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Thou hast revealed Thyself in Christ Jesus, and called us to Thyself by His redeeming love. Grant unto us all a listening heart; that the din of lower strifes and passing interests may never dull our ears to the heavenly call, nor blind our eyes to the heavenly vision.

Let no outer observances hide from us that kingdom of heaven which is within us; no distracting voices of men confuse us; but fixing our eyes on the vision of the Lord of Glory, may we become transformed into the same image as from glory to glory. In that light may the lines of our earthly work lie before us, and all the fruits of holiness grow in its warmth.

So give us to abide in Him, until we rise to the life immortal, and see Him as He is.

SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY

Collect. O Lord, we beseech Thee favourably to hear the prayers of Thy people that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. AMen. Epistle. 1 Cor. ix. 24.

Gospel. St. Matt. xx. 1.

These preparatory Sundays express the spirit of Lent. Each one brings us up sharply concerning some pet indulgence or infirmity. Today we are taught that coveting the prizes of life and making them the mainspring of our action will surely, surely give us that "evil eye," against which the parable of the labourers was told. Above that scramble for earth's prizes comes the trumpet note, "For the glory of Thy great name." Heroic men of all ages have heard it, but Christianity calls all men to this high mark. What was once attained by the few, now all are to strive for-this lofty conception of duty -the spring of all righteousness, since He is "the Lord our righteousness." Not in our own strength, but like the little child doing its simple task with all its might and loving energy, we are

SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY

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"accepted in the Beloved." The significance is in the "personal equation," not in the amount done; in the motive that inspires it, and the good will put into it. The worker in the vineyard taken in at the eleventh hour, who made no bargain, trusting the master to be just, and gave his whole time earnestly after he was called, had acceptance; the men who only worked for gain received a reproof with their hire.

Look at the Pharisee our Lord condemned. He is sanctimony itself. He really fasts twice a week; he really studies the prophets, writes their sayings on his phylacteries; gives half his goods to feed the poor: why? that he may say to himself, "Thank God I am not as other men are.' What part had the glory of God in him?

But St. Paul, also a Pharisee, cries out that he is less than the least of all saints; chief of sinners; ever striving for the mastery over self, lest that by any means, when he had preached to others, he himself should become a castaway. This was the effect of the vision of God's glory, an humble, single-hearted service for the honour of His name.

Heavenly Father, we seek to dwell with our Lord in the wilderness, to recognize in ourselves the approaches to evil, and learn from Him the way to resist the Tempter. Grant us that this season of special preparation may be to us an opportunity to search and know our own heart,

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SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY

that the conflict with the evil in us may be maintained; to gain a glorious victory may we be willing to keep under our body, and be temperate in all things; so that the work Thou givest us to do may be done evermore as unto Thee. Cause us to see Thy truth, enlighten our minds, quicken the sense of our conscience.

Be

In us is no strength for this high emprise. Thou, O Lord of our life, our strength, our habitation, whereunto we may continually resort, until we come to Thine eternal kingdom.

SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY

Collect. O Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do; mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Epistle. 2 Cor. xi. 19.

Gospel. St. Luke viii. 4.

To-day carries on the teachings of last Sunday to fuller detail. Our Lord has called the publicans and sinners, has sowed the seed of the word in every soil, has set the high mark for our motive of action-"the glory of God's great name," bidding us strive for righteousness, for righteousness' sake; not for results, not for life's prizes, but for the fulfillment of our being's highest law.

It is only by enlarging the vision, by getting into the infinities, as Carlyle would say, that the due proportion of things is reached.

Earthliness must always be somewhat distorted. It is only when we imagine ourselves out in space that we can see the men of our antipodes walking with their heads up! Some things are so good now-ease, plenty, health, pleasure of the eye and of the intellect-that it is only by projecting vision into the larger cycle, that we realize they may be snares and evils.