it. If
you, or I, or any one is worse than he ought to be, we shall make the
parish we live in worse than it ought to be. You know that it is so. Who
made you different from the rest of the world? If any body else's sins
are harmful, who will make your sins harmless? Not the devil, for he
wishes to see as much harm done as possible. And not God, for He will
not be so cruel as to let your sin prosper and go unpunished, as it would
if it did not make people hate it, by feeling the bad effects of it.

My good friends, if you by doing wrong hurt other people, and make other
people unhappy, are you doing Christ's work or the devil's? Are you
fighting for Christ, who wishes to make all good, or for the devil, who
wishes to make all bad? Are you Christ's faithful soldier and servant,
or are you a traitor to Christ who has gone over to the devil's side, and
is helping the devil to make this poor world (which is bad enough
already) worse than it is?

Oh, think of this now, while you have time before you. Remember all that
Christ has done for you, and remember that all He asks of you in return
is to do for Him nothing but good, which is good for you as well as for
your neighbours. The devil's wages now are shame, discontent,
unhappiness, perhaps poverty, perhaps sickness, certainly punishment as
traitors to Christ after we die. Christ's wages are love, joy, peace,
the answer of a good conscience, the respect and love of all good men, as
long as we live, and after death, life everlasting. Choose; will you be
traitors or deserters, and serve the worst of all masters, the King of
Hell, or be honest, honourable, and brave men, and serve the best of all
masters, the King of Heaven, the Lord of Life, and love, and goodness
without bound, whose ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are
peace?

XXIV. HOLY COMMUNION; CHRIST AND THE SINNER.

"Have mercy upon, me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness;
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my
transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever
before me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."--PSALM li. 1, 2, 3, 17.

This Psalm was written by David when he was sorrowing for sin, and if
there are any such among you, my dear friends, let me speak a few words
to