representative of the gospel which he preached. "I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live; and yet no longer I but Christ liveth in me; and that life which I now live in the flesh, I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." And so with regard to all those questions as to the relation between the Law and the Gospel, the extent of sin and the necessity for propitiation, the nature of true righteousness and its inestimable value, all these were wrought out in his own personal experience. * We are, indeed, so familiar in St. Paul's epistles with appeals to his own experience in confirmation of the truths of his gospel that, perhaps, we hardly recognise the force of them. We do not find such teaching in any apostolic writings except those of St. Paul. Our Blessed Lord appealed to His own life and words and works as a standard of perfection; St. Paul appealed to his own life as an instance and pattern of God's grace to sinners, "of whom," he says, "I am chief." *Rom. vii., Gal. iii. 19, Phil. iii. 7-9,

H

Far from supposing himself to be a pattern of perfection, he declares himself plainly-indeed, so plainly that men who have not his spiritual experience cannot believe that he is speaking of himself "I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not." He reveals himself without disguise as an instance even of the contradictions in the life of one who is in Christ Jesus.

Nothing but the most perfect reality could enable a man thus to speak of himself. Such language is felt to be utterly hateful and intolerable, the very worst form of hypocritical pharisaism, whenever there is, as too often is the case, some suspicion of unreality. It is only the man who by his life already gives this testimony for Christ, whose lips can utter it without his being a false witness for the truth, and lying to the Holy Ghost.

But in this undoubtedly St. Paul is a most eminent example to me in regard to my work for God. We may or may not be called to

preach and teach the Gospel. But every one is called to bear witness to its truth, by being what St. Paul said the Corinthians were, notwithstanding all their manifold faults, “made manifest as an epistle of Christ "—" written not with ink; but with the Spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone” (like the commandments of the old Law), “but in tables, that are hearts of flesh." Do I ask what this means, and how shall I attain it? To the first question we must answer, It cannot be further described or defined; I can only learn what it is by being myself an instance of it. To the second, the example of St. Paul itself supplies sufficient answer. Study and apply to yourself personally, seeking the guidance and aid of God's Spirit, those fundamental principles of the Gospel which the apostle found to be the power of God to salvation. Thus shall your own spirit through the assimilating power of faith be transformed into the likeness of Him whom these truths reveal.

CHAPTER XII.

ST. PAUL: TRUTH MUST BE REVEALED TO ME FROM GOD.

THE example of him, who not only received from the Holy Spirit the most complete revelation of the Gospel made to the Church, but whose own life was by the same Spirit made the very image and living expression of that Gospel, is a study for a lifetime. It is only possible here to suggest and consider briefly some of those characters of his work for God which seem to be of special importance in the present day.

It is a peculiarity of that knowledge of the truth of God, which is life eternal, that it is a revelation from God to the individual soul. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, instead of commending him as having learnt this truth from the evidence supplied by his Lord's words and works, Jesus answers, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar

jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father which is in heaven." And so, in His discourse at Capernaum,* when the Jews were offended by the doctrine of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, Jesus said, “No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." "Every one that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh to me." It is unnecessary, however, to multiply passages from Holy Scripture in proof of this fundamental truth.

Indeed my work for God, as a witness to His truth, will be valueless as regards myself, and will produce little or no effect for good on others, unless the truth for which I bear witness has been learned by myself from God. This revelation of the truth to the soul distinguishes between him who is walking in the light of life, and him who is walking in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth. "And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit." Of this need of Divine teaching, Paul is in a