honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. (Rev. xix. 6,7.)

Then, reader, if thou dost hope that thou art justified through the merits of Jesus, determine to seek, while here, for the highest attainment in sanctification which thou canst reach. Self-examination will expose the defects in thy moral character which require to be corrected, and inform thee what graces of the Spirit are still deficient. Take God's word, and try thy state by it. Thou thinkest that the Holy Ghost has wrought a good work in thy soul, and thou hast the evidence of that work in thy feelings, thy sentiments, and thy conduct; but dost thou observe the fruit of the Spirit,love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance? If so, thou mayest believe that God has bestowed upon thee the Holy Ghost to sanctify, and prepare thy soul for that glory to which thou shalt come in due time.

Seek, then, the highest attainments. Seek to grow in grace. Thou must not stand still, but go onward unto perfection. The race that is set before thee thou must run with patience, if thou wouldst reach the prize. Thy Christian life is a warfare in which thou art called to fight as a good soldier; all the way conquering, at every step, the ground on which thy foot is standing. Satan must be vanquished. Thy corruptions must be subdued. The world must be discomfited; or these, thine enemies, will conquer thee,

and lead thy soul captive at their will. Remember, if thou art justified by Christ-if thy redemption is purchased by Him with His blood-thou art not thine own, but bought with a price, and shouldest, "therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 20.) Then do so; and if in thine own strength thou dost find that nothing thou canst do, and, therefore, dost desire heavenly aid, God will give thee help from on high. It is His will that His children shall be holy, and holy He will make them, that He may present them unto Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT TO THE BELIEVER'S UNION WITH HIS COVENANT REDEEMER.

"God, who didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful people, by the sending to them the light of Thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end."

Whit-Sunday.

I AM now about to close the subject which I undertook to elucidate, but before its final dismissal, I have somewhat to say to the reader who has kindly perused these pages, upon the important question of his own interest in our covenant Redeemer and His work.

To be a son of God—a child of the Highest-is the greatest honour and privilege which even Jehovah can bestow upon man. Many blessings have been conferred upon us, but this one exceeds them all. A thinking man must, then, sometimes find himself engaged in examining his position relative to God; and the anxious question which he puts to himself is,

"how know I that I am God's child? I hear of the sons of God as persons distinct from other men; have I the distinguishing marks which will satisfy me that I am one of these ?" Reader, if this is the serious and sincere inquiry of thy anxious soul, listen to the answer which the word of God gives thee. "As many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. viii. 14.) "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we (Rom. viii. 16.)

are the children of God."

Now, these declarations of scripture leave much to be inferred. We are not told anything of the nature of the work which the Spirit carries on, but that we must ascertain from other portions of God's word in which His Divine operation is mentioned at large.

But, before we enter upon this topic, there are two statements mentioned in these passages which must be well pondered, ere we can fully understand the meaning of the whole declaration. Mention is made of a certain Person as the acting power in our spiritual progress. We see that nothing is said of our own strength-our own unaided efforts our own personal achievements, as the power by which we are brought to God; but it is the Spirit of God-the Holy Spiritwho is particularly pointed out as acting upon us, and helping us onward in our heaven-ward journey.

Again, we observe that the leading of the Spirit is the evidence that we are the sons of God; and this it is important to note: for leading is a continuous action,

and not one impulse, (as may be supposed by some, is given to the soul in baptism, and by others in conversion;) but a power which goes on operating as a guiding hand all through our spiritual life.

Now, it is necessary that we should well weigh these two important facts here stated; for many, entirely overlooking the appointed work of the Holy Ghost, put their trust too much in their own power to resist sin, and walk uprightly before God. They think that they have sufficient strength of purpose to enable them to continue the faithful soldiers and servants of Christ unto their lives' end. They have no fear of falling into sin, seeing that they have been well instructed in the ways of good men, and are strongly armed, by their innate admiration of virtue, against the assaults of any ordinary temptations: while there are others who rest satisfied with their baptism or their conversion; supposing that, when the Spirit acted upon them at those times, He gave them an impulse which would be sufficient to carry them on to heaven without any further aid; and, therefore, they have thought no more about His leading since.

Now, in the test of our sonship which God has given us, we find these two errors are met; for we see, first, that the power which God exerts in our spiritual education is the Spirit; and, secondly, that the work He carries on in the soul is progressive.

When our Lord ascended, He sent the Holy Ghost to be in the world, specially and personally to abide