CHANCELLOR OF THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER. PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. OXFORD: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. VINCENT. J. HATCHARD AND SON, LONDON. Who HEB. XI. 34. .. out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Week after week since the year began have we paused on successive holidays to acknowledge with humble gratitude to God the grace given to one or another of the great Saints who, like the brighter stars amid the countless hosts of Heaven, draw to themselves all eyes by their surpassing lustre. And now we close the yearly calendar with the common mention of that innumerable multitude of whom these were the first-fruits, and who now, with them, have entered on the rest of Paradise, and the waiting for their Lord. And in doing this we are surely declaring in open act our full accord with that inspiriting declaration of our creed, "I believe in the Communion of Saints." For herein we declare that it is not A 2 only with the great Saints with whom we claim a living fellowship; into whose inheritance of sufferings, of deeds, and of prayers, we have entered; but that there is a communion between all the true Saints of Christ; that we claim kindred with all; that we bless God for all "departed this life in His faith and fear:" and would not omit our duteous thanksgiving for His mighty grace vouchsafed to them, even though it may be that their light was noticed but by few; and though their separate memory has passed away wholly from the earth. So that we are brought to-day to this doctrine of the Communion of Saints: and a glorious doctrine it is; kindling within our hearts, if it please God the Holy Ghost so to work upon us, more earnest desires after humiliation and watchfulness, and trust, and powers of active service. For whilst it is good for us to be continually set alone in things spiritual; whilst it is true that religion is to each one of us so personal a matter that there can be no soundness in it, unless we are, in the singleness of our own spiritual being, often thus alone with God; yet is it true also that He has placed us in a company-in a goodly company-of His children; that there are of His ordering many steps before us on the waste over which we have to pass; that though upon it for our special comfort far beyond all other aids are left the foot prints of the Lord our Saviour when, as the Virgin-born, He too traversed its dry and sandy places; yet that, besides this, our gracious God, lest our courage should fail or our endurance faint, has set before us an unnumbered company of all ages and conditions, who were once tried by all our weaknesses and beset by all our dangers, but who have held on even to the end, and won that rest for which we long. So that no man, be his consciousness of weakness or the strength of temptation, or the crowd of his dangers what they may, can ever think that there has befallen him "any temptation but such as is common to man;" any sorrow, any trial of his faith, any weakness of his heart, but such as have been known to others, and have been by that Grace which may be his, over-ruled even for the furtherance of their salvation. But it is not only thoughts of comfort which should be suggested to us by our contemplation of the communion of Christ's Saints. We should be urged by it to a more diligent watchfulness against those besetting sins which may hinder our own salvation. As the unbroken fellowship of God's elect rises before our eyes, from the weakest, who is faithfully struggling in His strength against temptation, up to those who |