that of obedience and humility, they retire to its meet abode in the despised Galilee and poor Nazareth, from which no good, it was thought, could come. And the Child grew, the Everlasting God grew as a child,—and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: the human soul within increasing in stature even as the body: and the grace of God was upon Him.

What an awful lesson that we despise not the day of small things! This is the purifying fire burning in secret, that it may bring down our high thoughts, to the Child, to Nazareth, to poverty and obscurity, to growth in daily discipline of ignoble labour and subjection.

One word more on these concluding words of the Gospel. Some persons, it is said, in contemplating the vastness of the material universe, as opened to us by astronomy, and indicating the infinite and unspeakable creations of God, feel a difficulty in reconciling this with the humiliation of Christ as seen in the flesh, and known as Son of the Carpenter. But if so, it must be from not sufficiently considering of what far greater worth that which is moral and spiritual is to any manifestation of what is material, however great. As our Lord says, "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" intimating that the worth of one soul is so unspeakably great, that it admits not at all of comparison with anything which we behold which is earthly and perishable; so that among the highest creations of God there is joy over one soul that escapeth.

In this light, then, we may estimate what love is; it is of a nature infinitely higher-it is Divine; nay more, God Himself is Love. In this, then, the appearance of Christ as a little Child in the Temple, and growing up as a Child in a poor household at Nazareth, it may be said

without doubt, that when lost in our speculations on the extent of the visible universe, "the thousand times ten thousands that minister before Him," of suns of suns, and worlds on worlds, noted and numbered, and without number, infinite and innumerable; yet, after all, it is not so overwhelming to human thought, so inconceivably great and wonderful as is this love. Human knowledge may trace out, and understand something of the former,— nothing can in any way fathom or comprehend the latter but that which passeth knowledge-the love which is of God.

Since writing the above the Author has read "An Essay of the Plurality of Worlds" with much interest, but no acquiescence in its conclusions. For, 1st, inferring, as we naturally do, that the other worlds are inhabited, we suppose it must be in a manner totally different from our own; and therefore, to show that the Moon and Planets are not capable of sustaining an animal existence similar to our own does not touch the question. 2ndly, We are in a state of corruption, with all nature groaning and travailing in pain together, a life made up of death: and hence we may infer, a state of exception and anomalous; and therefore, to judge of other creations of God, we must draw our notions not from our present condition, but from what it would have been before the fall or will be after the restoration of mankind,-states of which we can form no conceptions whatever. 3rdly, To us, as fallen creatures, God is especially revealed as a God of Mercy: in this we are called upon to imitate Him, and put on His resemblance. We have no reason to believe that any mere cultivation of the intellect raises us nearer to God.

SERMON LXXVII.

Saint Matthias's Day.

Acts i. 15-26. St. Matt. xi. 25-30.

THE LOST CROWN.

Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. REV. iii. II.

HERE is something sad and awful in this Festival,

THERE

which affords it the same suitableness to the season of Lent as the Annunciation afterwards has to that of our Lord's Passion. For our thoughts dwell less on St. Matthias than on that fallen Apostle into whose place he was chosen. The history of Judas is so striking and impressive; it reminds us of the angels that kept not their first estate of our first parents falling from Paradise-of the Jews, the chosen people of God, being rejected—of individuals also forfeiting great privileges, as Esau, and Saul, and Balaam-and especially of the Christians which fall from their state of grace. It is in itself so fearful and wonderful; the suddenness of his fall, its irremediable nature, the blessedness of his privileges, the trifling temptation for which they were sold, his apparent sanctity

even throughout, so as for him to have been suspected of none; our Lord's many warnings to him, the many tokens of His love to the very last; his indifference to them all; the vast change in a few days, as from Heaven to the depths of hell,-from sitting with God to be the companion of devils; and all these things left on record as an especial warning to ourselves. Thus we may observe in the passage from the Acts appointed for the Epistle, St. Peter dwells much on the history of Judas; but very little is told us of St. Matthias. And the Gospel that follows with its call to meekness, so suitable to the awful subject of the day, points out the way to escape downfal so terrible; warning that we be not high-minded, but fear, with our Lord's own peculiar consolation under terrors so great.

It was now in that " upper room" at Jerusalem, in which, after our Lord's ascension into Heaven, "they continued with one accord in prayer and supplication," waiting for the coming of the Holy Ghost. In those days, it is added, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. Our Lord Himself apparently alludes to the same, saying, "that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with Me hath lifted up his heel against Me." But the Psalms, indeed, as speaking so much in the Person of Christ, often allude to Judas, as throughout the 109th Psalm.

And here we may pause to observe how everything, great or small, good or evil, or apparently indifferent,

is said to have occurred in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, with the intent, no doubt, that we should consider all things as the ordering of God. The effect of thus showing that God had spoken, and that therefore it is His disposing or by His permission, speaks immediately to the heart of man; if it is something apparently trivial, it arrests us as to what is great and Divine; if something that seems to us unaccountable, it suggests that there are reasons for it we know not of; if it is something grievous to bear, it teaches resignation; if prosperous, it refers us to the Giver of all good; if something irritating in the conduct of others, it disposes to forgiveness and forbearance. It tells us in all cases that it is God's doing, and therefore infinitely wise and good. It is thus observing with awe the hand of God which makes the Apostle to speak with such calmness of the traitor, applying to him no word of reproach or anger. Oh, most needful lesson for us! A stronger case of aggravation at successful wickedness could not have occurred, yet no expression of irritation escapes any one of the Apostles. St. Peter simply speaks of him as "guide to them that took Jesus."

For he was numbered with us, he adds, and had obtained part of this ministry. He was one of the Twelve sent forth to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, and to cast out devils. But this his end, and all the circumstances of it so well known, were predicted of God, as also this filling up of his place. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written