often,
that these laws and commandments are Life. Not merely the way to eternal
life; but the Life itself, as it is written in the Prayer-Book, "O God,
whom truly to know is everlasting life."

But some will say, How shall I learn? I am very stupid, and I confess
that freely. And when I have learnt, how shall I act up to my lesson?
For I am very weak; and that I confess freely likewise.

How indeed, my friends? Stupid we are, the cleverest of us; and weak we
are, the strongest of us. And if God left us to find out for ourselves,
and to take care of ourselves, we should not sail far on the voyage of
life without being wrecked; and going down body and soul to hell.

But, blessed be God, He has not left us to ourselves. He has not only
commanded us to learn: He has promised to teach. And--as I said in the
beginning of my Sermon--he who wrote the 119th Psalm knew that well. He
knew that God would teach him and strengthen him; enlightening his dull
understanding, and quickening his dull will; and therefore his Psalm, as
I said, is a prayer, a prayer for teaching, and a prayer for light; and
he cries to God--My soul cleaveth to the dust. I am low-minded, stupid,
and earthly at the best. Oh quicken Thou me; that is--Oh give me
life--more life--according to Thy word.

Thy Word. The Word of God, of whom the Psalmist says--O Lord, Thy Word
endureth for ever in heaven. Even the Word of God, Jesus Christ our
Lord, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and who, because He is in heaven,
both God and man, can and will give us light and life, now and for ever.

And now take home with you this one thought. There is one education
which we must all get; one thing which we must all learn, and learn to
obey, or come to utter shame and ruin, either in this world or the world
to come; and that is the laws, and commandments, and testimonies of
God,--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; for only by
keeping them can we enter into eternal life. And if we wish to know
them, God himself will teach us them. And if we wish, to keep them, God
himself will give us strength to keep them. Amen.

SERMON XII. THE REASONABLE PRAYER.

PSALM CXIX. 33, 94.

O Lord, teach me Thy statutes, and I shall keep them to the end. I am
Thine, O save me; for I have kept Thy commandments.

Some who heard me last Sunday, both morning and afternoon, may have
remarked an apparent contradiction between my two sermons. I ho