Elijah was, very zealous for the LORD GOD of Hosts. Our LORD Himself, Who has commanded us not to do good deeds to be seen of men, that we may have glory of them, for that otherwise we shall have no reward in the world to come, has, nevertheless, also said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your FATHER Which is in heaven." This is more particularly the case with us here, not only because, as I have so often said, we have more time than others to do good, but because we are watched more than others, and therefore, if we profess to honour God with our lips, while we dishonour Him in our lives, the more dishonour is done to His holy Name: as our LORD has said, "A city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid."

This truth, that each Christian, doing his duty in that state of life to which it has pleased GOD to call him, however mean that state may be in the eyes of the world, makes it glorious in the eyes of his LORD, is set forth to us by S. Paul in rather a different way. He compares us all to different members of the same body; and so shows us that, while all cannot have the same work, all may equally do work, and equally benefit the other members. All members of the body cannot have the same office: as the Apostle tells us, "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?. If the whole body were an ear, where were the smelling ?" We have another type of this in a college like ours. If it is to go on, there are a certain number of duties which must be done, and different people must take them. Some must nurse the sick; some must attend to the chapel; some must keep the court in order; some must look after the garden; some must go out for the money when the rent becomes due: there are many

members, and each one has his several office. All these duties may not be, in the eye of the world, equally honourable; but all are equally necessary. If the meanest of them is left undone, the whole action, and, so to speak, life of the college goes wrong at once. And so, to look above these types. The Holy Catholic Church, in which we daily profess to believe, is compared to a body, of which CHRIST is the Head. It might just as truly be compared to, or rather it is, one huge college. A college means a set of people collected out of something and into something: the Church is collected or gathered together out of the world, and its members are knit together, and are knit to CHRIST. In that Church we all have our offices to do; we have all our parts to play; we cannot give way, the poorest of us, without, to a certain extent, the whole great Church giving way also, just as if one limb of the body suffers, all the other limbs suffer with it; just as if one member of a college disgraces himself, the whole college is disgraced also, so, if one member of the Church sins, the whole Church must necessarily suffer.

These thoughts seem to come naturally on a day like this. When people at the time spoke of the Martyrdom of S. Crispin and S. Crispian, no doubt what they said was, "Only two low tradesmen being put to death, for teaching the wicked doctrine of the Christians." "They fools," to speak with the wise man, "accounted their life madness, and their end to be without honour: but they are in peace. How are they numbered with the children of God, and their lot is among the Saints !"

To which lot GOD vouchsafe to bring us also, for JESUS CHRIST's sake: to Whom with the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

SERMON XXXIII

SETTING THE PRISONER FREE.

S. Leonard. November 6.

"SHAKE THYSELF FROM THE DUST: ARISE, AND SIT DOWN, O JERUSALEM: LOOSE THYSELF FROM THE BANDS OF THY NECK, O CAPTIVE DAUGHTER OF SION. FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD: YE HAVE SOLD YOURSELVES FOR NOUGHT, AND YE SHALL BE REDEEMED WITHOUT MONEY."-ISAIAH LII. 2, 3.

S. LEONARD, whose day this is, was chiefly known for his great love to prisoners; so here is a text about prisoners, from which, if the HOLY GHOST help us, we may learn something that shall profit ourselves.

The words were, in the first place, spoken to the Church, but they are said to each of us. Isaiah and David teach us both the same thing. David says, “My soul cleaveth to the dust;" and Isaiah, "Shake thyself from the dust." One tells us what we do by nature; the other what we ought to do by the grace of God. Now what is here meant by dust? The cares and the pleasures of this world. Dust is the most worthless thing possible; so are they. Dust is easily blown here and there, and never remains long in one place; so it is with them. Dust defiles those that have to do with

it; so do they. Dust blinds the eyes of those that stir it up; so do they. And yet our soul cleaveth to them; we have no eyes nor ears for anything else. Therefore, GOD would separate us from them; and He would have us make the effort to separate ourselves: "Shake thyself from the dust." We must try must try hardmust try at once; to-day, while it is called to-day. If we wait till we are willing to deny ourselves, we may wait for ever. Whenever it is done, it will cost us some trouble and pain; and the longer we wait, it will cost us the more.

He goes on: "Arise, and sit down." He does not mean, "sit down" idly-" sit down," as if there were nothing more to be done-" sit down," as if there were no more warfare to be accomplished; but "sit down" quietly

"sit down" out of the noise and confusion of everyday business-" sit down" to have time to think over your sins, and to repent for them-" sit down," as the children of Israel did in a strange land, as it is written, "By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept." And if we thus weep for our sins in this life, God will hereafter cause us to sit down at the Supper of the Lamb.

But this is not all. Isaiah goes on: "Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Sion." And this is what we all are-prisoners. When we were born, we were captives to the devil; we were bound with the chain of that sin which we had from Adam. But that chain GOD broke for us at our Baptism we could never have set ourselves free. The HOLY GHOST, for the great Love wherewith He loved us, did that for us in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, by His servant the Priest who baptized us. But

since that time, we have let ourselves be bound with new chains. Every sin we have committed is, as it were, a new link to fetter us. And to undo these fetters, to tear ourselves from these sins, is the work to which we are called.

And mark. He says not, "I will loose thee," but "Loose thyself." Before our Baptism it would have been to no purpose to tell us so. We were able to do nothing for ourselves. But now, through the grace given to us in our Baptism, we are able; and being able, GoD will have us do what we can. He will not have us sit still, while He does all, as it was when we were baptized. Now He will have us be workers together with Him. "Loose thyself," He says; and He

will help us.

After this, Isaiah tells us how we became prisoners. "Ye have sold yourselves for nought." Adam at first sold himself for nought. He gave his own soul and body, and the souls and bodies of all that should afterwards spring from him, for a fruit. A goodly price, indeed, the devil paid to become the prince of this world; a fruit, and a lie. A fruit-the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and a lie—“ Ye shall not surely die." And as Adam sold himself for nought, so do we. One man sells his soul for drunkenness for the pleasure of making himself a disgrace to mankind, and worse than the beasts that perish, he gives away his eternal happiness. Another man sells himself for riches: for the sake of hoarding up a certain number of pieces of money, which he cannot take away with him when he dies. Another man for revenge; another for ease; another for honour; another to escape the being laughed at. These are the prices which the