himself when the rest are entering upon labour and danger? Certainly every true soldier will understand the feeling of David's faithful servant, Uriah, who, being invited to refresh himself, when accidentally away from the army while the war was going on, made answer and said, “The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields: shall I then go into mine house to eat and to drink?" He was even ashamed to enjoy himself, while his comrades were in danger and self-denial: and that because he was a true and loyal soldier. Now we Christians are also soldiers, sworn and enlisted soldiers of our crucified KING. Ought it not sometimes to come into our minds, that surely we do wrong to be seeking all the ease and enjoyment we can get, while so many of our brethren are suffering so much, wanting so many things which we have? It is the very thing which all persons feel in the history of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Why do we naturally dislike that Rich Man? why, even before his punishment, should we be most unwilling to resemble him? Is it not because of his selfishness and hardness of heart? that he could be content to go on in his purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day, while the poor beggar was laid at his gate full of sores? Something like this, I should think, must come into the mind of many a thoughtful Christian, when he sits quietly at home or in Church, and reads or hears of the toils and sharp pains of the martyrs and holy men, who, at sundry times, have given up all for CHRIST's sake. High and glorious as they are above us, we know that by the grace of Baptism we are their brethren; when we hear therefore of their sufferings, we may well experience a sort of shame, that we in a manner should have left them to do all the hard and painful work.

And here comes in the other word, by which, as I said, St. Peter in the text would stir us up to a godly jealousy of the Saints. The word I mean is "accomplished." Their afflictions are accomplished, ours but just beginning. Our times are in comparison quiet, our course of life is marked out: we are not called to follow them, outwardly and bodily, bearing the Cross and the Gospel among unbelievers. We are not called on to

be stoned with St. Stephen, nor to be banished with St. John into a lonely island. Have we then any chance of those blessed and glorious titles, which such as they were might give to one another? Can we in any sense be their companions in tribulation, and in the Kingdom and patience of JESUS CHRIST? We may be so, at least in some small degree, if we will strive to meet our simple and lowly trials, and to work out our humble tasks, in the same pure self-denying spirit, in which they suffered exile and martyrdom. When, for CHRIST's sake, you put up with rude words, with cross and sullen looks, with indifferent and scanty food, you are in earnest following those Saints, although, it may be, very far off. When you go out of your way, when you put yourself to inconvenience, in mind, body, or estate, to do a kind action to a fellow Christian, you are in the way to a great blessing for you are practising, so far, the mind that was in CHRIST JESUS, and caused Him to become incarnate for us. When you are lying on your sick bed, enduring pain which you cannot help, you may turn that pain to the best possible account, by remembering what you may have heard of the grievous pains which Saints have borne for CHRIST's sake: and you may beseech God for grace to offer up your own pains, as a kind of sacrifice to HIM, together with theirs HE will graciously receive both, for the sake of those meritorious pains which CHRIST endured on the saving Cross.

Moreover, the remembrance of the Saints' trials is full of help and comfort, in respect not only of our afflictions, but of our temptations to sin: I mean, of course, so long as we are striving against them as for such as give way to their own wickedness, and are minded so to go on, the thought of GoD's Saints must be to them full of pain and shame; but to one who in earnest longs and labours to amend, the comfort is unspeakable, of knowing that even those best of men had, by nature, and in the beginning, the same enemies to contend with that we have, and if they, by God's grace, overcome them, so may we.

To conclude: whereas the Apostle's word is, that whatever we suffer, the same afflictions are accomplished in our brethren that are in the world, we understand that when they are once out of the world, there is an end of their affliction and care for

ever. The saying carries our thoughts on to that happy time when, if we throw not away our Baptismal blessing, God will admit us to perfect Communion with His Saints; not by their sympathizing in our sorrows and dangers, but by our entering in where they are, and joining in the Song of Glory which they sing. May we so practise their lowly beginnings, as not to fail of our part in that glorious ending!

SERMON CCLV.

THE GREAT COMPARISON.

FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

2 COR. iv. 18.

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

THERE is a very beautiful old history, which some here may have read, concerning the way in which Christianity was first introduced into the northern part of this realm of England. When the holy Missionary who brought it had delivered his message in the hearing of the King of the country with all his court, one of the principal nobles said,

'O King, this short life of ours, the few years which as mortal men we spend here on earth, reminds me, when I think of it, of what sometimes happens when we are here feasting with you in time of winter. The room being all warmth and light, while the rain or snow is raging without, it will sometimes happen that some small bird will fly in at one door and out at the other. Just for the time that it is in the hall, it feels nothing of the wintry storm; but in a moment, having hurried through that calmer and warmer space, it passes again into the bleak air from which it came, vanishing out of thy sight. So this life of men appeareth for a little while; but of what followeth or went before, we are quite ignorant. Wherefore if this new doctrine brings surer information, well may we follow it."

Upon this and other like considerations the King was persuaded to listen to the doctrine of the LORD, and soon received Baptism with many of his people.

I suppose that all persons of the least thought and reflection, when they hear the life of man on earth compared to such things, acknowledge at once that the saying is true and just; and that the more heartily, the longer they have lived in the world. Think of the time past, or of any portion of it: how quickly does it seem to have come and gone! What a deep darkness seems to close around it at both ends! I mean on the one hand, before we can remember any thing; and on the other, as to all that shall come hereafter. We know not, of ourselves, any thing that happened before we came into this world, and began to remember things; nor again do we know the least of that which is now to come.

I say, we know not the course of things of ourselves; for by God's merciful teaching we do know a great deal, and that for certain, both of the past and of the future. But had we been heathens, what should we have known? Nothing at all, for certain; we could only have guessed darkly, that perhaps there might be another world, perhaps there might not be an end of us when we die; and even thus, upon the bare chance of eternity, any one who had a wise and understanding heart would know that his only chance of happiness was to do his duty as well as he could. And if he were born a Jew, he would know this still more clearly; by how much the ALMIGHTY taught that people more of HIMSELF and His ways with them. Were a person but a Jew or a Heathen, and in more or less doubt concerning Eternity, yet, if he were wise, he would try and prepare himself for it. How much more, when, as things are, our FATHER in Heaven has by no means left us in doubt about what is to come. Whatever else is hard in the Bible, these sayings at least are plain : "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"—"The Son of Man shall come in the glory of His FATHER, with His Angels, and then He shall reward every man according to His works."-" All that are in the grave shall hear His voice and shall come forth: those that have done good, unto the Resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto