Ver. 3.-'.ffie hiddffl life. After Christ died ho was seen no more by the world. It is true that for forty days he appeared repeatedly on earth, but only to his own disciples. The world never saw him after the stone was rolled against the entrance of the sepulchre in Joseph's garden on the night of the Crucifixion. And soon he ascended to heaven to bo with God, and was no longer visible even to hia own followers. But be will come again, when "every eye shall behold him. 1 Now, a similar experience is that of the true life of the Christian. He has died to the old life in the world which the world fully understood. He has risen to a new life which the world does not unrierstand-a secret, internal, spiritual life united to the life of Christ and hidden in God. But this life will be revealed when Christ appears again. I. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS HIDDEN. 1. Its source of supply is hidden. Its origin is mysterious; for "the wind bloweth where it listeth," etc. And its continue,! stb- tenance is mysterious. The same Spirit which feeds it gives its birth. 'l'be world sees the fire in the front, and they wonder that the waters of adversity no not quench it: but not behind, where One is constantly pouring on the oil of spiritual grace. 2. Its true 71ature is hidden. 'fhe fruits are manifest. The hidden nature of the spiritual life is no excuse for fruitlessness in the outer lifo. But the life itself is not the less secret. The stream flows underground, thou~h it proves its presence by the fresh verdure above. It is known only to the soul and to God; known perfectly only to God, for we are mysteries to ourselves. 3. Its destiny is hidden. 'vVe may hear the deep murmur of the water of life. But we cannot trace the course of the river, nor see where it flows into the ocean of God's being. The world does not understancl the aim3 and aspirations of the Christian. Thus he may be much maligned. Let him merci- fully refrain from judging those who in their opposition know not what they do. II. Tms LIFE IS WITH CHRIST IN GoD. 1. It is with Christ. That is the essential characteristic of it. Union with Christ is the cause of all the glorious and mysterious results of Christian experience. Christ is now biclden in God. Therefore his people are spiritually hidclen with him. Better be hidden with Christ than famous without him. There are secrets that are delicious in their very secrecy. What can be more happy than the secret relation of Christ to the soul? 2. It is in God. This fact accounts for the secret character of the life. God is unseen, and all relations with him aro invisible. To he deep and spiritual our life must go out into the darkness that it may find its home in God. If there is no mystery in our Christian experience, this must be shallow and altogether earthly. It can have no living relation to God. III. THE HIDDEN LIFE WILL BE MANIFESTED IN 'l'HE FUTURE. We talk too exclu- sively of the revelation of evil experiences in the great future. But many good and glorious secrets will also be declared. '1.'he despised faithful servant of Christ will h~ honoured, the misjudged character will be clearecl, the bidden life will reveal itself iu glory. '1.'he idea of a "spiritual body" seems to imply tho visible appearance of the spiritual life. The manifestation of Christ will bring with it this manifestation of hi,; people (1 John iii. 2). Note, the doctrine of the bidden Christian life is placed between two practical exhortations: (1) that we should set our mind on the things that am above (ver. 2); and (2) that we should mortify what remains of the evil life (ver. 5). -W.F.A. Ver. 11 (last clause).-Christ all, and in all. I. THE FACT. 1. Ghrist is everything to the Christicin. All other interests sink into insignificance bef0re him, as the stars fac.e at the rising of the sun. (1) Christ is the whole price of redemption. We need no additional 0o-race to that of bis gospel. We have not to supplement that gospel by the Law, or to eke out the store of grace with onr goo1 works, or to add the intercession of saints to that of Christ, or to offer any fresh sacrifices to complete the atonement. Christ cried on the cross, "It is finished." He, and he alone, is sufifoieut to bring full Ralvation. (2) Ghrist is the one Lord of our lives. He will nccP.pt uo divided dev11- tion. He, aud he alone, has a claim to rule over our hearts. There is but one Kiug of 206 THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [ OB, W, 1-26.
the kingdom of heaven that is set up in our midst. Any priestly protension, any dogma.tic teaching, or any political coercion that interferes with the authority of Christ, is treason against Heaven. (3) In Christ are all our requirement8, To be in him now is the deepest peace; to be with him hereafter is the joy of heaven. All sympathy for all kinds of men, in all possible conditions of sorrow or of joy, may be found in him, All truth of the highest Divine things may be seen in him, the "Word" of God. 2. Christ fills everything for the Chi·istian. He is in all, (1) Christ is in the whole heart. All the true Christian's thought and affection are filled with Christ. It is true that Christ does not exclude natural human affections. It was the fantastic mistake of the Church that a St. Catherine, in order to be the bride of Christ, must be exclnded from human love. On the contrary, Christ enters our human affections,and pervades them. In regard to social intercourse we may say- " Let not my heart within me bum Except in all I thee discern." (2) Christ is in the whole of life. He does not belong to a small consecrated section of it, a temple of holiness, shut off from the busy haunts of commerce and pleasure. He comes into our business, our pleasure, our mundane affairs generally. He is as much in the office and the workshop as in the Church. He claims the six days as much as the Sunday. (3) Christ is in each and all of his people. He is not only in apos- tolic leaders and pattern saints; he is in little children, the ignorant, the insi"nificant 0 the imperfect, the latest converts of a mission to degraded heathen. '