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abundantly witnesses to the Apostles' own unconsciousness of the possession of a really mediatorial power and position; as for instance in the words of St Peter to Simon Magus at Samaria. And the practically one Acts viii. 22. alternative interpretation here is that the remission and retention are declaratory. The messengers here commissioned are to make known, for the world's need, how sin is forgiven in Christ, and how it is not forgiven.

And we surely gather that this work for the Lord is the work not of Apostles only, not of the sacred Ministry only, distinct and special as its functions are, but of the whole true Church of Christ. More persons were present in the Upper Room than the Apostles. Certainly the two friends from Emmaus were Luke xxiv. 33. there, and those two had found on their arrival "others with " the Eleven. And the Lord is at no pains to draw distinctions on this occasion, as He had been on others. No, He was empowering His whole true Church, there present by representation before Him, to be His delegate, His representative, in that part of His own mission from the Father

which consisted in the unveiling to human hearts how sin is to be forgiven, how man is to enter into peace with God.1

So here is a passage in which every true child of God, every true member of Christ our Head, may read what is to be the essence of his own life-work for Him. It means no ecclesiastical anarchy, I am sure. The Lord is the God of order, not confusion. But it does mean that that is no true order which would debar the humblest Christian from his part, or her part, in this most blessed "work of service," this earnest,

See 1 Cor. xiv. 33.

Eph. iv. 12.

Phil. ii. 16.

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loving, holding out of the word of life." And on the other hand it solemnly, tenderly, reminds all such, as with the voice o Jesus Himself, that the inmost qualification for that work is not mere energy of character, or ease of utterance, or fancied fulness of knowledge, or even truth of view. It is the inbreathed and inbreathing presence of the Holy Spirit. If the message is to be not only true

1 See Prof. Westcott's annotation on the passage. And see some remarks in an admirable book, the late Dr Hanna's Forty Days after our Lord's Resurrection, pp. 72-85.

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but truly carried, truthfully handled, presented as the solemn, blissful reality it is, the messenger, be he who he may, must be spiritual, must possess, must be possessed by, the Spirit of the Son of God. The Holy Ghost must have taught him indeed the realities of sin, and of its remission. The Holy Ghost must work in and through him as in a vessel meet for the Master's use. If he bears the commission and orders of the Church of God let him thank his Master for the blessed privilege and advantage; but let him not forget that the Church gave him that gift on the solemn understanding that he believed himself to be already, in a special sense, dealt with for the purpose by the Holy Ghost. And let the lay worker for the Lord equally remember that his title to be a witnessbearer of the way of salvation is vitally connected, as between him and his Saviour, with his being indeed spiritual, "worshipping by the Spirit of God," "walking by the Phil. iii. 3. Spirit," bringing forth the Spirit's Gal. v. 22, 25. holy, humble "fruit." So we come round again, in essence, though under quite different imagery, to the truth conveyed by John vii. 38.

(iii.) 1 John ii. 20, 27; iii. 24.—A very few words will suffice on these two passages of the precious First Epistle. The former has been already treated incidentally,' and little more needs saying here in this "chapter of fragments" than to call the reader to observe the imagery of "anointing" used by the Apostle. The "little child" in Christ is reminded by this that the gift to him of the illuminating Spirit, who pours through conscience, mind, and affections the pure light of the eternal principles and truths of grace, constitutes him in his new life a "king and priest" to his Father, and, in a humble but real sense, a "prophet" too; a man who has, under the guidance of the Word of God, more than nature's insight into truth and error

concerning salvation. The second passage, with its truly heavenly context, will indeed reward close and prayerful study as the believing reader ponders the tender, gracious commandment (not commandments) to "believe on the name of His Son, and to love one another;" the love being the sure outcome of the faith, just as far as the faith is true and full. All that

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shall be said here is, of course, on the explicit reference to the blessed Spirit. What is its assertion? It is that the sure way to ascertain that God "abideth in us" is, to render the Greek literally, "out of the Spirit which He gave us." From that blessed Gift our proofs must be drawn. And how and where shall we find them? The immediate following context gives part of the answer; it is by finding our souls respond with a full Amen to the Scriptural revelation of the glory of the Incarnate Son and His precious work. And the whole New Testament suggests the rest of the answer; it is by finding our wills respond with a love and loyalty which only God can give to His own description of "the fruit of the Spirit,” “His will, even our sanctification," His holy, humbling, chastening will.1

(iv.) A few words on the manifested glory and work of the Holy Spirit as seen in the Book of the Revelation shall close this chapter. The book abounds in mentions of Him. They range from i. 4-where beyond all reasonable

1 See Dr R. S. Candlish, The First Epistle of John (Lecture xxviii.); a book of the highest spiritual value.