forth in the light and freedom of Christianity. Becoming a man in this new life, he renounced those dark and gloomy views of the Almighty which had made him a persecutor of the Christians; his eyes were opened so that he saw the paternity of God's character; the boundlessness and impartiality of his love; so that he saw that God would reward and punish his children according to their deeds, and that he would also, manifesting himself in the truth and life of his Son, bring them all, at last, to a condition of holiness and joy.

This apostle's example of Christian manliness and nobleness, of boldness and fidelity in proclaiming the great truths of the Christian religion, of broad charity and long suffering in his efforts to lead the children of error and sin into the way of truth and purity, of faith and hope, and love, in the path of spiritual progress, this example so marked and so prominent, should be seriously considered and practically followed by us. It is neither wise nor noble to cling to old systems of belief, if they are not true, to continue telling our falsehoods to the world, merely because our fathers and our mothers told them to us, before the lessons which now overturn them came to our ears, to adhere to old customs, old habits, old conventionalisms, when we see that there are better ones to be adopted and observed. Let us be Christian men and Christian women, and show ourselves as such in our readiness to obey the commands of God; in our earnestness and sincerity in worship, and in life; in our devotion to truth, justice and freedom; in our willingness, cheerfulness and alacrity, in the path of religious duty; in our purpose

and endeavor to throw off from our souls the whole burden of errors and sins which we have hitherto borne, and take upon them instead, as a new and easier load, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure.

In our childhood we were easily affected by tales of supernatural things. How readily we believed in ghosts and hobgoblins! How apt were we to be alarmed in the night by unusual sights and sounds! We were scared by the howling wind. We held our hands to our ears in fear when the thunder rolled. We could not breathe for fright when we looked alone upon the face, or touched the cold hand of a corpse. But now, in our maturer condition, we are not troubled by the strangest revelations. We listen with delight to the loud harps of the midnight storm, or to the softer lutes of the evening breeze. And we no longer regard with dread the lifeless, silent forms of the departed. We calmly, reverently, let them down into the grave, saying hopefully in our hearts, the soul lies not here. That is in the golden light of heaven around us; and the memory of that shall live within our thought forever.

This is an illustration of our progress in religious truth, and religious life. In the childhood of our religion we are easily wrought upon by the appeals and the warnings made to our fears; and we were easily led to believe in the terrible, the cruel, the ugly, as having more power over us than the lovely, the good, and the beautiful. But when we pass from this religious childhood to Christian manhood, we are no longer troubled

with visions of a frowning God. We walk by the side of a Companion and Comforter, who banishes from our sight all the ghosts and phantoms of evil, and calls to be our associates and teachers whole legions of angels.

But this Companion and Comforter does not tell us all things at once. Gradually he leads us along, from day to day, from year to year; unfolding to us at every step new views, new prospects; directing us to still loftier heights which we have not reached, and still broader landscapes which we have not overlooked. And even at the farthest point in the journey of the earth, he still leads on, saying to us, "You now know but in part, you now can prophesy but in part; but when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall be taken away. In your childhood, you spake as a child, you understood as a child, you thought as a child; but when you became a man you put away childish things. So now you but see through a glass darkly, but hereafter you shall see face to face. Now you but know in part; but in the world to come, you shall know me, even as I also shall know you."

DISCOURSE XVII.

FAST.

MATTHEW VI. 34.

TAKE THEREFORE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW.

A better rendering of the Saviour's language would have been: Take no over-anxious thought for the morrow. Or, as Milton paraphrases it, "Be not overexquisite to cast the fashion of future uncertain ills." It was not his aim to make his hearers indifferent with reference to the future, but to teach them that they should not look forward with apprehensions. It was enough to bear the burdens, to feel the sorrows, of the present, and to take their meaning to heart. There would be time enough to consider the evils of the future, after their arrival. A morbid anxiety about them would be wrong. It would prove a lack of trust in God, a doubt of his providence and protecting care.

The Saviour saw the faithlessness of the people in his time. He saw that their reliance on the overruling One was weak. So he taught them of his parental character, and assured them that he would just as particularly provide for their necessities, as he

would clothe the flowers of the field, or feed the fowls of the air.

We cannot tell how many received his word with confidence. We can only say that it was a true word, and that it ought to have been accepted and particularly heeded by all who heard him.

And it ought to be accepted and particularly heeded by all those who hear him now. God is the same in

all ages. His providence is still over all. He is yet the infinite Father, and under his care his children ought now to live in trust, and press forward with courage and hope. It is our duty to look at the wisdom, justice, and benevolence of his ways, and to pursue the path of life in the belief that he is doing more for us than we ask him to do in our most earnest prayers. It is our duty to give ourselves up in faith and submission to his government, to turn all things of to-day, even the most sad and bitter in connection with our lives, to the best account, and to subdue all thoughts of fear or despondency, as to what may take place in the future.

I do not imagine that any one here is disposed to gainsay what I have just said. Everybody, in every Christian community, accepts this view of God, and our duty.

But how much more is it to the Christians of the present time than a theory? We all put it forth in our speech, in fair weather, and while on smooth roads, as a grand and encouraging idea. But how do we regard it when the skies are cloudy, when storms and tempests rage, when troubles are thronging in our path?