rious Resurrection which shall re-unite spirit, soul, and body, and fill them with the fulness of joy at GOD's Right Hand for evermore. But there are only a few who will do so. None must ever hope to do so who have not entered in at the strait gate and none can enter in at the strait gate, and carry through it, with them, unrepentance, and disobedience, and self-seeking, and self-pleasing. Those who walk, all through their lives, in the broad road to destruction, must not look, when their course is done on earth, to begin again, and walk in the narrow road. Those who have walked in the broad road to destruction, must not look for arriving at life. And yet are there those who would cheat themselves into the hope that they may walk in the way to destruction, and not arrive at destruction-that they may not walk in the narrow path, and yet find life! They are conscious that they are walking with the crowd, journeying on with the many, going along the world's wide way; and still, somehow or other, they dare not think how, they expect to reach those glorious abodes where none shall enter but those who are prepared and found ready.

If we would get to Heaven, we must day by day go forth prepared to meet, and expecting to meet our spiritual foes. Day by day we must go forth as CHRIST'S soldiers. Day by day fight manfully under His Banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and continue CHRIST's faithful soldiers and servants unto our lives' end.

We must "endure hardness, as good soldiers of JESUS CHRIST."

We are not, then, to go forth into the world expecting to find no opposition: rather Holy Scripture tells us most plainly that we must certainly expect very great opposition. And we must also look for all needful aid, from above. We must strive, as did the Man CHRIST JESUS, after HIS Example and in His Strength.

It is not to be wondered at that so many are overcome, when trials and temptations are at hand, if they have never prepared to meet them. A good soldier is only made such by constant, regular, laborious exercise. CHRIST'S Soldiers must be formed after the same mould. They too must endure hard

ness.

CHRIST'S Soldiers should take a calm and

considerate survey of their warfare: they should ask themselves the straightforward question, "Am I stedfastly resolved to fight on unto my life's end?" They should look at their possible trials and troubles: bethink themselves of the "hardness" required in them: survey the Cross which they have to take up: the opposition they will meet with in this troublesome world: their helps: their arms: their armour: their Leader: their reward.

And when people will not do this, it is, I say, not to be wondered at if, when any great or even lesser struggle comes, "they faint in the day of adversity," because their "strength is small."

"Let not him that girdeth on his harness, boast himself as he that putteth it off." "What king going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand ?”

When we have, as far as we can, assured ourselves that we are not trusting to any passing excitement, any momentary feeling, but

1 Prov. xxiv. 10.
3 S. Luke xiv. 31.

2

1 Kings xx. 11.

that we have a settled determination soberly and seriously to amend, and use increased exertion, then let us set about it, on a regular rule and system, an orderly and constant plan and arrangement; training ourselves up in the gentle severity of the Church's discipline; learning the watch-word in her Creeds -and the "shout for mastery "" in her prayers and praises-finding comrades who have fought and conquered, in her Communion of saints for ourselves too an invincible sword in the Word of GOD-and " the strengthening and refreshing of our souls" in the Holy Eucharist, which leagues the Church Militant" with Angels, and Archangels, and with all the Company of Heaven." If such be not our training, we need not expect" victory in the day of battle." It is easy to raise our minds to an excited pitch in religion, and indulge in rapturous feelings and sensibilities, but let us be assured that it is very possible to do this, and yet have no sure and stedfast religion in us: no such religion as would stand in the day of trial against "the arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the battle." We may readily obtain enough religion

1 Exod. xxxii. 18.

to enable us to sit comfortably and listen to the history of the REDEEMER'S sufferings for

us, and our hearts may be touched, and our feelings overcome at the recital; but how much of this is solid, stedfast, lasting? We can only tell by bringing it to the REDEEMER's standard, "If any man will come after ME, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross, and follow ME." "If any man will— let him." But, my brethren, our SAVIOUR goes farther than this, and He says, elsewhere, "whosoever doth not bear his Cross, and come after ME, cannot be My disciple. Cannot. It is of no use whatever his trying. He may as well give it up at once. He must resolve, without more ado, to lose Heaven. He must make up his mind, forthwith, to depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. He may spare himself the trouble of being so regular in those few outward duties which all Christians observe. And, if he will, he may call himself in name a Christian. But "Whosoever doth not bear his Cross, and come after ME, cannot be MY disciple."

My brethren! As at all times, so most es1 S. Matt. xvi. 24.

2 S. Luke xiv. 27.