without a willing mind nothing can be done. The Advent Collect strikes its note on St. Andrew's Day, and tells us to prepare to meet our God; the Saints' Day Collect takes it up, and tells us, that we must be like St. Andrew, who readily obeyed the calling, who followed without delay.

Readiness is the first preparation of the heart, the next is faith. Here we are warned by St. Thomas. The Advent Collect again calls upon us, and the Church answers, "Build your faith upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets; they are men who have seen and testified all that you want to know about the Chief Corner-Stone, Jesus Christ, and most of them have sealed their testimony with their blood; all have been so sure themselves of what they tell you, that they were willing to die rather than abandon that belief." Be convinced by such testimony as this; do not, like St. Thomas, expect a special revelation for yourself; do not expect to have everything explained afresh; do not expect that your Blessed Saviour will satisfy all your unreasonable doubts, and will let you put your fingers into the prints of the nails, and your hand into His Side. Be not faithless, but believing; and then your hearts, as well as your minds, will be fit to receive the great doc

trines of Christmas Day, not only to understand with your minds the fact of the incarnation, that Christ was made man for you, but to feel in your hearts the love of Christ in permitting Himself to be made man.

You have now come to Christmas Day; you understand, and you feel the love of Christ in being thus made man for you. And what do you want now to enable you to start at once and follow the example of that Lord whom, with St. Thomas, you have confessed?

YOU WANT COURAGE, LOVE, AND PURITY. Remember, not only religion is no easy thing, but it is also a thing that will gain you no praise from men. Men do not like to see others following their religious duties more closely than they do themselves, because this very thing is a reproach to them; you must expect, therefore, opposition and difficulty in the very first step you take in following your Master's example.

But so your Saviour has told in that Gospel which the Church has chosen for St. Stephen's Day, and so the Church has told you, by placing that martyrdom on the very first step of your Christian course. If you have undertaken afresh on Christmas Day that you will follow out your baptismal promise and walk in your Saviour's footsteps, "following the

commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His Holy ways," then she says, the first thing you must pray for to enable you to perform the task you have undertaken, is the holy courage which distinguished the first martyr, St. Stephen.

But remember it is holy courage, not worldly courage; it is the courage that bears and endures all things rather than forsake the engagements, and forfeit the promises of our baptism; it is the courage that undergoes everything for our Blessed Saviour's sake, because He underwent so much for ours.

But this shows that Christian courage cannot exist alone; its very next step is Christian love, just as St. John's Day is the very morrow of St. Stephen's Day. Now observe what I mean by Christian love. The love of God, and the fear of God, are expressions used in the Bible, to signify the very same thing. The fear of God is a very different thing from a fear of God's anger; it is a fear of being ungrateful to our benefactor. Love carried St. John quite as far as courage carried St. Stephen; he alone, of all the Apostles, dared to stand by the Cross of Christ, and own himself Hist disciple. There is no such thing as Christian love without Christian courage, or Christian courage without Christian love; nor can either

trines of Christmas Day, not stand with your minds the fa nation, that Christ was made n to feel in your hearts the lo permitting Himself to be made

You have now come to Chris understand, and you feel the lo being thus made man for you. you want now to enable you t and follow the example of th with St. Thomas, you have co YOU WANT COURAGE, LOVE Remember, not only religion is but it is also a thing that w praise from men. Men do others following their religiou closely than they do themselv very thing is a reproach to the expect, therefore, opposition a the very first step you take in Master's example.

But so your Saviour has told which the Church has chosen fo Day, and so the Church has placing that martyrdom on the of your Christian course. taken afresh on Christmas Day follow out your baptismal pro in your Saviour's footsteps,

If y

commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His Holy ways," then she says, the first thing you must pray for to enable you to perform the task you have undertaken, is the holy courage which distinguished the first martyr, St. Stephen.

But remember it is holy courage, not worldly courage; it is the courage that bears and endures all things rather than forsake the engagements, and forfeit the promises of our baptism; it is the courage that undergoes everything for our Blessed Saviour's sake, because He underwent so much for ours.

But this shows that Christian courage cannot exist alone; its very next step is Christian love, just as St. John's Day is the very morrow of St. Stephen's Day. Now observe what I mean by Christian love. The love of God, and the fear of God, are expressions used in the Bible, to signify the very same thing. The fear of God is a very different thing from a fear of God's anger; it is a fear of being ungrateful to our benefactor. Love carried St. John quite as far as courage carried St. Stephen; he alone, of all the Apostles, dared to stand by the Cross of Christ, and own himself His disciple. There is no such thing as Christian love without Christian courage, or Christian courage without Christian love; nor can either