ears, a heavenly presence ever cheering our inmost spirits. Not to place, not to time, shall we then be bound: Christ our Lord Himself will be with us; the Holy Spirit will guide us; we shall be the sons and daughters of our God. Oh that this mighty blessing could be accorded to us! Oh that we were growing in the spirit, in the constraining love of Christ our Lord! Oh that we were drawing nearer, ever nearer, to His Cross, in hatred of our sin, in Christian self-denial, in earnest practical obedience. So would it have been good indeed for us to be here, so should we not have increased our responsibilities without inheriting any blessing, and, when the waves of this rough world were overpast, we should reach the glorious haven of the Redeemer's love, we should be "ever with the Lord."

JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON.

Sermons for the Christian Seasons.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.

ST. JOHN i. 46. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

As it is admitted by all, that Bartholomew and Nathanael are two names for the same person, I will at once call your minds to the wellknown account contained in the first chapter of St. John's gospel, and from the character which is there given of the Israelite in whom was no guile, suggest a few thoughts which may suit the day on which we gratefully recall his memory.

When Philip, together with Andrew and Peter, became the follower of the Lord, his first wish was, that Nathanael should become a disciple also. We read that he sought out his friend, and saith unto him, "We have found

Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." How far the other followers of Christ began by making objections to His claim to be the Messiah, there is no record to shew; it is however evident that Nathanael did hesitate before he believed that Jesus was the prophet that should come into the world. Being well acquainted with the Scriptures, and having a firm belief in what was there revealed, he at once asked, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ?" It is impossible to give the exact reasons which led to this reply. Perhaps Bartholomew shared in the common expectation that Christ would come surrounded with earthly pomp and power, and therefore would not believe that He could have any connection with Nazareth, which was an obscure city in Galilee, and apparently bore an evil name. More likely the reason was, that Bethlehem was plainly described in God's word as the city where Christ should be born, and that looking for the promise of the fathers to come about, he could not understand how any other place, and especially a city out of Judea, could be joined with the name of the Anointed of God. There was no fault in Nathanael's conduct in this matter; it is our duty to be cautious in every step we take in

religion, still more so when we are bid to accept any opinion which seems to us contrary to the word of God. He was right to hesitate, and had there been no more grounds for his believing than those which Philip had stated, it would have been rash to have acted solely upon them. In short, it was a subject for further enquiry, not for immediate assent, where one should look deeper into the matter, not where one should readily agree to what was proposed. This was Nathanael's course of action. When Philip said "Come and see," he lost no time in going with his friend into the presence of the Lord; and when Christ told his individual character, described the inmost principles which governed his conduct, and besides this, reminded him of seasons of retirement and prayer, in which he had been shut out from the world and been alone with God, he answered and said, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel." Our Saviour's reply is one of encouragement; it shews, that if it were wonderful that his new Master should know the very thoughts of his heart, and be with him in each secret prayer, still more mysterious would he find His Divinity to be, when he had learned to adore Him, as the great Mediator between

God and man, who having lived on earth in the form of one of His creatures, had become the channel by which every heavenly blessing would flow down from the Father. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Now in drawing out the lessons contained in this striking account, the first thing that rises up before the mind is the image of a man, whose spirit was without deceit, simple and guileless, who in days when hypocrisy and pretence were the marks stamped upon the character of his people, shone out from among them as an example of sincerity and truth.

But if guilelessness was his rule of action, and if unwillingness to see evil in others directed his conduct towards his neighbours, with equal plainness does he come before us, as one who, in search after what is true in religion, is an honest and anxious enquirer, who while he is blinded with no selfish prejudices, is not ready "to be carried about with every wind of doctrine."