odour of the blessed Mary Magdalen's ointment, which filled all the house.

It is not that he feels it his duty to be calm and thankful, that he commands himself and forces himself to be so; that he checks and puts down, with more or less pain, the struggling feelings of discontent and vexation within him: this might be a true account of what passed in the mind of many Christians, even of some Saints, at times; but it is not the account of what was passing in St. Paul's mind, at least not when he was writing this letter to the Philippians: the joy and thanksgiving of his heart was then like a well of bright water, springing up within him of itself, without his seeking, without any effort of his. His joy then swelled highest, when outwardly there seemed most reason for fear and sorrow.

What is the account of this? how can it be explained? He tells us himself in one word: "I can do all things through CHRIST which strengtheneth me." Or, according to the word which a Prophet had before put into the mouth of God's people in their distress: "When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light unto me." "The LORD is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation."

The presence of CHRIST was that good thing in St. Paul's lot, which turned every thing round it into brightness: as in pictures which many of us have seen of our LORD's nativity, a light is represented beaming from the cradle of the Divine Child, and filling every corner of the house, turning the poor stable and the rude manger into something more glorious, even to the eye, than the richest and brightest halls and pillars in a king's palace. Because of CHRIST's presence it seemed to him that he had all, and abounded, though he had but enough to go on from day to day, and depended for it on the alms of Christians very far off. Because CHRIST was with him and in him, he was not cast down by the most untoward things which were every day happening to him. He was in bonds; the Jews of Rome, his brethren after the flesh, were obstinate against him; his name was everywhere spoken of maliciously, in envy and strife. But CHRIST was with him, and gave him to see that all this turned out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel. He was daily on the edge of death,

but that was a joy to him, for he desired "to depart and to be with CHRIST;" nevertheless he was content to live in the flesh, seeing that it so pleased God, because it was more needful for his brethren, for their “furtherance and joy of faith."

What was it that made life and death, so great a matter, a thing so indifferent to St. Paul? Because, whether he lived or died, he knew he should be with CHRIST. CHRIST in him, the hope of glory, CHRIST dwelling in his heart by faith, CHRIST standing by him to strengthen him this was what made him. content and joyful to abide in the flesh in the midst of all those sufferings, instead of at once departing to be for ever with CHRIST glorified.

Now, how was St. Paul so assured of the presence and blessing of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, His actual presence within him, changing him from glory to glory, and all that befel him into a blessing?

.

St. Paul knew this, in the first place, by his being made partaker of CHRIST'S Sacraments. CHRIST'S prophet had said to him in CHRIST'S Name, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins," and he had accepted the invitation: therefore he knew that his sins were washed away; he knew that he had put on CHRIST, that he was "washed, sanctified, justified, in the Name of the LORD JESUS, and by the SPIRIT of our GOD." Again, he knew -it is his own way of reasoning with the Corinthians-that he continued a member of that one Body, by his partaking of the One Bread, which is given to all the faithful alike in the Holy Communion.

But then, because it is possible for persons to receive the grace of GOD's Sacraments in vain; to throw away the great blessings of Baptism and of the Holy Eucharist, by going back to their old sins; therefore St. Paul was ever watchful to add to these outward signs the inward and only certain marks of CHRIST's presence. He exercised himself to keep always a conscience void

He lived in all

of offence towards GoD and towards man." good conscience towards GOD." He "kept under his body, and brought it into subjection, lest that by any means, when he had preached to others, he himself should be a cast-away.”

He

knew nothing of himself;" no wilful habitual sin; but he dared not therefore say he was righteous; his own doings he knew could

never justify him: that must be the work of CHRIST's awful presence within him. Yet this comfort he had in them, that they were a token of CHRIST's presence.

It is his own account of the matter.

"Our rejoicing is this; the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to youward." And again, "As we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of GoD." These are a few out of many places, which show how St. Paul was enabled to turn his affliction into joy; to feel as if he had all and abounded, when he was in prison, living on charity, and in daily peril of death with torments. He knew that CHRIST was with him by His Sacraments, and he had the sober testimony of his own conscience, that he had not forfeited the grace of those Sacraments: he had not driven CHRIST away from him.

This account of St. Paul's content and joyfulness is also too true and plain an account, why the world, as we see it around us, has so little of content and joyfulness in it at present. Is it not so? Look where you will, are not the generality of people in care and trouble?

I do not now speak of that care and trouble, which arises from doubt and fear about holy things; from anxiety lest they should not have found CHRIST, or fear lest they should have forfeited His blessed presence. No doubt, there is a good deal of such distress as that among Christians in all times, especially in these : but for that kind of fear and trouble, the sense of our sins and the fear of losing CHRIST's presence, there is this great and sure consolation that let it be as bitter as it may, it is in the way towards healing; for that is the very case concerning which our LORD has said, "Come unto ME, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

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It is not of this fear that I am now speaking, but of that which is unhappily far more common: discontent, and care, and fretfulness about our condition in this life. Every one of course is tempted to this, for no one's condition, I suppose, is exactly what

he could wish: every one is tempted to be discontented and fretful, but no one surely is forced to give way to the temptation, any more than to any other bad inclination. No Christian can truly say, I cannot help grumbling and repining, any more than he can say, I cannot help saying bad words, or, I cannot help lusting after evil things. Fretting care, and fear, and vexation of heart, and grudging against others, cannot be the necessary condition of any of CHRIST's people. There must be a remedy for it in the Gospel, as for every other sin and misery, had we but the heart

to use it.

And yet, how is it with us, I fear I must say with almost all of us, in this respect? Think of St. Paul in his imprisonment, living from day to day on the alms of his brethren: or of the same St. Paul out of prison, refusing alms, and maintaining himself as he might, by his trade. So far, St. Paul was in the condition of by far the greater number of the inhabitants of this or any other place, who are either supported by others, or are getting their own bread, but seldom perhaps in either case so abundantly as we might wish. St. Paul was outwardly in the same condition as most of the labourers and tradesmen in this or in any other English village: but he says, "I have all and abound: I am exceeding joyful in all my tribulations: I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content:" and we, alas! wherever we go, speak and hear very different sounds from these. I say we, because it is too true, that discontent and fretfulness belong to those who have enough and to spare, quite as commonly as it does to the poor and needy; and the devil craftily manages to make some men quite as miserable through an unchristian fear of want, as others are made by an unchristian way of bearing it.

All of us then, my brethren, are in danger (who shall deny it?) of indulging such thoughts, and feelings, and questionings as these: "How hard the times are! how unkind every one is ! how little am I looked on in comparison of others! how unreasonable it is of this employer or that master, to expect so much of me, or allow me so little! Such an one may be contented, for he has not this or that burthen which I have: or he has this or that help which I have not: but as for me, all things are against me, and how can I be easy in my mind?"

Is it not too true, that a great number of us, in various condi

tions of life, have so long gone on indulging themselves in thoughts and words like these, that they are become quite habitual to them, worn as one may say into the very grain and staple of their lives? Night and day they abound in such thoughts: they lie down to rest with them, and with them they awake in the morning: till at last, instead of rejoicing, like St. Paul in his prison and want, they show rather in the sight of God and His Angels, who are all the while watching them, such a dismal picture as the Prophet describes, speaking of the last days of a corrupt Church and People: "Men shall pass through the land, hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their GOD, and shall look upward. And they shall look unto the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness."

Now why is it that we are so miserable, or at best so unquiet, whereas St. Paul in the same or a much more forlorn condition was so full of content and joy and hope? Surely because we want what he had: the inward witness of our conscience, assuring us that we have in such measure kept our baptismal vow, as not to have forfeited the presence of JESUS CHRIST. Surely, if we would be content and happy, we must recover this inward witness, for by GoD's exceeding mercy it may be recovered, so far as that our consciences may assure us of our endeavouring at least to be truly and continually penitent. We, as St. Paul, may from this time forth exercise ourselves in keeping a good conscience toward GOD and toward man. As we get on in that good work, we shall learn with St. Paul to be content. I do not say that we shall of course be joyful: the memory of past sins may for a long time more or less hinder our feeling bright and lively in our spirits : but this, by GoD's blessing, we may depend on, that as the work of true repentance goes on, the gracious SAVIOUR of our souls will be more and more effectually present in our hearts: a sweet and calm hope will revive within us, though we may never in this world feel a joyful confidence such as St. Paul's: and our path, though often clouded by sad remembrances, will on the whole grow brighter and brighter.

When we are entered on such a course as this, our present discomforts will very soon cease to make us discontented. What