with his peoplo. Thon the Christian glory is just a shnre of this glory of Christ's. It is no selfish thing, mnch less is it an earthly, corrupt thing like much that degradeR tho no.me of glory among men. 3. Christ himself is the Centre of this glory. Christ is tho Hope of glory, not merely the teachings of Christ, the work of Christ, the sacrifice of Obrist. In him is glory-the glory of the Only begotten from the ]'ather (John i.14). He is tho glory of his Church. IV. WE ENJOY THE HOPE OF OL0OY BY REOEIVINO CHRIST SPIRITUALLY. Christ in you is the hope of glory. So long as wo are separated from Christ we dwell in darkness and no ray of his glory is ours. No external relations with Christ will rnakr the hope ours. Wo must enter into personal relations with Christ; we must receive him into our hearts. When ho dwells in our hearts by faith he brings to us his own life, ~nd with this the glory that belongs to it.-W. F . .A. Vers. 28, 29.-The mission of Christian preaching. In describing bis own practice St. Paul describes the model mission of the Christian preacher. Nothing less than this great ideal should satisfy a Christian minister. But nothing outside it should be assumed by or expected of him. 'fbe apostle is but a preacher and teacher, not a. priestly authority. I. THE SUBJECT OF CHRISTIAN PBEACITTNO IS CHRIST. It does not consist in vague speculations on religion. It is clear, positive, definite, and concrete. The preacher is to uphold Christ. He is to tell the story of the life, death, and resurrectior:. of Christ; to draw the portrait of Christ (Gal. iii. 1); to proclaim the grace of Christ; to set forth the claims of Christ; and to show the relation of Christ to everything in life. 1. There is a unity in this preaching. It all centres in Christ. 2. '£here is a breadth in it. Christ has grace and authority in regard to all aspects of life. 3. There is power in it. The charm and spell of the gospel dwell in Christ himself. In proportion as he is lifted up does he draw all men to himself, and in proportion as the preacher wanders into side issues does he lose the secret of his influence. n;. THE FIELD OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING IS ALL MANKIND. Three times does the apostle express the universality of this truth as against the Jew who would limit the best treasures to his nation, and the Gnostic who would keep the higher truths for the more instructed. "Admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom." 1. Christ is for all; for (1) none are so good, or wise, or safe, or happy as to afford to do without him; and (2) none are so ignorant, or foolish, or guilty as to be beyond the reach of his blessings. 2. In Christ all wisdom is for all men. There is no reserve, at least of tha highest wisdom,-since the Christ who is preached to all men fr~ely is the Word and the Wisdom of God. Ill. THE METHOD OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING IS PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION. 1. Proclaim- ing Christ. The first requisite is information on the main points of the gospel. The Christian preacher is a herald and a witness (Acts ii. 32; iii. 15). 2. .Admonishing. Men must be charged with the guilt of their sins, as well as encouraged by the offers of the gospel. An earnest, faithful dealing with individuals according to their personal condition is a necessary though painful part of a minister's work. 3. Teaching. Thorough instruction must follow the general proclaiming of the gospel. Growth in grace depends largely on growth in knowledge. Neglect of this laborious, unexciting part of the preacher's mission, careful teaching, is sure to be avenged by ultimate weakness, if not by disastrous lapses into practical errors. IV. THE END OF CHRISTIAN PREACHING IS TO PRESENT MEN PERFECT IN CHRIST. We are not to be satisfied with such abstract teaching as simply informs the minds of people. The great work is most practical. It is to mould lives, to develop characters, to perfect souls. 1. It is to bring men into living ttnion with Christ. We preach Christ in order thnt men may live Christ. The great result is the effecting of a vital union with Christ. 2. It is also to lead men on to perfection in Christ. 'l'he preacher will be expected, at the return of his Master, to present, as the fruit of his life's work, not a crowd of raw converts, but a body of ripe Christians. 'l'he work is not finished in conversion. It only begins with that. Line upon line, and precept upon precept, often with sad iteration as old lessons unlearnt need to be repeated, characterizes the necessary task of the Christian preacher. And it is not done till perfection is reached. V. SUCCESS IN THIS !UBS\'.0:t'I l)EPJ;;NDB Ul'ON WOI\Kll\G H4RD l'.N T:aE fOWER OF Cmi1s·1•, 00L0SSIANB. G 82 TIIE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [CH, II, 1-23,
1. It reqnires lim·il u•o1"k. St. Paul "labours,"" strivino-." The words in the Greek snggest the nthlctc who trains _himself into great vigo~r for some severe enterprise. :Men arc not to be won for Clmst nnd perfected in Christ by indolent sclf-indul~ent r:enchers. No work is ½arder than that_ of the Christian preacher when' it is raithr~1lly disc barged. 2. Success 1s also only attmnable through the powei· of Ollri'.st. He works mightily in the preacher as well as in the hearer. With this secret of strength tho feeblest preacher may succeed where a Demosthenr.s would fail.-W, F. A.