preserving its identity with its far-off fountains; nevertheless one stream it is from first to last :-The life spiritual, begun with justification, continued in sanctification, terminating in glorification, which is the life eternal.

When, therefore, the apostle says to Christians,men who have died, been buried, and raised to a new life, with Christ, -"we believe that we shall also live with Him :" we must understand him to speak of the life spiritual here upon earth and of the life eternal hereafter in Paradise and in heaven, as of one life, begun, continued, and ending "with Him."

"Christ

This becomes more evident as we read on. died unto sin (or, for sin) once, He is alive unto God (or, for evermore): Even so reckon ye yourselves to be”—(would the apostle tell men to reckon or account themselves to be what they were not?) "reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God (to be now alive unto God) in Jesus Christ our Lord." "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: neither yield ye your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves up to God as those that were dead and are alive, and your members unto God as instruments of righteousness: for Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

Here then at last is the plain reply to the question : "Shall we continue in sin ?"-"Let not sin reign in your mortal body, . . . neither yield your members unto sin, for sin shall not be your lord,—ye are

under grace."

Great light is thrown back from these three verses on the preceding eleven. They are the practical conclusion from them, and it is therefore of far greater consequence to us to adopt this conclusion and act upon it, than to understand the process of reasoning and the nature of the facts, from which the apostle draws it :-Even as many a mechanic, in his daily labour, acts upon the truth of the conclusions which mathematicians have drawn by laborious processes of reasoning, while it is not necessary to his work that he should understand those processes. The work to be done and the way to do it: those are the two things which alone the workman needs to know. The work to be done, is our "salvation,"—our deliverance from the guilt of sin and then from its power. That work from beginning to end is the work of Christ alone by His Spirit. But it is required of us here (verse 13) that we "yield ourselves unto God," and resist not His grace. Our work therefore, if it may be called ours, is simply conformity to His work;—a faithful following whither He leadeth, guideth,-yea! almost compelleth. "Yield yourselves unto God as those

that were dead (by nature) and are grace)."

alive (by

There are probably large numbers of Christians who fear, during the reading of this passage of St. Paul, that they are somewhere (they know not where) outside of the circle to whom his words are true. If they are outside of that circle, it is because they have placed themselves there by sin,-sin known, wilful, unresisted, and unrepented. But inside of that circle they have been placed by the free grace of God for His Son's sake, if there be any truth in His everlasting Word. Let them see that they continue in that state of salvation "unto their life's end." They are "under grace" sin is not their lord. If he have again become so by their voluntary yielding of themselves as servants to obey him, then assuredly this passage of Scripture has become to them an idle tale signifying nothing. It is a narrative of freedom lost, read in the ears of the slaves who lost it. And then they strive to hide their shame, even from themselves, by denying that such freedom was ever theirs to lose! For them however Christ has yet a word of hope. It is never too late in this life to repent and return to God. But they only can never be free who love their bondage and they must receive sin's wages, who in the great battle of life die fighting under sin's standard, deserters from the army of Christ, into

which God, of His free election and grace, first enlisted them, having predestinated them to this holy calling according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. i, 4, 5), they "being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil." (Rom. ix, 11.)

May God hasten His kingdom, calling all heathens into His fold, and recalling all Christians who therefrom have erred and strayed!

SERMON XVII.

ROM. VI. 22.-"But now, being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

WE have examined this sixth chapter as far as the fourteenth verse. Thus far we have seen the apostle's reason why he said so emphatically, in verse 2, "God forbid that we (Christians) should continue in sin.”

We can readily understand the fact that this reasoning of his is not distinctly intelligible to some minds, and not satisfactory to others. It is to us an unusual method of reasoning on this subject.

A Christian moralist in these days, being asked why we should not live in sin, would perhaps reason in this manner: That every transgression of divine law is necessarily followed by its own punishment; that the path of virtue is the only path of happiness in this world, and the only road to heaven; that our own highest interests depend upon a faithful con