Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/451

 shall cover  me  and  night:  but  darkness  shall  not  be dark  to  Thee,  and  night  shall  be  light  as  day;  the darkness and  the  light  are  alike  to  Thee."  So  long then  as  there  exists  such  infinite  disparity  between God's  omniscience  and  our  feeble  gropings  after truth,  so  long  must  our  opinions  of  ourselves  and  of others  be  subject  to  error  and  at  variance  with  the judgments  of  God.  "Judge  not  before  the  time, therefore, until  the  Lord  come,  who  both  will  bring to light  the  hidden"  things  of  darkness,  and  will  make manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts,  and  then  shall every  man  have  praise  from  God."

Brethren, the  lesson  of  to-day,  briefly  stated,  is this:  First,  to  be  very  careful  and  timid  m  the  expression of  our  opinions  of  our  own  or  our  neighbor's merits. Secondly, to  remember  always  that whatever be  the  state  of  the  case,  the  prayer  "O God,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner"  is  more  pleasing to the  ears  of  God  than  an  act  of  thanksgiving  that we are  not  as  the  rest  of  men. And, finally,  that  the more intimately  we  come  into  communion  with  God the greater  will  be  our  sense  of  our  own  unworthiness,  and  the  more  hope  will  there  be  that  He  will have mercy  and  forgive. " For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled,  and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."