man in His own image; that through a long line of prophets the human truth of God could be made known to man, till it came forth developed most entirely and at large in the incarnation of the Redeemer.  Now in this respect, it will be observed that God stands connected with us in relation to the soul as “the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Once more; there is a nearer, a closer, and a more enduring relation in which God stands to us—­that is, the relation of the Spirit.  It is to the writings of St. John that we have to turn especially, if we desire to know the doctrines of the Spirit.  You will remember the strange way in which he speaks of God.  It would almost seem as if the external God has disappeared to him; nay, as if an external Christ were almost forgotten, because the internal Christ has been formed.  He speaks of God as kindred with us; he speaks of Christ as Christ in us; and “if we love one another,” he says, “God dwelleth in us.”  If a man keep the commandments, “God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”  So that the spiritual manifestation of God to us is that whereby He blends Himself with the soul of man.

These then, my Christian brethren, are the three consciousnesses by which He becomes known to us.  Three, we said, known to us.  We do not dare to limit God; we do not presume to say that there are in God only three personalities—­only three consciousnesses:  all that we dare presume to say is this, that there are three in reference to us, and only three; that a fourth there is not; that perchance, in the present state a fourth you cannot add to these—­Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier.

Lastly, let us turn to the relation which the Trinity in unity bears to the triad in discord.  It is intended for the entireness of our sanctification:  “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.”  Brethren, we dwell upon that expression “wholly.”  There is this difference between Christianity and every other system:  Christianity proposes to ennoble the whole man; every other system subordinates parts to parts.  Christianity does not despise the intellect, but it does not exalt the intellect in a one-sided way:  it only dwells with emphasis on the third and highest part of man—­his spiritual affections; and these it maintains are the chief and real seat of everlasting life, intended to subordinate the other to themselves.

Asceticism would crush the natural affections—­destroy the appetites.  Asceticism feels that there is a conflict between the flesh and the spirit, and it would put an end to that conflict; it would bring back unity by the excision of all our natural appetites, and all the desires and feelings which we have by nature.  But when the apostle Paul comes forward to proclaim the will of God, he says it is not by the crushing of the body, but by the sanctification of the body:  “I pray God your whole spirit