SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY.

Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; grant that we, being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

power,

Thine, O Lord, are the greatness, and the and the glory, for ever and ever. All things that are in the heavens and in the earth are thine. Thou art exalted above the highest thoughts of men, or of angels. The glorious messengers who surround thy throne, are only living witnesses of thy power and greatness; by thy command they existed; and in thee alone, they live, and move, and have their being: those angelic spirits, those ministers as flames of fire, bow before thee in

holiest adoration. Praise, eternal praise, to thee our Father, thou hast also permitted us on earth, to unite with thy glorified worshippers in heaven, to bless thy most holy name, and to speak of thy mercy and grace. Feeling our unworthiness, we trust in the merits, the righteousness, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone for salvation. We rejoice in him who was mighty to save. We pray for grace that we may receive and accept him as our Lord and Redeemer. We bless thee that the faithful in Christ Jesus, are exalted to the high privileges of pardon and grace. Lord, we believe ; help thou our unbelief. Redeemed not with corruptible things as of silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lamb, may we live as true disciples of him whom we acknowledge to be our Lord and our Saviour. We adore thy mercy, that when sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, and in them hadst no pleasure, thine eternal Son declared, Lo! I come to do thy will, O God. Having died for our iniquities, we rejoice that he rose again for our justification, that he now lives to bless and direct his people, to intercede for returning sinners; to protect his church, and to make his true disciples more than conquerors, through him who loved them. O, our God we pray thee, wash away our guilt, deliver us from the power and influence of sin, and let thy Holy Spirit dwell in us richly, even for the sake of our blessed Redeemer, who taught us thus to pray,

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven: give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE SCRIPTURE.

The portion of Scripture is in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the 15th chapter, from the 45th

verse.

"And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; (for the trumpet shall sound;) and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we

shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But, thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

SERMON V.

THE FALL OF ADAM.

In the book of Genesis, 3rd chapter, verses 9th and 10th, it is thus written:

"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid."

Adam placed in the garden of Eden, to keep it and to dress it, lived in holy communion not only with angels and the blessed intelligences of heaven, but even with God his Creator.

The fruits of paradise were enjoyed with a higher relish, from the constant recognition of the bountiful hand by which they were bestowed, and the

morning and evening service of prayer and of praise were more happily performed, when accompanied by heartfelt acknowledgments of grateful affection to the Almighty Father in heaven.

How long Adam enjoyed a state of happiness so delightful, the scriptures do not narrate. If it were only for a short time, is it not wonderful he did not most anxiously strive to prolong it? If it were for a more extended period, we may indeed wonder, that after such evident displays of God's power and goodness, he should dare to violate God's laws, and thus destroy all his enjoyments. Yet ere we condemn Adam, let us consider our own conduct. Where is the person amongst us, who does not live by the mercy, and exist by the long-suffering of God? Surrounded by impressive examples of his power, have we not set at nought his laws? or if for a time we have really taken pleasure in them, have not the allurements of the world, and the deceitfulness of sin, too often, alas! caused us to forget him on whom we depend, for life, and breath, and all things? It must indeed be confessed, that the lives of all men, even the most worthy, betray many imperfections, and too certainly prove the impossibility of the best services of men being sufficient to justify them, before the penetrating eye of our omniscient and holy Judge. Our enemy, the devil, is watchful, and he addresses himself to our peculiar weak