themselves they are so thoroughly acquainted. None know less of the world than those who pride themselves on being men of the world. For the true light, which shines all round them, they do not see, and therefore they do not see the truth of things by that light. If they did, then they would see that of which now they do not even dream. They would see that God was around them, about their path and about their bed, and spying out all their ways; and in the light of his presence, they dare not be frivolous, dare not be ignorant, dare not be mean, dare not be spiteful, dare not be unclean. They would see that Christ was around them, knocking at the door of their hearts, that he may enter in, and dwell there, and give them peace; crying to their restless, fretful, confused, unhappy souls, 'Come unto me, all ye 'that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 'give you rest. 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.' They would see that Duty was around them. : G Duty-the only thing really worth living for. The only thing which will really pay a man, either for this life or the next. The only thing which will give a man rest and peace, manly and quiet thoughts, a good conscience and a stout heart, in the midst of hard labour, anxiety, sorrow, and disappointment: because he feels at least that he is doing his duty; that he is obeying God and Christ, that he is working with them, and for them, and that, therefore, they are working with him, and for him. God, Christ, and Duty-these, and more, will a man see, if he will awake out of sleep, and consider where he is, by the light of God's Holy Spirit. Then will that man feel that he must cast away the works of darkness; whether of the darkness of foul and base sins; or the darkness of envy, spite, and revenge; or the mere darkness of ignorance and silliness, thoughtlessness and frivolity. He must cast them away, he will see. They will not succeed-they are not safe-in such a serious world as this. The term of this mortal life is too short, and too awfully important, to be spent in such dreams as these. The man is too awfully near to God, and to Christ, to dare to play the fool in their Divine presence. This earth looks to him, now that he sees it in the true light, one great temple of God, in which he dare not, for very shame, misbehave himself. He must cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life; lest, when Christ comes in his glory to judge the quick and the dead, he be found asleep, dreaming, useless, unfit for the eternal world to come. : Then let him awake, and cry to Christ for light and Christ will give him light—enough, at least, to see his way through the darkness of this life, to that eternal life of which it is written,They need no candle there, nor 'light of the sun for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light thereof.' And he will find that the armour of light is an armour indeed. A defence against all enemies, a helmet for his head, and breastplate for his ( heart, against all that can really harm his mind or soul. If a man, in the struggle of life, sees God, and Christ, and Duty, all around him, that thought will be a helmet for his head. It will keep his brain and mind clear, quiet, prudent to perceive and know what things he ought to do. It will give him that Divine wisdom, of which Solomon says, in his Proverbs, that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The light will give him, I say, judgment and wisdom to perceive what he ought to do; and it will give him, too, grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same. For it will be a breastplate to his heart. It will keep his heart. sound, as well as his head. It will save him from breaking his good resolutions, and from deserting his duty out of cowardice, or out of passion. The light of Christ will keep his heart pure, unselfish, forgiving; ready to hope all things, believe all things, endure all things, by that Divine charity which God will pour into his soul. For when he looks at things in the light of Christ, what does he see? Christ hanging on the cross, praying for his murderers, dying for the sins of the whole world. And what does the light which streams from that cross show him of Christ? That the likeness of Christ is summed up in one word-self-sacrificing love. What does the light which streams from that cross show him of the world and mankind, in spite of all their sins? That they belong to him who died for them, and bought them with his own most precious blood. 'Beloved, herein is love indeed. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and 'sent his Son to be the propitiation of our ⚫ sins. 'Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.' After that sight a man cannot hate; canno revenge. He must forgive; he must love. From hence he is in the light, and sees his duty and his path through life. For he that hateth 'his brother, walketh in darkness, and knoweth |