vealed in holy Scripture, which shall in some strange way save you, while you go on wilfully in your own careless ways; the love of Christ of which St. Paul had heard, and which he preached, was a love which would deliver men from the power of sin now, as well as from the punishment of sin hereafter; a love which would take men out of the dark dungeon, in order that they might walk in the true light; and would strike off their fetters, that they might run the way of God's commandments, when their hearts were set at liberty.

But when we have found Christ's true love, and follow not vain shadows, how shall we learn its greatness? Even in the same way that we seek after other knowledge: the first step is to know our own ignorance; to feel quite sure that there is something to which we have not yet attained. The second step is to dwell much upon the thing we seek to know, to study it, to give up ourselves to it; in one word, to be in it. Are not the apostle's instructions for our attaining to the knowledge of the love of Christ the same as those we follow in attaining other knowledge? Is much thought necessary to those who would trace the course of the stars? So also must "Christ dwell in our hearts by faith" be

fore we can reach the perfect knowledge of His love; night and day our early and our latest thoughts must be of Him, even as when an earthly image has taken possession of our hearts, and dwells there: by faith we own the Crucified as our Lord and Saviour; by meditation we make a home for Him within us.

Must men coast along a country in order to know how far it reaches? So must we, "being mightily strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man," be borne along by His blessed influence, as by a favouring breeze, that we may survey the whole of our good land, both how great things Christ hath done for us, and how great are the blessings, both here and hereafter, which He has purchased for us. Once more; must men stand beneath the pyramid of Egypt, and climb its sides, if they would know its vastness? So does the apostle tell us that we must "be rooted and grounded in love" before we can attain to the full knowledge of the love of Christ. In confidence on IIis love, we begin to love Him, and then we know more of His love towards us. For, like trees planted by the water-side, let the roots of our hearts drink deep of His love to us, then shall we bear fruit upwards in love towards Him. Let His love be as the firm

ground beneath our feet, and then, while we climb, we shall be enabled to see yet greater heights of His love above us, and as we mount upwards we shall yet again look back and trace the greatness of His love which hath thus far supported our feet, and brought us on our way in safety.

Sermons for the Christian Seasons.

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

HUMILITY.

LUKE xiv. 11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

THE frequency with which, in the Bible, we are exhorted to humility, is very remarkable. St. Paul's precepts on the subject are most emphatic. "Put on," he says in one place, "humbleness of mind." Again, he says: "Walk with all lowliness." St. James repeats the same teaching: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord." St. Peter again, using almost the same words; "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God;" and in still more striking language, as shewing how completely such a spirit should envelope and pervade our being: "Be clothed with humility." The frequent repetition of this same exhortation is much to be observed.

Then again, observe what an exceeding value God puts upon this grace. When the prophet Micah teaches us that there are three things which God requireth, of these three, one is "to walk humbly with thy God." Again, God once delayed His vengeance upon the whole people of the Jews for this one cause only, because "Josiah's heart was tender, and did humble itself." Or, again, the value of this grace in God's sight may be judged of by the long pains which He takes to produce it in the soul. Consider how He kept His people in the wilderness forty years; and the reason is given: "God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee." Again, consider what God Himself submitted to endure, in order to teach by example this same precept; for with this special view the pattern of the life of Christ is enforced by St. Paul: "Let the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant." Again, the same state of heart is set forth as the very condition of receiving all other blessings: "God resisteth the proud; but He giveth grace to the humble." And so in the text, our Lord declares, as an universal law, the sure ruin arising from the lack of such a grace, and the equally sure