two ways, in our hearts and in his word. The latter and clearer of these informants St. Paul knew little of; the former he could not but know in his measure, (for it was within him,) and he obeyed it. That inward voice was but feeble, mixed up and obscured with human feelings and human traditions; so that what his conscience told him to do, was but partially true, and in part was wrong. Yet still, believing it to speak God's will, he deferred to it, acting as he did afterwards when he "was not disobedient to the heavenly vision," which informed him Jesus was the Christ1. Hear his own account of himself:-" I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." "After the

most straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee." "Touching the righteousness which is in the Law, blameless 2." Here is no ease, no selfindulgent habits, no wilful sin against the light,nay, I will say no pride. That is, though he was doubtless influenced by much sinful self-confidence, in his violent and bigoted hatred of the Christians, and though (as well as even the best of us) he was doubtless liable to the occasional temptations and defilements of pride, yet, taking pride to mean open rebellion against God, warring against God's authority, setting up reason against God, this he had not. He "verily thought within himself that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Turn to the case of Jews and Gentiles

Acts xxvi. 19. 2 Acts xxiii. 1. xxvi. 5. Phil. iii. 6.

who remained unconverted, and you will see the difference between them and him. Think of the hypocritical Pharisees, who professed to be saints, and were sinners; "full of extortion, excess, and uncleanness;" believing Jesus to be the Christ, but not confessing Him, as "loving the praise of men more than the praise of God 2." St. Paul himself gives us an account of them in the second chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. Can it be made to apply to his own previous state? Was the name of God blasphemed among the Gentiles through him?-On the other hand, the Gentile reasoners sought a vain wisdom3. These were they who despised religion and practical morality as common matters, unworthy the occupation of a refined and cultivated intellect. "Some mocked, others said, we will hear thee again of this matter." They prided themselves on being above vulgar prejudices, -in being indifferent to the traditions afloat in the world about another life,-in regarding all religions as equally true and equally false. Such a hard, vain-glorious temper our Lord solemnly condemns, when he says to the Church at Laodicea, "I would thou wert cold or hot."

The Pharisees, then, were breakers of the Law; the Gentile reasoners and statesmen were infidels. Both were proud, both despised the voice of conscience. We see, then, from this review, the kind of sin which God pities and pardons. All sin, in

1 Matt. xxiii. 25. 27.

3

1 Cor. i. 22.

2 John xii. 43.

4 Acts xvii. 32.

deed, when repented of, He will put away; but pride hardens the heart against repentance, and sensuality debases it to a brutal nature. The Holy Spirit is quenched by open transgressions of conscience and contempt of His authority. But, when men err in ignorance, following closely their own notions of right and wrong, though these notions are mistaken, great as is their sin, if they might have possessed themselves of truer notions,-(and very great as was St. Paul's sin, because he certainly might have learned from the Old Testament far clearer and diviner doctrine than the tradition of the Pharisees,) yet such men are not left by the God of all grace. God leads them on to the light, in spite of their errors in faith, if they continue strictly to obey what they believe to be His will. And, to declare this comfortable truth to us, St. Paul was thus carried on by the Providence of God, and brought into the light by miracle; that we may learn, by a memorable instance of His grace, what He ever does, though He does not in ordinary cases thus declare it openly to the world.

Who has not felt a fear lest he be wandering from the true doctrine of Christ? Let him cherish and obey the holy light of conscience within him, as Saul did; let him carefully study the Scriptures, as Saul did not; and the God who had mercy even on the persecutor of His saints, will assuredly shed His grace upon him, and bring him into the truth as it is in Jesus.

SERMON X.

THE FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

SECRECY AND SUDDENNESS OF DIVINE VISITATIONS.

LUKE Xviii. 20.

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. WE Commemorate on this day the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, according to the injunction of the Mosaic Law, as laid down in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Exodus and the twelfth of Leviticus. When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, the first-born of the Egyptians (as we all know) were visited by death, "from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle." Accordingly, in thankful remembrance of this destruction, and their own deliverance, every male among the Israelites, who was the first-born of his mother, was dedicated to God; likewise, every first-born of cattle. Afterwards, the Levites were taken, as God's peculiar possession,

1 Exod. xii. 29.

instead of the first-born'; but still the first-born were solemnly brought to the Temple at a certain time from their birth, presented to God, and then redeemed or bought off at a certain price. At the same time certain sacrifices were offered for the mother, in order to her purification after childbirth ; and therefore to-day's Feast, in memory of Christ's Presentation in the Temple, is commonly called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Saviour was born without sin. His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, need have made no offering, as requiring no purification. On the contrary, it was that very birth of the Son of God which sanctified the whole race of woman, and turned her curse into a blessing. Nevertheless, as Christ Himself was minded to "fulfil all righteousness," to obey all the ordinances of the covenant under which He was born, so in like manner his Mother Mary submitted to the Law, in order to do it reverence.

This then is the event in our Saviour's infancy, which we this day celebrate; His presentation in the Temple, when His Virgin Mother was ceremonially purified. It was made memorable at the time by the hymns and praises of Simeon and Anna, to whom He was then revealed. And there were others, besides these, who had been "looking for redemption in Jerusalem," who were also vouchsafed a sight of the Infant Saviour. But the chief importance of this event consists in its being

1 Numb. iii. 12, 13.