SERMON CCLII.

MORE STEPS TOWARDS HEAVEN.

FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

"Add.

2 ST. PETER i. 6, 7.

to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity."

THERE are two opposite errors, into one or both of which most persons are apt to fall, when they think or speak of the great subject of Christian Holiness, of pleasing God and keeping His Commandments. The commonest disposition perhaps is, to look at some one person whom we love and admire, some one good and amiable temper for which we feel a liking, and where we see that, there at once to imagine that all is of course right, and that there is no occasion to be anxious. How many of the poor, for instance, count a man good at once, and set him down, living or dead, as an Angel from Heaven, if he be but open-handed, and kind to those that are in need; and yet such an one may be in God's sight inwardly unclean, proud, covetous, in the very highest degree. Again, how common is it for one young person to become fond of another, and long to make a friend of him, because of his good-nature, good temper, and courtesy! yet very deadly sins may very well go along with those amiable qualities.

On the other hand, when instead of the deceiving, disappointing characters we meet with in real life, we go straight to the Holy Book of GOD, and there inquire what He would have us to do, we light, not seldom, upon such a list of rare virtues and noble graces, that we are altogether at fault the other way: we say to ourselves, if all this be necessary, who then can be saved?

I can readily imagine such a thought coming into a man's heart when he reads our SAVIOUR's Blessings, pronounced in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, on the Poor in Spirit, the Meek, the Merciful, the Pure in heart, the Peace-makers, them that hunger and thirst after righteousness: I can imagine him saying, What a world of glories is here! what a gathering together of bright lights, such as surely were never found adorning any one living man, except Hiм who is both GOD and MAN! how is it possible that such a one as I am should ever be any thing like this? And when we come to find out, what Scripture plainly teaches, that not one nor two only, but all the Saints have been such as this; well may our hearts sink within us, and we may say to ourselves, what once was said to our SAVIOUR, Who then can be saved? The disciples uttered that cry, on being told that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of GOD. They thought sadly in their hearts, Who then can be saved? since all naturally love riches, and had rather be rich than poor. They spoke with reference to one only of the many graces of the perfect saintly character; to them it seemed too much to expect, that any should be poor in spirit, should prefer poverty to riches, and so enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: of course, when all the rest was added, Meekness, Peaceableness, Purity of heart, and the rest, it must have cast them into utter despair: over and over again they might say to themselves, Who then can be saved? "But JESUS beheld them, and said unto them, With man this is impossible, but not with GOD; for with GOD all things are possible." If you were left to yourselves, it would indeed be beyond your power; the smallest portion of a Saint's virtue would be more than you could attain unto. But you are not left to yourselves: as Christians, you have God to help you, GOD the Holy Ghost dwelling in your hearts: and with GOD all things are possible: He can change the heart, and renew the Spirit: He can make CHRIST's yoke easy, and His burthen light.

So in respect of St. Peter's account of what a Christian should add to his faith: if we had nothing to depend on but our own power or holiness, it would indeed be a hopeless task, to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge

temperance, and to temperance patience, and the rest. But as it is, the SPIRIT of power and love, having been given us in holy Baptism, we know that these things are not beyond our power, provided only that we take care not to drive away that good SPIRIT by our sins.

And it may help us in thinking of this, if we notice carefully what a force and virtue there is in true affection of any kind, to alter a man's whole heart and conduct; not one part only, but all of it. The true love of a wife, or child, of a kind friend, or of a gracious benefactor, when it really takes possession of a man, will make a wonderful change in his whole behaviour. It will cause him to deny himself, for the sake of pleasing and profiting those whom he loves: and when once that lesson is learned, there is no saying how greatly a person may improve in a very short time. So it is with a Christian person, if he will give himself up in earnest to the true love of God, when the HOLY SPIRIT has begun to shed it abroad in his heart. It will make all the difference to him in all respects. It will give him faith, for he will set his heart on the things above, which are out of sight, and will order all his ways with a view to them. It will give him courage he will not mind dangers nor difficulties, so he can please CHRIST Whom he loves. It will give him knowledge: when we love any one, it makes us quick and sharp in finding out what will please the beloved person. It will give him temperance: ordinary selfish pleasures will be nothing to him, because CHRIST, Whom he loves, is not in them.

Thus we may in some measure understand, how this one great thing, the Love of GoD, being truly received into a man's heart, brings with it all other good and holy principles, and makes that possible, nay, easy, which is in itself far beyond all the wisdom and strength of man. The Love of GoD can do this, because it is, in fact, the SPIRIT of GOD moving our hearts; and how can any thing be too hard for the ALMIGHTY SPIRIT of the MOST HIGH GOD?

Another thing to be considered is this. When the Scripture, as here by St. Peter, reckons up various duties, one after another, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and so on: we are apt to imagine that these great things are to be learned one by one, one after another; and

finding ourselves so imperfect in the very first, we say to ourselves, how ever shall we be sufficient for this great and manifold task? how ever will our life be long enough for it? And so we are tempted to give up our good endeavours in despair, But the truth is, these several things, faith, virtue, knowledge, and the rest, though they are distinct in themselves, are not distinct, not apart from each other in time, but go on together; true and hearty love, as I just now said, will teach them to us all at once. It is as if some officer were to give direction to a soldier on guard, and say to him, Add to your courage, caution; and to your caution, soberness; and to your soberness, wakefulness; and to your wakefulness, silence; and to your silence, presence of mind; and so on. Were a person to speak so, he would not of course mean that one of these good qualities should be practised at one time, another at another, but that all should be practised always; and, perhaps, he might add, that if a soldier had his heart in his duty, of course he would practise all these : which would be just like saying, where the true Love of God is, there will be Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, and all the rest. Men do not learn them one at a time, though circumstances may sometimes force one or more of them to be practised and exercised more than the rest; but they begin, and grow, and are perfected or decay together, as all the different limbs of a healthy body grow together with the growth of the body itself; or the branches of a tree with the growth of the tree.

It is, moreover, very manifest, that the several graces and virtues of the Christian character, give great help one to another. Each one of those which St. Peter here mentions will be the more easily attained, if we be careful to practise the one which he mentions next before it. For instance, I will speak first of that, at which I left off in my former examination of these words. Add to Temperance, says the Apostle, Patience. Now we know what temperance is, as the Apostle here would have us understand it. It means not merely keeping from excess of meat and drink, but also keeping in order our whole bodies, and our bodily pleasures and refreshments, our senses, and the desires of our hearts. We are told to practise this, and add to it Patience: i. e. not only to abstain from all dependence on bodily pleasures, but also to make up our minds to the quiet endurance of bodily pain and sickness,

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and also to the disappointment and anguish of the heart. Now you think a moment, you will presently see what a help one of these must be to the other. Abstinence from pleasures prepares both the mind and body to endure pains. Endure hardness, says St. Paul to Timothy, as a good soldier of JESUS CHRIST. Learn to do without softnesses, indulgences, enjoyments: lie hard, live hard, sleep, eat, and drink sparingly, that you may not shrink from CHRIST'S warfare when it waxes hot; that you may be hardened against the trials and evils which the devil or man will work against you.

And you will observe that the Apostles, both St. Peter and St. Paul, give this advice to every one. They do not say, You that have reason to expect trials and troubles, prepare yourself for them by temperance, patience, and self-denial; but they say to all Christians whatever, Endure hardness; add to your knowledge, temperance, and patience. We have all need of Patience : one and all, we have great need of it. Sooner or later we must all bear our Cross; only HE will give us our choice, whether we will take it unwillingly, and with fretful hearts, like the impenitent thief by our LORD's Cross: or rather, with humble, lowly, yet hopeful spirits, like him who relented, and who saw CHRIST that day in Paradise. When, therefore, you are trying yourself, as before God, to see if you are fit for Confirmation, ask yourself such questions as these: Am I better able to endure both pleasure and pain than I used to be? Do I refuse occasionally what I might innocently take, that I may the more thoroughly keep myself in order? When troubles come upon me, little or great, do I try to make that use of them which God intended? to soften my heart towards those who are in distress, and to turn it more and more away from this world?

This is that Patience which the Apostle in this place so earnestly exhorts us to labour after and to encourage us, he signifies that it will bring after it Godliness. Giving all diligence, add to your Patience Godliness. What is Godliness? It is seriousness, awe, reverence. It is having a deep sense of His Presence, who is about our path, and about our bed, and spieth out all our ways. Who would not wish to have such a mind as this, that he never should feel quite alone, but always carry about with him the sure and certain thought of the Invisible Eye