ces of Him_ who called
you out of darkness into His marvellous light.'--1 Pet. ii. 5, 9.

Through the whole of Scripture we have seen that whatever God sanctifies
is to be used in the service of His Holiness. His Holiness is an
infinite energy that only finds its rest in making holy: to the
revelation of what He is in Himself, 'I the Lord _am holy_,' God
continually adds the declaration of what He does, 'I am the Lord that
_make holy_.' Holiness is a burning fire that extends itself, that seeks
to consume what is unholy, and to communicate its own blessedness to all
that will receive it. Holiness and selfishness, holiness and inactivity,
holiness and sloth, holiness and helplessness, are utterly
irreconcilable. Whatever we read of as holy, was taken into the service
of the Holiness of God.

Let us just look back on the revelation of what is holy in Scripture.
The seventh day was made holy, that in it God might make His people
holy. The tabernacle was holy, to serve as a dwelling for the Holy One,
as the centre whence His Holiness might manifest itself to the people.
The altar was most holy, that it might sanctify the gifts laid on it.
The priests with their garments, the house with its furniture and
vessels, the sacrifices and the blood,--whatever bore the name of holy
had a use and a purpose. Of Israel, whom God redeemed from Egypt that
they might be a _holy_ nation, God said, 'Let my people go, that they
may _serve_ me.' The holy angels, the holy prophets and apostles, the
holy Scriptures,--all bore the title as having been sanctified for the
service of God. Our Lord speaks of Himself 'as the Son, whom the Father
_sanctified and sent_ into the world.' And when He says, 'I sanctify
myself,' He adds at once the purpose: it is in the service of the Father
and His redeemed ones,--'that they themselves may be sanctified in
truth.' And can it be thought possible, now that God, in Christ the Holy
One, and in the Holy Spirit, is accomplishing His purpose, and gathering
a people of saints, 'holy ones,' 'made holy in Christ,' that now
holiness and service would be put asunder? Impossible! Here first we
shall fully realize how essential they are to each other. Let us try and
grasp their mutual relation. We are only made holy that we may serve.
We can only serve as we are holy.

_Holiness is essential to effectual service._ In the Old Testament we
see degrees of holiness, not only in the holy places, but as much in the
hol