is altogether to make no provision against the enemy; this is, when praying to God, to offend God's majesty by the neglectfulness of your prayer. This is, to wake with the eyes, and sleep with the heart; whereas the Christian, even when his eyes sleep, ought to have his heart waking, as it is written in the character of the Church, speaking in the Song of Songs, I sleep, but my heart waketh. Wherefore the apostle anxiously and cautiously warns us, saying, Continue in prayer, and watch in the same; teaching, that is, and showing, that they may procure what they ask of God, whom God sees watching in prayer. XVIII. Those who pray ought to come to God, not with unfruitful or naked prayers. Vainly we ask, when it is a barren petition that is given to God. For since every tree, not bringing forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire, surely words also, which bring no fruit, must fail of favor with God, seeing they are joined with no productiveness in righteous deeds. Hence divine Scripture instructs us, saying, Prayer is good, with fasting and alms. For He who, in the day of judgment, will render to us a reward for our good works and alms, is now also a gracious listener to any that approaches Him in prayer, with the company of good works. Thus was it that the Centurion Cornelius, when he prayed, found a title to be heard. For he was one that did many alms-deeds toward the people, and ever prayed to God. To him, when he was praying about the ninth hour, an angel came nigh, rendering testimony to his deeds, and saying, Cornelius, thy prayers and thine alms are gone up in remembrance before God. Quickly do prayers go up to God, when the claims of our good works introduce them before Him. Thus also the Angel Raphael bare witness to the continual praying and continual alms-deeds of Tobias, saying, It is honorable to reveal and confess the works of God. For when thou didst pray, and Sara, 1 did bring the remembrance of your prayers before the holiness of God. And when thou didst bury the dead, I was with thee likewise; and because thou didst not delay to rise up and leave thy dinner, to go and cover the dead, I was sent to prove thee; and now God hath sent me, to heal thee and Jona, thy daughter-in-law. For I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which go in and out before the glory of God. By Isaiah, likewise, the Lord admonishes and teaches us like things, thus testifying: Loosen every knot of unrighteousness; release the oppression of contracts which have no power. Let the troubled go in peace, and break every unjust engagement. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the poor that are cast out, to thy house. When thou seest the naked, cover him, and despise not them of thine own flesh. Then shall thy light break. forth in season, and thy raiment shall spring forth speedily, and right

eousness shall go before thee, and the glory of God shall cover thee. Then shalt thou call, and God shall hear thee, and while thou shalt yet speak, he shall say, Here I am. He promises that He is nigh, and hears and protects those who, loosening the knots of unrighteousness from the heart, and giving alms among the household of God, according to His commandment, do, by hearkening to what God claims of them, themselves acquire a title to be heard of Him. The blessed Paul, having been assisted by the brethren in a needful time of pressure, declared that good works performed were sacrifices to God. I am full, saith he, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. For when one hath pity on the poor, he lendeth to God; and he that gives, even to the least, gives to God, spiritually sacrifices to

God an odor of a sweet smell.

XIX. In the performance of worship we find that the three children with Daniel, strong in faith, and conquering in captivity, observed the third, sixth, and ninth hour, hereby sacramentally denoting the Trinity, which in the latter days should be revealed. For from the first hour to the third, a trinity of number is manifested; from the fourth further to the sixth, is another trinity; and in the seventh closing with the ninth is numbered in spaces of three hours. The worshipers of God, spiritually appointing of old those spaces of time, observed them as their fixed and lawful season of prayer. Events aftercoming gave proof that there was a sacrament in the ancient practice of righteous men offering prayer at these seasons. At the third hour descended the Holy Spirit on the disciples, fulfilling the gracious promise of the Lord. At the sixth hour moreover Peter going up into the house-top, was taught and warned both by a sign from God, and by word spoken, to admit all men to the grace of salvation, he having before doubted concerning the admission of Gentiles to baptism. The Lord also cleansed our sins with His blood upon the cross, from the sixth hour till the ninth, and then, for our redemption and quickening, He made victory perfect by His passion. But to us, dearest brethren, besides the hours of ancient time observed, both seasons and sacraments of prayer are increased in number. In the morning we must pray, that the resurrection of the Lord may be commemorated with an early worship. This of old the Holy Spirit set forth in the Psalms, saying, My King and my God, unto Thee will I cry: my voice shall Thou hear in the morning; in the morning will I stand before Thee, and will look up. And again by the prophet the Lord saith, Early in the morning shall they seek Me, saying, Come let us return unto the Lord

our God. At sunsetting likewise and the close of day, needful is it that we should again pray. For as Christ is the true sun and the true day, when at the going down of this world's sun and light we make prayer and petition that the day may again return upon us, we are petitioning for that coming of Christ which will give to us the grace of the light eternal. The Holy Spirit manifests in the Psalms that Christ is called the Day; The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us walk and rejoice in it. Likewise Malachi the prophet bears witness that He is called the Sun; To you that fear the name of the Lord, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in His wings.

XX. But if in the Holy Scripture Christ is the true Sun and the true Day, the Christian can know no hour, wherein he may not, in frequency and continuance, offer up his worship to God; for we, who are in Chirst, that is, in the true Sun and the true Day, ought all day long to be yielding up prayer and worship; and when night in its appointment succeeds, advancing in its revolving interchange, its nocturnal shades can not steal from us the opportunity of prayer, because the sons of light have their day even amid darkness. When can he be without light, with whom light is in the heart? When is the sun not his, or the day not his, who has Christ for his Sun and Day? Let us then, who are evermore in Christ, that is, in the Light, abstain not even in darkness from our worship. Thus the widow Anna without ceasing persevered in continual prayer and watching in pleading for God's favor, as it is written in the Gospel; She departed not, it says, from the Temple, serving with fastings and prayers night and day. Let Gentiles consider this, who have never yet received the light; or Jews who having deserted the light are abiding in darkness. Let us, dearest brethren, who are evermore in the light of the Lord, not forgetting nor losing that which grace given has made us to be, count night and day alike; let us consider ourselves ever to be walking in the light, let us yield to no impediment from the darkness we have escaped from. In the nightly hours let there be no omissions of prayer, no idle careless waste, in the moments of worship. Spiritually made anew and reborn, through the tender-mercy of God, let us exercise ourselves in the part we are to fulfill. We who in the kingdom are to have day alone, without the intervention of night, let us now so watch by night, as if we were beneath the light of day; we who are to pray and to give thanks to God forever, let us now admit no discontin uance of prayer and of thanksgiving.

DISCOURSE THIRD.

ATHANASIUS.

Tra catenated parfarin of Alexandria was born in that city, about the gear 218, of religions parents, of whom he was the caly son. He andy Coglaget great weyh of mind and was ordained to the derical office in 213, beooming the friend and eonfilant of Alexander the bishop, whom he recompanied to the Council of Nice, in 125. He was but twentyenron of twentyeight years oid, when, upon the death of Alexander, he became ble mecessor. For half a century he was at the head of the orthodox party in the Arian controversy, which involved Lim in serious diffention, and was the means of his spending twenty years of his official life in banishment. He died, however, among his affectionate people, at Alexandria, in the year 273. His works, the best of which were written in retirement, are chiefly controversial. His Orations and Discourses against the Arians, one of which is here given, are considered among his ablest productions. The writings of Athanasius are distinguished for clearness and moderation of style, and are full of noble sentiment and lofty expression. He evidently possessed a deep mind, invincible courage, and a living faith; and to his noble defense of the truth, especially of the doctrine of the Trinity, as now substantially held, must be attributed, in no small degree, the prevalence of some of the essential truths of the Christian faith.

CHRIST THE ETERNAL GOD.

"Thou lovost righteousness and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

"All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”—PSALM xlv. 7, 8

I. Behold, O ye Arians, and acknowledge even hence the truth. The Psalmist speaks of us all as fellows or partakers of the Lord, but were He one of things which come out of nothing, and of things generate, He Himself had been one of those who partake. But,

since he hymned Him as the eternal God, saying, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and has declared that all other things partake of Him, what conclusion must we draw, but that he is distinct. from generated things, and he only the Father's veritable Word, Radiance, and Wisdom, which all things generate partake, being sanctified by Him in the Spirit? And, therefore, He is here "anointed," not that He may become God, for He was so eveL before; nor that He may become king, for He had the kingdom eternally, existing as God's image, as the sacred oracle shows; but in our behalf is this written, as before. For the Israelitish kings, upon their being anointed, then became kings, not being so before, as David, as Ezekias, as Josias, and the rest; but the Saviour, on the contrary, being God, and ever ruling in the Father's kingdom, and being Himself the Dispenser of the Holy Ghost, nevertheless is here said to be anointed, that, as before, being said as man to be anointed with the Spirit, He might provide for us more, not only exaltation and resurrection, but the indwelling and intimacy of the Spirit. And signifying this, the Lord Himself hath said by His own mouth, in the Gospel according to John, I have sent them into the world, and for their sakes do I sanctify Myself, that they may be sanctified in the truh. In saying this, He has shown that He is not the sanctified, but the Sanctifier; for He is not sanctified by other, but Himself senctifies Himself, that we may be sanctified in the truth. He who sanctifies Himself is Lord of sanctification. How, then, does this take place? What does he mean but this? "I, being the Father's Word, I give to Myself, when become man, the Spirit; and Myself, become man, do I sanctify in Him, that henceforth in Me, who am truth (for Thy Word is Truth), all may be sanctified."

II. If, then, for our sake, He sanctifies Himself, and does this when He becomes man, it is very plain that the Spirit's descent on Him in Jordan was a descent upon us, because of His bearing our body. And it did not take place for promotion to the Word, but again for our sanctification, that we might share His anointing, and of us it might be said, Know ye not that ye are God's temple, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? For when the Lord, as man, was washed in Jordan, it was we who were washed in Him and by Him. And when He received the Spirit, we it was who, by Him, were made recipients of it. And, moreover, for this reason, not as Aaron, or David, or the rest, was He anointed with oil, but in another way, above all His fellows, with the oil of gladness, which He Himself interprets to be the Spirit, saying by the prophet, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord hath anointed Me; as also