acquainted with Jesus by narrative and instruction from the Holy Scripture. You have learnt what you may have in Jesus, and shall have with him and by him, if you wish it as he and God wish it; and you have also learnt what he and God wish from you. You have made a public confession before the church which you wished to join of what is most important and essential in Christian faith, Christian duties, and Christian hopes. Therein you must be solemnly confirmed, that is to say, established. What others undertook and promised in your name at your baptism, must be confirmed and ratified by yourself. Do you, then, with cordial faith receive as true and certain what you have learnt as God's word, and confessed with your mouth?

Is it also your earnest desire and steadfast resolve before God, to strive with all the powers which God has given, and will give still further to the faithful, in order that you may think and act as disciples and followers of Jesus ought to think and act?

And will you, then, as members of the church into which you will be received so con

duct, according to its regulations and ordinances, that you may be found therein as members of a church of which Jesus is the Head?

came.

Answer in the presence of God, and of the Lord of the church! The Lord is witness to your 'Yes; he hears it; he sees in every one whose mouth utters it, the heart from which it He, before whom the heart is taken into account, and gives to every external act and life its value, he will also be witness in every moment of your future life whether you keep your engagement to him. Ah, dear and darling children! however faithful to him your hearts may intend to be, there will many things occur which will render the exact keeping of your word very difficult. You will too soon find, that that 'Yes' was easily said, but that it was a very important and comprehensive 'Yes.' You will find, alas! that not every one who is called a Christian cleaves to Christ; that not every one who outwardly adheres to a Christian church inwardly depends upon Christ.

You will not fail, among the men in the midst of whom you must be scattered, and

with whom you must live, often to see and hear, experience and witness, what can and will turn you away from him to whom you have been guided, and make you faithless and false to him to whom you solemnly promised to be obedient and to remain true. With all your forecast and watchfulness you will not succeed in our day, at all times and places, in avoiding those who without reserve will dishonour what your heart really honors, and on which it bestows its highest veneration; who will shamelessly desecrate what to you is truly sacred, and must remain so forevermore; who may and will rob you, by word, and deed, and example, of what you ought to value more than your life, because it is to be your life forever and forever. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Never, never let it depart from your mind and heart, that the Lord of the church was the witness of your vow, and will be witness of the manner in which you fulfil it, and of the motive with which you may fulfil it; that he saw into your heart, and

will see into it at all times and places, lest the sanctuary of your heart and your priceless pearl should be left a prey to those who will trample it under foot, and will poorly reward you for leaving it to be their prey. Keep your heart near to the Lord through the Bible which testifies of him, and through the book of nature in which you live, and of which he is also Lord. Assemble often, away from the distractions of life, in tranquil devotion under his eye. Let it be your aim to grow in all points like him who is the Head, whenever you read of him, and whenever you go where his worshippers assemble for his praise. He is nearer to you, and you are nearer to him, by every festival which is consecrated to him, by every supper which is consecrated to the remembrance of the highest proof of his love for you. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord; not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is and above all things, keep your eye

and heart fixed upon him by daily prayer. O! if you rightly lay to heart the one thing needful,' if you would be and do what, according to your promise, you ought to be and to do, you will have to commence daily prayer, if you have not done it already.

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You will sometimes fail; even with the best intentions, with the most ardent strivings of the soul, the flesh will be weak; and every failure will be the more painful to you, every advantage which the weak flesh gains over the stronger spirit will be more distressing to you, the more sincerely you mean to be good; but courage, and faith, and hope will not on that account be stolen from you. Pray, then, vently and importunately! Watch more carefully! Trust not too confidently to be kept from falling by your own strength! Resist more resolutely! Contend more earnestly! Persevere in watching, and fighting, and prayer! Hold firm in faith to your Lord! and then you will learn from experience, that he sees you, that he sees into your heart, that he understands every longing and aspiration of your heart, that he knows every want of your soul, and perceives every supplication, that he