We cannot in any

we can truly accept them. case effectually bind ourselves to a duty of which we know not the extent; we cannot be sure of accomplishing a thing of which we have not counted the cost. Now our blessed Lord hath set before us our course, both by example and precept. And what remains, is to make up our minds to rise and follow. He is the way in Him we see our road. In his trials, we have the model of our lawful strife. In his ascension into glory, we see the assurance of our crown. His flesh was crucified: so must we crucify the flesh. He died: so we must mortify our members which are upon earth. He rose again: even so we must rise again unto newness of life. He is seated in heaven: so we must set our affections on things above. The rules are plain; they cannot be confounded with the rules of strife for any worldly mastery. And this is the very reason why they are not commonly understood. Men know that they are too plain to be misunderstood, and therefore are unwilling to understand them. They are reluctant to see how widely they differ from the rules which they wish to follow: they are written in letters of burning light amidst thick darkness; but men are not so ready even as the careless Belshazzar, to call for God's Spirit to interpret them. Men are afraid to look at them and read them, because they are afraid of conviction. Even in matters of worldly charge,

do we not find men often reluctant to know the full extent of their duty, because they do not like, whether from indolence, whether from fear, or whatever cause, to act up to their responsibility? Do they not wilfully blind themselves, both as to the things which they ought to do, and the things which they ought not to do? Much more then are they likely to do this, in a case so much more removed from the prevailing practice of the world, as is that of the practice of the Gospel.

We see then what we have to contend against. It is a compliance with the course of a sinful world; a reluctance to change our course into one which is not in conformity with it, but even in a contrary direction. It is putting God's end, indeed, before us, even the prospect of eternal life, but not using his means, but putting our own in their place, because we find them much more agreeable: it is, in short, the indulgence of our nature. Against this we must strive for the mastery: with this we must wrestle, and endeavour to overthrow it: with this we must fight, and endeavour to bring it under, and subdue it.

Let us remember that the great difficulty of every new course lies at the beginning; and in proportion as we advance from the beginning, the more easy we find it become. But most especially is this the case in the Gospel of Christ, because the help of divine grace

becomes more abundant in proportion to the use we make of it; and no prayer for such help was ever yet refused. It may seem to be refused; but then it is not God who refuses, but man who does not truly pray for that cannot be true prayer which is not accompanied with hearty endeavour. We cannot truly pray for that which we do not heartily wish, and we do not heartily wish for that for which we do not endeavour. Endeavour, therefore, is a necessary accompaniment to prayer; it is the outward expression of the faith which is necessary to prayer; it is prayer with the hands, as the words are prayer with the lips: and therefore both must go together to make the prayer of the heart. This is a necessary part of our lawful strife.

And surely it is a large and daily part of our lawful strife to be on the watch against temptation. How little is this rule observed. But can a man be in earnest in forsaking any one sin, in striving after any spiritual acquirement without it? If in earnest indeed, then he is surely on the look-out at the entrance by which the temptation comes, that he may close the door in its face, seeing it afar off, in time so to do. And he is also on the look-out for those opportunities, which the Lord sends for the exercise of his gifts, to open the door to them ere they have passed by. Without such watching we are asleep. We are not warring

the warfare, under Christ the Captain of salvation, against the world, the devil, and the flesh. At best we are sentinels asleep at our post, and may be brought to judgment for the negligence. When all has thus been submitted unto the Lord, when we have made his rules our rules, when we have obtained the patience of faith to abide by them, and never to quit them for others which may seem to take us by a nearer way, and may be more easy of practice, then we are striving lawfully for the mastery, and then we shall obtain the crown. And in proportion to the lawfulness of the strife is the earnest of that crown, and its prospect is more real, more spiritual, more heavenly, more bright: it appears in all its splendour and beauty of an incorruptible crown. And the Christian more and more loves the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ on the last day, makes that day more and more his consolation, his rejoicing, because then He will appear in glory, and put the crown on the heads of his faithful people who have striven lawfully, and they shall dwell with Him, and be a royal priesthood under Him, for ever

more.

SERMON XI.

THE LORD'S CONTROVERSY WITH US.

(Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.)

MICAH vi. 3.

"O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me."

In his merciful condescension, our Lord here enters into a controversy with his people, and calls upon the whole earth to witness it. He offers Himself to be judged as to his dealings. He bids them bring witnesses to testify, if there be aught against Him. He asks what harm He has done them, who has shewn them so many and especial mercies, in bringing them out of the bondage of Egypt into the land where they now were. And He calls upon them to explain what He has done to weary them and try their patience, while He has been so abundant in long-suffering and loving-kindness with them.