Table of Contents

Three Addresses on the Lord's Return

Luke 12: 1-35.

LUKE 12: 32-40.

1 THESSALONIANS 4: 13-18; 1 THESSALONIANS 5: 1-11.

"The Lord is at hand."

The Rapture, the Appearing and the Eternal State

(1) THE IMMEDIATE PROSPECT OF THE CHRISTIAN.

(2) THE RELATION OF THE RAPTURE TO THE APPEARING OF CHRIST.

THE RELATION OF THE APPEARING TO THE WORLD TO COME.

(4.) THE ETERNAL STATE.

Death and Resurrection with Christ

A Spiritual Difficulty

Dorcas

Acts 9: 36-43.

The Efficacy of the Blood of Christ

Note on Propitiation.

Emmaus and Jerusalem

Luke 24: 13-53.

"Empty Vessels."

The Everlasting Arms

Deut. 33: 27.

Christ is Everything

Gideon's Sevenfold Qualification for Service

Judges 6.

God's Order

The Conditions of Guidance

"Hold that fast which thou hast."

Rev. 3: 11.

Scriptural Holiness:

CBA11,346.

The House of God

CONTENTS

The Tabernacle in the wilderness

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS.

2. THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.

3. THE TEMPLE AFTER THE RETURN FROM BABYLON.

4. THE CHURCH.

ACTS 2.

5. THE CHURCH, AS BUILT BY MAN.

1 COR. 3.

6. THE FINAL ASPECT OF THE CHURCH.

EPH. 2: 19-22; REV. 21: 2, 3.

"In Christ."

The Lamb of God

John 1: 29-39.

Departed Leaders

Life out of Death

CBA11,319.

"This light bread."

Numbers 21: 5; 11: 6.

Christ as Light and Love

Luke 5.

The Lord's Prayer:

Should it be used by Christians?

Is there a Mercy-seat for Believers?

The Sin of Miriam and Aaron

Numbers 12.

Notes on Naaman

2 Kings 5.

What is our power for walk?

Propitiation: What is it, and where made?

Redemption

The Revised Version of the New Testament

Spiritual Sloth and the Means of Restoration

Suited Ministry

Transfiguration

The Unveiled Face

2 Cor. 3, 4.

What God is

What God is — God is Love.

1 John 4: 7-12.

"Widows Indeed."

1 Tim. 5.

E. Dennett - Booklets and Articles

Edward Dennett

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Three Addresses on the Lord's Return

Three Addresses on the Lord's Return.

E. Dennett.

Luke 12: 1-35.

THERE are two things I desire to say before proceeding with what is indicated to us in these verses. The first is, that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a doctrine. Many people consider it to be such, and then regard it simply as a matter to be received or refused at their pleasure. It is not a doctrine! It is a part and parcel of Christianity, and I want you to understand that very distinctly; indeed, if you eliminate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ from Christianity it is destroyed altogether in a certain way, because redemption is not completed until the Lord returns. You remember we have a scripture for that in Romans 8: 23. You will thus see that Christianity cannot be complete until the Lord returns, that is, as to the revelation and the truth of it. Moreover, if you leave out the truth of the coming of the Lord Jesus you miss a power for holiness that God has given to us (see 1 John 3: 3).

The second thing is that we cannot wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ unless we are in a right state of soul; and this chapter  - a part of which I have read — reveals to us how the Lord would prepare His people to wait for His coming. You cannot wait because you believe the Lord is coming back, or because you try to wait, but you must be in that state of soul without which it is impossible to be found in the attitude of the expectation of His return.

There are some here tonight who will admit to me very readily, "Yes, we do believe the Lord Jesus Christ is coming; but we also find day by day that we are not waiting." Now, beloved, let me put you a simple question: How many of you have said today in your hearts, "The Lord Jesus Christ may be here before the day closes"? It just shows us how that our knowledge goes far beyond our state and condition, and thus it is that the Lord is concerned in this chapter to prepare us in our souls to wait for His return. I may say He goes right down to the bottom, and builds up from there to the top. Now the Lord Jesus does that in this chapter, as I hope to show you.

In the first place, He seeks to deliver us from the fear of man. And why does He do that? Because if you are not delivered from the fear of man you will never be able to confess Christ, and, if you do not confess Christ day by day as you pass through this world, you will never be waiting for Him. Then you get the principle, which is continually found in the Scriptures — warning and encouragement intermingled.

In the first place, He says, "Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do"; but then He goes on to say, "I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell." He gives us warning — don't forget, then, that God is able not only to kill, but to cast into hell. But, then, in connection with that warning, He turns to the other side and gives a very sweet encouragement. You do not need to be afraid of man, he cannot touch you except by divine permission. "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows" (vv. 6, 7). Man may rage against us, but he cannot touch us; it is impossible without God's permission. I have seen men out shooting, and I have seen them aim at birds, and I have said to myself, "You may be skilful shots, but you cannot hit one bird without divine permission." That is taught us here. "If that be so," says Christ, "remember that God is watching over you; you are dear to Him; the very hairs of your head are all numbered, and you are of more value than many sparrows."

Then He gives a further blessed encouragement. "If you confess me before men, I will confess you before the angels of God." I want to say a word or two about confessing Christ. Suppose you are going to town tomorrow, and some one in the carriage should take out a Bible and read. You might say, "I wouldn't make such a display in the presence of other people." Why not? Suppose I were in the carriage tomorrow, and that I had a thought about the state of the souls of the people there, and I were to say to myself, "I cannot speak to them, but I would like them to see that I am a Christian," so I take out my Bible. Would you condemn me for that? No, don't condemn me! On the other hand, remember, if I do it to make people think I am a very devout person, it would be wrong; but if the motive of my heart is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and to magnify Him, then it is a blessed thing.

Well now, beloved, I think there are many ways of confessing Christ. I once said to a young Christian, "Have you confessed Christ?" "Yes, I have," he said. "Are you confessing Christ now?" I got no answer. You see it is a daily thing; it does not mean confessing that you belong to Christ once when you connect yourself with the people of God. It is much more than that, it should be the habit of our lives. I will explain what I mean. I was in a certain town when one very dear to me was suddenly taken ill; I had to send for a doctor, and he was not in the house two minutes before he let me know that he was a Christian. He owned the Lord; he did not say, "I hope to be able to pull her through," but "the Lord will bring her through, I hope." What a difference! You see he owned the name of the Lord, and did it really, for I found afterwards that he was known as a real and devout Christian.

If you are not confessors of Christ, you won't want to see Him, and if you don't want to see Him, you won't be waiting for Him, and thus I attach the utmost importance to what the Lord teaches in the beginning of this chapter, namely, that we should be confessors of Him.

Then see the encouragement to do it. Here we are in all our weakness, and yet by the grace of God we are enabled to confess Christ. Well, if we confess Christ in that way, what is the encouragement? "Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God." Now imagine for one minute the time has come when the Lord will recompense His people, and down here in this world there has been a humble Christian who has been in the habit of confessing the name of the Lord Jesus, delighting to speak His name, because "Thy name is as ointment poured forth," then the Lord Jesus Christ will speak his name before the angels of God. Now, I have been told, and I believe it is true, that there is nothing an officer in the army during a campaign so covets as to be mentioned in the dispatches concerning any battle that has been fought. If he is mentioned, it leads to his promotion. He longs for the distinction; but how much greater the joy to the simple Christian, wherever he may be, or in whatever circumstances, or in a small circle unnoticed day by day, whose delight it is to mention the name of Christ. The Lord says iF you do that, He will confess your name before the angels of God. What an immense honour to have one's name told out by the lips of the Lord Himself in the presence of all the angels!

I want you, dear young people, especially to remember this, because there are many temptations to conceal that you are Christians. We all know the temptations, but the Lord brings in the blessed encouragement. Don't conceal that you belong to Him, let your heart be so full of Him that you will delight to speak of Him, and then He will by and by confess your name before the angels of God.

Now He turns to the other side, and it is very solemn. It does not apply to a Christian because the statement is absolute: "He that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God"; but there may be many a professing Christian who does that. It is a very solemn thing if a Christian does even once deny the Lord, but the Lord Jesus is not speaking of Christians in this verse. If you are not confessors of Christ you cannot love Him; love has waxed feeble when you don't confess His name; and if you are not confessors you will not be in a state to wait for His return.

Now just to connect this part of the chapter with what follows — and the connection is very beautiful — you will notice in verse 13 that one of the company said to the Lord, "Speak to my brother, that he may divide the inheritance with me." But the Lord said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or a divider over you?" He had not then come for that purpose; and then He draws the lesson, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness." Then He brings in a parable in verse 16, and thus the foundation is laid on which the second lesson is built up. The man in the parable has his abundant crops, but he has not sufficient room to garner them. He says, "What shall I do? I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." That is, all his thoughts were confined to the present moment. He wanted, as many of us have often wanted, not only abundance in this world, but also enough to last as long as we continue in this life. And that was all he cared for. I am sure many of us have known that temptation. If you set your hearts upon things in this life, you are shutting out your responsibility; and so in the parable God says, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee"; and then the question is put, "Whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?" And now comes the lesson: "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God." I will not dwell upon that, but I want to call attention to one point in the next verse (22) which shows the connection. The Lord says to His disciples, "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat," etc. "Therefore," the whole thing turns upon that word; it is the deduction which the Lord draws from the example He has given in the parable.

Now we come to the second lesson. The first is deliverance from the fear of man, the second is deliverance. from anxiety, from carking care, which oftentimes robs us of our peace. In the parable of the sower in the Gospel you get this, the seed that fell among thorns is choked by what? Cares, and the pleasures of this life. The cares are in the same category with the pleasures of this life. The Lord thus proceeds to deliver His disciples from care, that they may be able in their hearts to maintain the attitude of waiting for Him. If my thoughts are down in the dust, how can I be found waiting for Christ? He therefore comes in, and would deliver us from the cares of this world, from anxiety concerning what we may put on, or our daily food. "No," He says, "there is no need for that and He gives an example, firstly, of the ravens, and, secondly, of the lilies of the field. They are not anxious about things, but the ravens are fed, and the lilies are clothed, and clothed in such a way, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of them. If we take that home, we shall understand how foolish it is to be anxious. The truth is, beloved, we are dependent upon God.

He next gives the way of deliverance from anxiety. He says in verse 29, "Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things." If we did but live in the sense of that! "I am in want," you say; well, the Father knoweth. There is not a single thing that can affect one of His people that does not affect the heart of God. A sentence which I read many years ago, and which has never passed from me is this: "Whatever might be a care to you produces a care for you in the heart of God." And so it does; do we not read in the Epistle of Peter, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you"? "Your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things." He watches over us even to the smallest and most minute things that might trouble us. Will He forsake us? No, beloved! If you remember the Apostle Paul brings it out in the Epistle to the Hebrews; he says, "Be content with such things as are present, for He has said I will never leave you nor forsake you," so that, as the apostle goes on to say, "We may boldly say the Lord is my helper, and I shall not fear what man will do unto me." So the Lord casts us upon the Father's knowledge and the Father's heart. Then, beloved, He gives the reason why it is we don't enter into the comfort of this: it comes out in the next verse, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you" (v. 31). Now let me point out one beautiful thing. In verse 30 He says, "All these things" (eating and drinking and clothing) "do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things"; then, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things" (about which He has been speaking) "shall be added unto you." But there is a condition annexed, and I will just call attention to it for one moment. It is all summed up in two lines of an old hymn -

Make you His service your delight,

Your wants shall be His care.

Seek ye the kingdom of God, that is, God's interests, and all these things shall be added unto you. So, beloved, there is no need that one of us in this meeting here tonight should be troubled by a single care; and we shall not be troubled if we only get into our hearts that God loves us, and cares for us, and is watching over us because He cares for us, and thus He will not allow one of His children to want if he seeks first the kingdom of God. The condition is put in this way because God needs to chasten us sometimes, and He does when we need drawing to Him and to His interests. If we make His objects our supreme end, then we shall want nothing as we pass through this world.

Thus the first two lessons of the chapter are deliverance from the fear of man, and deliverance from anxiety. The Lord would have us free from the fear of man and from anxiety. "How happy we should then be!" you say; yes, you would be very happy. The poorest Christian in the world would be able to say, "I am poor, and I have nothing I can call my own, and yet I know I shall never want, because the Father knoweth that I need all these things." How the Lord encourages our hearts; and He seeks to do this in order that we may be in a state of soul to wait for His return.

There is another thing. I will suppose for a moment that all fear of man is gone, and that you can rest upon the heart of God and say, "Yes, I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, or where tomorrow's food is to come from, yet I know that God cares for me." Now the other thing is that the Lord seeks to establish us in grace now. and we must be, if we are to wait for the Lord's return; and so you get, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (v. 32). There is an exhortation to seek in the previous verse, now it is all grace. He wants to establish the hearts of His people in the grace of the Father. I want to point out two things. It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom; that brings in relationship. It is His delight as the Father to do it. It connects itself with the passage in Matthew 13: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (v. 43). It goes on to the display of the kingdom by and by, when all God's people will be seen in the same glory as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is then that He will come forth as the Sun of Righteousness, and it is then that, in connection with His people, He will take the kingdom and reign from the river to the ends of the earth, and all His people of this present period, and past periods too, will be displayed in the same glory with Him. I have alluded to the passage more than once: "When He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Then just see the contrast! Look at the conditions now; most of us know what bad health is, and to be weak in body in passing through this world. Now just raise your thoughts to that day when all the saints will come out with Christ and be displayed in the same glory as Himself. "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." The whole force of the scripture lies in that word "GIVE"; it is the grace of the Father, and what the Lord wants to do is to establish us in the sense of this grace of which He is speaking.

There are, in the next place, two other things. The first is this, until I am established in grace I will never grow. I wonder if you understand that? A legal soul may be very pious, but it won't grow, and hence Peter says at the end of his first epistle, "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." If you want to grow you must be established in grace. When a saint falls into temptation we sometimes have an idea that we shall help him best if we go and bring a little bit of law to bear upon him. We feel we ought to be hard and find fault. No, beloved, you will never restore a soul in that way; you must go in the truth of grace if you would touch his heart. I knew a lad once who had a father and mother. The father was a good father, but he was very severe to his boy, and when the boy fell into any mistakes, or was guilty of any disobedience, the father chastised him severely. The mother, on the other hand, tenderly looked, though pained. It was a look of love, but she had far more influence than the father. She acted in grace, he acted in a legal way. so it is with ourselves. We will never grow unless we are established in the grace of God. You get illustrations of it in Scripture. In 2 Timothy 2: 1, where everything has gone to the bad, the apostle writes to Timothy, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus." It is that only which will give us power to deal with souls in days of difficulty, and so here I need to be established in grace, and when I am so established, then it is I shall grow, because then I shall be in the holy atmosphere in which God would have me be, and my heart is melted by the revelation of His grace to me in His beloved Son.

May I add one thing to that, and say, we never get established in grace until we get to God's side of things, and view ourselves from God's side? Why were you born into this world? Only for one reason if you are Christians, namely, to be connected with the purpose of God. It is all of grace. It was God who brought me into the world, who revealed Christ to me, who sustains me every day, and will take me all through the wilderness, and preserve me unto that moment when I shall see the blessed Lord face to face. It is all grace, and I need to be established in grace to understand the heart of God, and to be able to wait for the Lord's return.

Now I pass to another thing, and it is this. If I am established in grace, then I have to become a representative of grace to those about me, and thus the Lord says — for it is the connection in the thought of the scripture — "Sell that ye have, and give alms, provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (vv. 33, 34). I think you will see plainly that unless I am in the truth of grace I cannot express grace. Now it is a principle in Scripture that the believer in any dispensation is to reveal God as known in that dispensation; that is, the Jew was to express a righteous Jehovah, but now He is revealed as the God of all grace, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the God of our salvation. He is a giving God; "giving" characterizes the day of grace, and we are to be givers too, and so express the heart of God in our contact with men as we pass through this world.

The Lord now goes back to the principle He laid down at the end of the parable. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God." Now, consequently, you get treasure in heaven — "a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." I was exceedingly struck in meditating upon this today with a scripture that came across my mind in connection with it: "Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily, I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." How marvellous! You meet a child of God, who is weary and thirsty; you give him simply a cup of cold water in Christ's name. This act becomes a treasure in heaven, and by and by it will be acknowledged, for "he shall in no wise lose his reward." The Lord points out the same truth here, and there will be a treasure laid up for you in heaven. That is the principle which the Lord teaches us here, and then He adds, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If somebody is very dear to you, you are always thinking about that person, your thoughts follow your treasure; and so the only way to have. your minds set upon things above is simply to have your treasure in heaven. We may consent to that, and say Christ is our treasure. If Christ is my treasure my thoughts will be with Him. That is the last point in the condition of soul needful for waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ.

When a brother gets up and commences to read at, "Let your loins be girded about," I have always said to myself, "How?" My loins never will be girded about unless Christ is my treasure; if not, I have not the motive or the power for it. Every one will admit that where your treasure is there will your heart be, but that shows the importance of having Christ as our treasure in the heavens.

I am conscious of it myself, and I am sure many of us are while I am speaking, how our thoughts are so often upon things of earth, and yet God is beckoning us on to be occupied with things which are where Christ is at the right hand of God. If you want to be heavenly-minded, the only way is to have your mind upon the things of heaven.

I have given you tonight a kind of preliminary address to show the necessity of a right state of soul to wait for the Lord's return.

I trust the Lord will lay it upon our hearts to consider what has been advanced this evening, that we may all seek to be in this condition, so that day by day it may be a constant thing for us to be waiting for the Lord's return — a real expectation. Where there is a real expectation there will be power in the soul, because the Spirit of God will lead to it, and there will be a holy walk and conversation, for "every man that hath this hope in Him (that is, Christ) purifieth himself, even as He is pure."

LUKE 12: 32-40.

THE subject of this chapter is simply, as pointed out last week, the state of soul suitable to meet the Lord on His return; and we see in detail, I think, how the Lord sought to prepare His disciples, and to impart to them the state of soul which He requires.

I might just, perhaps, go back, and state the points of the chapter, in order to connect them with what I have before me tonight.

We saw, in the first place, that the Lord Jesus sought to deliver His disciples from the fear of man, in order that there might be a bold confession of His name while they were passing through this scene. Then, in the second place, He sought to deliver them from anxiety as to the things of this life, that they might seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all needful things might be added to them. Then we saw that He sought to establish them in grace, as we read in verse 32: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom"; and He sought, not only to establish them in grace, but also to make them the representatives of grace as they passed through this world. Thus He says to them, "Sell that ye have, and give alms." Then there is another point to which I call attention, as it connects itself with what is before me this evening. It is this. If we represent God in grace in this world, we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. It is a wonderful thing, but you cannot get away from it; if we are givers in this world, and thus represent God as a giver, we lay up treasure in heaven for ourselves. But then remember, when we speak of treasure in heaven, that everything is centred in Christ, and, therefore, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. I understand, therefore, that Christ is our treasure, and so, beloved, the way to be heavenly-minded is to have our hearts set upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I am sure every one here tonight realizes this, that the dearest object we have upon earth is the one that commands our attention, our thoughts, and our affections. It is always true that where our treasure is our hearts will be also, and the Lord applies the figure, I think, without doubt to Himself, and so He tells us that if we have Him as our treasure, then our thoughts will be with Him. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (v. 34). There is a distinct connection between that statement and what follows, which is the subject of this evening. The Lord immediately says, consequent upon that statement, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning" (v. 35). I may say at once that if you have your treasure upon earth you will not have your loins girded, or your lights burning; it is impossible. There is the absolute necessity of having your treasure in heaven if you would be found waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What I feel myself in regard to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is that, as we pointed out last week, it is too much of a doctrine, and too little practical as affecting us in our daily lives. We shall never wait for the Lord unless He possesses our hearts; He must possess our hearts if we are to be found waiting for Him. "But," you will say to me, "every one of us has the Lord Jesus Christ in his heart." Are you sure of that? Are you sure that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in the hearts of all His people? If He does, nothing but Christ will come out from them. No, if He is in our hearts He must be expressed, and the only way to express Christ in passing through this world is to have Him enshrined in our affections. If He is not, He will never be expressed; and this, let me say, illustrates a principle of great importance: that is, we only express as much of Christ as we are like Him; we could not express more if we tried. It is only in the proportion as He is formed within us that He can be expressed by us. If we have only a little of Christ, we cannot express much of Him, and thus you will see the importance of pressing this, that the Lord Jesus can only come out of us in our daily walk and conduct in proportion as we are like Him. A little of Christ — alas, how little some of us possess! We all know it; but then, beloved, we can only present Christ in proportion as we are like Him, and that is why He presses this scripture, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. "

Now He tells us to let our loins be girded about and our lights burning, and then He says, "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding" (v. 36). Now let us look at this statement in detail. "Let your loins be girded about." Now I think it is only three times in Scripture that reference is made to the loins being girded. In Ephesians 6: 14, "Having your loins girt about with truth"; and in 1 Peter 1: 13, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind." Now put these three together, and we get this, that it is inwardly we are to be girt; it is in the spiritual mind; and then our loins are to be girt about with the truth. What is the truth? The truth, beloved, is the revelation of God in Christ Jesus; and it is with this that we are to be girded. The Lord says plainly, "Let your loins be girded about"; that is, as I understand it, girt about with the truth in its application to us in the power of the Spirit, so that inwardly under the influence of the truth we may be girded about, so that we may be prepared for conflict or service, or whatever we are called to do. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that we should understand this expression, "Let your loins be girt about with truth."

Then there is another thing — "And your lights burning." Now let me say one word about that. Does the light of every Christian shine out? Well now, the Apostle Paul speaks in Philippians in this wise, "Among whom you appear as lights in the world." The word "appear" here is really the same word as would apply to the rising of the luminaries in the heavens. For example, the moon shines tonight, for it is set there to shine. Every believer in like manner is set to shine, but then, alas! we don't often shine, and so the Lord Jesus says, "And your lights burning." In the first place, we have to ascertain what the light is. As far as I understand Scripture, the light is always Christ in the New Testament. It is the only light in the midst of the darkness, and so He speaks in this scripture of the lights burning; it is the light coming out in the daily life, there is no other light for men: "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." That received into the heart should flow out of us in our walk, our ways, and our conduct.

I think every one of you will see the necessity of this in regard to the Christian life, that the light should be burning; but why don't our lights burn always, let me ask? Well, you will find in the tabernacle that Aaron had to use the snuffers. And why? In order that the light might be pure, that it might shine without obstruction. We all know what it is to see a candle with a long wick, and the light dim in consequence. It needs to be snuffed, in order that the light may shine clearly. Do you say, "How does that apply to you and me?" I will tell you. Some of us Christians may have bad habits — they will obscure the light. Suppose I were hasty in temper — that would obscure the light. If I were worldly  - that would obscure the light; so would evil associations. Thus you will see you have to judge yourselves. There must be self-judgment, in order that everything that is inconsistent with Christ may have no place with us. How many of us have been the causes of stumbling to our fellow-Christians because our lights have not shone clearly! If we were living and walking in the power of the Holy Ghost there would be a manifest testimony to the Lord Jesus shining out of every one of us. The light cannot be hid: we read of the Lord Himself that He could not be hid. And why not? Because of the light that shone so perfectly from Him. You have this statement in John 1: "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." The darkness sought to put the light out, and so they crucified our blessed Lord and Saviour.

You will now say to me, "What is the condition for the outshining of the light?" I know of only one; the Apostle Paul gives it to us in the statement about himself: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus " (2 Cor. 4: 10). Now what is the dying of Jesus? Simply, it is the application of the truth of the cross to what I am. What the apostle meant is this, always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that nothing of Paul might come out, only Christ in all he said and did. Let me give you a simple illustration. Suppose I am a witty man, and I meet you, and we have a conversation together. If not held by the power of the Spirit of God, I might be tempted to display my wit. That would not be Christ, but self; and hence it is, in order for the light to shine, there must be the application of death to all that I am, that only Christ may be displayed. This, I apprehend, is what the Lord means in this scripture, "Your lights burning."

Now, before I go further, let me just make one or two applications, because it is one thing to see the meaning of Scripture, but quite another thing to be in the power of it. May I ask you, and myself too, Are our loins girded? Are our lights burning? Do you say, you don't know? We do know! I am sure of this, if you will allow me to say it, that where the light shines out of a Christian distinctly and clearly, the man of the world will hate it. "Will it go as far as that?" you say. Yes! it was so in the case of the blessed Lord, and men could not bear the fierceness of the light, therefore they sought to quench it by crucifying Him upon the cross. Let us, then, bear in mind that if you and I would be ready to meet the Lord Jesus when He returns, there must be the girded loins and there must be the burning lights.

Now we come to the attitude that has to be maintained, and then we will speak of the blessed recompense which the Lord will give to those who are waiting for His return. You will see the attitude is this, "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately" (v. 36). Now we are to understand that this figure which the Lord uses is given to indicate what the attitude is to be. We are to be like unto men that wait for their lord; he has gone to the wedding, and he is coming back. The figure, then, is this (to make a modern application). The servants are in the hall, they have their hands upon the door, waiting for the first sign of their lord's return, and, on his first knock, they throw the door open wide in order to receive him. There are two things: they are wanting their lord to return, and, consequently, they are waiting for him. The two things will go together. Now let me make an application of these two things. Do you and I desire the Lord to return? I know we sometimes sing a line of a verse -

Take Thy poor, waiting pilgrims home.

Do we mean it when we sing it? Because it means that while we are singing we are asking the Lord to take us home. Is that our desire? No, beloved, oftentimes it is not our desire. Hence what the Lord presses upon us here is that we are to be in the condition suited to His return, and in the attitude of always expecting Him.

If you remember, I asked last week how many of us really from day to day have thought of the Lord's return. How many have said from day to day the Lord may be here before the close of the day? Yet the attitude the Lord enjoins in this scripture amounts to that, always waiting, always expecting, and always longing that you may see Him face to face. I know how easy it is to swim down the stream of time, and to forget the possibility of a sudden change, that while we are passing along day by day, and while the course of business flows on, there may be a sudden catching away of the people of God, caught up to meet the Lord in the air, to be for ever with Him. The question, therefore, comes to each one of us, Are we ready to see the Lord face to face? Let me give an illustration. Let me suppose a true wife whose husband has gone to Australia or one of the distant dependencies of the British Empire. She does not know when he will return, and let me say, in order to complete the illustration, that during his absence she has not ceased to love him, but she has gathered about her some few things he would not like on his return. She receives a letter to say he is coming, and coming soon. What is her first thought? She looks round the house, and says, "My husband would not like to see that." She is a true wife, and so she puts it away, and not only does she do that, but she says, "He would like to see this and that," and so she collects everything that will please him when he returns home.

I apprehend this illustration will have its application to us here tonight. Is the Lord returning? If He is, I want to get rid of everything that will not please Him, and that is the meaning, I apprehend, of the passage in 1 John 3: "Every one that hath this hope in Him" (that is, in Christ) "purifies himself, even as He is pure." Now purifying oneself is this — getting rid of all that is unsuited to Christ, and the acquisition of everything that is suited to Him, and that is the only possible way of being ready to meet Him when He does return. Let us not pass by a scripture like this, but let it lay hold of our hearts in living power, when the Lord says, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately."

I was reading a little book lately; it was not according to the truth in all its aspects, but still there was one thing in it which struck me very much. A rich merchant returned home to his family from his business in the evening. His wife noticed he was very depressed. "What is the matter, dear?" she said. He answered, "I have heard today that the Lord Jesus is likely to return very soon." "What of that?" "Oh!" he said, "I am not prepared to meet Him," and he began to mourn over the fact. "There will be an end to all my plans, all my gain and profit will pass away if the Lord does really come." And yet that man was a Christian! Well now, I want you to make the application to ourselves, so that we may not be occupied with anything whatsoever on which the Lord cannot smile when He returns. It shows us how practical the whole thing is, and that is the object of the whole chapter, to build us up in a state of suitability to meet the Lord. The Lord has that end in view through the whole chapter.

Well, now let me pass to the other side: the Lord's recompense for those who are found in this way, watching and waiting. He says, "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them" (v. 37). The first thing is, "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord shall find watching." Now you all know what watching is. If you had a dear friend returning from a distance to you, and suppose you could see the way from the window, you would be watching and waiting there expecting him. Well, the Lord pronounces blessing upon those who are so watching, and thus I ask myself, as I ask you here tonight, Are you really watching?

How many of us attend to the signs of the times, to political movements, and all that kind of thing, the confusion and agitations that go on around us, worldly schemes and plans. But of what value is all that? Why, it will all end for every child of God the moment the Lord comes. In that very day our thoughts and imaginations will all end, as we all know, just as they end when we come to die. The blessing is reserved for those who are found watching. And so, beloved, the conclusion I press upon you is this, Are we watching? We must be watching if we would please the Lord. I have sometimes said, and I quite believe it, that even domestic happiness is sometimes a great barrier for waiting for the Lord. You say, "Is it not a good thing?" It is, beloved; I was about to say it is one of the flowers of the Garden of Eden. But still, domestic happiness may come between the soul and Christ, and it does sometimes; and thus the Lord strips some of us, and we wait, and are solitary while waiting, because He cannot trust us with too much affection in this world. He loves us so much, that He is jealous over us, and wants us for Himself. Do you ever read that expression in the Canticles, "jealousy is cruel as the grave"? What is the meaning? I will tell you how it presents itself to me. When a body is committed to the ground the grave closes in over it and shuts out every other object; it possesses that body absolutely. Well, the Lord's jealousy is like that. Do you suppose the Lord could contemplate with indifference our hearts going after this thing, and that thing, and the other thing, which are contrary to Himself? No; if He loves us, and He does love us, He wants our whole hearts. Nothing less than our whole hearts will ever satisfy Him. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching."

Now see the wonderful recompense! "Verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them." You will see there are two things. "He shall gird Himself" as the servant. The Lord was the servant down here; you remember He said to His disciples, "I am among you as He that serveth." The blessed Lord, entitled to everything, the One who created everything, and the One who died upon the cross, yet took the place of a servant amongst His disciples. Ah! what imperfect disciples they were. Christians sometimes say to me, "It is impossible to love So-and-so, their conduct is so strange." Well, was not the Lord surrounded by those whose conduct was very strange? Was there not a Judas, and Peter who denied Him? Did the Lord cease to love them? Nay! He says, "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you." No; the only way to love the people of God is to see them as God sees them, accepted in Christ, and then you can love them. The Lord will gird Himself, He will take the lowest place amongst His people. This is in the glory itself after He has come. "He will gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat." You will say, "What is the meaning of that?" Well, I will tell you the thought in the statement which satisfies my own heart. It is this. He will cause us to feast on His own delights; what delights His own heart will delight yours and mine. "He shall make them to sit down to meat." He will cause us, I repeat, to feast upon His own delights. Is not that wonderful? Sharing His own joys with His beloved people, and not only sharing His own joys with His people, but, coming forth to serve them, He will minister these delights to us Himself, beloved, and He will take the lowest place, the servant of His people, and He will make them rejoice in the sense of His presence and the enjoyment of His love; and so they will not have a single object that He has not. Then remember that we have often been taught that there is not a single future blessing which may not be enjoyed now — in measure, at any rate. If we are going to feast with the Lord on His own delights by and by, may we not do so now? There is a line of a verse — I always challenge my own heart when I sing it — which reads:

His joys our deepest joys afford.

How feebly it is true of us, and yet it may be so. Thus you see in the glory itself the Lord Jesus will come, and will cause His people to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them; and so it is that He holds out all this blessed prospect to encourage our hearts, and to keep them upon Himself in the place where He is.

Then the Lord says this: "And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through" (v. 39); and then He adds, "Be ye therefore ready also" (that is, on the watch): "for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not" (v. 40). I don't go tonight into the distinction between the public coming of Christ and His coming to receive His people. I speak tonight in a general way; next week I shall hope to take up the distinction. Here it is the Son of Man coming, and that always applies to the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the prospect of which we live day by day, as the apostle says, "those who love His appearing." The point of this additional figure which the Lord uses is this, that we are always to be ready, "Be ye therefore ready also." Now you will say, "How can we be ready?" It is not state of soul only; it is mainly that, but there are many things to be settled. I was dining one day with a lady in London, and I said to her at the table, "Would you like the Lord Jesus to return today?" "No," she said, "I would not." "And why not?" "Well," she said, "I have many things to settle up first, there are many things I would not like Him to see; I would rather He did not come today." Well, the Lord says, "Be ye ready," that is, everything settled up, and we as real pilgrims and strangers passing through this world with nothing to detain us. And why? Because our hearts are upon Him where He is now. It all resolves itself into that.

I will just press these few last words upon you. Does the Lord Jesus possess your hearts? If He does, then your hearts will be in the place where He is, and that will be the means of the readiness for His return of which He speaks. What I gather is this, that all depends upon the state of soul, our state, so that I cannot conceive of anything tending to greater edification than to sit down quietly in the presence of the Lord, and to put this question to oneself, "Am I ready to meet Him? Would He find in me and round about me all that would delight His own heart?" If I can say, "Yes, He would," then I am in the state which He desires.

Let me just recapitulate the chapter. In the first place, He would deliver us from the fear of man. This is a snare to many of us. I have known many young Christians who have made shipwreck as to their profession because of the fear of man round about them.

Then He would deliver us from anxiety. Many of us have carking cares. "No," the Lord says, "you need not have a single care, God will take care of you." So leave yourselves in His hands; He points to the birds and flowers in order to convince us that God does care for us. "Ye are of more value than many sparrows." God's care may always be trusted in. "I have been young, and now am old," says the Psalmist, "yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread" (Ps. 37: 25).

Then He wants to establish our hearts in grace. It is a wonderful thing! "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." You can't earn it, He will give it to you. So if our hearts are established in grace now, we can go out in grace, and we can give because God is a giver. Then, as I pointed out at the outset, when we represent God in grace we will lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven, and then our hearts will be there, and that will lead to preparedness to meet the Lord — the loins will be girded, and the lights burning.

Well, I believe it is of all importance to have the Lord continually before our hearts. May He grant that our meditation tonight may lead many of us to judge ourselves as to anything that is not suitable to Him, and lead us at the same time to acquire everything that would please His eye and delight His heart. May He grant it to us for His name's sake.

1 THESSALONIANS 4: 13-18; 1 THESSALONIANS 5: 1-11.

As every one here will see, we have the subject of the rapture of the saints brought before us in this scripture, and it is brought before us in relation to the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ; but before I commence to explain the subject, I want to call attention to the mode of the presentation of the coming of Christ in the previous chapters of this epistle.

You will find in the first chapter that the characteristic of every believer is that he is waiting for God's Son from heaven. Let me just read it (1 Thess. 1: 9, 10): "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Thus the characteristic of every one of us is this, that we are waiting for God's Son from heaven, and not only is that true of the believer, but of every professor (for every professor takes the same ground as the believer), so that every believer and every professor are really on the ground of waiting for God's Son from heaven. Now, whether we accept this or not, it is true, because, as you will see, these converts were converted to this expectation; they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven. It is a solemn thing, for if you and I are found waiting for God's Son from heaven, it must affect us practically very much in our daily lives. As I said a fortnight ago, we so often forget the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me put the question again to you: "In how many hearts has it been present today — the Lord may return before the evening?" And yet you will see — as it is stated in this scripture to which I have called attention — that it is the characteristic of every believer and every professor to expect Christ, whether we understand it or not. Again let me remind you it must affect us, and will affect us, if we are brought under the power of that truth. It is not a doctrine, as I have often reminded you; it is a part and parcel of Christianity, and, consequently, if I am not waiting for God's Son from heaven, I am not on Christian ground. It is therefore, beloved, of the utmost importance that we should understand the truth as stated in this first chapter.

You may say to me, perhaps, "It is all very well for mature Christians to understand it." No, beloved, these converts in this epistle were not more than six months old when the apostle wrote this letter. They were young believers, what we call babes, and it is to them the apostle writes that they were waiting for God's Son from heaven. It applies, therefore, to every believer, and we must not lose sight of it, because if we do, we lose the power of the expectation of the coming of Christ.

There are two other things in the next two chapters. The first is the bearing of this teaching upon service. Let me read two verses at the end of the second chapter. "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy" (vv. 19, 20). You will thus see in the apostle's activity that he always had the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ before him; and may I not say, therefore, that we never labour in the Lord's service, as He would have us to labour, without this motive power, if I may so describe it? I remember reading some time ago a statement in a periodical that if you hold the doctrine of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ it enervates you, and that nobody would be anxious about service, missions, and things of that kind. What could be more untrue? Here I find the apostle full of energy, and he desires the conversion of those to whom he was sent, and he labours indefatigably in the prospect of the coming of Christ. This was his one desire, that he might present his converts before the Lord, and he says, "Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" Then he adds, "Ye are our glory and joy." You will see, therefore, the effect on service. How wonderful it is! And I may say again, I don't think I can undertake any activity properly unless this blessed truth is dominating my soul, and then in the prospect of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ I labour devotedly; and why do I thus labour? Because I want His approval, beloved. Because it is at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ the responsibility of the saints will be dealt with. Earth is the scene of our responsibility, and the coming of Christ is the goal to which we look, as we read in the First Epistle of Timothy, "That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ " (1 Tim. 6: 14). Earth is the scene of the responsibility, and when the Lord appears in glory He will display the recompense. That is what I understand by the apostle's statement — "Ye are our glory and joy."

Not to enlarge upon that, I want to call attention to two verses in the third chapter. There we see the bearing of the coming of Christ upon the spiritual life. "The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1 Thess. 3: 12, 13). There are two things here. There is holiness at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints before God and our Father, and there is love one toward another. That is the wonderful secret! Loving one another is the way of holiness. You may talk to me about holiness from morning to night, but you will never grow in it if there is a lack of love, because love is the nature of God, and God's love is a holy love; hence it comes to pass, as the apostle teaches us here, that if we love one another, and the more we love one another, the more we shall grow in conformity to the image of Christ, the more holy we shall become. I use those last two terms interchangeably for this reason — because the idea of holiness is conformity to the image of Christ, nothing short of that, and hence if any one tells you they are holy, you have to say, "As holy as Christ is?" because nothing short of that is accepted by God. Well then, if that be so, you will see from this scripture that the more we love one another (because that is the expression of the nature of God) the more we shall grow in holiness, and that will be brought out into display at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Now I dare say there are some here who have sometimes said, "We have not so much energy in the Spirit as we would like to have," and others will say, "We are really doing nothing for the Lord." Ah! beloved, the reason of that is you haven't the coming of Christ before your souls; if you are living in the prospect of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be devoted. As the apostle puts it in another place, "The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5: 14, 15). All that we are as children of Adam has gone in the death of Christ, and now Christ only fills the eye of God, and Christ only can fill the affections of the souls of God's people; and then when the divine nature is in activity in the power of the Spirit, there is an immense growth in holiness, and the prospect of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a great incentive to it. It has an immense bearing upon the spiritual life; indeed, I may say what I said about service, no one is living properly as a Christian, no one can do so, unless he has the prospect of seeing the Lord face to face. But you will say to me, "That is a very strong statement." Well, let me give a scripture to sustain it. The Apostle John says, "It is not yet manifested what we shall be" (there is now no outward display of what we are as the children of God), "but we know that when He is manifested we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is"; and then he adds, "Every one that hath this hope in Him" (that is, Christ) "purifies himself, even as He is pure." Yes, the prospect of seeing Him and of being like Him will be a constant power acting upon the soul, so that you will get rid of everything that is unsuited to Him, and you will also desire to acquire everything that is suited to Him, that you may rejoice in the day of His appearing. Well, you see the immense bearing of this truth upon the spiritual life.

Now I come to our chapter. It bears upon bereavement, for that leads to what we get in this chapter. I will tell you how it works out. Some of these saints had died, and these believers had not the truth of the rapture, that is, the saints being caught up in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air; and they thought the saints who had died had lost something because they had died. They began to mourn, they thought that those who had died would not be here for the glory of the kingdom when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, and in order to meet that difficulty the Lord Jesus makes a special revelation to the heart of the apostle.

Let me read verses 13 and 14 again. Now I want you to attend to these two verses. Where the apostle says, "Them also which sleep in Jesus shall God bring with Him," it means at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can that come about if they had died and departed to be with Christ? How is it possible that they will be brought back with the Lord Jesus when He returns? Now it is we get the special revelation in order to make that plain, and so the apostle proceeds, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord" (that is, a special revelation from the Lord had been made to him), "that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep" ("prevent" is an obsolete word now, it means "shall not go before" or "get any advantage over" those asleep.) "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (vv. 15-17).

Now before I speak of the manner of the coming, I want to call attention to the two classes which the apostle indicates. There are many saints who may die before the coming of the Lord; many have died, they have departed to be with Christ, and it is one of the most remarkable things in Scripture that we have no unfolding of the state of those who have departed to be with Christ. We only know that they are with Him. Blessedness enough, surely! We have no description, and no details given about their condition. We are told "Absent from the body, present with the Lord": "To depart and be with Christ, which is very much better." The only thing we know, therefore, about the millions of saints who have passed away is that they are with Christ, which is very much better. Ah, it is very much better! We have no description of their state of blessedness, and the only thing, I repeat, we know is that they are now with the Lord. Now, beloved, many of us may die, we don't know; we are here tonight looking into one another's faces. Before another week it may be that some of us may pass away to be with the Lord, but if we die we pass away to be with Him. It is not death at all, death is ours. I suppose some of you have watched a dying saint. I have often done so, and the most wonderful thing that has presented itself to me as I have so watched is that when the last pulse beats that soul is with the Lord. It shows not only the Lord's triumph over death, but His triumph over death in the saints, so that you stand by the bedsides and say, "They are gone." Ah! it is better to say, "They are with the Lord." There is no possible interval, for, I repeat, death is gone for the believer. "He died," we may say; no, he sleeps. Some one once wrote to Mr. Wigram when he lived in London, "You will be grieved to hear that our dear sister So-and-so has died." He wrote back, "Died! No, she has gone to a fuller life. I can't conceive of our sister having died, she is living as she has never lived before." So, beloved, if we are called upon to die, it is only closing our eyes upon this scene and opening them, I was about to say, in the presence of the Lord.

Well, there is another class — those who will not die. The apostle speaks of those who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord. Now if the Lord were to put it to you as to which you would choose, I wonder what you would say. Of course, the right thing to say would be, "Lord, as Thou wilt." Having had to do with the papers of dear Mr. Wigram, I came across one in which he says, "If I knew the Lord were coming today at 3.30 I would like to die at 2.30, for," he goes on to explain, "I would like to pass through death because the Lord Himself passed through it. I would like to have every experience which the Lord had, although, of course, no one can taste death as the Lord Jesus did." Be that as it may, there are some of us who will remain unto the coming of the Lord, and you and I may. We don't know, and blessed it is for us that it is so. Still, there are some of us who may remain until the coming of the Lord, because, as far as Scripture teaches, there is nothing between the present moment and the return of the Lord Jesus. There is thus a possibility of His coming at any moment, and we should never forget the imminence of the Lord's return, so that we might be living daily in the expectation of it.

Now I will say a word about the manner of the Lord's coming. "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." That is, an assembling shout; you get the same word in the classics, "to assemble soldiers"; it is a shout to assemble those whom He is coming to fetch. Then we have the voice of the archangel; that is, the expression of His power; and, thirdly, the trump of God. In 1 Corinthians 15 we get the last trump, but here it simply says "the trump of God." It is the signal to march — to be caught up by divine power to meet the Lord in the air. That is how the Lord may come at any moment; but remember this, that when we speak of this coming here it is not Christ's public coming; the world will know nothing about it, they will not hear the shout of Christ, neither will the saints who are alive hear it. The shout is for those who are dead, to assemble them prior to their being caught up with the living saints. That is the first thing when the Lord returns, all the saints who have died are brought out of their graves. Now mark what follows. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (v. 17).

Now there is another thing not given in this scripture. In 1 Corinthians 15 we read (I refer to it that you may have the whole truth), "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed . . . for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." What a moment that will be! We which are alive and remain shall be changed, a wave of resurrection life and power will pass over us, all that is mortal will pass out of us, with all the corruption, and every one of us will be like the Lord. That may take place at any moment. If the Lord were to return while I am speaking of Him here tonight, that wave of resurrection life would pass over every saint, and leave us with bodies like the Lord. It is thus a wonderful statement we get here. Then mark one word, it shows the force of the passage, "shall be caught up together with them" (v. 16). The dead are raised and the living changed, and they are caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. What a marvellous thing it is! But here it is as plainly as possible, and then will take place what we spoke of at the commencement. The apostle says, "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." The saints have been caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; they are with Him, and at the due time He will return with all who have been caught up to be with Him.

I have one word to say regarding the foundation on which this all rests. It rests on the simple statement in verse 14, "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again." It was through death He destroyed him that had the power of death, "and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Christ has gained a complete victory over all the power of the enemy in His death; He is the triumphant One as risen out of death, and not for Himself only, because He died for His people, and so He is the Victor over death and the grave for you and for me. So everything is based upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the great foundation on which our souls rest. We know, therefore, that if Christ has died and has risen again, we, if we die, shall be raised out of our graves. The resurrection of the saints follows upon the resurrection of Christ, as the apostle says, "Christ the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ's at His coming." He has rescued us from the power of the enemy, and He holds us in His hands, so that if we die His hand will reach us in the grave, we shall be raised out of it, our bodies will be changed, and we shall be like Him.

Now I cannot conceive a more wonderful thing to influence us than this. We need some such influence. We go about, and work, and get under the power of the cares of this scene, and forget the wonderful prospect we have before us; we become worldly. How can we if we are expecting the coming of Christ? We go in for worldly amusements. How can we if we are waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? No! we should say, the Lord might come in the midst of it. And what then? As Peter says, "Be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless."

Now I want to say a word in regard to the relation of this to the appearing. We are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we go in with Him. The first act of Christ when we are caught up is to introduce us into the Father's house, and then if we go in with Him it is in order to come out with Him, and, beloved, if I love the appearing of Christ, I shall rejoice at this prospect of His coming out, and I will tell you why. If I think of the rapture of the saints, of necessity I begin to think of what I get, but when I think of the appearing, I begin to think of what He will get. Is it no joy for us to remember that in this very scene where He was crucified, rejected, and cast out, He will triumph, that He will have His rights in the very scene where he was rejected? He said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me," and that will never be fulfilled until He has come back; every one then will bow to Him, and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Further, if I confine my thoughts to the rapture, I don't get the scope of Scripture, and I don't enter into communion with the heart of God. Remember this, the whole universe is to be flooded with the glory of God, it is to be a universe of bliss. How is that to be brought about? Only by Christ coming out with His saints, and then the whole universe will be in accord with the mind of God. It is then everything will resound to the praise of Him whose counsel it was that everything in heaven and in earth should be headed up under Christ. This wonderful prospect of everything in heaven and in earth being headed up under Christ should rejoice our hearts; He, the Supreme One; and He will retain that supremacy until the end of the kingdom, and then, as we get in 1 Corinthians 15, He will deliver up the kingdom. He will have reduced everything to submission to Himself, everything will have been put under His feet, and when that consummation is reached, then it is He will deliver up the kingdom He has won, and over which He has reigned, and the object will be that God may be all in all.

Another remarkable thing I will say before I conclude is that you have no account in Scripture of Christ in eternity. No; we know He is in eternity, but this is the last act of His that we get in the Scriptures, He hands up the kingdom to God and the Father, that God may be all in all; only remember when I say this, that when we get the term "God" absolutely in Scripture it includes Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And why is Christ not mentioned? Why have we no description of Him in eternity? The only detailed account we have of eternity is in Revelation 21: 1-8. There it is God, there is no mention of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will tell you why it is. He is the firstborn among many brethren. When He came into this scene He became a man, and He remains a man for ever; and thus He will move amongst His redeemed as the firstborn of all who are conformed to His image, so that in eternity He will always be with us and we shall always delight in His presence. God will be the joy of His heart, as of our hearts; and then, as He surveys the multitudes of the redeemed of all ages, He will see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied.

I cannot go into the next chapter, but I will point out the connection of it that you may understand it. The first five verses refer to the appearing of Christ — the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is this, it introduces the reign of Christ. It always has the aspect of judgment, because when it is introduced Christ will put down all things that are opposed to God. That is the first part of the reign of Christ, He comes in judgment. If you read Isaiah 2 you will see that the day of the Lord is against everything that lifts itself up against the supremacy of God. Everything opposed to God will be dealt with in judgment, and then it is we get the day of Christ, when everything will be in subjection to Him; and so the apostle reminds us here that while the day of the Lord will come as a thief upon those who are not watching, that is, upon the unconverted here, still, as he goes on to say, "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness" (vv. 4, 5). Since we are the children of the day now, we are to live according to the day to which we belong, for the moral characteristics of that day have to be displayed in and through the saints of God, and you get exhortations consequent upon that. You see it in verse 6: "Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (that is, at His coming, a complete and final salvation), "who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him" (vv. 6-10).

Now one word upon the double exhortation that we get in verse 11: "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another." Well, beloved, as I said to you, many of the saints have passed away, and if we are tempted to mourn over them, the apostle gives us these words at the direction of the Lord for our comfort, as he says in the last verse of the fourth chapter, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Are they lost because they have died? God forbid. No; as I have explained to you, their spirits are with Christ, their bodies are crumbling in the grave, but we know that when the Lord comes He will call them out of their graves, and will give them bodies like His own; and that will be the complete and final triumph of Christ in redemption. In the meantime it is "comfort one another"; and we are to edify one another, that is, I apprehend, build up one another in the truth the apostle has brought before us. What a hope it is to have this wonderful prospect, and yet I am afraid that it has faded away somewhat from our hearts and minds. I know, alas! in my own heart how easy it is to lose it, to be satisfied with things here; but God has some better thing in store for us — we must not forget it — and we shall be introduced into it when the moment comes.

Oh, that God would so work as to revive in all our hearts the expectation of the coming of Christ! I believe it would revive us in a wonderful way if you and I and all the saints of God were in the power of it. It would deliver us from the tyranny of present things, and our hearts would be drawn up to the place where Christ is, and we should find that to be our true circle — where He is  -  and then we should realise the truth of that passage we had last week, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

May God speak to us tonight, beloved, and awaken us for His Name's sake.

"The Lord is at hand."

"The Lord is at hand."

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 281.

This inspired, inspiriting cry was vouchsafed to the Church almost as soon as the Lord had taken His place at the right hand of God. Nay, ere He left His disciples on earth, He encouraged their drooping spirits with the assurance of His speedy return; and after His ascension, in almost every communication addressed to His own through inspired penmen, He recalled their hearts to this blessed truth, finally closing His last message with the thrice-repeated word, "Behold, I come quickly." (Rev. 22: 7, 12, 20.)

If, moreover, the connection in which this truth is found be carefully examined, it will be seen that it has always a practical application. If the soldier is weary of the conflict, or daunted by the power of the foe; if the labourer faints in his service; if he who runs the race grows careless, by losing sight of the goal; if the oppressed, the sorrowing, and the afflicted are becoming hopeless through the fiery nature of their trials, the anodyne, the consolation, the encouragement, the stimulus administered is the hope of the Lord's speedy return. The step of the weariest traveller becomes elastic, the thirsty soul of the pilgrim, passing over the sands of the desert, is immediately refreshed, the almost defeated combatant is at once nerved with new courage, and sufferers of every kind are cheered and sustained under the power of this blessed hope.

It is a characteristic indeed of this truth that it is never formally stated or defined, but is rather inwoven with the very essence of Christianity. Left out, therefore, Christianity is incomplete, and lapses into worldliness or Judaism. The calling and position of the Christian, the character of the church, and indeed the future of this world, would alike be an enigma apart from the second coming of our Lord and Saviour. The fact of its having been forgotten immediately upon the death of the apostles (for not a trace of it, in its Scriptural statement, can be found in any extant writings from the end of the first down to the close of the eighteenth century), explains the character of Church history. The annals of Christianity, said an unbelieving historian, are the annals of hell. Whatever abatement may be demanded from this verdict, it would yet be difficult to discover more unblushing sin and iniquity than was often seen in the bosom of the professing church during this period. Adopting the language of the prophet, it might be truly said that "darkness, gross darkness, covered the people." There were undoubtedly, and God be praised for it, thousands who, amid the prevalent corruption, maintained, by the grace of God, holy and devoted lives — lights shining in the dense gloom that had settled down upon the Church; but these only rendered the general darkness more visible.

It was, then, a most signal mercy when God caused the hope of the Lord's return to be revived amongst His people. And the fact can never be overlooked that this was connected with the restoration of the truth of the Lord's table. It must have been so. The Lord Himself inseparably linked these two things  - the truth of His table and that of His coming — in the words given to Paul, "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come." (1 Cor. 11: 26.) Thus it was that, when the simple commemorative character of the Lord's supper became corrupted, when the eucharist was turned into a sacrament, and even into a sacrifice, and the idea of a completed redemption was thereby utterly lost, of necessity the hope of the Lord's return was extinguished. But when the Scriptural teaching concerning the Lord's Supper exposed the superstitions of patristic and sacerdotal inventions, and the Lord's table was again duly ordered to the joy of His people, the beams of the bright and morning star immediately gladdened their hearts. There are some now living who passed through the blessed experiences of this signal period, when the Bible once again resumed its rightful place in the hearts of God's people, and when they searched it daily as for hidden treasure, while its pages seemed to glow with a light that shone down directly from the presence of God. They found in these days that the Word was both living and powerful; and they, on their parts, delighted to lay bare their inmost souls to its searching, convicting, and sanctifying power.

It was no wonder, therefore, that they lived in the power of the expectation of their Lord. This was seen in many ways. In the first place, they began to judge themselves, their houses, their surroundings, associations and pursuits in the light of His presence for whom they waited. Was this, was that, they anxiously enquired, suitable to His eye? The knife was unsparingly applied according to this test. As a consequence, they became unworldly. Their hope was fixed on One outside of this scene — on One who was coming at any moment to receive them to Himself, and perforce they assumed the place of strangership in this world. Henceforward they knew what it was not to be of the world even as Christ was not of the world; they now recognized that their character and calling were heavenly, and could not, therefore, have community of feeling with the world in its ways, habits, and pleasures. Another feature of that day was, that those who received this truth were drawn together in the most intimate bonds of Christian fellowship. As in the days of Pentecost, though in feeble measure, they that believed were together, and (in principle, at least) had all things common. Together with this — and this feature should never be omitted — there was intense activity in the ministration, in various ways, of the truth of God. It is sometimes alleged that those who profess to be waiting for the Lord's return are careless as to the publication of the gospel; but the history of that, as well as of more recent times, proves the statement to be utterly unfounded.

Fifty years have passed away, and instead of hundreds there are thousands who now declare their faith in the Lord's second coming. Other men have laboured, and we, without a struggle, and in many cases without an exercise, have entered upon their labours. What was revealed to them after long meditation, fervent prayers, and painful experiences, has come to us by inheritance. These witnesses have departed — departed to be with Christ, there to wait still in fellowship with Him; and their torches have been put into our hands. It is this fact, beloved, that suggests so many questions — questions which crowd upon us even as we write these lines. Do we, then, really expect, wait for, the return of our Lord? Is this our constant attitude of soul? Just as a man may read the Scriptures, and, seeing clearly, assent to the truth that all are guilty sinners, and yet never take the place of such before God for himself, so is it possible to hold the doctrine of the second coming of Christ without being influenced by it. Indeed, we might be able even to state the truth to others without one particle of response to its claims. We need to challenge ourselves on this point. Are we; then, we again ask, in the power of the expectation of seeing our blessed Lord? Is this blessed hope daily before our souls? Does it govern our actions? mould our conduct? Does it detach us from the world and worldliness? show us the vanity of the world's distinctions, manners, and ways? Paul could write of some in his day, "In every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." (1 Thess. 1: 8-10.) Would this description in any measure be true of us? Do our ways before the world proclaim that we have no resting-place here? that we are only sojourners waiting to be fetched by our Lord? Do our homes and households, in their ordering and arrangement, proclaim this blessed truth? In a word, is this the testimony of our lives, of our walk and ways?

Questions like these may soon be answered, if we are honest with ourselves, and the very attempt to answer them would lead to blessing. For in how many instances would it lead to the painful discovery that with this truth on our lips we have been denying it in the life; that while we have been saying that we are but strangers and pilgrims here, we have been settling down in ease and comfort, making plans for worldly advancement, if not for ourselves yet for our families, seeking to raise ourselves higher in the social scale, and striking root in every direction in the soil of this world? Is it not possible that God has a controversy with us on this account? that this will explain the sorrows that have befallen us — the sicknesses that have so often visited ourselves and our families? For God must have reality with His people. He loves them too well to permit them to go on in self-deception — deceiving themselves and deceiving others also. Therefore He is speaking to us by His manifold dealings and chastenings, warning us of our danger, and recalling us to the sense of our responsibility as His witnesses in the world. May He Himself give us the opened ear to His voice, that we may humble ourselves before Him in lowly abasement and self-judgment, and seek His restoring grace, so that in all the fervour of our first love we may testify once again in living power to the truth of our Lord's return.

Another observation may be permitted. Nothing so tends to obscure our vision of the bright and morning star as the thought that signs are to be expected before He descends from heaven. We have been plied with temptations of this character. Voices other than that of the Good Shepherd have beguiled even saints. Pyramids and conjunctions of planets (which after all were, of no extraordinary kind) have been adduced to prove that the Lord is at hand. The carnal wisdom of men has thus been allied with the teachings of the word of God. If we build upon such things our faith will soon be rudely shaken. God needs no confirmation from, nor will He be indebted to, men. These things, indeed, are a wile of the enemy to divert our gaze from the Coming One to circumstances or to earthly events. No; our hope rests alone on Christ and His word. According to the words of a French hymn "He has promised, He will return." — this, and this alone, is the foundation of the "blessed hope." It is quite true that the moral characteristics of the "perilous times" will be discerned by the instructed soul; but these are detected by a knowledge of the word of God. Our danger lies in being lured from the voice of our living Lord to listen to the words of men. The more we are shut up to the Lord Himself and His own word, the more intense will be our expectation of His coming.

To some it may seem that He has long tarried. But if He yet wait, it is but while God is still working in the activities of His grace to gather in His elect — the co-heirs with Christ. While therefore He would have us to be ever waiting and ever expecting, it must be in full fellowship with His own heart. If we wait, He also waits; if we desire His return, much more ardently does He look forward to the moment when He will rise from His seat to claim His own. But the moments of waiting will soon now be over. Louder and louder the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and it is He Himself who puts this word into our lips, while He responds, "Surely I come quickly." What then can we do but bow our heads in His presence as we reply, "Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus?"

"And now, at length, behold, He comes

To claim thee from above,

In answer to the ceaseless call,

And deep desire of love.

"Go, then, thou loved and blessed one

Thou drooping mourner, rise!

Go; for He calls thee now to share

His dwelling in the skies.

For thee, His royal Bride — for thee,

His brightest glories shine;

And, happier still, His changeless heart,

With all its love, is thine."  E. D.

The Rapture, the Appearing and the Eternal State

The Rapture, the Appearing and the Eternal State

. . . together with the relationships of the several events,

. . . including the world to come.

E. Dennett.

Pub.: Morrish. CBA4424.

It is of exceeding importance as the end of the present period is approaching that we should have scriptural thoughts concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unhappily a great deal of controversy has arisen upon the subject, and, as a consequence, simple people have been either perplexed or beguiled. The slightest acquaintance with the course of public teaching amongst evangelical Christians, during the last fifty or sixty years, reveals the fact that the pendulum of opinion has been swinging between the two parts of the same subject, namely, the rapture of the saints before the appearing of Christ, and the public manifestation of Christ in glory when He comes to establish His sway over the earth. On the one side, the rapture has so engrossed the attention that the appearing of Christ has almost been ignored; and on the other side, the latter has been so prominent that the former blessed truth has by many been even denied. As an example of this, it may be mentioned that one of the most ardent advocates of the appearing of the Lord Jesus in glory, who now refuses the rapture, was once equally zealous in maintaining that the immediate hope of the believer is the expectation of Christ to gather up His people to meet Him in the air, according to 1 Thessalonians 4. And this teacher and writer is only one of a large number who hold the same view, namely, that all the prophetic judgments of the Book of Revelation have been fulfilled, and, consequently, that the only thing left to be waited for is the coming out of heaven of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Were this all, there would not be much difficulty, with an open Bible, for those who understand the difference between Israel and the church to decide between these rival schools of teaching. But there is another question to be met, and amongst those who fully believe that all believers will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (call it the secret rapture or any other term that may better express the fact), before the judgments recorded in the Book of Revelation are poured out, and hence anterior to the time when Christ will appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Agreeing in this, the question has yet arisen as to which of these two aspects of the coming of Christ the believer should be mainly occupied.

Before we attempt to answer this question, let it be frankly admitted that amongst these Christians the rapture of the saints — the secret rapture, if the phrase be preferred — assumed in years past the chief importance both in teaching and conversation. This, it was contended, is the hope of the church, and accordingly the appearing of Christ with His people fell relatively into a place of less importance. Even then, however, there were some who seized and presented the two events in their proper relationship and proportions, as their writings abundantly testify. Still, it cannot be denied that the rapture of believers obtained the predominant place, nor that the expectation of the Lord at any moment exercised a most powerful effect upon the hearts and lives of many of His people. So much is gladly and fully conceded.

As time, however, went on, increasing intelligence in the ways of God in respect of the glory of Christ in the scene of His rejection was gained, and the horizon of the believer was widened so as to include not only the presentation of His bride to Himself, but also the glories of Christ in His kingdom, together with His glory as the Son of man, to whom, in this character, all things are to be put under His feet. (Heb. 2.) Eventually the horizon was still further widened on the basis of Ephesians 1: 10, where we read that in the dispensation of the fulness of times all things whether in heaven or in earth will be gathered together in one ("headed up") in Christ. This consummation of the ways of God has been happily termed the universe of bliss, of which Christ is the centre and the sun, according to the language of the well-known hymn:-

"Of the vast universe of bliss,

The centre Thou and sun;

Th' eternal theme of praise is this,

To heaven's belovèd One:

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou,

That every knee to Thee should bow."

That even this wondrous scene of blessedness is not final all will gladly admit. The eternal state is to follow, but concerning this we have only a few indications. These are very pregnant, as we may consider further on, but now we confine ourselves to this outline of the various phases of the subject which have appeared at one time or another amongst the people of God. We are constrained to add one remark. It appears to us of immense significance that the vision of the Christian, while the elements of the eternal state are to be plainly gathered from scripture, is directed to and filled with, if not limited to, the glories of Christ, the One he knows as his Saviour, Redeemer, Lord and Head.

(1) THE IMMEDIATE PROSPECT OF THE CHRISTIAN.

Let us now proceed to inquire what the scriptures teach on the subject we have described. The first object with us should be to ascertain what is the immediate prospect of the Christian. It must not be forgotten, if we would be practical, that there is, as the first thing "before us, the possibility of death. Generation after generation of believers have waited for the coming of the Lord, even as Paul said, "We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord;" but their hopes have not been fulfilled. As a poet, dwelling upon this subject, has written: —

"Saint after saint on earth

Has lived and loved and died;

And, as they left us one by one,

We laid them side by side.

We laid them down to sleep,

But not in hope forlorn;

We laid them but to ripen there,

Till the last glorious morn.

Come, then, Lord Jesus, come!"

We therefore, like these, may die before the coming of the Lord; but if so, as the apostle says, To depart and be with Christ is far better. But while there is this possibility, death is never held out in the New Testament scriptures as the Christian's immediate prospect. On the contrary, whether in the gospels or the epistles, the coming of Christ is always presented as the first thing to be expected. Thus, for example, in Matthew the virgins (Matt. 25) who fall asleep are in the parable the same who are awakened by the cry "Behold, the bridegroom." In Mark and Luke alike the exhortation to watch is given on the ground that the disciples did not know the day nor the hour of their Lord's return. (See Mark 13: 32-37; Luke 12: 35-40, etc.) Even in John the Lord said to His disciples, "If 1 go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where 1 am, there ye may be also." (John 14: 3.) So also in the epistles, in addition to the passage before adduced, we find the apostle saying, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15: 51, 52.) It is not indeed going too far to say that waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is the characteristic of all believers. (See 1 Cor. 1: 7; 1 Thess. 1: 9, 10, etc.)

It is incontestable therefore that the coming of Christ is the hope of the Christian, and even that all professors, equally with genuine believers, are on the ground of the expectation of the Lord's return, for the description of all the ten virgins alike is that they went forth to meet the Bridegroom. Another thing has yet to be observed. It is not a little remarkable that while the immediate prospect of the believer is, as we have shown, the coming of Christ, not a word is given to distinguish for us between the Lord's return to claim the church as His bride, and His manifestation with His people in glory. Indeed with one, or at the utmost two exceptions all the passages which speak of the subject refer to the appearing of the Lord. It is always so when the servant or the believer is regarded as under responsibility to his absent Lord. Thus Paul exhorts Timothy to keep the "commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Tim. 6: 14), and in Titus we read, Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing ("the appearing of the glory") of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2: 13.) John also says, We know that, when He shall appear ("be manifested"), we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. It may sound strange in some ears, but it is nevertheless the fact, that the rapture of the saints, although implied or involved in several places, is only once directly unfolded in the scriptures.

(2) THE RELATION OF THE RAPTURE TO THE APPEARING OF CHRIST.

We pass on now to consider the relation of the rapture to the appearing, and this we shall find fully set forth in 1 Thessalonians 4, and to this chapter we must ask the reader's careful attention. The apostle begins by saying, "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (1 Thess. 4: 13, 14.) There had evidently been a misapprehension on the part of the Thessalonians concerning those of their number who had died before the Lord's return; they feared that these had lost the blessedness of association with Christ in the glory of the kingdom, and they sorrowed for them almost as for those who had no hope. So far they had received no definite instruction upon this point, but now to meet the need which had arisen the apostle communicated to them what he had specially received from the Lord for the occasion.

Having thus affirmed that God would bring back with Christ, when He returns to establish His kingdom in glory, "them also which sleep in Jesus," he proceeds to explain how this will be accomplished: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [anticipate —  have any advantage over] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with he Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (Vers. 15-18.) Thereupon the apostle proceeds to speak of the times and seasons, and of the day of the Lord, which he says should not overtake the saints as a thief, forasmuch as they were children of the light, and the children of the day. (1 Thess. 5.)

The secret has thus been revealed, and we now know that before the manifestation in glory the dead in Christ will be raised, and the living saints will be changed, and that together they will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Two things are thus made certain:

(1) That the immediate prospect of the believer is the rapture, and that there is nothing as far as is revealed, to hinder this taking place at any moment; and

(2) That the rapture, as it is, and especially as a motive for a holy walk and conversation, is not the final prospect, but is the means to an end, the end being the revelation of the saints in glory at the appearing of Christ.

(See Col. 3: 4 )

Bearing this in mind we shall be the better able to understand why it is that the appearing of our Lord is so constantly presented in scripture as the believer's goal. We do not forget the contention that the rapture is the hope of the church, and that the appearing of Christ is the prospect of the individual believer in his responsible path as a Christian. It will suffice to say at present in reply, that it has already been shown that, in the only place in which the rapture is described in detail, it is given as a means to an end. We now propose to run rapidly through the epistles to learn what they teach on the subject. We omit the gospels, because in them, the church not having been yet formed, the return of the Lord would be naturally connected with the kingdom. With one possible exception in John's gospel, there is no indication of the rapture in the four evangelists.

We begin, then, with the Epistle to the Romans. As early as Romans 5 we read, "and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." No one, we suppose, would doubt for a moment that the reference is to the display of God's glory when Christ returns. If there should be any doubt, a passage or two from Romans 8 will remove it. The apostle says, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Ver. 18.) Admittedly, the last two words by no means represent the force of the original. We do not indeed read anywhere of glory to be revealed in us, but the scripture is full of teaching concerning the glory in which we shall be displayed. (See John 17: 22, 23; 2 Thess. 1: 10, etc.) And it is of this glory, glory to be revealed to us (see New Translation), of which Paul speaks. So likewise in verse 21, where we read of the liberty of the glory, as it should be translated, of the children of God. Coming next to 1 Corinthians, in the very first chapter we find the expression "waiting for the coming" (the "revelation" it really is) "of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ver. 7.) It is true that in chapter 15 we have the resurrection of believers at the coming of Christ (ver. 23), and that this precedes, as we have already seen, the manifestation of Christ in glory; but the subject of the chapter is simply the resurrection of the body, and, consequently, even though the apostle speaks of the living being changed, as well as the dead being raised (ver. 52), he says nothing of our being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In the second epistle the subject of the Lord's coming is not mentioned, though implied in 2 Cor. 4: 14, and 2 Cor. 5: 2, nor in Galatians. Passing on, then, to Ephesians, what do we find? It is often said that we could not have the Lord's coming in this epistle because the saints are seen sitting in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. This is undoubtedly true, but we see something in a certain way still more wonderful. Just because the church is viewed as seated with Christ in the heavenlies, the prospect is opened out of the blessing and the glory of the world to come. Thus at the end of Ephesians 1 we read of the working of God's "mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Eph. 1: 19-23.) In verse 10 also, it speaks of the same period as the fulness of times, when all things, whether in heaven or on earth, will be "headed up" in Christ.

Concerning this, we give the words of another: "It will be a grand spectacle, as the result of the ways of God, to see all things united in perfect peace and union under the authority of man, of the last Adam, the Son of God; ourselves associated with Him in the same glory with Himself, His companions in the heavenly glory, as the objects of the eternal counsels of God. . . . The eternal state, in which God is all in all, is again another thing. The administration of the fulness of times is the result of the ways of God in government; the eternal state, that of the perfection of His nature. We, even in the government, are brought in according to His nature as sons. Wonderful privilege!"

The next epistle is that of Philippians, and at the very outset the apostle prays that the saint's in that city might "be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ," and this could only be the day introduced by His appearing. Until then, as Paul elsewhere speaks, it is man's day. Coming to the third chapter a remarkable thing presents itself. "Our conversation," the apostle writes, "is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Vers. 20, 21.) Now, as we know, the transformation of the bodies of living believers will take place in connection with the coming of Christ for His people, and yet so fully is the world to come before the mind of the apostle that he tells us that the power which will then change our bodies into the likeness of the glorified body of Christ is the same power as that which will subdue all things to Himself in the day of His glory. This is very striking indeed! Colossians succeeds Philippians and bears the same testimony. "Ye are dead," Paul writes to the saints, "and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Col. 3: 3, 4.) We will not dwell at this time upon the momentous teaching of this scripture, we only call attention to the fact that the goal before the mind of the apostle here is the display of the saints in glory together with Christ. The life, the true life, of the believer is now a hidden one, because Christ, who is our life, is hidden in God; but when He comes forth in manifested glory, His people will all be manifested in the glory which He has bestowed upon them.

The two epistles to the Thessalonians are full of the subject under consideration. 1 Thessalonians 4 has already come before us, and it was pointed out that while the rapture of the saints is explained authoritatively in detail, it is brought in to show how those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be brought back with Christ at His appearing, and hence that the rapture is the means to an end. In chapter 1 to wait for God's Son "out" from the heavens, if not simply characteristic, is certainly to await the appearing, connected as it is with Jesus, our Deliverer from the coming wrath. (1 Thess. 1: 10.) So also 1 Thess. 2: 19, and in 1 Thess. 3: 13, it explicitly speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. In chapter 4 whether in the first verses or in verse 23, whatever the different aspects presented, the same event is in view. As to the second epistle, there could not possibly be any difference of judgment, for it speaks in 1 Thess. 1 of the Lord Jesus being revealed from heaven with His mighty angels — when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe; and in chapter 2 of His consuming that wicked one, the Antichrist, with the spirit of His mouth, and destroying him with the brightness of His coming. (2 Thess. 2: 6-8.)

The pastoral epistles unite in the same testimony. In 1 Timothy 6 the apostle says: "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords," etc. (Vers. 13-15.) Remark upon such a clear statement is needless, and we add another passage from the second epistle equally plain: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. 4: 8.) Titus is no less distinct, for therein we read: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing ["appearing of the glory"] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2: 13.) And let it be observed that there is no foundation for the traditional teaching which refers "the blessed hope" to the rapture, for the blessed hope, according to the structure of the sentence, is the appearing. It is one event in the apostle's mind, and that one event, the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, is the blessed hope to which Paul directs the eye and heart of Titus as the goal in his responsible path of service, for the scene of labour will be the scene of displayed recompense at the return of the Lord. (See Luke 19: 11-27.)

Omitting Philemon, as being a personal letter there is no mention of the subject, we come to Hebrews, in which all would admit there is no trace, and from the character of the epistle could not be, of the rapture of the saints. One citation will therefore suffice to indicate the goal which the Spirit of God here would keep before the hearts of the Hebrew Christians: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Heb. 9: 28.) And who could doubt that James in like manner speaks of the appearing, especially as his epistle is addressed to the twelve tribes, when he writes: "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh"? The evidence of Peter's epistles is simply overwhelming to the same end. (See 1 Peter 1: 7-13; 1 Peter 4: 5-13; 1 Peter 5: 4; 2 Peter 1-16; 2 Peter 3: 8-14.) The epistles of John follow. The first reference to the coming of Christ is found in chapter 2: "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coining." (1 John 2: 28.) In chapter 3 there is another conclusive statement: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear [is not yet manifested] what we shall "be: but we know that, when he shall appear [be manifested], we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3: 2.) The second and third epistles, being, like Philemon, individual communications, are silent upon the subject, but the passages quoted from the first epistle make it abundantly plain that the manifestation of Christ was the object before the soul of John, and the object which he was directed to place before the minds of those to whom he was writing. Jude only remains of the epistles proper, and it is evident at a glance that he falls into line with the other sacred writers. He thus says, citing Enoch: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all," etc. (Jude 14, 15.)

A brief reference now to the Book of Revelation must close this rapid review. Let it, however, be, first of all, distinctly stated that, if we have no direct teaching in this book concerning the saints being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, the fact is both alluded to and implied. It is, for example, alluded to in Revelation 3: 10, for the way in which the Lord will keep His saints "out of" "the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth," is by coming to receive them unto Himself, by taking them out of the scene upon which the judgments connected with the seals, the trumpets, and the vials, will fall. And hence the following words, "Behold, I come quickly" (Rev. 3: 11), may be a promise with this end in view. It is implied, moreover, in the connection between chapters 3 and 4. If "the things which are" of Revelation 1: 19 embrace the whole church period, as they evidently do, the church is seen on earth in the place of God's candlestick until the close of chapter 3. But in Revelation 4 the twenty-four elders are seen in heaven, and these elders, it could easily be demonstrated, certainly represent all Christians as well as the believers of former dispensations. This being so, the church must have been rapt away from this scene before the opening of chapter 4. So also in Revelation 12 it may well be that the church is included in the Man Child who was caught up unto God and to His throne. Indeed it is of all-importance to insist upon the fact that the rapture of the saints will precede the appearing of Christ in glory. The question raised is simply whether our horizon is to be bounded by this event.

But to return: apart from the allusion in chapter 3, and the implication of the rapture in the places cited, all the references in Revelation are to the public manifestation of Christ. Even in the promises to the overcomer in Thyatira and Laodicea, not to speak of that to the overcomer in Philadelphia, it is association with Christ in the glory of the kingdom which is held forth as the blessed encouragement. And in the well-known scripture in the last chapter (Rev. 22: 16) the Lord presents Himself as the Root and the Offspring of David, His title to the kingdom, before His character as the bright and morning Star.

What then are the conclusions to be drawn from this rapid consideration of the testimony of Scripture? That there may be no misapprehension it must again be stated that the rapture of the saints is the first thing to be expected, and hence that it cannot be lost sight of or ignored. But it is equally certain, as has been shown, that the rapture, according to the evidence adduced from the epistles and the Book of Revelation, is but the pathway to the display of the glory of Christ, and of His people associated with Him in the glories of that day. There will be the private presentation of His bride by Christ to Himself, as a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, holy and without blemish, and no stranger will intermeddle in the peculiar joy of that day. And yet, special and intimate as all this blessedness will be, it is only the prelude to the public celebration of the marriage of the Lamb and of His coming out of heaven. (See Rev. 19; Rev. 21: 9-11, et seq.) The going in is therefore in order to the coining out, and the purpose of God in respect of His beloved Son will not be accomplished until all things are put under His feet. There is a reason for this. It was here in this scene that Christ was rejected and crucified. If therefore He did not come back and reign until all enemies are subdued under Him, Satan would have gotten the victory as far as this world is concerned. Even the semblance of this could not be tolerated, for inasmuch as Christ has tasted death for everything, He will therefore, according to the purpose of God, take possession of everything, and every knee will bow to Him, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2.) It is on this account that Christ will come out in glory with His redeemed of every age and clime and flood the whole earth, indeed the whole universe, with the glory of God. God has this object before Him, and is ever working on to this end; and consequently every one who enters into His mind and thoughts concerning His beloved Son will delight in the contemplation of the day of Christ, even as Abraham did, His exaltation in the scene of His rejection. Instructed by the word, he will not forget the imminency of the rapture, but, as he lives in the daily expectation of the coming of Christ, he will remember that this is the preparation for, and the prelude to, the return of Christ, together with His people, to subdue all things unto Himself.

THE RELATION OF THE APPEARING TO THE WORLD TO COME.

Having thus explained the relation of the rapture to the appearing, it may simplify the subject if a few words are added to show the relation of the Appearing of Christ to the world to come, or the millennium. From what has been already said, it would be gathered that just as the rapture is in order to the appearing, so the appearing is in order to the establishment of the world to come. To faith it already exists, for the apostle distinctly says, But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, etc.; and he proceeds to enumerate all the features which will distinguish that age. And how blessed it is to turn aside from all the evil, darkness and confusion which mark the present moment to the light, order and blessing which will characterise the sway of Christ. If one reflection might be permitted, it would be that it is living in the light of this world which delivers from the power of present things, simply because it keeps the eye on Christ. Thus Peter speaks with all confidence, as he recalled the scene he had witnessed in the mount of transfiguration, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1: 16.) In like manner when faith apprehends the glory of Christ in the world to come, all the glitter and brightness of this world will fade away into darkness and be estimated at their proper value. As another has written," One ray of the glory of Christ will soon wither up all the defiled glory of this world like an autumn leaf."

The appearing then of Christ will be in order to establish His kingdom and the world to come. We have distinguished between the kingdom and the world to come to explain the difference. When we speak of the reign of Christ, He is presented to our minds as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In truth He is God's King whom God has set upon His holy hill of Zion. (Ps. 2.) It is in this character that He will reign over His people Israel, and thence extend His dominion to the uttermost bounds of the earth, so that the kingdom or nation which will not serve Him will utterly perish. The prophets are full of this aspect of the glorious kingdom of the Messiah.

But when we speak of the world to come, it is in the character of Son of man that Christ is presented. It is so in Psalm 8. "What is man," cries the psalmist, "that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things under his feet." (Vers. 4-6.) Turning now to Hebrews 2, we find that the apostle says explicitly that this scripture applies to Christ. He begins by saying, "Unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak;" and then he goes on to cite this very scripture, and shows that it is to find its fulfilment in Christ. In doing so he reveals two additional particulars: that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, and that He, being now crowned with glory in His pathway to the accomplishment of the purpose of God, tasted death for everything. Three things are thus made clear: first, that the death of Christ, and in the aspect here presented, "for everything," is the foundation of the subjection to Him of the world to come; secondly, that His being crowned with glory and honour at the right hand of God is in virtue of His death; and, thirdly, that His present exaltation and glory are the pledge of His coming universal dominion. But we desire to lay great stress upon the fact that all things will be put under Him as Son of man. There is a divine reason for this. Christ habitually used the term Son of man in view of His rejection, sufferings and death; and hence it is that God will honour Him in this title in the face of the whole universe. As Son of man He was refused and crucified, and as Son of man He is glorified, and will have all things put under His feet.

There is therefore, we apprehend, a difference, however slight, between the terms, the millennium (the thousand years), and the world to come. The former relates rather to the kingdom of Christ during that period, whereas the latter refers to all things being headed up in Christ according to Ephesians 1: 10 — things in heaven, as the apostle there teaches, as well as things on earth. One might well pause for a moment to meditate upon the blessedness of that period. There are, as we have seen, two aspects of it, the heavenly and the earthly. When we speak of the glorious kingdom of Christ, we think mainly of His blessed sway over the earth, as depicted, for example, in Psalm 72; but when we speak of the world to come we include heavenly blessedness in our thoughts as well as earthly. Imagine what it will be when heaven itself will all be pervaded with Christ, as well as earth, when all created things, all exalted intelligences in heaven, will bow with delight at His feet, and joyfully own His supremacy, and when, to borrow inspired language, "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them" will cry, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." It is not to be wondered at that it is added, And the four living creatures (symbolic representatives of the attributes of God in creation) said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders (representatives of all the redeemed) fell down and worshipped — with full hearts, overcome by the blessedness of the scene, they silently rendered their homage. (Rev. 5: 13, 14.)*

*If any should object that sonship, association with Christ before the Father, and the Father's house, are lost sight of, the answer is that the consideration of these will come before us in the next section. And it may be further added that the enjoyment of all this is for the present moment and not to be deferred to the future. The Father's house is open to us now, even though we shall not be introduced actually into it until after the coming of Christ.

As an illustration of the blessedness of the world to come, we may allude for one moment, before parting with the subject, to the tabernacle. Now the tabernacle in the wilderness was a figure of the universe; and we read that when Moses had finished the work that "then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Ex. 40: 34.) In like manner will it be in the world to come. Already, as we read in Ephesians, Christ has ascended up far above all heavens that He might fill all things, and in the period of which we speak He will fill the whole scene, both heaven and earth, with all that God is, and God is love. For then it will have been brought to pass that, having made peace by the blood of His cross, all things, whether things in earth or things in heaven, will be reconciled by Him unto the fulness of the Godhead which was pleased to dwell in Himself.

(4.) THE ETERNAL STATE.

There remains yet another branch of the subject to be considered, and that is, the eternal state which follows upon the world to come. It is often said that scarcely anything is revealed to us of heaven and the blessing of the redeemed in eternity. It is true that we have no detailed presentation of it, but there are many characteristic intimations given which, if combined together, will afford considerable enlightenment upon the subject. The passing over from the close of the kingdom (and the reader will remember that the world to come and the kingdom coincide in their duration) to the eternal state is given in a most remarkable way. The passage is so striking that we cite it in its entirety: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL." (1 Cor. 15: 22-28.)

One might linger with great delight upon the marvellous scope and beauty of these divine communications, but this might lead us aside from our special object. We only call attention therefore to three things. The first is that, as everything in this scripture flows from the resurrection of Christ, so everything is secured for God and indeed established in the resurrection of His beloved Son. It is truly the demonstration of the completeness of His victory over all the power of the enemy, and the assurance of the accomplishment of all His purposes. Then notice, secondly, the delight of the Spirit of God in pointing out, seven times over, that all things, all enemies, etc., are put under the feet of Christ. It is another proof that He loves to glorify Christ. Thirdly, we must dwell upon the delivering up the kingdom to God the Father; Christ Himself, after all things have been subdued unto Him, becoming subject that God may be all in all. On this last point we may be permitted to enlarge a little, because it throws light upon the position of Christ in eternity, and upon the character of eternity itself.

We learn, then, first of all, that just as the rapture of the saints is preparatory to the appearing, so the kingdom of Christ, when all things will be subdued unto Him, is but the prelude to the eternal state. Without trespassing beyond the due limits of reverence, it may be permitted to us to meditate, if but for a moment, upon the joy of the Lord when His work has been accomplished, in delivering up the kingdom to God, the Father. In all His mission as the sent One of the Father, we know from His own words that His object was to glorify the Father, and that He realised this object perfectly. As He said on the eve of His departure from the world: "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee;" and also, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." (John 17: 1-4.) In like manner He will glorify God, for He will make good all that God is in His blessed sway of righteousness and peace. Hence it is that "His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun; and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed." (Ps. 72: 17.) Then, His work once more completed, He surrenders the kingdom, with gladness of heart, into the hands of Him from whom He received it.

But thereupon another wondrous thing takes place. "When all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." This divine secret can only be revealed in the light of redemption, and, blessed be God, it has been revealed. The Son became incarnate, and He remains incarnate for ever. This mystery has been unveiled through the Apostle Paul: "Whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Rom. 8: 29.) When therefore Christ has delivered up the kingdom and Himself becomes subject, it is that He henceforward takes His place as Man amongst the redeemed, but as the Firstborn amongst His brethren. In every circle in which He is pleased to move He must be pre-eminent, must have the first place. His Father is our Father, and His God our God, but throughout eternity, while we are sons with Him before the Father's face, He will ever be the Firstborn, and as we fall at His feet in adoration, we shall delightedly own that He is supreme in that circle of divine affections. Together with this it must be remembered that while the blessed Lord remains Man for ever, He will never cease to be a divine Person, and that the term God, when used absolutely, as at the end of verse 28, includes all that God is as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Before we dwell a little upon the phrase "that God may be all in all," we must inquire where, if we may venture to put it so, Christ will be the Firstborn among many brethren. It is precisely here that the Father's house comes in. It is quite true that saints will be introduced into the Father's house after that they are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; but, as we have seen, they will soon leave that blessed abode to come out to be displayed in the glory with Christ. Moreover, as is clear from the teaching of the scripture before us, Christ does not take up His place among the redeemed in His final character, as being subject to Him who put all things under Him, until after He has delivered up the kingdom to God, the Father. It is not therefore until after the kingdom that the Father's house, whatever their special relationships with the Father, becomes, in its true and proper sense, the eternal home and dwelling-place of the family of God. The Father's house, where all the divine affections will flow out unceasingly and be fully enjoyed, as well as responded to in the measure of their enjoyment, will thus be a characteristic of the eternal state.

Language of necessity fails when we come to speak of the Son becoming subject that God may be all in all. It is impossible to do more than touch the surface of such an expression. But happily we are told what God in His blessed nature absolutely is. He is love, and it is further revealed that "he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Again, we are limited by our imperfect apprehensions of the nature of God. Still, we may understand that when God is all in all, all that He is as love will be fully displayed, that this display will fill all heaven with its bliss, that love will be the glorious atmosphere of the whole scene, and that all the redeemed dwelling in love will dwell in God and God in them. It will be God everywhere both as object and subject - God ALL IN ALL, Yes; these are but words, we well know, but though only words, the Holy Spirit may take them up to give to some an inlet into the ineffable blessedness of the eternal state.

There remains one other scripture which treats of the eternal state, namely, Revelation 21: 1-4. It may be felt by some that we are descending to a lower plane in this symbolical description. And yet there are two things given here which add immensely to the statements in the scriptures already considered. The first is that the church retains her special place of nearness and blessing throughout eternity. The holy city, the new Jerusalem, which John saw coming down from God out of heaven. prepared as a bride adorned for her husband we know to be the Lamb's wife (Rev. 19: 7): that is, the church; and, as she descends, she is proclaimed as the tabernacle of God. Men, the saved saints of all periods, except the day of grace, will be around, even as the tribes of Israel encamped around the tabernacle in the wilderness, but the church will be the eternal dwelling-place of God, and He dwells with men, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them, their God, as dwelling in their midst in His tabernacle. Every family, as Paul speaks, will be there, all alike named of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all taking character from Christ, every family perfect in blessing, however many may be the circles of blessedness around God's tabernacle.

The second point is connected with what we read in verse 5: "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." If now we turn to 2 Corinthians 5 this announcement will be better understood. There it is said, "If any man be in Christ, he is [more correctly, there is] a new creation [not "creature"]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (Ver. 17.) Already, even now, as being in Christ, the believer has passed into a new sphere, the sphere of new creation, where all things are of God, a sphere which was inaugurated and established, though ever in the mind of God according to His eternal counsels, by the resurrection of Christ. Now, in Revelation, we are permitted to behold the completion of this new creation. What had hitherto been the object of faith is now presented in actuality in the new heaven and new earth, wherein righteousness has obtained its peaceful abode, and where God can dwell with infinite complacency in His tabernacle, surrounded by the redeemed of every age and land. Surely there is no Christian on the face of the earth who does not rejoice as he contemplates this scene in which God is all in all.

There are two aspects of blessing in this marvellous picture. There is the positive aspect connected with God dwelling in the midst of His people, the eternal source of all their bliss throughout eternity; and there is the negative aspect springing from relief from every form of pressure while passing through this world. It is sometimes said that to look forward to relief is a token of a low state of soul. It may be so oftentimes, perhaps, and it is fully conceded that to anticipate the joy of being with Christ Himself, in all His unspeakable perfections and beauties, is a much more blessed thing. Admitting this to the full, the question may yet be asked, whether God is not far more considerate and tender than we? For He does hold out in this scripture the prospect of eternal relief from all that caused us sorrow and distress while pilgrims in the wilderness. And with what gratitude have burdened hearts, hearts well nigh bursting with grief through manifold bereavements, in every age, looked forward to this blessed time when sorrow will have passed away for ever before the sunshine of eternal love!

"Lord, haste that day of cloudless ray,

That prospect bright, unfailing;

Where God shall shine in light divine,

In glory never fading."

But it is impossible to pass over the beauty of the language employed, and as we ponder upon it for a moment let it sink deeply into our hearts in the power of the Holy Ghost. The very first words, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," are full of profound, yea, infinite tenderness. It is God Himself, taking each one, as it were, into His everlasting arms, and in His great love wiping away every trace of the sorrows of our earthly pilgrimage. Then — "and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. But ere this time on which we are meditating shall have come, the Lamb of God will have taken away the sin of the world, and death and hades will have been cast into the lake of fire. Death, the last enemy, has thus been destroyed, and, together with death, all the woes, the sorrow, the crying and the pain will disappear, so that nevermore will a single cloud rest upon any heart of all the redeemed. God's rest has thus been reached and His people will share in it for ever through His unspeakable grace, blessed be His name! And He reveals all this to us now, that we may live in the light of it through faith, and find in it, not only an antidote to present trials, but also a blessed encouragement to have our minds upon things above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.

We have now reached the end of our meditations upon these blessed subjects. It is only in outline, we are quite aware, that they have been presented. The reader, who desires to enter more fully into them, will find no difficulty, with the Bible in his hand, in following out more fully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, these several related themes. And it may help to this end if, in concluding these observations, we give a concise summary of the whole subject.

First of all then, after some introductory remarks, in which it was insisted that the rapture was the immediate object before the believer, we sought to show the relation of the rapture to the appearing, and it was plainly seen that the going in with Christ at the rapture is preparatory to coming out with Him in glory at the appearing. Then a rapid glance at the teaching of the epistles made it abundantly evident that their several writers united in their testimony that the appearing of Christ is the goal set before the heart of the believer in his responsible life and service. Consequent upon the appearing of Christ there are two aspects of the same period, the establishment and glory of the kingdom, which will be universal, and the world to come. A difference was pointed out between these two things. In the kingdom, Christ will reign over the whole earth; there is the heavenly side of the kingdom, but this is termed the kingdom of the Father. (See Matt. 13: 43.) The world to come is put in subjection to Christ as Son of man, and includes things in heaven, things on earth, and indeed things under the earth. (Rev. 5: 13.) All alike will be headed up in Him as the glorious and universal Head. At the close of the thousand years, after the judgment of the great white throne, Christ will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, and further, when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.*

*It is very interesting to notice that the last mention of Christ in the scriptures is in connection with His delivering up the kingdom. This act must be subsequent to His session on the great white throne. He is not seen again for the simple reason that in eternity God — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — is all in all. But we know, as has been explained, that Christ abides for ever as the Firstborn among many brethren.

Eternity is thus entered upon, and the veil being lifted, we are permitted to behold Christ as the glorified Man, the Firstborn among many brethren. Thus the Father's house, with its many mansions, is now inhabited by all the redeemed, and in every circle or family Christ is centre and supreme. God is the fount and source of all the blessing, and unto Him will be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end ("unto all generations of the age of ages"). Amen.

One additional remark may be allowed. From what has been said, it follows that the purposes of God do not reach their full accomplishment until the eternal state. This is the end God has always in view, and towards which, all through the ages, He has ever been working. And when this end has been realised, He will rest in His love in its completest sense, and joy for ever over His redeemed with singing. In the meantime, the happiness of the believer will be in communion with God in His objects, His desires and affections. May He work mightily in the hearts of His beloved people, in these last days, to bring them ever into closer fellowship with His own heart, and to an ever deepening knowledge of Himself and of His mind, for His own glory. Amen.

Death and Resurrection with Christ

Death and Resurrection with Christ.

Notes of a  Lecture.

Rom. 6: 1-7; Col. 3: 1-5; Eph. 2: 4-8; Gal. 2: 20.

E. Dennett.

Publisher: Rouse, CBA1888.

Explanatory Note.

As it has been desired that the following Notes of a lecture (taken at the time of its delivery by one of the hearers, and printed by him afterwards) should be re-issued, it should be remembered that it is seventeen years ago since it was spoken. No doubt many emendations and corrections might be made; but on the whole, in view of the many testimonies which have from time to time been received of its usefulness in blessing to souls, it has been thought better to reprint it without alteration. The reader will kindly bear this in mind, and pray that, in spite of its deficiencies, it may be still used for the Lord's glory.  E. D.

You will see, beloved friends, that several of these passages that I have read speak of our having died with Christ; and we have simply to ask the question, first of all, When was it that we died with Christ? The third and fourth verses of the sixth of Romans are very distinct on this point. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." We might, perhaps, turn to the second of Colossians, before we proceed to refer to this more particularly. In the tenth and eleventh verses we read, "And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ."

Now, as I have said, most of these passages speak of the same thing — of our having died with Christ; and in this lies the foundation of our standing before God. Because, you will see at once, it is not what we are actually, but what we are as before God. We are said to be baptized unto the death of Christ; and the apostle uses this in the sixth of Romans as an argument why we should not continue in sin.

Now, it is a marvellous thing, if we consider it, that we, as sitting here tonight (if believers in the Lord Jesus Christ), can be said to be before God as those who have died with Christ. Thus we see at once it is the light in which God regards us, His judicial estimate of us, as having died in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is brought out most distinctly in the sixth of Romans. We are said to have died with Christ; and the consequence is stated in the seventh verse, that "he that is dead is freed from sin." In the verse preceding this we are told, "Our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Here we get the secret of the whole thing. It is the old man that was crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ. My Adam nature or standing is therefore gone completely, because that I died, or was crucified, with Christ.

This is exceedingly simple; but is it not the simple that we want to apprehend in power? It is exceedingly easy for each one of us here tonight to say, "I have died with Christ;" but what a marvellous thing it is, if I can walk in the midst of this world, saying that I as a child of Adam have no standing at all before God that my old man has been crucified with Christ Nothing short of this we understand as being set before us in the passage we are looking at, and indeed in several of the passages we have read for what can the apostle mean when he says, I am (or have been) crucified with Christ"? Does it not mean simply this: that, looking back to the Lord Jesus Christ in death, and regarding himself as linked with Him in His death (by God's grace, of course), and seeing Him there as his substitute, meeting the judgment due to sin, and sins too, he is able to say truly, "That death was my death; and therefore it is true before God that I have been crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ"?

We do not forget that the facts of the case will often seem opposed to this statement of God's word; and so the question meets us, How do I know that I was crucified with Christ? May I not answer that by putting another question, How do I know that I am saved? In the first place (to say nothing now of the witness of the Spirit), it is because I believe the testimony of God's word. How then do I know I have been crucified with Christ? It is not an experience, it is not an attainment; and ought we not to be very distinct and clear upon this point? It is not experience. I don't feel that I have been crucified with Christ; neither have I attained to this. But God tells me it is so; and because He tells me so, I accept it, I believe it on the testimony of His word.

See then the practical influence of such a truth upon my walk, when it is held in power as it ought to be. What is it that troubles me most in my daily life.? Is it not the old nature? Is it not the flesh that is still in me? Yes, it is quite true that I have the flesh in me; but God has put it in the place of death. There it is for Him, and so I can look back to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, and say, "Yes, I was crucified with Christ, and so I, as far as my old nature or Adam-standing is concerned, am gone altogether out of God's sight." What power it thus gives me! because, if God has put this flesh of mine into the place of death, where ought I to keep it? We get the answer to the question in the tenth and eleventh verses: "For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Another aspect of the same thing may be found in Rom. 8: 12: "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." And so the practical power is just in this — God has put me, that is, my old man, in the place of death. I was crucified with Christ, and therefore I have, through the Spirit, to keep it just where He puts it. Since I am justified from sin, sin has no claim upon me, nor the flesh either; and therefore in the power of the Spirit I yield not to the flesh — I recognize not its claims. God has delivered me from it, and has given me a standing outside of it altogether, because He regards me as having been put to death in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The object is — and here responsibility comes in — "that the body of sin might be destroyed" (that is, annulled, brought to nought), "that henceforth we should not serve sin." Here then is the practical responsibility. Am I dead? Then I must not yield to sin. And just in proportion as I do yield to sin, I practically deny my standing. The Spirit of God is always careful to connect responsibility with standing. If I sin, I deny in practice my standing. If the flesh is active, I deny in the same way the fact that I was crucified with Christ. I repeat it, see how practical this may become in our daily lives. Many of us, today it may be, have had things round about us to irritate us. It may be that the wheels of life have not run smoothly in our homes, or in our places of business. Have I been irritated? Then the flesh has come into activity, and in so far I deny that I am a dead man; I have yielded to the old man, and so denied my standing in Christ Jesus. Because my standing, as we shall see, is the measure of my responsibility. If God regards me as dead, I have also to regard myself as dead. I have to "reckon" myself dead. Of course, if I were actually dead, I need not "reckon" myself so; but because He regards me as dead, I have to reckon myself such. That is, my standing is the measure of my responsibility. God looks upon me, then, as having died to sin, being dead to it, and on that foundation we get the exhortation, "Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We turn now to another aspect — that which we find in Col. 3. It is not simply death here, but resurrection; and the two things are linked together in baptism. That you see in Col. 2: 12. Then we get in chap. 3. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above;" that is, responsibility is brought in as connected with our resurrection with Christ as well as with our having died with Him.

First of all, however, we have the fact here stated. I need not dwell upon the "if" — an "if" of responsibility, as it is termed; but the fact is given us, that we are regarded as having been raised with Christ — not simply therefore dead, but raised with Christ; and so we get the double. aspect of our standing. In that respect, and on that fact, is founded the exhortation to "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." But then we get, in the second and third verses, a further exposition of this. The apostle says, "Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." And thus the responsibility of being raised with Christ is to set my affection on things above. I am clean out of this scene altogether; I belong not to it, because I have died out of it in the death of Christ. Through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus I have been brought into a new place, a new scene, which is to characterize my life down here. My affections are to be set on things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. The expression of the life down here is to be in accordance with the place given me, by God through the death and resurrection of Christ.

We shall all feel how wonderfully practical this is. Am I risen with Christ? If so, do I set my affections on things above, where Christ sitteth? The Spirit of God does not permit us to say, as a cloke for licentiousness, "I am risen with Christ;" quite the contrary. I remember once speaking on this point to a professed believer, one, indeed, who prided himself upon the fact of being a believer, but whose life was any thing but what it should be. His answer to me was, "I am a child of God;" and he was using this profession to cover his laxity and failure in responsibility. No, God's Spirit does not allow that As we saw in Rom. 8, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." The life is to be the evidence, in one sense, of what I am; and if a person says, "I am risen with Christ," and yet has his affections set on things here, what then? I don't say there may not be inconsistencies in walk. We know there are; but what I say is this, On this foundation we have before us, I am not entitled to say I am risen with Christ, if all my life down here partakes of the character of the scene through which I am passing. No; if we have life in the risen Christ, that life will find an outward expression. It is Christ Himself who is my life; that is brought out here — "When Christ, who is our life." If He is my life, He must be expressed; and if He be not expressed, then I have reason to doubt that He is my life. Is it not so? This is a familiar truth; but do we not need to press it upon our souls — upon our hearts and consciences as before God? For what is the character of my life now? Ought I not to search myself in this matter? Ought I not to bring myself into the presence of such a Scripture as this, and say, "Well, I do profess to be thus risen with Christ. Am I, then, now seeking the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God?" A saint said to me the other day, speaking of herself and her husband (both believers of long standing), and accounting for the fact that they were seldom seen at the meetings, "We have our business to attend to, and must do it; that is the first thing we have to do." Well, "if ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above." How do these two things correspond? We cannot claim a standing unless we accept the responsibility. That is the point brought before us — the measure of my responsibility exactly corresponds with my standing; and if I am in Christ, He expects me to walk as a risen one, so that even enemies may see in me some likeness to my blessed Lord.

Another saint recently said to me, "Well, but after all we are down here." Undoubtedly we are down here. But that is not the point. The thing is, being down here, ought we not to express the life of Christ? He is my life, I am in Him risen, and therefore if I do not set my affections on things above, I ought to search my own heart, and ascertain whether I can truly say that I am risen with Him. After all, it comes simply to this — What is the heart occupied with? If my heart is occupied with the, Risen One, I shall soon be lifted out of this present scene. If He fill my gaze, I shall be blind to the fairest sights on earth, and I shall be deaf to its sweetest sounds. It is entirely a question of affection. Does He fill my heart? Does He occupy me? Not simply am I occupied with Him. The two are connected. If I am occupied with Him, He will be occupied in manifesting Himself to me; and if that is the case, I shall do everything down here as to Him, and of necessity my affections will be set on things above, where He sits on the right hand of God.

I might go farther. If I understand the place into which I am brought, shall I not be exceedingly familiar with that place? Shall I not be more familiar with it than with things down here? And yet do not many of us pride ourselves upon the practical wisdom we possess in the things of earth? Another saint said to me that he had been thrown back upon himself by finding this — he had been in the habit of reading the newspaper every morning, and found, on reckoning up the time occupied in that way, that he had spent more time on his newspaper than on the word of God. God gave him grace to judge it, and put it away; but it shows us how easily we may fall into a practical denial of our being dead and risen with Christ; and thus it behoves us to remember the responsibility we have as being put into this position.

Shall we now turn to the next passage I read, Eph. 2: 6? "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So that we are brought not simply through death into resurrection, but we are seated (not with, but) in Christ in heavenly places. What then is my standing? It is there in Christ where He is. Nothing short of it. It is not simply that I am raised together with Christ down here where I am. No, I am carried farther; I am seated in Christ, where He is in the glory. That is my place. Oh, what marvellous grace, that God in mercy should have come down to us, to meet us when dead in trespasses and sins, and have quickened us with Christ, raised us up together, made us sit together in heavenly places in Him! Always before Him, in His presence!

I suppose there is no passage more familiar to us than this one. We speak so much of the wondrous place of blessing into which we are brought. We, above all others, then ought to understand the responsibility of it. Yes, if I am a heavenly one — for it comes to that — I have to live as a heavenly one in Christ where He is. What a marvellous place it is! I raise my eye of faith, and I see Him glorified at God's right hand; and if I want to understand the full character of my redemption, I can only get it by just looking at Him. He is the measure of it, and so it is quite true in the verse we sing sometimes —

"So near, so very near to God,

More near I cannot be;

For in the Person of His Son,

I am as near as He."

We are brought then right home to God; and the very presence of God is our home, and being our home, it should be there that our hearts should dwell. What would you think of any one, in a human way, whose heart was never in his own home, whose heart, when in business, did not turn back to the home where were his loved ones? A strange husband, or father, as the case might be! But what would you say of the believer whose heart seldom or never turned to the place where he is seated in Christ? I think it is Payson who mentions three classes of believers. They may not be found here, but yet they are sometimes found. He describes one class as busy with earthly things; so busy that their backs are turned to the Lord Jesus. Another class he speaks of whose faces are turned only now and then towards Christ. The third class are standing, as he describes it, with faces always upward in the full light of His presence. To which of these classes do we belong? If we understand the place we have got through death and resurrection, and being seated in Christ, surely our hearts will ever be with Christ, and our eyes will ever be gazing upon Him. There is nothing saints sing more readily than that verse —

"Oh, fix our earnest gaze

So wholly, Lord, on Thee,

That with Thy beauty occupied,

We elsewhere none may see!"

and yet in our daily walk how easily are our thoughts, our hearts, taken up and occupied with the many things going on around us!

Ah, beloved friends, if we had full perception of the place into which we have been brought, and if the heart dwelt in that place, if we are gazing upon Him and getting any glimpse of His beauty, surely we shall not wish to see any beauty elsewhere! May we understand the responsibility of our place and position.

But let me pass on to the responsibility in a more distinct form, as brought out in other passages. I have spoken simply of death, and resurrection, and being seated in Christ in heavenly places; but now what is my responsibility down here as to walk, because of the place and the standing I have in Him? To give the answer, first, in the most general form, let us turn to 1 John 2: 6. This is not connected with standing, but it brings out the thought I want to express. "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." And so it is then that I am in Christ, where He is; and also the converse of that Christ is in me down here. "He that saith he abideth in Him" — that is communion — "ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." Thus the general responsibility, is to walk as Christ walked. How was that? Turn to John 3: 13: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." So that even when He was here on the earth, Jesus was able to say, "in heaven;" or, putting it in other words, He walked as the Heavenly One upon the earth, as being in heaven while upon the earth. A model for us! We then have to walk, not as belonging to this scene, but to that place in which we are seated in Christ; so that it may be true in spirit of us as it was true of Christ — in heaven while upon the earth. And oh, what a different character it would give to our lives if this were the case! An expression of Christ, not simply in words, but in acts; yea, in all things, the life of Christ expressed in us and by us, in our walk and conversation.

We may get more distinct forms of this expression; for instance, Eph. 5: 2. This is based upon the fact of our being children of God; and we get a characteristic of walk, and a very important one, brought out. The apostle says, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, even as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." In this respect also I have to walk as Christ did — "in love, even as He hath loved us." Turn also to John 13: 14: "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you;" also verse 17: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." But what I want to bring before you specially is in Eph. 5: 2. We are to imitate Christ, then, simply because of what we are, and the place we occupy. And then we have this example set before us here; and it is wonderful the terms in which we have it described. He "hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." The apostle John also brings this out in his first epistle. I will read it just in passing. 1 John 3: 16: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us." And what else? "And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." So that the love of Christ ought to be our model in this expression of it — love even to death. But in the verse I read out of Ephesians, we have the important truth, that while Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us, it was "an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." The expression of our love, therefore, must not have the saints for its object, but it must be God Himself; and this love can only be expressed in obedience, not otherwise. It is exceedingly important to remember this. We might be tempted — many are — to think that we must exhibit love under all circumstances. Not so; the expression of the love must be governed by the word of God; and so the glory of God is to be the first thing. "He gave Himself for us." Yes; but it is "an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." I suppose there is no snare so great as that which pleads for charity towards all, in the sense that we must not exclude any from the Lord's table, which is quite true so far as it goes; but we must except those whom God's word excludes. The love must be expressed in obedience to God. It must have God for its object; and therefore, if I go outside of His word, I am making my fellow-believer the object, and not God. We thus get the true character of love; unless it has God for its object, it is not the love that Christ exhibited when He gave Himself for us. We have to imitate Christ; that is our responsibility.

There is one other aspect, which I cannot refer to tonight. We have it in 1 Peter 2: 20. It shows our responsibility towards persecutors and foes. We have to imitate Christ in this also.

But I now turn to the last passage we read, Gal. 2: 20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." There will scarcely be a difference of judgment as to the first words of this verse; for is it not true that every one of us can say — that is, if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ — "I have been crucified with Christ"? But is it also true that we can say, "Nevertheless I live; yet not I"? Has it been true of me today? Has none of the flesh been expressed, none of the old life? Can we say of our lives today, I have not lived; but Christ has lived in me? The apostle says it. Can we say it? We have thus again the whole of the responsibility of my standing, it is Christ in me down here; and because He is in me, He is to be expressed in all that I am. Oh what marvellous saints we should be if this were the case! If I could see in you, fellow-believer, and you could see in me, nothing but Christ! And yet how often we say, "Oh, but there are peculiarities of character, temper, and disposition, to be accounted for!" But am I not dead? Where then can be the peculiarities? Are we buried as to the old self in the grave of Christ? Surely not, if these things are manifested. In God's sight we are, and that is the blessedness of it, — the old man is gone completely; but now we are speaking of responsibility, and I want to press it upon my own heart and yours. Is it true of me and you, that we don't live; but Christ lives in us? Is it true in our relationships with the saints, for instance? Have they seen anything but Christ in us when assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus — gathered together in the power of His Spirit? Have we all exhibited Christ, and not ourselves? Has the word spoken, the hymns sung, the worship offered, all been an expression of Christ? In my home, through the past week, has it been so? Have the unconverted ones, as they looked at me, said, What a power is expressed in that life! In my place of business, have those round about me been constrained to say, What a marvellous life it is! I happened to say once to the principal, I think it was, of a house of business, when speaking of a young man in his employ, that he was a believer. What was his reply? "I didn't know it." How was that? Perhaps, you will say, the principal had not eyes to see. But I want to ask you this, Should there be a believer anywhere, and not be known? Should it be so? Was it so in the early days? Ah, but you say to me in reply to that, The days were so different. They were; but I want to ask you this, Was the expression of the life of Christ different? He has not changed, and why should the expression change? Do you mean to tell me that the world is more like Christ than it was then? No doubt the world has lessened the violence of its hostility and opposition in manifestation; but is not the world the same? Ought there not to be the same complete separation? Yes; we are in danger of sliding back, because we think we have a separate place, and are quite safe. Let it not be so with us. This is the truth I want to bring out — I have nothing to do but to express Christ; and there was one who did it, I suppose, in a measure that no saint has ever attained to since. He said, "To me to live is Christ;" nothing else. Now, will that one word sum up the whole of my life? Is He the one object? Is it Christ in me? If not, then I am not recognizing my responsibility. What then ought I to do? To go in self-judgment into the presence of God, and confess it, and seek for more grace.

And then see also that in this marvellous place which He has given to us, He is able to say to us, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of Christ dwelleth in you." The Spirit of God characterises all my existence before Him, so that the flesh is completely gone out of His sight, and only Christ remains, and we in Him.

But then we must still bear in mind the other side — Christ in me down here; and all my work is to express Christ in every possible way. We are to express Him, not only when we are having Christian fellowship, but everywhere, at all times, and all seasons. But is it not possible for the saints themselves to come between us and Christ? I put the question as a test. I would put it to myself as well as you. Am I happier in fellowship with saints than I am in the presence of Christ? Some of you would say at once, "Why, of course we are happier in the presence of Christ." But think before you answer. Are you? Do you find as much joy in solitary fellowship with Christ as you do in fellowship with the saints, it may be over the Word, or when privately together? Now it is not a question easy to answer. I have found out from my own experience, that an hour or two will soon slip away in happy fellowship with saints. Do we know anything about an hour or two "slipping away" in the presence of Christ? Do not put the question aside; for we must face it, and answer it. And be sure of this, we have no power of sustained communion, unless we can answer it, and say, "Happier in the presence of Christ than in the presence of the saints; happier with Him, dwelling with Him, in communion with Him, than even with the most Christ-like of God's people." Why? Because the most Christ-like of all His people will but approximate to the expression of what He is. Can you point me out a single saint of your acquaintance of whom you can say, "Exactly like Christ"? No! Well, then, if you are happier with the saints than with Him, it shows that you do not appreciate Christ as you ought. Hence I want you to answer that question, "Where are you the happier, with the saints, or with Christ?"

Conscious that I have not expounded the subject as I fain would do, yet if you but remember this one thing, that you have nothing to do but to live Christ, I shall feel that the Lord has not sent me in vain. Distinctive truth has its place, and thank God we have got it; and some of us who have had difficulty in getting hold of it may feel that more than others; but after all, the one thing is living Christ. I do not know how to express it more strongly. I go back to it once more. Are we in Christ there, and is He in us here? Suppose then we commenced tomorrow by saying, "Christ in me," or when we awake in the morning, let the first thought be, "Henceforth I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:" as we go to the duties that God may have for us in the day, let us say, "Henceforth I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;" and when we go back into the bosom of our families, with our children round about us, let us still be saying the same thing; and then the marvellous power of the Spirit of God will be free to work in us and by us, so that even the unconverted will confess that there is something about us that they cannot understand. We have not half the power we ought to have; and the reason of our weakness is, that the picture of Christ in our lives is so indistinct. What did He do? Express the Father perfectly. Our work is to express Him, and only express Him! Keep that object before you — only Christ, because you are in Him where He is!

A Spiritual Difficulty

A Spiritual Difficulty.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 221.

My Dear -, You say that you want the assurance that God has spoken to you individually, and that without this you cannot have peace. You admit that you are a guilty, undone sinner, and that there is no Saviour but Christ, and that He is abundantly able to save you; but, in addition to this, you feel that you must have the conviction that God invites you personally before you are justified in expecting His saving power put forth on your behalf. This, I gather from your friend's letter, is a fair statement of your case.

Permit me then to point out the serious mistake — but not an uncommon one — into which you have fallen, and one which, if persisted in, cannot fail, through the subtlety of Satan, to rob you of all enjoyment of the knowledge of salvation. The fact is, God does not testify to sinners in this way. The testimony He renders is to CHRIST, His own beloved Son, and His testimony is to the completeness and the efficacy of His finished work on the cross. He tells you indeed that you have sinned and come short of His glory, and that it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment (Rom. 3: 23; Heb. 9: 27); and thereon He proclaims that a work has been accomplished, on the foundation of which He is able righteously to save every one that comes to Him in the name of Christ. The question therefore you have to ask yourself is, Do you believe God's testimony to Christ? But it is possible that you may ask for the character of this testimony. The grand testimony God has rendered to Christ is His resurrection from the dead; and hence the prominence which this fact obtains in the apostolic preaching. Take an example or two. "Him," said Peter to the Jews, "hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." (Acts 5: 31.) "If Christ is not raised," said Paul, "your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." (1 Cor. 15: 17.) Again, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom. 4: 25.) God thus set His seal upon the work of Christ in raising Him out of death; and in glorifying Him at His own right hand, He declares in His word, not only that all His claims upon the sinner have been met by the perfect efficacy of the sacrifice on the cross, but also that He has been so glorified in that death, that He can, in perfect consistency with all that He is — in harmony with all His attributes — and indeed with glory to Himself, save every poor sinner who receives His testimony to the death and resurrection of Christ.

But you may perhaps reply, How do I know that this testimony is addressed to me? Again, I must remind you, this is to miss the point. The testimony is concerning Christ; but the message of the gospel is to you, and to all who will hear. Nothing can be more evident. "Preach the gospel," said our Lord to His disciples, "to every creature." (Mark 16: 15.) "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16.) "There is no difference . . . for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10: 11-13.) With such Scriptures it is impossible for the utmost ingenuity of unbelief to contend that any single soul on the face of the earth has not sufficient warrant for faith. If you, however, still say that you are not sure of being included, I would once more very affectionately remind you that your attention is directed to yourself instead of to Christ. It is Christ that fills the eye of God, and it is with Christ that His testimony is concerned, and as soon as you look away from yourself to Christ, and receive His message concerning Christ, all your difficulties will disappear.

Having said this, I may now point out another thing. You have been wanting the conviction that God has spoken to you. This you cannot have until you receive His testimony. Receive it, and you will know immediately that He has both spoken to you and made you the object of His love. "He that hath received His testimony hath set to His seal that God is true." (John 3: 33.) "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son." To know therefore you must believe, and believing you will be able joyfully to say, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2: 20.)

Believe me, dear  -,

Yours affectionately in Christ, E. D.

Dorcas

Dorcas;

or, Garment-making for the poor.

Acts 9: 36-43.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 22.

Tabitha, or rather Dorcas, has obtained a most unlooked-for notoriety. Almost every church and chapel boast of their "Dorcas Societies;" and "Dorcas" meetings are becoming well known even to those believers who are in professed separation from human systems and organizations. The aim, both in the one and the other, is laudable; and, doubtless, even if the objects of such charity are often not well chosen, the sufferings of many are thus alleviated. Without the slightest intention, therefore, of discouraging such efforts, it may still be well to examine a little the history of Dorcas, and to enquire what instruction therefrom the Spirit of God intended us to apprehend.

It is to be remarked, in the first place, that her activity was not confined to clothing the naked. "This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did." (v. 36.) This is a wonderful epitaph for a saint of God, and with this remarkable distinction from many such epitaphs written by men, that it was recorded by the unerring pen of the Holy Ghost. Her good works  - were therefore good works — such as God had before prepared that she should walk in them (Eph. 2: 10), and such, on this account, as could only have been produced in the energy of the Spirit of God. It is profitable to remind ourselves of what is really good works; for while we have been taught the danger of restless activity and occupation with service, and have been led to admire, and to desire to possess, the good part which Mary chose (Luke 10: 42), we would also remember the words of St. Paul: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." (Titus 3: 8.) Philanthropic efforts of many kinds are often dignified with the title of "good works," and are thus calculated to deceive many a simple soul; but. good works, those that are such before God, can only flow from the power of the Holy Ghost, and therefore in accordance with His mind and will. They can thus be wrought only by believers, and only by believers as actuated by divine power, and in subjection to the word of God. "The coats and garments which Dorcas made" (v. 39) were of this class by an infallible verdict.

The "almsdeeds" of Dorcas are recorded as well as her good works; and from the usage of the word (see Matt. 6: 1, 2, 34; Luke 11: 41, 12: 33; Acts 3: 2, 3, 10; Acts 10: 2, 4) there is no reason to doubt that these consisted in the ministration of money or food to those that were in need. The apostle, writing to Timothy, says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate" (there is no foundation whatever for the marginal rendering — "sociable"); "laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal" (rather, on that which is really) "life." (1 Tim. 6: 17-19.) Dorcas was thus in the spirit of this exhortation. She was rich in good works, and she was ready to distribute, willing to communicate of her substance; for she had learned "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8: 9); and by that same grace she had become His representative in the world. She was a giver, because God, who had brought her to Himself, was a Giver. Knowing therefore that she was not her own, and that whatever she possessed she held only as a steward for Him, to whom she belonged, she placed both herself and her substance at His disposal, and served with both according to His will.

The objects of her charity or ministry are distinctly specified. When Peter had arrived, and had been introduced into the chamber of death, we read that "all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them." It is noteworthy also that these widows are distinguished from the saints. (v. 41.) There may be a reason for this — not to imply that none of these were saints, but rather, as we judge, to show that she laboured for widows as a class, and perhaps, too, in the spirit of the apostolic exhortation, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Gal. 6: 10.) It may then be concluded that her charitable activities were not solely expended upon believing widows; but, as one who knew the heart and mind of God, she sought to minister to need wherever it might exist, while owning the special claims of the household of faith. Every reader of the Old Testament must have been struck with the constant expression of God's care for the widow and the fatherless (and the two classes must often be found in combination), and James gives a voice to this for us when he says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1: 27.) Paul likewise has given special instructions concerning these two classes. (1 Tim. 5.)

It is thus clear that Dorcas had the mind of God in the special work to which she was devoted. And indeed what service could be more blessed than to clothe the naked and feed the hungry? The Lord Himself, in the judgment of the living nations, when He shall sit on the throne of His glory, specifies these things services rendered to Himself in the person of His "brethren." He says, "I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat . . . naked, and ye clothed me." (Matt. 25: 35, 36.) This, as He explains, done unto one of the least of His brethren, was done to Himself. How unspeakable then the privilege to feed and clothe Christ in the person of one of His members. It is what He has done for us; for the apostle says, "For in this (our tabernacle-house) we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked" (that is, without Christ). (2 Cor. 5: 2, 3.) To clothe the naked and to feed the hungry — and He Himself is our food (John 6) — is consequently to act in His own spirit — the existence of the need drawing forth the affections of Christ from the hearts of His people.

A distinct lesson or two for our own guidance may be profitably collected from the whole history, confining ourselves now to that which is specially mentioned — making the coats and the garments.

First, it should be observed that the work of Dorcas was individual. There is not the slightest trace of any association with others. Evidently it was the special service to which the Lord had called her, and to which she willingly yielded herself. Her example cannot, therefore, be cited for anything beyond her individual line of service. Nothing is more blessed in Christian activity than fellowship  -  fellowship in the Lord. But the great danger of a day like this is association  -  association with others to obtain an object through the energy of co-operation rather than in the power of the Spirit. Satan often succeeds in this way in arresting even what might have been at the outset the action of the Spirit of God. Thus the Lord has laid some special thought of service upon the heart of one of His people; and instead of going forth to its accomplishment in the power of Him who has called to it, the effort is often made to associate others with it, or even to form a society for the end in view, and immediately the service, even if outwardly prosperous, is on the road to failure. Moses may well be a warning to us on this head. He complained to the Lord that the burden of the people was too heavy for him. The Lord permitted him to have seventy associates; but He took of the Spirit that was on Moses, and put it on them. (Num. 11: 11-17.) Not only was there no gain of power by the association, but enormous loss by the importation henceforward of seventy judgments into every question that had to be decided. No; service is intensely individual; for every servant is individually responsible to the Lord, even in garment-making, and hence cannot afford to subordinate his convictions to those of another, or to seek to walk upon the level (be it higher or lower) of another's faith.

Secondly, this history affords distinct guidance for sisters as to the occupation of their leisure time in their homes, or at least for such as have the means to purchase materials, and capacity to use the needle or the sewing-machine. It is to be noted very especially, that if Dorcas spent any of her time in fancy-work (and we by no means contend that she had not liberty to do so), the results of her labour in such a direction are not mentioned. This will surely be significant to every spiritual mind. It is "the coats and the garments" only that find a place in the word of God — teaching, at least this much, that it is labours of this kind that command the Lord's approbation. This is plain from the fact that Dorcas was raised to life again. Her loss was so keenly felt by the disciples that they sent for Peter, "desiring that he would not delay to come to them." The apostle went, and was permitted to restore her to life; and "when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive." (v. 41.) Thus the Lord interposed at the cry of His people, and comforted their hearts.

A last instruction may be added — one already obvious from what has been said — viz., that the work of Dorcas was for cases of need. There is some danger, if not watchful, of seeking to gratify ourselves in ministry of a Dorcas character; of expending our efforts upon selected cases, of choosing such as commend themselves to us in one way or another, so that it will often happen that the needs of some of the poor saints are abundantly met, while those of others are almost entirely overlooked. The antidote is to have Christ Himself before us as the object of our ministry, only remembering that, as it was not our merit, but our necessities, that drew forth His heart in service for us, so likewise the only incentive to our loving ministry to His own should be their needs. In other words, all our service must be drawn forth by the constraining love of Christ; for it is possible to bestow all our goods to feed the poor and yet to be without divine charity (1 Cor. 13), and hence without any promptings of the heart of Christ. Christ, therefore, must be the motive; Christ must be the object, and Christ must be expressed in all our service. E. D.

The Efficacy of the Blood of Christ

The Efficacy of the Blood of Christ.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 46 etc.

It is of the first importance, beloved readers, that every one should understand the light in which God regards the precious blood of Christ. The one lesson written on almost every page of Scripture, and told out in symbol, type, and fact, is, that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (see Heb. 9: 22); i.e. no remission of sins. The reason of this is plain. Man is a sinner. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3: 23), and hence all men as sinners are under the sentence and condemnation of death. (Rom. 5: 12.) Now blood represents the life. As we read in Scripture, "The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Lev. 17: 11.) Inasmuch, therefore, as man is a sinner, and is under the penalty of death, he can find no escape except through the shedding of blood, the rendering up to God of a life in the stead of his own. Failing to find such a method of deliverance, he himself must bear the doom of his sin, for "the soul that sinneth it must die." Now the blood of Christ is God's own way of saving the sinner; for the blood of Christ signifies the offering up of His life to God, in death upon the cross, as an atonement for sin. Hence He Himself says, "The Son of man came . . . to give His life a ransom for many." (Matt. 20: 28.)

The aspects, however, in which the blood of Christ is presented are many, and it is only by a consideration of these that we can obtain any conception of its unspeakable preciousness and value — its preciousness and value before God — and its efficacy on our behalf.

Let us then examine a little together into what the Scripture teaches on this subject. One remark, however, must first be made. Even the blood of Christ, we shall find, would have no value apart from what He was. It is the truth of His person that imparts to it its efficacy. Had He only been man, His death could not have availed for all; had He only been God, He could not have died; but being what He was, "very God and very Man," He not only was qualified as the spotless Man to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin, but His divinity added such efficacy to His precious blood that it suffices for the need of all who believe in His name. Understand it well, then, that it is not the blood of Christ apart from Himself that avails before God; it is Christ Himself rather in the efficacy of His blood. It is on this account, for example, that the apostle speaks after this manner, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1: 7.)

As a general remark it may be said that the blood of the sacrifices in the old dispensation, and therefore the blood of Christ which this typified, was wholly for God. That is, while, as we shall see, there are blessed applications to, and efficacies for, the believer, the blood was offered before all to vindicate the glory and to meet the claims of God on the sinner. Accordingly the first aspect of the value of the blood of Christ is that of PROPITIATION. The meaning and truth of this may be gathered from the action of Aaron with the blood of the sin-offering on the day of atonement. It is said, "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward," etc. In like manner he was to act with the blood of the goat of the sin-offering. (Lev. 16: 14, 15.) In addition to this, the blood was to be sprinkled before the mercy-seat, and here seven times because it was for the eye of man. Once was enough for the eye of God. That this spoke of the blood of Christ is shown from the statement of the apostle. He says, "Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth a propitiation (a mercy-seat) through faith in His blood." (Rom. 3: 24, 25.) What, then, did the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy-seat accomplish? To answer this question it must be borne in mind that the mercy-seat in the tabernacle in the wilderness represented God's throne — the throne of Jehovah in the midst of Israel. Hence He was said to dwell between the cherubim. (Ps. 80: 1, etc.) The blood put upon the mercy-seat met, therefore, the claims of God's throne upon the sinner. It answered all the claims of a holy God (we speak now of the blood of Christ) upon guilty sinners. It was the vindication of His holy government, and inasmuch as it both satisfied His righteous claims upon man as a sinner, and glorified Him in every attribute of His character, it laid the ground on which He could righteously pardon every sinner that approached Him trusting in the value of the sprinkled blood. This was propitiation — the propitiation which is the foundation on which God can now deal in grace with the whole world, and thus send out, through His ambassadors, the entreating message to all  - the vilest and the guiltiest — to be reconciled to Him. (2 Cor. 5: 20, 21.) Hence, too, John, speaking of Christ, says, "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world." (1 John 2: 2.)

Such was the unspeakable value of the blood of Christ before God. It answered all His governmental claims upon a guilty world, so that He has been publicly vindicated, yea, glorified, concerning the question of sin, and in the very place where we had publicly dishonoured His name by our sin and rebellion. And let it never be forgotten that He Himself in His wondrous love provided the propitiation. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us" (as believers can say), "and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10.) If thus His holiness demanded, His love furnished the propitiation; and hence He can now be proclaimed throughout the whole world as the God of grace; for He now sits as it were on the mercy-seat, waiting to receive, to pardon, and to save every poor sinner who comes through faith in the blood of Christ.

Propitiation having been made, God was free both in grace and righteousness to bless the sinner. Hence the apostle speaks of "being now JUSTIFIED by His blood" — the blood of Christ. (Rom. 5: 9.) Every one, indeed, who approaches God through faith in Christ is justified. For in virtue of that blood which met all God's claims, all the claims of His holy government  - upon the sinner on account of his sin, all the claims of His outraged majesty, and all the claims of His glory, He is able righteously to justify every believing soul. This is distinctly shown in Romans 3. "By the deeds of the law" it is conclusively proved, no flesh can be justified before God. Strive as a man may, and live as upright and moral a life as he may, he can never answer the claims of a holy God. Whoever is on, or takes, the ground of works as a means of salvation is hopelessly lost. Man cannot in any shape or form save himself; and should he seek to obtain righteousness by putting himself under the law, he will only find that "by the law is the knowledge of sin." What, then, we ask, is man's resource when it is demonstrated that he is a helpless, guilty sinner? It is in the righteousness of God, which, "without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3: 21-23.)

But how, it may further be enquired, can God's righteousness be possessed? The answer is given in the same scripture. The apostle proceeds, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth a propitiation (mercy-seat) through faith in His blood . . . to declare at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (vv. 24-26.) Can anything be more divinely simple? The blood of Christ is the foundation. It is through its virtue, through its value before God as making propitiation, that He can be just, that He can act in perfect harmony with all that He is, in perfect consistency with His holy being, and justify, righteously justify, every one "which believeth in Jesus." We are therefore justified by, through the virtue of, the blood of Christ. We are also "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;" for it was God, acting from His own heart, in the exercise of pure, sovereign, and blessed grace, who provided the sacrifice whose precious blood made atonement for sin, so adequate and complete, that God could come out of His place, seek and bring back the sinner to Himself, pardon his sins, and righteously justify him on the exercise of faith in the blood of Christ. Hence it is only believers who are justified. But the moment a soul receives God's testimony to the value of the blood, His testimony to His own appreciation of it, and, trusting in it, comes into His presence, that soul is justified, justified in the righteousness of God, even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. (Rom. 4: 3.)

Scripture likewise teaches that believers are SANCTIFIED through the blood of Christ. "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate." (Heb. 13: 12; see also Heb. 10: 29.) These passages doubtless have a special application, but beyond this they teach a most precious truth. The sanctification of which they speak is neither practical nor progressive, this being effected by the Holy Ghost through the Word, but indicates the setting apart of believers to God as His people on the earth. That is, every one who comes through faith under the shelter of the blood of Christ, is thereby separated from all the world, and set apart to God. The nature of this sanctification may be illustrated by the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the office of the priesthood. We read that Moses took of the blood of the ram of consecration, and "put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot" (Ex. 29: 20.) Thereby they were set apart to hear, to act, and to walk for God according to the perfection of the blood of Christ. It is so with believers now; and the blood in this aspect sets forth privilege and responsibility rather than actual blessing received, reminding the believer that he belongs to God, according to the value of the blood under which he is sheltered.

Another illustration of this may be gathered from Exodus 24. When Moses had read to the people the covenant which was made by the Lord at Sinai, he sprinkled half of the blood of the sacrifices upon the people (having sprinkled the other half upon the altar), saying, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning these words." (v. 8.) This will explain the words in Hebrews concerning an apostate, who is said to have "counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing." (Heb. 10: 29.) The blood sprinkled upon the people, while it set forth death as the penal sanction of the law, brought them thereby under the obligation of obedience. It was for this they were set apart. (Compare 1 Peter 1: 2.) So to the eye of God all His people now on the earth are seen, as it were, sprinkled under the value of the blood of Christ, and thus set apart to Him for His service. They are sanctified through the blood.

Another aspect of the blood of Christ is, that it CLEANSES FROM SIN. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all" (or every) "sin." (1 John 1: 7.) In like manner John, giving a voice to the adoration of the whole Church, cries, "Unto Him that loved" (or rather loveth) "us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood," etc. (Rev. 1: 5.) The same idea, speaking generally, is conveyed when forgiveness, or remission of sins, is spoken of as procured by the blood of Christ. The difference is, that in this case it is God who has been wronged by our sins, who forgives, and absolutely forgives, whereas in the latter it is a question of the sinner being cleansed from his guilt, and made meet for His presence. Two or three specific statements will explain how this process of cleansing is effected.

As before stated, God sees every believer as sprinkled with, under the value of, the blood of Christ. When the priests were consecrated, and when the leper was cleansed, this truth was symbolized by their being sprinkled with blood. Both alike were first washed with water, figure of the new birth through the water (the Word) and the Spirit, sprinkled with blood, typical of cleansing from guilt; and then, lastly, anointed with oil to set forth the anointing of believers of this dispensation with the Holy Ghost. It need scarcely be said that sinners now are not actually sprinkled; but on faith in Christ, in His atoning sacrifice, there is the application to them of all the cleansing value of the blood. Their guilt, therefore, is gone according to the efficacy of the blood of Christ before God.

It will thus be perceived that God sees no guilt where He sees the value of the blood, and He sees it on every believer. The blood has made propitiation for their sins. The effect, therefore, of the application of the blood of Christ to the soul — and let it be repeated that it is applied to all who believe — is, that they are without spot or stain. Borrowing the figurative language of the Apocalypse, they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev. 7.)

"White in His blood most precious,

Till not a spot remains."

So white, indeed, that they are spotless in purity before the all-searching eye of a holy God.

It should be added that Scripture knows nothing of a re-application of the blood of Christ to the believer. Once cleansed, he is cleansed for ever. This is the whole point of the argument in Hebrews 10: 1-14. The efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ abides for ever in contrast with the necessity for repeated sacrifices under the law, and hence the blood, once shed and presented before God, is ever there in all its value for our souls, so that the question of guilt can never more be raised against us.

"Though the restless foe accuses,

Sins recounting, like a flood,

Every charge our God refuses;

Christ hath answered with His blood."

The believer may sin, as, alas! he does, and contract defilement; but guilt, in virtue of the precious blood, under the value of which he stands, is never imputed. If he does not judge himself and confess his sin, God will deal with and chasten him; for He loves His people too well to allow them to go on in sin; and in His grace He has made provision for cleansing these defilements by the washing of water by the Word. (Eph. 5; John 13.) But while this is true, and should never be forgotten, we must never lose hold of the precious and momentous truth, that once cleansed by the precious blood of Christ, we are cleansed once and for all — made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, eternally fit for the presence of God.

There is a further and slightly different aspect of the application of the blood in cleansing, and that is in its effect on the soul itself: It gives a PURGED CONSCIENCE. The difference between the two things may be thus represented: Cleansing me from guilt makes me fit to stand before God; purging my conscience makes me happy in His presence. There are several allusions to the purged conscience in the epistle to the Hebrews. "If," says the apostle, "the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9: 13, 14.) Again, in contrasting the worshippers of the old economy with those of the present time, he says, "The worshippers once purged" (which the Jew never was, while the Christian always is) "should have had no more conscience of sins" (Heb. 10: 2); and yet further, he speaks of "having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." (Heb. 10: 22.)

Two questions then may be put to elicit the truth. First, What is it to have a purged conscience, or no more conscience of sins? and secondly, How is it to be obtained and enjoyed? A purged conscience is knowing that our sins are for ever put away from before God, so that we can be in His presence happy in the consciousness that we are without spot or stain, in the light as He is in the light, in the confidence that, since Christ, who bore our sins on the cross, is seated at God's right hand, the question of our sins can never more be reopened. As another has said, "We have the purification not only of sins but of the conscience, so that we can use this access to God in full liberty and joy; presenting ourselves before Him who so loved us." This may even yet be simplified, if the reader is reminded that this purged conscience is in no way interfered with by the fact of indwelling sin. This we shall carry about with us until the Lord comes, or until death; but if we enter into the full character of the abiding efficacy of the precious blood of Christ, we may still enjoy uninterruptedly a perfect conscience, having no more conscience of sins, if we apprehend the truth, that by one offering Christ has perfected for ever them that are sanctified. We would earnestly caution our readers not to confound these two things — the assurance of guilt being cleansed away for ever, and the sense of sin because of our evil nature. They are entirely distinct; and through the wondrous grace of our God He has made provision, through the one sacrifice of Christ, to enable us, spite of the fact that we carry the old nature about with us, to be always happy in His presence, in the full consciousness that no cloud can ever more come between His face and our souls through the guilt of our sins. We have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and that sprinkling can never be repeated any more than Christ can leave His glory and come down to earth, and die a second time on the cross.

How then is this purged conscience to be obtained? Simply by the hearty reception of God's testimony to the value of the blood of Christ. Hence the first part of Heb. 10 is taken up with showing on several distinct grounds — the will of God, the work of Christ, and the witness of the Holy Ghost — that the sins and iniquities of God's people will be remembered no more, because they are for ever put away by the one offering of Christ. Whosoever reads this Scripture, and from his heart believes what God there testifies, will enjoy the priceless possession of a purged conscience. He will be able then to sing -

"How bright, there above, is the mercy of God!

And void of all guilt, and clear of all sin,

Is my conscience and heart, through my Saviour's blood -

'Not a cloud above' — 'not a spot within.'"

How is it, do you ask, that this truth is so little known? Because the teaching of almost the whole of Christendom ignores, nay, contradicts it. The consequence is that souls, instead of rejoicing in the sense of God's love, are everywhere; in bondage, and remain, as to experience, at a distance from God. Then listen to the opinions and thoughts of men no more, but come directly to the infallible word of God, and give Him honour by bowing to His own testimony to the everlasting efficacy of the one sacrifice of Christ.

In connection with this blessed truth, and indeed flowing from it, there is another; viz., that ACCESS INTO GOD'S PRESENCE IS ENJOYED THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. We read, as soon as it has been demonstrated that the sins of the believers have been put away once and for all, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," etc. (Heb. 10: 19.) In the previous chapter we are taught that Christ Himself has entered by His own blood into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. (Heb. 9: 12.) His own place therefore, at the right hand of God, is the result of the efficacy of His sacrifice. He was charged with our sins in His death; He bore them in His own body on the tree. If, then, He is now in the immediate presence of God, it is a plain and unanswerable proof that He has accomplished full and complete expiation; for if our sins were not gone, He could not sit in the glory of God. It was accordingly in the virtue of His own blood that He has entered into the holy place on our behalf. And this will help us to understand how it is that we have boldness also to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Cleansed, made whiter than snow, we have the qualification for access, having no more conscience of sins, knowing that every question concerning them has been finally settled; and filled with the sense of the love and the grace from which so great blessings have flowed, we advance with boldness, with holy liberty and joy, inside the rent veil; we stand there in the full light of the blazing holiness of God's throne without doubt or fear, and, prostrating ourselves before Him, our hearts find a blessed relief as we meditate upon that wondrous death, which has opened the way for us into God's presence, in thanksgiving, adoration, and praise.

We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and God would have us there. It is the delight of His heart to have us there in His own presence. It is the only place of our worship. Let us then be satisfied with no other, and let us for the glory of God refuse any teaching that would limit the efficacy of the precious blood of Christ. For this privilege of entering into the holiest is no heritage of a chosen few; it belongs without exception to all believers. The address is to the "brethren," to all the people of God. We must not, therefore, on any account, allow this truth to be frittered away. Nay, in the presence of the claims of a human sacerdotalism on every hand, claims which are being pressed with ever-increasing energy, we must contend for this holy privilege of all God's saints. The whole truth of Christianity, as well as the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice, is bound up with it. To give it up in ever so small a degree is to go back to Judaism; to maintain it is to proclaim the virtue of the precious blood of Christ, the eternal efficacy of His one atoning sacrifice.

We are also REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD of CHRIST. This is repeatedly set forth in the word of God. "In whom we have redemption through His blood," etc. (Eph. 1: 7.) "Forasmuch as ye know," says Peter, "that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1: 18, 19.) The Lord Himself expresses the same truth when He says, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life [for the life is in the blood] a ransom for many." (Matt. 20: 28.) The meaning of "ransom" is, a price paid for redemption, while redemption signifies the buying back, and consequently deliverance from a state of captivity or bondage. Redemption, therefore, effects a complete change of state, and thus we are reminded of what we were, and of what through grace, in the provision of the precious blood of Christ, we have become. This truth may be illustrated by the redemption (whatever the difference of its character) of the children of Israel out of Egypt. They were under the iron yoke of Pharaoh; their lives made "bitter with hard bondage" — type of the natural condition of man. But God interposed on behalf of His people, and He smote the land of Egypt with plague after plague. At last judgment was pronounced upon all the first-born, whether of man or of beast, in the land. The question of sin having been raised, Israel was as liable to the judgment as Egypt. How then could God righteously screen His people while smiting the Egyptians? The answer was found in the blood of the lamb, type of the blood of Christ, which by God's own command was sprinkled upon their houses. "I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Ex. 12: 12, 13.)

But this was not all. The blood which on this eventful night screened them from judgment, secured everything. God, who was against His people on account of their sin, became henceforward for them on account of the blood. He therefore led them out with a high hand and an outstretched arm; and when they were terrified, as they saw the Egyptians pursuing after them, He bade them, by the mouth of Moses, to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. (Ex. 14: 13.) Accordingly He parted the Red Sea, led His people through in safety, while Pharaoh and all his host sunk like lead in the mighty waters which had been a wall of protection, on the right hand and the left, to the children of Israel. Through the Red Sea they were redeemed, and the blood was the foundation of all. They were redeemed out of Egypt; redeemed from death and judgment, and from Satan's power; and on the other side of the Red Sea, having sung for the first time the song of redemption, they commenced their journey through the wilderness, as strangers and pilgrims, God's ransomed host; and finally, as such, they were brought through the Jordan into the promised land.

Believers also have been redeemed. Once they, like the Israelites, were in bondage — "the servants of sin" (Rom. 5: 17), under the blinding influence and power of the god of this world (2 Cor. 4: 4), and taken captive by him at his will. (2 Tim. 2: 26.) It was for them, in this condition, that the Son of man gave His life as a ransom, His blood being the price paid for their redemption. Hence it is that we read, that "by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." (Heb. 9: 12.) Silver was used as a type of the price of redemption in days of old (Ex. 30: 11-16), and on one occasion gold was given in the place of silver (Num. 31: 48-54), these being the two most precious metals, and employed therefore to signify that the redemption of the soul is precious; that is, beyond price. For "they that trust themselves in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him . . . that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." (Ps. 49: 6-9.) It is on this account that Peter contrasts typical redemption by silver and gold with the precious blood of Christ. For how precious must that be which secured redemption for all believers, so precious as to exceed all finite estimate. God only could provide such a ransom; for He only knew what was needed to effect the deliverance of His people. How, then, should it fill our souls with adoring gratitude as we think upon the unspeakable value of the blood of Christ, with gratitude to Him who gave the Lamb for the sacrifice, and also to Him who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God?

It is then by the blood of Christ that we are redeemed. But what, it may be inquired, is secured for us in redemption? Already we are brought out of Egypt, out of our condition as sinners in the world; we have been brought through our Red Sea, through death and judgment, and delivered from Satan's power, in the death and resurrection of Christ, and our death and resurrection in Him. As to our souls, therefore, we are now redeemed; but we wait for further blessings. We shall be carried safely through the wilderness; and, finally, redemption, which has been secured by blood, will be consummated by power in the changing into, or the resurrection of our bodies in, the likeness of the glorified body of our blessed Lord at His return; for when He gave His life a ransom for us, He acquired rights over us; He made us absolutely His own, purchasing us with the price of His own blood (1 Cor. 5: 19, 20), and in the authority of His rights He commences, continues, and completes the whole work of our salvation, never resting until He has brought us into the place where He is, and conformed to His own image, that we may be with Him for ever. This is the redemption which has been procured for us by the infinite worth of the precious blood of Christ.

The New Covenant is founded and ratified in the blood of Christ. "This is my blood of the New Testament" (or covenant), said our Lord to His disciples as He gave to them the passover cup (Matt. 26: 28); and we read also in the Hebrews of "the blood of the everlasting covenant." (Heb. 13: 20.) The force of these expressions will be best understood by a reference once again to the old covenant. Moses; when he had sprinkled the blood upon the people, said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words." (Ex. 24: 6-8; Heb. 9: 18-20.) God thus confirmed His covenant with Israel at Sinai by blood — the blood of animals; but He has founded and made the new covenant immutably secure in the blood of Christ. By confirming the new covenant with the blood of Christ, God has declared not only its everlasting and unchangeable character, but also the priceless nature of the blessings which He has thereby secured to His people. How stable a foundation, moreover, God has thus laid for the confidence of His saints! In the olden time He often encouraged them to rest in the certainty of His word and promise; and in writing to the Hebrews the apostle speaks of the two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie — His oath and His promise — which afforded strong consolation to them who had fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them; but even beyond these certainties He has sealed His truth as it were by the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son.

It is in the fulfilment of this new covenant, so ratified, that Israel's hopes of future blessing rest. (Heb. 8: 6-13.) At Sinai they rashly entered into the engagement of obedience to procure the blessings promised; but having failed and lost everything, God, acting in grace in pursuance of His purposes, and in virtue of the blood of Christ, will yet bring them into the enjoyment of all that He has promised. The new covenant, as such, is made, not with believers now, but with Israel. But all its spiritual blessings are ministered to us through the Spirit. Hence the apostle speaks of himself and his fellow-labourers as being "able ministers of the new covenant." (2 Cor. 4: 6.) As another has said, "This, then, constitutes Paul's ministry of the new covenant, its present ministration to the Church before it is yet made; viz., that of the Holy Ghost and of divine righteousness in immeasurable and unending glory from a glorified Christ on high; liberty in the presence of the Holy Ghost, and no veil either on our hearts or on the face of Christ, beholding whom we are transformed by that same Spirit practically into His image from glory to glory. In the higher character it has to us, it evidently reaches to the reproduction of a glorified Christ in His saints on the earth; that is to say, not our standing before God in glory, but the direct effect of the glory upon our state here." We enjoy these blessings now, blessings of a higher character than those promised to Israel, but in a future day God will cause them to enjoy every blessing specified in His word; but both we and they alike will owe everything to the precious blood of Christ.

In this connection, it should be pointed out that THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST HIMSELF, AS THE GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP, is through the blood of the everlasting covenant. (Heb. 12: 20.) This indeed was God's public testimony to its value — His declaration that the blood shed in the death of Christ had made a full, adequate, and everlasting atonement for sin. Therefore He brought again from the dead the Mediator of the "better covenant," that all the objects thereof might be accomplished. Hence it is that as the Great Shepherd He will seek out and gather together the sheep from every land, in accordance with His own words to the Jews — "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock [not "fold"], and one Shepherd." (John 10: 16.) Thus the covenant, sealed by His blood, has been certified in His resurrection; the value of the blood securing all, and, finally, its entire and complete accomplishment.

There is another effect of the blood of Christ, similar to that of propitiation; but as it is in connection with the reconciliation of all things, it seems more fitting to introduce it here. We read, "And, HAVING MADE PEACE BY THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated," etc. (Col. 1: 20, 21.) The peace thus made, it must be carefully observed, is not the peace which those who are justified by faith have with God. (Rom. 5: 1.) It is the peace of God's throne, the satisfaction of the claims of God's holy government, which has been made by the blood of Christ. Just as on the ground of propitiation God is able righteously to receive everyone that comes to Him trusting in it, so on, the foundation of this peace He will bring back into order and harmonious relationships with Himself both things on earth and things in heaven. It is not persons, but things — created things — which will share in the blessings of reconciliation as well as saints. This reconciliation, as another has observed, "is not yet accomplished. Peace is indeed made, but power has not yet come in to bring back the whole into actual relationship with God according to the value of that blood." For this we wait; but the blood has been shed, and He who alone knows its value declares that peace has been made. Believers are already reconciled — reconciled in the body of his flesh through death (the death of Christ); but the reconciliation of all things will not be fully accomplished until the introduction of the new heavens and the new earth. It is doubtless in virtue of the blood of His cross that the Lord Jesus will assume His power, and reign from the river unto the ends of the earth, when creation itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8: 21); but glorious as His reign will be, and great as will be the blessings which this creation will at that time enjoy, evil will still exist, and, breaking forth under the leadership of Satan, will blight and darken the close of the thousand years. On this account judgments end all God's ways with this poor weary earth and with man; but thereon arises another scene, as perfect as God Himself can make it, wherein righteousness will for ever dwell, "and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away." (Rev. 21: 4.) It is here that we behold all things reconciled, and the full and all-pervading efficacy of the precious blood of Christ; for all things are made new, and God is all in all.

We have thus traced some of the manifold effects of the blood of Christ. Space fails for the enumeration of all the aspects of its efficacy. We, Gentile believers, are made nigh by it. (Eph. 2: 13.) The Church is said to have been "purchased with His own blood," or rather, as it may be translated, "with the blood of His own; i.e. with the blood of Christ. (Acts 20: 28.) The saints of a later day will wash their robes, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7: 14), redemption being then as now through that precious blood. (See Rev. 5: 9, 10; correct reading.) When Satan, moreover, seeks to compass the destruction of the saints of that day by accusing them before God, they are said to overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. (Rev. 12: 10, 11.) All these things, yea, all that God in His grace has made us, all that we shall be when we are for ever with the Lord, all the glories of Christ Himself which we shall share with Him as His joint-heirs, as well as the perfectness of the new creation, which will find its outward expression in the new heavens and the new earth, all these blessings and glories will flow from the efficacy of the blood of Christ. God Himself is the eternal source of all; but the blood of Christ was His own appointed way of fulfilling and establishing His own thoughts and purposes of love.

Surely, then, as these things pass before our minds, our hearts will be bowed afresh before God in adoration for the gift of His well-beloved Son. And as the blood of Christ ever awakens our highest praise while we wait for His return, so we find that the "Lamb as it had been slain" will be the object of worship in heaven. "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou vast slain, and hast redeemed to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made them unto our God kings and priests and they shall reign on the earth."*

*These variations from the authorised version are now generally accepted as the true reading.

"Of the vast universe of bliss,

The centre Thou, and Sun:

The eternal theme of praise is this,

To heaven's beloved One

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou,

That every knee to Thee should bow."

And what of you, beloved reader? Are you under the shelter and infinite value of this precious blood? Let there be, we entreat you, no uncertainty on this point. "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6: 53.) It is only they who "wash their robes" (as it should be read) that "have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Rev. 22: 14.)

May God, in His infinite grace, grant that every one who reads these pages may believe, and rest upon His testimony to the unspeakable efficacy of the precious blood of Christ. Amen.  E.D.

Note on Propitiation.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 112.

To remove all doubt as to the truth of propitiation, it should be distinctly stated that while it is true that God did not need to be reconciled to us (2 Cor. 5: 18, 19), and that while He in His grace and love provided all that was necessary in the propitiation to meet His holy claims on the sinner (Rom. 3: 25, 1 John 4: 10), yet that He absolutely required the propitiation as the alone ground on which He could righteously meet and justify the sinner. (Rom. 3: — 5: 1.) Moreover, while God has Himself provided the propitiation, He meets the sinner in His perfect and blessed grace in Christ's upon the ground of his being guilty so as to need it, so that his conscience should be exercised according to God's estimate of his state.

When it is sometimes said that God did not need to be propitiated, it should be understood as meaning that He did not need to be moved or disposed to act in grace toward us; for, indeed, He "commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5: 8.) The truth is, God could not, consistently with all that He is, receive and justify the sinner until propitiation had been made; for it was that alone which met His claims upon guilty men, and this propitiation was made only by the blood of Christ. To ignore or deny this would be to undermine, as far as man could do it, the very foundations of God's holy throne. THE EDITOR.

Emmaus and Jerusalem

Emmaus and Jerusalem.

Luke 24: 13-53.

E. Dennett.

Publisher: A. S. Rouse.

This familiar scripture has been enshrined in the hearts of God's people in all ages; and few can read it without coming under its peculiar charm. The condescension and tenderness of our blessed Lord, in His conversation with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, could not fail to commend His unspeakable grace to the affections of His people. Perhaps, however, it has been viewed too much on the side of the disciples, and hence not enough has been made of the presentation of the Lord Himself in the various aspects which are here found. The object the Lord had in view was not only to convince the disciples of the reality of His resurrection, but it was also to make Himself known in several different characters. This undoubtedly would be easier for the disciples to apprehend after His ascension; and probably the Lord had this end in view. Be this as it may, the whole narrative is fraught with rich spiritual instruction, and it is to this we invite the reader's serious attention, reminding ourselves and him that it is only the Holy Spirit of God Who can teach us its divine meaning.

In the first place, the Lord is undoubtedly seen as the GOOD SHEPHERD. He had already laid down His life for the sheep, and now He further carried on His work of restoring the fainting souls of two of His flock who, for the moment, were cast down and disheartened. Indeed, under the stress of the events of the last few days, they seemed to have abandoned all hope, though it is very evident that their affection for Christ had not abated. They clung to Him still, but unable to deal with the facts, as they thought, which had arisen, they turned their backs upon Jerusalem, and were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs. We read that they talked together of all these things that had happened, and the darkness of doubt spread its heavy pall upon their spirits. The Lord had arisen, though they knew it not, and He saw the state in which these two faithful followers of His had fallen. If they loved the Lord, as they certainly did, He loved them far more, and thus with the object of dispelling their doubts and fears He Himself, while they communed together and reasoned, drew near and went with them. Whether by divine power or otherwise, their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. This was necessary for the work the Lord had in view of restoring their souls.

It should be a great help to all who seek to shepherd the Lord's people, to those who are pastors by a divine gift, to notice the method of the Lord's dealing with these two erring saints. He Himself knew all their thoughts and the cause of their trouble, and yet He elicits by His questions what was in their minds. In other words, He led them to empty their hearts before He speaks a single word. He might have said at once, "Here am I, as risen from the dead"; but He sought first to bring them into a right state of soul for the apprehension of the truth of His resurrection.

Thus He commences with them by asking, "What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?" In reply to this, one of them whose name was Cleopas, expressed his surprise by saying, "Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that are come to pass in these days?" The Lord simply replied, "What things?" And then Cleopas poured out his whole heart, and proceeded to narrate what had taken place concerning Jesus of Nazareth, how that He was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and the rulers had delivered Him to be condemned to death, and had crucified Him. Such were the facts as they had presented themselves to the minds of these two disciples.

Having given these, Cleopas goes on to speak of the effect of these things upon themselves. With great sadness he adds, "But we trusted that it had been He that should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done," that is the day upon which they had been led to expect His resurrection. Then, moreover, he tells of the visit of the women of their company to the sepulchre on the morning of that day, and that, while not finding the body of the Lord, "they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive." There was yet more; certain of the disciples went also to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said, and then Cleopas added what contained the cause of all their grief, "But Him they saw not."

The bottom was thus reached, and in reaching it two things were made apparent: first, that Cleopas and his companion were true in heart to the Lord; and secondly, that all their sorrowful despondency sprang from the fear that their hopes as to Christ were buried in His sepulchre.

The Lord having led them to expose their inmost feelings, proceeded to meet their need. And first of all He led them to the Scriptures, chiding them that they had been so slow to believe the prophetic testimony concerning the sufferings of Christ and His glory. Then, beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.

It may be well to pause for one moment to point out that the wisdom of Christ, as thus displayed, should be a guide to us in dealing with souls in their difficulties. As may be perceived, there was no argument; but, the Lord simply brought the scriptures to bear on the subject in hand, teaching us surely that it is from the Scriptures, used in the power of the Spirit, the perplexities of souls may be met.

During this conversation they had arrived almost at their destination, and Jesus "made as though He would have gone further." He knew the state of their souls, the effect His teaching had had upon them, that, as they afterwards confessed, their hearts had been burning within them while He talked to them by the way, and while He opened to them the Scriptures, and that there was yet further work to be done before their restoration was effected. That further work was the revelation of Himself. When, therefore, He made as though He would go further it was but to bring out the request, which He knew would be forthcoming, that He would abide with them. And so energetic were their desires that they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us." The word "constrain" is a strong one: its force is, that they would take no denial. Not that the Lord needed constraint; He was only too willing to respond to their request; but nothing delights His heart more than to be constrained by His people to enter in and abide with them. Nay, He often knocks at the door of our hearts for admittance, and nothing ministers greater delight to Him than listening to His voice, judging ourselves for having kept Him outside, and thus opening the door for Him to come in and sup with us, and we with Him. In this case He went in to sup with them, for He sat at meat with them. How much, we might say, they would have lost if they had not constrained Him to enter! So with ourselves. Does He not often draw near to us, and yet we miss the enjoyment of His presence because we do not constrain Him to enter and abide with us?

But if He condescend to sit at meat with His own, He must at all times take the first place. He must be supreme in every circle in which He deigns to enter. Let us remember this when we desire His presence. Thus HE took the bread, and blessed and brake and gave to them. No doubt, they had often seen Him do the same thing when with His disciples; but whether so or not, this simple act of our blessed Lord was used to open their eyes, and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight. But why did He depart so quickly when, as we may be sure, they would have given all they possessed, little or much, to detain Him for further conversation? The answer is, that His work was done: He had found His wandering sheep, and He had restored their souls. It will be thus seen that their restoration was complete, for the mark of a good state of soul is the enjoyment of the Lord's presence. Like Mary, they had seen the Lord and they were abundantly satisfied. The proof of this is seen in that they go back to the place which they ought not to have left.

A very important lesson may be gathered from the way in which the Lord dealt with these two disciples. It is that all doubts will be dispelled by the manifestation of Christ to our hearts, and that the revival of Christ in the affections is the sure sign of restoration. No doctrine will effect this, no clearness of teaching, no demonstrations from the Scriptures, but what we all need is that Christ should be known and be paramount in our souls.

The next character in which Christ reveals Himself in this scripture is as the SECOND MAN out of heaven (1 Cor. 15: 49). He was the Second Man when born into this world, and for God He displaced all others. In Him alone of all the millions of men who existed when the Lord came into this scene, God found His delight. As indeed seen from the song of the angels at His birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure (as it should be) in men," that is, in the One Who had been born into the midst of men. But though He was ever the Second Man from His incarnation, He was not in the condition of the Second Man until the resurrection. To remember this will help us in what follows.

The two disciples of Emmaus, after the Lord had made Himself known to them, rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven gathered and them that were with them, saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in the breaking of bread." They had come with overflowing hearts, longing to tell what they had heard and seen, but they found those who were gathered together with overflowing hearts also, testifying to the resurrection of their Lord. We do not wonder, therefore, to read, as they thus spake, that Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, "Peace be unto you." We say we do not wonder, because hearts filled to overflowing with Himself will always command His presence. It is our response to His love that constrains Him to reveal Himself to us. Whenever we speak to one another of Christ, He will always be One of the company (see Mal. 3: 17). Do our hearts long for His presence? Then let us speak together of Him more.

The first words He uttered were, "Peace be unto you," for He had made peace through His death on the cross, and in the joy of His heart He bestowed it upon them.

It may be well to notice that our natural feelings are often in conflict with faith. It was so with the disciples at this moment. In the first place they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit, and afterwards they did not believe for joy. Both their fear and joy their natural emotions — were hindrances to faith, but it should be added that emotions produced by the Spirit of God are helps to faith and not hindrances.

But mark how tenderly the Lord dispersed their doubts and fears, and what pains He took to convince them of the reality of His resurrection. So gently He says to them, "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts (reasonings) arise in your hearts?" Then with infinite grace He says, "Behold My hands and My feet that it is I Myself." Doubtless He submitted His hands and His feet to their inspection because of the marks of the nails, wherewith He had been fastened to the cross; and then, moreover, He even said, "Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." Going still further, He showed them His hands and His feet; and finally, to chase away the lingering fears that obscured their vision, He said, "Have ye here any meat?" In response to His question they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and an honeycomb; and He took it and did eat before them, the blessed Lord, as the Risen Man, condescending to share the food of His humble followers.

All this was done to show to His disciples that He was a real man risen out of the grave. that indeed, as we have before said, He was the Second Man out of heaven. But notwithstanding He had in every possible way proved to them the reality of His resurrection, He was not content that their faith should rest upon the evidences of their senses, for He proceeded to teach them that what they had seen was in accordance with His own words, and that it was simply the fulfilment of the things which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Him. Surely we may learn from this the exceeding value of the Scriptures, and that all the claims of men and all the views which they propound must be brought to the test of the written Word of God. If the Lord Himself did not dispense with the Scriptures, much less can we, and it behoves us to attend to their teaching in a dark and evil day.

But in the whole scene the Lord reveals Himself as pointed out, as the Second Man out of heaven; and, as St. Paul teaches, all who believe in Him are of His order. For he says, "As is the heavenly, such are they also who are heavenly." And as we have borne the image of the earthy, as we still do in our mortal bodies, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly, that is, when we are raised from the dead and possess bodies like unto His glorified body.

Another character in which the Lord here appears is one that may be mentioned in a few words. It is as INTERPRETER of Scripture, for we read that He opened their understandings that they might understand the Scripture. The Spirit of God had not yet come. After Pentecost He was the Teacher; as the Lord Himself said: "But the Comforter, Who is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things," etc. (John 14: 26). Paul likewise said: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us of God." John also bears the same testimony. The Lord thus acted as teacher when He opened the understanding of the disciples that they might understand the Scriptures.

Following upon this, and indeed connected with it, we have another character of Christ, even that of HEAD or the LAST ADAM. About to speak of their mission in the world, He says: "It is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things" (vv. 46-48). It is plainly as Head that the Lord gives this direction to His disciples. But before entrusting to them this commission, He pressed upon them that the facts of His suffering, death, and resurrection were in accordance with the Scriptures. Thus He says, "It is written," and it is well for us all when we are grounded upon what has been termed the impregnable rock of Scripture. Resting on this foundation, opinions may come and opinions may go, but they will never be able to disturb the divine certainty of the soul that is able to say, "Thus it is written." Permit us to press for a moment upon young Christians that they should diligently verify their beliefs and their doctrines from the Scriptures that they may be confident and assured in the midst of all the efforts of the enemy, whether by the Higher Criticism or otherwise, to undermine the foundations of Christianity. If the Lord put His disciples upon "Thus it is written," much more do we need to repose upon the same divine foundation.

The mission of the disciples was simple. It was that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. They were, moreover, to be witnesses of the things which they had seen and heard. Before we speak of the power which was necessary for the execution of their mission, we would call attention to its terms. They were to preach repentance and remission of sins in the name of the Risen Christ not, be it observed, remission of sins only, but also repentance, without which remission of sins could not be received. For repentance leads to self-judgment and confession, and thus produces the state of soul in which forgiveness of sins can be received and enjoyed. In like manner the apostle Paul testified both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20: 21), and likewise he proclaimed at Athens that God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. It is not that repentance is a condition of forgiveness, for God announces forgiveness to every one who will receive it; but it is, as we have said, that repentance brings the soul into that blessed state in which it is enabled thankfully to receive the divine gift.

The second part of their mission indicates those to whom they were sent. They were to preach in His name; that is, on behalf, and as the messengers, of the Risen Head, among all nations, but they were to begin in the place where He was crucified. The worst of sinners in a sense were to receive the first offer of divine grace — a testimony to the love of God and His unspeakable mercy. Beginning at Jerusalem, they were to widen out in their labours in ever larger circles until they had embraced all nations. As God desires that all men should be saved, His servants must be in fellowship with His own mind.

Then, as already pointed out, they themselves were to bear witness of the things they had seen and heard, as indeed the Lord says in the Gospel of John: "Ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with Me from the beginning" (John 15: 27). The Spirit only could bear witness of the glory on which He had entered at the right hand of God; but they could testify to the Lord's life here upon the earth, to His death and resurrection, and to what He had communicated to them during the forty days before His ascension.

What follows is of exceeding importance. The Lord had qualified His disciples, given them their mission, and yet they were to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until He should send the promise of the Father upon them, that is, until they should be endued with power from on high. Let us mark it well, there must be, therefore, three things without which none of us who seek to serve can meet the Lord's mind. There must be knowledge of the Scriptures, of the facts of redemption; there must be a distinct mission from the Lord, that is an inward constraint or call; and there must be also the power of the Holy Ghost, without which neither the knowledge nor the call will be effectual. If it, however, be said that all have received the Holy Ghost, the question is, whether He is grieved or ungrieved, whether He is in power in our hearts, and in such power that out of the abundance of the heart the month will speak. Such are the workers whom the Lord needs, and such are those whom He can use to His own glory in blessing. We thus read that "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness" (Acts 4: 31). Oh! that the Lord would raise up many such servants in this day to use for the exaltation of Christ and for the conversion of many souls.

In conclusion, the Lord presents Himself as PRIEST. We read that "He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (vv. 50-51).

The significance of this action in lifting up His hands and blessing them may be gathered from a scripture in Leviticus 9. There we read, that, after having offered the several sacrifices according to the divine command, Aaron "lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings" (v. 22). All these offerings shadow forth the one sacrifice of Christ, for He was both sin offering, burnt offering and peace offering  -  indeed, He is the antitype of all the sacrifices found in Leviticus. Bearing this in mind, we shall see the wonderful correspondence between the action of Aaron and that of our blessed Lord. The Lord had completed the offering of His sacrifice, and His resurrection was the demonstration that God had accepted it, nay, that He had been fully glorified by it, and so glorified that, in the joy of His heart, He came in and raised from the dead the One Who had endured the whole weight of His glory upon the cross. In the consciousness of this, on the foundation of His one, perfect, and efficacious, sacrifice, He had become the channel of all the blessing, which He had secured by His death, between the heart of God and His people; for God ever blesses His people according to His own estimate of the value of the sacrifice of Christ. God was now set free to bless according to His own eternal thoughts and purposes  - and inasmuch as He had been set free by the finished work of His beloved Son, it is His delight to minister the blessing through the One Who is now glorified at His own right hand.

There is more, however, than what has been said. We have seen that Christ is here presented as Priest, and it is as Priest that He lifts up His hands to bless His own. We learn, therefore, that it is upon the foundation of His sacrifice, and as risen from the dead, that He enters upon His office of Priest, and that it is by His intercession He secures for His people all that they need while passing through the wilderness, and also that He appears before God on their behalf. Into the variety of the blessings which He thus secures we do not at this time propose to enter, inasmuch as we desire to confine the attention of the reader to the attitude of blessing which the Lord assumed in departing from His disciples.

It is not only, however, that He blessed them, but while blessing them He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. The last sight, therefore, the disciples had of their blessed Lord was in connexion with His hands being outstretched to bless. And surely this teaches us that this is the perpetual attitude of the Lord while at the right hand of God. Think of it, beloved reader, for one moment, that not only has the Lord His eyes upon His beloved people, but that also His hands are, so to speak, ever stretched out over them in blessing. What consolation to the heart weary with difficulty and strife, what sustainment for the weak and despondent, what cheer for the sick and afflicted, and what a ministration of comfort for the bereaved, to look up beyond all the darkness that may have for the moment enshrouded them, and to see by faith the blessed Lord with His hands lifted up for their blessing. Surely a sight of this will fill the hungry with good things, and give songs in the night to the pilgrim through the wilderness. For the One Who is seen in this scripture, and apprehended by faith now at the right hand of God, is the One of Whom we read elsewhere that He is able to save to the uttermost (completely, or all the way through) all that approach unto God through Him, because He ever lives to make intercession for them.

We may finally consider the effect which was produced upon the hearts of the disciples by the manner of the departure of their Lord. That they were deeply impressed, nay, wrought upon in the power of the Spirit, is clear from the fact that they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Even more than this, for we find that they were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Their full hearts thus overflowed with gladness, and rose up to its blessed source in the heart of God. They recognized Him as the fount of all the blessedness into which they had been brought, and which reached them through God's appointed channel, His beloved Son. What wonder, therefore, that they were found continually in the temple praising and blessing God! We might thus say that perpetual adoration was the response begotten within them to the perpetual blessing indicated by the outstretched hands.

Happy people, to have had such a recollection of their blessed Lord. But why is this recorded? That we also, beloved reader, may identify ourselves with the experience of the disciples. It is true that we did not see the Lord depart with our mortal eyes; but if this record is made good in our souls in the power of the Holy Spirit, we shall often linger in meditation upon it, and see Him by faith ascending up on high in this attitude of blessing. Nay, more, we shall follow Him until He takes His place at the right hand of God, and then as we comprehend the real character of the office He has been pleased to undertake on our behalf, we shall never forget that, through His intercession, He is securing constant blessing for His people. If this be the case, the effect produced in the disciples' hearts will be reproduced in ours, and we also shall find an outlet for our affections, in response to His constant ministrations to us, in perpetual praise and adoration.

Thus this gospel closes in a blaze of light. All these rays of His glory blend into one and give us larger thoughts of the Person of our Lord and Saviour. May He flood the souls of both writer and readers with the brightness of His glory, and so fill our vision that He may be ever the absorbing object of our affections, affections which will express themselves in devotedness while waiting for His return. E. D.

"Empty Vessels."

"Empty Vessels."

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1882, p. 61.

A good deal has been said and written, especially in poetry, about the need of our being empty vessels, ready for the use of the Master. The thought is, that our being kept empty is the qualification for immediate use, that when in that condition the Lord can take us up, fill us, and send us forth on any service to which He calls. Is this a scriptural thought?

We will consider, first of all, the scriptures in which the term vessels or vessel is found. In 2 Cor. 4 the apostle says, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." (v. 7.) There is little doubt that this passage contains an allusion to Gideon and his men. We read that "he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers." (Judges 7: 16.) The pitchers had been empty, it will be observed, but Gideon put the lights — the brands or torches  - inside. This will help us to understand the meaning of the treasure in the earthen vessels of which St. Paul speaks. It is evidently, from the context, the knowledge of the glory of God, that glory which, displayed in the face of the glorified Christ, God had caused to shine in our hearts. But this once received, by the operation of sovereign power and grace (for it was the God who had commanded the light to shine out of darkness who hath shined in our hearts), does not come and go, but remains as an abiding possession. The condition of its display is another thing, involving the constantly bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus (v. 10); but the treasure remains in the vessel.

In 2 Timothy 2 the term vessels is also found. "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good work." (vv. 20, 21.) The question here, as will be readily seen, is not of empty or full vessels, but entirely one of association. To be a vessel ready to the Master's hand, "a man" must be in separation from the vessels of dishonour, thus affirming the principle of defilement through our associations and consequent disqualification for service. Only as purged from the vessels of dishonour can one become a vessel unto honour, one which the Master will delight to take up and employ. But passing on to the next chapter, we learn that if the man of God is to be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works, he must be well instructed from the Scriptures. (See vv. 14-17.) With this agrees the exhortation in Colossians — "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another," etc. In other words, the vessel must be filled, and not there and then for the immediate service, but it must be in that state habitually; the word must dwell in the vessel, and then it will flow out in teaching as the Master may require.

If we now refer to the truth involved more generally, the same result will be obtained. When our Lord was speaking to the woman of Samaria, He said, "Whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well" (fountain) "of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4: 14.) Here again the water once received — a symbol doubtless of life in the power of the Holy Ghost — remains as a permanent possession. Hence if we turn to John 7 we discover that the water is not only received, but that it also flows out: "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (v. 38.) The vessel is thus filled, and filled in the first place for its own eternal satisfaction, and then it overflows in blessing to others. It is freely conceded that there must be the constant reception, but even so the vessel is never to be empty. Nay, the well or fountain is within, because it is connected with the gift of the indwelling Spirit; for John expressly says, "This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive." (v. 39.) Possessing therefore the Holy Ghost, the normal state of the believer is to be filled even to overflowing with His power — power of life — so that "rivers of living water" might flow out for the refreshment and blessing of those around. There could not, in this view of the case, be an empty vessel, and it is equally clear that to be prepared for service is to be full to overflowing. Even more might be said. Living in the power of the Holy Ghost, as so possessed, these streams of living water would ever be flowing forth as from a perennial fountain. On the other hand, if these streams should, through the grieving of the Holy Spirit of God, not be flowing out, and the vessel in a sense become empty, such an one would not, it is needless to say, be in a condition for the Master's use.

If we now refer to another class of scriptures the same conclusion will be reached. Two will suffice: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning," etc. (Luke 12: 35.) "Among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Phil. 2: 15.) Now the "lights" in these and other scriptures always signify Christ — Christ as shining out, in the power of the Holy Ghost, through the life of the believer. When in this scene Christ was the light of the world; and, in His absence, believers occupy this same place; but they only answer to it in so far as Christ is practically expressed in their walk and ways. There is therefore a correspondency between these scriptures and that already considered, which tells us that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels." For Christ must be possessed before He can be expressed; the light must be within before it can shine forth in the midst of the darkness by which we are surrounded. An empty vessel would thus be one without Christ, and it is not the way of our Lord to take up such, and kindle the light, and send him forth to shine in special missions of service. No; the more the vessel is filled with Christ — and the condition of being filled is to be constantly occupied with beholding the glory that radiates from His unveiled face at the right hand of God — the brighter will be the illumination that will stream forth, and the more distinctly will it be ready to the Master's hand for disposal at His will. It was the foolish virgins, and not the wise, who had the empty vessels; they had no oil in them, significant of the fact that they were not born again, and consequently had not the indwelling Spirit. The wise had failed in not trimming their lamps; but inasmuch as their vessels were not empty they were aroused in time to meet the Bridegroom, and went by His grace its with Him to the marriage. The others — the foolish virgins with the empty vessels — were shut out for ever.

The question may then be put, Is it possible for the Christian to be an empty vessel? One of two things will always follow. Either he will be filled with Christ, or with himself and the things which centre in himself. Thus, if not filled with Christ, he is always in danger. It was so with the Jewish nation. The unclean spirit of idolatry had gone out, but finding no rest, in the language of our blessed Lord, the unclean spirit saith, "I will return to my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first." (Matt. 12: 43-45.) If now that nation had received Christ, He would have filled up the void, and they would have been secure from this awful intrusion of wicked spirits. In like manner, unless the believer is filled with Christ, he is ever exposed to be occupied and possessed with what is opposed to Christ. An empty vessel he should not, and indeed cannot, be.

It is quite true that, if the Lord sends any of His own on special service, everything — power, wisdom, grace, and the message, if this be the kind of service — must all be received from Him. Nothing of our own, nothing that springs from self, can be used for Him. But the point is, that the believer will not be in a condition to be employed unless he is already filled. And the more filled he is, the more Christ practically possesses his soul, the more consciously dependent he will be, and the more certain therefore, when the privilege of any service is conferred, to look up to receive all he needs for it from the Lord. So in the primitive church, it was when they were all filled with the Holy Ghost that they spake the word of God with boldness. (See Acts 4: 31; also Acts 2: 4, etc.) It is therefore, we again repeat, not empty, but filled vessels, that the Lord requires for His sovereign disposal in service. E. D.

The Everlasting Arms

The Everlasting Arms.

Deut. 33: 27.

E. Dennett

Christian Friend Vol. 4, p.21. (Subtitled: A Word to the Feeble.)

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." So spake Moses, "the man of God," in the blessing wherewith he blessed the children of Israel before his death. (Dent. 33: 1.) There is little need to affirm that the blessing here pronounced -in its truest significance — belongs to the children of God in this dispensation; for "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1: 3.) Indeed, there is scarcely a scripture in the Old Testament which has been more abundantly used for consolation. Feeble believers — weary ones on sick-beds — led, we doubt not, by the Spirit of God, have appropriated it in all ages; and they have been both sustained and comforted by the thought — the sweet assurance — that "the everlasting arms" are underneath them, folding them, as it were, in a divine embrace.

What, then, are "these everlasting arms"? Have we any indications in the Word of what is signified by the term? For though we may be able to feel what is meant, it will enhance our sense of the blessedness of the assurance, if we are able to arrive at the thought the term was intended to convey. Let us turn then, first to Exodus 28. We read there, in the description of the garments of the high priest, "And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: six of their names on one stone, and six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial." (vv. 9-12.) Further on we have, after the direction as to the precious stones composing the breastplate, "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes . . . . And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breast-plate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually." (vv. 21, 29.)

We thus see that Aaron, as the high priest, bore the names of the children of Israel, when he went in on their behalf before the Lord, on his shoulders, and on his heart. Now, the meaning of shoulder in Scripture is strength, as may be seen from the following : "The government shall be upon His shoulder" (Isa. 9: 6); and again, "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder." (Isa. 22: 22.) The heart, in like manner, always signifies love, as there is no need to show. What we have then is, that the high priest upheld the children of Israel before the Lord perpetually with strength and love. An allusion to this may be found in the Song of Solomon. "Set me," cries the bride, "as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." (8: 6.) Here, it will be observed, we have the same combination of strength and love.

Applying this now to the term, "The everlasting arms," there can be little doubt that we have the same thought; viz., the union of strength and love in support of the children of God. That is, the everlasting arms are everlasting strength and everlasting love, wherewith God upholds, sustains, comforts His own, and folds them to His own heart in perfect security and repose; or, if we prefer to carry on the thought of priesthood, it is the everlasting strength and the everlasting love wherewith Christ, as our Priest, upholds us before God. Both aspects are true, and may therefore be blended in our meditations; and surely we may find in either an abundant source of instruction and consolation. We may briefly indicate the channels, in either direction, in which our meditations will necessarily flow.

If, then, we take "the everlasting arms," as explained, in connection with God — and this is in harmony with the context, as the preceding clause is, "The eternal God is thy refuge" — we may discover striking correspondencies in New Testament Scriptures. An example or two may be given. "None is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 29.) Here the thought is presented to us of strengththe almighty power, indeed, with which we are held in the hand of God, so that none is able to pluck us away. Speaking before the Father — indeed bearing us on His heart before the Father — the Lord prays "that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved me." (John 17: 22, 23.) Here we have revealed the everlasting love of God — or rather of the Father — calling attention now only to this one feature. Both things are seen in that familiar scripture in Rom. 8: "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the lave of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (vv. 38, 39.) We are thus entitled to the consolation that we are secured in the embrace of everlasting strength, and everlasting love. And surely when we are borne down by weakness, or tossing to and fro in pain on a sick-bed, or lying wearily through long and wakeful nights, it will calm our hearts, hush every rebellious thought, yea, shed a sweet and soothing peace upon our troubled spirits, to remember that these everlasting arms are underneath us. Our hearts — poor, cold, and sinful as we know them to be — yet, folded to His heart, will be quickened to a larger response, as we feel there the beatings of that heart of divine love, and hear the blissful assurance that nothing — no power in earth, or under the earth — can ever separate us from this divine and everlasting love! "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

If we look, moreover, at Christ as our Priest, we shall see the union of the same two things. Indeed, it springs from the character of His person. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God," etc. (Heb. 4: 14.) He is Jesus — the Man, and He is the Son of God. As Man He was tempted in all points like as we are, apart from sin, and therefore He is one who can sympathize with the feeling of our infirmities; one whose heart can enter into, and feel with us in all our needs, and present us accordingly before God. But He is also the Son of God — He whom God "hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." (Heb. 1: 2.) Well then might it comfort us to remember that He who "upholdeth all things by the word of His power" is the One who is seated — having by Himself purged our sins — as our Priest, on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and that it is He who bears us up there on His shoulders before God. Again and again are we reminded of these two characteristics — His heart and His shoulder (His strength) throughout this epistle. Take one more example. "But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost (all the way through) that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7: 24, 25.) He bears us on His heart in intercession, and He is able to save us from beginning to end.

Thus it is clear, also, that the heart and the shoulder of Christ sustain His people; and these are exactly the two things we need as pilgrims passing through the desert. It is true that our place is in the heavenlies; but it is also true that we are in the wilderness; and when we are made to feel that we are there, there is no consolation like that which the heart and shoulder of Christ can give us. His heart sheds brightness upon the gloomiest scene, and His shoulder will sustain us in the extremity of weakness in the presence of the mightiest foes. Thus He also folds us to His heart with the everlasting arms of strength and love. What courage, what endurance will the assurance not give us! And how blessed to give ourselves up to the sweet sense of security and of endearment which the embrace of Christ thus affords!

May the Lord give us to know ever more fully, and more practically, what it is to have underneath us the everlasting arms.

Christ is Everything

Christ is Everything.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1883, p. 200.

God in His grace has centred for us every blessing in Christ. Without Christ we have nothing, nothing but our sins; with Christ we have all things, and therefore want nothing besides Christ. As the apostle says, "All things are yours; for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." Hence the saying of an old writer, "If thou knowest not Christ, it matters not if thou knowest everything besides; but if thou knowest Christ, it matters not if thou knowest nothing besides."

Now it is not every believer that knows Christ. All believers — those, that is, that have peace with God — know Christ as their Saviour. They know Him in this character or relationship; but it is another thing to know Him in Himself; to have such a knowledge of Him as to be intimately acquainted with His mind, character, and ways. Those who thus know Him find their daily delight in feasting on His beauties and perfections. They value Him for what He is, if possible more than for what He has done; albeit these two thins can never be separated. The apostle John indeed teaches, that to know Him that is from the beginning is the last and highest attainment the believer makes. This knowledge is the characteristic of the fathers in the family of God. (1 John 2.)

Do any then inquire, "Where can I meet Christ — be in companionship, so to speak, with Him, so as ever to learn more of Him?" The answer to this question brings out the special thought lying on our mind. The only place where we can come into contact with Christ is in the written word of God. The Lord then said to the Pharisees, "You search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5: 39.) We find Christ — Christ in every aspect, position, character, and office in the Scriptures; Christ in humiliation and rejection, and Christ in exaltation and glory. The more therefore I read and meditate on God's word, the more I shall learn of Christ.

Be it, however; remembered that Christ, though revealed in the Scriptures, cannot be apprehended by any efforts of the mind. We might read the Scriptures from morning to night without one single ray of the glory of Christ falling upon our souls. It is the Holy Spirit alone who takes of Christ, and shows it unto us. Much therefore — may we not say everything? — depends upon our state of soul. If I read carelessly or hurriedly, if I have unjudged sin within my heart, and consequently a grieved Spirit, how is it possible for me to discern Christ? Like Mary, I must be at the feet of Christ, occupied with Himself, the eye up to Him, and the ear opened to His voice, if the Holy Spirit is to reveal Him to my soul. Leisure of heart and quietness of mind are essential. But do you say, "How is it possible to have that, absorbed as we are in our daily occupations?" It is the Lord who giveth His beloved sleep. Yea, He can give our souls quietness and rest in His own presence when surrounded even by the storm and the tempest. And then, through some scripture hidden away in our hearts, He can so irradiate it with His own glory as to make it the means of an enlarged revelation of Himself to our souls.

Permit the question, "Do you desire to know more, to have more, of Christ?" There are few who would hesitate to reply, "Indeed we do." And yet it is quite true, as often said, that every one possesses as much of Christ as he desires. Of the Israelites in the wilderness we read, that they gathered of the manna every man according to his eating. The appetite determined the amount collected. So it really is with ourselves. Christ never withholds Himself from those who truly seek Him; nay, He responds to us far beyond our desires. The fact is, we want to have more of Christ, and something else besides. This cannot be. It must be Christ alone; Christ our only object, and then He will satisfy even beyond our utmost expectations. Phil. 3 will teach us the true method of pursuing after the knowledge of Christ while waiting to possess, and to be fully conformed to, Him in the glory. Everything is counted but dross, because of the excellency of Christ. For Him the apostle willingly suffers the loss of all things, in order to have Christ alone as His gain. Then two things mark him — concentration and purpose of heart. One thing only is before his soul, and that he resolutely pursues. The glorified Christ, who had been revealed to Him, acts upon his soul like a powerful magnet, draws him away from every thing else to Himself, and begets in him the intense desire to know Him ever more fully, to have fellowship in His sufferings and even to be made conformable to His death, in view of the glorious prospect of being raised from among the dead, when he would be with, possess, and be like Him for ever. May the Lord grant to each one of us to be like-minded in this respect to His servant Paul. E. D.

Gideon's Sevenfold Qualification for Service

Gideon's Sevenfold Qualification for Service.

Judges 6.

E. Dennett.

The book of Judges has an especial claim upon our attention; for it is the record of Israel's failure in the land. God had brought them out of Egypt with a high hand and an outstretched arm, had brought them through the Red Sea, while He smote Pharaoh and his host, and caused them to sink "as lead in the mighty waters." And He led them onward still, through the waste howling wilderness, accomplishing the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and set them. in possession, under the leadership of Joshua, of the promised inheritance. They were now across the Jordan — river of death and judgment; God had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off them at Gilgal (Joshua 5: 9); and as long as they walked in obedience and dependence, no foe could stand before their face. But man invariably fails when entrusted with blessing under responsibility, even under the most favourable circumstances; and Israel was no exception to — nay, was the most striking exemplification of — the rule. No sooner was their blessing at the flood-tide mark than it began to ebb. It is true that they are said to have "served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua" (Judges 2: 7); but it is immediately added that " there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim," etc. (vv. 10, 11.) The consequence was that "the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel," but "nevertheless He raised up judges which delivered them out of the hand of them that spoiled them." (vv. 14-16.) Here indeed we have the two aspects of the whole book, Israel's failure, and the Lord's faithfulness. And out of God's faithfulness sprang `His intervening grace, giving His people a little restoration and reviving in the midst of their departure, corruption, and bondage. The correspondency between this state of things and the present state of the Church will be apparent to all; and hence I propose to call attention to one of the most signal instances of God's intervention — I mean in His raising up of Gideon to be a judge and deliverer to His people. The object before my mind in taking this instance is, that we may learn, as the Lord may enable us, what are the qualifications which God seeks for (and surely also they are of His own providing) in those whom He can use for service and testimony amongst His people.

The sixth chapter commences: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years." (Read vv. 1-6.) Midian was near of kin to Israel, having descended from Abraham through Keturah his second wife; and again and again they are brought into contact with the chosen people. In the wilderness "the Lord spake unto Moses" (and Moses had married Zipporah, daughter of the priest of Midian), "saying, Vex the Midianites, and smite them, for they vex you with their wiles." (Num. 25: 16-18; Num. 31: 1-12.) But now they are in the land itself, though they had never followed the ark across the Jordan; "and Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites." How solemn the warning! But "Israel cried unto the Lord, and it came to pass when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet." (vv. 6-8.) First, the Lord sent a prophet to bring their sin home to their conscience, and then He sent an angel to raise up a deliverer; and He finds Gideon threshing wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. (v. 11.)

1. We may name this first qualification — Feeding on Christ in secret. For wheat is surely a figure of Christ. (See John 12: 24; John 6: 35.) It was a time of great difficulty: idols had usurped the place of Jehovah, so that those who remained faithful in the midst of the general ruin could only worship the Lord alone and in private. So was it with Gideon; Baal had an altar in his father's house; but this "mighty man of valour" threshed wheat alone that he might find sustenance, notwithstanding the watchful eye of the Midianites. Alone in his family, and alone in threshing wheat, he gathered strength from communion with the Lord.

And, beloved friends, may we not say that feeding on Christ in secret is the fountain-head of all qualification for the Lord's service? Thus it was that Joseph was sent into exile and a prison; that Moses was sent for forty years into the desert; Paul into Arabia, etc. For it is when we are alone with Christ that we learn both what we ourselves are (that in our flesh there dwelleth no good thing), and, blessed be His name, what He Himself is, in the infinite fulness of His grace and sufficiency; and the Lord can never use us as standard-bearers, until both of these lessons have been learned. More than this; not only do we thus apprehend (after we have come to the end of ourselves) the all-sufficiency of Christ for every need; but we learn also something of His unspeakable preciousness and beauty, so that we can go out afterwards in His service with satisfied hearts, as well as with confidence in His infinite resources. To feed on Christ in secret is indeed the present and abiding need of all our souls.

2. The next qualification is evidently an exercised heart. "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." (vv. 12, 13.) These words show that Gideon identified himself with the condition of his people; for he says, "Why is all this befallen us?" etc.; and that, entering into their state, he bore it on his heart before the Lord. And without this he had not been qualified to be their helper. It was so with Nehemiah (see Neh. 1); with Daniel (see especially Dan. 9); and pre-eminently was it the case with our blessed Lord. Take an instance or two. They brought unto Him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and we are told that before He healed him, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha; that is, Be opened. (Mark 7: 32-35.) Again too, before He raised Lazarus from the dead, we have the marvellous record that He wept; and that "groaning in Himself" He came to the grave — signs surely of His entering into and taking (if we may so speak) upon His spirit the condition of those to whose succour He had come — that in sympathy and grace He so identified Himself with them that He became the voice of their sorrow and grief; for "Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." (Matt. 8: 17.) The cross is of course the highest expression of His entering into our state; for on it "He bare our sins in His own body." (1 Peter 2: 24.) The principle remains; for our power to succour others will be (not forgetting our entire dependence on the Lord) just in proportion as we have been able to enter into, and to make their sorrows or difficulties our own. It might be well to remember this in our desire to bring saints into their true place. The Lord will use us, if we are qualified for it; but to be qualified for it we must have felt deeply the character of the evil in which they are entangled, and have mourned over it before the Lord. Hence, in the case before us, no sooner does Gideon unburden his exercised heart than "the Lord looked upon him, and said, "Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" (v. 14.)

3. We get now another very important qualification — a sense of his own nothingness. He replies, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (v. 15.) His exercises had thus not been without blessing, for he was now in the place where God's power could come upon and use him. It was so with the apostle Paul after the exercises of heart produced by the thorn in the flesh; he was then brought face to face with his own utter impotence, and want of natural adaptation for the Lord's service, and then the Lord could say to him, "My grace is sufficient for thee." (2 Cor. 12) And all the Lord's servants must learn this lesson sooner or later — that there is nothing in themselves, in their position, or in their circumstances, which can be used for God; that, in a word, the whole of our resources and strength lie outside of ourselves, in Himself; that our sufficiency is of God. (2 Cor. 3: 5.) It is then no longer a question of what the Midianites are, but what God is; for we go to meet them in His strength. Accordingly, the Lord now said unto Gideon, "Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." (v. 16.)

4. Thereupon Gideon becomes bolder, and asks a sign that the Lord talked with hire — prepares a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour, and bringing them, placed his offering, at the direction of the angel, upon the rock. " Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight." By this Gideon is made to know that he had seen an angel of the Lord face to face, and he is filled with fear. But "the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee: fear not: thou shalt not die;" and thus he obtains from the Lord a further qualification for service; viz., a soul at liberty — in peace before God. God had revealed Himself to His servant, and the effect was terror; but the terror passed away before the peace-speaking word of Jehovah. We need not enlarge upon this feature, as it is the history of every soul that is brought into the presence of God (see Isa. 6; Job 42; Luke 5, etc), and every one will understand that there cannot be any true or effectual service for the Lord while the soul is occupied with its own condition, until indeed it is set free, and is at home in God's presence. Thus, when the Lord Jesus came into the midst of His disciples, after the resurrection, He said, "Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." (John 20: 19-21.) Here we have a direct connection between peace and service.

5. The immediate consequence in Gideon's case was — and this gives us a further qualification — that he became a worshipper. "Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom." (v. 24.) That is, he worships God in the character in which He had revealed Himself — as Jehovah who had spoken peace to his soul. The sequence is very instructive. First peace, then worship; and the lesson is, that only those who have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ can worship. What a commentary upon the "public worship" of our land! But now we direct attention to this — that the true servant must first be a worshipper; for, indeed, to go out in service before we are worshippers, is to go out in ignorance of the character of Him we profess to serve; to misrepresent our Lord, and to expose ourselves to certain defeat. Let us then be careful to maintain the divine order.

6. Now the Lord calls upon Gideon to act; but he must first begin at home. "And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it; and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men," etc. (vv. 25-27.) Here we get obedience. Gideon was associated with evil in his father's house ; and, as another has said, "faithfulness within precedes outward strength: evil must be put away from Israel before the enemy can be driven out. Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order." We have an illustration of this truth in the gospels. After the Lord Jesus had cast out the demon from the lad, the "disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting." (Mark 9: 28, 29.) So with Gideon: until he had dethroned the idol in his father's house, he could not be sent to smite the Midianites. There is ample ground in this direction, beloved friends, for heart-searchings with us all. How often, when we have mourned over want of power in the Lord's service, might we have traced the cause to some lack of obedience, of self-judgment, of separation, of faithfulness! We were weak because we had not first dealt with some idol of our hearts or households. Satan is helpless in the presence of an obedient man; he cannot touch such an one, for lie is armed with a coat of mail which not one of his fiery darts can ever penetrate. It was thus that the Lord Jesus vanquished him in the desert. The reply, '1 It is written," foiled him in every attack. And here, too, was Gideon's strength, for no sooner had he received the command than he "took ten men," "and did as the Lord had said unto him" (v. 27), and in obedience he overcame, and purged his father's house — and the subsequent anger of Baal's followers did but expose their own weakness, and the impotence of their god. The devil resisted in obedience is the devil vanquished.

7. Gideon is now a vessel sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and we get accordingly the crowning qualification of power. It is very instructive to note the course of the record. The vessel is now prepared for service; and immediately we are told, "Then all the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them." (vv. 34, 35.) Satan can never forestall God. While Gideon is being prepared, the Midianites, etc., are still; when Gideon is ready, God gathers them together for destruction. They marshal their forces to destroy Israel; but the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon, and now it is God Himself against the Midianites. Ah, beloved friends, let us see to it that we never move forward against the foe excepting in the power of the Spirit of God.

Note another instruction. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet. This Gideon, who was threshing wheat to hide it from the Midianites, now puts a trumpet to his lips, and sounds forth defiance in the face of the foe. In like manner, the Peter who trembled before a servant-maid, being, clothed with power by the Spirit, charges home upon the rulers the sin of crucifying Christ. The apostles also, being filled with the Holy Ghost, spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4: 31.)

But we cannot pursue the subject; as we have now traced the qualifications of this "mighty man of valour" for testimony and service. He is now equipped, ready for the conflict. There will be weaknesses and failures, doubtless; but still he is one whom the Lord can now employ. If the Lord will, we may trace his history farther another day. In the meantime, may He grant that the sevenfold qualification of Gideon may be found in all who are engaged in His service and testimony in these closing days!

God's Order

God's Order.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1882, p. 225.

In every relationship or position in which the believer may be set, the secret of happiness lies in the maintenance of the divine order. Whether in the family, the household, or the Church, if there be failure to uphold God's order, or if there be the substitution of that which is of man, for the sake of convenience and expediency, confusion and discord must be the inevitable result. How many striking evidences of this may be gleaned from the Scriptures!

Take first the family. The value God Himself sets upon subjection to His order is seen in that familiar passage in which He commends Abraham, on the ground that "he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment," etc. (Gen. 18: 19.) In the epistles of Ephesians and Colossians also what care is taken to enjoin on every member of the Christian household the fulfilment of their several relative responsibilities. Children and servants, as well as parents and masters, husbands and wives, are directed as to the duties of their respective positions. On the other hand, what sad examples of parental misrule and of filial disobedience are preserved in the Scriptures for our admonition and warning. The happiness of the families of Eli, Samuel, David, and many others, was wrecked simply because the parents in these cases did not establish and uphold the divine governmental order. And not only was it the case that the happiness of the family was destroyed, but the sin, whether of parental failure, or of the children's disobedience, brought with it the divine judgment. (Read, for example, 1 Sam. 3: 11-14.)

Wherein lies then the maintenance of God's order in the family? The answer to this question is found in both Ephesians and Colossians. (Eph. 5: 22-33, Eph. 6: 1-9; Col. 3: 18-25, Col. 4: 1.) The husband is the head, and as such has to act as God's viceregent, to govern not according to his, but according to the divine will. The authority put into his hands is from the Lord, and it is his to wield for Him, and it cannot therefore be delegated to another. The wife is in subjection to her husband, even as the Church is subject to Christ, the husband on his part having to love his wife even as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it. The responsibility of children is to obey their parents in the Lord. Their obedience is to be absolute, qualified only by the condition — in the Lord. Servants have likewise to obey their masters, parents and masters having on their side their respective obligations.

With these instructions before us, it is easy to perceive that if the wife govern instead of the husband, or if the children are permitted to have their own way, to please themselves instead of living in subjection; or if, again, servants are allowed to govern the household, it could not be productive either of blessing, harmony, or happiness. No; the pathway of blessing is the pathway of obedience in the several spheres we are called upon to fill. And when this is acknowledged by the various members of a family, that household becomes a testimony for God in a scene where all have departed from Him — a bright circle of light in the midst of surrounding darkness, and an anticipation of millennial blessing when the Lord's authority shall be acknowledged throughout the whole world.

It should not be forgotten that a large part of our lives is spent in our homes, and that the household therefore is the chief scene of our testimony. In the incessant questioning as to what is the testimony, it might be well to remember that one part of it should certainly be the expression of Christ in the household — Christ in all the various relationships of the household. "To me to live is Christ." This is the testimony indeed, whether at home, in the Church, or the world.

If now the maintenance of the divine order be of all importance in the family, it certainly is not less so in divine things — in the Church. This is everywhere insisted upon; and there are several departments (so to speak) concerning which special warning or instruction is vouchsafed; viz., worship, teaching, and government. We have more than one remarkable instance of the consequences of the neglect of God's order in worship. After David was established in Jerusalem as king over both Judah and Israel, he desired to "bring again the ark of our God to us: for," said he, "we enquired not at it in the days of Saul." (1 Chr. 13: 3.) The desire was right, the offspring of true piety, one that proceeded from God Himself. But even the desires that are produced by the Spirit of God in us must be expressed in divine channels, in obedience to the Word. David had not as yet learnt this lesson, and he made his own arrangements for the transport of the ark to mount Zion. A new cart was provided, trusted men were to attend it, and all Israel went up to Kirjath-jearim "to bring up thence the ark of God the Lord, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it." It was an occasion of great joy, and as "David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets," they little anticipated that the bright sunshine of their joy was so soon to be darkened by the judgment of God. To bring the ark to mount Zion was a laudable thing; but if brought, it must be brought in God's way. He had given special directions in His word as to how the ark was to be transported (Num. 4); but David and his people were acting as if these instructions had never been written, and indeed were in distinct transgression. The consequence was that God came in and judged them; for when Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark (which none but the priests or Levites were ever to touch) "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and He smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God." The lesson was not lost upon the king; for though he was displeased at the time, he confessed afterwards, when he commanded the Levites to sanctify themselves, to bring up the ark, "The Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought Him not after the due order." (1 Chr. 15: 12.)

Other examples might easily be collected (such as Nadab and Abihu offering their strange fire; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, intruding themselves into the priesthood; and king Uzziah offering incense, etc.), but this will suffice to show that God is not indifferent to the maintenance of His order in everything connected with His worship. It is a lesson we may well lay to heart, and one which should furnish us with ground for much searching of heart in regard to the Church of God; for we cannot be too often reminded that we must not "go up by steps unto God's altar." Nothing must be adopted for expediency, convenience, or adornment in His worship. The true worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth — this is the only "due order" of this dispensation.

God's order in teaching is no less distinctly indicated. "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve." (1 Tim. 2: 11-13.) And it is not without significance that the instruction as to the Lord's Supper and the assembly (1 Cor. 11-14.) should be prefaced by a statement of the relative position of the man to Christ, and of the woman to the man. There are many great and blessed fields of service inviting the activity of Christian women — fields that none but they can occupy, and in which there is abundant room for their utmost devotedness to the glory of their Lord; but there is an absolute prohibition to their assumption of teaching. The charge the Lord brought against the angel of the Church of Thyatira is, "Thou sufferest that woman (or thy wife) Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servant." In any such case it is a violation of God's order, and indeed the vessel is not adapted to the work. In her own sphere, and in such services as are suited, the woman is unrivalled. Her lively and absorbing affections, the quickness of her spiritual instincts, and, we may add, her spiritual discernment and tact, mark her out for labours for which the man has but slender, if any, qualifications. But should she be tempted to forsake her own sphere, and to take up, in disregard of the Scripture, the responsibility of teaching, confusion of truth, if not positive errors in doctrine and practice, will soon be the speedy result. The daughter of Philip, who prophesied before either the gospels or epistles were written, and, as it would seem, in their father's house, are no example now to Christian women, except in so far as they show that in the privacy of home the Lord may often use the woman as the channel for the communication of His mind to the family.

In government likewise there is to be the most careful adherence to God's order. Thus in the epistles of Paul to Timothy and Titus we have the most minute details given of the qualifications of those who may take the place of rule (elders or bishop), or that of a special service (deacons). And if there is no apostolic power now present to appoint either the one or the other, the more careful we ought to be to insist on the possession of the qualifications. Believers themselves, as well as those who have the lead in the assembly, should have more conscience on this subject in their united desire that the authority of the Lord alone should be maintained as expressed in His word. Even in apostolic days self-will found expression, as, for example, in the case of Diotrephes. He was one who sought to govern according to his own will, instead of according to the word of God. Hence he would even shut out an apostle from the saints, looking upon them as his property, instead of the Lord's. But if the Lord sent any of His servants, it was a solemn thing for Diotrephes to exclude them, and even those who would receive them, on the ground of his own feeling or inclinations, and hence the solemn condemnation pronounced upon Him by the apostle. (3 John.)

In the Old Testament there are two remarkable cases of abuse of government. Both Eli's sons and the sons of Samuel seemed to have used their place for their own ends, and to corrupt the people. To speak more exactly, they derived their influence from their relationship to Eli and to Samuel. The priesthood was hereditary, the judgeship not; but Eli's fault was that he abandoned his authority to his sons, and did not restrain them when they made themselves vile. (1 Sam. 3: 13.) And how often is it the case that relatives are allowed to usurp the place and authority of the one with whom they are connected, and who himself may rightly occupy a position of rule. For him to act would be according to God; but he cannot delegate his responsibility, and if his relatives act in his place, it must not only violate God's order, but it will also, as a consequence, introduce confusion and disorder.

Our readers can pursue the subject for themselves, and the more they investigate it the more they will be convinced that the Lord's honour and our blessing are intimately bound up with the maintenance in every way, both in the family and in the Church, of God's order. E.D.

The Conditions of Guidance

The Conditions of Guidance.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1882, p. 33.

It is remarkable that in the gospel of John, which presents Christ to us as the eternal Son, we see Him everywhere, and constantly, taking the place of the Servant. In accordance with this position we find Him asserting three things; first, that He did not come of Himself, but that He was sent by the Father; secondly, that He did not speak His own words; and, thirdly, that He did not do His own works. (See John 5: 19, 36, 43; John 6: 38-40; John 7: 16, 28; John 8: 28, 29; John 9: 4; John 10: 36-38; John 14: 10, etc.) In a word, He came, as He tells us, not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. We call attention to this only for the purpose of showing that it was the maintenance of this subject and dependent position, which secured for Him at all times the perfect knowledge of His Father's will. This principle indeed is affirmed by His own words: "The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth." (John 5: 19, 20.) A careful consideration of the several points involved in this statement will furnish us with instruction as to the conditions of guidance for ourselves in all circumstances, and in whatever perplexities.

The first thing is that He could do nothing of (or rather from) Himself — that is, in the lowly place which He voluntarily assumed. His whole mission being to accomplish the will of Another, He could not, while engaged in it, originate a single action. His will was perfect as He Himself was perfect, and yet He never allowed His will to govern Him in what He did. His meat was to do the Father's will, and on this very account He could do nothing of Himself.

And in this respect He is our perfect example. Unlike Him, our wills are utterly evil; and if they come into activity for one single moment, sin is the result. We cannot will that which is good. But God in His grace has associated us with the death of Christ, and as a consequence we ourselves, and therefore our wills as well as our sins, are gone in the cross. We have been crucified with Christ, and now it is not we who live, but Christ that liveth in us. This is the blessed place in which God has put us, and accordingly our true position before Him is that of having no will. We start with this, and Hence should always take the ground of being unable to do anything of (or from) ourselves. Our own promptings, inclinations, suggestions, must be habitually refused, always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus; for if Christ is in us the body is dead because of sin. It would save us from many a snare, and many a mistake, and, we may add, many a sin, to maintain this place — this denying ourselves, and this taking up the cross in order to follow our Lord. It is, in a word, the fundamental condition for any knowledge of the mind and will of God. Hence it may be truly said, that when our own wills are in action it is impossible to ascertain the Lord's mind. (See John 7: 17.)

The second point is, that our Lord could only do what He saw the Father do; "for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." This involved two things. First, His eye was always on the Father, and then there was a constaut response to everything the Father was doing. If it may be so said, the Lord was ever on the watch for the slightest indication of His Father's will, and His feet were swift to run in the way of His commandments. He was therefore, in all that He did, the perfect expression of the Father's mind; and thus it was that His every act was a revelation, and consequently a presentation, of the Father to those around. (See John 14: 7-11.) This also may be applied to ourselves. As He was in relation to the Father we are in relation to Himself. (John 17: 18.) To know therefore what to do at any given juncture, it is essential that we should have the "single eye." When Gideon was about to attack the Midianites, he said to his followers, "Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do." (Judges 7: 17.) So it must be now with the Christian; he must look on Christ that he may do what he sees Him doing. As already said, his eye must be single; i.e. his eye must be on Christ alone, seeing nothing but Christ, desiring nothing but His mind and His glory. If the eye be diverted from Christ to self, to saints, to relatives, or to any other object for a single moment, it ceases to be single, and perplexity will ensue. But if the eye be single the whole body will be full of light; the mind of Christ will be known and enjoyed; the light of His own presence and counsel will fill the soul, and even the body will become a vessel of light.

But then, as with our blessed Lord, there must be the doing as well as the knowledge of the Father's will: "What things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." The activity of the Father found a full and perfect response in that of the Son. With us, alas! it is often far otherwise. Our light, our knowledge, far exceeds our answer to it, and thus the very truth we delight to hold searches and humbles us in the dust before God. Without, however, pursuing this aspect now, we desire rather to press that our responsibility in any given circumstances, the moment we know His mind, is to follow the Lord. Our danger is often in going before Him; but if our eye is steadfastly fixed on Him to discern what He is doing, then the whole of our responsibility lies in following in His steps. As with the Israelites in the wilderness, who remained in their camp when the cloud rested, and commenced their journey when it moved forward, so with ourselves. If the Lord wait we must also wait, and if He advance we must likewise advance, so that, whether in inaction or action, whether in forbearance or in conflict, we may be simply the reflex of His own mind. Today it may be, according to His will, that we should rest or rather endure; but tomorrow that same will might direct us to activity. Bearing this in mind, our only exercise will lie in detecting the Lord's path, and in seeking grace and strength to be found walking it. "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me." (John 12: 26.)

There is a third thing. The Lord adds, "For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth." This addition is of the greatest importance. It might have been felt, from what has been already said, that the whole onus of discerning the Lord's mind had been thrown upon the believer himself. In a sense this is true; but this truth is now supplemented by another. And it is this, That the Son is the object of the Father's heart, and that consequently the Father delights to communicate His mind to Him. This is also true of the believer in relation to Christ. "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you." And in this very connection He says to His disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what His lord doeth: but I have called you friends: for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you." (John 15: 15.) If therefore the Father found His joy in unfolding His mind to the Son, the Son had likewise His delight in imparting what He received to His own. And this is as true now as it was then; for "when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of (or from) Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16: 13, 14.) To acquire the knowledge therefore of the Lord's mind for us is not an effort on our parts, but it is the result of being in a position to receive the communications, which He both desires and delights to make to His people.

This leads to another important observation. The Lord Himself was always in a position to hear and understand the Father's communication; but we, alas! are too often either deaf to His voice, or slow to apprehend it when heard. Everything depends therefore upon our state of soul; that is, upon our being in a condition to hear and to receive what the Lord may communicate. Two illustrations of this may be cited from the Scriptures. When the Lord was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him," etc. (Genesis 18: 17-19.) This is a striking instance of the truth we have named, and the whole chapter testifies also that the Lord's secrets — secrets of manifestation as well as of instruction — are only confided to those who fear Him — to those who are walking apart from the world in communion with Himself. Lot was left, until the very eve of the visitation of the judgment, in utter ignorance of Sodom's coming doom. It was Abraham, who maintained the walk of faith and the pilgrim character, who was admitted into the intimacies of the Lord's purposes and ways. The second illustration, while teaching the same truth, is of another kind. The Lord was seated with His disciples on the passover night, and while with them "He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me." The disciples were concerned, as they looked one upon another, to know of whom He spake. And it is very noteworthy that Simon Peter, who was seldom lacking in forward energy, does not on this occasion venture to put the question which they all desired to ask. No; he was not near enough to his Lord, and he instinctively felt it, and hence he beckoned to the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who was leaning on Jesus' bosom, to do so for them. This disciple — John, without doubt — immediately responded, and enquires, "Lord, who is it?" And the Spirit of God, as if to call attention to the fact that no other but he could put the question, repeats that this disciple was "lying on Jesus' breast." From this scene, in addition to the teaching gleaned from the case of Abraham, we learn, not only that the Lord delights to impart His secrets to those who are in a condition to receive them, but also that those who occupy a place of special nearness can ask the Lord to reveal to them His mind — a thing impossible to do if at a distance from Him. It is really this principle which the Lord Himself affirms when He says, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him." (John 14: 21; compare Col. 1: 9.)

It will follow therefore that the knowledge of God's mind in any difficulties will never be wanting if; like John, we are living in the habitual enjoyment of the Lord's presence and love, if we know what it is, amid all the confusion and darkness of this evil day, and with the power of Satan present in the midst of the Lord's people, to repose upon that unwearied heart  - a heart that remains ever the same, spite of the evil and declension within and around. Absorbed in His love we shall hear His faintest whisper, and His path will be plain before our face. On the other hand, if we are unspiritual or worldly, acting from our own desires or predilections, discernment of the Lord's way, what He is doing, will be impossible. It is quite true that in His tender mercy He may drive us, even when in such a state, by circumstances, control us with the bit and bridle, but that is a far different thing from discerning what "He Himself doeth." In the former case we shall be walking in communion with Himself; in the latter sorrows and chastenings, if not stumblings and falls, may be His chosen instrumentalities to instruct us in the way we should go.

May we learn ever more fully the meaning of His own words, "If ye abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you!" E.D.

"Hold that fast which thou hast."

"Hold that fast which thou hast."

Rev. 3: 11.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1883, p. 10.

As those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and who have before us the prize of our calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, we are but little concerned with the rapid flitting by of the times and seasons. If it has any voice for us, it is only to remind us that the night is far spent, and the day is at hand; and that it behoves us to have our loins girt about, and our lights burning, in the prospect of the speedy return of our Lord.

One special aspect of our responsibility in view of this prospect is brought before us in the scripture at the head of this paper. It is found in the message to Philadelphia. Passing by the question now as to what constitutes Philadelphia — a question of ever-increasing importance, and which ere long, if the Lord will, may be fully discussed — attention may yet be directed to the fact that overcoming in this church is totally different from that in the other six. In the five preceding churches  -  with the exception perhaps of Smyrna — it is overcoming by separation, or preservation, from the evil in their respective spheres of responsibility. In Laodicea it is by getting out of one state into another; in a word, by acquisition of what is lacking. But overcoming in Philadelphia is simply maintaining — maintaining that which is already possessed. Thus, "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh (i.e. by holding fast) "will I make a pillar in the temple of my God," etc. The encouragement to hold fast, the reader will mark, is the Lord's coming. "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast," etc.

Another thing is obvious. The need of the exhortation sprung and springs from the fact that there was a danger of losing the precious heritage which had been entrusted to them. Hence to retain the truth would involve conflict, as it has ever done all down the line of the history of the Church until the present moment, and as it will increasingly do until the Lord descends from heaven to gather His own into His presence for ever.

Will our readers therefore suffer the word of exhortation? The conviction has been forced upon us, and it is deepened daily, that the one important thing, the one incumbent responsibility at the present moment, is to "hold that fast which we have." With some — as the saints in Sardis for example — the first duty is to recover that which they have lost; for pulpits from which once were proclaimed the doctrines of grace and the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures are now filled, in many cases, with the advocates of a rationalistic infidelity or of Romish superstitions. Many, on the other hand, and ourselves amongst the number, can thank God that they have hitherto been preserved from the desolating influences of evil doctrine. Our danger is of a subtler kind. It is not open enemies that we have to dread; every true soldier of the faith delights in warfare with such. Our foes are rather they of our own household — foes therefore in the garb of friends — those who stand by and permit the truth to be frittered away. It cannot indeed be denied that truths which, when first recovered and proclaimed, were used of God to rouse thousands of His people out of their slumbers, and which encouraged many to forsake all they held dear for the joy of fuller communion with the mind of the Lord, and for the still deeper joy of a more intimate knowledge of Himself, are now either loosely held — held in a way that involves no reproach, no cross — or being tacitly surrendered.

If this tendency increases, the question of Pilate may again be heard, "What is truth?" The truth is Christ, every part of it being but a ray of the glory that shines from His glorified face at the right hand of God. To hold fast that which we have therefore is to hold fast the truth of all that He is in His person, in His work, in His union with His people, in His headship of the body, in all the relationships into which He, in grace, has entered with His own in all the offices which He condescends to fill, and, in a word, in all His divine unfoldings in the precepts He has given to His people. Well then may He challenge us to hold that fast which we have, because it is in reality fidelity to Himself which is thus enjoined. Who of us is willing, by the grace of God, to respond to His appeal? To do so must, we again remind you, involve conflict. Take, for example, the truest Philadelphian the Church has ever seen  -  the apostle Paul. Was there ever a moment in his history after his conversion when he could rest from warfare, and from warfare for the truth with those who bore the name of Christ equally with himself? At Antioch he was utterly alone: Barnabas for the moment forsook him, and Peter was the chief adversary, so that Paul had to withstand him to the face. (Gal. 2.) What a temptation it must have been to a tender heart like that of Paul's to have yielded the point in charity for the sake of peace! If he had, what would have been the consequence? This we cannot tell; but it is certain that at that moment the maintenance of the truth of God depended entirely on the fidelity of Paul. He was the only one in that Church at Antioch who held that fast which he had; and if he had let the standard fall, what other hand was there to grasp, and to raise it aloft once again, and to lead on to victory? Nor is this a solitary example. Again and again, in times of danger and controversy, he is found alone, and solely because he would not, through the mercy of God, sacrifice one iota of the sacred deposit which the Lord Himself had committed to his charge. So now in proportion to our fidelity we shall be alone; and it may yet again become true, as the prophet declares, that he that departeth from evil will be accounted mad. (Isa. 59: 15, marginal rendering.)

Do we then advocate controversy? Nothing is more withering to the soul — for it is a deadly poison — than controversy, as usually understood. No; what we plead for is a full ministration of Christ, and faithfulness in the defence of the whole truth of Christ. But even if the truth is held and defended apart from Christ, it is of no value, rather an immense damage to the soul. Hence none but those who are walking in communion with a living Christ can bold that fast which they have, in the sense of this scripture; for no keenness of intellect, no argumentative power, will avail in this battle; nothing but the word of God wielded in the power of the Holy Ghost. On this account the exhortation is prefaced by the announcement, "Behold, I come quickly." The Lord would thus have His soldiers fight as momentarily expecting to see Him face to face. A hymn puts the question

"Shall we of the way be weary,

When we see the Master's face?"

In like manner, who could tire in the conflict for Christ and His truth, when our hearts are cheered and warmed by the expectation of being caught away from the midst of the strife to meet the Lord in the air?

One caution is necessary. If as the days grow darker, and the characteristics of the perilous times are more and more manifested, conflict for the truth should, as it must, become hotter and hotter, let us with all the more diligence keep our hearts. We must cherish constant and tender affection for all the saints of God, and this can only be done as long as our hearts are in communion with the heart of Christ. If conflict makes us hard or severe, we must unsparingly judge ourselves. Like Israel in the land under Joshua, after every battle we must return to Gilgal, so that in all our warfare only the weapons of the Spirit of God may be employed. (See 2 Cor. 11: 6.)

May the Lord Himself raise up and qualify many who shall be faithful standard-bearers for Him and His truth in this day of confusion and error! E. D.

Scriptural Holiness:

Scriptural Holiness:

what is it, and how attained?

E. Dennett.

Publisher: Rouse.

CBA11,346.

It may be questioned whether the subject of Scriptural Holiness occupies its due place in the minds of many Christians. They are satisfied with too low a standard of walk and conduct. Having received the forgiveness of sins, and understanding in some measure the value of the precious blood of Christ, they rest in the assurance that they are safe for heaven. The consequence is that they are governed, more or less, by worldly principles; they think little of daily failures, even if they do not regard them as a matter of course; and they aim at little more than maintaining outward consistency and a good report amongst their fellow-Christians. The possibility of unclouded communion with God, according to their measure, and daily victory over sin never seems to have dawned upon their souls. And yet it is evident from many scriptures that no lower standard than this ought ever to be accepted. Paul, for example, says of himself, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ." (Phil. 1: 20, 21.) To the Corinthians he writes: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor. 7: l.) His desire for the Thessalonians is, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and (I pray God) your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5: 23.) Peter says, "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1: 15, 16.) John says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not." (1 John 2: l.) Again, "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not." (1 John 3: 6.) And once more, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2: 6.) In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established; and, as we cannot but see, Paul, Peter and John unite in their testimony that God has called us to holiness, and, as may be shown further on, to growing holiness during our sojourn in the wilderness.

Admitting this, our first concern must be to ascertain WHAT IS SCRIPTURAL HOLINESS, what is holiness as revealed in God's word. It may help us, in pursuing this enquiry, to say what it is not. To be kept from falling into sin, not sinning, is not in itself holiness. There is no necessity for the believer to sin; but intimately as this may be connected with our subject it is not holiness. That it is often said to be so is quite true, but even in such cases it will be found that by not sinning is meant that there has not been the commission of any known sin. But we cannot judge of our own state and condition, for the apostle expressly says, "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself I am conscious of nothing in myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord." (1 Cor. 4: 3, 4.) The plain teaching of this scripture is that, although the apostle was not conscious of any failure at that moment, he was not necessarily "justified," inasmuch as the Lord alone could judge according to God's standard, and make manifest the counsels of the heart. When we read that the thought of foolishness is sin, he must be a bold man indeed who would venture to affirm that he had passed (say) a week without sinning. But we go further and say that absolute sinlessness, if such a state were possible, is not holiness as presented in the Scriptures.

What then is it? God's standard of holiness is Christ, Christ as He is now glorified at God's right hand. This can be easily demonstrated. From Ephesians 1 we learn that God chose believers in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love (v. 4); and from Romans 8, that He has predestinated them to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Assuming that the first scripture, whatever the truth of our present standing in Christ, goes on, in its full import, to our glorified condition, the second shows that this condition is one of entire conformity to Christ glorified, and that He therefore is the revelation of God's thoughts of holiness. The Lord Himself, moreover, in John 17, when addressing the Father, says, "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." (v. 19.) For the present we will content ourselves with saying that this language means, that the Lord was about, in departing from the disciples and going to the, Father, to set Himself apart at God's right hand; and that, as glorified there, He would be the model to whom His disciples should be conformed by the truth of what He was in that new condition. Yet another scripture; the apostle John says, after speaking of the manifestation of Christ in glory, "We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." Here clearly Christ, as He now is, is the standard of the believer's purification.

It is, then, abundantly evident from all these passages that Christ glorified is the expression of holiness according to God, and hence that the believer, who desires to be in communion with God's thoughts, could not accept any lower standard. And it should be further observed, that power will be lost in proportion as the standard is lowered. Satan knows this full well, and that it will give him an immense advantage in plying his temptations, if the people of God can be induced to substitute their own thoughts of holiness for God's, because then their eyes will be diverted from Christ. When, on the other hand, Christ alone is the goal, as in Philippians 3, He fills the vision, and the soul, drawn onward by His attractions, is filled with spiritual energy, and absorbed with the intense desire for growing conformity to Him, while looking "for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." (vv. 20, 21.) Holiness, then, according to God, will not be reached until we are with Christ, as John indeed says, "We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."

While this is true, and the testimony of Scripture is very uniform upon this point, it is yet to be insisted on that there should constantly be with the believer growing conformity to Christ, increasing practical sanctification, or holiness, every day.  The reader must carefully consider the term "practical sanctification," because there is a sanctification which belongs alike to every believer, and in virtue of which all, without distinction, are called saints. Thus Paul writes to the Corinthians, "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6: 11); and to the Thessalonians, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." (2 Thess. 2: 13.) This sanctification refers to the setting apart for God of everyone in whom the Spirit has wrought in the new birth. Everyone, in other words, who is born of God is thus sanctified. In the epistle to the Hebrews we also read of a sanctification by blood; but this, equally with the former, belongs to the Christian position, and is in no way connected as to meaning with practical holiness, with holiness of walk, although it is ever true that the latter should flow out of the former.

Having called attention to this distinction, we may pass on to consider THE MEANS OF THE ATTAINMENT OF HOLINESS. A moment's reflection will show there are two aspects of the question: overcoming temptation, not yielding to sin; and positive growth in likeness to Christ. There is no doubt that in proportion to our increasing conformity to God's own standard we receive power to resist the solicitations of the flesh; but it will conduce to simplicity if we take these two aspects in the order named. (1) Victory over sin. As we have already seen, there is no necessity for the believer to sin; and now we desire to point out the ground of the absence of this necessity. In Romans 6 we read Knowing this, that our old man" (a term which includes our evil nature, the flesh, or 'sin') "is crucified with Him, that the body of sin (sin in its totality) might be destroyed (or annulled as to its claims), that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed ('justified') from sin." (vv. 6, 7.) Most precious truth lies in this short statement. The second part of the gospel is contained in it; it proclaims salvation, deliverance from the dominion of indwelling sin, and should therefore be tidings of hope and joy to many a weary and disheartened soul. What, then, is taught in these words? First of all, that God has dealt with, passed judgment upon, what we are as children of Adam, upon our whole state and condition as his descendants, in the cross of Christ; that not only was there the expiation of our sins in His death, but that also the flesh, the nature that produced the sins, came up there before the eye of God, and passed for ever out of His sight under judgment. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." (Rom. 8: 3.) Henceforward God sees His people as having died with Christ (Col. 2: 20; Col. 3: 3), and consequently as having met, as associated with Christ on the cross, all the righteous judgment which was due to their state and condition. Now faith receives God's thoughts, sees with God; and hence the believer sees himself as dead — dead in Christ's death; and he is thus enabled to understand the following words, "He that is dead is freed" (justified, discharged) "from sin." Sin — indwelling sin — cannot have any claims upon a dead man. By the very fact of death, and he is dead for faith, he has been cleared for ever from any imputation of sin and sinful lusts.

It should be most carefully noticed that the state of the believer in Romans 6 is not an actual but a faith-state. This will aid us to seize the significance of the next four verses. Associated with Christ in death, "We believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God." On the cross He was made sin for us, and thereon He, having borne all the judgment due to our sinful estate, died to sin, having died out of that condition, once and for ever, in which He was a sacrifice for sin. Never more will He have to do with it in His own person, and hence, in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Not that — far be the thought — He did not always live unto God, but now, having completed His sacrificial work, He has passed, through resurrection, into a sphere where He has done with sin for ever, and where, as has been strikingly said, God will fill "the outgoings" of His whole existence. On this wonderful ground is laid the exhortation, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus." We are not actually dead, but, according to the reckoning of faith, we count ourselves to be so, and also to be alive unto God in Him who is risen out of death. For faith, therefore, the old sinful life is gone in the cross of Christ, and also no life is now recognised but that which we have in a risen Christ — a life which only has, and could not but have, God for its object.

In this blessed truth lies the secret of victory over sin; for it is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which makes us free from the law of sin and death. But this is deliverance known in the soul, and deliverance must be practically apprehended before the path of holiness can be trodden. How then is it to be learned and enjoyed? Only in one way. Romans 6 describes how we are delivered from sin for God and for faith; Romans 7: 1-6 how deliverance from law is obtained; verses 7-12 answer the question, Is the law sin? And from verse 13 to the end of the chapter we have the experimental process by which the soul reaches the knowledge of its deliverance "from the body of this death," and of its new place in Christ. The process is described by one who has passed through, but is no longer in it; and the case supposed is that of one who has a new nature, for he delights in the law of God after the inward man, but is lying, notwithstanding all his struggles and efforts, in hopeless captivity to sin, to sin in the flesh.

Before the stages of the deliverance are indicated, it should be distinctly understood that the experiences of souls now do not exactly correspond with those detailed in this chapter. The reason of the difference is, that Gentile believers were never under law. Another thing is, that the case supposed in this chapter had never received the Holy Ghost, whereas it is quite possible for those who, on forgiveness of sins, have received the Holy Spirit, but who have never learned the truth of their evil nature, the flesh, and how it has been dealt with in the cross of Christ, to enter upon similar and analogous experiences.

The apostle, then, traces four stages before the deliverance is reached. The first is, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." Until the lesson is learned, that the flesh is totally, unchangeably, and hopelessly evil, there will be always the expectation of amendment, and progress becomes impossible. The second is that the soul is powerless: "To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (v. 18.) Many are more slow to recognise this truth than the former; but it is as imperative to come to the end of our own strength as to learn that nothing good can proceed from the flesh. The third is to understand how to distinguish between the old and the new natures, to be able to say of the motions of the flesh, the active principle of evil in me, "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." The flesh will then be treated as an enemy, an enemy within, and as one who has become as hateful to us as it is to God; and also as one from whom, by faith, I entirely dissociate myself by identifying myself with Christ as my only and true life. (Compare Gal. 2: 20, 21.) The last stage is now reached.

Notwithstanding the lessons which have been acquired, the soul finds itself in the grip of a relentless enemy, and, though delighting in the law of God after the inward man, has to say, "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. "In this helpless and hopeless condition, with every source of succour from within dried up, the cry is raised, and all the pent-up sorrow, agony, and disappointment from the unsuccessful conflicts of the past are expressed in the cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (v. 24.) The cry is no sooner uttered than the blessed light of deliverance, like the sun bursting through the dark clouds of a spent storm, breaks in upon the soul; and immediately perceiving that deliverance is to be found, not in self but in Christ, in Christ risen from the dead, and out of the whole estate and condition in which He died to sin, the song of triumph is heard, "I thank God (I am delivered) through Jesus Christ our Lord." Like Jonah, the soul has now learned that "salvation is of the Lord," for it has experimentally reached its new place in Christ, where there is no condemnation, because "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death," and God has already, in sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. (Rom. 8: 1-3.)

It would take us too far from our present subject to follow out all the consequences of this blessed deliverance as here described; and we will therefore content ourselves with pointing out two or three. First, the walk now is, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; the things of the Spirit occupy the new mind; the state is no longer characterized by the flesh but by the Spirit, for the Spirit of God dwells in the delivered soul. If moreover Christ is in the believer, the body is dead because of sin, and the Spirit is life because of righteousness; also there is the assurance that even his mortal body will be quickened, because he has dwelling in him the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead.

Leaving the reader to examine these consequences for himself, we may point out that the delivered soul will at once enter upon a path of liberty and power. The character of his liberty will be liberty from self and liberty before God, and this known in ever-increasing measure as he learns more of the fulness of the grace which has been displayed in redemption. The power will flow from the presence and activity of the Holy Ghost, a power sufficient to resist and overcome all the incitements of the flesh; and hence the apostle can say, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

These blessings are among the possibilities of one who has entered upon deliverance. Their realization will depend upon the maintenance of an ungrieved Spirit (see Eph. 4: 30), and of spiritual diligence or purpose of heart. This will at once be understood, at least in one aspect, by a reference to another scripture. The apostle John writes, "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not" (1 John 3: 6); power to overcome the temptation to sin, to gratify the flesh, is here plainly connected with abiding in Christ. What then is abiding in Christ? If we turn to the Lord's own illustration in John 15, the meaning is evident, "As the branch," He says, "cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." Look now at the branch of the vine. First, it is absolutely dependent on the vine; and, secondly, it lives of the life of the vine. It is the vine's sap which, flowing out from the stem into the branch, produces the fruit. To abide in Christ is therefore to be in absolute dependence upon Christ (and without, or apart from, Him we can do nothing), and to be living of His life. This condition fulfilled, there will always be an ungrieved Spirit, and always power, and thus always victory over sin. It should also be said, that to be in constant dependence implies the activity of faith, and faith in exercise brings in God's power for our daily preservation. Jude teaches the precious truth that God is able to keep us from falling, but God does not always keep His people from stumbling; and the link between the display of His power and our preservation in His path is declared by Peter, when he says, "You, who are kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Peter 1: 4, 5). Faith then secures the interposition of an Omnipotent arm to uphold us against all the devices of the enemy, so that leaning on it, we may be victorious in every conflict, because He that has undertaken our cause is mightier than all our adversaries. Understanding this, we may adopt the language of the Psalmist, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Nay we have, in the confidence of faith, only to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Having now dwelt upon the means of victory over sin, we may consider, secondly, how we may grow in conformity to Christ; how, in other words, we may make advances in practical holiness. There are two scriptures which will explain this, one is John 17: 19, and the other 2 Cor. 3: 18. The former has already been mentioned, and it was explained that, when the Lord spoke of sanctifying Himself, He referred to His being glorified as man at God's right hand, and that He presents Himself there as the model to whom we are to be conformed. Further, when He speaks of our being sanctified by the truth, He teaches that we shall be brought into moral likeness to Him by the application to our souls of the truth of what He is as glorified; that is, that the revelation to us of what He is, in all His perfections as glorified, will have the effect of producing in us by degrees moral correspondence with Himself. It is, in fact, only another aspect of what is found in the second passage. Let us then examine it.

The first thing to be observed is, that the face of our blessed Lord is, in His glorified condition, unveiled. This will be understood if it is perceived that a contrast is drawn between Moses and Christ. Moses had been, in the mount with Jehovah, and the effect of his being in the immediate presence of God was that his face shone, and the people were afraid to come nigh him. Moses then put a veil upon his face until he had done speaking with them; for, as the apostle points out in verse 13, they "could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished." The reason of the people's fear was, that the very glory that shone from the face of Moses, told of the claims of a holy God, and they knew, from their recent transgression and apostasy, that if those claims were pressed, it would be for their judgment and destruction. In contrast with all this, the glory displayed in the face of our glorified Lord proclaims that His work on the cross has been accomplished, that atonement has been made to the eternal satisfaction of God. The Lord's glory is thus the divine witness to the efficacy of His sacrifice, to the perfectness of the redemption wrought out by His death and resurrection, and to God's own estimate of His finished work. This will explain, secondly, how it is that the believer can "behold" the Lord's glory, unveiled as it is, without fear. So far from striking terror into his heart, as the shining of Moses' face did into the hearts of the children of Israel, it excites his adoring gratitude, inasmuch as it proclaims that the question of his sin and sins has been for ever settled according to the requirements of the glory of God. He stands therefore, in the exercise of faith, boldly in the presence of his glorified Lord, and he sees, with unspeakable joy, in every ray of His glory the declaration that God reposes with infinite satisfaction in the One who glorified Him on the earth, and finished the work which He had given Him to do. Thirdly, it is to be noticed that Christ, as glorified at the right hand of God, is, as before remarked, the expression of the purpose of God for His people. Every believer is to be conformed to the image of His Son. Adam and his race have been for ever set aside; and Christ, who is the beginning as the man of God's counsels, is in His glorified state the divine pattern after which God is now working. "As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Cor. 15: 48, 49.) This brings us to our last point in this connection, which is, that our growth in likeness to Christ, while down here, our increase in practical holiness, is the fruit of occupation, of being constantly engaged with, of meditation upon, our blessed Lord's glory. This statement is borne out by the language of our scripture. It says "beholding* the glory of the Lord, (we) are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Three things are here given. First, that it is by beholding we are changed; second, that the change is gradually effected; and, third, that the Spirit is the power by which the transformation is accomplished.

*The words "as in a glass" may lie in the etymology of the word so translated, but it should be understood that the phrase "beholding as in a glass" is but the rendering of one word, and it means simply contemplating. They are not necessary therefore to the meaning.

Here then is the means of all attainment in holiness. But the reader may enquire, How, or where, can we behold the glory of the Lord? Let it then be plainly stated that His glory, which He now possesses as the glorified Man (though He is ever all that He is in His glorious person), is revealed to us in the written Word, and it is, as we read of it there, and trace it out, that we contemplate it, and while adoringly contemplating it, the Holy Spirit silently, but actively, works. within us and fashions us morally after His likeness. All the perfections of Christ (for these constitute His glory) — His grace, His love, His holiness, His truth, His tenderness — and everything that belongs to His glorified condition are displayed before our eyes in the sacred record, and as we meditate upon Him we are changed into the same image; but gradually, for it says, from glory to glory.

Another thing should be added. It is everywhere taught in the Word that it is to the heart the Lord communicates Himself, that it is through the heart we apprehend (by the Spirit we need riot say) divine things. He who loves most will therefore learn most; and it is consequently of the greatest importance in the pursuit after holiness that the spiritual affections should be cultivated. And there is nothing that so nourishes the hearts of God's people as the consideration of our blessed Lord in His pathway through this world. To behold Him in all His meekness and lowliness, in the incessant flowing out of His grace to the poor and wretched souls, to the publicans and sinners, with whom He came in contact; to see Him in all His tenderness and patience in the midst of His disciples, watching over and caring for them, and never giving them up, whatever their ignorance and waywardness; to mark His consuming zeal for, His entire devotedness to, the glory of God; and, lastly, to watch Him at all cost going calmly forward to the cross, although He had to encounter in His path the malice of Satan and the enmity of men, the treason of Judas and desertion by the rest of the disciples, and then, finally, going down under all God's waves and billows, to endure there all that His glory necessitated, and to lay down His life under judgment — all this cannot but touch the renewed heart, and call forth emotions of gratitude and love to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. With these emotions in our souls, our gaze is drawn upward to Him where He is, and beholding His present glory we rejoice, and we adore as we remind ourselves that the One who is now glorified is the same Jesus who down here learned obedience by the things which He suffered. In this way that condition of soul is produced in which the Spirit of God can most effectually work for our transformation.

Another thing will follow. Perceiving that Christ glorified is the model to whom we are to be conformed, we learn that He is our present standard; and, in the expectation of being like Him, when we see Him as He is, we shall, as John teaches, purify ourselves even as He is pure; we shall judge ourselves and everything round about us by the light of what He is; and refusing, whether in ourselves or in things around, all that is unsuitable to Him, we shall seek at the same time, through grace, the acquisition of everything that would call forth His approbation and delight. We should thus grow in holiness unceasingly, and the measure of our attainment will be the measure of our conformity to His likeness.

If, then, the Scriptures teach that absolute holiness, that is, entire likeness to Christ, cannot be reached until we see Him face to face, and be for ever with Him, What, it may be well to enquire, are the possibilities for the Christian, as to state, walk, and conduct, while waiting for this consummation? First, to go down to the foundation, the Scriptures teach that God is able, as already pointed out, to keep us from falling. God were not God if it were not so. Let not the reader therefore, however tried and tempted, doubt it; but let him rest calmly in this blessed assurance that he can be in no situation of difficulty, perplexity, or peril in which God cannot preserve him from stumbling. But it must again be remembered that God acts in, and through, the believer's faith. If we cease to look to Him through fear, or unbelief, even as Peter lost confidence in the Lord "when he saw the wind boisterous," we shall like him begin to sink. It is faith, faith in constant activity, that draws down into the soul the constant sustaining power of God; and walking thus in unfaltering trust in Him, no wile or seduction of the enemy will succeed in drawing us aside from the holy path of dependence and obedience. Again, we may repeat there is no necessity for the believer to sin. (See 1 John 2: 1; 1 John 5: 18.) Yet "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1: 8.) There is not a believer in the whole world who has not sin, the evil nature  - "the flesh" — still in him; but "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections [passions] and lusts" (Gal. 5: 24); not indeed that all have actually done it, but that it belongs to Christians to do so; it is their true (normal) state. And power is given for it, for the apostle says, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (v. 16.) Should sin therefore break out, through the allowance of the flesh in any shape or form, the failure must be traced in every case to our own want of watchfulness, and our lack of the realization of our constant and entire dependence on God. But if we are careful, on the other hand, to maintain a state of soul in which the Spirit, being ungrieved, can always keep our eye on Christ; if we thus, to use the language of John, "keep" ourselves, the wicked one will not be able to touch us.

Once more, the possibility is put before us of walking like Christ. John says, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2: 6.) Abiding in Christ and walking as He walked are here evidently connected  -  the latter flowing out, or being the consequence, of the former. As we have already explained what it is to abide in Christ, we may link with this another scripture, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." The apostle is undoubtedly speaking primarily of his ministry among the Corinthian believers; but, in doing so, he expounds a principle of general application. It is this: If the life of Jesus, the same moral traits which He exhibited (whatever their infinite perfection in Him) during His pathway through this world, a walk like His own as before God and in separation from all evil, is to be seen in us, it can only be as the result of the constant application of death, of the truth of the cross, to all that we are in ourselves. It is well that we should be reminded that we are left here, not to express what we are, but to show out what Christ is; and if we are to do this in any measure, it can only be by refusing ourselves and by accepting the cross. Paul has shown us in another scripture the working out of this truth in his own case. "I am crucified," he says, "with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2: 20.) The One who loved him and gave Himself for him, and He as Son of God was the object of his faith, and He also, because the object of his faith, was the power of life, yea, the life itself within him, for expression in all his walk, service, and ways.

Lastly, abiding communion, communion with the Father and with the Son, in our several measures, is put before us, as the possible state of the believer. John says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1: 3.) That this fellowship is, in John's teaching, the enjoyment of eternal life, might easily be shown, as also that it is connected with the revelation of the Father in, and through, the Son, and with our being brought into the Lord's own place and relationship in association with Himself (John 20: 17); but it is not necessary to enter upon this now, as our only object is to call attention to the wealth of blessedness into which God would fain bring His people, even while they are in this world.

Let no one therefore think that we desire to discourage pursuit after holiness. Rather we would earnestly seek to stir up ourselves and our fellow-believers to more spiritual energy, and more constant purpose of heart in this blessed quest, that, having the glory of the Lord ever before our souls, we may daily attain to increasing measures of sanctification, to be displayed daily in growing likeness to Christ. This is God's own desire for us: "This is the will of God, even your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4: 3.) Again, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5: 23); and yet once more, "Follow . . . holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. 12: 14.) These scriptures will suffice to show that we cannot be in fellowship with the mind of God for His people unless our hearts respond to His desires, and are bent upon the attainment of holiness in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Having now explained wherein holiness consists, and the means of its acquirement, it may be of service to point out some of the mistakes which are often made by those who are entering upon this path. There are those who hold, for example, that holiness will follow upon the entire surrender of ourselves to the will of God. Holiness is thus made to be the work of a moment; for it is further said, that, consequent upon this surrender, the Holy Ghost will enter, possess, and permeate henceforward the whole soul. This is sometimes termed the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and sometimes "the second blessing." Now we heartily unite with the advocates of this view in urging upon believers, that there can be no spiritual growth, no enjoyment of communion, and no sense even of the favour and blessing of God, as long as any known sin is unconfessed and unjudged, or while any habit, indulgence, or practice, known to be contrary to God's will, is retained. And we do not doubt for a moment, that when the light has poured into souls through the ministry of the word, or otherwise, revealing much in the life and conduct that would not bear the test of God's holy presence, and when grace has been given, there and then, to judge themselves for the allowance of these things, they have experienced, almost immediately, such peace and joy in believing, and such a consciousness of the Lord's favour and blessing, as they have not hitherto known. Further, that having judged that which had been grieving the Holy Spirit, and the hindrance to His activity in the soul being thus removed, there would doubtless be an increased manifestation of His presence and power. Still this is neither scriptural holiness nor the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The former is, as fully explained, conformity to Christ in glory; and the latter took place on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 1: 5; 1 Cor. 12: 13.) The individual believer receives the Holy Spirit on the forgiveness of his sins (Acts 10: 43, 44; Eph. 1: 13), and we are exhorted to "be filled with the Spirit," but there is no mention of a second baptism of the Holy Ghost. If it be said that this is a difference only in words, the answer is, while not assenting to this objection, that our preservation from error depends upon adhering to the scriptural form and presentation of the truth. We are at one with all who insist upon the path of holiness for God's people; only adding, that if holiness according to God be sought after, it can only be found in God's way.

Another mistake is that holiness is the result of the continuous application of the blood of Christ. There are two different and erroneous views advanced in connection with this point. The first takes the blood of Christ as the means of victory over sin itself, His blood being the purifying medium whereby we gradually, being already justified, become pure and clean from all sin; i.e., from the guilt of all sin. But this interpretation entirely ignores the teaching of Hebrews 10, and would make "no more conscience of sins" impossible, denying as it does that Christ has by one offering "perfected for ever them that are sanctified." The second contention is, that the words, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin," mean that by the continuous application of the blood of Christ our evil nature is gradually purified, so that the very tendency to sin is finally and completely removed. It is thus said (to cite from a well-known writer on the subject), "Sanctification is not a state in which we do not need the blood, and that continually. We never needed it more. Sin is only driven from its stronghold by the all-cleansing blood, and only can be kept from returning by the same blessed power — the life ('For the blood is the life'), the glorified life of the Son of God always flowing through the soul, and thus keeping it clean." Two very serious errors are found in this brief statement; first, the evil nature which we have all inherited from Adam, a nature which the Spirit of God often terms "flesh" (Rom. 8: 12, 13), is, according to this writer, actually expelled from the believer, "driven from its stronghold by the all-cleansing blood"; and, secondly, it is plainly stated that the blood represents the "glorified life of the Son of God." Let the reader test these teachings by the infallible Scriptures, and he will soon discover that they are entirely without foundation, for Scripture asserts that the flesh, man's evil nature, is never changed even in the Christian. (Rom. 7: 25.) The way God has dealt with it is, that He has passed judgment upon it, upon our old man, once and for ever in the cross of Christ (Rom. 6: 6; Rom. 8: 3), but it is never purified or expelled.

A careful consideration of 1 John 1: 7 shows, moreover, that the apostle is not speaking of the effect of the application of the blood of Christ, but of its efficacy. We often speak in the same manner. If we say, for example, "Poison kills" or "Medicine cures," we do not mean that the former is killing or that the latter is curing anyone at that moment, but simply that it is the known property of poison and medicine to do what is asserted. So in 1 John 1. 7. The apostle in connection with our walking in the light as God is in the light, points out that it is in that blessed circle we have fellowship one with another, and adds, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." He thus proclaims the abiding efficacy of that blood which enables us to walk in the holy place into which we have been brought. Let us magnify the value of the precious blood of Christ in every possible way; but let us not pervert its application to uses which the word of God does not justify. Everywhere in the Bible the blood, first for the eye of God, is, in its application to us, for cleansing from guilt, and not for the purification of the flesh; and when once cleansed from guilt, the believer is completely and forever cleansed, so that there is no more imputation of sin as guilt. For sins after conversion God has another method; it is through the washing of water by the Word in answer to the advocacy of Christ (1 John 2: 1; John 13), and hence it is only to entangle the soul in error and bondage, as well as to lessen his estimate of the value of the one sacrifice of Christ, to direct him to have continual recourse to the blood of Christ, whether for cleansing from guilt or for the purification of the flesh. God desires the holiness of His people, and having plainly shown us the way to its attainment, it is in His own highway, not in paths of our own devising, that we must walk in order to reach this blessed goal.

The second error in the above quotation is, if possible, more dangerous, inasmuch as it unwittingly strikes at the very foundation of our faith. Does then the blood, we ask, signify the life of the glorified Son of God? It is the blood, we read, which "maketh an atonement for the soul," and whoever reads the account of the way the blood of the victim, of the sin offering, was dealt with on the day of atonement (Lev. 16) will see that the blood represented life laid down under judgment. Did Christ make atonement with His life in His glorified condition? Was it that life He laid down on the cross when forsaken of God? To put the questions suffices to expose this (unintentional) perversion of the all-important doctrine of the atonement, and to warn the reader to prove all things presented to him on this subject, and to hold fast only that which is sustained by the word of God.

In conclusion we willingly admit that the subject of holiness his been much neglected. But we earnestly counsel the reader again to beware of seeking it in himself instead of in Christ. Christ alone answers to the thoughts of God, and the more constantly we are found delighting in Him, in occupation with all that He Himself is, as revealed in the Word, the more we shall silently grow, under the blessed activities of the Holy Spirit, in His likeness. Such, moreover, is the grace of our God, that He will help us to this end in every possible way. He will cause everything to work together for our good — always having, in His dealings with us, His own perfect goal before His eyes — conformity to the image of His Son. If our steps become uncertain and feeble, in following on toward the mark for the prize of our calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, He will bring us more completely under the attractions of Christ, and so draw us onward with more zeal and purpose of heart; or, should it be necessary, He will for our profit use chastisements that we might be partakers of His holiness (Heb. 12: 10.) His purpose and His desire are that we should be holy; and He would have us ardently in communion with His own mind. Let us then challenge our hearts as to whether it is so with us, whether we keep God's object for us steadfastly in view, and whether, having His own perfect standard, Christ glorified, before us, it is our daily desire to purify ourselves as He is pure. We might also enquire whether we have yielded ourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, whether we have presented our bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable unto God, our reasonable service. We belong wholly to Christ as Lord, and we should look unceasingly to Him for grace and strength to hold ourselves, in the power of the Holy Ghost, as absolutely at His disposal. Then, governed by His will alone, we should learn, as perhaps never before, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and that the path of holiness on which we have entered will conduct us into an ever-increasing intimacy with Himself, and thus be the means of our ever-increasing growth in sanctification.

May both reader and writer be always found pressing onward in this path, beckoned on by His blessed invitation to "come and see" Him in the place where He dwells (John 1: 38, 39), and also by the possibility of resting in the unhindered enjoyment of His love, like John when "lying on Jesus' breast." E. D.

The House of God

The House of God.

traced through the Scriptures.

E. Dennett.

Reprinted from 'The Christian Friend and Instructor', Broom.

CONTENTS

The Tabernacle in the wilderness

The Temple of Solomon

The Temple after the Return from Babylon

The Church: Acts 2

The Church as built by Man: 1 Cor. 3

The Final Aspect of the Church: Eph. 2: 19-22; Rev. 21: 2, 3

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS.

MANY questions having been addressed to us concerning the formation, limits, etc., of the house of God, we propose, if the Lord will, to trace out the subject, in several successive papers, from the word of God. There is really no difficulty, if our minds are but subject to the Scriptures, and our hope is that some at least may be helped to a clearer understanding of the question by a dispassionate presentation of the teaching of the Spirit of God.

It is evident to every reader of the Bible that God did not, in any sense, dwell on earth before the redemption of Israel out of Egypt. He visited Adam in paradise, and walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3: 8); He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and communicated freely with them. In like manner He revealed Himself to Moses in the desert, at the mount of God, when He commissioned him to return to Egypt as the deliverer of His people; but search the record as closely as you may, not a trace is found so far of His having a habitation on the earth. But after the redemption from Egypt the Lord said to Moses, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. . . . And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." (Ex. 25: 2, 8.)*

*This is really the first mention of a dwelling for God on earth. The words in Exodus 15, "I will prepare Him a habitation." are often cited, but the reading is very doubtful. The Septuagint, Vulgate, Luther, and the French version, all agree in rendering it — "He is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him."

The thought of dwelling in the midst of His people came thus first from God Himself. And this is in harmony with His own purposes of grace in redemption. We read that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ "hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Eph. 1: 3, 4.) In that past eternity God dwelt in the perfection of His own bliss; but in the fulness of His grace and love He purposed to surround Himself with a redeemed people that should be for His own joy, and for the glory of His beloved Son — a people who should find their joy in the presence of Him who had redeemed them, and redeemed them at the infinite cost of the death of His only begotten Son. This purpose was first declared, in its germ at least, in Eden, on the failure of Adam as the responsible man. (Gen. 3: 15.) Consequent upon his sin and judgment God announced the Man of His counsels, the One in and by whom all the purposes of His heart were to be accomplished, in the redemption of those who were to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom. 8: 29, 30.) Gradually His purposes were unfolded in types and shadows, in His ways with Abel, Enoch, Noah, and the patriarchs, and finally in the deliverance of the children of Israel, on the ground of the sprinkled blood of the Passover lamb, out of Egypt, and from the claims and power of Satan, as well as from death and judgment, as set forth in their passage through the Red Sea. Henceforward they were a redeemed people. The Lord had become their strength and song, and their salvation. In His mercy He had led forth the people which He had redeemed; He had guided them in His strength unto His holy habitation. (See Exodus 15)

Having now chosen and redeemed a people for Himself, the Lord announces, as we have shown, His desire to come and dwell among them. And it will be seen in due time that His taking up His abode in the midst of Israel, while it indicated the whole truth of redemption, was but a shadow of the fulfilment of His entire counsels of grace in eternity; that, in a word, the encampment in the wilderness was but an anticipation of the time when, after the appearance of the new heaven and the new earth, the tabernacle of God (the Church, the holy city, new Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband — the Lamb's wife) shall be with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, their God. (Rev. 21.) The erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness was the response to the Lord's command to Moses. The people offered willingly; for the Lord had stirred up their hearts, and the tabernacle was made in all things according to the pattern which had been shown to Moses in the mount, even as the Lord had commanded him. (See Exodus 40.)

There are two things especially to be considered. The first is the ground on which God took up His abode in the midst of His people. This is made very clear from Exodus 29. After the directions had been given for the construction of those sacred vessels and the furniture which set forth in type and figure some display or manifestation of God, and after the consecration of the priests who were to act for God in ministry on behalf of the people, and before the directions are given for the vessels of approach — those vessels which were necessary for drawing near to God — there is a break, a parenthesis. And this is occupied with directions concerning the continual burnt-offering. Thereon it is added, "The tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God." (vv. 38-46.)

This account shows three things most clearly. First, that the ground on which Jehovah was able to dwell with His people was the perpetual ascension of the fragrance of Christ as the burnt-offering. Typically the children of Israel had been redeemed, and now in virtue of the continual burnt-offering they stood before God in all the acceptance of Christ. Hence Jehovah could dwell in their midst. Secondly, as a further consequence, the tabernacle was sanctified by His glory — the tabernacle, the altar, and the priests alike were claimed in virtue of the same sacrifice, and set apart to God according to all that He was as revealed — the claims of His glory having now been met, that glory became also from that moment the standard for everything devoted to His service. Thirdly, the people should know the One who dwells in their midst as the One who had brought them out of Egypt, as, in fact, the God of redemption. If these three points are comprehended, the whole truth of God's habitation on earth, in any age or dispensation, will be understood. It will be then seen that, while a consequence of redemption, it is dependent upon what Christ is in the efficacy of His death, and upon what God is as so revealed.

The second thing to be noted is the actual taking possession of the tabernacle when completed. Moses "finished the work," and eight times it is recorded that all was done as the Lord had commanded him. Jehovah's approbation was now expressed in another way; for, together with the statement that Moses finished the work, it is added, "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Exodus 40: 34, 35.) God thus took possession of the house which had been built according to His word, and henceforward dwells in the midst of His people, and was known as dwelling between the cherubim (1 Sam. 4: 4; Psalm 80: 1, etc.); i.e. between the cherubim overshadowing the mercy-seat. The mercy-seat was His throne, the throne on which He sat, whence He governed His people, and from whence He dispensed mercy according to the efficacy of the incense and the blood of the sacrifices that were presented before Him on the great day of atonement. (See Lev. 16.)

It should be most distinctly observed that the tabernacle, and not the congregation of Israel, formed the house of God in the wilderness. To lose this distinction would be to confuse the typical teaching of the whole encampment of Israel, as already pointed out in relation to Rev. 21. The people, as such, were not permitted to enter into the tabernacle; God met with them at its entrance. (Exodus 29: 42-44.) Moses alone had access at all times (the high priest only once a year) to the mercy-seat (Exodus 25: 22), and this in his capacity as mediator, and as such a type of Christ. It is most important to bear these distinctions in mind. At the same time, it is equally of moment to remark that all the people — all the people with their families; all, in a word, who were on the ground of redemption (typically) — were grouped around the tabernacle. God was in their midst, and all the people had been brought into a known relationship with Himself as their Redeemer, all alike could enjoy the privileges of the priesthood which had been instituted on their behalf, and all could approach the brazen altar in the appointed way, and with the appointed sacrifices. It was the only spot on the earth where the Lord had His sanctuary; and as we remember all that this involved, we may understand a little of this place of blessing into which the children of Israel had been brought. Whether they themselves apprehended or enjoyed it is not the question. There were, as we know, stubborn and ungodly souls among them; still, the character of the place remained unchanged. God was in their midst, and on this account, because of what He was in Himself, and because He had opened up a way into His own presence, the camp of Israel was such a place of blessing as was found nowhere else upon the face of the earth. It was therefore no mean privilege to be found numbered with those who surrounded the tabernacle.

But if, on the one hand, it was a place of blessing, it was most surely, on the other, a place of responsibility. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell." (Num. 5: 1-3.) Again, "I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy." (Lev. 11: 44.) In one word, as these scriptures show, holiness, and holiness according to the nature of the One who dwelt in their midst, was incumbent upon every Israelite who surrounded the tabernacle. Jehovah, as revealed, was the standard for the whole camp (compare 1 John 2: 6), for every individual, whatever his state, who formed part of it. Being numbered with God's people was to be brought therefore into a place both of blessing and of responsibility.

Into the typical significance of the sanctuary in the midst of Israel we do not propose to enter.* It will suffice to point out here that as its primary idea was God's habitation, so every part of it, together with all its sacred vessels and furniture, was fraught with some manifestation of God and of His glories as hereafter displayed in Christ. This was so, indeed, on two grounds; first, because it was a pattern of things shown to Moses in the mount, and therefore a revelation of heavenly scenes; and because also it told in every part — boards, curtains, ornaments, hangings, and vessels — of the glories of Christ, inasmuch as He Himself in a later day took the place of the temple of God. (See John 2: 19-21.) But it may be added, that the more thoroughly God's thoughts concerning His habitation in the midst of Israel are understood, the more fully will the character of the Church as God's house be comprehended.

*Those who desire to do so may consult The Typical Teachings of Exodus.

2. THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.

The tabernacle, which had been the house of God in the wilderness, together with its sacred furniture, was carried by the children of Israel into Canaan, and was pitched in Shiloh. (Joshua 18: 1.) It was accordingly to this place that the children of Israel resorted with their yearly sacrifices (1 Sam. 1: 3), and it was still called "the tabernacle of the congregation" (1 Sam. 2: 22), but also "the temple of the Lord," and "the house of the Lord." (1 Sam. 3: 3, 15.) These latter names did but foreshadow the house which should hereafter be built in Jerusalem. While the children of Israel were pilgrims in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents, God Himself abode in a tent (2 Sam. 7: 6), suiting Himself, as He has ever done in His precious grace, to the condition of His people; but when He had established His chosen in the glory of the kingdom a house was erected — "exceeding magnifical" — which in some measure should be the expression of His majesty who deigned to make it His dwelling-place in the midst of Israel. (2 Chr. 2: 4-6.)

It is not within our present purpose to call attention to the characteristic differences between the tabernacle and the temple, but rather to point out their similarity both as to origin and object. As in the case of the former, so in the latter, the plan was divinely communicated. It was David who was honoured to become the depositary of this design; and inasmuch as he was not permitted, according to the desire of his own heart, himself to build the temple, he communicated it to Solomon. "Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy-seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God," etc. (1 Chr. 28: 11, 12.) Everything that Solomon did and made, in connection with the work to which he had been called, was in accordance with the instructions he had received. The site itself had been divinely indicated, as well as the design and manner of the building. (1 Kings 6: 38; 2 Chr. 3: 3.) Though entrusted to human hands to erect, the building was divine; for human thoughts and human conceptions must not intrude themselves into the things of God.

The connection between the tabernacle and the temple, as being both alike God's dwelling-place, may be seen in two ways. When Solomon had completed the house, he assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel; and we read that "all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king, in the feast which was in the seventh month" (i.e. the feast of the blowing of trumpets, a figure of the restoration of Israel in the last days — Num. 29: 1). "And all the elders came; and the Levites took up the ark and they brought up the ark and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up." And then, after they had sacrificed sheep and oxen without number, "the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim." (2 Chr. 5: 1-7.) It was the ark that gave its character to the house; for it was God's throne in the midst of Israel, from whence He governed His people on the basis of His holy law, as is noted here by the statement that "there was nothing in the ark, save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt." (v. 10.)

And now, secondly, the Lord endorsed the work of His servants by taking possession of the new house, even as He had formerly done with the tabernacle. "And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: also the Levites, which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) it came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God." (2 Chr. 5: 11-14.) Following upon this description, we find Solomon reciting the circumstances by which he had become the divinely-appointed instrument in building "an house of habitation" and "a place of dwelling" for the Lord "for ever;" and then he knelt down on a brazen scaffold (which he had prepared) before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven, and prayed with respect to the house which he had built, and he concluded his intercessions with words cited from Ps. 132: "Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting-place; thou, and the ark of thy strength. Let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David, thy servant." And thereon we read, "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house." (2 Chr. 6: 41, 42; 2 Chr. 7: 1, 2.)

In this manner and under such circumstances did the Lord take up His abode in the temple — the whole scene, the white-robed priests, and their glorifying God with one mind and one mouth, being no dim foreshadowing of the glory of a later day, when the true Solomon shall come to His temple and surround Himself with a righteous and willing-hearted people. But the one point to be observed is, that we find once again God dwelling in His house in the midst of the people whom He had chosen. The difference between the temple and the tabernacle, as before remarked, is shown by the contrast between the wilderness and the land; by the pilgrim character of Israel's passage through the former, as distinguished from their settled abode in the latter. But in both alike God had His habitation, His house. God dwelt in the midst of the whole of Israel, and, as seen again from the fact that the fire came down in response to Solomon's prayer and consumed the burnt-offering and sacrifices, did so on the ground of redemption — on the ground of redemption through the value of all that Christ was in His sacrificial work. It had not been possible on any other ground; but because it was on the foundation of all the sweet savour of Christ in His death, He could, spite of what the people were practically, dwell in their midst, and all the people, on their part, could come with the appointed sacrifices, in the appointed way, and at the appointed times.

Thenceforward Jerusalem was the one holy place on earth, the one spot, therefore, to which the heart of every true Israelite turned with thoughts of worship and praise. "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. . . . Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee." (Ps. 84) And there on the recurrence of the feasts the people assembled. "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord." (Ps. 122: 3, 4.) There all the first-born children were carried and presented to the Lord (Luke 2: 22-24), and there too the families of His people assembled three times a year. (See Deut. 16.) Jerusalem, therefore — because of Jehovah's house — was the one place of blessing in the whole world, and it was no mean privilege to be permitted to form part of the assembly that gathered there from time to time in obedience to the Word. "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place His name there." (Deut. 16: 11)

3. THE TEMPLE AFTER THE RETURN FROM BABYLON.

The temple of Solomon lasted until its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chr. 36); and Ezekiel describes the departing of the glory of the Lord from it, on account of the abominations of His people, ere it was consumed with fire by the Chaldees. (See Ezek. 8 - 10) During seventy years Jerusalem was desolate (2 Chr. 36: 21; Dan. 9: 2); and then, "that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah." (Ezra 1: 1, 2, etc.) The government, because of the sin of Judah and Israel, had been now transferred to the Gentiles, and God therefore wrought, in the first instance, through the instrumentality of Cyrus. The reader will find all the details of the return of a remnant of the two tribes. Judah and Benjamin, with priests and Levites, in response to the proclamation of the king, recorded in the book of Ezra. Not until the second year of their return did they "set forward the work of the house of the Lord." "And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course, in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off." (Ezra 3: 10-13.)

They praised the Lord with cymbals; while the priests blew with their trumpets, and sang the same song when they laid the foundation as had been sung at the dedication of Solomon's temple. But many wept — the old men who had been eye-witnesses of the splendour of the former house. The contrast was indeed great. That was built amid the glories of the kingdom, and at a time when that kingdom was pre-eminent — a time also of peace, prosperity, and blessing a period which typified the reign of the Messiah, when all kings shall fall down before Him, and all nations shall serve Him. This was commenced by a feeble remnant amid the desolations of the once-glorious city, which men called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth (Lam. 2: 15), themselves the subjects of a Gentile monarch, dependent on him, by the will of God, for permission to build, and surrounded on every hand by adversaries. Still they builded; and finally, after much unfaithfulness on their part, the house was completed, and they "kept the dedication of the house of God with joy." (Ezra 6: 15-22.)

This house took the place of that which Solomon had built. There were, however, important differences. No cloud, no glory of the Lord filled this house, as in the case of the tabernacle and the first temple; and no fire descended from heaven to consume their sacrifices, as with Moses (Lev. 9: 24) and with Solomon. (2 Chr. 7: 1.) It is this fact which makes the parallel between this remnant and the Church so interesting. Thomas believed when he saw; but the Lord announced the blessedness of those who should believe without seeing. (John 20) This was the position of this feeble remnant as well as that of ourselves. That God accepted their sacrifices and dwelt in His house was with them entirely a matter of faith — faith as based upon God's word, in the same way, for example, as the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of those gathered to His name is apprehended only by faith, faith begotten and sustained by His own word. (Matt. 18.) But so completely did the Lord regard this as His house, that He even identified it with the one it succeeded. Speaking through Haggai, one of the prophets He had used to stir up the people and encourage them in their building, He says, "The glory of this latter house," or, as it should be translated, "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former." (Haggai 2: 9.) The house was but one — whatever its outward circumstances — in the divine mind, and hence God's habitation equally with Solomon's temple.

This house existed until the time of Herod the Great, who rebuilded it (though we have no account of this in the Scriptures) on a scale of surpassing grandeur and magnificence, and it was this temple to which Joseph and Mary carried the infant Saviour when they presented Him before the Lord. And it is a most noteworthy fact that, built as this temple was by an alien king — for while he professed the Jewish faith he was probably of Idumean descent — the Lord Himself recognized it as His Father's house. Surrounded, and even filled, as it was with corruptions He yet owned it (Matt. 21: 12, 13; John 2: 13-16, etc.); and not until His rejection by His people had been made manifest did He abandon it. Then He pronounced the sentence, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23: 38); and thereon He departed and went out of the temple. In patience and long-suffering God bore with His people, and with the corruptions of His house, until there was no remedy, and then He abandoned it, as He had done before with Solomon's temple. On His part there had been judgment mingled with grace and mercy again and again expressed; on His people's part sin and corruption, which reached their climax in the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah-Jehovah indeed, who had condescended through so many centuries to have His habitation in their midst.

This closes up until millennial days the period of God's earthly house; but even so it was only preparatory to the accomplishment of His purpose to dwell on the earth in a more excellent way.

4. THE CHURCH.

ACTS 2.

We have already traced the history of God's house from Exodus until the close of the Mosaic dispensation. During the life of our Lord on the earth there were, however, premonitions of the coming change. Speaking to the Jews He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. . . . But," the evangelist tells us, "He spake of the temple of His body." (John 2: 19, 21.) He said to Peter, moreover, on his confessing that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16: 16-18.) If we pass now to the day of Pentecost we shall see that God commenced then to dwell on earth in a new and a twofold way: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 1-4.)

Now this took place according to the express promise of the Lord to His disciples: "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." And again: He "commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." (Luke 24: 49; Acts 1: 4, 5.) The Holy Ghost then came down at Pentecost according to the Lord's word, and the effect was that God made His temple by the Spirit in the individual believer (see also 1 Cor. 6: 19); and that He made His habitation with believers collectively, even as Paul writes to the Ephesians, "Ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2: 22.) Believers therefore now were, as their Lord had been while on the earth, God's temple, and the house of God, which is the church of the living God, was now formed. It is the latter truth which is to occupy our attention, and with this object we propose to examine more closely the teaching of this chapter (Acts 2).

Speaking generally, we have in this scripture three things — the building of God's house, the mode of entrance, and the occupations of those who are within, or, to speak more accurately, of those who form it.

1. The building of the house. We read concerning Solomon's temple, that "when it was in building, it was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron, heard in the house, while it was in building." (1 Kings 6: 7.) The same thing is seen precisely in respect of the house of God which was built at Pentecost. The disciples were all with one accord in one place; and who were they? They were the one hundred and twenty mentioned in the previous chapter, all of whom (for Judas was no longer of the company, having by transgression fallen that he might go to his own place) were living stones which had been by the grace of God brought into saving contact with Christ, and thus made participators of everlasting life. And the same divine power which had saved them through faith in the Lord Jesus, brought them on this day together, and put them silently in their appointed places on the one foundation-stone to form the habitation of God on the earth through the Spirit. Thus the building was raised. Christ, according to His word, had built His church, and made it ready for its divine Inhabitant. Hence just as when Moses had completed the tabernacle, and also as when Solomon had finished the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house of God (Ex. 40; 2 Chr. 5), so here, there came suddenly a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. God manifestly took possession of the house which had that day been erected. Others might come in, and would indeed be brought in, to form part of the house ("And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (v. 47)); but still the house of God was built. The apostle could therefore say to the Ephesians, "Ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit;" and to the Corinthians, "Ye are the temple of the living God." In this aspect the house of God is always looked upon as complete, and yet other believers are continually brought in to occupy their appointed places in the building. This will be at once understood if for one minute we change the term and use "church" instead of "house."

And that the Lord Himself looked upon the house as now built is seen from the connection between the second and third chapters. At the commencement of Acts 3 we read of Peter and John going up together into the temple at the hour of prayer; but the Lord had a lesson for them as well as for us in what occurred to them by the way. There was a man, lame from his mother's womb, who was carried and laid daily, not inside, but at the gate of the temple, to beg of those who entered for prayer or worship. He asked an alms of Peter and John, who were, like many others, about to go into the temple. The Spirit of God used the circumstance by leading Peter to heal the lame man, as a testimony to the power of the risen Christ, and for the apostles' and our instruction. The man, be it repeated, is outside the temple, and it was there — outside — that he received the blessing. The new house of God had just been formed, and now the Holy Spirit testifies that blessing is outside of the old house and in connection with the new, a lesson which Peter and John may have failed to apprehend at the moment, but one which has been written for the edification of all whose eyes have been opened by the Spirit of God. Yes, there in Jerusalem, and on the feast-day, with no sound of hammer or axe or any tool of iron, in the midst of an unbelieving generation, and while Herod's temple was there before their eyes, and the object of the veneration of their carnal hearts, the true Solomon had built His Church of precious stones, whose lustre and beauty could only be appreciated by Him who had laid them in their appointed place upon the chief cornerstone.

It is also to be remarked that here there were none but living stones, inasmuch as the house in this chapter is of the Lord's own building. (v. 47.) So far therefore, the body of Christ, although the revelation of this truth was reserved till another day — until its appointed minister had been called and qualified — and the house of God are co-extensive. That is to say, every stone of this building was also, though this was not yet understood, a member of the body of Christ; for on this day, including the three thousand souls that repented under the mighty operation of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of Peter, not one was brought in who was not really converted. All were genuine believers. It was they who received the Word who were baptized, and it was those of the same character whom the Lord afterwards daily added. This fact must be distinctly stated, and firmly maintained.

2. The house of God having been built, we find the way very plainly indicated by which souls were to be brought into it. One simple remark. may perhaps clear away a difficulty for some before we enter upon this part of our subject. It is often hastily assumed that God brings souls secretly, as it were, into His house; i.e. that if He converts a soul, that soul is thereby brought into His habitation on earth. Let us then for one moment change the term "house" for a "company of believers," for remember it is the company of believers who have a very distinct and separate existence in Acts 2 that form God's house, and then we may ask if a soul who is born again is brought thereby into the company of believers? No, he may be unknown to them, and in that case could not be said to form one of their number. That God knows such an one as a believer is another thing; but the question is, as we have seen, concerning God's habitation on earth. And since it is on earth, there is, as we shall also see, an appointed way into the company which compose this habitation.

Let us look, in the first place, at the different classes brought before us. There are the one hundred and twenty who have this day been formed into the Church — God's assembly. There are the Jews standing round about them — the "Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven" (v. 5), those to whom Peter afterwards preached. Then, lastly, there were those to whom Peter refers in his address — "All that are afar off," a well-known scripture term for Gentiles. We have then that threefold division which the Spirit of God elsewhere makes — the Church, the Jews, and the Gentiles (1 Cor. 10: 32), a representation therefore of the whole world.

Now it was in connection with this inner circle, this central company, the church of God, that Peter, standing up with the eleven, rendered his testimony to Christ. The manifest operations of the Spirit — manifest even to the unbelieving Jews — had produced perplexity in the minds of some, and became for others an occasion of derision and mockery. Peter then, as led of the Holy Ghost, addressed himself to the multitude that came together. First of all, he explained from the Scriptures the character of the manifestations they had witnessed (vv, 16-21); then, he testified of "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him, in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." He told them of God's counsel as to His death, and their wickedness in His crucifixion; of His resurrection, which had been foretold in their own scriptures, and of which Peter and those with him were witnesses. (vv. 22-32.) Then he concluded with these remarkable words: "Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (vv. 33-36.)

This was a very distinct testimony. Jesus of Nazareth, rejected and crucified by man, had been raised from the dead, exalted by the right hand of God, and made both Lord and Christ. What a contrast between the mind of God and the mind of man! And what could more plainly demonstrate man's guilt and man's condition? Truly the cross of Christ brought everything to the test, and not only told out what was in the heart of God, but what was also in the heart of man. This testimony of Peter was carried home to the consciences of those who heard, and, pricked in their heart, they said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (vv. 37-39.) Now it is this answer of Peter to these penitent Jews that requires our careful attention. Two things were then to be done, and consequent on this there were two blessings to be received. They were to repent, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let us suppose for one minute that these Jews had truly repented, and yet refused to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Is it not plain on the very face of this scripture, that in such a case, whatever their state of heart before God, and notwithstanding that they might be truly born again, they could not have been received into the company of believers that stood before them — that, in other words, they could not be brought into the house of God on earth? For what was involved by their baptism in the name of Jesus Christ? "Know ye not," says the apostle Paul, that so many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ (Christ Jesus, really) "were baptized into" (unto — eis) "His death?" (Rom. 6: 3 )

It would be, therefore, not only to believe the testimony concerning His death, resurrection, and present place at the right hand of God, but it would be also their identification with Him in His death; so that, accepting death for themselves, they would thereby, in figure, be dissociated from man, and brought upon the ground of association with Christ's death, so that they henceforward would accept for themselves the place of being dead — dead with Christ — in this world. The apostle, therefore, could write to the Colossians — "If ye be dead with Christ . . . . why, as though alive in the world?" etc. (Col. 2: 20.) And this death with Christ is Christian ground, and inasmuch as baptism is the divinely-appointed mode of entrance upon it, there is consequently no other way into the house of God on earth. It was therefore necessary that these Jews should repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. The former would be produced by the Spirit of God working through the testimony they had heard; by the latter they would be publicly separated from the nation that had crucified the Lord Jesus — would from that moment cease to be Jews, and be brought into the number of those who were His followers on earth; and these, as we have seen, composed the house of God.

Upon their repentance and baptism two blessings were promised. The first was remission of sins, and the second was the reception of the Holy Ghost. These two things are connected, as a word or two will show. The remission of sins here is, we apprehend, that which the apostles were empowered to administer on repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. On the profession of this, and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins was not only entered upon as before God, connected by Him with repentance and faith, but also authoritatively declared by His servants. (See John 20: 23; Acts 22: 16.) Further, there was the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we have already said, these two things are connected. Everywhere in the Scriptures the gift of the Holy Ghost is consequent upon the forgiveness of sins. Cleansed by the precious blood of Christ (as seen in figure also in the consecration of the priests and the cleansing of the leper — Ex. 29; Lev. 14), God seals (anoints) those so cleansed with the Holy Ghost. (See Acts 10; Rom. 5; 2 Cor. 1; Eph. 1, etc.)

Let us recall the divine order here presented. On repentance towards God there was baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, whereby those so baptized were brought out from among the Jews who had rejected their Messiah, and brought into the number of those who formed the house of God. Forgiveness of sins was announced to them from God, and, now in the sphere where God dwells by the Spirit, they themselves received the Holy Ghost; and then they were not only a part of the house of God, but also, as we see with the disciples in the beginning of the chapter (v. 4), they were indwelt by the Spirit. The Lord's words to His disciples were in this way fulfilled: "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; [even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14: 16, 17.)

There was yet more in the abounding grace of God. "For," said Peter, "the promise (the promise of these blessings which have been considered) is unto you (you Jews), and to your children (these were not to be excluded), and to all that are afar off (the Gentiles — see Eph. 2: 11-13), even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The Church — the habitation of God — having been built, the gift of grace is proclaimed both to Jews and Gentiles, and the way was declared by which the Jew and the Gentile, in the sovereign grace of God, could pass out from the two outer circles — both of which were in the kingdom of darkness, where Satan reigned — into that new sphere which had that day been formed, where the Spirit of God acted and dwelt.

3. We call attention now, more briefly, to the occupations of those who form, and are within, the house of God. For this purpose we may add a passage from 1 Peter. The apostle says: "Ye also, as lively" (living) "stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2: 5.) Inasmuch as Peter deals with the priesthood of believers — the new order of priests, who take the place on earth of Aaron's family — a dignity which now attaches to all saints without exception, he is led to point out their occupation with the sacrifice of praise. It is no longer sacrifices of bulls or goats, but spiritual sacrifices suited to the spiritual house of which they formed part, as well as to those who worshipped God in spirit and in truth. They were indeed to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually; that is, the fruit of their lips, giving thanks to His name. Perpetual praise and adoration were to be heard in this new and spiritual habitation of God. (Cp. 1 Chr. 9: 33.)

Turning back to the Acts, we have another aspect of the employment of the saints. It says, "They continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2: 42.) They persevered in learning the mind and will of God as communicated by His servants (for at this time none of the New Testament scriptures were in existence), and hence they were brought into enjoyment of fellowship with the apostles (cp. 1 John 1: 3), in which those newly-converted souls delighted to be found. Then together they were gathered around the Lord at His table to commemorate His death, that death which was the foundation of all the blessings into which they had been introduced; and together also the persevered in assembling to pour out their hearts in prayer to God.

As we gaze upon this beautiful picture of the house of God, of the energy of the Holy Ghost, producing constant praise and prayer, as well as obedience to the Word, we can truly say, in the language of the psalmist, but with another meaning, "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! . . . Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee."

5. THE CHURCH, AS BUILT BY MAN.

1 COR. 3.

This scripture demands the most careful consideration, as it occupies an important place in respect of the truth of the Church of God. As is so often the case in the epistles, the Holy Spirit uses the condition of the saints as the occasion for the unfolding of a new aspect of the Church. The Corinthian saints were carnal (sarkinoi), and on this account the apostle could not minister the truth he would have desired, but was compelled, because of their state, to speak to them as "babes in Christ," to feed them with milk, and not with meat, etc. (vv. 1, 2.) The evidence of their "carnality" was the formation of schools of opinion in the assembly, the existence of "divisions," the saints ranging themselves around their self-chosen and favourite teachers; some choosing Paul, some Peter, some Apollos, and some even venturing to use the name of Christ to refuse the servants whom He had sent. The apostle seizes the opportunity to develop the true position, both of the servants and of the saints, and of both alike in relation to the Lord. "Who then," he exclaims, "is Paul; and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye have believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." It was intolerable to Paul — a heart-rending sorrow, we might say, that the name of a servant, however eminent, should come between the Lord and His people. For what were the labourers? God's workmen — labouring in unison and fellowship, but all belonging to God.* And what were the saints? "Ye," says the apostle, "are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." (v. 9.) The servants were God's workmen, the saints were God's building — God in His grace was thus everything, servants and saints alike owed everything to Him. All things were of Him, and He alone must therefore be magnified, whether by saints or servants.

*The English version gives scarcely the correct thought. The apostle does not mean that the servants were God's fellow-labourers one with another, but that they belonged to God, and as such were fellow-labourers.

Proceeding now further, the apostle shows what the responsibility of God's workmen is in the work entrusted to their care. He says, "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (vv. 10, 11) Two things will at once strike the reader in contrast with what has been considered in a former paper. First, the apostle speaks of himself as laying the foundation, and also of himself and others as building upon it. This is a very different thing from that contained in the Lord's words to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my Church." And it is this difference which explains the two aspects of the house of God. The work of Christ in building His Church must of necessity be perfect. Himself in His death and resurrection, the Son of the living God (declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead), the foundation, every stone He lays upon it, like Peter himself, must be a living stone. But, as this scripture in 1 Cor. teaches, He also entrusts the work of building to His servants, and holds them responsible for the character of their work. Paul can thus say, "I have laid the foundation" — as he was the first to proclaim the gospel in Corinth, and thus was the means of forming the assembly of God in that city. (See Acts 18.) He had laid the foundation as a wise master-builder, and he warns others as to the manner in which they might build upon it, reminding them in this way of their responsibility to the Lord for the character of their work.

And looking more closely into the details of this scripture, we find that there are, or may be, three classes of builders, and that the testing of their work will take place at a future day. The apostle says, "If any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it (the day) shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (vv. 12-17.) There are then, as has often been observed, the good workman, and his work good, and who receives a reward; the workman who is himself saved, but whose work is bad and is therefore burnt up, and who consequently suffers loss; and lastly there is the bad workman and his bad work, and both alike are destroyed.

What is meant by the "works" or "building" is manifest from the context. It is putting wood, hay, or stubble on the foundation, instead of gold, silver, or precious stones; i.e. bringing souls into the assembly of God who are without divine life. This may be done in two ways; by the proclamation of false doctrines — doctrines which are subversive of the truths of Christianity, setting aside, for example, the necessity of the new-birth, or the need of cleansing by the precious blood of Christ, so that natural men, men not having the Spirit of God, are introduced into the Church as the result of such teaching; or it may be done by openly and avowedly bringing into the assembly those who are not saved through faith in the Lord Jesus, including in the Church of God other than those who have the title to be within. A third case is possible; viz., the workman being deceived as to the true character of those he may introduce. In one or in all of these ways the workman may fail in responsibility to Christ as to the character of his building. He may seemingly, outwardly to the eyes of men, be a most prosperous and successful builder, while he may in reality be but piling up upon the foundation wood, hay, or stubble, for future and certain destruction. Surely all should perceive what a solemn thing it is to be engaged in building in connection with the Church of God, and at the same time learn that the character of the work done is of far more importance than its extent. Even as in the parable of the talents, fidelity and not success is that which elicits the commendation of the Lord, so here it is the nature, not the quantity, of the work which will meet with reward.

Having pointed out the different characters of building the next thing to be observed is, that the revelation of the character of the work is left to a future day — in fact to "the day," a term, we apprehend, which signifies the appearing of the Lord. Whatever the sort of building His servants may carry on in the meantime, all abides until the fire — the fire, as usual, being a symbol of the holiness of God as applied in judgment — tries every man's work of what sort it is. We may think or judge that certain builders are doing their work badly; but who are we to judge another man's servants? To their own Master they stand or fall. Besides the fact that we are not the judges, we cannot detect the true nature of any work. We may test the methods employed by the word of God, but as to the work itself there is One only who has the necessary discernment. the infallible knowledge, and the unerring standard to obviate all possibility of mistake; and He is the One whom John saw in the Revelation, who was "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." (Rev. 1) To "the day" therefore which will be revealed by fire every man's work must be left, to be pronounced upon after the perfect standard of fire has been applied to it by the Lord Himself. Knowing this, in the very next chapter Paul tells the Corinthians that it was a very small thing that he should he judged of them, or of man's day, and he reminds them that he could not even give a true judgment about himself, that the Lord is the Judge, and hence nothing could be truly estimated until the Lord should come, "who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts," etc. (1 Cor. 4)

In connection with the truth that all the work of the Lord's servants will be left for judgment until He comes, there is another important principle to be remembered. It is that the Lord in the meanwhile bears with the work of His servants. We do not mean that He approves of it, only that as the time of judgment has not yet arrived He allows the work to remain, and does not pronounce upon its character. Thus if souls are brought wrongly into the house of God, He deals with them according to their profession, and holds them responsible for the ground they are on. The epistles everywhere bear out this statement. Take for example 1 Cor. 10. Paul reminds the saints "how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." (vv. 1-5.) Now what object had the apostle in citing these facts of Israel's history? It was to apply the teaching they afforded to the Church of God in Corinth, and to all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. (1 Cor. 1: 2.) He expressly says that these things happened to Israel as types — types for believers in all ages; and hence he warns the saints of their danger — the danger of lusting after evil things, of tempting Christ, of murmuring, etc. The "ifs" of the epistles, as they are called, teach the same lesson. We thus read in Col. 1: "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled . . . . if ye continue in the faith." This is not that the reconciliation is dependent upon our persevering in the faith; but rather that if we continue in the faith we are shown (not to God, who knows the secrets of all hearts) to be real believers, and if genuine believers, and not merely professors, we are reconciled. These and other passages of the same kind abundantly prove that God accepts all according to the ground they take. If brought upon the ground of Christianity, professedly associated with Christ in His death, they are spoken to as Christians, they have come under the responsibility to walk as such, and they are warned of the consequences of sin, of departing from the living God, as the children of Israel did in the wilderness. (See Heb. 3, 4) God does not say to them, "You are only professors, deceiving yourselves and others;" but He meets them where they are, supplies them in His word with tests by which such may easily discover the truth of their condition, warns them of the obligations they have incurred by being numbered amongst His people; but exposure and judgment He defers until "the day." Not that He does not in His government judge them now. He does, for judgment begins at the house of God, but public judgment before all is left until the Lord's appearing.

Another proof of the above principle is found in the Lord's attitude, during His life, towards the temple at Jerusalem. The Jews had profaned it in many ways — made it a house of merchandise (John 2) and a den of thieves (Matt. 21), but He still called it His Father's house; and He continued to recognize it as such, until, finally judging it, He said, "Your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matt. 23: 38, 39.) And immediately we read that "Jesus went out, and departed from the temple." Until that moment, spite of the abuses and corruptions that had grown up around it, He had borne with His people, and regarded the temple as His Father's house; but now, having judged it and them, the house was desolated by His own departure from it. In the same way — whatever the unfaithfulness of His servants, and however indeed they may corrupt the temple of God — He waits in His long-suffering and grace before He pronounces judgment upon it; and, as also in the case of the Jewish temple, He still treats it as God's house on the earth.

We conclude therefore, on the ground of this scriptural teaching that the house of God includes, in this wider aspect, all who have been brought upon the ground of Christianity, not only the living stones, as in 1 Peter 2, but also all whom the Lord's servants, in their individual responsibility as builders, have introduced, whether believers or only professors. With the word of God in our hands, we may be tempted to refuse the work of this and that servant, deeming it worthless; but all must remember, we again add, that we are not the judges, that the Lord in His own time will make manifest every man's work of what sort it is, and that in the meanwhile we must not refuse what the Lord has not rejected; that is, we must likewise acknowledge this aspect of the house of God on earth. Salvation is not secured, as this scripture shows, by being in the house of God. Wood, hay, and stubble are there equally with gold, silver, and precious stones. And moreover it must never be forgotten that the fire will test every part of it. It is therefore a solemn thing — solemn both in the view of present responsibility and of future judgment — to be within. It is also a precious privilege to be within the sphere of the abode and action of the Holy Spirit; but this very privilege neglected and slighted becomes the ground of judgment in a future day. Christendom — for Christendom for all practical purposes expresses the extent of the house of God — will on this very account be the scene of unparalleled judgments. The measure of light is the measure of responsibility, and the history of' Babylon in the Apocalypse reveals the character of the awful judgments that will descend upon a Christless church, on that which still claims to be the church, but from which the Holy Ghost has long departed, and which Christ has long since spued out of His mouth.

The judgment spoken of here, however, is more especially that of the builders. The one whose work abides receives a reward. Called and qualified by grace for His service, and indeed sustained in it by divine power and grace, the same grace rewards him for his faithful labour. (See for the principle Matt. 25: 14, etc.; Luke 19: 12, etc.; Eph. 2: 10.) He whose work shall fail to stand the test of the holy fire, and is consumed as wood, hay, or stubble, is himself saved, yet so as through (dia) fire, but he suffers loss. He had been led astray, though a real believer — led astray by human thoughts and reasonings, and, labouring after man's methods, he had lost sight of the true character of the house of God, and thus all his service was in vain, and is not only counted as worthless, but draws down upon itself the consuming fire of judgment. The servant therefore suffers loss; he not only receives no reward, but he has also to see that all the energies of his professed life of labour for the Lord have been misdirected and in utter opposition to his Lord's mind. The third case is sadder still; it is that of an evil servant who corrupts the temple of God. He had taken the place of a builder, and he had laboured, it may be earnestly, according to his own thoughts; but by his preaching he had corrupted Christianity, denying its fundamental doctrines, and adapting it to the tastes of the natural man. Himself unconverted, he might yet have been a wise teacher, a man of progress and intellectuality, one who had shaken off the traditions and superstitions of past ages (as men speak), and known how to harmonize the teachings of the Bible with the speculations of science and philosophy; a man consequently of a broad and catholic spirit, who would look upon all men, in such a land as this, as Christians, denying the distinction between the saved and the unsaved, bringing all alike within the pale of the Church. But the time of judgment has at length come, when his work is examined, not by the light of reason and man's ideas, but in that of the fire of the holiness of God; and what is the result? Not only are the wood, hay, and stubble consumed which such a workman had put upon the foundation of the house of God, but he himself is also destroyed (phtheiro) because he had corrupted (phtheiro) God's temple. What a warning for the teachers of Christendom, as indeed for all who take the place of service in connection with the Church of God! May all such lay it to heart, and seek, in anticipation of the time when every man's work shall be made manifest, to form a true estimate of their service in the light of God's presence, and of His word.

Two observations have yet to be made; the first as caution, and the second as guidance. The fundamental error of popery, as indeed of high-churchism and sacerdotalism, if not inherent in the principle of all State churches, lies in the attribution to the house of God as man's building of that which belongs only to the Church which Christ Himself builds. The Church which Christ builds is indestructible; the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Not so popery (or the church as builded by man anywhere); but "her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." (Rev. 18: 8.) It is therefore always necessary, when speaking of the Church of God, and what is said of it in His word (if we would be preserved from error, or misconception as to its privileges and claims) to carefully distinguish between the two aspects which are given in the Scriptures. Secondly, we find in 2 Timothy all needful direction for our path and conduct in the midst of all the corruptions which man has brought into the house of God. "Nevertheless," says Paul, "the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ" (Lord, is the correct reading) "depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Tim. 2: 19-22.) Man may put bad materials on the foundation, but he cannot disturb the foundation itself; he may confound the distinction between the saved and the unsaved, but the Lord is not deceived, He knows them that are His; and the responsibility that lies upon every one who names the name of the Lord, while waiting for the day which will manifest everything, is to depart from iniquity. Then the apostle reminds us that through the activity of teachers of evil doctrines (see verses 16-18, etc.) the Church, in its outward presentation to the world, has become like to a great house which contains vessels both good and bad. The Lord's servants are to purge themselves from the vessels of dishonour if they would be qualified for the Master's approval and service. Moreover, they are to flee youthful lusts. In other words, they must be separate both from ecclesiastical and moral evil; and they must be found in the practice of every Christian grace and virtue, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Such is the path for the saint amid the abounding and increasing corruption of this evil day. May the Lord give more and more of His beloved people wisdom to discern it, and strength to walk in it to the praise of His holy name.

6. THE FINAL ASPECT OF THE CHURCH.

EPH. 2: 19-22; REV. 21: 2, 3.

The final aspect of the Church as the house of God on earth is that presented in this scripture; — viz., that of the temple. From 1 Cor. 6 we learn that the body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and from 2 Cor. 6 that believers collectively are the temple of the living God; but the temple in Eph. 2 differs from these in that it is not yet completed. The apostle says that the saints "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Thus they were built together as God's habitation, but the temple was in the process of building — it was growing.

This shows very clearly that the temple, in this aspect, includes all the saints of God of this dispensation, from the day of Pentecost until the Lord's return; whereas, the house or the habitation of God, as has been before explained, is regarded as complete at any given time. So indeed with respect to the Church as the body of Christ. In Eph. 1: 22, 23, we read that God hath put all things under the feet of the risen Christ, and hath given Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. In other scriptures, where the body of Christ is mentioned, it is composed of all believers existing at any given time; but in this place it is viewed as comprising all the saints of the dispensation — the Church in its totality and completion. The temple "growing" therefore reminds us that Christ is still building His church, and that He will continue to build until the time of His patience ends in His rising from His seat, when He, having now ended His work as builder, will fetch His bride, and will present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

If we now turn once again to Rev. 21 we shall find the same two aspects — the Church as the bride of Christ, and as the tabernacle (not here the temple) of God. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, their God." (vv. 2, 3.) The first heaven and the first earth had now passed, away, and a new heaven and a new earth had come into existence at the word of God; a scene in which righteousness could eternally dwell. The new creation, in a word, both within and without, had been consummated. The Church, the Bride, the Lamb's wife, which had been associated with Him in the heavens, in the perfect enjoyment of the intimacy of His love, now descends upon the new earth, and in connection with this it is that the proclamation is made, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men." On earth it had been His habitation through the Spirit, and now, completed as the temple, it has become His tabernacle for eternity, a special privilege, which the saints of other dispensations — "the men" of this scripture, blessed to the full, and perfectly, as they will be — are not permitted to share. They surround the tabernacle, and God will thus dwell with them, and bring them into the enjoyment of relationship with Himself as His people, and He will manifestly be with them, and be their God.

The question may be raised as to the significance of the different appellations on which we have touched — house, temple, and tabernacle. The term "house," as will be apparent to the most simple reader, always carries with it the idea of a dwelling-place. The Church as the house of God is thus His habitation — His habitation on earth, as cannot be too frequently recalled. The thought connected with "temple" in the three places in which it is found (1 Cor. 3, 6; 2 Cor. 6) is that of holiness; as for example, "The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." But what constitutes the holiness of the temple is the fact of the divine presence, and then, together with that, there may be perhaps associated the further thought of what is due to the One whose temple it is. God, who inhabits the temple, is holy, and those who form it must be holy, as indeed we read in the Psalms, "Holiness becometh Thine house, O Lord, for ever." And again, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Then there is doubtless a very special reason for the use of the word tabernacle in Rev. 21. The language used supplies the key. Turning back to Leviticus we read, "I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Lev. 26: 11, 12.) This was the desire of God's heart — a desire which for the time was frustrated by the sin and iniquity of His people. Thus He "forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh" (see Joshua 18: 1), "the tent which He placed among men, and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy's hand." (Ps. 78: 60, 61.) And after that Solomon's temple had been built, the Lord spake by Jeremiah concerning it, "Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth." (Jer. 26: 6.) The Lord was faithful to His word, for His people "mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. . . And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God," etc., (2 Chr. 36: 16-19.) After seventy years the remnant that returned from Babylon built again the house of the Lord; but when He suddenly came to His temple (Mal. 3: 1), His people refused and crucified Him, and finally this temple, together with Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Romans.

God could not therefore dwell in the midst of His people, as He desired. Accordingly we find the prophet Ezekiel, speaking of a future time when Israel shall have been restored to their own land, and when the true David shall be king over them, delivering this message, "My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Ezek. 37: 27); and this promise was not more than partially fulfilled. It is evident therefore that the term tabernacle in Rev. 21 has reference to these scriptures; that, in fact, the first outward expression of God's purpose to have His eternal habitation in the midst of His people is seen in Israel's encampment; that His tabernacle in the wilderness, surrounded by the twelve tribes, was both a type and a prophecy, and that once again the more perfect habitation of the millennium became also a figure of His perfected tabernacle in eternity.

The scene therefore in Rev. 21 is the consummation of God's eternal purposes of grace, and hence the full result of the efficacy of the precious blood of Christ. John the Baptist had announced our Lord as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world; and here we find that the work is done. Hence we read, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Sin having been put away, death, its bitter fruit, with all its sorrows, has also disappeared; and thus God has for ever wiped away the tears of His people. A further consequence, moreover, is that He can now dwell in this perfect way in the midst of the redeemed. He is now all in all; He Himself in all that He is, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, fills the scene, the eternal source of the eternal happiness of His glorified saints.

Such is the final revelation of the Church as God's dwelling-place. But during the thousand years, after the Church has been caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, God will once more dwell upon the earth. The temple will first be rebuilt in unbelief, and not be owned by the Lord (see Isa. 66: 1-6); but this will be superseded by one built by divine directions, and according to divine measurements. (See Ezek. 40 - 42) To this God returns, as seen in vision by the prophet: "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the house, by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house." (Compare Ex. 40: 35; 2 Chr. 5: 14; Acts 2: 2.) "And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And He said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile," etc. (Ezek. 43: 2-7; see also Ezek. 44, 45)

We thus see that God has had, and will have, His habitation on earth in every age or dispensation on the ground of redemption. Having brought His people out of Egypt, He spake to Moses, saying, "Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." (Ex. 25: 8.) Thence onward, as we have traced from the Scriptures, He continued to dwell on the earth. The temple took the place of the tabernacle, the Church superseded the temple, the temple will once more be rebuilt in the millennium; and last of all, when the former things have passed away, and all the purposes of God in grace and redemption have been accomplished, the Church is seen on the new earth as the tabernacle of God. The same thought, in one aspect, is expressed by the house in every dispensation; viz., God's joy in surrounding Himself with His redeemed people, and God's delight in being the source of their joy and the object of their adoration and praise. His habitations on earth, however, are but the anticipations of His perfected house in the eternal state — of that temple which is even now silently growing, as stone after stone is laid in their appointed place upon the living Foundation, and which, when completed, will, after the close of all earthly dispensations, become His tabernacle throughout eternity.

"In Christ."

"In Christ."

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1883, p. 260.

As there seems to be some confusion abroad in regard to the standing of the believer, we purpose briefly to examine it, in the hope of establishing some of our readers in the truth.

1. We ask then, in the first place, Is the believer's standing found in Rom. 5: 2? That he is there justified through faith, has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, is brought through Christ into the present enjoyment of God's favour, and rejoices in the hope of His glory, is plainly stated; but does all this — immense as are the blessings indicated — set forth the believer's standing? If so — for so far the believer has not died with Christ; we mean, thus far in the teaching of the epistle — he might still be in the flesh; for as yet it is only the question of sins, of guilt, that has been dealt with Abraham was equally justified with ourselves, and, though not brought into the same blessings, his standing would then be similar, similar in that he was also in the flesh. The difference, we apprehend, would lie rather in the character of his blessings. It is quite clear that we have in this scripture the believer's judicial position, or, to speak with greater accuracy, the position into which God in His grace has judicially brought him, consequent upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; but we cannot accept this as giving us the truth of our standing.

2. Two scriptures seem to us to speak very distinctly on this subject. The Lord, speaking to His disciples, says, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." (John 14: 20.) The apostle Paul writes, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (Rom. 8: 9.) Now it is evident that our Lord is speaking of the time after the coming of the Comforter, the One who should abide with His own for ever, dwelling with them and being in them. He adds, moreover, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live ye shall live also." It is then that He says, "At that day ye shall know," etc. This surely is Christianity — the Holy Ghost on earth and dwelling in the believer, and through this the believer able to apprehend the position of Christ, that He is in His Father, the believer in Christ, and Christ in the believer. So in Romans 8 there are three connected things — our being in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and Christ Himself in us. (vv. 1, 9, 10.) And in the ninth verse the apostle expressly contrasts the being in the flesh with being in the Spirit, the latter conditioned by the Spirit of God dwelling in us. If therefore it is true that every believer who has peace with God has the indwelling Spirit, and that every one such is "in Christ," we are forced to the conclusion that our standing is represented only by these words. According to the contrast drawn by the apostle every unbeliever is "in the flesh," and every believer is "in the Spirit;" also "in Christ," according to the first verse. (We do not here enter into an examination of the precise force of the expressions.) "In Christ," then, we understand to set forth the standing of every believer who has been sealed of God by the Holy Ghost. That there needs an experience and practical condition for the entering into and enjoyment of this blessed truth — that God now sees us, not in Adam, in the flesh, but in Christ — is seen from the position of Romans 7 in relation to Rom. 6 and Rom. 8; but that is altogether another question.

3. Another thing should be observed. The term "in Christ" is not necessarily of the same force in Romans as in 2 Corinthians 5 and Ephesians; but it has to be expounded in each place in accordance with the distinctive teaching of the epistle. For example, "In Christ," in Ephesians 2: 6, undoubtedly implies union with Christ; but this could hardly be said of Rom. 8: 1, nor, indeed, of John 14: 20. As another has said, speaking of this last passage (we quote from memory, but, we think, correctly), "It is not union, but nature and life, and our place in that nature and life." In the same way God's righteousness has a different force in Rom. 3 from what it has in 2 Cor. 5: 21. In Romans it is "upon all them that believe," and this too in the place where those that believe are; but in 2 Cor. 5 we are made God's righteousness in Christ in the place where He is.

4. Again, if the standing of the believer is found in Rom. 5: 2, the relative significance of the place Christ occupies at the right hand of God is missed. With all reverence be it said that a man, Christ Jesus, though the eternal Son, is in the glory of God. And just because He is there as man, it is also our place, in the wonderful grace of God, according to His eternal counsels. It is not too much to say that Christianity cannot be understood apart from the recognition of the truth that Christ is glorified as man. This decides at once the question of the believer's standing. It cannot, on this very account, be lower than "in Christ" in the place where Christ is. That is the believer's standing now; by-and-by he will be conformed to that standing, for God has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

5. Having then seen that our standing as believers can only be expressed by the term "in Christ," we freely admit, nay, insist upon, the fact that the believer's standing is ever the measure of his responsibility. But a right condition of soul is never begotten by contending for responsibility. It is grace that restores and establishes, and the more fully grace is understood and enjoyed, the more perfectly will the walk of the believer correspond with his standing. To know his standing is a condition for a right walk; but, even if the standing is known, the state will never be right as long as the eyes of the believer are upon himself. The danger, therefore, of the contention that "in Christ" is state or condition, and not standing, lies in the occupation of the believer with himself, and in his consequent efforts (always useless, because they suppose power on his part) to attain to a right condition of soul. The result is only legality.

6. To sum up, then, two things are to be noted. Through the work of Christ for us we are brought into a new position. We were under condemnation, but in virtue of His atoning sacrifice we now stand in the abiding favour of God. God who, in all that He is, was against us on account of our sins, is now for us on account of the efficacy of the precious blood. But this is not all. On the cross God dealt also with what we were, as well as with what we had done. We have been crucified with Christ, and thereby sin has been condemned in the flesh. (Gal. 2; Rom. 8.) But if the cross closes up the history of the first man in responsibility, Christ in resurrection has taken the place of the second man; and, consequently, every believer is brought, through the death and resurrection of Christ, into a new place before God. Now it is this new place, viz., "in Christ" (not now in Adam) that represents our standing.

We hope to return to the subject in a future number, if the Lord permit. E. D.

The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God.

John 1: 29-39.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 309.

There is no character in which Christ is presented more precious to the believer than that of Lamb of God. Our hymns of praise — indeed the hymns of all ages — bear witness to this. The reason is evident. It brings before us, in one word, both the beauty of His character, and His sacrificial work. The very term is redolent of the cross, and consequently of His sufferings and death. It therefore appeals to the deepest affections of every true believer; and, at the same time, when rightly understood, conserves the doctrines of grace which centre in and radiate from the cross of Calvary.

It is not a little remarkable that John the Baptist should be the chosen instrument thus to describe his Lord. The herald of the kingdom, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, hake straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias," it is yet he who proclaims the victim character of Him who was presented to Israel as the King; and thereby, consciously or unconsciously, he foretold His rejection and death. This is in harmony with the gospel in which this utterance of his is recorded. In the synoptical gospels Christ is presented to Israel for acceptance, and His rejection is seen in the course of their narrative. St. John begins with His rejection, as he says, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." (John 1: 10.) We have consequently the glories of the person of Chest described in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. The first chapter indeed covers almost the whole field of His dignities and exaltation, whether essential or acquired. It commenced with His eternal existence as the Word — "and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; it exhibits Him as Incarnate — "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" — as the only Begotten of (with, παρα) the Father, the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father, Lamb of God, as the One who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, as the Son of God (as born into the earth according to Psalm 2 and Luke 1: 35), and it concludes with His title as Son of man — the character in which, consequent upon His rejection by the Jewish nation, He will assume universal dominion.

The Jews had sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John, Who art thou? He told them that he was not the Christ, but the voice of one crying in the wilderness, etc. (vv. 19-27.) "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1: 29.) The Jews had failed to understand the mission of John; their eyes could not discern in him the forerunner of the Messiah, and consequently John now proclaims the Messiah, in His suffering character, as the altar victim, God's Lamb.

The question is often asked, What is the origin of this appellation? Of what especial lamb is Christ the antitype? There is very little doubt that there is a tacit reference to Genesis 22. When Abraham was on his way to mount Moriah to offer up Isaac, in obedience to the divine command, Isaac said, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering." (vv. 7, 8.) And this is the point here. The Lamb of God is the Lamb of God's own providing, and now to deal once and for ever with the question of sin, and the sin of the world. In Abraham's case it was for a burnt-offering, for the question of sin was not yet raised; but every Jew would be familiar with the thought of sacrificing for sin. The Passover lamb, while not exactly a sacrificial victim, told them of the need of blood to screen them from the judgment of a holy God, while the daily sacrifice of a lamb morning and evening would remind them of their need of atonement; for the burnt-offering was accepted for the offerer "to make atonement for him" (Lev. 1: 4), and its blood was sprinkled "round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." There should therefore have been no difficulty in the mind of a Jew from this description of Christ; for it really embodied the essence of their own economy. The Lamb of God was the one sacrifice to which all their own directly pointed — the one sacrifice, provided for them in the grace of God, which, since provided by Himself, would meet His own mind, and abrogate the necessity of their continually offering those sacrifices which could never take away sin. What godly Jew, moreover, could have read: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth" (Isa. 53: 5-7) — what godly Jew, I say, could have read this chapter without expecting Christ to suffer for sin? The announcement therefore that He was the Lamb of God should have filled their hearts with gratitude and joy.

There are two things in these words of John which demand attention. He cries, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." We have, then, to consider what He is, and what He does. To whom did John point when he said, "Behold the Lamb of God"? It was Jesus. And who was He? That wondrous Person whose manifold dignities and glories are displayed in this chapter. He is the Word who was with God and who was God; He is the Creator of heaven and earth; "for all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." He is the only begotten Son of the Father, and the only Revealer of the Father. On the other side He was man, and on earth He was known as Jesus of Nazareth; but as born on earth, He was heir to all the rights of David, and hence the Christ, the Son of God, and the King of Israel.

Such was the Lamb of God as to His Person. Not that all this could have been discerned by the natural eye. Nay, He stood among those who came to John for baptism, as One whom they knew not. Outwardly, He was but a man amongst His fellow-men; but faith discerned His true character, and His exalted dignity. "We beheld His glory," says the evangelist, "the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father." To the anointed eye, therefore, Jesus, the Lamb of God, stood revealed as God manifest in flesh. And had he been less, He could not have been the Lamb of God. There was no other in the heaven or earth that could have answered to the mind of God, or, as the sacrifice for sin, have met all His holy claims. Nor was there any other that could have undertaken the cause, and stood in the place of sinners. As the perfect Man — without spot or blemish — He could offer Himself as the holy victim upon God's altar; as God, He imparted such infinite value to His sacrifice that it could avail for the whole world. We may well, therefore, take up the language of John, and, repeating his cry, say, Behold Him; yea —

"Behold the Lamb! 'Tis He who bore

My burden on the tree;

And paid in blood the dreadful score,

The ransom due for me.

"I look to Him till sight endear

The Saviour to my heart;

To Him I look who calms my fear,

Nor from Himself depart.

"I look until His precious love

My every thought control,

Its vast constraining influence prove

O'er body, spirit, soul."

We must also enquire what is meant by taking away the sin of the world. Two errors in connection with this passage have to be noted in order to be avoided. The first consists in the simple addition of a letter, making it "sins" instead of sin, an error which has been widely propagated in well-known forms of prayer. Now trifling as the question of a letter may seem, if it were true that Christ as the Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the world, universal salvation apart from faith would be the necessary consequence — a doctrine which undermines the fundamental truths of Christianity. It must be, therefore, urgently insisted upon that it is the sin, not the sins, of the world which is here mentioned. Nor does it say, secondly, that He has taken away the sin of the world. He taketh it away; that is, as we shall see farther own, He has done the work which will secure this result, but its accomplishment will not be reached until the end of all things.

It may help us to apprehend the meaning of these words if we compare another Scripture. "Once," says the writer of the Hebrews, "hath He appeared in the end of the world" (in the consummation of the ages) "to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Heb. 9: 26.) The sacrifice has been offered, but the sin has not yet been, though it will be, put away. This is very obvious. Even the believer, though he is perfectly cleansed, and has no more conscience of sins, has sin in him. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1: 8.) He is to reckon himself dead to it, but actually it is still in him. There remains, however, nothing more to do for its abrogation. The sacrifice of the Lamb of God so glorified God in every attribute of His character that, on the ground of its eternal value, He will eventually put away sin for ever from His sight. The blood of Christ has such infinite value in His eyes that righteously — yea, He can glorify Himself in the total putting away of sin, and the new heavens and the new earth will be the everlasting witness that it is done. Then He that sits upon the throne will say, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 22: 5); and every trace of sin and its defilement will be gone for ever. Such is the force of this Scripture. It is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world; for it is He who has laid the foundation for the accomplishment of this glorious result by the sacrifice of Himself. blessed be His name!

But it is not only as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world that John indicates Him. He declares Him more fully: "This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a Man which is preferred before me: for He was before me. And I knew Him not but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shah see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth. with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." (John 1: 30-34.) No sooner have we been invited to behold Christ as the victim — the sacrificial Lamb — than we are directed to gaze upon Him in His exaltation — as the One baptizing with the Holy Ghost from His place at the right hand of God. This is the way of the Holy Spirit. If He delights to dwell on the lowly, suffering aspect of the works of Christ, to unfold to us the wondrous character of His death, and its far-reaching and comprehensive results, it is no less His joy to point Him out in the glory whence He sends forth the Holy Ghost, and to declare that He who was thus sealed as man by the descent of the Spirit is no other than the Son of God. The cross and the throne are ever connected. If the Lord Jesus humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, it is on that account that "God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2: 9-11.)

Having thus unveiled His coming exaltation and glory, John again presents Him as the Lamb of God. "Again the next day after John stood, and two of His disciples, and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God." (vv. 35, 36.) In the former passage it was Christ in His sacrificial character — the meek and gentle victim — offering Himself for the sin of the world; in this it is the display of what He is in Himself that excites the wondering admiration of His forerunner. Looking upon Jesus as He walked, his heart is filled with adoring praise, and he says, Behold the Lamb of God; behold Himself, the beauty of His ways, the perfectness of His walk, the unfoldings of a divine-human life, which was in itself a full and perfect moral presentation of God to man. It was indeed an object that might rivet the gaze of all beholders. For that lowly Man, whom John thus designated, was the only One on earth who fully answered the desires of the heart of God, the only One on whom He could look, and in whom He could rest with complacency and delight. John therefore was in the current of God's own thoughts when he pointed his disciples to this beauteous Lamb of God.

This, at the same time, helps us to understand the significance of this second cry of the Baptist. John himself was arrested as he looked upon Jesus as he walked; and in utter forgetfulness of self, knowing that his lesser light must fade away and be extinguished by this heavenly luminary, he desires that his own disciples should be occupied with the object that had drawn forth and absorbed his affections. He had first proclaimed Him as the sacrifice for sin; for we can never know the Person of Christ until the question of sin has been settled, and then he pointed Him out to his disciples as the object for their hearts, as the One who was entitled, in virtue of His sacrifice and what it accomplished, to claim their allegiance and affections. And very blessed is it for us all when the claims of Christ are fully acknowledged. Under the pressure of our sin and guilt we are all willing, nay, often driven, to seek relief through His blood; but our danger is, when the relief is obtained, of forgetting that He who has borne our sins in His own body on the tree, has by that very fact the right to all that we have and are. The right? Most surely the right!! But how it evidences the feebleness of our conceptions of what He is, and what He has done, when we have to argue and enforce it. Who would speak of a mother having the right to the love of her child? In like manner to speak of Christ having the right to our love, is only to prove the hardness of our hearts. To behold Him as the One who has taken away our sin should be enough to bind us for ever to His service, to keep us at His feet as His willing servants, to melt our hearts to gratitude and praise.

Certainly a great effect was produced upon the two disciples of John. It was like the presentation of a strong magnet to them; for when they heard John's word they followed Jesus. It drew them away from their beloved master, the Baptist, and constrained by the attractions of the Lamb of God, they followed Him, and became His disciples. And it is ever so. Nothing but the Person of Christ can wean us from earthly things, detach us from all our surroundings, disentangle us from our most intimate ties, and make us His willing-hearted and delighted followers. Hence the great loss of those who stop short at His work. Indeed His work can never be understood aright until after we have known Himself; and then in fellowship with His own heart, because at perfect rest in His presence, our own hearts completely satisfied, we shall behold, as we contemplate the cross, blessings and glories we had never dreamt of, rising up before our souls as the fruit and consequence of the work which He finished on Calvary.

But there is another thing. If the two disciples are drawn after Jesus, His heart goes forth to them. "Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day: for it was about the tenth hour." (vv. 38, 39.) Nothing more delights the heart of Christ than the desires of the soul after Him. Attracted to Him, these two disciples would learn more of the One whose beauty had begun to dawn upon their souls, though as yet their apprehensions were so feeble and inadequate. The Lord knew their weakness, and thus He allures them on by His gentleness and grace. In their timidity they might have been repelled by reserve; but He who does not quench the smoking flax will intensify their interest and desire; and thus He turned, and seeing them following, said, "What seek ye?" He knew what they sought, their hearts lay bare before His eyes; but by this simple question He was but leading them on, throwing around them the cords of His love to bind them to Himself. Emboldened, therefore, by such grace, they respond, "Master, where dwellest thou?" It may be that they little understood the largeness of their request, yet surely the Spirit of God animated their words. The home of the Lamb of God! To discover this is to learn the whole secret of redemption; yea, to know the Son as the Revealer of the Father. For we read in this very chapter, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." (v. 18.) No earthly dwelling could claim the honour of being His home. On earth He had not where to lay His head; but even while a stranger here, and walking this weary scene, He could speak of Himself as "in heaven" (John 3: 13); and from the Scripture just cited we learn that in heaven the bosom of the Father was His home.

Nor will He withhold this secret from His own. Hence He replies, in answer to their question, "Come and see." They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day; for it was about the tenth hour. He thus led them into His own dwelling, and in the intimacies of this secret fellowship unveiled His glories and satisfied their hearts. And surely we may see in this a figure of the final gathering of His own into His presence. Taking, indeed, the narrative in its connection, we cannot fail to apprehend this deeper significance; for, first, as pointed out, we have the Lamb of God as the sacrifice — the One that taketh away the sin of the world; then, after announcing Him as the One who was sealed, and who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, we have the two disciples following Him, and finally the goal of discipleship is discovered; viz., the home of Jesus. He Himself said, "Father, I will that they also; whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world," (John 17: 24.) This is the consummation of all His desires for His own, to have them with Himself, and to see them entering into His joy in His exaltation and glory — all the fruit of His own travail on the cross. It is, therefore, the highest expression of the blessedness of the redeemed, to be for ever with the Lord. He laid the foundation for this in His sacrifice; He presents Himself to their hearts as meeting all their needs as sinners, and then by His grace and love He attracts them to Himself, and last of all He comes to receive them unto Himself, that where He is, we may be also.

The Scriptures lead us on still further. They permit us to obtain glimpses of the place the Lamb of God occupies in the glory. In the book of Revelation we behold the Lamb as it had been slain, in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders. We behold Him there as the centre of God's ways in government on the earth, the unfolder of His counsels, and the  - object of heaven's worship and praise. The elders, the angels, "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth," and the four living creatures, alike acknowledge His worthiness and supremacy, and render their willing homage. The Lamb that was slain is now confessed to be worthy "to take the book and open the seals thereof," on the ground of the redemption effected by His precious blood; and the angels likewise proclaim His worthiness "to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." (Rev. 5: 6-14.) Still further revelations of His exaltation and glory may be gleaned by those who desire to follow out the subject. May the Lord so entrance the hearts of His own with the glories of the Lamb that it may be a relief to them to fall before Him in worship and praise.

"Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou,

That every knee to Thee should bow." E. D.

Departed Leaders

Departed Leaders.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1882, p. 167.

The apostles had no successors. Both Paul and Peter alike, in the prospect of their own departure, commended the saints — the former to God, and the word of His grace (Acts 20: 32); the latter to the written Word. (2 Peter 1: 15.) It has been the same in principle with the vessels of testimony of every age. They have lived and served, and have departed to be with Christ. We are left; and what, we ask, is the light in which they should now be regarded? The word of God supplies the answer. (See Heb. 13: 7.) We are, in the first place, to remember those who have been our leaders, and who have spoken unto us the word of God; and, secondly, "considering the end of their conversation," we are to "imitate their faith." When bereft therefore of any to whom God had especially committed His testimony in a dark and evil day, the Holy Spirit would lead out our affections in divine channels. And it is a consolation, a divine solace, to be directed to remember such eminent servants of the Lord, and to recall their faith, both as an incentive and an example. To do so in this spirit will obviate the danger of human idolatry, and enable us to glorify God in the energy, the courage, the consecration and zeal, which they displayed.

In this connection, moreover, we are told — and it may be as comprising the faith of these departed teachers — that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." They may disappear from the scene, but He abides, and abides as our unchanging and unchangeable resource. Amid all our vicissitudes, and even amid all our failures and unfaithfulness, if our hearts are but stayed on this blessed truth, we need never be discouraged or disheartened. Christ remains, and here we can rest. He is ever the same, and He will never cease to care for His Church. What comfort to us in our conscious weakness! and what an antidote to our apprehensions, and to our craving after visible helps! Nor let us forget that His truth is bound up with His immutable character. We must not therefore be carried about with divers and strange doctrines. When standard-bearers fall, it is but a summons to us to hold fast all the more tenaciously the testimony they proclaimed. "Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (Rev. 3: 11.) E. D.

Life out of Death

Life out of Death.

"He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life," etc. — John 5: 24-29.

E. Dennett.

Publisher: Morrish.

CBA11,319.

We have the Lord Jesus here set before us in two characters — as the Disposer of life, and also as the Judge  -  and I want, in a few words, to set before you Christ as the Fountain of life, and as the One who has authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man.

You will see, first of all, the Lord Jesus tells us that He has life in Himself. Thus, you will see, in the twenty-sixth verse, "As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." What a marvellous thing, that a man should stand before his fellow-men, and say he has life in himself! Let us ask who it was that spake these words. We find He calls Himself the Son; but who is this wonderful Son, who can thus speak? We get the answer to this question in the first chapter of this Gospel, where we are told, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" and we are told the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and the apostle says, "We beheld his glory, as of the Father, full of grace and truth." We have, then, this marvellous fact, that the Word, who was God, became incarnate, that He dwells among men, and that He, as the Son of God, is able to save, for He has said, "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life."

Now, this is the character in which the Lord Jesus presents Himself to us as the Disposer and Fountain of life. If He, then, offers life, to whom is it He offers it? It must be to those that are dead; and so the Lord Jesus is standing, as it were (if I may use the expression), in the midst of a cemetery of dead men, and He cries in the midst of those dead men: "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life." If I were to go into one of your cemeteries, and tell you that, standing there, I should be able to call out the dead, what a crowd would assemble together! If I were to speak a word, and at that word the dead were to come out, what astonishment would seize the minds of all! And yet there was a scene like to this years ago. We read of One who stood by the grave of a dead man, and there was a crowd gathered round about Him; and He cried, "Lazarus, come forth;" and the dead man, we find, came forth. (John 11.) And thus, at the word of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to the dead man the life was given  - life out of death — life bestowed in response to His cry. You will thus see that Jesus Christ was able to do what He has promised to do, because, when He offers life, He has shown that He can give life. Is it not, then, plain to the minds of every one that, if Jesus can call the dead to life, He is able to bestow life?

Some of you, perhaps, have known what bereavement is, and the sorrows of bereavement — what it is to have your dear ones dead in your homes — what would you have said, if some one had come to you at such a time, and had spoken a word of power, and there had been a resurrection in your household? Would you not say divine power was put forth? This is what Jesus claims and what He has; because, as we have seen, He spake the word, and the dead came to life; and so He proved, as I have said, that He was divine, and able to bestow life upon those who listened to Him. To whom, then, is it He speaks these words? It is to every one who is dead in trespasses and sins. But you will say to me, "Am I dead?" It is God's word: "You who were once dead in trespasses and sins." You will say again "Am I dead?" Not as to the body, else you could not be here. What is death? It is separation from God; you have no life towards God. I will prove it. If I speak to persons in the street, and they do not, and cannot, hear what I say, am I not justified in saying that they are deaf, if they do not hear what I say to them? And supposing one were to turn round, and say, "I am not deaf," would it show that he was not? No. When God speaks to your souls, then, and you do not hear His voice, what does it prove? Does it not prove, at least, that you cannot hear the voice of God? And if you cannot hear the voice of God when He speaks to you, it can only be because you are dead in trespasses and sins. You have no power to hear, because death has come in. For what does the word of God say? "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Shall we clear this point, before we proceed further? I want all unsaved souls to understand that they are dead as before God — yes, dead in trespasses and in sins. And, alas! there is something else. Not simply are you dead in trespasses and sins, but sentence is passed upon you as in that condition; not executed, we admit, but still the sentence is passed, and will be executed in God's time, when the day of His grace shall have closed. Shall we, then, simply understand this, beloved friends? Will you accept the statement — not my thoughts, be it observed, but God's own thoughts, God's word — that every unsaved soul is in a state of death? and it is to dead people that Jesus speaks in the passage before us.

Well, then, Jesus stands in the midst of dead ones, all lying dead about Him — yea, and in their graves, so to speak; and what does He say? He says: "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Do you hear, then, the voice of the Son of God? He once spoke when He was on earth, but now He speaks to you from heaven; for that same One who came down to earth was crucified and buried, He ascended up on high, and now He is seated at God's right hand. But He still speaks the same words to you, and He now offers life to every one who believes on Him.

You will mark, from the passage which is read, it is not every one that shall live, but, "they that hear shall live." Not all. You will see the words are very exact: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Do you hear that voice of the Son of God? Alas! beloved friends, how often has He spoken, and you have not heard Him! If you had heard the voice of the Son of God, you would, not now be dead, but among the living; and so, if you are not saved, it simply shows this, that you have never heard Him speaking to your souls. Will you not hear Him tonight speaking from heaven by His own word? He has come to you with the same message, and it is simply this: "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life."

You have read of the jailor in the Acts of the Apostles, and you remember that the two apostles were, imprisoned in the city of Philippi. At midnight they sang praises to God; and what happened? There was an earthquake, and there was great alarm in the midst of the prison, and all the bonds of the prisoners fell off from them; and we are told that the jailor called for a light, and came into the presence of the apostles, and he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved He knew he was a dead man, and he wanted to know the means to get life and salvation. What was the answer? Did the apostle tell him he must do this or that? No, it was simply this: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." No other way. And so, in the message that comes to the dead ones tonight, there is only one way: it is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And why? Because He once died for sin; because He died upon the cross as the sacrifice for sin; because there, as Christians can say, He was made sin for us. It was because He died as the sinner's Substitute, and bore what was due to us, met and exhausted all the judgment of God against sin, and so, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death. He is, therefore, the Resurrection and Life to every believer.

Now, beloved friends, I want you to mark the very strong words we have in the passage. Not simply are we told, that "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life," there is something else, "and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." And this will bring us to the second part of the passage. Jesus offers life, but what is the consequence if you do not receive the life? It is this: You must stand before Him as the Judge. For what do we read? "The Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man."

I may speak one word as to the judgment, as revealed to us in the word of God. Now is the time when God offers life to every sinner, but the consequence of rejecting salvation, is, that you must stand before the judgment-seat. That same Jesus who is now the Saviour, will one, day be the Judge. Will you turn with me to one passage of scripture, and see that it does not depend upon my statement. In the thirtieth and thirty-first verses of the seventeenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we have: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." The Lord Jesus is thus not simply the Saviour. Now He is the Saviour, but He will be the Judge; and thus it is that we have that solemn scene in the last book of the Bible. You remember there are certain people crying, and saying to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Has the marvellous singularity of the words that are used ever struck you? Do we ever associate "wrath" with a lamb? There is always quiet peacefulness, innocence, and the like, associated with the lamb, and so we say, "as gentle as the lamb." But in this instance it is "the wrath of the Lamb."

It is on this ground — Jesus rejected has become the Judge, and, consequently, the Lamb who is now preached as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world then comes in judgment; and the blood of Christ, which is now the foundation of salvation, is then the foundation of the exercise of judgment. And so it comes to pass with every one that rejects Christ, that there is fear and terror at the prospect of His coming.

The rejected One is coming as the Judge; and so, knowing they rejected Him as the Saviour, they say, "the great day of his wrath is come." I want, therefore, to present this truth to you — salvation now, through the blood of Christ. If you will not have salvation now, you must stand before the judgment-seat at last.

Now turn with me to the twentieth chapter of the last book of the bible, the Revelation, and we read: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Now see the marvellously solemn character of the scene that follows: "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." Now turn to the fifth chapter of John, and we will seek to combine the two passages: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice." You will not forget that we made a distinction at the outset, that only those who heard now shall live; but here we are told that all that are in the grave shall hear the voice of the Son of God. See the marvellous contrast! Now the Lord Jesus is presented to you as the Saviour; those who receive Him here live. When He comes as the Judge, there will be no offer of Christ as the Saviour. It will not then be a word of grace, but a word of mighty power, that will bespoken. This was illustrated when Lazarus was called forth from among the dead. He was in the grave, and when the Lord spoke, he came out; and so at the last, when He comes as the Judge, the mighty word of power will be spoken, and all the dead will be called out of their graves — all the dead that are there at the time, because God's people will then be with Christ; all the unsaved that are then in their graves  - by the word of power, which will be uttered by the Son of God. No hiding from the face of the Lord Jesus then.

See how careful the Spirit of God has been to show us this: "And the sea gave up the dead that were in it." Do you not read of shipwrecks, and hundreds of souls being launched into the bottom of the ocean? And the unbelieving say, "These are lost out of sight for ever." No, says the word of God, the time is coming when the Son of God is coming as the Judge, and the souls that have been drowned in the depths of the sea will have to come forth, and stand before that great white throne. And then, oh! we are told that death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them. There is no escape from the piercing eye of that Judge.

I want to know whether you are going to hear the voice of the Son of God as the Saviour, or whether you will hear Him as the Judge? If you do not hear the voice of Jesus Christ as the Saviour, you must hear Him as the Judge: it is no matter of choice. Now He speaks, now He invites, yea, entreats. You know the parable of the prodigal son — how that when the elder brother murmured at the reception of the prodigal, the father went out, and entreated him. Now, the message of His love goes out continually: "Be ye reconciled to God." God says, "Come, let us reason together." That is His word. Now He commands, beseeches, and entreats; but, beloved friends, it will not be always so, for the time is coming when 'all that are in the grave shall hear His voice' and I want to know — it is the last question I want to ask — which shall it be: now to hear Christ as the Saviour, or THEN to hear Him as the Judge? Do you know the consequence of hearing Him as the Judge? What will you say to Him? When you stand before that great white throne, what will you say to Him? What plea will you make? Can you say, Not guilty? No, you cannot say that, for God says that all have sinned, and come short of His glory. What will you plead? Will you say that you have lived pure lives? That will not avail, for God says, All are sinners. I ask you, What will you do when you stand before the judgment-seat? If you do not accept the salvation which is offered you, you must receive the sentence; and what is that sentence? "Every one that was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Those who are not saved will not be found in that book of life; and they are cast into the lake of fire, and we are told "this is the second death."

Have you ever stood by the side of a dying one? Is it not sad to see a soul passing into eternity? Indeed, I know nothing so solemn as a living soul passing into eternity, dying without Christ. But here is something, if possible, more awful still. And what is that? The everlasting sentence that God passes upon the unsaved, and that everlasting sentence is this — the lake of fire. There is no appeal from that sentence. And why is it that men attempt to destroy the truth of God's word? Because their consciences tell them it pronounces their doom. They are restless and uneasy under it; but it is God's word, and He that speaks will secure the fulfilment of that word. Why do I tell you of these things? It is only this, beloved friends, that when Jesus is lifted up as the Saviour, you may flee to Him. If you stand before that great white throne, it will not be God's fault. If you stand before that great white throne, it will be because you reject Jesus now.

Beloved friends, let me plead with you tonight to hear Christ's words, and believe on Him that sent Him. Shall one more opportunity pass over your heads, and will you once more say in your hearts, "Not now"? Not now! Alas! how many have said, "Not now," who are in eternity! Just take the newspaper, any day, and you will see a long catalogue, "died such a day, so-and-so." We are not told about them, whether they believed in Christ; and we know, as everybody knows, that in that catalogue there are some who have passed into eternity without Christ. If they could speak to us tonight, would it not be, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has told us of a man in torment, who had died without believing, and when he saw Abraham, what did he say? "Oh, send Lazarus to my five brethren." He did not want them to come and be tormented in that flame. Even the lost man desired the salvation of those who were dear to him. He was lost, but he wanted his brothers to be saved.

Ah, dear friends, you are in life now, and the Lord Jesus is the Saviour still; and because He is the Saviour still, the message goes forth: "Now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation." Will you come? There was a woman, one (we have it in the Gospels) who had heard something of Jesus, and she came with the crowd — and what did she do? We find that she pressed through the crowd, reached out her hand, and touched the hem of the Saviour's garment, and she was instantly healed. Is there not some poor soul that would desire to do this — just by living faith — to touch the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive everlasting life?

I remember being once in the country, and seeing a bough covered with the blossoms of May, and on my reaching out to take it, it came away in my hand. It was only connected by a little piece of bark with the tree, and so I saw that all the sap flowed through that one little piece of bark, and sustained the bough in life, and covered it with blossoms. And so it is with the soul that touches Christ; one simple touch of the Lord Jesus Christ is saving. Oh, then, that you might come to the feet of Christ, and take the place of sinners before Him, and receive everlasting life!

I was told last night that I ought to tell sinners to forsake their sins. Alas! how are they to forsake their sins? I was told that I was misleading sinners, as they must forsake their sins to come to Christ. How can they do that when they are dead? God comes down to sinners, meeting them where they are — in their state of condemnation and death — and His message is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ;" and wherever a sinner comes to the feet of Christ, and takes the place of a sinner, and looks to Him, instantly that soul passes from death unto life. It is God's own word: "He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, shall not come into judgment, but is passed into life."

And so the judgment is gone for every believer. "Gone," you say; "will you not stand before the white throne?" Never! Why should I? Jesus has borne my judgment for me. It is, therefore, behind my back. I am saved. No! my blessed Substitute has died for me; and because He has died, I am free. And so, tonight, if there be but one here who is not saved, if he does but come to the feet of Christ as a sinner, looking away to Him who is the only Saviour, he instantly, while he gazes, passes from death to life. May God grant that all of you may look and live! E.D.

"This light bread."

"This light bread."

Numbers 21: 5; 11: 6.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 145.

It has often been noticed that the burst of song which broke forth from redeemed Israel on the banks of the Red Sea had scarcely died away before they began to murmur against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Though they had been slaves under the iron yoke of Pharaoh, they were not prepared for the hardships of the desert; and as a consequence their hearts were filled with rebellion, and their lips with murmurs.

There were three things that made up the bitterness of their daily lives, all of which are most instructive to ourselves. First, there was "no bread, neither is there any water" (Num. 21: 5; Ex. 15, 16.); secondly, they loathed, became weary of the bread which God had provided for them, saying, "Our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes" (Num. 11: 6); and thirdly, they longed after the food of Egypt, "the fish, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick." (Num. 11: 5; Ex. 16: 3.)

These things together became so insupportable that they again and again avowed that they would far rather have remained in Egypt. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (as types): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1 Cor. 10: 11.)

The first thing then that troubled them was, that they found no bread and no water in the desert. As the psalmist expresses it, they found it "a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." Brought out of Egypt — type of the world of nature, of man in his natural condition — they had lost their accustomed food; and the wilderness on which they had entered was destitute of all the sources from which they had hitherto drawn, as well as those from which they needed now to draw, their life and sustenance. They had lost their old life for ever (in figure) in the Red Sea, the life which Egypt fed and nourished; and they now possessed a new, the springs of which were afar from the scene through which they were passing.

It is so with the believer now. For the new life which he possesses in a risen Christ there is neither bread nor water in the desert. Time was, before he was met by the grace of God, and brought out of darkness into His marvellous light, when all the springs of his life were in the world; but now the world has become to him "a wilderness wide," and looking out upon it he has to learn that it can offer him nothing either to stimulate or to refresh him in his pilgrim way. Not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world, as dead with Christ to it, and risen with Him out of it, how could he find his suited food in it, or slake his thirst at its polluted streams?

These truths are as familiar as household words; but we need to challenge our hearts continually as to their practical acceptance. Do we then habitually act in the remembrance that, apart from the few and simple requirements of our bodies, the scene of our strangership contains nothing for us, nothing to aid or invigorate; but, on the other hand, everything calculated to blight and deaden, the life we have in Christ Jesus?

It is of the last importance, especially for young believers whose feet have just entered upon the sands of the desert, to have this continually in our minds, that there is no bread or water to be found for our souls in the wilderness; for we belong to another scene. Christ Himself at the right hand of God is our life (Col. 3: 3), and it is therefore from thence, and from thence alone, that we can derive our nourishment and strength. "All our springs" are in Christ risen and glorified. With Him alone is the fountain of life. The believer who walks through the world in the power of this truth, expecting nothing, nothing but snares and dangers, from it, will be kept in independence of it; he will be conscious of a life that has no affinities to anything round about him, and he will exhibit a life, fed from on high, which, shining as a light in the moral darkness of this scene, will be a testimony for Christ, a testimony of grace, and also, alas! of coming judgment.

The second thing that afflicted these poor pilgrims was, that they became weary of the food which God had provided for them. It was in response to their murmurings (for as yet they were under grace, Sinai not having been reached) that He in His tenderness and mercy gave them the manna. "The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Ex. 16: 2, 3.) Such conduct merited judgment; but the Lord acted in grace, and hence he said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you." And this He did day by day for forty years, until they passed over the Jordan. (Joshua 5.) The manna was Israel's food, suited food for the wilderness, and it was of this that they tired, until at length they dared to say, "Our soul loatheth this light bread." (Num. 21: 5.) Now the manna, as our readers know, is a type of Christ, of a humbled Christ, of all that Christ was in His tenderness, grace, sympathy, etc., as He passed through this scene; of all that He is therefore as suited to us in wilderness circumstances as strangers and pilgrims. Christ then in this character is our only food (see John 6), the only food that can sustain and strengthen us; but Christ, it should be observed, in every aspect in which He is presented to us as the Manna. We need all that He is as thus given; but we need nothing outside of Himself — nothing but Himself; for since He Himself is our life, it is He only that can sustain it.

How, then, is it possible for the believer to weary of it? We have two natures, the old and the new, and "these are contrary the one to the other." If therefore we are not walking in the spirit (see Gal. 5) the flesh will assert its desires, and the flesh never loves Christ; the mind of the flesh, indeed, is enmity against God. (Rom. 8.) It is the flesh therefore that wearies of Christ, that, desiring its own proper food, begets in us a disrelish, a distaste, for the heavenly manna. But the flesh is subtle, and when thus acting in the believer generally loves to conceal its true character. But flesh is flesh, whatever the forms in which it is expressed; and even as Satan knows how to transform himself into an angel of light, so the flesh knows how to assume most pious forms. It is necessary therefore to be on our guard, lest we also fall into this grievous sin of loathing "this light bread."

Signs of this tendency often appear where least expected. For example, if a ministry which appeals to the intellect instead of to the heart and conscience is preferred; if the exposition of interesting principles, in which the natural man can even delight, is welcomed rather than a simple presentation of Christ Himself; if we become restless under sound doctrine, and after our own desires heap to ourselves teachers having itching ears; if we turn to books which deal with spiritual or prophetic problems (though these may have their place) rather than to those that unfold the excellencies and the graces of Christ; if we seek companionship with those who can entertain us naturally or socially in preference to those with whom we could have spiritual fellowship, those with whom Christ alone would be the bond; if we are losing our appetite for the Scriptures, and, it may be added, if we are losing the sense of our pilgrim character, and are gradually settling down into the enjoyment of things around — then there is reason to fear that we are becoming weary of "this light food." But the test may be a positive one. Let us then boldly ask ourselves whether we are satisfied with Christ, satisfied to the full in Him as our daily food. Let us ask ourselves this question in our homes, in our daily and social life, in our leisure moments, when listening to ministry, when gathered together in the assembly of the saints. It is one thing to sing -

"Jesus, of Thee we ne'er would tire;

The new and living Food

Can satisfy our heart's desire;

And life is in Thy blood."

and it is another thing to know it practically. May the Lord keep us from the grievous sin of losing our appetite for Himself.

Combined with this, in the case of the Israelites, there was an intense desire for the things of Egypt. How often did they longingly recall the flesh-pots, the fish, the leeks, the melons, and the cucumbers of Egypt? The two things always go together. Losing appetite for Christ is sometimes the consequence of indulgence in, and sometimes the cause of desiring, Egyptian gratifications. But let us ask plainly what this means. To long after the food of Egypt, then, is for the believer to seek after the same gratifications, amusements, sources of enjoyment, as the man of the world. The natural man has his suited food, that in which he endeavours to find his life, as the Christian has his. If the believer turn from Christ to that on which the worldling feeds, he is in exactly the same case as the Israelites. Thus, if the Christian look with desire of heart to the world's amusements and social enjoyments; if he take delight in the world's subjects of pride — painting, sculpture, architecture, national greatness; in its leaders in science, philosophy, literature, and art; if he is becoming interested in politics and party conflicts; if he would feed his mind with the world's books; if he court worldly society, the world's fashions, distinctions, luxuries, and ways; if he cultivate the world's habits and manners; if, in short, he is turning to any of the sources of earth, any of its sources of enjoyment, pride, pleasure, or exaltation, he is, in fact, longing after the flesh-pots of Egypt.

What, then, have we to say to these things? Are we  - you, beloved reader — in this case? There is no sadder spectacle than that presented by some who once knew what it was to feed on Christ, and to find their all in Him, but who now are turning back to the very things which they had gladly refused for His sake. They did run well, but they have been hindered through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. Whatever is not Christ, and of Christ, is Egypt, and of Egypt. We need therefore to be so attracted, possessed, and absorbed by Christ as to have every want satisfied in Himself. This is the effectual antidote to every fascination and allurement that Egypt can present.

"Art thou weaned from Egypt's pleasures?

God in secret thee shall keep;

There unfold His hidden treasures,

There His love's exhaustless deep."

E. D.

Christ as Light and Love

Christ as Light and Love.

Luke 5.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 7, 1880, p. 309.

The infinite variety and fulness of the word of God is matter for wonder and admiration to every student of the Scripture. It often thus happens that a number of lines of instruction will run through the same passage. This is especially the case in the gospels, in which not only are the moral, the typical, and the dispensational often combined, but the connection and sequence of the incidents recorded have also their significance. It is in illustration of the latter point that we call the attention of the reader to Luke 5.

In the first incident (vv. 1-11), for example, losing sight of the special object of the draught of fish, and the call of Simon Peter to be a fisher of men, Christ is presented to us as the Revealer of sin. He had been teaching the people from Simon's boat; and when He had concluded, He directed Simon to launch out into the deep, and to let down his nets for a draught. (v. 4.) Simon, notwithstanding the fruitless toil of the previous night, obeyed, and at the Lord's word let down the net. The net was instantly filled, so that it could not bear the strain of the multitude of fish; "and they beckoned unto their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink." (v. 7.) The effect upon Simon Peter is remarkable. The display of the Lord's power so occupied him with himself, that, falling down at Jesus' knees, he said, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (v. 8.)

How, we may enquire, was this effect produced? The exhibition of power, as seen in the miracle of the fish, was the revelation to Peter's soul of the presence of God. He had known and followed Christ ere this; but it was now for the first time that the divine secret flashed into his heart and conscience. Simon was thus brought consciously into the divine presence — face to face with God; and hence, though attracted to Jesus, he is made to feel, sinner as he was, his unworthiness to be with Him; and this feeling found expression in the cry, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." God was revealed to Simon Peter in Christ; and in the holiness of that presence Simon saw his own true state and condition. It was Christ acting as light, and as such He was of necessity the Revealer of sin.

The same effect always follows the manifestation of God to the soul. It is seen in Job, when he said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42: 6) ; also in Isaiah, crying, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." (Isa. 6: 5.) On this account it is that the sinner is never convicted of his sin until the light of God has entered his soul. Has my reader ever been brought face to face with God?

But if Christ is the Revealer of sin, the next two incidents teach that He can take away the sin which He reveals. The first is that of the man "full of leprosy." Leprosy, as often explained, is the type of the evil in the flesh which, breaking out, covers the whole man with defilement and guilt. This poor man comes before us, with his condition openly revealed. The light has done its work, and he is seen, and sees himself, to be full of leprosy. And what is his resource? Surely he has no other than in the One who has brought his sin to light. For if Christ is light — symbol of the holiness of God — He is also love — the expression of the heart of God. If He thus acts as light, when He first comes into contact with the sinner, it is only to pioneer the way for the exhibition of His love. As soon, therefore, as the leper is found on his face, at His feet, crying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean," "He put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean." (vv. 12, 13.) And the leper then learnt that the love of Christ was as large as His power; for the leprosy immediately departed from him.

The next incident, that of the man with a palsy (the paralytic) differs from the leper, in the aspect now considered, only in the fact that he represents, not the guilty, but the helpless sinner. He could not come therefore to Christ, but had to be brought, for he was "without strength." But though brought, yea, because of this (for it was "their faith," as will be seen, that secured the blessing) he learns, equally with the leper, the healing, cleansing power of Christ. Taking then the two together, we learn that if Christ reveals the state of the sinner, He is able also to meet his need and condition. Blessed Saviour! thou art equal to all our needs.. There is not a sinner upon the face of the globe, whatever his state or guilt, whose case thou canst not meet. Thy precious blood cleanseth from all sin.

It will not be overlooked, that it is faith which brings the soul into contact with Christ. The degree of faith may differ, but wherever there is faith it produces a response in the heart of the Lord. Thus the faith of the leper was feeble: he believed only in the power of Christ. He confessed that he was not sure as to His heart. He could go no farther than to say, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Still there was faith, and hence the Lord instantly responded to his cry. There was greater energy in the faith of those who brought the man with a palsy "into the midst, before Jesus." They pressed through all difficulties, overcame all obstacles; for "when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house-top, and let him down through the tiling." (v. 19.) Evidently they had confidence both in the power and heart of Christ. Nor was their confidence misplaced; for no sooner had they succeeded in their object than it is recorded, "And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, 'Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.'" (v. 20.) The need of faith is emphasized indeed by the contrast. For we read, after a description of those (Pharisees and doctors of the law) who were sitting by, that "the power of the Lord was present to heal them." (v. 17.) Why, then, was it that not one of these obtained the blessing? Because they had not faith. How often is this the case now! The gospel is being preached to large numbers, and this gospel is the power of God unto salvation — to whom? To every one that believeth. (Rom. 1: 16.) And yet how frequently not one is saved; for God never saves the sinner apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, during the sojourn of our blessed Lord in this scene, it was faith alone that laid hold of the blessing.

Pursuing, however, the special line of truth through the connection, we learn from the next incident, that, if the Lord meets the need of the sinner, He claims his service when his need is met. "After these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He said unto him, Follow me." (v. 27.) Levi was busily occupied with his daily occupations as Jesus was passing by. But he was not his own. The One who saw him claimed all that he was and had, and expressed this claim in the words, "Follow me." Having shown Himself as the Saviour in the two preceding incidents, He now declares His authority as Lord. And as Lord, His word is supreme, demanding the instant and complete obedience of the soul. This is illustrated in the action of Levi. As soon as the Lord had uttered His command, "he left all, rose up, and followed Him." (v. 28.) This proves that it was not so much the assertion of authority, though He who spake had the right to command, as the expression of the claims of His heart. Nay, it was more; it was the presentation of Himself to the heart of Levi; and by the attractive power of His person He thus drew Levi away from everything by which He was surrounded, and after Himself in the path of discipleship. This is how disciples are ever made. Try as we will, we cannot follow Christ until He has disclosed Himself to, and won, our hearts. Then, and only then, we receive power to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. But we may well challenge our souls — and this point may be especially pressed with all affection upon young believers — as to whether we have acknowledged, and whether we do habitually acknowledge, the claims of Christ over all that we are and have. There are so few disciples in this day of laxity and worldliness! What, then, let us ask, constitutes a disciple? It is not in the profession of Christianity, otherwise all around us were disciples. No; but it lies in the total setting aside of ourselves — our wills — and in the acceptance of the will of Christ, as Lord, for our daily walk and conversation. It is seen in the action of Levi. He refused himself, and everything around him, and with eyes fixed upon the One who had called him, he steadily followed in His steps. It is seen in the statement of the apostle, "I am crucified with Christ" (if so his will is gone): "nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2: 20.) It is exemplified in a remarkable way in Phil. 3. Again, therefore, we ask, Are we owning the claims of the Saviour as Lord?

It may be remarked, before passing on, that Levi makes Christ "a great feast in his own house; and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them." (v. 29.) The Lord has His joy in the whole-hearted and devoted disciple, and feasts with him, as He does with all His faithful ones; and, moreover, Levi as the true disciple expresses the heart of His Lord to those around him; for he invites to his table not the righteous, but sinners, those whom Jesus came to call. How blessed to be so near the heart of the Lord (and this can never be unless we are closely following Him) that He can use us as the channel of His own mind and heart! The scribes and Pharisees may murmur as they will; but our joy will be undisturbed as long as we are in happy fellowship with the Lord.

In connection with this was the objection that, whereas John's disciples practised fasting, Christ's ate and drank. To this He replied, "Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." (vv. 33-35.) From this we gather — confining ourselves to the special line we have followed — that the presence of Christ is the only source of joy to His disciples. Having convicted them of sin, taken their sin away, claimed their service, He would have them satisfied in Himself. They cannot fast, therefore, in His presence. It is true that for us, since He has departed, that the fasting and the rejoicing go on together. As passing through a judged scene where Christ is not, we fast; on the other hand, as dwelling in His presence, as having Himself ever with us, we rejoice; and, in the prospect of being for ever with Him, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. But the lesson abides, and cannot be too deeply engraven on our hearts, that it is the presence of the Lord that constitutes our joy. May we never seek it from any other source.

The chapter then concludes with a parable: "No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old: if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, the old is better." (vv. 36-39). Grace as displayed in Christ — the pre-eminent characteristic of this gospel — could not be used to patch up the decaying forms of Judaism, nor be contained by them. It was the introduction of a totally new thing, and this was precisely what the scribes and Pharisees could not understand. Nor was it possible for the natural man to comprehend it. The old wine was, and always will be, better to his taste. The Lord therefore teaches in this concluding parable that grace could never flow out from, or be confined in the old legal rites and ceremonies; but that, as it was a wholly new thing, it must be expressed in new ways, and that to contain it new vessels must be created. The connection of this teaching with the line of truth indicated is obvious. We have had Christ as revealing and taking away sin; as claiming the service of those He has forgiven; and then showing that in His presence His disciples could not fast, for it is that which constitutes all their joy. All this was alien to the thoughts of the ceremony-loving and self-righteous Pharisee. He therefore warns them that the introduction of grace was the signal for the passing away of the old dispensation; and that they themselves needed a new life to enter upon the enjoyment of the blessings which He only could bestow. E. D.

The Lord's Prayer:

The Lord's Prayer:

Should it be used by Christians?

by E. Dennett.

Publisher: G. Morrish.

This prayer is entwined with some of our holiest memories and associations. How many indeed were first taught to lisp its sacred petitions upon a mother's knees! It thus obtained a hold upon the affections — a hold that was deepened in after years as Lord's day after Lord's day it was, again and again, repeated in concert with hundreds in church or chapel. Then, too, it links in imagination the present with the past, and race with race; for fancy loves to dwell upon the fact that this same prayer, given by our Lord to His disciples, has found a place in the liturgies of every section of Christendom, and has thus been used for centuries, and is repeated week by week almost simultaneously by thousands of different climes and tongues. It is no wonder therefore that it should be regarded with especial reverence, and as possessing a sanctity peculiar to itself.

This has found a striking expression in connection with the revised version of the New Testament lately published. The revisers have ventured slightly to alter its phraseology, and to omit, because of insufficient evidence of their inspiration, the closing words  - "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Fault has been found with this, on the ground that "the old form in which the prayers of Englishmen have been uttered for so many generations ought to have been respected." Whatever may be thought of this verdict, the question raised in our minds is, Should this prayer be used by Christians? In other words, Did our Lord intend it to be adopted by believers after the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost? It is to the answer to these questions that we invite the serious attention of our readers.

First of all, it may be premised, and the fact is patent, that there are many prayers recorded before the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, especially in the Old Testament, which would be entirely unsuitable for this dispensation. Take some of the petitions recorded in the Psalms  - imprecatory petitions, as they are called. Turn for example to Psalm 69: 22-28, and it will be at once perceived that the spirit of such prayers is utterly alien from that inculcated upon the Christian. So also with many of the prayers found in Jeremiah (Jer. 10: 24, 25; Jer. 18: 19-23, etc.), and in other Old Testament Scriptures. This will suffice to show that a prayer indited by the Spirit of God in one period or dispensation is not necessarily suited to the people of God of every age. Bearing this principle in mind, we may examine the prayer which the Lord gave to His disciples.

It should he noted at the very outset that it contains no trace of redemption. It may be said that this is assumed; and yet it can hardly be so, if we remember the distinctive feature of redemption as given in the epistle to the Ephesians: "In whom" (i.e. Christ), says the apostle, "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." (Eph. 1: 7.) It is quite true that the prayer could only be used by those who were on the ground of the people of God, as the Jews were who had the appointed way and means of access to God; but we speak now of redemption as accomplished by the death and resurrection of Christ. So far from forgiveness being known through the precious blood of Christ, no more conscience of sins through His one sacrifice (Heb. 10), they are directed to cry, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." The efficacy of the precious blood of Christ was not therefore here anticipated, neither supposed to be known by those who should approach to God with these petitions on their lips. There is no point more important to be insisted upon, especially at the present time, than that known forgiveness of sins is, everywhere in the epistles, looked upon as the common heritage of every believer. The apostle John thus writes: "I write unto you, little children (and the term "children" in this place includes the whole family of God), "because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake." (1 John 2: 12.) It is thus very evident that this prayer does not rise to the height, in this particular, of what may be termed the initial Christian blessing.

The opening words would, indeed, point to the same conclusion: "Our Father which art in heaven." This will require a word or two of simple explanation. Believers under the old dispensation were born again in the same way as believers since Pentecost. Both alike therefore are the children of God. But there are two differences to be specified. The Jewish believer never received, could not receive, the Spirit of adoption, because the Spirit was not then given; "because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7: 39.) The apostle Paul explains this when he says, "The heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Gal. 4: 1-7; see also Rom. 8: 14-17.) The second difference lies in the character of the calling. The Jewish saint had an earthly calling; i.e. his calling by God was for earth, and to earthly blessings. Even their future was characterised by a Messiah on earth, reigning on earth in His glorious kingdom. securing perfect earthly blessing. Psalm 72 may be read as an illustration of this, as well as Isaiah 60, Jeremiah 33, etc. But with the Christian all this is changed. His is an heavenly calling (see Heb. 3: 1; Phil. 3: 14, where it should read, "Calling on high of God." and 20th verse, "Our citizenship is in heaven"). Accordingly God does not promise earthly blessings to believers now. Having food and raiment, we are exhorted to be therewith content. (1 Tim. 6: 8.) "To depart and be with Christ is far better" than to remain here. (Phil. 1: 23.) All our hope is to be set upon the return of our blessed Lord to receive us unto Himself, that where He is we may be also. (John 14: 1-3; Phil. 3: 20, 21; 1 Thess. 1: 10; Rev. 22: 7, 12, 20.) We are therefore to live in the daily expectation of the consummation of this our hope, and in the meanwhile, under its influence and power, to purify ourselves even as He is pure. (1 John 3: 2, 3.) We are thus a heavenly people, with heavenly hopes, instead of being, as the Jews were, an earthly people, with earthly hopes — which earthly hopes will yet be accomplished in their restoration and blessing in their own land when the Lord appears with His saints to establish His kingdom.

The application of these distinctions will be evident. The Lord taught His disciples to say "our Father;" believers of this dispensation — the dispensation which commenced with the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost — cry. "Abba, Father;" i.e. know God as their Father through the indwelling Spirit. Again, it was perfectly appropriate for the Jewish saint, because he was one of an earthly people, to say, "Our Father which art in heaven;" but the Christian being himself heavenly, belonging to heaven, with the privilege of dwelling even now in spirit in the Father's house, does not, when instructed, say, "Our Father which art in heaven," or even "Our heavenly Father," but, as we find everywhere in the epistles, and as the Lord Himself taught His own, through Mary, after His resurrection, "Our God and Father," because the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Compare John 20: 17 with Eph. 1: 3, etc.) To add the words "in heaven" now would be to forget what God in His wondrous grace has made us, and the full place of blessing into which we have been brought through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord and Saviour.

If we turn again to the petition alluded to, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," this conclusion will be strengthened. As we have shown, forgiveness of sins is the portion of all believers, and this forgiveness is eternal in its character. The efficacy of the precious blood of Christ, as set forth in Heb. 9 and 10, precludes the possibility of the imputation of guilt to the believer. The one offering of Christ is put again and again in contrast with the annually recurring sacrifices of the Jewish economy. "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others: for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world (the ages) hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Heb. 9: 24-26.) Again, "And every priest standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Heb. 10: 11-14.) These passages teach, beyond the possibility of doubt or question, two unmistakeable things: first, that the one sacrifice of Christ avails for ever; and, secondly, that the moment we come under its efficacy and benefits (and every believer is in this blessed place) our guilt is cleansed away for ever from the sight of God. We are "perfected for ever." There is "no more conscience of sins," if we understand the value of the precious blood of Christ. We are absolutely forgiven once and for all. To deny this would be to deny the efficacy of the one sacrifice of Christ.

"Yes," it may be replied, "we understand this fully as applied to our past sins; but what about the sins we commit day by day after conversion?"

There are two answers to this question. First, the guilt of all our sins  - past, present, or future — is taken away by the blood of Christ. When the Lord Jesus "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (language which believers only can adopt), we had not committed sins at all. It could not be, therefore, that He bore a part, or some, of our sins only, or otherwise — far be the thought — He must die a second time. No; all our sins were laid upon Him in His death on the cross, and the guilt of all He expiated; so that we can rejoice before God in the knowledge that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin," that we are freed, once and for all, from all our guilt, and consequently that, once cleansed and made whiter than snow, not a single fleck or spot can evermore defile our perfect purity in the sight of God.

Secondly, God has made a provision of another kind for our daily sins. It is only too true, alas! that we do sin daily; but, true as that is, if we know the full value of the sacrifice of Christ, we shall never suffer for one moment the thought of the imputation of guilt. On the other hand, we must never lessen the gravity of our daily sins — sins now against light and love. No language could be too strong to express abhorrence of them. More even than this, it must never be forgotten that there is no necessity for the believer to sin daily. "My little children," says the apostle John, "these things write I unto you, that ye sin not." Having guarded the truth on this point, he then introduces the gracious provision that has been made for the sins into which the believer so often falls. "And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world." (1 John 2: 1, 2.)

It is then the advocacy of Jesus Christ the Righteous with the Father that meets our case in respect of our daily sins. Brought into fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1: 3), we lose the enjoyment of this fellowship when we sin; and the object of the advocacy of our blessed Lord is to restore us to the place we have lost as to its enjoyment. And to this end He prays for us; not when we repent, but when we sin. In fact, our sins call forth His advocacy on our behalf ; and it is in response to this that, sooner or later, the Spirit of God brings the word of God home to our consciences, thereby producing self-judgment, and leads us to confession in the presence of God; and then we find the truth of what the apostle states: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 9.) This will come sooner or later; but it should be remembered — and this forbids the thought of making light of the believer's sins — that if self-judgment and confession be postponed, God as our Father may be constrained, in His love for us, to come in and deal with us in chastening and trial, to prepare for the action of His Word on our consciences; for lie cannot suffer those who have been redeemed, His own children, to continue in a path of sin and iniquity. Sin is never a light thing in the eyes of God, and must never be a light thing in the eyes of His people. How could it be, when it was that which brought our blessed Lord to the dreadful cross?

It will be seen, from these observations, that the Christian has never to pray for the forgiveness of sins. The guilt of all his sins has been removed; and the condition of the forgiveness of his daily sins is confession. Now confession, inasmuch as it can only spring from self-judgment, is a much deeper thing than praying for forgiveness. Parents may soon verify this with their children. When these have committed faults, if they see that their parents are grieved, they will soon ask forgiveness; but if self-judgment, a true estimate of the character of their actions, and confession be required, it will not so readily be obtained. No; it is a much more serious thing to view our sins in the light of God's presence, to have God's mind about them, and to tell it all out in lowly confession; and it is this which God requires, and not prayer for forgiveness. The reason is simple. Propitiation has already been made, and forgiveness is ready to be bestowed, and He only waits until we have judged ourselves to assure us of His forgiving love, end to effect our restoration to the communion which we had lost.

Another remark: maybe made upon this petition — scarcely necessary after what has been said, save to obviate objections. The measure of the forgiveness to be prayed for is that of our forgiveness of others — "as we forgive our debtors." Knowing what we are, the subtlety of our hearts, our unconscious reserves, and our difficulty in many cases in granting a free, full, and absolute forgiveness to those who have sinned against us, we could never know from this petition whether we might rejoice in the knowledge of the full pardon of our sins against God; and this would be entirely inconsistent with the truth we have been considering in Heb. 9 and 10 As given to the disciples in their then position, and in respect of their mutual relationships, and their relationships to all the children of the kingdom, we can perceive its perfect and divine wisdom, and even its applicability to the children of God, in respect of the Father's government, but it could not, in any wise, have been intended to be the expression of our need, in relation to our sins, in the presence of God.

As bearing upon the whole question of the use of this prayer, we now invite the reader's attention to a scripture in the gospel of John. On the very eve of the Lord's departure, He said to His disciples, "Ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16: 22-24.) If the "Lord's" prayer be carefully examined, nothing strikes the mind so forcibly as the absence of all allusion to the name of Christ. As far as the words go, they have no connection either with the name or the work of our blessed Lord and Saviour. And our Lord in this scripture expressly says, that up till that moment — and this was at the end of His earthly sojourn — His disciples had not asked anything of the Father in His name. Bearing in mind, then, that in all Christian prayer the only ground of approach to God is in the name of Christ, it follows; first, that the "Lord's" prayer was not in His name; and, secondly, that it could not therefore have been given for the use of His people after His death and resurrection.

Another fact of a different kind may be adduced as evidence in support of this conclusion. In the Acts and the Epistles we have a number of prayers recorded, as well as the especial blessings which the apostles desired for the believers to whom they were writing, and almost numberless allusions to prayer, but in no single instance is there the slightest trace of the adoption of the prayer under consideration, whether by individuals or by the saints when assembled together. This omission is surely significant in the light of the theory that the Lord gave in this prayer a form to be employed in the church until the close of the dispensation.

Considering then all these things together, we cannot but conclude that this theory is a mistake, that so far from our blessed Lord inditing a form of prayer for Christians, it is on the other hand evident that He only gave it to His disciples for their use until Pentecost. Thereafter indwelt by the Holy Ghost, they would be brought into the enjoyment of all the blessings secured in Christ by redemption, and with their hearts enlarged by His mighty power they would henceforth pray in the name of Christ and in the Holy Ghost. (See Eph. 1: 15-23. Eph. 3: 14-21; Eph. 6: 18; Jude 20, etc.) From that time their desires could only be bounded by the whole range of the purposes and interests of God. Neither these nor even their personal needs (see Phil. 4: 6) could find a full and adequate expression in this form of prayer.

It may be necessary to remind the reader that the remarks made have reference only to the use of this prayer by Christians as a form in its entirety. It is freely conceded, nay, insisted upon, that though we are brought into a new place through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, and into the known possession and enjoyment of higher blessings, we can go back in the power of the Spirit, take up and present before God many of its petitions. Let us therefore pass through them in brief review.

It has been fully explained that the Christian — one at least who has spiritual intelligence — could not now properly address God as "our Father who art in heaven." But it is the same God, and He is known to us as "our God and Father," because the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (John 20: 17.) When we pray, therefore, we do not say, "Our heavenly Father," since in His grace we also are a heavenly people, but simply "Our God and Father," because these titles express to us the twofold relationship into which we have been brought.

The first petition is, Hallowed be Thy name — one which we can ever utter, if indeed we understand its solemn purport. "Name" in Scripture is always the expression of what God is as revealed, and hence, in connection with the Father, it is the truth of what God is in that relationship. If, then, we desire that His name should be hallowed, it is that it should be sanctified in us, by us, and by all who have the privilege of calling upon God by this precious title, that there should be in us an answering response to His holiness in this relationship. Surely we have often uttered the petition with but little thought of what it involved, and even while we, as His children, were dishonouring His name as our Father, by our unholy ways and associations! To present this prayer means that we should be holy because He is holy, that His name should be sanctified in and by us in all that we are and do.

The next two petitions, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, we could also all adopt. It is, as will be perceived, the Father's kingdom. A reference to this will be found in this same gospel. "Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matt. 13: 43.) From the context it is plain that this looks onward to the time when Christ shall have returned with His saints, and shall have taken His kingdom to Himself (v. 41); and When the saints shall be displayed in His glory in the Father's kingdom  - the heavenly scene of the Father's government. The petition therefore expresses the desire for the arrival of the time when Christ shall come to be glorified in His saints. (2 Thess. 1: 10.)

"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," goes further still in its full accomplishment. Never but once has this been as yet seen on earth, and that was in the life and death of the Lord Jesus — the only One who could ever say, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." (John 17: 4.) He alone on earth has done the Father's will perfectly. Nor will it be done in the millennium, excepting by Himself as the King who shall reign in righteousness. There will be approximations to it, greater or less, by the saints of that time, but save by Himself, the will of the Father will not be done on earth as it is in heaven, not by a single saint. It surely, therefore, must point to the new heavens and the new earth, when the tabernacle of God will be with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Rev. 21: 3.) Then the will of the Father will be done on earth (the new earth), and never before, as it is done in heaven. The two petitions together will thus embrace two successive dispensations, that is, the millennium and the eternal state. How vast and comprehensive are the thoughts of God! And it is these thoughts and these desires He would have us share with Himself!

Give us this day our daily bread is more simple, and affords no difficulty, when it is regarded as the expression of our entire dependence upon God for our daily food, and, at the same time, will not fail to remind us of what the Israelites were taught in the wilderness, that the manna, Christ as the bread that came down from heaven, must be gathered and fed upon daily. (Exodus 16; John 6.)

We have already remarked upon, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, so that there only remains, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. This cry will always be suited to us while in this world with the sense of utter weakness, and knowing that we could not stand for one moment in temptation if left to ourselves. Nor is there any incongruity between such a petition and entire confidence in God; for there will be confidence in God just in proportion as we have learned that in our flesh there dwelleth no good thing. Afraid of ourselves, we shall ever cry, Lead us not into temptation, and this will lead to the further desire that we may be delivered from evil. This, indeed, was the request of the Lord Himself for His own — "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." (John 17: 15.) Whether the remaining words, the doxology, as it is termed, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen, be part of Scripture or not, they undoubtedly express truth that all Christians delight to acknowledge and to turn into praise.

To sum up, then, we cannot but conclude, from the teaching of Scripture, that our Lord gave this prayer as a form for the use of His disciples only until Pentecost. But while affirming this, it is very evident that when we have been brought into the full light of Christianity, wherein forms of prayer are no longer consistent with the free activity of the Holy Spirit in the believer, we can, as led of the Spirit, adopt and present before God many of the blessed desires which the petitions of this prayer embody and express. It may be that, in a later day, when God will once more have His earthly people, the "Lord's" prayer will again be used as a whole. Be this as it may, it is of the first importance, in the meanwhile, to perceive that Judaism, in its purest expression, is not Christianity; and hence that language, which could be appropriately used in prayer before the death of Christ, is not of necessity the fit or intended vehicle for the desires of the Christian. The Lord would have us enter into His fullest thoughts of blessing for His people, and to be satisfied with nothing short of His own desires for us. May He give us the anointed eye to perceive, and the grace and power to occupy, the place into which we have now been brought through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord and Saviour.

Is there a Mercy-seat for Believers?

Is there a Mercy-seat for Believers?

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 12, 1885, p. 83.

In hymns and prayers it is very common to meet with the idea of the mercy-seat as being the resource and retreat of the children of God in the midst of their trials and sorrows. The question therefore is whether this is a scriptural thought. Twice only, as far as we remember, is the expression found in the New Testament; viz., in Romans 3: 25 (propitiation in the English version, but really mercy-seat), and in Hebrews 9: 5. In the latter it is only mentioned as a part of the sacred furniture of the holiest; and hence it is to the former of these two passages that reference must be made. Now a moment's glance at the context shows that in Romans it is the sinner, and not the believer, who is in view. "All have sinned," says the apostle, "and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth a mercy-seat through faith in His blood," etc. That is, all having been declared to be sinners, and lost and helpless on the ground of works, God justifies freely by His grace on the ground of the work of Christ. And with this object He sets forth His mercy-seat — no longer concealed, as in the tabernacle, behind the veil — Christ; and when the sinner approaches through faith, believing God's testimony to the efficacy of the blood of Christ, God's righteousness is declared in that He is just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Here then it is undoubtedly the sinner that approaches the mercy-seat; and, to the glory of God's unbounded grace, he finds, when he thus draws near, that through the value of the blood sprinkled there, as it were, before the eye of God, his sins are for ever put away. And we remind the reader that this is really the only passage that speaks of the mercy-seat as a place of approach.

Quite true, it may be replied; but the fact remains that Aaron every year went into the holy of holies on the day of atonement, and does not this justify our use of the expression? But why did Aaron continually appear before the mercy-seat? It was, as Hebrews 10 teaches, because it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Inasmuch therefore as Christ by one offering has perfected for ever them that are sanctified, the need of the mercy-seat is gone. What then remains for the believer? It is the THRONE OF GRACE, to which we are exhorted to come boldly, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. E. D.

The Sin of Miriam and Aaron

The Sin of Miriam and Aaron.

Numbers 12.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend vol. 14, 1887, p. 141.

The instruction found in this chapter is most striking and solemn instruction never more needed than at the present moment. "Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married." In the previous chapter the people had fallen into sin, complaining of the hardships and deprivations of their pilgrim life; and Moses, chafed in spirit at the conduct of the people, and weary of his service, also failed; and now Miriam and Aaron rise up in rebellion against Moses as the leader of the people. Miriam was a prophetess, and Aaron was the priest, while Moses was "king in Jeshurun." It is the rebellion of the people therefore (for Miriam and Aaron are representatives of Israel) against the rights and authority of Christ; or, to speak more accurately, it is the people using their privileges as being the messenger of Jehovah, entrusted with the communications of His mind, and hence His witnesses, and as enjoying access to Him through the priest, to cast off the authority conferred on Moses as the faithful servant and administrator of Jehovah's house. It is a solemn thing when the people of God employ the position which grace has bestowed upon them, to claim the rights which belong alone to Christ; as if the dignities which have flowed from grace could ever be independent of their source.

Miriam would seem to have been the instigator of the rebellion, for she is first named, and on her falls the weight of the chastisement. The occasion, or the ostensible occasion, was the fact that Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. This he had certainly done, but it was long before he was appointed to be a ruler and deliverer of his people — when indeed he had been rejected of Israel in Egypt, and driven into exile by the wrath of the king. In this position therefore the very marriage of which they complained was the exhibition in type of the sovereign grace of God, who, on the rejection by Israel of His beloved Son, would give Him a bride from among the Gentiles, to be His companion for ever in glory. Miriam and Aaron were thus not only blind to the actings of the sovereign grace of Jehovah, but they also were forgetful that they themselves were debtors to that same grace; for He who had called Moses to be the mediator, had also assigned to them their respective places.

In truth, however, jealousy was the fount of these bitter waters, as verse 2 reveals. The marriage of Moses was only used as a blind to conceal what was working in their hearts. What they desired was equality with Moses; for they said, "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not also spoken by us?" All this was very specious and deceptive. It might seem to unwary souls as if Miriam and Aaron were only guarding the rights of the Lord's people, merely asserting that while Jehovah was their common Lord they were all alike brethren. Such a thing is not unheard of today — saints claiming (as if there could be claims where all is of grace) to be on a common equality, as to gift as well as to position, to the forgetfulness of the fact that the Lord as Head has given gifts to His Church according to His own will. The same sovereign will that put Moses into his place, determines the places of His servants in the assembly  - a sphere where the Lord alone has His rights, and where He will surely vindicate His authority when His people call it in question, or fail to uphold it. What might have seemed zeal on the part of Miriam and Aaron was in fact therefore rebellion against the authority of Jehovah.

The next record is, that "the Lord heard it." We may well lay it to heart, as reminding us how near the Lord is to us even in our failures. It is not surprising that He should hearken and hear the conversation of those that feared Him, and spake often one to another, as recorded in Malachi; but the history of Thomas, as well as the present incident, teaches us, what we otherwise might forget, that He equally listens (but with what a different attitude!) to our sinful and doubting words. Mark, too, that before the action of the Lord is described, consequent upon His hearing the words of Miriam and Aaron, the Holy Spirit turns aside to bear testimony to His servant Moses. This is exceedingly beautiful, and the testimony is not less so. It says, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." (v. 3.) This, we say, is a wondrous testimony, and one that points to the fact that in personal character — character produced assuredly by the Holy Spirit — as well as in office, Moses was a distinct foreshadowing of Christ. (See Matt. 11: 29.) There is a special reason for the introduction of this testimony in this place. A meek spirit never resents an insult, but bows its head unresistingly in the presence of evil, accepting all without complaint. Moses therefore would not have vindicated himself; and on this very account it is that the Lord Himself stepped in to clear His servant from the aspersions cast upon him. (Compare Rom. 12: 19.) The testimony to his meekness gives thus the ground also for Jehovah's action in summoning Moses and his accusers to meet Him at the tabernacle of the congregation.

The Lord spake suddenly, it will be observed. He was prompt to vindicate His sovereign rights, and He spake "unto" each; for He had to deal with each individually. They obeyed, perforce obeyed, the divine summons, "and they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth." (vv. 4, 5.) It is to be noticed that, while all three were commanded to come out to the tabernacle, only Aaron and Miriam are spoken to when the Lord came down to meet them. His object was to deal with the sin of the two rebels, and to maintain the position of His servant; and in His tenderness, He permits Moses to be present to hear his own vindication. And what a vindication it was! To a prophet the Lord would make Himself known in a vision, and would speak unto him in a dream; but a far closer intimacy He had reserved for His servant Moses, who was faithful in all His house. (See Heb. 3: 5, 6.) To him "will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold."

The Lord thus testifies, in this remarkable manner, both to the fidelity of His servant and also to the special place of nearness which He, in His grace, had vouchsafed unto him. Miriam and Aaron had said, "Hath not the Lord also spoken by us?" "None but Moses," is the Lord's answer, "has the privilege of being spoken to 'mouth to mouth,' and of beholding 'the similitude of the Lord."' There is an especial significance in this statement. It points back to the apostacy of Israel, in which Aaron and Miriam had had their share, when Moses alone was faithful, and when, in communion with Jehovah's mind, he had taken the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of the congregation; for then it was that the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle (as in the scene before us), "and the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh, unto his friend." (Exodus 33: 7-11.) Where were Aaron and Miriam at that time? And yet they had dared to deny his place of intimacy with the Lord, and to claim equality with him! What wonder that the Lord says, after recalling this to their minds, "Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (v. 8.) This was to sin indeed, and to sin both against holiness and grace; and hence "the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed." (v. 9.) But when the cloud had departed from off the tabernacle, it was seen that His hand had smitten Miriam; for she was leprous, white as snow. And Aaron, who had joined her in rebellion, is made to perceive the awful consequences of their sin. Time was when Miriam, the prophetess, had led the song of the women of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea; and now she was a defiled leper! How often is it that the character of sin is not seen until its fruits are reaped! The eyes of Aaron are opened the moment he beheld the chastisement inflicted on his sister, and, humbled, he turns at once to Moses (to Moses, whose mediatorship he had denied), and cries, "Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb." (vv. 11, 12.)

It is evident that Jehovah had wrought mightily in Aaron's soul through the dealing of His hand; for nothing could be more complete than his confession and intercession. First, by turning to Moses he humbles himself, and acknowledges the special place which Moses occupies before God; next, be fully identifies himself with Miriam's sin ("Wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned"). He then owns their common desert; and, finally, he takes the place of intercessor on behalf of Miriam.* Moses instantly responds to the appeal of Aaron. Nothing could be more beautiful than the self-forgetfulness of this meek and faithful servant in all this scene. He had left himself in the hands of the Lord, and he had been amply vindicated; and with unruffled calm he responds to the intercession of Aaron, and takes his place of mediator, showing that there was not a trace of feeling upon his lowly spirit, as he thus immediately cried unto the Lord, saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." (v. 13.) Jehovah heard His servant's prayer. But the sin of Miriam had not only been against God, it was also against Moses; and hence Jehovah will have her to suffer certain consequences of her rebellion in the eyes of all His people. A far less thing — even if her father had but spit in her face — would have entailed seven days' shame. How much more when she had been polluted with the leprosy in chastisement of her sin! She was healed in answer to the prayer of Moses; but she must be shut out from the camp seven days before she could be restored to the enjoyment of her lost privileges.

*There is doubtless, whatever the contrast, a typical reference also in this to the intercession of Christ, as founded upon His identification with His people's sins on the cross, on behalf of Israel, smitten with leprosy because of their rejection of grace, which included the Gentiles (the Ethiopian) as well as themselves.

These facts are very instructive. Whenever sin is committed by the people of God, it is forgiven on confession. (See 1 John 1: 9.) This is undoubted; but at the same time the forgiven saint has often to suffer, after he is forgiven, certain governmental consequences of his sin. Thus if a sin, for example, has been committed by a believer against the people of God, the one who has committed it may often be outside of the privileges of the assembly long after he is assured of forgiveness. Moreover, it should be remarked that while forgiveness is immediate on confession, restoration to communion is a work of time. Seven days must elapse, as in the case of Miriam — a period during which self-judgment will have its perfect work, bringing the soul to view its sin in communion with God, and thus taking His part against it. When this point is reached, restoration is complete, and the soul can be received back again into the assembly as the expression of their confidence in its restoration. It is well when the people of God have apprehended this divine method with souls.

Another thing is to be observed. "The people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again." The sin of one delayed the progress of all the people. In truth, when the assembly is occupied with discipline, and there are seasons when the Lord's honour requires that it should be so occupied, it has no leisure for edification or progress. When Achan sinned, the victories of Israel came to an end; and they were compelled to purge themselves from evil before they could resume their conflicts with the foe. And so here, the camp could not take one further step towards Canaan until Miriam is brought back. This shows out, in a very solemn manner, the nature and consequences of sin in the midst of God's people.

May we learn from the example of Miriam more of the evil of sin before God, and more also of our mutual responsibilities. E. D.

Notes on Naaman

Notes on Naaman.

2 Kings 5.

E Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 7, 1880, p. 232.

Evangelists of all kinds have ever delighted to expatiate upon this striking story of grace. There is not therefore a more familiar incident in all the range of Scripture. It would, however, be a great mistake to conclude on this account that we have learned all the lessons it was intended to convey: indeed, the danger is ever to be avoided of supposing that we fully comprehend any portion of the word of God. The expression of a divine and an infinite mind, we shall never on this side of eternity be able to sound its depths, or to scale its heights: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Cor. 12: 12.) Bearing this in mind, we offer without hesitancy a few notes upon some of the points of this most interesting narrative.

Touching Naaman himself, it is evident that he is a type of man at his best estate; or, to speak more exactly, he is presented first according to the estimate of man, and then according to that of God. Three personal particulars are emphasized. He was a "great man;" he was also a successful man, "honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria." And he enjoyed a good repute from his own personal qualities — "He was also a mighty man of valour." (v. 1.) These three things in combination give a perfect human picture, and would make their possessor the object of admiration or envy in any worldly circle. Naaman in the eyes of his fellows would have attained the summit of human ambition. The world had nothing left to give to this valiant, successful, and rewarded soldier. He ought therefore, if it were possible, to have been a supremely happy man.

But looking at Naaman from God's point of view, judging him according to God's estimate, what is the result? It is summed up in one word — he is a leper. Ah, how sad the contrast between God's thoughts and man's! The one whom men admire, caress, and envy, is pronounced by God to be a poor leper: "For there is no difference: all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3: 22, 23.) The leprosy is the type of the evil in the flesh, which has broken out, and covered the whole man with the pollution and guilt of sin. Naaman thus, as seen of God, is nothing but a poor guilty sinner; and just because he is such, he is the fitting object of God's sovereign grace and mercy.

It is evident, it may be remarked in passing, that we have in the whole narrative a foreshadowing of this dispensation. One sentence, indeed, in the first verse reveals it. It says that the Lord had been working by Naaman on behalf of Syria — Syria, the open enemy of the people of God. This shows the awful condition into which Israel had fallen, and doubtless prefigures the times of the Gentiles. This fact gives a special character to the dealings of God with Naaman as recorded in this chapter.

First, then, we have man as a sinner, and thereon we have the messenger with the glad tidings of salvation. Two remarks may be made upon the second point. First, the messenger of blessing to Naaman. It was a little maid, brought away captive from the land of Israel, and she waited on Naaman's wife. She was therefore, as to her position, humble, and if not despised, yet of no account in the esteem of the world. Thus it ever is in the day of grace. The preacher of the gospel, if he occupy his true place, must ever be lowly and mean in the presence of the pride of man. An apostle could say, "We are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things unto this day." (1 Cor. 4: 13.) That she was of the chosen people may well prefigure Israel's mission to the Gentiles in a future day. Then, secondly, there is the message. If but simple and brief, it is yet the announcement made by our Lord to the woman of Samaria. The little maid says, "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." (v. 3.) The Lord said, "Salvation is of the Jews." (John 4: 22.) The message is one and the same. Nay, it is even Paul's also; for he speaks of the "gospel of God, concerning His Son, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh," etc. (Rom. 1: 1-4.)

The message was not in vain. Naaman went in and told his lord; and from this point we have traced out the path of a soul from darkness to light. The first effect of the gospel he had heard was seen in his desire to possess the proffered blessing. It met his need in that it held out to him the promise of being cured of his leprosy. But immediately, as is the case with numberless souls, he falls into the error of supposing that he could earn, or purchase, the coveted blessing. Grace is never understood by the natural man. Naaman prepares himself with a letter from the king, ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. Surely, with the influence of a king at his back, and with so much money, he will be successful in his quest. Ah! do we not all remember when we acted on the same principle, only to find ourselves in a worse plight than ever.

The next mistake he makes is in applying to the king of Israel. The king, as the responsible head of God's people, ought to have been the channel of blessing. That he was not, only reveals the nation's state; and that the king did not know where blessing is to be found, showed his own apostate condition. But neither the state of the nation nor the ignorance of the king can prevent the outflow of grace to this poor Gentile. God will glorify Himself in spite, yea, in the midst, of His people's failure.

When Elisha, the man of God, "heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him (Naaman) come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (v. 8) Elisha in his ministry is a type, in one aspect, of the power of Christ in resurrection. Anointed to be prophet in the room of Elijah (1 Kings 19: 16), the mantle of Elijah, with a "double portion of his spirit," fell upon him from his master, when ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2: 9-11.) He therefore in his ministry became the sole channel of blessing to those whose hearts grace might open in the midst of idolatrous Israel.

In response to the message of the prophet, "Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of Elisha." The leper is bent upon obtaining the blessing; but it is evident that he is not yet in a condition to receive it. Horses and chariots are ever in Scripture the symbols of pomp and pride. Naaman therefore will have to go down, down much lower, ere he can be healed. He has learned that the influence of the king was of no avail, and now he must be taught that his own rank and grandeur are obstacles rather than aids; for there is no respect of persons with God. But since he has come to the door of Elisha, whatever the state of his soul, the message of salvation cannot be withheld. He was a seeking soul, and such are never repelled. "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." The prophet could not go out to Naaman; for that would have been to falsify their respective positions; but he sends out to him this gracious announcement of the means of healing and cure.

Mark the effect. "Naaman was wroth." And why? First, because Elisha had not treated him with greater personal consideration. Sitting outside in his chariot, he thought that the prophet would have come out to him, and then and there called upon the name of the Lord his God, and moved his hand up and down (see margin) over the place, and recovered the leper. (v. 11.) Naaman as the leper would have Elisha to cure him as his servant. Ah, no! The sinner must take the place of the suppliant — yea, as having nothing and deserving nothing — before he can be a recipient of grace. Besides, who was Naaman, to dictate to the prophet the method in which he should proceed? It is ever the same; the sinner expects to be saved in his way.

But Naaman is offended in another respect. Why should he be required to go to the Jordan? Abana, Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, his own country, were far "better than all the waters of Israel" in his estimation; might he not wash in them and be clean? These rivers represent the sources of earth, and thus teach us that Naaman was willing to be cured in a human rather than in a divine way. In other words, like many a poor sinner since, he would be reformed rather than be born again. How many fall into this snare! They will accept the necessity of a moral change, but not of the new birth; for the first makes everything of man, while the last makes everything of God. So Naaman will not be healed on such terms, and he "went away in a rage." (v. 12.)

His servants now step upon the scene. Who they were we know not; but whoever they were, they had divine intelligence. "My father," say they, "if the prophet had bidden thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?" (v. 13.) These words — words which need to be used again and again wherever the gospel is preached — were carried home with power. The strong, proud man is now humbled, and he "went down and dipped himself in Jordan seven times, according to the saying of the man of God." (v. 14.) Jordan signifies death; and the meaning of Naaman's act is simply this, that he bowed under the just judgment of God against man's sin; he accepted death as the expression of God's righteous judgment upon the sinner; and in that he dipped himself seven times, we are taught that he did it without reserve — perfectly, if you will — acknowledging to the full God's claims upon him, and bowing before the sentence of death which He had passed upon the sinner. It was the submission of the sinner to the rights of a holy God. As a consequence —  for it will be remembered that Elisha acts in the power of Christ in resurrection, and therefore in the efficacy of His death before God — grace flows out without let or hindrance. Naaman's flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He was born again through the water of the Word (which brings death to all that we are as men in the flesh) and by the power of the Holy Ghost. God had met and blessed Naaman in the exercise of His sovereign grace (see Luke 4: 27); for the moment Naaman dipped himself under the water of death, God was free to act according to His own heart of love and compassion.

There follow several distinct evidences of the change which Naaman had undergone. A brief indication of these will suffice. First, "he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him." (v. 15.) Formerly, as we have noticed, he remained at the door of the prophet; now the horses and chariot have disappeared, and he stands before Elisha. In other words, he took a low place — for to stand in the presence of another is, in the East, to take the place of a servant. The humility of Naaman thus revealed the change. Secondly, he confessed with his mouth. Having believed with his heart, he now confessed with his mouth the God of Israel. Thirdly, he desired to express his gratitude to Elisha, though the prophet could not, without falsifying grace, receive the blessing at Naaman's hands. Fourthly, he purposes — whatever his ignorance — to be a worshipper; or rather, he is constrained by the sense of what he has received to say that henceforth he would only sacrifice unto the Lord. Lastly, he has an exercised heart. The worship of the true God and of idols cannot co-exist. Naaman at once feels this, that the knowledge and worship of the true God must of necessity exclude all recognition of false gods. Hence he speaks to Elisha of his difficulty in regard to his attendance upon his master in the house of Rimmon. That which makes everything manifest is light; and the true character of the worship of Rimmon thus stands now revealed to Naaman's soul. What can he do? He must go with his master: so much would be his duty. He therefore seeks to pacify his conscience, to soothe his exercised soul, by saying, "The Lord pardon thy servant in this thing." It has occasioned surprise to many that the reply of Elisha should be, "Go in peace." But not for one moment must it be supposed that this contains an implied sanction upon Naaman's entering the house of Rimmon. By no means. The prophet with divine wisdom — which we would do well to imitate — refuses to anticipate the difficulty. He saw that Naaman was exercised; and he knew that if Naaman felt the difficulty before he left his presence, he would feel it much more by the time he arrived in Syria. This answer meant, "Depart in peace; He who has so graciously met you will still be with you, and will give you grace and strength when the need arises." In other words, he committed and commended him to the Lord; and we may be quite sure that Naaman never entered the house of Rimmon.

The incident closes with the sad and lamentable conduct of Gehazi. With a heart untouched by the exhibition of God's grace and power towards this stranger, he only thought how he might use him to his own selfish ends. Covetous, he by deceit and falsehood obtained what he sought, without concern that by his wicked conduct he might be confusing Naaman's conceptions of grace, and thus be dishonouring the God of Israel. His sinful act might make the Syrian think, that after all the gift of God could be paid for, if not purchased. Hence the severity of the punishment which fell upon him. "The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever." E. D.

What is our power for walk?

What is our power for walk?

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 11, 1884, p. 108.

This question was recently addressed to us, and, as it may be helpful to others, we propose to answer it somewhat in detail. That the difficulty may be first understood, we give the exact form in which it was put; viz., Is Christ or the Holy Spirit our power for walk? Now, before we take it up in this way, it may be well to point out, what all will admit, that Christ is our example in His walk through this world. This is stated, indeed, distinctly by the apostle John. He writes, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2: 6.) And if all the scriptures which speak of the example of Christ are collected, it will be seen that they are used in a twofold way — either, as John, to point out God's standard for the believer (see 1 Peter 2: 18-25); or to encourage us in following in His steps (Heb. 12), where Christ is set forth as the Leader and Completer of faith; as a perfect example of dependence from beginning to end; as One who died a martyr's death (though His death was much more than this): and we are exhorted to have His walk before our souls as an encouragement to a like endurance in the path of faith. "Ye," says the apostle, "have not yet resisted unto blood" (as He did), "striving against sin."

Every believer will assent to these statements; and the question, then, now comes, By what power is such a walk to be attained? One or two scriptures will give us the needed information. "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. 8: 13, 14.) Again: "If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." (Gal. 5: 25.) Two things are here plainly taught: first, that the hindrance (if we may so put it) to our walking as Christ walked, lies in the deeds of the body, or, as in Galatians, in the flesh which always lusteth against the Spirit, and seeks to re-assert its control over the child of God; and secondly, that the only power by which the flesh can be held in check — kept in the place of death, according to the judgment of God upon it in the cross of Christ — is the Holy Spirit. There is also the additional instruction, that we may be led of the Spirit; i.e. that He is not only our power for repression, for the mortification of our members (Col. 3), but He also enables us to walk — is therefore our power for progress in the divine path. We must hold by these teachings most tenaciously, because we thereby learn that we have absolutely no natural resource; that we are shut up entirely to the energy of the Holy Ghost for conflict and walk, as for every activity of the divine life.

This then, at first sight, would seem to settle the question at the head of our paper. But there is another consideration, and this, if truly comprehended, will go to the root of the difficulty which is felt by so many souls. For be it observed, that though it be accepted that the Holy Spirit is our only power for walk, the question may still arise, How then is it that He does not enable us to follow Christ more energetically? There are numbers of true-hearted saints who long to be like Caleb, but who are disappointed at every step they take. They do follow, but instead of doing so fully, they feel that they are rather like Peter, following afar off. Now it will help all such to understand that, notwithstanding they possess the Spirit of adoption, and are thus sealed, He will be inoperative, put forth no energy, unless the eye is on Christ; i.e. unless Christ is constantly before the soul as the object of faith. As the apostle says, "The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." That is, his faith had Christ as the Son of God as its object — Christ glorified at the right hand of God, glorified as man, but withal the Son of God, being ever, in this connection, the true and proper object of faith. He Himself said, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." And when we are living every hour, yea, moment by moment, in dependence, Christ, as so exhibited, filling the vision of our souls, the object of our contemplation, the Spirit of God is ungrieved, and leads us on by His mighty power, so that the divine life which has been bestowed upon us flows out in the same channels, whatever the difference of volume, as those in which the life of Christ found expression when He was in this world. It is on this account indeed that the Spirit is termed in Rom. 8: 9 the Spirit of Christ.

This also explains another difficulty. To walk like Christ, it is sometimes asked, must we look at Him in His earthly pathway, or as seated at the right hand of God? We have already explained the uses made of the example of Christ in the Scriptures; and it will be readily seen that it is not Christ on earth, but Christ glorified, who is the object of our faith. It is, of course, the same Christ, but Christ as He now is, in the condition of glory, not as He was "after the flesh," is always presented to our souls. We study the life of Christ as displayed in this scene to learn how He acted, comported Himself in the different circumstances through which He passed; and our souls are drawn out in adoring wonder as we behold the manifestation of His perfections, graces, and excellencies; but we know Him now only as glorified (see 2 Cor. 5); and it is therefore to Him as such, we repeat, that we now look.

Together with this is connected another thing. Contemplating the glory of the Lord, which shines forth without a veil, we are gradually transformed by the power of the Spirit — gradually, because it is from glory to glory — into the likeness of the One with whom we are thus occupied. And the same Spirit, who is the power of our transformation while our eyes are upon Christ, works mightily within us for the exhibition of Christ in our walk. Walking as Christ walked is not, therefore, external imitation, but the display of the inner life, in proportion as we are changed into the same image, in and through us, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

We do not add more for the present; but our readers will see that, when we speak of power for walk, we cannot separate Christ from the Holy Spirit. I might scripturally say, with the apostle, "'I can do all things through Him' (doubtless, Christ) 'who strengtheneth me;' for He is both my life and my strength" (Col. 3; 2 Cor. 12): and I can also scripturally say, "It is through the Spirit alone I can mortify the deeds of the body." So in the life of our blessed Lord. He acted and wrought, and at the same time all that He did was by the Holy Ghost. E. D.

Propitiation: What is it, and where made?

Propitiation: What is it, and where made?

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend vol. 15, 1888, p. 225.

The truth of propitiation lies at the very foundation of our faith, and on this very account it is of the first importance that the teaching of the scripture respecting it should be correctly apprehended. The word is not used in the Old Testament, though the thing itself, as we shall hope to see, is clearly distinguished in the rites of the great day of atonement. It is only found some four times in the New Testament — it is twice employed by the apostle John (1 John 2: 2; 1 John 4: 10); it is once used in its verbal form in the gospel of Luke, where it is translated, "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18: 13); and lastly, it occurs in Hebrews (chapter 2: 17), where it is rendered "to make reconciliation," instead of, as it should be, "to make propitiation." That there might be no doubt as to the significance of the word, two other forms of it are also found — one in Romans 3: 25, the other in Hebrews 9: 5. In these cases it is ιλαστήριον and not ιλασμός, and is given in Romans as "propitiation," and in Hebrews as "mercy-seat." The latter rendering is correct; and it is important to maintain it, because the Spirit of God thereby reveals to us the connection between the mercy-seat and the propitiation, and in this way affords us the key to its proper meaning.

It is to be gathered therefore that in the Old Testament propitiation was made on the mercy-seat in the holy of holies, and thus if we turn to the details of what took place on the great day of atonement, as described in Leviticus 16, we shall be able to understand its import. In the rites of that solemn day we find then the manner of Aaron's entrance into the sanctuary prescribed; but we need only concern ourselves for the present purpose with the mode of his dealing with the blood of the sin-offering, whether that of the bullock, which was for himself and his house, or that of the goat, which was the sin-offering for the people. It should be noted, however, that before the blood of these offerings was dealt with Aaron was directed to "take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not." (vv. 12, 13.) This burning incense, with the sweet and acceptable odours which it emitted when brought into contact with the holy fire, is a figure of the fragrant perfections and graces of Christ Himself to God, and is therefore a precious reminder that the person and the work of Christ can never be separated, and that indeed His perfect and finished work derives all its efficacy from what He was in Himself, that all the value and preciousness of His person to God enter into His work.

This being done, the directions concerning the blood follow — "And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times." So also with the blood of the goat of the sin-offering. It was to be brought within the veil, and Aaron was to do with this "as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat." (vv. 14, 15.) Into the details of the sin-offering we need not here enter further than to remind the reader that the bodies of the animals so offered were consumed with fire without the camp — the fat having been burnt on the altar (vv. 25-27; compare Hebrews 13: 11-13), as our concern is especially with the blood. This was sprinkled then upon — once upon and seven times before — the mercy-seat. A few words on each of these actions will explain the subject.

In the first place the blood was sprinkled upon the mercy-seat, and it was this sprinkling that constituted propitiation; for the mercy-seat was God's throne in the midst of Israel. He dwelt between the cherubim (1 Samuel 4: 4; Psalm 80: 1, etc.), which represented the attributes of His government, being thus the upholders of His throne, and which consequently possessed a judicial character towards Israel, inasmuch as they were sinners. Jehovah was holy, and as such claimed holiness from His people; and He maintained His government in their midst according to what He was as thus revealed, and the law was given as the standard of His requirements. But no sooner was the law given than it was transgressed, whereby its righteous penalty of death was incurred; and this penalty must have been exacted had no way been found to satisfy the claims of a holy God upon a nation of sinners. God Himself promulgated the righteous foundation on which atonement could be made for their sins, and on which He could still dwell in their midst and maintain towards them relationships of grace; and this foundation was found in the blood of the sin-offering which was annually sprinkled on the great day of atonement upon the mercy-seat. The fire which consumed the body of the sin-offering without the camp told of holy judgment against sin, the fat burnt upon the altar spoke of the inward perfection and acceptability of the victim, that is, of Christ as typified by it, while the blood sprinkled on the mercy-seat, representing as it did the life of the victim which had been laid down under judgment, met on behalf of the people all the holy claims of Jehovah which He had against them because of their sins. (See Lev. 17: 11.) When therefore the eye of God rested on the sprinkled blood He was satisfied, and He could righteously pass over the sins of His people from year to year, and still dwell in their midst, and maintain the relationships which He had established.

But this early ceremony was typical, foreshadowing as it did the one perfect sacrifice of Christ. (See Heb. 9, 10; also Heb. 13: 11-13.) The apostle John therefore tells us that Jesus Christ, the righteous, is the propitiation for our sins and also for the whole world. (1 John 2: 2; also 1 John 4: 10.) And from this we learn that the blood of Christ has done once and for all what the blood of the sin-offering accomplished in type for the year on the day of atonement; that is, it has made propitiation. It is true that John says that Christ Himself is the propitiation; but we also read that God has set Him forth a propitiatory (or mercy-seat) through faith, in His blood (Rom. 3: 25), whence we understand that the blood of Christ, deriving, as we have before seen, all its ineffable value from what He was in Himself, has answered all the claims of God on sinful men, has glorified Him in all that He is concerning the question of sin and sins. Hence it is that God can now righteously justify everyone who believes in Jesus (Rom. 3: 26), and that He can send forth the gospel of His grace to the whole world.

Secondly, the blood was sprinkled seven times before the mercy-seat. This was the place of the high priest's approach, and which in this way represented his standing before God. The blood was sprinkled there in testimony that propitiation had been made, and seven times that it might be a perfect testimony. Once was enough for the eye of God, in token that the sacrifice had been offered, and all His claims met; but man needed, or, to speak more exactly, God vouchsafed to man, a perfect assurance that propitiation had been accomplished, and accordingly it was sprinkled before the mercy-seat seven times. Whoever, therefore, receives the testimony of God in the gospel, and thus approaches the mercy-seat (Christ), "through faith in His blood," finds in the very presence of God the perfect witness that propitiation has been made for his sins, as well as that they have been borne by another, and borne away for ever. (See Lev. 16: 21, 22.)

Such, then, is propitiation, and we now proceed with the second branch of our enquiry, viz., Where was it made? In the olden economy it was clearly made in the holiest, and it has been contended that the propitiation therefore which Christ made was in heaven, in the heavenly sanctuary, or otherwise the thing typified would not correspond with the type. Furthermore, it is urged that Christ entered heaven for its accomplishment after death and before His resurrection, and the epistle to the Hebrews is appealed to in support of these contentions. Let us then examine a scripture or two from the epistle to the Hebrews on the subject.

First, let us turn to Hebrews 9: 24-28. We cite the whole passage, italicizing the words to which we call attention: "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." The allusion in all this scripture is to the rites of the great day of atonement, and it is on this very account that this scripture speaks with authority upon the points raised; and the reader will scarcely fail to note that it is a contrast, rather than a comparison, drawn between Christ and the Jewish high priest. Thus, in the first place, Christ has entered into heaven itself, and not into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures (antitypes) of the true; secondly, His one sacrifice is contrasted with the annual sacrifices of the Jews; thirdly, He was once offered to bear the sins of many — an allusion to the scapegoat bearing every year the sins of Israel confessed over it by the high priest; and, lastly (and this point is comparison), just as the Jewish people waited for the coming of the high priest out of the tabernacle in proof of the accomplishment of the work of atonement, so now God's people look for the appearance of Christ a second time without sin unto salvation.

We have indicated these several points to show beyond all doubt that the reference is to the day of atonement, so that we may be the better able to judge if Christ entered heaven, as the high priest did into the holiest, to make propitiation. Let us then observe the actual language employed. We are distinctly told that the high priest of old (and we know the fact. also from the Old Testament scriptures) entered into the holy place every year with the blood of others; but when giving that which corresponds to this in the work of our Lord — that is, the propitiatory part of His work — the Holy Spirit says, "Once in the end of the world [consummation of the ages] hath He APPEARED [has been manifested] to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." That this is propitiation all are agreed, because it is the ground on which sin will be ultimately entirely put away (compare John 1: 29); and hence, if the contention is correct, that Christ made propitiation in heaven because the high priest did in the holiest, the word "entered" would certainly have been chosen rather than "appeared." Instead of that, the Holy Ghost turns aside to mark the contrast, and causes the word "appeared" (or "hath been manifested") to be written, and thereby connects the work of propitiation with the presence of Christ in the world. Observe, moreover, that it says, that He "appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself;" and this emphatically links propitiation with the finished work, with the sacrifice, of Christ on the cross. The conclusion therefore is evident, from the very terms of this scripture, that while the high priest of Israel made propitiation in the earthly sanctuary, it was on the cross that Christ made propitiation. And it is not without significance that the very apostle who speaks twice of Christ as the propitiation should be one chosen to bear record that, when the soldier with a spear pierced the side of a dead Christ, there forthwith came out BLOOD and water — the blood of expiation and the water of purification; another proof that propitiation was completed on the cross. Again, when speaking of the substitutionary part of our Lord's work, the Spirit of God says," Once offered to bear the sins of many," thereby identifying this part of His work also with the sacrifice of Himself.*

*In support of the above statements the reader may also be referred to the fact that the veil was rent immediately upon the death of our Lord (Matt. 27: 50, 51) — another proof that propitiation was made on the Cross.

There is yet another scripture in this same chapter of Hebrews on which the contention referred to is directly based. This must, therefore, be also passed under review. It is as follows: "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." (vv. 11-12.) According to the punctuation of this passage in the Authorized Version of the Scriptures Christ is made to enter the holy place "by His own blood," and this having been commonly accepted, many different interpretations of these words have been offered. But a closer inspection of this scripture shows that this punctuation is based upon a misconception; viz., upon a supposed correspondence between the entrance of the high priest of old into the holiest with the blood of the sin-offering, and the entrance of Christ with His own blood into heaven. And yet the very words employed might have indicated the mistake; for the phrase διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἳματος (by His own blood) is peculiar, and could not be translated by either "with" or "in virtue of His own blood." The question then is whether the words "by His own blood" are necessarily connected at all with the word "entered." We unhesitatingly answer in the negative; and as confidently affirm that they are connected with the commencement of verse 11. To show this we leave out, for the moment, the intervening words, and it will then read thus: "But Christ being come . . . . neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption."* Before we point out the force of the passage, as so explained, we may cite 1 John 5: 6 in confirmation. We read there, "This is He that came by water and blood" (δἰ ὓδατος και αἵματος), where the preposition and the case governed by it are the same; and this entirely supports the view given in the note from the New Translation, that the preposition δια in Heb. 9: 11, 12 is characteristic of Christ's coming, and not of His entering into heaven.

*It has been stated that the late J. N. D. was opposed to this rendering. It is quite true that, when touching upon the great day of atonement, or the priesthood of Christ, he often spoke in a general way of Christ entering into the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood; but the following note from the New Translation will show what his exact thought was. He says, "δια here is, I doubt not at all, characteristic of His coming. He came in that way, His coming being in the power of, and characterized by, these things; not the place through, nor the means by which" (i.e., we may explain, not the perfect tabernacle through which as a place, nor the blood as the means by which). "See this use of δια with the genitive in Rom. 2: 27. In Rom. 4: 13 we see the transition to this use of it."

There are then three distinct points to be noted in our scripture: First, "Christ being come an high priest of good things to come;" secondly, His coming being in the power of and characterized by the "greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building," and "by His own blood" (in contrast with the earthly sanctuary, and with the blood of goats and calves); and thirdly, that Christ entered in once into the holy place, on the ground of having obtained eternal redemption.*

*The reader will therefore perceive that the attempt to render the word εὑράμενος in any other way than "having found," is to contradict the plain teaching of this scripture.

We find then that this scripture is in entire harmony (as of necessity it must be)  - with that already considered; that both alike teach, plainly and indubitably, that THE WORK OF PROPITIATION WAS MADE, COMPLETED, ON THE CROSS, and that the entrance of Christ once into the holy place was on the ground of having found an eternal redemption. There on Calvary His work of expiation was finished — finished by the sacrifice of Himself, when He, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself there without spot to God. The contention therefore that His entrance into heaven in this epistle took place after His death and before His resurrection, in order to make propitiation, is nothing but a fiction of the imagination, even as also we believe it to be, however unintentionally, a depreciation of that one perfect and completed work wrought out on the cross, if not derogatory to the Person of Him who glorified God on the earth, and finished the work which was given Him to do. The Lord give us, in view of the serious issues involved, to contend all the more earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

For the instruction and edification of the reader a few words may be added to collect and present the effects of propitiation. In the first place, as already pointed out, God has been glorified by it, according to all that He is as now fully revealed in and through the person and cross of Christ. "The blood was presented to God, whose holy presence had been dishonoured and offended by sin. So Christ has perfectly glorified God in the place of sin, by His perfect obedience and love to His Father, in His being made sin who knew no sin. God's majesty, righteousness, love, truth, all that He is, was glorified in the work wrought by Christ, and of this the blood was witness in the holy place itself;" i.e., on the great day of atonement. Secondly, Christ was the propitiation for the sins of His people: (1 John 2: 2.) The two goats of Leviticus 16 do but present different aspects of the one work of Christ; for the One who made propitiation for the sins of the people (Heb. 2: 17) was also their substitute; and as such He was wounded for their transgressions, bruised for their iniquities, was once offered to bear the sins of many. (Isa. 53: 5; Heb. 9: 28.) Whoever, therefore, receives God's testimony concerning the death of Christ as having made propitiation, finds, when he comes into the presence of God, that Christ also, His own self, bare his sins in His own body on the tree. (1 Peter 2: 24.) Moreover, the propitiation is the ground on which God sends out the entreating message of the gospel to the whole world. Having been fully glorified concerning sin and sins, He can satisfy His own heart by causing the mighty streams of His grace to flow out to every creature under heaven, and by issuing the proclamation, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22: 17.) He can thus be just, and the justifier of everyone who believes in Jesus. Lastly, on this same ground, the sin of the world (not the sins, but the sin of the world) will be entirely taken away (John 1: 29; Heb. 9: 26); and God has been pleased to disclose to us the scene in which this has been accomplished — in the new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Hence it is that then "There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev. 21: 4.)

From this outline of the effects of propitiation the reader will perceive that it is the all-efficacious ground on which God will accomplish the whole of His counsels of grace; for thereby He Himself has been infinitely glorified, and He in response to that wondrous and perfect work has glorified His beloved Son at His own right hand, and thereby He has given the pledge that all who are His shall be glorified together with Him, that Israel now scattered shall be gathered in perfect blessing under the sway of their glorious Messiah, that all nations shall share in the blessings of that millennial reign, that creation itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God, and that finally, as we have seen, these heavens and this earth will be displaced by a scene wherein God will be all in all.

E. D.

Redemption

Redemption.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend vol. 14, 1887, p. 60.

The history of redemption is bound up with the whole truth of grace, reaching back to the counsels of God in eternity, including the incarnation, the life, the death, the finished work of Christ on the cross, as also His resurrection, and reaching onward to the accomplishment of God's purposes in the conformity of His people to the image of His Son in glory. (Rom. 8: 29.) The word itself is only used once (see Gen. 48: 16) before its application to the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt; and though found in the English version in Revelation, it is really never employed after the rapture of the Church.* This makes it clear that we have redemption in type and figure in the history of Israel, and in fact in the work of Christ and the salvation of believers. The former was a temporal, the latter an eternal redemption; and it is because of the relation of the one to the other, as shadow and substance, that the two are often contrasted in the Scriptures. (See Heb. 9: 11, 12; 1 Peter 1: 18, 20.)

*The word invariably used in the Apocalypse is "bought," not "redeemed." It is so, for example, in Rev. 5: 9 — "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed [ἠγόρασας, "bought"] to God by thy blood."

In pursuing our enquiry into the nature of redemption, there are three distinct things to be considered, and the first of these is the ground on which redemption is effected. We have already pointed out that the heart of God is its source, even as the apostle speaks, "All things are of God." And, indeed, grace can never be entered into or apprehended until it is perceived that redemption, with all its blessed fruits, is but the expression of the eternal love of God. (See Rom. 8: 28-39; Eph. 1; Titus 3: 5-7, etc.) But God Himself, being what He is, was powerless to act until He could be just as well as the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. But now He justifies us freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3: 24.) It was therefore the death of Christ, the atonement for sin which He thereby made, which laid the foundation of our redemption; or, to speak more accurately (for redemption signifies a buying back), the blood of Christ was our ransom price — the price paid for our redemption. Two scriptures will explain this. "The Son of man came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life" (and "the life is in the blood") "a ransom for many." (Matt. 20: 28.) Again, "Redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1: 18, 19.)

But what were we, it might well be asked, to need such a ransom? We were poor slaves of Satan, afflicted with hard bondage, even as the Israelites were bowed down under the cruel yoke of Pharaoh. And not only were we under the enemy's power, but we were there because of our sins; and thus, at the same time, under the just judgment of God. Until therefore the question of our sins, as also that of the sins of Israel, was settled, God was not free in righteousness to act for our deliverance. Thus, when He went through the land of Egypt in judgment, His own people were as guilty as their oppressors, and nothing but the blood of the passover lamb ransomed them from the destroyer's stroke. "When I see the blood," Jehovah said, "I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12: 13.) For that blood, shadowing forth that of Christ, answered all His holy claims, and, covering up their guilt from His sight, as well as substituting for their guilt its own preciousness before His eye, effectually screened them from His wrath as the holy Judge. So with ourselves. We were guilty sinners, and had all come short of the glory of God; and as such were exposed to the condemnation and doom of sin. But God was gracious, and interposed, saying, as it were, "Deliver them from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." (See Job 33: 24.) And that ransom was the precious blood of Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is an immense thing for the soul to perceive the simple truth, that God gave His only begotten Son; that it was He — He who knew what we were, and what the full extent of His claims upon us — who also provided our passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5: 7), and who declares that His blood is an all-sufficient ransom for all who receive His testimony to its value. (1 Tim. 2: 6.) For if He is satisfied who can be dissatisfied? It is He, and He alone, who can estimate its adequacy as our ransom; and hence the word to Israel was, "When I" (I, the Judge) "when I see the blood, I will pass over you."

This, then, constituted the first part of redemption — the payment of the ransom. This was done in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the shedding of His blood, when His soul was made an offering for sin, whereby He made a full, perfect, and everlasting atonement to God. The next step is the connection of those to be redeemed (we follow the order of the redemption of Israel from, Egypt) with the work of Christ, with the value of His blood. In the case of the Israelites, the manner in which this was effected is clearly seen. Had they even slain the passover lamb, and had they done nothing more, the death of the lamb alone would not have secured their immunity from judgment. The command was to take a bunch of hyssop, to dip it in the blood in the basin, and to sprinkle it upon the lintel and the two sideposts of the doors of their houses. It was the blood sprinkled therefore in the obedience of faith that procured their deliverance. The fact of the death of the lamb, and the collecting its blood in the basin, would have availed them nothing, save to increase their condemnation; but the moment they acted in faith, and put the blood upon their doors, they were infallibly safe. It is faith still that links us with the value of the blood of Christ. We thus react that God has set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood; and again, that we are justified by His blood, this being the meritorious cause of our justification, if we believe on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Rom. 3: 25; Rom. 5: 9.) Redemption has been wrought out through the death and resurrection of Christ, and His presence at the right hand of God is the proof of it; but we could never know redemption for ourselves unless we have been brought, through faith, under the value of His precious blood. It is grace, and grace alone, that saves us; but it is grace through faith, even though this, as well as the grace, is the gift of God. (Eph. 2: 8.)

The blood then had been shed, and in the obedience of faith it had been sprinkled; and now God stepped in to redeem. This was in accordance with His message through Moses, "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments." (Exodus 6: 6.) God who, being holy, had necessarily been against His people because they were sinners in Egypt, could now, consistently with all that He was, be for them on account of the blood of the lamb. And the blood of the lamb, under which they were sheltered, was the sole ground of His subsequent acting on their behalf.

Let us then trace out what He did in their redemption. First, God brought them out of Egypt by His power. As another has said, applying the truth to ourselves, "Sheltered from the judgment of God by the blood we are delivered by His power that acts for us, from the power of Satan, the prince of this world: The blood keeping us from the judgment was the beginning. The power which has made us alive in Christ, who has gone down into death for us, has made us free from the whole power of Satan which followed us, and from all his attacks and accusations." For the Red Sea, through which God brought His people, and which for ever delivered them from Egypt, was, in type, the death and resurrection of Christ, wherein He met the whole force of death and judgment, as well as the power of the enemy on His people's behalf. Hence redemption is not spoken of until they are on the other side of the sea of death and judgment, on the shores of which they beheld also their enemies dead. Then they could sing, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed." (Exodus 15: 13.) In Egypt they were perfectly sheltered by the blood; but now through their passage across the Red Sea, and Jehovah's acting for them in it, they were redeemed from Egypt and its doom, and from death, judgment, and the power of Satan.

But there was still more. No sooner had the word redemption escaped their lips than, as taught of the Holy Spirit, they added, "Thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation." All their enemies would melt away, and He who had brought them out, would "bring them in, and plant them in the mountain" of His inheritance, "in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for them to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established." (Exodus 15: 13-17.) And all this, we repeat, was the fruit of the sprinkled blood, and nothing less than this was full redemption. When across the Red Sea, and about to commence their pilgrim march through the wilderness, they were surely God's redeemed people, for in truth they had been delivered from their bondage, and set free to serve Jehovah; but not yet were they in the place prepared for them, not yet therefore in the enjoyment of what belonged to them in God's purposes of grace in their redemption. (See Ex. 3: 16, 17; Ex. 6: 6-8.) The blood of the Passover Lamb, in fact, secured not only their passage across the Iced Sea, but also their journey through the wilderness, the drying up of the waters of the Jordan, and their possession of the land of promise.

If now we refer to redemption, as found in the New Testament,  - we shall see how fully the reality answers to the type. But it must be remembered that He, who was the Passover Lamb of God's own providing, took the sinner's place in His death, and that therefore when He arose from the dead, in virtue of His precious blood, redemption, eternal redemption, was accomplished. (See Heb. 9: 12; Heb. 13: 20.) The blood of atonement was the ransom-price of His people, and God has declared His infinite satisfaction with it, in that He hath raised Him up from the dead, and given Him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1: 20, 21.) It is on this account that Peter can write, that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; for as soon as we have been brought, through faith, under the value of His sacrifice, we possess in title all the blessings that have been secured by the redemption which He has obtained. We say in title, for not yet are we in the enjoyment of all the results of the work of Christ. Already we are redeemed as to our souls; for God, on the foundation of the work of Christ, because of the value of the precious blood under which we are resting, has even now "delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Col. 1: 13.) This is a present blessing; and in this aspect we can say that we are redeemed, that we have been brought out from the house of bondage, out of Egypt; that through the death and resurrection of Christ we have been turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. (Compare Col. 1: 13-15.) For in truth Satan's power has been for ever broken; and we, with death and judgment behind us, have been brought to God.

But this is not all. The apostle Paul teaches that we are waiting "for the adoption, the redemption of our body," and that this is already secured to us by the fact that we possess now the firstfruits of the Spirit. (Rom. 8: 23.) This is in harmony with the truth of this epistle; for, as he shows in Romans 6, having been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Divine power therefore will act once again at the coming of the Lord, and will rescue even the bodies of His people from the corruption in which they lie, and will fashion them like unto the body of the glory of Christ, and thus complete the redemption of His people. In the epistle to the Ephesians there is another aspect of blessing, according to the truth there exhibited.* The Holy Spirit of promise is thus said to be the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession; and we are exhorted not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Eph. 1: 14; Eph. 4: 30.) These scriptures show unmistakably, especially if we remember that, according to Eph. 1: 3, it is in Christ we have redemption through His blood, that the full fruition of the redemption work of Christ is not possessed until the whole church is presented to Him in the glory. Now we have the salvation of our souls, also our place in the heavenlies in Christ, we are fully secured against all difficulties, dangers, and enemies, our bodies will be raised from the dead, or changed, if the Lord comes before death, when death will be thus swallowed up in victory; and finally the whole church, every member of which will be conformed to His image, will be presented unto Christ a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, to be His companion both in the glories of the kingdom, as well as in those of eternity. All this, and whatever more of blessing there may be, is included in redemption, and will be the glorious result of the eternal value of the blood of Christ to God,†

*It would be going too far in this fundamental paper to pursue this remark to its full issue; but the reader will be interested to observe that the special character of redemption in each epistle is determined by the teaching of the epistle. Thus in 1 Peter and in Hebrews it is the redemption of the soul. In Romans the body, as we have seen, is included; in Ephesians and Colossians we are carried to our position before God. And hence it is, "In whom we have redemption," etc.; while in Corinthians we are said to be "in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us . . . redemption."

†The question of "purchase" is outside of the above subject. It may be well, however, to remark that all men are "purchased," on the ground that the Lord tasted death for every man. (See also John 17: 2; Rom. 14: 9.) He is therefore Lord of all. Hence Peter speaks of false prophets, who denied the Lord that bought (not redeemed) them. (2 Peter 2: 1.) In Matthew it is also said that He bought the field for the sake of the treasure in it. (Matt. 13.) Redemption is applied only to God's people. Purchase is sometimes used of them, as, for example, in 1 Cor. 6: 20; 1 Cor. 7: 23, etc., to indicate that as so bought they belong wholly to God; and it is also employed in the sense stated above of all men. Ransom, as shown in the paper, is applied to the laying down of the life of the Lord Jesus, His blood-shedding as the ransom price for the redemption of His people. E. D.

The Revised Version of the New Testament

The Revised Version of the New Testament.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 8, 1881, p. 169.

It is surely significant that God should be calling, in these last days, such public attention to His own word. Never, perhaps, has there been such eager and widespread interest in the appearance of any volume as in the Revised Version of the New Testament Scriptures; and never certainly has any book obtained such a rapid sale. Its first delivery in London was counted by hundreds of thousands, and this huge supply, it is credibly stated, entirely disappeared in a few days. It has therefore acquired an unprecedented circulation, a circulation which by this time will have embraced every quarter of the globe. Whatever the causes of this, there are few spiritual minds who will not discern in the fact a distinct action of the Spirit of God; for whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear, God has spoken, and so loudly, that His testimony has gone "out through all the earth, and His words to the end of the world." The Lord is at hand, and it may be that this testimony is the immediate harbinger of His coming.

It will not be without interest to our readers to enquire, What is the result of this revision of the English Testament? The result on the whole, it may be safely affirmed, is to the advantage of the truth of God. There are blemishes — errors indeed — arising from the want of spiritual understanding — that understanding which no scholarship can supply, because it is the fruit of the indwelling and teaching, the anointing, of the Holy Spirit; but while making allowance for these, many mistakes have been rectified, and many doubtful translations have been made more intelligible. Our readers will discover most of these improvements for themselves, and hence we shall simply call their attention to some passages that have been omitted, and to some of the mistranslations that affect the truth.

Several verses or parts of verses have been entirely rejected. The first of these is what is commonly termed the doxology of the "Lord's prayer:" "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." This has created much feeling in certain ecclesiastical quarters — as was to be expected; but there need to be no hesitation in accepting the exclusion on the ground of entirely insufficient evidence of its inspiration. No Christian would dispute the truth of the language; but the only question to be decided was, Is it a part of the inspired word of God?

The next passage omitted of any importance is Acts 8: 37: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." The context shows that this verse is by no means necessary to the narrative, and for many years past it has been admitted on all hands to be an unwarranted addition. To believe with the heart is a divine condition (Rom. 10: 9, 10), but let us thank God — for who could stand the test? — that we are not required to ascertain if we believe with the whole heart.

Passing onward to the first epistle of John, a part of the much-contested passage in 1 John 5: 7, 8 is also omitted, and it now reads, "For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one" — a change already anticipated in what is known to many as "The New Translation," and one which clears away a great difficulty in the apprehension of the teaching of the Spirit of God.''

So far we can thank God for the alterations made; but in two passages, while not omitted, so much doubt, and very unnecessarily in our judgment, is thrown upon them, that it will lead in many minds to their positive rejection. The first of these is the narrative of the woman taken in adultery. (John 7: 53 - 8: 1-11.) It is freely conceded that this passage is not found in some very important manuscripts. It should be borne in mind, however, that the most ancient manuscripts do not reach back further than the time of Constantine; and Augustine expressly says that it was left out "for fear of allowing immorality." One can readily perceive, how that those who failed to understand the significance of this striking scripture, and the characteristic position of the Lord in it, should thus miss the mind of God, and be animated by such motives of prudence; but the spiritual mind, not governed by human feelings, but by the Spirit of God, will have no difficulty in rejecting their action, and in regarding the scripture as a precious unfolding of divine truth, of the Person, indeed, of our blessed Lord. The other passage alluded to is the close of St. Mark's gospel (Mark 16: 9-20), which, as the revisers inform us, is omitted "by the two oldest Greek manuscripts," etc. Even the casual reader will perceive that this passage does not follow on with the narrative, but forms a kind of appendix to the gospel itself, as it gives a general account of the special manifestations of the Lord to His own after His resurrection. This, no doubt, occasioned the difficulty; it would be sure to perplex human wisdom, and hence the attempt to obviate it. The source of much controversy of this kind has been the confusion of the question of authenticity with that of inspiration; that is, if the authorship of a part of any of the books of Scripture has been thought doubtful, the temptation has arisen to reject it. So here, instead of asking whether this close of the gospel were inspired, they discussed whether Mark penned it. Now it is quite clear, from many books of Scripture, that inspired additions may be made by those who were not their authors. (See Dent. 34; Jer. 52 etc.) Remarks of this kind need not therefore trouble simple souls.

*The omission of John 5: 4, although not of much importance, will hardly be so generally accepted.

In the translation many passages, as already remarked, have gained in clearness and accuracy, while others have lost both in respect of point and truth through the want of spiritual intelligence. A few examples of the latter class may be given. In Acts 2: 47 the Revised Version reads, "And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved." So in 2 Cor. 2: 15, and 2 Cor. 4: 3 we find, "them that are being saved," and "them that are perishing." There is no doubt whatever as to the tense of the verb, or that a hard literality, apart from the knowledge of divine truth, might so translate. But it is not difficult to conjecture that the origin of the translation in these cases is unbelief in the fact that man can either be saved or lost before death. Even evangelical Protestantism very unwillingly admits that the sinner is already lost, or that he may know he is saved during his life. It will press very earnestly that he will be lost if he does not believe in Christ. But this is another thing, and ignores the teaching of the word of God as to the truth of the cross — that the cross, indeed, was the demonstration of the fact that man was both guilty and lost, and thus the termination of his history as man in the flesh, and as such responsible to produce fruit for God. It is this which displays the magnificence of God's grace. At the very moment when all that man is, in all the depths of his corrupt and totally depraved heart, was revealed, God revealed Himself as the God of grace through the death of Christ. But even if the revisers were ignorant of this, a little more knowledge of the Scriptures would have saved them from their mistake. To show this, we transcribe part of a note to Acts 2: 47, in the version known as "The New Translation" — "As to the form of the word, σωζόμενοι" (the word in Acts 2: 47), "etc., are all found in the LXX. The difference of σωζόμενος is that it gives the character instead of the fact; as I might say, 'the spared ones,' or 'those to be spared,' or the fact, 'those who have been spared.' It is not this last here. It is the class of persons then God was saving. It is not a doubt as to their being saved, nor a state, but a class. Compare Luke 13: 23, `Are the σωζόμενοι, that class, few?' So the English means there, 'that be saved.' The Jews discussed thus point much as may be seen in Lightfoot and Schoetgen."

The translation of Ephesians 2: 6 is still more unhappy. It is as follows: "And raised us up with Him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." This contains a double error. Although not put in italics, there is nothing in the Greek text to answer to the first "Him." In fact, the "Authorized" Version is correct, and the revision erroneous; for it is really "raised us up together" — not with Christ, albeit that is true, but believing Jews and Gentiles together — all distinction now having been abolished, as will be immediately seen if the apostle's use of the pronouns "you" and "we" is apprehended. The last clause of the verse is nothing but confusion, as we are said to be made to sit with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. No; we are not with Him yet. We shall be when He has come to receive us unto Himself, not before; but we are in Him, as the Scripture states. The truth is, it should be, as in the first clause, "made to sit together" — i.e. Jew and Gentile — "in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus." This is a striking example of the necessity of understanding the truth of God in the power of the Holy Ghost as a qualification for the translation of the Scriptures.

We had marked other passages for comment, but we must content ourselves, for the present, with reminding our readers of the need of care in accepting the alterations made by the revisers. At the same time we unfeignedly rejoice at the many improvements effected, and to some of these, if the Lord will, we hope to call attention at another time.

Part 2.

The more the revised version of the New Testament is examined the more apparent are the honesty and the industry of the revisers. The mistakes into which they have been betrayed are in no case, as far as can be seen, the result of either theological or ecclesiastical bias; but they have sprung rather from lack of spiritual understanding, and from dependence, perhaps, upon scholarship, instead of upon the teaching of the Holy Ghost. For example, Phil. 2: 10 now reads, "That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow," etc. The Greek will undoubtedly admit this translation, as it would also that which the revisers have superseded; viz., "at the name of Jesus." This being the case, the decision must be grounded upon the truth involved, and once accepting this principle, the difficulty disappears. To bow the knee in the name of Jesus, and to confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father, would be salvation. But this could not be in this Scripture, inasmuch as even infernal beings — "things under the earth" — are included. To bend at the name of Jesus would simply express, willingly or unwillingly, acknowledgment of His authority and supremacy, and this is what God has declared that all in heaven, earth, and hell shall do. Hence, while the alteration may seem to be slight, the truth implicated is of the gravest importance.

2 Cor. 3: 18 is another illustration of the misleading character of mere critical knowledge. As revised it runs, "But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit." As an alternative translation it stands in the margin, "Beholding as in a mirror." Had the truth of the passage been understood, it would have been instantly perceived that etymological considerations could not govern, as in this case they appear to have done, the translation. The apostle had been drawing a contrast between the ministration of condemnation and death, and the ministration of righteousness and of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3: 7-14); i.e. between law and grace; and in connection with it, he recalls the fact that when Moses came out from the presence of Jehovah, he "put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished." For in truth, being under law, and having, moreover, failed under it, and become amenable to its righteous penalties, the very glory which shone in the face of Moses was their condemnation. They could not endure to behold it, because, as sinners, and without atonement, to come into contact with the holiness of God was to encounter destruction. But under grace all is changed. Christ has glorified God concerning the question of our sins, and God, having being glorified in Him, has glorified Christ in Himself (John 13: 31, 32), so that the glory that shines in His face tells not of condemnation and death, but of accomplished redemption, and the putting away of believers' sins for ever; for if the One who went down into death under our sins has been raised from the dead, and put into the glory of God, it is manifest that our sins are for ever gone. The face of Christ is therefore unveiled, and we, unlike the Israelites, in respect of Moses, can look upon the glory that is there displayed; indeed, we delight to gaze upon it, inasmuch as it is the indubitable proof that our sins are completely cleared away. Moreover, as the latter part of the Scripture tells us, we are transformed by the glory, through the power of the Spirit, in the very act of beholding it — transformed, changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit. The two thoughts are thus: that through grace we are able to look upon the unveiled face of the Lord, and that the glory we behold in that face is used to transform us into His image.

It will therefore be seen that to put the words "in a mirror," even after "beholding," as in the margin, confuses the teaching of the passage; while to translate "reflecting as in a mirror," is to miss it altogether. But more than this, it adds the error that we reflect the glory of the Lord before we are transformed, and that we are changed, or transformed, into the image of our glorified Lord by reflecting His glory!

It is a matter of great regret also that the Revisers did not use their opportunity to give the true sense of Col. 1: 19. They have retained the added words "the Father," rendering the passage, "For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell." The very fact of the words being added shows that it is interpretation rather than translation, and this might have thrown them back to a more patient study of the context, which brings out in. a special manner the glorious dignity of the Person, the pre-eminence and headships of Christ. They might have then discovered the possibility of a rendering with which many of our readers are familiar; viz., "For in Him all the fulness was pleased to dwell" — the only one, it may fearlessly be said, that exactly represents the original, harmonises with the context, and expresses the mind of the Spirit of God.

We now turn gratefully to some very decided improvements; and, first of all, to those of an ecclesiastical character. In John 10: 16, the Revisers have rightly substituted "flock" for "fold." There is little doubt that ecclesiastical leanings led to the false rendering, with the object of bolstering up a particular church establishment, and thereby condemning all who should venture to stray from this human fold. But Judaism is the fold of John 10, and out of this our Lord expressly tells us that He leadeth His sheep. (v. 3.) The fold thenceforward ceases, and the sheep, whether gathered out from among the Jews, or afterwards from among the Gentiles, were to form one flock.

It is also a great advantage to have the word "ordained" (which was gratuitously inserted in the Authorised Version) omitted from Acts 1: 22. In Mark 3: 14, "ordained" has been exchanged for "appointed." So also in Acts 14: 23, the word "appointed," replaces "ordained." Knowing how largely the episcopal element was represented in the revision company, and the increasing pretensions of sacerdotalism, and its claims for priestly sanctity because of "ordination," such changes were hardly to be expected, and fill us with corresponding gratitude.

Another slight change in Acts 20 proves the sincerity of the Revisers: In verse 17, we find that Paul sends for the elders of the Church in Ephesus. When addressing them he says, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers," etc. (v. 28.) In the revised version "bishops" supersede "overseers." This will make plain to the English reader that the elders of the assembly were bishops, and hence that modern episcopacy finds no support in the word of God.

Passing to other changes, we note with great satisfaction the faithful rendering of 1 John 3: 4. It ran, as our readers will remember, as follows: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law;" a translation not only serious in its consequences, but amounting to a falsification of the word of God. For inasmuch as the law was given to the Jews, and to them alone — if this were a true definition of sin — Gentiles could never have committed it! How different is the statement of the Spirit of God as now given by the Revisers, "Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness: and sin is lawlessness." Sin is thus shown in its true character and essence — as consisting in independence of God, doing one's own will with freedom from every other law, and thus lawlessness. To the Jew sin, in addition, was transgression of the law; but sin in Jew and Gentile alike is lawlessness, a definition therefore that leaves no loophole of escape for any one upon the face of the earth, but brings in the whole world as alike guilty before God.

In 1 Cor. 9: 20 there is an addition of great importance. It formerly read, "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law," etc. The Revisers have restored the clause omitted after "as under the law;" viz., "not being myself under law." Many of our readers know that all competent scholars have long confessed that this clause was most unjustifiably rejected; but it is a great gain in the interests of the truth to have it now brought before the mass of believers in this country. Rightly interpreted, it is the settlement of that hotly-contested question as to whether the Christian is still under law; for while no additional evidence is needed for those who understand what Christianity is, and the truth of the Christian's position, the new place into which he is brought through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord, it is of immense importance, in dealing with candid souls, to be able to point to the fact, that the apostle Paul himself carefully states that he himself was not under the law, which. is not, as he explains, to be "without law to God; but under law [a different word altogether from what he had employed before — one meaning "enlawed;" i.e. brought under authority] to Christ"

The alteration in Rev. 22: 14 — fully warranted — will be acceptable to most, and is most valuable as a closing testimony to the value of the precious blood of Christ. "Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city."

There are many improvements and also defects other than those indicated. These our readers must note for themselves. But there are few who will not recognize in the whole result matter for thanksgiving to God. May He lead His people into an ever-increasing acquaintance with His word, and bring them more and more under its sanctifying power through the energy of the Holy Ghost! E. D.

Spiritual Sloth and the Means of Restoration

Spiritual Sloth and the Means of Restoration.

Song of Solomon 5: 2 - 6: 1-3.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend vol. 14, 1887, p. 169.

The key to the interpretation of this beautiful scripture is found in the words, "I sleep, but my heart waketh." The heart of the bride was true to her Beloved; but, together with this, there was a lack of energy, an inclination to ease and comfort, which had betrayed her into a want of watchfulness, and produced a state of sloth. This is seen from the contrast drawn between her position and that of the Beloved. While His head was filled with dew, and His locks with the drops of night, she is seen reclining at her ease upon her bed. The Scriptures abound in such contrasts, as, for example, in the case of Peter, who sat, with the enemies of Christ, warming himself at the fire, while his Master was exposed to the taunts and insults of His persecutors. (Luke 22: 55-64.)

The state of soul thus indicated is always the result of succumbing to the influences of this world, and it is a state of soul which the Lord never views with indifference. Nay, He loves His people too well to permit them to continue in it, and He thus immediately seeks to arouse them from their slumber. It is so in this scripture; for the bride is at once made conscious that her Beloved is seeking an entrance. "It is," she says, "the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." (v. 2.) The very terms He uses — the terms of endearment — were surely calculated to awaken the affections of her heart; for they express to her her own preciousness to Him, while they acknowledge that she had not forgotten Him. But the ground of His appeal lies in the contrast already shown: He was without, waking and watching, while she was within, in ease and comfort.

How could she refuse such an entreaty? Her answer betrays the secret: "I have put off my coat: how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet: how shall I defile them?" She was occupied rather with her own ease than His claims, and hence to respond to His appeal involved sacrifice and required energy. How many of us lose the visits of Christ in this way! He stands by us, seeking to manifest Himself to us in a fuller way, and we are not unconscious of His presence; but we are preoccupied, or have set our hearts for the time upon some other object, and we thus lose the enjoyment and communion which He was offering. Like the bride, we had put off our coat, and could not put it on again. We had forgotten that our loins were ever to be girded; and we had washed our feet, and we were unwilling to defile them, even though it was the Lord Himself who was calling upon us to open the door.

But He never presses Himself upon unwilling hearts; and thus, when He found that the door was closed against Him, He withdrew. The bride was conscious of His efforts to obtain admission. She had heard His voice, and she had heard His hand upon the door; and at length her heart responds, her "bowels were moved for him." Her sloth is removed, and, arising, she opened to her Beloved; but He "had withdrawn himself." (v. 6.) She had, alas! lost her opportunity. When her Beloved pressed Himself upon her, she could not make the effort to receive Him; now that she had opened the door, it was to find that He was gone. The soul has to learn that it must wait on the Lord's pleasure, that communion and the enjoyment of intimacy are only possible to, a responsive heart; that, in a word, it can only repose on the Lord's bosom when He draws us into that blessed place. The Beloved had drawn near to the bride, and had presented Himself in all the attractions of His love for a season of ineffable blessedness; but she lost it because she was seeking rest in a scene where as yet He had found none.

The seeking had hitherto been on His part; now it was her turn to search and be disappointed. She arose to open to her Beloved, and she at once discovered how much she had lost; for the fragrant traces of His presence were left behind. Her hands, put where His had been, on the handles of the lock, dropped with myrrh. Then she says, "I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." (v. 6.) Had her Beloved, then, renounced His love? Far from it. He was but teaching her a needed lesson, and seeking the restoration of her soul, by thus calling forth the energies and desires of her heart. In this way He was exposing her true state to her own eyes, and making her learn also that restoration is only possible through discipline. The enjoyment of the presence of Christ may be lost in a moment; it may, and often does, take days to recover it. Forgiveness, on confession of sin, is immediate; but the restoration of communion can only be gradual, and a work of time.

This is illustrated by the experiences of the bride. Let us trace them. First, "the watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me." (v. 7.) What had she to do, wandering about the city at night, without her Beloved? The very fact that she could not find Him revealed her state to these faithful watchmen, and they did not spare her. They were charged with the discipline of the city, and they failed not to administer it. And well is it for the assembly when there are faithful men who watch for souls as they that must give account (Heb. 13: 17); who do not hesitate to search souls, even if they smite and wound them, in the power of the Word. The Church cries aloud for those who can discern the state and meet the need of souls; for pastors who are skilled to feed the flock of God, and to restore the wandering and backslidden in heart.

In the next place, the bride encountered the "keepers of the walls," and they took away her veil from her exposed her condition, her nakedness, bereft as she was for the moment, through her negligence and self-seeking, of her Beloved. If the watchmen answer to pastors, the keepers of the wall will find their correspondence in those who seek to maintain holiness in the house of God. The walls guard those within from the enemy without, exclude evil, and preserve those inside in peace and security. The keepers of the walls therefore maintain separation from evil and separation to God, jealously shutting out all who have no right of entrance, and admitting only such as can exhibit their title. When thus they found the bride seeking after her Beloved during the night, they take away her veil; for it was incumbent upon them to ascertain whether she was what she professed to be.

What a contrast between the bride in verse 1 and in verse 7, She had said, "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." (Cant. 4: 16.) And He had instantly responded, "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse, . . . I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk," etc. But there followed, as is so often the case in the experience of souls, a reaction upon this supreme season of enjoyment; and hence the next words are, "I sleep, but my heart waketh." And now she, who had been so happy in the presence of her beloved, feeding in His garden, is smitten and wounded by the watchmen, and unveiled by the keepers of the walls. But this very condition into which she has fallen is the way of recovery, and the action both of the watchmen and the keepers of the walls has this in view. They are the servants of the Beloved, they have His mind, and He it is who has guided them in their work; and hence the gracious effect of their ministry immediately appears in her intensified desire after leer Beloved.

This is seen in her appeal to her companions, the daughters of Jerusalem: "I charge you," she says, "O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." Her yearning after restoration, as thus expressed, is most touching. Still, it is sad to see one who had been in the enjoyment of the intimacy of His affections compelled to enquire, from those who had never been in her special place, where her Beloved might be found. They had never been, like her, the objects of His endearments; and, strangers to the sorrow that now filled her soul, they could not understand the fervour of her emotions. Like Mary, when, as she thought, others had taken away her Lord, and she knew not where they had laid Him, she had lost everything. The world was but a vast wilderness; nay, a sepulchre, if He were lost, Happy the soul that knows something of this blessed experience!

The daughters of Jerusalem, whose eyes had not yet been opened to perceive the beauties of the Beloved, and surprised at the absorbing character of the bride's affection, reply, "What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?" (v. 9.) It is this question that brings out the truth of her heart, whatever had been her temporary indifference; and, fired by her zealous love at such a question, as well as astonished that any could be blind to the excellences of her Beloved, she pours forth a glowing description of His beauties, dwelling with delight upon the details of every feature, thus betraying her intimate acquaintance with the One of whom she spake, and summing all up in the familiar words, "He is altogether lovely." Then, turning to her companions, she cries, "Thus is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."

It is a wonderful testimony, and the secret of it, as well of its power, was a full heart. Her heart was boiling over with a good matter, and she could therefore speak of the things which she had made touching the King. And this is the secret of all ability to testify of Christ. First, acquaintance with Him; and secondly, the heart filled with Himself — with the sense of His love, His grace, arid His perfection. This is the best wine "that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."

Three things remain to be noticed. First, the effect of the bride's testimony. The daughters of Jerusalem are aroused to desire to seek the Beloved with the bride. Just as when the Baptist, with a full heart of admiration, looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold the Lamb of God," his disciples were drawn away after the One to whom their master had testified, so the companions of the bride were irresistibly attracted to the Beloved by the testimony of the bride. Nothing affects souls like the witness of an overflowing heart in the power of the Holy Ghost.

In the next place, the bride's restoration of soul is completed. Drawn out by the question of the daughters of Jerusalem, while she lingers with joy over the beauties of her Beloved, her soul is wrought upon, her affections are revived, and she discerns at once where the object of her search is to be found, and is thus able to tell her companions. "My beloved," she says, "is gone into his garden, to the beds of spice, to feel in the gardens, and to gather lilies." All doubts have been dissipated, and she adds, with ineffable joy, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies." Let the reader carefully note this divine way of restoration. Whenever souls have fallen into a cold, lifeless condition, whenever they complain of a want of spiritual energy, let them occupy themselves with the varied perfections and graces of Christ. as revealed in the Word; and, while pondering upon what He is to themselves, let them withal declare His beauties and attractions to others, and they will find that their hearts will soon glow with the returning fire of affection, and that they will be happy again in the sense of His presence and love.

The last thing is, that the moment the restoration is effected, the Beloved expresses to the bride her preciousness in His sight, and His appreciation of her love. In one word, communion of affection follows upon her restoration. May both writer and reader be satisfied with nothing short of abiding communion in the love of Christ! E. D.

Suited Ministry

Suited Ministry.

1 Peter 2: 2; 1 Cor. 3: 2; Heb. 5: 11-14.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 11, 1884, p. 38.

What is the suited ministry for believers generally at the present time?

A scripture often cited in answer to this question is: "As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2: 2.) It is contended by many that this means that "milk" is the suited aliment for the young believer. To say nothing of the character of the word used (albeit it is very difficult of translation), the point in the scripture is simply that just as new-born babes desire milk, the believer should long for the word of God. It is, first, a question of appetite; and secondly, it tells us that as milk is the proper food for the new-born babe, so is the word of God for the saint. This is what the Spirit of God teaches by this scripture, and this is the more evident if we add the words, which are now generally accepted as a part of revelation (see New Translation), — "that we may grow thereby up to salvation." It is thus by feeding upon the word of God that we grow, and continue to grow, up to complete salvation.

If we now turn to another passage we shall obtain further light upon our subject. The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as [according to] men?" (1 Cor. 3: 2, 3.) It is clear in this case that the apostle fed these believers with "milk" because of their bad condition; that he deplored the necessity for doing so; and that had they been responding more fully to God's grace and love in redemption he would have fed them with "meat," and not with "milk." To assume, therefore, that the saints need "milk" is to proceed upon the supposition that they are in a Corinthian state; and to make provision for it is even to foster the condition which all should deplore. We learn moreover that the ministry suited to one assembly may be entirely unsuited to another; and the question may well be pressed home at such a moment upon the hearts of teachers, whether there has been the sufficient exercise of spiritual discernment, as to the state of souls, as a guide to their ministry. Nothing is plainer than that it would be an utter mistake to deal out Ephesian truth to a Corinthian assembly, or Corinthian truth to an Ephesian assembly.

Another scripture may be adduced to aid us in our investigation. Commencing to speak of Melchizedek, the apostle turns aside to add, "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." (Heb. 5: 11-14; Heb. 6: 1.)

There are several points here which need very earnest attention. The apostle mourns over the saints' inability to receive the truth he had to communicate. When for the time they had been Christians they might have been teachers, it was necessary to go back to the elements of truth; for they had become such as had need of milk — proof that they were unskilful in the use of the Word, and had become dwarfed in their growth. They were babes still, and hence the fervent exhortation with which chap. 6 opens. In a word, these dear saints were unwilling to go forward; and who that had the mind of Christ could be satisfied with such a condition? What teacher could calmly accept their state, and go on feeding them with milk, as if nothing more were necessary?

Surely we do well to attend to these solemn warning words; for might they not be addressed with equal reason to many believers in this day? Are there not hundreds — nay, thousands — who never care for anything beyond the gospel? Sad were it indeed if any saint of God ceased to have fellowship with the glad tidings of the grace of God. That which occupies the heart of God Himself may well occupy the hearts of His people. But this does not involve our feeding on nothing but the gospel or the simplest elements of the truth. By no means; for we need Christ in every character, aspect, and office in which He is presented; and if we fail to recognize this, we shall speedily become as dwarfed as were these Hebrew believers.

It will certainly be replied, "But remember how many newly-converted souls there are. These are truly babes, and would you not feed these with 'milk'?" The word of God is our only guide, and we have two instances at least of the way in which the Spirit of God ministers to such. The epistles to the Thessalonians were written soon after the Church there had been formed — both probably within a year after the saints had been turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven. (1 Thess. 1: 9, 10.) And what do we find? In the first epistle we have the return of our blessed Lord presented in every variety of aspect, and this too distinguished from His coming to the world, besides a deal of practical instruction for the building up of these saints on their most holy faith. In the second the apostle still goes further, and teaches the full character of the appearing of Christ, the truth of the man of sin, the blessed fact that the Church must be caught away from this scene before this son of perdition is revealed, etc. Now these can scarcely be termed elementary subjects; but they were intended for the instruction and comfort of these "babes," and were indeed necessary to them for the understanding of Christianity.

We have another example in John's first epistle. Dividing the whole family of God into fathers, young men, and babes, in what manner does he address this last class, the youngest of God's children? "Little children," he commences, "it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come," etc. (1 John 2: 18.) He then proceeds to point out the danger arising from antichrist's having already appeared. He puts them on their guard by giving the marks of the antichrist, and leads them to the source of their safety in their having the unction of the Holy One and the word of God. It is, in fact, a remarkable correspondence with the teaching of Paul in 2 Thessalonians.

Here then we have divine wisdom to guide us in teaching "babes." They must be nourished with the word of God; they must be fortified against danger by the revelations and warnings which it provides; and they must have a whole Christ — Christ in all that He is in Himself, in all that He is to God, and in all that He is to them, unfolded — that they may grow thereby up to salvation. This is a very different thing from occupying them with questions and controversies instead of Christ; and it may be added, that the maintenance of simplicity in the manner of instruction is entirely consistent with leading souls on in the knowledge of their portion in Christ, as well as of the dangers of their path. We hesitate not to say, that the falling away of so many young converts, and the yielding of many more to the influences of the world, may be traced back, in many instances, to our failure in supplying them with suited food. Knowing scarcely anything beyond the forgiveness of sins, they have little interest in the Scriptures, and thus the means of their growth and safety are neglected.

The doctrinal order of the epistles enforces the same lesson. Romans would undoubtedly be called the elementary epistle, but how many stop at Rom. 5: 1? And how many learn the truth of Rom. 6? Or if they learn it doctrinally, are there not many who never pass through Rom. 7 experimentally, so as to enter upon the enjoyment of the wealth of blessing contained in Rom. 8? But Colossians is a stage beyond Romans, and Ephesians is, once again, beyond Colossians; and certain it is that a Philippian Christian cannot be seen in this world without having learnt the truth of the first epistles named. Are these divine treasures then to be for ever withholden from the saints? Are we to surrender, even for the babes, the truth of death and resurrection with Christ? If so, the foundations of Christianity are gone, and we shall easily — and speedily  - fall back to Jewish ground and to a Jewish experience.

May the Lord make us all, whatever our stage of growth, increasingly desirous of following after if that we may apprehend that for which also we are apprehended of Christ Jesus! E. D.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend Vol. 7, 1880, p. 174.

The word translated "transfigured" in the scene on the mount is only found four times in the New Testament Scriptures — Matt. 17: 2; Mark 9: 2; Rom. 12: 2; 2 Cor. 3: 18. The first two of these passages refer to the same thing; and hence, we may say, it is used once respecting our blessed Lord, and twice concerning believers. There is, no doubt, a significant connection between these applications.

First, then, we find that when the Lord had taken Peter, James, and John his brother, and had brought them up into an high mountain apart, He "was transfigured before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." (Matt. 17: 1, 2.) Without entering at this time into the special character of this scene, its relation to the period at which our blessed Lord had arrived in His ministry in the midst of Israel, or its dispensational significance, we may, in a few words, consider what this transfiguration was in regard to Himself personally. When He ascended the mountain in company with His disciples, He was, to all outward appearance, but a man amongst men. To the carnal eye there was nothing to distinguish Him from Peter, James, or John. Whatever those whose eyes were anointed saw, or we have since learned from the Scriptures by the teaching of the Spirit of God, there was nothing to indicate any difference between the body which God had prepared for Him and the "earthen vessels" of His disciples. But while on the mount this wondrous change (termed transfiguration) occurred. What, then, was its nature? May we not say, that it was His essential purity or holiness breaking forth and transfusing the vessel in which it was enshrined, so that He stood before His disciples as a being of light? For "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." This vessel — His body — shrouded at other times these rays of His beauty and glory, but now, permitted to stream out unhinderedly, they penetrated through and irradiated both His body and His garments, so that He was actually and livingly glorified before their eyes.

If this were so, Christ, as He was in His transfiguration, is the presentation of what believers will be when they are glorified with Him. Hence, indeed, Moses and Elias, since they appeared in glory when they talked with Him (Luke 9: 30, 31), typify saints in this condition; and herein lies the significant connection in the use of the word on which we are commenting. Christ on the mount shows us what His people will be when He comes to receive them unto Himself; but then this mighty change is morally commenced in them while here. Thus, in Rom. 12: 2, the apostle says, "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed (transfigured) by the renewing of your mind," etc. This Scripture shows that our transfiguration must commence from within; for the apostle enjoins nonconformity to the world, and transfiguration by the renewing of our mind. Confining our attention to this single point, the question may well be put, But how is this to be accomplished? Passing now to 2 Cor. 3: 18, the answer is found. There we see Christ, not on the mount, but glorified at the right hand of God. All the glory of God shines forth from His face, and His face, unlike that of Moses when he talked with the children of Israel, is unveiled. Moreover, all believers are brought into that place where they can gaze on that glory. "We all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord." Then we learn the further thing, that it is by beholding we "are changed (transfigured) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." This is the moral effect of having Christ in glory before our souls. He is the standard or model; and we, while beholding, are through the power of the Spirit gradually transfigured on towards the likeness of Him on whom we gaze. We say "on towards," because while here in the body we can never be completely conformed to the glorified Christ. It is therefore a gradual moral transfiguration; every ray of His glory that falls upon our souls being made, through the operation of the Holy Ghost, to have this effect.

But, as we learn from other scriptures, when the Lord comes "we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3: 2); for then even our bodies will be changed into the likeness of the body of His glory. (Phil. 3: 21.) Then, according to the purpose of our God, we shall be "conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." (Rom. 8: 29.) A passing glimpse of the glory of the One to whom we are to be conformed has been vouchsafed even in this scene. And while we wait for the full accomplishment of this wondrous thought of the heart of God, the blessed responsibility rests upon us of being "transfigured" daily by the renewing of our mind; and we learn that this responsibility can only be met by the blessed occupation of gazing continually upon the glory of the Lord. Thus engaged, we are "transfigured" into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord; and while so employed, we wait every moment in the expectation of the time when we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, when our transfiguration will be finished, when we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

What grace! what mercy! what love! For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. E. D.

The Unveiled Face

The Unveiled Face.

2 Cor. 3, 4.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend Vol. 3, p. 125.

We have a remarkable series of contrasts in the third chapter of this epistle, designed to exhibit the perfect place of blessing in which we are set in Christ. After speaking of his own special relationship, through his ministry, to the believers at Corinth (vv. 14), the apostle points out the source of his qualification for his work, and the character of his ministry. (vv. 5, 6.) We have then a parenthesis which extends to the close of the 16th verse; so that for the connection we must read the 17th verse after the 6th, though it is evident that the parenthetical passage contributes, by the contrast therein drawn between the "ministry of condemnation" and the "ministry of righteousness," to further the general argument.

Thus the apostle says, "Our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (vv. 5, 6); and then he adds, "Now the Lord is that Spirit" (v. 17 ); i.e. not the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit of the "New Testament," which he thus identifies with the Lord — the glorified Christ. In other words, he teaches us that the Spirit that runs through and underlies "the letter" is a glorified Christ. But when he says in the next clause, "And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," he speaks of the Holy Ghost because he is now speaking of the power by which Christ glorified is apprehended, and the liberty into which we are consequently brought.

The parenthesis springs out of the contrast between "the letter" and "the spirit;" the former — the law, in fact — being a "ministration of death" and of "condemnation" (vv. 7, 9); the latter of "the Spirit" and of "righteousness." (vv. 8, 9.)

In these terms we have indeed the essential characteristics of the two dispensations contrasted. By the law was the knowledge of sin, and resulting condemnation and death (Rom. 5: 20; Rom. 7.); whereas by the gospel is the knowledge of accomplished righteousness, and of a Christ in glory. Hence, too, we get in this parenthesis, and the 18th verse, a further contrast between the position occupied by Israel under the law, and that occupied by believers under grace; and it is with this position, and its consequences and responsibilities, that we desire in this paper especially to be occupied.

It is summed up for us in the 18th verse: "We all, with open [i.e. unveiled] face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord." The words, "as in a glass," interfere with the clearness of the statement, having been added from a misconception of the force of the word employed. What we are taught is, that believers are now brought into the very presence of the glory of the Lord — they behold it with unveiled face. This is brought out by a contrast with Israel: "When Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart" (v. 15); but we behold the glory of the Lord without a wail; so that our position corresponds rather with that of Moses when he went into the tabernacle to speak with Jehovah. (See Ex. 34: 34, 35.)

The knowledge of this position is brought to us by the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God; for, says the apostle, "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord" (4: 4, 5)-that is, Christ glorified at the right hand of God. Such was the subject of the apostle's ministry, the ministry of the Spirit; for it was performed in the power of that Spirit who came down on the day of Pentecost as the witness of accomplished redemption, and of the glory of Christ. It was also the ministry of righteousness; for instead of requiring righteousness from man, as the law did, it proclaims God's righteousness revealed in the gospel (see Rom. 1: 16, 17; Rom. 3: 21, 22, etc.); for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom. 10: 4.) And a glorified Christ is the assurance of this; for when He died He bare our sins in His own body on the tree; yea, He was made sin for us (1 Peter 2: 24 ; 2 Cor. 5: 21) ; and hence, if He is now at the right hand of God in the glory, it is the everlasting proof that every question of our sins and sin has been settled; that all the claims of God's holiness have been met and satisfied; that indeed God has been so satisfied (for indeed He was fully glorified in that death), that His response to what was then wrought is seen in the place which He has accorded to Him who died.

It is on this account that He can in righteousness, as well as in grace and love, accord a place in Christ — in the same position of nearness — before Himself to every one who receives this gospel of the glory of Christ. The source of all is in Himself, and hence it is said, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts." (4: 6.) He it was who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all (Rom. 8: 32); who raised Him up from among the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the glory; and He it is who opens our hearts to receive these glad tidings of His grace, so that He might be able to bring us into that place where with unveiled face we can behold the glory of the Lord. Blessed be His name! How precious is His grace!

But let us not forget that this is our position, and that nothing short of this satisfies His own heart of love to us in Christ Jesus. It is therefore not enough for us to know that our sins are forgiven, and that we are the children of God ; but He would have us also know that we are brought to Himself, that there is nothing even now between us and the glory of the Lord; we all with unveiled face behold it. This is our normal place. What a fruitful theme then for application to the heart and conscience! Do we know our place? Are we consciously occupying it? Is the glory of the Lord filling the vision of our souls? Do we know anything of not being "able to see for the glory of that light"? Is it our habit to judge everything about us by the light of that glory? Surely it ought to be the only light for our souls, and our joy to be ever standing with upturned faces, that every ray of the glory might fall upon us with its transforming power.

This indeed is the second point of the apostle's statement. "We all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." Here then we have the source, condition, and power of our moral transformation-the source, Christ Himself in the glory; the condition, our looking upon the glory-beholding Him with the eye of faith, and the power being the Holy Spirit (for the meaning is the same as to this whether we read "the Spirit of the Lord," or "the Lord the Spirit").

It can never be too earnestly insisted upon that Christ Himself is the source of power, because it thus keeps Him as the object before our souls. Thus in the case of Stephen, how it strengthened him as he beheld "Jesus standing on the right hand of God." It lifted him out of and above his circumstances, and enabled him to tread in the footsteps of his blessed Lord, — he praying for his persecutors, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," even as his Lord had cried, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Acts 7: 55-60; Luke 23: 34.) In like manner, when Paul was buffeted by the messenger of Satan, he was taught to look away from himself to his Lord, as he was reminded, in answer to his thrice repeated prayer, " My grace is sufficient for thee." (2 Cor. 12: 7-9.) But it is in Philippians 3 that we have the effect of beholding Christ in the glory. There we are permitted, as it were, to see the power streaming down into the soul of Paul, and changing him into the same image, from glory to glory.

But if Christ Himself is the source, the condition of the reception of the power is beholding Him — the eye directed to Him. The power is in Christ; but there is no channel through which it can flow into my soul if I am not looking upward to Him by faith. This is remarkably exemplified in the case of Peter. When he was permitted to get out of the ship and walk on the water to go to Jesus, all went well as long as his eye was upon Christ; but the moment he looked off, he began to sink. And so always. As long as Christ is before our souls, we receive power; but if our gaze is intercepted or diverted, we stumble and fall. This is the secret of all interrupted communion, deadness, or backsliding.

But, on the other hand, if Christ fill the vision of our soul, then the Spirit of the Lord, ungrieved and unhindered, can work; and He will in this case never cease to work in transforming power within us. The model is before our eyes; the Spirit works on, fashioning us after the likeness of the model; and we are thus changed from glory to glory. Remark, however, that since it is Christ in glory, who is the model to which we are to be conformed, though there be increasing moral conformity wrought out in us daily, the full result will not be reached until we are like Christ, when we see Him as He is; i.e. when He comes again to receive us unto Himself, that where He is we may be also. Then since we shall be raised from among the dead, or changed, if the Lord should come before we fall asleep, we shall be like Him bodily as well as spiritually; we shall then be altogether conformed to the image of the Son. (Phil. 3: 20, 21; Rom. 8: 29.) In the meantime, while we wait for this full and blessed result, beholding with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, the Spirit is incessantly enraged in working out our moral transformation. There can therefore be no perfection according to God while we are in the body, and consequently no rest in attainment; for the goal is, as we have seen, Christ in the glory, and God has predestinated us to be conformed to Him, that He might be the First-born among many brethren. And what a goal! Well might Paul exclaim as he beheld it, " Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling (the calling on high) of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3: 13, 14.) May we all be endued with the same ardent desire; and may we all know in like manner the attracting power of Christ in glory!

But there is another point to be noticed. The word translated "beholding as in a glass" is, as is well known, peculiar, and the words "as in a glass" are sometimes (e.g. the New Translation) omitted as unnecessary. There seems indeed to be a double action implied in the verb — reflecting as well as receiving; the thought thus being, that while we behold we also reflect the glory of the Lord. This is undoubtedly true as to doctrine, whatever may be our judgment as to the exact force of the word; for we can never reflect the glory of the Lord — His moral glory — even in the slightest measure, excepting as we are with unveiled face beholding it. These two things cannot be dissevered. The saint whose eye is most steadily and constantly fixed on Christ is he who will most nearly walk as He walked. Sometimes we speak of copying Christ, or of the imitation of Christ; and surely the need of it cannot be too often pressed on our souls. But together with this, the truth is equally urgent that there cannot be any imitation of Christ apart from being occupied with Him, as risen and glorified. I may admire the life of Christ down. here; I may be attracted by the beauty of His perfect example; but I have no power to "follow in His steps," unless my eye is upon Him where He now is in the glory. If, on the other hand, I am beholding the glory of the Lord, I shall most certainly reflect it in my walk and conversation.

It is this same truth in another form which is brought before us in the next chapter: "Therefore seeing we have received this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." Having then described the character of his walk as to it, the apostle proceeds: "But if our gospel be hid [veiled], it is hid [veiled] to them that are lost : in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds [thoughts of them which believe not, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, for the shining forth of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (4: 1-6.) The subject, then, of the apostle's ministry was "the gospel of the glory of Christ." To qualify him for service, God had shined in his heart (see Gal. 1: 15, 16); and He had shined in his heart, that in the work of the ministry there might be the shining forth, of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; so that (and the importance of the point cannot be overestimated, though it is only incidentally connected with the subject in hand) preaching and reflecting a glorified Christ went on hand in hand. It may be, as indeed it was, that the apostle alludes to the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ in his preaching; but there was also in the apostle's case, and should be in every case, a growing moral conformity to Christ in glory connected with the work of his ministry.

In the same way God has caused the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ to shine into the hearts of all believers. This indeed was the first act of God's grace which brought us into the position of beholding the glory of the Lord, in which, as we have seen, we are changed from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Cor. 4: 7.) The treasure, then, is the light which God has caused to shine in our hearts — the knowledge of a glorified Christ — Christ indeed in us; the earthen vessels are our bodies. The question then is, How is the light to shine through? how, in other words, is the glory to be reflected?

It may be observed, first of all, that the very nature of the earthen vessel is calculated to obscure the light. Dense and opaque it obstructs the shining forth of the light within. So with the bodies of believers. Organs for the expression of the old, or Adam-life, they are hindrances as such, being what they now are, to the manifestation of "the life of Jesus" (v. 10); and hence if the light is to shine forth, just as in the case of Gideon and his men, to whom there is here perhaps a tacit reference, the vessels must be broken; and this is precisely what we get in this chapter. How then are they to be broken I or rather, How were they broken in the case of Paul and his companions in labour? "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." (vv. 8-11.) We thus gather that God used the circumstances-the trials, difficulties, and persecutions of His servants to break their "earthen vessels;" i.e. to repress and annihilate what was of mere nature or flesh, to bring death in upon all that might obscure the shining forth of the light, and to enable them, through the Spirit, to mortify their. members which were upon the earth, to keep the old man in the place of death, in order that the light-the life of Jesus-cleared from obstruction, might be made manifest in their body.

Such then is God's method of breaking our earthen vessels; viz, the application to us of the cross. But it is just this from which we shrink; and on this very account God in His tenderness and love often leads us into circumstances similar to those described here to do for us what we are unwilling to do for ourselves. Our shrinking from the cross would be less if we remembered the words — for Jesus' sake. If our hearts were more occupied with Him, so that we desired to have Him alone as our gain — if we were more constantly occupying our place, and beholding with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, we should long for the application of the cross to all and everything that was unsuited to Him, and hindered our manifestation of the life of Jesus. As it is, too frequently it is the case that God has to bring death in upon us and our associations, in the way of discipline, to discover to us our failure, to wean us from "the things which are seen," and to attract our hearts to Christ. This is a very different thing from being delivered to death for Jesus' sake. Then we can esteem it a privilege that it is given unto us in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1: 29) ; yea, we can rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5: 41); and the very persecutions which are thus endured become the bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus for the clearer manifestation of His life in our body. The word "alway" should also be observed in verse 11. We cannot be delivered to death in this way once for all, but there must be the constant application of the cross. Our Lord thus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9: 23.) The apostle was enabled to say, "I die daily." (1 Cor. 15: 31.) It must be so, from the fact that the flesh, though judicially gone from God's sight, is irremediable and unchangeable; and hence the need of incessant watchfulness, and unsparing fidelity in the application of the cross; for nothing that belongs to it, not even the Agag of its fairest forms, must be excepted, if the life of Jesus is to be made manifest.

But where, it may be asked, is the power for such a task? In the answer to this question lies the connection between the third and fourth chapters; for it is only as we are constantly beholding by faith the glory of the Lord that we shall be enabled to bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus. Thus, if our eyes are fixed on a glorified Christ, if He fill the vision of our souls, the cross will be applied to self, and to everything connected with self; it will be our ardent desire and joy to know Him and the fellowship of His sufferings. Knowing and being occupied with (beholding with unveiled face) Christ in glory is thus the secret of all practical power — of power for the application of the cross, for reckoning ourselves dead, for moral transformation through the Spirit- yea, in a word, the secret of all power for the expression of the life of Jesus.

How blessedly simple! Through the unspeakable grace of our God, He has caused to shine in our hearts the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. By it He has brought us out of our distance, sin, and death, and set us down in His own presence, in the light as He is in the light, in all the acceptance of Christ Himself; and there we are permitted with unveiled face to behold the glory of the Lord (expression of our perfect nearness, and of our wondrous place); and while we behold that glory, the Spirit of the Lord transforms us morally into the image of Him on whom we gaze, causes Christ in us (who is thus formed within us) to shine forth in what we are and do; and, showing us the worthlessness of everything around us in the light of that ineffable glory, strengthens us to bear about in our body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Blessed be His name! E. D.

What God is

What God is — God is Love.

E. Dennett

Publisher: Morrish.

1 John 4: 7-12.

I am sure, beloved friends, that, in reading the Bible, you have noticed that it only contains two subjects — what man is, and what God is. They may be presented in different ways and aspects, but in their essence it is simply the unfolding of the heart of man and the heart of God. And it is impossible to conceive a greater contrast : it is the contrast between perfect darkness and perfect light. The apostle John sums it all up when he says, speaking of the Word, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." In the previous chapter also we have the contrast distinctly marked: "Whoso hateth his brother is a murderer. . . . Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us." (1 John 3: 15, 16.) From this we learn — and I want you to mark it — that man is hate; and that God, as set forth in Christ, is love; that man is hate, and manifests his hatred even unto putting his brother to death, as Cain actually did; and that God is love, and manifested His love in Christ laying down His life for us.

Again, we ask, can you conceive of a greater contrast? But it must be considered and comprehended, if we would understand the truth of what man is, and also what God has wrought for His own glory in revealing Himself in Christ and in the blessed work of redemption. This is all contained in the wondering exclamation of the apostle: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [children] of God;" for what causes the heart of the apostle to overflow is the contemplation of the fact that the love of the Father has flowed out, for its own gratification in its own sovereign exercise, towards those who were in a state of ruin and death, and has brought them close to His own heart, in the intimate relationship of children.

Coming now to the passage I have read, you will see that three words in verse 8 are the foundation of all that follows. All the rest clusters around the statement — the blessed statement — that GOD is LOVE. This is the setting forth of what God is in His own nature; He is also light, it is true, but this is said relatively to darkness — "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1: 5) We also say that God is righteous, that is righteous in His actings and ways, but when the word of God speaks of what He is absolutely in His nature, one word describes it, and that word is LOVE. If we enter into this, we shall have no difficulty in understanding that "love is of God," for in truth it could not be found elsewhere in the universe. I do not deny, in any wise, that much natural affection may be seen in fallen man, that, husbands and wives, parents and children may be knit together very closely by it; but we are now speaking of divine love, what only, in fact, is really love; and this we say proceeds alone from the heart of God because it is nowhere else found. Love, then, is of God, and consequently the love that fills our hearts tonight has come down into them, through the Lord Jesus Christ, from that blessed and sovereign source. We had therefore never known love otherwise; and this indeed is what the apostle says, "Every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." It is thus an absolute necessity to be born of God before we can love, and know God.

Let us now consider briefly how God has revealed Himself, and how we are brought to know that He is love. The statement in the word of God would not of itself, we judge, have conveyed the truth that God is love to our souls. We mean that unless God had come out, unless there had been a manifestation, or expression of Himself, we never should have comprehended it — even though we had meditated upon the scriptures from morning to night. As we have pointed out already, love is nowhere else but in God, and it is thus outside of man's experience. The natural man knoweth not the things of God, and hence the things which are most simple to the child of God are either an insoluble problem, or folly to the keenest intellect: the light shone in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Let us remember — especially when reading the scriptures, or listening to ministry — that without divine teaching we cannot grasp what is set forth.

As we understand it, the incarnation was the first step in the display of what God is as love. He was ever the same from all eternity; and I do not mean that there were no outshinings of God in the Old Testament, only that it was not possible, before redemption had been accomplished, before the cross whereon He was glorified in all that He is concerning what we were, and what we had done, that He should come out into the light. We thus read that clouds and darkness were round about Him; that righteousness and judgment were the habitation of His throne. (Psalm 97) Look also at the wilderness encampment of the children of Israel. Of all the two million souls which composed it, not one, save the high priest once a year, dared to go into the presence of God. God could not come out, and the people could not enter into the holiest of all where He dwelt. God was love, but He was not free in righteousness to reveal Himself to His people. But when Christ came all was changed; as we read in 2 Corinthians 5, God was in Christ, and, as it is in another place, all the fulness was pleased to dwell in Him. All that God is was then revealed in that lowly Man, that Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, so fully and completely that He said to His enemies, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also"; and to Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." The revelation was there, if not available until the Holy Ghost came after Christ was glorified. There was the perfect presentation of the Father even if those around Him had not yet eyes to perceive the glorious revelation.

Although this is true, it is to the cross we have to come for the perfect display of what God is. It was there in the death of His beloved Son that He told out all that He is, His righteousness against sin, His love in providing the sacrifice; yea, every divine attribute was displayed in the cross, and in all the perfection of their entire harmony because there every question of good and evil was for ever solved. If the Son of man must be lifted up, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The moment that our blessed Lord had "yielded up the ghost," the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. It was God, who had been waiting, and, may we not say, yearning to reveal what was in His heart; and He thus stepped in to declare that He was now no longer hidden, that He was set free in righteousness to come out to seek and to save that which was lost. It is wonderful, beyond all our comprehension, that God should come in, and tell out in the dark domain of death what He is! As in the hymn —

"Love that on death's dark vale,

Its sweetest odours spread."

It is all this really to which the apostle calls our attention in verses 9 and 10: "In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." There are two things in these admiring and adoring statements of the apostle. He had said, God is love; and that would have been true if He had ever remained in the solitariness of His own bliss; but, as we are now told, He manifested His love toward us; and then, secondly, John teaches us wherein the love is; it was not in that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. He unfolds our state — that we were dead, without life towards God, and guilty in our sins, to enhance our conception of the love. Dead and guilty, how could we love God? Nay, we must be in such a condition indebted to Him for everything. We could do nothing: it was God who acted, and in the sovereignty of love, when we were without life and in sins. Let us then magnify His marvellous grace, which, in pursuance of His eternal counsels, has brought life and propitiation to us in and through His beloved Son. Now we can understand that the gospel is the display of what God is — LOVE.

Let me connect with this a passage in Romans, that we may see how this love is made good in our hearts. After unfolding the truth of justification in Him who is risen out of death, from under the judgment which He bore on our behalf, and the blessings on which the justified enter as their blessed possession, the apostle speaks of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us. If you examine the context you will find that there are three stages in this love: it was testified to in the death of Christ, it was commended to us (God's "own love") in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, and, finally, it is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. (Rom. 5: 5) God has thus come out, He has revealed what He is, that He is love in the death of Christ, and through that death He has made a way to our hearts as love; and hence His love becomes the atmosphere of our souls, that in which we live and move and have our being. How marvellous it is that God should care to make His home in our hearts! We could not comprehend it in any measure, if we did not remember that He has acted thus from His own heart and for His own pleasure, because He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Now I want to say a word about the application. We read in verse 11, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." First, let me remind you of a distinction: it never says that we ought to love God, but it does say that we ought to love one another. The law said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, etc.; but in Christianity no such obligation is laid upon us; it is only our brethren whom we "ought" to love. The reason is obvious. We love God because He first loved us, and we do this as the consequence of the activity of the Holy Spirit, who has shed abroad the love of God in our hearts. This is the response which He produces when He brings before our souls the wondrous character of the love of God in Christ Jesus. We love Him, I was about to say, because we cannot help ourselves, and hence loving God is the normal characteristic of every believer — as the apostle Paul speaks, "To them that love God, the called according to his purpose." You may say, as indeed we all have to say, we know very little about it. This may be so, but still do not forget that it is the characteristic of all believers, and that the more we are occupied with His ineffable love, that love which was told out in the death of His Son, the greater will be the response. We had never known love otherwise: hereby perceive we love, what love is, because He laid down His life for us; and the marvellous thing is, as we said just now, that it was shown out in all the darkness of death. What we need therefore is to let this blessed love flow unhinderedly into our hearts, until they are flooded with it, and then that which has flowed down from the heart of God will, in the power of the Spirit, becoming within us a springing well, rise up to its eternal source.

But, as we have already reminded you, there is an obligation to love one another. If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. The nature of the obligation is simple: it is that we should act towards one another as God has acted towards us. So in the previous chapter, after the apostle has shown that love is seen in Christ laying down His life for us, he adds, "And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." The obligation thus reaches, if the occasion arise, to the manner and the measure of the love of Christ! We may therefore say that it would not be righteous if we did not love one another. Happy is it for us that every one who possesses the divine nature does love his brethren, for he that loveth Him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of Him; only do not forget that the apostle speaks of love in manifestation towards one another, as is seen by his specifying the case of a brother in need. Let us remember this; for while it is good if you love me in your heart, I shall never benefit by it if you never let me see it in manifestation.

If I might say one practical word, beloved friends, in this connection, it would be this: the cure of all discords among the saints may be found in this obligation. You remember how the Lord pressed the importance of the subject in the parable of the two debtors, and that He described the king as saying to the servant, who had failed in love toward his fellow-servant, "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?" Ah! yes, if we were governed by this spirit, all our personal breaches would be healed, we should be knit together in love, and Christ would be magnified.

Another thing would follow. If we thus loved one another it would turn to a testimony before the world, according to the words of our blessed Lord: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." How blessed a testimony this would be! We sometimes have special prayer-meetings for the gospel, that the word may be in power, and surely we cannot wait too perseveringly on the Lord in prayer. But be certain of this — if love one to another is active in its manifestation in any assembly, souls will be both drawn and reached, and God will be glorified. As has often been said, we affect others more by what we are than by what we say. If therefore we desire to attract souls to the ministry of the gospel, love is the best advertisement.

There are two or three things more I would like to touch upon briefly, and they are the blessings connected with knowing the love of God. If we turn to verse 12, we read: "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." In the gospel it is, "No man hath seen God at any time; the, only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Here I suppose that we are to learn that only the Son, the Son who is in the bosom of the Father, was competent to reveal the Father. None but a divine Person was sufficient for this, as the Lord said indeed: "Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (and it might perhaps be added that only the disciple who lay upon the breast of Christ was the suitable instrument to record the revelation). But in the epistle the revelation is made good. By what means? If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us! Again, lower down — only this goes still further — "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (Ver. 16.) Here are deeps which can never be fathomed; and yet how blessed to contemplate them!

Two remarks may be made with a practical object in view. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us — it is thus when love is in active manifestation that we are in the suited state for God to dwell in us. Nay it is more than this, loving one another, just because it is the activity of His own nature, brings God in; and, dwelling in us, He causes us to know His love ever more perfectly. Secondly, if we dwell in love, for God is love, we dwell in God, and God, for He is love, dwells in us. With what fervent desire then we should seek to be kept in the love of God! Are we waiting for heaven? Why, if we are in the truth of this, heaven is already brought into our souls. Oh, with what overflowing hearts we should be found together in assembly, if we entered into this, hearts which would find a blessed relief in pouring forth their praises and adoration in the power of the Holy Ghost!

In conclusion, I desire to refer you for a moment to a verse in 1 John 1: "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sins." (1 John 1: 7) I refer to this, as the question may arise in the minds of some as to how far the manifestation of our love one toward another should go. This scripture supplies the answer. The first thing it teaches is that God has wholly come out into the light; that is, that he has wholly revealed Himself; and it is indeed in the light that we learn that He is love. The second thing is, that if we walk in the light, as we can owing to the efficacy of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, we have fellowship one with another. The circle of our fellowship then is the light, and we must never travel outside of that circle, but inside that circle there is nothing but love, and love in active manifestation. This is the limit of our fellowship, the circle of light, for that which is expressed there, in our fellowship, is HOLY LOVE. If you go outside of that circle, you go outside of the revelation God has made of Himself — a solemn thing to remember. Inside that circle you enjoy the revelation He has made, and it is that He is love; and it is in loving one another that you realise and express your unity and fellowship. It is always indeed that, when love is active, we realise the oneness of all the people of God.

I will not say more: if the Lord do but take a little of what has been before us, and bring it home to our hearts in the power of the Holy Ghost, it will be the means of lasting blessing to ourselves, and to the saints with whom we are in immediate fellowship. May He grant that it may be so for His own name's sake, and to Him shall be all the praise!  E. D.

"Widows Indeed."

"Widows Indeed."

1 Tim. 5.

E. Dennett.

Christian Friend, vol. 9, 1882, p. 123.

The widow is often seen in Scripture as the object of the thoughts of God. But it is not until we come to the epistle to Timothy that we have the different kinds specified, with the indication of those who are widows according to the divine mind, those, in a word, who are really widows. Such the apostle directs Timothy, and us through Timothy, to honour, showing by the exhortation the place which they should ever occupy among the saints of God.

Three characteristics are given of the "widow indeed." She is "desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day." (v. 5.) A true widow, then, before God will exemplify these characters; and it is not a little remarkable that three widows are found in the gospel of Luke who exactly answer to the particulars of this description. The widow of Nain, whose son, "the only son of his mother," was being carried out for burial when met by our blessed Lord, as the Prince of Life, was truly the desolate one. (Luke 7.) The poor widow who cast in her two mites into the treasury, who "of her penury cast in all her living," was surely one who trusted in God. (Luke 21.) And in Anna we find the last characteristic; for it is said of her that "she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served [God] with fastings and prayers night and day." (Luke 2: 37.) It is possible that each of these widows might have been a "widow indeed" — Anna certainly was — but in the way in which they are presented by the evangelist, it is the three together that answer to this character.

Spiritually, nothing could be more beautiful than the widow as so portrayed, though naturally the heart would shrink from it. But it must be remembered that the desolation, which is her essential feature, is only on the side of earth; nay, it might be added with perfect truth, that her very bereft condition has been the means, in the dealings of the God of all comfort, of her choicest blessing. It is precisely here where the application to the Church may be seen. It is when the Church realizes her widowhood, as far as earth is concerned, and in this aspect her desolation, as being without a single visible resource, that she enters most fully upon the enjoyment of the boundless affections of her Lord; and not only so, but thereby her entire dependence on Him would be consciously intensified, and out of this again would grow her continual supplications and prayers night and day. In the "widow indeed" we have a perfect picture (ideal because perfect) of the Church on earth. The characteristics given are moreover seen in our blessed Lord Himself. He was alone, had not where to lay His head, and none on earth had fellowship with Him; He trusted in God, and He was constantly occupied in prayer. (Luke 5: 12, 16, etc.) Every believer therefore should be thus distinguished, and will be in proportion as he is like his Lord.

The apostle having portrayed the true widow, supplies the contrast in the one "that liveth in pleasure," who "is dead while she liveth." Such an one is false to her character, denying that she is a widow, and using her lonely condition as an opportunity to gratify her inclinations and worldly desires, instead of hearing the voice of Him who speaks to her through her sorrows, as to Israel of old, "I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her." (Hosea 2: 13.) So living she is dead — dead toward God, in the midst of her pleasures. We have the counterpart of such a widow in the Apocalypse, together with the certainty of her coming doom. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." (Rev. 18: 7, 8.) Such is the doom of Babylon, which, while claiming to be the spouse of Christ, was nothing but an apostate harlot, who "was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications." (Rev. 17: 4.)

Further, the apostle gives directions as to the action of the assembly in relation to widows. It is very noteworthy that the first difficulty in the Church sprung up in connection with such. (See Acts 6: 1.) It shows that they were a numerous class even in the Pentecostal Church; and it would seem, from the instruction given to Timothy, that a large number will always be found in fellowship with the saints of God. This is a blessed thought; revealing the beauty of God's ways, even as one of old has said, "God often dims the brightness of this world, in order to attract the vision to the glory beyond." If therefore He makes a widow, it is that He might wean her from earth, and win her to Himself. But the point here is, that the widow in her needs might be an embarrassment to the Church. Hence the apostle commands that none should "be taken into the number under threescore years old," etc. (vv. 9, 10.) By this we understand, that only those who answer to the description here given were to be formally linked with the assembly; i.e. recognized as entitled to regular support. Others might of course be ministered to privately by the saints, or occasionally by the Church, but none but these were to be put down in the list of those who had undeniable claims upon the funds of the assembly. It would have saved the Church much perplexity if the wisdom of God, as here expressed, had governed in this particular. It will also be observed that age, in and by itself, does not give the needful qualification. She must not have been twice married, and she must be well reported of, both as to her home duties and as to her activities in the Lord's service. The character of her good works — works which are therefore according to the mind of God — might well be commended for consideration to many in a day like this of incessant and ever-increasing activity.

The younger widows are to be refused; i.e. we judge, not to "be taken into the number." The reason is given. "For when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ; they will marry: having damnation [or being guilty] because they have cast off their first faith." Their "first faith" would probably mean that in the time of their bereavement, when the Lord drew them through their grief near to Himself, they devoted themselves entirely to Him and His service. But, losing heart for Christ, "they will" — or rather, they wish to — "marry," finding themselves unable in such a state of soul to lean for all the support they need on Christ; and thus they turn with longing desire to the succour of human affections and a human arm. An unsatisfied heart is the source of much sin, as the next verse most surely reveals. "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not," fruitful source of unhappiness and sorrow in the Church of God in every age and in every clime. The antidote is supplied. "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." (v. 14.) The term "younger women" is perhaps general, though with special reference to widows. The home is the appointed sphere of service for all such, if they would be in subjection to the Lord, and in comparative shelter from the snares of Satan. One other word is given to define the responsibilities of believers towards the widows of their own families, and this in order that the Church may be free to "relieve them that are widows indeed."

We may, then, gather from the consideration of this scripture some useful lessons. First we learn, as already expressed, what a heart God has for those who are truly widows. Evidences of this are found both in the Old and New Testament Scriptures. It follows therefore, secondly, that if we would be in fellowship with Him, they should ever be the objects of our loving care and ministry. Lastly, we may gather from these directions to Timothy what an important sphere of service a "widow indeed" occupies before God. Anna is an example of this among the little remnant that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. In her continual fastings and prayers she had been brought into communion with the mind of God, while waiting for the advent of the Messiah. She was therefore led into the temple at the moment when the infant Jesus was being presented to Jehovah, and her heart was filled with joy, and her lips with praise; and she went forth as the messenger of the glad tidings of the Christ to those who had with her looked and longed for this blessed time. Where, then, are the "widows indeed" of the present day? Morally we occupy the same position as that of the little band in Jerusalem. Like them, we are expecting our Lord; meanwhile God calls those who are truly widows to be occupied with fasting and prayers, that thereby they may bear up the whole Church with their intercessions, and thus be the means of kindling anew in many hearts the blessed hope of the Lord's return. There are many to serve in labours of love, but there is even a greater need for the service of those who, like Epaphras, know how to labour fervently for the saints in prayers. It is this service to which the "widows indeed" are called, and for which they have been divinely qualified. May the Church increasingly reap the fruit of their blessed service in this dark and evil day! E. D.