we can
put it all into two words--self-suppression and continual consciousness
of obedience to the Divine will. The life of Jesus Christ, in its brief
records in Scripture, is felt by every thoughtful man to contain within
its narrow compass adequate direction for, and to set forth the ideal
of, human life. That is not because He went through all varieties of
earthly experience, for He did not. The life of a Jewish peasant
nineteen centuries ago was extremely unlike the life of a Manchester
merchant, of a college professor, of a successful barrister, of a
struggling mother, in this present day. But in the narrow compass of
that life there are set forth these two things, which are the basis of
all human perfection--the absolute annihilation of self-regard, and the
perpetual recognition of a Divine will. These are the things which every
Christian man and woman is bound by the power of Christ's Cross to
translate into the actions correspondent with their particular
circumstances. And so the student at his desk and the sailor on his
deck, the miner in his pit, the merchant on 'Change, the worker in
various handicrafts, may each be sure that they are doing what is
pleasing to Christ if, in their widely different ways, they seek to do
what they can do in all the varieties of life--crucify self, and commune
with God.

That is not easy. Whatever may be the objections to be brought against
this summary of Christian duty, the objection that it is vague is the
last that can be sustained. Try it, and you will find out that it is
anything but vague. It will grip tight enough, depend upon it. It will
go deep enough down into all the complexities of our varying
circumstances. If it has a fault (which it has not) it is in the
direction of too great stringency for unaided human nature. But the
stringency is not too great when we depend upon Him to help us, and an
impossible ideal is a certain prophet of its own fulfilment some day.

So, brethren, here is the sufficient guide, not because it cumbers us
with a mass of wretched little prescriptions such as a martinet might
give, about all sorts of details of conduct. That is left to profitless
casuists like the ancient rabbis. But the broad principles will
effloresce into all manner of perfectnesses and all fruits. He that has
in his heart these thoughts, that the definition of virtue is pleasing
Jesus Christ, that the concrete form of goodness is likeness to Him, and
that the elements o