poses.

His mysterious paths are in the great waters, and His footsteps not known. But we are sure that even these terrible things are sent in mercy. Should we not be likely to be careless and thoughtless of God, if all went always as we would have it? Should we, think you, care to pray to God for those at sea, or would those who are at sea care to pray for themselves, if the mighty ocean never raged terribly, and if none were ever swallowed up in its waves? Oh no, believe me, we need the occasional severity, the occasional judgment to keep our hearts alive to the fact that He alone rules the waters, that the winds and the sea rage but as He wills, and that there is no real safety except in trusting ourselves and all we love absolutely in His most merciful and holy hands. When we hear the storm rage and the waves roar, what is it but the voice of God saying to us, Be thou still, and know that I am God, that I will be exalted in the heaven, and that I will be exalted in the earth? What is it, but the very voice of God bidding us remember that He is infinitely powerful to save or to destroy? that if He will, He can in a moment overwhelm us, and all we have and love, in total and hopeless ruin ; but that He is as merciful as He is powerful, and withholds His judgments, except for occasional warning, lest we should be proud, and forget Him, and take our own pleasure rather than His service?

Indeed, the mighty sea is a perpetual remembrancer of the power and of the goodness of Him who stilled the storm on the lake of Galilee, and who has loved us, and died for us, and of His infinite mercy made us to be His, -members of His body, sharers of His Father's love, joint-heirs with Him of His Father's heavenly kingdom.

But then, brethren, as He had done so great things for us, must we not be very much on our guard, lest by our wilfulness and sin we forfeit His blessed love and lose the salvation which He has purchased for us? Do not all these signs and proofs of His power warn us to remember with whom we have to do,-so merciful, so mighty, so overflowing in goodness, so terrible in anger, lest by our folly and unrepentance we offend Him, whose lightest word may bring us to nothing?

The same Almighty God who rules over the sea dwells also in our hearts. But differently. In the sea,—there is not a wave, there is not a storm, there is not a calm, there is not a drop which moves otherwise than as He wills. It has no will of its own. It stirs or it sleeps as His almighty power commands.

Though the Holy Spirit

But it is different with us. of our God is with us, yet we have unruly wills of our own, which He allows to move as we choose which often forget Him, often disobey Him, often run exactly contrary to the way in which He would have them go.

The mighty sea moveth as it is bidden. We-even though the Holy Spirit be in our hearts-go astray, wandering like sheep that will lose themselves on purpose, constantly grieving Him by our sins, and provoking Him to leave us, and dwell no more in us.

Oh brethren! if we might but learn the lesson of entire obedience and submission, so that our hearts might will only as He wills, and we be as completely His servants as the sea is-that if we have our flows of joy, and our ebbs of sorrow and trouble, if we have our occasional storms of danger and fierce distress, our risks of shipwreck and death, yet in all we might be in the Lord in the Lord when we suffer, in the Lord when we rejoice, in the Lord when we live, in the Lord when we die. It is of the utmost possible importance to every single one among us. We have all been brought to God, been made members of His Church in Holy Baptism.We are now on our trial. What does God see in us? Does He see hearts careless of sin,-living without thought, living without real prayer,-living as if there were no God in Heaven, nor gift of the Holy Ghost in themselves? Or does He see in us the earnest wish and constant effort to serve Him? Does He see us often on our knees in prayer? Does He constantly hear our confession of our sins? Does He hear us cry to Him night and day continually for his helping grace? Does

He see us really trying, by His help, to put down the risings of evil thoughts that might lead to evil deeds, in our hearts? Does He see that in our secret souls we cling to Him, our Almighty Lord God, acknowledging no life nor strength save in the Father who hath made us, the Son who hath reedeemed us, and the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth us?

It is a real and most serious question, brethren, and one that concerns us all, young and old. You do not know how much time you have left to answer it in. I need not tell you that the judgment of God comes sometimes very speedily and very suddenly upon us. To-day we are well. We can hear His word. By His grace we can turn if we will. God grant that we may do so. To-morrow it may be too late.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

I COR. iv.

1. Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

IF

you look at the Prayer-book Services appointed for the second and third Sundays in Advent, you will see that they are drawn up with this view:-the second Sunday to remind us of the Holy Scriptures, as one of the great warnings of the Advent of Christ, and the third Sunday to remind us of the clergy, as set to warn us of the same great event. On the second Sunday we pray in the Collect: "Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of Thy Holy Word, we may embrace and even hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life?" On the third Sunday that, is to-day, we pray in the Collect thus: "O Lord Jesu Christ, who at Thy first coming didst send Thy