strength of Christian character. The babe in Christ may "be holy and without blemish before him in love," but strength, wisdom, and maturity in virtues come through the manifold discipline of a protracted life.

11. The Discipline of Trial. The conflict with evil, the sufferings and persecutions to which the Christian confessor is often subjected, the battle for the right, the constant struggle to propagate the gospel, severe personal self-denial, the increasing knowledge of God and of Christ and of holy things which comes from diligent study of the truth-these all have much to do in developing the virtues of godliness and in strengthening the heart in righteousness. Jesus forewarned his disciples that the world would hate and persecute them (John xv, 18-20; xvi, 33), but he prayed, not that they might be taken out of the world, but rather that they might be kept from the evil (xvii, 15). Exposure to severe trial puts one's faith to the test, and affords occasions of noblest spiritual triumph. Hence the words of James: "Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold trials, knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. Blessed is the man that endureth trial; for when he has been approved (dóxos, proved, tested), he shall receive the crown of life" (James i, 2-4; 12). Similarly Peter: "Now for a little time, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, that the proof of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though it is proved by fire, might be found unto praise, glory, and honor in the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. i, 6, 7). Again in iv, 12, 13: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you; but inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that also in the revelation of his glory ye may rejoice with exceeding joy." Paul speaks of the churches of Macedonia, "how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their singleness of heart," as seen in their ready and liberal contributions (2 Cor. viii, 2). Abraham's faith was most remarkably tested in his offering of Isaac; and the heroes of faith, "of whom the world was not worthy," "had trial of mockings and scourgings and bonds and imprisonment" (Heb. xi, 33-38). Such bitter trial, when one even "resisteth unto blood, striving against sin," serves like paternal chastisement to discipline the sons of God, and makes them "partakers of his holiness" (xii, 4-11). All such chastening seems grievous at the time, "yet afterward it yields peaceable fruit to them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of

righteousness." These teachings are further enhanced by the suggestions of the apocalyptic vision of the great multitude "coming out of the great tribulation, washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. vii, 9-17). Thus all trials, all spiritual discipline, all chastisements of the heavenly Father, and all devout personal activity which these may occasion serve to strengthen the moral character, and to develop the graces of Christian maturity and perfection. "Our light, affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. iv, 17). The moral value of affliction was not unknown to the psalmist, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes" (cxix, 71).

12. Growth and Discipline a Manifold Experience. We have thus shown that real growth and discipline in spiritual life, according to the Scriptures, can be no one-sided experience. And no one word appears sufficient to designate the manifold operations and results of this spiritual development. Not even the terms sanctification, holiness, and perfection cover the entire portraiture of that "image of the heavenly" which is the ideal of the blameless children of God. We must recognize the elements of growth, the putting away of all impurity of flesh and spirit, the essential antagonism of a life of sin and the regenerate life, the positive facts of sanctification, holiness, and righteousness, the possession of all Christian virtues, and of perfect love that casts out fear. Nor must we fail to see how all the holy virtues are cultivated by the discipline of trial in order that we may be partakers of the holiness of God and so be without blame before him in love. This broad, full, uplifting view of the manifold possibilities of spiritual life in Christ should leave no room for doubtful and confusing disputations, for all these elements of perfection in the Christian life receive about equal prominence in the teachings of the New Testament.

13. The Beautiful in Religion. This ideal of completeness in Christian life and character has also what may fittingly be called its æsthetical aspect. The beautiful has its absorbing influence upon every well-trained soul, so that man, who is created in the image of God, and is "renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. iii, 10; comp. Eph. iv, 24), must needs have the same appreciation of all real excellence which God himself has. We read in 1 Pet. iii, 4, of "the incorruptible adorning (kóoμos) of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." Every element of moral excellence that goes to make up the godlike character of "righteousness and holi

ness of truth" is of the nature of a beautiful ornament to "the hidden man of the heart." Such qualities in the human personality are "well-pleasing" in the sight of God. They excite in him the emotion of the beautiful as they do also in the souls of all who love God with a pure heart. The absolutely Beautiful is God himself, and a yearning after the perfection of heavenly excellence on the part of man is itself essentially a thing of beauty. Close fellowship with God develops this ideal of beauty and deepens it into a holy passion. It is the peculiar blessedness of the pure in heart to see God, and communion with his works of wisdom and power and love begets in the human heart a deep, strange sense of the One all-pervading Spirit of the universe. The divine sense of beauty is implied in the Creator when it is written that he "saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. i, 31). In like manner the purified heart of man thrills with emotions of delight in the contemplation of "whatsoever things are honorable, just, pure, lovely, and of good report" (Phil. iv, 8). In Psa. xxvii, 4, the one deep desire of the writer is the threefold blessedness of "dwelling in the house of Jehovah," "beholding the beauty (Dy, delightfulness) of Jehovah," and "inquiring in his temple." In Psa. xc, 17, the prayer is: "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." The ways of wisdom are called, in Prov. iii, 17, "ways of beauty." In Psa. xxix, 2, and xcvi, 9, we meet the phrase pn, the beauty of holiness, which is also rendered, in holy array. In the sense last named the reference is to hallowed garments worn by those who were engaged in acts of divine worship (comp. 1 Chron. xvi, 29; 2 Chron. xx, 21; Psa. cx, 3), but in this sense the word employed points to the adornment of the worshipers who appeared in such holy array. The aesthetic charm of a gorgeous ritual service is a well-known power over the feelings of cultivated observers as well as over those who are relatively without æsthetic taste, and however much we condemn "a form of godliness" apart from the power thereof (2 Tim. iii, 5), we should be keenly alive to that which is outwardly and inwardly beautiful in religion. For there is such a thing as "the beauty of holiness," and it is the beauty of God and of all that is truly heavenly.

1 Note the use of ȧpeorós, pleasing, in 1 John iii, 22; and ɛvápeσros, wellpleasing, in Rom. xiv, 18; Eph. v, 10.

The eternal trinity-Truth, Goodness, Beauty-is a divine unity of elements not to be confounded with each other, nor can they be sundered. Beauty, physical, intellectual, moral, raises the soul to a consciousness of the infinite Goodness, and awakens in the bosom of man the desire of an eternal future and of a sublime existence. C. M. Tyler, Bases of Religious Belief Historic and Ideal, p. 201. New York, 1897.

The Sept. translates this, κaλà λíav, beautiful exceedingly. The aesthetic nature of God was thrilled with delightful emotion.

CHAPTER VII

MEANS OF PROMOTING SPIRITUAL LIFE

1. The Fellowship and Ministries of the Church. In connection with such growth and discipline as we have described in the foregoing pages we must notice further those means which have been divinely sanctioned for the purpose of cultivating man's spiritual life, and which have to do directly with personal experiences. And first of all we emphasize the importance of the fellowship of the pure and good. The true religious life, according to the scriptural ideal, is best promoted in connection with societies and communities bound together by a common faith and practice. In such a fellowship and communion of the sanctified we perceive the true ideal of the Christian Church. To such a company it may be said with the greatest solemnity: "Ye are fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit" (Eph. ii, 19-22). Here is a conception of the church as comprehensive as it is profound. The saints are citizens of one great commonwealth' having heavenly interests and aims (comp. Phil. iii, 20), and hence called family-relations (oikeio, members of the household) of God. Then the thought passes by a natural transition from the idea of a household to that of the house as a great structure builded by God, of which Jesus Christ himself is the chief corner stone, and with the laying of which the apostles and prophets of the New Testament were identified." This great building of God (comp. 1 Cor. iii, 9) is continually increasing and is destined to "grow into a holy temple [vaós, sanctuary] in the Lord," embracing in its communion all the members of God's household in all the world and for all time; but as a part and parcel of this magnificent structure "each several building," every distinct congregation, or local church, like that at

1 Compare the phrase commonwealth of Israel in verse 12. See on this subject Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 123-127.

'The Greek waσa oikodoμý, which is the best authenticated reading here cannot be properly rendered the whole building, which would require the article, nãoɑ † oikodoph. The apostle means that every building which consists of the members

Ephesus or at Corinth, "is builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit." Each individual of this "household of the faith" (Gal. vi, 10) is a child of God, born from above, and receiving the spirit of adoption. The great practical purpose of this churchly fellowship is edification in Christian life and truth. In this same epistle to the Ephesians (iv, 11-16) we find a similar concept of the church as a great organism, "the body of Christ," and the different members of this body are knit together and builded up, and thus individually and collectively make the increase of the body.' The various ministers and ministries of the church are said to be given "for the perfecting of the saints, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." This scripture especially declares the great aim of the ministries of the church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers serve at least a sixfold purpose: (1) a correcting and training that will overcome the ignorance, instability, and errors of childhood; (2) the perfecting of the saints for holy service; (3) the promotion of unity in faith and knowledge; (4) the exhibition of truth and love; (5) due attention to each several part of the body; (6) the increase of the body as a whole. The positive value of this holy ministration for the edification of the children of God is so apparent as to call for no extended discussion. In 1 Cor. xii, 4-7, the apostle teaches that "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. But to each one is given the mani

of any distinct community is closely joined together with all others of its kind, and thus grows into the one great temple of God. Thus each several building here means, as J. A. Beet says, the "various parts of the one great structure. Such were the various churches, Jewish or Gentile. So Matt. xxiv, 1, the buildings of the temple; that is, the various parts of the temple at Jerusalem. Frequently a great building is begun at different points; and in the earlier stages its parts seem to be independent erections; but as it advances all are united into one whole. So there were in Paul's day, as now, various churches."-Commentary on Ephesians, in loco.

'One may profitably compare the figure of the vine and its branches in John XV, 1-8.