would give us breath from heaven, and breathe over this assembly to-night, and constrain all our hearts to draw in this breath of life! Again, the Holy Ghost is compared to oil. Oh, that every Christian could be compared to oil, and have the consecrating oil, consecrating the prophet, the priest, and the king! For the child of God must be all these. But I know besides that it was first as a cleansed leper that I was consecrated with oil; and I remember with joy that, washed from our leprosy, and having the blood touched upon each point of our extremities, then may the holy consecrating oil be poured upon us. We must be consecrated with oil. Brethren, see to it. And again we have the symbol of the water of life. Oh, that every Christian might speak as if his voice were the voice of many waters, the waters of the river of life, that he might convey that life wherever he goes, and that this water of life might follow him wherever he goes! We thus might lead this symbolic life. And again we read of the dew of the Holy Ghost. Don't you think many Christians want dew? “I will be as the dew unto the house of Israel." Many Christians seem to have nothing of the holy dew about them. 'That tender spirit of the living Christ and the gentleness and meekness of Jesus seem to be lacking about them. They have not the dew of the Holy Spirit, they are not in communion with Him. Oh, to be buried in the dew of the Holy Ghost, like the early morning flower hidden in the dew! How blessed would it be for each one of us if we were so hidden in the Holy Ghost dew! And it might be so. God has promised, "I will be as the dew unto the house of Israel."

Then the Holy Ghost life is also a transfigured life. Wherever we look we see Jesus. It is transfiguration all day long. If you look up to heaven, like Stephen, even amidst the shower of stones, you will see the glory of God, and Jesus standing. Thus the children of God are transfigured. And if you look into your own inner life, you will say at once," It is not I, but Christ that liveth in me!" There is transfiguration both without and within. And even the little things of life will be transfigured. Someone rebuked Michael Angelo for being so long in finishing some work and said, "You have only added trifling touches;" but he replied, "These trifles make perfection; but perfection is no trifle!" And so with the child of God. The little things make up the life, and the dignity of life. If you are faithful in the least, you will be faithful in

the greatest things. Look at the life of Christ; for thirty years He was doing little things, and then He was able in three years to do His glorious work. And so we see the dignity and importance of little things. Remember the story of that little child who, when her mother sent her to the shop on Sunday to buy something, said, "But it is Sunday, mother!" "Oh," said the mother, "then take a shawl with you, and cover it over;" and the child replied, "But is it not Sunday under the shawl, mother?" And what we want is to consecrate the least to God; that the little things should be transfigured, and then our lives shall be transfigured. And how transfigured to us the Bible becomes! It is a new book to us. When God first revealed Himself to me, I went home and read my Bible; it was as if an angel of God were standing over me, it was so luminous with the light of heaven. Every page is full of Jesus, but at one time I did not see that; every word and sentence contains something precious and something sweet, which no other book contains. Wherever we look we see the image of Jesus; every precept uttered brings us to Jesus. Let us receive the promises of God, which are given in that Book. Then the promises of God become transfigured, and then every trial becomes transfigured; each one as it comes is a testing time for proving the promises; and we say, "Here is something very hard; we shall now see more of Jesus we are sure to have a new interview with Him!" Yes! and every sorrow shall thus be transfigured. As He presses any cup of sorrow to your lips, you will say as He said, "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" You will see the royal arms of heaven on every cup of sorrow, transfiguring it, and you shall drink of it to the glory of God. His promises are boundless. Oh, that we might treat them as bundles of spiritual matches which we might strike against any trial or calamity, against the wood of any cross, and thus make a light from God through the darkness of any path in a moment ! Oh, that we might know more of this transfigured life!

And may I not add this, that the wondrous Holy Ghost life is a thrice-baptized life? The baptism of water unto repentance you have passed through that. The baptism of death unto self: have you passed through that? And the baptism of the fire of the Holy Ghost: have you passed through that? God is crying to the Church for bearers for the lamp of God.

Pitchers for the lamps of God,
Hark! the cry goes forth abroad,
Christ our flaming Altar's here;
Soiled souls and lips, draw near;
Crown each penitential brow,

Fire of God, come now! come now!

Yes, we want baptism of fire which fills us with the Holy Ghost and consumes all the faculties of our being in that blessed flame.

Now shall I close with these few words? This Holy Ghost life is also a crowned life, and it is a reigning life; so that every one that enters upon this life shall be a crowned one. Child of God, do you know that you have a crown on your head now? You are not only going to be crowned, but you are crowned. If you hold up a penny postage stamp between you and the light, you will see a hidden crown within it. And so in every Christian's life. In the Holy Ghost life there is a hidden crown. This life is a crowned life, because where the word of a king is there is power. Notice the contrast between Abrahain and Lot: how Abraham, outside the city of Sodom, had more power in that city than Lot, although he and his own near relatives were in it. Abraham, kneeling on the bare rocks on the mountain side, was able to save one at least out of Sodom, while Lot could not save anybody; and when the angel said, "Hast thou here any besides?" and Lot went to his sons-in-law: they only mocked, because he had not the living power in him; there was not the Word of God abiding in him. But where the word of a king is there is power. So even Lot, a Christian, was saved out of Sodom, in answer to Abraham's prayer, and not for his own sake.

Now, how are we to keep and retain this blessed baptism of the Spirit and increase this power of the Holy Ghost? Mark first, do not resist the Holy Ghost. If God is moving you, do not resist Him. Grieve not the Holy Ghost, and quench not holy aspirations: cling to the blessed Master, and claim His power and promises. Dare out upon these promises, step right outside yourself, and appropriate all that you believe, and act upon all that is the truth of God, and you will find out what it is to be inspired to go forward.

And now I would close with this word. What is this knowledge of God? Why, we read it in the closing book of the Bible. I think it one of the fullest and most blessed passages

in all the Holy Word, showing what God's mind is. In Rev. i. we read, "Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father ; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.'

Will you go out to-night to Him that loved you, and let Him do as He sees best? Will you let Him point out your sin, and that which hinders your Christian life? Will you let Him deal faithfully because He loves you? Will you say glory and dominion to Him that loves me? Will you praise Him who looses and washes from sin, and can give the power over sin? Will you say glory and dominion be to that blessed Lord; He who makes us kings and priests? Kings with the conquering power of God, and priests with the prayer always ascending in soul-sacrifice. Let us say now in return to the greeting from the throne of God, "Grace and peace be unto you from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth;" yes, now let us respond, "Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

The proceedings of the evening were closed with prayer and the singing of the Doxology.

The Knowledge of God:
Eternal Life: The Secret of Power.

ADDRESSES BY

S. A. BLACKWOOD, Esq., C.B.

REV. JOHN H. SHAW. REV. G. F. PENTECOST, D.D.

Thursday Morning, 26th June, 1884.

GAIN filled to overflowing was the large hall on the second morning of Conference. The bustle and movement of seat-seekers were, however, hushed as all bent, on Mr. Blackwood's suggestion, in silent prayer and meditation.

Rev. J. B. FIGGIS presented prayer, after which hymn No. 12 was sung:

"O holy, holy Father,

O Christ, ascended high."

S. A. BLACKWOOD, Esq., C.B., read Hosea v. 15 to vi. 3, and said:-I may be permitted, dear friends, before our brethren address us more distinctly on the subject of the day, to point your attention for a few moments to some passages of Scripture in the book of Hosea, which deal very clearly with our subject, the knowledge of God. We are perhaps often inclined to treat the question of the knowledge of God as an open question whether we shall seek after it or not; as a privilege, but not a duty. And hence we are apt to regard the absence of