and though ignorant of its essence, in these palpable manifestations they recognize its energy. And as with the principle of physical life, so it is with the principle of spiritual life. Without it we are dead; and therefore, if we are living unto God, that is, if we are producing the fruits of godly living, we cannot be without it. Hence there is no need for despair, though, we feel that we were first led to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness by fears and hopes which had an object merely personal; and though even yet, we are not conscious that these motives have been transformed into the love of Christ; though, still our affections towards Him are but faint and cold, and the union of our natures with His nature is a thing hoped for indeed, but as yet unfelt. For still, if we are growing in goodness, if the evil within us is being subdued, if we find it ever less difficult to conquer vice, and easier to do God's service, if in temper and disposition we bear a closer resemblance to the example of Christ, we cannot doubt that we are united to Him by His spirit. For has He not himself told us, "as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me; for without me ye can do nothing." If then we are bearing fruit, if we are not spiritually doing nothing, we must be abiding in Him. To us has been fulfilled the promise which He gave to His disciples, that they should know Him, and that He would manifest himself to them by the communication of His Spirit. dwelleth with us, and hath been in us. Yea, He And if Christ be in us of a truth; if our life be really His life; it cannot fail to be so more and more continually. For where life is, there must be growth; where growth is not, life cannot be. Thus will our union with our Lord be ever closer, our resemblance to Him more perfect, as more perfect, as we draw nearer to eternity. So shall we live in Him and to Him here; till at length He who is our life shall appear, not as now, dimly seen by the eye of faith, but visibly present even to the bodily sense. Then, for the first time, shall His redeemed fully know what it is to be one with Him; then shall no spot or shadow of evil darken the reflection of His image in their souls; then will their communion with His Spirit, their identification with His nature, be for ever consummated; then shall they be like Him, for they shall see Him as He is. SERMON VII.* THE CHRISTIAN DEAD AND RISEN WITH CHRIST. COL. III. 1. IF YE THEN BE RISEN WITH CHRIST, SEEK THOSE THINGS MOST of us have heard of that beautiful custom, which is still retained in the Greek Church, whereby the memory of our Redeemer's triumph over death is recalled and realized, and the feelings of his first disciples as it were repeated. There, on Easter morning, when friend meets with friend, he utters not the usual salutations of common days; the familiar phrases of habitual courtesy are not exchanged; but in place of all other greeting is the exulting exclamation, Christ is risen!" and the triumphant response of * Preached on Easter Day. THE CHRISTIAN DEAD AND RISEN WITH CHRIST. 85 faith, "He is risen indeed!" serves at once for attestation and for reply. Those who have heard this greeting for the first time, as Easter dawned upon them, in the land which is associated from our childhood with our ideas of so much that is great and noble, and heard it, too, in a language once devoted to the celebration of heathen deities, from the tongues of those whose forefathers, when St. Paul preached to them the resurrection, treated the very notion with mockery;-they who have thus heard Easter welcomed, will not soon forget the thrill of feeling which was sent to their heart by those simple words. In this colder land, where reserve suppresses the outward manifestation of so many of our best feelings, we could not perhaps have expected that such a custom should be retained. But as in other things, so in religion, we do not feel the less because no outward sign gives token of our emotion, nor have our hearts lost their power to sympathize with the joy of Christ's early followers, when they first understood their Master's victory over the grave, and learnt that He whom they sought among the dead, was not there, but was risen. Rather let us hope that we dwell with a more deep and fervent love upon adoring thoughts of the redemption which on this day was consummated for us; that unspoken sentiments of joy and thankfulness pervade, from their very suppression, with the more concentrated fervour, our inner being; that feelings forbidden to find vent through the lips, have a more effectual utterance in the life. And vain indeed will be all words of triumph, mockery all thoughts of exultation, at the memory of Christ's triumph, unless our hearts be so truly penetrated by the spirit of His gospel, that the whole tenor of our actions bears witness to the truth of our Master's resurrection. This is the lesson which the apostle teaches us, in that sublime warning to which we have just listened. He tells us, it avails us nothing that Christ is risen for us, nor that in one sense we are risen with Him, unless we do truly in heart and mind thither ascend where He is gone before; unless we set our affections on things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. In order that we may the better perceive the meaning of St. Paul, let us consider the whole passage with which the text stands connected; a consideration never to be safely omitted, but here most evidently necessary, since the first words of the text (though it has been placed at the beginning of a chapter,) shew that it is the conclusion from some previous statement. "If ye then be risen with Christ.' Let us go back then to the preceding chapter, that we may understand how we are risen with Christ, and in what sense these words apply to us, if in any. St. Paul begins the argument, of which the text forms the conclusion, by declaring to his Colossian converts the object of his prayers for them, namely, that they might adhere stedfastly to that perfect system of Christian faith which they had received from him. He bids them beware of those false teachers who |