If we do but hear without doing, our religion is built upon the sand, and not upon the Rock which is CHRIST. Being hearers of the Word only, and not doers, we deceive our own selves; but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he shall be blessed, not in his hearing and knowing it, but in his deed, in his doing of it. "Desire," says St. Peter, "the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." And this is the practical test, whether we rightly hear and read our Bibles, whether we do really believe them to be the Word of GOD, if we do that which we hear; if we daily endeavour at following the steps of CHRIST'S Holy Life-if we put away from us more and more all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings-if we are more strictly just-if we keep ourselves pure and undefiled from fleshly lusts which war against the soul-if we sit looser to the world, are less covetous, and of less anxious mind-more liberal and abundant in good works-fuller of charity and Christian kindness-more careful of the good of others, and not only of their bodies but their souls also-parents of their children— masters of their servants-pastors of their flocks. Again, if we are walking more carefully towards GOD are more earnest in our prayers—more reverent in His house-more regular and strict in our attendance upon His Worship and Sacraments-if, in short, we fear and love, and serve HIM more and more. "Every branch in ME," says our Blessed SAVIOUR, "that beareth not fruit, HE," that is the FATHER, "taketh away;" and again, " every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit." It is not enough, you see, to bring forth fruit, we must still be purged the more, to bring forth the more.

The Father purgeth it, so it is written, for, indeed,

my beloved Brethren, it were vain to think we could do anything without this. “The branch cannot bring forth fruit of itself." We cannot grow in knowledge of ourselves; we cannot make progress in goodness of ourselves. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, profit for our instruction in righteousness, only inasmuch as they spake by the HOLY GHOST. The HOLY GHOST is that quickening Spirit, which can alone make the seed to grow in our hearts. He only, when we have heard, can teach us all things, and bring all to our remembrance. But then, He Who cannot lie, hath promised this HOLY SPIRIT to them that ask HIM,-them, that is, who ask HIM in sincerity, and with heartiness—and then, to the humble He giveth more grace; to those that use such gifts as they have, it is given more abundantly; they that do His Will, come to know His Doctrine: walking faithfully in that which we have already attained to, even though we should in anything be otherwise minded at first, GOD will reveal even this unto us. Such gracious assurances have we, of His in no wise casting out those that come unto HIM-when they draw nigh to HIM, of His also drawing nigh to them. He who meditates on GoD's Law day and night, shall be like a tree planted by the river-side, which shall bring forth his fruit in due season. Again, if we have longed after His precepts, He will surely quicken us, make us alive, unto His Righteousness.

Now to God the FATHER, GOD the SON, and GoD the HOLY GHOST, be Glory henceforth and for ever.

O ALMIGHTY GOD, Who hast built Thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF being the head corner-stone; Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple, acceptable unto THEE, through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD.

J. F. C.

SERMON XLVI.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR LORD'S SOJOURN ON EARTH AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.

Second Sunday after Easter.'

ACTS x. 40, 41.

HIM GOD RAISED UP THE THIRD DAY, AND SHOWED HIM

OPENLY; NOT TO ALL THE PEOPLE, BUT UNTO WITNESSES CHOSEN BEFORE OF GOD, EVEN TO US, WHO DID EAT AND DRINK WITH HIM AFTER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

THE whole history of our Blessed LORD is a deep mystery from the beginning to the end; it is to be thought out in prayer and meditation, rather than criticised and drily discussed. It requires at the very first, a prostration of our natural faculties, a deep and solemn acknowledgment, that these things are too high for us to attain unto by our reason-that we cannot understand them. Oh that we could rise above our reason, and believe them! "LORD, we do believe, help THOU Our unbelief." There is a mysteriousness then, about the Gospel narratives of our LORD's Life and Death, that ought to impress our minds with a sense of awe and humility at approaching the Sacred Book. Yet the world is too apt to rush rudely into God's Presence as it were, to handle the Word of Life as if it were a com1 See also Sermon III., First Series: "Balaam's History Considered," by the Rev. Henry Thompson, M.A.

SERIES II.

L

VOL. II.

mon human book, and to argue and discuss, instead of praying over it, and waiting, and watching, and listening for the least whisper of the still small voice that issues from it. And yet it was not so once with any of us; when we were children, our little hearts burned within us, and we trembled (perhaps not knowing why or how) at the thought of God's inspired Word. The fact of our mother making us kneel down by her side, and checking our childish prattle as she talked of JESUS to us, is the earliest thing most of us - can recollect; and then by degrees, rough and ruder hands made light, and careless tongues talked in a common irreverential way of the deep things of GOD, and so the sense of awe is worn off, and therefore in this point as in others, "we must be converted and become as little children again, if we would see the Kingdom of Heaven." If we can set ourselves down in this frame of mind to the study of the Bible, we are lost in our contemplations on "the mystery of His Holy Incarnation, His Holy Nativity and Circumcision, His Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation," and deeper, and deeper still becomes the darkness of His habitation, and the thickness of the veil when we hear HIM "in His agony, (known and unknown,) His bloody sweat, His Cross and Passion, His Precious Death and Burial"; and whereas this awful darkness hid His ways from our sight, while we followed HIM from Gethsemane to the Tomb, now a blaze of light dazzles our senses, and the brightness of His wings prevents our tracing His path, as the Sun of Righteousness arose; and like Paul, as we journey, suddenly a light from heaven shines upon us, and we can but fall to the earth, and veil our faces before the thought of "His glorious Resurrection." And now, with our vain human notions, we should have supposed, that straightway HE would have as

Thus

HE

cended to the glory which He had with the FATHER before the world,"—that all things were now accomplished, and His humiliation would not last a moment longer but no, the mysteriousness deepens and thickens-every word now has something in it more than ever beyond our grasp-His very form and appearance is unknown to his most loved and loving friends. HE is about their ways, and about their path, and they know HIм not. There is a meaning in His look and speech, only intelligible to the eye and ear of Faith and Love; we cannot reach unto it. "Touch ME not, for I am not yet ascended to My FATHER." much, however, has the HOLY GHOST revealed to us by the pen of His ready writer, that "JESUS showed HIMSELF alive after His Passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of GOD."" remained therefore on earth after His Resurrection, to give His Apostles convincing proofs of the reality of that greatest miracle of miracles, that key-stone on which the whole building must rest,-" for if CHRIST be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins." Secondly, He remained on earth, in order to speak more clearly to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of GOD." He revealed to them many things respecting the destinies and nature of His Church. He set up more clearly "the three witnesses" on earth, of whom ye heard in the Epistle of Sunday last. For of the Inspired Word, we read in St. Luke xxiv. 45: "He opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." Again, of the Blood we read in the same chapter, 30th and 31st verses: "He took bread and blessed it, and brake, and

66