mystery" (Eph. v. 32). Aye, it is in the mystery, which is the dwelling in God, and having God dwelling in us, that the power over sin is obtained; and in no other way is it obtained. This union, which is one of love, is the root and spring of all duty-of all morality-of all good works.

"Talk they of morals? O thou bleeding lamb,
The great morality is love of thee"!

Thus it is that the study of the Bible leads us to a perfect knowledge of the meaning of Christ's words touching the law, which may not be clearly understood without the aid of other Scripture; and leads us to a perfect knowledge of Paul's words upon the same thing-"Love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. xiii. 10). How the fulfilling of the law? It is the fulfilling of the law, because it is the life of God in the soul of man; and is, therefore, a power -a power of obedience of holiness. It is not meant that love is the absolute or perfect fulfilment of the law in the Christian life. It is a growing power; and is, consequently, only in the process of aproximation or nearness towards its object. It ever tends towards it; and the faith which unites the believer to the Saviour, and brings him into the possession of this love, is imputed to him for righteousness, wherever he falls short of perfect obedience. He cannot, with all his watchfulness and prayer entirely fulfil God's law. Hastiness in temper and words in some, unholy impulses and wandering thoughts in others, will sometimes be experienced, since the "old man," though crucified and dying, is not yet dead. Hence there is need of constant cleansing by Christ's blood-of daily repentance and

as symbolically represented in our Saviour's washing of His disciples' feet. From this state, however, the Bible clearly distinguishes that in which sin dominates, which, in the regenerate, is utterly impossible and inconceivable. The regenerate man, in proportion to his growth in grace and in the divine life, strives to walk before the Lord blamelessly, and to adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things. His progress in that state and course will depend upon his progress in the knowledge of God's will and way, as revealed in the Bible, and his appropriation of its precious truths, by a living faith.

CHAPTER V.

OF THE FULNESS AND DEPTH OF BIBLE TRUTHS.

So multifarious are the contents of this blessed book, and so diversified and wonderfully framed the revelations which it affords of the gracious provision which the Lord has made for the origination, the progress, and the perfecting of the divine life in the soul, that it is impossible to make anything like a precise classification of them. What to one mind, and viewed from one stand-point, is a mere imperative command—a command, too, beyond all power of observance is to another, and from a different stand-point, a high and precious privilege. Ask the mere formalist what he thinks of the apostolic injunction (1 Thess. v. 17), "Pray without ceasing," and if he has the courage to say what he thinks, he will reply, that it is one of those hyperbolical or exaggerated forms of speech not unusual in Oriental writings, and by no means to be interpreted literally. No doubt you should pray, he thinks, once or twice a week, that is, when you go to church or chapel, on the Lord's day; and some go so far as to think that a prayer morning and evening is not wholly unnecessary, and should be attended to when circumstances will permit. But, to "pray without ceasing" is an idea totally at variance with the habits and obligations of human life, since to do so would involve the life of a recluse, and the rigid discipline of a monastic institution. The mind of such an one can form no

Christian-an habitually prayerful state of mind, in which, while "diligent in business," he is "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom. xii. 11)—" praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance" (Eph. vi. 18). Pray on the Lord's day, and pray once or twice a day besides, as something to mark the more than ordinarily devout man! Why, this blessed book, and the revelations which it gives us of the Christian life and privileges, show that prayer, and praise, and thanksgiving, form the very atmosphere of the soul, when in its true element, and an atmosphere which the soul will continue to breathe throughout that eternity during which it will make further and further discoveries of the illimitable perfections of the Divine nature, of the infinite wisdom of the divine government, and of the boundless extent and manifestations of the divine

love and mercy. Yes, if we rightly study the Book, and have our understandings so enlightened that the word of God dwells in us richly and in all wisdom (Col. iii. 16), we shall comprehend that what to the mere formalist is an impossible command, is to the Christian an ever-enlarging privilege, so that he can ever sing

"My God! the spring of all my joys,
The life of my delights,

The glory of my brightest days,
The comfort of my nights."

And we shall see, furthermore, how every Christian duty thus becomes a delightful and highly cherished privilege, not only affording present joy, and peace, and happiness, but maturing the soul for a heavenly state, by assimilating it more and more to the divinehuman of the Lord-the God-man, in whom the

Father was ever well pleased, and who is now "head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. i. 23). We shall see and know how the Christian not only prays always, but how in everything he gives thanks (1 Thess. v. 18)—in everything-not in pleasant and joyous things only, which is easy, and we had almost said natural-but in unpleasant and painful things also in all things, whatever their outward aspect may be, or however agreeable or otherwise to the flesh. We shall get to understand how the Christian rejoices in tribulation-how in the furnace he walks without even the smell of fire passing upon him-in the furnace -in the most painful and terrible trials and sufferings, as that metaphor indicates; sufferings so painful and terrible that they must consume him but for the presence and interposition of the Son of Man-the Divine presence and support. We shall get to understand how even in these circumstances he blesses his Saviour and the upholder of his head, who there crowns him with loving-kindness and tender mercy. We shall—if we duly study this blessed and wonderful book, as we should do-we shall comprehend the privilege of the martyrs, who, at the stake, and in the midst of the flames which were devouring their bodies, uttered no complaint, but exulted in God their Saviour-not merely that they were on their way to heaven, but that they were even then in heaven, though the body was in the flames.

In short, the study of this divine book will give us such views of God and of the riches of His grace that we shall be able not only to comprehend, but shall be brought into the enjoyment of those great