is the power of God which kindles in his bosom the first spark of spiritual life; He cherishes the life which He imparts; and through every stage of its progress it is dependent on Him for its existence and increase. Every good desire is the gift of God, and the power to perform the good desires which are thus suggested is also from Him. St. Paul, in his own name and in the name of all his brethren, disavows all self-sufficiency. "Not "that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any σε thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of "God." (2 Cor. iii. 5. Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 10.) And in another place he tells us that it is "God "who worketh in us both to will and to do of His "good pleasure." (Phil. ii. 13.) Man in himself is a mere mass of sin and corruption; so that all good must be extrinsecal and from above, both meritoriously and potentially. Man can neither merit nor produce it in himself. With the representations of Scripture on this subject our church fully corresponds. In her liturgy she teaches us to acknowledge, that "all holy desires, good "counsels, and just works proceed from God." In her articles she asserts that "the condition of "man, after the fall of Adam, is such, that he "cannot turn and prepare, himself, by his own "natural strength and good works, to faith and "calling upon God. Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable "to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us that we may have a good will, "and working with us when we have that good "will." Man "cannot repent; he cannot be

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lieve; he cannot turn to God; nay he cannot "so much as prepare himself for it: and why can he not, but because he will not? And certainly if he will not, he cannot; it being

"impossible he should act any thing contrary to "his will: and therefore if he cannot will it, he "cannot do it."* To the testimony of the Articles we might add that of the Homilies, and shew by copious extracts, if it were necessary, that salvation is altogether of grace. One passage, from the first part of the sermon for Rogation week, containing a sweet commentary on the declaration of our collect that "all good things "do come from God," we shall subjoin.

"It is His goodness that moveth Him to say "in Scripture, It is my delight to be with the "children of men. It is His goodness that mov"eth Him to call us unto Him, to offer us His friendship and presence. It is His goodness "that patiently suffereth our straying from Him, "and suffereth us long, to win us to repentance. "It is of His goodness that we be created reason"able creatures, where else He might have made "us brute beasts. It was His mercy to have us "born among the number of Christian people, " and thereby in a much more nighness to salva"tion than where we might have been born, if "His goodness had not been, among the Paynims (Heathens), clean void from God, and the "hope of everlasting life. And what other thing "doth His loving and gentle voice, spoken in "His word where He calleth us to His presence "and friendship, but declare His goodness only "without regard of our worthiness? And what "other thing doth stir Him to call us to Him "when we be strayed from Him, to suffer us "patiently, to win us to repentance, but only

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* See Bishop Beveridge, on Art. X. where the reader will find many quotations from the primitive fathers and councils in support of the doctrine of our church.

"His singular goodness, no whit of our deserving? "Let them all come together that be now glori"fied in heaven, and let us hear what answer "they will make in these points before rehearsed, "whether their first creation was in God's good"ness or of themselves? Forsooth David would "make answer for them all and say, Know ye for "surety even the Lord is God, He hath made us " and not we ourselves. If they were asked again, "who should be thanked for their regeneration, "for their justification, and for their salvation, "whether their deserts or God's goodness only? "Although in this point every one confess sufficiently the truth of this matter in his own person; yet let David answer by the mouth of "them all at this time, who cannot chuse but say, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give the thank for thy loving mercy and for "thy truth sake. If we should ask again, from "whence came their glorious works and deeds, "which they wrought in their lives, wherewith "God was so highly pleased and worshipped by "them? Let some other witness be brought in "to testify this matter, that in the mouth of two "or three may the truth be known."

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Verily that holy prophet Esay beareth record "and saith, O Lord, it is thou of thy goodness "that hast wrought all our works in us, not we "ourselves. And to uphold the truth of this "matter against all justiciaries and hypocrites "which rob Almighty God of His honour and "ascribe it to themselves, St. Paul bringeth in his "belief. We be not (saith he) sufficient of our"selves, once to think any thing, but all our "ableness is of God's goodness; for He it is in "whom we have all our being, our living and Imoving. If ye will know, furthermore, where

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they had all their gifts and sacrifices, which they "offered continually in their lives to Almighty "God, they cannot but agree with David where " he saith, Of thy liberal hand, O Lord, have "we received that we gave unto thee. If this

holy company therefore confess so constantly "that all the good and graces wherewith they "were endued in soul came of the goodness of "God only, What more can be said to prove that "all that is good cometh from Almighty God? "Is it meet to think that all spiritual goodness "cometh from God above only, and that other "good things, either of nature or of fortune (as "we call them) cometh of any other cause? "Doth God of His goodness adorn the soul with "all the powers thereof as it is; and cometh the gifts of the body (wherewith it is endued) from "any other? If He doth the more, cannot He "do the less? To justify a sinner, to new create "him from a wicked person to a righteous man, " is a greater act (saith Augustin) than to make "such a new heaven and earth as is already made. "We must needs agree that whatsoever good thing is in us, of grace, of nature, or of for"tune, is of God only, as the only Author and "Worker."

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How great then is the folly, the pride and the guilt of man in arrogating to himself any praise from aught which he possesses, or supposes himself to possess ! Its absurdity is gross; its pride is abominable; and its guilt must be very heavy. As well might the earth claim the honour of its own fertility independent of the sun and rain-a claim which the first wintry night that occurred would prove to be preposterous. A perpetual and everlasting winter must reign throughout the human soul without Divine grace. Every believer

will say therefore with the Apostle, "By the grace " of God I am what I am."

་་

We proceed to consider the prayer of our collect, in which we beseech God to "Grant, that by His holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by His merciful guiding may perform the same, through our Lord "Jesus Christ." Two things are here implored; that "the grace of God by Christ may prevent us "that we may have a good will, and that it may "work with us when we have that good will.”

Are

Every truly converted person earnestly desires to have his thoughts occupied, only and always, in that which is good. Upon a supposition that this is the desire of our hearts, this collect is prepared for our use. But is it indeed so? evil thoughts our plague and burden? and is it our fervent wish to have them banished wholly from our hearts and their place supplied with Godly motions? If not, our connection with the church is merely nominal, for we cannot join in her services nor adopt her language.

Those thoughts only are good which have the glory of God, either directly or indirectly, for their object, aim, and end. For what, it may be asked, is the end of our being? In what consists the happiness of our nature? What is the aim of the gospel of Christ? What is the employment of heaven? And what is the state of those who are in the presence of God?

Now the unconverted heart is wholly destitute of good thoughts and tenanted by bad ones. For "God is not in all the thoughts of the "wicked." (Ps. x. 4.) He wants no Prophet "to teach him, no Priest to atone for him, no King to conduct him he needs neither a "Christ to redeem, nor a Spirit to sanctify