that their daily employment is disagreeable to them. I know that it is so;-but it does not follow that it must always remain so. True it is, that we cannot do heartily what we dislike; but it is no less true, that we may learn if we will to like many things which we at present dislike and the real guilt of idleness consists in its refusal to go through this discipline. I might speak of the well-known force of habit, in reconciling us to what is most unwelcome to us;-that by mere perseverance what was at first very hard, becomes first a little less so, then much less so, and at last so easy, that according to a well-known law of our faculties, it becomes a pleasure to them to do it. But, although perseverance will certainly do this, yet what is to make us so persevering ?-if we go through this discipline it will cure us, but what can engage us to give it a fair trial? And here it is that I would bring in the power of Christ's example; here it is that the grace of God through Christ will give us the victory. "Christ pleased not himself;" -"Christ allowed himself no leisure so much as to eat. For what did he do this, and for whom? For our salvation, and for our spirits' sakes, that we through his poverty might be made rich. And who was

He who so denied himself? The Son of God, the heir of all things; even He by whom all things were created, and by whose providence they are sustained. Yet He would not allow himself fully to use them, but thought it his meat to do the will of Him that sent him, and to finish his work. And who are we who do not deny ourselves? His creatures, who owe every thing to his goodness, and yet day by day are unworthy of it;-his creatures, who, with no right to so much as the crumbs under his table, think it hard if we cannot sit down and rest and enjoy, under circumstances in which he never rested;-his creatures, who, offending him every hour, are yet impatient of any thing but pleasure at his hands; -who, with so much of that guilt for which He was pleased to be crucified, are yet unwilling to submit to that discipline, which his pure and spotless soul endured cheerfully for no need of his own, but for our sakes.

Alas! this touches us all, young and old alike we may not well find fault with others in this matter; but we may and must speak of it to them as their heinous sin against God, from which would to God that we were any

notion, that we come into this world to seek our happiness in it. Too large a proportion of our fellow-creatures are cured of this error by necessity; there are too many who are taught by early and excessive labour, and by greater suffering than ever self-denial would impose upon them, that this world is for them at least no place of enjoyment. Their over labour doubly shames our over indulgence. But the truth which they cannot but learn, we must learn also, or we perish for ever. If we make this life what Christ will not have it be, if where we should labour, we presume

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to rest, where we should deny ourselves, we revel in enjoyment, we at once wrong our poorer brethren and insult Christ;—we laugh in fact at his view of human life, at his constant exertion, and his self-denial;—we think that we judge more wisely in pleasing ourselves, and snatching our joys while we may. If we are right, then indeed his example was needless; but, if that example were given as our pattern,-if as he was, so should we be in this world; if he himself was made perfect through suffering, and entered not into glory without first suffering pain,-what will become of us, if unpurified and unsanctified, with no labour of love done, with all Christ's labour

and sufferings despised as thankless, we offer ourselves for entrance into that eternal kingdom where none but his redeemed can enter ? What will become of us, if, enjoying when we should be labouring, and thinking of our pleasure instead of doing his will, we were to hear his summons at the door? Would he, will he, find us watching when he calls;-faithful stewards of his gifts, each in our several station doing the work of his house, with loins girded about and lamps burning? Blessed be our portion if he does: but if otherwise,-if eating and drinking, injuring our fellow-servants, and despising him,—we know what will be our portion; we know that we shall call on the rocks to fall on us, rather than meet his presence then.

SERMON XXIII.

LUKE V. 29.

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

THE text on which I have been speaking for the two last Sundays, describes our Lord as continually surrounded by a multitude of persons who were constantly coming and going, a moving crowd, full of curiosity to hear a prophet of whom they had heard so much, and hoping too to see some of his wonderful miracles performed before them. The verse which I have now chosen from St. Luke shows him nearly in the same situation: he was a guest at a great feast, at which a great company of publicans and others sat down with him. And we see, from what immediately follows, of what sort of character