heard He was, or to worship when they had found HIM, lest they should be wondered at, and thought strange, and pointed to as wilfully and fancifully making themselves unlike other people. No such thought, it would appear, came at all into their minds : they just followed the star and the Prophet, whether those who looked on derided them or no. Will it not be a good token of our faith, when we too make up our minds to obey the Church, and serve God as we best may, not regarding what kind of talk people may at first make about it?

I say, at first, because in no long time, if we let them alone, they will let us alone. It is but exercising a little courage and perseverance at first, and taking care not to disgrace our profession by wilful sin; and we shall quickly find leave from the world to serve God regularly in spite of her scorn.

Further, the Wise men were not ashamed to acknowledge and honour CHRIST as especially present in a poor cottage, and as a Young Child: neither let us doubt, but take HIM at His word when He says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto ME;" and again, "Whosoever shall receive one such little child in My Name, receiveth ME." As ever we desire to find CHRIST truly in His Sacraments and His Scriptures, be it our care never to forget HIM in His poor, if we can relieve them; or in His little ones, if we can help them to continue His, at least by not doing or saying any thing to corrupt them in the way of bad example.

The Wise men, being bidden by an Angel not to return to Herod, obeyed, and went back as they might some other way. They did not stumble at the command, though it might seem strange to find so sacred a Person in danger, and His life made to depend on any thing they could do. They did not say, "How is this? that HE should be the Son of GOD, and yet we must go out of our way to save His life from the tyrant?" But being bidden, at once, without objection, they obey the bidding. It will be a good sign when Christian persons, having found truth, shew themselves worthy of it, by the like obedience to plain commands, without asking questions.

Lastly, the Wise men grudged not the Holy Child the best and most expensive gifts they could offer, though it were hard to see how some of them, at least, could be of any use to HIM. But

they were full of adoring love, and a heart where love dwells cannot stop to consider the use of things. Does not this tell us something about our way of serving and honouring CHRIST in His Churches, and in all that appertains to them, especially in whatever belongs to the services of the Holy Communion? Ought it not to be all as handsome as we can make it? Ought we nicely to count the cost, or measure the good done, when we are bringing our offerings for such purposes? Are we used to do so, when we are bringing tokens of affection to those whom we most love and honour on earth? Did David so behave? or St. Mary Magdalene? or these Wise men? or any of those whom the Bible mentions as honouring God and being honoured by HIM?

For indeed these Wise men were greatly honoured by HIM; especially if, as was of old believed, they became afterwards disciples of His Apostle, ministers and stewards of His mysteries. Think what a glorious ending, from a beginning in appearance so slight and seemingly accidental, as their observing a particular star, religiously taking it to be from GOD, and with all perseverance inquiring its import, and following after its course.

Let any Christian child, or poor person as ignorant as a child, only go on doing his best in silence, God for His part will most surely keep and perform His part of the promise. Let the star, the lesser light you have, guide you to CHRIST here, that you may after this life have the fruition of His glorious Godhead.

SERMON CLXVIII.

APOSTOLICAL SYMPATHY.

PREACHED ON THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL.

1 COR. ix. 22.

"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

ST. PAUL'S day is, in one respect, different from most of the Saints' Days of the holy Church Universal. We keep not only the anniversary of his Martyrdom, which took place the same day with that of St. Peter, but also that of his Conversion to the faith of CHRIST.

One reason for this, no doubt, is the special appearance of our LORD JESUS CHRIST at his conversion; and, for a like reason, we observe the day of St. John the Baptist's Nativity, not the day of his Martyrdom: taking that point in the history of both Saints, which marks them out most as especial instruments for the glory of our Divine SAVIOUR, and brings HIM, as it were, nearest to them.

Another and a very manifest reason, for this distinction in the case of St. Paul, is the knowledge we have of the particular purpose, for which God raised him up; namely, to be the Apostle of the Gentiles, and to bestow by him on the Church very great and remarkable blessings. It has pleased Providence that his example and character should be much more fully set before us, than that of any other Saint of the New Testament. In

him, more than in any other, we are given to see the Church of GOD, such as she was intended to be in her conflict with the wicked world. I mean the Church of GOD in action: enduring toils; overcoming difficulties; silencing blasphemies; directing consciences; winning her way against opposers; casting down unholy or proud imaginations; bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of JESUS CHRIST.

For which reason those old writers, who were most likely to know the true meaning of holy Scripture, were of opinion that the tribe of Benjamin, that warlike and active tribe, was intended to be, as among the tribes of Israel, a figure or shadow of St. Paul, and of those who, like him, should be raised up to do great things in the Church, to enlarge her border, and confound her enemies. Benjamin, as Jacob prophesied1, was to "ravin as a wolf: in the morning" he was "to take the prey, and in the evening to divide the spoil," or distribute the food. So St. Paul at first was a persecutor, but in his later age had the office of feeding God's people; among the Gentiles especially.

This, then, was St. Paul's particular calling: to have the care of all the Churches; to preach CHRIST where HE was not yet named; to win ground from the enemy: to be a man of war in GOD's cause; a ruler in His Israel; a governing, directing person, to whom thousands were to look up, and come to ask counsel of him. He had influence far and wide. Accordingly, we find in St. Paul, speaking after the manner of men, the sort of character which the world calls great; firmness, wisdom, courage, self-denial, the power of leading and guiding others, without those faults and corruptions, which are sure to beset such remarkable persons when left to themselves and to the world.

Among other things which particularly fitted him to govern and guide the flock of God, is that which is mentioned in the text ;— that he was made all things to all men. This is an expression which might easily be mistaken, and has been so before now: as though St. Paul recommended, by his advice and example, a sort of craft in religious matters,—pretending to agree with men when you really do not, humouring them in bad ways, concurring with them to a certain length in what you know or fear to be wrong;

1 Gen. xlix. 27.

but all the while for their benefit, and with a view of doing, on the whole, more good in the end. It is easy to see and feel how persons may be tempted to this sort of conduct. For example; what is more common than for Christians, even well-meaning persons, to keep up not merely kindness, but intimate friendships with persons whom they know to be living in fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, extortion, or any such thing, concerning which persons St. Paul says, "that with such an one we ought not to eat??" Well, notwithstanding this rule of St. Paul, Christians do often wilfully keep such company; and if you asked them why, they would say that it was with a view to do more good on the whole: they wink at their present sins, and seem to countenance them, in order to get their affection, and bring them to amendment. Are not many marriages made by this rule, or, at least, defended by this excuse? and how do they commonly turn out?

This instance may suffice to show what is meant, when we speak of becoming all things to all men as a bad thing, and warn people against it: and it is an error which holy Scripture notices in some very fearful examples: as in the case of Saul, who first intruded on the priests' office, sacrificing without warrant to do so, lest the people should refuse to stay with him3; and afterwards spared the cattle of Amalek, contrary to the express word of God, because, as he acknowledged, he "feared the people *." There is also the case of Aaron, who consented to the making and honouring the golden calf, because, as he said, the people were "set on mischief':" that is, I suppose, there was no knowing how much worse they might behave; they might murder him, and cast off God's worship entirely, if they were not indulged for the time in this one wrong desire of theirs.

A much lighter error, but yet an error of the same kind, was that which St. Paul himself had once to correct in the great Apostle St. Peter, when, rather than give present dissatisfaction to certain Jewish converts which were there, he separated himself from the Gentile Christians, and so encouraged a division in the Church, and encouraged also the low notion, that believers were still under the Law of Moses.

2 1 Cor. v. 11.

31 Sam. xiii. 11.

4 Ibid. xv. 24.

5 Exod. xxxii. 22.

Galat. ii. 11.