e angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and
the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and
worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever
and ever. Amen."

To-day is All Saints' Day. On this day we commemorate--and, as far as
our dull minds will let us, contemplate--the saints; the holy ones of
God; the pure and the triumphant--be they who they may, or whence they
may, or where they may. We are not bidden to define and limit their
number. We are expressly told that they are a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues;
and most blessed news that is for all who love God and man. We are not
told, again--and I beg you all to mark this well--that this great
multitude consists merely of those who, according to the popular notion,
have "gone to heaven," as it is called, simply because they have not gone
to hell. Not so, not so! The great multitude whom we commemorate on All
Saints' Day, are SAINTS. They are the holy ones, the heroes and heroines
of mankind, the elect, the aristocracy of grace. These are they who have
kept themselves unspotted from the world. They are the pure who have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, which
is the spirit of self-sacrifice. They are those who carry the palm-
branch of triumph, who have come out of great tribulation, who have
dared, and fought, and suffered for God, and truth, and right. Nay,
there are those among them, and many, thank God--weak women, too, among
them--who have resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

And who are easy-going folk like you and me, that we should arrogate to
ourselves a place in that grand company? Not so! What we should do on
All Saints' Day is to place ourselves, with all humility, if but for an
hour, where we can look afar off upon our betters, and see what they are
like, and what they do.

And what are they like, those blessed beings of whom the text speaks?
The Gospel for this day describes them to us; and we may look on that
description as complete, for He who gives it is none other than our Lord
Himself. "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for their's is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. B