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rect one.

The chief of these sects dates the birth of its "founder" but 150 years ago; and for the rest, they have all struck out their paths within the last 300 years. Each sect contends indeed, that their path is the straight one, but a moment's reflection tells you that no new road, no road formed 1500 years after the death of Christ, the Founder of the Christian religion, can be the diChrist it was, Who brought life and immortality to light; and straightway He sent forth His Apostles, divinely inspired, to guide the feet of men into the direct path that leads to these. The Apostles formed by the guidance of the Spirit the disciples who were converted to the Christian faith into one body, which is called in Scripture by that wonderful and blessed name, "the body of Christ." As they went into different parts, this one fellowship, this one body of Christian men, was daily increased; multitudes were added to the Church; they all trod but one way; and when any rose up and sought to make other ways, and to separate themselves from the one body, and to turn aside from the one way, they were rebuked by the Apostles. Though the one Church, like one army, was divided into different companies, some at Corinth, some at Rome, some at Ephesus, some at Colosse, yet

they all were but one army after all; they all had but one Head, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, in England, men in due time were converted to the faith, and were baptized; they had their own Bishops, and Priests, and Deacons, sent by their Divine Head to guide them in the one true way. And, from that time to this, this Church of England has been a true part of this body of Christ moving along the one path.

Turn your eyes now to the Church of England. In her you may see a road as old as the times of the Apostles, and such as it was in apostolic times, straight, plain, and safe; while the light of the Scriptures is freely to be had, to cheer you in the hour of darkness and sorrow. This is the good old way. By you it may have been lightly esteemed, but many among your forefathers have walked in it with their God; and rejoiced in its security; and finally, blessed Him for its straightness. Whether you will hear, or whether you will forbear, I point to this road, the Church of England, as the one on which we are bound to meet; along this we should walk as brethren, "endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Pray that God may give you an understanding mind and a heart ready to do His whole will.

My first and most earnest wish is to see you concerned about the salvation of your souls, and my second wish is to see you willing and anxious to keep all the commandments of God, although some of them may go, as I really am much afraid they do, greatly against your present practice. It is my earnest prayer that we should be, indeed, all seeking the same place, and that as men of sense, as true and sound Christians, we should consult our own welfare and peace, and the world's conversion, by all walking in the same. road.

Why should we differ? Why should we stand aloof one from another? Why should we be as strangers when we have one Father in Heaven ? Why should we not draw near to each other, and love one another, and pray together, and become fellow-worshippers, and walk in the house of God as friends, and take sweet counsel together as brethren in Christ? Surely to the worldly and the unbelieving it must be a sad spectacle to see us all split into so many parties and sects. It must make them distrust that which they should believe; it must make them doubt whether there is any such thing as Christian truth, when we are all disputing about it. And how our divisions must puzzle

NEVER MIND: WE ARE ALL GOING TO THE SAME PLACE.

It must hinder them

and amaze the heathen! from accepting a religion which seems to be so much disputed about; they may well say, "If you Christians, who speak so highly of your religion, will first agree among yourselves, and shew us one way, then we will listen to you; but now you come to us with many different doctrines, and try to lead us into many different ways, though you speak, it is true, of travelling to one place."

Oh! it is a grievous thing to see so many ways in that one religion which God has given us; it is grievous to see neighbours, men living in the same village, or the same town, or the same street, though Christians, never meeting together in Christ's Name all their lives, never praying together, never "with one mind and one mouth" glorifying God. Let us try to end our differences. You who have gone from the Church return to her again. Do not keep apart from "the old paths;" unite yourselves once more to that old body from which you separated yourselves; as you made the separation, so do you return to us. Let us be one again; let us remember our Saviour's prayer; let us act as if we remembered it.

JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON.

DAILY COMMON PRAYER.

We all believe that in Holy Scripture God Himself is ever speaking to the sons of men. We take the Bible as our great possession; we bless God that He has given us such a light to our path and such a lantern to our feet. The Bible is in every man's hand, and ought to be the guide of every man's life.

Now if you open the most precious portion of it, I mean the holy Gospels, you will there find among other accounts of our blessed Saviour's earthly course, that He was wont, whenever He was in Jerusalem, to go to the Temple every day. Thus in the 22nd chapter of St. Luke it is said, "When I was daily with you in the Temple, ye stretched forth no hands against Me." He was daily in the House of Prayer. With this fact in the Gospels, this plain fact that our Saviour went up to the House of Prayer to offer prayer not on Sabbaths only but on week-days too, I ask you as a plain straightforward man

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