escape himself in his intercourse with others. He was like a monument which overlooks sea and land, grand, immovable, but very lonely.

Thus our temptations may come from our virtues no less than from our vices. The virtues and vices often grow out of the same roots; and there are tendencies, good in themselves, which become bad in their unbalanced excess. There are also bad tendencies in the blood, hard to eliminate by discipline, which are inherited from the past. Our temptations come, moreover, from habits we may have unconsciously and innocently formed, a habit of self-justification, of fault-finding, of looking at the dark side of things; a habit of irreverence in word or action, adopted perhaps out of gayety of heart, out of dislike to religious and moral cant, but not the less dangerous; a habit of anxiety, or one of procrastination, or of satire and sarcastic speech; or a custom of talking about one's self, or indulgence in a wilful determination to have our own way in everything. These habits are the sins which easily beset us, which hamper the soul and debase it.

Then there are temptations peculiar to races, to nationalities, to occupations, to position. The temptation of the English is to honor power, of the French to worship glory, of the Americans to admire smartness. The lawyer, the preacher, the platform orator, are all tempted to put rhetoric for logic, plausible and persuasive sophisms for solid

truths. The temptation of the conservative is to oppose all reform; of the reformer to carry reform into revolution. The temptation of the Orthodox believer is to fear progress; that of the heretic to take pride in not believing, and to think that because the houses of our forefathers are narrow and disagreeable, we can live out of doors with no house at all.

These are the sins which easily beset us. But let us not forget that if we are surrounded by temptations, God has with every temptation opened a way of escape. The influences to good are also within us and around us, and are mightier than those which lead to evil. Where sin abounds, grace yet more abounds. Were it not for this, life would be too hard, and duty too difficult.

First of all consider this, that man has the wonderful faculty of reflection. He can stand apart from himself and look at himself. He is capable of self-knowledge, that self-knowledge which ancient wisdom declared to have come down from heaven. He can judge himself, discover his own faults, acknowledge them, and so rise above them and at last conquer them. The first step is to get rid of self-justification and excuses, to see ourselves as we are. But even this self-examination must not go too far. It is not necessary or desirable to be always dissecting our character and analyzing our motives. Let us simply keep a watch over ourselves, and when we go wrong, see

it and frankly admit it. This is confession, and of this the deepest experience has said, "that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When we do not palliate, disguise, or justify our faults, but are willing to see them as they are, to put them behind us, and return to the right way, then God's forgiveness appears in his taking away the burden of evil. Then we are converted, and become as little children; like little children we are light of heart, free of soul, able to look up, to hope, to trust in the heavenly help and the divine love. It is God's law that it should be so; not merely God's compassion, but his justice is pledged to it. It is a part of the order of the universe that he who is willing to see and admit his sin shall be thus inwardly made new.

This great law of recovery and renewal is the first good thing which helps us. Then comes the goodness which surrounds us; the good men and women we know and have known; the good and noble lives we have seen; the inspiration of good books, sacred Scriptures, tender and noble poems, the presence of God above and around us; the gracious providence which blesses us day by day. All this gives us faith in goodness; and faith in the reality and power of goodness is another great help to resist temptation and conquer sin.

There is also in human nature the wonderful power of adopting an ideal aim and pursuing it

in spite of all obstacles. This power has been the secret of vast accomplishment. A persistent purpose is almost sure, in the long run, to triumph. This faculty belongs to man. Animals have a purpose, and act with an intention; but, so far as we know, no animal ever adopts an ideal aim and pursues it. The dog, the ant, the half-reasoning elephant, pursue the aims common to their race, the purposes fixed in their nature. But man can say, "I will devote my life to becoming rich, to becoming wise, to becoming powerful." Or he may say, "I will make it the object of my life to grow, to form a noble character, and to this aim all others shall be secondary."

Then, too, by self-scrutiny we see that there is a power of goodness within us by which we may hope to conquer evil. Every one has a good side, a tendency upward. Total depravity is an absurdity and an impossibility. And if there is hereditary depravity, there is also hereditary goodness. That, also, has become a part of our blood and brain. In every human being there is not only some peculiar weakness, some besetting sin, but also some special strength, some element of power. It is just as important, just as much a duty, to find out the good side of our character as the bad side, for we need this as an encouragement and help. For the same reason it is the duty of parents, teachers, and friends to show children and youth not only their faults, but also their good qualities. Those who dislike us

can find our faults; we need also that those who love us should tell us, not only what we ought to do, but what we can do. If we all have some sin which easily besets us, we have also some goodness which is ready to help us. And by encouraging the good side of our life we conquer the evil.

Another great and blessed help is the society and companionship of good people, of those better than ourselves, of those who are going the right way. This strengthens in us everything which is best.

The real object of the Christian church is to give us good company; to put one who is trying to do right with others who are also trying to do right. Jesus gave the definition of his church when he said, Where two or three meet together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He does not say where a large number sit side by side, but where two or three meet together. It is not a meeting of outward, visible contact, but of inward communion of mind and heart. And "in his name." That does not mean calling him Lord, Lord! but being in his spirit, having his purpose, meeting to do his work. If two or three unite together to help the Lord's poor, to redeem the slave, to aid each other in growing better and wiser, then, though Jesus has gone up to God, his Father and ours, he will come to make another invisible companion in that group of his serMany people try to get into good society; they strain every nerve to gain another step in their social position. But the best society in the world

vants.