,transcribed from the #ahhg ,macmillan and ,co4 edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,,the ,,good ,,news ,,of ,,god 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sermons 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,charles ,,kingsley ,m4,a4 99 99 99 99 99 ,london ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co4 ,,and ,,new ,,york #ahhg ,the ,right of ,translation is ,reserved 99 99 99 99 99 ,transferred from ,messrs4 ,,longman ,,co41 #ahfc ,reprinted1 ,fcap4 #hvo1 #ahff1 #ahgd1 #ahgg1 #ahgh ,reprinted1 ,crown #hvo1 #ahgh1 #ahhj1 #ahha1 #ahhc1 #ahhe1 #ahhg 99 99 99 99 99 ,,contents4 ,,sermon ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,beatific ,,vision #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,cross #aj ,,iii4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,god #af ,,iv4 ,,the ,,song ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,children #bf ,v4 ,,the ,,eternal ,,goodness #cd ,,vi4 ,,worship #dc ,,vii4 ,,god',s ,,inheritance #ea ,,viii4 #8,,de ,,profundis' #eg ,,ix4 ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,god ,,its ,,own ,,reward #fg ,x4 ,,the ,,race ,,of ,,life #gc ,,xi4 ,,self-,,respect ,,and ,,self-,,righteousness #hd ,,xii4 ,,true ,,repentance #id ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,letter ,,and ,,the ,,spirit #aje ,,xiv4 ,,heroes ,,and ,,heroines #aaf ,,xv4 ,,the ,,measure ,,of ,,the ,,cross #abd ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,pure ,,in ,,heart #acb ,,xvii4 ,,music #adj ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,christ ,,child #adh ,,xix4 ,,christ',s ,,boyhood #aee ,,xx4 ,,the ,,locust-,,swarms #afa ,,xxi4 ,,salvation #afi ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,beginning ,,and ,,end ,,of ,,wisdom #agd ,,xxiii4 ,,human ,,nature #aha ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,charity ,,of ,,god #aij ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,days ,,of ,,the ,,week #aie ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,heavenly ,,father #bjc ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd #baa ,,xxviii4 ,,dark ,,times #bai ,,xxix4 ,,god',s ,,creation #bbi ,,xxx4 ,,true ,,prudence #bcf ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,penitent ,,thief #bdi ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,temper ,,of ,,christ #beh ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,friend ,,of ,,sinners #bfh ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,sea ,,of ,,glass #bgh ,,xxxv4 ,a ,,god ,,in ,,pain #bia ,,xxxvi4 ,,on ,,the ,,fall #big ,,xxxvii4 ,,the ,,worthy ,,communicant #cjd ,,xxxviii4 ,,our ,,deserts #caj ,,xxxix4 ,,the ,,loftiness ,,of ,,god #cag ,,sermon ,i4 ,,the ,,beatific ,,vision4 ,,matthew xxii4 #bg4 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy mind4 ,,these words often puzzle and pain really good people1 because they seem to put the hardest duty first4 ,it seems1 at times1 so much more easy to love one's neighbour than to love ,god4 ,and strange as it may seem1 that is partly true4 ,st4 ,john tells us so--#8,he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen1 how can he love ,god whom he hath not seen8' ,therefore many good people1 who really do love ,god1 are unhappy at times because they feel that they do not love him enough4 ,they say in their hearts--#8,i wish to do right1 and ,i try to do it3 but ,i am afraid ,i do not do it from love to ,god4' ,i think that they are often too hard upon themselves4 ,i believe that they are very often loving ,god with their whole hearts1 when they think that they are not doing so4 ,but still1 it is well to be afraid of oneself1 and dissatisfied with oneself4 ,i think1 too--nay1 ,i am certain--that many good people do not love ,god as they ought1 and as they would wish to do1 because they have not been rightly taught who ,god is1 and what ,he is like4 ,they have not been taught that ,god is loveable2 they have been taught that ,god feels feelings1 and does deeds1 which if a man felt1 or did1 we should call him arbitrary1 proud1 revengeful1 cruel3 and yet they are told to love him2 and they do not know how to love such a being as that4 ,nor do ,i either1 my friends4 ,let us therefore think over to-day for ourselves why we ought to love ,god2 and why both ,bible and ,catechism bid child as well as man to love the ,lord our ,god with all our hearts1 souls1 and minds1 before they bid us love our neighbours4 ,and keep this in mind all through1 that the reason why we are to love ,god must depend upon what ,god's character is4 ,for you cannot love any one because you are told to love them4 ,you can only love them because they are loveable and worthy of your love4 ,and that they will not be1 unless they are loving themselves2 as it is written1 we love ,god because he first loved us4 ,now1 friends1 look at this one thing first4 ,when we see any man do a just action1 or a kind action1 do we not like to see it8 ,do we not like the man the better for doing it8 ,a man must be sunk very low in stupidity and ill-feeling--dead in tresspasses and sins1 as the ,bible calls it--if he does not4 ,indeed1 ,i never saw the man yet1 however bad he was himself1 who did not1 in his better moments1 admire what was right and good2 and say1 #8,bad as ,i may be1 that man is a good man1 and ,i wish ,i could do as he does4' ,one sees the same1 but far more strongly1 in little children4 ,from their earliest years1 as far as ,i have ever seen1 children like and admire what is good1 even though they be naughty themselves2 and if you tell them of any very loving1 generous1 or brave action1 their hearts leap up in answer to it4 ,they feel at once how beautiful goodness is4 ,but why8 ,st4 ,john tells us4 ,that feeling comes1 he tells us1 from ,christ1 the light who is the life of men1 and lights every man who comes into the world2 and that light in our hearts1 which makes us see1 and admire1 and love what is good1 is none other than ,christ himself shining in our hearts1 and showing to us his own likeness1 and the beauty thereof4 ,but if we stop there2 if we only admire what is good1 without trying to copy it1 we shall lose that light4 ,our corrupt and diseased nature 7and corrupt and diseased it is1 as we shall surely find1 as soon as we begin to try to do right7 will quench that heavenly spark in us more and more1 till it dies out--as ,god forbid that it should die out in any of us4 ,for if it did die out1 we should care no more for what is good4 ,we should see nothing beautiful1 and noble1 and glorious1 in being just1 and loving1 and merciful4 ,and then1 indeed1 we should see nothing worth loving in ,god himself3--and it were better for us that we had never been born4 ,but none of us1 ,i trust1 are fallen as low as that4 ,we all1 surely1 admire a good action1 and love a good man4 ,surely we do4 ,then ,i will go on1 to ask you one question more4 ,did it ever strike you1 that goodness is not merely a beautiful thing1 but ,,the beautiful thing--by far the most beautiful thing in the world2 and that badness is not merely an ugly thing1 but the ugliest thing in the world8--,so that nothing is to be compared for value with goodness2 that riches1 honour1 power1 pleasure1 learning1 the whole world and all in it1 are not worth having1 in comparison with being good2 and the utterly best thing for a man is to be good1 even though he were never to be rewarded for it3 and the utterly worst thing for a man is to be bad1 even though he were never to be punished for it2 and1 in a word1 goodness is the only thing worth loving1 and badness the only thing worth hating4 ,did you ever feel this1 my friends8 ,happy are those among you who have felt it2 for of you the ,lord says1 ,blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness2 for they shall be filled4 ,ay1 happy are you who have felt it2 for it is the sign1 the very and true sign1 that the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 who is the ,spirit of goodness1 is working in your hearts with power1 revealing to you the exceeding beauty of holiness1 and the exceeding sinfulness of sin4 ,but did it never strike you besides1 that goodness was one1 and everlasting8 ,let me explain what ,i mean4 ,did you never see1 that all good men show their goodness in the same way1 by doing the same kind of good actions8 ,let them be ,english or ,french1 black or white1 if they be good1 there is the same honesty1 the same truthfulness1 the same love1 the same mercy in all2 and what is right and good for you and me1 now and here1 is right and good for every man1 everywhere1 and at all times for ever4 ,surely1 surely1 what is noble1 and loveable1 and admirable now1 was so five thousand years ago1 and will be five thousand years hence4 ,what is honourable for us here1 would be equally honourable for us in ,america or ,australia--ay1 or in the farthest star in the skies4 ,but1 some of you may say1 men at different times and in different countries have had very different notions--indeed quite opposite notions1 of what men ought to be4 ,i know that some people say so4 ,i can only answer that ,i differ from them4 ,true1 some men have had less light than others1 and1 ,god knows1 have made fearful mistakes enough1 and fancied that they could please ,god by behaving like devils3 but on the first principles of goodness1 all the world has been pretty well agreed all along2 for wherever men have been taught what is really right1 there have been plenty of hearts to answer1 #8,yes1 this is good6 this is what we have wanted all along1 though we knew it not4' ,and all the wisest men among the heathen--the men who have been honoured1 and even worshipped as blessings to their fellow men1 have agreed1 one and all1 in the great and golden rule1 #8,thou shalt love ,god1 with all thy heart and soul1 and thy neighbour as thyself4' ,believe about this as you may1 my friends1 still ,i believe1 and will believe2 ,i preach1 and will preach1 this1 and nought else but this3--,that there is but one everlasting goodness1 which is good in men1 good in all rational beings--yea1 good in ,god himself4 ,these last are solemn words1 but they are true2 and the more you think over them1 the more1 ,i tell you1 will you find them true4 ,and to them ,i have been trying to lead you2 and will try once more4 ,for1 did it never strike you1 again--as it has me--and all the world has looked different to me since ,i found it out--that there must be ,,one1 in whom all goodness is gathered together2 ,,one1 who must be perfectly and absolutely good8 ,and did it never strike you1 that all the goodness in the world must1 in some way or other1 come from ,,him8 ,i believe that our hearts and reasons1 if we will listen fairly to them1 tell us that it must be so2 and ,i am certain that the ,bible tells us so1 from beginning to end4 ,when we see the million rain-drops of the shower1 we say1 with reason1 there must be one great sea from which all these drops have come4 ,when we see the countless rays of light1 we say1 with reason1 there must be one great central sun from which all these are shed forth4 ,and when we see1 as it were1 countless drops1 and countless rays of goodness scattered about in the world1 a little good in this man1 and a little good in that1 shall we not say1 there must be one great sea1 one central sun of goodness1 from whence all human goodness comes8 ,and where can that centre of goodness be1 but in the very character of ,god himself8 ,yes1 my friends2 if you would know what ,god is1 think of all the noble1 beautiful1 loveable actions1 tempers1 feelings1 which you ever saw or heard of4 ,think of all the good1 and admirable1 and loveable people whom you ever met2 and fancy to yourselves all that goodness1 nobleness1 admirableness1 loveableness1 and millions of times more1 gathered together in one1 to make one perfectly good character--and then you have some faint notion of ,god1 some dim sight of ,god1 who is the eternal and perfect ,goodness4 ,it is but a faint notion1 no doubt1 that the best man can have of ,god's goodness1 so dull has sin made our hearts and brains3 but let us comfort ourselves with this thought--,that the more we learn to love what is good1 the more we accustom ourselves to think of good people and good things1 and to ask ourselves why and how this action and that is good1 the more shall we be able to see the goodness of ,god4 ,and to see that1 even for a moment1 is worth all sights in earth or heaven4 ,worth all sights1 indeed4 ,no wonder that the saints of old called it the #8,beatific ,vision1' that is1 the sight which makes a man utterly blessed2 namely1 to see1 if but for a moment1 with his mind's eye what ,god is like1 and behold he is utterly good6 ,no wonder that they said 7and ,i doubt not that they spoke honestly and simply what they felt7 that while that thought was before them1 this world was utterly nothing to them2 that they were as men in a dream1 or dead1 not caring to eat or to move1 for fear of losing that glorious thought2 but felt as if they were 7as they were most really and truly7 caught up into heaven1 and taken utterly out of themselves by the beauty and glory of ,god's perfect goodness4 ,no wonder that they cried out with ,david1 #8,whom have ,i in heaven1 ,o ,lord1 but ,thee8 and there is none on earth whom ,i desire in comparison of ,thee4' ,no wonder that they said with ,st4 ,peter when he saw our ,lord's glory1 #8,lord1 it is good for us to be here1' and felt like men gazing upon some glorious picture or magnificent show1 off which they cannot take their eyes2 and which makes them forget for the time all beside in heaven and earth4 ,and it was good for them to be there3 but not too long4 ,man was sent into this world not merely to see1 but to do2 and the more he sees1 the more he is bound to go and do accordingly4 ,st4 ,peter had to come down from the mount1 and preach the ,gospel wearily for many a year1 and die at last upon the cross4 ,st4 ,augustine1 in like wise1 though he would gladly have lived and died doing nothing but fixing his soul's eye steadily on the glory of ,god's goodness1 had to come down from the mount likewise1 and work1 and preach1 and teach1 and wear himself out in daily drudgery for that ,god whom he learnt to serve1 even when he could not adore ,him in the press of business1 and the bustle of a rotten and dying world4 ,but see1 my dear friends1 and consider it well--,before a man can come to that state of mind1 or anything like it1 he must have begun by loving goodness wherever he saw it2 and have settled in his heart that to be good1 and therefore to do good1 is the most beautiful thing in the world4 ,so he will begin by loving his brother whom he has seen1 and by taking delight in good people1 and in all honest1 true1 loving1 merciful1 generous words and actions1 and in those who say and do them4 ,and so he will be fit to love ,god1 whom he has not seen1 when he finds out 7as ,god grant that you may all find out7 that all goodness of which we can conceive1 and far1 far more1 is gathered together in ,god1 and flows out from him eternally over his whole creation1 by that ,holy ,spirit who proceeds from the ,father and the ,son1 and is the ,lord and ,giver of life1 and therefore of goodness4 ,for goodness is nothing else1 if you will receive it1 but the eternal life of ,god1 which he has lived1 and lives now1 and will live for evermore1 ,god blessed for ever4 ,amen4 ,so1 my dear friends1 it will not be so difficult for you to love ,god1 if you will only begin by loving goodness1 which is ,god's likeness1 and the inspiration of ,god's ,holy ,spirit4 ,for you will be like a man who has long admired a beautiful picture of some one whom he does not know1 and at last meets the person for whom the picture was meant--and behold the living face is a thousand times more fair and noble than the painted one4 ,you will be like a child which has been brought up from its birth in a room into which the sun never shone2 and then goes out for the first time1 and sees the sun in all his splendour bathing the earth with glory4 ,if that child had loved to watch the dim narrow rays of light which shone into his dark room1 what will he not feel at the sight of that sun from which all those rays had come ,just so will they feel who1 having loved goodness for its own sake1 and loved their neighbours for the sake of what little goodness is in them1 have their eyes opened at last to see all goodness1 without flaw or failing1 bound or end1 in the character of ,god1 which he has shown forth in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 who is the likeness of his ,father's glory1 and the express image of his person2 to whom be glory and honour for ever4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,cross4 ,,john xvii4 #a4 ,father1 the hour is come4 ,glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son also may glorify thee4 ,i spoke to you lately of the beatific vision of ,god4 ,i will speak of it again to-day2 and say this4 ,if any man wishes to see ,god1 truly and fully1 with the eyes of his soul3 if any man wishes for that beatific vision of ,god2 that perfect sight of ,god's perfect goodness2 then must that man go1 and sit down at the foot of ,christ's cross1 and look steadfastly upon him who hangs thereon4 ,and there he will see1 what the wisest and best among the heathen1 among the ,mussulmans1 among all who are not ,christian men1 never have seen1 and cannot see unto this day1 however much they may feel 7and some of them1 thank ,god1 do feel7 that ,god is the ,eternal ,goodness1 and must be loved accordingly4 ,and what shall we see upon the cross8 ,many things1 friends1 and more than ,i1 or all the preachers in the world1 will be able to explain to you1 though we preached till the end of the world4 ,but one thing we shall see1 if we will1 which we have forgotten sadly1 ,christians though we be1 in these very days2 forgotten it1 most of us1 so utterly1 that in order to bring you back to it1 ,i must take a seemingly roundabout road4 ,does it seem1 or does it not seem1 to you1 that the finest thing in a man is magnanimity--what we call in plain ,english1 greatness of soul8 ,and if it does seem to you to be so1 what do you mean by greatness of soul8 ,when you speak of a great soul1 and of a great man1 what manner of man do you mean8 ,do you mean a very clever man1 a very far-sighted man1 a very determined man1 a very powerful man1 and therefore a very successful man8 ,a man who can manage everything1 and every person whom he comes across1 and turn and use them for his own ends1 till he rises to be great and glorious--a ruler1 king1 or what you will8 ,well--he is a great man3 but ,i know a greater1 and nobler1 and more glorious stamp of man2 and you do also4 ,let us try again1 and think if we can find his likeness1 and draw it for ourselves4 ,would he not be somewhat like this pattern8--,a man who was aware that he had vast power1 and yet used that power not for himself but for others2 not for ambition1 but for doing good8 ,surely the man who used his power for other people would be the greater-souled man1 would he not8 ,let us go on1 then1 to find out more of his likeness4 ,would he be stern1 or would he be tender8 ,would he be patient1 or would he be fretful8 ,would he be a man who stands fiercely on his own rights1 or would he be very careful of other men's rights1 and very ready to waive his own rights gracefully and generously8 ,would he be extreme to mark what was done amiss against him1 or would he be very patient when he was wronged himself1 though indignant enough if he saw others wronged8 ,would he be one who easily lost his temper1 and lost his head1 and could be thrown off his balance by one foolish man8 ,surely not4 ,he would be a man whom no fool1 nor all fools together could throw off his balance2 a man who could not lose his temper1 could not lose his self-respect2 a man who could bear with those who are peevish1 make allowances for those who are weak and ignorant1 forgive those who are insolent1 and conquer those who are ungrateful1 not by punishment1 but by fresh kindness1 overcoming their evil by his good4--,a man1 in short1 whom no ill-usage without1 and no ill-temper within1 could shake out of his even path of generosity and benevolence4 ,is not that the truly magnanimous man2 the great and royal soul8 ,is not that the stamp of man whom we should admire1 if we met him on earth8 ,should we not reverence that man2 esteem it an honour and a pleasure to work under that man1 to take him for our teacher1 our leader1 in hopes that1 by copying his example1 our souls might become great like his8 ,is it so1 my friends8 ,then know this1 that in admiring that man1 you admire the likeness of ,god4 ,in wishing to be like that man1 you wish to be like ,god4 ,for this is ,god's true greatness2 this is ,god's true glory2 this is ,god's true royalty2 the greatness1 glory1 and royalty of loving1 forgiving1 generous power1 which pours itself out1 untiring and undisgusted1 in help and mercy to all which he has made2 the glory of a ,father who is perfect in this1 that he causeth his rain to fall on the evil and on the good1 and his sun to shine upon the just and on the unjust1 and is good to the unthankful and the evil2 a ,father who has not dealt with us after our sins1 or rewarded us after our iniquities3 a ,father who is not extreme to mark what is done amiss1 but whom it is worth while to fear1 for with him is mercy and plenteous redemption2--all this1 and more--a ,father who so loved a world which had forgotten him1 a world whose sins must have been disgusting to him1 that he spared not his only begotten ,son1 but freely gave him for us1 and will with him freely give us all things2 a ,father1 in one word1 whose name and essence is love1 even as it is the name and essence of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this1 my friends1 is the glory of ,god3 but this glory never shone out in its full splendour till it shone upon the cross4 ,for--that we may go back again1 to that great-souled man1 of whom ,i spoke just now--did we not leave out one thing in his character8 or at least1 one thing by which his character might be proved and tried8 ,we said that he should be generous and forgiving2 we said that he should bear patiently folly1 peevishness1 ingratitude3 but what if we asked of him1 that he should sacrifice himself utterly for the peevish1 ungrateful men for whose good he was toiling8 ,what if we asked him to give up1 for them1 not only all which made life worth having1 but to give up life itself8 ,to die for them2 and1 what is bitterest of all1 to die by their hands--to receive as their reward for all his goodness to them a shameful death8 ,if he dare submit to that1 then we should call his greatness of soul perfect4 ,magnanimity1 we should say1 could rise no higher2 in that would be the perfection of goodness4 ,surely your hearts answer1 that this is true4 ,when you hear of a father sacrificing his own life for his children2 when you hear of a soldier dying for his country2 when you hear of a clergyman or a physician killing himself by his work1 while he is labouring to save the souls or the bodies of his fellow-creatures2 then you feel--,there is goodness in its highest shape4 ,to give up our lives for others is one of the most beautiful1 and noble1 and glorious things on earth4 ,but to give up our lives1 willingly1 joyfully for men who misunderstand us1 hate us1 despise us1 is1 if possible1 a more glorious action still1 and the very perfection of perfect virtue4 ,then1 looking at ,christ's cross1 we see that1 and even more--ay1 far more than that4 ,the cross was the perfect token of the perfect greatness of ,god1 and of the perfect glory of ,god4 ,so on the cross1 the ,father justified himself to man2 yea1 glorified himself in the glory of his crucified ,son4 ,on the cross ,god proved himself to be perfectly just1 perfectly good1 perfectly generous1 perfectly glorious1 beyond all that man could ever have dared to conceive or dream4 ,that ,god must be good1 the wise heathens knew2 but that ,god was so utterly good that he could stoop to suffer1 to die1 for men1 and by men--that they never dreamed4 ,that was the mystery of ,god's love1 which was hid in ,christ from the foundation of the world1 and which was revealed at last upon the cross of ,calvary by him who prayed for his murderers--#8,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4' ,that truly blessed sight of a ,saviour-,god1 who did not disdain to die the meanest and the most fearful of deaths--that1 that came home at once1 and has come home ever since1 to all hearts which had left in them any love and respect for goodness1 and melted them with the fire of divine love2 as ,god grant it may melt yours1 this day1 and henceforth for ever4 ,i can say no more1 my friends4 ,if this good news does not come home to your hearts by its own power1 it will never be brought home to you by any words of mine4 ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,god4 #a ,,john i4 #b4 ,for the ,life was manifested1 and we have seen it1 and bear witness1 and shew unto you that eternal life1 which was with the ,father and was manifested unto us6 ,,what do we mean1 when we speak of the ,life everlasting8 ,do we mean that men's souls are immortal1 and will live for ever after death1 either in happiness or misery8 ,we must mean more than that4 ,at least we ought to mean more than that1 if we be ,christian men4 ,for the ,bible tells us1 that ,christ brought life and immortality to light4 ,therefore they must have been in darkness before ,christ's coming2 and men did not know as much about life and immortality before ,christ's coming as they know--or ought to know--now4 ,but if we need only believe that we shall live for ever after death in happiness or misery1 then ,christ has not brought life and immortality to light4 ,he has thrown no fresh light upon the matter4 ,and why8 ,for this simple reason1 that the old heathen knew as much as that before ,christ came4 ,the old ,greeks and ,romans1 and ,persians1 and our own forefathers before they became ,christians1 believed that men's souls would live for ever happy or miserable4 ,the ,mussulmans1 ,mahommedans1 ,turks as they are called in the ,prayer-book1 believe as much as that now4 ,they believe that men's souls live for ever after death1 and go to #8heaven' or #8hell4' ,so those words #8everlasting ,life' must needs mean something more than that4 ,what do they mean8 ,first4 ,what does everlasting mean8 ,it means exactly the same as eternal4 ,the two words are the same3 only everlasting is ,english1 and eternal ,latin4 ,but they have the same sense4 ,now everlasting and eternal mean something which has neither beginning nor end4 ,that is certain4 ,the wisest of the heathen knew that3 but we are apt to forget it4 ,we are apt to think a thing may be everlasting1 because it has no end1 though it has a beginning4 ,we are careless thinkers1 if we fancy that4 ,god is eternal because he has neither beginning nor end4 ,but here come two puzzles4 ,first4 ,the ,athanasian ,creed says that there is but one ,eternal1 that is1 ,god2 and never were truer words written4 ,but do we not make out two ,eternals8 ,for ,god is one ,eternal2 and eternal life is another ,eternal4 ,now which is right2 we1 or the ,athanasian ,creed8 ,i shall hold by the ,athanasian ,creed1 my friends1 and ask you to think again over the matter3 thus--,if there be but one ,eternal1 there is but one way of escaping out of our puzzle1 which makes two ,eternals2 and that is1 to go back to the old doctrine of ,st4 ,paul1 and ,st4 ,john1 and the wisest of the ,fathers1 and say--,there is but one ,eternal2 and therefore eternal life is in the ,eternal ,god4 ,and it is eternal ,life because it is ,god's life2 the life which ,god lives2 and it is eternal just because1 and only because1 it is the life of ,god2 and eternal death is nothing but the want of ,god's eternal life4 ,certainly1 whether you think this true or not1 ,st4 ,john thought it true2 for he says so most positively in the text4 ,he says that the ,life was manifested--showed plainly upon earth1 and that he had seen it4 ,and he says that he saw it in a man1 whom his eyes had seen1 and his hands had handled4 ,how could that be8 ,my friends1 how else could it be8 ,how can you see life1 but by seeing some one live it8 ,you cannot see a man's life1 unless you see him live such and such a life1 or hear of his living such and such a life1 and so knowing what his life1 manners1 character1 are4 ,and so no one could have seen ,god's life1 or known what life ,god lived1 and what character ,god's was1 had it not been for the incarnation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 that by seeing him1 the ,son1 we might see the ,father1 whose likeness he was1 and is1 and ever will be4 ,but now1 says ,st4 ,john1 we know what ,god's eternal life is2 for we know what ,christ's life was on earth4 ,and more1 we know that it is a life which men may live2 for ,christ lived it perfectly and utterly1 though ,he was a man4 ,what sort of life1 then1 is everlasting life8 ,who can tell altogether and completely8 ,and yet who cannot tell in part8 ,use the common sense1 my friends1 which ,god has given to you1 and think2--,if eternal life be the life of ,god1 it must be a good life2 for ,god is good4 ,that is the first1 and the most certain thing which we can say of it4 ,it must be a righteous and just life2 a loving and merciful life2 for ,god is righteous1 just1 loving1 merciful2 and more1 it must be an useful life1 a life of good works2 for ,god is eternally useful1 doing good to all his creatures1 working for ever for the benefit of all which he has made4 ,yes--a life of good works4 ,there is no good life without good works4 ,when you talk of a man's life1 you mean not only what he feels and thinks1 but what he does4 ,what is in his heart goes for nothing1 unless he brings it out in his actions1 as far as he can4 ,therefore ,st4 ,james says1 #8,thou hast faith1 and ,i have works4 ,shew me thy faith without thy works1' 7and who can do that87 #8and ,i will shew thee my faith by my works4' ,and ,st4 ,john says1 there is no use saying you love4 #8,let us love not in word and in tongue1 but in deed and in truth2' and again--and would to ,god that most people who talk so glibly about heaven and hell1 and the ways of getting thither1 would recollect this one plain text--#8,little children1 let no man deceive you4 ,he that doeth righteousness is righteous1 even as ,god is righteous4' ,and therefore it is that ,st4 ,paul bids rich men #8be rich also in noble deeds1' generous and liberal of their money to all who want1 that they may #8lay hold of that which is really life1' namely1 the eternal life of goodness4 ,and therefore also1 my friends1 we may be sure that ,god loves in deed and in truth3 because it is written that ,god is love4 ,for if a man loves1 he longs to help those whom he loves4 ,it is the very essence of love1 that it cannot be still1 cannot be idle1 cannot be satisfied with itself1 cannot contain itself1 but must go out to do good to those whom it loves1 to seek and to save that which is lost4 ,and therefore ,god is perfect love1 and his eternal life a life of eternal love1 because he sends his ,son eternally to seek and to save that which is lost4 ,this1 then1 is eternal life2 a life of everlasting love showing itself in everlasting good works2 and whosoever lives that life1 he lives the life of ,god1 and hath eternal life4 ,what ,i have just said will help you1 ,i think1 to understand another royal text about eternal life4 ,for now' we may understand why it is written1 that this is life eternal1 to know the true and only ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom he has sent4 ,for if eternal life be ,god's life1 we must know ,god1 and ,god's character1 to know what eternal life is like3 and if no man has seen ,god at any time1 and ,god's life can only be seen in the life of ,christ1 then we must know ,christ1 and ,christ's life1 to know ,god and ,god's life2 that the saying may be fulfilled in us1 ,god hath given to us eternal life1 and this life is in his ,son4 ,one other royal text1 did ,i say8 ,we may understand many1 perhaps all1 the texts which speak of life1 and eternal life1 if we will look at them in this way4 ,we may see why ,st4 ,paul says that to be spiritually minded is life2 and that the life of ,jesus may be manifested in men3 and how the sin of the old heathen lay in this1 that they were alienated from the life of ,god4 ,we may understand how ,christ's commandment is everlasting life2 how the water which he gives1 can spring up within a man's heart to everlasting life--all such texts we may1 and shall1 understand more and more1 if we will bear in mind that everlasting life is the life of ,god and of ,christ1 a life of love2 a life of perfect1 active1 self-sacrificing goodness1 which is the one only true life for all rational beings1 whether on earth or in heaven4 ,in heaven1 my friends1 as well as on earth4 ,form your own notions1 as you will1 about angels1 and saints in heaven1 for every one must have some notions about them1 and try to picture to himself what the souls of those whom he has loved and lost are doing in the other world3 but bear this in mind3 that if the saints in heaven live the everlasting life1 they must be living a life of usefulness1 of love and of good works4 ,and here ,i must say1 friends1 that however much the ,roman ,catholics may be wrong on many points1 they have remembered one thing about the life everlasting1 which we are too apt to forget2 and that is1 that everlasting life cannot be a selfish1 idle life1 spent only in being happy oneself4 ,they believe that the saints in heaven are not idle2 that they are eternally helping mankind2 doing all sorts of good offices for those souls who need them2 that1 as ,st4 ,paul says of the angels1 they are ministering spirits1 sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation4 ,and ,i cannot see why they should not be right4 ,for if the saints' delight was to do good on earth1 much more will it be to do good in heaven4 ,if they helped poor sufferers1 if they taught the ignorant1 if they comforted the afflicted1 here on earth1 much more will they be able1 much more will they be willing1 to help1 comfort1 teach them1 now that they are in the full power1 the full freedom1 the full love and zeal of the everlasting life4 ,if their hearts were warmed and softened by the fire of ,god's love here1 how much more there6 ,if they lived ,god's life of love here1 how much more there1 before the throne of ,god1 and the face of ,christ6 ,but if any one shall say1 that the souls of good men in heaven cannot help us who are here on earth1 ,i answer1 ,when did they ascend into heaven1 to find out that8 ,if they had ever been there1 friends1 be sure they would have had better news to bring home than this--that those whom we have honoured and loved on earth have lost the power which they used to have1 of comforting us who are struggling here below4 ,that notion springs altogether out of a superstitious fancy that heaven is a great many millions of miles away from this earth--which fancy1 wherever men get it from1 they certainly do not get it from the ,bible4 ,moreover it seems to me1 that if the saints in heaven cannot help men1 then they cannot be happy in heaven4 ,cannot be happy8 ,ay1 must be miserable4 ,for what greater misery for really good men1 than to see things going wrong1 and not to be able to mend them2 to see poor creatures suffering1 and not to be able to comfort them8 ,no1 my friends1 we will believe--what every one who loves a beloved friend comes sooner or later to believe--that those whom we have honoured and loved1 though taken from our eyes1 are near to our spirits2 that they still fight for us1 under the banner of their ,master ,christ1 and still work for us1 by virtue of his life of love1 which they live in him and by him for ever4 ,pray to them1 indeed1 we need not1 as if they would help us out of any self-will of their own4 ,there1 ,i think1 the ,roman ,catholics are wrong4 ,they pray to the saints as if the saints had wills of their own1 and fancies of their own1 and were respecters of persons2 and could have favourites1 and grant private favours to those who especially admired and 7,i fear ,i must say it7 flattered them4 ,but why should we do that8 ,that is to lower ,god's saints in our own eyes4 ,for if we believe that they are made perfect1 and like perfectly the everlasting life1 then we must believe that there is no self-will in them3 but that they do ,god's will1 and not their own1 and go on ,god's errands1 and not their own2 that he1 and not their own liking1 sends them whithersoever he wills2 and that if we ask of him--of ,god our ,father himself1 that is enough for us4 ,and what shall we ask8 ,ask--#8,father1 thy will be done on earth1 as it is in heaven4' ,for in asking that1 we ask for the best of all things4 ,we ask for the happiness1 the power1 the glory of saints and angels4 ,we ask to be put into tune with ,god's whole universe1 from the meanest flower beneath our feet1 to the most glorious spirit whom ,god ever created4 ,we ask for the one everlasting life which can never die1 fail1 change1 or disappoint3 yea1 for the everlasting life which ,christ the only begotten ,son lives from eternity to eternity1 for ever saying to his ,father1 #8,thy will be done4' ,yes--when we ask ,god to make us do his will1 then indeed we ask for everlasting life4 ,does that seem little8 ,would you rather ask for all manner of pleasant things1 if not in this life1 at least in the life to come8 ,oh1 my friends1 consider this4 ,we were not put into this world to get pleasant things2 and we shall not be put into the next world1 as it seems to me1 to get pleasant things4 ,we were put into this world to do ,god's will4 ,and we shall be put 7,i believe7 into the next world for the very same purpose--to do ,god's will2 and if we do that1 we shall find pleasure enough in doing it4 ,i do not doubt that in the next world all manner of harmless pleasure will come to us likewise2 because that will be1 we hope1 a perfect and a just world1 not a piecemeal1 confused1 often unjust world1 like this3 but pleasant things will come to us in the next life1 only in proportion as we shall be doing ,god's will in the next life2 and we shall be happy and blessed1 only because we shall be living that eternal life of which ,i have been preaching to you all along1 the life which ,christ lives and has lived and will live for ever1 saying to the ,eternal ,father--,i come to do thy will--not my will but thine be done4 ,oh6 may ,god give to us all his ,spirit2 the ,spirit by which ,christ did his ,father's will1 and lived his ,father's life in the soul and body of a mortal man1 that we may live here a life of obedience and of good works1 which is the only true and living life of faith2 and that when we die it may be said of us--#8,blessed are the dead who die in the ,lord2 for they rest from their labours1 and their works do follow them4' ,they rest from their labours4 ,all their struggles1 disappointments1 failures1 backslidings1 which made them unhappy here1 because they could not perfectly do the will of ,god1 are past and over for ever4 ,but their works follow them4 ,the good which they did on earth--that is not past and over4 ,it cannot die4 ,it lives and grows for ever1 following on in their path long after they are dead1 and bearing fruit unto everlasting life1 not only in them1 but in men whom they never saw1 and in generations yet unborn4 ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,,the ,,song ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,children4 ,,daniel iii4 #af1 #ag1 #ah4 ,o ,nebuchadnezzar1 we are not careful to answer thee in this matter4 ,if it be so1 our ,god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace2 and ,he will deliver us out of thine hand1 ,o king4 ,but if not1 be it known unto thee1 ,o king1 that we will not serve thy gods1 nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up4 ,,we read this morning1 instead of the ,te ,deum1 the ,song of the ,three ,children1 beginning1 #8,oh all ye works of the ,lord1 bless ye the ,lord3 praise him1 and magnify him for ever4' ,it was proper to do so3 because the ,ananias1 ,azarias1 and ,misael mentioned in it1 are the same as the ,shadrach1 ,meshech1 and ,abednego1 whose story we heard in the first lesson2 and because some of the old ,jews held that this noble hymn was composed by them1 and sung by them in the burning fiery furnace1 wherefore it has been called #8,the ,song of the ,three ,children2' for child1 in old ,english1 meant a young man4 ,be that as it may1 it is a glorious hymn1 worthy of the ,church of ,god1 worthy of those three young men1 worthy of all the noble army of martyrs2 and if the three young men did not actually use the very words of it1 still it was what they believed2 and1 because they believed it1 they had courage to tell ,nebuchadnezzar that they were not careful to answer him--had no manner of doubt or anxiety whatsoever as to what they were to say1 when he called on them to worship his gods4 ,for his gods1 we know1 were the sun1 moon1 and planets1 and the angels who 7as the ,chaldeans believed7 ruled over the heavenly bodies2 and that image of gold is supposed1 by some learned men1 to have been probably a sign or picture of the wondrous power of life and growth which there is in all earthly things--and that a sign of which ,i need not speak1 or you hear4 ,so that the meaning of this ,song of the ,three ,children is simply this3 #8,you bid us worship the things about us1 which we see with our bodily eyes4 ,we answer1 that we know the one true ,god1 who made all these things2 and that1 therefore1 instead of worshipping them1 we will bid them to worship him4' ,now let us spend a few minutes in looking into this hymn1 and seeing what it teaches us4 ,you see at once1 that it says that the one ,god1 and not many gods1 made all things3 much more1 that things did not make themselves1 or grow up of their own accord1 by any virtue or life of their own4 ,but it says more4 ,it calls upon all things which ,god has made1 to bless him1 praise him1 and magnify him for ever4 ,this is much more than merely saying1 #8,one ,god made the world4' ,for this is saying something about ,god's character2 declaring what this one ,god is like4 ,for when you bless a person--7,i do not mean when you pray ,god to bless him--that is a different thing7--when you bless any one1 ,i say1 you bless him because he is blessed1 and has done blessed things3 because he has shown himself good1 generous1 merciful1 useful4 ,you praise a person because he is praiseworthy1 noble1 and admirable4 ,you magnify a person--that is1 speak of him to every one1 and everywhere1 in the highest terms--because you think that every one ought to know how good and great he is4 ,and1 therefore1 when the hymn says1 #8,bless ,god1 praise him1 and magnify him for ever1' it does not merely confess ,god's power4 ,no4 ,it confesses1 too1 ,god's wisdom1 goodness1 beauty1 love1 and calls on all heaven and earth to admire him1 the alone admirable1 and adore him1 the alone adorable4 ,for this is really to believe in ,god4 ,not merely to believe that there is a ,god1 but to know what ,god is like1 and to know that ,he is worthy to be believed in2 worthy to be trusted1 honoured1 loved with heart and mind and soul1 because we know that ,he is worthy of our love4 ,and this1 we have a right to say1 these three young men did1 or whosoever wrote this hymn2 and that as a reward for their faith in ,god1 there was granted to them that deep insight into the meaning of the world about them1 which shines out through every verse of this hymn4 ,deep8 ,i tell you1 my friends1 that this hymn is so deep1 that it is too deep for the shallow brains of which the world is full now-a-days1 who fancy that they know all about heaven and earth1 just because they happen to have been born now1 and not two hundred years ago4 ,to such this old hymn means nothing2 it is in their eyes merely an old-fashioned figure of speech to call on sun and stars1 green herb and creeping thing1 to praise and bless ,god4 ,nevertheless1 the old hymn stands in our prayer-books1 as a precious heir-loom to our children2 and long may it stand4 ,though we may forget its meaning1 yet perhaps our children after us will recollect it once more1 and say with their hearts1 what we now1 ,i fear1 only say with our lips and should not say at all1 if it was not put into our months by the ,prayer-book4 ,do you not understand what ,i mean8 ,then think of this3-- ,if we were writing a hymn about ,god1 should we dare to say to the things about us--to the cattle feeding in the fields--much less to the clouds over our heads1 and to the wells of which we drink1 #8,bless ye the ,lord1 praise him1 and magnify him for ever8' ,we should not dare2 and for two reasons4 ,first--,there is a notion abroad1 borrowed from the old monks1 that this earth is in some way bad1 and cursed2 that a curse is on it still for man's sake3 but a notion which is contrary to plain fact2 for if we till the ground1 it does not bring forth thorns and thistles to us1 as the ,scripture says it was to do for ,adam1 but wholesome food1 and rich returns for our labour3 and which in the next place is flatly contrary to ,scripture3 for we read in ,genesis viii4 #ba1 how the ,lord said1 #8,i will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake2' and the ,psalms always speak of this earth1 and of all created things1 as if there was no curse at all on them2 saying that #8all things serve ,god1 and continue as they were at the beginning1' and that #8,he has given them a law which cannot be broken2' and in the face of those words1 let who will talk of the earth being cursed1 ,i will not2 and you shall not1 if ,i can help it4 ,another reason why we dare not talk of this earth as this hymn does is1 that we have got into the habit of saying1 #8,cattle and creeping things--they are not rational beings4 ,how can they praise ,god8 ,clouds and wells--they are not even living things4 ,how can they praise ,god8 ,why speak of them in a hymn2 much less speak to them8' ,yet this hymn does speak to them2 and so do the ,psalms and the ,prophets again and again4 ,and so will men do hereafter1 when the fashions and the fancies of these days are past1 and men have their eyes opened once more to see the glory which is around them from their cradle to their grave1 and hear once more #8,the ,word of the ,lord walking among the trees of the garden4' ,but how can this be8 ,how can not only dumb things1 but even dead things1 praise ,god8 ,my friends1 this is a great mystery1 of which the wisest men as yet know but little1 and confess freely how little they know4 ,but this at least we know already1 and can say boldly--all things praise ,god1 by fulfilling the law which our ,lord himself declared1 when he said #8,not every one who saith to me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven3 but he that doeth the will of my ,father who is in heaven4' ,by doing the will of the heavenly ,father4 ,by obeying the laws which ,god has given them4 ,by taking the shape which he has appointed for them4 ,by being of the use for which he intended them4 ,by multiplying each after their kind1 by laws and means a thousand times more strange than any signs and wonders of which man can fancy for himself2 and by thus showing forth ,god's boundless wisdom1 goodness1 love1 and tender care of all which he has made4 ,yes1 my friends1 in this sense 7and this is the true sense7 all things can serve and praise ,god1 and all things do serve and praise ,him4 ,not a cloud which fleets across the sky1 not a clod of earth which crumbles under the frost1 not a blade of grass which breaks through the snow in spring1 not a dead leaf which falls to the earth in autumn1 but is doing ,god's work1 and showing forth ,god's glory4 ,not a tiny insect1 too small to be seen by human eyes without the help of a microscope1 but is as fearfully and wonderfully made as you and me1 and has its proper food1 habitation1 work1 appointed for it1 and not in vain4 ,nothing is idle1 nothing is wasted1 nothing goes wrong1 in this wondrous world of ,god4 ,the very scum upon the standing pool1 which seems mere dirt and dust1 is all alive1 peopled by millions of creatures1 each full of beauty1 full of use1 obeying laws of ,god too deep for us to do aught but dimly guess at them2 and as men see deeper and deeper into the mystery of ,god's creation1 they find in the commonest things about them wonder and glory1 such as eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive2 and can only say with the ,psalmist1 #8,oh ,lord1 thy ways are infinite1 thy thoughts are very deep2' and confess that the grass beneath their feet1 the clouds above their heads--ay1 every worm beneath the sod and bird upon the bough1 do1 in very deed and truth1 bless the ,lord who made them1 praise him1 and magnify him for ever1 not with words indeed1 but with works2 and say to man all day long1 #8,go thou1 and do likewise4' ,yes1 my friends1 let us go and do likewise4 ,if we wish really to obey the lesson of the ,hymn of the ,three ,children1 let us do the will of ,god3 and so worship him in spirit and in truth4 ,do not fancy1 as too many do1 that thou canst praise ,god by singing hymns to him in church once a week1 and disobeying him all the week long1 crying to him #8,lord1 ,lord1' and then living as if he were not thy ,lord1 but thou wast thine own ,lord1 and hadst a right to do thine own will1 and not his4 ,if thou wilt really bless ,god1 then try to live his blessed life of ,goodness4 ,if thou wilt truly praise ,god1 then behave as if ,god was praiseworthy1 good1 and right in what he bids thee do4 ,if thou wouldest really magnify ,god1 and declare his greatness1 then behave as if he were indeed the ,great ,god1 who ought to be obeyed--ay1 who must be obeyed2 for his commandment is life1 and it alone1 to thee1 as well as to all which ,he has made4 ,dost thou fancy as the heathen do1 that ,god needs to be flattered with fine words8 or that thou wilt be heard for thy much speaking1 and thy vain repetitions8 ,he asks of thee works1 as well as words2 and more1 ,he asks of thee works first1 and words after4 ,and better it is to praise him truly by works without words1 than falsely by words without works4 ,cry1 if thou wilt1 #8,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god of hosts2' but show that thou believest him to be holy1 by being holy thyself4 ,sing1 if ,thou wilt1 of #8,the ,father of an ,infinite ,majesty3' but show that thou believest his majesty to be infinite1 by obeying his commandments1 like those ,three ,children1 let them cost thee what they may4 ,join1 and join freely1 in the songs of the heavenly host2 for ,god has given thee reason and speech1 after the likeness of his only begotten ,son1 and thou mayest use them1 as well as every other gift1 in the service of thy ,father4 ,but take care lest1 while thou art trying to copy the angels1 thou art not even as righteous as the beasts of the field4 ,for they bless and praise ,god by obeying his laws2 and till thou dost that1 and obeyest ,god's laws likewise1 thou art not as good as the grass beneath thy feet4 ,for after all has been said and sung1 my friends1 the sum and substance of true religion remains what it was1 and what it will be for ever2 and lies in this one word1 #8,if ye love me1 keep my commandments4' ,,sermon ,v4 ,,the ,,eternal ,,goodness4 ,,matthew xxii4 #ci4 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,,why are wrong things wrong8 ,why1 for instance1 is it wrong to steal8 ,because ,god has forbidden it1 you may answer4 ,but is it so8 ,whatsoever ,god forbids must be wrong4 ,but1 is it wrong because ,god forbids it1 or does ,god forbid it because it is wrong8 ,for instance1 suppose that ,god had not forbidden us to steal1 would it be right then to steal1 or at least1 not wrong8 ,we must really think of this4 ,it is no mere question of words1 it is a solemn practical question1 which has to do with our every-day conduct1 and yet which goes down to the deepest of all matters1 even to the depths of ,god himself4 ,the question is simply this4 ,did ,god1 who made all things1 make right and wrong8 ,many people think so4 ,they think that ,god made goodness4 ,but how can that be8 ,for if ,god made goodness1 there could have been no goodness before ,god made it4 ,that is clear4 ,but ,god was always good1 good from all eternity4 ,but how could that be8 ,how could ,god be good1 before there was any goodness made8 ,that notion will not do then4 ,and all we can say is that goodness is eternal and everlasting1 just as ,god is3 because ,god was and is and ever will be eternally and always good4 ,but is eternal goodness one thing1 and the eternal ,god1 another8 ,that cannot be1 again2 for as the ,athanasian ,creed tells us so wisely and well1 there are not many ,eternals1 but one ,eternal4 ,therefore goodness must be the ,spirit of ,god2 and ,god must be the ,spirit of goodness2 and right is nothing else but the character of the everlasting ,god1 and of those who are inspired by ,god4 ,what is wrong1 then8 ,whatever is unlike right2 whatever is unlike goodness2 whatever is unlike ,god2 that is wrong4 ,and why does ,god forbid us to do wrong8 ,simply because wrong is unlike himself4 ,he is perfectly beautiful1 perfectly blest and happy1 because he is perfectly good2 and he wishes to see all his creatures beautiful1 blest1 and happy3 but they can only be so by being perfectly good2 and they can only be perfectly good by being perfectly like ,god their ,father2 and they can only be perfectly like ,god the ,father by being full of love1 loving their neighbour as themselves4 ,for what do we mean when we talk of right1 righteousness1 goodness8 ,many answers have been given to that question4 ,the old ,romans1 who were a stern1 legal-minded people1 used to say that righteousness meant to hurt no man1 and to give every man his own4 ,the ,eastern people had a better answer still1 which our blessed ,lord used in one place1 when he told them that righteousness was to do to other people as we would they should do to us3 but the best answer1 the perfect answer1 is our ,lord's in the text1 #8,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4' ,this is the true1 eternal righteousness4 ,not a legal righteousness1 not a righteousness made up of forms and ceremonies1 of keeping days holy1 and abstaining from meats1 or any other arbitrary commands1 whether of ,god or of man4 ,this is ,god's goodness1 ,god's righteousness1 ,christ's own goodness and righteousness4 ,do you not see what ,i mean8 ,remember only one word of ,st4 ,john's4 ,god is love4 ,love is the goodness of ,god4 ,god is perfectly good1 because he is perfect love4 ,then if you are full of love1 you are good with the same goodness with which ,god is good1 and righteous with ,christ's righteousness4 ,that as what ,st4 ,paul wished to be1 when he wished to be found in ,christ1 not having his own righteousness1 but the righteousness which is by faith in ,christ4 ,his own righteousness was the selfish and self-conceited righteousness which he had before his conversion1 made up of forms1 and ceremonies1 and doctrines1 which made him narrow-hearted1 bigoted1 self-conceited1 fierce1 cruel1 a persecutor2 the righteousness which made him stand by in cold blood to see ,st4 ,stephen stoned4 ,but the righteousness which is by faith in ,christ is a loving heart1 and a loving life1 which every man will long to lead who believes really in ,jesus ,christ4 ,for when he looks at ,christ1 ,christ's humiliation1 ,christ's work1 ,christ's agony1 ,christ's death1 and sees in it nothing but utter and perfect ,love to poor sinful1 undeserving man1 then his heart makes answer1 ,yes1 ,i believe in that6 ,i believe and am sure that that is the most beautiful character in the world2 that that is the utterly noble and right sort of person to be--full of love as ,christ was4 ,i ought to be like that4 ,my conscience tells me that ,i ought4 ,and ,i can be like that4 ,christ1 who was so good himself1 must wish to make me good like himself1 and ,i can trust him to do it4 ,i can have faith in him1 that he will make me like himself1 full of the ,spirit of love1 without which ,i shall be only useless and miserable4 ,and ,i trust him enough to be sure that1 good as he is1 he cannot mean to leave me useless or miserable4 ,so1 by true faith in ,christ1 the man comes to have ,christ's righteousness--that is1 to be loving as ,christ was4 ,he believes that ,christ's loving character is perfect beauty2 that he must be the ,son of ,god1 if his character be like that4 ,he believes that ,christ can and will fill him with the same spirit of love2 and as he believes1 so is it with him1 and in him those words are fulfilled1 #8,whosoever shall confess that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god1 ,god dwelleth in him1 and he in ,god2' and that #8,if a man love me1' says the ,lord1 #8,i and my ,father will come to him1 and take up our abode with him4' ,those are wonderful words3 but if you will recollect what ,i have just said1 you may understand a little of them4 ,st4 ,john puts the same thing very simply1 but very boldly4 #8,god is ,love1' he says1 #8and he that dwelleth in love1 dwelleth in ,god1 and ,god in him4' ,strange as it may seem1 it must be so if ,god be love4 ,let us thank ,god that it is true1 and keep in mind what awful and wonderful creatures we are1 that ,god should dwell in us2 what blessed and glorious creatures we may become in time1 if we will only listen to the voice of ,god who speaks within our hearts4 ,and what does that voice say8 ,the old commandment1 my friends1 which was from the beginning1 #8,love one another4' ,whatever thoughts or feeling in your hearts contradict that2 whatever tempts you to despise your neighbour1 to be angry with him1 to suspect him1 to fancy him shut out from ,god's love1 that is not of ,god4 ,no voice in our hearts is ,god's voice1 but what says in some shape or other1 #8,love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,care for him1 bear with him long1 and try to do him good4' ,for love is of ,god1 and every one that loveth is born of ,god1 and knoweth ,god4 ,he that loveth not knoweth not ,god1 for ,god is love4 ,still less can he who is not loving fulfil the law2 for the law of ,god is the very pattern and picture of ,god's character2 and if a man does not know what ,god is like1 he will never know what ,god's law is like2 and though he may read his ,bible all day long1 he will learn no more from it than a dumb animal will1 unless his heart is full of love4 ,for love is the light by which we see ,god1 by which we understand his ,bible2 by which we understand our duty1 and ,god's dealings1 in the world4 ,love is the light by which we understand our own hearts2 by which we understand our neighbours' hearts4 ,so it is4 ,if you hate any man1 or have a spite against him1 you will never know what is in that man's heart1 never be able to form a just opinion of his character4 ,if you want to understand human beings1 or to do justice to their feelings1 you must begin by loving them heartily and freely1 and the more you like them the better you will understand them1 and in general the better you will find them to be at heart1 the more worthy of your trust1 at least the more worthy of your compassion4 ,at least1 so ,st4 ,john says1 #8,he that saith he is in the light1 and hates his brother1 is in darkness even till now1 and knoweth not whither he goeth4 ,but he that loveth his brother abideth in the light1 and there is no occasion of stumbling in him4' ,no occasion of stumbling4 ,that is of making mistakes in our behaviour to our neighbours1 which cause scandal1 drive them from us1 and make them suspect us1 dislike us--and perhaps with too good reason4 ,just think for yourselves4 ,what does half the misery1 and all the quarrelling in the world come from1 but from people's loving themselves better than their neighbours8 ,would children be disobedient and neglectful to their parents1 if they did not love themselves better than their parents8 ,why does a man kill1 commit adultery1 steal1 bear false witness1 covet his neighbour's goods1 his neighbour's custom1 his neighbour's rights1 but because he loves his own pleasure or interest better than his neighbour's1 loves himself better than the man whom he wrongs8 ,would a man take advantage of his neighbour if he loved him as well as himself8 ,would he be hard on his neighbour1 and say1 ,pay me the uttermost farthing1 if he loved him as he loves himself8 ,would he speak evil of his neighbour behind his back1 if he loved him as himself8 ,would he cross his neighbour's temper1 just because he will have his own way1 right or wrong1 if he loved him as himself8 ,judge for yourselves4 ,what would the world become like this moment if every man loved his neighbour as himself1 thought of his neighbour as much as he thinks of himself8 ,would it not become heaven on earth at once8 ,there would be no need then for soldiers and policemen1 lawyers1 rates and taxes1 my friends1 and all the expensive and heavy machinery which is now needed to force people into keeping something of ,god's law4 ,ay1 there would be no need of sermons1 preachers and prophets to tell men of ,god's law1 and warn them of the misery of breaking it4 ,they would keep the law of their own free-will1 by love4 ,for love is the fulfilling of the law2 and as ,st4 ,augustine says1 #8,love you neighbour1 and then do what you will--because you will be sure to will what is right4' ,so truly did our ,lord say1 that on this one commandment hung all the law and the prophets4 ,but though that blessed state of things will not come to the whole world till the day when ,christ shall reign in that new heaven and new earth1 in which ,righteousness shall dwell1 still it may come here1 now1 on earth1 to each and every one of us1 if we will but ask from ,god the blessed gift2 to love our neighbour as we love ourselves4 ,and then1 my friends1 whether we be rich or poor1 fortunate or unfortunate1 still that spirit of ,love which is the ,spirit of ,god1 will be its exceeding great reward4 ,i say1 its own reward4 ,for what is to be our reward1 if we do our duty earnestly1 however imperfectly8 #8,well done1 thou good and faithful servant1 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4' ,and what is the joy of our ,lord8 ,what is the joy of ,christ8 ,the joy and delight which springs for ever in his great heart1 from feeling that he is for ever doing good2 from loving all1 and living for all2 from knowing that if not all1 yet millions on millions are grateful to him1 and will be for ever4 ,my friends1 if you have ever done a kind action2 if you have ever helped any one in distress1 or given up a pleasure for the sake of others--do you not know that that deed gave you a peace1 a self-content1 a joy for the moment at least1 which nothing in this world could give1 or take away8 ,and if the person whom you helped thanked you2 if you felt that you had made that man your friend2 that he trusted you now1 looked on you now as a brother--did not that double the pleasure8 ,i ask you1 is there any pleasure in the world like that of doing good1 and being thanked for it8 ,then that is the joy of your ,lord4 ,that is the joy of ,christ rising up in you1 as often as you do good2 the love which is in you rejoicing in itself1 because it has found a loving thing to do1 and has called out the love of a human being in return4 ,yes1 if you will receive it1 that is the joy of ,christ--the glorious knowledge that he is doing endless good1 and calling out endless love to himself and to the ,father1 till the day when he shall give up to his ,father the kingdom which he has won back from sin and death1 and ,god shall be all in all4 ,that is the joy of your ,lord4 ,if you wish for any different sort of joy after you die1 you must not ask me to tell you of it2 for ,i know nothing about the matter save what ,i find written in the ,holy ,scripture4 ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,,worship4 ,,isaiah i4 #ab1 #ac4 ,when ye come to appear before me1 who hath required this at your hand1 to tread my courts8 ,bring no more vain oblations2 incense is an abomination unto me2 the new moons and sabbaths1 the calling of assemblies1 ,i cannot away with2 it is iniquity1 even the solemn meeting4 ,,this is a very awful text2 one of those which terrify us--or at least ought to terrify us--and set us on asking ourselves seriously and honestly--#8,what do ,i believe after all8 ,what manner of man am ,i after all8 ,what sort of show should ,i make after all1 if the people round me knew my heart and all my secret thoughts8 ,what sort of show1 then1 do ,i already make1 in the sight of ,almighty ,god1 who sees every man exactly as he is8' ,i say1 such texts as this ought to terrify us4 ,it is good to be terrified now and then2 to be startled1 and called to account1 and set thinking1 and sobered1 as it were1 now and then1 that we may look at ourselves honestly anti bravely1 and see1 if we can1 what sort of men we are4 ,and therefore1 perhaps1 it is that this chapter is chosen for the first ,advent ,lesson2 to prepare us for ,christmas2 to frighten us somewhat2 at least to set us thinking seriously1 and to make us fit to keep ,christmas in spirit and in truth4 ,for whom does this text speak of8 ,it speaks of religious people1 and of a religious nation2 and of a fearful mistake which they were making1 and a fearful danger into which they had fallen4 ,now we are religious people1 and ,england is a religious nation2 and therefore we may possibly make the same mistake1 and fall into the same danger1 as these old ,jews4 ,i do not say that we have done so2 but we may2 for human nature is just the same now as it was then2 and therefore it is as well for us to look round--at least once now and then1 and see whether we too are in danger of falling1 while we think that we are standing safe4 ,what does ,isaiah1 then1 tell the religious ,jews of his day8 ,that their worship of ,god1 their church-going1 their sabbaths1 and their appointed feasts were a weariness and an abomination to him4 ,that ,god loathed them1 and would not listen to the prayers which were made in them4 ,that the whole matter was a mockery and a lie in his sight4 ,these are awful words enough--that ,god should hate and loathe what he himself had appointed2 that what would be1 one would think1 one of the most natural and most pleasant sights to a loving ,father in heaven--namely1 his own children worshipping1 blessing1 and praising him--should be horrible in his sight4 ,there is something very shocking in that2 at least to ,church people like us4 ,if we were ,dissenters1 who go to chapel chiefly to hear sermons1 it would be easy for us to say--#8,of course1 forms and ceremonies and appointed feasts are nothing to begin with2 they are man's invention at best1 and may therefore be easily enough an abomination to ,god4' ,but we know that they are not so2 that forms and ceremonies and appointed feasts are good things as long as they have spirit and truth in them2 that whether or not they be of man's invention1 they spring out of the most simple1 wholesome wants of our human nature1 which is a good thing and not a bad one1 for ,god made it in his own likeness1 and bestowed it on us4 ,we know1 or ought to know1 that appointed feast days1 like ,christmas1 are good and comfortable ordinances1 which cheer our hearts on our way through this world1 and give us something noble and lovely to look forward to month after month2 that they are like landmarks along the road of life1 reminding us of what ,god has done1 and is doing1 for us and all mankind4 ,and if you do not know1 ,i know1 that people who throw away ordinances and festivals end1 at least in a generation or two1 in throwing away the ,gospel truth which that ordinance or festival reminds us of2 just as too many who have thrown away ,good ,friday have thrown away the ,good ,friday good news1 that ,christ died for all mankind2 and too many who have thrown away ,christmas are throwing away--often without meaning to do so--the ,christmas good news1 that ,christ really took on himself the whole of our human nature1 and took the manhood into ,god4 ,so it is1 my friends1 and so it will be4 ,for these forms and festivals are the old landmarks and beacons of the ,gospel2 and if a man will not look at the landmarks1 then he will lose his way4 ,therefore1 to ,church people like us1 it ought to be a shocking thing even to suspect that ,god may be saying to us1 #8,your appointed feasts my soul hateth2' and it ought to set them seriously thinking how such a thing may happen1 that they may guard against it4 ,for if ,god be not pleased with our coming to his house1 what right have we in his house at all8 ,but recollect this1 my dear friends1 that we are not to use this text to search and judge others' faults1 but to search and judge our own4 ,for if a man1 hearing this sermon1 looks at his neighbour across the church1 and says in his heart1 #8,ay1 such a bad one as he is--what right has he in church8'--then ,god answers that man1 #8,who art thou who judgest another8 ,to his own master he standeth or falleth4' ,yes1 my friends1 recollect what the old tomb-stone outside says--7and right good doctrine it is7--and fit it to this sermon4 ,when this you see1 pray judge not me ,for sin enough ,i own4 ,judge yourselves2 mend your lives2 ,leave other folks alone4 ,but if a man1 hearing this sermon1 begins to say to himself1 ,such a man as ,i am--so full of faults as ,i am--what right have ,i in church8 ,so selfish--so uncharitable--so worldly--so useless--so unfair 7or whatever other faults the man may feel guilty of7--in one word1 so unlike what ,i ought to be--so unlike ,christ--so unlike ,god whom ,i come to worship4 ,how little ,i act up to what ,i believe6 how little ,i really believe what ,i have learnt6 what right have ,i in church8 ,what if ,god were saying the same of me as he said of those old ,jews1 #8,thy church-going1 thy coming to communion1 thy ,christmas-day1 my soul hateth2 ,i am weary to bear it4 ,who hath required this at thy hands1 to tread my courts8' ,people round me may think me good enough as men go now2 but ,i know myself too well2 and ,i know that instead of saying with the ,pharisee to any man here1 #8,i thank ,god that ,i am not as this man or that1' ,i ought rather to stand afar off like the publican1 and not lift up so much as my eyes toward heaven1 crying only #8,god1 be merciful to me a sinner4' ,if a man should think thus1 my friends1 his thoughts may make him very serious for awhile2 nay1 very sad4 ,but they need not make him miserable3 need still less make him despair4 ,they ought to set him on thinking--,why do ,i come to church8 ,because it is the fashion8 ,because ,i want to hear the preacher8 ,no--to worship ,god4 ,but what is worshipping ,god8 ,that must depend entirely my friends1 upon who ,god is4 ,as ,i often tell you1 most questions--ay1 if you will receive it1 all questions--depend upon this one root question1 who is ,god8 ,but certainly this question of worshipping ,god must depend upon who ,god is4 ,for how he ought to be worshipped depends on what will please him4 ,and what will please him1 depends on what his character is4 ,if ,god be1 as some fancy1 hard and arbitrary1 then you must worship him in a way in which a hard arbitrary person would like to be addressed2 with all crouching1 and cringing1 and slavish terror4 ,if ,god be again1 as some fancy1 cold1 and hard of hearing1 then you must worship him accordingly4 ,you must cry aloud as ,baal's priests did to catch his notice1 and put yourselves to torment 7as they did1 and as many a ,christian has done since7 to move his pity2 and you must use repetitions as the heathen do1 and believe that you will be heard for your much speaking4 ,the ,lord ,jesus called all such repetitions vain1 and much speaking a fancy3 but then1 the ,lord ,jesus spoke to men of a ,father in heaven1 a very different ,god from such as ,i speak of--and1 alas6 some ,christian people believe in4 ,but1 my friends1 if you believe in your heavenly ,father1 the good ,god whom your ,lord ,jesus ,christ has revealed to you2 and if you will consider that he is good1 and consider what that word good means1 then you will not have far to seek before you find what worship means1 and how you can worship him in spirit and in truth4 ,for if ,god be good1 worshipping him must mean praising and admiring him--adoring him1 as we call it--for being good4 ,and nothing more8 ,certainly much more4 ,also to ask him to make us good4 ,that1 too1 must be a part of worshipping a good ,god4 ,for the very property of goodness is1 that it wishes to make others good4 ,and if ,god be good1 he must wish to make us good also4 ,to adore ,god1 then1 for his goodness1 and to pray to him to make us good1 is the sum and substance of all wholesome worship4 ,and for that purpose a man may come to church1 and worship ,god in spirit and in truth1 though he be dissatisfied with himself1 and ashamed of himself2 and knows that he is wrong in many things3--provided always that he wishes to be set right1 and made good4 ,for he may come saying1 #8,o ,god1 thou art good1 and ,i am bad2 and for that very reason ,i come4 ,i come to be made good4 ,i admire thy goodness1 and ,i long to copy it2 but ,i cannot unless thou help me4 ,purge me2 make me clean4 ,cleanse thou me from my secret faults1 and give me truth in the inward parts4 ,do what thou wilt with me4 ,train me as thou wilt4 ,punish me if it be necessary4 ,only make me good4' ,then is the man fit indeed to come to church1 sins and all3--if he carry his sins into church not to carry them out again safely and carefully1 as we are all too apt to do1 but to cast them down at the foot of ,christ's cross1 in the hope 7and no man ever hoped that hope in vain7--that he will be lightened of that burden1 and leave some of them at least behind him4 ,ay1 no man1 ,i say1 ever hoped that in vain4 ,no man ever yet felt the burden of his sins really intolerable and unbearable1 but what the burden of his sins was taken off him before all was over1 and ,christ's righteousness given to him instead4 ,then a man is fit1 not only to come to church1 but to come to ,holy ,communion on ,christmas-day1 and all days4 ,for then and there he will find put into words for him the very deepest sorrows and longings of his heart4 ,there he may say as heartily as he can 7and the more heartily the better71 #8,i acknowledge and bewail my manifold sins and wickedness4 ,the remembrance of them is grievous unto me2 the burden of them is intolerable3' but there he will hear ,christ promising in return to pardon and deliver him from all his sins1 to confirm and strengthen him in all goodness4 ,that last is what he ought to want2 and if he wants it1 he will surely find it4 ,he may join there with the whole universe of ,god in crying1 #8,holy1 holy1 holy1 ,lord ,god of ,hosts1 heaven and earth are full of ,thy glory3' and still in the same breath he may confess again his unworthiness so much as to gather up the crumbs under ,god's table1 and cast himself simply and utterly upon the eternal property of ,god's eternal essence1 which is--always to have mercy4 ,but he will hear forthwith ,christ's own answer--#8,if thou art bad1 ,i can and will make thee good4 ,my blood shall wash away thy sin3 my body shall preserve thee1 body1 soul1 and spirit1 to the everlasting life of goodness4' ,and so ,god will bless that man's communion to him2 and bless to him his keeping of ,christmas-day2 because out of a true penitent heart and lively faith he will be offering to the good ,god the sacrifice of his own bad self1 that ,god may take it1 and make it good2 and so will be worshipping the everlasting and infinite ,goodness1 in spirit and in truth4 ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,,god',s ,,inheritance4 ,,gal4 iv4 #f1 #g4 ,because ye are sons1 ,god hath sent forth the ,spirit of his ,son into your hearts1 crying1 ,abba1 ,father4 ,wherefore thou art no more a servant1 but a son2 and if a son1 then an heir of ,god through ,christ4 ,,this is the second good news of ,christmas-day4 ,the first is1 that the ,son of ,god became man4 ,the second is1 why he became man4 ,that men might become the sons of ,god through him4 ,therefore ,st4 ,paul says1 ,you are the sons of ,god4 ,not--you may be1 if you are very good3 but you are1 in order that you may become very good4 ,your being good does not tell you that you are the sons of ,god3 your baptism tells you so4 ,your baptism gives you a right to say1 ,i am the child of ,god4 ,how shall ,i behave then8 ,what ought a child of ,god to be like8 ,now ,st4 ,paul1 you see1 knew well that we could not make ourselves ,god's children by any feelings1 fancies1 or experiences of our own4 ,but he knew just as well that we cannot make ourselves behave as ,god's children should1 by any thoughts and trying of our own4 ,god alone made us ,his children2 ,god alone can make us behave like his children4 ,and therefore ,st4 ,paul says1 ,god has sent the ,spirit of his ,son into our hearts3 by which we cry to ,god1 ,our ,father4 ,but some will say1 ,have we that ,spirit8 ,st4 ,paul says that you have3 and surely he speaks truth4 ,let us search1 then1 and see where that ,spirit is in us4 ,it is a great and awful honour for sinful men3 but ,i do believe that if we seek1 we shall find that ,he is not far from any one of us1 for in ,him we live and move1 and have our being2 and all in us which is not ignorance1 falsehood1 folly1 and filth1 comes from ,him4 ,now the ,bible says that this ,spirit is the ,spirit of ,god's ,son1 the ,spirit of ,christ3--and what sort of ,spirit is that8 ,we may see by remembering what sort of a ,spirit ,christ had when on earth2 for ,he certainly has the same ,spirit now--the ,spirit which proceedeth everlastingly from the ,father and from the ,son4 ,and what was that ,like8 ,what was ,christ ,like8 ,what was his ,spirit ,like8 ,it was a ,spirit of ,love1 mercy1 pity1 generosity1 usefulness1 unselfishness4 ,a spirit of truth1 honour1 fearless love of what was right3 a spirit of duty and willing obedience1 which made ,him rejoice in doing ,his ,father's will4 ,in all things the spirit of a perfect ,son1 in all things a lovely1 noble1 holy spirit4 ,and now1 my dear friends1 is there nothing in you like that8 ,you may forget it at times1 you may disobey it very often3 but is there not something in all your hearts more or less1 which makes you love and admire what is right8 ,when you hear of a noble action1 is there nothing in you which makes you approve and admire it8 ,is there nothing in your hearts which makes you pity those who are in sorrow and long to help them8 ,nothing which stirs your heart up when you hear of a man's nobly doing his duty1 and dying rather than desert his post1 or do a wrong or mean thing8 ,surely there is--surely there is4 ,then1 ,o my dear friends1 when those feelings come into your hearts1 rejoice with trembling1 as men to whom ,god has given a great and precious gift4 ,for they are none other than the ,spirit of the ,son of ,god1 striving with your hearts that ,he may form ,christ in you1 and raise up your hearts to cry with full faith to ,god1 #8,my ,father which art in heaven6' #8,ah but1' you will say1 #8we like what is right1 but we do not always do it4 ,we like to see pity and mercy3 but we are very often proud and selfish and tyrannical4 ,we like to see justice and honour3 but we are too apt to be mean and unjust ourselves4 ,we like to see other people doing their duty3 but we very often do not do ours4' ,well1 my dear friends1 perhaps that is true4 ,if it be1 confess your sins like honest men1 and they shall be forgiven you4 ,if you can so complain of yourselves1 ,i am sure ,i can of myself1 ten times more4 ,but do you not see that this very thing is a sign to you that the good and noble thoughts in you are not your own but ,god's8 ,if they came out of your own spirits1 then you would have no difficulty in obeying them4 ,but they came out of ,god's ,spirit2 and our sinful and self-willed spirits are striving against his1 and trying to turn away from ,god's light4 ,what can we do then8 ,we can cherish those noble thoughts1 those pure and higher feelings1 when they arise4 ,we can welcome them as heavenly medicine from our heavenly ,father4 ,we can resolve not to turn away from them1 even though they make us ashamed4 ,not to grieve the ,spirit of the ,son of ,god1 even though he grieves us 7as he ought to do and will do more and more71 by showing us our own weakness and meanness1 and how unlike we are to ,christ1 the only begotten ,son4 ,if we shut our hearts to those good feelings1 they will go away and leave us4 ,and if they do1 we shall neither respect our neighbours1 nor respect ourselves4 ,we shall see no good in our neighbours1 but become scornful and suspicious to them2 and if we do that1 we shall soon see no good in ourselves4 ,we shall become discontented with ourselves1 more and more given up to angry thoughts and mean ways1 which we hate and despise1 all the while that we go on in them4 ,and then--mark my words--we shall lose all real feeling of ,god being our ,father1 and we his sons4 ,we shall begin to fancy ourselves his slaves1 and not his children2 and ,god our taskmaster1 and not our ,father4 ,we shall dislike the thought of ,god4 ,we shall long to hide from ,god4 ,we shall fall back into slavish terror1 and a fearful looking forward to of judgment and fiery indignation1 because we have trampled under foot the grace of ,god1 the noble1 pure1 tender1 and truly graceful feelings which ,god's ,spirit bestowed on us1 to fill us with the grace of ,christ4 ,therefore1 my dear friends1 never check any good or right feelings in yourselves1 or in your children2 for they come from the spirit of the ,son of ,god himself4 ,but1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 ,phil4 iv4 #c1 #8,finally1 brethren1 whatsoever things are honourable1 whatsoever things are just1 what soever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1 whatsoever things are of good report2 if there be any virtue1 and if there be any praise1 think on these things'1 4 4 4 #8and the ,god of peace shall be with you4' ,avoid all which can make you mean1 low1 selfish1 cruel4 ,cling to all which can fill your mind with lofty1 kindly1 generous1 loyal thoughts2 and so1 in ,god's good time1 you will enter into the meaning of those great words--,abba1 ,father4 ,the more you give up your hearts to such good feelings1 the more you will understand of ,god2 the more nobleness there is in you1 the more you will see ,god's nobleness1 ,god's justice1 ,god's love1 ,god's true glory4 ,the more you become like ,god's ,son1 the more you will understand how ,god can stoop to call himself your ,father2 and the more you will understand what a ,father1 what a perfect ,father ,god is4 ,and in the world to come1 ,i trust1 you will enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of ,god--that liberty which comes1 as ,i told you last ,sunday1 not from doing your own will1 but the will of ,god2 that glory which comes1 not from having anything of your own to pride yourselves upon1 but from being filled with the ,spirit of ,god1 the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ1 by which you shall for ever look up freely1 and yet reverently1 to the ,almighty ,god of heaven and earth1 and say1 #8,impossible as the honour seems for man1 yet thou1 ,o ,god1 hast said it1 and it is true4 ,thou1 even thou art my ,father1 and ,i thy son in ,jesus ,christ1 who became awhile the ,son of man on earth1 that ,i might become for ever the son of ,god in heaven4' ,and so will come true to us ,st4 ,paul's great words3--,if we be sons1 then heirs of ,god1 joint heirs with ,christ4 ,heirs of ,god3 but what is our inheritance8 ,the same as ,christ's4 ,and what is ,christ's inheritance8 ,what but ,god himself8--,the knowledge of our ,father in heaven1 of his love to us1 and of his eternal beauty and glory1 which fills all heavens and all worlds with light and life4 ,,sermon ,,viii4 #8,,de ,,profundis4' ,,psalm cxxx4 #a4 ,out of the deep have ,i cried unto thee1 ,o ,lord4 ,lord1 hear my voice4 ,,what is this deep of which ,david speaks so often8 ,he knew it well1 for he had been in it often and long4 ,he was just the sort of man to be in it often4 ,a man with great good in him1 and great evil2 with very strong passions and feelings1 dragging him down into the deep1 and great light and understanding to show him the dark secrets of that horrible pit when he was in it2 and with great love of ,god too1 and of order1 and justice1 and of all good and beautiful things1 to make him feel the horribleness of that pit where he ought not to be1 all the more from its difference1 its contrast1 with the beautiful world of light1 and order1 and righteousness where he ought to be4 ,therefore he knew that deep well1 and abhorred it1 and he heaps together every ugly name1 to try and express what no man can express1 the horror of that place4 ,it is a horrible pit1 mire and clay1 where he can find no footing1 but sinks all the deeper for his struggling4 ,it is a place of darkness and of storms1 a shoreless and bottomless sea1 where he is drowning1 and drowning1 while all ,god's waves and billows go over him4 ,it is a place of utter loneliness1 where he sits like a sparrow on the housetop1 or a doleful bird in the desert1 while ,god has put his lovers and friends away from him1 and hid his acquaintance out of his sight1 and no man cares for his soul1 and all men seem to him liars1 and ,god himself seems to have forgotten him and forgotten all the world4 ,it is a dreadful net which has entangled his feet1 a dark prison in which he is set so fast that he cannot get forth4 ,it is a torturing disgusting disease1 which gives his flesh no health1 and his bones no rest1 and his wounds are putrid and corrupt4 ,it is a battle-field after the fight1 where he seems to lie stript among the dead1 like those who are wounded and cut away from ,god's hand1 and lies groaning in the dust of death1 seeing nothing round him but doleful shapes of destruction and misery1 alone in the outer darkness1 while a horrible dread overwhelms him4 ,yea1 it is hell itself1 the pit of hell1 the nethermost hell1 he says1 where ,god's wrath burns like fire1 till his tongue cleaves to his gums1 and his bones are burnt up like a firebrand1 till he is weary of crying2 his throat is dry1 his heart fails him for waiting so long upon his ,god4 ,yes4 ,a dark and strange place is that same deep pit of ,god--if1 indeed1 it be ,god's and ,god made it4 ,perhaps ,god did not make it4 ,for ,god saw everything that he had made1 and behold it was very good3 and that pit cannot be very good2 for all good things are orderly1 and in shape2 and in that pit is no shape1 no order1 nothing but contradiction and confusion4 ,when a man is in that pit1 it will seem to him as if he were alone in the world1 and longing above all things for company2 and yet he will hate to have any one to speak to him1 and wrap himself up in himself to brood over his own misery4 ,when he is in that pit he shall be so blind that he can see nothing1 though his eyes be open in broad noon-day4 ,when he is in that pit he will hate the thing which he loves most1 and love the thing which he hates most4 ,when he is in that pit he will long to die1 and yet cling to life desperately1 and be horribly afraid of dying4 ,when he is in that pit it will seem to him that ,god is awfully1 horribly near him1 and he will try to hide from ,god1 try to escape from under ,god's hand3 and yet all the while that ,god seems so dreadfully near him1 ,god will seem further off from him than ever1 millions and millions of miles away1 parted from him by walls of iron1 and a great gulf which he can never pass4 ,there is nothing but contradiction in that pit3 the man who is in it is of two minds about himself1 and his kin and neighbours1 and all heaven and earth2 and knows not where to turn1 or what to think1 or even where he is at all4 ,for the food which he gets in that deep pit is very hunger of soul1 and rage1 and vain desires4 ,and the ground which he stands on in that deep is a bottomless quagmire1 and doubt1 and change1 and shapeless dread4 ,and the air which he breathes in that deep is the very fire of ,god1 which burns up everlastingly all the chalk and dross of the world4 ,i said that that deep was not merely the deep of affliction4 ,no3 for you may see men with every comfort which wealth and home can give1 who are tormented day and night in that deep pit in the midst of all their prosperity1 calling for a drop of water to cool their tongue1 and finding none4 ,and you may see poor creatures dying in agony on lonely sick beds1 who are not in that pit at all1 but in that better place whereof it is written1 #8,blessed are they who1 going through the vale of misery1 use it for a well1 and the pools are filled with water2' and again1 #8,if any man thirst1 let him come to me1 and drink2' and #8the water that ,i shall give him shall be in him a well of water1 springing up to everlasting life4' ,no--that deep pit is a far worse place2 an utterly bad place2 and yet it may be good for a man to have fallen into it2 and1 strangely enough1 if he do fall in1 the lower he sinks in it1 the better for him at last4 ,that is another strange contradiction in that pit1 which ,david found1 that though it was a bottomless pit1 the deeper he sank in it1 the more likely he was to find his feet set on a rock2 the further down in the nethermost hell he was1 the nearer he was to being delivered from the nethermost hell4 ,of course1 if he had staid in that pit1 he must have died1 body and soul4 ,no mortal man1 or immortal soul could endure it long4 ,no immortal soul could2 for he would lose all hope1 all faith in ,god1 all feeling of there being anything like justice and order in the world1 all hope for himself1 or for mankind1 lying so in that living grave where no man can see ,god's righteousness1 or his faithfulness in that land where all things are forgotten4 ,and his mere mortal body could not stand it4 ,the misery and terror and confusion of his soul would soon wear out his body1 and he would die1 as ,i have seen men actually die1 when their souls have been left in that deep somewhat too long2 shrink together into dark melancholy1 and pine away1 and die4 ,and ,i have seen sweet young creatures too1 whom ,god for some purpose of his own 7which must be good and loving1 for ,he did it7 has let fall awhile into that deep of darkness2 and then in compassion to their youth1 and tenderness1 and innocence1 has lifted them gently out again1 and set their weary feet upon the everlasting ,rock1 which is ,christ2 and has filled them with the light of his countenance1 and joy and peace in believing2 and has led them by green pastures and made them rest by the waters of comfort2 and yet1 though their souls were healed1 their bodies were not4 ,that fearful struggle has been too much for frail humanity1 and they have drooped1 and faded1 and gone peacefully after a while home to their ,god1 as a fair flower withers if the fire has but once past over it4 ,but some ,i have seen1 men and women1 who have arisen1 like ,david1 out of that strange deep1 all the stronger for their fall2 and have found out another strange contradiction about that deep1 and the fire of ,god which burns below in it4 ,for that fire hardens a man and softens him at the same time2 and he comes out of it hardened to that hardness of which it is written1 #8,do thou endure hardness like a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ2' and again1 #8,i have fought a good fight1 ,i have kept the faith1 ,i have finished my course3' yet softened to that softness of which it is written1 #8,be ye tenderhearted1 compassionate1 forgiving one another1 even as ,god for ,christ's sake has forgiven you2'--and again1 #8,we have a ,high ,priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities1 seeing that he has been tempted in all things like as we are1 yet without sin4' ,happy1 thrice happy are they who have thus walked through the valley of the shadow of death1 and found it the path which leads to everlasting life4 ,happy are they who have thus writhed awhile in the fierce fire of ,god1 and have had burnt out of them the chaff and dross1 and all which offends1 and makes them vain1 light1 and yet makes them dull1 drags them down at the same time2 till only the pure gold of ,god's righteousness is left1 seven times tried in the fire1 incorruptible1 and precious in the sight of ,god and man4 ,such people need not regret--they will not regret--all that they have gone through4 ,it has made them brave1 made them sober1 made them patient4 ,it has given them ,the reason firm1 the temperate will1 ,endurance1 foresight1 strength and skill2 and so has shaped them into the likeness of ,christ1 who was made perfect by suffering2 and though he were a ,son1 yet in the days of his flesh1 made strong supplication and crying with tears to his ,father1 and was heard in that he feared2 and so1 though he died on the cross and descended into hell1 yet triumphed over death and hell1 by dying and by descending2 and conquered them by submitting to them4 ,and yet they have been softened in that fierce furnace of ,god's wrath1 into another likeness of ,christ--which after all is still the same2 the character which he showed when he wept by the grave of ,lazarus1 and over the sinful city of ,jerusalem2 which he showed when his heart yearned over the perishing multitude1 and over the leper1 and the palsied man1 and the maniac possessed with devils2 the character which he showed when he said to the woman taken in adultery1 #8,neither do ,i condemn thee2 go and sin no more2' which he showed when he said to the sinful ,magdalene1 who washed his feet with tears1 and wiped them with her hair1 #8her sins1 which are many1 are forgiven2 for she loved much2' the likeness which he showed in his very death agony upon the torturing cross1 when he prayed for his murderers1 #8,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4' ,this is the character which man may get in that dark deep4--,to feel for all1 and feel with all2 to rejoice with those who rejoice1 and weep with those who weep2 to understand people's trials1 and make allowances for their temptations2 to put oneself in their place1 till we see with their eyes1 and feel with their hearts1 till we judge no man1 and have hope for all2 to be fair1 and patient1 and tender with every one we meet2 to despise no one1 despair of no one1 because ,christ despises none1 and despairs of none2 to look upon every one we meet with love1 almost with pity1 as people who either have been down into the deep of horror1 or may go down into it any day2 to see our own sins in other people's sins1 and know that we might do what they do1 and feel as they feel1 any moment1 did ,god desert us2 to give and forgive1 to live and let live1 even as ,christ gives to us1 and forgives us1 and lives for us1 and lets us live1 in spite of all our sins4 ,and how shall we learn this8 ,how shall the bottomless pit1 if we fall into it1 be but a pathway to the everlasting rock8 ,david tells us3 #8,out of the deep have ,i cried unto thee1 ,o ,lord4' ,he cried to ,god4 ,not to himself1 his own learning1 talents1 wealth1 prudence1 to pull him out of that pit4 ,not to princes1 nobles1 and great men4 ,not to doctrines1 books1 church-goings4 ,not to the dearest friend he had on earth2 for they had forsaken him1 could not understand him1 thought him perhaps beside himself4 ,not to his own good works1 almsgivings1 church-goings1 church-buildings4 ,not to his own experiences1 faith's assurances1 frames or feelings4 ,the matter was too terrible to be plastered over in that way1 or in any way4 ,he was face to face with ,god alone1 in utter weakness1 in utter nakedness of soul1 ,he cried to ,god himself4 ,there was the lesson4 ,god took away from him all things1 that he might have no one to cry to but ,god4 ,god took him up1 and cast him down3 and there he sat all alone1 astonished and confounded1 like ,rizpah1 the daughter of ,aiah1 when she sat alone upon the parching rock4 ,like ,rizpah1 he watched the dead corpses of all his hopes and plans1 all for which he had lived1 and which made life worth having1 withering away there by his side4 ,but it was told ,david what ,rizpah1 the daughter of ,aiah1 had done4 ,and it is told to one greater than ,david1 even to ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,david1 what the poor soul does when it sits alone in its despair4 ,or rather it need not be told him2 for he sees all1 weeps over all1 will comfort all3 and it shall be to that poor soul as it was to poor deserted ,hagar in the sandy desert1 when the water was spent in the bottle1 and she cast her child--the only thing she had left--under one of the shrubs and hurried away2 for she said1 #8,let me not see the child die4' ,and the angel of the ,lord called to her out of heaven1 saying1 #8,the ,lord hath heard the voice of the lad where he is2' and ,god opened her eyes1 and she saw a well of water4 ,it shall be with that poor soul as it was with ,moses1 when he went up alone into the mount of ,god1 and fasted forty days and forty nights amid the earthquake and the thunderstorm1 and the rocks which melted before the ,lord4 ,and behold1 when it was past1 he talked face to face with ,god1 as a man talketh with his friend1 and his countenance shone with heavenly light1 when he came down triumphant out of the mount of ,god4 ,so shall it be with every soul of man who1 being in the deep1 cries out of that deep to ,god1 whether in bloody ,india or in peaceful ,england4 ,for ,he with whom we have to do is not a tyrant1 but a ,father2 not a taskmaster1 but a ,giver and a ,redeemer4 ,we may ask him freely1 as ,david does1 to consider our complaint1 because he will consider it well1 and understand it1 and do it justice4 ,he is not extreme to mark what is done amiss1 and therefore we can abide his judgments4 ,there is mercy with him1 and therefore it is worth while to fear him4 ,he waits for us year after year1 with patience which cannot tire2 therefore it is but fair that we should wait a while for him4 ,with him is plenteous redemption1 and therefore redemption enough for us1 and for those likewise whom we love4 ,he will redeem us from all our sins3 and what do we need more8 ,he will make us perfect1 even as our ,father in heaven is perfect4 ,let him then1 if he must1 make us perfect by sufferings4 ,by sufferings ,christ was made perfect2 and what was the best path for ,jesus ,christ is surely good enough for us1 even though it be a rough and a thorny one4 ,let us lie still beneath ,god's hand2 for though his hand be heavy upon us1 it is strong and safe beneath us too2 and none can pluck us out of his hand1 for in him we live and move and have our being2 and though we go down into hell with ,david1 with ,david we shall find ,god there1 and find1 with ,david1 that he will not leave our souls in hell1 or suffer his holy ones to see corruption4 ,yes2 have faith in ,god4 ,nothing in thee which he has made shall see corruption2 for it is a thought of ,god's1 and no thought of his can perish4 ,nothing shall be purged out of thee but thy disease2 nothing shall be burnt out of thee but thy dross2 and that in thee shall be saved1 and live to all eternity1 of which ,god said at the beginning1 ,let us make man in our own image4 ,yes4 ,have faith in ,god2 and say to him once for all1 #8,though thou slay me1 yet will ,i love thee2 for thou lovedst me in ,jesus ,christ before the foundation of the world4' ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,god ,,its ,,own ,,reward4 ,,deut4 xxx4 #ai1 #bj4 ,i call heaven and earth to record this day against you1 that ,i have set before you life and death1 blessing and cursing2 therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live2 that thou mayest love the ,lord thy ,god1 and that thou mayest cleave unto him1 for he is thy life and the length of thy days1 that thou mayest dwell in the land which the ,lord ,god sware unto thy fathers ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob to give them4 ,i ,,spoke to you last ,sunday on this text4 ,but there is something more in it1 which ,i had not time to speak of then4 ,moses here tells the ,israelites what will happen to them if they keep ,god's law4 ,they will love ,god4 ,that was to be their reward4 ,they were to have other rewards beside4 ,beside loving ,god1 it would be well with them and their children1 and they would live long in the land which ,god had given them4 ,but their first reward1 their great reward1 would be that they would love ,god4 ,if they obeyed ,god1 they would have reason to love him4 ,now we commonly put this differently4 ,we say1 ,if you love ,god1 you will obey him2 which is quite true4 ,but what ,moses says is truer still1 and deeper still4 ,moses says1 ,if you obey ,god1 you will love him4 ,again we say1 ,if you love ,god1 ,god will reward you2 which is true2 though not always true in this life4 ,but ,moses says a truer and deeper thing4 ,moses says that loving ,god is our reward2 that the greatest reward1 the greatest blessing which a man can have1 is this--that the man should love ,god4 ,now does this seem strange8 ,it is not strange1 nevertheless4 ,for there are two sorts of faith2 and one must always1 ,i sometimes think1 come before the other4 ,the first is implicit faith--blind faith--the sort of faith a child has in what its parents tell it4 ,a child1 we know1 believes its parents blindly1 even though it does not understand what they tell it4 ,it takes for granted that they are right4 ,the second is experimental faith--the faith which comes from experience and reason1 when a man looks back upon his life1 and on ,god's dealings with him2 and then sees from experience what reason he has for trusting and loving ,god1 who has helped him onward through so many chances and changes for so many years4 ,now some people cry out against blind implicit faith1 as if it was childish and unreasonable4 ,but ,i cannot4 ,i think every one learns to love his neighbour1 very much as ,moses told the ,jews they would learn to love ,god2 namely1 by trusting them somewhat blindly at first4 ,is it not so8 ,is it not so always with young people1 when they begin to be fond of each other8 ,they trust each other1 they do not know why1 or how4 ,before they are married1 they have little or no experience of each other2 of each other's tempers and characters3 and yet they trust each other1 and say in their hearts1 #8,he can never be false to me2' and are ready to put their honour and fortunes into each other's hands1 to live together for better for worse1 till death them part4 ,it is a blind faith in each other1 that1 and those who will may laugh at it1 and call it the folly and rashness of youth4 ,i do not believe that ,god laughs at it3 that ,god calls it folly and rashness4 ,it surely comes from ,god4 ,for there is something in each of them worth trusting1 worth loving4 ,true1 they may be disappointed in each other2 but they need not be4 ,if they are true to themselves2 if they will listen to the better voice within1 and be true to their own better feelings1 all will be well1 and they will find after marriage that they did not do a rash and a foolish thing1 when they gave up themselves to each other1 and cast in their lot together blindly to live and die4 ,and then1 after that first blind faith and love in each other which they had before marriage1 will come1 as the years roll by1 a deeper1 sounder faith and love from experience4--,an experience of which ,i shall not talk here2 for those who have not felt it for themselves would not know what ,i mean2 and those who have felt it need no clumsy words of mine to describe it to them4 ,now1 my dear friends1 this is one of the things by which marriage is consecrated to an excellent mystery1 as the ,prayer-book says4 ,this is one of the things in which marriage is a pattern and picture of the spiritual union which is between ,christ and his ,church4 ,first1 as ,i said1 comes blind faith4 ,a young person1 setting out in life1 has little experience of ,god's love2 he has little to make him sure that the way of life1 and honour1 and peace1 is to obey ,god's laws4 ,but he is told so4 ,his ,bible tells him so4 ,wiser and older people than he tell him so1 and ,god himself tells him so4 ,god himself makes up in the young person's heart a desire after goodness4 ,then he takes it for granted blindly4 ,he says to himself1 ,i can but try4 ,they tell me to taste and see whether the ,lord is gracious4 ,i will taste4 ,they tell me that the way of his commandments is the way to make life worth loving1 and to see good days4 ,i will try4 ,and so the years go by4 ,the young person has grown middle-aged1 old4 ,he or she has been through many trials1 many disappointments2 perhaps more than one bitter loss4 ,but if they have held fast by ,god2 if they have tried1 however clumsily1 to keep ,god's law1 and walk in ,god's way1 then there will have grown up in them a trust in ,god1 and a love for ,god1 deeper and broader far than any which they had in youth2 a love grounded on experience4 ,they can point back to so many blessings which the ,lord gave them unexpectedly2 to so many sorrows which the ,lord gave them strength to bear1 though they seemed at first sight past bearing2 to so many disappointments which seemed ill luck at the time1 and yet which turned out good for them in the end4 ,and so comes a deep1 reasonable love to their ,heavenly ,father4 ,now they have tasted that the ,lord is gracious4 ,now they can say1 with the ,samaritans1 #8,now we believe1 not because of thy saying1 but because we have heard him ourselves1 and know that this is indeed the ,christ1 the ,saviour of the world4' ,and when sadness and affliction come on them1 as it must come1 they can look back1 and so get strength to look forward4 ,they can say with ,david1 #8,i will go on in the strength of the ,lord ,god4 ,i will make mention only of his righteousness4 ,oh my ,god1 thou hast taught me from my youth up until now2 hitherto have ,i declared thy wondrous works4 ,now also1 when ,i am old and grey-headed1 oh ,lord1 forsake me not1 till ,i have showed thy strength unto this generation1 and thy power to those whom ,i leave behind me4' ,and so1 by remembering what ,god has been to them1 they can face what is coming4 #8,they will not be afraid of evil tidings1' as ,david says2 #8for their heart is fixed1 trusting in the ,lord4' ,and when old age comes1 and brings weakness and sickness1 and low spirits1 still they have comfort4 ,they can say with ,david again1 #8,i have been young1 and now am old1 but never saw ,i the righteous forsaken1 nor his seed begging their bread4' ,oh my dear friends1 young people especially--there are many things which you may long for which you cannot have3 much happiness which is not within your reach4 ,but this you can have1 if you will but long for it3 this happiness is within your reach1 if you will but put out your hand and take it4--,the everlasting unfailing comfort of loving ,god1 and of knowing that ,god loves you4 ,oh choose that now at once4 ,choose ,god's ways which are pleasantness1 and ,god's paths which are peace2 and then in your old age1 whether you become rich or poor1 whether you are left alone1 or go down to your grave in peace with children and grandchildren to close your eyes1 you will still have the one great reward1 the true reward1 the everlasting reward which ,moses promised the old ,israelites4 ,you will have reason to love ,god1 who has carried you safe through life1 and will carry you safe through death1 and to say with all his saints and martyrs1 #8,many things ,i know not2 and many things ,i have lost3 but this ,i know4--,i know in whom ,i have believed2 and this ,i cannot lose2 even ,god himself1 whose name is faithful and true4' ,,sermon ,x4 ,,the ,,race ,,of ,,life4 ,,john i4 #bf4 ,there standeth one among you whom ye know not4 ,,this is a solemn text4 ,it warns us1 and yet it comforts us4 ,it tells us that there is a person standing among us so great1 that ,john the ,baptist1 the greatest of the prophets1 was not worthy to unloose his shoes' latchet4 ,some of you know who he is4 ,some of you1 perhaps1 do not4 ,if you know him1 you will be glad to be reminded of him to-day4 ,if you do not know him1 ,i will tell you who he is4 ,only bear this in mind1 that whether you know him or not1 he is standing among us4 ,we have not driven him away1 and cannot drive him away4 ,our not seeing him will not prevent his seeing us4 ,he is always near us2 ready1 if we ask him1 as the ,collect bids us1 to #8come among us1 and with great might succour us4' ,for1 my friends1 this is the meaning of the text1 as far as it has to do with us4 ,the noble ,collect for to-day tells this1 and explains to us what we are to think of the ,epistle and the ,gospel4 ,the ,epistle tells us that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is at hand1 and that therefore we are to fret about nothing1 but make our requests known to him4 ,the ,gospel tells us that he stands among us4 ,the ,collect tells us what we are to do1 because he is at hand1 because he stands among us4 ,and what are we to do8 ,recollect my friends1 what ,john the ,baptist said1 according to ,st4 ,matthew1 after the words in the text--#8,he shall baptize you with the ,holy ,ghost1 and with fire4' ,the ,collect asks him to do that--the first half of it at least4 ,to baptize us with the ,holy ,ghost1 lest he should need to baptize us with fire4 ,for the ,collect says1 we have all a race to run4 ,we have all a journey to make through life4 ,we have all so to get through this world1 that we shall inherit the world to come2 so to pass through the things of time 7as one of the ,collects says7 that we finally lose not the things eternal4 ,god has given each of us our powers and character1 marked out for each of us our path in life1 set each of us our duty to do4 ,but how shall we make the proper use of our powers8 ,how shall we keep to our path in life8 ,how shall we do our duty faithfully8 ,in short1 so as ,st4 ,paul puts it--,how shall we run our race1 so as not to lose1 but to win it8 ,for the ,collect says--and we ought to have found it out for ourselves before now--,our sins and wickedness hinder us sorely in running the race which is set before us4 ,our sins and wickedness4 ,the ,collect speaks of these as two different things2 and ,i believe rightly1 for the ,new ,testament speaks of them as two different things4 ,sin1 in the ,new ,testament1 means strictly what we call 8failings10 8defects0 a missing the mark1 a falling short2 as it is written--,all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god1 that is1 of the likeness of a perfect man4 #ge ,thus1 stupidity1 laziness1 cowardice1 bad temper1 greediness after pleasure--these are strictly speaking what the ,new ,testament calls sins4 ,wickedness--iniquity--seem to be harder words1 and to mean worse offences4 ,they mean the evil things which a man does1 not out of the weakness of his mortal nature1 but out of his own wicked will1 and what the ,bible calls the naughtiness of his heart4 ,so wickedness means1 not merely open crimes which are punishable by the law1 but all which comes out of a man's own wilfulness and perverseness--injustice 7which is the first meaning of iniquity71 cunning1 falsehood1 covetousness1 pride1 self-conceit1 tyranny1 cruelty--these seem to be what the ,scripture calls wickedness4 ,of course one cannot draw the line exactly1 in any matters so puzzling as questions about our own souls must always be3 but on the whole4 ,i think you will find this rule not far wrong-- ,that all which comes from the weakness of a man's soul1 is sin3 all which comes from abusing its strength1 is wickedness4 ,all which drags a man down1 and makes him more like a brute animal1 is sin3 all which puffs him up1 and makes him more like a devil1 is wickedness4 ,it is as well to bear this in mind1 because a man may have a great horror of sin1 and be hard enough1 and too hard upon poor sinners2 and yet all the time he may be thoroughly1 and to his heart's core1 a wicked man4 ,the ,pharisees of old were so4 ,so they are now4 ,take you care that you be not like to them4 ,keep clear of sin3 but keep clear of wickedness likewise4 ,for1 says the ,collect1 both will hinder you in your race3 perhaps cause you to break down in it1 and never reach the goal at all4 ,sin will hinder you1 by dragging you back4 ,wickedness will hinder you1 by putting you altogether out of the right road4 ,if a man be laden with sins2 stupid1 lazy1 careless1 over fond of pleasure2--much more1 if he be given up to enjoying himself in bad ways1 about which we all know too well--then he is like a man who starts in a race1 weak1 crippled1 over-weighted1 or not caring whether he wins or loses2 and who therefore lags behind1 or grows tired1 or looks round1 and wants to stop and amuse himself1 instead of pushing on stoutly and bravely4 ,and therefore ,st4 ,paul bids us lay aside every weight 7that is every bad habit which makes us lazy and careless71 and the sin which does so easily beset us1 and run with patience our appointed race1 looking to ,jesus1 the author of our faith--who stands by to give us faith1 confidence1 courage to go on--,jesus1 who has compassion on those who are ignorant1 and out of the way by no wilfulness of their own2 who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities2 who can help us1 can deliver us1 and who will do what he can1 and do all he can4 ,he can and will strengthen us1 freshen us1 encourage us1 inspirit us1 by giving us his ,holy ,spirit1 that we may have spirit and power to run our race1 day by day1 and tide by tide4 ,and so1 if he sees us weak and fainting over our work1 he will baptize us with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and yet there are times when he will baptize a sinner not only with the ,holy ,ghost1 but with fire--,i am still speaking1 mind1 of a sinner1 not of a wicked man4 ,and when8 ,when he sees the man sitting down by the roadside to play1 with no intention of moving on4 ,i do not say--if he sees the man sitting down to play at all4 ,god forbid6 ,how can a man run his life-long race--how can he even keep up for a week1 a day1 at doing his best at the full stretch of his power1 without stopping to take breath8 ,i cannot1 ,god knows4 ,if any man can--be it so4 ,some are stronger than others3 but be sure of this2 that ,god counts it no sin in a man to stop and take breath4 #8,press forward toward the mark of your high calling1' ,st4 ,paul says3 but he does not forbid a man to refresh and amuse himself harmlessly and rationally1 from time to time1 with all the pleasant things which ,god has put into this world4 ,they do refresh us1 and they do amuse us1 these pleasant things4 ,and ,god made them1 and put them here4 ,surely he put them here to refresh and amuse us4 ,he did not surely put them here to trap us1 and snare us1 and tempt us not to run the very race which he himself has set before us8 ,no1 no1 my friends4 ,he made pleasant things to please us1 amusing things to amuse us4 ,every good gift comes from him4 ,but if a man thinks of nothing but amusing himself1 he is like a horse who stands still in the middle of a journey1 and begins feeding4 ,let him do his day's journey1 and feed afterwards2 and so get strength for his next day's work4 ,but if he will stand still1 and feed2 if he will forget that he has any work at all to do2 then we shall punish him1 to make him go on4 ,and so will ,god do with us4 ,he will strike us then2 and sharply too4 ,much more1 if a man gives himself up to sinful pleasure2 if he gives himself up to a loose and profligate life1 and1 like many a young man1 wastes his substance in riotous living1 and devours his heavenly ,father's gifts with harlots--then ,god will strike that man2 and all the more sharply the more worth and power there is in the man4 ,the more ,god has given the man1 the sharper will be ,god's stroke1 if he deserves it4 ,and why8 ,ask yourselves4 ,suppose that your horse had plunged into a deep ditch1 and was lying there in mire and thorns2 would you not strike him1 and sharply too1 to make him put out his whole strength1 and rise1 and by one great struggle clear himself8 ,of course you would3 and the more spirited1 the more powerful the animal was1 the sharper you would be with him1 because the more sure you would be that he could answer to your call if he chose4 ,even so does ,god with us4 ,if he sees us lying down2 forgetting utterly that we have any work or duty to do2 and wallowing in the mire of fleshly lusts1 and thorns of worldly cares1 then he will strike2 and all the more sharply1 the more real worth or power there is in us2 that he may rouse us1 and force us to exert ourselves and by one great struggle1 like the mired horse1 clear ourselves out of the sin which besets us1 and holds us down1 and leap1 as it were1 once and for all1 out of the death of sin1 into the life of righteousness4 ,but much more if there be not merely sin in us1 but wickedness2 self-will1 self-conceit1 and rebellion4 ,for see1 my friends4 ,if we were training a young animal1 how should we treat it8 ,if it were merely weak1 we should strengthen and exercise it4 ,if it were merely ignorant1 we should teach it4 ,if it were lazy1 we should begin to punish it2 but gently1 that it might still have confidence1 faith in us1 and pleasure in its work4 ,but if we found wickedness in it--vice1 as we rightly call it--if it became restive1 that is1 rebellious and self-willed1 then we should punish it indeed4 ,seldom1 perhaps1 but very sharply2 that it might see clearly that we were the stronger1 and that rebellion was of no use at all4 ,and so does the ,lord with us1 my friends4 ,if we will not go his way by kindness1 he will make us go by severity4 ,first1 when we are christened1 and after that day by day1 if we ask him--and often when we ask him not--he gives us the gentle baptism of his ,holy ,spirit1 freshening1 strengthening1 encouraging1 inspiriting4 ,but if we will not go on well for that2 if we will rebel1 and try our own way1 and rush out of ,god's road after this and that1 in pride and self-will1 as if we were our own masters2 then1 my friends--then will ,god baptize us with fire1 and strike with a blow which goes nigh to cut a man in two4 ,very seldom he strikes2 for he is pitiful1 and of tender mercy3 but with a rod as of fire1 of which it is written1 that it is sharper than a two-edged sword1 and pierces through the joints and marrow4 ,very seldom3 but very sharply1 that there may be no mistake about what the blow means1 and that the man may know1 however cunning1 or proud1 or self-righteous he may be1 that ,god is the ,lord1 ,god is his ,master1 and will be obeyed2 and woe to him1 if he obey him not4 ,and what can a man do then1 but writhe in the bitterness of his soul1 and get back into ,god's highway as fast as he can1 in fear and trembling lest the next blow cut him in asunder8 ,and so1 by the bitterness of disappointment1 or bereavement1 or sickness1 or poverty1 or worst of all1 of shame1 will the ,lord baptize the man with fire4 ,but all in love1 my friends2 and all for the man's good4 ,does ,god like to punish his creatures8 like to torment them8 ,some think that he does1 and say that he finds what they call #8satisfaction' in punishing4 ,i think that they mistake the devil for ,god4 ,no1 my friends2 what does he say himself8 #8,have ,i any pleasure in the death of the wicked2 and not rather that he should turn from his ways1 and live8' ,surely he has not4 ,if he had1 do you think that he would have sent us into this world at all8 ,i do not4 ,and ,i trust and hope that you will not4 ,believe that even when he cuts us to the heart's core1 and baptizes us with fire1 he does it only out of his eternal love1 that he may help and deliver us all the more speedily4 ,for ,god's sake--for ,christ's sake--for your own sake--keep that in mind1 that ,christ's will1 and therefore ,god's will1 is to help and deliver us2 that he stands by us1 and comes among us1 for that very purpose4 ,consider ,st4 ,paul's parable1 in which he talks of us as men running a race1 and of ,christ as the judge who looks on to see how we run4 ,but for what purpose does ,christ look on8 ,to catch us out1 as we say8 ,to mark down every fault of ours1 and punish wherever he has an opportunity or a reason8 ,does he stand there spying1 frowning1 fault-finding1 accusing every man in his turn1 extreme to watch what is done amiss8 ,if an earthly judge did that1 we should call him--what he would be--an ill-conditioned man4 ,but dare we fancy anything ill-conditioned in ,god8 ,god forbid6 ,his conditions are altogether good1 and his will a good will to men2 and therefore1 say the ,epistle and the ,collect1 we ought not to be terrified1 but to rejoice1 at the thought that the ,lord is looking on4 ,however badly we are running our race1 yet if we are trying to move forward at all1 we ought to rejoice that ,god in ,christ is looking on4 ,and why8 ,why8 ,because he is looking on1 not to torment1 but to help4 ,because he loves us better than we love ourselves4 ,because he is more anxious for us to get safely through this world than we are ourselves4 ,will you understand that1 and believe that1 once for all1 my friends8--,that ,god is not against you1 but for you1 in the struggles of life2 that he wants you to get through safe2 wants you to succeed2 wants you to win2 and that therefore he will help you1 and hear your cry4 ,and therefore when you find yourselves wrong1 utterly wrong1 do not cry to this man or that man1 #8,do you help me2 do you set me a little more right1 before ,god comes and finds me in the wrong1 and punishes me4' ,cry to ,god himself1 to ,christ himself2 ask him to lift you up1 ask him to set you right4 ,do not be like ,st4 ,peter before his conversion1 and cry1 #8,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord2 wait a little1 till ,i have risen up1 and washed off my stains1 and made myself somewhat fit to be seen4'--,no4 ,cry1 #8,come quickly1 ,o ,lord--at once1 just because ,i am a sinful man2 just because ,i am sore let and hindered in running my race by my own sins and wickedness2 because ,i am lazy and stupid2 because ,i am perverse and vicious1 therefore raise up thy power1 and come to me1 thy miserable creature1 thy lost child1 and with thy great might succour me4 ,lift me up for ,i have fallen very low2 deliver me1 for ,i have plunged out of thy sound and safe highway into deep mire1 where no ground is4 ,help myself ,i cannot1 and if thou help me not1 ,i am undone4' ,do so4 ,pray so4 ,let your sins and wickedness be to you not a reason for hiding from ,christ who stands by2 but a reason1 the reason of all reasons1 for crying to ,christ who stands by4 ,and then1 whether he deliver you by kind means or by sharp ones1 deliver you he will2 and set your feet on firm ground1 and order your goings1 that you may run with patience the race which is set before you along the road of life1 and the pathway of ,god's commandments1 wherein there is no death4 ,this1 my friends1 is one of the meanings of ,advent4 ,this is the meaning of the ,collect1 the ,epistle1 and the ,gospel4--,that ,god in ,christ stands by us1 ready to help and deliver us2 and that if we cry to him even out of the lowest depth1 he will hear our voice4 ,and that then1 when he has once put us into the right road again1 and sees us going bravely along it to the best of the power which he has given us1 he will fulfil to us his eternal promise1 #8,thy sins--and not only thy sins1 but thine iniquities--,i will remember no more4' ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,,self-,,respect ,,and ,,self-,,righteousness4 ,,psalm vii4 #h4 ,give sentence for me1 ,o ,lord1 according to my righteousness2 and according to the innocency that is in me4 ,,is this speech self-righteous8 ,if so1 it is a bad speech2 for self-righteousness is a bad temper of mind2 there are few worse4 ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4 ,if we confess our sins1 ,god is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 ,if we say that we have not sinned1 we make him a liar4 ,this is plain enough2 and true as ,god is true4 ,but there is another temper of mind which is right in its way2 and which is not self-righteousness1 though it may look like it at first sight4 ,i mean the temper of ,job1 when his friends were trying to prove to him that he must be a bad man1 and to make him accuse himself of all sorts of sins which he had not committed2 and he answered that he would utter no deceit1 and tell no lies about himself4 #8,till ,i die ,i will not remove mine integrity from me2 my righteousness ,i will hold fast1 and will not let it go2 my heart shall not reproach me as long as ,i live4' ,i have1 on the whole1 tried to be a good man1 and ,i will not make myself out a bad one4 ,for1 my friends1 with the ,bible as with everything else1 we must hear both sides of the question1 lest we understand neither side4 ,we may misuse ,st4 ,john's doctrine1 that if we say we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves4 ,we may deceive ourselves in the very opposite way4 ,in the first place1 some people1 having learnt that it is right to confess their sins1 try to have as many sins as possible to confess4 ,i do not mean that they commit the sins1 but that they try to fancy they have committed them4 ,this is very common now1 and has been for many hundred years1 especially among young women and lads who are of a weakly melancholy temper1 or who have suffered some great disappointment4 ,they are fond of accusing themselves2 of making little faults into great ones2 of racking their memories to find themselves out in the wrong2 of taking the darkest possible view of themselves1 and of what is going to happen to them4 ,they forget that ,solomon1 the wise1 when he says1 #8,be not over-much wicked2 neither be thou foolish--why shouldst thou die before thy time8'--says also1 #8,be not righteous over-much2 neither make thyself over-wise4 ,why shouldst thou destroy thyself8' ,for such people do destroy themselves4 ,i have seen them kill their own bodies1 and die early1 by this folly4 ,and ,i have seen them kill their own souls1 too1 and enter into strong delusions1 till they believe a lie1 and many lies1 from which one had hoped that the ,bible would have delivered any and every man4 ,one cannot be angry with such people4 ,one can only pity them1 and pity them all the more1 when one finds them generally the most innocent1 the very persons who have least to confess4 ,one can but pity them1 when one sees them applying to themselves ,god's warnings against sins of which they never even heard the names1 and fancying that ,god speaks to them1 as ,st4 ,paul says that he did to the old heathen ,romans1 when they were steeped up to the lips in every crime4 ,no--one can do more than pity them4 ,one can pray for them that they may learn to know ,god1 and who he is3 and by knowing him1 may be delivered out of the hands of cunning and cruel teachers1 who make a market of their melancholy1 and hide from them the truth about ,god1 lest the truth should make them free1 while their teachers wish to keep them slaves4 ,this is one misuse of ,st4 ,john's doctrine4 ,there is another and a far worse misuse of it4 ,a man may be proud of confessing his sins2 may become self-righteous and conceited1 according to the number of the sins which he confesses4 ,so deceitful is this same human heart of ours1 that so it is ,i have seen people quite proud of calling themselves miserable sinners4 ,i say1 proud of it4 ,for if they had really felt themselves miserable sinners1 they would have said less about their own feelings4 ,if a man really feels what sin is--if he feels what a miserable1 pitiful1 mean thing it is to be doing wrong when one knows better1 to be the slave of one's own tempers1 passions1 appetites--oh1 if man or woman ever knew the exceeding sinfulness of sin1 he would hide his own shame in the depths of his heart1 and tell it to ,god alone1 or at most to none on earth save the holiest1 the wisest1 the trustiest1 the nearest and the dearest4 ,but when one hears a man always talking about his own sinfulness1 one suspects--and from experience one has only too much reason to suspect--that he is simply saying in a civil way1 #8,i am a better man than you2 for ,i talk about my sinfulness1 and you do not4' ,for if you answer such a man1 as old ,job or ,david would have done1 #8,i will not confess what ,i have not felt4 ,i have tried and am trying to be an upright1 respectable1 sober1 right-living man4 ,let ,god judge me according to the innocency that is in me4 ,i know that ,i am not perfect3 no man is that3 but ,i will not cant2 ,i will not be a hypocrite2 and if ,i accuse myself of sins which ,i have not committed1 it seems to me that ,i shall be mocking ,god1 and deceiving myself4 ,i will trust to ,god to judge me fairly1 to balance between the good and the evil which is in me1 and deal with me accordingly4' ,if you speak in that way1 the other man will answer you plainly enough1 #8,ah6 you are utterly benighted4 ,you are building on legality and morality4 ,you have not yet learnt the first principles of the ,gospel4' ,and with these1 and other words1 will give you to understand this--,that he thinks he is going to heaven1 and you are going to hell4 ,now1 my dear friends1 you are partly right1 and he is partly right4 ,st4 ,paul will show you where you are right and where he is right4 ,he does so1 ,i think1 in a certain noble text of his in which he says1 #8,i judge not mine own self2 for ,i know nothing against myself1 yet am ,i not hereby justified3 but he that judgeth me is the ,lord4' ,now remember that no man was less self-righteous than ,st4 ,paul4 ,no man ever saw more clearly the sinfulness of sin4 ,no man ever put into words so strongly the struggle between good and evil which goes on in the human heart4 ,in one place1 even1 when speaking of his former life1 he calls himself the chief of sinners4 ,yet ,st4 ,paul1 when he had done his duty1 knew that he had done it1 and was not afraid to say--as no honest and upright man need be afraid to say--#8,i know nothing against myself4' ,for if you have done right1 my friend1 it is ,god who has helped you to do it2 and it is difficult to see how you can honour ,god1 by pretending instead that he has left you to do wrong4 ,this1 then1 seems to be the rule4 ,if you have done wrong1 be not afraid to confess it4 ,if you have done right1 be not afraid to confess that either4 ,and meanwhile keep up your self-respect4 ,try to do your duty4 ,try to keep your honour bright4 ,let no man be able to say that he is the worse for you4 ,still more let no woman be able to say that she is the worse for you2 for if you treat another man's daughter as you would not let him treat yours1 where is your honour then1 or your clear conscience8 ,what cares man1 what cares ,god1 for your professions of uprightness and respectability1 if you take good care to behave well to men1 who can defend themselves1 and take no care to behave well to a poor girl1 who cannot defend herself8 ,recollect that when ,job stood up for his own integrity1 and would not give up his belief that he was a righteous man1 he took care to justify himself in this matter1 as well as on others4 #8,i made a covenant with mine eyes1' he says2 #8why then should ,i think upon a maid8 ,if mine heart have been deceived by a woman2 or if ,i have laid wait at my neighbour's door2' #8,then1' he says in words too strong for me to repeat1 #8let others do to my wife as ,i have done to theirs4' ,avoid this sin1 and all sins4 ,let no man be able to say that you have defrauded him1 that you have tyrannized over him2 that you have neglected to do your duty by him4 ,let no man be able to say that you have rewarded him evil for evil4 ,if possible1 let him not be able to say that you have even lost your temper with him4 ,be generous2 be forgiving4 ,if you have an opportunity1 be like ,david1 and help him who without a cause is your enemy2 and then you will have a right to say1 like ,david1 #8,give sentence with me1 ,o ,lord1 according to my righteousness1 and according to the cleanness of my hands in thy sight4' ,true--that will not justify you4 ,in ,god's sight shall no man living be justified1 if justification is to come by having no faults4 ,what man is there who lives1 and sins not8 ,who is there among us1 but knows that he is not the man he might be8 ,who does not know1 that even if he seldom does what he ought not1 he too often leaves undone what he ought8 ,and more than that--none of us but does many a really wrong thing of which he never knows1 at least in this life4 ,none of us but are blind1 more or less1 to our own faults2 and often blind--,god forgive us6--to our very worst faults4 ,then let us remember1 that he who judges us is the ,lord4 ,now is that a thought to be afraid of8 ,david did not think so1 when he had done right4 ,for he says1 in this ,psalm1 #8,judge me1 ,o ,lord6' ,and when he has done wrong1 he thinks so still less2 for then he asks ,god all the more earnestly1 not only to judge him1 but to correct him likewise4 #8,purge me1' he says1 #8and ,i shall be clean4 ,cleanse thou me from my secret faults1 and make me to understand wisdom secretly4 ,for thou requirest truth in the inward parts4' ,that is bravely spoken1 and worthy of an honest man1 who wishes above all things to be right1 whatsoever it may cost him4 ,but how did ,david get courage to ask that8 ,by knowing ,god1 and who ,god was4 ,for this1 my friends1 is the key to the whole matter--as it is to all matters--,who is ,god8 ,if you believe ,god to be a hard task-master1 and a cruel being1 extreme to mark what is done amiss1 an accuser like the devil1 instead of a forgiver and a ,saviour1 as he really is2--then you will begin judging yourself wrongly and clumsily1 instead of asking ,god to judge you wisely and well4 ,you will break both of the golden rules which ,st4 ,anthony1 the famous hermit1 used to give to his scholars4--#8,regret not that which is past2 and trust not in thine own righteousness4' ,for you will lose time1 and lose heart1 in fretting over old sins and follies1 instead of confessing them once and for all to ,god1 and going boldly to his throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help you in the time of need2 that you may try again and do better for the future4 ,and so it will be true of you--,i am sure ,i have seen it come true of many a poor soul--what ,david found1 before he found out the goodness of ,god's free pardon3--#8,while ,i held my tongue1 my bones waxed old through my daily complaining4 ,for thy hand was heavy upon me night and day2 my moisture was like the drought in summer4' ,and all that while 7such contradictory creatures are we all71 you may be breaking ,st4 ,anthony's other golden rule1 and trusting in your own righteousness4 ,you will begin trying to cleanse yourself from little outside faults1 and fancying that that is all you have to do1 instead of asking ,god to cleanse you from your secret faults1 from the deep inward faults which he alone can see2 forgetting that they are the root1 and the outside faults only the fruit4 ,and so you will be like a foolish sick man1 who is afraid of the doctor1 and therefore tries to physic himself4 ,but what does he do8 ,only tamper and peddle with the outside symptoms of his complaint1 instead of going to the physician1 that he may find out and cure the complaint itself4 ,many a man has killed his own body in that way2 and many a man more1 ,i fear1 has killed his own soul1 because he was afraid of going to the ,great ,physician4 ,but if you will believe that ,god is good1 and not evil2 if you will believe that the heavenly ,father is indeed your ,father2 if you will believe that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ really loves you1 really died to save you1 really wishes to deliver you from your sins1 and make you what you ought to be1 and what you can be3 then you will have heart to do your duty2 because you will be sure that ,god helps you to do your duty4 ,you will have heart to fight bravely against your bad habits1 instead of fretting cowardly over them2 because you know that ,god is fighting against them for you4 ,you will not1 on the other hand1 trust in your own righteousness2 because you will soon learn that you have no righteousness of your own3 but that all the good in you comes from ,god1 who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure4 ,and when you examine yourself1 and think over your own life and character1 as every man ought to do1 especially in ,advent and ,lent1 you will have heart to say1 #8,o ,god1 thou knowest how far ,i am right1 and how far wrong4 ,i leave myself in thy hand1 certain that thou wilt deal fairly1 justly1 lovingly with me1 as a ,father with his son4 ,i do not pretend to be better than ,i am3 neither will ,i pretend to be worse than ,i am4 ,truly1 ,i know nothing about it4 ,i1 ignorant human being that ,i am1 can never fully know how far ,i am right1 and how far wrong4 ,i find light and darkness fighting together in my heart1 and ,i cannot divide between them4 ,but thou canst4 ,thou knowest4 ,thou hast made me2 thou lovest me2 thou hast sent thy ,son into the world to make me what ,i ought to be2 and therefore ,i believe that he will make me what ,i ought to be4 ,thou willest not that ,i should perish1 but come to the knowledge of the truth3 and therefore ,i believe that ,i shall not perish1 but come to the knowledge of the truth about thee1 about my own character1 my own duty1 about everything which it is needful for me to know4 ,and therefore ,i will go boldly on1 doing my duty as well as ,i can1 though not perfectly1 day by day2 and asking thee day by day to feed my soul with its daily bread4 ,thou feedest my soul with its daily bread4 ,how much more then wilt thou feed my mind and my heart1 more precious by far than my body8 ,yes1 ,i will trust thee for soul and for body alike2 and if ,i need correcting for my sins1 ,i am sure at least of this1 that the worst thing that can happen to me or any man1 is to do wrong and not to be corrected2 and the best thing is to be set right1 even by hard blows1 as often as ,i stray out of the way4 ,and therefore ,i will take my punishment quietly and manfully1 and try to thank thee for it1 as ,i ought2 for ,i know that thou wilt not punish me beyond what ,i deserve1 but far below what ,i deserve2 and that thou wilt punish me only to bring me to myself1 and to correct me1 and purge me1 and strengthen me4 ,for this ,i believe--on the warrant of thine own word ,i believe it--undeserved as the honour is1 that thou art my ,father1 and lovest me2 and dost not afflict any man willingly1 or grieve the children of men out of passion or out of spite2 and that thou willest not that ,i should be damned1 nor any man2 but willest have all men saved1 and come to the knowledge of the truth4 ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,,true ,,repentance4 ,,ezekiel xviii4 #bg4 ,when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed1 and doeth that which is lawful and right1 he shall save his soul alive4 ,,we hear a great deal about repentance1 and how necessary it is for a man to repent of his sins2 for unless a man repent1 he cannot be forgiven4 ,but do we all of us really know what repentance means8 ,i sometimes fear not4 ,i sometimes fear1 that though this text stands at the opening of the ,church service1 and though people hear it as often as any text in the whole ,bible1 yet they have not really learnt the lesson which ,god sends them by it4 ,what1 then1 does repentance mean8 #8,being sorry for what we have done wrong1' say some4 ,but is that all8 ,i suppose there are few wicked things done upon earth1 for which the doers of them are not sorry1 sooner or later4 ,a man does a wrong thing1 and his conscience pricks him1 and makes him uneasy1 and he says in his heart1 #8,i wish after all ,i had left that alone4' ,but the next time he is tempted to do the same thing1 he does it1 and is ashamed of himself afterwards again3 but that is not repentance4 ,i suppose that there have been few murders committed in the world1 after which sooner or later the murderer did not say in his heart--#8,ah1 that that man were alive and well again6' ,but that is not repentance4 ,for aught ,i can tell1 the very devil is sorry for his sin2--discontented1 angry with himself1 ashamed of himself for being a devil4 ,he may be so to all eternity1 and yet never repent4 ,for the dark uneasy feeling which comes over every man sooner or later1 after doing wrong1 is not repentance2 it is remorse2 the most horrible and miserable of all feelings1 when it comes upon a man in its full strength2 the feeling of hating oneself1 being at war with oneself1 and with all the world1 and with ,god who made it4 ,but that will save no man's soul alive4 ,repentance will save any and every soul alive1 then and there3 but remorse will not4 ,remorse may only kill him4 ,kill his body1 by making him1 as many a poor creature has done1 put an end to himself in sheer despair3 and kill his soul at least1 by making him say in his heart1 #8,well1 if bad ,i am1 bad ,i must be4 ,i hate myself1 and ,god hates me also4 ,all ,i can do is1 to forget my unhappiness if ,i can1 in business1 in pleasure1 in drink1 and drive remorse out of my head2' and often a man succeeds in so doing4 ,the first time he does a wrong thing1 he feels sorry and ashamed after it4 ,then he takes courage after awhile1 and does it again2 and feels less sorrow and shame2 and so again and again1 till the sin becomes easier and easier to him1 and his conscience grows more and more dull2 till at last perhaps1 the feeling of its being wrong quite dies within--and that is the death of his soul4 ,but of true repentance1 it is written1 that he who repents shall save his soul alive4 ,and how8 ,the word for repentance in ,scripture means simply a change of mind4 ,to change one's mind is1 in ,scripture words1 to repent4 ,now if a man changes his mind1 he changes his conduct also4 ,if you set out to go to a place and change your mind1 then you do not go there4 ,if as you go on1 you begin to have doubts about its being right to go1 or to be sorry that you are going1 and still walk on in the same road1 however slowly or unwillingly1 that is not changing your mind about going4 ,if you do change your mind1 you will change your steps4 ,you will turn back1 or turn off1 and go some other road4 ,this may seem too simple to talk of4 ,but if it be1 why do not people act upon it8 ,if a man finds that in his way through life he is on the wrong road1 the road which leads to shame1 and sorrow1 and death and hell1 why will he confess that he is on the wrong road1 and say that he is very sorry 7as perhaps he really may be7 that he is going wrong1 and yet go on1 and persevere on the wrong path8 ,at least1 as long as he keeps on the road which leads to ruin1 he has not changed his mind1 or repented at all4 ,he may find the road unpleasant1 full of thorns1 and briars1 and pit-falls2 for believe me1 however broad the road is which leads to destruction1 it is only the gate of it which is easy and comfortable2 it soon gets darker and rougher1 that road of sin2 and the further you walk along it1 the uglier and more wretched a road it is3 but all the misery which it gives to a man is only useless remorse1 unless he fairly repents1 and turns out of that road into the path which leads to life4 ,now the one great business of foolish man in all times has been to save his soul 7as he calls it7 without doing right2 to go to heaven 7as he calls it7 without walking the road which leads to heaven4 ,it is a folly and a dream4 ,for no man can get to heaven1 unless he be heavenly2 and being heavenly is simply being good1 and neither more or less4 ,and sin is death1 and no man can save his soul alive1 while it is dead in sin4 ,still men have been trying to do it in all ages and countries2 and as soon as one plan has failed1 they have tried some new one2 and have invented some false repentance which was to serve instead of the true one4 ,the old ,jews seem to have thought that the repentance which ,god required was burnt-offerings and sacrifices3 that if they could only offer bullocks and goats enough on ,god's altar1 he would forgive them their sins4 ,but ,david1 and ,isaiah after him1 and ,ezekiel after him1 found out that that was but a dream2 that that sort of repentance would save no man's soul2 that ,god did not require burnt-offerings and sacrifice for sin3 but simply that a man should do right and not wrong4 #8,when ye come before me1' saith the ,lord1 #8who has required this at your hand1 to tread my courts8' ,they were to bring no more vain offerings3 but to put away the evil of their doings2 to cease to do evil1 to learn to do well2 to seek justice1 relieve the oppressed1 judge the fatherless1 plead for the widow2 and then1 and then only1 though their sins were as scarlet1 they should be white as snow4 ,for ,god would take them for what they were--as good1 if they were good2 as bad1 if they were bad4 ,and this agrees exactly with the text4 #8,when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed1 and doeth that which is lawful and right1 he shall save his soul alive4' ,the ,papists again1 thought that the repentance which ,god required1 was for a man to punish himself bitterly for his sins2 to starve and torture himself1 to give up all that makes life pleasant1 and so to atone4 ,and good and pious men and women1 with a real hatred and horror of sin1 tried this3 but they found that making themselves miserable took away their sins no more than burnt-offerings and sacrifices would do it4 ,their consciences were not relieved2 they gained no feeling of comfort1 no assurance of ,god's love4 ,then they said1 #8,i have not punished myself enough4 ,i have not made myself miserable enough4 ,i will try whether more torture and misery will not wipe out my sins4' ,and so they tried again1 and failed again1 and then tried harder still1 till many a noble man and woman in old times killed themselves piecemeal by slow torments1 in trying to atone for their sins1 and wash out in their own blood what was already washed out in the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but on the whole1 that was found to be a failure4 ,and now the great mass of the ,papists have fallen back on the wretched notion that repentance merely means confessing their sins to a priest1 and receiving absolution from him1 and doing some little penance too childish to speak of here4 ,but is there no false repentance among us ,english1 too1 my friends8 ,no paltry substitute for the only true repentance which ,god will accept1 which is1 turning round and doing right8 ,how many there are1 who feel--#8,i am very wrong4 ,i am very sinful4 ,i am on the road to hell4 ,i am quarrelling and losing my temper1 and using bad language4--,or--,i am cheating my neighbour4 ,or--,i am living in adultery and drunkenness3 ,i must repent before it is too late4' ,but what do they mean by repenting8 ,coming as often as they can to church or chapel1 and reading all the religious books which they can get hold of3 till they come1 from often reading and hearing about the ,gospel promises1 to some confused notion that their sins are washed away in ,christ's blood2 or perhaps1 on the strength of some violent feelings1 believe that they are converted all on a sudden1 and clothed with the robe of ,christ's righteousness1 and renewed by ,god's ,spirit1 and that now they belong to the number of believers1 and are among ,god's elect4 ,now1 my dear friends1 ,i complain of no one going to hear all the good they can2 ,i complain of no one reading all the religious books they can3 but ,i think--and more1 ,i know--that hearing sermons and reading tracts may be1 and is often1 turned into a complete snare of the devil by people who do not wish to give up their sins and do right1 but only want to be comfortable in their sins4 ,hear sermons if you will2 read good books if you will3 but bear in mind1 that you know already quite enough to lead you to repentance4 ,you need neither book nor sermon to teach you those ten commandments which hang here over the communion table3 all that books and tracts and sermons can do is to teach you how to keep those commandments in spirit and in truth3 but ,i am sure ,i have seen people read books1 and run about to sermons1 in order to enable them to forget those ten commandments2 in order to find excuses for not keeping them2 and to find doctrines which tell them1 that because ,christ has done all1 they need do nothing2--only feel a little thankfulness1 and a little sorrow for sin1 and a little liking to hear about religion3 and call that repentance1 and conversion1 and the renewal of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,now1 my dear friends1 let me ask you as reasonable beings1 ,do you think that hearing me or any man preach1 can save your souls alive8 ,do you think that sitting over a book for an hour a day1 or all day long1 will save your souls alive8 ,do you think that your sins are washed away in ,christ's blood1 when they are there still1 and you are committing them8 ,would they be here1 and you doing them1 if they were put away8 ,do you think that your sins can be put away out of ,god's sight1 if they are not even put out of your own sight8 ,if you are doing wrong1 do you think that ,god will treat you as if you were doing right8 ,cannot ,god see in you what you see in yourselves8 ,do you think a man can be clothed in ,christ's righteousness at the very same time that he is clothed in his own unrighteousness8 ,can he be good and bad at once8 ,do you think a man can be converted--that is turned round--when he is going on his old road the whole week8 ,do you think that a man has repented--that is1 changed his mind--when he is in just the same mind as ever as to how he shall behave to his family1 his customers1 and everybody with whom he has to do8 ,do you think that a man is renewed by ,god's ,spirit1 when except for a few religious phrases1 and a little more outside respectability1 he is just the old man1 the same character at heart he ever was8 ,do you think that there is any use in a man's belonging to the number of believers1 if he does not do what he believes2 or any use in thinking that ,god has elected and chosen him1 when he chooses not to do what ,god has chosen that every man must do1 or die8 ,be not deceived4 ,god is not mocked4 ,what a man sows1 that shall he reap4 ,let no man deceive you4 ,he that doeth righteousness is righteous1 even as ,christ is righteous1 and no one else4 ,he who tries to do as ,christ did1 and he only1 has ,christ's righteousness imputed to him1 because he is trying to do what ,christ did1 that which is lawful and right4 ,he who does righteousness1 and he only1 has truly repented1 changed his mind about what he should do1 and turned away from his wickedness which he has committed1 and is now doing that which is lawful and right4 ,he who does righteousness1 and he only1 shall save his soul alive3 not by feeling this thing1 or believing about that thing1 but by doing that which is lawful and right4 ,we must face it1 my dear friends4 ,we cannot deceive ,god3 and ,god will certainly not deceive himself4 ,he sees us as we are1 and takes us for what we are4 ,what is right in us1 he accepts for the salvation of ,jesus ,christ1 in whom we are created unto good works4 ,what is wrong in us1 he will assuredly punish1 and give us the exact reward of the deeds done in the body1 whether they be good or evil4 ,every work of ours shall come into judgment1 unless it be repented of1 and put away by the only true repentance--not doing the thing any more4 ,god1 ,i say1 will judge righteous judgment1 and take us as we are4 ,for the sake of ,jesus the ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world1 there is full1 free1 and perfect forgiveness for every sin1 when we give it up4 ,as soon as a man turns round1 and1 instead of doing wrong1 tries to do right1 he need be under no manner of fear or terror any more4 ,he is taken back into his ,father's house as freely and graciously as the prodigal son in the parable was4 ,whatsoever dark score there was against him in ,god's books is wiped out there and then1 and he starts clear1 a new man1 with a fresh chance of life4 ,and whosoever tells him that the score is not wiped out1 lies1 and contradicts flatly ,god's holy word4 ,but as long as a man does not give up his sins1 the dark score does stand against him in ,god's books2 and no praying1 reading1 devoutness of any kind will wipe it out2 and as long as he sins1 he is still in his sins1 and his sins will be his ruin4 ,whosoever tells him that they are wiped out1 he too lies1 and contradicts flatly ,god's holy word4 ,for ,god is just1 and true2 and therefore ,god takes us for what we are1 and will do so to all eternity2 and you will find it so1 my dearest friends4 ,in spite of all doctrines which men have invented1 and then pretended to find in the ,bible1 to drug men's consciences1 and confuse ,god's clear light in their hearts1 you will find1 now and for ever1 that if you do right you will be happy even in the midst of sorrow2 if you do wrong1 you will be miserable even in the midst of pleasure4 ,oh believe this1 my dear friends1 and do not rashly count on some sudden magical change happening to you as soon as you die to make you fit for heaven4 ,there is not one word in the ,bible which gives us reason to suppose that we shall not be in the next world the same persons which we have made ourselves in this world4 ,if we are unjust here1 we shall1 for aught we know1 or can know1 try to be unjust there2 if we be filthy here1 we shall be so there2 if we be proud here1 we shall be so there2 if we be selfish here1 we shall be so there4 ,what we sow here1 we shall reap there4 ,and it is good for us to know this1 and face this4 ,anything is good for us1 however unpleasant it may be1 which drives us from the only real misery1 which is sin and selfishness1 to the only true happiness1 which is the everlasting life of ,christ2 a pure1 loving1 just1 generous1 useful life of goodness1 which is the righteousness of ,christ1 and the glory of ,christ1 and which will be our righteousness and our glory also for ever3 but only if we live it2 only if we be useful as ,christ was1 generous as ,christ was1 just as ,christ was1 gentle as ,christ was1 pure as ,christ was1 loving as ,christ was1 and so put on ,christ1 not in name and in word1 but in spirit and in truth1 that having worn ,christ's likeness in this world1 we may share his victory over all evil in the life to come4 ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,letter ,,and ,,the ,,spirit4 7,twelfth ,sunday after ,trinity47 ,,ii ,,cor4 iii4 #f4 ,god1 who hath made us able ministers of the ,new ,testament2 not of the letter1 but of the ,spirit3 for the letter killeth1 but the ,spirit giveth life4 ,,when we look at the ,collect1 ,epistle1 and ,gospel for to-day one after the other1 we do not see1 perhaps1 what they have to do with each other4 ,but they have to do with each other4 ,they agree with each other4 ,they explain each other4 ,they all three tell us what ,god is like1 and what we are to believe about ,god1 and why we are to have faith in ,god4 ,the ,collect tells of a ,god who is more ready to hear than we are to pray2 and is #8wont to give'--that is1 usually1 and as a matter of course1 every day and all day long1 gives us--#8more than either we desire or deserve1' of a ,god who gives and forgives1 abundant in mercy4 ,it bids us1 when we pray to ,god1 remember that we are praying to a perfectly bountiful1 perfectly generous ,god4 ,some people worship quite a different ,god to that4 ,they fancy that ,god is hard2 that he sits judging each man by the letter of the law2 watching and marking down every little fault which they commit2 extreme to mark what is done amiss2 and that in the very face of ,scripture1 which says that ,god is not extreme to mark what is done amiss2 for if he were1 who could abide it8 ,their notion of ,god is1 that he is very like themselves2 proud1 grudging1 hard to be entreated1 expecting everything from men1 but not willing to give without a great deal of continued asking and begging1 and outward reverence1 and scrupulous fear lest he should be offended unexpectedly at the least mistake2 and they fancy1 like the heathen1 that they shall be heard for their much speaking4 ,they forget altogether that ,god is their ,father1 and knows what they need before they ask1 and their ignorance in asking1 and has 7as any father fit to be called a father would have7 compassion on their infirmities4 ,there is a great deal of this lip-service1 and superstitious devoutness1 creeping in now-a-days2 a spirit of bondage unto fear4 ,st4 ,paul warns us against it1 and calls it will-worship1 and voluntary humility4 ,and ,i tell you of it1 that it is not ,christian at all1 but heathen2 and ,i say to you1 as ,st4 ,paul bids me say1 ,god1 who made the world1 and all therein1 seeing that he is ,lord of heaven and earth1 dwelleth not in temples made with hands2 neither is worshipped with men's hands1 as though he needed anything1 seeing that he giveth to all life and breath1 and all things4 ,for in him we live and move1 and have our being1 and are the offspring--the children--of ,god4 ,away1 then1 with this miserable spirit of bondage and fear1 which insults that good ,god which it pretends to honour2 and in spirit and in truth1 not with slavish crouchings and cringings1 copied from the old heathen1 let us worship ,the ,father4 ,but this leads us to the ,epistle4 ,st4 ,paul tells us how it is that ,god is wont to give us more than we either desire or deserve3 because he is the ,lord and ,giver of life1 in whom all created things live and move and have their being4 ,therefore in the ,epistle he tells us of a ,spirit which gives life4 ,but some may ask1 #8,what life8' ,the ,gospel answers that1 and says1 #8,all life4' ,it tells us that our ,lord ,christ cared not merely for the life of men's souls1 but for the life of their bodies4 ,that wherever he went he brought with him1 not merely health for men's souls by his teaching1 but health for their bodies by his miracles4 ,that when he saw a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech1 he sighed over him in compassion2 and did not think it beneath him to cure that poor man of his infirmity1 though it was no such very great one4 ,for he wished to show men that his heavenly ,father cared for them altogether1 body as well as soul2 that all health and strength whatsoever came from him4 ,when we hear1 therefore1 of the ,spirit giving life1 we are not to fancy that means only some high devout spiritual life1 or that ,god's ,spirit has to do only with a few elect saints4 ,that may be a very pleasant fancy for those who believe themselves to be the elect saints2 but the message of the ,gospel is far wider and deeper than that1 or any other of vain man's narrow notions4 ,it tells us that life--all life which we can see2 all health1 strength1 beauty1 order1 use1 power of doing good work in ,god's earthly world1 come from the ,spirit of ,god1 just as much as the spiritual life which we cannot see--goodness1 amiableness1 purity1 justice1 virtue1 power of doing work in ,god's heavenly world4 ,this latter is the higher life3 and the former the lower1 though good and necessary in its place3 but the lower1 as well as the higher1 is life2 and comes from the ,spirit of ,god1 who gives life and breath to all things4 ,and now1 perhaps1 we may see what ,st4 ,paul meant1 by his being a minister #8not of the letter1 but of the ,spirit2 for the letter killeth1 but the ,spirit giveth life4' ,do you not see yet1 my friends8 ,then ,i will tell you4 ,if ,i were to get up in this pulpit1 and preach the terrors of the law1 and the wrath of ,god1 and hell fire3 if ,i tried to bind heavy burdens on you1 and grievous to be borne1 crying--,you must do this1 you must feel that1 you must believe the other--while ,i having fewer temptations and more education than you1 touched not those burdens with one of my fingers2 if ,i tried to make out as many sins as ,i could against you1 crying continually1 this was wrong1 and that was wrong1 making you believe that ,god is always on the watch to catch you tripping1 and telling you that the least of your sins deserved endless torment--things which neither ,i nor any man can find in the ,bible1 nor in common justice1 nor common humanity1 nor elsewhere1 save in the lying mouth of the great devil himself2--or if ,i put into your hands books of self-examination 7as they are called7 full of long lists of sins1 frightening poor innocents1 and defiling their thoughts and consciences1 and making the heart of the righteous sad1 whom ,god has not made sad2--if ,i1 in plain ,english1 had my mouth full of cursing and bitterness1 threatening and fault-finding1 and distrustful1 and disrespectful1 and insolent language about you my parishioners3 why then ,i might fancy myself a ,christian priest1 and a minister of the ,gospel1 and a very able1 and eloquent1 and earnest one2 and might perhaps gain for myself the credit of being a #8searching preacher1' by speaking evil of people who are most of them as good and better than ,i1 and by taking a low1 mean1 false view of that human nature which ,god made in his own image1 and ,christ justified in his own man's flesh1 and soul1 and spirit2 but instead of being an able minister of the ,new ,covenant1 or of the ,spirit of ,god1 ,i should be no such man1 but the very opposite4 ,no4 ,i should be one of those of whom the ,psalmist says1 #8,their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness'--and also1 #8,their feet are swift to shed blood4' ,to shed blood2 to kill with the letter which killeth2 and your blood1 if ,i did succeed in killing your souls1 would be upon my foolish head4 ,for such preaching as that does kill4 ,it kills three things4 #a4 ,it kills the ,gospel4 ,it turns the good news of ,god into the very worst news possible1 and the ministration of righteousness into the ministration of condemnation4 #b4 ,it kills the souls of the congregation--or would kill them1 if ,god's wisdom and love were not stronger than his minister's folly and hardness4 ,for it kills in them self-respect and hope1 and makes them say to themselves1 #8,god has made me bad1 and bad ,i must be4 ,let me eat and drink1 for to-morrow ,i die4 ,god requires all this of me1 and ,i cannot do it4 ,i shall not try to do it4 ,i shall take my chance of being saved at last1 ,i know not how4' ,it frightens people away from church1 from religion1 from the very thought of ,god4 ,it sets people on spying out their neighbours' faults1 on judging and condemning1 on fancying themselves righteous and despising others2 and so kills in them faith1 hope1 and charity1 which are the very life of their spirits4 #c4 ,and by a just judgment1 it kills the soul of the preacher also4 ,it makes him forget who he is1 what ,god has set him to do2 and at last1 even who ,god is4 ,it makes him fancy that he is doing ,god's work1 while he is simply doing the work of the devil1 the slanderer and accuser of the brethren2 judging and condemning his congregation1 when ,god has said1 #8,judge not and ye shall not be judged1 condemn not and ye shall not be condemned4' ,it makes him at last like the false ,god whom he has been preaching 7for every man at last copies the ,god in whom he believes71 dark and deceiving1 proud and cruel2--and may the ,lord have mercy upon his soul6 ,but ,i will tell you how ,i can be an able minister of the ,new ,testament1 and of the ,spirit who gives life4 ,if ,i say to you--and ,i do say it now1 and will say it as long as ,i am here--,trust ,god1 because ,god is good2 obey ,god1 because ,god is good4 ,i preach to you the good ,god of the ,collect1 even your heavenly ,father2 who needs not be won over or appeased by anything which you can do1 for he loves you already for the sake of his dear ,son1 whose members you are4 ,he will not hear you the more for your much speaking1 for he knows your necessities before you ask1 and your ignorance in asking4 ,he will not judge you according to the letter of ,moses' law1 or any other law whatsoever1 but according to the spirit of your longings and struggles after what is right4 ,he will not be extreme to mark what you do amiss1 but will help you to mend it1 if you desire to mend2 setting you straight when you go wrong1 and helping you up when you fall1 if only your spirit is struggling after what is right4 ,this all-good heavenly ,father ,i preach to you1 and ,i say to you1 ,trust him4 ,i preach to you a ,spirit who is the ,lord and ,giver of life2 who hates death1 and therefore wills not that you should die2 who has given you all the life you have1 all health and strength of body1 all wit and power of mind1 all right1 pure1 loving1 noble feelings of heart and spirit1 and who is both able and willing to keep them alive and healthy in you for ever4 ,this all-good ,spirit of life ,i preach to you2 and ,i say to you1 ,trust him4 ,i preach to you a ,son of ,god1 who is the likeness of his ,father's glory1 and the express image of his person2 in order that by seeing him and how good he is1 you may see your heavenly ,father1 and how good he is likewise2 a ,son of ,god who is your ,saviour and your ,judge2 who judges you that he may save you1 and saves you by judging you2 who has all power given to him in heaven and earth1 and declares that almighty power most chiefly by showing mercy and pity2 who1 when he was upon earth1 made the deaf to hear1 the lame to walk1 the blind to see2 who ate and drank with publicans and sinners1 and was the friend of all mankind2 a ,son of ,god who has declared everlasting war against disease1 ignorance1 sin1 death1 and all which makes men miserable4 ,those are his enemies2 and he reigns1 and will reign1 till he has put all enemies under his feet1 and there is nothing left in ,god's universe but order and usefulness1 health and beauty1 knowledge and virtue1 in the day when ,god shall be all in all4 ,this all-good ,son of ,god ,i preach to you1 and ,i say to you1 ,trust him1 and obey him4 ,obey him1 not lest he should become angry and harm you1 like the false gods of the heathen1 but because his commandments are life2 because he has made them for your good4 ,oh6 when will people understand that--that ,god has not made laws out of any arbitrariness1 but for our good8--,that his commandments are ,life8 ,david of old knew as much as that4 ,why do not we know more1 instead of knowing1 most of us1 much less8 ,it is simple enough1 if you will but look at it with simple minds4 ,god has made us2 and if he had not loved us1 he would not have made us at all4 ,god has sent us into the world2 and if he had not loved us1 he would not have sent us into the world at all4 ,in him we live1 and move1 and have our being1 and are the offspring and children of ,god4 ,and therefore ,god alone knows what is good for us2 what is the good life1 the wholesome1 the safe1 the right1 the everlasting life for us4 ,and he sends his ,son to tell us--,this is the right life2 a life like ,christ's2 a life according to ,god's ,spirit2 and if you do not live that life you will die1 not only body but soul also1 because you are not living the life which ,god meant for you when he made you4 ,just as if you eat the wrong food1 you will kill your bodies2 so if you think the wrong thoughts1 and feel the wrong feelings1 and therefore do the wrong things1 you will kill your own souls4 ,god will not kill you2 you will kill yourselves4 ,god grudges you nothing4 ,god does not wish to hurt you1 wish to punish you4 ,he wishes you to live and be happy2 to live for ever1 and be happy for ever4 ,but as your body cannot live unless it be healthy1 so your soul cannot live unless it be healthy4 ,and it cannot be healthy unless it live the right life4 ,and it cannot live the right life without the right spirit4 ,and the only right spirit is the ,spirit of ,god himself the ,spirit of your ,father in heaven1 who will make you1 as children should be1 like your ,father4 ,but that ,spirit is not far from any of you4 ,in him you live1 and move1 and have your being already4 ,were he to leave you for a moment you would die1 and be turned again to your dust4 ,from him comes all the good of body and soul which you have already4 ,trust him for more4 ,ask him for more4 ,go boldly to the throne of his grace1 remembering that it is a throne of grace1 of kindness1 tenderness1 patience1 bountiful love1 and wealth without end4 ,do not think that he is hard of hearing1 or hard of giving4 ,how can he be8 ,for he is the ,spirit of the all-generous ,father and of the all-generous ,son1 and has given1 and gives now2 and delights to give1 and delights to be asked4 ,he is the charity of ,god2 the boundless love by which all things consist2 and1 like all love1 becomes more rich by spending1 and glorifies himself by giving himself away2 and has sworn by himself--that is1 by his own eternal and necessary character1 which he cannot alter or unmake--#8,this is the new covenant which ,i will make with my people4 ,i will write my laws in their hearts1 and in their minds will ,i write them2 and ,i will dwell with them1 and be their ,god4' ,oh1 my friends1 take these words to yourselves2 and trust in that good ,father in heaven1 whose love sent you into this world1 and gave you the priceless blessing of life2 whose love sent his ,son to show you the pattern of life1 and to redeem you freely from all your sins2 whose love sends his ,spirit to give you the power of leading the everlasting life1 and will raise you up again1 body and soul1 to that same everlasting life after death4 ,trust him1 for he is your ,father4 ,whatever else he is1 he is that4 ,he has bid you call him that1 and he will hear you4 ,if you forget that he is your ,father1 you forget him1 and worship a false ,god of your own invention4 ,and whenever you doubt2 whenever the devil1 or ignorant preachers1 or superstitious books1 make you afraid1 and tempt you to fancy that ,god hates you1 and watches to catch you tripping1 take refuge in that blessed name1 and say1 #8,satan1 ,i defy thee2 for the ,almighty ,god of heaven is my ,father4' ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,,heroes ,,and ,,heroines4 7,whitsunday47 ,,psalm xxxii4 #h4 ,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go3 ,i will guide thee with mine eye4 ,,this is ,god's promise2 which he fulfilled at sundry times and in different manners to all the men of the old world who trusted in him4 ,he informed them2 that is1 he put them into right form1 right shape1 right character1 and made them the men which they were meant to be4 ,he taught them in the way in which they ought to go4 ,he guided them where they could not guide themselves4 ,but ,god fulfilled this promise utterly and completely on the first ,whitsuntide1 when the ,holy ,spirit came down on the apostles4 ,that was an extraordinary and special gift2 because the apostles had to do an extraordinary and special work4 ,they had to preach the ,gospel to all nations1 and therefore they wanted tongues with which to speak to all nations2 at least to those of their countrymen who came from foreign parts1 and spoke foreign tongues1 that they might carry home the good news of ,christ into all lands4 ,and they wanted tongues of fire1 too1 to set their own hearts on fire with divine zeal and earnestness1 and to set on fire the hearts of those who heard them4 ,but that was an extraordinary gift4 ,there was never anything like it before2 nor has been1 as far as we know1 since2 because it has not been needed4 ,it is enough for us to know1 that the apostles had what they needed4 ,god called and sent them to do a great work3 and therefore1 being just and merciful1 he gave them the power which was wanted for that great work4 ,but if that is a special case2 if there has been nothing like it since1 what has ,whitsuntide to do with us8 ,we need no tongues of fire1 and we shall have none on this ,whitsunday or any ,whitsunday4 ,has ,whitsunday then no blessing for us8 ,do we get nothing by it8 ,god forbid1 my friends4 ,we get what the apostles got1 and neither more nor less2 though not in the same shape as they did4 ,god called them to do a work3 ,god calls us1 each of us1 to do some work4 ,god gave them the ,holy ,spirit to make them able to do their work4 ,god gives us the ,holy ,spirit1 to make us able to do our work1 whatsoever that may be4 ,as their day1 so their strength was3 as our day is1 so our strength shall be4 ,for instance4-- ,how often one sees a person--a woman1 say--easy and comfortable1 enjoying life1 and taking little trouble about anything1 because she has no need4 ,and when one looks at such a woman1 one is apt to say hastily in one's heart1 #8,ah1 she does not know what sorrow is--and well for her she does not2 for she would make but a poor fight if trouble came on her2 she would make but a poor nurse if she had to sit months by a sick bed4 ,she would become down-hearted1 and peevish1 and useless4 ,there is no strength in her to stand in the evil day4' ,and perhaps that woman would say so of herself4 ,she might be painfully afraid of the thought of affliction2 she might shrink from the notion of having to nurse any one2 from having to give up her own pleasure and ease for the sake of others2 and she would say of herself1 as you say of her1 #8,what would become of me if sorrow came8 ,i have no strength to stand in the evil day4' ,yes1 my friends1 and you say true1 and she says true4 ,and yet not true either4 ,she has no strength to stand3 but she will stand nevertheless1 for ,god is able to make her stand4 ,as her day1 so her strength shall be4 ,a day of suffering1 anxiety1 weariness1 all but despair may come to her4 ,but in that day she shall be baptized with the ,holy ,spirit and with fire2 and then you shall be astonished1 and she shall be astonished1 at what she can do1 and what she can endure2 because ,god's ,spirit will give her a right judgment in all things1 and enable her1 even in the midst of her sorrow1 to rejoice in his holy comfort4 ,and people will call her--those at least who know her--a #8heroine4' ,and they speak truly and well1 and give her the right and true name4 ,why1 ,i will tell you presently4 ,or how often it happens to a man to be thrown into circumstances which he never expected4 ,an officer1 perhaps1 in war time in a foreign land--in ,india now4 ,he has a work to do3 a heavy1 dangerous1 difficult1 almost hopeless work4 ,he does not like it4 ,he is afraid of it4 ,he wishes himself anywhere but where he is4 ,he has little or no hope of succeeding2 and if he fails1 he fears that he will be blamed1 misunderstood1 slandered4 ,but he feels he must go through with it4 ,he cannot turn back2 he cannot escape4 ,as the saying is1 the bull is brought to the stake1 and he must bide the baiting4 ,at first1 perhaps1 he tries to buoy himself up4 ,he begins his work in a little pride and self-conceit1 and notion of his own courage and cunning4 ,he tries to fancy himself strong enough for anything4 ,he feeds himself up with the thought of what people will say of him2 the hope of gaining honour and praise3 and that is not altogether a wrong feeling--,god forbid6 ,but the further the man gets into his work1 the more difficult it grows1 and the more hopeless he grows4 ,he finds himself weak1 when he expected to be strong2 puzzled when he thought himself cunning4 ,he is not sure whether he is doing right4 ,he is afraid of responsibility4 ,it is a heavy burden on him1 too heavy to bear4 ,his own honour and good name may depend upon a single word which he speaks4 ,the comfort1 the fortune1 the lives of human beings may depend on his making up his mind at an hour's notice to do exactly the right thing at the right time4 ,people round him may be mistaking him1 slandering him1 plotting against him1 rebelling against him1 even while he is trying to do them all the good he can4 ,little comfort does he get then from the thought of what people at home may say of him4 ,he is set in the snare1 and he cannot find his way out4 ,he is at his own wits' end2 and from whence shall he get fresh wits8 ,who will give him a right judgment in all things8 ,who will give him a holy comfort in which he can rejoice8--a comfort which will make him cheerful1 because he knows it is a right comfort1 and that he is doing right8 ,his heart is sinking within him1 getting chill and cold with despair4 ,who will put fresh fire and spirit into it8 ,god will4 ,when he has learnt how weak he is in himself1 how stupid he is in himself2--ay1 bitter as it is to a brave man to have to confess it1 how cowardly he is in himself--then1 when he has learnt the golden lesson1 ,god will baptize him with the ,holy ,ghost and with fire4 ,a time will come to that man1 when1 finding no help in himself1 no help in man1 he will go for help to ,god4 ,old words which he learnt at his mother's knee come back to him--old words that he almost forgot1 perhaps1 in the strength and gaiety of his youth and prosperity4 ,and he prays4 ,he prays clumsily enough1 perhaps4 ,he is not accustomed to praying2 and he hardly knows what to ask for1 or how to ask for it4 ,be it so4 ,in that he is not so very much worse off than others4 ,what did ,st4 ,paul say1 even of himself8 #8,we know not how to ask for anything as we ought3 but the ,spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered'--too deep for words4 ,yes1 in every honest heart there are longings too deep for words4 ,a man knows he wants something3 but knows not what he wants4 ,he cannot find the right words to say to ,god4 ,let him take comfort4 ,what he does not know1 the ,holy ,spirit of ,whitsuntide--the ,spirit of ,jesus ,christ--does know4 ,christ knows what we want1 and offers our clumsy prayers up to our heavenly ,father1 not in the shape in which we put them1 but as they ought to be1 as we should like them to be2 and our ,father hears them4 ,yes4 ,our ,father hears the man who cries to him1 however clumsily1 for light and strength to do his duty4 ,so it is2 so it has been always2 so it will be to the end4 ,and then as the man's day1 so his strength will be4 ,he may be utterly puzzled1 utterly down-hearted1 utterly hopeless3 but the day comes to him in which he is baptized with the ,holy ,ghost and with fire4 ,he begins to have a right judgment2 to see clearly what he ought to do1 and how to do it4 ,he grows more shrewd1 more prompt1 more steady than he ever has been before4 ,and there comes a fire into his heart1 such as there never was before2 a spirit and a determination which nothing can daunt or break1 which makes him bold1 cheerful1 earnest1 in the face of the anxiety and danger which would have1 at any other time1 broken his heart4 ,the man is lifted up above himself1 and carried on through his work1 he hardly knows how1 till he succeeds nobly1 or if he fails1 fails nobly2 and be the end as it may1 he gets the work done which ,god has given him to do4 ,and then when he looks back1 he is astonished at himself4 ,he wonders how he could dare so much2 wonders how he could endure so much2 wonders how the right thought came into his head at the right moment4 ,he hardly knows himself again4 ,it seems to him1 when he thinks over it all1 like a grand and awful dream4 ,and the world is astonished at him likewise4 ,they cry1 #8,who would have thought there was so much in this man8 who would have expected such things of him8' ,and they call him a hero--and so he is4 ,yes1 the world is right1 more right than it thinks in both sayings4 ,who would have expected there was so much in the man8 ,for there was not so much in him1 till ,god put it there4 ,and again they are right1 too2 more right than they think in calling that man a hero1 or that woman a heroine4 ,for what is the old meaning1 the true meaning of a hero or a heroine8 ,it meant--and ought to mean--one who is a son or a daughter of ,god1 and whom ,god informs and strengthens1 and sends out to do noble work1 teaching them the way wherein they should go4 ,that was the right meaning of a hero and of a heroine even among the old heathens4 ,let it mean the same among us ,christians1 when we talk of a hero2 and let us give ,god the glory1 and say--,there is a man who has entered1 even if it be but for one day's danger and trial1 into the blessings of ,whitsuntide and the power of ,god's ,spirit2 a man whom ,god has informed and taught in the way wherein he should go4 ,may that same ,god give him grace to abide herein all the days of his life6 ,yes1 my friends1 may ,god give us all grace to under stand ,whitsuntide1 and feed on the blessings of ,whitsuntide2 not merely once in a way1 in some great sorrow1 great danger1 great struggle1 great striving point of our lives2 but every day and all day long1 and to rejoice in the power of his ,spirit1 till it becomes to us--would that it could to-day become to us2--like the air we breathe2 till having got our life's work done1 if not done perfectly1 yet still done1 we may go hence to receive the due reward of our deeds4 ,,sermon ,,xv4 ,,the ,,measure ,,of ,,the ,,cross4 ,,ephesians iii4 #ah1 #ai4 ,that ye may be able to comprehend with all saints1 what is the breadth and length and depth and height1 and to know the love of ,christ1 which passeth knowledge4 ,,these words are very deep1 and difficult to understand2 for ,st4 ,paul does not tell us exactly of what he is speaking4 ,he does not say what it is1 the breadth and length1 and depth1 and height of which we are to comprehend and take in4 ,only he tells us afterwards what will come of our taking it in2 we shall know the love of ,christ4 ,and therefore many great fathers and divines1 whose names there is no need for me to tell you1 but whose opinions we must always respect1 have said that what ,st4 ,paul is speaking of is1 the ,cross of ,christ4 ,of course they do not mean the wood of which the actual cross was made4 ,they mean the thing of which the cross was a sign and token4 ,now of what is the cross a token8 ,of the love of ,christ1 which is the love of ,god4 ,but of what kind of love8 ,not the love which is satisfied with sitting still and enjoying itself1 as long as nothing puts it out1 and turns its love to anger--what we call mere good nature and good temper2 not that1 not that1 my friends3 but love which will dare1 and do1 and yearn1 and mourn2 love which cannot rest2 love which sacrifices itself2 love which will suffer1 love which will die1 for what it loves2--such love as a father has1 who perishes himself to save his drowning child4 ,now the cross of ,christ is a token to us1 that ,god's love to us is like that3 a love which will dare anything1 and suffer anything1 for the sake of saving sinful man4 ,and therefore it is1 that from the earliest times the cross has been the special sign of ,christians4 ,we keep it up still1 when we make the sign of the cross on children's foreheads in baptism3 but we have given up using the sign of the cross commonly1 because it was perverted1 in old times1 into a superstitious charm4 ,men worshipped the cross like an idol1 or bits of wood which they fancied were pieces of the actual cross1 while they were forgetting what the cross meant4 ,so the use of the cross fell into disrepute1 and was put down in ,england4 ,but that is no reason why we should forget what the cross meant1 and means now1 and will mean for ever4 ,indeed1 the better ,christians1 the better men we are1 the more will ,christ's cross fill us with thoughts which nothing else can give us2 thoughts which we are glad enough1 often1 to forget and put away2 so bitterly do they remind us of our own laziness1 selfishness1 and love of pleasure4 ,but still1 the cross is our sign4 ,it is ,god's everlasting token to us1 that he has told us ,christians something about himself which none of the wisest among the heathen knew2 which infidels now do not know2 which nothing but the cross can teach to men4 ,there were men among the old heathens who believed in one ,god2 and some of them saw that he must be1 on the whole1 a good and a just ,god4 ,but they could not help thinking of ,god 7with very rare exceptions7 as a respecter of persons1 a ,god who had favourites2 and at least1 that he was a ,god who loved his friends1 and hated his enemies4 ,so the ,mussulmans believe now4 ,so do the ,jews2 indeed1 so they did all along1 though they ought to have known better2 for their prophets in the ,old ,testament told them a very different tale about ,god's love4 ,but that was all they could believe--in a ,god who was not unjust or wicked1 but was at least hard1 proud1 unbending3 while the notion that ,god could love his enemies1 and bless those who used him despitefully and persecuted him--much less die for his enemies--that would have seemed to them impossible and absurd4 ,they stumbled at the stumbling-block of the cross4 ,god1 they thought1 would do to men as they did to him4 ,if they loved him1 he would love them4 ,if they neglected him1 he would hate and destroy them4 ,but when the apostles preached the ,gospel1 the good news of ,christ crucified1 they preached a very different tale2 a tale quite new2 utterly different from any that mankind had ever heard before4 ,st4 ,paul calls it a mystery--a secret--which had been hidden from the foundation of the world till then1 and was then revealed by ,god's ,spirit2 namely1 this boundless love of ,god1 shown by ,christ's dying on the cross4 ,and1 he says1 his great hope1 his great business1 the thing on which his heart was set1 and which ,god had sent him into the world to do1 was this--to make people know the love of ,christ2 to look at ,christ's cross1 and take in its breadth1 and length1 and depth1 and height4 ,it passes knowledge1 he says4 ,we shall never know the whole of it--never know all that ,god's love has done1 and will do3 but the more we know of it1 the more blessed and hopeful1 the more strong and earnest1 the more good and righteous we shall become4 ,and what is the breadth of ,christ's cross8 ,my friends1 it is as broad as the whole world2 for he died for the whole world1 as it is written1 #8,he is a propitiation not for our sins only1 but for the sins of the whole world2' and again1 #8,god willeth that none should perish2' and again1 #8,as by the offence judgment came on all men to condemnation1 even so by the righteousness of one1 the gift came upon all men to justification of life4' ,and that is the breadth of ,christ's cross4 ,and what is the length of ,christ's cross8 ,the length thereof1 says an old father1 signifies the time during which its virtue will last4 ,how long1 then1 is the cross of ,christ8 ,long enough to last through all time4 ,as long as there is a sinner to be saved2 as long as there is ignorance1 sorrow1 pain1 death1 or anything else which is contrary to ,god and hurtful to man1 in the universe of ,god1 so long will ,christ's cross last4 ,for it is written1 he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet2 and ,god is all in all4 ,and that is the length of the cross of ,christ4 ,and how high is ,christ's cross8 ,as high as the highest heaven1 and the throne of ,god1 and the bosom of the ,father--that bosom out of which for ever proceed all created things4 ,ay1 as high as the highest heaven2 for--if you will receive it--when ,christ hung upon the cross1 heaven came down on earth1 and earth ascended into heaven4 ,christ never showed forth his ,father's glory so perfectly as when1 hanging upon the cross1 he cried in his death-agony1 #8,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4' ,those words showed the true height of the cross2 and caused ,st4 ,john to know that his vision was true1 and no dream1 when he saw afterwards in the midst of the throne of ,god a lamb as it had been slain4 ,and that is the height of the cross of ,christ4 ,and how deep is the cross of ,christ8 ,this is a great mystery1 and one which people in these days are afraid to look at2 and darken it of their own will1 because they will neither believe their ,bibles1 nor the voice of their own hearts4 ,but if the cross of ,christ be as high as heaven1 then1 it seems to me1 it must also be as deep as hell1 deep enough to reach the deepest sinner in the deepest pit to which he may fall4 ,we know that ,christ descended into hell4 ,we know that he preached to the spirits in prison4 ,we know that it is written1 #8,as in ,adam all die1 even so in ,christ shall all be made alive4' ,we know that when the wicked man turns from his wickedness1 and does what is lawful and right1 he will save his soul alive4 ,we know that in the very same chapter ,god tells us that his ways are not unequal--that he has not one law for one man1 and another for another1 or one law for one year1 and another for another4 ,it is possible1 therefore1 that he has not one law for this life1 and another for the life to come4 ,let us hope1 then1 that ,david's words may be true after all1 when speaking by the ,spirit of ,god1 he says1 not only1 #8if ,i ascend up to heaven1 thou art there2' but #8if ,i go down to hell1 thou art there also2' and let us hope that that is the depth of the cross of ,christ4 ,at all events1 my friends1 ,i believe that we shall find ,st4 ,paul's words true1 when he says1 that ,christ's love passes knowledge2 and therefore that we shall find this also2--that however broad we may think ,christ's cross1 it is broader still4 ,however long1 it is longer still4 ,however high1 it is higher still4 ,however deep1 it is deeper still4 ,yes1 we shall find that ,st4 ,paul spoke solemn truth when he said1 that ,christ had ascended on high that he might fill all things2 that ,christ filled all in all2 and that he must reign till the day when he shall give up the kingdom to ,god1 even the ,father1 that ,god may be all in all4 ,and now do you take all this about the breadth and length of ,christ's cross to be only ingenious fancies1 and a pretty play of words8 ,ah1 my friends1 the day will come when you will find that the measure of ,christ's cross is the most important question upon earth4 ,in the hour of death1 and in the day of judgment2 then the one thing which you will care to think of 7if you can think at all then1 as too many poor souls cannot1 and therefore had best think of it now before their wits fail them7--the one thing which you will care to think of1 ,i say1 will be--not1 how clever you have been1 how successful you have been1 how much admired you have been1 how much money you have made3--#8,of course not1' you answer2 #8,i shall be thinking of the state of my soul2 whether ,i am fit to die2 whether ,i have faith enough to meet ,god2 whether ,i have good works enough to meet ,god4' ,will you1 my friend8 ,then you will soon grow tired of thinking of that likewise1 at least ,i hope and trust that you will4 ,for1 however much faith you may have had1 you will find that you have not had enough4 ,however so many good works you may have done1 you will find that you have not done enough4 ,the better man you are1 the more you will be dissatisfied with yourself2 the more you will be ashamed of yourself2 till with all saints1 ,romanist or ,protestant1 or other1 who have been worthy of the name of saints1 you will be driven--if you are in earnest about your own soul--to give up thinking of yourself1 and to think only of the cross of ,christ1 and of the love of ,christ which shines thereon2 and ask--,is it great enough to cover my sins8 to save one as utterly unworthy to be saved as ,i4 ,and so1 after all1 you will be forced to throw yourself--where you ought to have thrown yourself at the outset--at the foot of ,christ's cross2 and say in spirit and in truth-- ,nothing in my hand ,i bring1 ,simply to the cross ,i cling-- ,in plain words1 ,i throw myself1 with all my sins1 upon that absolute and boundless love of ,god which made all things1 and me among them1 and hateth nothing that he hath made2 who redeemed all mankind1 and me among them1 and hath said by the mouth of his only-begotten ,son1 #8,him that cometh to me ,i will in no wise cast out4' ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,pure ,,in ,,heart4 ,,titus i4 #ae4 ,unto the pure all things are pure3 but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure3 but even their mind and conscience is defiled4 ,,this seems at first a strange and startling saying3 but it is a true one2 and the more we think over it1 the more we shall find it true4 ,all things are pure in themselves2 good in themselves2 because ,god made them4 ,is it not written1 #8,god saw all that he had made1 and behold1 it was very good8' ,therefore ,st4 ,paul says1 that all things are ours2 and that ,christ gives us all things richly to enjoy4 ,all we need is1 to use things in the right way2 that is1 in the way in which ,god intended them to be used4 ,for ,god is a ,god of truth2 a true1 a faithful1 and--if ,i may so speak--an honest and honourable1 and fair ,god3 not a deceiving or unfair ,god1 who lays snares for his creatures1 or leads them into temptation4 ,that would be a bad ,god1 a cruel ,god1 very unlike the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,he has put us into a good world1 and not a wilderness1 as some people call it4 ,if any part of this world be a wilderness1 it is because men have made it so1 or left it so1 by their own wilfulness1 ignorance1 cowardice1 laziness1 violence4 ,no3 ,god1 ,i say1 has put us into a good world1 and given us pure and harmless appetites1 feelings1 relations4 ,therefore all the relations of life are holy4 ,to be a husband1 a father1 a brother1 a son1 is pure and good4 ,to have property and to use it3 to enjoy ourselves in this life as far as we can1 without hurting ourselves or our neighbours2 all this is pure1 and good1 and holy4 ,god does not grudge or upbraid4 ,he does not frown upon innocent pleasure4 ,for ,god is light1 and in him is no darkness at all4 ,therefore he rejoices in seeing his creatures healthy and happy4 ,therefore1 as ,i believe1 ,christ smiles out of heaven upon the little children at their play2 and the laugh of a babe is heavenly music in his ears4 ,all things are pure which ,god has given to man4 ,and therefore1 if a man be pure in heart1 all which ,god has given him will not only do him no harm1 but do him good4 ,all the comforts and blessings of this life will help to make him a better man4 ,they will teach him about his own character2 about human nature1 and the people with whom he has to do2 ay--about ,god himself1 as it is written1 #8,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god4' ,all the blessings and comforts of this life1 my friends 7as well as the anxieties which must come to those who have a family1 or property1 even if he do not meet with losses and afflictions71 ought to help to improve a man's temper1 to call out in him right feelings1 to teach him more and more of the likeness of ,god4 ,if he be a married man1 marriage ought to teach him not to live for himself only1 but to sacrifice his own fancies1 his own ease1 his own will1 for the sake of the woman whom ,god has given him2 as ,christ sacrificed himself1 and his own life1 for mankind4 ,and so1 by the feelings of a husband1 he may enter into the mystery of the love of ,christ1 and of the cross of ,christ2 and so1 if only he be pure in heart1 he will see ,god4 ,if he have parents1 he may learn by being a son how blessed it is to obey1 how useful to a man's character to submit3 ay1 he will find out more still4 ,he will find out that not by being self-willed and independent does the finest and noblest parts of his character come out1 but by copying his ,father in everything2 that going where his ,father sends him2 being jealous of his ,father's honour2 doing not his own will1 but his ,father's2 that all this1 ,i say1 is its own reward2 for instead of lowering a man1 it raises him1 and calls out in him all that is purest1 tenderest1 soberest1 bravest4 ,i tell you this day--,just as far as you are good sons to your parents1 so far will you be able to understand the mystery of the co-equal and co-eternal ,son of ,god2 who though he were in the form of ,god1 did not snatch greedily at being on the same footing with his ,father1 but emptied himself1 and took on him the form of a slave1 that he might do his ,father's will1 and reveal his ,father's glory4 ,and so1 if you be only pure in heart1 you will see ,god4 ,if1 again1 a man have children--how they ought to teach him1 to train him2--teach him to restrain his own temper1 lest he provoke them to anger2 to be calm and moderate with them1 lest he frighten them into lying2 to avoid bad language1 gluttony1 drunkenness1 and every coarse sin1 lest he tempt them to follow his example4 ,i tell you1 friends1 that you will find1 if you choose1 all the noblest1 most generous1 most ,godlike parts of your character called out to your children2 and by having the feelings of a father to your children1 learn what feelings our ,father in heaven has toward us1 his human offspring4 ,and so1 if only you be pure in heart1 you will see ,god4 ,if again1 a man has money1 money can teach him 7as it teaches hundreds of pure-hearted men7 that charity and generosity are not only a duty1 but an honour and a joy2 that #8mercy is twice blest2 it blesses him that gives1 and him that takes2' that giving is the highest pleasure upon earth1 because it is ,god's own pleasure2 because the blessedness of ,god1 and the glory of ,god is this1 that he giveth to all liberally1 and upbraideth not4 ,and so in his wealth--if only he be pure in heart1 a man will see ,god4 ,if1 again1 a man has health1 and strength1 and high spirits1 they too will teach him1 if his heart be pure4 ,he will learn from them to look up to ,god as the ,lord and ,giver of life1 health1 strength2 of the power to work1 and the power to delight in working3 because ,god himself is ever full of life1 ever busy1 ever rejoicing to put forth his almighty power for the good of the whole universe1 as it is written1 #8,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4' ,and so--in every relation of life--if only a man's heart be pure1 he will see ,god4 ,how1 then1 can we get the pure heart which will make all things pure to us8 ,by asking for the ,spirit of ,god1 the ,holy ,spirit1 the ,pure ,spirit1 in whom is no selfishness4 ,for if our hearts be selfish1 they cannot be pure4 ,the pure in heart1 is the same as the man whose eye is single1 and that is the man who is not caring for himself1 thinking of himself4 ,if a man be thinking of himself1 he will never enjoy life4 ,the pure blessings which ,god has given him will be no blessings to him2 as it is written1 #8,he that saveth his life shall lose it4' ,do you not know that that is true8 ,do not the miseries of life 7,i do not mean the afflictions1 like loss of friends or kin71 but the miseries of life which make a man dark1 and fretful1 and prevent his enjoying ,god's gifts--do they not come1 nineteen-twentieths of them1 from thinking about oneself2 from lusting and longing after this and that2 from spite1 vanity1 bad temper1 wounded pride1 disappointed covetousness8 #8,i cannot get this or that2 that money1 that place2 this or that fine thing or the other3 and how can ,i be contented8' ,there is a man whose heart is not pure4 #8,that man has used me ill1 and ,i cannot help thinking of it1 brooding over it4 ,i cannot forgive him4 ,how can ,i be expected to forgive him8' ,there is a man whose heart is not pure2 and more1 there is a man who is making himself miserable4 ,see again1 how a man may make marriage a curse to him instead of a blessing1 without being unfaithful to his wife 7which we all know to be simply abominable and unmanly1 and far below anything of which ,i am talking now74 ,and how8 ,simply by bad temper1 vanity1 greediness1 and selfish love of his own dignity1 his own pleasure1 his own this1 that1 and the other4 ,so1 too1 he may make his children a torment to him1 instead of letting them be ,god's lesson-book to him1 in which he may see the likeness of the angels in heaven4 ,he may make his wealth a continual anxiety to him3 ay1 he may make it1 by ambition1 covetousness1 and wild speculation1 the cause of his shame and ruin2 if only his heart be not pure4 ,ay1 there is not a blessing on earth which a man may not turn into a curse4 ,there is not a good gift of ,god out of which a man may not get harm1 if only his heart be not pure2 as it is written1 #8,to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure3 but even their mind and conscience are defiled4' ,but defiled with what8 ,fouled with what8 ,there is the question4 ,many answers have been invented by people who did not believe in that faithful and true ,god of whom ,i told you just now2 people who fancied that this world was a bad world1 and that ,god laid snares for his creatures and tempted his creatures4 ,but the true answer is only to be got1 like most true answers1 by observing2 by using our eyes and ears1 and seeing what really makes people turn blessings into curses1 and suck poison out of every flower4 ,and that is1 simply1 self4 ,if you want to spoil all that ,god gives you2 if you want to be miserable yourself1 and a maker of misery to others1 the way is easy enough4 ,only be selfish1 and it is done at once4 ,be defiled and unbelieving4 ,defile and foul ,god's good gifts by self1 and by loving yourself more than what is right4 ,do not believe that the good ,god knows your needs before you ask1 and will give you whatsoever is good for you4 ,think about yourself2 about what you want1 what you like1 what respect people ought to pay you1 what people think of you3 and then to you nothing will be pure4 ,you will spoil everything you touch2 you will make sin and misery for yourself out of everything which ,god sends you2 you will be as wretched as you choose on earth1 or in heaven either4 ,in heaven either1 ,i say4 ,for that proud1 greedy1 selfish1 self-seeking spirit would turn heaven into hell4 ,it did turn heaven into hell1 for the great devil himself4 ,it was by pride1 by seeking his own glory--7so1 at least1 wise men say7--that he fell from heaven to hell4 ,he was not content to give up his own will and do ,god's will1 like the other angels4 ,he was not content to serve ,god1 and rejoice in ,god's glory4 ,he would be a master himself1 and set up for himself1 and rejoice in his own glory2 and so1 when he wanted to make a private heaven of his own1 he found that he had made a hell4 ,when he wanted to be a little ,god for himself1 he lost the life of the true ,god1 to lose which is eternal death4 ,and why8 ,because his heart was not pure1 clean1 honest1 simple1 unselfish4 ,therefore he saw ,god no more1 and learnt to hate him whose name is love4 ,may ,god keep our hearts pure from that selfishness which is the root of all sin2 from selfishness1 out of which alone spring adultery1 foul living1 drunkenness1 evil speaking1 lying1 slandering1 injustice1 oppression1 cruelty1 and all which makes man worse than the beasts4 ,may ,god give us those pure hearts of which it is written1 that the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 meekness1 temperance4 ,against such1 ,st4 ,paul says1 there is no law4 ,and why8 ,because no law is needed4 ,for1 as a wise father says--#8,love1 and do what thou wilt2' for then thou wilt be sure to will what is right2 and1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 ,if your heart be pure1 all things will be pure to you4 ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,,music4 7,christmas ,day47 ,,luke ii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host1 praising ,god1 and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will toward men4 ,,you have been just singing ,christmas hymns2 and my text speaks of the first ,christmas hymn4 ,now what the words of that hymn meant2 what ,peace on earth and good-will towards man meant1 ,i have often told you4 ,to-day ,i want you1 for once1 to think of this--that it was a hymn2 that these angels were singing1 even as human beings sing4 ,music4--,there is something very wonderful in music4 ,words are wonderful enough3 but music is even more wonderful4 ,it speaks not to our thoughts as words do3 it speaks straight to our hearts and spirits1 to the very core and root of our souls4 ,music soothes us1 stirs us up2 it puts noble feelings into us2 it melts us to tears1 we know not how3--it is a language by itself1 just as perfect1 in its way1 as speech1 as words2 just as divine1 just as blessed4 ,music has been called the speech of angels2 ,i will go further1 and call it the speech of ,god himself--and ,i will1 with ,god's help1 show you a little what ,i mean this ,christmas day4 ,music1 ,i say1 without words1 is wonderful and blessed2 one of ,god's best gifts to men4 ,but in singing you have both the wonders together1 music and words4 ,singing speaks at once to the head and to the heart1 to our understanding and to our feelings2 and therefore1 perhaps1 the most beautiful way in which the reasonable soul of man can show itself 7except1 of course1 doing right1 which always is1 and always will be1 the most beautiful thing7 is singing4 ,now1 why do we all enjoy music8 ,because it sounds sweet4 ,but why does it sound sweet8 ,that is a mystery known only to ,god4 ,two things ,i may make you understand--two things which help to make music--melody and harmony4 ,now1 as most of you know1 there is melody in music when the different sounds of the same tune follow each other1 so as to give us pleasure2 there is harmony in music when different sounds1 instead of following each other1 come at the same time1 so as to give us pleasure4 ,but why do they please us8 and what is more1 why do they please angels8 and more still1 why do they please ,god8 ,why is there music in heaven8 ,consider ,st4 ,john's visions in the ,revelations4 ,why did ,st4 ,john hear therein harpers with their harps1 and the mystic beasts1 and the elders1 singing a new song to ,god and to the ,lamb2 and the voices of many angels round about them1 whose number was ten thousand times ten thousand8 ,in this is a great mystery4 ,i will try to explain what little of it ,i seem to see4 ,first--,there is music in heaven1 because in music there is no self-will4 ,music goes on certain laws and rules4 ,man did not make those laws of music2 he has only found them out3 and if he be self-willed and break them1 there is an end of his music instantly2 all he brings out is discord and ugly sounds4 ,the greatest musician in the world is as much bound by those laws as the learner in the school2 and the greatest musician is the one who1 instead of fancying that1 because he is clever1 he may throw aside the laws of music1 knows the laws of music best1 and observes them most reverently4 ,and therefore it was that the old ,greeks1 the wisest of all the heathens1 made a point of teaching their children music2 because1 they said1 it taught them not to be self-willed and fanciful1 but to see the beauty of order1 the usefulness of rule1 the divineness of law4 ,and therefore music is fit for heaven2 therefore music is a pattern and type of heaven1 and of the everlasting life of ,god1 which perfect spirits live in heaven2 a life of melody and order in themselves2 a life of harmony with each other and with ,god4 ,music1 ,i say1 is a pattern of the everlasting life of heaven2 because in heaven1 as in music1 is perfect freedom and perfect pleasure2 and yet that freedom comes not from throwing away law1 but from obeying ,god's law perfectly2 and that pleasure comes1 not from self-will1 and doing each what he likes1 but from perfectly doing the will of the ,father who is in heaven4 ,and that in itself would be sweet music1 even if there were neither voice nor sound in heaven4 ,for wherever there is order and obedience1 there is sweet music for the ears of ,christ4 ,whatsoever does its duty1 according to its kind which ,christ has given it1 makes melody in the ears of ,christ4 ,whatsoever is useful to the things around it1 makes harmony in the ears of ,christ4 ,therefore those wise old ,greeks used to talk of the music of the spheres4 ,they said that sun1 moon1 and stars1 going round each in its appointed path1 made as they rolled along across the heavens everlasting music before the throne of ,god4 ,and so1 too1 the old ,psalms say4 ,do you not recollect that noble verse1 which speaks of the stars of heaven1 and says-- ,what though no human voice or sound ,amid their radiant orbs be found8 ,to ,reason's ear they all rejoice1 ,and utter forth a glorious voice2 ,for ever singing as they shine1 ,the hand that made us is divine4 ,and therefore it is1 that that noble ,song of the ,three ,children calls upon sun and moon1 and stars of heaven1 to bless the ,lord1 praise him1 and magnify him for ever3 and not only upon them1 but on the smallest things on earth2--on mountains and hills1 green herbs and springs1 cattle and feathered fowl2 they too1 he says1 can bless the ,lord1 and magnify him for ever4 ,and how8 ,by fulfilling the law which ,god has given them2 and by living each after their kind1 according to the wisdom wherewith ,christ the ,word of ,god created them1 when he beheld all that he had made1 and behold1 it was very good4 ,and so can we1 my friends2 so can we4 ,some of us may not be able to make music with our voices3 but we can make it with our hearts1 and join in the angels' song this day1 if not with our lips1 yet in our lives4 ,if thou fulfillest the law which ,god has given thee1 the law of love and liberty1 then thou makest music before ,god1 and thy life is a hymn of praise to ,god4 ,if thou art in love and charity with thy neighbours1 thou art making sweeter harmony in the ears of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 than psaltery1 dulcimer1 and all kinds of music4 ,if thou art living a righteous and a useful life1 doing thy duty orderly and cheerfully where ,god has put thee1 then thou art making sweeter melody in the ears of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 than if thou hadst the throat of a nightingale2 for then thou in thy humble place art humbly copying the everlasting harmony and melody which is in heaven2 the everlasting harmony and melody by which ,god made the world and all that therein is1 and behold it was very good1 in the day when the morning stars sang together1 and all the sons of ,god shouted for joy over the new-created earth1 which ,god had made to be a pattern of his own perfection4 ,for this is that mystery of which ,i spoke just now1 when ,i said that music was as it were the voice of ,god himself4 ,yes1 ,i say it with all reverence3 but ,i do say it4 ,there is music in ,god4 ,not the music of voice or sound2 a music which no ears can hear1 but only the spirit of a man1 when awakened by the ,holy ,spirit1 and taught to know ,god1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit4 ,there is one everlasting melody in heaven1 which ,christ1 the ,word of ,god1 makes for ever1 when he does all things perfectly and wisely1 and righteously and gloriously1 full of grace and truth3 and from that all melody comes1 and is a dim pattern thereof here2 and is beautiful only because it is a dim pattern thereof4 ,and there is an everlasting harmony in ,god2 which is the harmony between the ,father and the ,son2 who though he be co-equal and co-eternal with his ,father1 does nothing of himself1 but only what he seeth his ,father do2 saying for ever1 #8,not my will1 but thine be done1' and hears his ,father answer for ever1 #8,thou art my ,son1 this day have ,i begotten thee4' ,therefore1 all melody and all harmony upon earth1 whether in the song of birds1 the whisper of the wind1 the concourse of voices1 or the sounds of those cunning instruments which man has learnt to create1 because he is made in the image of ,christ1 the ,word of ,god1 who creates all things2 all music upon earth1 ,i say1 is beautiful in as far as it is a pattern and type of the everlasting music which is in heaven2 which was before all worlds1 and shall be after them2 for by its rules all worlds were made1 and will be made for ever1 even the everlasting melody of the wise and loving will of ,god1 and the everlasting harmony of the ,father toward the ,son1 and of the ,son toward the ,father1 in one ,holy ,spirit who proceeds from them both1 to give melody and harmony1 order and beauty1 life and light1 to all which ,god has made4 ,therefore music is a sacred1 a divine1 a ,godlike thing1 and was given to man by ,christ to lift our hearts up to ,god1 and make us feel something of the glory and beauty of ,god and of all which ,god has made4 ,therefore1 too1 music is most fit for ,christmas day1 of all days in the year4 ,christmas has always been a day of songs1 of carols and of hymns2 and so let it be for ever4 ,if we had no music all the rest of the year in church or out of church1 let us have it at least on ,christmas day4 ,for on ,christmas day most of all days 7if ,i may talk of eternal things according to the laws of time7 was manifested on earth the everlasting music which is in heaven4 ,on ,christmas day was fulfilled in time and space the everlasting harmony of ,god1 when the ,father sent the ,son into the world1 that the world through him might be saved2 and the ,son refused not1 neither shrank back1 though he knew that sorrow1 shame1 and death awaited him1 but answered1 #8,a body hast thou prepared me 4 4 4 ,i come to do thy will1 oh ,god6' and so emptied himself1 and took on himself the form of a slave1 and was found in fashion as a man1 that he might fulfil not his own will1 but the will of the ,father who sent him4 ,on this day began that perfect melody of the ,son's life on earth2 one song and poem1 as it were1 of wise words1 good deeds1 spotless purity1 and untiring love1 which he perfected when he died1 and rose again1 and ascended on high for ever to make intercession for us with music sweeter than the song of angels and archangels1 and all the heavenly host4 ,go home1 then1 remembering how divine and holy a thing music is1 and rejoice before the ,lord this day with psalms and hymns1 and spiritual songs 7by which last ,i think the apostle means not merely church music--for that he calls psalms and hymns--but songs which have a good and wholesome spirit in them72 and remembering1 too1 that music1 like marriage1 and all other beautiful things which ,god has given to man1 is not to be taken in hand unadvisedly1 lightly1 or wantonly2 but1 even when it is most cheerful and joyful 7as marriage is71 reverently1 discreetly1 soberly1 and in the fear of ,god4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,christ ,,child4 7,christmas ,day47 ,,luke ii4 #g4 ,and she brought forth her first-born ,son1 and wrapt him in swaddling clothes1 and laid him in a manger4 ,,mother and child4--,think of it1 my friends1 on ,christmas day4 ,what more beautiful sight is there in the world8 ,what more beautiful sight1 and what more wonderful sight8 ,what more beautiful8 ,that man must be very far from the kingdom of ,god--he is not worthy to be called a man at all--whose heart has not been touched by the sight of his first child in its mother's bosom4 ,the greatest painters who have ever lived have tried to paint the beauty of that simple thing--a mother with her babe3 and have failed4 ,one of them1 ,rafaelle by name1 to whom ,god gave the spirit of beauty in a measure in which he never gave it1 perhaps1 to any other man1 tried again and again1 for years1 painting over and over that simple subject--the mother and her babe--and could not satisfy himself4 ,each of his pictures is most beautiful--each in a different way2 and yet none of them is perfect4 ,there is more beauty in that simple every-day sight than he or any man could express by his pencil and his colours4 ,and yet it is a sight which we see every day4 ,and as for the wonder of that sight--the mystery of it--,i tell you this4 ,that physicians1 and the wise men who look into the laws of nature1 of flesh and blood1 say that the mystery is past their finding out2 that if they could find out the whole meaning1 and the true meaning of those two words1 mother and child1 they could get the key to the deepest wonders of the world3 but they cannot4 ,and philosophers1 who look into the laws of soul and spirit1 say the same4 ,the wiser men they are1 the more they find in the soul of every new-born babe1 and its kindred to its mother1 wonders and puzzles past man's understanding4 ,i will say boldly1 my friends1 that if one could find out the full meaning of those two words1 mother and child1 one would be the wisest philosopher on earth1 and see deeper than all who have ever yet lived1 into the secrets of this world of time which we can see1 and of the eternal world1 which no man can see1 save with the eyes of his reasonable soul4 ,and yet it is the most common1 every-day sight4 ,that only shows once more what ,i so often try to show you1 that the most common1 every-day things are the most wonderful4 ,it shows us how we are to despise nothing which ,god has made2 above all1 to despise nothing which belongs to human nature1 which is the likeness and image of ,god4 ,above all1 upon this ,christmas day it is not merely ignorant and foolish1 but quite sinful and heretical1 to despise anything which belongs to human nature4 ,for on this day ,god appeared in human nature1 and in the first and lowest shape of it--in the form of a new-born babe1 that by beginning at the beginning1 he might end at the end2 and being made in all things like as his brethren1 might perfectly and utterly take the manhood into ,god4 ,this1 then1 we are to think of1 at least on ,christmas day--,god revealed1 and shown to men1 as a babe upon his mother's bosom4 ,men had pictured ,god to themselves already in many shapes--some foolish1 foul1 brutal--,god forgive them2--some noble and majestic4 ,sometimes they thought of him as a mighty ,lawgiver1 sitting upon his throne in the heavens1 with solemn face and awful eyes1 looking down upon all the earth4 ,that fancy was not a false one4 ,st4 ,john saw the ,lord so4 #8,and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the ,son of man1 clothed with a garment down to the foot1 and girt about the paps with a golden girdle4 ,his head and his hairs were white like wool1 as white as snow2 and his eyes were as a flame of fire2 and his feet like unto fine brass1 as if they burned in a furnace2 and his voice as the sound of many waters4 ,and he had in his right hand seven stars2 and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword2 and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength4' ,sometimes1 again1 they thought of him as the terrible warrior1 going forth to conquer and destroy all which opposed him2 to kill wicked tyrants1 and devils1 and all who rebelled against him1 and who hurt human beings4 ,and that was not a false fancy either4 ,st4 ,john saw the ,lord so4 #8,and ,i saw heaven opened1 and behold a white horse2 and he that sat upon him was called ,faithful and ,true2 and in righteousness he doth judge and make war4 ,his eyes were as a flame of fire1 and on his head were many crowns2 and he had a name written1 that no man knew but he himself3 and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood2 and his name is called1 ,the ,word of ,god4 ,and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses1 clothed in fine linen1 white and clean4 ,and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword1 that with it he should smite the nations2 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron3 and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of ,almighty ,god4' ,but all these were only1 as it were1 fancies about one side of ,god's character4 ,it was only in the ,babe of ,bethlehem that the whole of ,god's character shone forth1 that men might not merely fear him and bow before him1 but trust in him and love him1 as one who could be touched with the feeling of their infirmities4 #aea ,it was on ,christmas day that ,god appeared among men as a child upon a mother's bosom4 ,and why8 ,surely for this reason1 among a thousand more1 that he might teach men to feel for him and with him1 and to be sure that he felt for them and with them4 ,to teach them to feel for him and with him1 he took the shape of a little child1 to draw out all their love1 all their tenderness1 and1 if ,i may so say1 all their pity4 ,a ,god in need6 ,a ,god weak6 ,god fed by mortal woman6 ,a ,god wrapt in swaddling clothes1 and laid in a manger6--,if that sight will not touch our hearts1 what will8 ,and by that same sight he has taught men that he feels with them and for them4 ,god has been through the pains of infancy4 ,god has hungered4 ,god has wept4 ,god has been ignorant4 ,god has grown1 and increased in stature and in wisdom1 and in favour both with ,god and man4 ,and why8 ,that he might take on him our human nature4 ,not merely the nature of a great man1 of a wise man1 of a grown up man only3 but all human nature1 from the nature of the babe on its mother's bosom1 to the nature of the full-grown and full-souled man1 fighting with all his powers against the evil of the world4 ,all this is his1 and he is all2 that no human being1 from the strongest to the weakest1 from the eldest to the youngest1 but may be able to say1 #8,what ,i am1 ,christ has been4' ,take home with you1 then1 this thought1 on this ,christmas day1 among all the rest which ,christmas ought to put into your minds4 ,respect your own children4 ,look on them as the likeness of ,christ1 and the image of ,god2 and when you go home this day1 believe that ,christ is in them1 the hope of glory to them hereafter4 ,draw them round you1 and say to them--each in your own fashion--#8,my children1 ,god was made like to you this day1 that you might be made like ,god4 ,children1 this is your day1 for on this day ,god became a child2 that ,god gives you leave to think of him as a child1 that you may be sure he loves children1 sure he understands children1 sure that a little child is as near and as dear to ,god as kings1 nobles1 scholars1 and divines4' ,yes1 my dear children1 you may think of ,god as a child1 now and always4 ,for you ,christ is always the ,babe of ,bethlehem4 ,do not say to yourselves1 #8,christ is grown up long ago2 he is a full-grown man4' ,he is1 and yet he is not4 ,his life is eternal in the heavens1 above all change of time and space2 for time and space are but his creatures and his tools4 ,therefore he can be all things to all men1 because he is the ,son of man4 ,yes2 all things to all men4 ,hearken to me1 you children1 and you grown-up children also1 if there be any in this church--for if you will receive it1 such is the sacred heart of ,jesus--all things to all2 and wherever there is the true heart of a true human being1 there1 beating in perfect answer to it1 is the heart of ,christ4 ,to the strong he can be strongest2 and to the weak1 weakest of all4 ,with the mighty he can be the ,king of kings2 and yet with the poor he can wander1 not having where to lay his head4 ,with quiet ,jacob he goes round the farm1 among the quiet sheep2 and yet he ranges with wild ,esau over battle-field1 and desert1 and far unknown seas4 ,with the mourner he weeps for ever2 and yet he will sit as of old--if he be but invited--and bless the marriage-feast4 ,for the penitent he hangs for ever on the cross2 and yet with the man who works for ,god his ,father he stands for ever in his glory1 his eyes like a flame of fire1 and out of his mouth a two-edged sword1 judging the nations of the earth4 ,with the aged and the dying he goes down for ever into the grave2 and yet with you1 children1 ,christ lies for ever on his mother's bosom1 and looks up for ever into his mother's face1 full of young life1 and happiness1 and innocence1 the everlasting ,christ-child in whom you must believe1 whom you must love1 to whom you must offer up your childish prayers4 ,the day will come when you can no longer think as a child1 or pray as a child1 but put away childish things4 ,i do not know whether you will be the happier for that change4 ,god grant that you may be the better for it4 ,meanwhile1 go home1 and think of the baby ,jesus1 your ,lord1 your pattern1 your ,saviour2 and ask him to make you such good children to your mothers1 as the little ,jesus was to the ,blessed ,virgin1 when he increased in knowledge and in stature1 and in favour both with ,god and man4 ,,sermon ,,xix4 ,,christ',s ,,boyhood4 ,,luke ii4 #eb4 ,and ,jesus increased in wisdom1 and in stature1 and in favour both with ,god and man4 ,i ,,do not pretend to understand these words4 ,i preach on them because the ,church has appointed them for this day4 ,and most fitly4 ,at ,christmas we think of our ,lord's birth4 ,what more reasonable1 than that we should go on to think of our ,lord's boyhood8 ,to think of this aright1 even if we do not altogether understand it1 ought to help us to understand rightly the incarnation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 the right faith about which is1 that he was very man1 of the substance of his mother4 ,now1 if he were very and real man1 he must have been also very and real babe1 very and real boy1 very and real youth1 and then very and real full-grown man4 ,now it is not so easy to believe that as it may seem4 ,it is not so easy to believe4 ,i have heard many preachers preach 7without knowing it71 what used to be called the ,apollinarian ,heresy1 which held that our ,lord had not a real human soul1 but only a human body2 and that his ,godhead served him instead of a human soul1 and a man's reason1 man's feelings4 ,about that the old fathers had great difficulty1 before they could make people understand that our ,lord had been a real babe4 ,it seemed to people's unclean fancies something shocking that our ,lord should have been born1 as other children are born4 ,they stumbled at the stumbling-block of the manger in ,bethlehem1 as they did at the stumbling-block of the cross on ,calvary2 and they wanted to make out that our ,lord was born into the world in some strange way--,i know not how2--,i do not choose to talk of it here3--but they would fancy and invent anything1 rather than believe that ,jesus was really born of the ,virgin ,mary1 made of the substance of his mother4 ,so that it was hundreds of years before the fathers of the ,church set people's minds thoroughly at rest about that4 ,in the same way1 though not so much1 people found it very hard to believe that our ,lord grew up as a real human child4 ,they would not believe that he went down to ,nazareth1 and was subject to his father and mother4 ,people believe generally now--the ,roman ,catholics as well as we--that our ,lord worked at his father's trade--that he himself handled the carpenter's tools4 ,we have no certain proof of it3 but it is so beautiful a thought1 that one hopes it is true4 ,at least our believing it is a sign that we do believe the incarnation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ more rightly than most people did fifteen hundred years ago4 ,for then1 too many of them would have been shocked at the notion4 ,they stumbled at the carpenter's shop1 even as they did at the manger and at the cross4 ,and they invented false gospels--one of which especially1 had strange and fanciful stories about our ,lord's childhood--which tried to make him out4 ,most of these stories are so childish ,i do not like to repeat them4 ,one of them may serve as a sample4 ,our ,lord1 it says1 was playing with other children of his own age1 and making little birds out of clay3 but those which our ,lord made became alive1 and moved1 and sang like real birds4--,stories put together just to give our ,lord some magical power1 different from other children1 and pretending that he worked signs and wonders3 which were just what he refused to work4 ,but the old fathers rejected these false gospels and their childish tales1 and commanded ,christian men only to believe what the ,bible tells us about our ,lord's childhood2 for that is enough for us1 and that will help us better than any magical stories and childish fairy tales of man's invention1 to believe rightly that ,god was made man1 and dwelt among us4 ,and what does the ,bible tell us8 ,very little indeed4 ,and it tells us very little1 because we were meant to know very little4 ,trust your ,bibles always1 my friends1 and be sure1 if you were meant to know more1 the ,bible would tell you more4 ,it tells us that ,jesus grew just as a human child grows1 in body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,then it tells us of one case--only one--in which he seemed to act without his parents' leave4 ,and as the saying is1 the exception proves the rule4 ,it is plain that his rule was to obey1 except in this case2 that he was always subject to his parents1 as other children are1 except on this one occasion4 ,and even in this case1 he went back with them1 it is expressly said1 and was subject to them4 ,now1 ,i do not pretend to explain why our ,lord stayed behind in the temple4 ,i cannot explain 7who can87 the why and wherefore of what ,i see people do in common daily life4 ,how much less can one explain why our ,lord did this and that1 who was both man and ,god4 ,but one reason1 and one which seems to me to be plain1 on the very face of ,st4 ,luke's words--he stayed behind to learn2 to learn all he could from the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 the doctors of the law4 ,he told the people after1 when grown up1 #8,the ,scribes and ,pharisees sit in ,moses' seat4 ,all therefore which they command you1 that observe and do4' ,and he was a ,jew himself1 and came to fulfil all righteousness2 and therefore he fulfilled such righteousness as was customary among ,jews according to their law and religion4 ,therefore ,i do not like at all a great many pictures which ,i see in children's ,sunday books1 which set the child ,jesus in the midst1 as on a throne1 holding up his hand as if he were laying down the law1 and the ,scribes and ,pharisees looking angry and confounded4 ,the ,bible says not that they heard him1 but that he heard them2 that they were astonished at his understanding1 not that they were confounded and angry4 ,no4 ,i must believe that even those hard1 proud ,pharisees1 looked with wonder and admiration on the glorious ,child2 that they perhaps felt for the moment that a prophet1 another ,samuel1 had risen up among them4 ,and surely that is much more like the right notion of the child ,jesus1 full of meekness and humility2 of ,jesus1 who1 though #8he were a ,son1 learnt obedience by the things which he suffered2' of ,jesus1 who1 while he increased in stature1 increased in favour with man1 as well as with ,god3 and surely no child can increase in favour either with ,god or man1 if he sets down his elders1 and contradicts and despises the teachers whom ,god has set over him4 ,no let us believe that when he said1 #8,know ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business8' that a child's way of doing the work of his ,father in heaven is to learn all that he can understand from his teachers1 spiritual pastors1 and masters1 whom ,god the ,father has set over him4 ,therefore--and do listen to this1 children and young people--if you wish really to think what ,christ has to do with you1 you must remember that he was once a real human child--not different outwardly from other children1 except in being a perfectly good child1 in all things like as you are1 but without sin4 ,then1 whatever happens to you1 you will have the comfort of feeling--,christ understands this2 ,christ has been through this4 ,child though ,i am1 ,christ can be touched with the feeling of my weakness1 for he was once a child like me4 ,and then1 if trouble1 or sickness1 or death come among you--and you all know how sickness and death have come among you of late--you may be cheerful and joyful still1 if you will only try to be such children as ,jesus was4 ,obey your parents1 and be subject to them1 as he was2 try to learn from your teachers1 pastors1 and masters1 as he did2 try and pray to increase daily in favour both with ,god and man1 as he did3 and then1 even if death should come and take you before your time1 you need not be afraid1 for ,jesus ,christ is with you4 ,your childish faults shall be forgiven you for ,jesus' sake2 your childish good conduct shall be accepted for ,jesus ,christ's sake2 and if you be trying to be good children1 doing your little work well where ,god has put you1 humble1 obedient1 and teachable1 winning love from the people round you1 and from ,god your ,father in heaven1 then1 ,i say1 you need not be afraid of sickness1 not even afraid of death1 for whenever it takes you1 it will find you about your ,father's business4 ,,sermon ,,xx4 ,,the ,,locust-,,swarms4 ,,joel ii4 #ab1 #ac4 ,therefore also now1 saith the ,lord1 ,turn ye even to me with all your heart1 and with fasting1 and with weeping1 and with mourning2 and rend your heart1 and not your garments1 and turn unto the ,lord your ,god1 for he is gracious and merciful1 slow to anger1 and of great kindness1 and repenteth him of the evil4 ,,this is one of the grandest chapters in the whole ,old ,testament1 and one which may teach us a great deal2 and1 above all1 teach us to be thankful to ,god for the blessings which we have4 ,i think ,i can explain what it means best by going back to the chapter before it4 ,joel begins his prophecy by bitter lamentation over the mischief which the swarms of insects had done2 such as had never been in his days1 nor in the days of his fathers4 ,what the palmer worm had left1 the locust had eaten2 what the locust had left1 the cankerworm had eaten2 and what the cankerworm had left1 the caterpillar had eaten4 ,whether these names are rightly rendered1 or whether they mean different sorts of locusts1 or the locusts in their different stages of growth1 crawling at first and flying at last1 matters little4 ,what mischief they had done was plain enough4 ,they had come up #8a nation strong and without number1 whose teeth were like the teeth of a lion1 and his cheek-teeth like those of a strong lion4 ,they had laid his vines waste1 and barked his fig-tree1 and made its branches white2 and all drunkards were howling and lamenting1 for the wine crop was utterly destroyed3 and all other crops1 it seems likewise2 the corn was wasted1 the olives destroyed2 the seed was rotten under the clods1 the granaries empty1 the barns broken down1 for the corn was withered2 the vine and fig1 pomegranate1 palm1 and apple1 were all gone2 the green grass was all gone2 the beasts groaned1 the herds were perplexed1 because they had no pasture2 the flocks of sheep were desolate4' ,there seems to have been a dry season also1 to make matters worse2 for ,joel says the rivers of waters were dried up--likely enough1 if then1 as now1 it is the dry seasons which bring the locust-swarms4 ,still the locusts had done the chief mischief4 ,they came just as they come now 7only in smaller strength1 thank ,god7 in many parts of the ,east and of ,southern ,russia1 darkening the sky1 and shutting out the very light of the sun2 the noise of their innumerable jaws like the noise of flame devouring the stubble1 as they settled upon every green thing1 and gnawed away leaf and bark2 and a fire devoured before them1 and behind them a flame burned2 the land was as the garden of ,eden before them1 and behind them a desolate wilderness2 #afb till there was not enough left to supply the daily sacrifices1 and the meat offering and the drink offering were withheld from the house of ,god4 ,but what has all this to do with us8 ,there have never1 as far as we know1 been any locusts in ,england4 ,and what has this to do with ,god8 ,why does ,joel tell these ,jews that ,god sent the locusts1 and bid them cry to ,god to take them away8 ,for these locusts are natural things1 and come by natural laws4 ,and there is no need that there should be locusts anywhere4 ,for where the wild grass plains are broken up and properly cultivated1 there the locusts1 which lay their countless eggs in the old turf1 disappear1 and must disappear4 ,we know that now4 ,we know that when the ,east is tilled 7as ,god grant it may be some day7 as thoroughly as ,england is1 locusts will be as unknown there as here2 and that is another comfortable proof to us that there is no real curse upon ,god's earth3 but that just as far as man fulfils ,god's command to replenish the earth and subdue it1 so far he gets rid of all manner of terrible scourges and curses1 which seemed to him in the days of his ignorance1 necessary and supernatural4 ,how1 then1 was ,joel right in saying that ,god sent the locusts8 ,in this way1 my friends4 ,suppose you or ,i took cholera or fever4 ,we know that cholera or fever is preventible2 that man has no right to have these pestilences in a country1 because they can be kept out and destroyed4 ,but if you or ,i caught cholera or fever by no fault or folly of our own1 we are bound to say1 ,god sent me this sickness4 ,it has some private lesson for me4 ,it is part of my education1 my schooling in ,god's school-house4 ,it is meant to make me a wiser and better man2 and that he can only do by teaching me more about himself4 ,so with these locusts1 and still more so2 for ,joel did not know1 could not know1 that these locusts could be prevented4 ,but even if he had known that1 it was not his fault or folly1 or his countrymen's which had brought the locusts4 ,most probably they were tilling the ground to the best of their knowledge4 ,most probably1 too1 these locusts were not bred in ,palestine at all2 but came down upon the north-wind 7as they are said to do now71 from some land hundreds of miles away2 and therefore ,joel could say--,whatever ,i do not know about these locusts1 this ,i know2 that ,god1 whose providence orders all things in heaven and earth1 has sent them2 that he means to teach you a lesson by them2 that they are part of his schooling to us ,jews2 that he intends to make us wiser and better men by them3 and that he can only do by teaching us more about himself4 ,what1 then1 does ,joel say about the locusts1 which he might say to you or me1 if we were laid down by cholera or fever8 ,he does not say1 these troubles have come upon you from devils1 or evil spirits1 or by any blind chance of the world about you4 ,he says1 they have come on you from the ,lord2 from the same good1 loving1 merciful ,lord who brought your fathers out of ,egypt1 and made a great nation of you1 and has preserved you to this day4 ,and do not fancy that he is changed4 ,do not fancy that he has forgotten you1 or hates you1 or has become cruel1 or proud1 or unlike himself4 ,it is you who have forgotten him1 and have shown that by living bad lives2 and all he wishes is1 to drive you back to him1 that you may live good lives4 ,turn to him2 and you will find him unchanged2 the same loving1 forgiving ,lord as ever4 ,he requires no sacrifices1 no great offerings on your part to win him round4 ,all he asks is1 that you should confess yourselves in the wrong1 and turn and repent4 ,turn therefore to the ,lord with all your heart1 and with weeping1 and with fasting1 and with mourning--7which was1 and is still the ,eastern fashion72 and rend your heart1 and not your garments4 ,and why8 ,because the ,lord is very dreadful1 angry and dark1 and has determined to destroy you all8 ,not so3 but because he is gracious and merciful1 slow to anger1 and of great kindness1 and repenteth him of the evil4 ,yes1 my friends3 and this1 you will find1 is at the bottom of all true repentance and turning to ,god4 ,if you believe that ,god is dark1 and hard1 and cruel1 you may be afraid of him3 but you cannot repent1 cannot turn to him4 ,the more you think of him the more you will be terrified at him1 and turn from him4 ,but if you believe that ,god is gracious and merciful1 then you can turn to him2 then you can repent with a true repentance1 and a godly sorrow which breeds joy and peace of mind4 ,so ,joel thought1 at least2 for he tells them1 that if they will but turn to ,god1 if they will but confess themselves in the wrong1 all shall be well again1 and better than before4 ,now1 if ,joel had been a heathen1 worshipping the false gods of the ,canaanites1 he would have spoken very differently2 he would have said1 perhaps--,baal1 the true ,god1 is angry with you1 and he has sent the drought4 ,or1 ,ashtoreth1 the ,queen of ,heaven1 by whose power all seeds grow and all creatures breed1 is angry with you1 and she has destroyed the seeds1 and sent the locusts4 ,or1 ,ammon1 the ,lord of the sheep1 is angry1 and he has destroyed your flocks and herds4 ,but one thing we know he would have said--,these angry gods want blood4 ,you cannot pacify them without human blood4 ,you must give them the most dear and precious things you have--the most beautiful and pure4 ,you must sacrifice boys and girls to them2 and then1 perhaps1 they will be appeased4 ,we know this4 ,we know that the heathen1 whenever they were in trouble1 took to human sacrifices4 ,the ,canaanites--and the ,jews when they fell into idolatry--used to burn their children in the fire to ,moloch4 ,we know that the ,carthaginians1 who were of the same blood and language as the ,canaanites1 used human sacrifices2 and that once when their city was in great danger1 they sacrificed at one time two hundred boys of their highest families4 ,we know that the ,greeks and ,romans1 who had much more humane and rational notions about their gods1 were tempted1 in times of great distress1 to sacrifice human beings4 ,it has always been so4 ,the old ,mexicans in ,america used to sacrifice many thousands of men and women every year to their idols2 and when the ,spaniards came and destroyed them off the face of the earth in the name of the ,lord--as ,joshua did the ,canaanites of old--they found the walls of the idol temples crusted inches thick with human blood4 ,even to this day1 the wild ,khonds in the ,indian mountains1 and the ,red men of ,america1 sacrifice human beings at times1 and1 ,i fear1 very often indeed2 and believe that the gods will be the more pleased1 and more certain to turn away their anger1 the more horrible and lingering tortures they inflict upon their wretched victims4 ,i say1 these things were2 and were it not for the light of the ,gospel1 these things would be still2 and when we hear of them1 we ought to bow our heads to our ,father in heaven in thankfulness1 and say--what ,joel the prophet taught the ,jews to say dimly and in part--what our ,lord ,jesus and his apostles taught us to say fully and perfectly-- ,it is very meet1 right1 and our bounden duty1 at all times and in all places--whether in joy or sorrow1 in wealth or in want1 to give thanks to thee1 ,o ,lord1 ,holy ,father1 ,almighty1 ,everlasting ,god4 ,through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 according to whose most true promise the ,holy ,ghost came down from heaven upon the apostles1 to teach them and to lead them into all truth1 and give them fervent zeal1 constantly to preach the ,gospel to all nations1 by which we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of thee and of thy ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,yes1 my friends1 this is the lesson which we have to learn from ,joel's prophecy1 and from all prophecies4 ,this lesson the old prophets learnt for themselves1 slowly and dimly1 through many temptations and sorrows4 ,this lesson our ,lord ,jesus ,christ revealed fully1 and left behind him to his apostles4 ,this lesson men have been learning slowly but surely in all the hundreds of years which have past since2 to know that there is one ,father in heaven1 of whom are all things1 and one ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom are all things2 that they may1 in all the chances and changes of this mortal life1 in weal and in woe1 in light and in darkness1 in plenty and in want1 look up to that heavenly ,father who so loved them that he spared not his only begotten ,son1 but freely gave him for them1 and say1 #8,father1 not our will but thine be done4 ,all things come from thy hand1 and therefore all things come from thy love4 ,we have received good from thy hand1 and shall we not receive evil8 ,though thou slay us1 yet will we trust in thee4 ,for thou art gracious and merciful1 long-suffering and of great goodness4 ,thou art loving to every man1 and thy mercy is over all thy works4 ,thou art righteous in all thy ways1 and holy in all thy doings4 ,thou art nigh to all that call on thee2 thou wilt hear their cry1 and wilt help them4 ,for all thou desirest1 when thou sendest trouble on them1 is to make them wiser and better men4 ,and that thou canst only make them by teaching them more about thyself4' ,,sermon ,,xxi4 ,,salvation4 ,,isaiah lix4 #ae1 #af4 ,and the ,lord saw it1 and it displeased him that there was no judgment4 ,and he saw that there was no man1 and wondered that there was no intercessor3 therefore his arm brought salvation unto him1 and his righteousness it sustained him4 ,,this text is often held to be a prophecy of the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i certainly believe that it is a prophecy of his coming1 and of something better still2 namely1 his continual presence2 and a very noble and deep one1 and one from which we may learn a great deal4 ,we may learn from it what #8salvation' really is4 ,what ,christ came to save men from1 and how he saves them4 ,the common notion of salvation now-a-days is this4 ,that salvation is some arrangement or plan1 by which people are to escape hell-fire by having ,christ's righteousness imputed to them without their being righteous themselves4 ,now1 ,i have nothing to say about that this morning4 ,it may be so2 or1 again1 it may not2 ,i read a good many things in books every week the sense of which ,i cannot understand4 ,at all events it is not the salvation of which ,isaiah speaks here4 ,for ,isaiah tells us very plainly1 from what ,god was going to save these ,jews4 ,not from hell-fire--nothing is said about it3 but simply from their sins4 ,as it is written1 #8,thou shalt call his name ,jesus1 for he shall save his people from their sins4' ,the case is very simple1 if you will look at ,isaiah's own words4 ,these ,jews had become thoroughly bad men4 ,they were not ungodly men4 ,they were very religious1 orthodox1 devout men4 ,they #8sought ,god daily1 and delighted to know his ways1 like a nation that did righteousness1 and forsook not the ordinances of their ,god3 they asked of him the ordinances of justice2 they took delight in approaching unto ,god4' ,but unfortunately for them1 and for all with whom they had to do1 after they had asked of ,god the ordinances of justice1 they never thought of doing them2 and in spite of all their religion1 they were1 ,isaiah tells them plainly1 rogues and scoundrels1 none of whom stood up for justice1 or pleaded for truth1 but trusted in vanity1 and spoke lies4 ,their feet ran to evil1 and they made haste to shed innocent blood2 the way of peace they knew not1 and they had made themselves crooked paths1 speaking oppression and revolt1 and conceiving and uttering words of falsehood2 so that judgment was turned away backward1 and justice stood afar off1 for truth was fallen in the street1 and equity could not enter4 ,yea1 truth failed2 and he that departed from evil made himself a prey 7or as some render it7 was accounted mad4 ,and this is in the face of all their religion and their church-going4 ,verily1 my friends1 fallen human beings were much the same then as now2 and there are too many in ,england and elsewhere now who might sit for that portrait4 ,but how was the ,lord going to save these hypocritical1 false1 unjust men8 ,was he going to say to them1 ,believe certain doctrines about me1 and you shall escape all punishment for your sins1 and my righteousness shall be imputed to you8 ,we do not read a word of that4 ,we read--not that the ,lord's righteousness was imputed to these bad men1 but that it sustained the ,lord himself4--,ah6 there is a depth1 if you will receive it--a depth of hope and comfort--a well-spring of salvation for us and all mankind4 ,you may be false and dishonest1 saith the ,lord1 but ,i am honest and true4 ,unjust1 but ,i am just2 unrighteous1 but ,i am righteous4 ,if men will not set the world right1 then ,i will1 saith the ,lord4 ,my righteousness shall sustain me1 and keep me up to my duty1 though man may forget his4 ,to me all power is given in heaven and earth1 and ,i will use my power aright4 ,if men are bringing themselves and their country1 their religion1 their church to ruin by hypocrisy1 falsehood1 and injustice1 as those ,jews were1 then the ,lord's arm will bring salvation4 ,he will save them from their sins by the only possible way--namely1 by taking their sins away1 and making those of them who will take his lesson good and righteous men instead4 ,it may be a very terrible lesson of vengeance and fury1 as ,isaiah says4 ,it may unmask many a hypocrite1 confound many a politic1 and frustrate many a knavish trick1 till the ,lord's salvation may look at first sight much more like destruction and misery2 for his fan is in his hand1 and he will thoroughly purge his floor1 and gather the wheat into his garner3 but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire4 ,but his purpose is1 to save--to save his people from their sins1 to purge out of them all hypocrisy1 falsehood1 injustice1 and make of them honest men1 true men1 just men--men created anew after his likeness4 ,and this is the meaning of his salvation2 and is the only salvation worth having1 for this life or the life to come4 ,oh my friends1 let us pray to ,god1 whatsoever else he does for us1 to make honest men of us4 ,for if we be not honest men1 we shall surely come to ruin1 and bring all we touch to ruin1 past hope of salvation4 ,whatsoever denomination or church we belong to1 it will be all the same3 we may call ourselves children of ,abraham1 of the ,holy ,catholic ,church 7which ,god preserve71 or what we will3 but when the axe is laid to the root of the tree1 every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down1 and is cast into the fire2 and woe to the foolish fowl who have taken shelter under the branches of it4 ,and we who are coming to the holy communion this day--let us ask ourselves1 ,what do we want there8 ,do we want to be made good men1 true1 honest1 just8 ,do we want to be saved from our sins8 or merely from the punishment of them after we die8 ,do we want to be made sharers in that everlasting righteousness of ,christ1 which sustains him1 and sustains the whole world too1 and prevents it from becoming a cage of wild beasts1 tearing each other to pieces by war and oppression1 falsehood and injustice8 ,then we shall get what we want2 and more4 ,but if not1 then we shall not get what we want1 not discerning that the ,lord's body is a righteous and just and good body2 and his blood a purifying blood1 which purifies not merely from the punishment of our sins1 but from our sins themselves4 ,and bear in mind1 my friends1 when times grow evil1 and rogues and hypocrites abound1 and all the world seems going wrong1 there is one arm to fall back upon1 and one righteousness to fall back upon1 which can never fail you1 or the world4-- ,the arm of the ,lord1 which brings salvation to him1 that he may give it to all who are faithful and true2 which cannot weaken or grow weary1 till it has cast out of his kingdom all which offends1 and whosoever loveth or maketh a lie4-- ,and the eternal righteousness of the ,lord1 which will do justice by every living soul of man1 and which will never fail or fade away1 because it is his own property1 belonging to his own essence1 which if he gave up for a moment he would give up being ,god4 ,yes1 ,god is good1 though every man were bad2 ,god is just1 though every man were a rogue2 ,god is true1 though every man were a liar2 and as long as that is so1 all is safe for you and me1 and the whole world3--if we will4 ,,sermon ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,beginning ,,and ,,end ,,of ,,wisdom4 ,,proverbs ii4 #b1 #c1 #e4 ,if thou incline thine ear to wisdom1 and apply thine heart to understanding2 yea1 if thou criest after wisdom1 and liftest up thy voice for understanding2 then shalt thou understand the fear of the ,lord1 and find the knowledge of ,god4 ,,we shall see something curious in the last of these verses1 when we compare it with one in the chapter before4 ,the chapter before says1 that the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom4 ,that if we wish to be wise at all1 we must begin by fearing ,god4 ,but this chapter says1 that the fear of the ,lord is the end of wisdom too2 for it says1 that if we seek earnestly after knowledge and understanding1 then we shall understand the fear of the ,lord1 and find the knowledge of ,god4 ,so1 according to ,solomon1 the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom1 and the end likewise4 ,it is the starting point from which we are to set out1 and the goal toward which we are to run4 ,how can that be8 ,if by wisdom ,solomon meant high doctrines1 what we call theology and divinity1 it would seem more easy to understand3 but he does not mean that1 at least in our sense2 for his rules and proverbs about wisdom are not about divinity and high doctrines1 but about plain practical every-day life2 shrewd maxims as to how to behave in this life1 so as to thrive and prosper in it4 ,and yet again they must be about divinity and theology in some sense4 ,for what does he say about wisdom in the text8 #8,if thou search after wisdom1 thou shalt understand the fear of the ,lord2' and is that all8 ,no4 ,he says more than that4 ,thou shalt find1 he says1 the knowledge of ,god4 ,to know ,god4--,what higher theology can there be than that8 ,it is the end of all divinity1 of all religion4 ,it is eternal life itself1 to know ,god4 ,if a man knows ,god1 he is in heaven there and then1 though he be walking in flesh and blood upon this mortal earth4 ,how can all this be8 ,let us consider the words once again4 ,solomon does not say1 ,to understand the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom1 but simply the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of it4 ,but the end of wisdom1 he says1 is not merely to fear the ,lord1 but to understand the fear of the ,lord4 ,this then1 ,i suppose1 is his meaning3 ,we are to begin life by fearing ,god1 without understanding it3 as a child obeys his parents without understanding the reason of their commands4 ,therefore1 says ,solomon to the young man1 begin with that--with the solemn1 earnest1 industrious1 ,god-fearing frame of mind--without that you will gain no wisdom4 ,you may be as clever as you will1 but if you are reckless and wild1 you will gain no wisdom4 ,if you are violent and impatient2 if you are selfish and self-conceited2 if you are weak and self-indulgent1 given up to your own pleasures1 your cleverness will be of no use to you4 ,it will be only hurtful to you and to others4 ,a clever fool is common enough1 and dangerous enough4 ,for he is one who never sees things as they really are1 but as he would like them to be4 ,a bad man1 let him be as clever as he may1 is like one in a fever1 whose mind is wandering1 who is continually seeing figures and visions1 and mistaking them for actual and real things2 and so with all his cleverness1 he lives in a dream1 and makes mistake upon mistake1 because he knows not things as they are1 and sees nothing by the light of ,christ1 who is the light of the world1 from whom alone all true understanding comes4 ,begin then with the fear of the ,lord4 ,make up your mind to do what you are told is right1 whether you know the reason of it or not4 ,take for granted that your elders know better than you1 and have faith in them1 in your teachers1 in your ,bible1 in the words of wise men who have gone before you3 and do right1 whatever it costs you4 ,if you do not always know the reason at first1 you will know it in due time1 and get1 so ,solomon says1 to understand the fear of the ,lord4 ,in due time you will see from experience that you are in the path of life4 ,you will be able to say with ,st4 ,paul1 ,i know in whom ,i have believed2 and with ,job1 #8,before ,i heard of thee1 ,o ,lord1 with the hearing of the ear3 but now mine eye seeth thee4' ,and why8 ,because1 says ,solomon1 ,god himself will show you1 and teach you by his ,holy ,spirit4 ,as our ,lord says1 #8,the ,holy ,spirit shall take of mine1 and show it unto you1 and lead you into all truth4' ,and therefore ,solomon talks of wisdom1 who is the ,holy ,ghost the ,comforter1 as a person who teaches men1 whose delight is with the sons of men4 ,he speaks of wisdom as calling to men4 ,he speaks of her as a being who is seeking for those that seek her1 who will teach those who seek after her4 ,yes1 this1 my friends1 is1 ,i believe1 the secret of life4 ,at least it is the secret both of ,solomon's teaching1 and our ,lord's1 and ,st4 ,paul's1 and ,st4 ,john's1 that true wisdom is not a thing which man finds out for himself1 but which ,god teaches him4 ,this is the secret of life--to believe that ,god is your ,father1 schooling and training you from your cradle to your grave2 and then to please him and obey him in all things1 lifting up daily your hands and thankful heart1 entreating him to purge the eyes of your soul1 and give you the true wisdom1 which is to see all things as they really are1 and as ,god himself sees them4 ,if you do that1 you may believe that ,god will teach you more and more how to do1 in all the affairs of life1 that which is right in his sight1 and therefore good for you4 ,he will teach you more and more to see in all which happens to you1 all which goes on around you1 his fatherly love1 his patient mercy1 his providential care for all his creatures4 ,he will reward you by making you more and more partaker of his ,holy ,spirit and of truth1 by which1 seeing everything as it really is1 you will at last--if not in this life1 still in the life to come--grow to see ,god himself1 who has made all things according to his own eternal mind1 that they may be a pattern of his unspeakable glory2 and beyond that1 who needs to see8 ,for to know ,god1 and to see ,god1 is eternal life itself4 ,and this true wisdom1 which lies in knowing ,god1 and understanding his laws1 is within the reach of the simplest person here4 ,as ,i told you1 cleverness without godliness will not give it you2 but godliness without cleverness may4 ,therefore let no one say1 #8,we are no scholars1 nor philosophers1 and we never can be4 ,are we1 then1 shut out from this heavenly wisdom8' ,god forbid1 my friends4 ,god is no respecter of persons4 ,only remember one thing2 and by it you1 too1 may attain to the heavenly wisdom4 ,i said that the fear of the ,lord was the beginning of wisdom4 ,i said that the fear of the ,lord was the end of wisdom4 ,now let the fear of the ,lord be the middle of wisdom also1 and walk in it from youth to old age1 and all will be well4 ,that is the short way1 the royal road to wisdom4 ,to be good and to do good4 ,to keep the single eye--the eye which does not look two ways at once1 and want to go two ways at once1 as too many do who want to serve ,god and mammon1 and to be good people and bad people too both at once4 ,but the single eye of the man1 who looks straightforward at everything1 and has made up his mind what it ought to do1 and will do1 so help him ,god4 ,as stout old ,joshua said1 #8,choose ye whom ye will serve3 but as for me and my house1 we will serve the ,lord4' ,that is the single eye1 which wants simply to know what is right1 and do what is right4 ,and if a man has that he may be a very wise man indeed1 though he can neither read nor write4 ,it is good for a man1 of course1 to be able to read1 that he may know what wiser men than he have said3 above all1 that he may know what his ,bible says4 ,but1 even if he cannot read1 let him fear ,god1 and set his heart earnestly to know and do his duty4 ,let him keep his soul pure1 and his body also 7for nothing hinders that heavenly wisdom like loose living71 and he will be wise enough for this world1 and for the world to come likewise4 ,i tell you1 my friends1 ,i have known women1 who were neither clever women1 nor learned women1 nor anything except good women1 whose souls were pure and full of the ,holy ,spirit1 and who lived lives of prayer1 and sat all day long with ,mary at the feet of ,jesus4--,i have known such women to have at times a wisdom which all books and all sciences on earth cannot give4 ,i have known them give opinions on deep matters which learned and experienced men were glad enough to take4 ,i have known them have1 in a wonderful degree1 that wisdom which the ,scripture calls discerning of spirits1 being able to see into people's hearts2 knowing at a glance what they were thinking of1 what made them unhappy1 how to manage and comfort them2 knowing at a glance whether they were honest or not1 pure-minded or not--a precious and heavenly wisdom1 which comes1 as ,i believe1 from none other than the inspiration of the ,spirit of ,christ1 who is the discerner of the secret thoughts of all hearts3 and when ,i have seen such people1 altogether simple and humble1 and yet most wise and prudent1 because they were full of the fear of the ,lord1 and of the knowledge of ,god1 ,i could not but ask--,why should we not be all like them8 ,my friends1 ,i believe that we may all be more or less like them1 if we will make the fear of the ,lord the beginning of our wisdom1 and the middle of our wisdom1 and the end of our wisdom4 ,nine-tenths of the mistakes we make in life come from forgetting the fear of ,god and the law of ,god1 and saying not1 ,i will do what is right3 but--,i will do what will profit me2 ,i will do what ,i like4 ,if we would say to ourselves manfully instead all our lives through1 ,i will learn the will of ,god1 and do it1 whatsoever it cost me2 we should find in our old age that ,god's ,holy ,spirit was indeed a guide and a comforter1 able and willing to lead us into all truth which was needful for us4 ,we should find ,st4 ,paul had spoken truth1 when he said that godliness has the promise of this life1 as well as of that which is to come4 ,,sermon ,,xxiii4 ,,human ,,nature4 7,septuagesima ,sunday47 ,,genesis i4 #bg4 ,so ,god created man in his own image2 in the image of ,god created he him2 male and female created he them4 ,,on this ,sunday the ,church bids us to begin to read the book of ,genesis1 and hear how the world was made1 and how man was made1 and what the world is1 and who man is4 ,and why8 ,to prepare us1 ,i think1 for ,lent1 and ,passion week1 ,good ,friday1 and ,easter day4 ,for you must know what a thing ought to be1 before you can know what it ought not to be2 you must know what health is1 before you can know what disease is2 you must know how and why a good man is good1 before you can know how and why a bad man is bad4 ,you must know what man fell from1 before you can know what man has fallen to2 and so you must hear of man's creation1 before you can understand man's fall4 ,now in ,lent we lament and humble ourselves for man's fall4 ,in ,passion week we remember the death and suffering of our blessed ,lord1 by which he redeemed us from the fall4 ,on ,easter day we give him thanks and glory for having conquered death and sin1 and rising up as the new ,adam1 of whom ,st4 ,paul writes1 #8,as in ,adam all died1 even so in ,christ shall all be made alive4' ,and therefore to prepare us for ,lent and ,passion week1 and ,easter day1 we begin this ,sunday to read who the first man was1 and what he was like when he came into the world4 ,now we all say that man was created good1 righteous1 innocent1 holy4 ,but do you fancy that man had any goodness or righteousness of his own1 so that he could stand up and say1 ,i am good2 ,i can take care of myself2 ,i can do what is right in my own strength8 ,if you fancy so1 you fancy wrong4 ,the book of ,genesis1 and the text1 tell us that it was not so4 ,it tells us that man could not be good by himself2 that the ,lord ,god had to tell him what to do1 and what not to do2 that the ,lord ,god visited him and spoke to him3 so that he could only do right by faith3 by trusting the ,lord1 and believing him1 and believing that what the ,lord told him was the right thing for him2 and it tells us that he fell for want of faith1 by not believing the ,lord and not believing that what the ,lord told him was right for him4 ,so he was holy1 and stood safe1 only as long as he did not stand alone3 but the moment that he tried to stand alone he fell4 ,so that it was with ,adam as it is with you and me4 ,the just man can only live by faith4 ,and ,st4 ,john explains this more fully1 when he tells us that the voice of the ,lord1 the ,word of ,god whom ,adam heard walking among the trees of the garden1 was our blessed ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who was the life of ,adam and all men1 and the light of ,adam and all men4 ,all death and misery1 and all ignorance and darkness1 come at first from forgetting the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and forgetting that he is about our path and about our bed1 and spying out all our ways2 as ,st4 ,john says1 that ,christ's light is always shining in the darkness of this world1 but the darkness comprehendeth it not2 that he came to his own1 but his own received him not2 but as many as received him1 to them gave he power to become the sons of ,god1 as he gave to man at first2 for ,st4 ,luke says1 that ,adam was the ,son of ,god4 ,but a son must depend on his father2 and therefore man was sent into the world to depend on ,god4 ,so do not fancy that man before he fell could do without ,god's grace1 though he cannot now4 ,if man had never fallen1 he would have been just as much in need of ,god's grace to keep him from falling4 ,to deny that is the root of what is called the ,pelagian heresy4 ,therefore the ,church has generally said1 and said most truly1 that #8,adam stood by grace in ,paradise2' and had a #8supernatural gift2' and that as long as he used that gift1 he was safe1 and only so long4 ,now what does supernatural mean8 ,it means #8above nature4' ,adam had a human nature3 but he wanted something to keep him above that nature1 lest he should die1 as all natural things on earth must4 ,trees and flowers1 birds and beasts1 yea1 the great earth itself must die1 and have an end in time1 because it has had a beginning4 ,man had and has still a human nature2 the most beautiful1 noble1 and perfect nature in the world2 high above the highest animals in rank1 beauty1 understanding1 and feelings4 ,human nature is made1 so the ,bible tells us1 in some mysterious way1 after the likeness of ,god2 of ,christ1 the eternal ,son of man1 who is in heaven2 for the ,bible speaks of the ,word or ,voice of ,god as appearing to man in something of a human voice3 reasoning with him as man reasons with man2 and feeling toward him human feelings4 ,that is the doctrine of the ,bible2 of ,david and the prophets1 just as much as of ,genesis or of ,st4 ,paul4 ,that is a great mystery and a great glory3 but that alone could not make man good1 could not even keep him alive4 ,for ,god made man for something more noble and blessed than to follow even his own lofty human nature4 ,god made the animals to follow their natures each after its kind1 and to do each what it liked1 without sin4 ,but he made man to do more than that2 to do more than what he likes2 namely1 to do what he ought4 ,god made man to love him1 to obey him1 to copy him1 by doing ,god's will1 and living ,god's life1 lovingly1 joyfully1 and of his own free will1 as a son follows the father whose will he delights to do4 ,all animals ,god made to live and multiply1 each after their kind3 and man likewise3 but the animals he made to die again1 and fresh generations1 ay1 and fresh kinds of animals to take their place1 and do their work1 as we know has happened again and again1 both before and since man came upon the earth4 ,but of man the ,bible says1 that he was not meant to die3 that into him ,god breathed the breath1 or spirit1 of life3 of that life of men who is ,jesus ,christ the ,lord2 that in ,christ man might be the ,son of ,god4 ,to man he gave the life of the soul1 the moral and spiritual life1 which is--to do justly1 and to love mercy1 and to walk humbly with his ,god2 the life which is always tending upward to the source from which it came1 and longing to return to ,god who gave it1 and to find rest in him4 ,for in ,god alone1 in the assurance of ,god's love to us1 and in the knowledge that we are living the life of ,god1 can a man's spirit find rest4 ,so ,st4 ,augustine found1 through so many bitter experiences1 when 7as he tells us7 he tried to find rest and comfort in all ,god's creatures one after another1 and yet never found them till he found ,god1 or rather was found by ,god1 and illuminated 7so he says himself7 with that grace which by the fall he lost4 ,what then does holy baptism mean8 ,it means that ,god lifts us up again to that honour from whence ,adam fell4 ,that as ,adam lost the honour of being ,god's son1 so ,jesus ,christ restores to us that honour4 ,that as ,adam lost the supernatural grace in which he stood1 so ,god for ,christ's sake freely gives us back that grace1 that we may stand by faith in that ,christ1 the ,word of ,god1 whom ,adam disbelieved and fell away4 ,baptism says1 ,you are not true and right men by nature2 you are only fallen men--men in your wrong place3 but by grace you become men indeed1 true men2 men living as man was meant to live1 by faith1 which is the gift of ,god4 ,for without grace man is like a stream when the fountain head is stopped2 it stops too--lies in foul puddles1 decays1 and at last dries up3 to keep the stream pure and living and flowing1 the fountain above must flow1 and feed it for ever4 ,and so it is with man4 ,man is the stream1 ,christ is the fountain of life4 ,parted from him mankind becomes foul and stagnant in sin and ignorance1 and at last dries up and perishes1 because there is no life in them4 ,joined to him in holy baptism1 mankind lives1 spreads1 grows1 becomes stronger1 better1 wiser year by year1 each generation of his church teaching the one which comes after1 as our ,lord says1 not only1 #8,if any man thirst1 let him come to me and drink2' but also1 #8,he that believeth in me1 out of him shall flow rivers of living water4' ,yes1 my brethren1 if you want to see what man is1 you must not look at the heathens1 who are in a state of fallen and corrupt nature1 but at ,christians1 who are in a state of grace2 for they only 7those of them1 ,i mean1 who are true to ,god and themselves71 give us any true notion of what man can be and should be4 ,heathendom is the foul and stagnant pool1 parted from ,christ1 the ,fount of life4 ,christendom1 in spite of all its sins and short-comings1 is the stream always fed from the heavenly ,fountain4 ,and holy baptism is the river of the water of life1 which ,st4 ,john saw in the ,revelations1 clear as crystal1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb1 the trees of which are for the healing of the nations4 ,and when that river shall have spread over the world1 there shall be no more curse1 but the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb shall be in the city of ,god2 and the nations of them that are saved shall grow to glory and blessedness1 such as eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 nor hath entered into the heart of man to conceive1 but ,god hath prepared for those who love him4 ,oh1 may ,god hasten that day6 ,may he accomplish the number of his elect and hasten his kingdom1 and the day when there shall not be a heathen soul on earth1 but all shall know him from the least to the greatest1 and the knowledge of the ,lord shall cover the earth1 as the waters cover the sea6 ,then--when all men are brought into the fold of ,christ's holy ,church--then will they be men indeed2 men not after nature1 but after grace1 and the likeness of ,christ1 and the stature of perfect men3 and then what shall happen to this earth matters little2 no1 not if the earth and all the works therein1 beautiful though they be1 be burned up2 for though this world perish1 man would still have his portion sure in the city of ,god which is eternal in the heavens1 and before the face of the ,son of man who is in heaven4 ,oh1 my friends1 think of this4 ,think of what you say when you say1 #8,i am a man4' ,remember that you are claiming for yourselves the very highest honour--an honour too great to make you proud2 an honour so great that1 if you understand it rightly1 it must fill you with awe1 and trembling1 and the spirit of godly fear1 lest1 when ,god has put you up so high1 you should fall shamefully again4 ,for the higher the place1 the deeper the fall2 and the greater the honour1 the greater the shame of losing it4 ,but be sure that it was an honour before ,adam fell4 ,that ever since ,christ has taken the manhood into ,god1 it is an honour now to be a man4 ,do not let the devil or bad men ever tempt you to say1 ,i am only a man1 and therefore you cannot expect me to do right4 ,i am but a man1 and therefore ,i cannot help being mean1 and sinful1 and covetous1 and quarrelsome1 and foul3 for that is the devil's doctrine1 though it is common enough4 ,i have heard a story of a man in ,america--where very few1 ,i am sorry to say1 have heard the true doctrine of the ,catholic ,church1 and therefore do not know really that ,god made man in his own image1 and redeemed him again into his own image by ,jesus ,christ--and this man was rebuked for being a drunkard2 and what do you fancy his excuse was8 #8,ah1' he said1 #8you should remember that there is a great deal of human nature in a man4' ,that was his excuse4 ,he had been so ill-taught by his ,calvinist preachers1 that he had learnt to look on human nature as actually a bad thing2 as if the devil1 and not ,god1 had made human nature1 and as if ,christ had not redeemed human nature4 ,because he was a man1 he thought he was excused in being a bad man2 because he had a human nature in him1 he was to be a drunkard and a brute4 ,my friends1 ,i trust that you have not so learned ,christ4 ,and if you have1 it is from no teaching of your ,bible1 of your ,catechism1 or your ,prayer-book2 and1 ,i say boldly1 from no teaching of mine4 ,the ,church bids you say1 ,yes2 ,i have a human nature in me2 and what nature is that but the nature which the ,son of ,god took on himself1 and redeemed1 and justified it1 and glorified it1 sitting for ever now in his human nature at the right hand of ,god1 the ,son of man who is in heaven8 ,yes1 ,i am a man2 and what is it to be a man1 but to be the image and glory of ,god8 ,what is it to be a man8 ,to belong to that race whose ,head is the co-equal and co-eternal ,son of ,god4 ,true1 it is not enough to have only a human nature which may sin1 will sin1 must sin1 if left to itself a moment4 ,but you have1 unless the ,holy ,spirit has left you1 and your baptism is of none effect1 more than human nature in you3 you have divine grace--that supernatural grace and ,spirit of ,god by which man stood in ,paradise1 and by neglecting which he fell4 ,obey that ,spirit2 from him comes every right judgment of your minds1 every good desire of your hearts1 every thought and feeling in you which raises you up1 instead of dragging you down2 which bids you do your duty1 and live the life of ,god and ,christ1 instead of living the mere death-in-life of selfish pleasure and covetousness4 ,obey that ,spirit1 and be men3 men indeed1 that you may not come to shame in the day when ,christ the ,son of ,man shall take account of you1 how you have used your manhood1 body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,,sermon ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,charity ,,of ,,god4 7,quinquagesima ,sunday47 ,,luke xviii4 #ca1 #cb1 #cc4 ,all things that are written by the prophets concerning the ,son of man shall be accomplished4 ,for he shall be delivered unto the ,gentiles1 and shall be mocked1 and spitefully entreated1 and spitted on3 and they shall scourge him and put him to death2 and the third day he shall rise again4 ,,this is a solemn text1 a solemn ,gospel2 but it is not its solemnity which ,i wish to speak of this morning1 but this--,what has it to do with the ,epistle1 and with the ,collect8 ,the ,epistle speaks of ,charity2 the ,collect bids us pray for the ,holy ,spirit of ,charity4 ,what have they to do with the ,gospel8 ,let me try to show you4 ,the ,epistle speaks of ,god's eternal charity4 ,the ,gospel tells us how that eternal charity was revealed1 and shown plainly in flesh and blood on earth1 in the life and death of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,but you may ask1 ,how does the ,epistle talk of ,god's charity8 ,it bids men be charitable2 but the name of ,god is never mentioned in it4 ,not so1 my friends4 ,look again at the ,epistle1 and you will see one word which shows us that this charity1 which ,st4 ,paul says we must have1 is ,god's charity4 ,for1 he says1 ,charity never faileth2 that though prophecies shall fail1 tongues cease1 knowledge vanish away1 charity shall never fail4 ,now1 if a thing never fail1 it must be eternal4 ,and if it be eternal1 it must be in ,god4 ,for1 as ,i have reminded you before about other things1 the ,athanasian ,creed tells us 7and never was truer or wiser word written7 there is but one eternal4 ,but if charity be not in ,god1 there must be two eternals2 ,god must be one eternal1 and charity another eternal2 which cannot be4 ,therefore charity must be in ,god1 and of ,god1 part of ,god's essence and being2 and not only ,god's saints1 but ,god himself--suffereth long1 and is kind2 envieth not1 is not puffed up1 seeketh not his own1 is not easily provoked1 thinketh no evil1 rejoiceth not in iniquity1 but in the truth2 beareth all things1 believeth all things1 hopeth all things1 endureth all things4 ,so ,st4 ,augustine believed1 and the greatest fathers of old time4 ,they believed1 and they have taught us to believe1 that before all things1 above all things1 beneath all things1 is the divine charity1 the love of ,god1 infinite as ,god is infinite1 everlasting as ,god is everlasting2 the charity by which ,god made all worlds1 all men1 and all things1 that they might be blest as he is blest1 perfect as he is perfect1 useful as he is useful2 the charity which is ,god's essence and ,holy ,spirit1 which might be content in itself1 because it is perfectly at peace in itself2 and yet cannot be content in itself1 just because it is charity and love1 and therefore must be going forth and proceeding everlastingly from the ,father and the ,son1 upon errands of charity1 love1 and mercy1 rewarding those whom it finds doing their work in their proper place1 and seeking and saving those who are lost1 and out of their proper place4 ,but what has this to do with the ,gospel8 ,surely1 my friends1 it is not difficult to see4 ,in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 the eternal charity of ,god was fully revealed4 ,the veil was taken off it once for all1 that men might see the glory of ,god in the face of ,jesus ,christ1 and know that the glory of ,god is charity1 and the ,spirit of ,god is love4 ,there was a veil over that in old times2 and the veil comes over it often enough now4 ,it was difficult in old times to believe that ,god was charity2 it is difficult sometimes now4 ,sad and terrible things happen--,plague and famine1 earthquake and war4 ,all these things have happened in our times4 ,not two months ago1 in ,italy1 an earthquake destroyed many thousands of people2 and in ,india1 this summer1 things have happened of which ,i dare not speak1 which have turned the hearts of women to water1 and the hearts of men to fire3 and when such things happen1 it is difficult for the moment to believe that ,god is love1 and that he is full of eternal1 boundless1 untiring charity toward the creatures whom he has made1 and who yet perish so terribly1 suddenly1 strangely4 ,well1 then1 we must fall back on the ,gospel4 ,we must not be afraid of the terror of such awful events1 but sanctify the ,lord ,god1 in our hearts1 and say1 ,whatever may happen ,i know that ,god is love2 ,i know that his glory is charity2 ,i know that his mercy is over all his works2 for ,i know that ,jesus ,christ1 who was full of perfect charity1 is the express image of his ,father's person1 and the brightness of his ,father's glory4 ,i know 7for the ,gospel tells me71 that he dared all things1 endured all things1 in the depth of his great love1 for the sake of sinful men4 ,i know that when he knew what was going to happen to him2 when he knew that he should be mocked1 scourged1 crucified1 he deliberately1 calmly1 faced all that shame1 horror1 agony1 and went up willingly to ,jerusalem to suffer and to die there2 because he was full of the ,spirit of ,god1 the spirit of charity and love4 ,i know that he was so full of it1 that as he went up on his fatal journey1 with a horrible death staring him in the face1 still1 instead of thinking of himself1 he was thinking of others1 and could find time to stop and heal the poor blind man by the way side1 who called #8,jesus1 thou ,son of ,david1 have mercy on me4' ,and in him and his love will ,i trust1 when there seems nothing else left to trust on earth4 ,oh1 my friends1 believe this with your whole heart4 ,whatever happens to you or to your friends1 happens out of the eternal charity of ,god1 who cannot change1 who cannot hate1 who can be nothing but what he is and was1 and ever will be--love4 ,and when ,st4 ,paul tells you1 as he told you in the ,epistle to-day1 to have charity1 to try for charity1 because it is the most excellent way to please ,god1 and the eternal virtue1 which will abide for ever in heaven1 when all wisdom and learning1 even about spiritual things1 which men have had on earth1 shall seem to us when we look back such as a child's lessons do to a grown man2--when1 ,i say1 ,st4 ,paul tells you to try after charity1 he tells you to be like ,god himself2 to be perfect even as your ,father in heaven is perfect2 to bear and forbear because ,god does so3 to give and forgive because ,god does so2 to love all because ,god loves all1 and willeth that none should perish1 but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth4 ,how he will fulfil that2 how he fulfilled it last summer with those poor souls in ,india1 we know not1 and never shall know in this life4 ,let it be enough for us that known unto ,god are all his works from the foundation of the world1 and that his charity embraces the whole universe4 ,,sermon ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,days ,,of ,,the ,,week4 ,,james i4 #ag4 ,every good gift1 and every perfect gift is from above1 and cometh down from the ,father of lights1 with whom is neither variableness1 nor shadow of turning4 ,,it seems an easy thing for us here to say1 #8,i believe in ,god4' ,we have learnt from our childhood that there is but one ,god4 ,it seems to us strange and ridiculous that people anywhere should believe in more gods than one4 ,we never heard of any other doctrine1 except in books about the heathen2 and there are perhaps not three people in this church who ever saw a heathen man1 or talked to him4 ,yet it is not so easy to learn that there is but one ,god4 ,were it not for the church1 and the missionaries who were sent into this part of the world by the church1 now #abjj years ago1 we should not know it now4 ,our forefathers once worshipped many gods1 and not one only ,god4 ,i do not mean when they were savages2 for ,i do not believe that they ever were savages at all3 but after they were settled here in ,england1 living in a simple way1 very much as country people live now1 and dressing very much as country people do now1 they worshipped many gods4 ,now what put that mistake into their minds8 ,it seems so ridiculous to us now1 that we cannot understand at first how it ever arose4 ,but if we will consider the names of their old gods1 we shall understand it a little better4 ,now the names of the old ,english gods you all know4 ,they are in your mouths every day4 ,the days of the week are named after them4 ,the old ,english kept time by weeks1 as the old ,jews did1 and they named their days after their gods4 ,why1 would take me too much time to tell3 but so it is4 ,why1 then1 did they worship these gods8 ,first1 because man must worship something4 ,before man fell1 he was created in ,christ the image and likeness of ,god the ,father2 and therefore he was created that he might hear his ,father's voice1 and do his ,father's will1 as ,christ does everlastingly2 and after man fell1 and lost ,christ and ,christ's likeness1 still there was left in his heart some remembrance of the child's feeling which the first man had2 he felt that he ought to look up to some one greater than himself1 obey some one greater than himself2 that some one greater than himself was watching over him1 doing him good1 and perhaps1 too1 doing him harm and punishing him4 ,then these simple men looked up to the heaven above1 and round on the earth beneath1 and asked1 ,who is it who is calling for us8 ,who is it we ought to obey and please2 who gives us good things8 ,who may hurt us if we make him angry8 ,then the first thing they saw was the sun4 ,what more beautiful than the sun8 ,what more beneficent8 ,from the sun came light and heat1 the growth of all living things1 ay1 the growth of life itself4 ,the sun1 they thought1 must surely be a god2 so they worshipped the sun1 and called the first day of the week after him--,sunday4 ,next the moon4 ,nothing1 except the sun1 seemed so grand and beautiful to them as the moon1 and she was their next god1 and ,monday was named after her4 ,then the wind--what a mysterious1 awful1 miraculous thing the wind seemed1 always moving1 yet no one knew how2 with immense power and force1 and yet not to be seen2 as our blessed ,lord himself said1 #8,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof1 but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth4' ,then--and this is very curious--they fancied that the wind was a sort of pattern1 or type of the spirit of man4 ,with them1 as with the old ,jews and ,greeks1 the same word which meant wind1 meant also a man's soul1 his spirit2 and so they grew to think that the wind was inhabited by some great spirit1 who gave men spirit1 and inspired them to be brave1 and to prophesy1 and say and do noble things2 and they called him ,wodin the ,mover1 the ,inspirer2 and named ,wednesday after him4 ,next the thunder--what more awful and terrible1 and yet so full of good1 than the summer heat and the thunder cloud8 ,so they fancied that the thunder was a god1 and called him ,thor--and the dark thunder cloud was ,thor's frowning eyebrow2 and the lightning flash ,thor's hammer1 with which he split the rocks1 and melted the winter-ice and drove away the cold of winter1 and made the land ready for tillage4 ,so they worshipped ,thor1 and loved him2 for they fancied him a brave1 kindly1 useful god1 who loved to see men working in their fields1 and tilling the land honestly4 ,then the spring4 ,that was a wonder to them again--and is it not a wonder to see all things grow fresh and fair1 after the dreary winter cold8 ,so the spring was a goddess1 and they called her ,freya1 the ,free ,one1 the ,cheerful ,one1 and named ,friday after her2 and she it was1 they thought1 who gave them the pleasant spring time1 and youth1 and love1 and cheerfulness1 and rejoiced to see the flowers blossom1 and the birds build their nests1 and all young creatures enjoy the life which ,god had given them in the pleasant days of spring4 ,and after her ,friday is named4 ,then the harvest4 ,the ripening of the grain1 that too was a wonder to them--and should it not be to us8--how the corn and wheat which is put into the ground and dies should rise again1 and then ripen into golden corn8 ,that too must be the work of some kindly spirit1 who loved men2 and they called him ,seator1 the ,setter1 the ,planter1 the ,god of the seed field and the harvest1 and after him ,saturday is named4 ,and so1 instead of worshipping him who made all heaven and earth1 they turned to worship the heaven and the earth itself1 like the foolish ,canaanites4 ,but some may say1 #8,this was all very mistaken and foolish3 but what harm was there in it8 ,how did it make them worse men8' ,my friends1 among these very woodlands here1 some thirteen hundred years ago1 you might have come upon one of the places where your forefathers worshipped ,thor and ,odin1 the thunder and the wind1 beneath the shade of ancient oaks1 in the darkest heart of the forest4 ,and there you would have seen an ugly sight enough4 ,there was an altar there1 with an everlasting fire burning on it2 but why should that altar1 and all the ground around be crusted and black with blood2 why should that dark place be like a charnel house or a butcher's shambles2 why1 from all the trees around1 should there be hanging the rotting carcases1 not of goats and horses merely1 but of men1 sacrificed to ,thor and ,odin1 the thunder and the wind8 ,why that butchery1 why those works of darkness in the dark places of the world8 ,because that was the way of pleasing ,thor and ,odin4 ,to that our forefathers came4 ,to that all heathens have come1 sooner or later4 ,they fancy gods in their own likeness2 and then they make out those gods no better than1 and at last as bad as themselves4 ,the old ,english and ,danes were fond of ,thor and ,odin2 they fancied them1 as ,i told you1 brave gods1 very like themselves3 but they themselves were not always what they ought to be2 they had fierce passions1 were proud1 revengeful1 blood-thirsty2 and they thought ,thor and ,odin must be so too4 ,and when they looked round them1 that seemed too true4 ,the thunder storm did not merely melt the snow1 cool the air1 bring refreshing rain2 it sometimes blasted trees1 houses1 men2 that they thought was ,thor's anger4 ,so of the wind4 ,sometimes it blew down trees and buildings1 sank ships in the sea4 ,that was ,odin's anger4 ,sometimes1 too1 they were not brave enough2 or they were defeated in battle4 ,that was because ,thor and ,odin were angry with them1 and would not give them courage4 ,how were they to appease ,thor and ,odin1 and put them into good humour again8 ,by giving them their revenge1 by letting them taste blood2 by offering them sheep1 goats1 horses in sacrifice3 and if that would not do1 by offering them something more precious still1 living men4 ,and so1 too often1 when the weather was unfavourable1 and crops were blasted by tempest or they were defeated in battle by their enemies1 ,thor's and ,odin's altars were turned into slaughter-places for wretched human beings--captives taken in war1 and sometimes1 if the need was very great1 their own children4 ,that was what came of worshipping the heaven above and the earth around1 instead of the true ,god4 ,human sacrifices1 butchery1 and murder4 ,english and ,danes alike4 ,it went on among them both2 across the seas in their old country1 and here in ,england1 till they were made ,christians4 ,there is no doubt about it4 ,i could give you tale on tale which would make your blood run cold4 ,then they learnt to throw away those false gods who quarrelled among themselves1 and quarrelled with mankind2 gods who were proud1 revengeful1 changeable1 spiteful2 who had variableness in them1 and turned round as their passions led them4 ,then they learnt to believe in the one true ,god1 the ,father of lights1 in whom is neither variableness nor shadow of turning4 ,then they learnt that from one ,god came every good and perfect gift2 that ,god filled the sun with light2 that ,god guided the changes of the moon2 that ,god1 and not ,thor1 gave to men industry and courage2 ,god1 and not ,wodin1 inspired them with the spirit which bloweth where it listeth1 and raised them up above themselves to speak noble words and do noble deeds2 that ,god1 and not ,friga1 sent spring time and cheerfulness1 and youth and love1 and all that makes earth pleasant2 that ,god1 and not ,satur1 sent the yearly wonder of the harvest crops1 sent rain and fruitful seasons1 filling the earth with food and gladness4 ,but what was there about this new ,god1 even the true ,god1 which the old missionaries preached1 which won the hearts of our forefathers8 ,this1 my friends1 not merely that he was one ,god and not many1 but that he was a ,father of lights1 from whom came good gifts1 in whom was neither variableness nor shadow of turning4 ,not merely a master1 but a ,father1 who gave good gifts1 because he was good himself2 a ,god whom they could love1 because he loved them2 a ,god whom they could trust and depend on1 because there was no variableness in him1 and he could not lose his temper as ,thor and ,odin did4 ,that was the ,god whom their wild1 passionate hearts wanted1 and they believed in him4 ,and when they doubted1 and asked1 #8,how can we be sure that ,god is altogether good8--how can we be sure that he is always trustworthy1 always the same8'--,then the missionaries used to point them to the crucifix1 the image of ,christ upon his cross1 and say1 #8,there is the token2 there is what ,god is to you1 what ,god suffered for you2 there is the everlasting sign that he gives good gifts1 even to the best of all gifts1 even to his own self1 when it was needed2 there is the everlasting sign that in him is neither darkness1 passion1 nor change1 but that he wills all men to be saved from their own darkness and passions1 and from the ruin which they bring1 and to come to the knowledge of the truth1 that they have a ,father in heaven4' ,,sermon ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,heavenly ,,father4 ,,acts xvi4 #bd-bh4 ,god that made the world1 and all that therein is1 seeing that he is ,lord of heaven and earth1 dwelleth not in temples made with hands 4 4 4 ,for in him we live1 and move1 and have our being2 as certain also of your own poets have said1 ,for we are also his offspring4 ,i ,,told you last ,sunday of the meaning of the days of the week2 but one day ,i left out--namely1 ,tuesday4 ,i did so on purpose4 ,i wish to speak of that day by itself in this sermon4 ,i told you how our forefathers worshipped many gods1 by fancying that various things in the world round them were gods--sun and moon1 wind and thunder1 spring and harvest4 ,but if that seems to you at times wrong and absurd1 it seemed so to them also4 ,they1 like all heathens1 had at times dreams of one ,god4 ,they thought to themselves--,all heaven and earth must have had a beginning1 and they cannot have grown out of nothing1 for out of nothing nothing comes4 ,they must have been made in some way4 ,perhaps they were made by some ,one4 ,the more they saw of this wonderful world1 and all the order and contrivance in it1 the more sure they were that one mind must have planned it1 one will created it4 ,but men--they thought--persons1 living souls--are not merely made2 they are begotten2 they must have a ,father1 whose sons they are4 ,perhaps1 they thought1 there is somewhere a great ,father2 a ,father of all persons1 from whom all souls come1 who was before all things1 and all persons1 however great1 however ancient they may be4 ,and so1 like the ,greeks and ,romans1 and many other heathen nations1 they had dim thoughts of an ,all-,father1 as they called him2 ,father of gods and men2 the ,father of spirits4 ,they looked round them too1 in this world1 and saw that everything in it must die4 ,the tree1 though it stood for a thousand years1 must decay at last2 the very rocks and mountains crumbled to dust at last3 and so they thought--truly and wisely enough--,everything which we see near us1 perishes at last3 why should not everything which we can see1 however far off1 however great1 perish8 ,why should not this earth come to an end8 ,why should not sun and moon1 wind and thunder1 spring and harvest1 end at last8 ,and then will not these gods1 who are mixed up with the world1 and live in it1 and govern it1 die too8 ,if the sun perishes1 the sun-god will perish too4 ,if the thunder ceases for ever1 then there will be no more thunder-god4 ,yes1 they thought--and wisely and truly too--everything which has a beginning must have an end4 ,everything which is born1 must die4 ,the sun and the earth1 wind and thunder1 will perish some day2 the gods of sun and earth1 wind and thunder1 will die some day4 ,and then what will be left8 ,will there be nothing and nowhere8 ,that thought was too horrible4 ,god's voice in their hearts1 the word of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who lights every man who comes into the world1 made them feel that it was horrible1 unreasonable2 that it could not be4 ,but it was all dim to them1 and uncertain4 ,of one thing only they were certain1 that death reigned1 and that death had passed upon all men1 and things1 and even gods4 ,evil beasts1 evil gods1 evil passions1 were gnawing at the root of all things4 ,a time would come of nothing but rage and wickedness1 fury and destruction2 the gods would fight and be slain1 and earth and heaven would be sent back again into shapeless ruin3 and after that they knew no more1 though they longed to know4 ,they dreamed1 ,i say1 at moments of a new and a better world1 new men1 new gods3 but how were they to come8 ,who would live when all things died8 ,was there not somewhere an ,all-,father1 who had eternal life8 ,then they looked round upon the earth1 those simple-hearted forefathers of ours1 and said within themselves1 ,where is the ,all-,father1 if ,all-,father there be8 ,not in this earth2 for it will perish4 ,not in the sun1 moon1 or stars1 for they will perish too4 ,where is ,he who abideth for ever8 ,then they lifted up their eyes and saw1 as they thought1 beyond sun1 and moon1 and stars and all which changes and will change1 the clear blue sky1 the boundless firmament of heaven4 ,that never changed2 that was always the same4 ,the clouds and storms rolled far below it1 and all the bustle of this noisy world2 but there the sky was still1 as bright and calm as ever4 ,the ,all-,father must be there1 unchangeable in the unchanging heaven2 bright1 and pure1 and boundless like the heavens2 and like the heavens too1 silent1 and afar off4 ,so they named him after the heaven1 ,tuith1 ,tuisco1 ,divisco--,the ,god who lives in the clear heaven2 and after him ,tuesday is called3 the day of ,tuisco1 the heavenly ,father4 ,he was the ,father of gods and men2 and man was the son of ,tuisco and ,hertha--heaven and earth4 ,that was all they knew2 and even that they did not know2 they contradicted themselves and each other about it4 ,after a time they began to think that ,odin1 and not ,tuisco1 was the ,all-,father2 all was dim and far off to them4 ,they were feeling after him1 as ,st4 ,paul says he had intended them to do3 but they did not find him4 ,they did not know the ,father1 because they did not know ,jesus ,christ the ,son2 as it is written1 #8,no man cometh to the ,father1 but through me2' and1 #8,no man hath seen ,god at any time2 only the only-begotten ,son1 who is in the bosom of the ,father1 he hath declared him4' ,many other heathens had the same thought and the same word2 the old ,greeks and ,romans1 for instance1 who many thousand years ago spoke the same tongue as we did then1 called him ,zeus or ,deus ,pater2 ,jupiter2 the heavenly ,father1 ,father of gods and men2 using the same word as our ,tuisco1 a little altered4 ,and that same word1 changed slightly1 means ,god now1 in ,welsh1 ,french1 and ,italian1 and many languages in ,europe and in ,asia2 and will do so till the end of time4 ,that1 ,i say1 was all they knew of their ,father in heaven1 till missionaries came and preached the ,gospel to them1 and told them what ,st4 ,paul told the ,greeks in my text4 ,now1 what did ,st4 ,paul tell the ,greeks8 ,he came1 we read1 to ,athens in ,greece1 and found the city wholly given to idolatry1 worshipping all manner of false gods1 and images of them4 ,and yet they were not content with their false gods4 ,they felt1 as our forefathers felt1 that there must be a greater1 better1 more mighty1 more faithful ,god than all3 and they thought1 #8,we will worship him too3 for we are sure that he is1 though we know nothing about him4' ,so they set up1 beside all the altars and temples of the false gods #8,to the ,unknown ,god4' ,and ,st4 ,paul passed by and saw it2 and his heart was stirred within him with pity and compassion2 and he rose up and preached them a sermon--the first and the best missionary sermon which ever was preached on earth1 the model of all missionary sermons2 and said1 #8,that ,god whom you ignorantly worship1 ,him ,i will declare unto you4' ,now1 here was a ,gospel2 here was good news4 ,st4 ,paul told them--as the missionaries afterwards told our forefathers--that one1 at least1 of their heathen fancies was not wrong4 ,there was a heavenly ,father4 ,mankind was not an orphan1 come into the world he knew not whence1 and going1 when he died1 he knew not whither4 ,no1 man was not an orphan4 ,from ,god he came2 to ,god1 if he chose1 he might return4 ,the heathen poet had spoken truth when he said1 #8,for we are the offspring of ,god4' ,but where was the heavenly ,father8 ,far away in the clear sky1 in the highest heaven beyond all suns and stars8 ,silent and idle1 caring for no one on earth1 content in himself1 and leaving sinful man to himself to go to ruin as he chose8 #8,no1' says ,st4 ,paul1 #8,he is not far off from any one of us2 for in him we live1 and move1 and have our being4' ,wonderful words6 ,eighteen hundred years have past since then1 and we have not spelt out half the meaning of them4 ,it is such good news1 such blessed news1 and yet such awful news1 that we are afraid to believe it fully4 ,that the ,almighty ,god should be so near us1 sinful men2 that we1 in spite of all our sins1 should live1 and move1 and have our being in ,god4 ,how can it be true8 ,my friends1 it would not be true1 if something more was not true4 ,we should have no right to say1 #8,i believe in ,god the ,father ,almighty1' unless we said also1 #8,i believe in ,jesus ,christ1 his only ,son1 our ,lord4' ,st4 ,paul1 after he had told them of a ,father in heaven1 went on to tell them of a man whom that ,father had sent to judge the world1 having raised him from the dead4--,and there his sermon stopped4 ,those foolish ,greeks laughed at him2 they would not receive the news of ,jesus ,christ the ,son2 and therefore they lost the good news of their ,father in heaven4 ,we can guess from ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle what he was going on to tell them4 ,how1 by believing in ,jesus ,christ the ,son1 and claiming their share in him1 and being baptized into his name1 they might become once more ,god's children1 and take their place again as new men and true men in ,jesus ,christ4 ,but they would not hear his message4 ,our forefathers did hear that message1 and believed it2 they had been feeling after the heavenly ,father1 and at last they found him1 and claimed their share in ,christ as sons of the heavenly ,father2 and therefore we are ,christian men this day1 baptized into ,god's family1 and thriving as ,god's family must thrive1 as long as it remembers that ,god dwelleth not in temples made with hands1 and needs nothing from man1 seeing that he gives to all life and breath and all things2 and is not far from any one of us1 seeing that in him we live1 and move1 and have our being1 and are the offspring1 the children of ,god4 ,bear that in mind4 ,bear it in mind1 ,i say1 that in ,god you live1 and move1 and have your being4 ,day and night1 going out and coming in1 say to yourselves1 #8,i am with ,god my ,father1 and ,god my ,father is with me4 ,there is not a good feeling in my heart1 but my heavenly ,father has put it there3 ay1 ,i have not a power which he has not given1 a thought which he does not know2 even the very hairs of my head are all numbered4 ,whither shall ,i go then from his presence8 ,whither shall ,i flee from his ,spirit8 ,for he filleth all things4 ,if my eyes were opened1 ,i should see at every moment ,god's love1 ,god's power1 ,god's wisdom1 working alike in sun and moon1 in every growing blade and ripening grain1 and in the training and schooling of every human being1 and every nation1 to whom he has appointed their times1 and the bounds of their habitation1 if haply they may seek after the ,lord1 and find him in whom they live1 and move1 and have their being4 ,everywhere ,i should see life going forth to all created things from ,god the ,father1 of whom are all things1 and ,god the ,son1 by whom are all things1 and ,god the ,holy ,spirit1 the ,lord and ,giver of that life4' ,a little of that glorious sight we may see in this life1 if our hearts and reasons are purified by the ,spirit of ,god1 to see ,god in all things1 and all things in ,god3 and more in that life whereof it is written1 #8,beloved1 we are now the sons of ,god2 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be3 but this we know1 that when he appears1 we shall be like him1 for we shall see him as he is4' ,to that life may he in his mercy bring us all4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd4 ,,john x4 #aa4 ,i am the good shepherd4 ,,here are blessed words4 ,they are not new words4 ,you find words like these often in the ,bible1 and even in ancient heathen books4 ,kings1 priests1 prophets1 judges1 are called shepherds of the people4 ,david is called the shepherd of ,israel4 ,a prophet complains of the shepherds of ,israel who feed themselves1 and will not feed the flock4 ,but the old ,hebrew prophets had a vision of a greater and better shepherd than ,david1 or any earthly king or priest--of a heavenly and almighty shepherd4 #8,the ,lord is my shepherd1' says one2 #8therefore ,i shall not want4' ,and another says1 #8,he shall feed his flock like a shepherd4 ,he shall gather his lambs in his arms1 and carry them in his bosom1 and shall gently lead those who are with young4' ,this was blessed news2 good news for all mankind1 if there had been no more than this4 ,but there is more blessed news still in the text4 ,in the text1 the ,lord of whom those old prophets spoke1 spoke for himself1 with human voice1 upon this earth of ours2 and declared that all they had said was true2 and that more still was true4 ,i am the good shepherd1 he says4 ,and then he adds1 ,the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep4 ,oh1 my friends1 consider these words4 ,think what endless depths of wonder there are in them4 ,is it not wonderful enough that ,god should care for men2 should lead them1 guide them1 feed them1 condescend to call himself their shepherd8 ,wonderful1 indeed2 so wonderful1 that the old prophets would never have found it out but by the inspiration of ,almighty ,god4 ,but what a wider1 deeper1 nobler1 more wonderful blessing1 and more blessed wonder1 that the shepherd should give his life for the sheep2--that the master should give his life for the servant1 the good for the bad1 the wise one for the fools1 the pure one for the foul1 the loving one for the spiteful1 the king for those who had rebelled against him1 the ,creator for his creatures4 ,that ,god should give his life for man6 ,truly1 says ,st4 ,john1 #8,herein is love4 ,not that we loved him3 but that he loved us4' ,herein1 indeed1 is love4 ,herein is the beauty of ,god1 and the glory of ,god2 that he spared nothing1 shrank from nothing1 that he might save man4 ,because the sheep were lost1 the good shepherd would go forth into the rough and dark places of the earth to seek and to save that which was lost4 ,that was enough4 ,that was a thousand times more than we had a right to expect4 ,had he done only that he would have been for ever glorious1 for ever adorable1 for ever worthy of the praises and thanks of heaven and earth1 and all that therein is4 ,but that seemed little in the eyes of ,jesus1 little to the greatness of his divine love4 ,he would understand the weakness of his sheep by being weak himself2 understand the sorrows of his sheep1 by sorrowing himself2 understand the sins of his sheep1 by bearing all their sins2 the temptations of his sheep1 by conquering them himself2 and lastly1 he would understand and conquer the death of his sheep1 by dying himself4 ,because the sheep must die1 he would die too1 that in all things1 and to the uttermost1 he might show himself the good shepherd1 who shared all sorrow1 danger and misery with his sheep1 as if they had been his children1 bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh4 ,in all things he would show himself the good shepherd1 and no hireling1 who cared for himself and his own wages4 ,if the wolf came1 he would face the wolf1 and though the wolf killed him1 yet would he kill the wolf1 that by his death he might destroy death1 and him who had the power of death1 that is1 the devil4 ,he would go where the sheep went4 ,he would enter into the sheepfold by the same gate as they did1 and not climb over into the fold some other way1 like a thief and a robber4 ,he would lead them into the fold by the same gate4 ,they had to go into ,god's fold through the gate of death2 and therefore he would go in through it also1 and die with his sheep2 that he might claim the gate of death for his own1 and declare that it did not belong to the devil1 but to him and his heavenly ,father2 and then having led his sheep in through the gate of death1 he would lead them out again by the gate of resurrection1 that they might find pasture in the redeemed land of everlasting life1 where can enter neither devil1 nor wolf1 nor robber1 evil spirit1 evil man1 or evil thing4 ,this1 and more than this1 he would do in the greatness of his love4 ,he would become in all things like his sheep1 that he might show himself the good shepherd4 ,because they died1 he would die2 that so1 because he rose1 they might rise also4 ,oh1 my friends1 who is sufficient for these things8 ,not men1 not saints1 not angels or archangels can comprehend the love of ,christ4 ,how can they8 ,for ,christ is ,god1 and ,god is love2 the root and fountain of all love which is in you and me1 and angels1 and all created beings4 ,and therefore his love is as much greater than ours1 or than the love of angels and archangels1 as the whole sun is greater than one ray of sun-light4 ,say rather1 as much greater and more glorious as the sun is greater and more glorious than the light which sparkles in the dew-drop on the grass4 ,the love and goodness and holiness of a saint or an angel is the light in that dew-drop1 borrowed from the sun4 ,the love of ,god is the sun himself1 which shineth from one part of heaven to the other1 and there is nothing hid from the life-giving heat and light thereof4 ,when the dew-drop can take in the sun1 then can we take in the love of ,god1 which fills all heaven and earth4 ,but there is1 if possible1 better news still behind--#8,i am the good shepherd2 and know my sheep1 and am known of mine4' #8,i know my sheep4' ,surely some of the words which ,i have just spoken may help to explain that to you4 #8,i know my sheep4' ,not merely1 ,i know who are my sheep1 and who are not4 ,of course1 the ,lord does that4 ,we might have guessed that for ourselves4 ,what comfort is there in that8 ,no1 he does not say merely1 #8,i know who my sheep are2 but ,i know what my sheep are4 ,i know them2 their inmost hearts4 ,i know their sins and their follies3 but ,i know1 too1 their longing after good4 ,i know their temptations1 their excuses1 their natural weaknesses1 their infirmities1 which they brought into the world with them4 ,i know their inmost hearts for good and for evil4 ,true1 ,i think some of them often miserable1 and poor1 and blind1 when they fancy themselves strong1 and wise1 and rich in grace1 and having need of nothing4 ,but ,i know some of them1 too1 to be longing after what is good1 to be hungering and thirsting after righteousness1 when they can see nothing but their own sin and weakness1 and are utterly ashamed and tired of themselves1 and are ready to lie down in despair1 and give up all struggling after ,god4 ,i know their weakness--and of me it is written1 #8,i will carry the lambs in mine arms4' ,those who are innocent and inexperienced in the ways of this world1 ,i will see that they are not led into temptation2 and ,i will gently lead those that are with young3 those who are weary with the burden of their own thoughts1 those who are yearning and labouring after some higher1 better1 more free1 more orderly1 more useful life2 those who long to find out the truth1 and to speak it1 and give birth to the noble thoughts and the good plans which they have conceived3 ,i have inspired their good desires1 and ,i will bring them to good effect2 ,i will gently lead them1' says the ,lord1 #8for ,i know them better than they know themselves4' ,yes4 ,christ knows us better than we know ourselves3 and better1 too1 than we know him4 ,thanks be to ,god that it is so4 ,or the last words of the text would crush us into despair--#8,i know my sheep1 and am known of mine4' ,is it so8 ,we trust that we are ,christ's sheep4 ,we trust that he knows us3 but do we know him8 ,what answer shall we make to that question1 ,do you know ,christ8 ,i do not mean1 ,do you know about ,christ8 ,you may know about a person without knowing the person himself when you see him4 ,i do not mean1 ,do you know doctrines about ,christ8 though that is good and necessary4 ,nor1 ,do you know what ,christ has done for your soul8 though that is good and necessary also4 ,but1 ,do you know ,christ himself8 ,you have never seen him4 ,true3 but have you never seen any one like him--even in part8 ,do you know his likeness when you see it in any of your neighbours8 ,that is a question worth thinking over4 ,again--,do you know what ,christ is like8 ,what his character is--what his way of dealing with your soul1 and all souls1 is8 ,are you accustomed to speak to him in your prayers as to one who can and will hear you2 and do you know his voice when he speaks to you1 and puts into your heart good desires1 and longings after what is right and true1 and fair and noble1 and loving and patient1 as he himself is8 ,do you know ,christ8 ,alas6 my friends1 what a poor answer we can make to that question8 ,how little do we know ,christ8 ,what would become of us1 if he were like us8--,if he were one who bargained with us1 and said--#8,unless you know me1 ,i will not take the trouble to know you4 ,unless you care for me1 you cannot expect me to care for you4' ,what would become of us1 if ,god said1 #8,as you do to me1 so will ,i do to you8' ,but our only hope lies in this1 that in ,christ the ,lord is no spirit of bargaining1 no pride1 no spite1 no rendering evil for evil4 ,in this is our hope2 that he is the likeness of his ,father's glory1 and the express image of his person2 perfect as his ,father is perfect2 that like his ,father1 he causeth his rain to fall on the evil and the good2 and his sun to shine on the just and on the unjust2 and is good to the unthankful and the evil--to you and me--and knows us1 though we know him not2 and cares for us1 though we care not for him2 and leads us his way1 like a good shepherd1 when we fancy in our conceit that we are going in our own way4 ,this is our hope1 that his love is greater than our stupidity2 that he will not tire of us1 and our fancies1 and our self-will1 and our laziness1 in spite of all our peevish tempers1 and our mean and fruitless suspicions of his goodness4 ,no6 ,he will not tire of us1 but will seek us1 and save us when we go astray4 ,and some day1 somewhere1 somehow1 he will open our eyes1 and let us see him as he is1 and thank him as he deserves4 ,some day1 when the veil is taken off our eyes1 we shall see like those disciples at ,emmaus1 that ,jesus has been walking with us1 and breaking our bread for us1 and blessing us1 all our lives long2 and that when our hearts burned within us at noble thoughts1 and stories of noble and righteous men and women1 and at the hope that some day good would conquer evil1 and heaven come down on earth1 then--so we shall find--,god had been dwelling among men all along--even ,jesus1 who was dead1 and is alive for evermore1 and has the keys of death and hell1 and knows his sheep in this world1 and in all worlds1 past1 present1 and to come1 and leads them1 and will lead them for ever1 and none can pluck them out of his hand4 ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xxviii4 ,,dark ,,times4 #a ,,john iv4 #af-ah4 ,we have known and believed the love that ,god hath to us4 ,god is love2 and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in ,god1 and ,god in him4 ,herein is our love made perfect1 that we may have boldness in the day of judgment2 because as he is1 so are we in this world4 ,there is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear2 because fear hath torment4 ,he that feareth is not made perfect in love4 ,,have we learnt this lesson8 ,our reading1 and thinking1 and praying1 have been in vain1 unless they have helped us to believe and know the love which ,god has to us4 ,but1 indeed1 no reading1 or thinking1 or praying will teach us that perfectly4 ,god must teach it us himself4 ,it is easy to say that ,god is love2 easy to say that ,christ died for us2 easy to say that ,god's ,spirit is with us2 easy to say all manner of true doctrines1 and run them off our tongues at second-hand2 easy for me to stand up here and preach them to you1 just as ,i find them written in a book4 ,but do ,i believe what ,i say8 ,do you believe what you say8 ,there is an awful question4 ,we believe it all now1 or think we believe it1 while we are easy and comfortable3 but should we have boldness in the day of judgment8--,should we believe it all1 if ,god visited us1 to judge us1 and try us1 and pierce asunder the very joints and marrow of our heart with fearful sorrow and temptation8 ,o ,lord1 who shall stand in that day8 ,suppose1 for instance1 ,god were to take away the desire of our eyes1 with a stroke4 ,suppose we were to lose a wife1 a darling child2 suppose we were struck blind1 or paralytic2 suppose some unspeakable1 unbearable shame fell on us to-morrow3 could we say then1 ,god is love1 and this horrible misery is a sign of it8 ,he loves me1 for he chastens me8 ,or should we say1 like ,job's wife1 and one of the foolish women1 #8,curse ,god and die8' ,god knows4 ,ah1 when that dark day seems coming on us1 and bringing some misery which looks to us beforehand quite unbearable--then how our lip-belief and book-faith is tried1 and burnt up in the fire of ,god1 and in the fire of our own proud1 angry hearts1 too6 ,how we struggle and rage at first at the very thought of the coming misery2 and are ready to say1 ,god will not do this6 ,he cannot--cannot be so unjust1 so cruel1 as to bring this misery on me4 ,what have ,i done to deserve it8 ,or1 if ,i have deserved it1 what have these innocents done8 ,why should they be punished for my sins8 ,after all my prayers1 too1 and my church-goings1 and my tryings to be good4 ,is this ,god's reward for all my trouble to please him8 ,then how vain all our old prayers seem2 how empty and dry all ordinances4 ,we cry1 ,i have cleansed my hands in vain1 and in vain washed my heart in innocency4 ,we have no heart to pray to ,god4 ,if he has not heard our past prayers1 why should we pray anymore8 ,let us lie down and die2 let us bear his heavy hand1 if we must bear it1 sullenly1 desperately3 but1 as for saying that ,god is love1 or to say that we know the love which ,god has for us1 we say in our hearts1 ,let the clergyman talk of that2 it is his business to speak about it2 or comfortable1 easy people1 who are not watering their pillow with bitter tears all night long4 ,but if they were in my place 7says the unhappy man71 they would know a little more of what poor souls have to go through3 they would talk somewhat less freely about its being a sin to doubt ,god's love4 ,he has sent this great misery on me4 ,how can ,i tell what more he may not send8 ,how can ,i help being afraid of ,god1 and looking up to him with tormenting fear8 ,yes1 my friends4 ,these are very terrible thoughts--very wrong thoughts some of them1 very foolish thoughts some of them1 though pardonable enough2 for ,god pardons them1 as we shall see4 ,but they are real thoughts4 ,they are what really come into people's minds every day2 and ,i am here to talk to you about what is really going on in your soul1 and mine2 not to repeat to you doctrines at second-hand out of a book1 and say1 ,there1 that is what you have to believe and do2 and1 if you do not1 you will go to hell3 but to speak to you as men of like passions with myself2 as sinning1 sorrowing1 doubting1 struggling human beings2 and to talk to you of what is in my own heart1 and will be in your hearts too1 some day1 if it has not been already4 ,this is the experience of all real men1 all honest men1 who ever struggled to know and to do what is right4 ,david felt it all4 ,you find it all through those glorious ,psalms of his4 ,he was no comfortable1 book-read1 second-hand ,christian1 who had an answer ready for every trouble1 because he had never had any real trouble at all4 ,david was not one of them4 ,he had to go through a very rough training--very terrible and fiery trials1 year after year2 and had to say1 again and again1 #8,i am weary of crying2 my heart is dry2 my heart faileth me for waiting so long upon my ,god4 ,all thy billows and storms are gone over me4 ,thou hast laid me in a place of darkness1 and in the lowest deep4'-- ,not by sitting comfortably reading his book1 but by such terrible trials as that1 was ,david taught to trust ,god to the uttermost2 and to learn that ,god's love was so perfect that he need never dread him1 or torment himself with anxiety lest ,god should leave him to perish4 ,hezekiah felt it1 too1 good man as he was1 when he was sick1 and like to die4 ,and it was not for many a day that he found out the truth about these dark hours of misery1 that by all these things men live1 and in all these things is the life of the ,spirit4 ,and this was ,jacob's experience1 too1 on that most fearful night of all his life1 when he waited by the ford of ,jabbok1 expecting that with the morning light the punishment of his past sins would come on him2 and not only on him1 but on all his family1 and his innocent children2 when he stood there alone by the dark river1 not knowing whether ,esau and his wild ,arabs would not sweep off the earth all he had and all he loved2 and knowing1 too1 that it was his own fault1 that he had brought it all upon them by his own deceit and treachery4 ,then1 when his sins stared him in the face1 and ,god rose up to judgment against him1 he learnt to pray as he had never prayed before--a prayer too deep for words4 #8,and ,jacob was left alone3 and there wrestled a man with him till the breaking of the day4 ,and when he saw that he prevailed not against him1 he touched the hollow of ,jacob's thigh2 and the hollow of his thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him4 ,and he said1 ,let me go1 for the day breaketh4 ,and he said1 ,i will not let thee go1 till thou bless me4 ,and he blessed him there4 ,and ,jacob called the name of that place ,peniel3 for ,i have seen ,god face to face1 and my life is preserved4' ,so it may be with us4 ,so it must be with us1 in the dark day when our faith is really tried by terrible affliction4 ,we must begin as ,jacob did4 ,plead ,god's promises1 confess the mercies we have received already4 #8,i am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which thou hast showed to thy servant4' ,ask for ,god's help1 as ,jacob did3 #8,deliver me1 ,i pray thee1 out of the hand of ,esau my brother4' ,plead his written promises1 and the covenant of our baptism1 which tell us that we are ,god's children1 and ,god our ,father1 as ,jacob did according to his light--#8,and thou saidst1 ,i will surely do thee good4' ,so the proud angry heart will perhaps pass out of us1 and we shall set ourselves more calmly to face the worst1 and to try if ,god's promises be indeed true1 and ,god be indeed as he has said1 #8,love4' ,but do not be astonished1 do not be disheartened1 if1 when the trouble comes1 there comes with it1 as to ,jacob1 a more terrible struggle far1 a struggle too deep for words2 if you find out that fine words and set prayers are nothing in the hour of need1 and that you will not be heard for your much speaking4 ,ah6 the darkness of that time1 which perhaps goes on for days1 for months1 all alone between you and ,god himself4 ,clergymen and good people may come in with kind words and true words3 but they give no comfort2 your heart is still dark1 still full of doubt2 you want ,god himself to speak to your heart1 and tell you that he is love4 ,and you have no words to pray with at last2 you have used them all up2 and you can only cling humbly to ,god1 and hold fast4 ,one moment you feel like a poor slave clinging to his stern master's arm1 and entreating him not to kill him outright4 ,the next you feel like a child clinging to its father1 and entreating him to save him from some horrible monster which is going to devour it3 but you have no words to pray with1 only sighs1 and tears1 and groans2 you feel that you know not what to pray for as you ought1 know not what is good for you2 dare ask for nothing1 lest it should be the wrong thing4 ,and the longer you struggle1 the weaker you become1 as ,jacob did1 till your very bones seem out of joint1 your very heart broken within you1 and life seems not worth having1 or death either4 ,only hold fast by ,god4 ,only do not despair4 ,only be sure that ,god cannot lie2 be sure that he who cared for you from your birth hour cares for you still2 that he who loved you enough to give his own ,son for you hundreds of years before you were born1 cannot but love you still2 do not despair1 ,i say2 and at last1 when you are fallen so low that you can fall no lower1 and so weak that you are past struggling1 you may hear through the darkness of your heart the still small voice of ,god4 ,only hold fast1 and let him not go until he bless you1 and you shall find with ,jacob of old1 that as a prince you have power with ,god and with man1 and have prevailed4 ,and so ,god will answer you1 as he answered ,elijah1 at first out of the whirlwind and the blinding storm3 but at last1 doubt it not1 with the still small voice which cannot be mistaken1 which no earthly ear can hear1 but which is more precious to the broken heart than all which this world gives1 the peace which passes understanding1 and yet is the surest and the only lasting peace4 ,but what is the secret of this strange awful struggle8 ,can you or ,i change ,god's will by any prayers of ours8 ,god forbid that we should1 my friends1 even if we could2 for his will is a good will to us1 and his name is ,love4 ,do not be afraid of him4 ,if you do1 you are not made perfect in love2 you have not yet learnt perfect the lesson of his great love to you4 ,but what is the secret of this struggle8 ,why has any poor soul to wrestle thus with ,god who made him1 before he can get peace and hope8 ,why is the trouble sent him at all8 ,it looks at first sight a strange sort of token of ,god's love1 to bring the creatures whom he has made into utter misery4 ,my friends1 these are deep questions4 ,there are plenty of answers for them ready written3 but no answers like the ,bible ones1 which tell us that #8whom the ,lord loveth he chasteneth2 that these sorrows come on us1 and heaviness1 and manifold temptations1 in order that the trial of our faith1 being much more precious than that of gold1 which perishes though it be tried with fire1 may be found to praise1 and honour1 and glory at the appearance of ,jesus ,christ4' ,this is the only answer but it does not explain the reason4 ,it only gives us hope under it4 ,we do not know that these dreadful troubles come from ,god4 ,the ,bible tells us #8that ,god tempts no man2 that he does not afflict willingly1 nor grieve the children of men4' ,the ,bible speaks at times as if these dark troubles came from the devil himself2 and as if ,god turned them into good for us by making them part of our training1 part of our education2 and so making some devil's attempt to ruin us only a great means of our improvement4 ,i do not know3 but this ,i do know1 the troubles are here1 and ,god is love4 ,at least this is comfortable1 that ,god will let no man be tempted beyond what he is able3 but will with the temptation make a way for us to escape1 that we may be able to bear it4 ,at least this is comfortable1 that our prayers are not needed to change ,god's will1 because his will is already that we should be saved2 because we are on his side in the battle against the devil1 or the flesh1 or the world1 or whatever it is which makes poor souls and bodies miserable1 and he on ours3 and all we have to do in our prayers1 is to ask advice and orders and strength and courage from the great ,captain of our salvation2 that we may fight his battle and ours aright and to the end4 ,and1 my friends1 if you be in trouble1 if your heart be brought low within you1 remember1 only remember1 who the ,captain of our salvation is4 ,who but ,jesus who died on the cross--,jesus who was made perfect by sufferings1 ,jesus who cried out1 #8,my ,god6 my ,god6 why hast thou forsaken me8' ,if ,christ had to be made perfect by sufferings1 much more must we4 ,if he needed to learn obedience by sorrow1 much more must we4 ,if he needed in the days of his flesh1 to make supplication to ,god his ,father with strong crying and tears1 so do we4 ,and if he was heard in that he feared1 so1 ,i trust1 we shall be heard likewise4 ,if he needed to taste even the most horrible misery of all2 to feel for a moment that ,god had forsaken him2 surely we must expect1 if we are to be made like him1 to have to drink at least one drop out of his bitter cup4 ,it is very wonderful3 but yet it is full of hope and comfort4 ,full of hope and comfort to be able1 in our darkest and bitterest sorrow1 to look up to heaven1 and say1 ,at least there is one who has been through all this4 ,as ,christ was1 so are we in this world2 and the disciple cannot be above his master4 ,yes1 we are in this world as he was1 and he was once in this world as we are1 he has been through all this1 and more4 ,he knows all this and more4 #8,we have a ,high ,priest above us who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities1 because he has been tempted in all things like as we are4 yet without sin4' ,yes1 my friends4 ,nothing like one honest look1 one honest thought1 of ,christ upon his cross4 ,that tells us how much he has been through1 how much he endured1 how much he conquered1 how much ,god loved us1 who spared not his only-begotten ,son1 but freely gave him for us4 ,dare we doubt such a ,god8 ,dare we murmur against such a ,god8 ,dare we lay the blame of our sorrows on such a ,god--our ,father8 ,no2 let us believe the blessed message of our confirmation1 which tells us that it is his ,fatherly hand which is ever over us1 and that even though that hand may seem heavy for awhile1 it is the hand of him whose very being and substance is love1 who made the world by love1 by love redeemed man1 by love sustains him still4 ,though we went down into hell1 says ,david1 he is there2 though we took the wings of the morning1 and fled into the uttermost part of the sea1 yet there his hand would hold us1 and his right hand guide us still4 ,it is holding and guiding every one of us now1 through storm as well as through sunshine1 through grief as well as through joy2 let us humble ourselves under that mighty hand1 and it will exalt us in due time4 ,he knows1 and must know1 when that due time is1 and1 till then1 he is still love1 and his mercy is over all his works4 ,,sermon ,,xxix4 ,,god',s ,,creation4 ,,genesis i4 #ca4 ,and ,god saw everything that he had made1 and behold it was very good4 ,,this is good news1 and a gospel4 ,the ,bible was written to bring good news1 and therefore with good news it begins1 and with good news it ends4 ,but it is not so easy to believe4 ,we want faith to believe2 and that faith will be sometimes sorely tried4 ,yes2 we want faith4 ,as ,st4 ,paul says3 #8,through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of ,god2 so that things which are seen were not made of things which appear4' ,no one can prove to us that ,god made the world2 yet we must believe it2 and what is more1 we do believe it1 and are certain of it4 ,but all the proving and arguments in the world will not make us certain that ,god made the world2 they will only make us feel that it is probable1 that it is reasonable to think so4 ,what1 then1 does make us certain that ,god made the world8--as certain as if we had seen him make it8 ,faith1 which is stronger than all arguments4 ,faith1 which comes down from heaven to our hearts1 and is the gift of ,god4 ,faith1 which is the light with which ,jesus ,christ lights us4 ,faith1 which comes by the inspiration of ,god's ,holy ,spirit4 ,so1 again1 when we have to believe not only that ,god made the world1 but that all things which he has made are very good4 ,so it is1 and you must believe it4 ,god is good1 the absolute and perfect good2 and from good nothing can come but good3 and therefore all which ,god has made is good1 as he is2 and therefore if anything in the world seems to be bad1 one of two things must be true of it4 #a4 ,either it is not bad1 though it seems so to us2 and ,god will bring good out of it in his good time1 and justify himself to men1 and show us that he is holy in all his works1 and righteous in all his ways4 ,or else--,if the thing be really bad1 then ,god did not make it4 ,it must be a disease1 a mistake1 a failure1 of man's making1 or some person's making1 but not of ,god's making4 ,for all that he has made he sees eternally2 and behold1 it is very good4 ,now1 ,i can say that2 and ,i believe it2 and ,god grant ,i may never say anything else4 ,and yet ,i cannot prove it to you by any argument4 ,but ,i believe it2 and ,i dare say many of you believe it 7you all must believe it1 before all is over71 by something better than any argument4 ,by faith--faith1 which speaks to the very core and root of a man's heart and reason1 and teaches him things surer and deeper than all sermons and books1 all proofs and arguments4 ,may ,god1 our ,heavenly ,father1 fill our hearts with his ,holy ,spirit of faith1 that we may believe utterly in his goodness1 and therefore believe in the goodness of all that he has made4 ,for at times we shall need that faith very much indeed1 not only about our neighbours1 but about ourselves4 ,we shall find it hard to believe that there is goodness in some of our neighbours2 and the better we know ourselves1 we shall find it very difficult to believe that there is goodness in us4 ,for surely this is a great puzzle4 #8,god saw everything that he had made1 and behold it was very good4' ,and ,god made you and me4 ,are we therefore very good8 ,or were we ever very good8 ,here is a great mystery4 ,it would seem as if we must have been very good if ,god made us4 ,for ,god can make nothing bad4 ,surely not4 ,for he who makes bad things is a bad maker2 he who makes bad houses is a bad builder2 and he who makes bad men is a bad maker of men4 ,but ,god cannot be a bad maker2 for he is perfect and without fault in all his works4 ,yet men are bad4 ,yet1 on the other hand1 if ,god made us1 and the ,bible be true1 there must be good in us4 ,when ,god said1 ,let that man be2 when ,god first thought of us1 if ,i may so speak1 before the foundation of the world--he thought of us as good4 ,he created each of us good in his own mind1 else he would not have created us at all4 ,but why were we not good when we came on earth8 ,why do we come into this world sinful8 ,why does ,god's thought of us1 ,god's purpose about us1 seem to have failed8 ,we do not know1 and we need not know4 ,st4 ,paul tells us that it came by ,adam's fall2 that by ,adam's fall sin entered into the world1 and each man1 as he came into it1 became sinful4 ,how that was we cannot understand--we need not understand4 ,let us believe1 and be silent2 but let us believe this also1 that ,st4 ,paul speaks truth not in this only but in that blessed and glorious news with which he follows up his sad and bad news4 #8,as by the offence of one1 judgment came upon all men to condemnation2 even so by the righteousness of one1 the free gift came upon all men to justification of life4' ,yes2 we may say boldly now1 ,whatever has been2 whatever sin ,i inherited from ,adam2 however sinful ,i came into this world1 ,god looks on me now1 not as ,i am in ,adam1 but as ,i am in ,christ4 ,i am in ,christ now1 baptized into ,christ1 a new creature in ,christ2 to ,christ ,i belong1 and not to ,adam at all2 and ,god looks now1 not on the old corrupt nature which ,i inherited from ,adam1 but on the new and good grace which ,god meant for me from all eternity1 which ,christ has given me now4 ,it is that good and new grace in me which ,god cares for2 it is that good and new grace which ,god is working on1 to strengthen and perfect it1 that ,i may grow in grace1 and in the likeness of ,christ1 and become at last what ,god intended me to be1 when he thought of me first before the foundation of all worlds1 and said1 #8,let us make man not one man1 but all men1 male and female in our image1 after our likeness4' ,this1 again1 is a great mystery4 ,yet our own hearts will tell us1 if we will look at them1 that it is true4 ,are there not1 as it were1 two different persons in us1 fighting for the mastery8 ,are we not so different at different times1 that we seem to ourselves1 and to our neighbours1 perhaps1 to be two different people1 according as we give way to the better nature or to the worse8 ,even as ,david--one year living a heroic and noble life by faith in ,god1 writing ,psalms which will live to the world's end1 and the next committing adultery and murder4 ,were those two ,davids the same ,david8 ,yes2 and yet ,no4 ,the good and noble ,david was ,david when he obeyed the grace of ,god4 ,the base and foul ,david was ,david when he gave way to his fallen and corrupt nature4 ,even so might we be4 ,even so1 in a less degree1 are we sometimes so unlike ourselves1 so ashamed of ourselves1 so torn asunder with passions and lusts1 delighting in ,god's law and all that is good in our hearts1 and yet finding another law in us which makes us slaves at moments to our basest passions--to anger1 fear1 spite1 covetousness--that when we think of it we are ready to cry with ,st4 ,paul1 #8,oh1 wretched man that ,i am1 who shall deliver me from the body of this death8' ,who8 ,who but he of whom ,st4 ,paul tells us1 gives the answer in the very next verse1 #8,i thank ,god1 that ,god himself will1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4' ,oh1 my friends1 whosoever of you have ever felt angry with yourselves1 discontented with yourselves1 ashamed of yourselves 7and he that has not felt so knows no more about himself than a dumb animal does7--you that have felt so1 listen to ,st4 ,paul's glorious news and take comfort4 ,do you wish to be right8 ,do you wish to be what ,god intended you to be before all worlds8 ,do you wish that of you the glorious words may come true1 #8,and ,god saw all that he had made1 and behold it was very good8' ,then believe this4 ,that all which is good in you ,god has made2 and that he will take care of what he has made1 for he loves it2 that all which is bad in you1 ,god has not made1 and therefore he will destroy it2 for he hates all that he has not made1 and will not suffer it in his world2 and that if you1 your heart1 your will1 are enlisted on the good side1 if you are wishing and trying that the good nature in you should conquer the bad1 then you are on the side of ,god himself1 and ,god himself is on your side2 and #8if ,god be for you1 who shall be against you8' ,before all worlds1 from eternity itself1 ,god said1 #8,let us make man in our own likeness2' and nothing can hinder ,god's word but the man himself4 ,the word of ,god comes down1 says the prophet1 as the rain and the dew from heaven1 and1 like the rain and dew1 returns not to him void1 but prospers in the thing whereto he sends it2 only if the ground be hard and barren1 and determined to bring forth thorns and briars1 rather than corn and fruit1 is it cursed1 and near to burning2 and only if a man loves his fallen nature better than the noble1 just1 loving1 generous grace of ,god1 and gives himself willingly up to the likeness of the beasts which perish1 can ,god's purpose towards him become of none effect4 ,take courage1 then4 ,if thou dislikest thy sins1 so does ,god4 ,if thou art fighting against thy worse feelings1 so is ,god4 ,on thy side is ,god who made all1 and ,christ who died for all1 and the ,holy ,spirit who alone gives wisdom1 purity1 nobleness4 ,how canst thou fail when he is on thy side8 ,on thy side are all spirits of just men made perfect1 all wise and good souls and persons in earth and heaven1 all good and wholesome influences1 whether of nature or of grace1 of matter or of mind4 ,how canst thou fail if they are on thy side8 ,god1 ,i say1 and all that ,god has made1 are working together to bring true of thee the word of ,god--#8,and ,god saw all that he had made1 and behold it was very good4' ,believe1 and endure to the end1 and thou shalt be found in ,christ at the last day2 and1 being in ,christ1 have thy share at last in the blessing which the ,father pronounces everlastingly on ,christ1 and on the members of ,christ1 #8,this is my beloved son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4' ,amen4 ,,sermon ,,xxx4 ,,true ,,prudence4 ,,matthew vi4 #cd4 ,take1 therefore1 no thought for the morrow3 for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself4 ,sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof4 ,,let me say a few words to you on this text4 ,be not anxious1 it tells you4 ,and why8 ,because you have to be prudent4 ,in practice1 fretting and anxiety help no man towards prudence4 ,we must all be as prudent and industrious as we can2 agreed4 ,but does fretting make us the least more prudent8 ,does anxiety make us the least more industrious8 ,on the contrary1 ,i know nothing which cripples a man more1 and hinders him working manfully1 than anxiety4 ,look at the worst case of all--at a man who is melancholy1 and fancies that all is going wrong with him1 and that he must be ruined1 and has a mind full of all sorts of dark1 hopeless1 fancies4 ,does he work any the more1 or try to escape one of these dangers which he fancies are hanging over him8 ,so far from it1 he gives himself up to them without a struggle2 he sits moping1 helpless1 and useless1 and says1 #8,there is no use in struggling4 ,if it will come1 it must come4' ,he has lost spirit for work1 and lost the mind for work1 too4 ,his mind is so full of these dark fears that he cannot turn it to laying any prudent plan to escape from the very things which he dreads4 ,and so1 in a less degree1 with people who fret and are anxious4 ,they may be in a great bustle1 but they do not get their work done4 ,they run hither and thither1 trying this and that1 but leaving everything half done1 to fly off to something else4 ,or else they spend time unprofitably in dreaming1 and expecting1 and complaining1 which might be spent profitably in working4 ,and they are always apt to lose their heads1 and their tempers1 just when they need them most2 to do in their hurry the very last things which they ought to have done2 to try so many roads that they choose the wrong road after all1 from mere confusion1 and run with open eyes into the very pit which they have been afraid of falling into4 ,as we say here1 they will go all through the wood to cut a straight stick1 and bring out a crooked one at last4 ,my friends1 even in a mere worldly way1 the men whom ,i have seen succeed best in life have always been cheerful and hopeful men1 who went about their business with a smile on their faces1 and took the changes and chances of this mortal life like men1 facing rough and smooth alike as it came1 and so found the truth of the old proverb1 that #8,good times1 and bad times1 and all times pass over4' ,of all men1 perhaps1 who have lived in our days1 the most truly successful was the great ,duke of ,wellington2 and one thing1 ,i believe1 which helped him most to become great1 was that he was so wonderfully free from vain fretting and complaining1 free from useless regrets about the past1 from useless anxieties for the future4 ,though he had for years on his shoulders a responsibility which might have well broken down the spirit of any man2 though the lives of thousands of brave men1 and the welfare of great kingdoms--ay1 humanly speaking1 the fate of all ,europe--depended on his using his wisdom in the right place1 and one mistake might have brought ruin and shame on him and on tens of thousands2 yet no one ever saw him anxious1 confused1 terrified4 ,though for many years he was much tried and hampered1 and unjustly and foolishly kept from doing his work as he knew it ought to be down1 yet when the time came for work1 his head was always clear1 his spirit was always ready2 and therefore he succeeded in the most marvellous way4 ,solomon says1 #8,better is he that ruleth his spirit1 than he that taketh a city4' ,now the ,great ,duke had learnt in most things to rule his spirit1 and therefore he was able not only to take cities1 but to do better still1 to deliver cities1--ay1 and whole countries--out of the hand of armies often far stronger1 humanly speaking1 than his own4 ,and for an example of what ,i mean ,i will tell you a story of him which ,i know to be true4 ,some one once asked him what his secret was for winning battles4 ,and he said that he had no secret2 that he did not know how to win battles1 and that no man knew4 ,for all1 he said1 that man could do1 was to look beforehand steadily at all the chances1 and lay all possible plans beforehand3 but from the moment the battle began1 he said1 no mortal prudence was of use1 and no mortal man could know what the end would be4 ,a thousand new accidents might spring up every hour1 and scatter all his plaits to the winds2 and all that man could do was to comfort himself with the thought that he had done his best1 and to trust in ,god4 ,now1 my friends1 learn a lesson from this1 a lesson for the battle of life1 which every one of us has to fight from our cradle to our grave--the battle against misery1 poverty1 misfortune1 sickness2 the battle against worse enemies even than they--the battle against our own weak hearts1 and the sins which so easily beset us against laziness1 dishonesty1 profligacy1 bad tempers1 hard-heartedness1 deserved disgrace1 the contempt of our neighbours1 and just punishment from ,almighty ,god4 ,take a lesson1 ,i say1 from the ,great ,duke for the battle of life4 ,be not fretful and anxious about the morrow4 ,face things like men2 count the chances like men2 lay your plans like men3 but remember1 like men1 that a fresh chance may any moment spoil all your plans2 remember that there are thousand dangers round you from which your prudence cannot save you4 ,do your best2 and then like the ,great ,duke1 comfort yourselves with the thought that you have done your best2 and like him1 trust in ,god4 ,remember that ,god is really and in very truth your ,father1 and that without him not a sparrow falls to the ground2 and are ye not of more value than many sparrows1 ,o ye of little faith8 ,remember that he knows what you have need of before you ask him2 that he gives you all day long of his own free generosity a thousand things for which you never dream of asking him2 and believe that in all the chances and changes of this life1 in bad luck as well as in good1 in failure as well as success1 in poverty as well as wealth1 in sickness as well as health1 he is giving you and me1 and all mankind good gifts1 which we in our ignorance1 and our natural dread of what is unpleasant1 should never dream of asking him for3 but which are good for us nevertheless2 like him from whom they come1 the ,father of lights1 from whom comes every good and perfect gift2 who is neither neglectful1 capricious1 or spiteful1 for in him is neither variableness1 nor shadow of turning1 but who is always loving unto every man1 and his mercy is over all his works4 ,bear this in mind1 my friends1 in all the troubles of life--that you have a ,father in heaven who knows what you have need of before you ask him1 and your infirmity in asking1 and who is wont--is regularly accustomed all day long--to give you more than either you desire or deserve4 ,and bear it in mind even more carefully1 if you ever become anxious and troubled about your own soul1 and the life to come4 ,many people are troubled with such anxieties1 and are continually asking1 #8,shall ,i be saved or not8' ,in some this anxiety comes from bad teaching1 and the hearing of false1 cruel1 and superstitious doctrine4 ,in others it seems to be mere bodily disease1 constitutional weakness and fearfulness1 which prevents their fighting against dark and sad thoughts when they arise2 but in both cases ,i think that it is the devil himself who tempts them1 the devil himself who takes advantage of their bodily weakness1 or of the false doctrines which they have heard1 and begins whispering in their ears1 #8,you have no ,father in heaven4 ,god does not love you4 ,his promises are not meant for you4 ,he does not will your salvation1 but your damnation1 and there is no hope for you2' till the poor soul falls into what is called religious melancholy1 and moping madness1 and despair1 and dread of the devil2 and often believes that the devil has got complete power over him1 and that he is the slave of ,satan for ever1 till1 in some cases1 the man is even driven to kill himself in the agony of his despair4 ,now1 my friends1 the true answer to all such dark thoughts is1 #8,your ,heavenly ,father knows what you have need of before you ask him2 therefore be not anxious about the morrow1 for the morrow shall take care for the things of itself2 sufficient for the day is the evil thereof4' ,for in the first place1 my friends1 the devil was a liar from the beginning1 and therefore the chances are a million to one against his speaking the truth in any case2 and if he tells you that you are going to be damned1 ,i should take that for a fair sign that you were not going to be damned1 simply because the devil says it1 and therefore it cannot be true4 ,no1 my friends1 the people who have real reason to be afraid are just those who are not afraid--the self-conceited1 self-satisfied souls2 for the devil attacks them too1 as he does every one1 by their weakest point1 and has his lie ready for them1 and whispers1 #8,you are all right2 you are safe2 you cannot fall2 your salvation is sure4' ,or else1 #8,you hold the right doctrine2 you are orthodox1 and perfectly right1 and whoever differs from you must be wrong2' and so tempts them to vain confidence and unclean living1 or else into pride1 hardness of heart1 self-willed and self-conceited quarrelling and slandering and lying for the sake of their own party in the ,church4 ,it is the self-confident ones who have reason to fear and tremble2 for after pride comes a fall4 ,they have reason to fear1 lest while they are crying peace and safety1 and thanking ,god that they are not as other men are1 sudden destruction come on them2 but you anxious1 trembling souls1 who are terrified at the sight of your own sins you who feel how weak you are1 and ignorant1 and confused1 and unworthy to do aught but cry1 #8,god be merciful to me a sinner6' you are the very ones who have least reason to be afraid1 just because you are most afraid3 you are the true penitents over whom your ,father in heaven rejoices2 you are those of whom he has said1 #8,i am the ,high and ,holy ,one who inhabiteth eternity2 yet ,i dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite heart1 to revive the spirit of the humble1 and to comfort the soul of the contrite ones2' as he will revive and comfort you1 if you will only have faith in ,god1 and take your stand on your baptism1 and from that safe ground defy the devil and all his dark imaginations1 saying1 #8,i am ,god's child1 and ,god is my father1 and ,christ's blood was shed for me1 and the ,holy ,spirit of ,god is with me2 and in the strength of my baptism1 ,i will hope against hope2 ,i trust in the ,lord my ,god1 who has called me into this state of salvation1 that he will keep to the end the soul which ,i have committed to him through ,jesus ,christ my ,lord4' ,yes4 ,be not anxious for the morrow1 and much more1 be not anxious for the life to come4 ,your ,heavenly ,father knew that you had need of salvation long before you asked him4 ,eighteen hundred years before you were born1 he sent his ,son into the world to die for you2 when you were but an infant he called you to be baptized into his ,church1 and receive your share of his ,spirit4 ,long before you thought of him1 he thought of you2 long before you loved him1 he loved you2 and if he so loved you1 that he spared not his only begotten ,son1 but freely gave him for you1 will he not with that ,son freely give you all things8 ,therefore1 fear not1 little flock2 it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom4 ,and be not anxious about the morrow2 for the morrow shall be anxious about the things of itself4 ,be anxious about to-day1 if you will2 and #8work out your salvation with fear and trembling2' for it is ,god who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure2 and therefore you can do right2 and therefore1 again1 it is your own fault if you do not do right4 ,and yet1 for that very reason1 be not over anxious2 for #8if ,god be with you1 who can be against you8' ,if ,god1 who is so mighty that he made all heaven and earth1 be on our side1 surely stronger is he that is with you than he that is against you4 ,if ,god1 who so loved you that he gave his only begotten ,son for you1 be on your side1 surely you have a friend whom you can trust4 #8,what can part you from his love8' ,st4 ,paul asks you2 from ,god's love1 which is as boundless and eternal as ,god himself2 nothing can part you from it1 but your own sin4 #8,but ,i do sin1' you say1 #8again and again1 and that is what makes me fearful4 ,i try to do better1 but ,i fall and ,i fail all day long4 ,i try not to be covetous and worldly1 but poverty tempts me1 and ,i fall2 ,i try to keep my temper1 but people upset me1 and ,i say things of which ,i am bitterly ashamed the next minute4 ,can ,god love such a one as me8' ,my answer is1 ,if ,god loved the whole world when it was dead in trespasses and sins1 and not trying to be better1 much more will he love you who are not dead in trespasses and sins1 and are trying to be better4 ,if he were not still helping you2 if his ,spirit were not with you1 you would care no more to become better than a dog or an ox cares4 ,and if you fall--why1 arise again4 ,get up1 and go on4 ,you may be sorely bruised1 and soiled with your fall1 but is that any reason for lying still1 and giving up the struggle cowardly8 ,in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 arise and walk4 ,he will wash you1 and you shall be clean4 ,he will heal you1 and you shall be strong again4 ,what else can a traveller expect who is going over rough ground in the dark1 but to fall and bruise himself1 and to miss his way too many a time3 but is that any reason for his sitting down in the middle of the moor1 and saying1 #8,i shall never get to my journey's end8' ,what else can a soldier expect1 but wounds1 and defeat1 too1 often2 but is that any reason for his running away1 and crying1 #8,we shall never take the place8' ,if our brave men at ,sebastopol had done so1 and lost heart each time they were beaten back1 not only would they have never taken the place1 but the ,russians would have driven them long ago into the sea1 and perhaps not a man of them would have escaped4 ,and1 be sure of it1 your battle is like theirs4 ,every one of us has to fight for the everlasting life of his soul against all the devils of hell1 and there is no use in running away from them2 they will come after us stronger than ever1 unless we go to face them4 ,as with our men at ,sebastopol1 unless we beat the enemy1 the enemy will destroy us2 and our only hope is to fight to-day's battle like men1 in the strength which ,god gives us1 and trust him to give us strength to fight to-morrow's battle too1 when it comes4 ,for here again1 as it was at ,sebastopol1 so it is with our souls4 ,let our men be as prudent as they might1 they never knew what to-morrow's battle would be like1 or where the enemy might come upon them2 and no more do we4 ,they in general could not see the very enemy who was close on them2 and no more can we see our enemy1 near to us though he is4 ,to-morrow's temptations may be quite different from to-day's4 ,to-day we may be tempted to be dishonest1 to-morrow to lose our tempers1 the day afterwards to be vain and conceited1 and a hundred other things4 ,let the morrow be anxious about the things of itself1 then2 and face to-day's enemy1 and do the duty which lies nearest you4 ,our brave men did so4 ,they kept themselves watchful1 and took all the precautions they could in a general way1 just as we ought to do each in his own habits and temper2 but the great business was1 to go steadily on at their work1 and do each day what they could do1 instead of giving way to vain fears and fancies about what they might have to do some day1 which would have only put them out of heart1 and confused and distracted them4 ,and so it came to pass1 that as their day so their strength was2 that each day they got forward somewhat1 and had strength and courage left besides to drive back each new assault as it came2 and so at last1 after many mistakes and many failures1 through sickness and weakness1 thirst and hunger1 and every misery except fear which can fall on man1 they conquered suddenly1 and beyond their highest hopes3--as every one will conquer suddenly1 and beyond his highest hope1 who fights on manfully under ,christ's banner against sin2 against the sin in himself1 and in his neighbours1 and in his parish1 and faces the devil and his works wheresoever he may meet them1 sure that the devil and his works must be conquered at the last1 because ,god's wrath is gone out against them1 and ,christ1 who executes ,god's wrath1 will never sheath his sword till he has put all enemies under his feet1 and death be swallowed up in victory4 ,therefore be not anxious about the morrow4 ,do to-day's duty1 fight to-day's temptation2 and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see1 and could not understand if you saw them4 ,enough for you that your ,saviour for whom you fight is just and merciful2 for he rewardeth every man according to his work4 ,enough for you that he has said1 #8,he that is faithful unto death1 ,i will give him a crown of life4' ,enough for you that if you be faithful over a few things1 he will make you ruler over many things1 and bring you into his joy for evermore4 ,but as for vain fears1 leave them to those who will not believe ,god's message concerning himself--that he is love1 and his mercy over all his works4 ,leave them for those who deny ,god's righteousness1 by denying that he has had pity on this poor fallen world1 but has left it to itself and its sins1 without sending any one to save it4 ,and for real fears1 leave them for those who have no fears2 for those who think they see1 and yet are blind2 who think themselves orthodox and infallible1 and beyond making a mistake1 every man his own ,pope2 who say that they see1 and therefore their sin remaineth2 for those who thank ,god that they are not as other men are1 and who will find the publicans and harlots entering into the kingdom of heaven before them2 and for those who continue in sin that grace may abound1 and call themselves ,christians1 while they bring shame on the name of ,christ by their own evil lives1 by their worldliness and profligacy1 or by their bitterness and quarrelsomeness2 who make religious profession a by-word and a mockery in the mouths of the ungodly1 and cause ,christ's little ones to stumble4 ,let them be afraid1 if they will2 for it were better for them that a millstone were hanged about their neck1 and they were drowned in the midst of the sea4 ,but those who hate their sins1 and long to leave their sins behind2 those who distrust themselves--let them not be anxious about the morrow2 for to-morrow1 and to-day1 and for ever1 the ,almighty ,father is watching over them1 the ,lord ,jesus guiding them wisely and tenderly1 and the ,holy ,spirit inspiring them more and more to do all those good works which ,god has prepared for them to walk in1 and to conquer in the life-long battle against sin1 the world1 and the devil4 ,,sermon ,,xxxi4 ,,the ,,penitent ,,thief4 ,,luke xxiii4 #db1 #dc4 ,and he said unto ,jesus1 ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom4 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise4 ,,the story of the penitent thief is a most beautiful and affecting one4 ,christians' hearts1 in all times1 have clung to it for comfort1 not only for themselves1 but for those whom they loved4 ,indeed1 some people think that we are likely to be too fond of the story4 ,they have been afraid lest people should build too much on it2 lest they should fancy that it gives them licence to sin1 and lead bad lives1 all their days1 provided only they repent at last2 lest it should countenance too much what is called a death-bed repentance4 ,now1 ,god forbid that ,i should try to narrow ,christ's ,gospel4 ,who am ,i1 to settle who shall be saved1 and who shall not8 ,when the disciples asked the ,lord ,jesus1 #8,are there few that be saved8' he would not tell them4 ,and what ,christ did not choose to tell1 ,i am not likely to know4 ,but ,i must say openly1 that ,i cannot see what the story of the penitent thief has to do with a death-bed repentance2 and for this plain reason1 that the penitent thief did not die in his bed4 ,on the contrary1 he received the due reward of his deeds4 ,he was crucified2 publicly executed1 by the most shameful1 painful1 and lingering torture2 and confessed that it was no more than he deserved4 ,therefore1 if any man say to himself--and ,i am afraid that some do say to themselves--#8,i know ,i am leading a bad life2 and ,i have no mind to mend it yet2 the penitent thief repented at the last1 and was forgiven2 so ,i dare say that ,i shall be2' one has a right to answer him--#8,very well2 but you must first put yourself in the penitent thief's place4 ,are you willing to be hanged1 or worse than hanged1 as a punishment for your sins in this world8 ,for1 till then1 the penitent thief would certainly not be on the same footing as you4' ,if a man says to himself1 ,i will go on sinning now1 on the chance of repenting at last1 and #8making my peace with ,god1' he is not like the penitent thief1 he is much more like a famous ,emperor of ,rome1 who1 though a ,christian in name1 put off his baptism till his death-bed1 fancying that by it his sins would be washed away1 once and for all1 and made use of the meantime in murdering his eldest son and his nephew1 and committing a thousand follies and cruelties4 ,whether his death-bed repentance1 purposely put off in order to give him time to sin1 was of any use to him1 let your own consciences judge4 ,has1 then1 this story of the penitent thief no comfort for us8 ,god forbid6 ,why else was it put into ,christ's ,gospel of good news8 ,surely1 there is comfort in it4 ,only let us take the story honestly1 and word for word as it stands4 ,so we may hope to be taught by it what it was meant to teach us4 ,he was a robber4 ,the word means1 not a petty thief1 but a robber2 and his being put to such a terrible death shows the same thing4 ,most probably he had belonged to one of the bands of robbers which haunted the mountains of ,judea in those days1 as they used in old times to haunt the forests in ,england1 and as they do now in ,italy and ,spain1 and other waste and wild countries4 ,some of these robbers would1 of course1 be shameless and hardened ruffians2 as that robber seems to have been who insulted our ,lord upon the very cross4 ,others among them would not be lost to all sense of good4 ,young men who got into trouble ran away from home1 and joined these robber-bands1 and found pleasure in the wild and dangerous life4 ,there is a beautiful story told of such a young robber in the life of the blessed ,apostle ,st4 ,john4 ,a young man at ,ephesus who had become a ,christian1 and of whom ,st4 ,john was very fond1 got into trouble while ,st4 ,john was away1 and had to flee for his life into the mountains4 ,there he joined a band of robbers1 and was so daring and desperate that they soon chose him as their captain4 ,st4 ,john came back1 and found the poor lad gone4 ,st4 ,john had stood at the foot of the cross years before1 and heard his ,lord pardon the penitent thief2 and he knew how to deal with such wild souls4 ,and what did he do8 ,give him up for lost8 ,no6 ,he set off1 old as he was1 by himself1 straight for the mountains1 in spite of the warnings of his friends that he would be murdered1 and that this young man was the most desperate and bloodthirsty of all the robbers4 ,at last he found the young robber4 ,and what did the robber do8 ,as soon as he saw ,st4 ,john coming--before ,st4 ,john could speak a word to him1 he turned1 and ran away for shame2 and old ,st4 ,john followed him1 never saying a harsh word to him1 but only crying after him1 #8,my son1 my son1 come back to your father6' and at last he found him1 where he was hidden1 and held him by his clothes1 and embraced him1 and pleaded with him so1 that the poor fellow burst into tears1 and let ,st4 ,john lead him away2 and so that blessed ,st4 ,john went down again to ,ephesus in joy and triumph1 bringing his lost lamb with him4 ,now1 such a man one can well believe this penitent thief to have been4 ,a man who1 however bad he had been1 had never lost the feeling that he was meant for better things2 whose conscience had never died out in him4 ,he may have been such a man4 ,he must have been such a man4 ,for such faith as he showed on the cross does not grow up in an hour or a day4 ,i do not mean the feeling that he deserved his punishment 7that might come to a man very suddenly7 but the feeling that ,christ was the ,lord1 and the ,king of the ,jews4 ,he must have bought that by terrible struggles of mind1 by bitter shame and self-reproach4 ,he had heard1 ,i suppose1 of ,christ's miracles and mercy1 of his teaching1 of his being the friend of publicans and sinners1 had admired the ,lord ,jesus1 and thought him excellent and noble4 ,but he could not have done that without the ,holy ,spirit of ,god4 ,it was the ,holy ,spirit striving with his sinful heart1 which convinced him of ,christ's righteousness4 ,but the ,holy ,spirit would have convinced him1 too1 of his own sin4 ,the more he admired our ,lord1 the more he must have despised himself for being unlike our ,lord2 and1 doubt it not1 he had passed many bitter hours1 perhaps bitter years1 seeing what was right1 and yet doing what was wrong from bad habits or bad company1 before he came to his end upon the gallows-tree4 ,and there while he hung in torture on the cross1 the whole truth came to him at last4 ,god's ,spirit shone truly on him at last1 and divided the light from the darkness in his poor wretched heart4 ,all the good which had been in him came out once and for all4 ,christ's light had been shining in the darkness of his heart1 and the darkness had been trying to take it in1 and close over it1 but it could not2 and now the light had conquered the darkness1 and all was clear to him at last4 ,he never despised himself so much1 he never admired ,christ so much1 as when they hung side by side in the same condemnation4 ,side by side they hung1 scorned alike1 crucified alike1 seemingly come alike to open shame and ruin4 ,and yet he could see that though he deserved all his misery1 that the man who hung by him not only did not deserve it1 but was his ,lord1 the ,lord1 the ,king of the ,jews1 and that--of course he knew not how--the cross would not destroy him2 that he would come in his kingdom4 ,how he found out that1 no man can tell2 the ,spirit of ,god taught him1 the ,spirit of ,god alone1 to see in that crucified man the ,lord of glory1 and to cast himself humbly before his love and power1 in hope that there might be mercy even for him--#8,lord1 remember me when thou comest to thy kingdom4' ,there was faith indeed1 and humility indeed2 royal faith and royal humility coming out in that dying robber4 ,and so1 if you ask--,how was that robber justified by his works8 ,how could his going into ,paradise be the receiving of the due reward of the deeds done in his body whether they be good or evil4 ,i say he was justified by his works4 ,he did receive the due reward of his deeds4 ,one great and noble deed1 even that saying of his in his dying agony1--that showed that whatever his heart had been1 it was now right with ,god4 ,he could not only confess ,god's justice against sin in his own punishment1 but he could see ,god's beauty1 ,god's glory1 yea1 ,god himself in that man who hung by him1 helpless like himself1 scourged like himself1 crucified like himself1 like himself a scorn to men4 ,he could know that ,christ was ,christ1 even on the cross1 and know that ,christ would conquer yet1 and come to his kingdom4 ,that was indeed a faith in the merits of ,christ enough to justify him or any man alive4 ,now what has all this to do with you or me living an easy1 comfortable life in sin here1 and hoping to die an easy1 comfortable death after all1 and get to heaven by having in a clergyman to read and pray a little with us2 and saying a few words of formal repentance1 when perhaps our body and our mind are so worn out and dulled by illness that we hardly know what we say8 ,no1 my friends1 if our hearts be right1 we shall not think of the penitent thief to give us comfort about our own souls2 but we shall think of it and love it1 to give us comfort about the souls of many a man or woman for whom we care4 ,how many men there are who are going wrong1 very wrong2 and yet whom we cannot help liking1 even loving6 ,in the midst of all their sins1 there is something in them which will not let us give them up4 ,perhaps1 kind-heartedness4 ,perhaps1 an honest respect for good men1 and for good and right conduct2 loving the better1 while they choose the worse4 ,perhaps1 a real shame and sorrow when they have broken out and done wrong2 and even though we know that they will go and do wrong again1 we cannot help liking them1 cannot give them up4 ,then let us believe that ,god will not give them up1 any more than he gave up the penitent thief4 ,if there be something in them that we love1 let us believe that ,god loves it also2 and what is more1 that ,god put it into them1 as he did into the penitent thief2 and let us hope 7we cannot of course be certain1 but we may hope7 that ,god will take care of it1 and make it conquer1 as he did in the penitent thief4 ,let us hope that ,god's light will conquer their darkness2 ,god's strength conquer their weakness2 ,god's peace1 their violence2 ,god's heavenly grace their earthly passions4 ,let us hope for them1 ,i say4 ,when we hear1 as we often hear1 people say1 #8,what a noble-hearted man that is after all1 and yet he is going to the devil6' let us remember the penitent thief and have hope4 ,who would have seemed to have gone to the devil more hopelessly than that poor thief when he hung upon the cross8 ,and yet the devil did not have him4 ,there was in him a seed of good1 and of eternal life1 which the devil had not trampled out2 and that seed flowered and bore fruit upon the very cross in noble thoughts and words and deeds4 ,why may it not be so with others8 ,true1 they may receive the due reward of their deeds4 ,they may end in shame and misery1 like the penitent thief4 ,perhaps it may be good for them to do so4 ,if a man will sow the wind1 it may be good for him to reap the whirlwind1 and so find out that sowing the wind will not prosper4 ,the penitent thief did so4 ,as the proverb is1 he sowed the gallows-acorn1 poor wretch1 and he reaped the gallows-tree2 but that gallows-tree taught him to confess ,god's justice1 and his own sin1 and so it may teach others4 ,yes1 let us hope2 and when we see some one whom we love1 and cannot help loving1 bringing misery on himself by his own folly1 let us hope and pray that the day may come to him when1 in the midst of his misery1 all that better nature in him shall come out once and for all1 and he shall cry out of the deep to ,christ1 #8,i only receive the due reward of my deeds2 ,i have earned my shame2 ,i have earned my sorrow4 ,lord1 ,i have deserved it all4 ,i look back on wasted time and wasted powers4 ,i look round on ruined health1 ruined fortune1 ruined hopes1 and confess that ,i deserve it all4 ,but thou hast endured more than this for me1 though thou hast deserved nothing1 and hast done nothing amiss4 ,thou hast done nothing amiss by me4 ,thou hast been fair to me1 and given me a fair chance2 and more than that1 thou hast endured all for me4 ,for me thou didst suffer2 for me thou hast been crucified2 and me thou hast been trying to seek and to save all through the years of my vanity4 ,perhaps ,i have not wearied out thy love2 perhaps ,i have not conquered thy patience4 ,i will take the blessed chance4 ,i will still cast myself upon thy love4 ,lord1 ,i have deserved all my misery2 yet1 ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom4 ,oh1 my friends1 let us hope that that prayer will go up1 even out of the wildest heart1 in ,god's good time2 and that it will not go up in vain4 ,,sermon ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,temper ,,of ,,christ4 ,,philippians ii4 #d4 ,let this mind be in you1 which was also in ,christ ,jesus4 ,,what mind8 ,what sort of mind and temper ought to be in us8 ,st4 ,paul tells us in this chapter1 very plainly and at length1 what sort of temper he means2 and how it showed itself in ,christ2 and how it ought to show itself in us4 #8,all of you1' he tells us1 #8be like-minded1 having the same love2 being of one accord1 of one mind4 ,let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory3 but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself4 ,look not every man on his own things1 but every man also on the things of others4' ,first1 be like-minded1 having the same love4 ,men cannot all be of exactly the same opinion on every point1 simply because their characters are different2 and the old proverb1 #8,many men1 many minds1' will stand true in one sense to the end of the world4 ,but in another sense it need not4 ,people may differ in little matters of opinion1 without hating and despising1 and speaking ill of each other on these points2 they may agree to differ1 and yet keep the same love toward ,god and toward each other2 they may keep up a kindly feeling toward each other2 and they will do so1 if they have in their hearts the same love of ,god4 ,if we really love ,god1 and long to do good1 and to work for ,god2 if we really love our neighbours1 and wish to help them1 then we shall have no heart to quarrel--indeed1 we shall have no time to quarrel--about how the good is to be done1 provided it is done2 and we shall remember our ,lord's own words to ,st4 ,john1 when ,st4 ,john said1 #8,master1 we saw one casting out devils in thy name1 and he followeth not us3 wilt thou therefore that we forbid him8' ,and ,jesus said1 #8,forbid him not4' #8,forbid him not1' said ,jesus himself4 ,he that hath ears to hear his ,saviour's words1 let him hear4 #8,therefore1' ,st4 ,paul says1 #8let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory4' ,it is a very sad thing to think that the human heart is so corrupt1 that we should be tempted to do good1 and to show our piety1 through strife or vain-glory4 ,but so it is4 ,party spirit1 pride1 the wish to show the world how pious we are1 the wish to make ourselves out better and more reverent than our neighbours1 too often creep into our prayers and our worship1 and turn our feasts of charity into feasts of uncharitableness1 vanity1 ambition4 ,so it was in ,st4 ,paul's time4 ,some1 he says1 preached ,christ out of contention1 hoping to add affliction to his bonds4 ,not that he hated them for it1 or tried to stop them4 ,any way1 he said1 ,christ was preached1 whether out of party-spirit against him1 or out of love to ,christ2 any way ,christ was preached3 and he would and did rejoice in that thought4 ,again ,i say1 #8,he that hath ears to hear1 let him hear4' #8,esteem others better than ourselves8' ,god forgive us6 which of us does that8 ,is not one's first feeling not #8,others are better than me1' but #8,i am as good as my neighbour1 and perhaps better too8' ,people say it1 and act up to it also1 every day4 ,if we would but take ,st4 ,paul's advice1 and be humble2 if we would take more for granted that our neighbours have common sense as well as we1 experience as well as we1 the wish to do right as well as we--and perhaps more than we have2 and therefore listen humbly 7that is ,st4 ,paul's word1 bitter though it may be to our carnal pride71 listen humbly to every one who is in earnest1 or speaks of what he knows and feels6 ,people are better than we fancy1 and have more in them than we fancy2 and if they do not show that they have1 it is three times out of four our own fault4 ,instead of esteeming them better than ourselves1 and asking their advice1 and calling out their experience1 we are too in such a hurry to show them that we are better than they1 and to thrust our advice upon them1 that we give them no encouragement to speak1 often no time to speak2 and so they are silent and think the more1 and remain shut up in themselves1 and often pass for stupider people and worse people than they really are4 ,because we will not begin by doing justice to our neighbours1 we prevent them doing justice to themselves4 ,look not every man on his own things1 but every man also on the things of others4 ,ah1 my friends1 if we could but do that heartily and always1 what a different world it would be1 and what different people we should be6 ,if1 instead of saying to ourselves1 as one is so apt to do1 #8,will this suit my interest8 will this help me8' we would recollect to say too1 #8,will this suit my neighbours' interest8 ,will this harm my neighbours1 though it may help me8 ,for if it hurts them1 ,i will have nothing to do with it4' ,if1 again1 instead of saying to ourselves1 as we are too apt to do1 #8,this is what ,i like1 and done it shall be1' we would generously and courteously think more of what other people like2 what will please them1 instruct them1 comfort them1 soften for them the cares of life1 and lighten the burden of mortality--how much happier would not only they be1 but we also6 ,for this1 my friends1 is the very likeness of ,christ1 who pleased not himself2 the very likeness of ,christ1 who sacrificed himself4 ,and for this very reason ,st4 ,paul puts it the last of all his advices1 because it is the greatest2 the summing up of all2 the fulfilment of the whole law1 which says1 #8,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself2' and therefore after it he can give no more advice1 for there is none better left to give3 but he goes on at once to speak of ,christ1 who fulfilled that whole law of love1 and more than fulfilled it2 for instead of merely loving his neighbours as he loved himself 7which is all ,god asks of us71 ,christ loved his enemies better than himself1 and died for them4 ,so says ,st4 ,paul4--#8,look not every man on his own things1 but on other people's interest and comfort also4 ,let this mind be in you1 which was also in ,christ ,jesus4' ,what mind8 ,the mind which looks not merely on its own things1 its own interest1 its own reputation1 its own opinions1 likes1 and dislikes1 but on those of others1 and has learnt to live and let live4 ,yes1 this1 he says1 is the mind of ,christ4 ,and this mind1 and spirit1 and temper1 he showed before all heaven and earth1 when1 though he was in the form of ,god1 and therefore1 7as some interpret the text7 would have done no robbery1 no injustice1 by remaining for ever equal with ,god 7that is1 in the co-equal and co-eternal glory which he had with the ,father71 yet made himself of no reputation1 and took on him the form of a slave1 and was obedient to death1 even the death of the cross4 ,my friends1 ,i beseech you1 young and old1 rich and poor1 remember the full meaning of these glorious words1 and of those which follow them4 #8,wherefore ,god hath highly exalted him4' ,why8 ,what was it in ,christ which was so precious1 so glorious1 in the eyes of the ,almighty ,father1 that no reward seemed too great for him8 ,what but this very spirit of fellow-feeling and tenderness1 charity1 self-sacrifice--even the ,holy ,spirit of ,god himself1 with which ,christ was filled without measure8 ,because ,christ utterly and perfectly looked not on his own things1 but on the things of others3 because he was pity itself1 patience itself1 love itself1 in the soul and body of a human being2 therefore his ,father declared of him1 #8,this1 this is my well-beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4' ,therefore it was that he highly exalted him2 therefore it was that he proclaimed him to be worthy of all honour and worship1 the most perfect1 lovely1 admirable1 and adorable of all beings in heaven and earth2 not merely because he showed himself to be light of light1 or wisdom of wisdom1 or power of power2 but because he showed himself to be love of love1 and therefore very ,god of very ,god begotten1 whom men and angels could not reverence1 admire1 adore1 imitate too much1 but were to see in him the perfection of all beauty1 all virtue1 all greatness1 the likeness of his ,father's glory1 and the express image of his person4 ,and therefore it is a very good and beautiful old custom to bow when the name of ,jesus is mentioned2 at least1 when it is mentioned for the first time1 or under any very solemn circumstances4 ,it helps to remind us that he is really our ,king and ,lord4 ,it helps1 too1 to remind us that he is actually and really near us1 standing by us1 looking at us face to face1 though we see him not2 and ,i am willing to say for myself that whenever ,i recollect that he is looking at me 7alas6 that is not a hundredth part often enough71 ,i cannot help bowing almost without any will of my own4 ,but1 remember1 there is no commandment for it4 ,it is just one of those things on which a ,christian is free to do what he likes1 and for which every ,christian is forbidden to judge or blame another1 according to ,st4 ,paul's rule1 ,he that observeth the day1 to the ,lord he observeth it2 and he that observeth it not1 to the ,lord he observeth it not4 ,who art thou that judgest another8 ,to his own master he standeth or falleth4 ,yea1 and he shall stand1 for ,god is able to make him stand4 ,beside1 the text says1 if we are to take it literally1 as we always ought with ,scripture1 not that every head shall bow at the name of ,jesus1 but every knee4 ,and to kneel down every time we repeat that holy name would be impossible4 ,while1 on the other hand1 we do bow our knees1 literally and in earnest1 at the name of ,jesus every time we kneel down in church1 every time we kneel down to say our prayers4 ,and if any man is content with that1 no one has the least right to blame him4 ,besides1 my friends1 there is1 ,i know too well1 a great danger in making too much of these little outward ceremonies1 especially with children and young people4 ,for the heart of man is just as fond as it ever was of idolatry1 and superstition1 and will-worship1 and voluntary humility1 and paying tithe of mint1 anise1 and cummin1 while it neglects the weightier matters of the law1 justice1 mercy1 and judgment3 and1 therefore1 there is very great danger1 if we make too much of these ceremonies1 harmless and even good as many of them may be1 of getting to rest in them1 and thinking that ,god is pleased with them themselves4 ,whereas1 what ,god looks at is the heart1 the spirit1 the soul2 and whether it is right or wrong1 proud or humble1 hard or loving3 and if we think so much of the outward and visible form1 that we forget the inward and spiritual grace1 for which it ought to stand1 then we lay a snare for our own souls to turn them away from the worship of the living ,god1 and break the second commandment4 ,much more1 if we pride ourselves on being more reverent than our neighbours in these outward forms1 and look down on1 and grudge at1 those who do not practise them2 for then we turn our humility into pride1 and our reverence to ,christ into an insult to him2 for the true way to honour ,christ is to copy ,christ4 ,no one really honours and admires ,christ's character who does not copy him2 and to esteem ourselves better than others1 to say in our hearts1 #8,stand by1 for ,i am holier than thou1' to offend and drive away ,christ's little ones1 and wound the consciences of weak brethren by insisting on things against which they have a prejudice1 is to run exactly counter to ,christ and the mind of ,christ1 and to be more like the ,pharisees than the ,lord ,jesus4 ,that is not surely esteeming others better than ourselves3 that is not surely looking not merely on our own things1 but also on the things of others2 that is not fulfilling the law of love2 that is not following ,st4 ,paul's example1 who gave up1 he says1 doing many things which he thought right1 because they offended weaker spirits than his own4 #8,all things1' he says1 #8are lawful to me1 but all things are not expedient4' #8,ay1' says he1 #8,i would eat no meat while the world standeth1 if it cause my brother to offend4' ,no1 my dear friends1 let us rather1 in this coming ,passion week1 take the lesson which the services of the ,church give us in this ,epistle4 ,let us keep ,passion week really and in spirit1 by remembering that it means the week of suffering1 in which ,christ1 instead of pleasing himself1 conquered himself1 and gave up himself1 and let wicked men do with him whatsoever they would4 ,let us honour the holy name of ,jesus in spirit and in truth1 and bend not merely our necks or our knees1 when we hear his name1 but bend those stiff necks of our souls1 and those stubborn knees of our hearts2 let us conquer our self-will1 self-opinion1 self-conceit1 self-interest1 and take his yoke upon us1 for he is meek and lowly of heart4 ,this is the ,passion week which he has chosen2--to distrust ourselves1 and our own opinions1 likings and fancies4 ,this is the repentance1 and this is the humiliation which he has chosen2--to entreat him 7now and at once1 lest by pride we give place to the devil1 and fall while we think we stand7 to forgive us every hard1 and proud1 and conceited1 and self-willed thought1 and word1 and deed1 to which we have given way since we were born2 to pray to him for really new hearts1 really tender hearts1 really humble hearts1 really broken and contrite hearts2 to look at his beautiful tenderness1 patience1 sympathy1 understanding1 generosity1 self-sacrifice2 and then to look at ourselves1 and be shocked1 and ashamed1 and confounded1 at the difference between ourselves and him2 and so really to honour the name of ,jesus1 who humbled himself1 even to the death upon the cross4 ,i am not judging you1 my friends2 ,i am judging myself lest ,god judge me2 and telling you how to judge yourselves1 lest ,god judge you4 ,believe me1 if you will but take his yoke on you1 you will find it an easy yoke and a light burden2 you will find yourselves happier1 your duty simpler1 your prospects clearer1 your path through life smoother1 your character higher and more amiable in the eyes of all1 and you yourselves holy and fit to share on ,easter day in the precious body and blood of him who gave himself up to death that he might draw all men to himself2 and so draw them all to each other1 as children of one common ,father1 and brothers of ,jesus ,christ your ,lord4 ,,sermon ,,xxxiii4 ,,the ,,friend ,,of ,,sinners4 7,preached in ,london47 ,,mark ii4 #ae1 #af4 ,and it came to pass1 that1 as ,jesus sat at meat in his house1 many publicans and sinners sat also together with ,jesus and his disciples3 for there were many1 and they followed him4 ,and when the scribes and ,pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners they said onto his disciples1 ,how is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners8 ,,we cannot wonder at the scribes and ,pharisees asking this question4 ,i think that we should most of us ask the same question now1 if we saw the ,lord ,jesus1 or even if we saw any very good or venerable man1 going out of his way to eat and drink with publicans and sinners4 ,we should be inclined to say1 as the scribes and ,pharisees no doubt said1 ,why go out of his way to make fellowship with them8 to eat and drink with them8 ,he might have taught them1 preached to them1 warned them of ,god's wrath against their sins when he could find them out in the street4 ,or1 even if he could not do that1 if he could not find them all together without going into their house1 why sit down and eat and drink8 ,why not say1 ,no--,i am not going to join with you in that8 ,i am come on a much more solemn and important errand than eating4 ,i have no time to eat4 ,i must preach to you1 ere it be too late4 ,and you would have no appetite to eat1 if you knew the terrible danger in which your souls are4 ,besides1 however anxious for your souls ,i am1 you cannot expect me to treat you as friends1 to make companions of you1 and accept your hospitality1 while you are living these bad lives4 ,i shall always feel pity and sorrow for you3 but ,i cannot be a table companion with you1 till you begin to lead very different lives4 ,now if the scribes and ,pharisees had said that1 should we have thought them very unreasonable8 ,for whatsoever kinds of sinners the sinners were1 these publicans were the very worst and lowest of company4 ,they were not innkeepers1 as the word means now2 they were a kind of tax-gatherers3 but not like ours in ,england4 ,for first1 these taxes were not taken by the ,jewish government1 but by the ,romans--heathen foreigners who had conquered them1 and kept them down by soldiery quartered in their country4 ,so that these publicans1 who gathered taxes and tribute for the heathen ,csar of ,rome from their own countrymen1 were traitors to their country1 in league with their foreign tyrants1 as it were devouring their own flesh and blood2 and all the ,jews looked on them 7and really no wonder7 with hatred and contempt4 ,beside1 these publicans did not merely gather the taxes1 as they do in free ,england2 they farmed them1 compounded for them with the ,roman emperor2 that is1 they had each to bring in to the ,romans a stated sum of money1 each out of his own district1 and to make their own profit out of the bargain by grinding out of the poor ,jews all they could over and above2 and most probably calling in the soldiery to help them if people would not pay4 ,so this was a trade1 as you may easily see1 which could only prosper by all kinds of petty extortion1 cruelty1 and meanness2 and1 no doubt1 these publicans were devourers of the poor1 and as unjust and hard-hearted men as one could be4 ,as for those #8sinners' who are so often mentioned with them1 ,i suppose this is what the word means4 ,these publicans making their money ill1 spent it ill also1 in a low profligate way1 with the worst of women and of men4 ,moreover1 all the other ,jews shunned them1 and would not eat or keep company with them2 so they hung all together1 and made company for themselves with bad people1 who were fallen too low to be ashamed of them4 ,the publicans and harlots are often mentioned together2 and1 ,i doubt not1 they were often eating and drinking together1 ,god help them6 ,and ,god did help them4 ,the ,son of ,god came and ate and drank with them4 ,no doubt1 he heard many words among them which pained his ears1 saw many faces which shocked his eyes2 faces of women who had lost all shame2 faces of men hardened by cruelty1 and greediness1 and cunning1 till ,god's image had been changed into the likeness of the fox and the serpent2 and1 worst of all1 the greatest pain to him of all1 he could see into their hearts1 their immortal souls1 and see all the foulness within them1 all the meanness1 all the hardness1 all the unbelief in anything good or true4 ,and yet he ate and drank with them4 ,make merry with them he could not3 who could be merry in such company8 but he certainly so behaved to them that they were glad to have him among them1 though he was so unlike them in thought1 and word1 and look1 and action4 ,and why8 ,because1 though he was so unlike them in many things1 he was like them at least in one thing4 ,if he could do nothing else in common with them1 he could at least eat and drink as they did1 and eat and drink with them too4 ,yes4 ,he was the ,son of man1 the man of all men1 and what he wanted to make them understand was1 that1 fallen as low as they were1 they were men and women still1 who were made at first in ,god's likeness1 and who could be redeemed back into ,god's likeness again4 ,the only way to do that was to begin with them in the very simplest way2 to meet them on common human ground2 to make them feel that1 simply because they were men and women1 he felt for them2 that1 simply because they were men and women1 he loved them2 that1 simply because they were men and women1 he could not turn his back upon them1 for the sake of his ,father and their ,father in heaven4 ,if he had left those poor wretches to themselves2 if he had even merely kept apart from their common every-day life1 and preached to them1 they would never have felt that there was still hope for them1 simply because they were men and women4 ,they would have said in their hearts1 #8,see2 he will talk to us3 but he looks down on us all the time4 ,we are fallen so low1 we cannot rise2 we cannot mend4 ,what is there in us that can mend8 ,we are nothing but brutes1 perhaps2 then brutes we must remain4 ,heaven is for people like him1 perhaps2 but not for such as us4 ,we are cut off from men4 ,we have no brothers upon earth1 no ,father in heaven4' #8,let us eat and drink1 for to-morrow we die4' ,yes2 they would have said this2 for people like them will say it too often now1 here in ,christian ,england4 ,but when our ,lord came to them1 ate and drank with them1 talked with them in a homely and simple way 7for our ,lord's words are always simple and homely1 grand and deep and wonderful as they are71 then do you not see how self-respect would begin to rise in those poor sinners' hearts8 ,not that they would say1 #8,we are better men than we thought we were4' ,no2 perhaps his kindness would make them all the more ashamed of themselves1 and convince them of sin all the more deeply2 for nothing1 nothing melts the sinner's hard1 proud heart1 like a few unexpected words of kindness--ay1 even a cordial shake of the hand from any one who he fancies looks down on him4 ,to find a loving brother1 where he expected only a threatening schoolmaster--that breaks the sinner's heart2 and most of all when he finds that brother in ,jesus his ,saviour4 ,that--the sight of ,god's boundless love to sinners1 as it is revealed in the loving face of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord--that1 and that alone1 breeds in the sinner the broken and the contrite heart which is in the sight of ,god of great price4 ,and so1 those publicans and sinners would not have begun to say1 ,we are better than we thought3 but1 ,we can become better than we thought4 ,he must see something in us which makes him care for us4 ,perhaps ,god may see something in us to care for4 ,he does not turn his back on us4 ,perhaps ,god may not4 ,he must have some hope of us4 ,may we not have hope of ourselves8 ,surely there is a chance for us yet4 ,oh6 if there were6 ,we are miserable now in the midst of our drunkenness1 and our covetousness1 and our riotous pleasures4 ,we are ashamed of ourselves3 and our countrymen are ashamed of us3 and though we try to brazen it off by impudence1 we carry heavy hearts under bold foreheads4 ,oh1 that we could be different6 ,oh1 that we could be even like what we were when we were little children6 ,perhaps we may be yet4 ,for he treats us as if we were men and women still1 his brothers and sisters still4 ,he thinks that we are not quite brute animals yet1 it seems4 ,perhaps we are not2 perhaps there is life in us yet1 which may grow up to a new and better way of living4 ,what shall we do to be saved8 ,o blessed charity1 bond of peace and of all virtues2 of brotherhood and fellow-feeling between man and man1 as children of one common ,father4 ,ay1 bond of all virtues--of generosity and of justice1 of counsel and of understanding4 ,charity1 unknown on earth before the coming of the ,son of man1 who was content to be called gluttonous and a wine-bibber1 because he was the friend of publicans and sinners6 ,my friends1 let us try to follow his steps2 let us remember all day long what it is to be men2 that it is to have every one whom we meet for our brother in the sight of ,god2 that it is this1 never to meet any one1 however bad he may be1 for whom we cannot say1 #8,christ died for that man1 and ,christ cares for him still4 ,he is precious in ,god's eyes2 he shall be precious in mine also4' ,let us take the counsel of the ,gospel for this day1 and love one another1 not in word merely--in doctrine1 but in deed and in truth1 really and actually2 in our every-day lives and behaviour1 words1 looks--in all of them let us be cordial1 feeling1 pitiful1 patient1 courteous4 ,masters with your workmen1 teachers with your pupils1 parents with your children1 be cordial1 and kind1 and patient2 respect every one1 whether below you or not in the world's eyes4 ,never do a thing to any human being which may lessen his self-respect2 which may make him think that you look down upon him1 and so make him look down upon himself in awkwardness and shyness2 or else may make him start off from you1 angry and proud1 saying1 #8,i am as good as you2 and if you keep apart from me1 ,i will from you2 if you can do without me1 ,i can do without you4 ,i want none of your condescension4' ,it is not so4 ,you cannot do without each other4 ,we can none of us do without the other2 do not let us make any one fancy that he can1 and tempt him to wrap himself up in pride and surliness1 cutting himself off from the communion of saints1 and the blessing of being a man among men4 ,and if any of you have a neighbour1 or a relation fallen into sin1 even into utter shame2--oh1 for the sake of ,him who ate and drank with publicans and sinners1 never cast them off1 never trample on them1 never turn your back upon them4 ,they are miserable enough already1 doubt it not4 ,do not add one drop to their cup of bitterness4 ,they are ashamed of themselves already1 doubt it not4 ,do not you destroy in them what small grain of self-respect still remains4 ,you fancy they are not so4 ,they seem to you brazen-faced1 proud1 impenitent4 ,so did the publicans and harlots seem to those proud1 blind ,pharisees4 ,those pompous1 self-righteous fools did not know what terrible struggles were going on in those poor sin-tormented hearts4 ,their pride had blinded them1 while they were saying all along1 #8,it is we alone who see4 ,this people1 which knoweth not the law1 is accursed4' ,then came the ,lord ,jesus1 the ,son of man1 who knew what was in man2 and he spoke to them gently1 cordially1 humanly2 and they heard him1 and justified ,god1 and were baptized1 confessing their sins2 and so1 as he said himself1 the publicans and harlots went into the kingdom of ,god before those proud1 self-conceited ,pharisees4 ,therefore1 ,i say1 never hurt any one's self-respect4 ,never trample on any soul1 though it may be lying in the veriest mire2 for that last spark of self-respect is as its only hope1 its only chance2 the last seed of a new and better life2 the voice of ,god which still whispers to it1 #8,you are not what you ought to be1 and you are not what you can be4 ,you are still ,god's child1 still an immortal soul3 you may rise yet1 and fight a good fight yet1 and conquer yet1 and be a man once more1 after the likeness of ,god who made you1 and ,christ who died for you6' ,oh1 why crush that voice in any heart8 ,if you do1 the poor creature is lost1 and lies where he or she falls1 and never tries to rise again4 ,rather bear and forbear2 hope all things1 believe all things1 endure all things2 so you will1 as ,st4 ,john tells you in the ,epistle1 know that you are of the truth1 in the true and right road1 and will assure your hearts before ,god4 ,for this is his commandment1 that we should believe in the name of his ,son ,jesus ,christ1 and believe really that he is now what he always was1 the friend of publicans and sinners1 and love one another as he gave us commandment4 ,that was ,christ's spirit2 the fairest1 the noblest spirit upon earth2 the spirit of ,god whose mercy is over all his works2 and hereby shall we know that ,christ abideth in us1 by his having given us the same spirit of pity1 charity1 fellow-feeling and love for every human being round us4 ,and now1 ,i will also give you one lesson to carry home with you--a lesson which if we all could really believe and obey1 the world would begin to mend from to-morrow1 and every other good work on earth would prosper and multiply tenfold1 a hundredfold--ay1 beyond all our fairest dreams4 ,and my lesson is this4 ,when you go out from this church into those crowded streets1 remember that there is not a soul in them who is not as precious in ,god's eyes as you are2 not a little dirty ragged child whom ,jesus1 were he again on earth1 would not take up in his arms and bless2 not a publican or a harlot with whom1 if they but asked him1 he would not eat and drink--now1 here1 in ,london on this ,sunday1 the #hth of ,june1 #ahef1 as certainly as he did in ,jewry beyond the seas1 eighteen hundred years ago4 ,therefore do to all who are in want of your help as ,jesus would do to them if he were here2 as ,jesus is doing to them already3 for he is here among us now1 and for ever seeking and saving that which was lost2 and all we have to do is to believe that1 and work on1 sure that he is working at our head1 and that though we cannot see him1 he sees us2 and then all will prosper at last1 for this brave old earth whereon we are living now1 and for that far braver new heaven and new earth whereon we shall live hereafter4 ,,sermon ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,sea ,,of ,,glass4 7,trinity ,sunday47 ,,revelation iv4 #i1 #aj1 #aa4 ,and when those beasts give glory1 and honour1 and thanks to him that sat on the throne1 who liveth for ever and ever1 the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne1 and worship him that liveth for ever and ever1 and cast their crowns before the throne1 saying1 ,thou art worthy1 ,o ,lord1 to receive glory1 and honour1 and power3 for thou hast created all things1 and for thy pleasure they are and were created4 ,,the ,church bids us read this morning the first chapter of ,genesis1 which tells us of the creation of the world4 ,not merely on account of that most important text1 which1 according to some divines1 seems to speak of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 and brings in ,god as saying1 #8,let us make man in our image2' not1 ,let me make man in my image2 but1 ,let us1 in our image4--,not merely for this reason is ,gen4 i4 a fit lesson for ,trinity ,sunday3 but because it tells us of the whole world1 and all that is therein1 and who made it1 and how4 ,it does not tell us why ,god made the world2 but the ,revelations do1 and the text does4 ,and therefore perhaps it is a good thing for us that ,trinity ,sunday comes always in the sweet spring time1 when all nature is breaking out into new life1 when leaves are budding1 flowers blossoming1 birds building1 and countless insects springing up to their short and happy life4 ,this wonderful world in which we live has awakened again from its winter's sleep4 ,how are we to think of it1 and of all the strange and beautiful things in it8 ,trinity ,sunday tells us2 for ,trinity ,sunday bids us think of and believe a matter which we cannot understand--a glorious and unspeakable ,god1 who is at the same time ,one and ,three4 ,we cannot understand that4 ,no more can we understand anything else4 ,we cannot understand how the grass grows beneath our feet4 ,we cannot understand how the egg becomes a bird4 ,we cannot understand how the butterfly is the very same creature which last autumn was a crawling caterpillar4 ,we cannot understand how an atom of our food is changed within our bodies into a drop of living blood4 ,we cannot understand how this mortal life of ours depends on that same blood4 ,we do not know even what life is4 ,we do not know what our own souls are4 ,we do not know what our own bodies are4 ,we know nothing4 ,we know no more about ourselves and this wonderful world than we do of the mystery of the ever-blessed ,trinity4 ,that1 of course1 is the greatest wonder of all4 ,for1 as ,i shall try to show you presently1 ,god himself must be more wonderful than all things which he has made4 ,but all that he has made is wonderful2 and all that we can say of it is1 to take up the heavenly hymn which this chapter in the ,revelations puts into our mouths1 and join with the elders of heaven1 and all the powers of nature1 in saying1 #8,thou art worthy1 ,o ,lord1 to receive glory1 and honour1 and power2 for thou hast created all things1 and for thy pleasure they are and were created4' ,let us do this4 ,let us open our eyes1 and see honestly what a wonderful world we live in2 and go about all our days in wonder and humbleness of heart1 confessing that we know nothing1 and that we cannot know2 confessing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made1 and that our soul knows right well2 but that beyond we know nothing2 though ,god knows all2 for in his book were all our members written1 which day by day were fashioned1 while as yet there were none of them4 #8,how great are thy counsels1 ,o ,god6 they are more than ,i am able to express1' said ,david of old1 who knew not a tenth part of the natural wonders which we know2 #8more in number than the hairs of my head1 if ,i were to speak of them4' ,this will keep us from that proud and yet shallow temper of mind which people are apt to fall into1 especially young men who are clever and self-educated1 and those who live in great towns1 and so lose the sight of the wonderful works of ,god in the fields and woods1 and see hardly anything but what man has made2 and therefore forget how weak and ignorant even the wisest man is1 and how little he understands of this great and glorious world4 ,such people are apt to fancy men are clever enough to understand anything4 ,then they say1 #8,why am ,i to believe anything ,i cannot understand8' ,and then they laugh at the mysteries of faith1 and say1 #8,three ,persons in one ,god6 ,i cannot understand that6 ,why am ,i expected to believe it8' ,now1 here is the plain answer to such unwise speech 7for unwise it is1 let it be dressed up in all fine long words1 and show of wisdom71 whether the doctrine be true or not1 your not understanding the matter is no reason against it4 ,here is the answer3 #8,you do believe all day long a hundred things which you do not understand2 which quite surpass your reason4 ,you believe that you are alive3 but you do not understand how you live4 ,you believe that1 though you are made up of so many different faculties and powers1 you are one person3 but you cannot understand how4 ,you believe that though your body and your mind too have gone through so many changes since you were born1 yet you are still one and the same person1 and nobody else but yourself2 but you cannot understand that either4 ,you know it is so2 but how and why it is so1 you cannot explain2 and the greatest philosopher would not be foolish enough to try to explain2 because1 if he is a really great scholar1 he knows that it cannot be explained4 ,you lift your hand to your head3 but how you do it1 neither you nor any mortal man knows2 and true philosophers tell you that we shall probably never know4 ,true philosophers tell you that in the simplest movement of your body1 in the growth of the meanest blade of grass1 let them examine it with the microscope1 let them think over it till their brains are weary1 there is always some mystery1 some wonder over and above1 which neither their glasses nor their brains can explain1 or even find and see1 much less give a name to4 ,they know that there is more in the matter1 in the simplest matter1 than man can find out2 and they are content to leave the wonder in the hands of ,god who made it2 and when they have found out all they can1 confess1 that the more they know1 the less they find they know4 ,i tell you frankly1 my friends1 if you were to see through the microscope a few of the wonderful things which are going on round you now in every leaf1 and every gnat which dances in the sunbeam2 if you were to learn even the very little which is known about them1 you would see wonders which would surpass your powers of reasoning1 just as much as that far greater wonder of the ever-blessed ,trinity2 things which you would not believe1 if your own eyes did not show them you4 ,and what if it be strange8 ,what is there to surprise us in that8 ,if the world be so wonderful1 how much more wonderful must that great ,god be who made the world1 and keeps it always living8 ,if the smallest blade of grass be past our understanding1 how much more past our understanding must be the ,absolute1 ,eternal1 ,almighty ,god8 ,do you not see that common sense and reason lead us to expect that ,god should be the most wonderful of all beings and things2 that there must be some mystery and wonder in him which is greater than all mysteries and wonders upon earth1 just as much as he is greater than all heaven and earth8 ,which must be most wonderful1 the maker or the thing made8 ,thou art man1 made in the likeness of ,god4 ,thou canst not understand thyself4 ,how much less canst thou understand ,god1 in whose likeness thou art made6 ,for my part1 instead of keeping people from learning1 lest they should grow proud1 and despise the mysteries of faith1 ,i would make them learn1 and entreat them to learn1 and look seriously and patiently at all the wonderful things which are going on round them all day long2 for ,i am sure that they would be so much astonished with what they saw on earth1 that they would not be astonished1 much less staggered1 at anything they heard of in heaven2 and least of all astonished at being told that the name of ,almighty ,god was too deep for the little brain of mortal man2 and that they would learn more and more to take humbly1 like little children1 every hint which the experience of wise and good men of old time gives us of the everlasting mystery of mysteries1 the glory of the ,triune ,god1 which ,st4 ,john saw in the spirit4 ,and what did ,st4 ,john see8 ,something beyond even an apostle's understanding4 ,something which he could only see himself dimly1 and describe to us in figures and pictures1 as it were1 to help us to imagine that great wonder4 ,he was in the spirit1 he says1 when he saw it4 ,that is1 he did not see it with his bodily eyes1 but with his soul1 his heart and mind4 ,not with his bodily eyes 7for no man hath seen ,god at any time71 but with his mind's eye1 which ,god had enlightened by his ,holy ,spirit4 ,he sees a throne in heaven1 and one sitting on it1 bright and pure as richest precious stone2 and round his throne a rainbow like an emerald1 the sign to us of hope1 and faithfulness1 mercy and truth1 which he himself appointed after the flood1 to comfort the fearful hearts of men4 ,around him are elders crowned2 men like ourselves1 but men who have fought the good fight1 and conquered1 and are now at rest2 pure1 as their white garments tell us2 and victorious1 as their golden crowns tell us4 ,and from the throne come thunderings1 and lightnings1 and voices1 as they did when he spoke to the ,jews of old--signs of his terrible power1 as judge1 and lawgiver1 and avenger of all the wrong which is done on earth4 ,and there are there1 too1 seven burning lamps1 the seven spirits of ,god1 which give light and life to all created things1 and most of all to righteous hearts4 ,and before the throne is a sea of glass2 the same sea which ,st4 ,john saw in another vision1 with us human beings standing on it1 and behold it was mingled with fire2--the sea of time1 and space1 and mortal life1 on which we all have our little day2 the brittle and dangerous sea of earthly life2 for it may crack any moment beneath our feet1 and drop us into eternity1 and the nether fire1 unless we have his hand holding us1 who conquered time1 and life1 and death1 and hell itself4 ,it seems to us to be a great thing now1 time1 and space1 and the world2 and yet it looked small enough to ,st4 ,john1 as it lies in heaven1 before the throne of ,christ2 and he passes it by in a few words4 ,for what are all suns and stars1 and what are all ages and generations1 and millions and millions of years1 compared with eternity2 with ,god's eternal heaven1 and ,god whom not even heaven can contain8--,one drop of water in comparison with all the rain clouds of the western sea4 ,but there is one comfort for us in ,st4 ,john's vision2 that brittle1 and uncertain1 and dangerous as life may be1 yet it is before the throne of ,god1 and before the feet of ,christ4 ,st4 ,john saw it lying there in heaven1 for a sign that in ,god we live1 and move1 and have our being4 ,let us be content1 and hope on1 and trust on2 for ,god is with us1 and we with ,god4 ,but ,st4 ,john saw another wonder4 ,four beasts--one like a man1 one like a calf1 one like an eagle1 one like a lion1 with six wings each4 ,what those living creatures mean1 ,i can hardly tell you4 ,some wise and learned men say they mean the four ,evangelists3 but1 though there is much to be said for it1 ,i hardly think that2 for ,st4 ,john1 who saw them1 was one of the four ,evangelists himself4 ,others think they mean great and glorious archangels2 and that may be so4 ,but certainly the ,bible always speaks of angels as shaped like men1 like human beings1 only more beautiful and glorious4 ,the two angels1 for instance1 who appeared to the three men at our ,lord's tomb1 are plainly called in one place1 young men4 ,i think1 rather1 that these four living creatures mean the powers and talents which ,god has given to men1 that they may replenish the earth1 and subdue it4 ,for we read of these same living creatures in the book of the prophet ,ezekiel2 and we see them also on those ancient ,assyrian sculptures which are now in the ,british ,museum2 and we have good reason to think that is what they mean there4 ,the creature with the man's head means reason2 the beast with the lion's head1 kingly power and government2 with the eagle's head1 and his piercing eye1 prudence and foresight2 with the ox's head1 labour1 and cultivation of the earth1 and successful industry4 ,but whatsoever those living creatures mean1 it is more important to see what they do4 ,they give glory1 and honour1 and thanks to him who sits upon the throne4 ,they confess that all power1 all wisdom1 all prudence1 all success in men or angels1 in earth or heaven1 comes from ,god1 and is ,god's gift1 of which he will require a strict account2 for he is ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty2 and all things are of him1 and by him1 and for him1 for ever and ever4 ,but who is he who sits upon the throne8 ,who but the ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,who but the ,babe of ,bethlehem8 ,who but the ,friend of publicans and sinners8 ,who but he who went about doing good to suffering mortal man8 ,who but he who died on the cross8 ,who but he on whose bosom ,st4 ,john leaned at supper1 and now saw him highly exalted1 having a name above every name8 ,oh1 blest ,st4 ,john1 to see that sight6 ,to see his dear ,master in his glory1 after having seen him in his humiliation6 ,god grant us so to follow in ,st4 ,john's steps1 that we may see the same sight1 unworthy though we are1 in ,god's good time4 ,and where is ,god the ,father8 ,yes1 where8 ,the heaven1 and the heaven of heavens1 cannot contain him1 whom no man hath seen1 or can see2 who dwells in the light1 whom no man can approach unto4 ,only the only begotten ,son1 who dwells in the bosom of the ,father1 he hath declared him1 and shown to men in his own perfect loveliness and goodness1 what their heavenly ,father is4 ,that was enough for ,st4 ,john2 let it be enough for us4 ,he who has seen ,christ has seen the ,father1 as far as any created being can see him4 ,the ,son ,christ is merciful3 therefore the ,father is merciful4 ,the ,son is just3 therefore the ,father is just4 ,the ,son is faithful and true3 therefore the ,father is faithful and true4 ,the ,son is almighty to save3 therefore the ,father is almighty to save4 ,let that be enough for you and me4 ,but where is the ,holy ,spirit8 ,there is no where for spirits4 ,all that we can say is1 that the ,holy ,spirit is proceeding for ever from the ,father and the ,son2 going forth for ever1 to bring light and life1 righteousness and love1 to all worlds1 and to all hearts who will receive him4 ,the lamps of fire which ,st4 ,john saw1 the dove which came down at ,christ's baptism1 the cloven tongues of fire which sat on the ,apostles--these were signs and tokens of the ,spirit2 but they were not the ,spirit itself4 ,of him it is written1 #8,he bloweth where he listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof1 but canst not tell whence he cometh or whither he goeth4' ,it is enough for us that he is the ,holy ,spirit1 the ,spirit of the ,holy ,father1 and of the ,holy ,son2 like them eternal1 like them incomprehensible1 like them almighty1 like them all-wise1 all-just1 all-loving1 merciful1 faithful1 and true for ever4 ,this is what ,st4 ,john saw--,christ the crucified1 ,christ the ,babe of ,bethlehem1 in the glory which he had before all worlds1 and shall have for ever2 with all the powers of this wondrous world crying to him for ever1 #8,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1 which was1 and is1 and is to come2 and the souls of just men made perfect answering those mystic animals1 and joining their hymns of praise to the hymn which goes up for ever from sun and stars1 from earth and sea1--when they find out the deepest of all wisdom--the lesson which all the wonders of this earth1 and all which ever has happened1 or will happen1 in space and time1 is meant to teach us3-- #8,thou art worthy1 ,o ,lord1 to receive glory1 and honour1 and power2 for ,thou hast created all things1 and for ,thy pleasure they are and were created4' ,this is all that ,i can tell you4 ,it may be a very little3 but is it not enough8 ,what says ,solomon the wise8 #8,knowest thou how the bones grow in the womb8' ,not thou4 ,how1 then1 wilt thou know ,god1 who made all things8 ,thou art fearfully and wonderfully made1 though thou art but a poor mortal man4 ,and is not ,god more fearfully and wonderfully made than thou art8 ,it is a strange thing1 and a mystery1 how we ever got into this world3 a stranger thing still to me1 how we shall ever get out of this world again4 ,yet they are common things enough--birth and death4 #8,every moment dies a man1 every moment one is born3' and yet you do not know what is the meaning of birth or death either3 and ,i do not know2 and no man knows4 ,how1 then1 can we know the mystery of ,god1 in whose hand are the issues of life and death8--,god to whom all live for ever1 living and dead1 born and unborn1 in heaven and in hell8 ,so it is in small things as well as great1 in great as well as small2 and so it ever will be4 #8,all things begin in some wonder1 and in some wonder all things end1' said ,saint ,augustine1 wisest in his day of all mortal men2 and all that great scholars have discovered since prove more and more that ,saint ,augustine's words were true1 and that the wisest are only1 as a great philosopher once said1 and one1 too1 who discovered more of ,god's works than any man for many a hundred years1 even ,sir ,isaac ,newton himself3 #8,the wisest of us is but like a child picking up a few shells and pebbles on the shore of a boundless sea4' ,the shells and pebbles are the little scraps of knowledge which ,god vouchsafes to us1 his sinful children2 knowledge1 of which at best ,st4 ,paul says1 that we know only in part1 and prophesy in part1 and think as children2 and that knowledge shall vanish away1 and tongues shall cease1 and prophecies shall fail4 ,and the boundless sea is the great ocean of time--of ,god's created universe1 above which his ,spirit broods over1 perfect in love1 and wisdom1 and almighty power1 as at the beginning1 moving above the face of the waters of time1 giving life to all things1 for ever blessing1 and for ever blest4 ,god grant us all to see the day when we shall have passed safely across that sea of time1 up to the sure land of eternity2 and shall no more think as children1 or know in part2 but shall see ,god face to face1 and know him even as we are known2 and find him1 the nearer we draw to him1 more wonderful1 and more glorious1 and more good than ever2--#8,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1 which was1 and is1 and is to come4' ,and meanwhile1 take comfort1 and recollect however little you and ,i may know1 ,god knows3 he knows himself1 and you1 and me1 and all things2 and his mercy is over all his works4 ,,sermon ,,xxxv4 ,a ,,god ,,in ,,pain4 7,good ,friday47 ,,hebrews ii4 #i1 #ej4 ,but we see ,jesus1 who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death1 crowned with glory and honour2 that he by the grace of ,god should taste death for every man4 ,for it became him1 for whom are all things1 and by whom are all things1 in bringing many sons unto glory1 to make the ,captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings4 ,,what are we met together to think of this day8 ,god in pain3 ,god sorrowing2 ,god dying for man1 as far as ,god could die4 ,now it is this2--the blessed news that ,god suffered pain1 ,god sorrowed1 ,god died1 as far as ,god could die--which makes the ,gospel different from all other religions in the world2 and it is this1 too1 which makes the ,gospel so strong to conquer men's hearts1 and soften them1 and bring them back to ,god and righteousness in a way no other religion ever has done4 ,it is the good news of this good day1 well called ,good ,friday1 which wins souls to ,christ1 and will win them as long as men are men4 ,the heathen1 you will find1 always thought of their gods as happy4 ,the gods1 they thought1 always abide in bliss1 far above all the chances and changes of mortal life2 always young1 strong1 beautiful1 needing no help1 needing no pity2 and therefore1 my friends1 never calling out our love4 ,the heathens never loved their gods3 they admired them1 thanked them when they thought they helped them2 or they were afraid of them when they thought they were offended4 ,but as far as ,i can find1 they never really loved their gods4 ,love to ,god was a new feeling1 which first came into the world with the good news that ,god had suffered and that ,god had died upon the cross4 ,that was a ,god to be loved1 indeed2 and all good hearts loved him1 and will love him still4 ,for you cannot really love any one who is quite different from you2 who has never been through what you have4 ,you do not think that he can understand you2 you expect him to despise you1 laugh at you4 ,you say1 as ,i have heard a poor woman say of a rich one1 #8,how can she feel for me8 ,she does not know what poor people go through4' ,now it is just that feeling which mankind had about ,god till ,christ died4 ,god1 or the gods1 were beautiful1 strong1 happy1 self-sufficient1 up in the skies2 and men on earth were full of sorrow and trouble1 disease1 accidents1 death2 and sin1 too2 quarrelling and killing1 hateful and hating each other4 ,how could the gods love men8 ,and then men had a sense of sin2 they felt they were doing wrong4 ,surely the gods hated them for doing wrong4 ,surely all the sorrows and troubles which came on them were punishments for doing wrong4 ,how miserable they were6 ,but the gods sat happy up in heaven1 and cared not for them4 ,or1 if the gods did care1 they cared only for special favourites4 ,if any man was very good1 or strong1 or handsome1 or clever1 or rich1 or prosperous1 the gods cared for him--he was a favourite4 ,but what did they care for poor1 ugly1 deformed1 unfortunate1 foolish wretches8 ,surely the gods despised them1 and had sent them into the world to be miserable4 ,there was no sympathy1 no fellow-feeling between gods and men4 ,the gods did not love men as men4 ,why should men love them8 ,and so men did not love them4 ,and as there was no love to ,god before ,good ,friday1 so there was no love to men4 ,if ,god despised the poor1 the deformed1 the helpless1 the ignorant1 the crazy1 why should not man8 ,if ,god was hard on them1 why should not man oppress and ill-use them8 ,and so you will find that there was no charity in the world4 ,among some of the ,eastern nations--the ,hindoos1 for instance--when they were much better men than now1 charity did spring up for a while here and there1 in a very beautiful shape2 but among ,greeks and ,romans there was simply no charity2 and you will find little or none among the ,jews themselves4 ,the ,pharisees gave alms to save their own souls1 and feed their own pride of being good2 but had no charity--#8,this people1 who knoweth not the law1 is accursed4' ,as for poor1 diseased people1 they were born in sin3 either they or their parents had sinned4 ,we may see that the poor of ,judea1 as well as ,galilee1 were in a miserable1 neglected1 despised state2 and the worst thing that the ,pharisees could say of our ,lord ,jesus was1 that he ate and drank with publicans and sinners4 ,because there was no love to ,god1 there was no love to man4 ,there was a great gulf fixed between every man and his neighbour4 ,but ,christ came2 ,god came2 and became man4 ,and with the blood of his cross was bridged over for ever the gulf between ,god and man1 and the gulf between man and man4 ,good ,friday showed that there was sympathy1 there was fellow-feeling between ,god and man2 that ,god would do all for man1 endure all for man2 that ,god so desired to make man like ,god1 that he would stoop to be made like man4 ,there was nothing ,god would not do to justify himself to man1 to show men that he did care for them1 that he did love the creatures whom he had made4 ,yes2 ,god had not forgotten man2 ,god had not made man in vain4 ,god had not sent man into the world to be wicked and miserable here1 and to perish for ever hereafter4 ,wickedness and misery were here2 but ,god had not put them here1 and he would not leave them here4 ,he would conquer them by enduring them4 ,sin and misery tormented men2 then they should torment the ,son of ,god too4 ,sin and misery killed men2 then they should kill the ,son of ,god1 too3 he would taste death for every man1 that men might live by him4 ,he would be made perfect by sufferings3 not made perfectly good 7for that he was already71 but perfectly able to feel for men1 to understand them1 to help them2 because he had been tempted in all things like as they4 ,and so on ,good ,friday did ,god bridge over the gulf between ,god and men4 ,no man can say now1 ,why has ,god sent man into the world to be miserable1 while he is happy8 ,for ,god in ,christ was miserable once4 ,no man can say1 ,god makes me go through pain1 and torture1 and death1 while he goes through none of such things3 for ,god in ,christ endured pain1 torture1 death1 to the uttermost4 ,and so ,god is a being which man can love1 admire1 have fellow-feeling for2 cling to ,god with all the noble feelings of his heart1 with admiration1 gratitude1 and tenderness1 even on this day with pity4--,as ,christ himself said1 #8,when ,i am lifted up1 ,i will draw all men to me4' ,and no man can say now1 ,what has ,god to do with sufferers--sick1 weak1 deformed wretches8 ,if he had cared for them1 would he have made them thus8 ,for we can answer1 ,however sick1 or weak they may be1 ,god in ,christ has been as weak as they4 ,god has shared their sufferings1 and has been made perfect by sufferings1 that they might be made perfect also4 ,god has sanctified suffering1 pain1 and sorrow upon his cross1 and made them holy2 as holy as health1 and strength1 and happiness are4 ,and so on ,good ,friday ,god bridged over the gulf between man and man4 ,he has shown that ,god is charity and love2 and that the way to live for ever in ,god is to live for ever in that charity and love to all mankind which ,god showed this day upon the cross4 ,and1 therefore1 all charity is rightly called ,christian charity2 for it is ,christ1 and the news of ,good ,friday1 which first taught men to have charity2 to look on the poor1 the afflicted1 the weak1 the orphan1 with love1 pity1 respect4 ,by the sight of a suffering and dying ,god1 ,god has touched the hearts of men1 that they might learn to love and respect suffering and dying men2 and in the face of every mourner1 see the face of ,christ1 who died for them4 ,because ,christ the sufferer is their elder brother1 all sufferers are their brothers likewise4 ,because ,christ tasted pain1 shame1 misery1 death for all men1 therefore we are bound this day to pray for all men1 that they may have their share in the blessings of ,christ's death2 not to look on them any longer as aliens1 strangers1 enemies1 parted from us and each other and ,god2 but whether wise or foolish1 sick or well1 happy or unhappy1 alive or dead1 as brothers4 ,we are bound to pray for his ,holy ,church as one family of brothers2 for all ranks of men in it1 that each of them may learn to give up their own will and pleasure for the sake of doing their duty in their calling1 as ,christ did2 to pray for ,jews1 ,turks1 ,heathens1 and ,infidels2 as for ,god's lost children1 and our lost brothers1 that ,god would bring them home to his flock1 and touch their hearts by the news of his sufferings for them2 that they may taste the inestimable comfort of knowing that ,god so loved them as to suffer1 to groan1 to die for them and all mankind4 ,,sermon ,,xxxvi4 ,,on ,,the ,,fall4 7,sexagesima ,sunday47 ,,genesis iii4 #ab4 ,and the man said1 ,the woman1 whom thou gavest to be with me1 she gave me of the tree1 and ,i did eat4 ,,this morning we read the history of ,adam's fall in the first ,lesson4 ,now does this story seem strange to you1 my friends8 ,do you say to yourselves1 ,if ,i had been in ,adam's place1 ,i should never have been so foolish as ,adam was8 ,if you do say so1 you cannot have looked at the story carefully enough4 ,for if you do look at it carefully1 ,i believe you will find enough in it to show you that it is a very natural story1 that we have the same nature in us that ,adam had2 that we are indeed ,adam's children2 and that the ,bible speaks truth when it says1 #8,adam begat a son after his own likeness4' ,now1 let us see how ,adam fell1 and what he did when he fell4 ,adam1 we find1 was not content to be in the image of ,god4 ,he wanted1 he and his wife1 to be as gods1 knowing good and evil4 ,now do1 ,i beseech you1 think a moment carefully1 and see what that means4 ,adam was not content to be in the likeness of ,god2 to copy ,god by obeying ,god4 ,he wanted to be a little god himself2 to know what was good for him1 and what was evil for him2 whereas ,god had told him1 as it were1 ,you do not know what is good for you1 and what is evil for you4 ,i know2 and ,i tell you to obey me2 not to eat of a certain tree in the garden4 ,but pride and self-will rose up in ,adam's heart4 ,he wanted to show that he did know what was good for him4 ,he wanted to be independent1 and show that he could do what he liked1 and take care of himself2 and so he ate the fruit which he was forbidden to eat1 partly because it was fair and well-tasted1 but still more to show his own independence4 ,now1 surely this is natural enough4 ,have we not all done the very same thing in our time1 nay1 over and over again8 ,when we were children1 were we never forbidden to do something which we wished to do8 ,were we never forbidden1 just as ,adam was1 to take an apple--something pleasant to the eye1 and good for food8 ,and did we not long for it1 and determine to have it all the more1 because it was forbidden1 just as ,adam and ,eve did2 so that we wished for it much more than we should if our parents had given it to us8 ,did we not in our hearts accuse our parents of grudging it to us1 and listen to the voice of the tempter1 as ,eve did1 when the serpent tried to make out that ,god was niggardly to her1 and envious of her1 and did not want her to be wise1 lest she should be too like ,god8 ,have we not said in our heart1 ,why should my father grudge me that nice thing when he takes it himself8 ,he wants to keep it all to himself4 ,why should not ,i have a share of it8 ,he says it will hurt me4 ,how does he know that8 ,it does not hurt him4 ,i must be the best judge of whether it will hurt me4 ,i do not believe that it will3 but at least it is but fair that ,i should try4 ,i will try for myself4 ,i will run the chance4 ,why should ,i be kept like a baby1 as if ,i had no sense or will of my own8 ,i will know the right and the wrong of it for myself4 ,i will know the good and evil of it myself4 ,have we not said that1 every one of us1 in our hearts1 when we were young8--,and is not that just what the ,bible says ,adam and ,eve said8 ,and then1 because we were ,adam's children1 with his fallen nature in us1 and original sin1 which we inherited from him1 we could not help longing more and more after what our parents had forbidden2 we could think1 perhaps1 of nothing else2 cared for no pleasure1 no pay1 because we could not get that one thing which our parents had told us not to touch4 ,and at last we fell1 and sinned1 and took the thing on the sly4 ,and then8 ,did it not happen to us1 as it did to ,adam1 that a feeling of shame and guiltiness came over us at once8 ,yes2 of shame4 ,we intended to feed our own pride3 but instead of pride came shame and fear too2 so instead of rising1 we had fallen and felt that we had fallen4 ,just so it was with ,adam4 ,instead of feeling all the prouder and grander when he had sinned1 he became ashamed of himself at once1 he hardly knew why4 ,we had intended to set ourselves up against our parents2 but instead1 we became afraid of them4 ,we were always fancying that they would find us out4 ,we were afraid of looking them in the face4 ,just so it was with ,adam4 ,he heard the word of the ,lord ,god1 ,jesus ,christ1 walking in the garden4 ,did he go to meet him2 thank him for that pleasant life1 pleasant earth1 for the mere blessing of existence8 ,no4 ,he hid himself among the trees of the garden4 ,but why hide himself8 ,even if he had given up being thankful to ,god2 even if he had learned from the devil to believe that ,god grudged him1 envied him1 had deceived him1 about that fruit1 why run away and hide8 ,he wanted to be as ,god1 wise1 knowing good and evil for himself4 ,why did he not stand out boldly when he heard the voice of the ,lord ,god and say1 ,i am wise now2 ,i am as a ,god now1 knowing good and evil2 ,i am no longer to be led like a child1 and kept strictly by rules which ,i do not understand2 ,i have a right to judge for myself1 and choose for myself2 and ,i have done it1 and you have no right to complain of me8 ,perhaps ,adam had intended1 when he ate the fruit1 to stand up for himself1 with some such fine words2 as children intend when they disobey4 ,but when it came to the point1 away went all ,adam's self-confidence1 all ,adam's pride1 all ,adam's fine notions of what he had a right to do2 and he hides himself miserably1 like a naughty and disobedient child4 ,and then1 like a mean and cowardly one1 when he is called out and forced to answer for himself1 he begins to make pitiful excuses4 ,he has not a word to say for himself4 ,he throws the blame on his wife2 it was all the woman's fault now--indeed1 ,god's fault4 #8,the woman whom thou gavest to be with me1 she gave me of the tree1 and ,i did eat4' ,my dear friends1 if we want a proof that the ,bible is a true1 divine1 inspired book1 we need go no further than this one story4 ,for1 my friends1 have we never said the same8 ,when we felt that we had done wrong2 when the voice of ,god and of ,christ in our hearts was rebuking us and convincing us of sin1 have we never tried to shift the blame off our own shoulders1 and lay it on ,god himself1 and the blessings which he has given us8 on one's wife--on one's family--on money--on one's youth1 and health1 and high spirits8--in a word1 on the good things which ,god has given us8 ,ah1 my friends1 we are indeed ,adam's children2 and have learned his lesson1 and inherited his nature only too fearfully well4 ,for what ,adam did but once1 we have done a hundred times2 and the mean excuse which ,adam made but once1 we make again and again4 ,but the loving ,lord has patience with us1 as he had with ,adam1 and does not take us at our word4 ,he did not say to ,adam1 ,you lay the blame upon your wife2 then ,i will take her from you1 and you shall see then where the blame lies4 ,ungrateful to me6 you shall live henceforth alone4 ,and he does not say to us1 ,you make all the blessings which ,i have given you an excuse for sinning6 ,then ,i will take them from you1 and leave you miserable1 and pour out my wrath upon you to the uttermost6 ,not so4 ,our ,god is not such a ,god as that4 ,he is full of compassion and long-suffering1 and of tender mercy4 ,he knows our frame1 and remembers that we are but dust4 ,he sends us out into the world1 as he sent ,adam1 to learn experience by hard lessons2 to eat our bread in the sweat of our brow1 till we have found out our own weakness and ignorance1 and have learned that we cannot stand alone1 that pride and self-dependence will only lead us to guilt1 and misery1 and shame1 and meanness2 and that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved from them1 but only the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is the woman's seed1 who1 so ,god promised1 was to bruise the head of the serpent4 ,and he has bruised it4 ,he is the woman's seed--a man1 as we are men1 with a human nature1 but one without spot of sin1 to make us free from sin4 ,let us look up to him as often as we find our nature dragging us down1 making us proud and self-willed1 greedy and discontented1 longing after this and that4 ,let us trust in him1 ask him1 for his grace day by day2 ask him to shape and change us into his likeness1 that we may become daily more and more free2 free from sin2 free from this miserable longing after one thing and another2 free from our bad habits1 and the sin which does so easily beset us2 free from guilty fear1 and coward dread of ,god4 ,let us ask him1 ,i say1 to change1 and purify1 and renew us day by day1 till we come to his likeness2 to the stature of perfect men1 free men1 men who are not slaves to their own nature1 slaves to their own pride1 slaves to their own vanity1 slaves of their own bad tempers1 slaves to their own greediness and foul lusts3 but free1 as the ,lord ,christ was free2 able to keep their bodies in subjection1 and rise above nature by the eternal grace of ,god2 able to use this world without abusing it2 able to thank ,god for all the blessings of this life1 and learn from them precious lessons2 able to thank ,god for all the sorrows of this life1 and learn from them wholesome discipline3 but yet able to rise above them all1 and say1 #8,as long as ,i hold fast to ,christ the ,king of men1 this world cannot harm me4 ,my life1 my real human life1 does not depend on my being comfortable or uncomfortable here below for a few short years4 ,my real life is hid in ,god with ,jesus ,christ1 who1 after he had redeemed human nature by his perfect obedience1 and washed it pure again in the blood of his cross1 for ever sat down on the right hand of the ,majesty on high2 that so1 being lifted up1 he might draw all men unto himself--even as many as will come to him1 that they may have eternal life4 ,,sermon ,,xxxvii4 ,,the ,,worthy ,,communicant4 ,,luke xviii4 #ad4 ,i tell you1 this man went down to his house justified rather than the other4 ,,which of these two men was the more fit to come to the ,communion8 ,most of you will answer1 ,the publican3 for he was more justified1 our ,lord himself says1 than the ,pharisee4 ,true3 but would you have said so of your own accord1 if the ,lord had not said so8 ,which of the two men do you really think was the better man1 the ,pharisee or the publican8 ,which of the two do you think had his soul in the safer state8 ,which of the two would you rather be1 if you were going to die8 ,which of the two would you rather be1 if you were going to the ,communion8 ,for mind1 one could not have refused the ,pharisee1 if he had come to the ,communion4 ,he was in no open sin3 ,i may say1 no outward sin at all4 ,you must not fancy that he was a hypocrite1 in the sense in which we usually employ that word4 ,i mean1 he was not a man who was leading a wicked life secretly1 while he kept up a show of religion4 ,he was really a religious man in his own way1 scrupulous1 and over-scrupulous to perform every duty to the letter4 ,he went to his church to worship2 and he was no lip-worshipper1 repeating a form of words by rote1 but prayed there honestly1 concerning the things which were in his heart4 ,he did not say1 either1 that he had made himself good4 ,if he was wrong on some points1 he was not on that4 ,he knew where his goodness1 such as it was1 came from4 #8,god1 ,i thank thee1' he says1 #8that ,i am what ,i am4' ,what have we in this man8 one would ask at first sight4 ,what reason for him to stay away from the ,sacrament8 ,he would not have thought himself that there was any reason4 ,he would1 probably1 have thought--#8,if ,i am not fit1 who is8 ,repent me truly of my former sins8 ,certainly4 ,if ,i have done the least harm to any one1 ,i shall be happy to restore it fourfold4 ,if ,i have neglected one1 the least of ,god's services1 ,i shall be only too glad to keep it all the more strictly for the future4 #8,intend to lead a new life8 ,i am leading one1 and trying to lead one more and more every day4 ,i shall be thankful to any one who will show me any new service which ,i can offer to ,god1 any new act of reverence1 any new duty4 #8,i must go in love and charity with all men8 ,i do so4 ,i have not a grudge against any human being4 ,of course1 ,i know the world too well to be satisfied with it4 ,i cannot shut my eyes to the fact that millions are living very sinful1 shocking lives--extortioners1 unjust1 adulterers2 and that three people out of four are going straight to hell4 ,i pity them1 and forgive them any wrong which they have done to me4 ,what more can ,i do8' ,this is what the ,pharisee would have said4 ,is this man fit to come to the ,communion8 ,at least he himself thinks so4 ,on the other hand1 was the publican fit8 ,that is a serious question2 one which we cannot answer1 without knowing more about him than our ,lord has chosen to tell us4 ,many a person is ready enough1 in these days1 to cry #8,god be merciful to me a sinner6' who is fit1 ,i fear1 neither to come to the ,communion1 nor to stay away either4 ,it was not so1 ,i suppose1 with the old ,jews in our ,lord's time4 ,the ,pharisees then were hard legalists1 who stood all on works2 and1 therefore1 if a man broke off from them1 and threw himself on ,god's grace and mercy1 he did it in a simple1 honest1 effectual way1 like this publican4 ,but now1 ,i am sorry to say1 our ,pharisees have contrived to make themselves as proud and self-righteous about their own faith and repentance1 as the ,jewish ,pharisees did about their own works and observances2 and there has risen up in ,england and elsewhere a very ugly new hypocrisy4 ,people now-a-days are too apt to pride themselves on their own convictions of sin1 and their own repentance1 till they trust in their repentance to save them1 and not in ,christ1 just as the ,pharisee trusted in his works to save him1 and not in ,christ2 and when they pray1 ,i cannot help fearing 7for ,i am sure many of their religious books teach them it7 that they pray very much like that ,pharisee1 #8,god1 ,i thank thee that ,i am not as other men are1 carnal1 unconverted1 unconvinced of sin1 nor even as that plain1 moral1 respectable man4 ,i am convinced of sin2 ,i am converted2 ,i have the right frames1 and the right feelings1 and the right experiences4' ,oh1 of all the cunning snares of the devil1 that ,i think is the cunningest4 ,well says the old proverb--#8,the devil is old1 and therefore he knows many things4' ,in old times he made men trust in their own righteousness3 and that was snare enough2 now he has learnt how to make men actually trust in their own sinfulness1 and so turn the grace of ,god into a cloak of pride1 and contempt of their fellow-creatures4 ,my friends1 do you think that if the publican1 after he had said1 #8,god be merciful to me a sinner6' had said to himself1 #8,there--how beautifully ,i have repented--how honest ,i have been to ,god--,i am all right now'--he would have gone down to his house justified at all8 ,not he4 ,no more will you and ,i1 my friends4 ,if we have sinned1 what should we be but ashamed of it8 ,ay1 utterly ashamed4 ,and if we really know what sin is--if we really see the sinfulness of sin--if we really see ourselves as ,god sees us--we shall be too much shocked at the sight of our own hearts to have time to boast of our being able to see our own hearts4 ,we shall be too full of loathing and hatred for our sins1 too full of longing to get rid of our sins1 and to become righteous and holy1 even as ,god is righteous and holy1 to give way to any pride in our own frames and feelings2 and1 instead of thinking ourselves better men than our neighbours because we see our sins1 and fancy they do not see theirs1 we shall be almost ready to think ourselves worse than our neighbours1 to think that they cannot have so much to repent of as we2 and as we grow in grace1 we shall see more and more sin in ourselves1 till we actually fancy at times that no one can be as bad as we are1 and in lowliness of mind esteem others better than ourselves4 ,we may carry that too far1 too4 ,certainly there is no use in accusing ourselves of sins which we have not committed2 we have all quite enough real sins to answer for without inventing more4 ,but still that is a better frame of mind than the other2 for no man can be too humble1 while any man can be too proud4 ,but let us all ask ,god to open our eyes1 that we may see ourselves just as we are1 let our sins be many or few4 ,let us ask ,god to convince us really of sin by his ,holy ,spirit1 and show us what sin is1 and its exceeding sinfulness2 how ugly and foul sin is1 how foolish and absurd1 how mean and ungrateful toward that good ,god who wishes us nothing but good1 and wishes us1 therefore1 to be good1 because goodness is the only path to life and happiness2 and then we shall be so ashamed of ourselves1 so afraid of our own weakness1 so shocked at the difference between ourselves and the spotless ,lord ,jesus1 that we shall have no time to despise others1 no time to admire our own frames1 and feelings1 and repentances4 ,all we shall think of is our own sinfulness1 and ,god's mercy2 and we shall come eagerly1 if not boldly1 to the throne of grace1 to find grace and mercy to help us in the time of need2 crying1 #8,purge thou me1 ,o ,lord1 or ,i shall never be pure2 wash thou me1 and then alone shall ,i be clean4 ,for thou requirest1 not frames or feelings1 not pride and self-conceit1 but truth in the inward parts2 and wilt make me to understand wisdom secretly4' ,then1 indeed1 we shall be fit to come to the ,holy ,communion2 for then we shall be so ashamed of ourselves that we shall truly repent of our sins--so ashamed of ourselves that we shall long and determine to lead a new life--so ashamed of ourselves that we shall have no heart to look down on any of our neighbours1 or pass hard judgments on them1 but be in love and charity with all men2 and so1 in spite of all our past sins1 come to partake worthily of the body and blood of ,him who died for our sins1 whose blood will wash them out of our hearts1 whose body will strengthen and refresh us1 body and soul1 to a new and everlasting life of humbleness and thankfulness1 honesty and justice1 usefulness and love4 ,,sermon ,,xxxviii4 ,,our ,,deserts4 ,,luke vi4 #cf-ch4 ,be ye therefore merciful1 as your ,father also is merciful4 ,judge not1 and ye shall not be judged3 condemn not1 and ye shall not be condemned3 forgive1 and ye shall be forgiven4 ,give1 and it shall be given unto you2 good measure1 pressed down1 and shaken together1 and running over1 shall men give into your bosom4 ,for with the same measure that ye mete withal1 it shall be measured to you again4 ,,one often hears complaints against this world1 and against mankind2 one hears it said that people are unjust1 unfair1 cruel2 that in this world no man can expect to get what he deserves4 ,and1 of course1 there are great excuses for saying so4 ,there are bad men in the world in plenty1 who do villanous and cruel things enough2 and besides1 there is a great deal of dreadful misery in the world1 which does not seem to come through any fault of the poor creatures who suffer it2 misery of which we can only say1 #8,neither did this man sin1 nor his parents3 but that the glory of ,god may be made manifest in him4' ,but still our ,lord tells us in the text1 that1 on the whole1 there is order lying under all the disorder1 justice under all the injustice1 right under all the wrong2 and that on the whole we get what we deserve4 #8,be ye therefore merciful1 as your ,father also is merciful4 ,judge not1 and ye shall not be judged3 condemn not1 and ye shall not be condemned3 forgive1 and ye shall be forgiven4 ,give1 and it shall be given unto you2 good measure1 pressed down1 and shaken together1 and running over1 shall men give into your bosom4 ,for with the same measure that ye mete withal1 it shall be measured to you again4' ,of course1 as ,i said just now1 it is not always so4 ,none knew that better than the blessed ,lord3 else why did he come to seek and save that which was lost8 ,but still the more we look into our own lives1 the more we shall find our ,lord's words true2 the more we shall find that on the whole1 in the long run1 men will be just and fair to us1 and give us1 sooner or later1 what we deserve4 ,now1 to deserve a thing1 properly means to serve for it1 to work for it and earn it1 as a natural consequence4 ,if a man puts his hand into the fire1 he deserves to burn it1 because it is the nature of fire to burn1 and therefore it burns him1 and so he gets his deserts2 and if a man does wrong1 he deserves to be unhappy1 because it is the nature of sin to make the sinner unhappy1 and so he gets his deserts4 ,god has not to go out of his way to punish sin2 sin punishes itself2 and so if a man does right1 he becomes in the long run happy4 ,god has not to go out of his way to reward him and make him happy2 his own good deeds make him happy2 he earns happiness in the comfort of a good conscience1 and the love and respect of those about him2 and so he gets his deserts4 ,for our ,lord says1 #8,people in the long run will treat you as you treat them4 ,if they feel and see by experience that you are loving and kind to them1 they will be loving and kind to you2 as you do to them1 they will1 in the long run1 do to you4' ,they may mistake you at first1 even dislike you at first4 ,did they not mistake1 hate1 crucify the ,lord himself8 and yet his own rule came true of him4 ,a few crucified him2 but now all civilized nations worship him as ,god4 ,be sure1 then1 that his rule will come true of you1 though not at first1 yet in ,god's good time4 ,therefore hold still in the ,lord1 and abide patiently2 and he shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light1 and thy just dealing as the noon-day4 ,now this is a very blessed and comfortable thought4 ,would to ,god that all of us1 young people especially1 would lay it to heart4 ,how are we to get comfortably through this life8 ,or1 if we are to have sorrows 7as we all must71 how can we make those sorrows as light as possible8 ,how can we make friends who will comfort us in those sorrows1 instead of leaving us to bear our burden alone1 and turning their backs on us just when our poor hearts are longing for a kind look and a kind word from our neighbours8 ,our ,lord tells us now4 ,the same measure that you mete withal1 it shall be measured to you again4 ,there is his plan4 ,it is a very simple one4 ,it goes on the same principle as #8,he that saveth his life shall lose it1 and he that loseth his life shall save it4' ,if we are selfish1 and take care only of ourselves1 the day will come when our neighbours will leave us alone in our selfishness to shift for ourselves4 ,if we set out determining through life to care about other people rather than ourselves1 then they will care for themselves more than for us1 and measure their love to us by our measure of love to them4 ,but if we care for others1 they will learn to care for us2 if we befriend others1 they will befriend us4 ,if we show forth the ,spirit of ,god to them1 in kindliness1 generosity1 patience1 self-sacrifice1 the day will surely come when we shall find that the ,spirit of ,god is in our neighbours as well as in ourselves2 that on the whole they will be just to us1 and pay us what we have deserved and earned4 ,blessed and comfortable thought1 that no kind word1 kind action1 not even the cup of cold water given in ,christ's name1 can lose its reward4 ,blessed thought1 that after all our neighbours are our brothers1 and that if we remember that steadily1 and treat them as brothers now1 they will recollect it too some day1 and treat us as brothers in return4 ,blessed thought1 that there is in the heart of every man a spark of ,god's light1 a grain of ,god's justice1 which may grow up in him hereafter1 and bear good fruit to eternal life4 ,yes2 it is a pleasant thing to find men better than we fancied them4 ,a pleasant thing2 for first1 it makes us love them the more1 and there is nothing so pleasant as loving4 ,and more2 it does this--it makes us more inclined to trust ,god's justice4 ,we say to ourselves1 ,men are1 we find1 really more just and fair than they seem to us at times2 surely ,god must be more just and fair than he seems to us at times4 ,for there are times when it does seem a hard thing to believe that ,god is just2 times when the devil tempts poor suffering creatures sorely1 and tries to make them doubt their heavenly ,father1 and say with ,david1 ,what am ,i the better for having done right8 ,surely in vain have ,i cleansed my heart2 in vain have ,i washed my hands in innocency4 ,all the day long have ,i been punished1 and chastened every morning4 ,yes2 when some poor woman1 working in the field1 with all the cares of a family on her1 looks up at great people in their carriages1 she is tempted1 she must be tempted to say at times1 #8,why am ,i to be so much worse off than they8 ,is ,god just in making me so poor and them so rich8' ,it is a foolish thought4 ,i do believe it is a temptation of the devil1 a deceit of the devil2 for rich people are not really one whit happier or lighter-hearted than poor ones1 and all the devil wishes is to make poor people envy their neighbours1 and mistrust ,god4 ,but still one cannot wonder at their faith failing them at times4 ,i do not judge them1 still less condemn them2 for the text forbids me4 ,or again1 when some poor creature1 crippled from his youth1 looks upon others strong and active1 cheerful and happy4 ,think of a deformed child watching healthy children at play2 and then think1 must it not be hard at times for that child not to repine1 and cry to ,god1 #8,why hast thou made me thus8' ,yes4 ,i will not go on giving fresh instances4 ,the world is but too full of them4 ,but when such thoughts trouble us1 here is one comfort--ay1 here is our only comfort--,god must be more just than man4 ,whatsoever appearances may seem to make against it1 he must be4 ,for where did all the justice in the world come from1 but from ,god8 ,who put the feeling of justice into every man's heart1 but ,god himself8 ,he is the glorious sun1 perfectly bright1 perfectly pure2 and all the other goodness in the world is but rays and beams of light sent forth from his great light4 ,so we may be certain that ,god is not only as just as man1 but millions of times more just2 more just1 and righteous1 and good than all the just men on earth put together4 ,we can believe that4 ,we must believe it4 ,thousands have believed it already4 ,thousands of holy sufferers1 in prisons and on scaffolds1 in poverty and destitution1 on sick-beds of lingering torture1 have believed still that ,god was just and righteous in all his dealings with them2 and have cried in the hour of their bitterest agony1 #8,though thou slay me1 ,o ,lord1 yet will ,i trust in thee6' ,yes4 ,god is just4 ,he has revealed that in the person of his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is ,god's likeness4 ,there is proof enough that ,god is not one who afflicts willingly1 or grieves the children of men out of any neglect or spite1 or respecteth one person more than another4 ,it may seem hard to be sure of that3 unless we believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the co-equal and co-eternal ,son of the ,father1 we never shall be sure of it4 ,believing in the message of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 we shall be sure2 for we shall be sure that1 #8,such as the ,father is1 such is the ,son1 and such is the ,holy ,ghost'--perfect love1 perfect justice1 perfect mercy2 and therefore we can be sure that in the world beyond the grave the balance will be made even1 again1 and for ever2 and every mourner be comforted1 and every sufferer be refreshed1 and every one receive his due reward--if they will only now in this life take the lesson of the text1 #8,judge not1 and you shall not be judged3 condemn not1 and you shall not be condemned3 forgive1 and you shall be forgiven2 for if you forgive every one his brother their trespasses1 in like wise will your heavenly ,father forgive you4' ,do that2 and then you will get your deserts in the life to come1 and by forgiving1 and helping1 and blessing others1 deserve to be forgiven1 and comforted1 and blessed yourselves1 for the sake of that ,saviour who is day and night presenting all your good works to his ,father and your ,father1 as a precious and fragrant offering--a sacrifice with which the ,god of love is well pleased1 because it is1 like himself1 made up of love4 ,,sermon ,,xxxix4 ,,the ,,loftiness ,,of ,,god4 ,,isaiah lvii4 #ae4 ,for thus saith the high and lofty ,one that inhabiteth eternity1 whose name is ,holy1 ,i dwell in the high and holy place2 with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit1 to revive the spirit of the humble1 and to revive the heart of the contrite ones4 ,,this is a grand text2 one of the grandest in the whole ,old ,testament2 one of those the nearest to the spirit of the ,new4 ,it is full of ,gospel--of good news3 but it is not the whole ,gospel4 ,it does not tell us the whole character of ,god4 ,we can only get that in the ,new4 ,we can get it there2 we can get it in that most awful and glorious chapter which we read for the second lesson--the twenty-seventh chapter of ,st4 ,matthew4 ,seen in the light of that--seen in the light of ,christ's cross and what it tells us1 all is clear1 and all is bright1 and all is full of good news--at least to those who are humble and contrite1 crushed down by sorrow1 and by the feeling of their own infirmities4 ,but what does the text tell us8 ,of a high and lofty ,one1 who inhabits eternity4 ,of a lofty ,god1 ,almighty1 incomprehensible2 so far above us1 so different from us1 that we cannot picture him to ourselves2 of a glory and majesty utterly beyond all human fancy or imagination4 ,of a holy ,god1 in whom is no sin1 nor taint of sin2 who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity2 who is so perfect1 that he cannot be content with anything which is not as perfect as himself2 who looks with horror and disgust on evil of every shape2 who cannot endure it1 will at last destroy it4 ,of a ,god who abides in eternity--who cannot change--cannot alter his own decrees and laws1 because his decrees and laws are right and necessary1 and proceed out of his own character4 ,if he has said a thing1 that thing must be2 because it is the thing which ought to be4 ,how1 then1 shall we think of this lofty1 holy1 unchangeable ,god--we who are low1 unholy1 changing with every wind that blows8 ,shall we say1 #8,he is so far above us1 that he cannot feel for us8 ,he is so holy that he must hate us1 and will our punishment1 and our damnation for all our sins8' #8,he is eternal1 and cannot change his will2 and1 therefore1 if he wills us to perish1 perish we must4' ,we may think so of ,god1 and dread ,god1 and cry #8,whither shall ,i flee from thy ,spirit1 and whither shall ,i go from thy presence8' ,we may call to the mountains to fall on us1 and to the hills to cover us1 till we try to forget at all risks the thought of ,god3 and if we do not1 there are plenty who will do it for us4 ,the devil1 who slanders and curses ,god to men1 and men to ,god1 and to each other--he will talk to us of ,god in this way4 ,and men who preach the devil's doctrine1 will talk to us likewise1 and say1 #8,yes1 ,god is very dreadful1 and very angry with you4 ,god certainly intends to damn you4 ,but ,i have a plan for delivering you out of ,god's hands2 ,i know what you must do to be saved from ,god--join my sect or party1 and believe and work with me1 and then you will escape ,god4' ,but1 after all1 would it not be wiser1 my friends1 to hold your own tongues1 and let ,god himself speak8 ,if he had not spoken in the first place1 what should we have known of him8 ,can man by searching find out ,god8 ,we should not have known that there was a high and lofty ,one1 who inhabits eternity1 if he had not told us4 ,had we not better hear the rest of his message1 and let ,god finish his own character of himself8 ,and what does he say8 #8,i dwell--,i1 the high and lofty ,one1 who inhabit eternity--with him also1 who is of a contrite and humble spirit1 to revive the spirit of the humble1 and to revive the heart of the contrite ones4' ,oh1 my friends1 is not this news8 good news and unexpected news1 perhaps1 but still as true as what went before it8 ,god hath said the one1 and we believe it3 and now he says the other2 and shall we not believe it too8 ,come1 then1 thou humble soul2 thou crushed and contrite soul2 thou who fearest that thou art not worthy of ,god's care2 thou from whom ,god has taken so much1 that thou fearest that he will take all--come and hear the ,lord's message to thee--,god's own message2 no devil's message1 or man's message1 but ,god's own4 #8,i will not contend for ever1 neither will ,i be always wroth2 for then the spirit would fail before me1 and the souls which ,i have made4 ,i have seen thy ways1 and will heal thee4 ,i will lead thee1 also1 and restore comforts to thee and to thy mourners4 ,i create the fruit of the lips4 ,i give men cause to thank me1 and delight in giving4 ,peace1 peace to him that is near1 and to him that is far off1 saith the ,lord4 ,if thou art near me1 thou art safe2 for if ,i were to take all else from thee1 ,i should not take myself from thee4 ,though thou walkest through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will be with thee4 ,and if thou art far off from me1 wandering in folly and sin1 ,i cry peace to thee still4 ,why should ,i wish to be at war with any of my creatures8 saith the ,lord4 ,my will is1 that thou shouldst be at peace4 ,i am at peace myself1 and ,i wish to make all my creatures at peace also1 and thee among the rest4 ,i am whole and perfect myself1 and ,i wish to heal all my creatures1 and make them whole and perfect also1 and thee among the rest4 #8,but the wicked8 ,ay1 this is their very misery1 that there is no peace to them4 ,i want them to enter into my peace1 and they will not4 ,i am at peace with them1 saith the ,lord4 ,i owe them no grudge1 poor wretches4 ,but they will not be at peace with themselves4 ,they are like the troubled sea1 which casts up mire and dirt1 and fouls itself4 ,i cast up no mire nor dirt4 ,i foul nothing4 ,i tempt no man4 ,i1 the good ,god1 create no evil4 ,if the troubled sea fouls itself1 so do the wicked make themselves miserable1 and punish themselves by their own lusts1 which war in their members4 ,but they cannot alter me1 saith the ,lord2 they cannot change my temper1 my character1 my everlasting name4 ,i am that ,i am1 who inhabit eternity2 and no creature1 and no creature's sin1 can make me other than ,i am4 ,and what is that8 ,what is the name1 what is the character1 what is the temper of him who inhabits eternity8 ,look on the cross1 and see4 ,the cross1 at least1 will tell you what kind of a ,god your ,god is4 ,a good ,god2 a ,god of love2 a ,god of boundless forbearance and long-suffering4 ,good ,god6 ,the folly and madness of men's hearts1 who look on ,god dying on the cross for them1 and begin forthwith puzzling their brains as to how he died for them2 how ,christ's blood washes away their sins2 how it is applied1 and to whom2 puzzling their brains with theories of the atonement1 and with predestination1 and satisfaction1 and forensic justification1 and particular redemption1 and long words which 7four out of five of them7 are not in the ,bible1 but are spun out of men's own minds1 as spiders' webs are from spiders--and1 like them1 mostly fit to hamper poor harmless flies4 ,how ,christ's death takes away thy sins1 thou wilt never know on earth--perhaps not in heaven4 ,it is a mystery which thou must believe and adore4 ,but why he died1 thou canst see at the first glance--if thou hast a human heart1 and wilt look at what ,god means thee to look at--,christ upon his cross4 ,he died because he was love--love itself--love boundless1 unconquerable1 unchangeable--love which inhabits eternity1 and therefore could not be hardened or foiled by any sin or rebellion of man1 but must love men still2 must go out to seek and save them2 must dare1 suffer any misery1 shame1 death itself1 for their sake2 just because it is absolute and perfect love1 which inhabits eternity4 ,look at that--look at the sight of ,god's character1 which the cross gives thee2 and then1 instead of being terrified at ,god's will and decree being unchangeable and eternal1 it will be the greatest possible comfort to thee that ,god's will is unchangeable and eternal1 because thou wilt see from the cross that it is a good will--a will of mercy1 forbearance1 long-suffering towards thee and all mankind1 eternal in the heavens as ,god himself4 ,then let those be afraid who are not afraid2 and let those who are afraid1 take heart4 ,let those who think they stand1 take heed lest they fall4 ,let those who think they see1 take care that they be not blind4 ,let those be afraid who fancy themselves right and above all mistakes1 lest they should be full of ugly sins when they fancy themselves most religious and devout4 ,let those be afraid who are fond of advising others1 lest they should be in more need of their own medicine than their patients are4 ,let those fear who pride themselves on their cunning1 lest with all their cunning they only lead themselves into their own trap4 ,but those who are afraid1 let them take heart4 ,for what says the high and holy ,one1 who inhabits eternity8 #8,i dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart1 to revive the spirit of the humble1 and to revive the heart of the contrite ones4' ,let them take heart4 ,do you feel that you have lost your way in life8 ,then ,god himself will show you your way4 ,are you utterly helpless1 worn out1 body and soul8 ,then ,god's eternal love is ready and willing to help you up1 and revive you4 ,are you wearied with doubts and terrors8 ,then ,god's eternal light is ready to show you your way2 ,god's eternal peace ready to give you peace4 ,do you feel yourself full of sins and faults8 ,then take heart2 for ,god's unchangeable will is1 to take away those sins and purge you from those faults4 ,are you tormented as ,job was1 over and above all your sorrows1 by mistaken kindness1 and comforters in whom is no comfort2 who break the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax2 who tell you that you must be wicked1 and ,god must be angry with you1 or all this would not have come upon you8 ,job's comforters did so1 and spoke very righteous-sounding words1 and took great pains to justify ,god and to break poor ,job's heart1 and made him say many wild and foolish words in answer1 for which he was sorry afterwards2 but after all1 the ,lord's answer was1 #8,my wrath is kindled against you three1 for you have not spoken of me the thing which was right1 as my servant ,job hath4 ,therefore my servant ,job shall pray for you1 for him will ,i accept2' as he will accept every humble and contrite soul who clings1 amid all its doubts1 and fears1 and sorrows1 to the faith that ,god is just and not unjust1 merciful and not cruel1 condescending and not proud--that his will is a good will1 and not a bad will--that he hateth nothing that he hath made1 and willeth the death of no man2 and in that faith casts itself down like ,job1 in dust and ashes before the majesty of ,god1 content not to understand his ways and its own sorrows2 but simply submitting itself and resigning itself to the good will of that ,god who so loved the world that he spared not his only begotten ,son1 but freely gave him for us4 ,,footnotes #ge ,compare ,rom4 iii4 #bc with ,i ,cor4 xi4 #g4 ,let me entreat all young students to consider carefully and honestly the radical meaning of the words and 4 ,it will explain to them many seemingly dark passages of ,st4 ,paul1 and perhaps deliver them from more than one really dark superstition4 #aea ,i do not quote the ,crishna ,legends1 because they seem to be of post-,christian date2 and also worthless from the notion of a real human babe being utterly lost in the ascription to ,crishna of unlimited magical powers4 #afb ,see1 as a counterpart to every detail of ,joel's1 the admirable description of locust-swarms in ,kohl's ,russia4