at the first glance. It is comprehensive at once of the whole system of Christian doctrine, and the whole. range of Christian experience, and the whole circle of Christian duty. It calls us to the sustained and vigorous exercise of these three cardinal graces, viz., Faith, Hope, and Holiness: Faith in Jesus Christ, as one who was not only dead, but who has also risen again; also, Hope of His coming glory, as it will be manifested on the resurrection morning; and further, personal Holiness, as the fruit and evidence of a true faith, and as the earnest and foretaste of future glory. Our faith is to be steadfast, and our hope is to be immovable; and if so, then our holiness will be exhibited by "abounding always in the work of the Lord."

I. "Be ye steadfast" in the faith of Christ. Now the word for steadfast signifies settled or seated firmly on a sure foundation. We say of a house that it is steadfast, when it is so compactly built on the solid rock, that neither external force, nor internal decay, can bring it down. And such ought the Christian's faith to be, not hesitating, or mixed with doubt; but firm, and strong, and steadfast. Many, however, deny that it is possible to attain such steadfastness in the faith as this, or that any one can feel perfectly sure of the great facts and doctrines of the Gospel; and they even make a merit of giving way to unbelieving doubts. But this is a strange and pernicious delusion; for why should we not feel as sure of the truth of God's Word, as we do

every day of the truth of a fellow-creature's word. People now-a-days speak of "honest doubts;" but in most cases, it would be more correct to call them sinful doubts. If we believe the testimony of man, surely the testimony of God is greater and infinitely more reliable. Men may err or deceive, and philosophical speculations may lead us astray, but God's Word is infallible, and can never mislead us; and if we take that Word, simply and submissively, as our guide, we not only may be, but we shall be, steadfast in faith. God's Word is a sure light to our feet, and a steady lamp to our path; and it is always shining, even in hours of deepest darkness, if only we would open our eyes to see its light. Wanderers as we are on a dark and stormy sea, and tossed often from wave to wave, we can never hope to reach the haven of rest, if we follow human opinions, or trust to the flickering light of human science; but we shall never be at any loss if we take God's Word as our guide, and give a whole faith to a whole testimony. That Word is infallibly sure and certain, a bright and steady light shining in a dark place. "He that followeth me," says Christ, "shall not walk in darkness," nor in doubt or uncertainty, but he "shall have the light of life."

Let us therefore be steadfast in the faith of Christ, and especially in the faith of His resurrection from the dead, and let us cherish a firm and unwavering confidence in Him who was once crucified, but who is now

risen and exalted. Instead of being tossed by doubts as to the facts and doctrines of the Gospel, like a reed shaken with the wind, or like a wave of the sea driven about by every wind of false doctrine, or by every gust of sinful passion, let us seek to have a faith which is firm, and strong, and steadfast, like a house built upon a rock, so that no storm of trial will shake it, and no torrents of temptation will overthrow it. Realise the resurrection of Christ as a literal fact, and a most precious truth, and the very corner-stone of Christianity; and do not regard it as a doubtful speculation or a dream of the imagination. "If Christ be not risen, then we are yet in our sins:" for in that case, no atonement has been made for them, and there is no possibility of ever getting rid of them, but they must hang about us eternally, to sink us deeper and deeper in the abyss of woe. And is any one prepared Better surely to get sin

for such a dread alternative? put away, and thus to be at peace with God by faith in Christ's atoning blood. Try to realise the bearing of this great fact, this vital and central truth—the resurrection of Christ-both upon your present peace of mind and upon your future prospects. Why should it not make our hearts glad, as it gladdened the hearts of the primitive Christians who, when they met each other in the street, were wont to salute each other with the words, "Christ is risen?" Why should we not seek to be as steadfast in the faith as they

were? and why should we not regard His risen life as the pledge of our present reconciliation, and of our future blessedness? Does He not say to all who trust in Him, "Because I live, ye shall live also ?" for "if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." Be strong, therefore, in faith, giving glory to God. And the more "steadfast" you are in faith, the greater will be your peace, the brighter your hope, and the more abundant your joy in the Lord.

2. The second part of the exhortation is, be "immovable" in hope. This immovableness is opposed to wavering, or fluctuating between fear and hope, or vacillating between doubt and confidence. Now, hope is one of the fruits of faith, and it is inseparably connected with faith, and in some respects almost identical with it. The distinction seems to be this, that faith realises the unseen, while hope anticipates the future. Faith is the parent or source, for "faith is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for." The stronger, therefore, our faith is, the brighter also will our hope be; or, in other words, the more firmly we trust in Christ's promises, the more confidently shall we look for their fulfilment. And, besides, since faith has respect to Christ's resurrection, as the root of all vital religion,

so hope has respect to our own resurrection, as the fruit or result of Christ's rising from the dead. Therefore, if I have a steadfast faith in the risen and exalted Saviour, as one who is now at God's right hand, then I must also have an immovable hope that, being vitally united to Him, I shall yet rise and reign with Him in glory.

But how seldom is it that such a hope as this glows in the Christian's breast, to illuminate his path in this dark and dreary world! How often does his hope flicker and fail, like a candle burnt down to the very socket, instead of brightening the surrounding darkness with the rays of celestial glory! And why is it so? Why is it, that, while we are so powerfully influenced by worldly hopes, and stimulated to activity and energy by them, we are so little influenced by the powers of the world to come? The reason of it is, the want of faith, or, at least, the weakness of faith; for if we had a steadfast faith in Christ's death and resurrection, as the two great poles of a living Christianity, then we would also have an immovable hope of the glory which is soon to be revealed; and this hope in Christ would constrain us "to purify ourselves, even as Christ is pure."

It must be admitted indeed that it is no easy matter to maintain this hope immovably, amid the trials and temptations of this present evil world. There is much in our daily history, and in our earthly surround