shield to the fiery darts of the foe, and with her sword of truth thrusteth aside all doubt and fear, distrust and temptation, that beset her path. Faith, which, in hunger and nakedness, in mockings and scourgings, in bonds and imprisonment, in dens, and caves, and deserts, in bereavement and desolation, in perils and deaths oft, hath kept her hold on the word of her God-"strong in the Lord and in the power of his might;" submitting to his will, bowing to his dispensation, while meekly kissing the fatherly hand which ministereth the stroke of painful discipline. And then there is "meekness," which, when reviled, revileth not again, and when suffering, threateneth not; which resenteth no ill-will, and seeketh no revenge; which suffereth wrong, and committeth the wrong-doer, with a prayer for pardon, to the hands of the merciful God; which loveth its enemies, and blesseth them that curse it, and prayeth for them which despitefully use and entreat it; which justifieth not itself, but leaveth its cause with the God of truth, and peacefully waiteth the light of the coming day of Christ. Meekness, which hath, nevertheless, as seen in the meek and lowly one, a power to rebuke pride, and self-sufficiency, and hypocrisy, like the silent might of the lightning that strikes to the dust the loftiest pinnacles reared by human hands. And "humbleness of mind," or "lowliness," that ever esteemeth others better than itself, that accounteth itself less than the least of all saints, ever wondering at the grace of him who giveth it a place amongst the children, and permitteth it to serve in his household; and which, all the while, feareth to look upon its own loveliness, lest it should be puffed up at sight

of the grace with which its God has adorned it. Then there is "gentleness," the peaceful offspring of the dove-like Spirit, which taketh heed how it toucheth the bruised reed, and dealeth with the smoking flax, lest it should break the one and quench the other. Gentleness, which so administers the faithful rebuke as to make it an excellent oil, that doth not break the head, but rather healeth the wound that it probes; which stoopeth to wash the feet of its brother, when it seeth them soiled with the dust of earth and the mire of the flesh; shedding upon them the tears of its regret, and seeking to apply to them the all-cleansing blood of the Lamb. And also "long-suffering," which endureth all that human uhkindness and neglect may lay upon it, and all the trial through which God may lead it, and murmureth not. And "patience," that walketh on its even way in the pilgrim path, and pursueth its course of, at present, unrequited labour and toil, because it cherisheth hope in God's word, and in Christ's coming, and hath its eye on the recompense of the reward; which taketh joyfully the spoiling of its goods, for Christ's sake, knowing that in heaven it hath a better and an enduring substance, to be realized when it shall receive the promise. And "bowels of mercies," or sympathy, which ever regardeth a brother's woe as if it were its own, which ever seeketh to bear another's burden, and to supply the wants of the needy; yearning over the misery that it cannot alleviate, and pleading with God for the remedy of the wrongs of the oppressed. Sympathy, which draweth its holy power from the heart of him who wept with the sorrowing sisters at the grave of their brother, who

sighed over the privation of the blind man, and who can still be touched with the feeling of our infirmity. And finally "love," the sweetest, the greatest, the most Christ-like and God-like of all, the richest fruit of the Holy Spirit. Love, which containeth in itself as a parent seed all other spiritual graces, save faith, through which it cometh into the heart of man. For love "suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth." A spark from the holy fire which hath from eternity burned in the heart of God toward us; which, kindled at the cross of the dying Lamb, shall live through all time; and, when time is no more, shall glow and burn toward God, and all that is God-like, with ever increasing intensity, in its own native element, for ever and for ever.

Such, then, is the picture of Christ formed in us, as delineated by the finger of his Spirit. Such is the standard of truth placed before us, whereby we may judge whether or not we come short of the fullgrown manhood of Christian life. Such is the end of all instruction and exhortation given us in the holy Word. If these things be in us, and abound, if the new-creature life be thus developed in us, then will our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless; then shall we certify to others our calling and election; and then shall an abundant entrance be given unto us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Beloved brethren,

as I contemplate this marvellous portrait, my heart is ravished with its surpassing loveliness, and I could continue to gaze upon it with wondering delight; but, oh! as I compare it with my own poor, stunted, shrivelled self, I start at the contrast; the glance of its meek and holy eye strikes dead the very thought of perfection in the flesh, and the loveliness of its lowly mien inspires the thought, "I count not myself to have attained." Where shall we look in this generation for the moral excellency, the knowledge, the self-governance, the patience, the godliness, the brotherly kindness, the love? Where shall we discover the bowels of mercies, the gentleness, the humbleness of mind, the meekness, the goodness, the long-suffering? Exist they on this earth in their beautiful proportions in any saint or minister, in any parent or child, in any master or servant? Have they ever existed? Yes; our eyes have seen them; for "the life was manifested" in all its purity and beauty. It was embodied in human flesh. It breathed, and thought, and loved, and suffered, and rejoiced, and wept on this earth. For three-and-thirty years it was shown to men, in the sweetness of its childhood, in the loveliness of its youth-time, in the vigour of its manhood, and each in fullest perfection. And then it was all laid on the altar of God, that the fire of his holiness might feed thereon, and that its rich fragrance might thenceforth for ever ascend up before the face of God on behalf of us sinners. And as we look for the counterpart of all this in ourselves, and see the features of the holy life within us marred by the pollution of sin, we may well shrink from ourselves into the covert of that ascending fragrance,

that God may still look upon us only in his beloved Son. Not that the holiness of the Christ-life can be corrupted; for "that which is born of God sinneth not." As the bright sun-beams, which reveal the dust floating in the air, pass undefiled through its myriad particles; so the holy life, which reveals the evil of the flesh, receives no taint from the flesh. And as the sunlight, which struggles through the dense November fog, though darkened thereby, gathers none of its impurity; so the inner life, which ceaselessly struggles with the flesh, though dimmed and dulled thereby, still retains its essential and incorruptible pureness. For that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit; and these are contrary the one to the other. They can exist together in the same person, and strive one with the other in the same soul; but they cannot mix; they must remain eternally distinct.

III. We have space only to present one motive. It is, that Jesus desires that his life should be developed in us. He loves to see the fruit of his own Spirit developed in his saints. He bids us resemble himself in love, meekness, kindness, and purity. Yet he utters no threat of judgment, he speaks of no final separation from himself. His appeal is to those hearts into which he has poured the life of his own soul, through the travail-pangs of that sorrow which was even unto death. Now, shall we do him wrong, and grieve his blessed Spirit which he has placed within us to cherish his life there? or shall we seek to yield a loving response, in obedience to the desire of his heart? Lord Jesus, henceforth and evermore do thy good pleasure in us!