has its proper fruit, and that fruit is life eternal. But let the sight of the natural world, at this very season, remind those in whom this seed exists, how much they must do to foster it. Those buds which are now swelling upon every tree, may be, and too many of them will be, cut off by frosts or storms, and their promise will end in nothing. Be ye, therefore, careful and watchful, remembering, that although you have in you the seed of good, yet perpetual prayer and labour are required to preserve it unharmed until the harvest.

SERMON XX.

1 PET. IV. 11.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

THE same sentiment is expressed by St. Paul, where he says, "Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." It is, indeed, one of the very foundation stones of revelation, that God should, in our actions, be all in all; as it is the great guilt of those who know, and do not, that, 'knowing God, they yet glorify him not as God, neither are thankful." St. Peter, it is true, is speaking in the text particularly, of certain offices in the early Christian church. The offices were various, and so were the gifts required to fulfil them properly; but all these were wrought by one and the

66

self-same Spirit ;-whether it were the gift of speaking or of preaching, which was required to do the office of an apostle or prophet; or the gift of an active and cheerful spirit, which was needed for the office of minister or deacon, whose principal business was to provide for the bodily wants of the poor. But it is clear that the meaning of St. Peter's words applies to all offices and all callings whatever, and to all the various gifts by which God enables us to discharge their several duties. If any man speak, if any man minister, if any man labour with his hands, or if any work with his understanding;— whether our business be active or quiet;whether we are engaged in the actual duties of life, or in the preparation for them ;-still we should labour, as by the ability which God giveth; and we should strive in all things to glorify God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I proceed, then, to apply this general rule to those cases in which we ourselves, who are now here assembled, most require it. And I will follow a division analogous to that of the Apostle. I will first speak of our labours of the understanding; next, of our labours of charity; and, lastly, of all our

more general conduct, which may not properly fall under either of the two former heads. In all these, we are worse than nothing, unless we glorify God through Jesus Christ.

First, then, of our labours of the understanding. "If any man speak," says St. Peter, "let him speak as the oracles of God." May I say, "If any man read, let him read as if his book were God's work;" or, "as if he were God's scholar?" To read is, with most of us, our particular appointed business; we spend, or ought to spend, a great deal of time in it but what shall we do, if, during this large portion of our time, God is far away from us? If God is not in our reading, considering how much of our day be spent in it, is it not somewhat like living without God in the world? Yet it is not possible that all, or the greatest part of our reading, should be strictly about God. We read the books of the Heathen, who did not know him; we read also many books of those who did know him, but whose works, unhappily, give no sign that they did so. We read books of science, or books of entertainment, where we cannot expect the name of God to find a place. How, then, can we read all these as

if we were God's scholars? how, in dwelling upon subjects so little seemingly connected with him, can we be glorifying God through Jesus Christ? It seems that the question is not an easy one, since it has been found so difficult, in practice at least, to answer it. We see that they who profess to glorify God in all their lives, do it, not by reading all things as God's scholars; but by giving up many kinds of reading altogether. We see, on the other hand, that they whose knowledge is the deepest, and whose understandings are the most highly cultivated, too often have, amidst all their knowledge, retained no place for God; that neither with their lips, nor in their lives, do they glorify him. It is too common a case to excite our wonder, that knowledge is not always followed by goodness; and we know that without goodness God cannot be glorified. It seems, then, difficult thing to read on a great variety of subjects, and yet read as God's scholars: difficult, as most Christian graces are difficult; but not surely impossible, if we follow the right way of effecting it. Now we cannot read all things as God's scholars, if we have never been his scholars at all; we cannot find him, or see him, by faith, in every place,

a very