he not only hears of his Judge, and sees Hiм near in the affliction of others, but actually feels HIM in his own person? What madness, what worse than childish folly, when such things happen, for instance, when you have sick friends at home,-to be taken up merely with trying to amuse yourself, or still worse, with your old sins!

The next thought of the penitent thief was, to acknowledge the Justice of GOD, and the perfect Purity of JESUS CHRIST. "We indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss." Here he furnishes another most needful lesson to all who suffer in any way, to lay the blame where they ought; to reconcile themselves to their own lot by recollecting our LORD's sufferings, innocent and holy as He was; sufferings endured for their sake. Believe me, there is no such consolation in this world of calamity, as when you make up your minds to cast yourself entirely on the mercy of your God and Father, to resign yourself, body and soul, to His will. There is nothing that can sooth even bodily pain like the remembrance of our LORD on the Cross. And on the other hand, there is nothing so wretched as that complaining, uneasy disposition, which would make you think all things hard. It is, in fact, as far as it goes, saying to one's self, "there is no God:" for so in fact he says to himself, who allows his own heart to wander in complaining thoughts, accusing GoD of injustice and unkindness.

Finally, this true penitent teaches all men, to the end of the world, what is the perfection of true Faith: to forget things present, and turn to CHRIST, living and dying, with this one care, That HE of His mercy would be pleased to remember us, when He returns in His glorious Kingdom. May it be found in the heart of us all (as, surely, God has put it in the power of us all) to follow His example, and partake of His blessing!

SERMON CCXL.

CHRISTIAN HOPE.

SEXAGESIMA.

ROMANS viii. 28.

"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God."

As the Collect for last Sunday served especially to nourish Faith, so that appointed for to-day is an expression of true Christian Hope. "O LORD GOD, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; mercifully grant, that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity, through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD."

Those who love to find fault with all things as they are, have not scrupled sometimes to accuse this prayer of high presumption; as if more were asked in it, than mortal man should dare ask for. To be defended from all adversity, they say, is not the condition of sinners in this world, and therefore it is vain and wrong to pray for it. But let the right meaning of the prayer be considered, by comparison with this promise of St. Paul in the text, "that all things shall work together for good to them that love God." Such prayers and such promises do not point to an unmixed condition of nothing but enjoyment in this world, any more than those verses in the Psalms: "Delight thou in the LORD, and HE shall give thee thine heart's desire;" and again, "There shall no evil happen unto thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." They give no pledge to a good and religious man, that he shall be free from worldly trouble; but they do give a most distinct pledge, resting on the faithfulness of GOD ALMIGHTY, that

all his troubles will turn to the best. So that he will most surely perceive in the end, that it was good for him to be in trouble." The language, then, and the meaning of Scripture, is plain. But do we always find indeed, in real life and actual experience, that such as trust GOD in earnest, are, in this sense, defended against adversity? Do we always find them less afflicted, or sooner comforted after affliction, than the children of this world are?

In the first place, we do not know for certain-none but the All-seeing Father knows-who they are that trust God in earnest. It may be that many persons, who appear to us religious and good, are nourishing some secret discontent, charging God foolishly in their hearts. That melancholy and lowness of spirits, of which so much is to be seen, even among men of blameless character, men attentive to the ordinances of outward religion,—much of it must needs be ascribed to the wilfulness of corrupt man, who will not make up his mind to let God do what He knows to be best. So far, then, God's word is sure; if such men have not their hearts' desire, they must not complain, as if they were ill-used; for they have not qualified themselves for the blessing, they have not learned to "delight themselves in the LORD."

Again, as we cannot certainly know who they are that trust in GOD, so neither can we tell accurately what is affliction and what is not, even in this present world. Things turn out so very differently from what beforehand we should have looked for, short and imperfect as our sight is, that very often in respect of worldly comfort the loss most lamented proves the greatest gain. Every person at all advanced in life, provided he be also used to take things not as a mere unbeliever would, but to refer all to the Providence of GOD--every such person, I think, must remember instances within his own experience, of sorrows turning into blessings-instances too of such a kind, that people around him knew nothing of them; according to the most true observation of King Solomon, “The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy."

Thus our very ignorance, it appears, should in all reason reconcile us to whatever we might at first think hard in the course of God's all-ruling Providence. We see that even in this un

equal world He has ten thousand ways, secret to us,

of "making

all things work together for good to such as love HIM in earnest."

And ignorant as we are of the mysteries of Providence, even we may sometimes discern enough of these His wonderful doings, to make us, if we have a spark of Faith, give credit to them where we see them not. The HOLY SPIRIT in the Bible history has, as it were, lifted up the curtain, to show us, by some remarkable instances, the hand of the ALMIGHTY ordering all things, even the least and what seem the most untoward, to the good of those who love and trust HIM. Take, for a first instance, that which cannot fail to win the heart, even of every little child, who is but beginning to think of GOD; take the story of Joseph and his brethren. What could be a greater misfortune, than to be envied, hated, and sold for a slave, by one's own brethren, thirsting for one's blood? and yet this was the very thing which led to Joseph's glory in Egypt, and caused him to be remembered, in all ages, as a proverb of God's protecting favour. Or, to take an instance yet more wonderful, and not to be mentioned but with deep awe and reverence; who could have expected that the treachery of Judas, the dishonesty of Pilate, the malice of the Jews, should turn out to be the direct way of bringing our Divine SAVIOUR to the unspeakable joy and glory set before HIM? These things whoever remembers, how can he choose but make up his mind to believe all God's promises to the faithful, how contrary soever to present appearances? How can he possibly doubt in his heart, that the GoD and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST has ways and means ever at hand, to make the worst turn out for the best?

This then is a Christian's hope, and this is what he means and professes, when he prays to ALMIGHTY GOD to be evermore defended from all adversity. He prays that he may have such a mind, that God would give him such a spirit, as to take out the sting of all that may happen, which would otherwise be most grievous to him. He prays that his Father, for CHRIST's sake, would lighten the sorrows of this life, according as He knows him able to bear; and would turn them, by His unfailing grace, into so many joys and comforts in regard of the life which is to

come. And this prayer he is sure will be granted, if asked in the

right Christian temper.

And what is the right Christian temper? The Collect tells us what it is not; it is, "not putting our trust and confidence in any thing that we do ourselves." The Apostle in the text tells us what it is; it is, in one word, "loving God." Let these two expressions be fairly considered, and it will be seen at once but too clearly, why the real life of Christians, such as one witnesses every day, is so very unlike what one should expect in persons favoured with such gracious promises.

First, profess as often as they may that they put not their trust in any thing that they do, much of their conduct bears testimony against them, that they continue still in heart self-sufficient. Why are they so ready to sink and despond, when their projects in life are disappointed, if it were not that at first setting out they depended too much on their own success, they did not with a true religious mind commit their work and counsel to the LORD?

Why are they so often discontented and unthankful, even when they have won their aims, except because they expected to be happy in them? that is, they expected far more than is to be had in this life; they thought to choose out their own happiness, instead of leaving it in the hands of their CREATOR. Why are they so full of bitter comparisons between their own losses and disappointments, and what they choose to call and imagine the happier lot of other men? It is because they do not lay to heart, that neither themselves, nor those whom they envy, can have any sure ground of hope, any real or abiding happiness, but in God the Fountain of all good, through His Son JESUS CHRIST. Once make up your mind to that, and the temptation to envy is gone; for who that knows he has a treasure in Heaven, could be grieved or angry, because another has more of some trifling earthly good?

The envy, therefore, and vexation, and discontent, which prevail so generally among men, shows clearly that they still keep their hope and confidence in the wrong place: they will persist in depending on what they can gain for themselves here, what they can do by their own strength. No wonder if such are disappointed, and find all their hope in the end mere "vanity and