^ H. Scott Holland, Personal Studies, 138. ^ Christina G. Rossetti, Poems, 196.
I JOHN III. 3 307
ness and gentleness, His sinless purity, His forgiveness of wrong. His delight in the Father's will, His absolute submission to the Father's purpose, His marvellous self-sacrifice, giving Himself " a ransom for many."
^ In the Standard Office of the British Government there is a bronze bar, a yard long, the unit of measurement throughout the British Empire. Everything is measured by reference to that bit of metal. It is the final court of appeal in the matter of measurement. The interesting thing about it is that it is reputed to be the same length as the arm of the king in whose reign it was made. So that we really measure by reference to a royal arm. It is in the realm of heart and soul as in the realm of the market-place : our unit of measurement is something about a King — not the sweep of His arm, but the heart and the life of Him.
^ In white all the colours are blended. A perfectly white substance combines all the colours of the rainbow merged in true proportion ; but green or indigo, or red are only the reflections of a part of the solar rays. So John, Peter, Paul — these are parts of the light of heaven ; these are differing colours, and there is a beauty in each one of them. But if you want to get the whole you must get to Christ the perfect Lord, for all the light is in Him. In Him is not the red or the blue, but in Him is light, the true light, the whole of it. You are sure to get a lop-sided character if any man shall be the copy after which you write. If we copy Christ we shall attain a perfect manhood through the power of His Spirit.^
2. The Pattern is an everlasting challenge to ils. — The promise of likeness to God does not mean perfect freedom from sin now, far from it ; but it does mean progressive growth, gradual conquest, ever, in some small way, coming to know God and His purposes better, and so growing, even if it be in ways almost undiscernible, to a likeness of something in Him. Every man that hath this hope in Christ, every one, that is, who realizes the blessing of His Baptism, the dignity of his being God's child, this manner of love whereby he, all unworthy, is called the son of God, and sees that this is but the beginning ; that God means to lead him onwards to the full knowledge of Himself, till, at last, he is counted worthy to see His face — every man to whom these thoughts and hopes are real will long to use every means given of God for his cleansing, will suffer no lower ideal to overshadow and obscure his hope. * 0. H. Spurgeon, Grace Triumphant, 215.
3o8 THE POWER OF THE CHRISTIAN HOPE
[^ ^ In the beautiful legends which tell us of Arthur and the Knights of the Bound Table, one knight is described as the bright and consummate jQower of chivalry, the brave and spotless Sir Galahad — whose good blade carved the casques of men, whose tough lance thrusted sure, whose strength was as the strength of ten, because his heart was pure. It was no fond tale, no idle fancy ; for many Sir Galahads have lived since Christ came to show men how to be great ; and such are the men who have done all the fairest and gentlest deeds of human history. And sordid and commonplace as the world seems to have grown, the only real leaders of men are the men who, like Sir Galahad, are high-minded and pure-hearted. The time was when such rode forth in armour to resist the spoilers, and keep the far frontiers of Christendom against the heathen invader. Now, however, they do the less conspicuous but not less glorious part. In every Christian community there are pure-hearted Christian men who are the real champions of right, the warders of all that men cherish and hold dear — men who are kept stainless and pure by the high hope of their Christian calling ; men whose high-mindedness gives tone to our society, who are the real defenders of public safety and domestic peace. These are the true defenders of our country, the unconscious champions of its homes — men to whose star-eyed vision the Christian's hope has risen, and whom by God's grace it has purified and is keeping pure.^
1/ 3. How then is our purification to he effected? — The answer is, and must be, that it is the work of the Spirit. But as, on the one hand, there would be nothing so vain as to try to do the Spirit's work for ourselves, so, on the other hand, there is nothing so useless as to expect the Spirit to do our work. There is a purification which God alone can effect for us. There is another purification which God cannot and will not do. Sin is forgiven, sinfulness is removed, grace is bestowed by God. None of these things can be obtained by man. But grace must be used by man like all other gifts of God. He must learn to be obedient, he must learn to avoid sin, he must learn to be active in goodness, by the use of grace ; not by merely standing still as if he were asleep or dead. Whatever may be the source of his activity, he must, so far as he knows, choose, determine, plan, persevere in the way of holiness, as much as in the way of learning, in the way of working, counselling, or pursuing any other energy which God