us. It is our own holiness,-the fuperabundance of it, of which, having more than we know what to do with ourselves, from works of fupererogation, we have transferred the furplus in ecclefiaftic ware-houses, and in pure zeal for the good of your fouls, have established public banks of merit, ready to be drawn upon at all times. Think not, ye men of Ifrael, or fay within yourselves, that we are unprofitable servants; -we have no good works to spare, or that if we had, we cannot make this use of them; -that we have no power to circulate our indulgencies, and huckster them out, as we do, through all the parts of Christendom.— Know ye by these presents, that it is our own power which does this;—the plenitude of our apoftolic power operating with our own holinefs that enables us to bind and loofe, as feems meet to us on earth ;-to fave your fouls or deliver them up to Satan, and as they please or displease, to indulge whole kingdoms at once, or excommunicate them all;-binding kings in chains, and your nobles in links of iron.— That we may never again feel the effects of fuch language and principles,—may God of his mercy grant us. Amen. SERMON V. EZRA ix. 6, 7. And I faid, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God :—for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trefpafs is grown up unto the heavens.Since the days of our fathers have we been a great trefpafs unto this day. HERE is not, I believe, throughout TH all history, an instance of so strange and obstinately corrupt a people, as the Jews, of whom Ezra complains;-for though, on one hand, there never was a people that received so many testimonies of God's favour to encourage them to be good,-fo, on the other hand, there never was a people which so often |