,,the ,,contemporary ,,pulpit ,,library 
,,sermons    ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,right  
,,rev4   ,j4 ,b4 ,,lightfoot1 ,d4,d41   
,d4,c4,l41   ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of       
,,durham4    ,illustration    ,,new     
,,york3   ,,thomas ,,whittaker1   #b    
,,and #c1 ,,bible ,,house4   #ahij4     
,,contents4#a                           
,,page    ,,bethel                      
#a    ,,the ,,consciousness ,,of ,,sin  
,,heaven',s ,,pathway                   
#ag    ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,israel    
,,an ,,argument ,,in ,,favour ,,of      
,,christianity                          
#bi    ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,god        
#dc    ,,the ,,heavenly ,,teacher       
#ee    ,,christianity ,,and ,,paganism4 
,i4                           #fe       
,,christianity ,,and ,,paganism4  ,,ii4 
#hc    ,,christianity ,,and ,,paganism4 
,,iii4                          #ajj    
,,woman ,,and ,,the ,,gospel            
#aaf    ,,pilate                        
#abi    ,,the ,,pharisee ,,and ,,the    
,,publican                              

#ade    ,,our ,,citizenship             
#aeg    ,,ambition                      
#agj     ,sermons    ,,by ,,the ,,late  
,,right ,,rev4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,lightfoot1     
,d4,d41 ,d4,c4,l41   ,,lord ,,bishop    
,,of ,,durham4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,bethel4#b       
,surely the ,lord is in this place1 and 
,i knew it not4--,,gen4  xxviii4 #af4   
,an unobtrusive1 unimpressive scene1    
almost indistinguishable1 even to the   
curious eye of the archaeologist1 in the
 maze of undistinguished hills which    
encompass it--with nothing to attract   
the eye1 and nothing to fire the        
imagination2 large slabs of bare rock   
traversed by a well-worn thoroughfare2  
no religio loci1 no awful shades1 no    
lofty hills4 ,so is the site of ,bethel 
described by the modern traveller4 ,yet 
this was none other than the ,house of  
,god2 this was the very gate of heaven4 
,an unimpressive scene in itself1 but   
appearing still more commonplace1 when  
contrasted with the famous shrines of   

heathendom--the rock fortress of the    
,athene1 or the pleasant groves of      
,daphne1 or the cloven peak of          
,parnassus1 or the sea-girt sanctuary of
 ,delos4 ,no beauty1 no grandeur1       
nothing of loveliness and nothing of    
awe1 nothing exceptional of any kind    
which can explain or justify its        
selection4 ,was there not ground for the
 wanderer's surprise on that memorable  
night8 ,why should this one spot be     
chosen to plant the foot of the ladder  
which connected heaven and earth8 ,why  
in this bleak wilderness8 ,why amidst   
these bare rocks8 ,why here of all      
places in the world8 ,yes1 why here8    
,the paradox of ,bethel is the paradox  
of the ,gospel--is the paradox of ,god's
 spiritual dispensations at all times4  
,the ,incarnation itself was the supreme
 manifestation of this paradox4 ,the    
building up of the ,church was the      
proper sequel to the ,incarnation4      
,look at the accompaniments of the      
,incarnation4 ,could any environment of 

circumstances well have been imagined   
more incongruous1 more alien to this    
unique event in human history1 this     
supreme revelation of ,god's wisdom1 and
 power1 and beneficence8 ,an obscure    
corner of the ,roman world--an          
insignificant and down-trodden race1    
scorned and hated by the rest of        
mankind--an ox-stall for a nursery1 and 
a carpenter's shop for a school--what is
 wanting to complete the paradox8 ,yes1 
there is still one feature to be added  
to the picture--the crowning incongruity
 of all--the felon's death on the cross4
 ,said not the prophet rightly1 when he 
foretold that there should be nothing   
lovely in ,his life and circumstances1  
as men count loveliness2 no form or     
comeliness2 no beauty that we should    
desire him8  ,and the same paradox1     
which ruled the foundation of the       
,church1 extended also to its building  
up4 ,the great statesmen1 the powerful  
captains1 in the kingdom of ,god were   
fishermen and tent-makers4 ,never was   

this characteristic incongruity of the  
,gospel more signally manifested than in
 the preaching of ,st4 ,paul at ,athens4
 ,have we ever realized the force of    
that single word with which the         
historian describes the impression left 
on the ,apostle's mind by this far-famed
 city8 ,gazing on the most sublime and  
beautiful creations of ,greek art1 the  
masterpieces of ,phidias and            
,praxiteles1 he has no eye for their    
beauty or their sublimity4 ,he pierces  
through the veil of the material and    
transitory1 and behind this semblance of
 grace and glory the true nature of     
things reveals itself4 ,to him this     
chief centre of human culture and       
intelligence1 this--          ,eye of   
,greece1 mother of arts     ,and        
eloquence1  appears only as kazeidolos1 
overrun with idols1 beset with phantoms 
which mislead1 and vanities which       
corrupt4 ,art and culture are ,god's own
 gifts1 legitimate embellishments of    
life1 even of worship1 which is the     

highest form of life4 ,but if culture   
aims at displacing religion1 if art     
seeks to dethrone ,god1--why1 then1 in  
the highest interests of humanity1 be it
 our prayer that the sword of the       
barbarian and the axe of the iconoclast 
may descend once more1 and sweep them   
ruthlessly away4 ,there was1 at least1  
this redeeming feature in ancient art1  
that it gave expression to whatsoever   
sense of the ,divine lay buried in the  
heathen mind4 ,but art and culture1     
which studiously ignore ,god--what can  
be said for these8 ,in this one word    
kazeidolos lies the germ of that fierce 
and protracted struggle of ,christianity
 with ,paganism1 which ended indeed in a
 splendid victory1 though not without   
inflicting many a wound on humanity of  
which the scars and seams still remain4 
,notwithstanding the merciless scoffs of
 a ,celsus and the biting sarcasm of a  
,julian--the ,apostle's words were      
verified in their literal truth4        
,strength was made perfect in weakness4 

,god chose the foolish things of the    
world to confound the wise1 aye1 and the
 uncomely things of the world to        
confound the beautiful4 ,the things     
which are not1 brought to nought the    
things which are4  ,so then in its      
accompaniments1 not less than in its    
main idea1 this incident at ,bethel is a
 type of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,this  
exile1 the representative of the ,israel
 after the flesh1 prefigures a greater  
outcast and wanderer1 the representative
 of the ,israel after the spirit1 the   
representative of the whole family of   
man4 ,this ladder reared up from earth  
to heaven1 whereby angels ascend and    
descend1 what is it but the ,incarnation
 of the ,eternal ,word1 wherein ,god is 
made man1 and man is taken up into ,god8
 ,this it is which establishes the title
 of ,christianity as the absolute and   
final religion of the world--this       
indissoluble union of the human with the
 divine--this one only adequate response
 to the deepest religious cravings of   

mankind4 ,hence the ,church has ever    
clung with a tenacity of grasp1 which   
shallow hearts could ill understand1 to 
this central idea1 the indefeasible     
wedlock of heaven and earth in the      
,god-man4 ,and to those whose sight is  
purged by faith1 to those who are gifted
 with the eye of the ,spirit1 the vision
 of ,bethel will be vouchsafed with a   
far more exceeding glory3 ,verily1      
verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,hereafter ye  
shall see heaven open and the angels of 
,god ascending and descending upon the  
,son of ,man3 on the ,son of ,man3 yes1 
and on thyself too1 ,o man1 for thou art
 one with this ,son of ,man1 one with   
the ,father in ,him4  ,gifted with the  
eye of the ,spirit1 ,i say2 for in vain 
the heavens are riven asunder1 and the  
glory streams forth1 and all things are 
flooded with light1 if the capacity of  
vision be absent4 ,only the cold bare   
stones beneath1 only the midnight gloom 
overhead1 only the dreary1 monotonous   
waste around1 these and these alone are 

visible otherwise4 ,we have been        
saddened1 perhaps we have been          
disconcerted1 as recently we read the   
dreary epitaph which sums up the creed  
of a brilliant man of science not long  
since deceased--a hopeless1 soul-less1  
lifeless creed1 to which his own very   
faculties and acquisitions appear to us 
to give the lie4 ,we have been saddened 
justly2 but why should we be            
disconcerted8 ,god be thanked1 the most 
absolute childlike faith has not        
unfrequently been found united with the 
highest scientific intellect4 ,we in    
this place have never yet lacked bright 
examples of such a union1 and ,god grant
 we never may4 ,but what right have we  
to expect it as a matter of course8     
,what claim do the most brilliant       
mathematical faculties1 or the keenest  
scholarly instincts1 give to a man to   
speak with authority on the things of   
the ,spirit8 ,are we not told on        
authority before which we bow that a    
special faculty is needed for this      

special knowledge2 that eye hath not    
seen and ear hath not heard2 that only  
the ,spirit of ,god--the ,spirit which  
,he vouchsafes to ,his sons--knoweth the
 things of ,god8 ,and does not all      
analogy enforce the truth of this       
lesson8 ,one man has a keenly sensitive 
musical ear1 but he is colour-blind4    
,another has a quick eye for the        
faintest gradations of colour1 but he   
cannot distinguish one note of music    
from another4 ,does the imperfect eye of
 the one know any haze of uncertainty   
over the hues of the rainbow2 or the    
obtuse ear of the other disparage the   
master works of a ,handel1 or a ,mozart1
 or a ,beethoven8 ,here is a            
mathematician who sees in a sublime     
creation of imaginative genius only a   
tissue of unproven hypotheses2 and here 
is a poet1 to whom the plainest         
processes of algebra1 and the simplest  
problems in geometry1 are mere barbarian
 gabble1 conveying no distinct          
impression to the brain1 and leaving no 

intelligible idea on the mind4 ,judge no
 man in this matter4 ,to his own master 
he stands or falls4 ,but judge          
yourselves4 ,yes1 spare no rigour and   
relax no vigilance when the judge is the
 criminal also4 ,believe it1 this       
spiritual faculty is an infinitely      
subtle and delicate mechanism4 ,you     
cannot trifle with it1 cannot roughly   
handle it1 cannot neglect it and suffer 
it to rust from disuse1 without infinite
 peril to yourselves4 ,nothing--not the 
highest intellectual gains--can         
compensate you for its injury or its    
loss4 ,the private prayer mechanically  
repeated1 then hurried over1 then       
intermitted1 and at last dropped2 the   
devotional reading found to be daily    
more irksome1 because suffered to be    
daily more listless2 the valuable moral 
and spiritual discipline of the early   
morning chapel1 gradually neglected2 the
 unobtrusive opportunities of witnessing
 for ,christ by deeds of kindness and   
words of wisdom suffered to slip        

by1--these1 and such as these1 are the  
unfailing indications of spiritual      
decline2 till disuse is followed by     
paralysis1 and paralysis ends in death2 
and you are left without ,god in the    
world4 ,and yet when again--you young   
men--when again1 in the years to come1  
can you hope that the conditions of your
 life will be as favourable to this     
spiritual self-discipline as they are   
now8 ,where else do you expect to find  
in the same degree the opportunities for
 private meditation and retirement1 the 
daily common prayer and the frequent    
communions1 the inspiring and           
sanctifying friendships1 the wholesome  
occupation for the mind and the healthy 
recreations for the body1 every         
appliance and every aid which1 if you   
will employ them aright1 neither        
disusing them nor misusing them1 will   
combine to build up and to perfect the  
man of ,god8 ,choose ye1 this day4 ,to  
you1 more especially1 ,i appeal who have
 recently commenced your residence here1

 and to whom1 therefore1 with the       
changed conditions of life a heightened 
ideal of life also is suggested4 ,this  
is the momentous alternative4 ,shall    
your life hereafter be typified by the  
barren rocks and the monotonous waste1  
hard and dreary1 if nothing worse2 or   
shall it be illumined within and around 
with the effulgence of ,god's own       
presence1 so that--      ,the earth and 
every common sight       ,to you shall  
seem     ,apparelled in celestial light1
       ,the glory and the freshness of a
 dream8  ,a dream8 nay1 not a dream1 but
 an everlasting reality1 eternal1 as    
,god's own being is eternal4  ,there are
 two ways of looking on the relations   
between the things of this life and the 
things of eternity4 ,a false and a true4
 ,the false way regards the one as the  
rejection of the other4 ,they are       
reciprocally exclusive4 ,the avocations1
 the interests1 the amusements of daily 
life--nature and history1 poetry and    
art--these are so many hindrances to the

 heavenly life4 ,every moment given to  
work is a moment subtracted from        
prayer--thus the inward life becomes a  
constant reflection upon the conditions 
of the outward4 ,this is the spirit     
which of old peopled the desert with    
anchorites2 the spirit which in all     
ages1 though under divers forms1 has    
made a religion of selfishness4 ,this is
 the voice which cries1 ,lo1 here6 and  
lo1 there6 though all the while the     
kingdom of heaven is within us1 in the  
very midst of us4 ,the true conception  
is the reverse of all this4 ,its ideal  
is not a separation1 but an             
identification of the two4 ,it takes its
 stand on the old maxim laborare est    
orare4 ,it strives that its work shall  
be prayer1 and its prayer shall be work4
 ,nature and history to it are not the  
veil of ,god's presence2 they are the   
investiture of ,god's glory4 ,and1      
therefore1 to it is vouchsafed the      
vision of grace1 and comfort1 and       
strength1 as to the patriarchs of old4  

,the solitary wanderer along the dreary 
thoroughfare of this life lays himself  
down4 ,he has nothing but the bare      
stones beneath for a couch1 and nothing 
but the midnight sky overhead for a     
tent4 ,he closes his eyes for a moment2 
and the whole place is flooded with     
glory4 ,ah6 the ,lord was in this place1
 though he knew it not2 but he knows it 
now--knows it in the access of strength1
 knows it in the promise of hope1 knows 
it in the celestial voice and the       
ineffable light4 ,all the common        
interests of life--the associations1 the
 amusements1 the cares1 the hopes1 the  
friendships1 the conflicts--all are     
invested with a dignity and an awe      
unsuspected before4 ,reverence is       
henceforth the ruling spirit of his     
life4 ,this monotonous round of         
commonplace toils and commonplace       
pleasures is none other than the ,house 
of ,god4 ,this barren1 stony            
thoroughfare of life is the very portal 
of heaven4  ,to read these hieroglyphics

 traced on nature1 on history1 on the   
human soul--to decipher this handwriting
 of ,god wheresoever it appears1 and    
where does it not appear8--is the       
ultimate and final study of man4 ,all   
history is a parable of ,god's dealings2
 and we must learn the interpretation of
 the parable4 ,all nature is a sacrament
 of ,god's being and attributes1 and we 
must strive to pierce through the       
outward sign to the inward meaning4 ,to 
realize ,god's presence1 to hear ,god's 
voice1 to see ,god's visage1--let this  
be henceforth the aim and the discipline
 of our lives4 ,so at length we shall   
pass from ,bethel to ,peniel--from the  
palace courts to the presence chamber   
itself4 ,we shall see ,god face to face4
 ,it is a vision of power1 of majesty1  
of awe unspeakable2 but it is a vision  
also of purification1 of light1 of      
strength1 of life4 ,the blessing is won 
at length by that long lonely wrestling 
under the midnight sky4 ,the fraud1 the 
worldliness1 the self-seeking is thrown 

off like a slough4 ,all is changed4 ,old
 things have passed away4 ,the          
supplanted rises from the struggle1 the 
supplanter rises no more1 but the       
,israel1 the ,prince1 who has power with
 ,god and with men4 ,shall not ,moses'  
prayer then be our prayer1 ,lord1 ,i    
beseech ,thee1 show me ,thy glory8      
,show me ,thy glory4 ,where else shall  
this glory reveal itself if not in the  
studies of this place8 ,these properties
 of numbers1 these selections of space1 
these phenomena of light1 of heat1 of   
energy1 of life1 of language1 of        
thought1 what are they8 ,individual     
facts to be recorded1 arranged1         
tabulated1 marshalled under several     
heads1 which we call laws1 and having so
 called them1 with a strange            
self-complacency and contentment fold   
our hands1 as if nothing more were to be
 done1 as if by the mere imposition of a
 name we had crowned them absolute      
sovereigns of the ,universe8 ,or are    
they manifestations--partial1 indeed1   

and needing to be supplemented--of a    
power1 a majesty1 a wisdom1 an order1 a 
beneficence1 a finality1 a oneness1 a   
,one1 who is shown to us as the ,eternal
 ,father in the revelation of the       
,eternal ,son8 ,can we afford to look   
down from the serene heights of modern  
science and culture on the untutored    
,indian1 who saw ,god's face in the     
shifting clouds1 and heard ,god's voice 
in the whistling winds8 ,nay1 was there 
not a truth in this childish ignorance  
which threatens to elude the grasp of   
our manhood's wisdom8 ,was it altogether
 a baseless dream in those stoic        
,pantheists1 who endowed each several   
planet with an animating spirit of its  
own8 altogether a wild fancy in those   
,christian fathers assigning to each its
 particular angel1 who should whirl it  
through space and hold it in its course8
 ,was it not rather a ,divine instinct  
feeling after a higher truth8 ,human    
life cannot rest satisfied with the     
science of phenomena alone4 ,it needs to

 supplement science with poetry4 ,and   
the true1 the absolute1 the final poetry
 is the recognition of ,god the ,creator
 and ,governor1 of ,god the all-wise and
 all-powerful1 of ,god the ,father1 the 
,redeemer1 the ,sanctifier1 of ,god the 
eternal love4 ,blessed are they who have
 eyes to see1--thus to them      ,the   
meanest flower that blows can give      
,thoughts that do often lie too deep for
 tears4  ,thoughts of immortality1 of   
wisdom1 of light1 of love4  ,show me    
,thy ,glory1 where else again shall ,his
 glory be seen1 if not in those         
friendships which are the crowning gift 
of ,university life8 ,this intimate     
communion of soul with soul1 this       
linking of heart with heart1 is it      
merely a matter of human convenience1 of
 human preference1 or has it a ,divine  
side also8 ,this love1 this devotion1   
this reliance of the weak on the strong1
 this reverence for a nature purer1     
nobler1 more upright1 more manly1 more  
unselfish than your own--what is its    

meaning8 ,it is a precious1 unspeakably 
precious1 gift of ,god1 you will        
say--far beyond wealth1 or fame1 or     
popularity1 or ease1 or any earthly boon
 of which you can conceive4 ,yes1 but it
 is more than this4 ,may we not call it 
in some sense a sacrament1 a sign and a 
parable of your relation to your ,lord8 
,you are awed--no other word will       
express this feeling--you are awed with 
the honour done to you by this          
friendship4 ,you do not talk much about 
it--it is too sacred a thing--but you do
 feel it4 ,you confess to yourself day  
and night your own unworthiness4 ,and   
yet1 though you strive to be worthy1 you
 would not wish to feel worthy4 ,the    
very sense of undeservedness invests the
 gift with a bountifulness and a glory  
which you would not forego4 ,the        
fountains of your thanksgiving would    
cease to flow freely if you claimed it  
as a right2 and it is a joyful and a    
pleasant thing to be thankful4 ,apply   
this experience to the infinitely higher

 gift of ,christ's friendship1 of       
,christ's sacrifice4 ,herein lies the   
power of the ,cross--which men called   
and still call weakness--the power which
 awes1 inspires1 energises1 which       
elevates the heart and sanctifies the   
life--herein this feeling of boundless  
thanksgiving arises from this sense of  
absolute undeservedness4 ,for is it not 
true1 that those will love most to whom 
most is given and forgiven8 ,so then    
this your friendship is found to be none
 other than the ,house of ,god4 ,the    
,lord is in this place1 and happy are ye
 if ye know it4  ,once again2 look into 
your own soul1 and what do you find     
there8 ,yes1 ye yourselves are the      
temple of the living ,god4 ,he is       
there--there1 whether you will or not4  
,through your reason1 through your      
conscience1 through your remorses and   
regrets1 through your capacity of       
amendment1 through your aspirations and 
ideals1 ,he speaks to you4 ,you are ,his
 coinage4 ,his image and superscription 

are stamped upon you4 ,aye1 and ,he has 
also re-stamped you1 re-created you1 in 
,christ ,jesus by the earnest of ,his   
,spirit4 ,if it be true of your body    
that it is fearfully and wonderfully    
made1 is it not far more true of your   
soul8 ,henceforward you will regard     
yourself with awe and reverence1 as a   
sanctuary of the eternal goodness4 ,you 
will not1 you dare not1 profane this    
sanctuary4 ,here is the true            
self-respect--nay1 not self-respect1 for
 self is abased1 self is overawed1 self 
veils the face and falls prostrate in   
the presence of ,infinite ,wisdom1 and  
,purity1 and ,love thus revealed4       
,surely1 surely the ,lord was in this   
place--in this poor1 self-seeking1      
restless1 rebellious soul of mine1 and  
,i1 ,i thought it a common thing1 ,i    
went on my way heedless1 ,i followed my 
own devices and desires1 ,i knew it not4
  ,in conclusion1 ,i have been asked to 
plead before you to-day a cause which it
 should not require many words of mine  

to enforce4 ,the ,barnwell and          
,chesterton ,clergy ,fund appeals to you
 year by year for aid4 ,of all claims   
this 7,i say it advisedly7 should be a  
first charge on the liberality of       
members of the ,university4 ,these      
populous and growing suburbs are created
 by your needs4 ,they are chiefly       
peopled by college servants and others  
for whom you are responsible4 ,zealous  
clergy are willing to work for the      
work's sake in these districts commonly 
for stipends which no one could call    
remunerative--sometimes for no stipends 
at all4 ,and yet it is still the same   
old story which ,i remember years ago4  
,there is still the same difficulty in  
meeting current expenses2 still the same
 fear lest the spiritual machinery      
should be impaired for lack of funds2   
still the same precarious hand-to-mouth 
existence1 of which we heard complaint  
in years past4 ,is it quite creditable  
that matters should go on thus8 ,in a   
thousand ways you all1 some directly1   

some indirectly1 you all are reaping1   
materially1 intellectually1 or          
spiritually the fruits gathered from the
 liberality of past ages8 ,will you not 
make an adequate return8 ,steady1       
continuous subscriptions are needed4 ,a 
liberal response to this day's appeal is
 needed4 ,the ,fund is largely dependent
 on the proceeds of the ,university     
,sermon4 ,not less than a hundred pounds
 will suffice to meet all requirements4 
,will you not give it this day1 either  
in this church1 or in contributions sent
 afterwards to the treasurer8 ,think not
 that you hear only the poor words of   
the preacher in this appeal4 ,christ    
,himself pleads with you4 ,christ's own 
words ring in your ears1 ,ye did it1 ye 
did it not1 to ,me4 ,ah1 yes1 the ,lord 
was in this place--in this weary        
pleading of the preacher1 in these trite
 commonplaces of spiritual need3 and we1
 we knew it not4 ,god grant that you may
 know it in time4 ,god forbid that ,he  
should ever say to you1 ,i knew you not4

     ,,the ,,consciousness ,,of ,,sin   
,,heaven',s ,,pathway4#c   ,when ,simon 
,peter saw it1 he fell down at ,jesus'  
knees1 saying1  ,depart from me2 for ,i 
am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord4--,,luke v4   
#h4   ,to those who search the          
,scriptures1 not because in them they   
think they have eternal life1 but       
because in them they trust to find      
historical difficulties1 this account of
 ,st4 ,peter's call has seemed to reward
 their search4 ,the narrative indeed1 is
 simple and inartificial in itself2 the 
incidents follow in a natural order2 the
 traits of character are wonderfully    
realistic and lifelike4 ,there is       
confessedly an air of truthfulness about
 the whole story2 but how--how1 it is   
asked--can this account be reconciled   
with the narrative given in ,st4 ,john's
 ,gospel8 ,there we have a wholly       
different story of ,st4 ,peter's call4  
,his brother ,andrew is a scholar of the
 ,baptist4 ,the ,baptist points out     
,jesus to ,andrew and to a              

fellow-disciple4 ,they follow ,jesus2   
they are accepted by ,him2 they lodge   
that day with ,him2 they are convinced  
that ,he is the ,christ4 ,andrew takes  
his brother ,simon to ,jesus2 ,jesus    
receives him4 ,thou art ,simon1 the son 
of ,jona4 ,thou shalt be called ,cephas4
 ,this account also is perfectly plain1 
but how can the two be harmonised8 ,have
 we not here1 it is said1 two           
irreconcilable narratives--in fact1 two 
distinct legends of the call of ,st4    
,peter8  ,i have more than once remarked
 that the apparent moral contradictions 
of the ,bible are often its most        
valuable moral lessons4 ,a similar      
remark will apply to its apparent       
historical contradictions4 ,underlying  
these is very frequently a subtle       
harmony1 which eluded us at our first   
hasty search4 ,the two accounts are     
after all not contradictory1 but        
supplementary1 the one to the other4 ,so
 it is here4 ,read ,st4 ,luke's         
narrative carefully1 and it will be     

apparent that this cannot have been the 
first meeting of ,st4 ,peter with our   
,lord4 ,i say nothing of the healing of 
his wife's mother1 for1 though this is  
related earlier in ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1
 yet it is plain from the narrative in  
the other evangelists that it is not    
related here in chronological order4    
,but what are the facts8 ,these         
fishermen have been toiling throughout  
the night2 their labour has been wholly 
unrewarded1 though night is the proper  
season for plying their craft2 and now  
in the bright glare of the morning      
sun--now when1 after the ill-success of 
the night1 it would be perfect madness  
to expect a haul--now they are suddenly1
 imperiously bidden to put out again    
into the deep sea1 and to let down their
 nets4 ,and the command is obeyed4      
,there is the lurking misgiving1 there  
is the tacit remonstrance2 but there is 
prompt obedience notwithstanding4       
,master1 we have toiled all the night2  
nevertheless1 at ,thy word ,i will let  

down the net4 ,at ,thy word4 ,who is    
this1 that this most unreasonable demand
 meets with such ready acquiescence8 ,is
 it possible that ,he can have been a   
mere passing stranger1 or a mere casual 
acquaintance8 ,how could ,his advice    
have been entertained for a moment when 
,he told an experienced fisherman to do 
what a fisherman knew to be utterly     
foolish and futile8 ,the narrative      
itself1 ,i say1 implies some previous   
knowledge of our ,lord on ,st4 ,peter's 
part4 ,he would never have acted as he  
is represented here as acting unless he 
had believed1 or1 at least1 had         
suspected1 that there was a more than   
human power and intelligence in our     
,lord4 ,in short1 the narrative of ,st4 
,luke presupposes the narrative of ,st4 
,john4 ,jesus speaks to ,peter now as   
one who has a right to command4 ,the    
incident in ,st4 ,john gives the        
personal call of ,peter2 the incident in
 ,st4 ,luke gives his official call4 ,on
 the one occasion he is represented as a

 disciple and a follower2 on the other  
occasion he is declared an apostle and a
 teacher4 ,from henceforth thou shalt   
catch men4  ,but ,i did not select this 
text with any special purpose of        
discussing historical difficulties4     
,such discussions1 indeed1 are necessary
 when they are forced upon us1 but they 
only distract the mind from the moral   
and spiritual lessons of the ,scripture4
 ,nor1 ,i think1 is the lesson in the   
text difficult to extricate4 ,all       
history teaches by example1 and the     
,scriptural narrative is the            
intensification of history4 ,the        
miracles of our ,lord are not miracles  
only4 ,they are most frequently acted   
parables also4 ,and have we not here a  
parable of the most intense pathos and  
of the widest application8  ,master1 we 
have toiled all the night1 and we have  
taken nothing4 ,what is this but a true1
 painfully true1 image of the efforts1  
the struggles1 the futilities1 the      
despairs of humanity2 not in isolated   

cases1 here and there only1 of          
disappointed hopes and unrealised aim1  
but with thousands of men and women who 
are born into this world1 and live and  
labour1 and suffer and die1 without     
securing any substantial and enduring   
good1 simply because they have lived and
 died apart from ,god1 who alone        
survives the decay of time1 and alone   
can give satisfaction to the immortal   
spirit of man8  ,we have toiled all the 
night4 ,yes2 we see it now--now when the
 morning light of eternity has burst    
upon our aching eyeballs4 ,we have      
toiled all the night4 ,there was        
darkness above and around us2 there was 
toil of hands and toil of heart2 there  
was the struggle for subsistence2 there 
was the race after wealth and honour2   
there was the eager pursuit of phantom  
goods4 ,we had our pleasures and we had 
our pains4 ,we had our failures and we  
had our successes4 ,yes1 our splendid   
successes as men counted them--as we    
were half tempted to count them         

ourselves4 ,but we have taken nothing4  
,our successes are as our failures2 our 
pains are as our pleasures1 now4 ,in the
 all-absorbing abyss of time we have    
taken nothing1 absolutely               
nothing--nothing which can escape the   
jaws of the grave1 nothing which will   
pass the portals of death4 ,we stand    
alone1 stripped of everything1 alone    
with ,god1 alone with eternity4  ,you   
pursued wealth1 and you pursued it not  
in vain2 you determined that your career
 should be a success1 and a success you 
made it4 ,you surrounded yourself with  
every material comfort2 you added to    
these substantial appliances all the    
embellishments and all the refinements  
of life4 ,what then8 ,did they give you 
the satisfaction you hoped for8 ,could  
you feel that there was any finality in 
such aims and acquisitions as these8    
,no4 ,the hope was better after all than
 the realisation2 the prospect was      
brighter than the attainment4 ,you were 
restless1 discontented1 craving still4  

,there was a hunger of soul1 though you 
would not confess it--a hunger of soul1 
which rejected and loathed these husks4 
,and now where are they1 and what are   
they8 ,or you pursued honour and fame1  
and men lavishly bestowed upon you that 
which you so eagerly sought1 till you   
seemed at length to have all1 and more  
than all1 that you had set your heart   
upon4 ,but still there was no           
contentment1 because there was no       
finality4 ,dropsy-like your craving only
 grew with the gratification4 ,each     
fresh draught of applause created a     
fresh thirst4 ,every imagined slight1   
every unintentional neglect1 every      
trivial rebuff1 was a keen agony to you4
 ,you had only increased your           
sensitiveness2 you had not secured your 
satisfaction4 ,or1 again1 you had set   
your heart on human love1 ,god's        
greatest boon if you use it without     
misusing it1 if you subordinate it to   
his ,divine love4 ,your human           
affections1 your human friendships1 were

 everything to you4 ,in the buoyant     
hopefulness of youth1 in the solid      
security of middle age1 it seemed as    
though these must last for ever4 ,but   
soon enough the painful truth dawned    
upon you4 ,the march of life began to   
tell on your comrades in the journey4   
,one dropped at your side1 and then     
another4 ,the ranks were visibly        
thinning1 and there was no one to step  
in and take the vacant places4 ,first   
the mother at whose knees you had lisped
 your earliest faltering prayer2 then   
the friend who shared all your counsels1
 who was more than a brother to you2    
then the wife whom you cherished as     
another self2 then the little daughter  
whose innocent childish talk had solaced
 you in many a grievous hour3 so1 one by
 one1 they fell away1 and you are left  
gradually alone and more alone2 they    
leave you when you need them most1 and  
at length in the vacancy of your        
solitude you make the bitter discovery  
that though you have toiled all night   

you have taken nothing--you have taken  
nothing at all4  ,a short time ago we   
laid in the vaults of this cathedral the
 last mortal remains of one#d who has   
achieved for himself a foremost place   
among the masters of his art in our own 
age4 ,it was fit that his bones should  
lie here1 side by side with more than   
one famous brother sculptor who has gone
 before him--side by side with the most 
illustrious names in the sister art of  
painting2 with ,reynolds1 whose easy    
grace in the delineation of human       
portraiture stands quite without a      
rival2 with ,turner1 who has succeeded  
as no other painter has succeeded1 in   
any age or country1 in reproducing on   
canvas the subtle play of light and     
shade1 the ever-varying aspect1 the     
depth1 the infinity1 of external nature2
 with ,landseer1 too1 our most recent   
guest in this our artists'              
resting-place1 whose genial and vigorous
 representations of the lower animal    
life have invested it with almost a     

human interest1 and1 so doing1 have     
taught us many a suggestive lesson of   
humanity and kindliness4 ,side by side1 
too1 with ,england's greatest           
architects1 and ,wren1 their prince1    
whose genius needs no word of eulogy    
here1 for his monument is above and     
around us4 ,such a place of sepulture   
well befitted such a man4 ,it is our    
tribute of respect for noble gifts nobly
 used4 ,it is our expression of         
thanksgiving to ,god1 who thus endows   
,his servants that they may employ their
 endowments to exalt and to embellish   
human life4  ,but one thought cannot    
fail to strike us here4 ,we may remember
 that the great conqueror of modern     
time1 when it was suggested to him to   
perpetuate some signal incident in his  
triumphant career by an historical      
picture1 asked how long the work would  
last4 ,he was told two or three         
centuries--perhaps1 under favourable    
circumstances1 five centuries4 ,this    
would not satisfy his devouring         

ambition4 ,this was not the immortality 
of fame which he had designed for       
himself4 ,he must have a more enduring  
memorial than this4 ,compared with the  
canvas of the painter1 the marble of the
 sculptor is long-lived indeed4 ,the    
most enduring of human works are the    
works of the sculptor's chisel4 ,the    
stern granite features of the ,pharaoh  
who befriended ,joseph and the ,pharaoh 
who persecuted ,israel may still look   
down on the land which they ruled with  
an iron rule between three and four     
thousand years ago4 ,the winged lions   
and winged bulls on which the           
contemporaries of ,shalmanezer and      
,sennacherib may have gazed in awe1 in  
the royal palaces of ,assyria1 still    
confront us in our national museum with 
the same weird look1 unchanged though   
all else has changed1 surviving still1  
though a hundred generations of men have
 been born1 and lived1 and died1        
meanwhile4 ,and it may be that in the   
centuries to come1 some curious explorer

 will exhume1 from the grass-grown      
mounds of this ruined city1 a work of   
art bearing the name of him whom on     
,friday last we bore to an honoured     
resting-place--perhaps the effigy of a  
prince who flourished in a remote epoch 
of the past1 when ,england was still a  
nation1 and who sank into an untimely   
grave amidst a people's mourning4 ,and  
thus the sculptor's fame will have a    
second lease of life4  ,but after all1  
thirty centuries are but as three--are  
but as three years or three             
days--compared with eternity4           
,napoleon's ambition was a perverted    
instinct1 but it was an instinct1       
nevertheless4 ,man feels that he was not
 made to die2 he will not consent to    
die4 ,this thirst for enduring fame1    
what is it but an echo1 a mocking echo1 
of an eternal verity8 ,yes1 he will     
live4 ,the materialist may tell him     
that1 when the eye and the ear are      
dissolved into gases and decomposed into
 dust1 it matters nothing to him with   

what honours men may adorn his memory1  
with what praises they may celebrate his
 name4 ,he1 too--his personality1 or    
what he was pleased to call his         
personality--is dissolved1 is           
dissipated1 is gone2 but the materialist
 never yet has been able1 never will be 
able1 to persuade mankind4 ,the natural 
instinct of man revolts against the     
assumption2 and the ambition of the     
,christian1 the ambition for eternity   
alone1 expresses truly this general     
instinct of man4 ,to labour for the good
 things of this world1 to labour for    
fame in the coming centuries1 what is   
it1 after all1 if our views are bounded 
by this narrow horizon8 ,why1 then1 like
 the disappointed fishermen of the      
,galilean lake1 we have toiled all the  
night long1 and1 for our pains1 we have 
taken nothing4  ,and this change--this  
conversion1 if you will--comes          
sometimes1 it may be1 despite ourselves1
 but comes--remember this--comes most   
often in answer to some act of          

obedience1 to some surrender of         
self-will on our part4 ,we may complain2
 we may demur2 we may distrust4 ,we have
 toiled all the night1 and have taken   
nothing2 but we recognise the authority 
of the ,divine voice1 and we force      
ourselves into compliance--nevertheless1
 at ,thy word4 ,the command is general3 
it has come to all alike1--,let ye down 
your nets4 ,but1 like ,peter1 we        
specialise it1 we adopt it1 we          
appropriate it to ourselves3 ,i will let
 down the net4 ,and so we do what seems 
hard and unreasonable2 we do what we    
have never done before4  ,and the       
response--the response to this          
obedience--is a light flashed in upon   
our soul1 a double revelation1 a        
revelation of mixed pleasure and pain1  
for it is a revelation at once of the   
sin within and of ,god without4 ,the    
marvellous bounty of ,god's grace       
dazzles and astounds our vision1 and1 in
 our perplexity of heart1 the           
despairing1 craving1 forbidding1        

yearning cry is wrung from our lips1    
,depart from me6 ,depart from me1 ,o    
,lord1 for ,i am a sinful man6  ,depart 
from me1 ,o ,lord4 ,i know it all now4  
,i see my sin1 because ,i see ,thy      
goodness4 ,yes1 ,i have beheld ,thy     
holiness1 ,thy purity1 ,thy truth1 ,thy 
grace1 ,thy love1 and ,i have been      
stunned with the contrast to self4 ,the 
brightness of the light has intensified 
the blackness of the shade4 ,depart from
 me1 ,o ,lord6 what can ,i have in      
common with ,thee8--,i1 so selfish1 so  
vile1 so sin-laden1 with ,thee1 so      
merciful1 so righteous1 so holy4 ,in    
very deed1 ,thy ways are not as my ways1
 and ,thy thoughts are not as my        
thoughts4 ,depart from me1 ,o ,lord6    
,this fear of the ,lord is1 indeed1 the 
beginning of wisdom4 ,this consciousness
 of sin is the true pathway to heaven4  
,the saintliest of men have ever felt   
and spoken most strongly of their own   
sinfulness4 ,the intensity of their     
language has provoked the sneer of the  

worldling--has been an evidence here of 
their own conviction that1 despite their
 pretensions to holiness1 they are no   
better than he1 perhaps somewhat worse4 
,but they know1 and he doth not know1   
what sin means and what ,god means1 and 
so the despairing cry is wrung from     
their agony1 ,depart from me1 ,o ,lord4 
,depart from me1 ,o ,lord6 ,and yet not 
so1 ,lord4 ,even while ,peter is        
speaking his gestures belie his words4  
,his lips implore ,jesus despairingly to
 depart1 but his eyes and his hands     
entreat ,him passionately to stay4 ,not 
so1 ,lord1 for how can ,i endure to part
 with ,thee8 ,in ,thy presence is hope1 
is light1 is joy4 ,lord1 to whom shall  
we go8 ,thou hast the words of eternal  
life4 ,depart from me8 ,no2 it is for   
the godless to say1 ',depart from us1   
for we desire not the knowledge of      
,god4' ,it is for the unclean spirits to
 rave against ,thee--',let us alone1    
,thou ,jesus of ,nazareth6 ,what have we
 to do with ,thee8' ,but ,i1 ,i have    

everything to do with ,thee4 ,i am      
created in the image of ,god4 ,i have a 
ray of the ,divine light1 a seed of the 
,divine word1 within me4 ,and like seeks
 like2 therefore ,i yearn after ,thee1  
therefore ,i am drawn towards ,thee1    
therefore ,i stretch out my hands to    
,thee over the wide chasm of sin which  
yawns between us4 ,depart from me8 ,nay1
 rather abide with me4 ,teach me1       
absolve me1 purify me1 strengthen me4   
,take me to ,thyself1 that ,i may be    
,thine and ,thine only4 ,abide with me1 
for the day of this life is far spent1  
and the night cometh when no man can    
work4 ,stay with me now and evermore1   
and so fulfil ,thy gracious promise3    
',if a man love ,me and will keep ,my   
word1 ,my ,father will love him1 and we 
will come unto him1 and make our abode  
with him4'     ,,the ,,history ,,of     
,,israel ,,an ,,argument ,,in ,,favour  
,,of ,,christianity4#e   ,they are ,thy 
people and ,thine inheritance4--,,deut4 
ix4 #bi4   ,it is related of a certain  

royal chaplain that1 being asked often  
by his sovereign to give a concise and  
convincing argument in favour of        
,christianity1 he replied in two        
words--,the ,jews4 ,it is this subject  
which ,i offer for your consideration   
this afternoon--the history and         
character of the ,israelite race as a   
witness to ,christianity4 ,the subject  
is certainly not inappropriate at this  
season1 when the commemoration of the   
great ,pentecostal ,day is fast         
approaching1 to which all the previous  
history of the nation had tended1 which 
substituted the dispensation of the     
,spirit for the dispensation of the     
,law1 and expanded the religion of a    
tribe into the religion of mankind4 ,it 
is1 moreover1 forced upon our notice by 
that remarkable chapter in ,deuteronomy 
which we have heard this afternoon1 and 
which1 by prophetic insight1 brings out 
with singular distinctness the prominent
 character and subsequent career of the 
race4 ,only reflect upon such           

expressions as these3--,go in to possess
 nations greater and mightier than      
thyself1 cities great and fenced up to  
heaven2 ,understand1 therefore1 this day
 that the ,lord thy ,god is ,he which   
goeth over before thee2 ,the ,lord thy  
,god giveth thee not this good land to  
possess it for thy righteousness2 for   
thou art a stiffnecked people2 ,ye have 
been rebellious against the ,lord from  
the day that ,i knew you4  ,read these  
passages in the full light which thirty 
centuries of the nation's history have  
thrown upon them4 ,study this contrast  
between their character and their       
achievements as it unfolds itself in all
 their subsequent history4 ,consider1 on
 the one hand1 not only the first       
conquest of ,canaan to which the words  
more immediately refer1 but the         
succession of far more brilliant        
victories over the great nations of the 
world1 culminating in that most         
magnificent triumph of all--the triumph 
of ,christianity4 ,consider1 on the     

other hand1 not only those early        
murmurings and idolatries in the        
wilderness to which the language more   
directly points1 but that long catalogue
 of rebellions of which the subsequent  
history of ,israel is made up1 and which
 reached its climax in the martyrdom of 
the ,lord of ,life4 ,set these one      
against the other1 and you will confess 
that the utterances of ,deuteronomy are 
wonderful anticipations of the future1  
succinct epitomes of centuries yet to   
come4 ,you may question1 if you will1   
every single prophecy in the ,old       
,testament1 but the whole history of the
 ,jews is one continuous prophecy1 more 
distinct and articulate than all4 ,you  
may deny if you will every successive   
miracle which is recorded therein1 but  
again the history of the ,jews is1 from 
first to last1 one stupendous miracle1  
more wonderful and convincing than all4 
,here you have a small1 insignificant   
people--stiff-necked1 rebellious1       
worthless2 there you have the most      

magnificent spiritual achievements--the 
most signal moral victories4 ,what      
conclusion can you draw1 except that    
which is drawn for you in the words     
which ,i have read3 ,the ,lord thy ,god 
is ,he that goeth before you8--,they are
 ,thy people and ,thine inheritance1    
which ,thou broughtest out by ,thy      
mighty power and ,thy stretched out arm4
  ,look first at the capacities of the  
people themselves4 ,they had no         
remarkable gifts which might have led us
 to anticipate this unique destiny4     
,they had no intellectual qualities of a
 very high order like the ,greeks--vivid
 imagination1 subtlety of thought1      
aesthetic taste2 no political capacity  
like the ,romans1 no organizing power or
 faculty of legislation which might     
secure for them the ascendency over the 
nations of the world4 ,they were1       
moreover1 a stubborn1 exclusive1        
intolerant people--an unpractical       
people1 without the power1 or at least  
the will1 to adapt themselves to the    

institutions1 the feelings1 and the     
prejudices of the people with whom they 
were brought in contact4 ,they were     
believed1 in consequence1 to cherish an 
universal hatred against the rest of    
mankind2 and they1 in turn1 were hated  
by all--hated1 not with the hatred of an
 admiring envy1 but the hatred of a     
supercilious scorn4 ,of all the tribes  
on the face of the earth the ,jews1 we  
should have said1 were the very last to 
ingratiate themselves with the other    
races of mankind1 and to lay the        
civilised world at their feet4 ,and now 
turn from the people themselves to the  
land of their abode4 ,certainly this    
does not enable us to solve the enigma4 
,palestine does not occupy a large space
 in the ,christian's imagination2 for it
 is a very minute1 insignificant spot in
 the map of the world4 ,it is1 moreover1
 incapable of expansion1 for it is      
bounded on all sides either by sea or   
mountain ranges1 or by vast and         
impracticable deserts4 ,to a great      

extent all this country is mountainous  
and barren1 and even this meagre and    
unpromising territory is not all their  
own4 ,the sea-coast would have been     
valuable to a people gifted with        
commercial instincts4 ,with commerce    
they might have extended their          
influence2 but from the sea-coast they  
were wholly excluded4 ,the ,phoenicians 
on the north and the ,philistines on the
 south occupied all the most important  
harbours2 and this territory of the     
,jews was so unexpansive1 so barren1 so 
unpromising that they were placed at a  
still greater disadvantage when compared
 with the surrounding people4 ,the ,jews
 are surrounded on all sides1 and by the
 most formidable neighbours4 ,on the one
 side by ,egypt1 a country of the       
highest fertility1 the foremost military
 power in the world1 with an ancient    
civilisation which dated from a period  
long before the birth of the father of  
the ,israelite people1 whilst it stood  
foremost of the human race in works of  

art in its day4 ,who was ,israel1 then1 
that he could withstand ,egypt8 ,there1 
again1 on the other side1 was another   
mighty empire1 first ,assyria1 then     
,babylon1 the only rival of ,egypt of   
the ancient world4 ,in these places they
 had the same advantage of wide plains  
of exceptional fertility1 a high and    
remote civilisation1 an army of         
tremendous strength1 and a              
centralisation under an absolute rule1  
with all the resources which a great and
 vast dominion could command4 ,as       
,persia succeeded ,babylon1 and as      
,babylon succeeded ,assyria1 so         
,persia--far more mighty and            
terrible--overruns and conquers all     
,western ,asia4 ,egypt itself falls4    
,palestine is a mere speck1 surrounded  
by the huge dominions of the ,persian   
monarch4 ,what chance has ,israel       
against such terrible neighbours8 ,must 
it not be crushed and ground to atoms   
and annihilated by its foes8 ,but1 at   
all events1 it might have been supposed 

that1 however stubborn and impracticable
 they were in their attitude towards    
others1 they would at least be united   
amongst themselves--that they would be  
loyal to their country1 that they would 
be faithful to their laws and           
institutions1 that they would be true to
 their ,god4 ,this internal cohesion    
would give them strength to resist--this
 absolute harmony would win for them an 
influence that would compensate for the 
superior advantages of their more       
powerful neighbours4 ,but what do we    
find as a matter of fact8 ,their        
national history is one continuous      
record of murmuring1 of rebellion1 of   
internal feuds1 of moral and spiritual  
defection4 ,they have no sooner escaped 
from their ,egyptian bondage1 their     
necks still bearing the scars of the    
tyrants' yoke1 than they fall into      
shameless idolatry4 ,the worship of the 
golden calf is only the type and        
presence of still more guilty lapses in 
centuries yet to come2 the revolt       

against ,moses and ,aaron only the type 
and shadow of the rebellious spirit to  
which ,israel rose in the distant       
future4 ,again and again the religion of
 ,jehovah is effaced1 or almost effaced1
 from the mind of the nation4 ,again and
 again the hideous idolatries of        
,moloch--idolatries cruel1 profligate1  
and shameless--supplant the worship of  
the ,lord of heaven and earth4 ,and the 
political condition of the nation is not
 one whit more hopeful than the         
religious4 ,when unity alone can save   
the people then there is disruption4    
,the ,ten ,tribes are severed from the  
,house of ,david1 never to be united    
again4 ,the power of one kingdom is     
spent in neutralising the power of the  
other4 ,this is a concise history of the
 race during the period from the        
disruption to the captivity4 ,the career
 of ,israel1 from first to last1 is a   
running comment upon the words1 ,not for
 thy righteousness or for the           
uprightness of thine heart dost thou go 

to possess the land1 for ye have been   
rebellious against the ,lord from the   
day that ,i knew you4 ,not once or twice
 only the ,mighty ,archer has strung    
,his weapon and pointed ,his shaft1 and 
,his aim has been frustrated by         
,israel's disobedience4 ,his chosen     
instruments have been snapped in ,his   
hands1 starting aside like a broken bow4
 ,indeed1 the history of ,israel is     
quite unique in the chronicles of       
nations4 ,the chronicles of other       
nations record the qualities as well as 
the crimes of the people whose career   
they commemorate4 ,they praise their    
patriotism1 their prowess1 their        
manifold virtues1 their magnificent     
achievements4 ,but the ,bible1 the      
chronicle of the ,jews1 is one          
uninterrupted catalogue of sins and     
shortcomings--one long bill of          
indictment against ,israel4 ,one only is
 true1 one only is faithful1 one only is
 victorious2 for he fears not the       
nation1 but the nation's ,god4 ,so then1

 however we look at the matter1 there is
 nothing which affords ground for hope2 
and when we question actual facts1 we   
find they correspond altogether to those
 expectations we should have formed     
beforehand from the character and       
position of the nation4 ,never has any  
people lived upon the earth who passed  
through such terrible disasters as the  
,jews4 ,never has any people been so    
near to absolute extinction again and   
again1 and yet have survived4 ,again and
 again the vision of the prophet has    
been realised4 ,again and again the     
valley of the shadow of death has been  
strewn with the dry bones of carcases   
seemingly extinct4 ,again and again     
there have been seasons of dark despair1
 when even the most hopeful1 challenged 
by the ,divine voice1 could only        
respond1 ,o ,lord ,god1 ,thou knowest6  
,but again and again there has been a   
shaking of the dry bones--the bones have
 come together1 bone to bone2 they have 
been strung with sinews and clothed with

 flesh2 breath has been breathed into   
them1 and they have lived1 and have     
become an exceeding great army4 ,think  
of those many centuries of ,egyptian    
bondage1 when the life of the nation    
seemed to have been strangled in its    
infancy4 ,reflect next on that period in
 its youthful career1 when it is        
fighting its way inch by inch1 and      
struggling for very existence in        
,palestine1 doing battle with nations   
greater and mightier than itself1 and   
with cities fenced high up to heaven4   
,look forward again1 and we see its fate
 during the manhood of the nation under 
its king1 the land now divided against  
itself and overrun by successive        
invaders4 ,as of old so now again1 but  
in a far more terrible sense1 ,israel   
finds himself face to face with the     
,anakims and with those great empires of
 the ,east before whom he appears but as
 a grasshopper4 ,the end was inevitable4
 ,for a time ,israel was a plaything in 
the hands of those terrible neighbours1 

tossed to and fro between two powerful  
rivals--,egypt on the one side1 and     
,assyria and ,babylon on the other--till
 at length1 in a moment of victory1 he  
is swept away1 and his place knows him  
no more4 ,could anything seem more      
hopeless than the revival of the nation 
from the ,babylonish captivity8 ,yet    
from ,babylon1 as from ,egypt1 ,israel  
returned4 ,a new lease of life was      
granted1 and with it there followed a   
new lease of disaster also4 ,his old    
fate pursued him still4 ,the saying was 
fulfilled which had been spoken by the  
prophet3 ,that which the locust hath    
left hath the canker-worm eaten1 and    
that which the canker-worm hath left    
hath the caterpillar eaten4 ,he was     
rescued from the fangs of ,babylon only 
to be food for the ,assyrians4 ,he was  
drawn from the feet of the ,assyrians   
only to be devoured by the insatiable   
,roman4 ,and yet all the while--and this
 is the remarkable fact to which ,i ask 
your attention--amidst calamities the   

most overwhelming and suffering the most
 intense--exiled1 enslaved1 trampled    
under foot1 only not annihilated--all   
the while he was hopeful1 was jubilant1 
was triumphant still4 ,he was always    
dying1 and behold he lived4 ,century    
after century prophets had declared1 in 
no ambiguous terms1 that despite all    
these adverse appearances1 despite all  
these wearisome delays1 ,israel had a   
magnificent future4 ,the nations might  
rage1 and the kings of the earth might  
do their worst--they were powerless     
against ,israel's destiny4 ,a sceptre   
should rise out of ,jacob which would   
subdue the world1 and a ,king should sit
 on ,david's throne before whose        
footstool all the nations of the earth  
should bow4 ,a standard should be set up
 in ,zion around which all mankind      
should rally4 ,behold thou shalt call a 
nation that thou knowest not1 and       
nations that knew not thee shall run    
unto thee because of the ,lord thy ,god1
 and for the ,holy ,one of ,israel2 for 

he hath glorified thee2 ,the sons of    
them that afflicted thee shall come     
bending unto thee1 and all they that    
despised thee shall bow themselves at   
the soles of thy feet2 ,enlarge the     
place of thy tent1 and let them stretch 
forth the curtains of thine habitation2 
spare not1 lengthen thy cords1 and      
strengthen thy stakes2 for thou shalt   
break forth on the right hand and on the
 left1 and thy seed shall inherit the   
,gentiles1 and make the desolated cities
 to be inhabited4  ,and these           
hopes--these extravagant hopes--were    
more than realized4 ,a ,king did rise   
out of ,jacob to whom all the nations of
 the civilised world have rendered      
homage such as no sovereign received    
before or after--the homage of their    
heart1 the homage of their lives4 ,at   
the call of ,israel the ,gentiles       
flocked to the standard set up in ,zion4
 ,from far and near1 the cultivated     
,greek1 the proud ,roman1 ,assyrian and 
,egyptian1 master and slave1 are        

flocking around that standard4 ,from    
east to west1 from the ancient          
civilisation of ,india to the barbarous 
islands of the ,pacific1 ,israel has    
dictated its sentiments1 its belief1 its
 morals1 its laws and institutions to   
the nations4 ,an influence far deeper1  
far wider1 far more tenacious has       
appeared from that despised1 insulted1  
down-trodden people than was ever       
achieved by the splendid literature of  
,greece or the historic empire of ,rome4
 ,these are not theories1 but           
facts--facts which some will attempt to 
explain away1 but facts which none can  
deny4 ,here is the prophecy--there is   
the fulfilment4 ,the prophecy is not a  
single isolated prediction of ambiguous 
meaning1 but large and clear1 written   
across the whole history of a nation    
from margin to margin4 ,and the         
fulfilment corresponds to the prophecy2 
it is legible to all men1 because       
stamped on the face of the world4 ,is   
there not here the manifestation of     

,divine providence8 ,do we not rightly  
claim the ,jews as the principal        
witnesses to ,christianity1 or shall we 
set all this down as mere accident1 a   
freak of fortune1 a superficial         
correspondence without any essential    
connection8 ,shall it be regarded as    
mere accident that1 within a few years  
after the appearing of this ,king who   
has thus gathered the ,gentiles to ,his 
standard1 ,jerusalem is destroyed1 and  
the nation scattered to the four winds  
of the earth--that the polity of ,israel
 for ever ceased1 that the ,temple      
shook1 and that revival was rendered    
thenceforward impossible8 ,shall we say 
that it is mere argument that for       
eighteen centuries--a period as long as 
that which elapsed from the proclamation
 of the law by ,moses to the fulfilment 
of the law by ,christ--this state of    
things has remained8 ,or should we not  
rather say that in this coincidence also
 there is a ,divine significance--that  
,he proclaimed with no uncertain sound  

the obituary of the old order and the   
commencement of the new--that ,god's    
seal is stamped upon the character of   
the ,church1 whereby ,israel after the  
,spirit is substituted for ,israel after
 the flesh8 ,do we ask what it was which
 gave the ,jewish people this toughness1
 this vitality1 this power8 ,the answer 
simply is1 ,they are ,thy people and    
,thine inheritance1 which ,thou         
broughtest out by ,thy mighty power1 and
 by ,thy stretched out arm4 ,it was the 
consciousness of this close relationship
 with ,jehovah1 the omnipotent and      
ever-present ,god--it was the sense of  
their glorious destiny1 which marked    
them out as the teachers of mankind4 ,it
 was the conviction that they were the  
possessors of glorious truths1 and that 
those truths must in the end prevail1   
whatever present appearances might      
suggest--this was the secret source of  
their strength1 notwithstanding all     
their faults1 and despite all their     
disasters4 ,do we ask again how it came 

to pass that1 when ,israel called to the
 ,gentiles1 the ,gentiles responded to  
the call and flocked to its standard8   
,here1 again1 the answer is             
simple--,because of the ,lord thy ,god1 
and for the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,the 
,gentiles had everything else in their  
possession1 but this one thing they     
lacked--knowledge of ,god1 their        
,father2 and without this all their     
magnificent gifts could not             
satisfy--could not save them4           
,therefore1 when at length the cry went 
forth1 ,ho6 every one that thirsteth1   
come ye to the waters1 they hurried to  
the fountains of salvation to slake     
their burning thirst4 ,culture and      
civilisation1 arts and commerce1        
institutions and laws1--no nation can   
afford to undervalue these2 but not only
 do all these things soon fade1 but the 
people themselves fall into corruption  
and decay if the ,breath of ,life be    
wanting4  ,and as with nations1 so with 
individuals4 ,we may cultivate the      

intellect to the highest pitch2 we may  
surround ourselves with all the luxuries
 and refinements of civilisation2 we may
 accumulate all the appliances which    
make life enjoyable2 but the time will  
come when these things will fail to     
sustain us4 ,it may come in some season 
of bereavement1 in the hour of sickness 
or of loss4 ,it may come in the failure 
and decay of powers4 ,it may come in the
 pains of our death-agony4 ,it may      
come--and this is the most solemn       
thought of all--after we have passed the
 confines of the grave4 ,but come it    
must sooner or later2 for we are        
children of ,god1 and we cannot with    
impunity ignore or deny the ,father of  
earth and heaven4 ,there only is rest   
and peace2 there only is true life for  
the soul of man4     ,,the ,,vision ,,of
 ,,god4#f   ,and they shall see ,his    
face4--,,rev4 xxii4 #d4   ,it is related
 of the greatest of the ,bishops of     
,durham that1 in his last solemn        
moments1 when the veil of the flesh was 

even now parting asunder1 and the       
everlasting sanctuary opening before his
 eyes1 he expressed it as an awful thing
 to appear before the ,moral ,governor  
of the world4  ,the same thought1 which 
thus accompanied him in his passage to  
eternity1 had dominated his life in     
time--this consciousness of an ,eternal 
,presence1 this sense of a ,supreme     
,righteousness1 this conviction of a    
,divine ,order1 shaping1 guiding1       
disposing all the intricate vicissitudes
 of circumstance and all the little     
lives of men--enshrouded now in a dark  
atmosphere of mystery1 revealing itself 
only in glimpses through the rolling    
clouds of material existence1 dimly     
discerned by the dull and partial vision
 of finite man1 questioned1 doubted1    
denied by many1 yet visible enough now  
to the eye of faith1 working patiently  
but working surely1 vindicating itself  
ever and again in the long results of   
time1 but awaiting its complete and     
final vindication in the absolute issues

 of eternity--the truth of all truths1  
the reality of all realities1 the one   
stubborn steadfast fact1 unchangeable   
while all else is changing--this        
,presence1 this ,order1 this            
,righteousness--in the language of ,holy
 ,scripture1 this ,word of the ,lord    
which shall outlive the solid earth     
under foot1 and the starry vault        
overhead4 ,they shall perish1 but ,thou 
remainest1 and they all shall wax old as
 doth a garment2 and as a vesture shalt 
,thou fold them1 and they shall be      
changed2 but ,thou art the same1 and    
,thy years shall not fail4 ,all flesh is
 as grass1 and all the glory of man as  
the flower of grass4 ,the grass         
withereth1 and the flower thereof       
falleth away--but the word of the ,lord 
endureth for ever4  ,it is no arbitrary 
conjecture that this was the dominating 
idea of ,butler's life4 ,early and late 
it is alike prominent in his writings4  
,in the preface to his first great work1
 his volume of sermons1 he speaks of the

 ,author and ,cause of all things1 who  
is more intimately present to us than   
anything else can be1 and with whom we  
have a nearer and more constant         
intercourse than we have with any       
creature4 ,in his latest work1 his      
,charge to the ,clergy of ,durham1 he   
urges the yielding ourselves up to the  
full influence of the ,divine ,presence3
 he bids his hearers endeavour to raise 
up in the hearts of their people such a 
sense of ,god as shall be an habitual1  
ready principle of reverence1 love1     
gratitude1 hope1 trust1 resignation1 and
 obedience2 he recommends the practice  
of such devotional exercises as would be
 a recollection that we are in the      
,divine ,presence1 and contribute to our
 being in the fear of the ,lord all the 
day long4 ,thus his death-bed utterance 
was the proper sequel to his life-long  
thoughts4 ,the same awe-inspiring1      
soul-subduing1 purifying1 sanctifying   
,presence rose before him as hitherto4  
,but the awe1 the solemnity1 was        

intensified now1 when the vision of ,god
 by faith might at any moment give place
 to the vision of ,god by sight4 ,not   
unfitly did one1 writing shortly after  
his decease1 compare him to the bright  
lamps before the shrine1 the clear1     
steady light of the sanctuary1 burning  
night and day before the ,eternal       
,presence4  ,in the strength of this    
belief he had lived1 and in the awe of  
this thought he now died4 ,this         
conviction it was--this sense of a      
present righteousness1 confronting him  
always--which raised him high above the 
level of his age2 keeping him pure amid 
the surroundings of a dissolute court2  
modest and humble in a generation of    
much pretentious display2 high-minded   
and careless of wealth in a time of     
gross venality and corruption2 firm in  
the faith amidst a society cankered by  
scepticism2 devout and reverent1 where  
spiritual indifference reigned supreme2 
candid and thoughtful and temperate1    
amidst the temptations and the          

excitements of religious controversy2   
careful even for the externals of       
worship1 where such care was vilified as
 the badge of a degrading superstition4 
,hence that tremendous seriousness which
 is his special characteristic--that    
awful sense of religion1 that sacred    
horror at men's frivolity1 in the       
language of a living essayist4 ,hence   
that transparent sincerity of character1
 which never fails him4 ,hence that     
meekness of wisdom1 which he especially 
urges his clergy to study1 and of which 
he himself was all unconsciously the    
brightest example4  ,and what more      
seasonable prayer can you offer for him 
who addresses you now1 at this the most 
momentous crisis of his life1 than that 
he--the latest successor of ,butler--may
 enter upon the duties of his high and  
responsible office in the same spirit2  
that the realisation of this great idea1
 the realisation of this great fact1 may
 be the constant effort of his life2    
that glimpses of the invisible          

righteousness1 of the invisible grace1  
of the invisible glory1 may be          
vouchsafed to him2 and that the ,eternal
 ,presence1 thus haunting him night and 
day1 may rebuke1 may deter1 may guide1  
may strengthen1 may comfort1 may illume1
 may consecrate and subdue the feeble   
and wayward impulses of his own heart to
 ,god's holy will and purpose6  ,and not
 for the preacher only1 but for the     
hearers also1 let the same prayer ascend
 to the throne of heaven4 ,in all the   
manifold trials and all the mean        
vexations of life1 this presence will be
 your strength and your stay4           
,whatsoever is truthful1 whatsoever is  
real1 whatsoever is abiding in your     
lives1 if there be any antidote to sin1 
and if there be any anodyne for grief1  
if there be any consolation1 and if     
there be any grace1 you will find it    
here1 and here alone--in the            
ever-present consciousness that you are 
living face to face with the ,eternal   
,god4 ,not by fitful gusts of religious 

passion1 not by fervid outbursts of     
sentimental devotion1 not by repetition 
of approved forms1 and not by           
acquiescence in orthodox beliefs1 but by
 the calm1 steady1 persistent           
concentration of the soul on this truth1
 by the intent fixing of the inward eye 
on the righteousness and the grace of   
the ,eternal ,being before ,whom you    
stand1 will you redeem your spirits and 
sanctify your lives4 ,so will your minds
 be conformed to ,his mind4 ,so will    
your faces reflect the brightness of    
,his face4 ,so will you go from strength
 to strength1 till1 life's pilgrimage   
ended1 you appear in the eternal ,zion1 
the celestial city1 wherein is neither  
sun nor moon1 for the glory of ,god doth
 lighten it1 and the ,lamb is the light 
thereof4  ,let this1 then1 be the theme 
of our meditation this morning4 ,many   
thoughts will crowd upon our minds and  
struggle for utterance on a day like    
this2 but we will put them all aside4   
,not our hopes1 not our cares1 not our  

burdens2 nothing of joy1 nothing of     
sadness shall interpose now to shut out 
or obscure the glory of the ,presence   
before ,whom we stand4  ,not our hopes1 
though one hope starts up and shapes    
itself perforce before our eyes4 ,it    
will be the prayer of many hearts to-day
 that the inauguration of a new         
,episcopate may be marked by the        
creation of a new ,see2 that            
,northumberland1 which in the centuries 
long past gave to ,durham her           
,bishopric1 may receive from ,durham her
 due in return in these latest days2    
that the ,newcastle on the ,tyne may    
take its place with the ,old ,castle on 
the ,wear1 as a spiritual fortress      
strong in the warfare of ,god4  ,not our
 cares1 though at this season one       
anxiety will press heavily on the minds 
of all4 ,the dense cloud1 which for     
weeks past has darkened the social      
atmosphere of these northern counties1  
still hangs sullenly overhead4 ,god     
grant that the rift which already we    

seem to discern may widen1 till the     
flooding sunlight scatters the darkness1
 and a lasting harmony is restored to   
the relations between the employer and  
the employed4  ,not our burdens1 though 
on one at least in this ,cathedral the  
sense of a new responsibility must press
 to-day with a heavy hand4 ,if indeed   
this burden had been self-sought or     
self-imposed1 if his thoughts were      
suffered to dwell on himself and his own
 incapacity1 he might well sink under   
its crushing weight4 ,but your prayer   
for him1 and his ideal for himself1 will
 shape itself in the words which were   
spoken to the great ,israelite restorer 
of old1 ,not by might1 nor by power1 but
 by ,my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord of     
,hosts4 ,in this strength only1 before  
you as before him1 will the great       
mountain become a plain4  ,therefore we 
will lay down now our hopes and our     
fears1 our every burden1 at the steps of
 the altar1 that1 entering disencumbered
 into the inmost sanctuary1 we may fall 

before the ,eternal ,presence4  ,the    
vision of ,god is threefold--the vision 
of ,righteousness1 the vision of ,grace1
 the vision of ,glory4  ,i4 ,the vision 
of ,righteousness is first in the       
sequence4 ,righteousness includes all   
those attributes which make up the idea 
of the ,supreme ,ruler of the           
universe--perfect justice1 perfect      
truth1 perfect purity1 perfect moral    
harmony in all its aspects4 ,here1 then1
 is the force of ,butlers dying words4  
,ask yourselves1 ,can it be otherwise   
than an awful thing to appear before the
 ,moral ,governor of the world8 ,you    
have read1 perhaps1 the written record  
of some pure and saintly life1 and you  
are overwhelmed with shame as you look  
inward and contrast your sullied heart  
and your self-seeking aims with his     
innocency and cleanness of heart4 ,you  
are confronted--you1 an avowedly        
religious person--in your business      
affairs with an upright man of the      
world2 and his straightforward honesty  

is felt by you as a keen reproach to    
your disingenuousness and evasion1 all  
the keener because he makes no          
profession of religion4 ,yes1 you know  
it2 this is the very impress of ,god's  
attribute on his soul1 though ,god's    
name may seldom or never pass his lips4 
,and if these faint rays of the ,eternal
 ,light1 thus caught and reflected on   
the blurred mirrors of human hearts and 
human lives1 so sting and pain the      
organs of your moral vision1 what must  
it not be1 then1 when you shall stand   
face to face before the ineffable       
,righteousness1 and see ,him in ,his    
unclouded glory6  ,it is a vision indeed
 of awe1 transcending all thought2 a    
vision of awe1 but a vision also of     
purification1 of renewal1 of energy1 of 
power1 of life4 ,therefore enter into   
his presence now and cast yourself down 
before ,his throne4 ,therefore dare to  
ascend into the holy mountain2 dare to  
speak with ,god amidst the thunders and 
the lightnings2 dare to look upon the   

face of ,his righteousness1 that1       
descending from the heights1 you1 like  
the lawgiver of old1 may carry with you 
the reflection of ,his brightness1 to   
illumine and to vivify the common       
associations and the every-day affairs  
of life4  ,not a few here will doubtless
 remember how an eloquent living        
preacher in a striking image employs the
 distant view of the towers of your own 
,durham--of my own ,durham--seen from   
the neighbourhood of the busy northern  
capital only in the clearer atmosphere  
of ,sundays--as an emblem of these      
glimpses of the ,eternal ,presence1     
these intervals of ,sabbatical repose   
and contemplation1 when the furnaces and
 pits cease for the time to pour forth  
their lurid smoke1 and in the unclouded 
sky the towers of the celestial ,zion   
reveal themselves to the eye of faith4  
,let this local image give point to our 
thoughts to-day4 ,unto ,thee lift ,i up 
mine eyes1 ,o ,thou that dwellest in the
 heavens4 ,behold1 even as the eyes of  

servants look unto the hand of their    
masters1 and as the eyes of a maiden    
unto the hand of her mistress1 even so  
our eyes wait upon the ,lord our ,god4  
,,ii4 ,but the vision of ,righteousness 
is succeeded by the vision of ,grace4   
,when ,butler in his dying moments had  
expressed his awe at appearing face to  
face before the ,moral ,governor of the 
world1 his chaplain1 we are told1 spoke 
to him of the blood which cleanseth from
 all sin4 ,ah1 this is comfortable1 he  
replied2 and with these words on his    
lips he gave up his soul to ,god4 ,the  
sequence is a necessary sequence4 ,he   
only has access to the ,eternal ,love   
who has stood face to face with the     
,eternal ,righteousness4 ,he only who   
has learned to feel the awe will be     
taught to know the grace4 ,the righteous
 ,judge1 the ,moral ,governor of the    
,world1 is a loving ,father also1 is    
your ,father and mine4 ,this is the     
central lesson of ,christianity4 ,of    
this ,he has given us absolute          

assurance1 in the life1 the death1 the  
words1 and the works of ,christ4 ,the   
incarnation of the ,son is the mirror of
 the ,father's love4 ,what witness need 
we more8 ,happy he who shall realise    
this fact in all its significance and   
fulness4 ,happy he on whom the light of 
the glory of the ,gospel of ,christ1 who
 is the image of ,god1 shall shine1 he  
who shall--      ,gaze one moment on the
 ,face ,whose beauty         ,wakes the 
world's great hymn2     ,feel it one    
unutterable moment1         ,bent in    
love o'er him2     ,in that look feel   
heaven1 earth1 men1 and angels1         
,distant grow1 and dim2     ,in that    
look feel heaven1 earth1 men1 and       
angels1         ,nearer grow through    
,him4  ,yes1 it is so indeed4 ,all our  
interests in life1 the highest and the  
lowest alike1 abandoned1 merged1        
forgotten in ,god's love1 will come back
 to us with a distinctness1 an          
intensity1 a force1 unknown and         
unsuspected before4 ,each several       

outline and each particular hue will    
stand out in the light of ,his grace4   
,thus we are bidden to lose our souls   
only that we may find them again2 we are
 charged to give up houses1 and         
brethren1 and sisters1 and father1 and  
mother1 and wife1 and children1 and     
lands--all that is lovely and precious  
in our eyes--to give up all to ,god1    
only that we may receive them back from 
,him a hundredfold1 even now in this    
present time4 ,our affections1 our      
friendships1 our hopes1 our business and
 our pleasure1 our intellectual pursuits
 and our artistic tastes--all our       
cherished opportunities and all our     
fondest aims must be brought into the   
sanctuary and bathed in the glory of    
,his ,presence1 that we may take them to
 us again1 baptized and regenerate1     
purer1 higher1 more real1 more abiding  
far than before4  ,,iii4 ,and thus the  
vision of love melts into the vision of 
glory4 ,so we reach the third and final 
stage in our progress4 ,this is the     

crowning promise of the ,apocalyptic    
vision1 ,they shall see ,his face4 ,the 
vision is only inchoate now2 we catch   
only glimpses at rare intervals1        
revealed in the lives of ,god's saints  
and heroes1 revealed above all in the   
record of the written ,word and in the  
,incarnation of the ,divine ,son4 ,but  
then no veil of the flesh shall dim the 
vision2 no imperfection of the mirror   
shall blur the image2 for we shall see  
,him face to face--shall see ,him as ,he
 is--the perfect truth1 the perfect     
righteousness1 the perfect purity1 the  
perfect love1 the perfect light4 ,and we
 shall gaze with unblenching eye1 and   
our visage shall be changed4 ,not now   
with transient gleams of radiance1 as on
 the lawgiver of old1 shall the light be
 reflected from us2 but resting upon us 
with its own ineffable glory1 the awful 
effluence--      ,shall flood our being 
round1 and take our lives     ,into     
itself4  ,of this final goal of our     
aspirations--of this crowning mystery of

 our being--the mind is helpless to     
conceive1 and the tongue refuses to     
tell4 ,silent contemplation1 and        
wondering awe1 and fervent thanksgiving 
alone befit the theme4 ,even the        
inspired lips of an ,apostle are hushed 
before it4 ,beloved1 now are we the sons
 of ,god1 and it doth not yet appear    
what we shall be2 but we know that1 when
 ,he shall appear1 we shall be like     
,him1 for we shall see ,him as ,he      
is--we shall see ,him as ,he is4        
,,the ,,heavenly ,,teacher4#g   ,he     
shall take of ,mine1 and shall show it  
unto you4--,,st4 ,,john xvi4  #ae4      
,the death of ,christ was the orphanhood
 of the disciples4 ,i am not inventing a
 figure of my own when ,i say this4 ,it 
is the language which our ,lord ,himself
 uses to describe their destitute       
condition4 ,in our ,english ,bible ,he  
is made to speak of leaving them        
comfortless4 ,the words in the original 
are3 ,leave you orphans--,leave you     
desolate1 as it is translated in the    

,revised ,version4 ,they would be       
fatherless1 motherless1 homeless1       
friendless--at least1 so it seemed to   
them--when ,he was gone4  ,no condition 
of life excites so keenly the compassion
 of the compassionate as the            
helplessness of the orphan4 ,it is not  
only that a child is deprived1 by its   
parents' death1 of the means of         
subsistence2 its natural guardian1      
teacher1 friend is gone4 ,henceforth it 
is a waif on the ocean of the world4 ,in
 no respect different was that void     
which threatened the disciples when the 
,master's presence had been withdrawn4  
,they had left all--authority1 home4    
,they had forsaken parents and friends1 
and ,he had become ,father and ,mother1 
and ,sister and ,brother to them4 ,they 
had given up houses and land1 and ,he   
was henceforth their home4 ,their       
dependence on ,him was absolute4        
,whatever of joy they had in the        
present1 and what of hope they had for  
the future1 were alike centred in ,him4 

,they thought ,his thoughts and lived   
,his life4 ,and now this communion of   
soul with soul1 and of life with life1  
must be ruthlessly severed4  ,this was  
the terrible shock for which ,christ    
would prepare the minds of ,his         
disciples4 ,it was not only the void of 
earthly hopes scattered by ,his death2  
but their ,teacher1 their ,guide1       
,spirit1 ,friend1 ,christ1 their ,father
 was withdrawn4 ,the voice which soothed
 must be silent1 and the eye which      
gladdened must be glazed1 and the hand  
which blessed must be stiffened in      
death4 ,christ lay buried--lost for     
ever1 as it would seem to them4 ,what   
joy1 what strength1 what comfort could  
they have henceforth in life8 ,they     
would stake their whole on ,christ1 and 
,christ has failed them4 ,surely1 never 
was orphanhood more helpless1 more      
hopeless1 than the orphanhood of these  
poor ,galileans4  ,it was to prepare    
them for this terrible trial that the   
promise in the text was given4 ,he must 

go2 but another shall come4 ,they should
 not be without a teacher1 a guide2 one 
,advocate1 one ,comforter would be      
withdrawn1 but another would take ,his  
place4 ,there would be a friend still1  
an adviser ever near to take them by the
 hand1 to whisper into their ears1 to   
prepare1 to instruct1 to protect1 to    
fortify1 to guide them into all truth4  
,another comforter4 ,yes2 and yet not   
another4 ,there would not be less of    
,christ1 but more of ,christ1 when      
,christ was gone4 ,this is the spiritual
 paradox which is assured to the        
disciples by the promise in the         
text--,he shall take of ,mine1 and show 
it unto you4 ,all things that the       
,father hath are ,mine2 therefore1 said 
,i1 ,he shall take of ,mine and shall   
show it unto you4 ,another1 and yet not 
another4 ,it was not ,christ supplanted1
 not ,christ superseded1 not ,christ    
eclipsed and quenched1 but a larger1    
higher1 purer1 more abundant ,christ    
with whom henceforth they should live4  

,it was not now a ,christ who might be  
speaking at one moment and the next     
moment might be hushed1 but a ,christ   
whose tongue was ever articulate and    
ever audible--,christ vocal even in ,his
 very silence4 ,it was not now a ,christ
 who was seen at one moment1 and the    
next was concealed from view by some    
infinite obstacle1 but a ,christ whose  
visit no darkness could hide and whose  
touch no distance could detain4 ,it was 
not a ,christ of now and then1 not a    
,christ of here and there1 but a ,christ
 of every moment and every place--a     
,christ as permeating as the ,spirit is 
permeating4 ,he shall take of ,mine1 and
 shall show it unto you4 ,lo1 ,i am with
 you alway6 ,i am with you even to the  
end of the world4  ,he is not lost1     
then4 ,this is the promise which ,christ
 gives to ,his disciples on the eve of  
,his departure to console them for their
 loss4 ,his departure was more than     
necessary4 ,it was even expedient1 it   
was even advantageous for them that ,he 

should go4 ,did not the ,saviour say    
this8 ,nothing would have seemed more   
improbable in the anticipation than that
 the death of ,christ should have       
produced the effect it did produce on   
,his disciples4 ,we should have         
predicted weakness1 depression1 misery1 
scepticism1 apostacy1 despair2 and yet  
what was the actual result8 ,why1 all at
 once they appear before us as changed  
men4 ,all at once they shake off meaner 
hopes2 all at once their nerves are     
fortified1 are lifted into a higher     
region4 ,on the eve of the catastrophe  
they are hesitating1 fearful1           
sense-bound1 narrow in their ideas4     
,they are1 we might almost say1 of the  
earth earthy4 ,and on the morrow they   
are strong1 steadfast1 courageous1      
endowed with a new spiritual faculty    
which bears unto the very salvation of  
salvation4 ,hitherto they have known    
,christ after the flesh4 ,henceforth    
they will know ,him so no more4  ,to    
know ,christ after the flesh6 ,what     

would we not have given to have known   
,him after the flesh8 ,what a source of 
strength it would have been to us1 we   
imagine1 just to have listened to one of
 those parables spoken by ,his own lips2
 just to have witnessed one of those    
miracles of healing wrought by ,his own 
hand2 just to have looked one moment on 
,him as ,he stood silent in the         
judgment-hall1 or bleeding on the cross6
 ,but no6 ,it was expedient for us1 as  
it was expedient for the first          
disciples1 that ,he should go away4 ,it 
was expedient for us2 otherwise the     
,spirit could not come4  ,to know       
,christ after the flesh6 ,did not the   
disciples know ,him after the flesh1 and
 did they not forsake ,him8 ,did not    
,thomas who doubted and ,peter who      
denied know ,him after the flesh8 ,did  
not the ,jewish mob which hooted and    
reviled1 and the ,roman soldiers who    
scourged1 know ,him after the flesh8    
,what security was this knowledge after 
the flesh against scepticism1 against   

blasphemy1 against apostacy1 against    
rebellion8 ,seeing1 it is said1 is      
believing4 ,yes1 and hearing1 too4 ,but 
it is the seeing of the spiritual eye   
and the hearing of the spiritual        
ear--the eye that beheld the heavens    
open and the ,son of ,man standing on   
the right hand of ,god3 the hearing of  
the glory when ,he was called into      
,paradise1 unspeakable words which it is
 not lawful for a man to utter4  ,to    
know ,christ after the flesh4 ,why      
should we desire to know ,him after the 
flesh8 ,it was just to unteach the      
disciples themselves1 whose knowledge   
was only after the flesh1 that ,christ  
went away1 because so long as they were 
possessed of this knowledge1 the        
,paraclete could not come1 could not    
take up ,his abode in their faith4      
,thus1 this is the work of the ,spirit1 
as described by our ,lord1 in the text  
to us1 as to the disciples of old4 ,the 
,spirit offers not less of ,christ1 but 
more of ,christ2 for in the place of the

 ,christ who walked on the shores of the
 ,galilean lake1 who sat on the brink of
 the ,samaritan well1 and shed tears    
over the doomed city--instead of such a 
,christ we have a ,christ who is ever   
present to us2 a ,christ of all times   
and all places2 a ,christ who traverses 
the universe--an ,omnipotent ,christ4   
,look at the explanation which our ,lord
 ,himself gave to the prophets3 ,he     
shall take of ,mine1 and shall show it  
unto you4 ,how so8 ,why of ,christ1 and 
,christ only8 ,has the ,spirit nothing  
else to teach us8 ,hear what follows3   
,all things--all things--that the       
,father hath are ,mine2 therefore1 said 
,i unto you1 ,he shall take of mine and 
shall show it unto you4  ,all things6   
,yes2 all history1 all science1 all     
aggregation of truth in whatever domain1
 and whatever kind it may be4 ,think    
you1 ,he seems to say--think you that   
,my working is confined to a few paltry 
miracles wrought in ,galilee8 ,the      
universe itself is ,my miracle4 ,think  

you ,my words are restricted to a few   
short precepts uttered to the ,jews8 ,we
 make foolish distinctions4 ,we imagine 
we erect a barrier within which we would
 confine the ,christ of our own         
imagination2 but the ,christ of         
,christ's own teaching overleaps all    
such barriers of ours4 ,we are careful  
to distinguish between knowledge and    
revealed religion4 ,we separate ,christ 
from the former and we relegate ,him to 
the latter2 but the ,christ of ,christ's
 own teaching is the ,eternal ,word1    
through whom the ,father speaks4 ,we    
draw the rigid lines of demarcation     
between science and theology1 between   
religion and language1 but the ,christ  
of the people is the hand of the ,father
 not less in science and language than  
in religion and theology4 ,we have our  
distinctions between the secular and the
 spiritual1 as if the two were          
antagonistic4 ,we must not use a saying 
of ,christ1 as if it taught that our    
duty to ,caesar was something quite     

apart from our duty to ,god2 as if1     
forsooth1 it were possible for us to    
have any moral obligation to any man1 or
 body of men1 to any child1 which was   
not also an obligation to ,god in       
,christ4 ,but the ,christ of the ,gospel
 claims sovereignty over all alike--over
 that which we call secular not less    
than that which we call spiritual4 ,all 
things--all things--that the ,father    
hath are ,mine2 therefore1 ,i say1 ,he  
shall take of ,mine1 and show it unto   
you4  ,we speak sometimes of the        
revelations4 ,yes2 revelations1 indeed1 
not merely of inanimate processes1 not  
merely of blind laws1 but revelations of
 the eternal world1 of the ,eternal ,son
 through whom the ,father works4        
,therefore1 as ,christians1 we are bound
 to look upon these as ,christ4         
,therefore1 if we are true to our       
heavenly schooling1 the ,spirit will    
take up these and show them unto us4 ,he
 shall take of ,mine1 and shall shew it 
unto you4  ,are we diligent students of 

the lessons of history8 ,do we delight  
to trace the progress of the human race 
from the first dawn of civilisation to  
its noonday blaze8 ,to disclose the     
obscure past of the great nations of the
 earth8 to mark the development of the  
arts of government8 to follow the       
ever-widening range of intellect8 to    
discern the stream of human life        
broadening slowly down with the force of
 ages8  ,then let us see the kingdom of 
,christ not less in the progress of     
history than in the laws of science4 ,he
 was in the world1 and the world knew   
,him not4 ,he was the true ,light that  
lighteth every man--the ,light ever     
brighter and clearer till it attained   
its full glory at length in the         
,incarnation4 ,therefore the school of  
history is also the school of the ,holy 
,spirit1 for it is the setting forth of 
,christ4 ,he that hath eyes to see1 let 
him see4 ,he shall take of ,mine4  ,if  
you have traced ,christ's footprints in 
the processes of ,nature2 if you have   

heard ,christ's voice in the teachings  
of history--then1 surely1 you will not  
fail to see and hear ,him in your own   
domestic and social relations4 ,that    
pure affection which has been to you a  
fountain of benediction2 that friendship
 which has been the crowning glory of   
your life--can you think of it apart    
from ,christ8 ,if you do not find       
,christ here1 assuredly you will seek   
,him in vain elsewhere4 ,what was that  
truthfulness1 that purity1 that         
unselfishness1 that devotion which      
attracted you to the broken light of the
 ,great ,light1 a reflected ray from the
 ,central ,sun ,himself8 ,yes1 the      
,spirit took of ,christ and showed it to
 you when1 through that affection1      
through that friendship1 ,he held up to 
you the nobler1 because a more          
,god-like1 idea of life4 ,he shall take 
of ,mine4 ,he shall bring all things to 
your remembrance1 whatsoever ,i have    
said to you4  ,last and chiefest1 for   
the crown of all these--these rays      

through forest and mountain--of all     
other lessons1 ,he shall set before you 
the full ,sun4 ,he shall teach you the  
lesson of ,incarnation4 ,he shall show  
unto your soul the tremendous importance
 of that statement which comes from your
 lips as time after time you repeat your
 creed3 ,he was made man4 ,he shall     
teach you the lesson of the ,passion4   
,he shall remind you day and night of   
the paramount obligation which it lays  
upon you4 ,think--yes1 think and think1 
and think--of that word till the love of
 ,christ shall constrain your whole     
being1 shall bind you hand and foot1 and
 lead you captive to the will of ,god4  
,he shall teach you the lesson of the   
resurrection1 emancipating1 purifying1  
strengthening1 exalting1 till he makes  
you conformable thereunto4 ,then you    
will rise from the sepulchre in which   
you have lain many days1 will breathe   
the pure air of ,god's presence once    
more1 will sit at meat when you are     
risen2 while1 though in the world1 you  

will be no longer of the world2         
notwithstanding all disabilities and    
weaknesses you will live--live even now 
as faithful citizens of the kingdom of  
heaven1 which is righteousness1 and     
peace1 and joy in the ,holy ,ghost4     
,,note4--,these ,sermons are printed    
from reports4     ,,christianity ,,and  
,,paganism4#h     ,i4   ,in the lectures
 which ,i addressed to you this last    
year1 ,i took as my subject the early   
history of ,christianity while it was   
still unrecognised by ,roman law1 and1  
therefore1 treated as an enemy of the   
,state4 ,on this occasion ,i purpose to 
trace the stream a little further from  
its source1 when ,christianity has      
forced itself into recognition and      
become the predominant religion of the  
empire4 ,the struggle between           
,christianity and ,paganism has entirely
 changed its outward character4 ,the    
only weapons which the ,church could    
wield at a former epoch were moral and  
spiritual4 ,she is now furnished with   

all the appliances of political and     
social prestige2 yet these1 however     
imposing1 and to some extent            
serviceable1 are not her really         
effective arms4 ,she can afford to be   
deprived of them for a time1 and her    
career of victory is unchecked4 ,her    
substantial triumphs must still be won  
by the old weapons4 ,the source of her  
superiority over ,paganism is still the 
same as before--a more enlightened faith
 in the will of the unseen1 a heartier  
devotion to the cause of humanity1 a    
more reverential awe for the majesty of 
purity1 a greater readiness to do and to
 suffer4 ,the change has been as        
startling and as sudden as it was       
momentous4 ,all at once the ,church had 
passed from hopeless1 helpless          
oppression to supremacy and power4 ,for 
several years after the opening of the  
fourth century the last and fiercest    
persecution still raged1 ,christians    
were hunted down1 tortured1 put to death
 with impunity and without mercy4 ,the  

only limit to their sufferings was the  
weariness or the caprice of their       
persecutors4 ,yet before the first      
quarter of this century has drawn to a  
close the greatest sovereign who had    
worn the imperial diadem for three      
hundred years is found presiding at a   
council of ,christian bishops discussing
 the most important questions of        
,christian doctrine as though the fate  
of the empire depended upon the result4 
,in the short period of fifteen years   
which elapsed between the death of      
,galerius and the ,council of ,nicaea1  
the most stupendous revolution which the
 pages of history record had been       
brought about4 ,we cannot wonder that   
the contemporary heathen failed         
altogether to recognise its completeness
 and its permanence4 ,even to ourselves1
 who look back at the struggle between  
,christianity and ,paganism from the    
vantage ground of history1 it is        
difficult to realise the suddenness of  
the transition4 ,to those who lived in  

the heat of the conflict1 and whose     
estimate of relative proportions was    
necessarily confused by the nearness of 
this position1 it was altogether        
unintelligible4 ,the one thing which    
most astonishes us in heathen writers at
 this period is their blindness to the  
real significance of the change4 ,they  
ignore it1 or they make light of it2    
they speak of ,christian sects1 of      
,christian offices and ,christian rites1
 in a tone of cold indifference where   
they think fit to mention them at all4  
,obviously they look at ,christianity as
 a phenomenon which it may be curious to
 contemplate1 but which has no great    
practical moment for them2 they do not  
realise it as destined to mingle        
permanently with the main stream of     
human life4 ,christianity to them is    
still a mere ,syrian superstition which 
has become the fashion of the day1 as so
 many other superstitions have been     
before it1 and1 like its predecessors1  
will pass away when it has had its      

fling4 ,the truth is1 that the          
revolution was not really sudden1 though
 it seemed so4 ,in its social and       
political aspects1 its victory was      
almost instantaneous1 but essentially it
 was a moral revolution2 and such       
revolutions are ever gradual3 they      
provoke no notice because they are      
noiseless2 they advance patiently and   
silently1 step by step2 and then only   
when the work is done do indifferent    
spectators discover that any work has   
been going on4 ,their true type is that 
temple of ,god in whose building neither
 hammer1 nor axe1 nor tool of iron was  
heard1 because the stones had been      
brought thither ready hewn for the      
building4  ,in this course of lectures  
it is my design to discuss the fall of  
,paganism and the triumph of            
,christianity in the ,roman empire2 but 
obviously this subject is too large for 
adequate treatment within the space of  
three short lectures4 ,i am obliged1    
therefore1 to limit it in some way or   

other2 and it seemed to me that ,i could
 not do better than take the reign of   
,julian the ,apostate as the central    
feature in the picture1 and group around
 it such other facts as may be required 
to explain its significance4 ,there are 
many advantages in this mode of         
treatment4 ,this ,paganism was never    
exhibited to more advantage than in the 
person of this1 its greatest and most   
energetic champion4 ,high personal      
character1 no common intellectual gift1 
great military renown1 supreme political
 power1 perfect knowledge of his        
adversary1 absolute and unflinching     
devotion to his own cause--all these    
united to make ,julian the most         
formidable antagonist which the ,church 
ever had1 or might be expected to have4 
,his career showed what ,paganism could 
do1 and what it could not do4 ,the      
ability of the champion only exposed the
 helplessness of the cause4 ,and again1 
a full blaze of light is poured upon    
this one man and this one reign such as 

rarely falls to any period of ancient   
history4 ,julian himself1 devoted       
friends1 impartial critics1 sworn foes1 
heathen and ,christian1 orthodox and    
,arian--all have contributed to the     
completeness of the portraiture4 ,this  
strange character1 half philosopher1    
half fanatic1 the most wary of          
dissemblers1 and the most ,quixotic of  
adventurers1 stands before us with a    
distinctness of feature which leaves    
nothing to be desired4  ,in order to    
understand the man and the epoch it is  
necessary to take up the course of      
history more than half a century before 
he ascended the throne4 ,the            
starting-point in our review of events  
is the most remote province of the      
empire--the island of ,britain4 ,on the 
#beth of ,july1 #cjf1 ,constantine was  
proclaimed ,emperor by the ,roman       
,legionaries at ,york4 ,oh1 happy       
,britain1 says a heathen panegyrist1 not
 then foreseeing the stupendous results1
 ,oh1 happy ,britain6 that it has first 

seen ,constantine as ,caesar4 ,this was 
the commencement of a long reign1       
extending over more than thirty         
years--the longest in the annals of     
,imperial ,rome since ,augustus4 ,in the
 interval of three centuries which      
separated these two remarkable men1 no  
emperor had reigned who deserved to be  
considered great as they were4 ,and     
their lives are linked together in      
another way4 ,the one reign saw         
,christianity cradled in the manger2 the
 other witnessed it seated on the       
throne4 ,on ,october #bgth1 #cab1 some  
two miles from the walls of ,rome1 where
 the ,great ,north ,road crosses the    
,tiber1 was fought the decisive battle  
of the ,milvian ,bridge4 ,the routed    
army with its captain and rival         
,emperor1 the heathen champion          
,maxentius1 perished in the waters of   
the ,tiber1 and ,constantine entered the
 ,imperial city--the stronghold of      
,paganism--in triumph4 ,on ,june #aeth1 
#cac1 was signed the great charter of   

religious toleration--the ,edict of     
,milan1 issued in the joint names of the
 ,emperors ,constantine and ,licinius4  
,by this edict ,christianity was        
recognised as a lawful religion4 ,the   
sacred places1 and the property which   
had been taken from the ,christians     
during the great persecution were       
restored to them once more4 ,every man  
was allowed henceforth to adopt any form
 of worship which he might choose4 ,on  
the #beth of ,july1 #cbe1 the           
anniversary of his accession and the    
inauguration of the twentieth year of   
his reign1 ,constantine1 then sole      
,emperor1 brought the ,council of       
,nicaea to a close4 ,he had been present
 at several of its sittings1 and        
throughout had exerted himself to the   
utmost to secure unanimity4 ,by a higher
 inspiration1 yet not without his       
instrumentality1 the deliberations of   
the assembled ,bishops resulted in the  
,creed which was to be henceforth and   
for ever the basis of unity in the      

,church4  ,but1 meanwhile1 what was     
,constantine himself8 ,it is strange    
that1 notwithstanding the prominent part
 taken by this ,emperor in the          
establishment and consolidation of the  
,church1 historians have been found to  
doubt the genuineness of his conversion1
 ,i do not think that the facts justify 
any such hesitation4 ,for the sincerity 
of his ,christian profession we have two
 guarantees1 which1 combined1 must1 ,i  
think1 be regarded as conclusive4 ,it   
was gradual1 and it was disinterested4  
,it was gradual4 ,i shall say nothing   
here of his miraculous conversion1 of   
the fiery cross in the heavens1 with the
 inscribed words1 ,hereby conquer1 which
 is said to have appeared to him shortly
 before the battle of the ,milvian      
,bridge4 ,what truth underlies this     
story we shall never know2 but1 judging 
by his public actions1 we trace a       
gradual advance towards a more distinct 
reception of ,christianity4 ,his father 
,constantine had been a believer in one 

,god4 ,he had extended his protection to
 the ,christians when they were         
persecuted by his ,imperial colleagues4 
,this ,monotheism and this toleration   
descended to ,constantine1 as it were1  
by inheritance4 ,for some years after   
his accession he appears not to have    
advanced much beyond this point4 ,on the
 triumphal arch erected in ,rome to     
commemorate his victory over ,maxentius1
 and which still spans one of the       
approaches of the ,forum1 his success is
 ascribed to the suggestions of the     
,divinity4 ,such language is exactly    
what his father1 who was not a          
,christian1 might have used1 what       
heathen philosophers did use again and  
again4 ,this vague expression1 ,the     
,divinity1 is repeated several times    
afterwards in ,imperial edicts4 ,there  
is as yet no personal profession of     
,christianity4 ,the ,edict of ,milan    
puts the ,christians on the same        
political level as the ,pagan4 ,it gives
 them no advantage2 but1 by degrees1 his

 language becomes more explicit1 and his
 legislation more directly favours the  
,christians4 ,the ,council of ,nicaea is
 the climax of aggressive ascent4 ,again
 it was disinterested4 ,as a mere       
question of worldly policy1 ,i think it 
can hardly be doubted that ,constantine 
acted very unwisely in embracing        
,christianity4 ,his ,christian subjects 
were still a comparatively small        
minority--an aggressive minority it is  
true1 but not a dangerous minority if   
properly handled4 ,they would have been 
won over to a man by frank toleration as
 they had been won over to his          
predecessor1 ,alexander ,severus1 and to
 his father1 ,constantius ,chlorus4     
,they asked nothing more than this4 ,but
 by the further step of declaring       
himself a ,christian he had nothing to  
gain and very much to lose4 ,he         
alienated the heathen subjects1 while   
his ,christian subjects were devoted to 
him already4 ,indeed1 as a matter of    
fact1 it is quite plain that his        

conversion did lead to much             
disaffection1 and that he was greatly   
hampered by it4 ,take an instance of    
this4 ,the secular games1 the great     
festival of thanksgiving for the        
prosperity of ,rome1 recurred1 according
 to ,roman usage1 at long intervals of  
about one hundred and ten years4 ,they  
were celebrated with great pomp and     
magnificence1 and accompanied by        
elaborate propitiatory sacrifices to the
 tutelary deities of ,rome4 ,they had   
been kept last under ,severus1 and the  
time had come for another celebration4  
,but year after year of the long reign  
of ,constantine passed1 and no notice   
was taken of them4 ,no omission would   
have wounded more deeply the            
sensibilities of the ,romans than this4 
,the heathen historian ,zosimus1 writing
 a whole century after1 ascribed all the
 woes that had befallen the empire to   
this one fatal neglect4 ,again1 during  
his second and last visit to ,rome1 the 
,capitoline games were celebrated4 ,a   

main feature in the ceremonial was a    
procession along the sacred way to the  
,temple of ,jupiter on the ,capitol1 in 
which the ,emperor himself was expected 
to take a part4 ,he flatly refused4     
,looking down from his residence on the 
,palatine ,hill as the magnificent train
 wound round its foot1 he broke out into
 expressions of ridicule and contempt4  
,the senate and people were mortally    
offended4 ,on one occasion1 probably    
during this very visit1 his statues were
 pelted with stones4 ,this insult was   
reported to ,constantine by some        
indignant courtier4 ,the ,emperor passed
 his hand across his brow4 ,he had a    
strong sense of humour4 ,strange1 said  
he1 that ,i did not feel hurt4 ,but he  
did feel hurt1 nevertheless2 hurt in    
dignity by this insolence of the        
,romans1 and a new capital arose on the 
shores of the ,bosphorus in protest     
against the outrage4 ,christian         
,constantinople was his revenge on      
heathen ,rome4 ,he made himself a       

,greek1 said ,dante1 to leave ,rome to  
the ,pope4 ,doubtless the ,papal power  
grew more freely when the shadow of the 
,imperial presence was removed2 but the 
,pope was not in ,constantine's mind1   
and the immediate effect was a deadly   
side-thrust at heathendom4 ,rome1 the   
stronghold of heathen sentiment and     
worship1 languished rapidly from this   
time4 ,paganism had been stabbed in the 
heart4  ,but while the sincerity of     
,constantine cannot reasonably be       
doubted1 his inconsistency is quite     
beyond question4 ,the fact is that he   
was half a ,pagan to the end1 and1 as   
,niebuhr has truly said1 we do him a    
grievous wrong if we judge his actions  
by a purely ,christian standard4 ,in    
this respect he was only like many of   
his contemporaries4 ,in that age of     
transition the best heathens were half  
,christians1 and not the best           
,christians were half heathens4 ,the    
semi-,paganism of ,constantine is       
matched by the semi-,christianity of    

,julian4 ,i am not concerned with the   
moral inconsistencies of this ,emperor4 
,the sins of ,constantine will not      
condemn the truth of ,christianity1 any 
more than the virtues of ,julian will   
re-instate the errors of ,paganism4     
,constantine is allowed on all hands to 
have been temperate in his habits and   
chaste in his life2 but the domestic    
history of this great ,sovereign was    
darkened by one horrible tragedy4 ,about
 twelve months after the ,council of    
,nicaea1 in which he had borne so       
conspicuous a part1 the ,roman world was
 horrified by the report of three       
murders in the ,imperial household4 ,the
 ,emperor's eldest and favourite son1   
,crispus--a young man of highest        
promise--an idol of the public2 his     
little nephew--a bright1 engaging boy of
 twelve2 his own wife1 ,fausta1 the     
mother of his three younger sons1 were  
ruthlessly put to death4 ,what was the  
secret of this tragedy we shall never   
know4 ,it seems most probable that the  

son was implicated in some dangerous    
conspiracy1 that the nephew was an      
unconscious tool of the conspirators1   
and that the wife1 having goaded the    
husband in the first flush of his anger 
to extreme measures against her stepson1
 herself fell a victim to the violence  
of his remorse when the revulsion came4 
,there were1 we may safely say1         
circumstances which might extenuate     
these horrible crimes2 there could be   
none which could justify them4 ,a dark1 
indelible stain rests on the memory of  
,constantine4  ,but if the moral        
inconsistency of ,constantine is the    
more shocking1 his religious            
inconsistency is the more bewildering4  
,in his recently built capital he       
erected a statue of himself1 which      
exhibited a strange medley of the old   
and the new1 and which may well serve   
for a type of his career as a sovereign4
 ,the ,emperor was represented as a     
follower of the ,deity1 whom he himself 
had adopted as his patron in the old    

days of his ,paganism--the ,deity whom  
his apostate nephew ever regarded with  
special reverence2 but in the aureole   
which encircled the head the rays took  
the form of the nails1 the instruments  
of ,christ's passion4 ,it was believed  
that at the base of this statue         
,constantine had placed a fragment of   
the true cross4 ,it is also stated that 
in this same place was deposited the    
palladium--the cherished relic of ,pagan
 ,rome1 which ,a,eneas was said to have 
rescued from the flames of ,troy1 and   
which ,constantine himself stealthily   
removed to his new capital4 ,it is just 
the same with his legislation4 ,thus we 
find almost side by side1 promulgated   
within two months of each other1 two    
,imperial decrees--the one enjoining    
that ,sunday shall be set apart as a day
 of rest2 the other providing that when 
the palace or any public building is    
struck by lightning1 the soothsayers    
shall be consulted as to the meaning of 
the prodigy1 according to ancient       

custom1 and the answer reported to the  
,emperor himself4 ,when1 indeed1 we see 
this juxtaposition of ,christianity and 
,paganism1 we are forcibly reminded that
 ,constantine was one and at the same   
time the summoner of the ,nicene        
,council and the chief ,pontiff of      
heathenism4 ,thus1 at one moment1 he was
 preaching sermons to his courtiers and 
discussing dogmas with his bishops2 and1
 at the next1 he was issuing orders for 
the regulation of some ,pagan ritual4   
,the same fountain did send forth sweet 
waters and bitter4 ,and this incongruity
 held him captive to the last1 even     
beyond the gates of death4 ,in his newly
 built eastern capital--,christian      
,constantinople--he was buried by his   
own directions in a church amidst the   
memorials of the apostles1 and the equal
 of the apostles was the title accorded 
to him by common consent4 ,in his       
forsaken western capital--heathen       
,rome--he was1 as a matter of course1   
deified1 as his ,imperial predecessors  

had been deified1 as he himself had     
deified his own father ,constantius2 and
 by virtue of this apotheosis he took   
his rank1 not only with an ,augustus or 
a ,trajan1 but with a ,commodus and a   
,caracalla among the gods of ,olympus4  
,a strange blending of incongruous      
elements4 ,and yet1 whatever may have   
been felt of ,constantine's life1       
however much of ,paganism may have      
alloyed his ,christianity hitherto1 when
 the end came there was no more halting 
between two opinions4 ,failing health to
 one who was endowed with a singularly  
robust constitution came as an          
unmistakable sign of the approaching    
change4 ,the warning was not lost upon  
him4 ,the increased fervour of his      
devotions was noticed by all4 ,on one   
occasion he spent a whole night in the  
church praying4 ,strange to say1 this   
zealous theological disputant1 this     
foremost champion of the truth1 had not 
hitherto been baptised4 ,he was not even
 a catechumen4 ,but now1 when he felt   

himself sinking1 he eagerly pressed that
 baptism might not be delayed4 ,this    
wish was granted1 and the rite was      
administered4 ,this done1 he devoutly   
expressed his thanksgivings for the     
mercy vouchsafed to him1 and his        
readiness to go at once on his last     
heavenward journey4 ,he refused again to
 assume the ,imperial purple1 and1 so   
arrayed still in the white robe of his  
baptism1 he was laid on his couch to    
await the end4  ,on the #bbnd of ,may1  
#ccg--;it was ,whit ,sunday1 the        
appropriate festival of the newly       
baptised--about noon1 the great ,emperor
 breathed his last4 ,he was succeeded by
 his three sons--,constantine1          
,constantius1 and ,constans4 ,the three 
princes were scarcely seated on the     
throne1 when the ,imperial family became
 again the scene of a horrible tragedy  
as shocking as that which had left so   
dark a stain on their father's life4    
,the soldiers rose up and massacred not 
less than nine princes of the blood--the

 brothers and nephews of the deceased   
,emperor4 ,nearly a century later an    
untrustworthy historian gives currency  
to a story that ,constantine himself had
 directed these massacres1 having       
discovered that he had been poisoned by 
his brothers4 ,for this shameful libel  
on them and on him there is absolutely  
no foundation4 ,all the circumstances   
are against it1 and it may safely be    
dismissed as a foul calumny4 ,more      
specious is the view that the new       
,emperor ,constantius1 then a young man 
of twenty-one1 was implicated in the    
massacre2 but it was done1 if not by his
 direct orders1 at least with his tacit 
connivance4 ,but1 however this may be1  
the incident has a very direct bearing  
on the subject of these lectures4 ,in   
this carnage1 besides the three         
,emperors themselves1 two children alone
 escaped4 ,the other members of the     
,imperial family perished to a man4 ,the
 survivors were the two sons of one of  
,constantine's brothers1 ,julius        

,constantius2 ,gallus1 a boy of twelve  
or thirteen2 and ,julian1 a child of six
 or seven1 of whom we shall hear much   
hereafter4 ,their father and their      
eldest brother were amongst the slain4  
,of the three brothers who divided the  
empire of ,constantine we are concerned 
only with one--the eldest1 ,constantine1
 and the youngest1 ,constans1 perished  
in two successive revolutions4 ,the     
middle and surviving brother1           
,constantius1 united again all the      
dominions of his father under his       
sceptre4 ,he alone left his mark on the 
history of the ,church4 ,he alone shaped
 the destinies and swayed the feelings  
of his relative1 ,julian4 ,it is worth  
our while to form a closer acquaintance 
with this man1 who was the evil genius  
of his cousin and ward4 ,constantius had
 not inherited the towering strength and
 commanding mien of his father4 ,he was 
under the average height1 with a long   
body and short1 bowed legs4 ,his        
complexion was very dark1 his hair      

smooth and glossy4 ,he had prominent and
 keen eyes1 recalling the piercing      
glance which his father ,constantine had
 cast around on the assembled ,bishops  
in the ,council-hall of ,nicaea1 and    
which never failed to strike awe into   
the beholders4 ,the crimes of           
,constantine were those of a strong1    
impulsive1 half-barbarous nature4 ,the  
crimes of ,constantius were due to cold 
calculation and to indifference to the  
commonest claims of humanity4 ,he was   
cautious to excess1 sparing of his      
rewards1 and backward in his            
confidences4 ,he was mean1 selfish1     
suspicious almost to fanaticism1        
shrinking from no cruelty when his fears
 were alarmed4 ,it is noticed as        
characteristic of the man that when     
borne through the streets of ,rome on a 
triumphal chariot he was seen1          
notwithstanding his short stature1 to   
bend his head as he passed under each   
archway4 ,yet he was not a man without  
redeeming virtues and some real ability4

 ,like his father1 he was temperate and 
just1 so that1 notwithstanding his many 
enemies1 scandal itself was forced into 
silence4 ,he could be sparing of rest   
and prodigal of labour when the         
interests of the ,state demanded it4 ,he
 was gracious1 too1 in his demeanour1   
and with many--as even his cousin       
,julian is obliged to confess--bore a   
reputation for clemency4 ,he sustained  
the honours of his ,imperial rank with a
 dignity which never forgot itself1     
while he showed a contempt of mere      
vulgar popularity which even unfriendly 
critics described as magnanimous4 ,of   
his disastrous influence on the         
religious sentiments of ,julian ,i shall
 have to speak hereafter4 ,for the      
present ,i confine myself to the part   
which he took in determining the        
relative positions of ,christianity and 
,paganism in the empire4 ,unlike his    
father ,constantius1 he had been brought
 up a ,christian from his infancy4 ,his 
doctrinal views were very distorted1 his

 moral conduct was often a gross libel  
on the ,gospel2 but where it was a      
question between ,paganism and          
,christianity the sympathies of the     
,emperor were exerted wholly and        
undisguisedly on the side of the latter4
 ,on the whole1 therefore1 there is less
 of heathenism in the public memorials  
and the official acts of this reign than
 in the preceding4 ,the ,pagan emblems  
diminish2 the ,pagan enactments in the  
,statute ,book are fewer4 ,but still    
,constantius1 like ,constantine1        
continues to hold the office of supreme 
pontiff1 and this necessarily leads to  
an official complicity in the rites and 
institutions of ,paganism4 ,in this     
capacity he issues edicts for the       
service of heathen sepulture1 for the   
repairing of heathen temples1 for the   
support of heathen priests4 ,when1 a    
quarter of a century later1 the heathen 
orator ,symmachus pleaded the cause of  
expiring ,paganism before the ,emperor  
of his day1 he appealed to the example  

of ,constantius1 who1 though himself    
possessing a different faith1 respected 
the ancient rites1 and provided for     
their due maintenance out of the public 
treasury4 ,but avarice often over-leaped
 the bounds which the ,imperial laws    
prescribed4 ,the sacred name of the     
,gospel was again and again profaned    
during this reign by spoliation and     
violence1 just as under our own ,tudor  
,kings the cause of reformation was     
sullied by the selfish rapacity of the  
nobles4 ,the ,court of ,constantius was 
beset with greedy and unscrupulous      
adventurers2 and knowing the private    
sympathies of the ,emperor1 they would  
not be slow to seize the opportunities  
where any real or reported scandal of   
,paganism gave a handle for             
interference4 ,such opportunities would 
not be rare4 ,thus ,paganism held on1   
still maintained and protected by law1  
but exposed to occasional outrages from 
individual violence1 when1 by a sudden  
catastrophe1 it found itself seated once

 more on the throne4  ,on the #crd of   
,november1 #cfa1 in the twenty-fifth    
year of his reign1 ,constantius died4   
,the event was altogether unexpected2 he
 was still in the prime of life1 only   
forty-five years of age4 ,temperate     
habits and vigorous outdoor exercises   
had kept him in perfect and unbroken    
health2 but he was seized with a fever1 
and sank rapidly4 ,there was only time  
to send to ,antioch for the ,bishop to  
administer that sacrament1 which is     
ordained as the inauguration1 but which1
 with him1 as with his father1 was the  
consummating act of his ,christian      
profession4 ,immediately after his      
baptism he expired4 ,his cousin ,julian1
 the only surviving ,prince of the house
 of ,constantine1 was his unquestioned  
successor4 ,thus ,christianity1 having  
wielded the ,imperial sceptre for more  
than half a century1 was again deposed4 
,of the education and the apostasy1 of  
the reign and work of the new ,emperor1 
,i hope to speak to you in my two       

concluding lectures4     ,,ii4#i   ,in  
my lecture last ,tuesday ,i passed under
 review the two long reigns of          
,constantine and ,constantius1          
comprising altogether a period of       
fifty-five years4 ,we were thus brought 
to the accession of ,julian4 ,what1     
then1 was the change wrought in the     
relations of ,christianity and ,paganism
 during this period8 ,most persons1 ,i  
imagine1 would answer without misgiving 
that ,christianity had been established 
on the ruins of heathenism4 ,this       
answer1 however1 would be wholly        
inaccurate4 ,paganism was in no sense   
disestablished1 and ,christianity was   
only in a very limited sense            
established4 ,paganism was still the    
official religion of the empire4        
,whatever might be the individual faith 
of the sovereign1 yet1 as the head of   
the ,state1 he was still the chief      
representative of heathenism1 both in   
life and in death4 ,in life he was the  
supreme pontiff1 the fountain head of   

authority over all the priests1 temples1
 rituals1 throughout the empire2 in     
death the representation was transformed
 from earth to heaven4 ,by his          
apotheosis he became a patron divinity  
of ,rome4 ,a pagan calendar is still    
extant in which all the festivals of the
 deified ,constantine are duly recorded4
 ,now there was not and there could not 
be any such alliance with the ,state on 
the part of ,christianity4 ,however     
strong might be the ,emperor's personal 
sympathies2 however much he might mix   
himself up in the internal affairs of   
the ,church2 whatever privileges or     
immunities he might extend to the       
clergy1--yet officially he had no       
recognised position1 officially he was a
 ,pagan still4 ,when1 therefore1 it is  
said that ,paganism was disestablished  
and ,christianity established in its    
stead1 the position of affairs is       
entirely misconceived4 ,the personal    
religion of the sovereign had nothing   
whatever to do with the official        

religion of the ,state4 ,in modern      
countries1 for the most part1 the two   
coincide1 and it is well that this      
should be so2 but there are some        
exceptions4 ,england under ,james ,,ii41
 and ,saxony at the present moment1 are 
cases in point4  ,but while ,paganism   
was in no sense disestablished1         
,christianity might be said to a certain
 extent1 though only to a very limited  
extent1 to have been established side by
 side with it4 ,the principle which in  
our own day has been called levelling   
up1 had been partially adopted4         
,christianity was not only tolerated as 
a lawful religion1 but some political   
privileges had been extended to it4     
,thus1 for instance1 one enactment of   
,constantine exempts the ,christian     
clergy from certain onerous duties1     
while another secures to the ,pagan     
priests this same privilege4 ,in this   
respect the two religions are put on    
exactly the same footing4 ,here is a    
case1 if not of concurrent endowment1 at

 least of concurrent immunity1 which    
comes to the same thing4  ,the fact is1 
that both ,christian and heathen writers
 were interested in representing the    
change effected by the early ,christian 
emperors as more complete than it was4  
,to the ,christian writer it was a point
 of honour to clear them from any stain 
of complicity with ,paganism4 ,to the   
heathen writer1 wise after the event1   
the memory of those princes was         
naturally odious1 and to exaggerate     
their hostility to the gods was to      
deepen the stain on their characters4   
,but we have fortunately other witnesses
 quite free from suspicion4 ,the coins1 
and the inscriptions1 and the decrees1  
tell a very different tale4 ,they show  
that in all essential respects          
,paganism1 at least in the ,west1 was as
 free to develop itself as before4 ,they
 reveal to us temples built1 priesthoods
 established1 sacrifices offered1 as    
hitherto2 they exhibit the name of the  
,emperor connected with the worship of  

,jupiter the ,preserver1 of ,mars the   
,champion1 of ,hercules the ,conqueror1 
of ,sol the ,invincible4 ,hercules is   
still the preserver of ,caesar1 and ,sol
 is still the companion of ,augustus4   
,they show that the worship of the      
,lydian ,cybele still flourished on the 
hill ,vatican1 and the worship of the   
,persian ,mithras was still maintained  
in the vaults of the ,capitol4 ,all this
 it is necessary to bear in mind if we  
would understand the true position of   
,julian4 ,it is quite a mistake to      
suppose that he had to begin de novo1   
and to re-establish ,paganism4 ,it still
 held the political vantage ground1     
however much it had lost in social      
prestige2 and if it had had any inherent
 vitality at all1 its work of           
restoration could have been as          
successful as in fact it proved futile4 
,what1 then1 was the real nature of the 
injury which this half-century of       
,christian supremacy in the person of   
the sovereign had inflicted on          

,paganism8 ,first of all1 the ,imperial 
legislation1 while it protected and even
 fostered the central institutions of   
,paganism1 zealously assailed some      
outlying works4 ,on two points          
especially it was uncompromising4 ,it   
rigorously proscribed divination1 and   
sternly repressed certain special rites 
accompanied by licentious orgies4 ,in   
neither respect1 however1 did it go     
beyond what during the ,republic and    
under the early emperors had again and  
again been held necessary to secure the 
safety of the city and the morals of the
 people4 ,but however justifiable1      
according to heathen precedents1 this   
legislation of the early ,christian     
emperors had proved a fatal blow to     
heathendom1 for it was just here that   
the ardour of popular religion had      
consecrated itself4 ,the patient energy1
 the suggestive mysticism1 even the     
immoral orgies of the ,oriental         
religions1 had been found to have an    
irresistible attraction1 and the ancient

 rites of ,greece and ,rome1 which      
seemed cold and passionless by their    
side1 were deserted for these new       
favourites4 ,they were1 it was true1    
only the buttresses of the old          
polytheism4 ,the original structure of  
,roman and ,hellenic worship was        
untouched2 but when the main building   
was crumbling with age the removal of   
these ancient supports which had shored 
it up was fatal1 and it fell by its own 
weight4  ,but1 secondly1 the erection of
 a new capital was a not less deadly    
blow to ,paganism4 ,rome was the central
 fortress of heathendom3 to withdraw    
from it the ,imperial ,government was to
 deprive it of its ammunition4 ,after   
the building of ,constantinople1 ,rome  
still remained the formal official      
capital of the empire2 but1 practically1
 its influence was gone4 ,it no longer  
guided deliberation2 it simply recorded 
results4 ,and not only was ,paganism    
materially weakened by this             
transference1 but at the same time      

,christianity was delivered from its    
fetters4 ,constantinople was a          
,christian city from the beginning4     
,paganism had here no prescriptive claim
 and no time-honoured prestige4 ,so long
 as the ,imperial ,government remained  
at ,rome1 it found itself inextricably  
entangled in ,paganism4 ,constantine had
 felt its merciless strength1 and the   
foundation of a new capital was his     
escape from it4  ,yet1 after all1 such  
weapons as these would have been quite  
ineffective1 if ,paganism had possessed 
any inherent vitality4 ,the grip of     
death was already upon it before the arm
 of power was raised against it4 ,it was
 as when1 after long centuries1 the tomb
 of some ancient king is laid open1 the 
stately form1 and the majestic features1
 and the royal robes are exposed to our 
view4 ,for the moment he seems to be    
living still as he lived in history2 but
 we look again1 and we see only a       
handful of dust4 ,sealed in its         
sepulchre1 the corpse might have        

preserved its outward form for ages     
still2 but the air and the light were   
poured in upon it1 and all at once it   
crumbles away4 ,paganism was confronted 
with ,christianity1 and it vanished4    
,the infancy of ,julian had been dabbled
 in blood4 ,his earliest recollections  
would carry him back to the time when   
fathers1 brothers1 uncles1 cousins1 all 
had fallen in one indiscriminate        
massacre4 ,from this carnage he and his 
brother ,gallus alone had escaped2 he   
himself1 so he believed1 because he was 
too young to be feared1 and his brother 
because he was then a sickly boy1 and   
seemed not to have long to live4 ,the   
odium of this foul crime1 whether justly
 or unjustly1 rested on his cousin1 the 
,emperor ,constantius4 ,if ,constantius 
had not directly ordered it1 he was     
thought to have connived at it4         
,certainly he had been on the spot1 and1
 whether for want of power or for want  
of will1 he had not prevented it4 ,the  
courtiers and attendants attempted to   

palliate his cousin's guilt to the child
 ,julian4 ,they represented to him that 
,constantius had been deceived2 that he 
was unable to restrain the savage       
outbreak of the soldiers2 that he       
suffered fearful pangs of remorse2 that 
he attributed to this crime all the     
misfortunes of his after life4 ,it seems
 plain from this account that the       
spectre of this ghastly massacre haunted
 ,julian's childish memory4 ,he could   
not but feel that the bare sword was    
hanging over his own neck4  ,julian was 
left an orphan before he was seven years
 old4 ,his mother had died a few months 
after his birth4 ,his father had        
perished1 as we have seen4 ,for some    
years after the massacre1 he appears to 
have resided at ,constantinople4 ,of his
 brother ,gallus we hear nothing during 
this period4 ,julian himself was placed 
under the charge of an old family       
servant--a ,scythian1 ,mardonius by     
name1 a strict and pedantic             
disciplinarian1 but also a man of       

culture1 as the sequel shows4 ,mardonius
 taught his pupil to keep his eyes fixed
 on the ground as he took his walks4 ,he
 led him always to and fro to school by 
the same way1 knowing no other himself1 
and preventing the lad from discovering 
any other4 ,he strictly prohibited him  
from going to the theatre or the circus1
 and altogether filled his mind with a  
distaste for the popular amusements of  
his age4 ,we hear nothing of            
companionship1 nothing of outdoor       
exercise1 nothing of the cheerfulness   
and the sympathy which are equally      
necessary with the moral discipline and 
the intellectual training for the proper
 expansion of child's faculties4 ,julian
 was not like other children4 ,whatever 
may have been his natural disposition1  
his education had never allowed him to  
be a boy4 ,human nature1 more especially
 childish nature1 must seek relief      
somewhere from hard conventional        
restraints4 ,where all the usual outlets
 are closed1 the buoyancy and the       

enthusiasm of the child will devise some
 means of escape4 ,the paradise of      
,julian's childish existence was made up
 of two things4 ,first1 his tutor       
,mardonius was an enthusiastic admirer  
of ,homer4 ,if he prevented him from    
playing in the field he took him to the 
leafy islands of ,calypso1 to the ,cave 
of ,circe and the ,gardens of ,alcinous4
 ,with a less intelligent child this    
might have bred a feeling of disgust2   
but ,julian was quick1 imaginative1     
absorbing1 and here was field for his   
sensibility4 ,and1 again1 though his    
walks might be confined to one city1 and
 to one street in that city1 yet no     
bounds could shut out the glories of the
 heavens above4 ,we have ,julian's own  
authority for saying that his childish  
imagination was profoundly impressed by 
their contemplation4 ,from my earliest  
days1 he wrote long afterwards1 a       
strange yearning after the rays of the  
,god1 the ,sun ,god1 sunk into my soul2 
and thus from the time ,i was quite a   

little child1 when ,i looked at the     
light of heaven1 ,i was beside myself   
with ecstasy1 so that not only would ,i 
look eagerly and fixedly on the sun1 but
 at night also1 when there was a        
cloudless and clear sky1 ,i gave up     
everything at once1 and was rivetted by 
the beauties of the heavens1 no longer  
understanding anything that any one     
spoke to me1 nor giving heed to myself  
what ,i was doing4 ,these1 then1 were   
the two bright spots which relieved the 
gloom of his childish life--the         
literature of ,greece and the           
contemplation of the heavens4 ,how large
 an influence these early memories had  
on his later apostasy1 it will not be   
difficult to imagine4  ,this went on for
 some years with slight interruptions1  
and then there was a complete change4   
,it was apparently about the year #cdd1 
when ,julian would be thirteen or       
fourteen years old1 and ,gallus eighteen
 or nineteen1 that1 by the ,emperor's   
orders1 the two brothers were carried   

away to ,macellum1 an imperial castle in
 the mountain districts of ,cappadocia4 
,there they spent the next six years of 
life in strict retirement4 ,what may    
have been the reason of this change we  
are not told1 but we can easily suspect4
 ,gallus was now growing up to manhood4 
,he was tall1 well made1 and handsome1  
with flowing auburn hair2 not unlike his
 uncle1 the great ,constantine1 as we   
may infer from the description of the   
two men4 ,the suspicious temper of      
,constantius might take alarm lest this 
young man should become the centre of   
disaffection and treason4 ,but1 however 
this may be1 the seclusion was complete4
 ,julian speaks of it as banishment4 ,to
 himself it was the worst kind of       
banishment4 ,he was banished not only   
from the city and the court1 about which
 probably he knew little and cared less1
 but he was banished also from his books
 and his teachers4 ,the two brothers saw
 no one of their own rank2 their        
domestics were their only associates4   

,gallus was no companion for ,julian4   
,he had no literary taste2              
notwithstanding his handsome looks he   
was coarse and violent1 even ferociously
 brutal1 in his disposition1 as the     
sequel shows4 ,the treatment of ,julian 
during this critical period of his life 
must have been altogether injurious to  
the healthy development of his          
character4 ,a cramped boyhood almost    
certainly produces a one-sided manhood4 
,at length1 after six years of          
seclusion1 the brothers were again set  
free4 ,what was the motive of           
,constantius--whether he considered that
 they had been sufficiently restrained1 
or whether some conscientious scruples  
found their way into his heart--we      
cannot say4 ,gallus and ,julian were    
summoned to ,constantinople4 ,soon after
 this a formidable insurrection broke   
out in the ,west1 and ,constantius found
 it necessary to associate some one with
 him in the cares of the empire4        
,accordingly ,gallus1 then twenty-five  

years old1 was nominated ,caesar1 and   
appointed to the command of the ,east4  
,the appointment was most disastrous4   
,now that he was free from control1 the 
innate ferocity of his disposition      
revealed itself4 ,he has been compared1 
and the comparison does him no          
injustice1 to a bloodthirsty tiger1 who 
has broken through the bars of his cage1
 and1 enraged by long confinement1      
fiercely attacks every one who comes in 
his way4 ,complaints of his savage1     
turbulent administration came thick upon
 the ears of ,constantius4 ,there were  
also rumours of a disloyal conspiracy on
 the part of the new ,caesar4           
,constantius might1 perhaps1 have       
forgiven the misgovernment2 but the     
treason could not be overlooked4 ,gallus
 was recalled1 stripped of the purple1  
and put to death without a hearing4     
,constantius had dyed his hand once more
 in the blood of ,julian's kindred4     
,julian was left alone in the world1    
confronted by the tyrant4 ,this happened

 in the year #ced4  ,but while the caged
 passions of ,gallus had sought         
compensation in this savage outbreak1   
the caged intellect of ,julian was      
running riot in its own way4 ,for a time
 he seems to have enjoyed comparative   
freedom4 ,at ,constantinople1 at        
,nicomedia1 at ,pergamos1 at ,ephesus1  
we hear of his attendance on            
philosophers1 on rhetoricians1 on       
teachers of all kinds4 ,the jealousy of 
,constantius could look with complacency
 on his philosophical and literary      
ardour4 ,an ungainly1 enthusiastic1     
unpractical scholar was the last man    
whom he need fear as a rival4 ,it was   
during this period of turbulent1        
energetic1 unreflecting1 intellectual   
activity that the change came upon him4 
,whatever might have been the religious 
feelings of his boyhood1 it was only now
 that ,paganism asserted its power over 
his mind4 ,the incident that decided his
 apostasy is eminently characteristic of
 the man and of the period4 ,it happened

 in the year #cea1 the same year as that
 in which ,gallus was invested with the 
purple1 when ,julian himself was twenty 
years of age4 ,in the course of         
conversation one of his teachers        
happened to speak of ,maximus1 a famous 
philosopher1 whom he described as       
possessing great natural gifts1 and as  
accompanying his teaching by            
demonstrations4 ,julian's curiosity was 
excited4 ,he demanded an explanation4   
,he was told that on one occasion       
,maximus1 in the presence of the speaker
 and others1 had burnt a grain of       
incense in the temple of ,hecate and    
chanted some mysterious hymn1 when      
suddenly they saw the statue of the     
goddess smile upon him4 ,on their       
expressing surprise1 he told them that  
they should see a greater marvel than   
this--the torches in the hands of the   
goddess should burst out into flames of 
their own accord4 ,he had scarcely said 
the word when the lights burst out from 
the torches4 ,stay with your books1 said

 ,julian1 and ,i wish you joy of them2  
,i have found the man ,i have been      
seeking for4 ,he sought out ,maximus1   
and was initiated in his philosophy and 
his magic4  ,this grotesque and         
unnatural combination was1 as ,i have   
said1 characteristic of the man and of  
the age4 ,in earlier times philosophy   
and popular superstition were deadly    
foes1 but in face of ,christianity both 
the one and the other had learnt their  
weakness1 and this unequal alliance was 
patched up4 ,the new ,platonist         
philosophy adopted not only the         
mythology of ,greece and ,rome1 but the 
nature-worship and the magic of the     
,east4 ,a true theology must appeal at  
once to the intellect which demands a   
reason for its allegiance1 and to the   
religious instinct which is conscious of
 dependence on a higher power4          
,christianity recognises both these     
claims4 ,greek philosophy appealed to   
the one faculty2 ,pagan religion to the 
other4 ,thus divided they could do      

nothing1 though the alliance was formed4
 ,it was well conceived1 but it was     
impossible1 because it was a fundamental
 violation of truth4 ,julian1 the       
champion of heathendom1 advanced to slay
 ,christianity with philosophy in his   
right hand and superstition in his left1
 and both weapons shivered in his grasp4
  ,julian was a ,pagan now1 but he      
carefully concealed the change4 ,during 
the next ten years1 until the death of  
,constantius1 this cloak of             
dissimulation was never thrown aside4   
,the immediate outward effect of his    
conduct was a stricter attention to the 
services of the ,church4 ,the old fable1
 said his heathen friend ,libanius      
afterwards1 was here reversed1 and the  
lion was clothed in the ass's skin4     
,only one or two most intimate friends  
were in the secret1 but it was more     
widely suspected4 ,ardent ,pagans began 
to look to him as the future restorer of
 ,paganism2 old prophecies were banded  
about that ,christianity was soon to    

come to an end4 ,one such oracle fixed  
the limit of #cfe years for the worship 
of ,christ4 ,the term was fast drawing  
to a close4 ,i shall not undertake the  
task of arraigning ,julian as before the
 bar of the ,eternal ,righteousness4    
,all such attempts to anticipate the    
verdict of the ,great ,judge must be as 
vain as they are presumptuous2 but it is
 due to the nobler features of his      
character--and these were neither few   
nor insignificant--to dwell on the      
extenuating circumstances of his case4  
,and surely no man's education was more 
faulty1 or more likely to produce a     
disastrous revulsion4 ,christianity was 
associated in his memory with everything
 that was gloomy1 terrible1 repulsive4  
,its champion1 in his eyes1 was his most
 deadly enemy1 ,constantius1 who had    
shed the blood of his nearest kinsmen1  
and who was ready at any moment to shed 
his own blood when the occasion might   
demand4 ,writing of himself at a later  
date in apathetic allegory1 he describes

 himself as a youth who1 looking back   
upon the mass of evil that had befallen 
him from his own kinsmen and cousins1   
was so astounded that he resolved to    
throw himself down to ,tartarus1 but was
 rescued by ,helios1 the ,sun ,god4     
,this throws a flood of light on the    
personal influences which coloured his  
views of ,christianity1 and finally led 
to his apostasy4 ,moreover1 the form of 
,christianity which was presented to him
 was not calculated to impress him      
deeply or favourably4 ,the coldness of  
asceticism would take no firm hold of   
his ardent and enthusiastic nature4 ,its
 representatives1 the ,arian bishops1   
would not recommend the cause2 the      
exceeding bitterness of theologic       
controversy called down his contempt1   
and the superstitious reverence for the 
bones of the martyrs aroused his        
disgust4 ,in the allegory to which ,i   
have already alluded he speaks of       
himself as a child covered with filth   
and dirt1 on whom the ,sun ,god at      

length took pity4 ,whatever rays of     
light had burst the gloom of his earlier
 life were associated with the glories  
of nature4  ,while this strange revel of
 philosophy and fanaticism was going on 
in his mind1 ,julian visited            
,athens--,athens at once the home of    
,greek literature and the sanctuary of  
,pagan idolatry4 ,no place more         
congenial to his temper could have been 
chosen than this4 ,here it was that he  
fell in with two devout ,christian      
students1 ,gregory and ,basil--names    
destined hereafter to be famous in the  
history of the ,church4 ,gregory has    
left a description of the future emperor
 as he appeared at this time--a speaking
 likeness we cannot doubt4 ,the         
convulsive movements of the shoulder1   
the half-scared1 half-frenzied glance of
 the eye1 the grotesque contortions of  
the face1 the tumultuous1 hesitating    
speech1 the loud1 immoderate laughter1  
the restlessness of the whole man from  
head to foot1 seemed to ,gregory to bode

 no good4 ,much of this was natural to  
,julian1 but much1 also1 may have been  
due to the consciousness of the secret  
seething within his soul4 ,we know what 
,gregory did not know--that ,julian was 
a ,pagan already when he was discussing 
,christian topics with ,christian       
students4  ,but ,julian's studies were  
rudely interrupted4 ,constantius again  
found the burden of the empire too heavy
 for his shoulders1 and again he        
resolved to divide it4 ,julian1 very    
reluctantly on his part1 was appointed  
,caesar1 and charged with the           
administration of ,gaul4 ,he was now    
twenty-five years of age4 ,the courtiers
 of ,constantius laughed at the new     
,caesar1 and certainly the appointment  
did not give any fair promise of        
success4 ,but this enthusiastic         
philosopher1 this student recluse1 soon 
showed that he had in him the making not
 only of an able ruler1 but also of a   
consummate general4 ,in vain the        
flatterers of ,constantius ridiculed    

,julian's petty triumphs1 as they were  
pleased to call them2 in vain they      
dubbed him a scribbling ,greek4         
,campaign after campaign added to his   
reputation4 ,his administration of ,gaul
 was unmistakably brilliant4 ,so matters
 went on for five years1 till the       
jealousy of ,constantius brought about a
 crisis4 ,an ill-judged attempt to      
withdraw ,julian's best ,gaulish troops 
produced a mutiny2 the soldiers         
proclaimed him emperor1 and he accepted 
the title4 ,having assumed the imperial 
purple1 he marched to force his         
recognition on ,constantius2 but he was 
saved the peril of an appeal to arms4   
,fever anticipated the conflict1 and    
carried off ,constantius opportunely4   
,julian was now absolute emperor1 master
 of himself and master of the world4 ,he
 could throw off the mask at length2 he 
was free to carry out his long cherished
 design for the restoration of          
,paganism4 ,with what energy1 with what 
devotion1 with what fanaticism1 with    

what futility he worked for this end it 
will be my business in my next and      
concluding lecture to describe4         
,,iii4#aj   ,the history of ,julian has 
been employed as an apologue by more    
than one writer when satirising some    
religious reaction of his day4 ,a       
well-known living theological critic of 
,germany uses it as a cloak for an      
attack on the late ,king of ,prussia1   
and ,english clergymen under the reign  
of ,james ,,ii41 assailing the religious
 tendencies of the ,king1 denounced him 
as another ,julian the ,apostate4 ,such 
comparisons may serve their immediate   
purpose1 but they are almost always     
misleading1 and may be very unjust4 ,i  
think1 however1 that we may1 with       
advantage1 compare this ,pagan reaction 
in the ,roman empire under ,julian with 
the ,papal reaction in ,england under   
,mary4 ,the two sovereigns1 indeed1 have
 little in common except their manifest 
sincerity1 but the general relations and
 the ultimate effects of the two        

movements are not so very dissimilar4   
,they both interposed after a very      
decided predominance of the opposite    
cause2 they both were a return to the   
forms of the past2 they both involved a 
reversal of the traditional policy of   
the reigning house2 they both were short
 in duration1 but resolute1             
uncompromising1 energetic in action2 and
 they both proved utterly futile in the 
result1 because they were unsupported by
 any deep feeling in the mass of the    
people4 ,so far as they produced any    
effects at all1 they served only to     
nerve the energies and reassure the     
confidence of their antagonists4        
,julian was now thirty years old when   
the death of ,constantius left him sole 
master of the ,roman empire4 ,in stature
 he was rather below the average height2
 his frame was muscular and strong2 his 
shoulders were unusually broad2 his neck
 was thick and arched2 he had a bright  
and piercing eye--the family            
characteristic which was so remarkable  

in his uncle ,constantine2 the upper    
part of his face1 the brow1 and the nose
 were fine and well chiselled2 his mouth
 was too large1 and his lower lip hung  
disagreeably4 ,he wore a rough1 pointed 
beard1 the usual appendage of           
philosophers4 ,of his personal          
appearance he was studiously careless4  
,it would almost seem as though the     
courtly dignity and scrupulous neatness 
of his cousin ,constantius had produced 
a revulsion in him4 ,he ostentatiously  
vaunts his unpolished manner and his    
slovenly habits4 ,he was signally       
undignified in all his gestures4 ,of his
 excitability and his restlessness of   
manner ,i have already spoken4 ,he was a
 hurried1 reckless talker4 ,his tongue1 
we are told1 was never at rest4 ,his    
energy was enormous4 ,during his        
administration of ,gaul1 when his days  
had been spent in the anxieties of      
government or in the toils of war1 he   
would sit up half the night studying or 
writing4 ,when he became ,emperor his   

energy seemed only to increase4 ,the    
great purpose of his life1 the          
restoration and reform of ,paganism1 was
 now definitely before him1 and he      
worked at it with a determination which 
never slackened4 ,into a short reign of 
eighteen months he crowded an amount of 
work which probably no sovereign has    
ever surpassed4 ,he had on his shoulders
 the undivided weight of a great empire2
 he was preparing for a difficult and   
dangerous campaign2 he was busied with  
the hopeless task of restoring an effete
 religion2 he was writing hither and    
thither to the representatives of       
heathendom1 scolding1 stimulating1      
encouraging2 and yet he found time for a
 vast amount of literary work besides4  
,he corresponded with rhetoricians and  
philosophers2 he composed orations and  
hymns in praise of heathen deities2 he  
wrote a lengthy and elaborate attack on 
the ,christian religion1 and threw off  
light squibs on his contemporaries and  
on his predecessors4 ,if his one fatal  

act of apostasy had not perverted and   
spoiled everything1 he might have ranked
 among the greatest of princes4 ,as it  
was1 he has no claim to the title of    
greatness4 ,he did nothing which has    
lived1 because he did nothing which     
deserved to live4 ,he left nothing1     
absolutely nothing1 behind which has    
tended to make mankind happier1 or      
better1 or wiser4  ,julian1 if his own  
account may be believed1 assumed the    
imperial diadem with the greatest       
reluctance2 it was forced upon him by   
the soldiers before he knew where he    
was2 and yet there is reason to believe 
that his coyness was in great measure   
affected4 ,it is quite clear that he was
 already possessed of the idea of a     
,pagan restoration1 and that he         
considered himself as having a special  
call from his gods for this work4 ,the  
,genius of ,rome1 we are told1 appeared 
to him in a vision4 ,he reproached the  
reluctant ,caesar with having so often  
driven him from his doors1 and          

threatened to depart for ever if he were
 excluded this time4 ,thus warned1      
,julian responded to the call2 but he   
still continued to dissemble4 ,we read  
of his praying to ,mercury1 of his      
receiving admonitions from ,jupiter2 we 
are told of his consulting auspices and 
using divination in private2 and yet on 
the festival of the ,epiphany1 many     
months after he had been proclaimed     
,emperor1 we find him entering a        
,christian ,church1 and there solemnly  
offering up his prayers to ,almighty    
,god4 ,his heathen biographer and       
admirer assigns as the reason1 that he  
might secure the allegiance of his      
,christian subjects4 ,the strange thing 
is that neither ,julian1 nor ,julian's  
friends1 seemed to think any apology    
needed for this dissimulation4 ,much1   
indeed1 should be forgiven to one who1  
from early childhood1 had been driven by
 the cruelty of his lot to shield       
himself under an impenetrable reserve2  
but it is hard to understand the moral  

blindness which fails to see that this  
flagrant violation of truth had need to 
sue for forgiveness4 ,those martyrs whom
 ,julian derided and despised held it a 
glorious gain to sacrifice life and all 
things rather than consent even to a    
momentary act which might be interpreted
 as a denial of their faith4 ,i need not
 ask which is the loftier spectacle of  
the two4  ,but indeed ,julian1          
notwithstanding the many noble features 
in his character--his justice1 his      
moderation1 his strict temperance1 his  
unsparing energy--was wholly wanting in 
those higher graces which are the crown 
of the ,christian character4 ,he was    
egotistical in the extreme2 his         
self-consciousness rarely1 if ever1     
deserts him2 he will let all the world  
know that he is a model philosopher2 he 
is always thanking his gods that he is  
not as other men are4 ,even when he     
satirises himself his irony is only a   
veil--a very thin veil1 which rather    
suggests than conceals his              

self-complacency4 ,he is always standing
 before the mirror1 always soliciting   
the admiration of mankind4 ,of the      
childlike humility which is the main    
portal to the kingdom of heaven1 he     
knows nothing4 ,and yet with all this   
dissimulation and all this acting we    
should do the man a gross injustice if  
we imagined that he was insincere4 ,of  
his sincerity in the work which he      
undertook he gave every proof which it  
is possible for a man to give4 ,he      
showed himself ready to spend and be    
spent for it4 ,this strange combination 
of the enthusiast and the dissembler1 of
 the fanatic and the philosopher1 may be
 very difficult to realise2 but there   
can be no doubt that they did unite in  
the person of ,julian4 ,in this spirit  
,julian applied himself to his task4    
,this task was two-fold4 ,he must       
depress ,christianity1 and he must      
reanimate and reform ,paganism4 ,in his 
relation to ,christianity he avowed     
himself on principle favourable to      

absolute toleration4 ,i do not wish the 
,galileans1 he wrote1 to be put to death
 or to be beaten unjustly1 or to suffer 
any other wrong4 ,we ought rather to    
pity than to hate those who are         
unfortunate in matters of the greatest  
importance4 ,how far this was the       
genuine dictate of his heart1 and how   
far it was suggested by principles of   
expediency1 we cannot tell1 but at all  
events he could not persuade himself to 
apply his principle frankly4 ,he        
restored a heretic bishop because his   
restoration would create divisions among
 ,christians1 and expelled the orthodox 
,athanasius because his presence was a  
tower of strength to the ,church4 ,the  
letters of ,julian on this occasion     
betray the weakness of his position4 ,he
 has absolutely nothing to allege       
against ,athanasius except that he had  
taught men to treat the gods with       
contempt1 and that he had dared to      
baptise ,greek ladies of rank--in other 
words1 that he was highly successful as 

a ,christian missionary4 ,having no     
argument1 he descends to abuse4 ,he     
scolds the ,alexandrians that petition  
him to rescind the decree of banishment3
 he reviles ,athanasius himself2 he     
calls him an impious villain1 a vile    
,manichaean4 ,he responds to their      
petition by expelling him not from      
,alexandria only1 but from the whole of 
,egypt4 ,altogether there is a marked   
deterioration in ,julian's character    
from the time when he becomes his own   
master4 ,he had plainly supposed that he
 should carry everything before him3 he 
had imagined that he had only to        
proclaim toleration1 and his subjects   
would be as enamoured of ,paganism as he
 himself was4 ,he was grievously        
disappointed4 ,he found in ,christianity
 a strength1 a vitality1 a resistance   
for which he was not prepared4 ,he found
 in ,paganism a feebleness1 an          
irresolution1 an indifference1 an utter 
absence of self-sacrifice1 which        
contrasted strangely with his own       

devoted enthusiasm4  ,it is infinitely  
tragical to contemplate his gradually   
descending from the high level on which 
he took his stand at first to mean      
devices of all kinds--more tragical than
 though he had boldly taken up the sword
 of the persecutor at once4 ,he would   
not desert his principle of toleration2 
he never ceased to enunciate that to the
 last2 but he would connive at          
violations of it4 ,pagan outrages on the
 ,christians were condoned or gently    
rebuked4 ,when assaults on their life   
and their property were reported to him1
 he would say1 flippantly1 these        
,galileans--so he always called         
them--ought not to resent the           
opportunity of being made martyrs when  
they prized martyrdom so highly2 that   
they had no just cause for complaint in 
being condemned to poverty when poverty 
was so loudly extolled in their ,lord4  
,but1 indeed1 ,julian showed            
unmistakably by one enactment that      
toleration with him was not an          

inviolable principle4 ,an edict was     
issued by him forbidding any ,christian 
to give instruction in ,greek literature
 under any circumstances4 ,the reason   
assigned was that1 as they did not      
believe in the gods of ,homer and       
,hesiod1 they were not fit expositors on
 these points4 ,let them go1 wrote the  
,emperor1 to the churches of the        
,galileans1 and there expound ,matthew  
and ,luke4 ,among those condemned to    
silence by this decree were not a few of
 the most illustrious teachers of the   
age4 ,it made a profound sensation at   
the time4 ,it was most severely         
criticised by ,julian's own heathen     
admirers at a later date4 ,it deserves1 
writes one1 to be buried in eternal     
silence4 ,to what further lengths the   
intolerance of ,julian might have gone  
as he realised more and more the        
bitterness of failure if his reign had  
been prolonged1 we can only conjecture2 
but the descent was sufficiently rapid  
to suggest that1 soured by              

disappointment1 he might1 had he lived1 
have been found at the last among the   
most relentless of persecutors4  ,but   
while he was thus employing every       
artifice to depress ,christianity1 he   
was also straining every nerve to       
reanimate and restore ,paganism4 ,he    
was1 says his heathen panegyrist1       
,libanius1 the best of priests as he was
 the first of ,emperors4 ,he valued the 
title of ,chief ,pontiff1 we are told1  
more highly than the dignity of         
,emperor4 ,as ,chief ,pontiff he made   
his influence felt throughout the       
empire1 reopening temples1 restoring    
privileges1 reinstituting sacrifices4   
,no deity and no rite in any corner of  
his dominions escaped his vigilance4    
,whether it was the worship of the      
,phrygian ,cybele1 or of the ,apis at   
,memphis1 or of the ,daphnian ,apollo at
 ,antioch1 his interest was equally     
unflagging4 ,he was everywhere advising1
 coaxing1 threatening1 goading into     
activity1 where he could not fan into   

enthusiasm4 ,and not content with thus  
exercising his official superintendence1
 he was most assiduous in his own       
personal services4 ,in season and out of
 season he would ply the bystander with 
questions as to his religious belief4   
,in season and out of season he would   
dispute against the ,galileans4         
,wherever he went the altars smoked with
 victims4 ,he would offer sacrifices of 
a whole hecatomb at once4 ,he ransacked 
land and sea for rare birds and beasts1 
that he might offer them in sacrifice to
 the gods4 ,at ,antioch his soldiers    
were constantly seen borne away from the
 temple through the streets1 gorged and 
intoxicated1 after the revelry of these 
religious festivals4 ,all kinds of      
divination1 by flight of birds1 by the  
inspection of entrails1 by the sound of 
waters1 by oracular responses1 and by   
,sibylline books1 were diligently sought
 out4  ,every charlatan who pretended to
 some new secret of soothsaying was     
welcomed by him4 ,strange to say1 all   

this fervour of devotion did not        
recommend ,julian to his heathen        
subjects4 ,it shows the hollowness of   
,paganism at this time that his conduct 
was met either with ridicule or with    
condemnation4 ,the common people called 
him in derision a victim butcher1 and   
not a sacrificial priest4 ,it was       
sneeringly said that if he had returned 
triumphant from his ,persian expedition 
the whole race of cows must have become 
extinct4 ,the devotion of the ,emperor  
found no response in the mass of his    
subjects4  ,but ,julian was not only a  
restorer1 he was also a reformer of     
heathendom4 ,whether he was conscious of
 the difference or not1 the ,paganism   
which he had set up as his ideal was    
quite another thing from the ,paganism  
which had been handed down from the     
past4 ,he strove to graft the morality  
and the organisation of ,christianity on
 the stem of heathendom4 ,the priests of
 ,paganism were merely the performers of
 certain rites1 the depositories of     

certain mysteries4 ,they had no moral1  
or educational1 or philanthropic        
conscience4 ,the ,christian clergy1 on  
the other hand1 over and above their    
duties in the public services of the    
,church1 were expected to be also the   
pastors and teachers1 the guides and    
examples1 the ministers of comfort1 and 
the dispensers of alms to their flocks4 
,julian attempted to infuse this        
pastoral element into the ,pagan        
priesthood1 to which it was wholly      
foreign4 ,in the letters which are      
extant the priests are enjoined by him  
to abstain from the theatre or the      
tavern2 they are forbidden to engage in 
any degrading occupation2 they are      
required to see that their wives1 and   
children1 and servants attend regularly 
on the service of the gods2 they are    
told to imitate the grave demeanour and 
the benevolent hospitality of ,christian
 bishops4 ,it is shameful1 writes the   
,emperor1 that the impious ,galileans   
should support our people as well as    

their own4 ,such a conception of the    
priest's office must have surprised     
,julian's correspondents4 ,they had not 
bargained for anything of the kind4     
,but1 with all his efforts1 ,julian made
 no real advance4 ,there were1 in large 
numbers1 apostasies when he apostatised1
 just as there had been conversions when
 ,constantine was converted2 but these  
insincere adherents from fashion or     
self-interest are the weakness1 not the 
strength1 of any cause4 ,julian could   
not have deceived himself4 ,he saw none 
of the self-sacrifice which is the only 
evidence of genuine religious           
conviction4 ,he upbraided the crowds who
 flocked to the temples1 not to worship 
the gods1 but to applaud the ,emperor4  
,and now the end was fast approaching4  
,about ,midsummer #cfb1 ,julian took up 
his residence at ,antioch1 where he     
spent nine months preparing for his     
,persian campaign4 ,this sojourn        
aggravated his disappointment4 ,the     
people of ,antioch did not take kindly  

to their sovereign4 ,before long he had 
succeeded in making himself equally     
unpopular with both the great sections  
of the community4 ,at ,antioch1 where   
,christianity had first obtained its    
name1 the ,christians formed an         
exceptionally large fraction of the     
whole population4 ,they would not be    
predisposed favourably towards an       
apostate1 and his injustice only served 
to confirm their hatred4 ,a fire broke  
out in the temple of ,apollo of ,daphne1
 and it was burnt to the ground4        
,without any adequate reason his        
suspicions fell on the ,christians2 he  
put the suspected persons to cruel      
tortures1 but elicited no confession4   
,thus foiled1 he ordered the principal  
church of ,antioch to be closed and     
razed to the ground4 ,the attitude of   
the ,christians was one of stern        
defiance4 ,under the walls of the       
palace1 along the streets of the city1  
wherever the ,emperor would be likely to
 hear1 were chanted the words of the    

,psalmist--,confounded be all they that 
worship carved images1 and that delight 
in vain gods4 ,the idols of the heathen 
are silver and gold1 even the work of   
men's hands4 ,eyes have they and see    
not4 ,they that make them are like unto 
them1 and so are all they that put their
 trust in them4 ,nor was he more        
fortunate with the heathen population4  
,he and they were co-religionists1 but  
his ,paganism was not their ,paganism4  
,the theatrical exhibitions1 the festive
 orgies1 the dancing and the revelry1   
these were the very soul of religious   
worship to them4 ,he despised all such  
things4 ,they ridiculed the officious   
devotion with which he hurried from     
temple to temple and from altar to      
altar1 present at every festival1 and   
participating in every rite4 ,he took   
his revenge by satirising their         
ungodliness4 ,he told them at the great 
festival of their patron god1 the       
,daphnian ,apollo1 he had expected to   
see costly victims smoking on the altar1

 but found there only one miserable     
goose1 the solitary offering of a poor  
priest4 ,indeed1 he was doomed to       
disappointment on all sides4 ,one great 
project which he entertained at this    
time was the rebuilding of the temple of
 ,jerusalem4 ,it was not that he loved  
the ,jews1 but that he hated the        
,christians4 ,so he entered into        
communication with the ,jewish          
patriarch1 and the work was commenced4  
,the ruined walls were demolished1 the  
foundations of the new building begun2  
but as the workmen penetrated           
underground1 great globes of fire burst 
out from the earth and drove them back4 
,again and again they renewed the       
attempt2 again and again they were      
repulsed4 ,the project was relinquished 
and the temple remains unbuilt to this  
day4  ,thus irritated and disappointed1 
,julian left ,antioch and commenced his 
march4 ,at his departure he vented his  
anger against the offending people by   
declaring that he would not enter the   

city again1 but on his return he would  
go to ,tarsus instead4 ,he was as good  
as his word4 ,he did return to ,tarsus2 
but he returned there a corpse4         
,disastrous omens1 we are told1 thronged
 upon him4 ,during his march on         
,hierapolis1 as he entered the city1 a  
portico suddenly gave way1 and crushed  
fifty soldiers under its ruins4 ,at     
,davana a huge stack of straw fell1 and 
smothered to death as many more4 ,at    
,carrhae1 the fatal scene of the defeat 
of ,crassus1 he was troubled with       
sinister dreams4 ,at ,circesium he      
received letters from ,sallust1 the     
,prefect of ,gaul1 entreating him to    
suspend the ill-omened expedition4      
,here1 too1 was an apparition of        
sinister augury4 ,the corpse of an      
executed criminal was found lying across
 the path4 ,at another place an enormous
 lion confronted the soldiers across    
their path4 ,he was shot by them1 and   
presented to ,julian4 ,it portended the 
death of a king1 but on the question    

what king was meant there was a division
 of opinion4 ,the ,etruscan soothsayers 
considered it a disastrous sign2 the    
philosophers interpreted it favourably4 
,the next day a soldier named ,julianus 
was struck down by lightning4 ,this omen
 again was differently explained4 ,the  
soothsayers and the philosophers took   
opposite sides4  ,arrived at the scene  
of conflict1 the ,emperor1 after        
obtaining some successes1 offered a     
magnificent sacrifice--ten fine         
bulls--to ,mars the ,avenger4 ,the omens
 were unmistakably sinister4 ,julian was
 disgusted with the ingratitude of the  
god1 and called ,jupiter to witness that
 he would not sacrifice to ,mars again2 
nor1 adds the historian1 did he belie   
his oath1 being carried off prematurely 
by a speedy death4 ,these prodigies1    
with others1 are related by a ,pagan who
 accompanied the army4 ,christian       
writers add an incident of which ,i see 
no reason to question the proof1 and    
which certainly deserves to be true4    

,julian's common taunt against the      
,christians was their worship of a dead 
man4 ,while preparing for his expedition
 at ,antioch1 he fell into dispute1     
after his manner1 with a ,christian whom
 he met accidentally1 and said          
mockingly1 ,what is the ,son of the     
carpenter doing now8 ,he is making a    
coffin1 was the prompt reply4 ,the ,son 
of the carpenter was making a coffin--a 
coffin not for ,julian only1 but for the
 ,paganism of which ,julian was the     
champion4  ,it is not necessary for me  
to follow out this expedition to its    
disastrous issue4 ,it is sufficient to  
say that ,julian was inveigled1         
surrounded1 pierced by a spear from some
 unknown ,persian or ,saracen hand4 ,he 
perceived at once that he was mortally  
wounded4 ,his words at this moment are  
differently reported4 ,according to one 
account1 he cried out1 ,oh1 ,galilean1  
thou hast conquered6 ,another story     
relates that he took the blood welling  
from the wound in his hand1 and flung it

 up towards the sun1 his patron god1    
with an imprecation--,there1 take thy   
fill4 ,neither saying1 perhaps1 is      
reported on sufficiently good authority1
 but either would accord well with the  
disappointment and irritation which     
marked the closing scenes of his life4  
,he inquired what was the name of the   
place4 ,it was a small village called   
,parthia4 ,he had been forewarned long  
ago that in ,parthia he should die4 ,he 
had supposed that the famous country of 
that name was meant4 ,we are reminded by
 this incident of an ,english sovereign 
lying on his death-bed in the famous    
chamber at ,westminster1 which still    
bears the name of ,jerusalem4 ,it hath  
been prophesied to me many years ,i     
should not die but at ,jerusalem1 which 
vainly ,i supposed the ,holy ,land4     
,within a few hours ,julian had breathed
 his last4 ,he died on the #bfth ,june1 
#cfc1 being not yet quite thirty-two    
years old1 and with him perished the    
last and best hope of ,paganism4 ,less  

than twenty years after1 the ,emperor   
,gratian refused the title of ,supreme  
,pontiff4 ,this was the first overt act 
of disestablishment4 ,then blow followed
 blow in rapid succession4 ,paganism was
 first disestablished1 then disendowed1 
then prohibited2 yet it still continued 
to linger on till at length it was      
buried in the grave of the empire4 ,st4 
,augustine's ,city of ,god was the paean
 of victory over the enemy slain4       
,julian's work had been found like a    
child's castle elaborately piled up of  
sand on the brink of the ocean4 ,the    
rising tide advanced steadily1          
inexorably1 relentlessly1 and no traces 
of the structure remain4     ,,woman    
,,and ,,the ,,gospel4#aa   ,and ,he took
 the damsel by the hand4--,,mark v4 #da4
   ,in selecting this text ,i have no   
intention of saying many words on the   
actual scene itself4 ,the raising of    
,jairus's daughter attracts our         
attention by its vivid narrative1 and by
 its intense human pathos1 while the two

 foreign words1 summing up the interest 
of the story1 linger strangely in our   
ears1 impressing it effectually on our  
memories4 ,nor1 again1 do ,i purpose    
speaking of its direct theological      
import1 whether as an answer to human   
faith1 or as a manifestation of the     
,divine power4 ,in this latter aspect   
this is one of three signal miracles1   
the anticipations of ,christ's own      
resurrection4 ,it claims1 and it has    
received1 the most earnest study1 both  
in itself and in relation to other      
incidents of the same class4  ,these    
more obvious aspects of the text are    
beside my present purpose4 ,i wish      
to-day to treat it from a wholly        
different point of view4 ,christ's      
miracles have always the highest        
spiritual significance4 ,they are not   
miracles only1 but parables also4 ,the  
,messiah's kingdom would have achieved  
comparatively little for mankind if it  
had brought deliverance to the captive  
in a literal sense only4 ,a far heavier 

and more galling bondage would still    
remain--the bondage of sin4 ,physical   
blindness is only a type of moral       
blindness2 ,christ's healing power in   
the one case is the pledge of ,his      
healing power in the other4 ,the palsy  
of the body symbolises the palsy of the 
soul4 ,if the paralytic is bidden to    
take up his bed and walk1 this is before
 all things an assurance to us that     
,christ is able and willing to heal the 
paralysis of the soul4 ,from this point 
of view the words of the text are full  
of meaning to all who are met together  
to-day4 ,he took the damsel by the hand1
 and said unto her1 ,damsel1 ,i say unto
 thee1 ,arise4 ,and straightway the     
damsel arose1 and walked2 and they were 
astonished with a great astonishment4   
,need ,i remind you that this is the    
earliest miracle of raising the dead    
recounted in the ,gospels8 ,two others  
follow4 ,the widow of ,nain and the     
sisters of ,bethany receive back their  
dead4 ,but the one was a growing youth1 

the other was a man of mature age4 ,the 
young woman was ,christ's first miracle 
of resurrection4 ,on her was wrought    
first this stupendous miracle4 ,for her 
was won this earliest triumph over death
 and hell4 ,is not this a significant   
fact in itself1 but especially          
significant for you1 for it proclaims   
the fundamental principle of the ,gospel
 charter8 ,it announces that the weak   
and the helpless in years1 in sex1 in   
social status1 are especially ,christ's 
care4 ,it declares emphatically that in 
,him is neither male nor female4 ,it is 
a call to you1 you women-workers1 to do 
a sister's part to these your sisters4  
,christ's action in this miracle is a   
foreshadowing of ,his action in the     
,church4 ,the ,master found woman       
deposed from her proper social position4
 ,the man had suffered not less than the
 woman by this her humiliation4 ,jew and
 ,gentile had conspired together in an  
unconscious conspiracy to bring about   
this disastrous result4 ,the ,hebrew    

,rabbi and the ,greek philosopher alike 
had gone astray4 ,it is the recorded    
saying of a famous ,jewish doctor that  
the words of the law were better burned 
than committed to woman4 ,it is an      
opinion ascribed to the most famous     
,athenian statesman1 that woman had then
 achieved her highest glory when her    
name was heard amongst men least1 either
 for virtue or for reproach4 ,a moral   
resurrection was needed for womanhood4  
,it might seem to the looker-on like a  
social death1 from which there was no   
awakening1 but it was only the          
suspension of her proper faculties and  
opportunities1 a long sleep from which a
 revival must come sooner or later4 ,it 
was for ,him1 and ,him alone1 who was   
the ,vanquisher of death1 who has the   
keys of ,hades--for ,him alone to open  
the door of her sepulchral prison and   
resuscitate her dormant life and restore
 her to her ordinary place in society4  
,when all hope was gone1 ,he took her by
 the hand and bid her arise2 and at the 

sound of ,his voice and the touch of    
,his hand she arose and walked1 and the 
world was astonished with a great       
astonishment4 ,we ourselves are so      
familiar with the results1 the position 
of woman is so fully recognised by us1  
it is bearing so abundant fruit every   
day and everywhere1 that we overlook the
 magnitude of the change itself4 ,only1 
then1 when we turn to the harem and the 
zenana do we learn to estimate what the 
,gospel has achieved1 and has still to  
achieve1 in the emancipation of woman1  
and her restitution to her lawful place 
in the social order4 ,to ourselves the  
large place which woman occupies in the 
,gospel and in the early apostolic      
history seems only natural4 ,to         
contemporaries it must have appeared in 
the light of a social revolution4 ,the  
very opening of the ,gospel is charged  
with ,divine messages communicated to us
 through woman--,mary1 ,elizabeth1      
,anna2 women attend our ,lord everywhere
 during ,his earthly ministry4 ,the     

sisters1 ,martha and ,mary1 are set     
before us as embodying the two          
contrasted types of character1 the      
practical and the contemplative4 ,to a  
woman1 and to a woman alone1 is given   
the promise of an undying hope beyond   
the glory of the mightiest earthly      
princes4 ,of her it is said3            
,wheresoever this ,gospel is preached in
 the whole world1 there shall this which
 this woman has done be told as a       
memorial of her4 ,to a woman were spoken
 those gracious words of pardon most    
tender and compassionate1 the           
consolation and the stay and the hope of
 the penitent to all time3 ,her sins1   
which are many1 are forgiven1 for she   
loveth much4 ,women are the chief       
attendants at the crucifixion1 and the  
chief ministrants at the tomb4 ,woman is
 the first witness of the resurrection2 
and as it was in ,christ's personal     
ministry1 so it is in all the ,apostolic
 ,church4 ,in the first gathering of the
 little band after the ,ascension1 women

 are found assembled with the apostles4 
,this is a foreshadowing of the part    
which they are destined to play in the  
subsequent narrative of the history of  
the ,church4 ,cast your eyes down the   
salutations in the ,epistle to the      
,romans4 ,there is ,phoebe1 a deaconess 
of the ,church of ,cenchrea1 commended  
as having been the succourer of many1   
among others of the ,apostle himself4   
,there is ,priscilla1 who with her      
husband had laid down her neck for his  
life1 to whom he himself not only gave  
thanks1 but all the ,churches of the    
,gentiles4 ,there is ,mary1 who bestowed
 much labour upon him and others2       
,tryphena and ,tryphosa1 who laboured   
much in the ,lord4 ,there is ,persis1 to
 whom the same testimony is borne4      
,there is the mother of ,rufus1 who had 
also been like a mother to himself4     
,there is ,julia1 and there is the      
sister of ,nereus4 ,a long catalogue to 
appear in the salutations of a single   
epistle6  ,turn again from the ,church  

of which ,st4 ,paul knew least when he  
wrote1 to the ,church of which he knew  
most4 ,witness his relation to his      
beloved ,philippian ,church4 ,he        
addresses himself first to the women who
 resort to the places of prayer among   
the individual women with whom he came  
in contact4 ,at ,philippi we read of    
,lydia1 his earliest hostess in this    
city1 of the damsel from whom he cast   
out a spirit of divination1 and then of 
,euodias and ,syntyche1 women who       
laboured with him in the ,gospel2 and   
indeed we know more of the women at     
,philippi than we know of the men4  ,but
 it was not only this desultory1        
unrecognised service1 however frequent1 
however great1 that women rendered to   
the spread of the ,gospel in its        
earliest days4 ,the ,apostolic ,church  
had its organised ministrations of      
women1 its order of deaconesses1 its    
order of widows4 ,women had their       
definite place in the ecclesiastical    
system of those early times1 and in our 

own age and country again the awakened  
activity of the ,church is once more    
demanding the recognition of the female 
ministry4 ,the ,church feels herself    
maimed of one of her hands4 ,no longer  
she fails to employ1 to organise1 to    
consecrate to the service of ,christ1   
the love1 the sympathy1 the tact1 the   
self-devotion of women4 ,hence the      
revival of the female diaconate in its  
multiplication of sisterhoods4 ,but     
these1 though the most definite1 are not
 the most extensive developments of this
 revival4 ,everywhere institutions are  
springing up1 manifold in form and      
purpose1 for the organisation of women's
 work4 ,there has been1 and there is    
still1 a shameful waste of this latent  
power1 boundless in its capacities if   
only fostered and developed4 ,the famous
 heroines of womanhood will necessarily 
be few4 ,it is rarely women's part to   
save a city or guide a church4 ,only at 
long intervals on the stage of the      
history of the world appear such women  

as ,joan of ,arc2 but here and there    
,god raises up an exceptional heroine to
 do exceptional work1 which a woman     
alone can do1 or do so effectually1 for 
her age and country4 ,but generally it  
is in the quieter1 less obtrusive1 more 
homely1 and more womanly way1 that she  
is called to test her power1 certainly  
not less real or less beneficent1 though
 it may be less striking1 than the power
 of man4 ,she is a mother in her own    
household1 her own kindred1 her own     
parish1 her own neighbourhood2 the      
guide1 the helper of man4 ,yes2 a       
priestess and a prophetess to the young1
 the sick1 the frail and erring1 the    
poor and needy--needy whether of        
spiritual or bodily healing4 ,it is the 
province of the ,church1 when acting by 
the ,spirit and in the name of ,christ1 
to develop the power of women1 to take  
by the hand and raise from its torpor   
that which seemed a death1 but which is 
only a sleep2 and now1 as then1 revived 
life and beneficent work will amaze the 

looker-on--they were astonished with a  
great astonishment4  ,among the most    
recent developments of the work of the  
,church of ,christ your ,girls'         
,friendly ,society has taken a foremost 
place4 ,i would say in all sincerity1   
that when ,i read your last report with 
profound joy and thankfulness1 ,i was   
impressed1 no less by the completeness  
of your ideal1 than by the variety and  
expansion of your work4 ,i do not say   
this to commend2 this is not the time or
 the place for commendation4 ,not unto  
us1 ,o ,lord1 not unto us1 but unto ,thy
 name give the praise4 ,you will not be 
content1 will you8 you will not be      
content1 if you are true to your ideals1
 with holding out the hand of loving    
sympathy in your own home and           
neighbourhood to a humble sister needing
 a sister's care and guidance8 ,your    
love will follow her about that she may 
never be lost sight of4 ,it is a trite  
complaint that in this day the old      
relations between master and servant    

have vanished1 or almost vanished away4 
,the bond is no longer one of reciprocal
 loyalty1 but of common convenience4    
,hence it is liable to severance at any 
moment in the feverish1 ever-restless1  
fluctuating conditions of modern life4  
,it was impossible that these relations 
should remain unchanged while all else  
was changing4 ,the domestic servant or  
the shop girl has no longer a fixed     
home2 she is a wanderer on the earth4   
,it is just here that the catholicity of
 your plan should step in and counteract
 the evil4 ,it is your part to realise  
this catholicity4 ,when a girl once     
enrolls herself in your numbers1 she is 
yours2 everywhere1 whithersoever she may
 go1 the friendly eye will rest upon    
her2 the friendly hand will be stretched
 out to her wheresoever she may be4 ,she
 will find everywhere a home1 because   
she will find everywhere friends4 ,you  
cannot set this ideal before yourselves 
too definitely1 or strive to realise it 
too earnestly4  ,do you ask how your    

work may be truly effective8 ,i answer  
you in the words of the text2 ,he took  
the damsel by the hand4 ,there must be  
an intensity of human sympathy1 and     
there must be an indwelling of the      
,divine power4 ,the lesson of the       
miracle which ,i have taken for my      
starting-point involves both these      
ideals4 ,the current of womanly sympathy
 must flow out deep and strong and      
clear4 ,is not this the typical meaning 
of ,christ's action in the text8 ,the   
touch of ,his warm hand restores the    
circulation and revives the life in     
those pale1 motionless1 death-like      
limbs4 ,we want sympathy here1 sympathy 
first and sympathy last--sympathy       
reflecting1 however faintly1 ,christ's  
own boundless compassion and love4 ,the 
cold1 mechanical formalism of the       
relieving officer will not suffice2 the 
haughty assertion of superiority1 the   
condescending patronage of the fine lady
 will be worse than nothing4 ,you must  
be a sister to your sisters1 treading in

 the footsteps of your ,brother1 ,jesus 
,christ4 ,is not this also the meaning  
of those words which ,he utters to the  
girl lying helpless before ,him8 ,he    
speaks to her not in the ,greek1 the    
conventional language of outward life1  
but in the ,syriac1 the true language of
 the family and the home4 ,it pierces   
her1 notwithstanding her death-like     
slumber4 ,he speaks to her1 as ,he      
speaks to us all1 with the voice of a   
direct personal love4 ,this is always   
the language of ,christ's words1 the    
language of ,christ's ,gospel1--,how    
hear we every man in our own tongue     
wherein we were born8  ,and over and    
above all this1 animating1 inspiring1   
sanctifying your human sympathies1 there
 must be the consciousness of the       
,divine presence1 the sense of the      
,divine energy1 in your work4 ,you will 
apply yourself to it with a strength not
 your own2 the power of the living      
,christ will thrill through you4 ,is not
 this the interpretation of the symbolic

 action1 ,he took the damsel by the     
hand8--,he ,himself1 and not another4   
,not ,i1 but ,christ in me1 will be the 
inspiring motive of your work1 as it was
 in ,st4 ,paul's4 ,his hand must guide  
your hand2 nay1 ,his hand must replace  
your hand1 if the touch shall raise the 
damsel1 and restore her to a better and 
a happier life4  ,and restore her it    
will2 this intense human sympathy       
inspired by this consciousness of the   
,divine indwelling4 ,it never has failed
 yet1 and it never can fail to work     
miracles of resurrection and healing1 in
 her helplessness1 in her temptations1  
in all her struggles and perplexities1  
her bodily wants1 and her spiritual     
trials4 ,it will be to her comfort and  
strength and hope2 it will throb her    
with the pulse of an awakened life4     
,but ,i have spoken hitherto as if these
 helpless girls whom you befriend were  
the sole counterparts of ,jairus's      
daughter4 ,i have regarded them as only 
the patients whom ,christ's awakening   

hands raise from their death-like       
slumbers4 ,is this an adequate          
representation of the case1 think you8  
,are there not others even more needy   
than they of this beneficent movement8  
,are we not taught on the highest       
authority that it is more blessed to    
give than to receive8 ,but1 if so1 have 
we not a truer antitype of this damsel  
whom ,christ raised in these befriended 
girls8 ,yes1 ,christ has taken them by  
the hand1 and has revived them1 has     
awakened them from the heavy1 death-like
 slumber of a selfish1 self-contained   
being4 ,christ has shown them the beauty
 and the power of sympathy1 and it has  
been to them the throbbing of a new     
life4 ,surely it is not only the        
daughters of ancestral lineage and of   
,norman blood1 not only a ,clara ,vere  
de ,vere1 who are sickening with        
disease1 and who need ,christ's healing 
hand2 is there not in the home of the   
professional man many a daughter and    
many a sister on whose hand time hangs  

heavily1 whose life is wasting away1    
fretting with feverish excitement1 or   
sunk in self-indulgence and apathy1     
weary of self1 and weary of others8 ,how
 shall they wake up from their barren   
monotony and death-like existence8      
,sympathy1 active sympathy for others2  
this1 and this alone1 can restore them4 
,mothers1 train your daughters early to 
think for others1 to care for others1 to
 minister to others4 ,be assured this   
will be the most valuable part of their 
education4 ,this heaven-born charity is 
the sovereign antidote to all the ills  
of womanhood4 ,is it some secret sorrow 
gnawing at the heart1 some outraged     
feeling1 or some harrowing bereavement1 
or some actual disappointment8 ,merge   
and absorb it in active solicitude for  
others4 ,is it some fierce temptation   
which shamed you1 and each fresh        
struggle seems to leave you weaker than 
before8 ,there will be no room for this 
if you devote yourself to the needs of  
others4 ,all sin is selfishness in some 

form or other4 ,forget sloth2 this is   
the best safeguard against temptation4  
,i appeal confidently to all those who  
have made the trial to say whether this 
medicine has healed them where all other
 medicines have failed8 ,and1 why1 why8 
,it is ,christ's own love constraining  
them2 it is ,christ's own touch         
thrilling through their veins2 hence    
they mark the resurrection--,he took the
 damsel by the hand2 and straightway she
 arose and walked4     ,,pilate4#ab     
,pilate saith unto ,him1 ,what is       
truth8--,,john xviii4 #ch4   ,st4 ,john 
is especially distinguished among the   
four evangelists for his subtle         
delineation of character4 ,we do not    
commonly remember--it costs us an effort
 to remember--how very largely we are   
indebted to the fourth gospel for our   
conceptions of the chief personages who 
bear a part in evangelical history1     
where those conceptions are most clear  
and distinct4 ,if we analyse the sources
 of our information1 we find again and  

again that while something is told us   
about particular persons in the other   
evangelists1 yet it is ,st4 ,john who   
gives those touches to the picture which
 make it stand out with its own         
individuality as a real1 living1        
speaking man4 ,the other evangelist will
 record a name1 or1 perhaps1 an         
incident2 ,st4 ,john will add one or two
 sayings2 and the whole person is       
instinct with life4 ,the character      
flashes out in half-a-dozen words4 ,from
 the abundance of the heart the mouth   
speaketh4 ,so it is with ,philip1 with  
,thomas1 with ,mary and ,martha1 and    
with several others who might be named4 
,this vividness of portraiture is our   
strongest assurance1 if assurance were  
needed1 that the narrative was indeed   
written by him whose name it bears--by  
the beloved disciple and eye-witness    
himself4 ,for1 observe1 there is no     
effort at delineation of character2     
there is no delineation of character at 
all1 properly so called4 ,the evangelist

 does not describe the persons whom he  
introduces2 they describe themselves4   
,the incidental act1 the incidental     
movement or gesture1 the incidental     
saying1 tells the tale4 ,that which he  
had heard1 that which he had looked upon
 and his eyes had seen1 that which his  
hands had handled of the ,word of       
,life--that and that only he declared4  
,pilate furnishes a remarkable          
illustration of this feature in ,st4    
,john's gospel4 ,pilate is the chief    
agent in the crowning scene of          
evangelical history4 ,he is necessarily 
a prominent figure in all the four      
narratives of this crisis4 ,in the first
 three gospels we learn much about him4 
,we find him there1 as we find him in   
,st4 ,john1 at cross purposes with the  
,jews4 ,he is represented there1 not    
less than by ,st4 ,john1 as giving an   
unwilling consent to the judicial murder
 of ,jesus4 ,his ,roman sense of justice
 is too strong to allow him to yield    
without an effort4 ,his personal courage

 is too weak to persevere in the        
struggle when the consequences threaten 
to become inconvenient4 ,he is timid1   
politic1 time-serving1 as represented by
 all alike4 ,he has just enough         
conscience to wish to shake off the     
responsibility1 but far too little      
conscience to shrink from committing the
 sin4 ,but in ,st4 ,john's narrative we 
pierce far below the surface4 ,here he  
is revealed to us as the sarcastic1     
cynical worldling1 who doubts           
everything1 distrusts everything1       
despises everything4 ,he has an intense 
scorn for the ,jews1 and yet he has a   
craven dread of them4 ,he has a certain 
professional regard for justice1 and yet
 he has no real belief in truth or      
honour4 ,throughout he manifests a      
malicious irony in his conduct at this  
crisis4 ,there is a lofty scorn in his  
answer when he repudiates any sympathy  
with the accusers4 ,am ,i a ,jew8 ,there
 is a sarcastic pity in the question    
which he addresses to the ,prisoner     

before him1 ,art ,thou the ,king of the 
,jews8 ,art ,thou1 then1 a king--,thou  
poor1 weak1 helpless fanatic1 whom with 
a single word ,i could doom to death8   
,he is half-bewildered with the         
incongruity of the claim2 and yet there 
is a certain propriety that a wild      
enthusiast should assert his sovereignty
 over a nation of bigots2 so he         
sarcastically adopts the title4 ,will   
you that ,i release unto you the ,king  
of the ,jews8 ,even when1 at length1 he 
is obliged to yield to the popular      
clamour1 he will at least have his      
revenge by a studied contempt4 ,behold  
your ,king6 ,shall ,i crucify your      
,king8 ,and to the very last moment he  
indulges his cynical scorn4 ,the title  
on the cross was1 indeed1 unconsciously1
 a proclamation of a ,divine truth2 but 
in its immediate purpose and intent it  
was the mere gratification of ,pilate's 
sarcastic humour4 ,jesus of ,nazareth4  
,could any good thing come out of       
,nazareth8 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the     

,king of the ,jews4 ,he has sacrificed  
his honour to them1 but he will not     
sacrifice his contempt4 ,what ,i have   
written1 ,i have written4  ,but it is   
more especially in the sentence which ,i
 have chosen for my text that the whole 
character of the man is revealed4 ,the  
,prisoner before him had accepted the   
title of a ,king4 ,he based ,his claim  
to this title on the fact that ,he had  
come to bear witness of the truth4 ,he  
declared that those who were themselves 
of the truth would acknowledge ,his     
claim4 ,they were ,his rightful         
subjects2 they were the enfranchised    
citizens of ,his kingdom4  ,strange     
language this1 in the ears of a cynical1
 worldly sceptic1 to whom the most      
attractive hope of humanity was a       
judicious admixture of force and fraud4 
,pilate saith unto ,him1 ,what is truth8
 ,and when he had said this he went out4
 ,the altercation could be carried no   
farther4 ,was not human life itself one 
great query without an answer8 ,what was

 truth8 ,truth8 ,this helpless ,prisoner
 claimed to be a ,king1 and ,he         
appealed1 forsooth1 to ,his truthfulness
 as the credential of ,his sovereign    
rights6 ,was ever any claim more        
contradictory of all human experience1  
more palpably absurd1 than this8 ,truth8
 ,when had truth anything to do with    
founding a kingdom8 ,the mighty engine  
of imperial power1 the armed sceptre    
which ruled the world1 whence came it8  
,certainly it owed nothing to truth4    
,had not ,augustus established his      
sovereignty by an unscrupulous use of   
force1 and maintained it by an astute   
use of artifice8 ,and his successor1 the
 present occupant of the imperial       
throne1 was he not an arch dissembler1  
the darkest of all dark enigmas8 ,the   
name of ,tiberius was a byword for      
impenetrable disguise4 ,truth might do  
well enough for fools and enthusiasts2  
but for rulers1 for diplomatists1 for   
men of the world1 it was the wildest of 
all wild dreams4 ,truth8 ,what was      

truth8 ,he had lived too long in the    
world to trust to any such hollow       
delusion4 ,he had listened to the       
ceaseless din of philosophical          
disputations till he was weary of them4 
,the ,stoics1 the ,epicureans1 the      
,platonists1 all had their several      
specifics which they vended as truth4   
,all were equally sure1 and yet no two  
agreed4  ,he had witnessed1 certainly   
not without contempt1 and yet not       
altogether without dismay1 the rising   
flood of foreign superstition--,greek1  
,syrian1 ,egyptian1 ,chaldean--which    
threatened to deluge the city and       
empire1 and destroy all the ancient     
landmarks4 ,could he believe all or any 
of these8 ,in this never-ending conflict
 of philosophical dogmas and religious  
creeds1 what could he do but resign     
himself to scepticism1 to indifference1 
to a cold and cynical scorn of all      
enthusiastic convictions and all        
definite beliefs8 ,what is truth8  ,and 
yet as he turned away1 neither expecting

 nor desiring an answer to a question   
which he had asked merely to end an     
inconvenient controversy1 some uneasy   
misgivings1 we may well suppose1 flashed
 across the mind of this proud1         
sarcastic worldling1 that he was now    
brought face to face with truth as he   
had never been brought before4 ,there   
was a reality about every word and      
action of this ,jewish ,prisoner which  
arrested and overawed him4 ,the calmness
 with which ,he urged ,his claims1 the  
fearlessness with which ,he defied      
death1 the impressive words1 the still  
more impressive silence1 the manifest   
innocence and rectitude of the ,man1 if 
he saw nothing more--these could not be 
without their effect even on a ,pilate1 
steeped as he was in the moral          
recklessness and the religious despair  
of his age4 ,at all events1 he would    
serve the ,man if he conveniently could4
  ,but there had been also a nobler     
element in ,pilate's education than     
moral scepticism and religious unbelief4

 ,he was a ,roman governor1 and as a    
,roman governor he was an administrator 
of ,roman law4 ,it was their            
appreciation of law1 their respect for  
law1 their study of law1 far more than  
anything else1 which gave its greatness 
to the character of the ,roman people4  
,even in the most degraded ages of their
 history1 and with the worst individual 
types of men1 this is the one bright    
spot which relieves the gloom4 ,it is   
the nobler prerogative of law to set a  
standard clear1 definite1 and precise4  
,i have no concern here with other      
obligations to the law which as         
,christians we are bound to acknowledge1
 though1 speaking before the chief      
representatives of ,english law and     
justice1 ,i cannot fail to be reminded  
of them this afternoon4 ,but this       
exhibition of a moral standard is a gain
 which it is hardly possible to         
over-estimate4 ,the standard will not   
always be the highest4 ,from the nature 
of the case it cannot be so4 ,law deals 

with some departments of morality very  
imperfectly2 with others it does not    
attempt to deal at all4 ,but still1     
whenever it is felt1 and so far as it   
penetrates1 it creates an ideal1 and    
begets a habit which will not be        
powerless even with the most indifferent
 and reckless of men4 ,so it was with   
,pilate4 ,theological scepticism had    
eaten out his religious principles to   
the very core4 ,unscrupulous worldliness
 and self-seeking had shattered his     
moral constitution2 but though his      
principles were gone1 and his character 
was ruined1 still he was haunted by some
 lingering sense of professional honour2
 still the magnificent ideal of ,roman  
justice and ,roman law rose up before   
him1 and would not lightly be thrust    
aside4 ,he pleads repeatedly for justice
 against the relentless accusers4 ,three
 times he declares the ,prisoner's      
innocence in the same explicit words--,i
 find no fault in ,him4 ,once and again 
he strives to shift the responsibility  

from his own shoulders to theirs4 ,take 
ye ,him and judge ,him according to your
 law4 ,take ye ,him and crucify ,him4   
,but his efforts are all in vain4 ,they 
will have none of this4 ,the deed shall 
be done1 and he shall do it4  ,it was   
not the first1 and it would not be the  
last time that ,pilate found himself in 
conflict with the ,jews4 ,for ten years 
he was governor of this turbulent1      
intractable people4 ,this was an        
unusually long period of office under an
 ,emperor like ,tiberius1 who was       
constantly changing his provincial      
governors from mere suspicion and       
distrust4 ,it must have cost ,pilate no 
little trouble to steer his course so   
long and so successfully1 without       
foundering either on the suspicions of  
his jealous master here or on the       
bigotry of his stubborn subjects there4 
,and yet he was constantly wounding the 
religious susceptibilities of the ,jews4
 ,at one time he shocked them by        
bringing the military ensigns with the  

effigies of ,caesar within the walls of 
,jerusalem2 at another he persisted in  
setting up some gilt shields1 inscribed 
with a profane heathen dedication1 in   
the palace of ,herod within the holy    
precincts4 ,in both cases he drove the  
,jews to the extreme verge of           
exasperation4 ,in both cases he exhibits
 the same sarcastic and defiant scorn   
which is apparent here4 ,in both cases  
their obstinate zeal or bigotry         
triumphs1 as it triumphs here1 and he is
 forced1 in the end1 to retrace his     
steps and to undo his deed4  ,so1 then1 
this was only one brief episode in a    
protracted struggle between ,pilate and 
the ,jewish people4 ,doubtless1 it      
seemed at the time quite insignificant  
compared with those other and fiercer   
conflicts in which he was engaged4 ,it  
is passed over in silence by            
contemporary ,jewish writers4 ,it       
concerned the life of a single person   
only2 it was settled in a single night2 
and yet it involved nothing less than   

the eternal destiny of all mankind4     
,ah1 there is a terrible irony in ,god's
 retributive justice1 which so blinds a 
man to the true proportions of things4  
,a single moment may do a wrong which   
centuries cannot repair4 ,it is a       
dangerous thing to defy the truth4 ,the 
majesty of truth is inviolable1 and he  
who insults it in a moment of           
recklessness can never forecast the     
consequences4 ,time and space and       
notoriety are no measure of importance  
here4 ,the most important criminal trial
 on record in the history of mankind was
 hurried through in two or three short  
hours1 under cover of night and in the  
grey of early dawn4  ,this is the great 
lesson of ,pilate's crime4 ,he was      
surprised by the truth2 he found himself
 unexpectedly confronted by the truth2  
and he could not recognise it4 ,his     
whole life long he had tampered with    
truth2 he had despised truth2 he had    
despaired of truth4 ,truth was the last 
thing which he had set before him as the

 main aim of life4 ,he had thought much 
of policy1 of artifice1 of fraud1 of    
force2 but for truth in any of its      
manifold forms he had cared just nothing
 at all4 ,and his sin had worked out its
 own retribution4 ,not truth only1 but  
the very ,truth itself1 ,truth          
incarnate1 stood before him in a human  
form1 and he was blind to it2 he scorned
 it2 he played with it2 he thrust it    
aside2 he condemned1 and he gibbeted it4
 ,suffered under ,pontius ,pilate1 is   
the legend of eternal infamy with which 
history has branded his name4  ,so it is
 always4 ,the ,lord appears suddenly in 
,his temple--in the shrine of the human 
heart and conscience2 suddenly--at a    
time and in a form which we least       
expect4 ,the truth visits us very       
frequently under the disguise of some   
common event1 or some insignificant     
person4 ,it surprises us1 perhaps1 in   
the accidental saying of some little    
child1 or in the insidiousness of some  
mean temptation1 or in the emergency of 

some trivial choice4 ,it stands before  
us at once as our suppliant and our     
king4 ,we fail to see its majesty veiled
 in its humble garb4 ,we treat it as our
 prisoner when1 in fact1 it is our      
judge1 and may become our gaoler4 ,we   
flatter ourselves that we have power to 
condemn or to release it4 ,we have no   
fault to find with it1 but still we     
reject it2 we crucify it2 and before    
three days are gone it rises from its   
grave to bear eternal testimony against 
us4 ,we could not see the truth1 because
 we ourselves were not of the truth4    
,here in this judicial blindness is the 
warning of ,pilate's example4 ,like is  
drawn to like3 like only understands    
like4 ,the truth is only for the        
children of truth4  ,we must not1       
however1 unduly narrow the sense of     
truth and of truthfulness4 ,when our    
,lord called ,himself the truth--when   
,he declared that the truth should make 
us free1 ,he meant very much more than  
is commonly understood by the word4     

,veracity is1 indeed1 truth2 but it is  
only a small part of the truth4 ,a man  
may be scrupulously veracious1 strictly 
a man of honour2 he may always say what 
he believes2 he may always perform what 
he promises2 and yet he may not be1 in  
the highest sense1 true4 ,he may be the 
slave of a thousand unrealities4 ,a     
genuine child of truth is very much more
 than a speaker of the truth4 ,he is a  
doer of the truth1 and a thinker of the 
truth1 and a liver of the truth4 ,he is 
frank1 open1 and real in all things4    
,reality is the very soul of his being4 
,he cares for nothing which is hollow1  
shadowy1 superficial4 ,popularity1      
wealth1 success1 worldly ambition1 and  
display are essentially unreal1 because 
they are external1 because they are     
transient4 ,therefore1 he estimates them
 at their true value4 ,the devotion of  
scientific men in pursuit of scientific 
truth wins our highest admiration4 ,it  
is not without a thrill of national     
pride that we have just bidden          

,god-speed to the gallant company which 
has started for the ,arctic seas4 ,to   
face untold hardships and possible death
 in such a cause is a worthy and noble  
aim1 for these are realities4 ,but      
obviously there are truths of far higher
 moment to the temporal and eternal     
well-being of man than the laws of      
electricity1 or the causes of the       
,aurora1 or the fauna of the ,polar     
seas4 ,whence came ,i8 ,whither go ,i8  
,what is sin8 ,what is conscience8 ,is  
there a ,god in heaven8 ,is there a     
providence1 a moral government1 a       
judgment8 ,is there a redemption1 a     
sanctification1 a life eternal8 ,these  
are the momentous1 the pressing         
questions which a man can only shelve at
 his peril4 ,christ is the answer to all
 these questions4 ,therefore1 ,he is the
 verity of verities4 ,therefore1 ,he    
claims for ,himself the title of the    
truth as ,his absolute and indefeasible 
right4  ,an incapacity to see the truth1
 when thus presented to us in its       

highest form1 may arise from different  
causes4 ,it may spring from bigoted     
partisanship1 and religious pride1 and  
obstinate formalism1 as in the case of  
the ,jews2 or it may spring from cold   
cynicism1 and worldliness1 and          
dishonesty1 as in the case of ,pilate4  
,these two conspire to crucify the      
truth4 ,as we sow1 so also shall we     
reap4 ,pilate's life had been stained in
 untruthfulness4 ,his government had    
been an alternation of violence and     
artifice4 ,his aim had not been to rule 
uprightly1 to rule generously1 but to   
rule at any cost4 ,he must calm the     
suspicions of his jealous master1 and he
 must quell the turbulence of an unruly 
people4 ,whatever means would conduce to
 these ends were to him legitimate      
means4 ,uprightness1 honour1 frankness1 
generosity1 truth--what were these to   
him8 ,he had no belief in them1 and why 
should he practise them8 ,he projected  
his own motives into his estimate of    
mankind at large4 ,he read the          

characters of others in the distorted   
mirror of his own consciousness4 ,human 
life1 as he viewed it1 was false from   
beginning to end4 ,it was1 after all1   
the reflection of his own falsehood     
which he saw4 ,he was ever looking out  
for the unrealities of existence4 ,he   
had no eye for its realities4 ,men's    
convictions were their foibles3 men's   
beliefs were his playthings4            
,untruthfulness1 cynicism1 distrust1    
scorn1 had withered his soul4 ,they only
 will find the truth who believe that   
the truth may be found4 ,pilate had no  
such belief4 ,he had gone through life  
asking1 half in bitterness1 half in     
jest1 ,what is truth8 ,he had asked it  
now again1 and the question was fatal4  
,pilate's temper of mind is a very real 
danger in an age like ours4 ,let us     
beware of thus jesting with truth1 lest 
some time1 like him1 we crucify the     
truth unawares4     ,,the ,,pharisee    
,,and ,,the ,,publican4#ac   ,two men   
went up into the temple to pray4--,,luke

 xviii4 #aj4   ,the teaching of the     
gospels is1 in large portions1 a        
teaching by contrast4 ,this is the case1
 to a certain extent1 in the historical 
narrative1 but it is especially so in   
the parables of our ,lord4 ,thus we have
 the contrast of the two brothers in the
 parable of the ,prodigal ,son2 the     
contrast of the two sons in the parable 
of the father's vineyard2 the contrast  
of the rich man and the beggar in the   
parable of ,lazarus and ,dives1 and the 
like2 the right and the wrong way of    
acting are figured1 are embodied1 are   
personified in two living1 acting men4  
,so it is here2 the right and the wrong 
spirit in prayer1 the right and the     
wrong attitude towards ,god1 are set    
before us in portraits of imaginary men 
who might very well have been real men4 
,if you had gone up to the temple any   
day1 and watched the worshippers there1 
you might very likely have seen the     
counterpart both of the one and of the  
other4 ,but there is not only a contrast

 in the parable1 there is also a        
paradox1 a surprise2 the ordinary       
estimate of worth is set aside2 the     
judgment of ,god overrules the judgment 
of men2 the praise is given where men   
would give the blame1 and the blame is  
given where men would give the praise4  
,the object of the parable is to        
correct1 to cancel1 to reverse human    
judgment4  ,two men went up into the    
temple to pray4 ,the place is the same1 
the time is the same1 the object is the 
same2 only the characters of the two men
 are widely different4 ,to which will   
you give the preference8 ,could any     
pious ,jew have doubted about his answer
 to this question8 ,would you yourself  
have doubted if you had been a ,jew and 
lived in that age8 ,let us look more    
narrowly at these two men as they stand 
praying within the sacred precincts4    
,here is the one1 a ,pharisee4 ,the sect
 to which he belongs is eminently       
religious1 eminently patriotic2 the law 
of ,god is their study day and night2   

their daily life is regulated on the    
strictest principles2 they are the      
recognised leaders of their countrymen1 
their religious teachers and their      
political guides2 they are regarded as  
the great bulwark against foreign       
tyranny and heathen idolatry2 they have 
altogether the confidence of the people4
 ,and he is an eminently favourable type
 of the sect4 ,it is not enough that he 
avoids gross and flagrant crime2 that he
 is upright in his dealings with his    
fellow-men2 that he respects the        
sanctity of the marriage vows2--he goes 
very far beyond this3 he fasts          
regularly1 he pays tithes scrupulously1 
he prays fervently after a manner1 as   
this incident shows2 not a suspicion is 
breathed against the truth of his       
statements as he thus describes himself4
 ,no doubt they were strictly true2 the 
very point of the parable depends upon  
their accuracy4 ,what more1 then1 would 
you have than this8 ,now1 turn to the   
other worshipper1 the publican4 ,what a 

contrast we have here6 ,the publicans   
were hated1 despised1 loathed by the    
,jews4 ,there was only too much reason  
for all this hatred and contempt4 ,the  
publicans were so called because they   
farmed the public taxes4 ,the ,roman    
masters let out the collection of the   
taxes for so much to the publicans1 and 
the publicans made what they could by   
the collecting4 ,hence their position   
was unsatisfactory from first to last4  
,though ,jews themselves1 they were the 
representatives of the ,roman masters of
 ,judea4 ,they thus reminded their      
fellow-countrymen at every turn of the  
galling yoke of a foreign tyranny1 of a 
heathen tyranny1 too4 ,this made matters
 worse4 ,religion as well as patriotism 
was grievously compromised by them4     
,this was bad enough2 but this was not  
all4 ,from the manner in which they     
contracted with the ,roman government   
they were tempted to extortion and      
fraud4 ,their profits depended on petty 
acts of insolence and overreaching1 and 

there is every reason to believe that1  
as a class1 they did yield to their     
temptation4 ,it might be said that their
 hand was against every man and every   
man's hand was against them4            
,remembering these facts1 we are able   
the more truly to honour a ,matthew or a
 ,zaccheus1 towering far above the moral
 standard of their class4 ,and the man  
before us--what shall we say of him8 ,he
 had yielded to these temptations4 ,just
 as in the case of the ,pharisee1 so in 
the case of the publican1 there is every
 reason to accept as strictly true his  
description of himself4  ,as ,i have    
said before1 the very force of the      
parable depends on the truth of this    
statement4 ,he1 doubtless1 had been     
extortionate2 he had used his position  
and his power to oppress and defraud his
 fellow-countrymen4 ,he was1 perhaps1   
conscious1 besides1 of other grievous   
sins--not specially sins of his class1  
but sins of himself1 sins of mankind4   
,there can be little doubt that when he 

beat upon his breast1 when he bewailed  
his sinfulness1 when he entreated ,god's
 mercy1 he had on his conscience some   
heavier weight than the ordinary sins   
and short-comings of the ordinary       
respectable and religious man4 ,what1   
then1 shall we say8 ,who will waver     
between these two men8 ,who can for a   
moment hesitate to rank the ,pharisee   
higher than the publican8 ,and yet it is
 our ,lord's judgment--it is ,god's own 
verdict--that this man1 this publican1  
this sullied1 sin-stained1 but withal   
penitent man1 went down to his home     
justified rather than the highly        
respectable1 highly respected1 highly   
religious ,pharisee4 ,the answer is     
this--to know ,god is the beginning and 
the end of all wisdom2 to know ,god is  
to think truly1 is to act truly1 is to  
live truly4 ,now1 the ,pharisee did not 
know ,god2 he was altogether at fault in
 his ideas of ,god2 he was on the wrong 
line1 and however far he might go on    
that line he would be no nearer to ,god4

 ,on the other hand1 the publican had   
taken the right direction2 he might be  
still very far from a thorough knowledge
 of ,god2 but his ideas of ,god1 however
 imperfect1 were right as far as they   
went4 ,let us look into this matter a   
little more closely4  ,there are two    
ways of regarding ,god4 ,we may look    
upon ,him as a taskmaster1 or we may    
look upon ,him as a righteous ,father4  
,the first way is hopelessly1           
irretrievably wrong2 the second way     
alone will lead us to ,him4 ,we may look
 upon ,him as a taskmaster4 ,what then8 
,he sets before us a definite piece of  
work to do4 ,if we do it1 well and good2
 we escape blame2 we get our pay4 ,it is
 give and take2 certain things are to be
 done1 and certain other things are to  
be left undone4 ,there the matter ends4 
,this is what is meant by justification 
by works4 ,it is a mere question of     
bargaining4 ,we treat with ,god as a    
workman would treat with an employer of 
labour2 we look upon ,him as one of     

ourselves1 a little more powerful1 a    
little more exacting1 a little more     
stern1 but still as one of ourselves--a 
man1 magnified indeed1 but a man still1 
with whom we can stipulate and bargain  
and haggle about the amount of work to  
be done4 ,that is the error1 the fatal  
error1 of the man in the parable who hid
 his one talent in the earth4 ,i feared 
thee1 because thou art an austere       
man--not1 ,i loved thee1 not ,i         
reverenced thee1 not ,i worshipped thee1
 but ,i feared thee4 ,it was            
apprehension1 it was dread--nothing     
else2 no affectionate yearning1 no      
childlike outpouring of the heart1 no   
seeking after the ,father's embrace4    
,thou art an austere man--a hard man2   
yes1 a taskmaster1 and a rigorous       
taskmaster1 too4 ,lo1 there thou hast   
that is thine--not a little more1 nor a 
little less--thou hast that is thine4   
,nay1 everything is ,mine4 ,heaven and  
earth are ,mine2 infinite righteousness 
and infinite truth1 and infinite purity 

and infinite love1 are ,mine4 ,thou     
canst never give ,me that is ,mine4 ,and
 so it is with the ,pharisee in our     
parable1 though the type of character is
 somewhat different4 ,fasting is        
enjoined1 therefore he fasts2 tithes are
 commanded1 therefore he pays tithes4   
,not a moment is deducted from the      
fasting1 not a penny is withheld from   
the tithes4 ,he will be all safe2 he    
does his work and he claims his pay4 ,of
 those boundless reaches of mercy1 of   
truth1 of love1 which lie beyond all    
definite precepts1 all specific duties1 
he thinks nothing and he knows nothing2 
of the infinity of ,god1 he is wholly   
ignorant2 of ,god's absolute            
righteousness1 of ,god's limitless      
goodness1 he has not a thought2         
therefore he is satisfied2 therefore he 
despises others4 ,if he had any1 even   
the faintest1 conception of these1 he   
could not be so complacent1 he could not
 compare himself advantageously with    
others4 ,to him who sees this infinity  

of ,god boasting is altogether excluded2
 he is fain to call himself an          
unprofitable servant4 ,ah1 yes6 it all  
springs from that one original root of  
falsehood1 that perverse1 fatal idea of 
the relations of man to ,god--so much   
pay for so much work--haggling between  
employer and employed--conflict1 in an  
exaggerated form1 between capital and   
labour once more4  ,but the true way to 
regard ,god is to look upon ,him as a   
righteous ,father1 to see ,his          
righteousness first1 and then to see    
,his fatherly love4 ,to see ,his        
righteousness1 the awe1 the beauty1 the 
majesty1 the holiness1 the glory of ,his
 righteousness6 ,have we caught only a  
faint1 transient glimpse of it8 ,what   
then8 ,what becomes of our              
righteousness1 our merit1 our           
self-satisfaction1 our self-complacency8
 ,what miserable1 besmirched1 filthy    
tatters do the very best of them seem if
 only for a moment the skirts of ,his   
glistening raiment have crossed the     

field of our vision1 the glory of ,him  
who is clothed in righteousness4 ,do we 
thank ,god1 can we thank ,god now1 that 
we are not as bad as other men are8     
,nay1 thank ,him for ,his opportunity1  
thank ,him for ,his mercy1 thank ,him   
for ,his forbearing patience1 but thank 
,him not where thanksgiving is a mere   
cloak of self-complacency4 ,no2 you     
cannot compare yourself with another    
now2 you see only your own sin1 you can 
measure only your own unworthiness now1 
or1 rather1 it appears far beyond       
measuring to you4 ,your righteousness   
and this man's unrighteousness1 your    
good and this man's evil--what          
difference is there between them in the 
presence of ,god's infinite holiness1   
that great leveller of all human        
gradations8      ,for merit lives from  
man to man1     ,and not1 ,o ,god1 from 
man to ,thee6  ,ah1 yes1 ,lord6 ,i can  
see two things1 and two only3 ,thy      
righteousness1 my sinfulness1 these and 
nothing else4  ,but we must look not    

only to ,god's righteousness3 we must   
look to ,his fatherly goodness also4 ,we
 have beheld the heinousness of our sin 
in the mirror of ,his holiness2 we must 
now behold the grace of our forgiveness 
in the light of ,his love1 ,his fatherly
 love4 ,and have we not full and perfect
 assurance that ,his love will never    
fail us8 ,what else is the meaning of   
,his great1 ,his inestimable gift to man
 of ,his only-begotten ,son1 to take    
,his flesh upon ,him and to die for us8 
,by the infinity of ,his gift ,he would 
show us that ,his love is infinite      
also--nothing less2 and we do ,him a    
wrong1 a cruel wrong1 if we approach    
,him as a taskmaster1 as a tyrant1 as a 
hard and austere man2 we blaspheme ,his 
fatherly goodness4 ,have we sinned1 and 
shall we go to ,him as to a taskmaster8 
,what consolation1 what forgiveness1    
what hope of either here8 ,nay1 rather  
we will seek ,him as the prodigal son   
sought ,him2 we will go to ,him as to a 
father2 we will address ,him as a       

,father2 we will betake ourselves to    
,him with a child's penitent heart1 with
 a child's trusting soul1 with a child's
 yearning embrace1 and ,he will have    
compassion on us1 will hasten to meet   
us1 though we may be yet a great way    
off1 and we shall be locked once more in
 ,his everlasting arms4  ,do you think1 
can you think1 that the sense of ,his   
infinite love will make you reckless1   
will make you indolent1 will make you   
presuming8 ,did love1 true love1 truly  
felt1 ever have this effect8 ,nay1 just 
in proportion as you appropriate it1 as 
you realise it1 it will quicken1 it will
 stimulate1 it will purify1 it will     
inspire you2 it will transform your     
whole being into its own perfections    
from glory to glory4 ,god's love is the 
beacon star in the sky1 arresting1      
attracting1 guiding1 luring us forward  
on the heavenly path2 the love of       
,christ--not our love for ,him2 but ,his
 love for us--the love of ,christ1      
constrains us1 binds us hand and foot1  

and drags us onward with the cords of a 
man4 ,the publican did see this1 at     
least in part4 ,he saw ,god's           
righteousness in all its tremendous     
majesty1 and he abased himself before   
it2 he saw ,god's fatherly love only    
dimly as yet1 but yearned for it4       
,therefore1 though he was yet a great   
way off1 ,god ran to meet him2 and so1  
notwithstanding his sin1 he went down   
from the temple that day justified      
rather than the other4  ,one more       
thought is suggested by the parable4    
,prayer is the test of character4 ,so it
 was with this ,pharisee and this       
publican2 so it must ever be1 from the  
nature of the case4 ,prayer is the      
confronting of self with ,god2 prayer is
 the communing with ,god2 prayer is the 
laying bare of the soul before ,god4    
,thus prayer proves the realities of a  
man's being4 ,as a man prays1 so he is4 
,he who has learned to pray aright has  
learned to live aright4 ,the first and  
the last lesson of our lives1 the first 

and the last desire of our hearts1 the  
first and the last petition on our lips 
must be with us1 as it was with the     
disciples of old1 ,lord1 teach us to    
pray2 and to the old question the old   
answer will be vouchsafed now1 as then1 
,our ,father1 which art in heaven4 ,our 
,father4 ,the sense of ,god's           
,fatherhood1 as manifested in ,christ1  
flooding our hearts1 and dominating our 
lives--this is the beginning and the end
 of all theology2 there is nothing      
before and nothing after this4          
,therefore1 holy ,father1 we beseech    
,thee for ,thy dear ,son's sake1 teach  
us all1 this night and ever1 to pray2   
teach us to know ,thee1 the only true   
,god1 and ,jesus ,christ1 whom ,thou    
hast sent2 teach us so to pray that we  
may be found among the company of those 
faithful people who worship not a god of
 their own making1 not a taskmaster1 not
 a tyrant1 not a hard and austere man1  
but worship ,thee1 worship the ,father  
in spirit and in truth4     ,,our       

,,citizenship4#ad   ,our conversation is
 in heaven4--,,phil4 iii4 #bj4   ,a     
better translation is ,our citizenship  
is in heaven4  ,we are all proud of our 
country4 ,we delight to think of        
ourselves as belonging to a land on     
which whoever sets his foot is free4 ,we
 reflect with satisfaction that we are  
citizens of a great empire on which the 
sun never sets4 ,we feel that we have   
derived a very real advantage from our  
position2 the glory of our past history 
is somehow reflected upon us4 ,we think 
with pride of how freedom has broadened 
slowly down1 from precedent to          
precedent4 ,we cherish the recollection 
too1 of the most glorious scenes in our 
history1 as if1 somehow1 they were part 
and parcel of ourselves4 ,we feel as of 
one family1 with its long roll of       
illustrious statesmen1 generals1 men of 
science1--our ,shakespeare1 ,bacon1     
,newton1 ,wellington1 ,nelson1 ,hampden1
 ,pitt1 ,canning1--that these are our   
fellow-citizens4 ,their renown is our   

renown4 ,it is a great thing to extend  
our range of view beyond ourselves1     
beyond our own households1 our parish1  
and our own neighbourhood1 and yet to   
feel that there is a bond of union      
still2 that we are members of a great   
family1 citizens of a great kingdom1    
unique in her great world-empire4 ,the  
inspiration of this thought1 which the  
recent ,jubilee celebration has         
emphasised1 makes us higher1 nobler1    
larger than ourselves4 ,it drives out   
all the pettiness of character and all  
the narrowness of view4 ,true patriotism
 is a very noble and ennobling          
sentiment4 ,to be ready to do and to    
suffer1 if need be to die1 for our      
country1 what broad elevation of soul is
 there not in a temper like this8  ,st4 
,paul felt all this4 ,he was proud of   
the city1 of the nation to which he     
belonged4 ,he was proud of the city in  
which he first saw the light4 ,we cannot
 mistake his tones here4 ,i am a citizen
 of no mean city4 ,this ,tarsus1 in     

which he was born1 stood second to none 
as a seat of learning in his time4 ,he  
was proud1 also1 of his nationality4    
,here1 again1 we cannot mistake the     
feeling which underlies his language4   
,of the stock of ,israel1 of the tribe  
of ,benjamin4 ,are they ,hebrew8 ,so am 
,i4 ,are they the seed of ,abraham8 ,so 
am ,i4 ,he1 too1 was the son of the     
patriarchs2 he1 too1 was the heir of the
 promises2 he1 too1 had his portion     
among the twelve tribes that served ,god
 day and night4 ,was he not descended   
from the one favoured tribe which had   
given its first king to ,israel1 which  
had remained faithful to the house of   
,david when all the others revolted2    
which ever marched in the van of the    
,lord's host when the armies went out to
 battle8 ,after thee ,o ,benjamin6 ,no  
taint of foreign admixture had sullied  
the purity of his blood4 ,he was an     
,hebrew of the ,hebrews4 ,no concession 
to foreign excitements1 and no          
relaxation of national rites1 had ever  

compromised his position4 ,he was a     
,pharisee of the ,pharisees4 ,of all    
these things he might well be prouder   
than the proudest4 ,albeit he paused and
 kept down all his pride2 he counted all
 as loss for the excellency of the      
knowledge of ,christ ,jesus his ,lord4  
,and lastly1 he was proud of his        
position as a member of that great      
empire which stretched out her hand into
 every clime1 and carried her citizens  
into all quarters of the globe4 ,here   
again his language tells its own tale4  
,they have beaten us openly1            
uncondemned1 being ,romans1 444 and now 
do they thrust us out privily4 ,is it   
lawful for you to scourge a man that is 
a ,roman1 and uncondemned8  ,yes2 it was
 a magnificent privilege this1 that a   
man1 whosoever he might be1 could claim 
the immunity1 the protection1 the       
deference which was everywhere accorded 
to a citizen of ,rome2 to feel that he  
was a solitary1 homeless wanderer1 and  
had nevertheless at his back all the    

power1 and all the prestige1 and all the
 majesty of the mightiest empire that   
the world had ever seen4 ,but however   
natural1 and in some sense justifiable1 
may be this pride in ourselves1 or in   
,st4 ,paul1 we are reminded by the text 
that he and we alike are citizens of a  
far larger1 wider1 more magnificent1    
more powerful1 more enduring empire4    
,for which we have every reason to feel1
 not indeed pride1 not                  
self-satisfaction1 not vainglory1 but   
perpetual thanksgiving1 and benediction 
to the ,author and ,giver of all good   
things4 ,our citizenship is in heaven4  
,our citizenship4 ,in the familiar      
version the word is rendered            
conversation1 i4e41 walk of life4 ,but  
it means very much more than this2 it   
points us out as members of a           
commonwealth1 citizens of a polity1     
subjects of a kingdom1 in which we have 
special interests1 special              
responsibilities and functions4 ,so1    
again1 the ,apostle tells the           

,ephesians1 now converted from          
heathenism to the knowledge of          
,christ--,ye are no more strangers and  
foreigners1 but fellow-citizens with the
 saints4  ,fellow-citizens with the     
saints4 ,you and they1 bound together as
 members of one great nationality1 with 
common duties1 common sympathies1 common
 aims1 citizens of a kingdom of which   
the noblest and most powerful earthly   
empires are only faint types and        
shadows1 a kingdom which shall never    
end4 ,yes6      ,two worlds are ours1   
'tis only sin       ,forbids us to      
descry     ,the mystic heaven1 and earth
 within1       ,plain as the sea and    
sky4  ,and so we need to strive this day
 to pierce through the veil1 that so we 
may realise this our heavenly           
citizenship4  ,on this festival of ,all 
,saints1 before all other days in the   
year1 we are invited to enter into the  
,holy ,city1 to dwell on the glories of 
the unseen world1 to commune with the   
beatified servants of ,god of all ages  

and all countries1 and to gather        
inspiration and truth and refreshment   
for our daily tasks in life2 to pierce  
through the veil1 the dark impenetrable 
mist which shrouds the unseen world4    
,yet ever and again this veil is lifted 
for a moment1 ever and again we are made
 to feel1 by some startling occurrence1 
how narrow is the screen which separates
 the seen from the unseen1 the material 
from the spiritual1 the world of time   
from the world of eternity4 ,ever and   
again the stern monitor death rises up  
an unbidden guest1 an unwelcome spectre 
in the midst of our worldliness and     
self-complacency1 scaring us with the   
suddenness of the apparition4 ,mystery  
of mysteries1 when valuable lives are   
suddenly cleft asunder1 while so much   
that is worthless1 and worse1 is spared4
 ,mystery quite insoluble if this were  
all1 if the region beyond the grave were
 a mere vacuum2 if men were dust and    
nothing more2 if there were no          
immortality1 no heaven1 nothing to live 

for1 nothing to work for1 nothing to die
 for4 ,warnings these1 solemn and       
thrilling1 if only we have ears to hear1
 that this life is not our true life1   
that here we are strangers and pilgrims1
 that heaven is our only abiding house1 
that we are fellow-citizens of the      
saints4  ,fellow-citizens of the saints4
 ,think for a moment how much is implied
 in this4 ,what a vast assemblage1 what 
a glorious companionship is that in     
which you and ,i1 with our frailties1   
our shortcomings1 our self-seeking1 our 
worldliness1 our distrust1 our          
faithlessness1 are fain boldly to claim 
a place6 ,all those glorious spirits1   
venerable patriarchs1 righteous kings1  
rapt seers1 glorious psalmists1 who     
lived and wrought and suffered in the   
ancient days in the hope of a better    
promise2 men who through faith subdued  
kingdoms1 wrought righteousness1 444 of 
whom the world was not worthy2 all those
 apostles and teachers who1 kindling    
their torches at the sacred fire1 the   

glory of the ,eternal ,son ,himself1    
carried the light of the gospel into all
 lands1 giving up everything for        
,christ1 offering to lose their lives1  
that by losing them they might find     
them4 ,all these martyrs and doctors of 
later ages who handed down the sacred   
treasure through successive generations1
 amidst the fire of persecution and the 
confusion of barbarism and the darkness 
of idolatry1 rejoicing to be devoured by
 hungry lions and to die at the stake4  
,polycarp1 calm and brave as his flesh  
quivered in the flame2 ,chrysostom1 with
 his flowery eloquence2 ,augustine1 with
 his piercing insight and force1--these 
share1 too1 in this glorious company    
whose names live in history4 ,and       
others1 true saints of ,god1 though they
 appear not in the calendar of any      
,church2 men and women from the rigour  
of whose lives succeeding generations   
have their inspiration and strength2 all
 whose holiness and purity1 whose       
courage and self-sacrifice1 whose       

gentleness and meekness1 whose loving   
charity have been a never-failing       
fountain of refreshment to the weary    
pilgrim in the thirsty wilderness of the
 world4 ,and others1 too1 there are     
whose memories shall perish not1 though 
they have left no name in history1 but  
whose brows1 nevertheless1 ,god ,himself
 will crown with a halo of everlasting  
glory4 ,poor1 despised1 unknown artisans
 and peasants1 weak women and feeble    
children1 martyrs in the martyrdom of   
daily life1 saints in the saintliness of
 homely duty1 throngs innumerable of    
every nation and kindred and people and 
tongue1 clothed with white robes and    
palms in their hands1 standing before   
the ,throne of ,god1 and serving ,him   
day and night in ,his temple4  ,and     
others again there are1 unknown to the  
world1 but well known to you and to me1 
saints of our home1 of our school1 of   
our college1 of our workshop1 of our    
office4 ,voices which were silent years 
ago mingle in our ears still1 the hands 

crumbling in the dust have left a       
pressure that is still felt1 the eyes   
long since glazed in death ever now and 
again are bright for us4 ,the mother at 
whose knees we lisped our infant prayer1
 the child whose innocent prattle       
soothed our cares and sweetened our     
lives1 the husband or wife who was part 
of our existence1 the friend more than  
my brothers are to me1 whose nobleness  
and purity1 whose unselfishness was the 
good genius and the pole star of our    
lives4 ,these all are there1 with these 
we hold communion1 with these we walk   
and talk once more to-day as of old4    
,this is the citizenship of which the   
text speaks1 of which the day reminds   
us1 more glorious beyond comparison than
 any earthly society which eye hath seen
 or of which ear hath heard4 ,for these 
manifold and great gifts of which the   
season reminds ,i beseech you this      
afternoon give a worthy thankoffering4  
,no1 that cannot be1 that is impossible1
 but if not worthy1 at all events large 

and liberal4  ,and what fitter object   
can ,i set before you than the support  
of a society whose sole aim is the      
enrolment of citizens into the kingdom  
of ,god1 the enlargement of the         
communion of saints8 ,the jubilee year  
of our sovereign's reign is the jubilee 
year of this society4 ,it was only in   
the process of formation when our ,queen
 ascended the throne2 one of her        
earliest acts was to give her name as   
its patron4 ,it was a right queenly act1
 for of all the blessings for which     
during the half-century the nation has  
poured forth its thanksgiving at the    
,jubilee festival1 surely none has been 
greater or more enduring than those     
which have been conferred through the   
instrumentality of this society4  ,for  
what was the state of things at the     
beginning of this period8 ,enormous     
arrears of spiritual work to be         
overtaken2 everywhere great masses of   
people in our large centres absolutely  
beyond the reach of ,church             

ministration2 the population about to   
increase by leaps and bounds4 ,during   
these fifty years the society has made  
not less than #ba1jjj grants to poor    
parishes here and there1 the amounts    
being on an average about ,l#ej4 ,it has
 paid out in this way more than         
,l#a1jjj1jjj4 ,and this sum has been met
 by ,l#a1jjj1jjj from contributions     
coming in from elsewhere2 so that       
through its beneficent agency not less  
than ,l#b1jjj1jjj have been contributed 
for the increase of clerical            
ministration in the poor and populous   
districts of the land4  ,but these      
,l#b1jjj1jjj are far from being an      
adequate standard of its beneficent     
effects4 ,the planting down of an       
efficient clergyman in a poor district  
means the revival of ,church work there2
 means1 frequently1 the erection of a   
church and schools2 means the creation  
of a new parochial machinery4 ,and thus 
the work of this ,society is borne      
through in a thousand various ways which

 it is impossible to reckon up or to    
tabulate4  ,but you will ask1 ,what is  
it doing at the present moment8 ,if its 
operations have been thus effected in   
the past1 does it still maintain its    
efficiency8 ,i am glad to be able to    
give this question an answer which none 
can gainsay4 ,it never was doing a      
greater work1 nor as great a work1 as at
 this very time4 ,it gives grants to    
more than #hej curates2 these grants    
amount to more than ,l#ef1jjj per annum1
 and this sum is met by about the same  
amount from other sources4 ,thus more   
than ,l#ajj1jjj a year is expended      
directly through its instrumentality to 
the ministerial staff of the ,church4   
,but it is not only the extent of its   
operations which constitutes its claim  
on the support of all loyal churches4   
,the principle also of this             
administration demands their allegiance4
 ,i do not desire to say one word of    
disparagement about other societies     
which are constituted on a broader or a 

narrower base4 ,all are welcome2 all are
 doing good service4 ,there is work     
enough and to spare for all4 ,but this  
association appeals to loyal ,english   
churchmen by the very fact that its     
foundation principle is neither wider   
nor narrower than the ,church it        
represents4 ,it imposes no tests which  
the ,church does not impose2 it requires
 no assents which the ,church does not  
require4 ,within its limits the         
individual opinions of the clergymen    
count for nothing2 the needs of the     
parish are all in all4 ,but if it has   
this paramount claim on all loyal       
churchmen1 surely it appeals to none    
more strongly than to the churchmen of  
this great city4 ,no diocese draws so   
large an amount from it as this of      
,manchester2 ,i believe ,i am right in  
saying that no city receives more       
material aid from it2 and remembering   
this ,i cannot think that you will lay  
yourselves open to the charge of        
spiritual ingratitude1 of all           

ingratitude the worst4 ,let there1 then1
 be a liberal response to the appeal    
this afternoon1 liberal in the sense    
that every giver will feel his gift2    
that it will cost him some real         
sacrifice4  ,at this season1 when we are
 especially called to glorify ,god in   
,his saints1 you cannot afford to be    
niggardly4 ,such niggardliness drags you
 downward1 and is never more out of     
place than when you are attempting to   
lift up your souls to dwell in the      
heavenly city where ,christ sits        
enthroned at the right hand of ,god4    
,ever1 indeed1 you need to be reminded  
of your heavenly citizenship amidst the 
cares and turmoil of life4 ,it is with  
you as with the law-giver of old when he
 descended from the mount4 ,the radiance
 will vanish from your countenance only 
too soon as you mingle with the busy    
crowd below4 ,and you too1 like ,moses1 
will need to reappear ever and again at 
the mountain of ,god1 that1 standing    
face to face with the ,eternal          

,presence1 you may gather once more in  
your city the rays of the invisible     
glory4     ,,ambition4   ,i can do all  
things through ,christ that strengthened
 me ,panta  ischuo en to endunamounti   
me1 ,i have strength for all things  in 
,him that empowereth1 enableth          
me4--,,phil4 iv4 #ac4   ,ambition1 the  
love of power1 the thirst after         
influence--its use and its abuse1 its   
true and its false aims--this is no     
unfit subject for consideration from a  
,university pulpit4  ,ambition in some  
form or other is an innate craving of   
man4 ,all men desire power1 they cannot 
help desiring it4 ,the desire is as     
natural to them as the desire of health4
 ,power and influence occupy the same   
place socially that strength and vigour 
of limb do physically4 ,other desires1  
though veiled under various disguises1  
resolve themselves ultimately into a    
love of power4 ,knowledge is power4 ,the
 cultivated intellect has a command of  
the resources of the universe4 ,the     

selfish exaggeration of this feeling is 
a testimony to the underlying fact4 ,the
 self-satisfied soul congratulates      
herself that she is      ,lord over     
nature1 ,lord of the visible earth1     
,lord of the senses five4  ,she communes
 with herself--                  ,all   
these are mine1     ,and let the world  
have peace or wars       ',tis one to   
me4  ,again1 money is power4 ,a man     
desires wealth1 not for the sake of the 
stamped metal or the printed paper in   
themselves4 ,these represent to him a   
command of resources4 ,the miser1       
indeed1 by base indulgence forgets the  
end in the means4 ,in his own domain he 
resembles the spurious mathematician to 
whom the letters and symbols are all in 
all1 who sees in them so many counters  
and nothing more1 who is blinded to the 
eternal relations of space and number   
which they represent4 ,but traced back  
to its origin1 the miser's love of money
 is a love of power4  ,ambition1        
emulation1 rivalry plays a highly       

important part in the education of the  
world4 ,we cannot shut our eyes to its  
splendid achievements4 ,in politics1 in 
social life1 in mechanical inventions1  
in literature and art1 its stimulus has 
produced invaluable results4 ,if        
ambition has been the last infirmity1 it
 has also been the initial inspiration  
of many a noble mind4 ,if by ambition   
angels fell1 by ambition men have risen4
 ,it has heightened their ideal and     
drawn them upwards from lower to higher4
 ,if it is chargeable with the worst    
evils which have devastated mankind1 it 
must be credited also with the most     
splendid advances in human progress and 
civilization4  ,ambition has its proper 
home in a ,university4 ,ambition is the 
life of this place4 ,what would         
,cambridge be without its honourable    
emulations1 its generous rivalries8     
,body and mind alike feel the stimulus  
of its presence4 ,remove this stimulus1 
and the immediate consequence will be   
torpor and degeneration and decay4 ,the 

athletic ambitions and the scholastic   
ambitions of the place1 each in their   
own province1 are indispensable to its  
health and vigour4  ,to one who1        
revisiting the scenes amidst which the  
best years of his life were spent1 asks 
himself what topic may be fitly handled 
in this pulpit1 the subject of ambition 
will naturally suggest itself4 ,the     
,university has lived through a period  
of exceptional restlessness and change  
during the last three decades--change   
far more considerable than during the   
preceding three centuries4 ,yet the     
spirit and life of the place are        
unchanging4 ,it is the ceaseless orderly
 march of a mighty army moving forward4 
,cross it where you will along the line1
 the gesture1 the tread1 the uniform1 is
 the same2 the faces only are different4
 ,it is the broad1 silent1 ever-flowing 
river1 changeless1 yet always changing4 
,wave succeeds wave2 you gaze on it at  
intervals2 not one drop of water remains
 the same2 and yet the river is not     

another4 ,the main currents of          
,university life are the same now as    
thirty years ago4 ,its moral and social 
condition is mainly1 we may say1 the    
resultant of two divergent forces1 its  
friendships and its emulations4 ,it is  
the latter alone that ,i purpose        
considering this afternoon4  ,i speak to
 you1 therefore1 as to ambitious men4   
,those only are beyond hope who have no 
spirit of emulation1 no craving after   
excellence--those only1 in short1 who   
are devoid of ambition4 ,i invite you1  
therefore1 to be ambitious4 ,only ,i ask
 you to purify your ambition1 to        
consecrate it1 to direct it through     
worthy channels and to worthy aims4 ,i  
desire to show you the more excellent   
way4  ,if1 indeed1 ambition has achieved
 splendid results1 it can only have done
 so by virtue of splendid qualities4 ,it
 must contain in itself true and abiding
 elements1 which we cannot afford to    
neglect4 ,thus it involves a love of    
approbation4 ,this cannot be culpable in

 itself4 ,as social beings1 we have     
sympathies and affections which lie at  
the very roots of our nature2 and the   
desire of approval is inseparably       
intertwined with these4 ,who would blame
 the child for seeking to win its       
mother's good opinion8 ,but the         
principle cannot be limited to this one 
example4 ,it is co-extensive with the   
whole range of our social relations4    
,the end sought is commendable4 ,only it
 may be discredited and condemned by the
 means taken to attain it2 as1 for      
instance1 if we disguise our true       
sentiment1 or withhold a just rebuke1 or
 connive at wrongdoing1 or sacrifice a  
noble purpose1 for the sake of standing 
well with others4 ,it is then1 and then 
only1 that the praise of men conflicts  
with the praise of ,god4 ,again1        
ambition implies a spirit of emulation4 
,neither is this wrong in itself4 ,if it
 were1 this ,university would stand     
condemned root and branch4 ,emulation is
 not envy2 emulation is not jealousy2   

emulation does not seek to injure or rob
 another4 ,an apostle avows it to be his
 aim to provoke to emulation4 ,this     
provocation--this stimulus of comparison
 and contrast--is an invaluable         
influence4 ,we measure ourselves with   
others2 we see our defects mirrored in  
their excellences2 our ideal is         
heightened by the comparison4 ,thus     
there gathers and ferments in us a      
discontent with ourselves--not indeed1  
if we are wise1 with our capacities1 not
 with our opportunities1 not with the   
inevitable environments of our position1
 but with the conduct of that           
personality which is free to discipline1
 to mould1 to direct1 to develop our    
endowments4 ,this dissatisfaction with  
self is the mainspring of all high      
enterprise and all moral advancement4   
,but the chief element in ambition is   
the pursuit of power4 ,the consciousness
 of power gives a satisfaction quite    
independently of the exercise of power4 
,whatever form the power may            

take--whether intellectual eminence1 or 
social influence1 or physical strength1 
it is a thing which man desires1 which  
he cannot help desiring1 in and for     
itself4 ,it is a seed of ,god's own     
planting--a germ of splendid            
achievements1 if rightly trained and    
cultivated4 ,it is only culpable in its 
excesses and deviations4 ,by our very   
constitution we feel a happiness in     
making the best of ourselves1 as the    
phrase runs--in developing and improving
 our faculties1 irrespective of any     
ulterior results4 ,but a faculty        
improved is a power gained4  ,brothers1 
,i desire before all things to kindle in
 you a lofty ambition to-day4           
,therefore1 ,i have striven to justify  
ambition to you as ,god's very precious 
gift4 ,i wish--,god helping me--to      
inspire you with that inward            
dissatisfaction1 that discontent with   
self1 that ceaseless1 sleepless craving 
after higher things1 which gives you no 
rest day or night1 because it pursues an

 ever-receding goal4 ,i would stimulate 
in you that high spirit of emulation    
which1 fermenting and seething in your  
hearts1 impels you to unknown           
enterprises4 ,i ask you to pray for     
power1 to pursue power1 to grasp at     
power1 with all the force and           
determination which you can command4    
,how can ,i do otherwise8 ,are not you  
the men1 and is not this the season1 for
 the handling of such a topic8  ,are not
 you the men8 ,who among you has not    
felt1 at one time or another1 the spark 
of a divine fire kindling within you8   
,who has not yearned with an intense1 if
 momentary1 yearning to do something    
worthy1 to be something worthy8 ,youth  
is the hey-day of hope1 of enthusiasm1  
of lofty aspiration4 ,you have felt that
 there was within you a latent power1 a 
heaven-born capacity1 which ought to    
work miracles1 if it were not clogged by
 self-indulgence1 or cowed by timidity1 
or choked by sloth and indulgence4  ,are
 not you the men8 ,as ,i have said to   

such audiences before1 so ,i say to you 
now4 ,you do not know1 you cannot know1 
with what reverence--a reverence        
approaching to awe--older men regard the
 glorious potentiality of youth1 in all 
the freshness of its vigorous life1 with
 all the promise of the coming years4   
,our habits are formed2 our career is   
defined2 our possibilities are limited4 
,the wide sweep of moral victory1 still 
open to you1 is closed to us for ever4  
,but what triumphs may you not achieve1 
if you are true to yourselves8 ,what    
instruments may you not be in ,god's    
hands1 if only you will yield yourselves
 to ,him--not with a timid1 passive1    
half-hearted acquiescence1 but with the 
active concentration of all your powers 
of body and soul and spirit8  ,and again
 ,i ask1 is not this the time8 ,the     
first volume of your life's history is  
closed4 ,a clean page lies open1 and    
with what writing shall it be filled8   
,this is the great crisis of your life4 
,these earliest few weeks of your       

,university career1 with which perhaps  
you are trifling1 which you are idling  
thoughtlessly away1 are only too likely 
to determine for you what you shall be  
in time and in eternity4 ,it is the     
great crisis1 but it is also the signal 
opportunity4 ,thank ,god1 this is so2   
for the two do not always coincide4 ,as 
the great break in your lives1 it is the
 great season for revision1 for         
repentance1 for amendment1 for the      
strong resolve and the definite plan4   
,the old base associations must be      
abandoned2 the old loose habits must be 
cured2 the old indolence shaken off2 and
 the old sin cast out and trampled under
 foot4 ,never again will such a         
magnificent opportunity be given you of 
rectifying the past2 for never again can
 you reckon on the leisure1 the privacy1
 the aids and environments1 needed by   
one who is taking stock of his moral and
 spiritual life4  ,who would not shrink 
from the responsibility of addressing   
you at such a crisis8 ,and yet ,i speak 

boldly to you4 ,do ,i not know that     
though the hand of the swordsman is     
feeble1 yet the weapon itself is        
powerful--keener than any two-edged     
sword8 ,am ,i not assured that though   
the preacher's words may be feeble1     
faltering1 desultory1 without force and 
without point1 yet ,god may barb the    
ill-fledged1 ill-aimed shaft1 and drive 
it home to the heart8 ,it is possible   
that even now the live coal from the    
altar may be brought by the winged      
seraph's hand1 and laid on the sinful   
lips4 ,i have undertaken to glorify the 
power of ,god1 and to hold it up to you 
as your truest goal4 ,how can ,i hope   
for a hearing1 if ,i begin by           
distrusting it where ,i myself am       
concerned8  ,it is here1 then1 that ,i  
bid you seek and find the true aim of   
your ambition--in realising1            
appropriating1 absorbing into           
yourselves1 identifying yourselves with 
this power of ,god4 ,it alone is        
inexhaustible in its resources and      

infinite in its potency4 ,there is no   
fear here lest the conqueror of a world 
should sigh and fret because nothing    
remains beyond to conquer4 ,if the      
craving is infinite1 the satisfaction is
 infinite also4 ,star beyond star1 world
 beyond world1 will start out into view 
as your vision grows clearer1 spangling 
the moral heavens with their glows4     
,panta ischuo1 ,i can do all things4    
,panta humon1 ,all things are yours4    
,yes1 but this promise of limitless     
strength has its condition attached--en 
to endunamounti me1 ,in ,him that       
empowereth me2 yes1 but this pledge of  
universal dominion is qualified by the  
sequel humeis de ,christou1 ,ye are     
,christ's4  ,how can we better realise  
this power of ,god than by taking ,st4  
,paul's statement as our starting-point8
 ,the ,cross of ,christ is the power of 
,god4 ,the ,cross is the central        
revelation of ,god4 ,the ,cross has not 
unfrequently been preached as a narrow  
technicality which shocks the conscience

 and freezes the heart4 ,it thus becomes
 a mere forensic subtlety4 ,but the     
,cross of ,christ1 taught in all its    
length and breadth and height and       
depth--the ,cross of ,christ taught as  
,st4 ,paul taught it--the ,cross of     
,christ1 starting from the ,incarnation 
on the one side1 and leading up to the  
,resurrection and ,ascension on the     
other1 contains all the elements of     
moral regeneration and of spiritual     
life4  7#a7 ,it is first of all a lesson
 of righteousness4 ,it is the great     
rebuke of sin1 the great assurance of   
judgment1 the great call to repentance4 
,think--no1 you cannot think1 it defies 
all thinking--yet strive to think1 what 
is implied in the human birth1 the human
 life1 the human suffering1 the human   
death of the ,eternal ,word4 ,ask       
yourselves what condescension1 what     
sacrifice1 what humiliation is involved 
in this4 ,summon to your aid all        
analogies of self-renunciation which    
history records or imagination suggests4

 ,they will all fail you4 ,no           
reiteration of the finite can compass   
the infinite4 ,you are lost in awe at   
the contemplation4 ,and while your brain
 is reeling with the effort1 try and    
imagine the awe1 the majesty1 the glory 
of a righteousness which could only thus
 be vindicated4 ,then1 after looking    
upward to ,god1 look inward into your   
own heart1 and see how heinous1 how     
loathsome1 how guilty your guilt must   
be1 which has cost such a sacrifice as  
this4 ,god's righteousness--your        
sin1--these are brought face to face in 
the ,cross of ,christ4  7#b7 ,but1      
secondly1 while it is a denunciation of 
sin1 it is likewise an assurance of     
pardon4 ,if the infinity of the         
sacrifice has taught you the majesty of 
,god's righteousness1 it teaches you no 
less the glory of ,his mercy4 ,what may 
you not look for1 what may you not hope 
for from a ,father who has vouchsafed to
 you this transcendent manifestation of 
,his loving-kindness8 ,he that spared   

not ,his own ,son 444 how shall ,he not 
with ,him also freely give us all       
things8 ,is any one here burdened with  
the consciousness of a shameful past8   
,does the memory of some ugly school-boy
 sin dog your path1 haunting and        
paralysing you with its importunity8    
,you feel sometimes as if your whole    
life were poisoned by that one cruel    
retrospect4 ,brother1 be bold1 and dare 
to look up4 ,i would not have you think 
your sins one whit less heinous4 ,but if
 ,god's righteousness is infinite1 so   
also is ,his mercy4 ,the ,cross is      
reared before your eyes in this moral   
wilderness1 where you are dying1 where  
all are dying around you4 ,dare to look 
up4 ,the bite of the serpent's fang is  
healed2 the venom coursing through your 
veins is quelled2 and health returns to 
the poisoned soul4 ,yes1 and by ,god's  
grace it may happen that through your   
very fall you will rise to a higher     
life2 that the thanksgiving for the sin 
forgiven will consecrate you with fuller

 consecration2 and that the acute moral 
agony through which you have passed will
 endow you with a more helpful1 more    
sympathetic1 more loving spirit1 than if
 you had never fallen4  7#c7 ,but again1
 the ,cross of ,christ is not only a    
condemnation of sin1 not only a pledge  
of forgiveness2 it is likewise an       
obligation of self-sacrifice4 ,god      
forbid1 says ,st4 ,paul1 that ,i should 
glory save in the cross of our ,lord    
,jesus ,christ4 ,but what next8 ,not    
whereby ,i am saved in spite of myself1 
not whereby ,i am spared all personal   
exertion1 but whereby the world is      
crucified unto me1 and ,i to the world4 
,this conformity to ,christ's death1    
this crucifixion of self with ,christ1  
always forms part of the doctrine of the
 ,cross in ,st4 ,paul's teaching4 ,the  
dying with ,christ1 the being buried    
with ,christ1 is the absolute           
accompaniment of the atoning death of   
,christ4 ,we cannot be at one with      
,christ unless we conform to ,christ4   

,the work done for us necessitates the  
work done by us4 ,the potentiality of   
our salvation--of yours and             
mine--wrought through the ,cross of     
,christ can only then become an         
actuality1 when ,christ's death is thus 
appropriated1 realised1 translated into 
action by us--by you and by me4 ,but it 
remains still the work of ,god's grace4 
,human merit is absolutely excluded     
still1 as absolutely as by the baldest  
and most unqualified doctrine of        
substitution4  7#d7 ,fourthly and       
lastly1 the ,cross of ,christ is a      
lesson of the regenerate and sanctified 
life4 ,dying and living1 burial and     
resurrection1 these in the ,christian   
vocabulary are correlative ideas4 ,the  
,crucifixion implies the ,resurrection  
and the ,ascension4 ,the raising up on  
the cross demands the raising up from   
the grave1 the raising up into heaven4  
,the lifting up of the brazen serpent in
 the wilderness is a symbol alike of the
 one and the other4 ,and as with        

,christ1 so also with those who are     
,christ's4 ,if we died with ,christ1 we 
shall also live with him4 ,those only   
can be made conformable to ,christ's    
resurrection who have been made         
conformable to ,his death4 ,the power of
 ,his resurrection is the counterpart to
 the power of ,his cross4  ,herein1     
then--in the ,cross of ,christ--resides 
this power of ,god which is offered to  
you as the true aim of your ambition1   
inexhaustible1 omnipotent1 infinite4    
,will you close with the offer8 ,then   
reverence yourselves2 believe in        
yourselves2 consecrate yourselves4      
,reverence yourselves4 ,begin with      
reverencing this your body4 ,reverence  
it as ,god's handiwork fearfully and    
wonderfully made4 ,contemplate it2 yes1 
contemplate it with awe1 if only for its
 marvellously subtle mechanism4 ,but    
reverence it still more as the          
consecrated temple of ,god's ,spirit4   
,do not neglect it2 do not misuse it2   
before all things do not defile and     

desecrate it4 ,young men1 the problem of
 social purity is thrown down for your  
generation to solve4 ,will you accept   
this challenge8 ,the conscience of      
,england is awakening to the terrible   
curse4 ,to redress the crying social    
wrong1 to raise womanhood from          
degradation and shame1 to hold up to    
reverence the idea of a pure1           
chivalrous1 manly manhood1--this is the 
crusade in which you are invited to     
enlist4 ,will you1 as consecrated       
soldiers of the ,cross1 claim your part 
in the glory of this campaign8 ,if so1  
the work must begin now1 must begin in  
yourselves4 ,there can be no success    
against the foe where there is          
disaffection and mutiny in the citadel4 
,believe in yourselves2 yet1 not in     
yourselves as yourselves4 ,believe not  
in your strength1 but in your weakness4 
,believe in ,god who dwells in you4     
,give full rein to your ambition4 ,trust
 this power of ,god4 ,it will not stunt 
or mar1 will not crush1 will not        

annihilate your natural gifts--your     
social endowments1 your political       
instincts1 your intellectual capacities4
 ,it will only elevate1 harmonize1      
inspire1 purify them4 ,trust this power4
 ,there is nothing1 absolutely nothing1 
which you may not do1 if you will only  
trust it4 ,panta ischuo1 ,i have        
strength for everything1 everything in  
heaven and earth4 ,you have youth1      
health1 vigour1 enthusiasm1 hopefulness1
 everything on your side now4 ,seize the
 great opportunity which can never      
return4  ,consecrate yourselves4 ,empty 
yourselves of yourselves1 that you may  
be filled with ,god4 ,yield yourselves  
to ,him1 not with a passive             
acquiescence1 a sentimental quietism1   
but with the earnest1 energetic         
direction of all your faculties to this 
one end4 ,a period must still intervene 
for most of you before the active       
independent work of life begins1--a     
period of discipline and waiting4 ,only 
by patience will you win your souls4    

,but the self-dedication must be made at
 once1 and it must be complete4         
,half-heartedness spoils the sacrifice4 
,postponement is perilous4 ,the         
opportunity despised turns its back on  
you for ever4 ,consecrate1 consecrate   
yourselves1 body and soul and spirit1 to
 ,god now1 this night4   ,,footnotes  #a
 ,these sermons are printed from        
reporter's notes4  #b ,preached at      
,cambridge1 ,oct4 #bcrd1 #ahha4  #c     
,preached in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral on 
,sunday ,afternoon1 ,september #fth1    
#ahgd4  #d ,mr4 ,foley1 ,r4,a41         
sculptor4  #e ,sermon preached in ,st4  
,paul's ,cathedral on ,sunday1 ,may     
#bast1 #ahgf4  #f ,sermon preached in   
,durham ,cathedral on the ,occasion of  
his ,enthronement1 on ,thursday1 ,may   
#aeth1 #ahgi4  #g ,preached in ,st4     
,peter's ,church1 ,bishop ,auckland4  #h
 ,delivered at ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 
,tuesday evening1 ,november #dth1 #ahgc4
  #i ,delivered in ,st4 ,paul's         
,cathedral1 ,tuesday evening1 ,november 

#aath1 #ahgc4  #aj ,delivered in ,st4   
,paul's ,cathedral1 ,tuesday evening1   
,november #ahth1 #ahgc4  #aa ,preached  
in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,thursday1  
,june #aith1 #ahhd1 on the anniversary  
of the ,girls' ,friendly ,society4  #ab 
,preached in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 on
 ,sunday ,afternoon1 ,may #cjth1 #ahge1 
before some of ,her ,majesty's ,judges1 
the ,lord ,mayor1 and members of the    
,corporation of the ,city of ,london4   
#ac ,preached in ,st4 ,paul's           
,cathedral1 ,february #ast1 #ahhd4  #ad 
,preached at ,manchester ,cathedral1 at 
annual meeting of ,additional ,curates  
,society1 on ,tuesday1 ,november #ast1  
#ahhg4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,printed by ,hazell1       
,watson1  ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and     
,aylesbury4   ,transcriber's ,note3 ,in 
,table of ,contents1 ditto marks        
replaced by text they refer to          
7,christianity and ,paganism74 ,italics 
indicated by underscores and            
transliterated ,greek by plus signs4    

,gallas changed to ,gallus on page #gi1 
,constantine to ,constantius on page    
#ic1 and god to gods on page #aab 7c4f4 
,,bcp ,psalter xcvii4 #g74 ,punctuation 
errors corrected on pages #ci and #abh4 
,spelling errors corrected on page #hj  
7fanactism7 page #ajd 7consciousnes7    
page #adh 7evey7 and page #agj 7eu74    
,different spellings of                 
apostasy_/apostacy1 and inconsistent    
hyphenation elsewhere1 have been        
retained4 ,illustration on title page is
 decorative emblem4