II. THE MEANS EMPLOYED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THIS OBJECT. First There is the performance of good works. ἔργου ayabou, "good doing." This universe is an infinite conjugation of the verb "to do." And it is either conjugated ill or well. By the Christian, it is conjugated well. His life is a harmony. This "good doing" is something more than faith. Undoubtedly, faith at first is alone, as the seedling is alone in the soil. But, like the living seed, living faith brings forth in due time appropriate and abundant fruit.

Secondly: There is the patient performance of good works. ὑπομένω, Toμévw, like the Hebrew kavah, means "to wait," ¿ñoμevǹv, ὑπομενὴν, therefore, signifies "patient continuance." It is “patient continuance in good doing." And "good doing" in this world is climbing the steep, often with bleeding feet. The world is not yet so Christ-like, that the followers of Christ can pass through it without persecution. Hence, while here, they require to exercise the Divine virtue of patience; and patience is true heroism.

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Thirdly There is perseverance in the performance of good works. "Patient continuance in good doing" is absolutely indispensable. For it is only those who patiently bear the cross that can triumphantly wear the crown; only those who endure to the end that secure dóta, &c. There is a twilight that tends to noon night, there is a twilight that ends in noon light. The evening twilight deepens into the darkness of mid-night, the morning twilight broadens into the brightness of noon-day Hence would we not only secure present but permanent well-being, our twilight must be the morning one. Our life must resemble the sun in his commencement, continued course, and consummation. We must travel onward and upward to "the perfect day" of knowledge, "the perfect day" of purity, and "the perfect day" of joy.

III. THE OBJECT OBTAINED BY THE MEANS EMPLOYED. Those who seek in the way described not only find what they seek, but much more. They not only find dóga, and Tμǹ, and aplapoía, but also on aivios. "They are made partakers ἀφθαρσία, ζωὴ αἰώνιος. of the Divine nature." They are put in perpetual possession

of Divine light, life and love; Divine peace, purity and power; Divine guidance, guardianship and glory; Divine brightness, beauty and bliss.

First This life is pure. In heaven the rose of love has no thorn, the lily of purity no worm, the cup of pleasure no poison. The bliss of ransomed saints is as pure as the bliss of God. In heaven the white-robed choristers sing the new song of unmingled joy.

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Secondly This life is progressive. Life here, ever tends to death; life there, to life. Here we carry the seeds of mortality and the germs of sorrow about with us; there the seeds of immortality and the germs of bliss. The Christian's immortality is not fixed, but growing. His dawns of knowledge ever become noons, and the noons the light of seven days. His streams of joy ever become floods, and the floods oceans.

"Art

mine

The

Thirdly: This life is permanent. The perpetuity of heavenly happiness is secured by the eternity of God. thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, Holy One? we shall not die." (Hab. i. 12.) best bank of earth may break, and we may lose our all; the finest fortress may be reduced to ruin, and our lives destroyed. But nothing can touch the Christian's wealth; nothing can hurt the Christian's life; for they are “hid with Christ in God." The perpetuity of heavenly happiness is secured, moreover, by the promise of Christ. He says, "Because I live, ye shall live also" (John xiv. 19); and, "He is faithful that promised." We know that the natural sun once stood still; but we know of no one who can affirm that Christ, "the Sun of Righteousness," has ever failed, even in a single instance, to keep His promise. In heaven, therefore, the Christian's glory cannot fade; his honor cannot be tarnished ; his peace cannot be broken; his joy cannot be exchanged for sorrow; his life cannot die. His crown of life, after millions of milleniums have gone, will not only be in his possession, but will then be more beautiful, bright, and blissful than when first put on. Life in heaven is from glory to glory, from starlight to sunlight, brighter and brighter for ever and ever.

JOHN DUNLOP.

SUBJECT:-Paul's Wish to be Accursed from Christ.

"For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."-Rom. ix. 3.

Analysis of Homily the Six Hundred and fifty-third.

The

I. THE GRAND PRINCIPLE CONTAINED IN OUR TEXT. regeneration of human society, inducing a state of practical righteousness on earth, is the one object of God in Christ. Through the subtlety and craft of the devil, and man's guilt, the normal state of humanity, to say the least, was sadly interfered with. In again making a stand for that condition-unwilling that it should only be spoken of as that which was our state— anxious that it should still, and evermore, be regarded suchwhat should we pronounce the desideratum? Is it not this? "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son," &c. Complete selfishness is man's fall. Perfect sacrifice is his rise, or salvation. And this not only on the part of man, but also on the part of Him who was to redeem man-God's fellow. The children partook of flesh and blood; He did the same. If righteousness can be realized, He will realize it for the race. If righteousness can be realized, it must be by His own method and plan. By offering up Himself—that human and Divine self-He redeemed human nature. He showed by this actin Himself—the power was equal to the required and wishedfor result. He rose the third day, and through death destroyed him who had the power of death—the devil. That was how He took away the sin of the world-man's antagonism to God— his devilish individualism. The grand sin of self was met by a force, that, step by step from Bethlehem onwards, mastered and destroyed it. The law of Christ, and not self, is the law of man. Christ gave up all to His Father's righteous and loving will. He had nothing of His own. He did nought but what He saw His Father do. There was hard suffering and battling. "If it be possible," &c. But the power and the love were there; righteousness was ever realized; sacrifice was in His heart. "Nevertheless, not my will," &c.

So.

The Spirit that came That Spirit now speaks

II. THE GRAND PRINCIPLE EMBODIED IN THE APOSTLE. Into what depths of sacrifice, Divine life, do the words of the apostle penetrate, if but humbly and simply regarded—“ For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ," &c. Giving way to that habit of mind, quite too common, of regarding much of most important Scripture statement as mere rhetoric flourish, or poetic licence, we shall not think so, we certainly shall not find it But the observant and thoughtful reader of the apostle's writings must know, that his was anything but the highflown style many would fix on him. He was eminently practical and solid-what he said, he meant. The life that was in Paul was the life of Christ. from Paul was the Spirit of Christ. through him. Christ was manifested to take away sin. He took it away by the sacrifice of Himself. Paul is grounded in Christ. He is persuaded that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." He is conscious that he is about giving utterance to the root principle of Divine redemption; and would have us know that he is in no wise overstating his case- "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost." Speaking from his stand-point, which is the Christian stand-point, he speaks the TRUTH IN CHRIST; his speech evidences the naturalism, and at the same time, the supernaturalism of the Christian faith, Christ manifesting Himself in one of our race. He is with man in His regenerative influence-and, regenerative it is. Paul is not his own. He is willing to give up life-not a blasted, poisoned life-but a joyous, holy life; to give up Himself. He is Christ's; and Christ's course and life, he is anxious, should explain and absorb his. And he reaches this point by no process of reasoning. His consciousness, grounded in the Redeemer, declares its anxiety to manifest, in behalf of his own people-if by possibility he might serve them-as

much as is possible of the deepest and Divinest spirit of Christ Himself. Not merely did he remember that Christ was made a curse for man. He did this; but he did more. He felt in his own spiritual nature the result of this, and this being the essential principle in redemption, was with him nothing short of a Divine intention. Christ being made a curse did involve what of all things was most awful to Him—separation from His Father. This came of His love and His righteousness, and His perfect identification with the heart of His Father. Thus He became-God having raised Him from the dead— the Redeemer of man, and thereby He triumphed openly over sin. Paul was willing in his measure to permit the life of Christ to work through his mortal body, and to assert dominion over his mere earthly life. Could he in this sense stand in any relation to his people-his kinsmen, according to the flesh-he was willing to be accursed from Christ, as Christ was accursed from His Father. Notice then

First: The correction of a popular error. Paul, in expressing his wish to be accursed from Christ, no more implied his willingness to be for ever separated from Him-in other words, to perish everlastingly-than is that idea implied in Christ's separation from His Father, when He was made a curse for man.

Secondly: The essential purpose and work of Christianity. "Myself." This it is which stands in the way of God and all goodness. The evil, self, under the dominion of the evil one, is our curse, and the world's curse. It is so, however, necessarily. The vanquishment here is complete. "For I could wish that myself," &c. We have the victory, thanks be to God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thirdly: The reality of human redemption. Look at Paul. Regard his life and history. He was human and sinful; one of that race of which he wrote, "There is no difference." But he submitted himself to the righteousness of God in Christ. This is the privilege and first duty of man everywhere.

Cork.

VOL. XIV.

R. G.

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