I. " Altogether a Christian,"-HE

CANNOT BE DESTITUTE OF THE
FUNDAMENTAL FAITH OF THE
GOSPEL.

"He that cometh to God must believe that He is." He who worthily wears the name of Christ, must sustain some special relationship to Him, the nature of which is manifest in a conscious and marked identity of interest and life. Christ is the official name of our Blessed Lord. It means the Anointed of God, and sets forth the fact that He occupies the position and fills the offices to which anointing was applied. The Anointed is the supreme head, that Being who is above all others who have been thus treated and designated; to whom they pointed; of whom they were types. The designation directs us, therefore, at once, to the functions and characteristics of Him who, being in the form of God, made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was found in fashion as a man, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. A Christian cannot deny, cannot refuse to accept, Christ in any one of His offices or relations. He is to be accepted as the Prophet; as the one supreme and authoritative Revealer of the Infinite Life.

2. His Priesthood. The two characters, in fact, go together, and cannot for one moment be really separated. His words find their deeper meaning and spiritual significance in the death He accomplished at Jerusalem; and the great sacrifice for sin embodies the distinguishing, crowning, supreme, all-subduing, Divine Revelation. Men never know the Father's love

the mystery of the Divine Holiness-the tender, melting pathos of the Divine solicitude for the sinful who have wandered far away from Him-the redeeming might of His matchless grace and His ineffable perfection, until they have

bowed at the cross and seen the bleeding victim of the world's transgression make an end of Satanic misrepresentations of the Divine character by "the sacrifice of Himself." The Man of Sorrows, bearing the transgressions of the people in His own body on the tree, has not vacated His office as the great Teacher of the world. His words

are words of Divinest compassion, of tenderest commiseration, of atoning help, of spiritual rescue, of almighty deliverance.

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3. The Prophet and the Priest, Christ cannot be other than the King. The authoritative rule centres in the perfection of His personal endowments as perfect Teacher and perfect Redeemer. He alone can have absolute control over minds to whom “all things are naked and open "-with whom are hidden all the secrets of wisdom and knowledge." He alone can rule absolutely the moral sense and the human will who is Himself "Holy, harmless, undefiled," and who can command and inspire a supreme affection. There is none other who can stand where He stands-who can rule as He rules. He is "the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, the Almighty." There is none other name of power. There is none other hand which can hold the sceptre of all races and of all worlds. There is none other head' around which may circle the flashing diaden. of a universal dominion. He is the Head of the body." "In all things He has the pre-eminence." "He is Lord of all." "He is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." "He makes His enemies His footstool." His living agency is "the working by which He is able to subdue all things unto Himself." He " puts down all rule, and all authority and power.' He takes every thought into captivity. We have unveiled here the might, and onset, and triumph of particular moral means and all

suasive moral principles. The kingdom He rules is spiritual. The power He wields is of a like kind. The power is unlimited as the grace and the truth, and the exulting hymn of the Redeemer's coronation is "Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ!" Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever!"

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4. And now, the fundamental faith of the Gospel recognizes, and accepts, and rests upon Christ as perfect Teacher-perfect sacrifice perfect King. The act of faith is not a mere intellectual assent to doctrine, however perfect. It is a moral act. It is the dependence of the spirit upon this Being the submission and committal of the will to this rule, and authority, and power.

As the child confides

in parental love; as the bride trusts the man of her choice; as the merchant adventures his capital and risks his cargo on the seaworthiness of the ship, and the capability of the captain, and the trustworthiness of the crew; as the shipwrecked take to the lifeboat; as the drowning clutch the hand of power stretched out-so men who are altogether Christians take to, trust, and rest on, and clasp the hand of Christ. Faith says: "Thou canst save and Thou And it commits itself

alone!"

to the Saviour.

Now, about this faith which is the one and only foundation of the life of the " Altogether a Christian," three things may be remarked :

1. It implies self-mistrust. There is a marvellous fund of meaning in the apostle's words, "What things were gain to me these I counted loss for Christ; yea, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.'

2. The second thing about this faith is that its exercise is the result of a Divine suasion through the truth. Paul became a Christian through immediate revelation. The suddenness of the change is to be

thus accounted for. He is express in his declarations on this head. "By the grace of God I am what I am. A light shone around him. “above the brightness of the sun,' but that was as nothing compared to the intenser radiance which filled his mind with the idea that Jesus was the Christ. The inner discernment came of a Divine teaching and persuasion. The Spirit took the things of Christ and showed them to him. There was an immediate Divine drawing, and he came to the Christ.

3. And the third thing about this faith is that it is its own witness.. "He that believeth hath thewitness in himself." This sacred and vital truth, this holy salvation, so commends itself to mind, conscience; heart, that there can be no doubt of it or despair of its. efficacy. There is an intuitive perception of the fitness of this grace; there is an eternal impression and consciousness, which gird the heart's trust with an unchangeable strength. It goes down into the depths of the nature, and touches. it at all points; it succours all distresses, it befriends all weaknesses, it soothes all sorrows, so that it becomes impossible that the man can be moved away from the hope of the Gospel. It becomes. the "tried stone" of trust, the sure foundation," the steadfast anchor of the life and hope. It interweaves itself with all activities, and it brightens with its joy the hours of rest. It dispels guilt and fear, and is the birth of a new nature. It is the guide of youth and the staff of age. In poverty it cheers the hard lot, in affliction it stills the throbbing agony. It blunts the edge of adversity. tears out the sting of death. brightens the glazing, darkening eye with visions of blessed immortality. What wonder that the apostle that the altogether Christian-feels that to doubt were to blaspheme.

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It

It

II. THE ALTOGETHER CHRISTIAN MUST MANIFEST THE PERFECT CHRISTIAN MORALITY OR ORDER OF LIFE.

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Christ saves His people from their sins." There is a present deliverance from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. The Christian altogether is a Christ man. What the Lord was he is in the measure of his capacity in "the spirit of his mind." Ye are My friends," said Jesus, "if ye do whatsoever I command you." One of the essential conditions of the Divine forgiveness and salvation is restoration to moral obedience. Remaining wedded to any one evil habit; persisting in any one form of known disobedience; guilty of one wilful sin, the trust of the spirit in Christ is not complete, the self surrender is not entire, and the salvation cannot be experienced. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His."

body of Christ; warning most earnestly against abuses, and insisting, with all the vehemence of his nature, that dishonour shall not be done to the Lord by reckless, wilful, ignorant lawlessness in the congregations of the saints. To Timothy he writes that he might "Know how he might behave himself in the Church of the living God." The Christian life tends towards and seeks organization, and the Lord has left us laws by which it is to be regulated. There can be no Christian altogether who is indifferent to, or wholly or partially a neglecter of, the ordinances of the sanctuary. Habitual secret prayer has its counterpart in habitual common worship and communion. Christian nurture here finds its means and method, and none can keep up the high-toned vigour of devout life who forsake the assembling of themselves together."

The Altogether Christian cannot be indifferent to the sacred ordinance which celebrates the Lord's redeeming love. He charged his disciples who were nearest and dearest to Him, "do this in remembrance of Me," and the apostle born out of due time asserted

its perpetuity: "As often as ye do this, ye do show the Lord's death until He come." As a means of

deepening love, as a means of melting the heart, as a power of pathos in spiritual experience, as a reminder of solemn vows, as an occasion of reconsecration, as a witness to the essential verity of our holy religion, it occupies the one pre-eminent position. A Christian altogether would prize such an hour above all price-would never willingly be absent, would seize every occasion for such joyful fellowship and communion. The neglect of the ordinance is avenged in cold-hearted formalism and loss of spiritual life. "For this cause many are weak and sickly and many sleep."

The Altogether Christian turns the holy impulse of new-born experience into channels of practical advantage for others, and he works in some appointed calling until the Lord appears and bids him home to rest.

The Altogether Christian is the son of peace. The Epistles are full of exhortations against those who foment discord in the Christian brotherhood, and no law of the Lord's is more express than that which bids the faithful have no company with and to withdraw themselves from " every one that walketh disorderly." Where" envying and strife are, there is every evil work," and the gentle spirit of Jesus will not be associated with them.

And thus, the life begun in faith is rounded into the completeness of holy character, and holy word, and holy deed. "The life also of the Lord Jesus is manifested in the mortal flesh." Whether long or short, the life is lived unto the Lord. And at evening time there is light. Amid the bloom and freshness of early ripened faculty, or the slow decline of old age, there is the glory, serene, and bright, and calm as the everlasting stars, which lights the way to

immortality the glory of the Christian likeness to Christ and the glory of the certainty of closer association with Him in more perfect service and joy. His blessed Spirit, which leads us on through life, conquering us, as the years pass, ever more completely, redeeming from all evil, bringing the better peace out of the sorrow, the stronger faith out of the conflict, the brighter, inner joy out of the crucifixion of the flesh, does not say "Farewell" at the portal of the tomb. Even there He still leads on. He shows the path of heavenly life. He opens the kingdom of the perfect to all believers. In the deathless realm beyond we wipe the dust of death from deathless brows, and take our places in the home and realm of light, and love, and purity, and the face-to-face vision of God,

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'to go no more out for ever." "And there shall be no more curse; but His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads; and there shall be no night there, for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever." "Happy is the people that is in such a case; yea, happy is the people whose God is the Lord.” EDITOR.

But what is home without liberty, without freedom? You would not like to have God looking down upon you all the time. He is so good that you are afraid of Him. Ah, my dear children, if you only get into this home, your hearts will be so changed that it will be your delight to please God. You always like to be near those whom you love. The flower looks out every morning for the sunlight. It would die if you should put it somewhere where the smiles of heaven could not reach it. And so it is with you. If you only get into this blessed

home, you will live in your heavenly Father's smiles, and you will have all the freedom that you want.

But I don't care, say you, to live in a home where there is no playground. I like to run, and leap, and enjoy myself. Well, do you think God is displeased with your innocent amusements? Did He not give the little birds wings to fly and voices to sing? Everything God ever made is set to music. And when you get into this home, God will be your Father, and nothing will be sweeter music in His ear than the sound of your merry laughter. He has made every provision for your happiness.

But you say again, What is home without a mother? Ah, it is not necessary that you should leave your earthly mother to become an inhabitant of this palace-home. And, more than that, immediately you yield your heart to Christ, God becomes your mother.

You may

have thought that God was hard and cruel, looking down upon His children with angry, frowning face, but it is a great mistake-God is love. "As a mother comforteth, so will I comfort you," is what He says to all those who come to Him -to all His dear children.

I. HOME IS A PLACE OF SHELTER AND SECURITY.

Every boy and girl feels safe at home. There is a little fellow trembling and crying in the presence of a lot of boys larger than himself. They are about to punish him for something he has done. But by and by, when their attention has been diverted by some passing object of interest, he gets an opportunity to escape, and he runs with all his might until he gets to the door-step of his own home, and there all fear is gone.

Now there are a great many dangers and troubles in the world that grasp us, and threaten us, and frighten us; but if we only get into

this home of which I am speaking, they can't harm us. God is a sure refuge for His children.

Long, long ago, in England, the great rich people lived in castles built of strong stone walls, and frequently surrounded by a deep, broad ditch, so that robbers and enemies might not be able to enter and despoil them of their property. Very frequentl they used to fight with each other, and when the battle began to turn against them, they would flee into their castles, and there they were safe. Now, God is a great castle. He is a “strong habitation.” If you once get inside of it, no enemy can harm you.

He

I know a little boy who was out in the park one afternoon when a storm came up suddenly. The great clouds were piling one upon another, and the deep loud thunderpeals made the earth fairly tremble under that little boy's feet as he ran with all his might toward home. And when he got there, wasn't he glad? His young heart leaped for very joy as he nestled close to papa's chair. All fear was gone, for he was at home. Now that is just what God is to His children. is a refuge from the storms of life. II. HOME IS A PLACE OF SUPPLY. There are homes where children have at times to suffer hunger. But such is not the case with this home of which I am speaking. This home has everything to make those who live in it satisfied and happy. Many of you have very pleasant homes, where there are many good things. You have kind fathers and mothers who are pleased to give you almost everything that you desire-good food, beautiful clothes, attractive toys, and interesting books. But they can't do for you what God can. If you make Him your home, you "shall not want any good thing."

III. HOME IS A PLACE OF LOVE.

There are some homes unworthy