e the mistakes. I fear that even
in the best instructed congregations, under the clearest public
teaching, there are all too many who, practically, "have not so much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost." [Acts xix. 2.] The belief in His
glorious Personality is faint and vague. The confusion of His Presence
and Power with our "better feelings" is very, very common. The solemn
questions which the Scripture bids us put to ourselves, [Rom. viii.
9.] whether _or not_ we "have the Spirit of Christ"--not merely "a
Christian spirit" in the sense of tone and temper, but the Holy Ghost,
proceeding from the Son, and uniting the true believer to Him--are
little understood, and rarely used upon the man by himself. And the very
thought of such a presence and such a power of the Lord the Life-Giver
as shall "_fill us with_ the Spirit" [Eph. v. 18.] is not yet existent,
I fear, in the minds of many even earnest Christians.

Here are fields, large and fruitful, for the teaching visitor's
cultivation. And so are the other possible subjects indicated above;
such as the claims of the Lord upon our personal consistency in little
things; His solemn call to all His people to be, directly or indirectly,
the evangelists of the world; and the nature of His blessed sacramental
Institutions.

THE TRUTH OF THE SACRAMENTS.

On that last subject it is not my intention to enter at any length. But
a few words I may take this occasion to say, and I will assume that I
am speaking to a younger Brother who in the main agrees with me in what
are commonly called Evangelical Church principles. Let me first then
counsel you to take care that no one shall be able, lawfully, to charge
you with making light of the Sacraments,[19] or with leaving uncertain
your belief as to their divine purpose and function. A ministry which is
silent about them, and indistinct in its teaching on them, cannot in
this respect be fully true to either the Prayer Book or the Bible. Let
your instructions on this great subject, in public and in private, be
definite, reverent, and full of thankfulness and praise for those great
gifts of God. Then on the other hand, do not, if I may speak freely,
while with all respect, think to honour the Sacraments by exaggeration,
by speaking more of them than of that far greater thing, the blessed
Grace of God in Christ, of which they are the "sure _witnesses_ and
effectual _signs_."[20] If I do not mistake, one of the most prevalent
tendencie