desire to cast their lot with Him, He asked whether they could "drink of His cup, and be baptised with His baptism" (Matt. xx. 22). And when "there went great multitudes with Him," He turned and said, that unless a man hated relations, friends, and self, he could not be His disciple. And then He proceeded to warn all men to "count the cost" ere they followed Him (Luke xiv. 25-28.) Such is the merciful severity with which He repels us, that He may gain us more truly. And what He thinks of those who, after coming to Him, fall back into a hollow and hypocritical profession, we learn from His language towards the Laodiceans: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So, then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will cast thee out of my mouth" (Rev. iii. 15, 16). We have a striking instance of the same conduct on the part of that ancient saint who prefigured our Lord in name and office-Joshua, the captain of the chosen people in entering Canaan. When they had at length taken possession of that land which Moses and their fathers had seen "very far off," they said to him, "God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, and serve other gods. We will.. serve the Lord, for He is our God." He made answer, "Ye cannot serve the Lord; for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins" (Josh. xxiv. 16-19). Not as if he would hinder them from obeying, but to sober them in professing. How does his answer remind us of St. Paul's ..... Ꭰ still more awful words, about the impossibility of renewal after utterly falling away! And what is said of profession of discipleship applies undoubtedly in its degree to all profession. To make professions is to play with edge-tools, unless we attend to what we are saying. Words have a meaning, whether we mean that meaning or not; and they are imputed to us in their real meaning, when our not meaning it is our own fault. He who takes God's name in vain is not counted guiltless because he means nothing by it— he cannot frame a language for himself; and they who make professions, of whatever kind, are heard in the sense of those professions, and are not excused because they themselves attach no sense to them. "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. xii. 37). Not that profession is always wrong. It takes a long time really to feel and understand things as they are; we learn to do so only gradually. Profession beyond our feelings is only a fault when we might help it; when either we speak when we need not speak, or do not feel when we might have felt. Hard insensible hearts, ready and thoughtless talkers, are they whose unreality is a sin; it is the sin of every one of us, in proportion as our hearts are cold, or our tongues excessive. But the mere fact of our saying more than we feel, is not necessarily sinful. St. Peter did not rise up to the full meaning of his confession, "Thou art the Christ;" yet he was pronounced blessed. St. James and St. John said, "We are able," without clear understanding, yet without offence. We ever promise greater things than we master, and we wait on God to enable us to perform them. Our promising involves a prayer for light and strength. And so, again, we all say the Creed; but who comprehends it fully? All we can hope is, that we are in the way to understand it; that we partly understand it; that we desire, pray, and strive to understand it more and more. Our Creed becomes a sort of prayer. Persons are guilty of being unreal in their way of speaking, not when they say more than they feel, but when they say things different from what they feel. Be in earnest, and you will speak of religion where, and when, and how you should; aim at things, and your words will be right without aiming. There are ten thousand ways of looking at this world, but only one right one. Poor men and rich men, governors and governed, prosperous and discontented, learned and unlearned, each has his own way of looking at the things which come before him, and each has a wrong way. There is but one right way; it is the way God looks at the world. Aim at seeing it in God's way. Aim at seeing things as God sees them. Aim at forming judgments about persons, events, ranks, fortunes, changes, objects, such as God forms. Aim at looking at this life as God looks at it. Aim at looking at the life to come, and the world unseen, as God does. Aim at seeing "the King in His beauty." It is not an easy thing to learn that new language which Christ has brought us. He has interpreted all things for us in a new way; He has brought us a religion which sheds a new light on all that happens. Try to learn this language. Do not get it by rote, or speak it as a thing of course. Try to understand what you say. Time is short, eternity is long; God is great, man is weak; he stands between heaven and hell; Christ is his Saviour; Christ has suffered for him; the Holy Ghost sanctifies him; repentance purifies him; faith justifies, works save. These are solemn truths, which need not be actually spoken, except in the way of creed or of teaching; but which must be laid up in the heart. That a thing is true, is no reason that it should be said, but that it should be done; that it should be acted upon; that it should be made our own inwardly. Let us aim at meaning what we say, and saying what we mean; let us aim at knowing when we understand a truth, and when we do not. When we do not, let us take it on faith, and let us profess to do so. Let us receive the truth in reverence, and pray God to give us a good will, and divine light, and spiritual strength, that it may bear fruit within us. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly."— Rev. xxii. 20. FEAR NOT: for He hath sworn: Faithful and true His Name : The glorious hours are onward borne ; 'Tis lit, th' immortal flame; It glows around thee: kneel, and strive, and win, YET FEAR: the time is brief; The Holy One is near; And, like a spent and withered leaf In autumn twilight drear, Faster each hour, on Time's unslackening gale, Surely the time is short: Endless the task and art To brighten for the ethereal court A soil'd, earth-drudging heart. But He, the dread Proclaimer of that hour, Is pledged to thee in love, as to thy foes in power. His shoulders bear the key: He If He come quick, the mightier sure will prove Then haste Thee, Lord! Come down, Take Thy great power and reign! But frame Thee first a perfect crown Of spirits freed from stain,— Souls mortal once, now match'd for evermore Who in Thy portal wait, Free of that glorious throng, Wondering, review their trial-state, The life that erst seem'd long; Wondering at His deep love, Who purg'd so base Services for the Third Sunday in Advent. Morning Lesson, Isaiah xxv. Evening Lesson, Isaiah xxvi. Gospel, St. Matt. xi. 2. The Collect.-O Lord Jesus Christ, Who at Thy first coming didst send Thy messenger to |