XII. False Maxims 190 XIII. Mary's Destiny A Type Of Ours 205 XIV. Mortal Sin Exemplified In The History Of Judas 221 {8} XV. Interior Life 234 XVI. True Christian Humility 254 XVII. What The Desire To Love God Can Do 270 XVIII. The Worth Of The Soul 293 XIX. Merit The Measure Of Reward 310 XX. Self-denial 330 {9} SERMON I. The Earnest Man. A Sermon For The Commemoration Of St. Paul, Apostle. (From the Epistle, Gal. i., 11-23.) I have read the Epistle for the day, rather than the Gospel, because it contains a brief but characteristic sketch of the great Apostle, drawn by his own hand. How strange is the history of this man! We have here the Church's most bitter persecutor converted into the most zealous and successful of all the Apostles. At first we discover a careful and devoted student of the Jewish law; afterward he stands forth the most learned and eloquent expounder of the Christian Gospel. {10} We see him in his youth a witness of St. Stephen's martyrdom, standing by to hold the garments of those who stoned him to death, sternly and pitilessly looking on; and again in his old age we find him lying lifeless on the Ostian road, outside the walls of Rome, a headless trunk, a martyr in the same cause for which St. Stephen died. We see him at first "_ravaging the Church, entering into houses, and hauling away men and women, and committing them to prison,_" and shortly afterward we hear the wondering Christians whisper to each other: "_He that persecuted us in times past now preaches the faith_." In the beginning, foremost of all the Jews was he in that terrible energy which they put forth to destroy the Church; and afterward foremost among the Apostles, he was able to say with truth: "_I have labored more abundantly than they all_." In fine, one trait of character distinguished this great Apostle at all times, both before and after his conversion. He was always an earnest man. It is worth our while this morning to study his character well, for--from the bottom of my soul I do believe it--a few such earnest Christians in our day would be enough to move the world. {11}