in, has its application to the present, as well as to the future,
for every life that is loyal to Christ is glorified in union and
communion with Him. And in the great future it will be seen and known on
every hand who have been faithful to their Lord and Master. "Then shall
the righteous shine forth as stars in the kingdom of their Father."

4. THE GUARANTEE OF THE PRAYER.

The Apostle scarcely ever prayed without reminding himself and his readers
of the secret whereby prayer is answered. Accordingly he closes this
prayer with a reminder that the guarantee of its fulfilment is the grace
of God--"According to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

God is the _Source_ of all grace. How lovingly the Apostle speaks of "our
God" and "our Lord Jesus" in this verse! Elsewhere in his Epistles we also
find this appropriating phrase, "Our God" (1 Thess. ii. 2, iii. 9; 1 Cor.
vi. 11). As in the still more personal phrase, "My God," which we find
about seven times in his writings, St. Paul expresses his consciousness of
personal possession and the blessed reality of fellowship with God. "This
God is _our_ God," as the Psalmist says.

Christ is the _Channel_ of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ being associated
with God in this connection is a reminder that it is "the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ" as much as the grace of our God. He mediates grace to
us, and through faith in Christ we are linked to God as the "God of all
grace."

What a cheer and inspiration it is to have the assurance and guarantee
that even a prayer like this, with its high standard and far-reaching
possibilities, can and will be answered. Christianity provides not only an
appeal, but a dynamic. He Who bids, enables; He Who calls, provides. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is at once a precept, a promise, a provision, and a
power. The religions of the world often tell us to "Be good," but it is
left for Christianity to proclaim that "He died _to make us good_." As a
result, the Christian can say with Augustine: "Give what Thou commandest
and then command what Thou wilt." That is: "Only give me the spiritual
power, and then I can do anything that Thou requirest of me." As the
Psalmist cried: "I will run in the path of Thy commandments, when Thou
hast set my heart at liberty."

Thus the Christian life is at once a life of Grace and a life of Glory.
"First Grace, then Glory." "No Grace, no Glory." "More Grace, more Glory."
"If Grace, then Glory."

"Grac