Duty, Righteousness belong to this relation. But what if the servant become no more a servant, but a son? A new relationship has been established; and a new set of ideas and feelings come into play. Law passes from the tables of stone into the heart; community of nature causes community of feeling; and doing results from being. "Whatsoever things the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise " becomes in measure true of every son of God. Righteousness is wrought; but not as righteousness, that is, in obedience to commandment. Conformity to the Law appears in the outward, because the very life of God penetrates the inward; and law is but the expression of His life, who is law unto Himself.

This is holiness. It is not of the creature; but of God, by the Spirit. It does good, not because it is prudent, or even because it is right; but "the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It avoids evil, not because it is injurious, not even because it is wrong: the avoidal comes of this "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." It restores that which the poet who sings of Duty so envies—

:

He speaks indeed of innocence; and holiness is more than innocence. But it is innocence re-appearing in maturity it is Paradise of old restored in the Heavenly Jerusalem. Righteousness was wrought spontaneously by Adam's innocence: it is again wrought spontaneously by Christ's holiness.

We say then of holiness that it is that conformity to God in spirit, which can only be wrought by the Holy Ghost that it is the Divine life in man. It was signified in the outward by the devotion of certain things to God's service; but it is only realized as that devotedness finds place in the inward, and produces likeness to Him Whom it regards. And of this holiness we further affirm that it is the characteristic of the Christian Di pensation, its form of goodness, the mould in which its life towards God is cast. We do not deny that there were "holy men of old"; for indeed the Spirit who is in us was with them, and ever sought to sanctify them. But we do say that the kind of goodness the world saw before Christ appeared was rather righteousness than holiness: that the best among the men of that day were faithful servants rather than true sons. The common parlance witnesses to the difference. We do not speak of "St." Moses or "St." Isaiah as we do of St. Paul and St. John. Consider also the character of those Christians to whom the name saints" is specially applied. It will be seen to be, in its measure, Christ-like rather than Elias-like : a life where the love of Christ is that which constrains instead of the law of the master, a life of spontaneous fruit-bearing rather than of stoical fulfilment of duty. All of them would say what one said: "I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

called to be saints."

Ah! let it not

This it is to be be a mere name with any of us. Let there be a fragrance of sanctity about us, a savour of it for all with whom we have to do. Let "as becometh saints" be the standard for each one of us for all that he thinks, and speaks,

and does. Deep indeed is the humility, contrite the confession, with which such a truth is to be entertained. But let not the humility be fearfulness, or the confession of shortcoming engender despair. If God says "Be ye holy, for I am holy," we should dishonour Him if we doubted that He can sanctify us wholly, and preserve our whole spirit, and soul, and body blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only hold we closer communion with this Holy One of God, and drink in more continually of this Spirit of holiness which is His. And then we shall have the life of God flowing into us, like a river full of water, and upbearing thought and emotion and word and work, so that without strain or effort they rise into the heavenly atmosphere and move on the divine progress. Let us, above all people, follow after such holiness; for without it none can-as we hope to do— see the Lord.

TWENTY-SECOND

SUNDAY AFTER

PENTECOST.

The whole armour of God.

Eph. vi. 10-20.

OUR attitude at this time present is standing in a conflict-standing. To him that overcometh in this fight it shall be given to sit with Christ in His throne: till then we stand. But our opponents are no flesh and blood like ourselves, but spirits,-principalities, powers, worldrulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places; so the words literally stand. As we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ,* so are we opposed there by all spiritual enemies. Not yet are they realms of peace for us-else perchance we should stagnate and stand still. Our progress Godward is to be achieved through the dust and heat of conflict. That Spirit who led up the Master into the wilderness, that He might be tempted of the devil, knows also what is best for the disciples; knows just how much testing we need for growth and strength in every part; and knows also how not to suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but with the temptation to make a way for us to escape, that we may be able to bear it. We war with spiritual enemies in the heavenly places.

* Eph. i. 3.

Do we not know it? When we have allowed for all the temptations of the world to rest at its own low level, for all the temptations of the flesh to indulgence and greed, is there not something over and above these by which evil is prompted and suggested? What voices are those which say, "Language was given us to conceal our thoughts" "Only children and fools tell the truth" "If falsehood will serve your turn, why be truthful?” Whence comes the exhortation, "Get on, honestly if you can, but get on"? Who is it that in times of depression whispers, "Curse God and die"; and that tries to stifle the first breathings of repentance with the suggestion of its hopelessness and uselessness?

"Christian, dost thou feel them,

How they work within,
Mocking, luring, urging,
Goading into sin?”

All this falsehood, unrighteousness, unbelief, despair comes of the lost Spirits to whom they have become a second nature, and who take a mournful pleasure in infusing into other veins the poison with which their own are filled. From them come the evils which the world and the flesh could not originate: theirs are the wanton serpent-stings of malice, theirs the cold sneers which wither up the budding good, theirs are remorseless cruelty, and theirs unforgiving hate.

Take we therefore unto us the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and these his angels. When they would relax us in all carelessness and unfaithfulness and insincerity, gird we up our loins with the binding girdle of Truth. Let all temptation to failure in integrity meet firm resistance from the breastplate of Righteousness, and find no way to