all, the character and the extent of these
blessings which are the constituents of the Christian life.

'All spiritual blessings,' says the Apostle. Now, I am not going to
weary you with mere exegetical remarks, but I do want to lay stress upon
this, that, when the Apostle speaks about 'spiritual blessings,' he does
not merely use that word 'spiritual' as defining the region in us in
which the blessings are given, though that is also implied; but rather
as pointing to the medium by which they are conferred. That is to say,
he calls them 'spiritual,' not because they are, unlike material and
outward blessings, gifts for the inner man, the true self, but because
they are imparted to the waiting spirit by that Divine Spirit who
communicates to men all the most precious things of God. They are
'spiritual' because the Holy Spirit is the medium of communication by
which they reach men's spirits.

And I may just pause for one moment--and it shall only be for a
moment--to point out to you how in-woven into the very texture of the
writer's thoughts, and all the more emphatic because quite incidental,
and needing to be looked for to be found, is here the evidence of his
believing that the name of God was God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For it is the Father who is the Giver, the Son who is the Reservoir, the
Spirit who is the Communicator, of these spiritual gifts. And I do not
think that any man could have written these words of my text, the main
purpose of which is altogether different to setting forth the mystery of
the divine nature, unless he had believed in God the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost.

But, apart altogether from that, let me remind you in one sentence of
how the gifts which thus come to men by that Divine Spirit derive their
characteristic quality from their very medium of communication. There
are many other blessings for which we have to say, 'Blessed be God'; for
all the gifts that come from 'the Father of Lights' are light, and
everything that the Fountain of sweetness bestows upon mankind is sweet,
but earthly blessings are but the shadow of blessing. They remain
without us, and they pass. And if they were all for which we had to
praise God, our praises had need to be often checked by sobs and tears,
and often very doubtful and questioning. If there were none other but
such, and if this poor life were all, then I do not think it would be
true that it is

'better to have loved and lost,
Tha