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Another thought suggested by these services is, that God put signal honour upon the distinct, bold, and emphatic statement of the substitution of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners, and the redemption effected by His sacrificial death. Modern refinements of the doctrine of the Atonement-those, especially, which, while retaining some of the terms endeared by long usage to the Church of God, deny altogether the expiatory character of the death of Jesus were cast to the winds; and the great truth, that the Incarnate Son of God was "made a curse for us," that He "bare our sins in His own body on the tree," was affirmed in all its simplicity and power. The history of this movement affords another illustration of the truth of the assertion of St. Paul, that "the foolishness of God"—that scheme or plan of God which man, in his arrogance, would sometimes speak of as foolish-" is wiser than men ; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." And with greater confidence than ever may they who are charged to proclaim the Gospel affirm, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

While, however, we rejoice in the powerful influence for good exerted by the American Evangelists, we regard it as most important that they who were brought to God through their instrumentality should be cared for by the Churches, and should be regularly instructed in the whole system of Christian doctrine, privilege, and duty, by the pastors of the Churches. It would be a grievous error, so to fix attention on the extraordinary agency which Christ sometimes sees fit to use, and the extraordinary services which He honours with His special blessing, as to disparage the regular ordinances of His worship, and those means of instruction in righteousness which He has provided. It should never be forgotten, that the association of believers in Christian Churches is not a mere human arrangement, but a Divine institution. It is the plan of the Lord Jesus, that they who receive Him as their Saviour and Lord should openly avow His name, should cultivate fellowship with each other, and should hold forth His truth to the world in the ordinances of the Church, as well as seek, by direct personal effort, to lead others to Him. He, too, has made provision for the nourishment of His people in spiritual affections, and their establishment in the truth. As the ascended and enthroned Redeemer, He has sent down the Holy Ghost, as His great Agent, to whose influence all spiritual life is to be ascribed; and, in every age, He has bestowed gifts on His servants, to qualify them for the evangelistic or pastoral labours to which He has called them.

"When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.......And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Those, especially, who have been suddenly aroused to religious thought and feeling need the culture which the ordinary ministrations of the sanctuary, if pervaded with spiritual life and power, are calculated to supply; and every faithful pastor will deem it a blessed privilege to nourish the faith of those who "have tasted that the Lord is gracious," and to build them up in knowledge and holiness.

But, while we give prominence to the services conducted by the honoured brethren from America, since in them ministers and members of all evangelical Communions were united,-we must not overlook other evangelistic efforts, put forth, in various places, by separate Christian Denominations, though in a spirit of brotherly affection towards all who "love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." We turn with gratitude to the eminent success vouchsafed, during the past year, to the revivalistic services of our own Communion in Hull, Leeds, Bradford, and many other places; nor would we forget the blessing which has rested on the "missions" of some other Christian Denominations. Crowds have been gathered to listen to faithful and earnest appeals addressed to the understanding, the conscience, and the heart, those appeals being blended with fervent prayer that the promised Spirit might "convince" men of "sin,"-disclose to the troubled and anxious soul the "righteousness" which is assured to every believer, since He who has offered a perfect atonement has gone to the Father, and is now the enthroned Mediator,-and lay open, also, the perfect deliverance from sin which we may realise through Him who has triumphed over "the prince of this world," and adjudged his kingdom to an utter overthrow. In the hallowed services to which we are referring, the presence of God was consciously realised, and the power of God manifestly put forth. Nor can we wonder at this, when we reflect on the earnest and continued prayer which preceded these gatherings, and think of the state of mind in which the ministers and members of the Churches came together. Their hearts were surrendered to the great facts and truths which relate to man's sinfulness and danger, and to the redemption wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ; and they were assured that the faithful announcement of these facts and truths

would be accompanied by the living energy of the Holy Ghost. There are times when it is proper and necessary to defend the great principles of our faith: but there are times, also, when we may well put aside all controversy, and, ourselves impressed with the certainty and the momentous character of the message with which we are charged, may plead with men as those who are tremblingly alive to their danger, and long for their salvation. The Apostle Paul has beautifully expressed the state of mind in which all Christ's ambassadors should enter upon their holy work: -"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." And he, too, has taught us, that it is the design of Christ, that the ministration of His truth should be the actual "ministration of righteousness," and "the ministration of the Spirit," thus leading us to expect, after seeking this blessing in earnest prayer, that as we proclaim the Gospel men will be actually led to the Lord Jesus, so as to be accounted righteous in Him, and will be made partakers of the Holy Ghost in all His comforting and sanctifying grace.

Another feature of the religious history of our own country, and of some parts of the Continent of Europe, during the past year, has been the revived attention given to the subject of evangelical holiness, and the earnest aspirations which have been called forth, in the hearts of Christians of various Communions, for the realisation of that holiness. This is not the place minutely to examine the theological views set forth at the Brighton Convention: but all who were present bear testimony to the hallowed influence which pervaded the meetings of that Convention, and several ministers speak of the quickened life and zeal of their Churches, as the result of those gatherings. One thing may be safely affirmed, that there can be few sights on earth, if indeed any, more pleasing to our Lord and Head, than when His people are gathered together, to confess past unfaithfulness, and thoughtfully to dedicate themselves to Him without reserve, looking for the abundant grace of the promised Spirit to consecrate their whole nature to His service. The spiritual atmosphere of such an assembly has a chastening, and yet an elevating, influence on the devout mind; and we cannot doubt that He "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," will crown every such assembly with His abundant blessing.

There is one point, indeed, respecting which we are solicitous,lest, in the instructions and exhortations addressed to believers relative to "the higher Christian life," the privileges of the

regenerate state should be unintentionally lowered. Those privileges are high and glorious; and among them we must place habitual power over sin, if only watchfulness and prayer are maintained. Every true believer is a child of God,―raised, through Christ, to all the privileges of the filial relation, and constituted a member of that new and sacred brotherhood of which the Incarnate Son is the Head. Every true believer is an heir of God. He has a title, an evangelical right, through Christ, to everlasting blessedness and glory. It is impossible for the relation of sonship to exist, without involving heirship. "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Still further, every true believer has been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in all Christ's people, diffusing a new life through their souls, and thus rescuing them from a state of bondage to sinful passions, and imparting the power of spiritual obedience. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them. which are in Christ Jesus.... For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." It is the uniform testimony of Scripture, that the faith which unites us to Christ, so that we are accepted in Him, is followed by the communication of the Spirit, to effect even a new creation in our souls, to conform us to the Redeemer's character, to implant and sustain the principles which will develop themselves in universal obedience, and to "seal" us as the people of God, until the day of the perfect redemption of the universal Church. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed," (or, rather, "having believed," or, as Dean Alford renders it, "on your believing,") "ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." Power over sin, as the result of the Spirit's indwelling, is distinctly set forth as an essential characteristic of the regenerate state. It is of all believers that the Apostle Paul affirms, "But now being made free from sin,"free, as the context shows, from its governing power,-" and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

These truths we deem it essential to maintain; though they show, alas! that multitudes who profess to be in Christ are living below their privileges. But if only these truths are guarded, and if,

indeed, the grace assured to every believer in Christ is made the ground of our exhortations to ourselves and our brethren to seek entire deliverance from everything in thought and feeling that is contrary to the mind of Christ, then nothing but good can result from the coming together of Christian men to plead in faith for that fulness of the Spirit which the covenant of grace holds forth to us. Perhaps the most sublime representation of matured Christian experience, found in the writings of St. Paul, is his prayer for the Ephesian Church :-" For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." But to this passage, lofty as is the state of experience which it sets forth, he immediately subjoins the doxology, which shows that even his strongest expressions fail to reach the fulness of blessing provided for us in Christ Jesus :-"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

In this rapid glance at the religious movements of the past year, it would not be right to pass over the memorable Conference of Methodist office-bearers and others engaged in Christian work, which was held, in the beginning of November, in the City Road chapel, London. The meetings of that Conference will long be remembered by all who were present. It was a beautiful sight to look upon that venerable sanctuary filled, or nearly filled, in the forenoon of three successive week-days, and crowded at some of the other services, with devout worshippers. And all who came there came apparently with an earnest desire to abase themselves before God, to realise intimate communion with Him, to receive deeper impressions of Christian privilege and duty, and then to go forth, with renewed strength, to devote life to the service of the Redeemer. Ministers and office-bearers spoke with all freedom of their own inner life derived from Christ, while the various important subjects which had been selected for consideration received marked and deep attention. It is reasonable to hope, that the rich blessing from on high which was vouchsafed to these assemblies will result in a quickened state of religious feeling in all our

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