from the very flowers which now present themselves to our view.

First, the sweet odours which they shed around, so delightful to the sense, are an image of prayer and praise, and of God's pleasure in the acceptance of them from us His creatures, when we offer them by virtue of His own most Holy Spirit, manifested in the innocency, and usefulness, and purity of our lives. The beauty that is attendant on their sweetness shews the glory with which the sons of God shall be adorned in the day of their resurrection, even we ourselves, when we awake up after the likeness of our Lord. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be;" but this we know, that "when He shall appear we shall be like Him."

When we look upon the rose, we may understand and think of this. The lily also displays the grace and purity of a virgin heart. We are taught to read and understand as much in the flowers of the field, by their adoption for images to represent spiritual things in the Word of God.

"I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys," said Solomon, when he spake of Christ and of the Church. "The desert shall blossom as the rose," said Isaiah. Hosea says, " His beauty is as the olive, and his smell as Lebanon." And for glory of outward appearance our Lord Himself sets forth that which is an image of purity at the same time :-" Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these :”—

shewing that such as cultivate this quality of purity in heart and mind, so that they may see God, shall be clothed also with glory and beauty in the day of their resurrection by the power of God.

Thus the manner in which we are accustomed to keep this day's feast and to rejoice in it, reminds us of the doctrine of the blessed apostles, who, with faith in God and our Lord Jesus Christ, preached most of all purity of heart and mind, with righteousness and holiness of living, as the necessary fruit and witness of our faith, becoming those who have received forgiveness of their offences, and productive always of peace and spiritual joy, even in the midst of the evils and sufferings of the present life, which are all to be concluded and brought to an end in natural death, itself followed in due time by a glorious resurrection through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I exhort you, therefore, children, while you rejoice in this feast, think of the great goodness of God, "who giveth us richly all things to enjoy ;" and bless His Name for all these things, and chiefly for the preaching of salvation by His servants the apostles of our Lord, for His grace in two of whom especially, St. Philip and St. James, we now offer Him our thanks and praise. Endeavour, then, to shew yourselves worthy by being diligent to learn your duty and careful in doing it, proving yourselves like those good children upon whom our Lord laid His hands and blessed them, and bade us all understand how that of such, in the innocency of their minds, their ready

obedience, their teachableness, their undoubting trust and dependence upon their parents and teachers, their humility and grateful affection, and love for one another,—that "of such is the kingdom of God;" and that unless we become like little children in all such dispositions as these, none of us shall ever enter into His kingdom at all.

Now to God, for His great goodness to us, and for His mercies this day, let us give thanks with grateful hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

SERMON XI.

Feast of All Saints.

REV. ii. 10.

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown

of life."

UR Lord upon a certain occasion said, "I

OUR

came not to send peace on the earth, but a sword;" and again, "It is enough for the disciple to be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord;" "If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;" "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves;" "They will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and ye shall be brought before kings and rulers for My sake;" and, "The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death; and ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake. But he that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved."

All this was fulfilled in the persecutions which raged against the Christians for nearly three hundred years from the first preaching of the faith. In the course of this long period, the number of those heroic souls who laid down their

lives for the love of Christ and for the truth, meeting and even courting death in its most frightful forms, became innumerable,-of whom that countless multitude in the Revelations may well be understood, who were seen "with white robes and palms in their hands;"-the white robes, you know, being "the righteousness of the saints," and the palm the sign or emblem of victory. For when it was demanded, "Who are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they?" it was answered by the angel, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Surely it was meet that these should not be forgotten upon earth, although to find a day for each of them in the calendar was manifestly impossible; so one day, therefore, was appointed for a holy commemoration and devout thanksgiving to Almighty God in behalf of all. This feast we call All Saints' Day, whereon the Church teaches us to address our prayers to God, "who hath knit together His elect in one communion and fellowship," and entreat Him for grace to "follow the