ust, and selfishness, and pride,
and envy which defile the shrine of our body. We shall ask Him to
cleanse and purify the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of His
Holy Spirit. We shall ask Him to break down the idols which we have
set up in His Holy Place, and to overthrow the altars reared to self.
We shall pray that the sacred fire may once more be kindled, and the
sacrifice and oblation of our love once more offered, since "the
sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, shalt Thou not despise."

Brethren, if we have caused Jesus to weep over our lives, to weep over
our wasted chances and neglected opportunities; if He has mourned over
the city of our life, wherein we have crucified Him afresh, let us turn
to Him now. Those tears tell us of His love, His mercy, His great
pitifulness. Let our prayer be now--"O be favourable and gracious unto
Zion; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. Lord, hear our prayer, and
let our cry come unto Thee."

SERMON XLVI.

THE GRACE OF GOD.

(Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.)

1 COR. xv. 10.

"By the Grace of God I am what I am."

In the Epistle and Gospel of the day we read the words of two
Pharisees, who offer a very striking contrast. The one is S. Paul, the
great Apostle, who humbly declares that he is not fit to be called an
Apostle, because he had persecuted the Church of Christ. The other is
the nameless Pharisee of the parable, who trusted in himself, and
despised others. In the case of S. Paul we see the marks of a true
conversion, of a real repentance. He had been proud; as haughty and
vain of his religion as the Pharisee of the parable; but he had seen
his sin and repented of it, wherefore he abhorred himself. He had been
brought exceeding low, and then it was that he was accepted to be God's
Apostle. When he looked back upon his past life, the picture filled
him with shame, and humility. He recalled the day when they stoned S.
Stephen, and he was consenting to his death. He remembered how he had
seized innocent men and women, and dragged them to prison, merely
because they confessed Christ crucified. He knew that many a happy
family had been broken up; many a child torn from its mother's arms;
many a husband sent to chains and martyrdom, because of the faith of
Christ. And remembering these things, S. Paul forgets the glorious
work which he had since done for Jesus, and declares himself the least
of all Apo