Sacrament of Love." "My Chalice is filled with the Blood of Divine Love." "My meat and My drink are Love." "God is Love," and He says, "My flesh is meat indeed; and My Blood is drink indeed." And, looking at Holy Communion to-night from the aspect I mentioned at the beginning of my sermon, I am to "Do this," in remembrance of that Love. It is to be the great Service of my Christian Religion, to "show" me my Saviour's Love. "As often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do shew forth the Lord's Death, till He come." It realizes for me, that grandest, noblest Life of Love the world has ever seen, when Christ moved about amongst us for three and thirty years, and by that Love saved the world. Every time I receive Holy Communion I see that solitary Figure, that Embodiment of perfect Love, seeking poverty that we might become rich. For love of us content, that while the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had their nests, He Himself should have no place where to lay His wearied Head. For love of us, content to be contradicted by

sinners, misrepresented, accused of every ill deed, spitted upon, buffeted, crucified, and all just out of love for the world. And as I kneel at the foot of the Altar to receive Holy Communion, I look up, and fancy I see the Star of Bethlehem shining above me, as if I was kneeling right beside the manger-bed on the first great Christmas morn. Or I look up, and fancy I see the great Gethsemane Olive trees, with their sombre o'er-spreading branches, right over my head. Or I look down at the step on which I am kneeling, and fancy, for a moment, it is the rock of Calvary, and that there before me is the Cross, and the Saviour dying upon it, for love of me. And this is what I say as I kneel there, so softly that he who kneels beside me hears not what I say:

Love of God, so pure and changeless!

Blood of Christ, so rich and free!

Grace of God, so strong and boundless,

Magnify it all in me—

Even me."

Who can doubt the all-prevailing power and efficacy of this "Blood" of Love? Who can doubt its power to save, or its ability to triumph

at last over all its enemies of sin? Listen to what, even in Old Testament times, men had to say with regard to the all mightiness of love. This is what we read in the 8th Chapter of Solomon's Song, "Love is strong as death: many waters cannot quench Love, neither can the floods drown it." That is stronger than the blood of bulls and of goats on Jewish Altars slain. And then, when we come to the New Testament, there we read of "the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge."-"to know,' as the Apostle says, "the Love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God."

Then, lastly, when you receive Holy Communion, realize in It the Love that is drawing the world to Himself. It is grand to see, how, even in the days of the old Mosaic law, love triumphed over all. That amidst the crowd of types and shadows, and sacrifices of blood; amidst the threats of Sinai, and the thunders of the old Law, Love was still the motive power that was the strongest, in attracting men to God. There was a mes

sage in Old Testament days that the Lord was about to pass by. And presently, “a great and strong wind rent the mountains;" but the Lord was not in the great and strong wind. And then "there was an earthquake; " but the Lord was not in the terrible earthquake. And there was a fire; but the Lord was not in the raging fire. And then, after the fire, came a

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I loved him, *** I drew

still, small Voice." And that was the Lord. And so even in those old times, we see that Love was the constraining power that drew men to God. Here is an Old Testament Scripture, which you will find in the Eleventh Chapter of the Book of Hosea, the 1st and 4th verses,"When Israel was a child, then and called My son out of Egypt. them *** with bands of love." God really drew Israel to Him in the days of old. "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." And all the terrors of the ancient Law, all the deep, rolling thunder from Sinai ; all the raging "fires" of judgment and of

That was how

revenge; all the horrible "earthquakes" of threatened damnation, could not shut out that sunshine of Divine Love! And the years rolled on, and brought men to "the fulness of the times." And in Christ crucified

we have the Sight of perfect Love, and He says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." This is what Love will yet do for the world, when Love will at last visibly subdue all things, "that God may be all in all.”

This Blood of Holy Communion, this great Love of God is the secret power that is drawing your hearts to God to-night. It is making Communicants of you, some oh! so slowly, so reluctantly on your part, so hesitatingly sometimes so far as you are concerned. But that Love of God is beginning to make you see the hollowness of the excuses such as your own unrighteousness, your own unfitness, for keeping away from the Sacrament of Love. It is beginning to make you feel, that, despite your own unworthiness, you must do that which is in remembrance of One Who is loving you with a greater love than the tenderest father, or the gentlest mother