Many an elder son, we know, has thus been deprived, through his own misconduct, of property, to which he would have succeeded, if he had dutifully obeyed the wishes of his father. And so it may be with ourselves; it does not follow that because in baptism we are made "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ," we shall, therefore, infallibly succeed to the blessings entailed upon us. That depends upon ourselves; upon the manner in which we think, and live, and act, during our days upon earth. God, on His part, has placed us in a state of salvation, and further promised the necessary ineans to enable us to continue in it; necessary, I say, because without them we cannot possibly continue in it; we must fall from it, and be lost and ruined for ever. "Without me ye can do nothing," is the warning and assurance of our Lord; without the accompanying grace of God, without the guiding and helping direction of the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing that is good, or pure, or holy: and this deficiency arises from the corruption of our nature, throngh the fall of Adam. Upon this point, I presume that there will not be any doubt or disagreement. But, by the grace of God, by the daily renewing of the Holy Ghost, we may continue in the state of salvation in which we are placed at baptism, and so finally obtain honour, glory, and immortality, in the life to come. While, therefore, we have much reason to thank and bless God for having called us into this state of favour and privilege, much reason also have we to pray Him to give us a further increase of grace, that we may persevere therein unto our lives' end. Otherwise our baptismal privileges will not avail us, but rather rise up in the judgment and condemn us. I will now proceed to show that this is the teaching of our Church: I will first refer, for the purpose, to the 16th Article, which is entitled, Of sin after Baptism. Having stated that the "grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after Baptism," it proceeds," After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given and fall into sin, and, by the grace of God, we may arise again and amend our lives." Now, in the first place, it is here implied that the Holy Ghost is given in Baptism; and, agreeably to this doctrine, we are elsewhere taught that sanctification through the Spirit is one of the blessings bestowed in that sacrament. At the same time it is broadly stated for our warning, that we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin. Our baptismal grace may be in part or wholly extinguished; the restraining influences of the Spirit, his timely checks and admonitions, may be so far unheeded that we give way to temptation and commit sin. This is no point of doctrine; it is plain matter of fact, which has personally happened to ourselves. There is not that soul among us which has not done despite to the Spirit of God. And awful would be our condition gloomy our hopes and prospects beyond the grave, did we not know and believe that by the grace of God we may arise again and amend our lives. Thus are we taught, and thus we believe. We believe that a sincere and complete repentance will restore to us in full the blessings of our first estate of purity and innocence; those blessings, I mean, which were given to us by God, when we came forth from the saving waters of baptism. We believe that the penitent prodigal will at all times be welcomed back to his Father's house, and received with joy and rejoicing. Else, whence shall come that "great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, which shall hereafter stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands?" If indeed they shall all be virgin saints, who have never sullied the whiteness of their baptismal garments, they will not come from this world at least. But we are taught by St. John, who beheld them in a vision, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Now as pure and white robes had once been given to them, even at their baptism, would it have been necessary to have washed them in the blood of the Lamb, unless they had been defiled with the stains and pollutions of sin? And may not the pains, and sorrows, and conflicts of oft-repeated D repentance, have formed a part, at least, of that great tribulation out of which they came ? If so, this proves that though they fell into sin, they were raised up again, and recovered their forfeited blessings. In St. Peter's case we certainly see that the bitter tears of repentance were not ineffectual. He was restored to his Master's favor, and obtained forgiveness for his cowardly denial of him. And do we not know and believe that our Lord is the same Jesus, "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever:" and that "He now liveth to make intercession with God for us ?" It is because He is a Saviour, mighty to save, and willing to forgive, that our Church in her Litany, prays Him "to raise up them that fall"—a petition, which would be unmeaning, if the blessings of baptism were not recoverable by repentance. And were it otherwise, we should address God with a lie in our mouths, as oft as we repeated the general confession, and prayed Him, "Restore Thou them that are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord." But what, if they who fall into sin are not raised up again by the grace of God? What, if they do not receive the gift of repentance and amend their lives? Why, they are disinherited, they will have neither lot nor part in those " joys and pleasures, which are at God's right hand for evermore." This is a certain and revealed truth; and it should serve to impress on our hearts the Apostolic warnings, "Let |