shall be fulfilled His promise to Abraham, that his seed should be as the stars of heaven for multitude. "One star differeth from another "star in glory"-and so shall it be with the saints-each one glorious, each one holy, each one a burning and shining light in that constellation of glory; but yet each with a glory peculiar to himself, each exhibiting some ray of holiness in especial prominence, one, as Moses, eminent for meekness; one, as Joseph, for purity; one, as David, for penitence; one, as S. Paul, for suffering; one, as S. John, for love; one as S. Peter, for zeal; one, as Job, for patience; one, as John Baptist, for courage and mortification; one, as S. Stephen, for forgiveness of injuries; one, as Abraham, for strong faith; another, as S. Andrew, for brotherly love; another, as Nathanael, for guilelessness; another, as the Blessed Virgin, for humility. The Church celebrates them all to-day, gathering up all her richest flowers in one choice nosegay, offering to GOD a sweet smelling savour, gazing up to all the stars in her firmament, lost in a joyful bewilderment at their number and brightness; some she sees large and distinct as the planets, others lesser and more remote, some too indistinct to be

discerned by the naked eye, but all known to GOD and seen clearly by Him, each shining with a radiance of its own, and all "for ever singing "as they shine, the Hand that made us is "Divine." "The heavens declare the glory of "GOD, and the firmament sheweth His handi"work. There is no speech nor language where "their voice is not heard." "Out of every "kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," from north, and south, and east, and west, they have been redeemed unto God by the Blood of the Lamb. And as the shepherd calleth his own sheep by name, so the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, calleth all His saints by their names. In His book of life they are written, and when that great muster-roll is read out, there shall not one of them be missing-those whose bodies have been devoured by wild beasts, those who have been consumed to ashes in the fire, those who have been drowned in the depths of the sea, all will come forward and answer to their names as, one by one, they are read out from the book, and Jesus will write upon them His new Name, the Name of God and the name of the city of GoD, which is new Jerusalem, and own them His for ever in reward for their having confessed Him before men.

O let us love, let us honour the blessed saints, whom God delighteth to honour. Let us keep their Festival on this day with great joy and thankfulness to GOD Who redeemed them and enabled them by His grace to triumph over the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to endure such great sufferings for His Name's sake. Let us ask Him to permit us to share in the blessings which He gives in answer to their prayers; let us beseech Him to grant us grace so to follow His blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which He has prepared for them that unfeignedly love Him. while we honour those mighty conquerors, those noble martyrs, those spotless virgins, those brave confessors, whose names are held in such deserved esteem in the Church, let us not forget to bless God's holy Name for all His servants departed this life in His faith and fear; let us remember our own dear departed friends and relations, of whom we have good cause to hope, that they fell asleep in JEsUs; these too, lesser stars in the firmament of heaven, the Church commemorates this day together with all saints. For them we should thank our GOD, for all the love they

And,

bestowed us when in the flesh, for all we saw in them that was gentle, and holy, and Christ-like, for all their patience and meekness in suffering, for all the gifts that His grace bestowed upon them, for all their good advice, kindly encouragement to us to persevere in the right way, gentle rebukes and warnings, and Christian examples, for their final deliverance out of the miseries of this sinful world—for all these we should surely thank God with all our hearts on this blessed Festival, adding, moreover, a prayer for them-that one given in our beautiful burial service,-"that all "those that are departed in the true faith of His "holy name, may, as well as ourselves, have "their perfect consummation and bliss, both in "body and soul, in His eternal and everlasting "glory."

These, then, should be our first thoughts on All Saints Day, thoughts of the blessed saints and of our dear ones who have gone, as we hope, to Paradise. Chiefly we should praise and. glorify GOD for the graces bestowed on His Saints. Then, turning last, not selfishly, first, to ourselves, let us consider what we should learn from All Saints Day. First, we should seriously consider what influence upon our lives has that

article of our belief-"I believe in the Communion "of Saints," and gladly should we avail ourselves of the opportunity of drawing near to the altar to receive on this day the Blessed Sacrament in which GOD" assures us of His favour and good66 ness towards us, and that we are very members "incorporate in the mystical Body of His Son, "which is the blessed company of all faithful "people." In that Holy Sacrament we have communion and fellowship with our dear Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him with all the saints living and departed. We feed upon that heavenly manna, that Bread of Life which nourished and sustained the Saints of JESUS in their weary pilgrimage through the wilderness. Next, the Festival of All Saints, on which we are led to contemplate their holy lives and faithfulness unto death, should make us more in earnest to follow their bright examples, should cheer us in our trials as we see how in their trials, GoD made all things work together for good to them, because they loved Him. And we should pray to God that we may come purified out of every trial, victors out of every temptation, and that He will, by His grace, shape and fit us to be builded together with His saints, joined