said to his father, "I go, sir, and went not." Now the Divine life of Christ subordinated innocent human desires to itself by degrees; had it not been so, His would not have been a real humanity, it would have been an emptying Himself of all human feelings, because He would have then been merely Deity in human shape. The struggle in the mind of Christ is expressed in these words, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name." He was literally distracted between two feelings, the innocent feeling, the natural craving after life, and the higher feeling which desired to embrace the will of God; the one is expressed in the first of these prayers, "Father, save me from this hour," the other in this, "Father, glorify thy name."

And now let us perceive the steps through which this victory was won-it was through the efficacy and force of prayer. Prayer is by no means a mere talisman through which we substitute our will for that of God, but it is more truly that communion of the mind with God through which our will becomes at last merged into His will. If there is any condition necessary for the perfection of prayer it was that of this prayer of Christ, for it was an innocent, humble prayer, one of submission and of faith,—" Father, save me from this hour." But that prayer was not granted, if to grant a prayer be to fulfil the longings of our humanity ; but it was answered in a higher sense, for by degrees the wish itself passed away, and the wish of the man became the wish of God. And so there was one entire perfect will, the will of the Father being that of the Son,-" Father, glorify thy name."

Here, then, in conclusion, is given to us the one perfect

specimen of a true battle of a human soul, and the soul's true victory; here is given us the one perfect pattern by which we may understand the true efficacy of prayer; and here is also given us the true sacrifice of personal will, the sacrifice of "Him who, through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God." This sacrifice is most truly expressed in the Psalmist's words, "Lo I come to do thy will, O God." That is the one atoning sacrifice through which the world's life comes; and that becomes our life when the spirit of that sacrifice has become ours, and we have learned what is meant by the apostle when, writing to the Romans, he beseeches them " to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service."

XXIV.

PURE RELIGION.

(FROM AUTOGRAPH NOTES.)

Brighton, November 2, 1851.

"Pure religion and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."-St. James i. 27.

THIS

HIS is evidently a protest ;` pure religion in opposition to impure or corrupted religion.

There were perversions of the Gospel in early times, such as that of licentiousness, of which we spoke last Sunday. In St. James's time God's sovereignty was corrupted thus : "He is the Cause of everything, therefore of sin. Sin is His plan to salvation. Sin, therefore, is a phantom, a nothing. Don't make yourselves uneasy about it. If a man's person is accepted, his acts do not signify. Christians are free from all restraints on the affections of the heart." This was evidently the doctrine to which St. James refers when he says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man." Observe how arguments are sought for sin it honours God; or God has decreed it; or our nature is weak!

Now St. James's answer was an appeal to first principles, for this doctrine outrages them: "Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." And there is no other answer. If you choose to say, "I am fated," there is no reply. God foreknows it; it will be; therefore it must be. But we can appeal to conscience ; and every healthy conscience says there is a flaw in the reasoning, though no reason can show you where the flaw is. I appeal to those principles which govern common life. Make that defence before a judge. If you make it insolently, you are condemned; if in earnest, you are put in a mad-house.

So in religion. And remark, whatever encourages sin or makes light of it is not religion. All these fine boastings about being the elect of God are vain :-“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." St. James comes down to the practical.

:

And now beware of tampering with that difficulty. It will be a snare leading to ruin. We lay the blame on God; we say, "Why had we these appetites except for gratification?" I have a firm conviction that this thought when yielded to treads down all distinction between right and wrong. We think we are fated, and we charge God with our sins.

Let us recur to the deepest feeling of the heart, which says, "Good is from God."

St. James shows us religion in two branches: benevolence and self-government.

I. "To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.”
Here is Charity.

II. "To keep himself unspotted from the world."
Here is Purity.

I. Duty of Charity.

Now benevolence

1. Its first principle is benevolence. is always active. I lay stress on the word "visit." Observe the necessity of interpreting Scripture according to its spirit, and not its letter. This in the letter would be impossible. It would cut off from religion the afflicted and the young, who, from want of experience, and because of the offensiveness of visiting, could not. Besides, imagine the time of sadness taken up in condolences; the poor man's house made a public receptacle for rich folk practising benevolence. Therefore, interpret this passage in its spirit. Go to seek, do not wait till affliction offers itself. This is the peculiar spirit of Christian philanthropy. It is illustrated by the example of the Sœurs de Charité, of Howard, and of Ashley.

The time is coming when the warrior's wreath will be seen to be blood-dabbled, and the law-lord's coronet only a homage to talent. Real bravery is active goodness. These are the grander walks. But on a large scale or a small, this is your principle: "Be active in good."

2. The second principle of Charity is sympathy.

"Visit:" do not relieve, do not advise. There are times when relief is an impertinence and advice an insult; times when pressure of the hand and a glistening eye are more eloquent than gold.