telling us? I said this moment, that the Spirit of Christ was in a Christian man, unless he be a reprobate. And the text says further, that there are diversities of gifts in Christian men: but the same spirit in all of them.

Yes people will be different one from another. There are diversities of gifts. Differences in talents, in powers, in character, in kinds of virtue and piety; so that you shall find no two good men, no two useful men, like each other. But there is the same Spirit. The same Spirit of God is in each, though bearing different fruit in each. And there are differences of administrations, of offices, in God's kingdom. God sets one man to do one work, and another to do another: but it is the same Lord who puts each man in his place, and shews him his work, and gives him power to do it. And there are diversities of operations, that is, of ways of working; so that if you put any two men to do the same thing, they will most probably do it each in a different way, and yet both do it well. But it is the same God, who is working in them both; the God who works all in all, and has his work done by a thousand different hands, by a thousand different ways.

And it is right and good that people should be so different from each other. 'For the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every

If all men were alike, no one could 1 neighbour. If all mankind were as lil as a flock of sheep, there would be no no more progress, no more improven kind, than there is in a flock of sheep man can bring his own little share o or usefulness into the common stock. has, or ought to have, something neighbour. Each man can learn son his neighbour at least he can learn patience with his neighbour. To live To bear with what in him seems odd able, trusting that God may have that God has need of it; that God of it. God makes use of many thing to us ugly and disagreeable.

He

the spider, and of the beetle. How our brethren, members of Christ, chil inheritors of the kingdom of hea they be to us, even if they be odd able in some things-shall they be beetle or the spider, or any other m things? They are men and women the Spirit of the if they are good

enough for us.

living God. And

enough for God, th Think but one m

Son dies for that man, God the Holy Ghost inspires that man; and shall we be more dainty than God? If, in spite of the man's little weaknesses and oddities, God shall condescend to come down and dwell in that man, making him more or less a good man, doing good work; shall we pretend that we cannot endure what God endures? Shall we be more dainty, I ask again, than the holy and perfect God? Oh my friends, let us pray to him to take out of our hearts all selfishness, fancifulness, fastidiousness, and hasty respect of persons, of all which there is none in God. Let us ask for his Spirit, the Spirit of Charity, which sees God in all, and all in God, and therefore sees good in all, and sees all in love.

Then we shall see how much more there is in our neighbours to like, than to dislike. Then all these little differences will seem to us trifles not to be thought of, before the broad fact of a man's being, after all, a man, an Englishman, a Christian, and a good Christian, doing good work where God has put him. Then we shall be ashamed of our old narrowness of heart; ashamed of having looked so much at the little evil in our neighbours, and not at the great good in them. Then we shall go about the world cheerfully; and our neighbours' faces will seem to us full of light: instead of seeming full of darkness, because our own

eyes and minds are dark for wa Then we shall come to the Commu hearts narrowed and shut up, perh very person who kneels next to us: hearted; with hearts as wide-al

were possible! as the sacred hear which is room for all mankind.

An

his body, which is the blessed co faithful people, we shall receive dwelleth in them, and they in him.

SERMON XVI.

ST. PAUL.

(Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.)

1 COR. XV. 8.

Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

YOU heard in this text (part of the Epistle for

γου

this day) St. Paul's opinion of himself. You heard, also, in the Second Lesson for this day, the ninth chapter of Acts, the extraordinary story of his conversion.

And what may we learn from that story? We may learn many lessons; lessons without number. We may learn, first; not to be astonished, if we have to change our opinions as we grow older. When we are young, we are very positive about this thing and that, as St. Paul was; violent in favour of our own opinions; ready to quarrel with any one who differs from us, as St. Paul was. But let ten years, twenty years, roll over our heads, and we may find our opinions utterly changed, as St. Paul did, and look back with astonishment on ourselves, for having been foolish