Let not men be taught, then, that those who are exposed to the ravages of disease, are more the objects of divine wrath than the rest of mankind; any more than those Galileans whom Pilate massacred, "were sinners above all the Galileans," but let them be told, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish:" all, that is, who persist in sin, will be infallibly judged in the next world, whatever may be their lot in this. Those again, who are striving to lead a Christian life, are not to be taught that they are therefore to expect exemption from worldly afflictions, from painful disease, or untimely death; but they should be taught, that "all things work together for good" (that is, spiritual and eternal good) "to them that love God;" that if they strive to make a right use of all the painful trials that may be sent on them, their "light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" and that they ought not to be disheartened by their temporal sufferings, as if these were a mark of divine displeasure, but to look to the example of the Lord Jesus, and "rejoice in Him always."

"But you will say, that a man cannot be cheerful with the fear of death before his eyes; that it will weigh upon his spirits, in spite of all he can do to shake it off. Fear, indeed, is hard to be reasoned with, and the fear of death is hardest of all; but though it may not be reasoned with, it can be prayed against. True it is, that the chance of taking the cholera is a very fearful thing, if we are not fit to die: the prospect of a sudden and painful disease carrying us off in twenty-four hours, is a very terrible one, if death is without hope to us. But what, if fear be taken usefully, and make us set about obtaining that which will make us justly bold? What, if the thought of this new disorder, which kills those whom it does kill in so very short a time, should lead us to think seriously of death, and why it is that we fear it? What, if it should make us see clearly what is the sting of death, and labour and pray earnestly to be delivered from it? What, if it should lead us to seek the Lord while he may be found; to turn to Him in all sincerity, who died and rose again for us, that we might not fear to die, because our hope is to rise as He is risen! Truly, if the fear of the cholera leads us to seek this only real way of not being afraid of it, it will be, both to our bodies and our souls, not so much a curse as a blessing."*

In truth, there is no temporal good or ill that may not become either a blessing or a curse, according to the use made of it; so that we know not rightly, what (of these things) we ought to pray for, or to pray against. We should therefore never pray absolutely and unconditionally for any thing, but what we are sure is good for us: viz., for God's grace to enable us to bear both prosperity and affliction with a Christian mind, and "so to pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal." When we offer up any prayer for life and health, plenty, peace, and worldly comfort, or for deliverance from worldly afflictions, we should always add, in words, or mentally, with devout resignation to Providence, "not my will, but Thine be done;" we should beg to be blessed with as much, and only as much, of worldly advantages, as the All-wise shall see will not prove a snare to us, by fixing our heart too much on the earth: we should beg Him to spare us no temporal affliction, that He sees to be for our real and eternal benefit; and we should “commend to his fatherly goodness, all those" (whether ourselves, or others) "who are any way afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; that it may please Hims to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and" (either in this life or the next) 'a happy issue out of all their afflictions."

* These words are taken from an excellent little tract On Cholera, circulated by Dr. Arnold, at Rugby.

NATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL SINS;

OR,

THE GENERAL FAST.

A SERMON

PREACHED BY

THE REV. F. B. ASHLEY,

(Late Incumbent of Holme, Burton, Westmoreland,)

MARCH 24, 1847.

"Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little."-Hag. i. 5, 6.

Few things, my dear friends, could be calculated to have a more impressive and awakening effect, than that which has called us together this day. A whole nation called by their Sovereign-all ranks, classes, ages, and conditions-to bow as one man before the King of kings and Lord of lords, under an unparalleled visitation; to acknowledge this judgment is of the Lord, on account of our sins-to search our ways, confess and bewail our transgressions, with fasting, humiliation, and supplication; to return to the Lord, putting away our iniquities, and renouncing things that offend, if so be He may yet be gracious to us, turn from us the evil we deserve, and remove his chastening hand. Such is the solemn subject of this day's assembly, and may each of us lift up our hearts with our hands to the God of Heaven, in earnest, deep, and fervent prayers, that by His grace the object of it may be attained!

But, in order to its being a spiritual and acceptable service, it must be understood as to its nature, and made an act of intelligent worship. This is a Fast-day. Now, what is a fast? In a religious sense it is abstinence from food, as a manifest acknowledgment of our unworthiness, and for the purpose of deep prostration of soul before God, with self-examination, repentance, and prayer. It is a matter that has been so grievously abused, that some have run into the opposite extreme, and neglect its proper use. But if Romanists have made this, as many other duties, a mere outward form, that is no sound

reason for Bible Christians to reject it as an indication of, and in order to, their humbling their souls under the afflicting hand of God. It is a national and proper means to express sorrow and grief, and a fit method to dispose the mind to reflection and consideration; hence, we find that, in all ages and among all nations, it has been used in times of mourning, sorrow, and afflictions. Fasting is a gracious act, where it is connected with real repentance. Inwardly, the soul is humbled before the Lord by godly sorrow, self-judging, and loathing; outwardly, by fasting, and abstaining from food and pleasure: and both, in order to the searching out, and increased detestation of sin, and to prevent returning to things which offend. The Word of God, our only sure guide, gives us numerous instances of fasting. Moses, David, Nehemiah, Daniel, Paul, and Barnabas, the Apostles, and the Primitive Church, "fasted and prayed." Nineveh, an exceeding great city, "proclaimed a fast," "cried mightily unto God," and turned "every one from his evil way," and the Lord was entreated for the land, and "turned away from His fierce anger." The nation of Israel, when under God's threatened judgments, frequently "proclaimed a fast before the Lord," "that they might return every man from his evil way, and have their iniquity and their sin forgiven." Our blessed Lord himself has given us not only an example of fasting, but special directions that it should be without ostentation, and observed after his departure, and in times of tribulation. God has commanded such in Joel i. 14, "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord;" ii.12, "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning;" and it has been the custom of this Christian nation, whenever afflicted with either of God's " three sore judgments," war, famine, or pestilence," to recognise His hand, and appoint a solemn fast. The Lord's promise is, Jeremiah xviii. 7, 8, "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it: if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them;" and on this ground the commandment has gone forth, Joel, ii. 15-17, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the

bride out of her closet; let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God ? "

"Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your: ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little." These words were originally addressed to the Israelites while under Zerubbabel. The Lord had accomplished great things for them. They had been delivered from the power of the Old Testament Babylon. They were free to serve their God according to his statutes. The foundations of the Lord's house had been deeply laid amongst them; but in their prosperity they forgot Him who had done all things for them, and entrusted them with the honour of His great name. Now that they were delivered from their enemies and at peace, they forgot their need of God and his Providence. They had time-they thought they would spend it in secular affairs: their labour was their own--they would · hoard up wealth by it: they had money-they would spend it: on their comforts and their "ceiled houses." But the Lord would disappoint their expectations. He reigns, and He will have it known. He says, in the chapter from which our text is taken, "I called for drought upon the land, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon all the labours of the hands;" ye have sown much, and bring in little, and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes ;"" 'ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts, why?" Why, they had followed their own imaginations instead of His statutes, and "therefore, (says he) the earth is stayed from her fruit. Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways."

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And methinks these words apply with intense emphasis to us as a nation, and as individuals. What is our history? A feeble people in a little island, in a bleak climate, is blessed with the Gospel. That Gospel is marred by usurped Popish power, and the whole land is in spiritual bondage to the New Testament Babylon. By the grace of God a light breaks forth, dispels the darkness of Romish ignorance and error, and the truth is watered by the blood of an honoured host of martyrs. By the glorious Reformation, Scripture truth is planted in every parish in the kingdom, and Protestant principles engrafted and interwoven into the constitution of our country. God is

acknowledged in her laws, in her statutes, her corpora tions, colleges, and schools. The throne, the houses of Parlia ment, the offices of state, are closed to anti-Christian error. And God's blessing rests in the most signal manner on the land. The country prospers, her influence, her power, her wealth, increases: she has dominion by land and by sea: per pos sessions extend to the antipodes: the sun never sets upon her venerated flag, its red cross is ever lit up by the beams, of heaven, as the earth revolves and brings each quarter of the globe in succession to their light. Of her it might be said, as of the Israelites of old, Deut. iv. 7, “For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for?" But what is our position? True, like Israel, we have our Zerubbabels and Joshuas (ver. 1.) in the land. There are noble examples of Bible religion and Christian devotion; no class of poor or needy, distressed, persecuted or oppressed, is without its untir. ing advocate. No state of spiritual want is without its societies and faithful supporters; yet such are the exceptions, the few, almost alone, bearing the burden and heat of the day-their motives misconstrued, their exertions maligned; the little band, following their Lord in the path of self-denial and labour for the glory of God and benefit of man. But what is the mass? What are the generality doing? What is their ruling power? Is it the statutes of their Lord, or the house of their God? Nay, Mammon is the god enthroned in the hearts of the multitude... It is not to "do their duty in that state of life in which it has pleased God to call them," but to "get money," and raise themselves above their position, and no wonder there is little to spare for the house of the Lord, though they dwell in "ceiled houses." Self-aggrandizement reigns, and for this, truth, sobriety, and principle is lightly esteemed. A home slavery flourishes, the sinews of factory children are as the wove in the fabrics of merchandise, and thousands of infants are annually, by this system, sacrificed to the Moloch of the day. Increasing commerce and riches has inflated national pride, instead of our heeding the

word by Moses," And thou say in thy heart, my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." (Deut... viii. 17, 18.)

And while population and wealth has marvellously multiplied, the Lord's house is left to itself, and no national church exten

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