ye can do nothing,"-the other echoes the language of his chosen servant, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Perfect love banishes pride, for the same reason that it banishes fear. It produces complete humility, by the same influence that it produces complete filial confidence. Yes, happy are they who attain to this state! But to happiness, let obligation be added. Let the regenerate believer remember that he most honours Christ who has most of the salvation of Christ. To be thus fully saved is equally our privilege and our duty.

But, if love may be called perfect when thus completely and constantly influencing the soul, there is another aspect under which it may be considered. It proceeds from faith, and from the light of faith. And as faith may become more distinct, more comprehensive, so that we increase in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; so may love itself thus increase. When our faith "groweth exceedingly," it will be found that our "love," also, "abounds yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment." They who can say, "Herein is our love made perfect," feel no inconsistency in saying, "Let us go on unto perfection."

It was thus that Mr. Wesley taught. In his own laconic and sententious manner he thus expresses himself; and in these few words gives the substance of his uniform and consistent teaching on this important branch of the subject: "Can those who are perfect grow in grace? Undoubtedly they can; and that not only while they are in the body, but to all eternity." Religion, in fact, follows the usual laws of our mental constitution. By these, continual exercise and continual attention always produce, the one increasing energy, and the other increasing clearness, minuteness, and comprehension. In religion, therefore, Christian graces are rendered more prompt and vigorous by exercise; and by devout attention to the various subjects of Christian teaching, increasing clearness,

accuracy, and comprehensiveness of perception will be produced. The devout contemplation of those revealed truths which relate to the divine character, purposes, and will, for instance, must issue in an enlarged acquaintance with them; and the more we know of God, the more reason shall we see for loving him. So, also, with Christian duty. Holiness is the combination of Christian graces, the union of the several fruits of the Spirit. The study of these will give us a better understanding of them, not merely in their nature, but in their application to particular acts and occasions. We shall thus come to see more and more of any errors and mistakes into which we may have fallen; and which, though they did not at all interfere with integrity and soundness of principle, have, in some way or other, affected developement. It is not enough that we intend to be holy in general: we must be holy in particular; holy in all manner of conversation. Nor must this be limited to intention and disposition, but carried into visible exercise in our whole deportment. How impressive is the statement of duty given us by St. Paul, in his remarkable reference to the particular branches of Christian ethics! "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Think of them in their simple natures, in their relation to each other, in their combination; think of your actual circumstances in life, and of the way in which you are to act at all times, and in all situations; so that there may always be a practical exhibition of these virtues, that every single action may be so performed as to have evidently and decidedly a virtuous character, as to be visibly one of the fruits of righteousness with which heart and life, your entire character, is required to be filled. Who that considers these things will not see that even where love completely fills the heart and governs the life, and is thus "made perfect," there may yet, in some most important

respects, be a farther progress, a spiritual improvement, a growth in grace? Obscure points of character may be cleared up, excrescences removed, deficiencies supplied; attention to duty may be at once more minute, and more comprehensive, and the visible character more complete and harmonious.

But for this constant growth are we to follow the advice of Aquinas, and the spiritual writers of his school? Is it necessary that we renounce the world, and henceforth lead a life of austere monasticism? This is not only not necessary, but in many cases-in by far the greatest number of cases-it would be positively injurious.

But, before any particular means of growth are considered, attention must again be called, however briefly, to what is the foundation of the whole; namely, the continued possession of spiritual life. The attainment of that life is supposed in every part of an inquiry like the present; and whatever is necessary for its preservation is, for that reason, necessary for its growth. However well adapted the methods may be which we pursue, in order to our spiritual advancement, yet, if we neglect the direct means of keeping up the life itself, the others will be fruitless. We have that life in Christ, as pardoned and adopted for his alone sake. We must live a life of faith in Christ. We continue to be saved by grace, while we continue to believe. That life is created and sustained in the soul by the living influence of God the Spirit. Him, therefore, we must be careful never to grieve. And as our heavenly Father giveth the Holy Spirit to them that ask him, for this must we earnestly pray, desiring and asking the continuance and increase of that vital energy and influence on which our own spiritual life entirely depends. Whatever else we do, we must maintain the spiritual life, by continued faith in Christ, as our atoning, reconciling Saviour, the fountain of mercy and grace to our souls; and by continued prayer for the Holy Spirit, the great author and sustainer of the inward life of grace.

This is the foundation, supposed in whatever other methods we employ, and necessary to their efficiency and success. But on this foundation a superstructure of means and instruments may be, and ought to be, erected. We now propose to notice them, though briefly, yet somewhat particularly.

There are two important rules which, though each includes a vast number of separate acts and exercises, yet, because these are, respectively, all of the same kind, may be expressed in general terms. First, The word of God must be devoutly studied. Second, All grace must be kept in exercise.

The devotional study of the word of God is, in the first Psalm, placed in the most explicit connexion with spiritual prosperity: "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." That the tree may grow, it must be alive. Dead wood, stuck into the earth in circumstances the most favourable to vegetation, will not grow,-very possibly it will all the sooner rot. And the living tree must have the regular influences of light, and heat, and air. But, beside these,-without which it cannot continue to live,-beside these, it must be nourished from its roots. The regenerate soul, living by faith and prayer, experiences the vital influences of the grace of God; the Sun of Righteousness shines upon him with divine light and heat; the Spirit of God breathes upon him; but, by the appointment of God, he needs a continual supply of nourishment; and that which the rivers of water are to the living tree planted by them, that the truths of revelation, the words of God, by which he expresses his mind and will to man received by prayerful and studious reading and meditation, are to the soul. They are its proper aliment,

the supply, so to speak, of the material upon which the heavenly agencies may work, and which they

may develope into all the acts and issues of Christian character.

Nor is this "meditation on the law of the Lord" to be connected alone with its private perusal. The Christian ministry is instituted not only for conversion, but for edification. It is the absolute duty of the Minister to aim at both; and, in aiming at the last, to do so by seeking to communicate as large a measure as he possibly can of that kind of truth which goes more directly to promote spiritual growth. He is to assist individual believers, to the utmost of his power, in the work of spiritual reflection. If they would give way to slothfulness, and wish ever to continue in the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, he is to reprove them, and stimulate them to exertion and diligence; and, improving his greater opportunities, and keeping still in advance, let him yet call on them closely to follow him, by rightly explaining and enforcing the Apostle's solemn injunction:"Let us go on unto perfection." And to the ministry thus seeking to edify, ought the Christian believer to pay a diligent attention. The Minister is called to live as in the sanctuary, and to be separated from secular employment, that he may devote himself unreservedly and unremittingly to the reception and communication of divine truth, in reference to the great purposes for which its Author has given it to us. He has to dispense to the household of God, as a faithful steward, things new and old, such as may be given to his own diligent search. The word which by the Gospel is preached unto us, is that incorruptible seed of the word of God by which all who are regenerated are born again; and to the same word does the Apostle refer, when he lays down this as a sacred Christian duty: "As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

And as to the health and growth of our physical frame not only is aliment necessary, but exercise also; so is it with the spiritual life. Assuming the continued union between the soul and its living Head,-the

continual supply, through faith and prayer, of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, -grace must be kept in exercise. Indolence and inactivity are incompatible with growth. The command, therefore, is, "Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

On this important subject, of the exercise of grace, volumes might be written; but, in the present paper, only the leading particulars can be given. But the reader is requested to remember that they are given for the purpose of being suggestive; that not only may personal attention be directed to the subject, but the method of conducting the inquiry be likewise understood.

It should be carefully recollected, that although the work of the Spirit is one, and the result of it presented to us under the one significant expression of LIFE,-yet that Christian holiness is not represented as one single (may we say, uncompounded) state or disposition, but rather as the combination of many disposi tions, springing, indeed, from one common source, but presenting various aspects. While there is gene. ric agreement, there are specific differences. This is plain from the language of St. Paul: "The fruit of the Spirit,"-fruit, not fruits. Not only does each flow from the presence of the Spirit, as given to the justified believer; but where he works one, he works all. In reference to their Author, they may be considered as forming an inseparably combined result; in reference to the soul in which they are wrought, it is proper, and even necessary, to consider them as various, -the one fruit of the Spirit as comprising a variety of holy states and dispositions. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;" to which must be added what the Apostle immediately subjoins,-the complete subjugation of our fallen nature: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal. v. 2224.)

But, while such is the fruit of the Spirit, the result of his regenerating influence, the proper agency of man, as a subject of the divine government, is required to be employed in reference not only to them all, but to each of them separately considered. The exhortations of the Epistles of the New Testament are full of particular addresses of this kind. Two remarkable instances may be quoted. It is not only said, generally, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit;" but the particular, the minutely-detailing, exhortation is addressed to us. Having embraced "the exceeding great and precious promises" which are given to us in our Lord Jesus, and so experienced their fulfilment as to be by them "partakers of the divine nature," and to have been enabled to escape "the corruption that is in the world, through lust," (2 Peter i. 4.) it is immediately added, "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." And these are not to be inoperative and dormant, but active and efficient in the production of what the Apostle terms, by an expression which is as significant as it is emphatic, "holiness in all manner of conversation." "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter i. 5-8.)

The other instance of this minuteness is," Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS." (Phil. iv. 8.)

Even were we to limit our attention to these passages, and their respective connexions, we should learn from them that the Christian life, temper, and character are re

presented as including a number of graces, virtues, and excellences; and that we are to be careful, by a particular and cultivating attention to each, that they be all in us, that they abound, that none of them be lacking, that we preserve a careful, vigilant, active thoughtfulness and self-inspection in reference to them; and that not only in their principles, as dwelling in the depth of our moral being, and at the fountain and practical origin of all the activities of our nature, but in their results, as producing certain distinctly marked effects in our character and behaviour. It is not to truth, honesty, justice, &c., in the abstract, that we are directed to attend; but as becoming concretes in our soul, as mixed up with, and influencing, all our thoughts, and feelings, and actions. "Whatsoever things are just,-think on these things."

"Think on these things.' Yes, think on them. There is no growth where this is not done. Growth in grace is a duty, and duty implies exercise on the part of him on whom the obligation rests. In answer to fervent prayer, God gives the grace without which we cannot grow in grace; but the exercises by means of which we do actually grow, must be performed by man. God worketh in us, both to will and to do; but we must work out our own salvation.

We should, by careful meditation, and by diligent attendance on the appointed means of instruction, seek a clear and accurate acquaintance with the true nature and influence of the several graces of the Christian character, and with their respective operations and fruits. This is what is comprised in that most important injunction: "Understanding what the will of the Lord is." Many suffer great loss from the vague and cloudy ideas which they have of holiness; regarding it only in the general, and as something opposed to sin. They are defective in some important Christian grace, and they are as plainly unconscious

* Gr. Taura λoyiseσbe, Hæc cogitate.Vulg., Bez. "Make them the subjects of your careful cogitations."