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SERMON XVI.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

1 SAM. iii. 1.

The child Samuel ministered unto the Lord

before Eli.

WE begin every week, on Sunday, by a Collect, an Epistle, and a Gospel, which are intended to serve all through the week; and so, where prayers are offered daily, as here, the Collect is in fact our special daily prayer. The Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, are thus also our portion of heavenly food for the week. They contain that doctrine, or those doctrines, which are marked out for our special meditation and practical guidance for the week. Agreeably to this idea it will be found, when we study them,

that they do, not only as a whole, but separately and singly, and each in turn, furnish this supply. They usually contain several doctrines, and, I believe, may be found at the same time always to embody some one doctrine, either preeminent above all the rest, or embodying all the rest in one. I have, before now, and indeed repeatedly since I have spoken in this place, drawn attention to the fact, that it is thus with whole sets or periods of these weekly services. For instance, how from Christmas to Trinity Sunday we are taught dogmas of the faith, and then from Trinity Sunday to Christmas are taught practice. I would now take occasion by this day's Services, to point out how the same holds of each week's portion by means of that allotted to us this day.

Now at first sight this may be, nay is, any thing but obvious. It is not obvious. And why should it be? If people are perverse and careless, it is of no use putting things plainly and obviously before them; they do not see them any the

plainer, but incur the greater guilt, because they do not see them when so plainly propounded. But if people are careful and desirous to learn, they will learn and understand at but half a word.

May God give us all at all times grace to be of this sort. To be of that ready docile temper, which is set forth to us in the history of the child Samuel, who, as we shall hear this evening, when the word of the Lord came unto him, replied, though as yet he knew not the Lord, saying, "Speak, for thy servant heareth"."

With this his answer on our lips and in our hearts, let us hearken what the Lord will say, nay is saying, to us in this day's and this week's special portion of His word.

God speaks unto us especially this week by the Collect, Epistle, Gospel, and indeed also by the first Lessons of this day. What does He say?

In the Collect He teaches us to pray for His defence and comfort in all dangers and adversities. In the Epistle He incul

1 Sam. iii. 7-10.

cates the being subject one to another, and the being clothed with humility: for that God "resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." In the Gospel He sets forth to publicans and sinners the parable of the lost sheep and the lost piece of silver. In the First Lessons for morning and evening He gives us the history of the child Samuel, and of the old man Eli, with his sons grown up to manhood and unto wickedness.

Now here, it will be said, as is indeed the fact, are four distinct lessons. Indeed, not only are there these four, but many more are contained in and are suggested by them. But my object is to find one lesson resulting from all, because pervading all. What is it? It is this. That obedience is the only safeguard against becoming lost sheep; and that we are to learn obedience to God by subjection one to another. A little attention will make this plain. Let us reverse somewhat the order of the parts of this lesson. We have, then, in the Gospel, the lost sheep

and the good Shepherd. Now if this had not been explained to us, as it is in the course of the Gospel itself, to mean sinners and the Saviour of sinners, we still could hardly fail of reflecting, that Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd, and that we by nature are all as sheep that are gone astray; and that He having once come to save the sheep, by His Incarnation, Temptation, Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, is still ever going after the lost sheep by the Holy Ghost, Whom He sent from the Father after He had ascended.

The danger and adversities which the Collect teaches us to pray against are spiritual dangers, i. e. temptations; spiritual adversities, i. e. sins. In Samuel we have an example of the good sheep never astraying from the fold, but ever hearing the voice of the shepherd, and obeying it when he knows it. In Eli and his wicked sons we have the sheep that go astray out of the fold; nay, of sinners, who turn to their own condemnation the very

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