On ordinary Sundays it is natural and right that I should speak to you on lesser matters. Religious truth is made up of many doctrines: a holy and upright and kindly life is made up of many duties. They cannot all be spoken about at once. They must take their turn in our thoughts, now one coming specially before us, now another. But today I would rather ask you to consider this one great all-embracing subject on which all the others depend. The mighty faith of St. Paul, in which he wrote these memorable words, is what we shall require to carry with us at all times, whenever we desire light from heaven to fall upon any one of our earthly ways.

We need not linger long on the train of thoughts in St. Paul's mind which found their ending in the text, but we must look at them for a few moments that we may understand the text better. His heart was filled with sorrow because so many of the Jews rejected our Lord. It was a great comfort and joy to him that so many Gentiles had embraced the faith of Christ, and entered into the true fold. But this could not make him forget the Jews, his own brethren after the flesh, so many of whom were refusing the salvation which was brought near to them in the gospel. Not only were they his own people, but God's own people.