locks his fingers over it, and when he opens them it
has all run out and gone. If you want to deepen your Christianity,
declare it. If you would have your hearts more full of gratitude, speak
your praise. There used to be in certain religious houses a single
figure kneeling on the altar-steps, by day and by night, ever uttering
forth with unremitting voice, the psalm of praise. That perpetual
adoration in spirit, if not in form, ought to be ours. The fruit of the
lips should continually be offered. Literally, of course, there cannot
be that unbroken and exclusive utterance of thanksgiving. There are many
other things that men have to talk about; but through all the utterances
there ought to spread the aroma--like some fragrance diffused through
the else scentless air from some unseen source of sweetness--of that
name to which the life is one long thanksgiving.

III. There is the sacrifice of help to men.

The same passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews, to which I have already
referred, goes on to bracket together the sacrifice of praise and of
deeds. It continues thus:--'But to do good and to communicate forget
not.' Again I say, logically this comes under the first division. But
still it may be treated separately, and it just carries this
thought--your praying and singing praises are worse than useless unless
you go out into the world an embodiment and an imitation of the love
which you hymn. True philanthropy has its roots in true religion. The
service of man is the service of God.

That principle cuts two ways. It comes as a sharp test of their prayers
and psalm-singing to emotional Christians, who are always able to gush
in words of thankfulness, and it confronts them with the question, What
do you do for your brother? That is a question that comes very close to
us all. Do not talk about being the priests of the Most High God unless
you are doing the priestly office of representing God to men, and
carrying to them the blessings that they need. Your service to God is
worthless unless it is followed by diligent, fraternal, wise,
self-sacrificing service for men.

The same principle points in another direction. If, on the one hand, it
crushes as hypocrisy a religion of talk, on the other hand it declares
as baseless a philanthropy which has no reference to God. And whilst I
know that there are many men who, following the dictates of their
hearts, and apart altogether from any reference to higher religious
sanction