the spirit of the precept, "Be not ye called masters, for one is your master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." He will retain a constant recollection of the perfect equality of all men in the sight of God; and therefore no difference of rank or station, no superiority of wealth or of understanding, will inspire him with pride or self-exaltation. The humility of his Saviour will always be before his mind, as the pattern which he is striving to copy; and as he will be ready to forgive others, because Christ has procured his forgiveness, so he will be anxious to humble himself towards them, since his Lord and Master has set him the example of self-abasement. There is one part too of humility which he will especially strive to attain, as the most difficult of all. It is, meek submission to injuries and insults, without an attempt or a wish to return them. This is far more difficult than spontaneous self-humiliation, in which we humble ourselves in order to do some good to others, and in which we are supported by the happiness resulting from conferring a benefit, and by the preparation of mind required for our making the resolve. But in the trials of meekness which occur to us, this is not the case; they come upon us suddenly, and will find us unprepared, unless we have previously prayed for strength and support to enable us to do that which is most contrary to our natural inclinations. Here, however, we have His assistance to look to, whose example we are endeavouring to follow, "who, when

he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." We are not only taught by His precepts, but aided by His Spirit. And thus we learn to practise that difficult lesson, not only to yield place and pre-eminence to others whom we might think less worthy than ourselves, but to bear unjust reproof without replying, to submit to unprovoked affronts without revenging them.

There is no quality or disposition which is a surer test of our advancement in Christian goodness, than this pre-eminently Christ-like temper of humility. And, moreover, there is none whose existence in ourselves may be brought to an easier test. There are virtues, there are feelings, with regard to which we may without difficulty deceive ourselves, so as to fancy we possess them, when in truth they are most completely wanting in our character. But we cannot be so mistaken with respect to this. We cannot imagine that we are behaving humbly and meekly towards others, when we are in reality full of pride and arrogance in our conduct to them; for humility is a virtue which, it it exist at all, will be in daily, nay in hourly exercise. In the common intercourse of our social and domestic life, there are a thousand incidents perpetually occurring, which must call forth from us some manifestation either of humility or of pride. A short examination of our actions, and still more of our words, on each succeeding day, will be sufficient to convince us whether we are living in this respect as the followers of Christ.

Such an examination will prove, even to those who are most earnestly striving to be humble, how far short they fall of the perfect pattern which is set before them. And I would earnestly exhort all who hear me never to go to rest, after another daily portion of temptations and opportunities are over, without so bringing themselves to the test of truth, by comparing their conduct with their profession, and contrasting their humility with that of Christ. Let each of us ask himself, on every succeeding night, Has my conduct to-day towards my fellow-Christians been in any measure like that of my Saviour when he washed his disciples' feet? Has my mind been penetrated with that spirit of charity which vaunteth not itself, and is not puffed up? or have I suffered the transitory distinctions of this life, either to make me arrogant towards those below me in the worldly scale, or to fill me with an irritated and rebellious pride towards those above me? Have I, if unjustly rebuked, or insolently reproached, given that soft answer which turneth away wrath? or have I, on the contrary, returned pride for pride, and insult for insult? And when I have been tempted or provoked to transgress the law of Christian meekness, have I sought aid from that Saviour whose grace alone can enable me to follow His example? If, on asking ourselves such questions as these, our conscience tells us, as, alas! it will too often tell us, that we have been proud when we should have been humble, haughty when we ought to have been meek, rebel

lious when duty bade us be submissive, then let us not cease earnestly to implore Him who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, to bestow on us this heavenly grace of humility. Let us pray to Him to enable us ever more and more to subdue the corrupt and passionate feelings of our proud hearts, and daily to increase in us every meek and lowly temper; so that the temptations which have provoked us to act proudly to-day, may be occasions of humility to-morrow, and that those which prevail against us to-morrow, may, on each succeeding day, be more strongly and effectually resisted. Most assuredly such a prayer will not be despised nor rejected, by Him who "resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." He will be with us, by the almighty power of His Spirit, in our struggle with rebellious thoughts and angry passions; and so the evil without us will daily find less and less of co-operation from within. So shall we attain continually to that childlike temper which must belong to those who seek for entrance into Christ's heavenly kingdom.

So, under the banner

of his cross, shall we fight victoriously against the flesh and the devil, till we tame into submission the sin which most easily besets us; and so shall we realize in our hearts that promise of true peace which He gave us, when he said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

L

SERMON XII.

NOW IT IS HIGH TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP.

ROM. XIII. 11.

Now IT IS HIGH TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP, FOR NOW IS OUR SALVATION NEARER THAN WHEN WE BELIEVED.

"Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" -such is the motive by which St. Paul enforces on his Roman converts the necessity of holiness. But what is the meaning of this motive? and can it be applied to us, the English Christians of the nineteenth century, in the same sense as it was to the Roman Christians of the first century? These are important questions, which we must endeavour to answer, in order that this passage may be of any practical use to ourselves. Let us inquire, then, in the first place, what St. Paul meant by the expression "our salvation." There are two senses in which this might be understood here, either as signifying the time of Christ's coming to judgment, or as denoting, to each individual Christian, the moment when his own time of trial should be closed by death.