d sung from Dan to Beer-sheba. Jerusalem would have been illuminated
in honor of him, and banners would have waved in praise of him. But
how different from all this were the surroundings of his coming! Born
in a stable--and if a certain poet _has_ beautifully and truthfully
sung,

"The manger of Bethlehem cradled a King:"

still is his "kingdom not of this world;" and the King, instead of
having the "right royal part," is "meek and lowly in heart; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief." And no wonder. The cross stands
between him and the crown. "His own" could not understand this; and
once he was rebuked by one of his disciples for making mention of the
fact. They could not comprehend the spiritual character of his
kingdom--that love was the throne and righteousness the scepter. The
Jewish race, which are meant in the text by "his own," were not
prepared for the kingdom of heaven, and on that account they "received
him not." May there not be some in this house to-night who feel toward
Jesus as these Jews felt? If he would confer upon them a large share
of wealth, honor and power, would they not willingly accept him? I
imagine he would be the very sort of King they would like to govern
them. He would be the man for them. When such are told that worldly
wealth, honor and power are not the foundation of the Lord's reign on
earth and the glory of the heavens, and that these must be forsaken in
heart as the chief good by all who would follow him, they shrug their
shoulders, shake their heads with a down look and a half-suppressed
smile of unbelief, and say: "Not yet awhile." Self-denial is the exact
opposite of self-gratification. But our Lord declares that "except a
man deny himself, he cannot be my disciple."

But you want to know something further about _self-denial_. First, I
will say that it does not require any one to give up anything that is
for his present or future good. Love is at the bottom of all the Lord
says respecting it. He requires man to give up nothing but what is
opposed to man's present and eternal good. But I find it very
difficult to get people to realize that the only way to be happy is to
be good. And the only way to be good is to love the Lord our God with
all the heart, and our neighbor as ourself.

In the second place, self-denial is the giving up of all bad habits
and the suppression and removal of those evil states of mind and heart
out of which bad habits grow. When one is tempted t