“Each victory o’er a sinful thought,
    Each action, true and pure,
  Is, ’mid our life’s engraving, wrought
    In tints that shall endure.”

The second thing about the apostles is, the work—­they did.

The third thing, for us to notice about the apostles, is—­THE HELP—­they received.

In one place, we are told that Jesus “gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease.”  St. Matt. x:  1.  In another place we are told, that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had to do, Jesus said to them, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  St. Matt. xxviii:  20.  And if they only had Jesus with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be sure of having all the help they might need.  The apostle Paul understood this very well, for he said, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.”  Phil. iv:  13.

And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in carrying on their work.  Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he said to the disciples—­“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”  Acts i:  8.  And what this power was we see in the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the means of converting three thousand souls.  Acts ii:  41.

And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work for him.  There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I might refer.  But I will only mention one.  This is so sweet and precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold.  There is no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and encouragement in trying to work for God as this I refer here to Is. xli:  10.  “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea—­I WILL HELP THEE.”  This promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all God’s people to the end of time.  You and I, if we are trying to serve God, may take it as ours.  God meant it for us.  And when we get this promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and be happy in doing it.

“For Thine is the Power.”  “I can’t do it—­it’s quite impossible.  I’ve tried five times, and can’t get it right”—­and Ben Hartley pushed his book and slate away in despair.  Ben was a good scholar.  He was at the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there.  But the sums he had now to do were very hard.  He could not do them, and was afraid of losing his place in the class.  Most of the boys had some one at home to help them; but Ben had no one.  His father was dead, and his mother, though a good Christian woman, had not been to school much when a girl, and she could not help Ben.