Father with all our heart and soul and strength; if we are believing in and following the example of His blessed Son; if we feel the quickening and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit? Might not an altar be built in many and many a Christian city to the Unknown God? Are not many of us living without God in the world? If we truly loved God, how could "we be haughty for whom God became humble?" how could we be cruel for whom Christ died? how could we be impure and sinful for whose example the Son of Man lived a life tempted like as we are, yet without sin? Let us not be deceived. Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of the Father which is in Heaven. Lay your hand upon your heart, and ask yourselves whether you are indeed worshipping the Trinity of Heaven, or whether your lives shew rather that your devotion is given to the World, the Flesh, and the Devil-rightly named "the great Anti-Trinity of Hell."

Dissemble not with yourselves, brethren, or with God. Remember that His eye is upon you now; that it shines full into the secret heart of every one of you, discerning all the thoughts that have been in your minds since you entered this chapel, discerning the sins to which

at this moment your heart reverts. You see Him not indeed; you cannot imagine that He is here. But one day, sooner or later, we must all stand before His face, we must stand before Him face to face, before the Father whom we have disobeyed, before the Son whom we have crucified, before the Spirit whom we have grieved. Loosen the frail silver cords, and draw the thin curtains of death-and lo! your soul has met its God! When last I spoke to you from this place, two months ago, I spoke of death, and I used these very words, "It is probable, it is almost certain, that one at least of you who hear me now, will be called from life before this year has run its course. Which shall it be? Who knows?" There were some who thought those words rash and improbable, as addressed to so young a congregation; and yet, my brethren, since then three among us have been down to the very gates of death; and there was then one sitting among your number in health and youth and strength, who heard those words, and now his ears are stopped with dust. Little perhaps did he think that he was the one who should be taken. But God's hand beckoned to him, and he died, and his place knows him One of you is now sitting in the very spot where he sat;-but now you are in the

no more.

bloom of health, and the flush of life, and over him the grass of the churchyard is already green. To him is known the great unspeakable secret, which is not known to the best, the greatest, the wisest of living men. How do you know to whom among us God's hand shall beckon next; for whom next of us is the Shadow waiting, to whom next of us shall the secret be revealed? For one of us, I say again, it must be before long. Oh! my brethren, these thoughts are too solemn, too awful to dwell upon. This only will I add. Unhappy is he,—unhappy and miserable though he have rank, and wealth, and beauty, and though the earth twine her fairest and freshest garlands to wreathe round his diadem of youth-who knows not, and loves not, the living God. The madman, who is in his bare cell supposes himself to be a king; the starving wretch, who revels at the full banquet in his luxurious dream, is not more pitiable when his hour of waking comes. And on the other hand, happy alone is he-happy though poor, and illfavoured, and ignorant, and despised,-happy alone is he who can say with fond yearning from his inmost heart, "This God is our God for ever and ever, He shall be our guide even unto Death."

XIX.

DELIVERANCE THROUGH CHRIST.

(Preached before Harrow School, 1864.)

I SAM. xii. 20.-"Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart."

AMONG the many words which our common conversation debases from its true significance, the word "friend" is perhaps the most lightly used. To hear men talking you might suppose that nothing was more plentiful than friends; every one appears to be surrounded by them. And there is in the world enough of courtesy and of easy goodnature, so far to lubricate the wheels of ordinary society, as to enable us to use the word without too transparent an irony. For indeed if the word be used in the truest and highest sense, there are but few men living-and they the noblest and the happiest -who have even one perfect friend. He who has a true friend-a friend, not in the hollow

conventional sense, not a mere fair-weather acquaintance, not a mere agreeable associate, not even a familiar companion, but a friend, worthy of that high name-has a gift which is past all value. Even among you, in the warmerhearted and more generous years of boyhood, there are but a few, I fear, who can own the possession of an entire and perfect friendship. How many of you have friends here to whom you could talk fearlessly and fully of the sunny memories, and tender associations of your home? to whom you could frankly confess your sins and failings? and from whom at any time you could look for sympathy and advice? before whom you would not be ashamed to weep in private, or to kneel down by his side and pray? How many of you have a friend, whom, even if you had committed some great fault, some great folly, some great crime, you might still meet, certain of unchanged sympathy, certain of free forgiveness? one whose great, holy, love should know your soul and hold communion with it;-whose affection is deep enough to outlive the dreams of youth, and the cares of manhood, and the accidents of rank, and health, and wealth, and fame-ay, even to survive the loss of innocence itself;