and judgments of God are denounced against sin and sinners on the first day of Lent; and then, as true penitents, flee from all such vices, to which, with our own mouths, we declare and affirm the curse of God to be due.

Oh! let the holy Jesus have our solemn humiliation to plead for us; let Him have our fasting, and prayers, and sighs, and tears, to present to His Father and our Father, with His own meritorious

intercession; for He will be sure to make the most and the best of our holy performances, if they proceed from a humble, contrite, sorrowful, and obedient spirit, truly sensible of the direful nature of sin.

pass to

Here I could say a great deal more, but I my last head of discourse, to tell you, my friends fellow-penitents,

and

4. Why I am so desirous to see you here that day, the caput jejunii, or first day of the Great Fast.

I desire it for no reason (as I must answer it to God, in Whose presence I now stand, and to Whom I must give an account of all that I here say or do) but to promote the salvation of your souls, as well as my own.

I know, as the world generally now is,-I know, in these dregs of time, how likely I am to bring reproach upon myself for being thus zealous and earnest to persuade you to observe this anniversary day of solemn public repentance, appointed by the Church; but I despise all reproach upon such a good account; for, God assisting, I could be as content to die, I hope, for the honour of God, of religion, and of His Church, and for the promoting of your salvation and my own, as I should be to lie down to sleep.

We read, "It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

Faithful to our Master.

Faithful to His spouse, the Church.

Faithful to the souls of his flock. And,

Faithful to his own.

I have (I protest before God) no other end by

speaking these things, and pressing them upon you, but my desires to be found faithful in every one of these respects.

And, for this reason, let me say to you, as our Saviour once said to his (then) sleepy disciples, "What! could ye not watch with me one hour!" Can you not watch with your minister, who is to give an account of your souls? what! cannot you watch with him, and with him glorify your Heavenly Father one hour?

When we have a public fast-day commanded at other times, for a blessing on kings and parliaments, fleets and armies, and the like, there is a national interest in the case, there is a secular view of success and glory, a desire and prospect of some temporal blessing, or hopes of diverting some temporal judgment.

But on this day, and in this fast, no interest or design comes in but what is spiritual, the pure exercise of public repentance, and, by that, of the divine glory, the salvation of souls, and the interests of eternity; and these-unmixed and uncompounded with worldly desires and designs.

For this cause there are three sorts of enemies to this most holy fast.

Self-conceited men.

Wicked and impenitent persons.
Evil spirits.

1. Self-conceited men, who think they know something, but know nothing, as they ought to know; who think themselves wise, but, according to the Apostle, are fools;

Because they are disobedient.

Because they are abominable, for being disobedient.

Because they are proud, and know nothing, but dote about questions; and to make that doting worse and more criminal, it is about questions of things long since piously determined by the authority of the Church.

But, Blessed Jesu! make them truly wise by poverty in spirit, by the grace of humility, and the holy virtue of charity (which is the greater, too, when it is shown to the whole body of the Church, than when it is shown to any particular person), and then they will hear Thy voice in the call of the Church; and, in penitential humiliations, they will acknowledge her voice and language to be Thine, and in unity of spirit, in the bond of communion and peace, observe this, and all the other religious fasts which she has commanded her children to observe.

Then, and not till then, they will humbly, penitently, and devoutly keep this fast with us, and with us, obtain the benefits of it, in the remission of our sins, which we confess with shame and bewail with sorrow before God, who willeth not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness, and live.

But, methinks, I hear this sort of men saying, What need is there of this day of annual and public repentance? We must repent daily; must we not?

I humbly and affectionately answer, yes indeed, we must; but then, as there is public and private prayer, so there is public and private repentance, as to its exercises, acts, and offices.

Shall the private prayer supersede the public?