hour cometh," says He to the Samaritan woman, “when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father also seeketh such to adore Him.”1 Different from the false religions which disfigured the earth, and whose fatal effects were felt in the demoralisation of mankind, His religion came in spirit and In truth, and diffused, at its coming, through the diseased frame of society, a tone of healthiness and animation. Wherever the same spirit of truth in religion and sincerity in its profession sways the human heart, it has a corresponding influence, nor shall it cease to invigorate those public and private virtues on which the safety of society reposes. Truth, then, is the first condition which Christ requires in His worship. The reason is obvious. Our belief will have a corresponding influence on our practice. Hence the Pagans, having conceived erroneous notions of the Divinity, incorporated those impure notions with the public worship. The infection soon spread to the practice of their lives, and hence, as error was mingled in its source, the stream of public morals became necessarily corrupted. To save society from consequences equally disastrous, the Spirit of truth, free from any admixture of error, must continue to preside over the adoration of the Deity. Though the heart is the principal seat of religion, still, without the aid of an external ministry, it might soon be extinguished. Our best affections are often volatile, and hence, without being regulated by proper instruction, our religious feelings might be exalted into a fiery enthusiasm, or subside into utter indifference. Hence the necessity of Christian temples to guard the sacred fire of religion; hence the necessity of that authorised ministry, from which the Spirit of truth promised not

1S. John, iv. 23.

to depart, to keep perpetual vigil round it, lest it should be blown into a destructive flame by the violence of fanatics, or again be suffered to go out through the perverse negligence of insidious infidels, thus leaving society without sufficient heat for the development of the virtues, like the chill and darksome regions of the North, where vegetation dies, because they are almost bereft of the light and warmth of the sun of heaven.

And is it only after the lapse of eighteen centuries that we are building for the first time temples to the Lord, to preserve the sacred fire which He brought down from heaven? No; the topography of the land, marked as it is with the repeated names of kils or churches, attests the contrary. And there are still more sensible monuments than names. Yes, through the expanded arch, the lofty steeple, the lengthening nave, the branching tracery, and the clustered columns, together with other fragments of Gothic architecture that are strewn over the land, you may perceive a magnificent, though a shattered, image of the ancient piety of our people. But Ireland, like Judea, was punished for her sins, and accordingly "her sanctuary was made desolate, her festivals were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproach; her honours were brought to nothing, her temples became as a man without honour, and the vessels of her glory were carried away captive."" Then our priests, like their Hebrew predecessors, snatched the fire from the altars of our falling temples, and hid it in a valley, and, like the tabernacle which was rescued by the prophet from the ruins of Jerusalem, the ark of our religion was preserved amidst the caverns of our mountains. What wonder, then, that this fire which was hid in a deep pit did not guide by its light, or warn by its influence!

3

'Isa. lix. 21.

21 Machab. i. 41.

3 2 Machab. ii.

Do I allude to those scenes in order to stir up in my hearers any painful recollections? God forbid. From the lips of the minister of religion no accents but those of charity should fall; and were this divine virtue to be exiled from every other assembly, it should find an asylum in God's temple. No; I allude to them in reference to the subject which I have pursued in this discourse, to show the indissoluble alliance between the interests of society and religion. Divine worship cannot be violated without the frame of society being torn; and it is remarkable in Scripture, that whilst the sanctuary was laid waste, the land was said to enjoy the Sabbath of her desolation. If, therefore, I have glanced at the evils that accompanied the ruin of the asylums of religion, it is only to make you appreciate the blessings that must spring from their restoration. And if I have glanced at the disasters of Judea, whilst its worship was profaned, it was only to contrast them with the happiness it enjoyed when a more mild, as well as a wiser, policy restored Zorobabel to the honours of the temple. Yes, it is to congratulate those who perceive that in promoting the glory of God they are forwarding the best interests of the people, and that in laying the foundations of God's house they are laying the foundations of their own as well as of the nation's prosperity. If, then, I allude to those scenes that are past, it is to awaken in our souls livelier feelings of joy by a recollection of those sorrows with which it was contrasted. Yes, there is in the bottom of the human heart some mysterious abyss, in which the feelings of joy and sorrow are found to commingle. What wonder, then, if some transient grief should float across the present joyous solemnity, when it is said of the dedication alluded to in my text "that

11 Machab. vi. 49.

one could not distinguish the voice of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people." But the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Hold your peace. for the day is holy: and be not sorrowful." Yes, this day is holy; be not sorrowful, but rather rejoice that the sacred fire which was hitherto hidden amidst "thick water" is at length brought out and deposited in our temples, and that, like the sun mentioned in the sacred text, which was hitherto in a cloud and suddenly shone forth to light the mysterious fire and consume the sacrifice, the spirit of charity, too, has at length broken forth from the cloud that overcast it, dissolving the thick water which had almost chilled the warmth of the human heart, and kindling there, once more, its holiest affections. Need I give any further proof of the sacred influence of that spirit than the congregation here assembled this day, composed of individuals of every class, forgetting every sentiment that could alienate and divide, and merging every feeling in promoting the glory of God and the peace of mankind? If there is any heart that has not hitherto yielded to its influence, it must be softened by the ceremony of this day. Yes, the prayers of the people here assembled will ascend to heaven and bring down fire, not such as was invoked by the terrific zeal of the disciples on the sinful cities of Judea, but such a fire as burnt the sacrifice of Solomon, consuming every corrupt affection of our souls, and leaving there a holocaust agreeable in the sight of heaven. Vouchsafe, then, O God, in whose hands are the hearts of Thy people, to give this happy consummation to the ceremony of this day. Send forth that Spirit which, to use the language of Scripture, once renewed the face of the earth, and elevate what is low, purify

whatever is corrupt, and expand whatever is narrow and contracted in our affections. "Lend, O Lord a gracious ear to the supplications of Thy servant, and accept the prayers which he prayeth to Thee this day. If heaven shall be shut up, and there shall be no rain because of the sins of Thy people, and they praying in this place shall do penance to Thy name, and shall be converted from their sins by occasion of their afflictions, then hear Thou them in heaven, and forgive the sins of Thy servant and of Thy people. And if they sin against Thee, for there is no man who sinneth not, and Thou being angry deliver them to Thy enemies; then, if they do penance in their heart, and make supplications to Thee in their captivity, and knowing the wounds of their own hearts, shall spread forth their hands in this house, saying: 'We have sinned; we have done unjustly; we have committed wickedness;' then hear them in heaven, in the firmament of Thy throne, their prayers and their supplications, and forgive Thy people, and give mercy to Thy inheritance." Amen.

THE CONSECRATION OF A BISHOP.

"And going preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”— S. MATT. x. 7.

WHILST your attention is fixed on the solemn ceremony before you; whilst the enthronement of the young pontiff forms a centre whence circulates through every spectator a lively and contagious interest; whilst the future cares and anxieties of his union with his see are forgotten in the splendid ritual of his spiritual espousals; whilst,

1 2 Paralip. vi.