rit of faith, to make you believe deeply in the
living God, who rewards every man according to his work; and then for the
spirit of strength, to enable you to bring these desires to good effect.

Pray for that spirit, I say; for we all need help. There are too many
people in the world--too many, perhaps, among us here--who are not what
they ought to be, and what they really wish to be, because they are weak.
They see what is right, and admire it; but they have not courage or
determination to do it. Most sad and pitiable it is to see how much
weakness of heart there is in the world--how little true moral courage.
I suppose that the reason is, that there is so little faith; that people
do not believe heartily and deeply enough in the absolute necessity of
doing right and being honest. They do not believe heartily and deeply
enough in God to trust Him to defend and reward them, if they will but be
true to Him, and to themselves. And therefore they have no moral
courage. They are weak. They are kind, perhaps, and easy; easily led
right; but, alas! just as easily led wrong. Their good resolutions are
not carried out; their right doctrines not acted up to; and they live
pitiful, confused, useless, inconsistent lives; talking about religion,
and yet denying the power of religion in their daily lives; playing with
holy and noble thoughts and feelings, without giving themselves up to
them in earnest, to be led by the Spirit of God, to do all the good works
which God has prepared for them to walk in. Pray all of you, then, for
the spirit of faith, to believe really in God; and for the spirit of
ghostly strength, to obey God honestly. No man ever asked earnestly for
that spirit but what he gained it at last. And no man ever gained it but
what he found the truth of St Peter's own words, "Who will harm you if ye
be followers of that which is good?"

SERMON XIX. GOOD DAYS

Eversley, 1867. Westminster, Sept. 27, 1872.

1 Peter iii. 8-12. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of
another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil
for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing
that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he
that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do
good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.