Jews of old," While ye have Light, believe in the Light, that ye may be the children of Light. These things spake Jesus and departed."

'And now, dear brethren, it is on my mind to-night to say a few plain, earnest words upon our duty in this matter, as regards our Church privileges.

"Church privileges!" What are they? What do they mean? I think in these wonderful days of " Church privileges," they mean, -A Church open every day, and all the day for private prayer. Holy Communion every day. A bright Choral Evensong every night, frequent extra Services and Sermons. Now go back in thought for a moment, to, say, fifty or sixty years ago. What were our Churches, generally speaking, then? They were dreary, uncared for, dirty buildings, with a cold, slovenly, service perhaps on a Sunday at eleven, and perhaps in the afternoon, and then shut up, bolted and barred for the rest of the week, uninhabited, except by small animals and insects, of a Churchy turn of mind. To find a Church with a daily service was indeed a rare exception. I am not

surprised that there were earnest men in those days, who, in an hour of weakness, yielded to the temptation to forsake a Church, so dead. and cold, for a foreign Communion that had its open Churches, and daily Services. It was the fault of the Church of England in those dark, dead days, that she lost some of her most earnest members. They were true words in those cold times, which a celebrated pervert, driven from us by our lethargy, used after visiting many of our towns and villages, “You have led me," he said, "through a land of closed Churches and hushed bells, of unlighted Altars, and unstoled Priests. Is England," he asked, "under an Interdict?"*

But where there was such a rare thing as a daily Matins and Evensong in those days, how earnestly did those who valued Church privileges, esteem the Light that was offered them! Have you ever read the life of John Keble, the saintly poet of "the Christian Year?" If you have, then, there you have a glimpse of how a saintly man of those days, valued the privilege of daily

* Faber.

Services. But the development of time has brought with it the increased privileges of these days in which we are now living. Now go almost where you will, you find Churches open all day for private prayer, daily Services of Holy Communion, (not Matins only, such as the men of Keble's day had to be content with) and bright Litanies, and Choral Evensongs. And yet, how do we value these privileges? We have all we want, but I fear that in too many cases our love is lukewarm, and our Churchmanship more in name than in fact.

I think there is a great blot upon the "High Church" Party in these days, which it ought seriously to consider, and to rid itself of. There has arisen an earnest section of the "High Church" party, to whom their opponents have given the name of "Ritualists," and, I fear, amongst them, there is a tendency to look down upon the old-fashioned "High Churchman" of fifty years ago. I fear they are apt sometimes to speak coldly, at least, of those men of the last generation, who were content to celebrate Holy Communion with profound reverence, but

without vestments, or much outward ritual, and who loved their daily Matins and Evensong, but who had not the opportunity of enjoying the higher Service of a daily Communion. But you and I have both known, in the course of our lives, some of these old-fashioned "High Churchmen," and, I think, in many instances, they put some of us, with our increased privileges, to shame. You may call it old fashioned, but oh! how they loved the daily Lessons, and the special Saints' Day Service, and how they revelled in such sober-minded books as Keble's "Christian Year," or George Herbert's beautiful "Poems." They were earnest souls, though their privileges, when compared to ours, were few. But they believed in the Light, and they rejoiced in it, and they availed themselves of it. Now, in these days, we are very earnest about some things: very earnest over matters of ritual; over genuflections, and Church ornaments. And if these things, by themselves, constituted orthodoxy, we should, in this age, be most orthodox. But I don't think these things by themselves evidence our

Churchmanship. No matter how great a Ritualist a man may be; no matter how exact he is in his approval of Ritualism, still, if he neglects his daily Services, his Communion, his Prayers, and his Thanksgivings, and his Bible, and makes light of these Church privileges, I cannot say much for his supposed Churchmanship, or his standard of orthodoxy. And, I do think, it is a serious blot upon those who are earnest "Ritualists," (as they are termed), that so many amongst them exert themselves so little in attending the daily Services of the Church. To value our daily Church privileges is practical Churchmanship; to admire Ritual does not necessarily require even a religious mind, much less religious earnestness.

But so many say, we haven't time to go to Church in the week; we are too busy; besides, they have a feeling, though they confess it not, that, after all, Sunday is the day for going to Church, not the week days. Now clearly understand me, that I am not saying one word of rebuke, far from it, to those who, through age, or sickness, or lawful business, are