the Lord JestUI in heaven and his saints on ellrlh, and the comm'Q1lie&bl811e81 of the 1J11C9 which is in him to them. Otherwise the words are unintelligible. . If he could not cmnmunicat.e· his grace, it could not be 1.Dith 118. 4,. They involve also the,t.ruth that ihe disposal of. this grace is acoording to the will of the Saviour. They assume that he will• be a& ready to grant it, aa believers are to wish it for each (lther. o. ·The. w.& are such sa,would be uttered by one who felt it to be appropriate to breathe out' • pious w:ish 1 mentioning only the Lord Jesus Christ, without specifying either the F•t~ or the Spirit.1 A.a if it were felt that his grace is from the Father, and th&t .he, gives it by the belltowmentcil the Spirit. It is even so. Thus invoking the graoe of. the lad Je8118 Christ is to invoke that bf the Holy and Blessed Three in 'One. It ia no, fragmentary at hroken wish, it is no half.,prayer .that is breathed, when we say, "'fhe, grace.of OhrisHie with you." It is equivalent to ,saying, "May you be iilled. up:ta an the fulnees of God." 6. Yea, more, we.gather ,also that for an apostle or fol'& Choroh: to wish,for. believers ~t the grace of Christ might. be wi;h them lWS· deemed m adequate expression of their feelings uf yearning diisire •. For consider the wide,range over which the exprepion;•"the saints," extends; ihibk pf·the diversity of oondit.ioa. and requirement.which it.comprehends; think of the lQ:ag:vista of tJJnB. into which it.. peen~• and, iwhen we fairly weigh emiJ. am of tkue thrt!tl considerations, we. BhaU .begin to (8!11 what. .a conviction .if •infinite varieiy1and -adaptedness in the Saviour's. grllll\\ t.heee worda imply. :Yet more: 'i. 'l'tiey.~YD:tv-e th:& truth of the omnipreseace,of the&~ Smely the werds did ~ cont.emplilte the grilc6: of Christ bcing now .here and now: them, filling some while oth1D 'were pinin~aenriching the tiaiuts at Ephesua .md leal'!ing those at Smyrna to starve! .We ma.y be quite 111re of tfil& But., :then;, this benedktion in:,olves a faith in and cohYiction of:the glory of&n omniscieDt, aa omni- present, an ever-living Saviour, who can supply ali . saints :with· «U ~a.ce,. t.hroogll .GU time, even to the.end of the agei Thus ,we can gather,from thiBilroly, bruathing• of Ohri&- ~·love. what was the ,believer's faith in our Lord :Jesus• within: the. first ,oeninrn• 1ea.: from the time of his sseensi.im to heaven~ The .CJhurch .hatl,.a.:book bifN• it.··had a: human creed; it bad a faith even before it had the New 'l'estament. Just as millions enjoy the light by the action of life, who have never defined it by an intellectlll\1 formula, so the believers of old tojoMl8d,in and ~v,ed, on,their liy~g-~d from the first. Their formulation of the faith was not till long afrerwaida. We ilea, tiioreover, that it is only ~~~ faitJi.in too Divine g}QQ'.of Q~, ~rd that harmoniges with t~is first faith of the Church. Yea, here, in this faith in him, Catholic, Anglican, Protestant~ we •~ Wa Jtnow .~ our Lord hM. giiac&.11~ougli f9r rit:h ~d poQI; for the prisouers in i\le. du,igflQll !llld the martyrs at t411 stake, . When we are weary, w-e havl! 1:8$t.; wilen b~11gey,.food; when thirsty, living )'Fatet., ..when ill4ar~~Jight; when in weakn81!11, at,eogth,; w~. dying~ life.;....-Md all in him 1 Suah a, 6-v.¥>µ.r ia to us .no. lellll than the trut God al\d eternal life,. .. . .. . , . . llL T.HIS BEN~ICTJPN . saoULD HAVE !Hllll4.T .PJU~l<lAii POWER. For it. indicates lines. of life equally with those of doctriue. It @h(lws us: 1. That Christian-c .l,:w4 1&aJ it, root i,a <Jlwi,tia!t& fai,4. l'he wishes and' pn.y~r~ of t~ saints for each lltber have ~ peculiar direction and in\ensity lleoanse .of.their Jiving faith in that Saviow in -.,h(l]Jl they are ·one. . Many can a,dmire a true and pure Christian love. • F11vr would ~b .Uweakene<l inite, f i r ~ or fervour. :But it.,may be, sometimes is, fo~~n,;tha, ti::ae .Chriiltian. love is nothing leM tMn ,ope of the fruij;ij of the Spirit. . lt 1.11 a gi~wtAl ftQDl life ill.: Chriet. '!'hat lifo is throoghJa\Jh W hill), •Weaken the fa.itlJ,.au.di y0!1,p00l Uie love. l,et the, .one .cpase. the !itlter will pin.e away from the lack of nutriment
~:""'° Bu• thi, .benediction shows us alaa: 2. Thal <Jhri$ti4'4.fai,#h i3 • living Vf'rJtllth tmich leave. As theN can b@ no love ilithoot faith as it.II root, iQ tlwre ill M genuine faith without. love as its fruit. When:me" sre "'in .0hrist," they. haye ~.~ of undying attachment tor each 1>iher, In a fellow~ip whieh ean never \le ,dNt;royed, but which.is destined to ripen until in the Fath.er's house it. sh!ill be J)!trliwttld. · a.. What an. URspeakable comfort it is t;,hat Obristla.t:u, can up~ th11ir .~t- f1!l'vid: lo~ ings ilr each other's weal in one petition that oovera all possible ground of every. need of every believer for all time I We koow very littl& Qf t!ach. Qther's want.ii. Owillg to distance, di.ffereDces of clime, Q{ custom, of modes of thought llnd life, variaQJ]lj in • Tht!I history of the Oh111'0h'1 views on the baptismal fo~la may well be studied ill. tMi eooaeenon. , " 558 THE 'REVELATION OF BT. JOHN TIIE DIVINE. [cu. :nn. l-"21,