not yet where you will be called, or on what office sent, have already your calling, which you well know. The gifts you can now bring to your Lord are but small, like the loaves and fishes of that little one in the Gospel, but Christ, if He will, can make them useful to many. Only be patient, and be sure that you never lose what you offer to Him. No act of diligence, no act of self-denial, no act of brotherly love, no act of firmness against sin, no help given to another in the way of righteousness is lost. The only way you can lose it is, what God forbid, by fall

ing away from Him. "There are first that shall be last." One Apostle fell, fell so that "it had been better for that man if he had never been born."

But we believe and hope better things of you; and we may trust that none are come here this day but with the purpose, at least, of seeking to be strengthened for perseverance to the end. There is no lack of example and encouragement, no lack of help, if you will seek it; only bring a ready and a constant mind, like S. Andrew, who came at once, and persevered to the end, and the crown is yours.

n S. Matt. xix. 30.

• lb. xxvi. 24.

SERMON XXXII.

SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST.

ECCLES. v. 1.

"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools: For they consider not that they do evil."

This day is the Feast of a great Apostle and Evangelist, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who was favoured with the brightest visions of His glory that have been made known to man. Yet even to him and his brother S. James, when they were too bold and hasty, our Lord said "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." a

But this was for once. This holy Apostle learned the lesson our Lord meant to teach him, and from fiery zeal proceeded to fervent charity, and from eager and ambitious hope to a humble and patient waiting for Christ.

The figures of the four Evangelists are

» S. Luke ix. 55.

generally drawn or sculptured as accompanied each by one of the four living creatures which he saw in his vision, spoken of in the fourth chapter of Revelations. And the eagle is always placed with S. John, because that bird soars high into the Heavens, and gazes on the mid-day sun, even as S. John rises high in Heavenly meditations, and shews himself to have looked most stedfastly on the face of the Sun of Righteousness.

Now as the other Gospels were written to fix in the minds of Christian people the first lessons they had learned concerning the Son of God, so does that of S. John seem to have been written for their farther instruction, that they might see in it more clearly the glory of the city of God, into which they were brought, and the Light of it, even "the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world," and that is on the throne of God. And his other writings are of the same character, all touching so closely upon things unseen and Heavenly, that most men understand but little of them, for want of the spirit of holiness.

But there is another thing also to be observed in S. John, from which we may learn much it is the calm and reverent manner

b S. John i. 29.

in which he speaks of holy things, not quite without fear, but yet shewing the way to be free from fear, the way of love and careful reverence. You cannot read his words without perceiving that he remembers that God is above and he upon earth, and that, therefore, his words ought to be few. You cannot read him without seeing how constantly he takes pains to show that it is impossible without holiness to see God and Christ— that it is of no use to pretend to the knowledge of God without careful walking in His ways, and the practice of love towards man —that the knowledge of God is something so great and Heavenly that we must be careful how we seek it—and that as, knowing what we do of Him, we are in Heavenly places, and must learn to walk carefully, as in His presence.

If we wish for as near a view as possible of the Divine Glory, as shewn to man in the Person of our Blessed Saviour, it seems natural to look for it in the writings of this Apostle, who was His own peculiar Friend. For although all Scripture is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and every word of it is the Word of God, yet it pleased God to put His Word in the mouths of men, that we might the better understand it. And

especially in the New Testament we find that the men who were to declare His will to us were themselves renewed after His image, and made to speak their own minds when they spoke His words.

They declared to mankind what they had seen and heard, and what "their hands had handled of the Word of life." The law of

love was written in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, before they taught it with their mouths. They were so made like to Christ themselves, that they taught as much by their example as by their words.

We have not so much of the history of S. John as of that of some other Apostles. Yet we do know enough to shew us something of his character. For his writings shew us what was the bent of his mind, how much he was occupied in thinking of things above, and how full of love to God and man. They shew how he adored the majesty of our Saviour, how near he felt that Christians are brought to Him, and how needful he knew it to be that those who are brought near to him should be pure and holy in thought, word, and deed.

66

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, as of

« 1 S. John i. 1.