Oh! let us who are coming to lay our
gift upon God's altar at this approaching Christmas tide, consider
whether our brother hath aught against us in any of these matters, and,
if so, let us leave our gift upon the altar, and be first reconciled to
our brother, in heart at least, and with inward shame, and confession,
and contrition, and resolution to amend. But we can only do that by
recollecting what gift we are to leave on Christ's altar,--that it is the
gift of SELF, the sacrifice of ourselves, with all our selfishness,
pride, conceit, spite, cruelty. Ourselves, with all our sins, we are to
lay upon Christ's altar, that our sins may be nailed to His cross, and
washed clean in His blood, everlastingly consumed in the fire of His
Spirit, the pure spirit of love, which is the Charity of God, that so,
self being purged out of us, we may become holy and lively sacrifices to
God, parts and parcels of that perfect sacrifice which Christ offered up
for the sins of the whole world--even the sacrifice of Himself.
SERMON XXVIII. ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
Chester Cathedral.
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