ging them into
contact with truth, especially with the highest of all truths, the
truths affecting God and your relations to Him. Why should you, like so
many of us, be living amidst the small things of daily life, the trifles
that are here, and never coming into vital contact with the greatest
things of all, the truths about God and Christ, and what you have to do
with them, and what they have to do with you? 'Whatsoever things are
true . . . think on these things.'

'Whatsoever things are honest,' or, as the word more properly and nobly
means, 'Whatsoever things are _reverent_, or _venerable_'--let grave,
serious, solemn thought be familiar to your minds, not frivolities, not
mean things. There is an old story in Roman history about the barbarians
breaking into the Capitol, and their fury being awed into silence, and
struck into immobility, as they saw, round and round in the hall, the
august Senators, each in his seat. Let your minds be like that, with
reverent thoughts clustering on every side; and when wild passions, and
animal desires, and low, mean contemplations dare to cross the
threshold, they will be awed into silence and stillness. 'Whatsoever
things are august . . . think on these things.'

'Whatsoever things are just'--let the great, solemn thought of duty,
obligation, what I ought to be and do, be very familiar to your
consideration and meditation. 'Whatsoever things are just . . . think on
these things.'

'Whatsoever things are pure'--let white-robed angels haunt the place.
Let there be in you a shuddering recoil from all the opposite; and
entertain angels _not_ unawares. 'Whatsoever things are pure . . . think
on these things.'

Now, these characteristics of thoughts which I have already touched upon
all belong to a lofty region, but the Apostle is not contented with
speaking austere things. He goes now into a region tinged with emotion,
and he says, 'whatsoever things are lovely'; for goodness is beautiful,
and, in effect, is the only beautiful. 'Whatsoever things are lovely . . .
think on these things.' And 'whatsoever things are of good report'--all
the things that men speak well of, and speak good in the very naming of,
let thoughts of them be in your minds.

And then he gathers all up into two words. 'If there be any
virtue'--which covers the ground of the first four, that he has already
spoken about--viz. true, venerable, just, pure; and 'if there be any
praise'--which resumes and sums up th