prevailing errors of each one, nor the darling propensities and habitual sins of each one, nor the grosser or the more refined excesses, the manifest or the concealed corruptions and abominations of heart of each one, nor the hidden springs and secret motives of the actions of each one, nor the faith or the unbelief, the scepticism or the superstition, the levity or the indifference, the warmth or coldness of heart, the love or the hatred, the strength or the weakness, the perseverance or the instability of each particular one. Consequently he cannot decide or determine, whether or how far each one may eat or drink worthily or unworthily; or what he must do or avoid in order not to eat and drink unworthily. No; the preacher can and will facilitate only this sincere and careful self-examination, and promote the accurate and real preparation of your heart. The teacher of a Christian church will do and can do no more than to attune and prepare the mind to self-examination; to call the attention to that which you are mainly to contemplate and guard against in self-examination and preparation, so that you may not be blinded, and deluded, and

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betrayed to your great injury by selfishness and darkness; to give hints and instructions whereby you may chiefly prove your ownself, if you are anxious not to partake unworthily; to direct the heart and soul to that which they should be fixed upon in the sacrament; to guide the mind and inclination, the course and conduct whither they should be guided by the supper. At this the psalm and sermon aim; this is the sum and substance of the questions which were propounded to you, and by you, in the presence of God and your Saviour, were confirmed by a 'Yes,' and sealed with 'Amen.' For this object, the reading of a good and edifying book, of an appropriate portion of Scripture, the reading of an excellent hymn, may be very serviceable. But think not, that by mere singing or prayer or reading, by attendance at church, by listening to preaching, by answering the test-questions, you have completely examined yourself.

You may well imagine to yourself, that if you were invited to the table of some mighty lord, you would certainly appear and behave in a suitable and decorous manner, because one of his servants had told you what was

most essential thereto; or else, because he had solemnly asked you, whether you would observe and do every thing which a worthy guest is to observe and do, and you had solemnly answered him in the affirmative: Examine yourselves, says this same Paul, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another: for every man shall bear his own burden, No; not in another; neither through the trial of your own heart and life, nor the heart and life of others, seek rejoicing for yourself. Measure and judge your purity and innocence, your faith and divine enjoyment, not according to what some may have, or others may want; build not your virtue on the fraginents of other men's virtue. You know who it was that said, 'God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are !' - and you know also how Jesus regards such a disposition. No; prove your ownself according to the will of Him with whom you have to do in the Sacrament. Let the busi

ness of trying yourself be done, between him and you in silence and solitude! Let his word, and your conscience enlightened, guided and refined by his word, decide upon your case!

And now you plainly see what there is to examine, wherein and whereupon you should examine yourself, whereto your eye and heart should be directed in this examination, and wherein all should end. It was from love that Jesus died on the cross for you! This is indicated to you by the bread and wine in the Sacrament; and upon this let all your preparation proceed. By silent meditation or by reading the history of his sufferings and his crucifixion, bring him as near as possible to your soul. Let him hover round you in all his innocence and patience. Let your heart feel as deeply as it can for his suffering heart-suffering from love, and for the anguish of his soul under all the dreadful abuses, and afflictions, and pains, and tortures, which he must suffer from men ; he, who came from heaven to earth to bless mankind; he, who would then do the lastthe utmost that love to man could do, who would devote himself entirely to the happiness of men. Place yourself in spirit at the last

meal of love, at which he instituted for you a memorial of his love; as he also, in that prayer of love which the disciple of his heart has left on record for us, remembered you before his Father. Go with him in spirit from this repast to Gethsemane. Behold, how he who had spoken so calmly of his near approaching sufferings, and who had so resolutely pressed on to meet them, is there overwhelmed by the load of sorrow that lay upon him; how distressed and timid he is; how he throws himself on the ground, and seeks to calm his breaking heart by supplications to his Father; how he writhes and wrestles, covered with the sweat of agony. Hark! how he, from whose mouth no complaint had been heard in any sorrow, now complains aloud, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death!' Behold, how he who had often withdrawn from the society of his confidential friends, in order to console and strengthen himself in solitude by intercourse with his Father, is here impelled by disquietude and anguish to pour out his heart to others; how he asks and entreats, that they also would watch and pray. Hark! how he prays himself, and prays re

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