this Cathedral, since this Cathedral itself is his memorial: "Si quæris monumentum, circumspice." And the scattered company of His faithful witnesses are the true monument of the Lord Jesus; they represent to other men something of the glory of their invisible Lord. They may be met with less frequently on the highways of power, or fame, or wealth than elsewhere. But at this moment our Lord is represented in all classes of society by devoted Christians, who hand on from this to another generation the lustre of a life, which is the best evidence of the Gospel. "Si quæris monumentum, circumspice." Look around, watch, and you will see them. Nay, rather, resolve this night by the grace of Christ to join that company of His witnesses. What a power might go forth from beneath this dome into the great city which lies around us, if each Christian who hears me would resolve, God helping him, to bear a true, unflinching witness to the Lord Jesus! What glory to Him Who shed His Blood! what strength to His Church! what blessings to countless souls! what unspeakable gain to those who witness! Every hard effort generously faced, every sacrifice cheerfully submitted to, every word spoken under difficulties, raises those who speak or act or suffer to a higher level; endows them with a clearer sight of God; braces them with a will of more strength and freedom; warms them with a more generous and large and tender heart. Blessed they who here in the days of their trial lose something, or suffer something, for Jesus. For beyond there is a vision which no merely human words may dare to paint; a vision which shall one day be true to all who have witnessed for our Lord; a vision of a world, where all has faded from sight, save only the redeemed souls, and the everlasting Object of their love.

"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,

What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

"a

a Rev. vii. 13-17.

SERMON XXXVI.

DIVINE TEACHING GRADUAL.

ST. JOHN XVI. 12, 13.

I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.

A

LL the Gospels appointed for the five Sundays after Easter are taken from that according to St. John. One only, that for the first Sunday, belongs to the period which we are at present commemorating; the forty days which passed between the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The other four are from discourses of Jesus Christ, pronounced before His Crucifixion; and of these the last three from the one discourse pronounced in the Supper-Room. Historically speaking, these Gospels seem to be, at first sight, out of place; in reading them we go back from Eastertide to a time from which we are separated by the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. But looking to the contents of these Gospels, they are, we must see, strictly appropriate. They are, one and all, preparations for a great departure, and for that which will follow it. They might have been spoken, so far as the contents go-I am, of course, saying nothing of their immediate purpose-they might have been spoken, at least in the

main, during the great forty days, just as well as on the eve of the Passion.

Our Lord has referred to His approaching departure, and, as a consequence, sorrow had filled the hearts of His disciples." In order to relieve this, He proceeds to explain to them that His departure was to be, not merely glorious for Himself, but expedient for them. If He remained upon the earth, the Holy Spirit, or Comforter, would not come to them. He Himself, if He remained among them continuously, could not be an object of a purely spiritual apprehension. Where sight is satisfied, there is no sufficient room for faith, and, so far, no need of that Divine and Invisible Friend, Who is the Author of faith in the soul of man. But if Christ departed, then faith would become necessary as well as possible; and our Lord promised to send the Author and Giver of this grace. "If 1 depart, I will send Him unto you." When He is come, what will He do? First of all, He will achieve a moral victory over the world: "He will reprove the world of sin:" He will convince it gradually of the sin of rejecting Jesus. Next, He will reprove the world "of righteousness:" He will teach it the existence of a new standard of goodThe righteousness of Christ will be seen to be higher than the righteousness of the Pharisees, when the Ascension shall have demonstrated the righteousness of the ascending Christ. Lastly, He will reprove the world "of judgment:" He will teach it that the Crucifixion, which seemed to be the victory of the evil one, was really the day of his judgment and humiliation. "The prince of this world is judged." "d But what will He teach to the Church, to those Apostles who had believed in and followed our Lord, and who in losing Him appeared to be losing their all? This is the question before us.

ness.

с

a St. John xvi. 6.

b Ibid. 7.

c Ibid. 8.

d Ibid. II.

This question is partly answered by our Lord's words in the text: "I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth."

Now these words have a doctrinal and a moral significance. They teach us a great truth about Christian doctrine, and a serious duty in the Christian life.

I.

Here we see, first of all, that our Lord's Own oral teaching, during His sojourn upon the earth, did not embrace all necessary Christian doctrine. This is a point of great importance. It is not unusual to hear people say in the present day: 'I am a Christian in this sense, that I accept, I believe, I obey, only the very words of Christ. They are enough for me: I want no more. The Apostles, St. Paul especially, taught some doctrines which Christ Himself did not teach: I do not wish to be bound by these superadded doctrines. The Church has, in her creeds and elsewhere, used language which I do not find in the words of Christ: I may reject that language. It is enough for me to read, to admire, to feel the beauty of the Sermon on the Mount, and of Christ's other discourses. This is genuine, essential, imperishable Christianity. The rest is superfluous. It may be very well in its way, but it stands on a totally different footing, and there can be no great harm in rejecting it.'

This language has been in substance used at least by one recent writer of some reputation; and it recommends itself because it sounds at first hearing so loyal to our Lord. It seems to give implicit credit to His words all the better from refusing such credit to all others: just as politeness towards a single individual is more remarked and remark