the invigorated and diffused life: he knew that, as the inner man waxed stronger and stronger, the true godly walk would be more active, and the practical service more devoted: he knew that as, under the mighty hand of the Holy Spirit, the Christ-life became powerful to repress and subdue the law (or force) of sin in their members, they would walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; and, therefore, he travailed in soul for them, that this precious Christian-life might be all-pervading and all-prevalent in them at all times. His desire was, that their whole inner being-spirit, soul, mind, heart, imagination, conscience-might be replenished, filled, charged, and fraught with the power of this spiritlife. He longed and prayed that the indwelling Spirit of Christ might ceaselessly breathe throughout the frame-work of their renewed being the vitalizing and reviving energy of Christ's own life, that every artery of the new man might be flooded with life; that every organ of the new man might be replete with life; that every muscle of the new man might be invigorated with life: that so their thoughts, feelings, affections, and acts, being filled with Christ, might be Christ-like thoughts, feelings, affections, and acts, causing them to present a living resemblance to Christ himself.

But it becomes us to mark the lovely aspect of this Christ-like form, as delineated by the Divine Artist in the Scriptures of truth. One of these pictures is presented in the second epistle of Peter. It is placed before us as partakers of precious faith, as possessors of the Divine power, in the person of the Holy Ghost dwelling with us, and as receivers of

the great and precious promises. It meets our eye, as we are told that through the use of these promises, and of this divine power, we may become partakers of the divine nature or character. And in order to this, we are urged to supply with our faith "virtue, and with virtue knowledge, and with knowledge temperance, and with temperance patience, and with patience godliness, and with godliness brotherly kindness, and with brotherly kindness charity." And then we are assured that if these things be in us, (as doubtless they are, being inherent in the inner life of every Christian,) and ABOUND, they cause that we be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, if these characteristics of the newcreature-life abound, that life does not merely exist in us in a weak, low state, but filleth us with the power of fruitbearing; or has its full development in our souls. Another lovely picture is seen in the epistle to the Colossians. There it is placed before us as men risen with Christ, whose life is hid with. Christ in God; as those who have put off the old man, and have put on the new man, and as the elect of God, holy and beloved. Here is the beautiful portrait, photographed by the Holy Spirit, from the holy and blessed living original, as seen in the days of his flesh. Put on, therefore, "bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another and forgiving one another.....as Christ forgave you. And, above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts." You will perceive that this is not the

putting on of outward clothing, but the growth and formation of the inner man; the clothing of the spirit with the fully matured principles of the Godborn life, with which it has been renewed. It is a presentation of the pattern of the new man in his manhood state in the believer. We glance at another picture, pourtrayed in the epistle to the Galatians. It is given to us there, not only as those possessed of the new life, but also of the Holy Ghost; and it is, therefore, put before us as the fruit of the Spirit, through whose divine operation it is, by means of the life, produced in the soul. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Here again it is seen that the holy sap must impregnate the branches with its living power, before they can yield, in the outward life, the rich ripe fruit of the Holy Spirit. Christ must be formed in us, before he can be manifested by us.

Let us now contemplate the special features of this holy life. Supply with your faith "virtue;" that is the moral excellency of God; a precious part of the divine character. The word translated "virtue" is used in Peter's first epistle, where he tells us that we "should show forth the virtues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light." He also testifies that we "are called by glory and virtue." Now, as we are called by the act of the Holy Ghost, in renewing our spirits with the inner life, it is manifest that the germs of glory and of virtue are in that life; and that, therefore, its full development would enable us to show forth the virtues of him that hath called us: or that it would be

an exhibition of the moral excellency of God. Hence Peter says again, "As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy." And Paul says to the Thessalonians, "God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." We also learn in the epistle to the Hebrews, that our God chastens us that we may become partakers of his holiness, which is, in part, what our apostle means by our becoming partakers of the divine nature. "Godliness," or godlikeness, is a more extended expression of the divine character. It includes all the moral principles which form that character: goodness, love, truth, faithfulness, and such like. These all have their perfect germs in the new man, and will be seen in the attainments of its manhood estate. "Temperance," or self-governance: the control and right ordering of our inner selves. "Selfgovernment" is a magnificent feature of the character of God, maintaining the perfect harmony of his attributes; so that his love is never exercised at the expense of his justice, his grace never entrenches on his holiness, his goodness wrongeth not his truth, and his righteous indignation disturbeth not his patience and peacefulness. Self-governance, under the Spirit, in us, implies the subduing of the affections and lusts of the flesh; and the ordering aright of the thoughts, affections, and feelings of the spirit. It is a state of mind in which nothing is lacking, and nothing held in excess; in which faithfulness offendeth not gentleness, and meekness standeth not in the way of zeal; in which righteousness woundeth not brotherly kindness, and love doth not compromise truth: a state in which forbearance does not degenerate into indifference, nor grace into the sufferance

of evil. There can be no self-governance without "knowledge." There must be knowledge of the evils to be subdued, as discovered in the light of God's holiness, beaming from the glory through the cross: knowledge of the great principles of truth and grace connected with our standing and life in Christ: knowledge of the love of the Father, the person and grace of the Son, the indwelling and communion of the Holy Ghost: knowledge of all good in Christ, and of all evil in ourselves: the knowledge of the fulness of pardoning mercy, and of the all-sufficiency of saving grace, ministered by the ever present Comforter and Guide of the saints. Then there is "goodness," which is ever seeking the well-being of others, and is never content unless it be pouring oil and wine into wounded hearts: which spendeth its energies in alleviating suffering, in soothing anguish, in battling with wretchedness, in ministering blessing to the children of want, and care, and woe: which, while it abhorreth evil, loveth from its heart the poor slaves of evil, and useth ceaseless effort to win them from its doom. And though there be none absolutely and essentially good save God, yet hath he, of his own good pleasure, from Christ, the fountain of newcreature good, by the hand of his good Spirit, implanted in his new-born sons a derived and sustained goodness, which he loveth to foster and call forth in their spirits. And then there is "faith," which trusteth her God in all weathers, and confideth in him at all times; which holdeth on her course through flood and flame, clinging to the arm of his power, and to the girdle of his reins; even his unchanging faithfulness. Faith-which presenteth her