and fixedness which are
given by God's own Spirit.

I suppose I need not remind you that from beginning to end of
Scripture, 'anointing' is taken as the symbol of the communication of
a true divine influence. The oil poured on the head of prophet,
priest, and king was but the expression of the communication to the
recipient of a divine influence which fitted him as well as
designated him, for the office that he filled. And although it is
aside from my present purpose, I may just, in a sentence, point to
the felicity of the emblem. The flowing oil smoothes the surface upon
which it is spread, supples the limbs, and is nutritive and
illuminating; thus giving an appropriate emblem of the secret,
silent, quickening, nourishing, enlightening influences of that
Spirit which God gives to all His sons.

And inasmuch as here this oil of the Divine Spirit is stated as being
the true ground and basis of Christian steadfastness, it is obvious
that the anointing intended cannot be that of mere designation to,
and inspiration for, apostolic or other office, but must be the
universal possession of all Christian men and women. 'Ye,' says
another Apostle, speaking to the whole democracy of the Christian
Church, and not to any little group of selected aristocrats
therein--'ye have an unction from the Holy One,' and every man and
woman who has a living grasp of the living Christ, receives from Him
this great gift.

Then, notice further that this anointing by a Divine Spirit, which is
a true source of life to those that possess it, is derived from, and
parallel with, Christ's anointing. We use the word 'Christ' as a
proper name, and forget what it means. The 'Christ' is _the Anointed
One_. And do you think that it was a mere accident, or the result of
a scanty vocabulary, which compelled the Apostle, in these two
contiguous clauses, to use cognate words when he said:--'He that
establisheth us with you in the _Anointed_, and hath _anointed_ us,
is God'? Did he not mean to say thereby, 'Each of you in a very true
sense, if you are a Christian, is a _Christ_'? You, too, are
anointed; you, too, are God's Messiahs. On you in a measure the same
Spirit rests which dwelt without measure in Him. The chief of
Christ's gifts to the Church is the gift of His own life. All His
brethren are anointed with the oil that was poured upon His head,
even as the oil upon Aaron's locks percolated to the very skirts of
his garments. Being anointed with the a