It is thus we fully see the truth of St. Paul's statements in 1 Cor. xv. 42-58; Phil. iii. 7-21; Col. iii. 1-10; and of St. John in his First Epistle (iii. 1-3).

A man may be (and many are) as weak as a bruised reed or smoking flax in his religious life on account of the old Adam nature clinging to him; but if he yields his will to God and abides in Christ, he will have grace given him to remain faithful unto death, and in the righteousness of Christ he stands complete in the sight of God the Father. We are, as some have said, 'Like students copying the work of some great artist. Some copy so much better than others that they can be said to excel, while some there are who make a poor scrawling daub of the great picture.' Perhaps they have not aptitude for the work; perchance they are idle; it may be, they do not listen to the instructions of the master; or, if they do, they heed them not, or else forget them. At any rate, as all men have not faith, so all men have not the same gifts and abilities in religion as others; still, as long as they abide in Christ, and do not deny Him by expressing their unbelief in Him, and showing that unbelief by turning their backs on Him and His and going out from Him, though they may fall and have many a slip and stumble into sin, yet they belong to Christ, and these their weaknesses shall be burned and destroyed, so that no one shall remember them any more for ever; but for their good works, however small and trifling, even as a cup of cold water given in Christ's name, they shall receive a reward. If, however, they have rejected Christ and are not found in Him, how can they expect reward from Him? The idea is simply preposterous, and consoling only to those who, in ignorance

or selfishness, accept such plausible casuistry, such unenlightened sophistry.

Saviour! when united

To that dear heart of Thine,

And our spirits plighted

To be only Thine,

Oh, round us draw Thy love!

All cold unkindness kill.

Come, gentle as a dove,

And mould us to Thy will.

THE HOLY SPIRIT.

;

GOD the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the ever Blessed Trinity; who proceedeth forth from God the Father and God the Son; who spake by the mouths of the prophets (Heb. i. 1) and holy men of old; who at the creation moved upon the face of the waters; who, as the breath of God, was breathed into the nostrils of the first man, Adam, inspiring him with life and soul who at the baptism of Jesus Christ descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and on His disciples on the Day of Pentecost in cloven tongues like as of fire, He it is who is not thought about, prayed for, or searched after, according to the mighty influence and spiritual power which He wields and exercises in the kingdom of God, and among the members of Christ's Church militant here on earth.

The Holy Spirit is He whom Jesus said He would pray the Father to send His disciples to comfort them, after He was taken from them (St. John xiv. 16-18, 26;

also xv. 26). Notice here how Jesus identifies Himself with the Holy Spirit and with God the Father.

This same truth of the Trinity is again graphically shown at the baptism of Christ: God the Father speaking from heaven, and bearing witness to God the Son, who had just come out of the water, whilst God the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove alighting upon Him. There is also a remarkable verse in the First Epistle of St. John (v. 7), which speaks most explicitly on the same point.

Again, the Holy Spirit is the very essence of the new birth begun in all believers in Jesus Christ, as clearly put before us in that interview our Lord had with Nicodemus (St. John iii. 1).

He it is who also sustains this spiritual existence and unity in Christ; without Him we can do nothing. He brings forth in us the various fruits of righteousness, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, as mentioned in Gal. v. 22-26; see also 1 Cor. xii. 8-14.

In comparing the Holy Spirit with the wind which men cannot see, though they feel the effects thereof, and which bloweth wherever it listeth, no one knowing whence it cometh, or whither it goeth, three verses are suggested to me:

The first in Gen. ii. 7, where God breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul.

The second in Psa. xxxiii. 6, where God is said to have made the heavens and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

The third in St. John xx. 22, where Jesus appeared

after His resurrection unto His disciples in the room where they were assembled, and after a few remarks, we are told 'He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.'

Such passages as these not only show that the Holy Spirit is the gift of God (Acts viii. 20, xi. 17), but that He also proceedeth forth from God. Figuratively, the Holy Spirit is also shown to be as essential to the spiritual life of mankind as the air they breathe is absolutely necessary to their physical existence. Christians can no more live and grow in grace without Him than can the natural man without air. The Holy Spirit is also the guide, instructor, and illuminator of those to whom the Father gives Him, convincing them of sin, of righteousness, and ot judgment, and guiding them into all truth (St. John xvi. 7, 16).

Being, then, so essential to Christian life, and the glory of that Kingdom of Righteousness which the Saviour founded here below, it behoves all members of that kingdom to follow the example of their Lord and Master, and to pray the Father to send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, unto them, and to abide with them for ever.

In everything should Christians consult and pray to God, and then not only may they expect to receive good things from Him (St. Matt. vii. 7-12; xxi. 22), but with the Holy Spirit, the best gift of all, they will be able to live and move and have a healthy and happy existence in Christ Jesus, building up to the glory of God the Father a holy temple (1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; vi. 19, 20), and becoming in very deed and truth the people of God (2 Cor. vi. 16) and fruitful of good works (see also Ephes. ii. 18-22).

It is worth while noticing the various occasions and manners on and in which the Holy Spirit came in the days of our Lord and of His Apostles.

In the case of our Lord, we know He descended in the form of a dove at His baptism, and it has also been shown that He transmitted this power to His disciples by breathing on them, confirming the same on the Day of Pentecost by the gift of tongues, etc. (Acts ii. 1-4).

It was also given by the laying on of hands, as instanced in the Ordination of the seven deacons by the Apostles (Acts vi. 6), and the appointment of Barnabas and Saul to go to the Gentiles to preach (Acts xiii. 2-4).

You will observe here that this was a special setting apart in both cases by a solemn Ordination of particular persons for particular work. All these had the Holy Spirit before, as is clearly shown; but a special measure of the gift of God was vouchsafed them for their special need and work.

In the case of the people of Samaria, who believed the preaching of Philip, we see that though they were baptized by an ordained deacon, yet the Holy Ghost came not upon them, until Peter and John, sent by the Apostles, which were at Jerusalem, came, and, as was customary, prayed for them, and laid their hands on them, when the Holy Ghost was given, much to the astonishment and envy of Simon the Sorcerer (Acts viii. 5-24).

Again, in the conversion of Saul we see God in a vision telling Ananias to lay his hands on him. This act, which was duly performed, seemed not only to give sight physically to Saul, but spiritually also, and to ordain him to become a chosen vessel unto God