I READ in your Primary Constitution and Statutes that “the whole work carried on in this place is dedicated to St. Peter, who, more than any other Apostle, ministered to the sick.” I suppose that there is in these words a reference to that passage of the Acts of the Apostles, in which we are told that the people of Jerusalem “brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” It is in every way a remarkable passage. Though the notice of these cures wrought by the Apostle’s shadow is so incidental, it is full of instruction. A shadow is an influence cast by a man’s body, and may usefully remind us of the influence cast by his mind. As all bodies must cast a shadow in the sunlight, so every rational soul must, by the law of our nature, exert an influence in its walk through life on every other rational soul with which it comes in contact. However narrow and however humble be the circle in which we move, our character, habits, tone, certainly tell in it; each action, each word, nay, each gesture and glance, is an item in the sum total of our moral weight.—Then again, as we cast our shadow on the pavement unconsciously, without deliberate intention, so the moral influence, of which I am speaking, is exercised when we least think of it. Words thrown out when we are off our guard, ways of acting which have become more or less instinctive, are all full charged with this moral influence, and have in fact a much more powerful (though a more subtle) efficacy than the things we say and do of set purpose.—Then again, the shadow is always a correct outline of the body of which it is a shadow. And the moral influence which we exert without being conscious of it is always exactly true to our character, which cannot be said of our voluntary influence. A man may preach, and exhort, and throw himself into Christian enterprises, and thus gain a reputation for piety, and yet be a self-seeker, actuated by ambition, or a desire to stand well with others. Many will say to Our Lord at the last day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?” to whom He will have to profess, “I never knew you.” In this case the deliberate and voluntary influence exerted by the man misrepresents him; we gather one impression from his efforts, and another from his real character. But the influence which he exerts unconsciously never deceives us. Live side by side with him for a month; watch him when he is not on parade before society, but with his family, with his children, with his servants; listen to his casual remarks; observe his character as it transpires at all the thousand pores of daily life; and the impression will be in the main true; it will correspond to what he really is.