out of an ardent desire to glorify Christ. And this therefore they have good ground to expect, and they have a confident expectation of it, that when the Lord shall separate the righteous from the wicked, He will say unto such as them, out of the abundance of his grace and mercy, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," "enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matt. 25. 21.)

Thenceforward death has no terror for them; as far as they are concerned it has lost its sting. They believe that Jesus Christ has overcome death, by dying for them. They can therefore cry out in triumph with St. Paul, as this last enemy draws nigh, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15. 55.) And they feel warranted to ask, in the words of the same apostle, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom. 8. 34.) "Believest thou," I would here again ask every one of you, "Believest thou this?" All this follows from the articles of thy

belief. All this was promised for thee, at thy baptism, that thou shouldst believe it. It is by thy believing it, that it is made effectual to thy everlasting benefit. It is by thy not believing it, that it will add to thy eternal condemnation.

But, thirdly, we learn to believe in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth us, and all the elect people of God. Observe, it is in God the Father, and in God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost; three Persons, but one God; this is the God in whom we believe. This is the God whom we study to know; without pretending to understand his nature any further than it has seemed good to Him to reveal it. This is the God who has revealed Himself to us in the Bible, as our Maker, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier. "Who sanctifieth me," that is to say, who maketh me holy. "Who sanctifieth me, and all the elect people of God;" that is to say, all whom God has chosen in Christ, all whom He has called in his own good time to the knowledge of the Gospel, all whom He has elected to the possession of Christian privileges, and un

less they lose it by their own fault, to the enjoyment of eternal life. All these does the Holy Ghost sanctify. He makes them

holy. And we are all taught to say, that He makes us holy, amongst the rest.

"Believest thou this?" Hast thou experience of this in thy life and in thy heart? Dost thou feel the Holy Spirit of God striving within thee against sin, drawing thee up with high and holy thoughts to heaven, filling thee with love for Christ, and for all those in whose behalf Christ died? Dost thou believe that this is his work, that thou art not able of thyself to do any such thing, to stir up any such thoughts, to practise any such behaviour ; but that they are all wrought in thee by the Holy Spirit of God? Then, if thou believest thus, then thou mayest profess, without falsehood, formality, or hypocrisy, "I believe in the Holy Ghost." But how vain, how much worse than vain, are these words in the mouth of those, who give no heed to the godly motions of the Spirit, who resist the Spirit, who quench the Spirit, who suppress by obstinate perse

verance in sin all the urgent remonstrances of the Spirit, until at length they live without God in the world!

We must each severally believe that the Holy Ghost sanctifies ourselves; and we must also believe that He sanctifies many others. We are to regard ourselves as members of a body, whereof Christ is the Head; and that body is "the Holy Catholic Church." This whole body is animated by one and the same life. It is one and the same Holy Spirit which makes all the members of it holy. And it is in this body that there is a communion of saints. They have fellowship one with another and with God. They have a spiritual fellowship. They have a joint interest in the forgiveness of sins, which God vouchsafes to give to all believers, through the blood of Christ. They have a common hope in the resurrection of the body. They share together the inheritance of heaven. These are articles of belief all closely connected with our belief in the Holy Ghost. For thus does St. Paul describe the whole Christian community, as "builded to

gether" in Christ, "for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 4. 22.) And again, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12. 13.) We have been born again by the same new birth. We are nourished by the same spiritual meat and drink. We labour in the same divine work. We fight against the same enemy of souls. We conquer by help of the same almighty Friend. We live together in love on earth. We shall be one with each other, and one with Christ, to all eternity. And they with whom we hold this communion of spirit are the saints of God; the faithful, and the good, in all ranks and conditions of life, in all ages and countries of the world; the saints now alive on earth, and the spirits of just men made perfect; with all these we have communion of spirit. With all these we form one body in Christ Jesus.

At the end of the Apostles' Creed we are taught to say, "Amen." And this may be considered as saying, All this I stedfastly believe; and I pray God to help my unbelief.

" Amen ;” I rejoice to know