waste common, and put you in here into a fold, where you are safe from so much danger and sin. It means that when you dress and undress, you should remember that as you then put off and put on your clothes, so some day you will have to put off this body that you now have, and that it depends on how you have been living here, whether you put it on again, far more glorious and beautiful than ever it was; or whether you wake up at the Judgment-day, to that which Daniel calls "shame and everlasting contempt," to that which our LORD speaks of as "the resurrection of damnation."

Yes, my children, believe me, it is no easy thing to any one to buy the Truth. All I can say is: It is not so difficult to you as it is to some. But then, remember that the easier GOD's goodness has made it to you, the more He will expect from you.

But this is only half the text. "Buy the truth, and sell it not." What does that mean, selling the truth? It means giving up that which we know to be right for some pleasure or advantage in this world. It was because they would not sell the Truth that the Martyrs, of whom you have heard so much, laid down their lives. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy." Now it is not likely that any of you will

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ever be tempted thus to sell the Truth. But I

heard the other day

I was being shown

will tell you a story that I when I was away from you. over a very large school; and among other places I was taken to see, was the great bedroom— dormitory, as they call it-where as many as eighty boys sleep in beds side by side, like yours. Now it is the custom that before they go to bed, they should all kneel down and say their prayers; and it is a rule that there should be silence kept for a certain time in order that they may. But, about twenty years ago, out of all those eighty boys, not one ever said any prayers. They were ashamed to seem to have any religion, and so they used to go to bed every night as heathens might have done. But about that time, there went to that school a boy, not more than eleven or twelve years old, not strong in his health, and rather backward in his learning. The first night he slept in this room, he looked round to see if any were going to say their prayers or not; and he found that first one and then another got into bed without any thought of them. Then it came into his head, that after all he might just as well say them in bed too: that if one prays with all one's heart, it does not matter whether we kneel down or no. But then again he remembered what our LORD says, "Whosoever therefore shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My FATHER Which is in heaven.” And so, after a great struggle with himself, he took

courage and knelt down. Then there arose such a noise and outcry, such a hooting and howling, as might well have frightened a brave man, much more a poor weak boy. And so it went on night after night; as soon as he knelt down, there was the same noise; shoes and slippers and everything that the others could lay their hands on were thrown at him; and wherever he went he was mocked and reviled. But by degrees, first one and then another of the better sort of boys began to think that there must be something in it began to take his part and defend him, and at last to follow his example and kneel down themselves. And so it came to pass by degrees, that the Truth in this one boy overcame a whole schoolful of iniquity. He had bought the Truth at home, and he would not sell it when he came to school. He did not live very long: and I saw his monument in the chapel of that school. But this I am very sure of, that of all things that are called glorious now, great victories, great conquests, great overcoming of difficulties, this is one of the most truly glorious. And something of this kind, any one of you, my children, may have to do by and by. If you go out to service, and the first night you are in your new place you find that the fellow-servant with whom you have to sleep has no thought of such a thing as prayer, I wonder if you would be ashamed of kneeling down, whether you were laughed at or not? If you should be, then I hope that GOD will give you grace to think of

what I have said now, and to determine that you will not sell the Truth because of ridicule.

Every temptaThe devil says,

"Buy the Truth, and sell it not." tion is only a persuasion to sell it. If you will give me up this or that good habit or good resolution, I will give you this or that pleasure. And you remember how S. Paul sets forth Moses, when he was come to years, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of GOD, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of CHRIST greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. And I can wish nothing better for you all than that: that you should esteem the reproach of CHRIST—that is, the reproaches which others cast at you for the sake of CHRIST-greater riches than anything which this world can offer you. "Buy the Truth, and sell it not:" and then, some day, if you persevere, you will be taken to the House of Him Who is the perfect Truth, and where there is nothing but truth and beauty.

READING II.1

"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey." S. MATT. XXV. 15.

THIS Parable, you know, immediately follows that of the Ten Virgins. There, the virgins are represented as waiting for their LORD; here, the servants as working for Him. And the order is meant to teach us this; that it is no use trying to work for CHRIST among others, unless we are waiting for Him in our own hearts.

We must always take this Parable, and that of the Ten Pounds in S. Luke together. They are not only different in themselves, but they were spoken at different times, and to different sets of persons. S. Luke's was delivered in our dear LORD's last going up to Jerusalem, but before His entry into the city on Palm Sunday; and it was spoken to the multitude, "because they thought that the Kingdom of GOD should immediately appear:" the Apostles probably thought so themselves. No; that Kingdom would come, would come gloriously at last; but many a long century had first to pass by, many a suffering to be borne, many a brave act of love to be done by the Church

1 Preached at S. Margaret's, to the Girls of S. Agnes' School, the Third Sunday in Advent, 1863.