Parochial and Plain Sermons

N the Communimt Service we are exhored o "lift up our hearts;" we answer, " We lift them up unto the Lord,"unto the Lord, that is, who is aseended on high; fo IIim who is not here, but bas risen, àppeared to IIis Apostles, and retirl out of sig'ht. eended and unseen Saviour, who lins overeome death, and opened the kingdom «,f heaven fo ail believers, this day and all days, but espeeially at this season, when we eommemorate l lis Resta'rection and Ascension, are we bound?. lo fise in spirit aller IIis pattern. I af olherwise, alas is if with the manv: they are hindered, nay, possessed and absorbed by this world, and they emmot fise beenuse they have no wings. Prayer and fasting have been ealled the wings of thc soul, and they who neither fast nor pray, eannot follow Christ. They eannot liR up their hearts fo Him. They have no treasure above, but their treasure, and their heart, and their faculties are all upon the earth; the earth is their portion, and hot heaven. Great, theu, is the eonrast between the many, and tose holy and blessed souls (and nmy we be in heir company!) who fise with Christ, and set their affection,m things above, hot on things on the earth. The one are in liht and pcaee, the othcrs form the are thrmg'ing- and hurrying al¢,g the ],road way "which leadeth fo destruction;" who are in tumult, warfilrc, anxiety, and bitterness, or, af least, in colducss and barrenness of mind; ,r, af 1,est, in but a short-lived merrinaent, holh,w and restlcss; or altogether blind to the future. This is the case of the many; they walk without aire or object, they lire irrelig'iously, or in lukewarmaess, yet have nothing' fo say in their defence. They fi,llow whatcver strikes them and pleases them; they indulge their natural tastes. They do hot think of formingtheir fastes and prineiples, and of rising highcr than they are, but they sink and debase themselves fo their most eartMy /belings and most sensual ineliuations, because these happen to be the most powerful. On the contraT, holy souls take a separate course; they have risen with Christ, and they are like persons who have climbed a mountain and are reposinff at the top. Ail is noise and tumult, mist and darkness at ifs foot; but on the mountain's top it is so very still, so very cahn and serene, so pure, so clear, so bright, so heavenly, that to their sensations it is as if the clin of earth did not sound below, and shadows and gloom were no where to be round.

And, indeed, the lnountain'8 t.p is a ffequent imag'e in Seripture, under whieh the Ahnighty Spirit speaks Clmst. fo us ot" out calling in ' " Ihus, tbr instmee, if was pr, q,hesied ot" the Christian Church, "that the mountain of the Lord's II,,use should be esIablished in the top of the mountains... and mnnv people shouhl g'o and say, Corne ye, and h't us go np fo the m,,untnin of the iord." And, in like ruminer, the Temple lmilt 1,v 8«,lomon wns upon a high 1,lace; doul,tless, am«mg" other reaslms, which af first sight seem of an opposite nature, 1,y wav ot" showing us tha relig'im e«,nsisIs in retiring from lhe w«,rld, and rising townrds heaven. " lle chose the tribe of audah," says the Psahnist, "even the bill of 8Jan whieh loved. And there IIe built Ilis Temple on high. '' I do n«,t mean, of course, that n mon ean 1,e religious who neglects hls duties of this world; but that tbere is on inner and truer lire in religions men, bevond the lit? imd conversation whieh others see, or, in the words of the text, their "lire is hid with Christ in God." Christ, indeed, llimself worketh hitherto, as His Fnther workeh, and IIe bids us nlso " work while if. is day;" yet, for all this, if is true tha the Father and the Son are invisil»h,, tlml They have an ineble union with eaeh other, and are hot in anv dependenee upon the mortal eoneerns of this world; and so we, in ont finite measure, must lire nfter Their Divine pattern, holding' communion with Them, as if we were at the top ot' the Mount, while we pefform out duties towards that sinful and irreligious world which lies of if. The historv of Ioses affords us mu,ther instance of this liting up o[" the hearL to (h_,d, and that, too, represented to us under the saine image. the)Iount. for firty days, and there he saw visions. And «»bserve, he remained ail this rime without eating" bread or drinking' water. That miraenlous thst was lesson fo us, how if is thnt we Christians are t.» draw near to G«»d. But «,bserve, ag'ain, while he was on 3Iount, whnt was g«,ing cm in he plain. 2e+'e was the turlmlcnee, the ungodlincss, the sin of the world. IIis servant Jshua said, as they heard the noise of the dmuting', "There is a noise of war in the camp:" but 3Ioses said, " If, is hot the voiee of them that shout for masteD", neither is if {he voiee of them that e D being" overcome: but thc noise of them thnt sing do I Out Savionr's own history gives us ano{her striking instance of this Divine conamunimb and the troublesomc world in contrast. Wheu Ile ascended the Mourir of Transfiguration with ttis three Apostles, on the summit all was still and enhn as heaven. IIe appeared in glory; Ioses and Elias with Him; the Father's v,iee was heard: SI. Peter snid, " Master, it is goM for us fo be here." Then he and his brother Apostles felt thnt their lit was hid with Christ in God. But when they came down t.he mountain, how the seene was ehanged If. was descending from heaven fo the world. "When

He cmne to IIis discil)les," svs tbe Evangelist, " saw a gl'eat mult.itude about them, and the scribes questioning wi/h them. And stl-aig'htway ail the people, when they beheld IIim, were g'reatly amazed, and runnin to IIim, saluted lIim." And IIe round that the Apostles were h3"ing fo east out a devil, and eould hot. And then IIe spoke the word, e«mforlnable with Moses' deed," This kiml eau corne forth bv nothin', but by 1,rayer and fitstin ." And ag'ain; we may cven sav that, wben out Lord was lifled up on the ('mss, then, too, ]le presented to us the saine example of a soul raised heavenwards and hid in (lod, with the t.mnnltuous world at ifs tbet. The unbelieving multitude swarmed about the Cross, they that passed by reviled Ilim, and the scribes moeked l[im. Meanwhile, I[e Ilimse]f was, amid ]Iis agony, in Divine eonfemplations. He said. "Father, forgive them1" "Why hast. Thou forsake Me?" "If is finished;" " Into Thy hands I eommend My Spirit." And as IIe was hid in God, so too, even nf that awful moment, one was af t[is side gazing on ]Iim, and hid in God witb t[im. The penitent thief said, " Lord, remember me when Thou eome into Thy kingdom; and Jesus said unto ][im, -erily, I say unto thee, To-day shalt tbou be with Me in pnradise .'' And much more on His resurreetion was He witbdrawn ri'oto fllis troublesome world, and af peace, a the Psahnist foretold it. " I bave set My Kin upon

My holy bill of Sion." " Ever since the world began hath Thy seat leen prepared; Thou art ff'mn everlasting. The tloods are risen, O Lord, the th.ods have lift up tiroir voiee; the tloods lift up their waves. The waves of the sea are mig.hty and rag'e horl-illv; but ver the Lord, who dwelleth on high, is mightier. '' ]hese passages liiilv be faken as types, if hot as instances, of the doeh'ine and preeept whieh the text contains. Christ is risen .n hig']b we lnust fise wiIh Him. lIe is gmm awav out of sight, aml we must tbllmv IIim. l[e iS 'Oll/' t,I /he Father, we, musL take eare tha{ out new lit is hid with ChrisL in God. This was the g.raeious promise, whieh is ig'nified in the prayer tic oflbred befi»re llis passion tbr all Ilis disciples, eveu fo the end oF the worhl. "IIoly Father," lIe said, "keep through Thine own Naine, those whonl Thou hns given Me, that they may be one, as We are.... I pray hot tiret Thou shouhles take them out ot" the world, but that Thou shouldest keep ihem ri'mn the evil. They are no of the worhl, even as I Ii111 ]!o of the world.... Neither pray I tbr these alone, but for lhem also whieh shall believe on)le through their word; t]mL they nll may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee; tha thev mav be one in Us.... 1 in them, and Ïhou in Me, that they mav be ruade perDe in one... tha the love wherewith Thou has loved Me, may be in them, and I in them=. '' Agreeably to flfis saered and awful annouueement, St. Paul speaks in the text and following verses; "If ye, then, be riseu with Christ," he says, " seek those things whieh are above, where Christ sitteth af the rig'ht hand of God. Set your aIlbeti,m on flfing.s al»ove, hot on /hings on the earth. F,r ye are dead, and your litç is hid with Christ in God. Mortil[v, therefore, your members which are upm the earth." If. is then thc dutv and the privilegc of ail disciples (,f out gh,rified Savimr, fo 1,e exalted and transfigurcd with llim; fo livc in hcavcn in flwir tlmug'h{s, motives, aires, desires, likings, praycrs, praiscs, intercessions, cvcn whilc thcv are in lhe tlcsh; fo ]o»] likc othcr mon, fo l,e busy like other men, fo be passcd over in the erowd of men, or even fo be seorned or oppressed, as other men may be, l.m the while fo have a secret ehannel of eommuuieation with the Most Iligh, a git. the world knows n,»t (,f; fo have their lif ai,1 with Christ in God. Men of this world lire in this worhl, and depend upon it; they place their halTiness in this world; they look out for ifs ]mnours or eomforts. Taei,. lire is hot hid. And every one thev meet they suppose fo he like-minded. Th W think thev cnn be as sure that eve D, otber man looks ont for the things which they covet, as they eau l»e sure he has the saine outward alTearanee, the saine make, a soul and body, eyes and fougue, hands and feet. Thev look up and down the world, and, as far as thev sec, one man is jnsf like another. They know that a great many, nay, fitr the gvater part, are like themselves, loyers of this world, and they infbr, in eonsequenee, that all are sueh. They diseredit the possibility of any other motives an([ vievs being lar:mounL in a lllilll l)ll those ,f this world. Thev adroit, indeed, tha a lllilll lll[l- be i/t-.fltteeed l»v relig'ious motives, theln, fo l/ce by theln, fo own l]eln as turning" points, and l/l'inlilry filial ultimate laws of his eonduet, this is wha thev do hot eredit. 'hey have devised proverbs and savin's fo lhe etlbe that every man has his price; that. all of us have out weak side; tha relig'ion is a beautitifl theorv; and th:lt the most l'eligimls man is.nlv he who hides m.s skil[hl]v ri'oin himself, as well as ri'oto others, his own love of the world; raid tha men would 1«, be lllell if they did hot love and desire weallh and honour..knd, in aeeordanee with these views, thev imputed all base and evil thing's fo our Lord tlilnselt; rather than believe Ilim to be what fie said fie was. 'l'he¥ sald Ile was a deeeiver; that IIe wished to make I[imself a king'; tha I[is miracles were wrought thl'ough Beelzebub. Bu I[e all the while, the Son ,f Man, was bu in outward aeg sojourning" here, and was in spil'i in heaven, là,lh,w Ililn into the wilderness dul'ing. Iris t))l'tV davs' fist, when He did neither eat nor drink; or after the devil's telnptatitm, when Angels came and ministered nnto Ilim; or 'o wifl Ilim up tha mountain fo pray, where, as I have already said, He was transflgUl'ed, and talked with Ioses and ]çlias; and vou will see Whel'e tfe really wns, and with whom, while IIe sojourned upon eal.th,with Saints and An'els, with tli l'ather, who announced I[im as IIis beloved Sou, raid with the lloly Ghost, who deseended upon Hiln. He was"the Son of[an which is in heaven,'" and "had ment fo eaU" whleh others " knew hot

And such in our measure shall we bc, both in the appeirance,'ln(l in t]le reMity, if we be His. " Truly our fellowshil, is with the Father, and with IIis Son Jesus Christ;" but, as tll- as this world goes, we shall be of litllc «wcount. "The world knoweth us hot, beeause il knew ltim m,t. '' Or, lllore than this, we mny le perh,ps ridieuled fiu" out reli'i«m, deslfised,.r punished; "If thev have housc ]eelzebub, lmw much more them,f tlis household ?'' Sueh is thc condition of tlmse who fisc with Christ. lle rose in the niffht, when no one saw Ilim; and we, l.o, fise wc know hot when nor how. does any.ue kn«,w anv thinff.f our reliious history, of out turnin', t-_ (;od, of onr ff,wins in graee, of our successes, but God Ilimself, who seeretlv is the cause of them. In this wav let us enjc, y nnd profit bv this hoh" season; Christ hath "died, yea, rather hath risen wbo is even af the right hand of God, who also maketh intereessi«m fin" us." Vondert'ul thing's lmd taken place, while the wt,rld seemed fo g'o on is usual. Pontius Pilate thoug'ht himself like othergovernors. The Jewish rulers went on with the aires and the prcudices which had heretofore ffoverned them. Ilerod went on in his correct of sin, and lmving" scen and put fo death one lr.phet, hoped te» sec miracles ri-oto a second. Thev ail viewed ail thin's as of this world; thev said, "tomorrow shall be as to-day, and mueh more abundant." They hem'd the news and saw the siç'hts and providcd for the needs of lac nlOllent,,'111(1 /'Ol'lOt the thought o" God. Thus men went on aL the foot of the ln«uut,:md thev eared hot fi»r wlmt was ou the summit. 'Fhev did n,»t umlerstaml tiret nl«,ther aud m:u'vellous s3-stenl, «»ntrarv t, this w,wld, was proceeding fi,rward under the veil of this worhl. So it was then: s it is now. q'he world witnesses n,»t the secret eommuni,m of the Saints of ([od, their prayevs, 1,r;,ises,:,ud intercessions. But. th«iq have the prescrit privileges of saints, nof withstanding,a kn,)wledg'e, and a joy,;md a strength, which they cama«»t comp;,ss or deserihc,;md would if they could. " O how plentifid is Ïhv goodness, which Thou hast 1;id up fi»r them tlmt fe:u- ïhee; and that Thou hast prepared for them that put their trust iu ïhee, eveu befi,re the sous of meu." Are thcv in auxiety? "q'hou slmlt hide thcm privily lw Thiue ow presence ri'oto the provokin" of ail meu; Ïhou shalt keep them seeretlv in Ïhv tabernacle t¥om the stritç' of tongues." Are they in disnppointment? "Thou hast put g'ladness in their heart, siuee the rime that their enemies' eorn, and wine, and oil ineresed." Are thev despised by the lrOsl»el-ous? " $eff have children at their deslre, says another Psalm, and leave the l'est t,f their substance for their babes; but as tbl" me, I will 1,eh«»ld Thy presenee in l'ig'hteousless, and wheu I;wake up after R'hv likeness, I slmll be s:tisfieh with if." Arc thev in despondeney? q'le Psdmist has pr«wided them with a eous,»lation: " Nevertheless, I alU alway b S Thee, lbr q'hou lmst. holden me 1,v lnV riffht la:md; Fhou shalt guide me with hv counscl, and ater that reeeive inc with g'lory. Yholu have I in heaven but Thee? and there is n,)ne upon earth tha 1 desire in eomparison of lhtt. Mv flesh and my hear thilcth, bu God is the sh'eng'th,,f mv he,rt,:,nd my portion t,r ever." Are lhey in pcril? " Wh«-so dwel]cth under the,,t" the M.st l lin.h, shall «bidc mder the slmdow of the Ahnighty... a thousmd shall fM1 beside thee, and ten lh«-msand t thv rig'ht hnnd, but iL shal] n«,t corne ni'h thce." Thus there is fnlness witlmu mensure lier everv need, t« he fbund in IIim with whmn «,nf litb is lod'ed; there is what will "satisfy us with the plente«msnéss «,t" [Ils ho,use, wl. 'ives us t« drink ot" llis 1,1easures,:s out of the river. For with llim is the wcll «,f lift, «md in Ilis light shall we sec light." that they mv tittingly cr".ut, " Praise lhe Lord, O my soul,:md ail tha is within me praise l[is holy naine... who tbr'ivcth:lll thr sin, and healeth all thine infirmities; who saveth thr lire ri'oto destruction, raid erowneth thce with mercy md loving-kindness satisfieth thr mouth with g',od thing's, lnaking" thee young" md lusty:s mi eagle. '' AIl this, my brethren, I sav is out portion, if we ehoose lmt fo aeeept it. " Who shall aseend into the bill of the Lord, or who shall fise up iii IIis holy place? Who shall dwell in Thé-t:dernaele, or who slmll test upon Ïhr h(,ly hill? l']v,n he that leadeth an ma-,'orrnpt lit?, md doeth the hin" that is right, and speaketh thc truth ri'oto his heart, tic shall reeeive the blessing, ri'mn the Lord, and l'ig'hteousless ri'oto the (Æod of his salvation. This is the gcnention of them tha seek Him, even of them tha seek thy rime, 0 3aeob." Aspire, flmn, to be "fellow-eitizens «f the aints and of the household steps as ley have tdlowed Christ. Ïhough tire hill be steep, ye fidn hot., for the reward is g'reatj and lill yon have ruade the trial, yon eau form no idea how great that reward is, or how hig'h ils nature. The invitatiml runs, " O faste, and sec how graeious the Lord is." It" vou bave hitherfo tlmught foo litIle of these thins, if you have thought religion lies »terely in wha il eertainlv &»es emisist, in nlso, in filling your worldly station well, in being" amiable, and wellbehaved, and eonsiderate, and orderly,l»ut if you have thought i was nothing more than this, if vou have negleeted fo stir up the real g'içt of' (od whieh is lrdg'ed deep within 3-ou, the giçt of eleelion and regeneratim, if yon have beeu seanfv in roue devotions, in intercession, prayer, nnd praise, and iÇ in eonsequenee, you hnve little or nolhing of file sweetness, the g'raee, the innocence, Lle fl'eshness, the tenderness, ihe ehem'flflness, the eomposure of the eleet ,f if vou are ai present reallv defieienI in praying, and t»ther divine exereises, make a new begimfinç heneetbrth. SfarI., now, with lhis h«,lv seasmi, and fise with Christ. 8ce, l[e oftbrs vou Ilis hand; I[e is rising; fise wiIh Him. 5[ount up ff'oto the grave of the ohl Adaln; ri'mn grovelling" eares, and jeahmsies, and tYetthlness, and worhlly ailns; t>om the thraldmn,,f htd»it, from the tumult of passion, Doln lhe faseinations of the flesh, from a eold, worldly, ealculating spirit, ri'oto fl'ivdify, ri'mn selfishness, ri'oto etlbminaey, ri'oto sclf-conccit and hi.e.'hmindcdncss. IIcnccforth set about dohg wlmt t. is se_» dlficult to do, l»u what shouhl hot, must hot bc h.ft undonc watch,,ml pry, and medtatc, that s, aeeordh" to thc lesm'c wheh God has 'iven vou. Give fi-eclv of v«,ur rime to vour Lord and Saviour, il" vou havc it. If vou have liltle, show)-our sense of lhe l,rivileg'e 1)" ivin" that little. But anv how, sht,v that vour hcart and vour desires, show that vur litb is with vour (iod. Set aside every dav rimes fi,r seekin" llim. Iluml,le voursclf that vou bave been hitherto s« lan'uid ami mcertain. Lire more strictlv fo llim; Iake llis y,ke upon vour shoulder; lire 1,y rule. I aih m,t calling" on vou 't, out of the world, or fo abandon your duties in the worhl, but fo redeelu the lime; hot fo give hours to mere amusement or soeiety, while vou 'ive minutes to Christ; hot fo prly t, llim oniv when vou are tired, and fit for nothing" but sleep; hot altog'ether to omit to praise lliln, or Io intereede tbr the world and the Church; but in 'ood lneasure to realize honestly the words of tbe text, fo " set v«ur idtbetion on thinff above;" and fo prove that Sou are His, in that vouv hearL is visen with tIim, and vour lire hid in Ilim.