Word, and t&king every variety of form. They are sometimes: 1. Involved in the Divine dealings with individuals. 2. At other times they are embodied in doctrinal truths, and found as soon as we try to give those truths practicable applioations. 3. And at other times they a.re words which come to us with the seal of the experience of good men through all the ages. In all God's gracious dealings, as well as in ~11 God's gracious words, lie hid precious and inspiring promises for all who can read aright. II. THE ADAPTATION OF THE PROMISES. As life advances it comes to us with 8 great and blessed surprise, that we never pass into circumstances and con9itions for which precise promises have not been provided. They are manifestly suited just/or us, and for just the corulitions in which we, at any given time, are placed. It seems wi if they were fashioned and sent for us and to us. III. THE ESSENCE OF ALL THE PROMISES. This is given in the promises which St. Paul has been impressing on the Corinthians. It is God's fatherliness. All promises are the assurance of our acceptance with God, our sonship with God, and the expres- sion of the love and the faithfulness with which he fulfils his fatherhood. At the heart of every promise lies this declaration, " I will be a Father unto you." IV. THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF THE PROMISES. They set us _upon seeking to b~ wh11t God would have us be. Assuring stre11gth they set us upon enclecwour. Or, tc,, put the matter in relation to the previous division of the subj~t, realizing the father~ liness of our God, we are set upon seeking to be true and faithf~ ~• sons.~d daught_ers_i• -pure sons of the holy Father, obedient sons of the King-Father, loving sons of the loving Father, very sensitive to the things that are unworthy of him, and .very earnest in the endeavour to put them wholly away from us. _ V. Tm; COMFORTING POWER OF THE PROMISES. This may be added to complete the treatment of the subject, though it is not the point set forth prominently by the apostle, and is a familiar topic. The true comforting, however, of God's promises only can come to those who carry out the Christian duties, walk worthily of the Lord, and need grace and upholding and cheer in their Christian con:flict.-R. T, Ver. 1.-0ur !JN(l,t life-work. "Perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The former clause of the verse indicates one side of Christian duty-the putting away of sin; this presents the other side-the putting on of holiness. We must" put off. the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts." We must "put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness." Melvill says," At present the believer is like the marble in the hands of the sculptor; but though day by day he may give fresh touches and work the marble into greater emulation of the original, the resemblance will be far from complete until death. Each fresh degree of likeness is a fresh advance toward perfection. It must then be that when every feature is moulded into similitude, when all uaces of feebleness and depravity are swept away for ever, the statue breathes, and the picture burns with Deity,-it must be that then we 'shall be filled.' We shall look on the descending Mediator, and as though the ardent gaze drew down celestial fire, we shall seem instantly to pass through the refiner's furnace, and, leaving behind all the dishonour of the grave, and all the dross of corruptible humanity, spring upwards an ethereal, rapid, glowing thing-Christ'11 image, extracted by Christ's lustre." The apostle had been speaking of the temple, and of Christians as Divine temples, and so his idea of" holiness" was chiefly" con- secration," "separation unto God," "entire devotement to God." 'l'reating the perfecting of holiness as a continuous work, to which the whole of the Christian life and effort must be given, we consider- !. THE INITIAL STAGE. The winning of holiness. There is some danger of con- fusing justification with sanctification. 'fhe distinction between the two may be simply expressed if we say that a man must be set right before- he can go right, Regeneration is the setting of our will right with God. Justification is the setting us in the riuht standinu with God. These stand at the very threshold of the holy life, and the~ is no entrance to it by any other way. Regarded from another point of view, the act of solemn personal decision for God and consecration to his service is the winning of holiness, the beginning of the godly life. II. THE coNTnroous' STA0E. The beginning is a frail and feeble thing. Good so Li.r as it goeH, and full of hopefulness; but needing growth, culture, pcrflcting. Iu oH. vu. 1-16.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. l!ll
New Testament Scriptures the word "perfect" stands for "whole" "entire" in opposHion to "one-sided," to imperfect developments of part9', to monst~osities • a~d 80 it 1s suggestivo of tho many-sided forms in which the perfecting of holiness :Oust be carried on. 'l'he Christian has to win holiness in thought, expression of thou,,ht in word, in conduct, in relations. He is even to keep before him this unattainable.,ideal "De ye holy, even as I am holy," saith the Lord. And the perfect holiness is n~ merely cleaned surface, whitened free of all old stains of sin and self; it is that whitened surface painted all over with the infinite grace and purity and goodness of the Loni Christ. It is being free of the old image, but it is also being changed into his imauc. Whether the "perfect holiness'' has ever been attained by any man while he dw~lt, among the shadows of the earthly can never be known, for the best of men will say to their dying days 118 did David, "My goodness extcndeth not to thee, only to the saints that are in the earth." Enough for us to know that it is a lifelong pursuit the cry of the soul as long as the soul can cry, the endeavour of the life so long as th~ life endures.. Only when passed through shall we know that we are holy; and then" be that is holy may be holy still." III. 'l'HE INSPIBATION OF THE ENDEAVOUR AFTER HOLil,"ESS. II In the fear of God." With the ever-present thought of him who is revealed as the "consuming fire." The fear of offending God, and the desire to please God, are necessary elements in the process of sanctification. F. W. Robertson says, "We cannot do without awe; there is no depth of character without it. Tender motives a.re not enough to restrain fro_m sin."-R. T. -,