and the Spirit, the sign of which is "the sign of the Cross," are we the sons of God.

This second birth, however, can only have regenerating influence on our heart and soul; it cannot touch that nature inherited from Adam; "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God," but must remain outside. It is true that on the last day our resurrection body will enter Heaven, but it will have been raised a spiritual body, "fashioned like unto His glorious body;" for," as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Our bodies like our souls, will be sinless then, but never till death can we be "freed from sin." While we remain in this world we partake of the sinful nature of our first parents for whose sake it is cursed: but we are not under the curse if we have experienced that second birth, and "walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit," and therefore not under its condemnation. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." If the flesh partook of the Spirit, the expression quoted above would have no meaning: the flesh cannot be subject to the law of God, but even in those who walk by the Spirit the old nature dwells; it dwells though it no longer reigns. "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." If the "deeds of the body" could ever be made righteous there would be no need to mortify them. The original expression here rendered the

regeneration of the

"lust of the flesh," signifies that tendency which may differ according to different characters and temperaments, but is the same evil in all, always prone to sin, never subject to the law of God. As one has written; "Though the spirit has already passed through one resurrection-the resurrection from the grave of trespasses and sins-the flesh remains in its natural condition, unrenewed, and all its infirmities, passions, and desires, cleave persistently to it still."

It is only according to our determined mortifying of the deeds of the body, that the spiritual life will grow and develop with energy in our heart: the stronger becomes the new nature, the weaker will be the old; for one is of Divine strength, the other human weakness.

"Christ has raised our human nature to the throne at God's right hand," as the Representative Man, and there comes a voice from that excellent glory speaking to each one of us; "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne."

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image stand on

the sea of glass having the harps of God."

The latter half of this Article was the original Ninth Article of 1552, where another followed as the Tenth entitled "Of Grace," which ran as follows:

"The grace of Christ, or the Holy Ghost by Him given, doth take away the stony heart and giveth a heart of flesh. And although those that have no will to good things He maketh them to will, and those that would evil things He maketh them not to will the same; yet, nevertheless, He enforceth not the will. And therefore, no man when he sinneth can excuse himself as not worthy to be blamed or condemned, by alleging that he sinned unwillingly, or by compulsion."

The opening words of the present Article were added on the revision of 1562, and are supposed to be taken from the Wurtemburg Confession of 1552.

ARTICLE X.-" Of Free-Will."

This Article is the natural sequel to the preceding. In that we saw the lost state of man before God, this teaches the utter inability of man even to will that which is right of himself, or turn to the Lord by his own unaided strength. God, and He alone, must work in us to will as well as to do of His good pleasure.

It is true our wills are to a certain extent our own, and in our own power, or we should cease to be responsible beings. Most people are not wanting in self-will; but the will belongs rather to man in his natural state, he wills this or that which his animal nature desires, therefore his will cannot rise

to a desire after God and holiness, unless by His grace He first open the heart to a perception, either by fear or love, of the need of salvation, and by the influence of the Holy Spirit shed abroad in our hearts constrain us to consecrate our lives and

gave them with their

"Ye

It

wills to Him who first responsibilities to us. "God will have all men to be saved," but all men will not be; for here it does not mean God in His omnipotence intends it, but only that in His infinite love He wishes it. will not come to me that ye might have life." is possible for man to frustrate the grace of God. Man has freedom left him, that of his own accord, as it were, he may choose or refuse the evil and the good. God would never have provided at such cost for the salvation of the world, and then put hindrances in the way of our acceptance of it. He, and He alone, can, but most surely will, give to those who have been shown the way of salvation, grace by which to accept it, if they will. That grace must put into their minds good desires, and continually work in them to good effect. Especially to us who are baptised has He given His Holy Spirit, though it may be but in the germ as yet; and our evil nature is there too. The Lord still sets before us, as He set before His people of old, good and evil, blessing and curse, saying, "Choose ye whom ye will serve." The command implies the capability. "Seek ye my face." If we will answer "Thy face Lord, will I seek," His reply is,

F

"If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever truly find me: thus saith our God."

If, on the other hand, we prefer to serve sin and Satan, we have free liberty of choice. Satan will gladly receive us into the number of his slaves, and will ever tighten round us the chain of our sins, till at last there is no escape, and we finally receive the wages we have earned in the service of our chosen master. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God"-there is no earning with Him" is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." All is God's free grace in the plan of salvation; "not of works, lest any man should boast."

ARTICLE XI.-"Of the Justification of Man."

"If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than reliance on the Divine mercy remitting sin for Christ's sake, let him be accursed." So speaks "with authority" the Church of Rome in the Canons of the Council of Trent-a Church professing to be that "of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Where is the "authority" by which she speaks these words?

Luther said of the doctrine of justification by faith, that it is the "article of a standing or a falling Church," and on this point it was the Reformation mainly turned.