which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and
the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and
worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever
and ever. Amen."

To-day is All Saints' Day. On this day we commemorate--and, as far as
our dull minds will let us, contemplate--the saints; the holy ones of
God; the pure and the triumphant--be they who they may, or whence they
may, or where they may. We are not bidden to define and limit their
number. We are expressly told that they are a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues;
and most blessed news that is for all who love God and man. We are not
told, again--and I beg you all to mark this well--that this great
multitude consists merely of those who, according to the popular notion,
have "gone to heaven," as it is called, simply because they have not gone
to hell. Not so, not so! The great multitude whom we commemorate on All
Saints' Day, are SAINTS. They are the holy ones, the heroes and heroines
of mankind, the elect, the aristocracy of grace. These are they who have
kept themselves unspotted from the world. They are the pure who have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, which
is the spirit of self-sacrifice. They are those who carry the palm-
branch of triumph, who have come out of great tribulation, who have
dared, and fought, and suffered for God, and truth, and right. Nay,
there are those among them, and many, thank God--weak women, too, among
them--who have resisted unto blood, striving against sin.