Let us not meddle with the future, and matters which are
too high for us, but refrain our souls, and keep them low, like little
children, content with the day's food, and the day's schooling, and the
day's play-hours, sure that the Divine Master knows that all is right,
and how to train us, and whither to lead us, though we know not, and need
not know, save this--that the path by which He is leading each of us--if
we will but obey and follow, step by step--leads up to Everlasting Life.

SERMON XL. THE LESSON OF LIFE

Fifth Sunday in Lent.

Chester Training College, 1870. Windsor Castle, 1871.

Hebrews v. 7, 8. "Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up
prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was
able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He
were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered."

This is the lesson of life. This is God's way of educating us, of making
us men and women worthy of the name of men and women, worthy of the name
of children of God. As Christ learnt, so must we. If it was necessary
for Him who know no sin, how much more for us who have sins enough and to
spare. Though He was the eternal Son of God, yet He learnt obedience by
the things which He suffered. Though we are God's adopted children, we
must learn obedience by what we suffer. He had to offer up prayer with
strong crying. So shall we have to do again and again before we die. He
was heard in that He feared God, and said, "Father not my will, but Thine
be done." And so shall we. He was perfected by sufferings. God grant
that we may be so likewise. He had to do like us. God grant that we may
do like Him.

God grant it. That is all I can say. I cannot be sure of it, for myself
or for any of you. I can only hope, and trust in God. Life is hard
work--any life at least which is worth being called life, which is not
the life of a swine, who thinks of nothing but feeding himself, or of a
butterfly which thinks of nothing but enjoying itself. Those are easy
lives enough: but the end thereof is death. The swine goes to the
slaughter. The butterfly dies of the frost--and there is an end of them.
But the manly life, the life of good deeds and noble thoughts, and
usefulness, and purity, the life which is discontented with itself, and
which the better it is, longs the more to be better still; the life wh