Table of Contents

Notes on Matthew's Gospel

Blue

"Purple"

Scarlet

Fine Twined Linen

Epitome of Readings

The Beauty of the Lord

The God of Glory

The Spirit of Truth

The Four Gospels

The Coming of the Heir

Creation and New Creation

The Day of Atonement

The Development of the Testimony

The Fame of the Lord

The Glory of God and the Father's Purpose

Goodly Words

Sonship by Incarnation or the Incarnation of the Son

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Way in the Relationships of Life

The Obedience of Jesus Christ

The Old Paths

Our Incarnate Lord

Place of Communion

The Place of Communion

Prayer: an Index to the Soul

The Sacrificial Glory of our Lord

Sanctified to the Obedience of Jesus Christ

Some Glories of Christ

Sonship

The Surpassing Glory of the Cross

The Workings of the Holy Spirit

Notes on Matthew's Gospel

Epitome of Readings

The Spirit of Truth

James McBroom - Notes

James McBroom

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Notes on Matthew's Gospel

Notes on Matthew's Gospel.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 18, 1926, page 228 to Vol. 28, 1936.)

1. From Birth to Baptism.

2. The Temptation of our Lord.

3. The Master's Words.

The Fame of Jesus - Matthew 8 and 9.

Matthew 9.

Matthew 10

Matthew 11

Matthew 12

Matthew 13

Matthew 14 and Matthew 15

Matthew 16

Matthew 17

Matthew 18

Matthew 19

The Entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew 21, Matthew 22.

Matthew 22.

Matthew 22 and Matthew 23.

Matthew 24, Matthew 25.

No. 1. From Birth to Baptism.

In the Gospel of Matthew there are recorded some of our Lord's longest discourses. The first of these (Matt. 5-7) fills a peculiar place. We would endeavour to lay before the reader the teaching of that discourse in its moral order and note at the same time the dispensational setting of it, and to whom the Speaker addresses Himself. But we must first learn something of the Teacher; whence He came, what are His credentials, and wherein lies His right to a kingdom.

"Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." Two of the greatest names in the nation's history are here brought together and linked with His, who is the first and the last. He is the true Solomon who will bring in righteousness and peace: but as all must be brought to pass on the ground of death, He is the true Isaac who in resurrection will bring in everlasting delight.

Forty-two generations are given from Abraham to the Messiah which are divided into three groups of fourteen. The first of these bridges the history from Gen. 12 to the Books of Samuel. There we get a full account of the origin and development of that people in whose history the being and character of God are remarkably displayed. We are taken through the Patriarchal age to the day of David the king. He is the great figure in the day of the nation's prosperity and the outstanding type of Him in whom all the nation's hopes centre.

The second part covers the decline and fall of Israel. It began in her brightest day and extends to the waning of her glory and ends with the break up of the kingdom in the time of Zedekiah. The splendour of Solomon's reign was the brightest point in the nation's history. His father had made the name of Israel to be feared and respected everywhere. Then the decline set in, and kingdom glory gave way to prophetic testimony, when men like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, etc., etc. — the grandest figures in history — did their service. The sons of Aaron fulfilled their courses also in putting incense before Jehovah and whole burnt-offerings upon His altar. But, alas! Israel's conduct went from bad to worse, until all had to go. The period which had begun with such rich promise in the building of the Temple, finished with its destruction, and along with it the break up of the kingdom, and Lo-ammi, "not My people," written upon the nation.

Of the third part of the history indicated in these genealogies, little is recorded on the pages of inspiration. God graciously opened the way for the return of a remnant of the people through Cyrus, the Gentile monarch, and a bright picture of revival is seen in their return to the city, temple, and worship of Jehovah. But in process of time all tended to failure, and we learn from the prophets of that period that, however faithful the remnant might be that was maintained, the nation itself was made to pass through the hands of both Persia and Greece, until when the New Testament opens it is found under the iron yoke of Rome.

In verses 18-25, mystery, dignity, simplicity, and beauty are combined. At a time when the House of David had sunk into obscurity and poverty, Heaven began to move in relation to the promises. If on the inner and most sacred side all manner of profane scrutiny is forbidden, the surroundings on the other are spread out in such a way that the heart is held under their influence in worship and adoration. The stable and the manger are lighted with a glory far surpassing thought, and exalted for all time beyond the most princely palace. The Eternal One had become Man and is here presented as the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham. He did not come in the splendour of Solomon, nor with myriads of Seraphic beings in His train. He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant; He came to serve.

It is interesting to see that where Christ is presented definitely in relation to Israel, Gentiles are the first to seek Him. There is a contrast to this in Luke's Gospel. He is presented there as Son of Man in relation to the human race, but the first two chapters present a beautiful picture of the faithful remnant of the Jews. Ruth and Rahab, two of the four women named in the genealogy in this Gospel, were Gentiles, and in Luke 2 certain Gentiles from the East come seeking Him who is born King of the Jews.

Heaven and earth were brought together in the birth of Christ in view of the accomplishment of Divine purpose and the fulfilment of the Scriptures, but the lower regions were active at that moment as well. Ps. 40: 6-8; Heb. 10: 5-9, with John 1: 14, record the movements in the eternal world, while Luke and Matthew present the earthward side. The harmony of the higher intelligences is voiced in Luke 2: 11, but here the dragon of Rev. 12 is active, working through Herod the usurper, for the destruction of the young Child's life. So Joseph is instructed to take Him and His mother into Egypt, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son." God's intention was that the nation's history should be taken up in the Lord's own Person from its commencement in Egypt and carried through until its consummation in glory: evil is thus compelled to serve God in the working out on His will.

The interest of the chapter seems to centre in two indoor scenes: one where there was alarm and dread combined with craft and violence; the other where there was peace and joy. The first was an exposure for the leaders of the Jews. Had their moral sensibilities not been entirely dead they would have been ashamed that the Magi had come from a distant land to enquire for the King while they had to be awakened to an interest in His advent by Herod the usurper. They use the Scriptures and correctly say where Messiah was to be born, but though they were the people that this great event most directly concerned they were the least interested of all.

At the other meeting we have Christ among the Gentiles, "the hope of glory." It is sweet to see that He is the Object of the affections of these men in an atmosphere of peace and joy. It speaks of a time when the kings of Sheba and Seba shall render tribute.... And He shall live and to Him shall be given of the gold of Sheba (Ps. 72). Before that times comes, the church is called in as the heavenly company to witness to the thoughts, purposes and ways of God, and every instructed Christian knows something of the excellencies, beauties and glories of Christ, and they delight to pour out their spiritual treasures at His feet. The gifts of these wise men were symbolical, and we see in them something of the hidden glories both of His Person and work. Gold witnesses to the Divine and eternal glory that was there; the frankincense of all those precious human graces so blessedly combined with the Divine of which the Father could take account; while myrrh — a plant which is said to yield its fragrance when crushed — tells of that which came out by suffering and death at the Cross.

The Spirit takes occasion of the awful massacre of the children by Herod to allude to the heartrending distress which was Israel's when many were bound in chains at Ramah and carried into Babylon (Jeremiah 40). In that portion which belonged to Benjamin there had once more been deep distress. It is interesting to see in the same prophet that the future unprecedented trouble the nation is yet to pass through is called the time of Jacob's trouble, the father's name and not the mother's being used in this case as taking in the whole twelve tribes. The similarity of the words of verses 19-21 to Ex. 4: 19, though not a quotation, is remarkable. Moses was raised up for the deliverance of Jehovah's people from bondage: Jesus came to save His people from their sins, to begin a new order, to destroy Satan's power and the world's system; He was the full revelation of God. Joseph acted in simple obedience but without much intelligence. Mary, who had before manifested the most lively faith combined with obedience, is the subject of angelic care, but the Child, who is mentioned nine times in the chapter, is the centre around which everything must revolve.

Matthew 3 and Matthew 4: 1-11 go together. Here two of the outstanding events in the history of Immanuel come before us, both of which connect with the transition from His private to His public life. His birth and the movement in the heavens connected therewith we have already seen; here it is His baptism and temptation. The interval between birth and the baptism was of very great importance, though little of what occurred is recorded. What happened during those silent years prevented defeat of God's purposes and provided glory to God with regard to the whole race. Man's history from Eden had been failure in man, triumph for Satan, and apparent defeat for the Creator, but now things are reversed. By this Man's obedience Satan is defeated and Heaven is delighted. If there was to be the recovery and blessing of fallen men, the Cross must be met with all its woe; about that there could be no question, but that in no wise touches the truth that Jesus fully glorified God in the path of a man in the world. Two things came out during the years of His ministry, namely, God was revealed to men in Him and in Him God found His full delight in a man. The One who was revealing God to men was at the same time perfectly setting forth man to God. The latter only could be true during those thirty years.

In the light of redemption we can see God's name and throne covered with glory in the blessing of sinful men, but daring those thirty years God was glorified in Man in flesh and blood upon the earth. We may catch glimpses of the life of Jesus during that time as we read the prophetic description of it in Ps. 16, or Isa. 53: 2, but the silence of the New Testament is that which leads the devout heart to adore. What a heaven must the humble home at Nazareth have been during that time!

John came preaching repentance, the kingdom of heaven, and Christ. Again Heaven puts things in movement, but this time it is to assert itself in the souls of men and women. Repentance, confession, and baptism, owning the claims of God in deep self-abasement was proof of a real work of God accompanying the labours of this distinguished servant. He was a preacher of the type of Elijah and came from the desert, his ministry was of a searching nature, the necessity for it being the state of the people.

The Branch of Jehovah having come the axe is at the root of the trees. All man's greatness must be brought down because of this glorious Person. Three kinds of baptism are mentioned: water, the Spirit, and fire. John was doing the first, the other two would be the work of the King Himself. The baptism of the Spirit refers to the future, to be fulfilled when the believing remnant of the Jews shall constitute the nucleus of the nation and enter into blessing; then shall the fire of His judgment purify His threshing floor. Meantime we have a present aspect of the baptism of the Spirit in the church (Acts 2), which may be viewed provisionally as the garner.

His coming to John for baptism calls for attention, for around it circles some important principles. While mercy is in evidence among the people, grace and righteousness are brought into evidence in Christ. The more we think of Him and who He is, the more amazing does His condescension appear to us, while the grace displayed in His seeking baptism at the hands of His servant was in the circumstances morally beautiful. Having taken a place in the creation, for the working out of all moral questions, and the establishment of the Divine glory, He identified Himself with the work of grace in others. This principle of identification we have already seen in a dispensational way (Matthew 2: 14-15), here it is association with God's work in others.

But deeper things come out here, indeed some of the grandest things in Holy Writ come before us. We behold Him the true Meat Offering of Lev. 2, anointed with the Holy Ghost, and hear with reverence the Father from the opened heavens saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I have found My delight." He is the Son in Manhood for the express purpose that through His death others might be brought into this holy relationship and share with Him the Father's love. A Man was here on earth sealed by the Father, setting before us what the Christian's place is to-day. "In four ways He sets forth in Himself the pattern of the place He would set us in by redemption: Heaven opened, the Holy Ghost given to abide, Sonship, and man's place in perfect Divine favour (the object of God's delight)"

(J. A. T.).

Sonship to David and Abraham (Matthew 1: 1) speaks of what is official, relating to the glory of the throne and the security of the promises. The Virgin's Son of Matthew 1: 21, like the woman's Seed of Gen. 3, describes Him in relation to the human race, but the Father's voice proclaims Him as His beloved Son, the object of His own peculiar delight.

Bethlehem for Him involved Calvary, but between these two came out what shall ever remain the richest treasures of eternity. He is seen as the most accessible of men, but ever sustaining Divine dignity; speaking in simplest words but unfolding Divine mysteries; living in the company of the simplest of men, yet far beyond earth's greatest. This was, as it should be, when God was manifest in flesh.

No. 2. The Temptation of our Lord.

In Matthew 4 we reach the scene of our Lord's temptation. The One born King must first be subject; His right to rule is to be demonstrated by His delight to obey; He whose prerogative it is to command takes first the place of a servant. If God is to have the redeemed creation in abiding stability, every part of which will be beyond taint of sin or shadow of imperfection, the One who shall hold it together must be tested. The beginning and guarantee of that new creation is Christ, but for Him there must be testing, and that in a way no other could ever know.

Fallen man lives in a world which is the sphere of Satan's rule, but He who lives with the Father has to be led into the wilderness to meet the tempter. The three recorded tests doubtless correspond to all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2: 16) in the way of pleasure, pride and glory. They touch the Lord in a threefold way as Man, Messiah and Son of Man.

If, as we have seen, the going to Egypt had identification with Israel in view, this first temptation goes back to Eden in view of the history of man. There was no prohibition here as in Adam's case, a point which brings out the perfect obedience of the Lord. The first man had failed in the best circumstances in which he could be placed, the abundance of God's creation was within his reach; but with the second Man there was perfect devotedness in the worst extremity. He was in the wilderness, had fasted forty days, and was an hungered. "Satisfy Your hunger, use Your power for Your own comfort," said the tempter. The Lord replied from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The holy city and the temple referred to in the second attack brought into view His royal rights in Israel. For Him. according to God's will. they were to be reached through a path of suffering and taken up by redemption. This attack was more impudent, with an endeavour to support it with a text of Scripture. The Lord again replied from Deuteronomy, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." The distinction between miracles and magic should be noted. Our Lord and His disciples wrought the former and exposed the latter. In Acts 8 a man is seen using magic arts and spoken of as the power of God, and one of a like class is called a son of the Devil in Acts 13. It was the same with Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses. As Herod looked for some display of that kind, some sensational feat (Luke 23: 8), so here the Devil suggests that character of things.

The last test was an offer of worldly power, and was a challenge to the Lord's place of universal sway in the creation. He could have it by submission to the Devil. It was, however, far beneath what God had in store for Him, as we see in another mountain scene in this Gospel (Matt. 17). The transfiguration displays His glory in the creation when for the glory of God He shall control it all. Nothing would He take from the Tempter. He who received the cup of suffering from the Father, doing His will in drinking it, will also take the answer to that sorrow in glory from the same hands. At that moment the Lord stood the appointed Heir of all things, and the whole hierarchy of the heavens, whether thrones, lordships, principalities or authorities, were for Him. Satan sought proofs of His Sonship by outward works of display; the Lord gave full proof of the same by obedience to the WORD.

But we lose much if we miss the important lesson here, namely, that the enemy's recorded suggestions cover the range of his resources and pervade the whole complicated course of man's life upon the earth. It shows the interweaving of good and evil, and brings out the need of the Incarnation. It was necessary that One should enter the conflict who was able to disentangle the one from the other and put each in its place for eternity. In this way these temptations speak of whatever surrounded the Lord, and are still to be resisted by His saints in the power of God's Holy Word.

He stood in need of what He had power to supply. The thrust appeared innocent. Make use of personal ability for personal ends. One feels how poorly we can catch the drift of such a suggestion. This has been practised to such an extent that not to do so would put one, in the eyes of his fellowmen, in the place of a madman. It is the predominating sin which has made the world what it is, and is the proof that when man lost God he became self-centred. The Lord Jesus Christ showed that life does not consist merely in what it can get or in doing for oneself, but in what it can give and what it can do for others. "Man shall not live by bread alone, . . ." See Matt. 6: 19-20; Luke 12: 29-31.

The enemy had not met this before, hence the new device. If that is your idea it is no good in this world; no one will be able to understand or appreciate such a life. You may, however, arrest attention by some wonderful achievement that no one has heard of before: you may direct attention to yourself in such a way that all will marvel. "Cast thyself down." To do this might seem complete abandoning of Himself to God, in reality it was distrust — tempting God; for it meant that an outward act was needed to demonstrate His care. No true confidence in God calls for that. Instead there is an inward peaceful trust. See John 6: 30; John 7: 3-5, and the Lord's answer quoted from Deut. 6.

But there is still need of submitting, as men say, to reason. He had come to recover the world for God. There could not be success on the lines adopted. Such a life could neither be understood nor appreciated. It is no use attempting it. If you will be advised by me I can put you in the way of success; in fact, if you commit yourself to me I will guarantee the whole. "All these things" — "the kingdoms of the world and their "lazy" — all are yours "if, falling down, Thou wilt do me homage." Again from Deut. 6 come the words "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve." He had not come to be a patriot or link Himself with creature schemes for putting things right. How often His followers lose their true glory by accepting some favour from the world. The key to the whole position is in the hands of every simple saint who understands the distinction between the faith system, or the world of God's purpose, and this poor world and its efforts, which is dominated by the Devil.

The conflict over, Satan disappears, and angels come and minister unto Him. The public ministry of the Lord according to Matthew now begins, though a good deal had been going on before. (See John 1-4) John is imprisoned for reasons stated later (Matt. 14), and Jesus leaves Nazareth for Capernaum. Having bound the strong man He goes forth to spoil his goods in His royal rights as David's Son and His irresistible power as Immanuel.

Note: His personal appearance was the crowning test to man in his responsibility. His acceptance or rejection stood for a time an undecided point. To understand the development of truth in Matthew this must be kept in mind. He stood before them as the Minister of the circumcision to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and all His words and works had the setting up of the kingdom in view. We who live in the full light can go back from the moment of His rejection and see that all He was doing had also the full purpose of God in view. This could not be otherwise.

He had come from heaven to die, and though necessarily veiled, that death may be seen bearing upon His spirit before Israel's decision had come fully out. See Matt. 9: 15-17, where His words anticipate the cross and involve Paul's gospel and the new creation.

Connected with this is the use of the term kingdom of heaven. John began with it, the Lord used it Himself, and so also the twelve apostles. It was a term suited to cover both periods, but in its full meaning stands proper to the day of His session at the right hand of God. It was used to designate the blessing then offered in fulfilment of prophecy. From chapter 13 the kingdom is set forth in mystery with the King in heaven, the result of Israel's rejection of Him, and His consequent death, resurrection and ascension.

No. 3. The Master's Words.

The greatness of the Person of the Lord as He is presented in Matt. 1-4 prepares us for the teaching of Matt. 5-7. Matt. 4: 23-25 shows the immediate connection of the Sermon on the Mount with what went before. His fame had gone throughout all Syria and the whole country had been stirred, and as the King He took occasion to unfold to His subjects in the hearing of the people the word of God for the moment.

Here He is teaching, and all that He teaches is new. The history of the human race had been that of a downward course, but now we have a new beginning, and an immeasurable gap lay between Christ and the whole race. "The first man was out of earth, made of dust; the second man is out of heaven," hence the teaching must be altogether new. And this the people felt when they said, "Never man spake like this man." If the men of God of previous ages can only stand out in contrast to Him, how painful is the attempt in these modern times to compare certain philosophers and leaders of heathen nations who were mixed up with all manner of uncleanness with Him. Nor is it true as some teach that He merely attained a height towards which others had striven, that as Moses or David were each head and shoulders above their generation, so He went beyond them and gained the height. The fallacy of all this is seen when we remember that "He that came from above is above all," and what He testified He had seen and heard. The language of this Person would have been blasphemy on the lips of any other man.

The discourse supposes regeneration in those addressed and the new relationship which redemption brings. "Having sat down His disciples came to Him and having opened His mouth He taught them." Because it is not understood that the Lord was addressing those in relationship with Himself as subjects of grace, it is assumed that these moral traits can be produced by man in the flesh, apart from the new nature which is implanted at new birth, and the whole truth of the gospel set aside. It is this that accounts for the fact that many admire the Sermon on the Mount who reject the truth of the gospel as set forth in the New Testament, and it demonstrates the truth that man wants to be or do something to merit God's favour but will not tolerate the idea of being nothing and God everything.

The Lord's teaching had its own divine origin and character and could neither compare with nor link on with any other. It was not a new law nor indeed a moral code in the true sense of that word. It was a Person, the living Word, set before men in the spoken word, and a new life, His own life, to be reproduced in His disciples through grace and the power of the Holy Ghost. The grand contrast lies in the fact that this discourse begins with that which all others set out to reach, namely, suitability for God. He had before this time insisted that man must be born again, and that that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3: 6), and in this very discourse He shows the working of each nature as true to law. "Do men gather a bunch of grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? So every good tree produces good fruit, but the worthless tree produces bad fruit" (Matt. 7: 16-20. See also Matt. 15: 13).

The opening verses describe a class of moral virtues different from every other system of teaching that men followed. The seven virtues in verses 3-9 are not what men call the heroic virtues, but in the sight of God they are blessed. There is little room in the schools of philosophy for the poor in spirit and for those that mourn. These blessed things are the reproduction of the life and character of Christ in His people in a world where all is out of gear as the result of man's departure from God.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens." Trust in the hand of Omnipotence and dependence upon God is a law in the sphere of creature obligation. "To this man will I look: to the afflicted and contrite in spirit, and who trembleth at my word." This draws down the complacency of God in a world of man's self-confident boasting. The bearing of this upon us today may be seen by comparing Jer. 45. In the crisis preceding the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian, the word of God through Jeremiah to his servant was, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for behold I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord." We are today nearing a greater judgment; "Behold, the Lord cometh . . . to execute judgment" (Jude 14). We may well take heed to such words. The promise attached to the state of soul in this first beatitude would cover all the virtues mentioned, "Theirs is the kingdom of the heavens."

"Blessed they that mourn for they shall be comforted." This is apt to be misunderstood, particularly at a time like the present when the hunt for pleasure and fashion is engaging the mass of men. There were those who sighed and cried in Ezekiel's time for the abominations done at Jerusalem, and we live in the midst of a godless and suicidal infatuation which calls for the judgment of God. Such a state of things calls for mourning on theft part of those that know God. Every divinely taught heart knows that the time of the Bridegroom's absence is the mourning time (Matt. 9), but like Mary of old has divine comfort even now (John 20). To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.

"Blessed the meek for they shall inherit the earth." Meekness contrasts with the bold boasting of man, but is far from being a sign of weakness. It was no sign of weakness in Abram when he yielded up his right to Lot, as may be seen from his exploits in the following chapter. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth, but there was none so valiant as he. "The meek shall inherit the earth." The land for the people is the cry to-day, and large estates are changing hands constantly. The time is near when in bold apostasy "the wilful king" shall divide the land among his favourites for gain (Daniel 11: 39). But at that time the Lamb will take possession and overthrow every opposer. While we wait of that day it is well to be able to say, Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup (Ps. 16).

"Blessed they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." This is the central trait of the seven, and it seems to bind them all together like the central light on the candlestick. Do we know what this means? David cried, "As the hart panteth after the water-brook so panteth my soul after God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." No person ever sought the Lord and was disappointed, and no amount of this world's goods can ever satisfy the heart that has fed upon the bread of God. A Jewish Rabbi when urged to accept a lucrative situation and to fix his settlement in a place where there was no synagogue, is said to have resisted the temptation by the recollection of the words "The law of thy mouth is better to me than gold or silver" (Ps. 119: 72).

"Blessed the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." How God-like is man when seen in this character. What bright examples are seen in Joseph among his brethren and David when he had Saul in his power but would not smite him. Elisha also when he led the blinded Syrian soldiers to Samaria, and when the King of Israel said, "Shall I smite them?" "Thou shalt not smite them, set bread and water before them," was the answer of the man of God. Mercy is a quality which so affects man that his beast gets the benefit of it. It springs from an inward sympathy with God. In mercy He is sovereign, great, plenteous and tender.

"Blessed the pure in heart for they shall see God." The same lips describe the human heart in its sinfulness, but by His power He can change it from being hard and stony and write His laws upon it, that in boundless grace it might be like His own. It is said of the elders of Israel that they saw God and did eat and drink. Surely it is blessed to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His Temple. Have we ever beheld the King in His beauty? Can we say, "We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour"? If so we can look forward to the time when His servants shall serve Him and shall see His face (Rev. 21). Meantime there is a wholesome word for us, "Pursue peace with all, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."

"Blessed the peace-makers for they shall be called the sons of God." This is not peace at any price. The wisdom that cometh from above is "first pure and then peaceable." This feature supposes all the others, for only those who are righteous, meek and merciful are able to discriminate in moral and spiritual matters in such a way as to lead to peace. This demands much spiritual energy, combining and putting into practice all the other traits mentioned. They that do such thing are called the sons of God. They exhibit the moral features of a generation that has sprung from God. They show themselves the sons of their Father (verse 45).

Verses 10-16 show the submission of heart which accompanies the foregoing. Suffering whether for the kingdom or the King was to be esteemed a favour, and it would have its bearing both on the present and the future. Future reward it ensured to them, but it also gave the present distinction of being in the ranks of heaven's most distinguished witnesses on earth, and set them in the line of divine testimony. They were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notwithstanding the persecution and hatred of men they were to be a force for good, able to meet and counteract in divine power the corruption that is in the world through lust, and shed a beneficent influence on all around them.

Continuing this great discourse, the Lord said, "Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void but to fulfil." The discourse goes on to show who were the transgressors here, and becomes a tremendous exposure of the leaders of the Jews, both in their teaching and practice. The traditions of the Rabbis are brought under the searchlight of Immanuel the King. For such was He who at that moment stood before them as the embodiment of all that God's ways and words had pointed on to and shadowed forth. Every claim of God put forth in the law met its answer in Him. Nothing that belonged to the relationship He had entered into but was perfectly carried out. This incidentally shows the difference between Him and the Adamic race. The perfect law of God which was His delight became a ministry of condemnation and death to everyone else.

The point, however, was not what He did but what He was. He presents Himself here as filling up in His Person all that the typical system and the law presumed, and in that way He is seen as the embodiment of all that the law and the prophets contained, He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. God's end in it was Christ: He is the essential and underlying spirit of it all. He is indeed the filling out of all Scripture. Speaking of this He said, "They are they which testify of Me." And again, "Beginning at Moses and the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." A system had been sketched out in previous days which is now permeated with life; the kingdom, covenant, house, temple, all are made good in Him.

Has the reader ever pondered this? Christ stands before us in the Gospels as the ultimate end towards which all time, all nature, all history hastened. The whole march of events down through the ages, with every movement of divine testimony in the progress of revelation, had Him as their goal. He was bound in the very nature of things to be the Pivot around which everything in the ways and purpose of God revolved, and every movement in the Godhead, whether creation, providence or government, had Him in view.

Note, too, His authority. If it is the glory of other teachers to hide behind their theme, not so with Him. He brings His Person to the front, and that without apology, in the most simple and unaffected way. He spake with authority without stopping to say why, and commanded without declaring His right. He teaches in a way altogether different from others, penetrating to the heart of things in a way that carried conviction and exposed the accredited teachers of the day. While ever honouring and fulfilling Holy Scripture, He cites no previous authority for what He says: He taught them as One having authority and not as the scribes.

We may now pass on more rapidly till we reach the end of the chapter. In verses 21 to 37 the human heart is laid bare, and evil is traced back from the overt act to the motive which gave it birth, and with this the adjusting of existing relationships in regard to earth and heaven, time and eternity. Violence (verse 21) and corruption (verse 27) are mentioned only to be traced to the heart of man, however cultivated, and then (verses 29, 30) not only is the spring of evil in man traced to its source, but the cause or opportunity of it must be cut off. (See Col. 3: 5, 8, 9.) The sacred character of human life; the sanctity of marriage; the authority of God in regard to the taking of oaths and its bearing on their conversation, all of which connect with the virtues mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, would indeed manifest the fact that His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is from the old corrupt tree of fallen human nature that these evil things spring; introduce the new life, and instead of the works of the flesh there are love, joy, peace, long-suffering: against which there is no law.

The end of the chapter fits in with the beginning in moral beauty. If at the opening it is character, at the close it is conduct. The standard of all practice is to be according to the Father, who makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust. The blessed God is above all the strife and evil of man, and our adorable Lord is seen here the expression of it all, and He desires that His followers should be the same. If such practice is called for from the earthly people, what shall we say about those who are blest with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ? What a triumph for God that there should be in this world a class so formed in their inner being after Christ as to be expressive of Himself! A class that love their enemies and bless those who curse and do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who insult and persecute them, that they are known as the sons of their Father in heaven. Under the teaching of the Holy Ghost this becomes one of the grandest chapters in the whole Bible.

A few words are necessary here in connection with the dispensational character of this discourse and the class of people the Lord has in view.

It was His early ministry given before His definite rejection by His people, the Jews, and it gives those to whom it is addressed association with Himself in that rejection that was becoming more and more apparent every day, and describes a state of things which ran on to the fall of Jerusalem late in the Apostolic age. Before the gospel as we have it could come out in its fulness, His ministry, involving death, resurrection and ascension, had to be completed. Christianity proper, which gives a much higher range of blessing, and opens out the truth of part with Christ in the glory, could not be given yet. This commenced with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and goes on right through the Spirit's day till the removal of the church to heaven as given in 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. The church formed at Pentecost came into her place at the time of the suspension of divine testimony among the Jews. She is the vessel of God's counsels and witness of a new heavenly testimony during the time of that suspension; and her translation to heaven will be the signal for the renewal of divine dealings with the Jews in view of the advent of the King. In this way all is seen to work out in perfect harmony, and the order and beauty of God's ways fill the believing heart with delight. When the church has been translated to heaven, a company will be converted and entrusted with the testimony of heaven, on the earth, and will pass through many sorrows into the reign of glory with the King. They are seen in many Scriptures both in the Psalms and Prophets. They fall into two distinct classes, one going into heavenly blessing through martyrdom in the unprecedented sufferings of the great tribulation, and the other preserved to inherit the earth. See the reward mentioned in verses 5 and 12.

In Matthew 6 the Lord sets His disciples before the Father with regard to acts of kindness and devotional exercises: all they did was to be done before Him who knows the heart. How effectually must His words have swept the ground from beneath the feet of the accredited teachers of the day! He had said, "Unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven" (5: 20). The body of chapter 5 showed the hollowness of their teaching; what comes out in chapter 6 exposes their practice.

The chapter divides at verse 18, the first half falling into three paragraphs which treat of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting; the second, 19-34, practical exhortations relating to earthly treasures and single-mindedness and anxiety about the future. Almsgiving (verses 1-4) relates to our fellow-creatures, prayer (verses 5-15) to God, and fasting (verses 16-18) to ourselves. It is helpful to see that grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously and piously in this world, and these three things cover the same ground. Soberly as to say to ourselves, righteously to our fellows, and piously to God. This again is confirmed in the beautiful cluster of fruit mentioned in Gal. 5: 22, 23, that can only be produced in us by the Spirit of God: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law." These nine features are easily seen to fall into three groups of three each, which may be seen to work out personally in relation to others and toward God.

"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of them" (R. V.). He puts His finger upon the tendency which is inherent in every human heart to seek greatness in the eyes of others, and shows how the works of charity and devotion done in this world must be done before the Father and His world. Happy are they who are delivered from the mere appearance of things, and from the value that fellow-mortals may put upon their works, and who value only the approval of Him who sees in secret. Their reward is certain, a reward that will not perish with man and his world, but will abide for ever. Surely it is a mark of Heaven's grace in this world to be able to carry on works of kindness in it, but the effect upon and result to ourselves is the point here. Not only is there a secret chamber into which we may enter and close the door (verse 6), but a secret place in our souls where the record of such gracious acts is concealed, that none but the Father who sees in secret may know and reward openly. "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does."

"But when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; . . . Enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret." The Pharisee of Luke 18 is an example of that which is here condemned, but the centurion of Acts 10 beautifully illustrates what the Lord here sets forth. The ostentation and the pride of the Pharisees and the senseless babble of the heathen are mentioned that the vanity of it all may be exposed. The Father knows all the needs of His own before they ask Him. Hence much speaking is an offence, and prayer should be marked by brevity and simplicity, as becoming a creature speaking to His God.

Then the Lord gives a prayer in words unequalled in simplicity, depth and brevity, which was well suited for the disciples in their then position.

Was this that is called "the Lord's Prayer," given to be used as a mere recitation for millions of people all over Christendom apart from any definite sense of their state of sin or of need before God? The prayer is not understood because the dispensational bearing of the whole discourse is unknown. On two different occasions we read of Jehovah giving to Israel a form of words to address Himself, but we do not read of them being perpetually recited afterwards (Deut. 21: 7, 8; Deut. 26: 13-15). John taught his disciples to pray — the Lord here does the same. And this prayer is far beyond the Old Testament prayers, as may be seen by comparing it with the Psalms. It is beyond, in all probability, what John taught his disciples, but in the nature of things it is not up to the increased light brought in by accomplished redemption.

It should be remarked that it is not the prayer for a penitent sinner seeking mercy, but for those who are in a certain relationship with God, who have direct dealings with Him as Father in relation to their need. The petitions divide it into two distinct parts: the first three express the desire for the glory of God, and the last four express the creature's dependence. It is beautiful to see the spirit of worship in the way the Name, the kingdom and the will of God are put in the front. In another connection the Christian knows that these three things cover the whole scope of the counsels of God, and go far beyond what could be known then, extending even to God's eternal day. The four petitions in the second part are the expression of dependence and obedience. The whole may be said to show the three main thoughts in true prayer: God's glory, and the creature's need, first in the temporal and then the spiritual spheres.

We should distinguish between the prayer given here and that in Luke 11: 2-4. Though there is little difference in our Authorized Version, it is well known that Luke takes a wider view and gives an advance on what is here. The Lord goes on there to speak of the gift of the Spirit which links on with the fuller instruction in John 16, the latter being connected with full Christian prayer as seen in the Epistles, which the prayer we are considering is not. (See the New Trans. and R. V. for the prayers in Matt. 6: 9-13, and Luke 11: 2-4.)

It should be remembered, however, while giving due attention to the different readings, that the evidence is not merely external. The ordinary reader who has an insight into these things by divine teaching will see the difference and the moral necessity for it. This difference hangs upon the aim of the Spirit in each Gospel. In Matthew the Lord is teaching in connection with the Messianic kingdom as Son of David for the Jews, but in Luke He is specially before us as the Son of Man, and of necessity in that Gospel the Mediatorial kingdom has its bearing towards the Gentiles as well. This accounts for the difference in words, and teaches that while Matthew shows the remnant preparing for the King, Luke has the same company in view but as about to be introduced into the Christian faith. This is further confirmed by the fact that the prayer is placed in the first Gospel before the question of the King's acceptance was decided, but in Luke's Gospel it is given to us after the King had already been refused, and when the preparation of the disciples for the Church, as a new and heavenly company, was going on. In each case that which was needed for disciples in their circumstances was given, but the Spirit in Matthew had not only the remnant of that moment in view, but those also who will await the coming back again of the Messiah.

In the instructions as to fasting (verses 16-18) the Lord again exposes the desire for display, as He had done in connection with almsgiving and prayer, and shows that that only is of value that is done in secret, i.e., before God. All true prayer supposes not only the refusal of what is evil but the avoidance at times of what may in itself be right. Man is not only a spirit being but has a physical body, and he may be drawn into sin by the very needs of that body. Men may fall both by eating and drinking, as Adam and Noah. On the other hand, people may be deluded into the denial to the body its dues for the sake of appearance (Col. 2: 23). There is, however, a deep moral connection between true prayer and fasting, as all spiritual minds have felt, and its blessedness lies in the fact that a Christian may be so engaged with God and His things as to forget for the time the needs of the body, and even when these make their appeal he may be so filled with God as to be able to deny the natural in the power of that which is spiritual. Such a state, it is needless to say, is far removed from the eye of one's fellow-men.

Coming to the last half of the chapter, we shall see that all the instruction is in close affinity with the three thoughts already touched. Laying up treasure on earth poorly qualifies for almsgiving. The single eye supposes that the whole inner man is laid bare in the presence of God in prayer. A body full of light gives the thought of moral influence, and nothing could be finer than this; it was seen in Stephen before the council, and in Paul before Agrippa, and may be seen in the woman whose unbelieving husband is to be won by her Christ-like behaviour without the word (1 Peter 3). It is blessed when the character is so formed that the body can be offered to God. There is a transparency in a man when the whole soul has been poured out to God in the closet and has been formed there by the communications of His love. Decision of character and clearness of spiritual vision must be the result.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth." Here our Lord contrasts the heavenly with the earthly, the spiritual with the natural, the things of time with those of eternity. His estimate of these is perfect, and He would have us governed by that. The heart follows that which is most highly prized, and if it be the things of earth how great is the loss! Many artificial contrivances are got up to give security in this world where death lies upon all, but there are no insurance societies called for in regard to what is heavenly and eternal — eternal things are the sure things. Spiritual treasures are laid up for eternity, and to have heaven and eternity in view gives clearness of vision. The danger here is that selfishness may darken the moral sensibilities and weaken the character in such a way that power for decision is lost.

"The lamp of the body is the eye." This would indicate the organ of spiritual sight, the single eye denoting uprightness of motive with unity of purpose. "One thing I do." The body gives expression to the inner state, and in walking with God a person becomes an influence for good; where this is not, there is wavering like a double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways.

Verses 25-34 connect with the middle clause of the prayer — "Give us this day our daily bread," showing that the strength expended in the cares and distractions of distrust means positive loss. What a gain it is when the energy of the soul finds expression in faith! The relative bearing of the natural and spiritual spheres upon each other is touched in verse 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the things that all the fretting is about] shall be added unto you." This seeking depends upon the single eye of verse 22, which again connects with secret intercourse with God and the state produced by it. It was the saying of a dying saint: "Had I trusted the Lord better my life would have been different." To this the writer can feelingly subscribe and doubtless many another. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee."

He next presses upon His disciples the need of confidence in the Father for the things of everyday life, so that they might be free from that care which so often withers up the soul. This He does by a threefold illustration drawn from the creation, of which our bodies form part. The birds of the air, the human body, and the lilies of the field. The first and last of these He applies to bring home to then. the providential care and goodness of their heavenly Father. The way the Lord draws His illustrations from the creation when setting great truths before men reminds us of His wisdom as a Teacher, and by these illustrations we are reminded of the wonders of creation wherein is displayed the grand scheme of His Providence whereby God meets the needs of all His creatures. But men are His special care, and especially those that believe. So He says, "Look at the birds of the heaven.... Are ye not much more excellent than they?" So also in regard to raiment. "But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will He not much rather you, O ye of little faith?" May we not say in regard to ourselves that if the character of the moment were apprehended and the value of these tests to faith laid hold of in their relation to the glory of God and our present and future position, such exercises in regard to them would be cheerfully accepted in the power of prayer and communion with God.

If we have followed the line of this precious Discourse in the two previous chapters it will not be difficult to understand what is here. If we live before the Father in simplicity and sincerity, our dealings with others will be marked by kindness and consideration rather than fault-finding, which seems to be the sense in which judging is used in this first verse. It is not that we are not called to judge between good and evil, for had it meant that there could have been no abstaining from evil, but that we should be free from a censorious spirit, which is a very great evil. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4: 31, 32). It is never right to judge motives unless it be our own, for love thinks no evil and will not condemn until it has proof. Should we be, on the other hand, judged wrongly and misrepresented by others, the way out is put before us in Matthew 5: 44: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

"Judge not, that ye may not be judged For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." A wrong spirit is soon seen and condemned by others. "He hath digged a pit and hollowed it out, and is fallen into the hole that he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head" (Ps. 7, see also Esther 7). In the school of God where the daily exercises prove the imperfection of all, ability to look upon our brother for good should be cultivated.

It brings its gain as the opposite brings its sorrow.

The warning as to the mote and the beam of verses 2-5 recalls the single eye of Matthew 6: 22, and as the soul answers to these solemn words there is ensured a right state both with the Lord and with one another. The beauty of character described at the beginning and sustained in the middle of the discourse by prayer is far removed from the petty jealousies which often destroy the happiness of the children of God.

Comparing verse 6 with the above, we see that if a censorious spirit is condemned, careful discrimination is called for in our dealings with those that are outside. It does not seem to be the ordinary unconverted person which is in view here, but that class of profane person, such as Herod, to whom, at a later time, the Lord would not answer a word.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Here it is our dealings with God. We are taken back to the section on prayer, and reminded of the hungering and thirsting of the fourth Beatitude. There were those who asked amiss, that they might use it for pleasure (James 4: 3); others sought, but not in faith (John 6: 34); and some will knock to be refused admission (Matt. 25: 11); but the Lord encourages His own to simple direct dealings with their Father in heaven. This is the opposite to all vain repetition, and teaches that the Lord's disciples were not bound to the recitation of the form of words He had put before them in the previous chapter, but free to voice the deep feelings of their souls to God and to present their needs to Him. The illustration drawn from human relationships was calculated to encourage them, for it shows the delight of God in giving. If man in spite of his fallen condition recognizes the claims of nature, and fathers after the flesh give good gifts to their children, what shall we say of the giving God? He it is who delights to be enquired after, and "He is a rewarder of them who seek Him out" (Heb. 11:  6).

The mention of the law and the prophets in verse 12 seems to indicate that a point is reached where He will sum up what has been said and conclude: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do ye also to them; for this is the law and the prophets." In the first sixteen verses of Matthew 5 He describes the character suited to the Kingdom of Heaven; in the next four verses His own position in regard to the law and the prophets, after which He shows the bearing of the law in its inner spirit upon the human heart in relation to the details of life. This in the nature of things was bound to expose the falsity of the current teaching of the day. In words of surpassing beauty in Matthew 6 He directs His disciples in what is becoming in acts of kindness to men, and in their approach to God, all of which must have been a solemn rebuke to the hypocrisy of the leaders of religion. Here in few words He shows all that is required for the fulfilling of the law and the prophets. A beautiful parallel is given in 1 Tim. 1: 5: "But the end of what is enjoined is love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and unfeigned faith.'' It is as if the writer had said this is a full summary of true Christianity.

"Enter in through. the narrow gate." What is of God can never be popular in a world of fallen sinners. As the dupe of Satan man has lost his bearings, and consequently the road which suits the masses is that which ends in destruction. For them the virtues and graces of Matt. 5 are a narrow way indeed, but how great the difference at the end! There are those who appreciate Him and His way and rejoice in the favour of fellowship with the rejected Christ, knowing it is a way that ends in life. For this, let God be praised.

"Beware of false prophets." Here comes in the religious element. How solemnly He likens them to prowling animals which go about to destroy and devour I Whatever their profession they cannot be anything else but what they really are. "By their fruits ye shall know them." A worthless tree cannot produce anything but bad fruit. This anticipates the words of Rom. 8: 7, 8, about the carnal mind, the enmity of which was proved at the cross of Christ.

And now note, in closing, the solemnity of His words. The supremacy of Immanuel shines out here. "Not every one that says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens." He looks down the ages to the last final judgment when He will have to say, "I never knew you." Their estimate of their service will have to give place to His, that which they thought works of power will then be seen as evil, and the result will be their final doom. How deeply solemn for all who take part in the service of the Lord! Trafficing in holy things is perhaps the worst sin of all.

Mark the words "hearing" and "doing" in verse 24 and compare with verse 21: "Whoever therefore hears My words and does them, I will liken him to a prudent man." Here again in the simplest of words is the cleavage set forth. There are two builders, two houses, two foundations, two storms, and two results. Let us note the solemn finish. "And every one who hears these My words and does not do them, he shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain came down, and the streams came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and its fall was great. Blessed are they that through grace belong to that kingdom which cannot be moved, who, founded on the rock of ages, are secure for time and eternity."

A few words are necessary on the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, which may help still further to clear the position. We begin with the enquiry, Why is it that the Sermon on the Mount is so much spoken of with apparent appreciation by many who refuse the full truth of the gospel? To answer this we must take account of its place in relation to what went before and what came after. It comes in as a link between the position of the faithful in the Old Testament and the place of the church which is called into the full revelation of God in the New Testament. The relationship in which those addressed stood was with the Father in heaven, and it shows a knowledge of God which the saints of earlier days could not have had, consequently the standard of holiness is raised much higher. Evil is traced back from the outward act to the heart, and the good is elevated from Old Testament practice to the ways of the Father, so that praying for enemies and doing good to them that despitefully hurt, contrasts strongly with many Psalms which call down vengeance upon the enemies. The Messiah was present, and consequently the advance on the position held by those who had waited for Him was very great. The discourse was, therefore, a great advance on what had been before, and an illumination worthy of Him who spoke.

It is for this reason, however, that we need to distinguish carefully between what is set forth in the address and what came out later in Christianity by the gospel. At this time it was still undecided whether He would be received or not as Israel's Messiah; the people had to be tested as to this. The trial of man in the flesh which had been going on through the ages and which came to an end later at the cross was still proceeding, consequently responsibility is made prominent while redemption is left untouched. The gospel as we know it today comes from a glorified Christ whose work at the cross brought the trial of the first man in his race to a close. It is because this is not laid hold of that this grand discourse is so much misused and so badly misunderstood.

It is needful to account for the twofold bearing of the Lord's position at that moment. He stood before Israel as proof of the faithfulness of God to all His promises, and was ready, if received, to set up the Kingdom. It was foreknown, however, that He would be refused and crucified, so that we can also view Him as come to die, that by resurrection He might establish a new order of life and manhood on the other side of death. Having accomplished this, He then took His place at the right hand of God, that the gospel might come from Him there to the world which was guilty of putting Him to death. When the gospel did come man was no longer under trial. Until the cross, and therefore when this discourse was given, man was being tested, that his incapability to stand before God in his own righteousness might be demonstrated. After that solemn event he is no longer treated on his own responsibility for blessing' but provided with righteousness from God in the gospel. The enormous advance of blessing brought in by the gospel shows that the believer is accepted in Christ, the risen Head of a new race, and all who believe have a new life and are brought into a new creation in Christ.

The Father's name occurs many times in the discourse, and it may be said that this is the Christian revelation. This, however, is not the full truth, for although there was a partial revelation of God in that relation so that the disciples could look up and address Him in that way, there could not be the full revelation of this till the death and resurrection of Christ. It was the knowledge of God as a Father by a people on earth who were associated with Christ in humiliation, and without the knowledge of redemption. One who cared for them and valued them far beyond the fowls or lilies, knew their needs, sought their trust, and would care for them all the way through. The gospel, on the other hand, gives association with Christ in glory, "Part with Me" in a life in resurrection where neither needs nor cares can come. The one does not displace the other, but it is not difficult to see that the latter is the greater. Here the Father is made known to the adoring heart in the fulness of His love and counsels of grace, made known by the Son as First-born of many brethren to those whom He is not ashamed to call brethren. The reader will note that, while it was impossible for the believing remnant of Israel before the cross to know the full Christian position, for it was not then revealed, we who have come in afterwards, and enter now into the full revelation of the Father's name in association with the Son who is in the glory, share with them all the Father's grace and care as being associated with a rejected Christ upon the earth.

In the thought of God these Jewish believers were to be lifted into the full blessing by the exaltation of Christ and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. The Epistle to the Hebrews and first of Peter show the enormous advance for those who had received the Messiah. Along with these came the revelation of the church's place through Paul and the corresponding heavenly character of the new thing through John, concluding the apostolic testimony. We know from the Acts that this glorious transfer was not generally accepted by believing Jews, for many of them clung to Judaism and were zealous of the law. This an ever-gracious God bore with for a lengthened time, and the Epistle of James is the message of the Spirit to such. This explains how that this epistle gives more allusions to the Sermon on the Mount than all the rest of the New Testament put together.

The destruction of Jerusalem ended this state of things for the Jews, but what of Gentile Christians into whose hands was put the responsibility of the testimony of God? It can easily be shown that before the church had been in existence a century, saints to whom the truth had been committed allowed it to slip, even that as elementary as the forgiveness of sins and justification by faith, so that instead of learning and knowing deliverance from the world, believers as to their experience were left in a worse position than those in a previous dispensation. This being so, we cease to wonder how that all down the ages even the very best of men have been unable to place this glorious discourse and properly appreciate its beauties. Such expressions as "the new law," "the moral law," and the "laws of the Kingdom,'' can but add to the confusion which is the result, surely, of the activity of the mind to the exclusion of the Holy Ghost.

How great is the grace that we should be given to see the beauty, order, and precision of God's ways! The Book of Acts shows the workings of God among men during the transitional period, but the time of the calling out of the church as a whole fits in to the parenthetic gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel's prophecy. Further revelation shows that the church, like Enoch, will be called from earth to heaven, making room for the resumption of divine dealings with Israel in fulfilment of the promises to the fathers. The future remnant will be waiting for the Kingdom which will be set up at the coming of the King. The interval between their call and the appearing of the King will be a time of unprecedented suffering, many will be slain and pass into heavenly blessing, while the sealed ones will enter into full blessing on earth with the King. This, as we said, explains the difference of reward mentioned by the Lord in Matthew 5: 5 and 12.

The Lord in these last days has been pleased to recall our hearts to the truth which is for the whole church, and there are those who have learned through mercy something of the beauty and preciousness of this discourse in its proper setting. In the wealth of ministry coming out from these it has been remarked how little is said on Matt. 5-7. The fact of its Jewish connection and that it is not properly Christian may account for this. To apprehend it in its dispensational bearing requires a knowledge of both Old and New Testaments, while in its moral and spiritual setting it provides a fund of heavenly wealth. This gives the balance; may we be preserved in that balance, and may the Lord create in us all a keener appetite for the things concerning Himself, for His name's sake.

The Fame of Jesus - Matthew 8 and 9.

The fame of Jesus as mentioned in Matthew 14: 1 is an enchanting theme. It comes out in a very precious way in this first Gospel. The great fact which appears everywhere in the New Testament comes out at His birth, namely that He is God and Man in one glorious Person. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS;" and again; "They shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The two lines of truth as to His Deity and Manhood had run in the prophetic word right through the Old Testament. He had been spoken of as the woman's Seed (Gen. 3), the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22), the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49), and the Prophet greater than Moses (Deut. 18: 15), all of which found their fulfilment in this holy birth. But when we come to the prophets Isaiah and Micah we get not only the Man, but God and Man prophetically announced in one glorious Person. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9: 6). "But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5: 2).

Here in Matthew the Child born is to be called JESUS but the same one is Emmanuel, God with us. In Matt. 2 He is taken down to Egypt for in the dispensational ways of God He must take up in Himself the history of His people from Egypt right through till the time of the glory. (See Psalm 18, and compare Hosea 11: l with Matthew 2: 16). In Matt. 3 John the Forerunner proclaims Him King, and the Father acclaims Him Son. The Divine and human is thus kept in view. In Matt. 4 this is immediately challenged by the Tempter and we are led to the scene of the temptation where His glory shines out in the complete baffling of Satan. This is one of the grandest scenes in the whole history of time. Having defeated the strong man He goes forth to spoil his goods. This gives the beginning of His public ministry which was in such power that soon the whole country, all Syria, was astir by His fame. "And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan."

This gave occasion for Him to bring out the situation as it existed at that moment. The sermon which followed in Matt. 5-7 is a very real advance on what had been before, although in the very nature of things it could not rise to what came out after His rejection. It lays bare the heart in its inmost secret motives: it calls upon His followers to be a transcript of the King in moral character, through being in association with Himself, but the Church as such is not found in it; that awaited the work of redemption and the ascension of the Lord to heaven. Note the way Godhead and Manhood, the two great features already spoken of, come out in this mountain discourse. While the moral instruction flows out in beautiful progression strewing the conduct due to God from His creature there are statements here and there which would be blasphemy on the lips of a creature. What created being, for example, could say in reference to Holy Scripture: "Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . But I say." (Matt. 5: 21, 22; Matt. 27: 28, 31, 34). Not that there was any contradiction between the law and His sayings; the first spoke of the outward acts, the second of the innermost thoughts and passions behind the acts.

In Matt. 8 and Matt. 9 we see the power of the kingdom displayed in the Person of the King. These two chapters hang together and we may take Matt. 10 with them. If He is refused in the working of all His grace and power, we see in chap. 10 the gracious forbearance that will not be turned aside from His mission of mercy, but will send forth His servants fully equipped to carry on that work.

How then was He received? He had adapted Himself to His people as and where they were. If they were poor He became poor; if they were despised He also was despised of men. Was the house of David in poverty and obscurity? He had no place to lay His head, were they groaning under the Roman yoke? He associated Himself with them in that also, claiming no rights for Himself, but bearing their burdens and sorrows, like the weeping Jeremiah, and finally going under the judgment of God on their behalf. But in spite of all this the state of the people was such that the very grace in which He came was used against Him and the door closed in His face. Think of the sorrow of it. God had come down in measureless grace to heal them and bless them and reconcile them to Himself and they not only refused Him but actually charged Him with doing the works of the devil. The miracles which were for their deliverance they attributed to Satanic agency, so blinded were they. By so doing they blasphemed the Holy Ghost and committed the sin which never hath forgiveness, and showed themselves to be children of the devil, sunk down to the lowest depths of moral degradation. So much for the leaders.

But He went on, undeterred by their malice, dispensing abroad the bounty of God, and none needed to despair. Those that felt their need clung to Him and they were healed and blest for time and eternity. He had Himself been tested (Matt. 4) and now had become the test for all, and there was no neutral ground; either they were for Him or against Him. Richest blessing there was in Him for all, but only the wise saw it and believed. Wisdom's children owned their need and confessed Him, and came into all the favour of God, while the proud who professed to see and judge were left to their blindness (John 9: 39).

The Lord's glory is made to shine out as it were incidentally in the midst of His work in these chapters. He is confessed Lord many times, He speaks of Himself twice as the Son of Man, the blind men own Him Son of God. The Gentile Centurion rises perhaps highest of all in the words: "Lord I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof." No quarter is given to demons or to the devil; His power is seen at work in grace on behalf of men and for the destruction of the Satanic kingdom.

While fitting into the exact position and condition of the people, there was in His ways, words and works a pledge of the full triumph of His grace. Defeat for Him was impossible whatever the appearance. Underneath all He did in the midst of these blinded people there was the pledge of the fulfilment of the whole prophetic scheme of blessing in the most complete accord with the testimony of God in all His ways past, present and future. The very order in which these works are recorded is so planned as to give a typical foreshadowing of the ultimate blessing of the people who in their representatives were at that time leading onward to the cross. Based upon His death which would be their culminating crime, would come out the fulfilment of all the promises in covenant blessing and the complete triumph of God.

The twelve miracles of these chapters seem to cover the whole ground of conflict, namely; disease, death, demoniac possession, and the power of the devil. There was one leprous man, two palsied men, two diseased women, two demoniacs, two blind men, one dumb demoniac, one little girl in death, and the work of calming the storm. Is there any wonder that His fame went throughout all Syria and that they followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan. God had come within the sphere of nature to work; and men could take cognisance and avail themselves of His mercy.

But what of the WORKER? God is active; Father, Son and Spirit in love and goodness (See Matt. 12: 28 and John 14: 10). There is Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence, but beyond all else there is LOVE. This is the moral nature of God and this it is that calls into action all the other great and glorious features of His Being. This it is that has brought God so near to man — a lowly Man, Jesus the Saviour who saves His people from their sins.

It should be clear to the thoughtful reader that Matthew 8 divides in two at verse 17, and also that the three miracles of verse 1-15, give a sample of those cases which are summarised in verse 16. In this verse we get a summary of His mighty works and the Spirit takes up Isaiah 53: 4 to show how His blessed heart was pressed by the very things which His power removed. We little know what He felt as He moved amongst His creatures, every one of whom was under the power of death, and with diseases of every kind doing their dreadful work.

The scope of His work is seen in relation to the various circles of society namely, country, town and home in the first part, while in the later part (verses 18-34), there is the exercise of His power in the material realm with moral ends in view. As to the first part, leprosy is a figure of the corruption that must be isolated; it was a bodily affliction that tells of that cancerous evil that affects man in his moral nature which nothing but the blood of Jesus can remove and apart from which must find its isolation in the lake of fire for ever. What an awful thing it must be for a man to die in his sins and be separated from God for ever. No man can cleanse his own pollution. "For though thou wash thee with nitre and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord." "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Only one, He can do it, who said to the leper, "I will, be thou clean."

With the palsied man it is helplessness. This again must be taken as applying to the moral condition in which men are found. "When we were yet without strength Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5: 6). "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6: 44). Then there was fever in the home. It was in the house of Peter, the foremost of His disciples. This calls for peculiar consideration. The home is the circle of family affections and in these affections there is that which God can still take account of in spite of all the wreck that sin has wrought in men. The Lord in mercy puts the physical complication right with a touch and she rose and served Him. Fever in its moral signification speaks of that restless excitement which so often incapacitates both for communion and service. Are we to learn something from the fact that this state so often marked Peter, this much loved servant of Christ? Be that as it may, we know the Lord loves to see His people both in person and in their homes free from excitement, and marked by that peace and sobriety which flows from communion with Him self. That Peter came to be marked thus may be seen from what he wrote later to the saints "Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous (1 Peter 3: 8).

The presentation of our Lord in the rest of this chapter (Matt. 8), fills us with wonder by the majesty and grandeur of it. The simple historic record presents our Lord Jesus Christ in a three-fold view which captivates the heart and-produces richest praise. First it may be pointed out that the whole passage presents to our view Messiah, the King, who is Emmanuel speaking and acting in His place, God and Man, a Divine-human Person. Then in the beauty of a Man asleep in the ship and later the mighty Creator who commands the winds and waves.

The incapacity of human nature as seen in Peter's house is illustrated in the first and second proposal to follow Him. The scribe had to learn that He is not a popular wonder-worker but a homeless Stranger, and the other disciple had to learn that this Stranger without a place to lay His head in the land must take precedence of every human claim. There were those who owned His claims and they followed Him in the ship. Cost what it might they would be with Him. They found themselves in His company outside the nation, tossed upon the waves in a storm which threatened to engulf them. Whatever the appearance no storm could harm them in His company. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee" (Isa. 43: 2). He is at their command, for needy ones were never turned aside by Him, and never shall be.

Nothing could more clearly show the perfection of the manhood of the Lord than the fact that He slept in the stern of the vessel. The sacred mystery of His sinless, holy Manhood cannot be explained by men, but we see it there nevertheless when He slept in that storm that threatened to wreck the ship. He knew what sighing and grief and weariness and fatigue were (Mark 7: 34, John 4: 6), and He had withdrawn for a little repose. Why disturb Him? But they were in danger. Was not their panic at that time something of the state of fever that we have seen in Peter's house?

They come to Him saying, Lord save. And at once He responded to their cry. Here we see Him from the side of His Godhead, the mighty, the almighty ONE in majesty supreme. "They that go down to the sea in ships . . . see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, and go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of all their distresses, He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Ps. 107: 23-29). This threefold view of the Lord covers the pages of the four Gospels for the blessed One Who is seen there is God become Man, the Word become flesh.

Underneath this first recorded incident on the lake of Galilee there is a glorious pledge of divine victory at the cross. It was there the waves and billows of God's judgment passed over Him, but it was there He triumphed over all the power of evil. Both Matthew and Luke record what the Lord did in the storm but Mark tells us what He said. "And having been aroused He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Silence, be quiet" (Mark 4: 19). The word means to muzzle, and blessed be His name He has not only silenced the storm on the sea but He has muzzled all the forces of evil. The world is judged, the devil defeated, death annulled, and all the forces of hell laid low." (See the Interlinear translation and Young's Concordance).

What follows is deeply humiliating. Think of swine in Immanuel's land. The humbling thing to a Jew in the parable in Luke was the words "He fain would have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat." But lower still; in the land of God's choice there are two men possessed of as many demons as could enter into two thousand swine. But yet deeper and beyond which it is impossible to get; men will rather have their swine and also the demons than the Saviour of sinners, the Son of God.

Matthew 9.

The rejection seen at the end of Matthew 8 is continued by the leaders of the people in chapter 9. But the Lord goes on with His service of love in its bearing both on body and soul. The case of the palsied man was peculiarly trying, but the Lord graciously encourages him. "Son be of good cheer: thy sins be forgiven." The first thought of the scribes who were sitting by was, this man blasphemes, but He who used the words knew also their thoughts and while exposing them before all immediately commanded the man to rise up and take up his bed and go into his house. It will be noticed that in this case the Lord demonstrated who He was as strewn in Psalm 103. By dealing with the moral state first, the need of the man's soul before his body, He showed that He was in full accord with that Psalm. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." These men were right in their conclusion that none could forgive sins but God (see Mark's Gospel), but they were ignorant of the fact that God was there in their midst. Man was wrong both in soul and body and the Lord was there to put both right.

Notice the Lord's use of the title Son of Man. Not now does He speak of Himself as a homeless stranger but of His divine sovereignty. The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. Why? Because the Son of Man is God.

Nothing could more clearly show the glory of His Person than this constant tracing of attributes both human and Divine to one and the same Person. A comparison of its use by Himself in these two chapters makes this clear.

Passing over the call of Levi we reach that miracle which shows the power of the Son of God over death (John 5). There came to Him a Ruler, one who had a certain place in the house of God but was at the same time helplessly at the disposal of another. This other was that cruel foe death under whose power the whole race lay. But the resurrection and the life was there in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the way to the death chamber there came behind Him a woman with an issue of blood. We learn from Mark that she had spent her all on the doctors without relief. She touched Him and her trouble was healed. The woman's disease was of twelve years duration and the dead girl was twelve years of age. Putting the two together we see the only possible end in the child to that which was at work in the woman.

"Who touched My clothes?'' (Mark 5: 30) said the Lord Jesus. And again in Luke 8: 46. "I perceive that virtue has gone out of Me." It was the effectual power of God to meet the power of death working in her. Faith was there before the touch and well He knew it, but His blessed heart would not let her go without the fuller and richer blessing of peace from God in her soul. The paralytic at the beginning of the chapter was put right first in soul then in body: here it was the body then the soul by the healing virtue of the Son of God. In the woman there had been the touch of faith from her side but in the death chamber it was the touch of power from His side. These two cases bring out very clearly the love and power of the Son of God. First His gracious condescension in following the man, then His tender kindness to the woman, His dealing with the tumult and the minstrels or flute-players in the house bespeak the tenderness of that blessed Man, while the Omnipotence of God shines out to heal the sick, raise the dead and bind up broken hearts.

The two blind men and the case of the dumb demoniac give a fitting termination to the group of the Lord's miracles which the Spirit has been pleased to put before us here. In all three the avenues of the soul were affected. In the blind men's condition there was a world outside, the beauty of which was hidden from them, with the demoniac there was a terrible world within but no way of telling it out. Faith opened the eyes, which were shut to nature, to the glory of the Messiah, the Son of David, and in the confessing of His power bodily healing followed. They had yet to learn that their Messiah Son of David was in rejection and the time for display not yet come. In their new-found joy they departed and spread His fame in all that country. The dumb demoniac was the lowest down of all, and it is to be remarked that both here and in Luke 11 the putting such a one right brought upon the Lord the charge of doing- the works of the devil. How closely this healing of the dumb demoniac stands contrasted with the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit (Luke 11: 13-15) and how awful the state of those committing the sin beyond forgiveness at that moment.

Now a few words on the place this group of miracles holds in relation to the dispensational and prophetic ways of God. The Holy Spirit puts the works of our Lord in the order that would show Him in relation to the testimony of God for all time. By comparing this Gospel with the others we can see that the miracles recorded are not always placed in consecutive order but are set down in view of the Spirit's purpose in this particular Book. We have already seen that His being taken to Egypt had in view that the history of Israel should be taken up in the Lord's Person and carried right, forward to the kingdom glory. The temptation goes further back and shows the history of the race in His Person. See the question of food which was raised in the first temptation.

Having set forth the character of His kingdom in Matt. 5-7, the power of it is displayed in Matt. 8-9. This is so arranged as to give a figurative view of the whole range of testimony from that moment till the kingdom be set up in glory.

First then note how clearly the cleansing of the leper shws the way He put the remnant of His people right when He was here. These were taken up as children of the free-woman while the unbelieving mass were left like the Ishmael generation in bondage. Such are spared to come in again, for Israel is beloved for the fathers' sake. The dealing with Simon's wife's mother furnishes the picture of the future restoration, while the healing of the Centurion's servant shows what has been going on during the long interval since He has gone on high: the work of grace among the Gentiles on the principle of faith, for the man was healed by an absent Saviour. Next follows the boat scene which portrays the cross. Here the storm of evil rose to its height and here the mighty power of the Son of God muzzled all the forces of evil. The saved remnant seen in the Book of Acts may be pictured in the two men delivered from the power of the demons, while the mass of the nation as seen, in that Book are left to run down the hill and were lost in the sea of nations. Even then the respectable world is seen in its refusal of Christ, preferring its commerce to the Saviour and it is left grovelling in its own unclean swinish ways till the time for judgment comes.

In Matt. 9 the paralytic is a clear picture of the Jew as set up here on earth in contrast to those of the gospel period whose home is with Himself in heaven. The call of Levi is to follow a rejected Christ right outside the world. All shows very clearly the calling and place of the Gentile in the time between the cross and the glory and amplifies the teaching of Matt. 8: 5-13. All this is confirmed in the conversations that followed. In a dim way (it could not be publicly declared till He was fully rejected) He alludes to His death and the way His followers would be affected. "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast . . ." This is the place of Christians in His absence, but if so they are brought into a new creation. The instructed believer today has no difficulty in seeing in all this that which is brought out in the Epistles of a later time, particularly those of the Apostle Paul.

In the remaining part these things are still more vividly set forth, for the g eat Master painter puts in touches that fill up the picture. The Jew as we have said is seen in the paralytic (ver. 1-8) and the raising of the daughter of Jairus further amplifies the type in accordance with Ezekiel 37, where we see the raising up of dead Israel. The poor woman that touched Him on the way shows what g ace is going out to the Gentile at this time, before He puts forth the power that will put Israel in their place. The giving of sight to the two blind men shows what is preparatory to the state produced in Zechariah 12: 10. They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced and shall mourn as one mourneth for an only son.

It is then that the dumb demon will disappear; their tongues will be loosed to confess their sins, own their Messiah in the Person of Jesus and adore Him. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But 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" (Isa. 53: 4, 5). Then also shall the words of Psalm 96 peal forth. "Oh SING unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among the people. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods." And then too it shall be said, "Happy art thou Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deut. 33: 29).

Matthew 10

Chapter 10 should begin at verse 36 of Matthew 9. This shows the heart of the Lord moved with compassion for His poor people in spite of the wickedness of the leaders, and leads to the sending forth of the twelve. They are sent forth on their mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. He sets their work before them making Himself chargeable for their every need. This brings out His power in the providential sphere. But there is much more, for what man, though possessed with power to work miracles could impart that power to others?

Having been in His company as learners they now go forth as His witnesses and He presses upon them the solemn nature of their service. "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore prudent as the serpents and guileless as the doves." Besides this they were to look well to their own state of soul as His ambassadors and according to their faithfulness would He acknowledge them before the Father. It is a most precious enfolding of their privileges and responsibilities as brought into His confidence and drawing upon His resources. The beautiful line of moral instruction is most blessed for all and in spite of certain modifications in the later mission is most precious for all that seek to serve the Lord.

But a point is touched in the dispensational ways of God that makes this one of the most important chapters in the whole Book. The principle which marks all prophetic Scripture is here, and if the reader has carefully pondered the character of the discourse in Matt. 5-7 it will not be difficult to follow out what is here. We allude to the marvellous interweaving of the distant and future with that which is near and present so that the men sent out by Him on this mission can be spoken of as the same men which would be busy with their work when He comes back again in glory. He so orders His words that while applying to His servants at that moment they equally apply to those who will carry the testimony of the kingdom in Israel in the day to come: passing in this way over the Church age to the immediate preparation for the great Millennial display. This clearly supposes the transition in the Book of Acts from Judaism to Christianity and the break at the destruction of Jerusalem which left room for the parenthesis gap which has lasted-so long and is now about to end in another transition, namely from the Church age to the resumption of divine dealings with Israel.

It seems clear that up to v. 15, the apostolic band is chiefly in view. This was marked by the personal presence of the King. From v. 16 to 20 the language is more general having in view the preaching during the "Acts " and on to the fall of Jerusalem. Here the King is gone away and His servants are delivered up to be scourged and brought before rulers and kings. The Holy Spirit from the Father would be in them and would be the power for every emergency. He then speaks in language much more general, much of which applies at any moment but evidently with the testimony in Israel at the close definitely in view. This may be seen from the words of v. 23, "For verily I say to you, Ye shall not have completed the cities of Israel until the Son of Man be come."

Remark that it is during the time that this testimony is suspended in Israel that the gospel of the glory of the blessed God goes out to all nations in view of the church which is the body and bride of Christ. In that way the fall of Israel has brought salvation to the Gentiles, and made room for a character of blessing which coming in after the accomplishment of redemption and the declaration of eternal counsels is much richer than anything before proposed. Nothing had ever been seen or known from God like what is known today of His counsels concerning Christ and the assembly. Here, alas! the failure is much greater, for while the Spirit forms the bride for the Son and leads her home to Him in glory in the light of all the precious things of heaven, the mass of Gentiles refuse this the richest of all testimonies and go on to judgment. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: upon them who have fallen, severity; upon thee goodness of God, if thou shalt abide in goodness, since otherwise thou shalt be cut away (Rom. 11: 22).

We know that the Gentiles have not continued in the goodness and favour of God and that the time of their cutting off is at hand. The times of the Gentiles are nearing a close when Israel will be reinstated in their Land in a security that nothing can assail. They were cut off in holy government but through mercy and the faithfulness of God to His promises will be restored again. Christendom which has so long flourished under heaven's best and still continues in apostacy will be cut off in judgment never again to raise her proud head. Jerusalem having received double for all her sins, the Spirit of God moves in the valley of dry bones; the gospel of the kingdom will again be preached and preparation made for the coming of the KING. "O Zion that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into a high mountain, O Jerusalem that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God" (Isa 40: 9).

Matthew 11

The sorrow connected with His rejection, so deeply felt by the Lord, is here augmented by the message from the prison of His servant John. It but served, however, to bring out the greatness of His moral perfections. But all had been fore-known and prophetically described. The connection with Isaiah 49 is clear. I have laboured in vain, I have spent My strength for nought and in vain: yet surely My work is with My God. Jehovah answers: — "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation to the ends of the earth." The bearing of these last words on the Church age is seen in the way the aged Simeon uses them (Luke 2: 30-32), where the blessing of the Gentile precedes that of the Jew and also in Acts 13: 47, where Paul takes them as the warrant for his mission to the nations. All the wickedness of men and devils eventually but serve God, and here we see it brought out along with His moral perfections in meeting the circumstances the place the Lord fills as Centre of the ways of God.

He sends back the messengers to tell John of the great things that they had seen, finishing with a personal word for His beloved servant. This done, He brings out in the presence of the multitude His estimate of John's worth: first his true moral greatness, then his place as Fore-runner; next He points him out as a pivot in the dispensations and last of all associates him with Himself as refused by the guilty nation. "He shall be great in the sight of the Lord," said Gabriel; "Among them that are born of woman there is none greater," said the Lord. Prophetically foretold to fill the nearest place as Fore-runner he was also a pivot man for "All the prophets and the law prophesied until John." He came in at the end of one order of things but spoke of another. This is the explanation of the apparent contradiction of verse 11. "There hath not arisen a greater ... notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The Lord had already cited Malachi 3: 1 in reference to John's present place and ministry (cp. Luke 1: 17); here He refers to Malachi 4: 5 as showing the Elijah ministry yet to come of which John was the pattern. So definitely is John associated with the Lord in this official way that the Lord goes on to say of him in Matthew 17: 12. "Elias is come already and they knew him not but have done with him whatsoever they listed." But see the place all this puts our Lord Jesus Christ into. All John's greatness was derived from the place he filled in relation to the great Sun and Centre of all the ways of God.

In the light of all this how blessed to see John associated with His Master in persecution and death. John came neither eating nor drinking." His home was the desert and his food locust and wild honey. "They say, he has a devil." Through John came one of the greatest revivals that had been in Israel yet his head was bartered away for a dance. He stands out conspicuously in God's roll of honour and here the Lord associates him with Himself in relation to the then past, present and future.

And now the Lord upbraids the cities that had been in such incomparable favour. They had spoken ill of John the servant, a fellow man. They attacked the Lord of glory. "Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber," they said of Him, but the Lord adds "Wisdom is justified of her children." These were the people that at that moment in face of natural obstacles in themselves, and the determined opposition of those who had the key of knowledge, were taking the kingdom by force. The others could not be charmed, their moral insensibility was such as to blind them to all the grace of heaven which had been brought to their door. That ministry that began with "Blessed" (Matt. 5), here comes to "Woe" and along with it the righteous relation of the judgment to the grace and favour that had been despised.

The turn of the dispensation had come. The Lord is rejected and turns to the Father saying, "I thank Thee, Father." A few remarks on His refusal may help here. The Jews made it clear in every possible way that they did not want the Lord Jesus. The Messiah Son of God was a Man after a different order, and the distance morally between Him and man in the flesh was immeasurable. Even under divine culture as the Jew was here the new birth is a necessity. The Epistle to the Romans written later shows clearly that man is so irretrievably wrecked and lost that reconciliation to God can only be in a new Head. The Lord Jesus was at that moment on the way to the cross to bear the judgment and remove the enmity that was then at work in His refusal, and lay the basis of a new creation in death and resurrection for the glory of God.

They sought therefore to condemn Him at every turn. In His words and works, the question of the Sabbath and the Law; the woman taken in adultery and the question of tribute money; it was no use; they were baulked and exposed at every turn. In no case could they take Him; the sending the officers for Him failed, and their defeat was such that they proposed to put Lazarus to death because of his witness to His power. The darkest possible point must be reached and that surely which shames and humbles us all is the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. What a blot on the pride of humanity: the Son of God betrayed by a friend. Even this, however could only succeed because His hour had come. He had said no man taketh it from Me (His life), and the time came when He gave Himself up saying "this is your hour and the power of darkness."

But to return; we see how the Lord turns to the Father. "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." He is the Son whose being none can know in the intimacy of His relationship with the Father, a rejected Messiah upon the earth. These relationships subsisted in the mutuality and reciprocation of holy love and at that moment the Son could speak of Himself as the Centre of the whole counsel of God. While thanking the Father He turns and says, "All things are delivered unto Me of My Father." Let the light of this marvellous saying shine out upon the dark scene of His rejection. Hear Him speak of the place He fills in the relationships, intimacies and joys in Godhead purpose and glory. He whom we have been thinking of is the Centre of God's ways in relation to the Father and the counsels of eternity in the grand structure of God's purpose in relation to both heaven and earth, of which but an infinitesimal part connects with Israel and the Davidic hopes.

A three-fold view stands out here which leads from the position of the Lord at that moment down to the fulness of His eternal glory. First the Messiah Son of David Whose royal rights were then refused, then the Son of Man at the centre of all things: the Centre of the vast creation of God. Greatest of all and from which all springs, He is the Son in all the intimacies of love and joy that is proper to Godhead in the relations of Deity. This latter carries us to a point beyond which we cannot go even in thought, to the unknown and knowable Son of the Father and what is proper and native to the glorious Godhead.

We may have beheld a glorious view in nature where beyond a stretch of landscape rises a range of hills, behind which, with intervening valleys, rise range upon range of mountains of ever increasing height which fill us with awe and delight as they seem to recede far and away into the unknown beyond. All the gracious unfoldings of our Lord's ministry which has been before are surpassed here in view of His sorrowful refusal, and just at the point where this is reached His glory begins to rise higher and higher towering in the sunshine of its everlasting splendour, until it passes beyond our view for ever in this eternal grandeur of its own infinity.

We know from the Gospel of John that our Lord came to make known the Father, to reveal God. This shows that His rejection as Messiah was fore-known. He had come to make known God in a way far beyond all that the covenant relations pre-supposed, but as ever it is the Jew first. And at that moment there comes into view a new generation which becomes the vessel in which is deposited this revelation of the riches of the grace that are in the SON. "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." To Himself the despised and rejected He calls us that He might make known to us the Father. This surely is rest; the rest of a relationship outside of Israel nationally and outside of all that is of nature as in Adam. Nor is it something only for the advanced for He speaks of it as the first thing needed.

All this is hid to the wise and prudent and revealed to babes, but amidst the accumulation of glories we must not miss the moral glory of His perfect submission. The Son whose being none can know, a rejected, slighted man! Let us attend to this in the light of the words, "Learn of Me." Whatever the circumstances may be He takes all from the Father and so orders His teaching that those who come get the revelation of the Father and learn in Him how to bow and accept every circumstance from the Father's hand.

Matthew 12

The glory of the Son which belongs chiefly to the Gospel of John certainly has a place of importance in the Gospel of Matthew. It is the centre from which shine out the many rays of His moral and official perfections in chapter 12. On the dark background of hatred, scorn and rejection this glory comes into bold relief. The Son is here, a Man to make known the Father, the Messiah, greater than the Temple in regard to Israel; the Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath, in relation to mankind: greater than Jonah in resurrection power, and greater than Solomon in relation to all the glories of the Kingdom.

Matthew 12 includes the features both of Mark and Luke, and if we link with it the end of Matthew 11, of the Gospel of John also. Within this section there is a concentrated view of all four Gospels. The words Son of Man (verse 8), connect with Luke; My Servant (verse 18), with Mark; Son of David (verse 23), is the theme of Matthew, while Matthew 11 is the subject of John. And if for a moment we anticipate Matthew 13 and think of Him as the great Prophet, Revealer and King, we have a galaxy of glories before which we bow in deepest worship and praise.

The attack by the Pharisees in this chapter is because of the incident in the corn field. The Lord graciously condescends to reason with them. These Sabbath scenes bring out the state of these leaders and show their utter moral degradation. To condemn doing good in the alleviation of suffering betrays a class whom the Lord likens to vipers; men whose moral sensibilities were so deadened as to put the animal before a fellow man. They indeed had become like the viper which has venom like the power of hell (Gehenna) Matthew 23: 33. Could hatred go further than attempt to tie the hand of God down to an ordinance, and seek to kill God's Son for doing good? When the Lord healed the withered hand they went out to hold a council to destroy Him. The allusion to David and the priests shows how God is cognisant of the state of things at any time and orders men's conduct in relation to the need. Compare the permission of that which was an apparent disorder in the feast of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29: 30). Mercy rejoices against judgment.

Next note the power of life put forth on the man with the withered hand. He is a picture of Israel who instead of the freshness of living power to serve God which the hand represents, had become withered and decayed. "Stretch forth thy hand." How could a man with a dead hand stretch it forth? The living One who said the word imparted the power and in the presence of the exasperated Pharisees the man's hand was made whole. They held a council to destroy Him, but the Lord went on with His works of mercy. They were on the line of murder, He in the way of mercy. They were mad, He was sad (Luke 6: 11. Mark 3: 5-6).

Two things mark these leaders. They are here described by the Spirit as the bruised reed and smoking flax. First they had a pretence to support the weak but when leaned upon could only wound (see Isaiah 36: 6. Ezek. 29: 6, 7). Second, a burning hatred which is powerless, but waits its time to break out into fierceness of flame (Isaiah 7: 5). This is how the Spirit designates these men in their council of murder. But see Jehovah's Servant in the moral beauty of His service. " My Beloved in Whom My soul is well pleased ... He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory." His heart and hands were so full of His works of mercy that all else must stand over till they are finished. Then shall He deal with those murderers in consuming judgment. Meantime His work goes on in the remnant of His people soon to break through to the Gentiles (Acts 1: 8 from whom many shall come and hope in Him (Romans 15: 12). In the midst of His glories both personal and official which mark this section this gem of moral beauty is set (Matt. 13: 21) in a way that calls forth admiration as well as adoration and leads to the fullest praise.

Here then one glorious Figure towers above all else in the chapter, and from this point down to verse 37 He meets the whole power of evil. He took no notice of the charge of casting out demons in Matthew 9, by the power of Beelzebub, but does so here in a way that narrows everything down to Himself and the opposing power of the devil. "He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." The tree is either good and its fruit good or corrupt and the fruit corrupt (verse 33). The two classes could not be clearer, and in the light of christian doctrine it is the distinction between what is of Christ and of Adam. Here the two generations are brought out: one come under judgment as having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and another coming into view as doing the will of the Father and associating themselves with the Son, the rejected Messiah.

Mixed with the fearful state of things which was bringing down judgment and breaking the links between Him and the nation there was much of a deeply pathetic character. The marks of moral death and decay on the one hand coupled with a people whose state could only be likened to a sheep fallen into a pit; the moral insensibility of the leaders that would hinder their rescue and charge their great Benefactor with evil, and under cover consult His death. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . how often would I . . . and ye would not!" Surely blind and dumb and possessed of a devil described the nation at that moment whose true condition was seen in their leaders.

Their leaders seek a sign (verse 38), a sign of awful portent would be given. The sign in Luke 2. 12 was His birth. A "Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger," that had failed to affect them; here it is His death and resurrection. Jonah had come forth from the belly of hell (Sheol) a sign to the Ninevites; the Lord Jesus Christ would come forth from victory over death a Judge to this generation. In chapter 11 three cities of Galilee were contrasted with three cities of terrible notoriety. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had left these far behind in guilt. Here the contrast is between the men of Jonah's day and "this generation." The Queen from darkest Africa and the men of Nineveh would rise up in the judgment against these people who were rejecting the Lord of glory. There had been an external cleansing since the days when Jerusalem's sisters were Samaria and Sodom (Ezekiel 16) but now the last state was worst of all. Whatever fulfilment this passage (verse 43-45) is yet to have, and it certainly will have a terrible one, the rejection of the Son of God passes beyond all other sin.

Since the fame of the Lord is our theme a few words on the group of chapters eleven to sixteen may help to clarify the position. We who live in the full light of revelation find it difficult to visualise the position as it was before the eyes of the people at this time. Prophecy had outlined in glowing language the coming of the Messiah in glory to reign (Psalm 72 and 96-100), but it had also foretold His rejection, suffering and death. While all were ready to receive a King in splendour there were few prepared to accept the lowly homeless Stranger. A King in Solomonic splendour would have been hailed with general acclamation, but One born in a stable and coming from an obscure village was out of the question. A King with outward display might put honour on the people and deliver them from bondage, but a lowly Stranger! who could understand? Yet the Prophets had spoken of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow (1 Peter 1: 11: Psalm 22: Isaiah 53). The passage from Peter links together both comings, but the church age coming in between none could understand at that time.

The presence of the Lord among His people had all nations in view for the Incarnation was really a covenant made with all the peoples (Gen. 49: 10: Zech. 11: 10). The Lord was there in all the grace of the good Shepherd to feed His flock, His rejection by them constituted them a flock of slaughter; a dreadful slaughter which was carried out later by the Romans. He is seen in the prophet with two staves, a rod and a staff, the one called Beauty or Favour which meant protection; the other He called Bands in view of binding Israel together in blessing. All this grace was refused and in their blind infatuation they sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. (Ex. 21: 32; Zech. 11: 12, 13; Matt. 26: 15.) The consequence was that He broke the staves, the whole world came under judgment as proved at the cross, and the blessing both of the Jew and the nations postponed till He comes again after the gathering in of the church out of the world.

The Lord's rejection thus made room for the turn of the dispensation, and at this point He steps out into the wider place of Son of Man, and begins to unfold a new order of things, namely, the kingdom in the mystery and the Assembly (Church) as its inner treasure, which would result from the cross and the coming of the Spirit from Christ glorified. It was not that His rejection was a surprise which caused the formulation of a new plan. No, all was foreknown, and the perversity of the people made room for God to bring about deeper things which lay behind His outer ways with Israel.

The Lord proceeds in Matthew 13 to connect His labours which had seemed to be for nought and in vain in Israel with the Kingdom as now coming in. Though refused by the covenant people the kingdom would go on but in a different way. Instead of the blessing of the nations with Israel at the head it would be a Kingdom in mystery, as having its King, the source of life, light and glory, an object of faith at the right hand of God in heaven. This leaves room for a hint as to His Assembly, in the pearl of great price, which we shall see is the innermost thought of His blessed heart. Could anything show the perfection and beauty of God's ways like this?

Here is the secret of the permission of Messiah's rejection. The future day of glory necessitated the cross and the call of the Assembly, that company destined in the purpose of God to be the vessel in which the Son would find all His deepest joys and God would give an answer to the creation concerning the sin question and the solution of every moral question.

Matthew 13

The long chain of parables in chapter 13 bring out the glory of the great King-Prophet. In Hebrews He is the King-Priest. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) the Godhead glory shines through the words, and the same is here in the Sermon on the sea. The mountain is descriptive of Israel but the sea speaks of the testimony of God among the nations of the world. No created being could behold the future ages and give an accurate description of coming events. In the seven parables before us the Lord connects His second coming with His first and shows the leading features of testimony during the time that rolls in between. He Who holds every heart under control can alone describe the future, and in His prophetic discourse we see the great Immanuel.

The first parable is given in verses 1-8, and the explanation in 18-23. Between these the Lord opens out the situation to the disciples and the place of favour to which they were called. A parallel is seen in Revelation 2: 18-23 where the Son of Man with eyes as a flame of fire and feet like fine brass removes in holy judgment the candlestick of the professing church because of its state of iniquity, and singles out a remnant, putting them in a place of favour and witness for Himself. "To you it is given," the Lord says here, "to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given . . . Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not neither do they understand . . But blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears for they hear, For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye hear and have not heard them." As the wicked and unprofitable generation recede from the place of testimony the new company are seen separated from the nation to the place of richest favour.

The parable shows what the Lord had been doing since He began His ministry. Refused as Messiah, Son of David, He did not then begin to sow but had been sowing all along in view of a harvest from a much wider field. This work might necessitate a transition of the remnant of His people to the nations, extending the boundaries of divine testimony in the earth to a much wider sphere; a work which-His rejection made room for.

He opened His heart to them strewing the secret working of God head wisdom in the divine ways from the beginning of the world. The One Who created the world planned also the ages (John 1: 1-3. Hebrews 1: 1-2). The inconceivable grandeur of the milky way with its innumerable hosts of suns and systems shows His creative power, but the ages with their unfoldings of moral life bespeak His wisdom and resource. Here at the turn of one age and the entrance upon another He stands in Manhood the ONE who planned them, the great Centre of all strewing to His disciples their place with Him in divine favour and bringing out of His treasures things new and old. If the time had not yet come for unfolding eternal things which belong to eternal counsels He, as the great centre of the time ways of God, can speak to them of things kept secret from the world's foundation (Verse 35. cp. Psalm 78: 2).

The first of the parables describes His work on earth; all the rest describe the kingdom as set up from Him exalted to heaven. These last six are commonly spoken of as similitudes of the Kingdom, and are divided into two threes at verse 36 by the Lord's movements. The first three are spoken in the presence of all and have the external order of divine testimony in view, the last three are spoken inside the house, and have the inner spiritual side of the dispensation in view. The three outstanding elements of prophecy mark the whole six. The pre-intimation, the whole outline in range, and then the fulfilment. These again presuppose the eye of Omniscience, the attribute of Omnipotence that is almighty to fulfil and the beneficent wisdom and goodness of divine love. If He is Immanuel then the power of evil which seemed to have triumphed in His abasement and rejection can but serve His glorious design.

The parable of the wheat and tares properly understood helps greatly to the understanding of the whole, and since much has been written on this chain of parables we shall only note a few points which help to bring out the beauty of the King. "The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man which sowed good seed in his field." The parable is given in verse 24-30 and the explanation in 37-43. A man sowed good seed in his field. The Sower is the Son of Man, the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom (v. 24 and 37-38). But while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares (28). The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the tares are the children of the wicked one; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Thus far is the complete explanation of the parable. Now for the glory and the future of that which was gathered into the barn. The ground covered includes from Pentecost right through the church age, past the rapture of the heavenly saints, and through the preparatory providential judgments right into the scene of millennial glory strewing the whole divided into two grand parts, the heavenly and the earthly; the one the Kingdom of the Father, and the other the Kingdom under the whole heaven, the Kingdom of the Son of Man (verse 41, 43, and see Daniel 7: 27). It began as the kingdom in mystery and runs on to the kingdom in glory, and while the result of the enemy's work is only too sadly in evidence, room is left for all its inner grandeur going on to the final glory of the righteous shining forth in the Kingdom of their Father.

In the following parable (verses 31-32) the Lord foreshows the wholesale departure and development of worldliness in the christian profession during the time that the wheat and tares grow together. The beginning at Pentecost was outwardly insignificant but in process of time it grew to become a great public concern. From a small beginning, a mere mustard seed, there sprang up in process of time a great imposing commonwealth likened to a great tree which became the shelter of the birds of the air. Its passage from Pentecost and the Apostles to the church of the fathers and on to the Papacy was steady, but in the next parable the Lord shows the inner corrupting principle which was at work permeating the whole.

Having reached the point where all seemed defeat the Lord goes inside and after explaining the parable of the wheat and tares gives to His disciples a glimpse of what was really the cause of God's forbearance with the outer ruin he had previously sketched. In the next two little parables we pass from man to God, to that which, though but dimly touched, is the richest part of His eternal purpose in Christ. He began to speak inside of what belongs to the inside, of what is of priceless value to Himself; the treasure and the pearl. The treasure was unseen and unknown to all but Himself. He found it and hid it again. The great tree might be conspicuous but that which was of interest to Him can only be in evidence when He reigns. The pearl was of great value. He was seeking beautiful pearls and found one of great value and went and sold all that He had and bought it.

In the first similitude the enemy was busy while men slept; in the second there was expansion, publicity and popularity, while the third shows the hidden power of corruption that underlay it all. But in the Treasure and the Pearl there is that which is gratifying to the Lord; that which in its own indestructible beauty passes beyond the power of the enemy to corrupt. It is not merely that believers are distinguished from unbelievers as in the case of the wheat and tares, it is the saints seen in the light of eternal purpose anticipatively in the divine nature and in the life of Christ. The great idea is preciousness; for such a pearl He sold all that He possessed, yea, He went further for "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it." In accord with this we read of the saints being "God's workmanship" and also "He that hath wrought us the self-same thing is God."

The last of the similitudes is the net cast into the sea. In the first it was the seed sown in the field of mankind here it is the same testimony among the nations and the end carries us outside the present age to judgment. Angels, providential agents of the King, remove all that offends. Whether it be the sea or the field, all are His. His by creation and also by purchase on the cross. While all are His by double right, He acts here in the light of the latter. He bought the field, in view of the treasure and it was costly, for to secure it He had to sell all that He had. If the treasure was to be had He must purchase the whole field, this gave Him possession of all. The time is near when He shall ask and receive the heathen for His inheritance, but distinct from these is the wheat which are the children of the kingdom and the tares which are the children of the devil.

Matthew 14 and Matthew 15. "And His fame went throughout all Syria," Matt. 4: 24.

In chapter 14 the apparent triumph of evil in the death of John the Baptist becomes the occasion to introduce certain features of the Lord's glory in relation to the new thing that was coming in, namely, His church. Being rejected as the Messiah by Israel, He declares in Matthew 16 that He would build His church upon an impregnable foundation.

The three incidents that follow the murder of John — the feeding of the five thousand, His going up into the mountain alone, when His disciples were sent away across the sea, and His coming to them walking on the water, show the wisdom of the Lord in relation to God's glory and man's need in view of the transition that was taking place. The first incident shows the headship of Christ, the second His priestly service, and the third His lordship.

The grace of the Lord is seen in relation to the need of men. This is the basis upon which all that we may learn of His glory rests. The circumstances were Jewish, but the time had come for Him to put the stamp of a heavenly order upon them. He was a rejected Saviour, and about Him gathered His disciples, a remnant of the people, and then the hungry multitude. His heart went out to these for He could not be indifferent to their need. From five loaves and two small fishes He fed them all, and then said "Gather up the fragments that nothing be lost," and there were twelve baskets full gathered up. The number twelve in Scripture often denotes divine administration through human vessels, as the twelve disciples, etc. We may apply this to what was then near at hand. The disciples were being fitted to go forth into the world with a basket each, filled with the good things of God. Their service here of carrying His bounty to the hungry multitude was a fitting introduction to the great work they were called to do after He had gone on high, and the Holy Ghost had come down at Pentecost. We may give the miracle a distant application also and see in it the time of the full blessing of Israel in the day of their deliverance, and that blessing overflowing to the nations.

How His glory shines out here, and what fame is His! Omnipotence at work in creating food, His power being at the service of His compassion, the foreshadowing of His administrative supremacy on high, He is rich unto all that call upon Him, as well as the indication that He was indeed David's Son and David's Lord who will bring in the glory and the plenty of the millennial day. His authority, capability and resources as well as His compassion illustrate for us His present place on high as the head of every man. Joseph in Egypt displayed the wisdom of headship by interpreting Pharoah's dreams and preparing bread for the people. Our Lord is Himself that which He ministers (John 6) for here as everywhere the contrast between Him and all others is marked. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh which I will give for the life of the world."

After sending the disciples away and dismissing the multitude to their homes He went into the mountain alone. He separates His own from the mass of men while He goes on high. "Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world" (John 15). While He is away the world goes on forgetful of all His benefits, and His own are tossed upon the waves, the wind contrary, verse 24. The sheet of troubled waters is not an inapt figure of what the devil — the prince of the power of the air — has made this world for those who witness for Christ. Taking the distant view, the disciples represent all that is proper to Israel and about them the storm will rage to its very height, for they have yet to pass through "Jacob's trouble." But then He will appear for their deliverance. He came once and the nation refused Him, but in the language of Scripture He will appear the second time to them that look for Him unto salvation.

His coming will bring their travail to an end for as soon as He entered the ship the wind ceased. The darkest time of Israel's history is fast approaching when in deep distress the remnant of them will cry "For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever" (Psalm 44). At that time of terror He will appear. Then shall they see Him whom they have pierced and shall weep, a national weeping, every family apart. He who plants His footstep on the sea will bring them to their desired haven.

But the incidents have a present application. He has gone on high, and ever liveth to make intercession for His own who are buffeted by the storms of life, yet in another sense He draws near to them. The act of Peter in leaving the boat to go to Jesus on the water has long been used to illustrate the transition from Judaism to Christ. Having been refused by Judaism the Lord is outside it, and the system that refused Him answers to the boat. There was no room for the Lord either in the world or amongst His people Israel, the outside place was His, and Peter by his act indicates the place of the believer in the outside place with Him. For his witness for the Lord the man in John 9 was cast out of the synagogue but he found the Lord there, or the Lord found him there.

The new thing which began at Pentecost, namely the formation of the House of God and the Body of Christ by the Spirit was not a continuation of Judaism. The Apostles and those brought in by their labours were gradually brought from their earthly hopes and expectations to the joy of haying part with Christ in glory. We learn from the Book of Acts how this transition was effected and see the forbearance of God in bearing with that system which had crucified His Son. God bore with it in the forty years between the Cross and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Peter's leaving the ship to go to Jesus is a beautiful expression of what it is to join Christ outside the world, the One disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious.

In His answer to the terrified disciples the Lord said, "Be of good cheer, I am." It is well known that this is the right rendering of the words. We see Him thus a Man yet the great "I Am" in a scene that shows figuratively all the power of evil under His feet. He walks upon the sea as His by double right: in Godhead He created it and in Manhood it forms part of His vast domain and in a coming day when the universe, animate and inanimate, hymns forth His praises, the sea shall join with all other parts in that universal song. "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar and the fulness thereof, Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord" (Ps. 96: 12, 13).

The sea is often taken in Scripture to represent the restless forces of evil. At its creation He had shut it up within doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb. He had set bars and doors and said, Hitherto shalt thou come but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed. Again it is said "The floods have lifted up, O Lord the floods have lifted up their voice. The floods have lifted up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Job 38: 8-11; Ps. 93: 34). Here in the double rights of His Divine-human Person the Lord Jesus Christ is seen with all the powers of evil figuratively underneath His feet. What a scene for our devout contemplation; well might we adoringly sing "Crown Him LORD of all."

At the end of the chapter He is received where He had been before refused (See Matt. 9). He is coming and will be received in the world that preferred its commerce and its swine to the holy One; meantime we are permitted to enrich our souls with all the moral wealth of such unfoldings of His glorious Person morally and officially as come out in the incidents where He made the very needs and distresses of His people to draw out the riches of His grace and glory.

We may sum up the 15th chapter of our Gospel in the words exposure and disclosure. The exposure of the heart of man and the disclosure of what is in the heart of God. Both Peter and John speak of the Lord as holy and righteous, both features shine out here in the exposure of these leaders of the Jews who were again finding fault because the disciples did not conform to their traditions. The Lord quotes from the Scriptures in which they boasted to bring home to them their hypocrisy. To possess the outward form of religion with the heart untouched is the most dreadful of all states in which a man can be. Zeal for religious observances with an unsubdued spirit sears the conscience and hardens the heart, and blinds men even to the extent of refusing aid to helpless dependants under the pretext of faithfulness to God.

He deals first with these blind leaders and then in verse 10 turns to the multitude, and lastly addresses the disciples, verses 15 - 20. To these last He describes the utter corruption of the human heart in a way that corresponds with the Holy Spirit's summing up of the human race in the three great branches of it — Shem, Ham and Japheth (Rom. 1 - 3). There appears to be some correspondence with Romans 7 and 8 also. The Lord goes to the root of things, He exposes the condition of the human race. His words are of universal application. In Romans 7 we hear the cry for deliverance from this state of things in view of entering into the liberty of Romans 8; and here the exposure of man's condition precedes the wonderful revelation of the church in Romans 16, where we learn that those who form it are of the same nature as Christ Himself, the builder of it.

As always the Pharisees displayed the perversity of the flesh, but in the incident that follows the power of the devil is revealed; both were opposed to Christ, and the truth is that it is through the flesh, or fallen condition in which man is, that the devil works against God; he has succeeded in turning against the Creator His best workmanship. But have we not today something which closely resembles what is disclosed in these chapters? Apostasy from the faith once for all delivered to the saints is spreading with alarming rapidity in Christendom, the leaders of this apostasy answer to the leaders who- opposed the Lord, while we have a strong evangelical element, for which we may be thankful, which answers to the state of the disciples; real souls who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, but like the disciples not fully able to avail themselves of the great resources that are for them in Christ. Then there are those, who may be of no account in men's eyes, who like Peter have learnt of the Father something of the glory of Christ and what the assembly is to Him (Matt. 16). It is a blessed thing to know that He who was "cut off and had nothing" so far as Israel and the kingdom of this world went, did not go until He could say, "I will build My church." We may thank God that in the midst of the growing apostasy we may through grace appreciate the glory and the grace of Christ and appropriate the precious things of heaven of which He is the Administrator.

There is something unusual in the Lord's manner towards the woman of Canaan. We cannot recall a case in which He refused to answer except in the case of Herod, and there He was carrying out His own injunction "Give not that which is holy to dogs." From Him who came from heaven freighted with divine bounty to meet all need there was no answer to a cry of need. Why? The answer from a dispensational point of view may be twofold. A Gentile could not be met on the ground of the Messianic testimony, she had no claim on the Son of David as such. Though morally, as the sequel proved, far beyond the Jew, she cannot be heard on that ground. Secondly, all that which the nation had refused He will honour. The relationship and blessings of Israel will yet be owned and met, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. This Gospel may be said to present Him as the Minister of the circumcision to confirm the promise made to the fathers but if we look at the text we have cited we shall see that it finishes with the words "that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy" (Romans 15: 8, 9).

The mercy of God transferred this woman from the place of a dog to blessing of the highest character. She owns Him Son of David, she owns Him Lord and acknowledges Israel to be the children and herself a dog. but beyond that she has a sense that the One she is addressing cannot refuse to meet her need. Her faith penetrates through every difficulty, dispensational or otherwise, right to the heart of the Lord and it meets as it always does its full reward. He said, "O woman, great is thy faith." To her as to ourselves the crumbs turn out to be the very best; like the baskets taken up after the desert feast they speak of the precious things of heaven.

Here again note the combination of glories which meet and shine forth in the Person of our Lord. He cast out the demon but did not go to where the girl was; He is God, omnipresent, and His power is in operation everywhere and so He met and answered the faith of the woman out of His sovereign mercy. The moral perfections of His Manhood are seen in the way He acts, while what is official and dispensational comes into evidence in the way He guards and honours the place of the people who had already dishonoured and rejected Him.

The feeding of the 4,000 sets forth the unwearied patience and ungrudging beneficence of the Lord. He had already fed her poor with bread according to Psalm 132. Here He repeats and extends His bounty in a way that fits exactly into that moment, namely the widening out to all nations the testimony of His grace. The feeding of the 4,000 seems to have been a miracle of greater proportions than that of the previous feast where 5,000 were fed. There are certain peculiarities in regard to time, place and numbers which seem to indicate this; while both were the fruit of Omnipotence the bearing of each was different. The time was later as witnessed in their sitting upon the ground or earth and not on the grass as in Perea on the eastern shore of the Lake of Galilee.

There the people would be mostly Gentile, as we read "Galilee of the Gentiles." But perhaps the most notable difference lay in the difference of the numbers used. The numbers five and twelve, in the first feast are pretty much Jewish as seen in the Pentateuch and the twelve tribes, while four and seven are numbers that speak more of the creation in relation to God. Four speaks of what is universal, and seven of divine bounty ministered to the creature. Seven can be viewed indeed as four and three which gives God in Trinity in relation to the universe. Taken with all the circumstances it is clear that we are much more on Gentile ground and in the gospel age. In the former there were twelve small baskets. one for each of the disciples, here there were seven large baskets, as those who read the original tell us. In the former we have a ministry begun at Pentecost which like all committed to men broke down, in the latter we have that which speaks of heaven's administration which never breaks down because it is in the hands of God.

This turns us to the blessed One Himself who ever is the guarantee of divine fulness of blessing in unbroken continuity. If the exposure of man was deep, strewing the universal state and not that of the covenant people only, the disclosure of the heart of God to meet it was also complete. "I have compassion on the multitude . . . and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way," was the revelation of His blessed heart, strewing forth His moral glory and bringing in His activities which display Him in Divine Omnipotence and grace. This again put forth in such a way as to go far beyond the need and create the position for seven large baskets to be gathered up as if He would bring us to the very heart of God in its limitless outflow towards His poor fallen creatures in their need.

Matthew 16

The cleavage between the Lord and the leaders of Israel be comes very manifest at the opening of chapter 16. Like many leaders in Christendom to-day, they were materialistic, but stood convicted of moral blindness, for they could discern the face of the sky, but Him they knew not, nor the time of their visitation. His refusal to give them a sign left them in their darkness. He had already exposed the blindness of the nation when He gave Jonah as a sign against them in Matthew 12, here He goes further and turns away from them. "He left them and departed," verse 4. It is humbling to see that the disciples with all their privileges as being always in His company were hampered by materialism also. When He warned them against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees their minds ran on food, they seemed incapable of receiving moral instruction.

It is interesting and of great importance to note that before bringing out the truth of the Church for the first time in His ministry to them, He warned them against these two leavens. The leaven of the Pharisees is Ritualism, and the leaven of the Sadducees is Rationalism. The pure truth of the Church has been corrupted all down the centuries by one or other, or both these leavens, and was never more so than today. It is the enemy's work, and he knows that no one can know the blessedness of the truth of what the Lord speaks of as "My Church" who is under the influence of the doctrines of the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

Amid the conflict of opinions concerning our Lord there came from the lips of Peter a true confession as to Who He was, "the Christ, the Son of the living God," but Peter did not arrive at this great confession by natural observation, it was a revelation to Him from the Father in heaven. This confession goes beyond that of Nathaniel's in John 1: 49, which had Psalm 2 in view, and beyond that of Martha's in John 11. It was the revelation of One who though truly Man is beyond the estate of man — the Son in Manhood into whose hand the Father has put all things. And it has often been truly said that no one can understand the truth of the Church who has not first apprehended the truth as to the Lord's person.

It is as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," rejected as Messiah by Israel, that He becomes the builder of something that He can call His own. As the rejected One. He stood with His disciples, — the babes of John 11: 25, looking forward to the time when in virtue of redemption He would begin to build His assembly, a new spiritual structure wherein He would deposit and carry through all the blessings which Israel had refused. This building began at Pentecost, and it necessitated the transfer of the disciples from Jewish relationships and hopes to that of living stones in a living house, built by the Son of the living God.

His Church, the Assembly, derives its existence from Him as the Son of the living God, but the Kingdom is bound up with Him as the Son of Man. He had said, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?"

After speaking of the Assembly, He proceeds to speak of the kingdom and its administration as it exists in mystery today — i.e. in its hidden character, in contrast to the time when it will be in public display. To Peter He said, "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This clearly refers to the place given to Peter in the front rank of the testimony as seen in the Acts of the Apostles. He it was who was used of the Spirit to open the Kingdom for the Jews in Acts 2, and for the Gentiles in Acts 10. Binding and loosing was committed to all the Apostles (Matt. 18) and seems to refer to the way heaven ratified their work as under the control of the Holy Spirit.

This passage brings together the Assembly and the Kingdom. The one is the inner and the other the outer. It has been said that the Kingdom is the bulwark of the Assembly. We remember that David had to establish the Kingdom before Solomon could build the temple. In the Epistle to the Ephesians the assembly is viewed as the fruit of the eternal purpose of God in its richest and highest place of blessing as God's house, His habitation, a holy temple in the Lord; consequently in Ephesians 6 the saints are exhorted to stand against the wiles of the enemy, having on the whole armour of God. They are to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Administration is the thought here. Those who are being built up a spiritual house are subjects of Christ as Lord, and fitted to take up His interests. The Lord is the great Administrator in the kingdom and in His might the saints stand against the enemy, while at the same time they are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit, Ephesians 2: 22.

At this point the Lord is seen in each of the first three Gospels acting in the light of Isaiah 8: 16-18. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples and I will wait upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of Jacob . . Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given Me are for signs and wonders; etc., etc. Here He charged His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ (Matthew 16: 20). Having introduced the new thing which He would build, the necessity of His death comes before Him; and Peter, the one who had just been so greatly favoured drops so low as to rebuke Him. Such is man. How often the very greatness of our blessing throws us off our guard. Lest he should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations given to him Paul received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him. He who had so signally honoured Peter has to rebuke him saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but the things that be of men."

The recipients of divine favour cannot have a place in the world that crucified their Master. Having given them a place with Himself in the new resurrection order of things which He would set up they must take up their cross and follow Him. It is well for each to count the cost. If a person would essay to follow a rejected Christ he cannot consistently be one with the world that crucified his Master. To take up the work of God and to be in it in the holy influence and power necessary for carrying it on, life must be given up in the sense of citizenship status, rank and all that man counts dear as man in his place in society here. In another place the Lord said "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before you" (John 15: 18). In the passage before us it is not the world casting off the Christian but his giving up the world because of his identification with Christ in another order of things which is divine. These men had given up the world, Peter says so later (see Matt. 19: 27), and His Master does not contradict him, and in spite of his lapse in Matthew 16: 22, he still had the keys and moreover had the place of honour as being one of the three whom the Lord was just about to take with Him into the holy Mount to witness the glory of the Son of Man in His Kingdom.

Matthew 17

Chapter 17 opens with the record of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the holy mount. There He shone in His own proper glory. He was the Man of Sorrows, but here we have a glimpse of Him as the Man of Glory. "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." The presence of Moses and Elijah show that the material for this display was all bound up with the nation of Israel that had refused Him and was about to crucify Him; their blindness and enmity would not rob Him of His glory. Here is an anticipation of the glory of the kingdom that will yet fill heaven and earth. It is a scene of holy splendour based upon redemption in which both heaven and earth unite in His praise. The two heavenly visitors had been pillars in the nation which had been the scene of God's operations. Here they are communing with their Lord and the subject of their communion, as Luke tells us, is His decease — His exodus which He would accomplish at Jerusalem. Upon that everything depended. The wise and prudent of earth could not understand either the meaning or the necessity of His death, the cross is foolishness to them, even His disciples could not in that day grasp it as Peter showed in Matthew 16, but it was the theme of heaven; it was known to Moses and Elijah. They could not have been with Him in that glory except as the fruit of His work on the cross, although all its ignominy and shame and sorrow still lay ahead of Him.

Moses and Elijah picture to us that vast host that will fill the heavens, some having passed through death and others to be called up to meet the Lord in the air at His coming (1 Thess. 4), while the disciples set forth the nation of Israel set up in richest blessing upon the earth and those at the foot of the mountain, the nations that will yet come into millennial blessedness under His glorious sway, when He appears to undo all the works of the devil. In that way we may think of Him as Son of God in relation to the Church, Son of David in relation to Israel, and Son of Man in relation to the Gentile. But there is still something of His glory that carries us inside beyond it all. He is the Father's beloved Son. The saints of today, those who form His assembly, His body, and His bride, will see Him in His relation to Israel as the Messiah and in relation to the nations as the glorious Son of Man, but it is theirs to behold Him, in the inner intimacy of sons, as the Father's well-beloved Son. How wonderful is His prayer for them, "Father I will that they 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).

Two great lines of truth run right through the Bible and meet in the Person of our Lord. First, God glorified in the Son of Man and the Son of Man glorified in God. Second, the revelation of the Father in the Son and the Son with the Father in the circle of divine affections which in its own innate excellence reaches to that which is beyond display. Both are here, the former prefigured in full regal splendour, the latter embodied in the Shekinah cloud and the voice of the Father.

The Transfiguration was clearly an answer given to the Lord by the Father with regard to His service. From that landmark in His pathway the Lord descended right down to the Cross. The glory of the Kingdom and indeed every part of the glory of Godhead right through to eternity must be secured there. The three who were with Him were told to tell it to no man till after He was risen. Matthew, Mark and Luke record it and Peter as the only one of the three present speaks of it in his second Epistle. "We . . . were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Peter's language about building three tabernacles has often been spoken of as an attempt however well meaning to lower the Lord. We may say that it showed how little he had understood the revelation of the Father to him in the previous chapter, and yet it could not be otherwise, for until the Spirit came neither he nor any of them could enter into the meaning of the wonderful favour which had been theirs as being the companions of the Man who is God the Son.

His death was before the Lord. Of it He talked with Moses and Elijah. On coming down the mountain He spoke of it again, and later to them all (see verses 12, 22, 23). But the incident at the foot of the mountain was a trial to His spirit and drew forth a peculiarly solemn word to His disciples. "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you." He connects the close of His testimony among them with want of ability on their part to avail themselves of all that He had put at their disposal. It is indeed solemn to see the close of the Lord's service here linked with the want of faith and power of His own to make good what he had brought to them. But blessed be His name, no failure on our part can lessen His love or interfere with the wealth of blessing He has brought us into. This is surely made abundantly clear in the incident at the end of the chapter.

The moral perfection of our Lord in relation to His transfiguration must not be missed. It has power to fill our souls with praise and worship. The Man Christ Jesus is here seen as the Ante-type of the Hebrew Slave. "And if the servant shall plainly say I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him . . . unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be His servant for ever" (Exodus 21: 5, 6). It was at this point that the Lord acted in the spirit of this passage and declared in an unmistakable way that He would not go out free. He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. This was for Him the valley of humiliation right down to the Cross. His personal fitness as well as His right to go up at that moment none would deny. But had He done so He must have remained alone, a Man in heaven for evermore. He had left heaven to die, and had said the Son of Man must be lifted up, and "It was a necessity." The glory of God, the fulfilment of Scripture and the blessing of every creature hung upon His death, but while giving full place to all this we bow with adoration as we discern the moral beauty of the Man Christ Jesus who would not go out free. The Hebrew servant was to have his ear bored with an awl and become his master's servant forever, setting forth the cross and a token of the condescension of Him who by that cross has become a Servant forever.

All this is richly amplified in the closing incident of the chapter: the incident of the tribute money. Peter with his best intentions is again at fault. Nothing could more conclusively prove the hopelessness of man in nature to understand the things of God, they can only be known by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2). It was not flesh in an evil way. Peter was doing his utmost to show his appreciation of his Master but was unconsciously lowering Him. Of course my Master pays the tribute: He could not be behind in anything and particularly in that which concerns the House of God. Yet his previous confession put the Lord infinitely beyond both the temple and the tax. The question the Lord puts to Peter puts the whole thing in order. "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers? "Of strangers," said Peter. The point was simplicity itself. "Then are the sons free," said the Lord. In another place the Lord said, "If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed." The point here however is the way He connects Peter with Himself. He, the Son of God, stood beyond these claims, but in grace He would come down to it and pay the tribute. Peter is sent to the sea to get that which would meet and pay the tribute both for his Master and himself.

The way the moral beauty of manhood combines with Godhead in this act fills our souls with deep delight. Could any manifestation of Godhead power impress us more than what is here? He not only sent Peter but controlled the fish. All creation is His and all is under His control not only on the land but whatsoever passes through the paths of the deep!

In its figurative bearing we touch the deeper depth of the heart of the Son of God. It speaks to our hearts of that which can never be forgotten, which will cause the hallelujahs of countless hosts of redeemed throughout eternity's golden days. Death lay upon all at that moment but He, the Man Christ Jesus stood outside its claims. As we have seen He could have gone out free but how then was the "mighty debt" to be paid? He who is free from the claims of death endures the death due to us that He might have us with Himself. He made our sins His, our judgment His judgment and paid the debt we owed. Blessed precious holy Lord we adore, and as we adore THEE our souls are led into the deeper depth of Thy holy perfections as the Son. The depth of Thy humiliation can be measured only by the height of Thy glory and both are beyond our comprehension forever. We see them in combination at Calvary where the heart of God was revealed and thereby each of us learns the meaning of the words "For Me and thee." The Bridge that spans the gulf of death none could cross without paying toll; that which meant eternal condemnation. In love surpassing all thought the Lord of glory paid all that was our due and having met every claim takes us in His own acceptance as those given to Him by the Father into that scene of heavenly bliss to share with Himself all that He inherits and has acquired as our Redeemer and Lord.

Matthew 18

The term "Kingdom of Heaven" is peculiar to this Gospel and denotes a sphere on earth under the "control of a King now enthroned in heaven, centre of power and authority. In this chapter the Lord is instructing His disciples in its laws and ways. None can enter into it save by the door of repentance and the becoming as a little child, and to be great in it, this condition of heart must be maintained. This is moral greatness, and evidently the kingdom of heaven is the exact opposite in principles and character to the kingdoms of this world. It is here composed of true believers, those who have been born again, for only such have the "little child" character; and we have a different view of it to that given in Matthew 13, where wheat and tares grow together. While sin and death reign in the world and its kingdoms, grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life in this kingdom.

True greatness consists in being servant of all, the power for which is in the Lord Jesus Himself, who as in all else was the perfect example of it in a life of service to others. "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, to give His life a ransom for many," Matthew 20: 25-28.

The kingdom of heaven was set up at Pentecost, and worldly rank, wealth and education had no place in it. For nineteen centuries the power of evil has been at work against it, yet it stands today in its own distinctive character, as the sphere where the moral rule of God is maintained, the Lordship of Christ is owned, and salvation for man is enjoyed. The administration of the kingdom was committed to the Apostles and as this was carried out under the control of the Spirit it was endorsed in heaven, and in this chapter the promise of the same goes out to all who are obedient to its laws, verses 18, 20.

This kingdom as it exists today is in mystery, i.e., it is not publicly displayed as it will be when the Lord takes His great power and reigns, now it carries on its gracious work in the hearts of men, and is in moral power. The King is in heaven and His subjects are on earth, therefore all is on the principle of faith. It is prophetically described in the Old Testament, but never in the form described here. There it is the power and splendour of the King, who is the Prince of peace and who ensures a state of society never dreamt of in the kingdoms of men, who will cause the desert to blossom as the rose and fill the earth with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. The more we consider the glowing descriptions of His reign yet to be the more our souls are amazed at the character of His kingdom as it exists today. It was offered to Israel as the prophets had spoken of it at His first coming but His chosen people refused it, and, as to the outward glory of it, it was postponed, and set up instead in mystery.

The rejection of Christ created the position for the display of the resources of the King, for nothing that evil powers could do could defeat Him. In result all that the Kingdom will bring in for man in a public way is available to faith today. The coming day of glory will reveal salvation and eternal life for man in a public way, and indeed all the blessings of the heart of God for men, but these blessings are now enjoyed in the Spirit's power and on the principle of faith by those who have accepted the gospel and have been brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love.

The first feature of the subjects of the Kingdom is that of a little child; simple, confiding and unsophisticated. This strikes at the root of self-importance and a vindictive spirit so that one can be calm and quiet when wronged and leave room for the Lord to take up his case in righteousness. But the Lord speaks of the children as such, saying: —  "See that ye do not despise one of these little ones, for I say unto you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." There is something exceedingly blessed here: His coming and the Father's favour shown to children. Not, to seek and save as in another passage, but to save, tells that though not having wandered away they have inherited fallen nature and must be saved. They have a place of special favour with the Father: their salvation brought Him, the Son of Man here.

We have seen already the connection between the Assembly and the Kingdom. Here it is the working out of the truth locally. In His providential wisdom God has placed His people in relation to one another in a way suited for the furtherance of mutual profit in their daily life. This works out in true Christian fellowship in the enemy's world and is one of the richest favours divine love bestows, but it supposes the blessedness of daily going on with the Lord. If not, the very best thing may work towards sorrow. How often alas, sleepless nights through "local troubles" and "Assembly matters" have to be passed through because grace spoken of here is wanting. "But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone." This indeed would avert many sorrows. But more may be needed, hence the witnesses. But even this may not be enough. What then? Tell it to the Assembly. This was to be the believer's only court of appeal. If still the offender remained obdurate, what then? Leave him alone. "Let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax gatherer."

Binding and loosing on earth and in heaven are spoken of in the next verse. It surely conveys the meaning that whatever was done under the Spirit's control would be endorsed above. This we have seen committed to Peter and in some way carried out. Here it is continued in the Assembly and under the Apostolic advice seems to have been carried out at Corinth. (See 1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 6: 11).

What follows in verses 19 and 20 connects closely with the gathering together of saints in these last days, linking up also with the Philadelphian Epistle of Revelation 3: 7-13. "Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from My Father who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Here is a state produced by the Spirit to which the Lord can attach Himself and the Father can take account of it and grant an answer to the prayers.

Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, the Holy Trinity is seen at work. What is here has been the resource of faith in a day of confusion and general breakup. It would be the link with the revival above referred to by which saints have been recalled to own the Spirit's presence in the Assembly and thereby get the gain of the full truth of the revelation committed to the Assembly at the beginning. It should be remembered that there is no warrant for organisation or ecclesiasticism, but simply a spiritual state which owns the ruin and its own utter helplessness, cleaving in faith to the promise and in this way gets the gain of the Lord's presence and the sense of the approval of the Father. The attempt to go beyond this can only bring sorrow, and alas, we have all to own the sorrowful condition of things so much in evidence to-day, the result of spiritual pride and the opposite to the child-spirit.

Two important things may be noted here. First the full light and blessing committed to the Assembly in the gift of the Spirit. Secondly, we are come to that which no failure, breakdown, or ruin can touch. The presence of Christ in the midst is what distinguished the Assembly at the beginning: it was His first thought if we may reverently say so on rising from the dead (See Psalm 22: 21-22). The prophetic intimation in the Psalm we see carried out in John 20 and after the Assembly was formed the truth of it described in Hebrews 2: 11, 12.

"And when the Queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and their apparel, his cup-bearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." Is there not some faint likeness here of the glorified Man in the midst of His own, those He is not ashamed to call His brethren? What a blessed favour it is to be permitted to meet the Lord in His own circle as risen from the dead. All this in its deep blessedness is available to-day in being gathered to His Name: a Name which gathers up in itself all that He is now in redemption glory, as He Himself has said "My new Name." All this and much more may be said for there is no end to the blessing of companying with the risen Lord in His own circle, but it must be emphasised and more especially in view of the misuse of Matthew 18: 20, that it cannot be touched but in the Spirit. For the Lord to attach Himself to anything else, or the Father grant the petitions or heaven to endorse the actions of anything else, no Spirit-taught soul would ever assert. There is an atmosphere of grace and forgiveness in these verses which is of great value in the sight of heaven and which excludes by its spiritual power the very idea of ecclesiastical claims.

FORGIVENESS, verses 21-35. Peter's question as to how often he should forgive his brother went far beyond what we should be prepared to go naturally, but the Lord's answer shows that there must be no limit to forgiveness, "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God also for Christ's sake hath forgiven you," Ephesians 4: 32. The parable of the unmerciful servant that follows calls for careful consideration. It may be that it has a dispensational bearing and depicts the state of unbelieving Israel among whom the Lord had ministered with such grace, not imputing their transgressions unto them, but it also exposes what human nature is, and by Him who knows the heart, and the soul that is taught of God will feel the need of continually cleaving to the Lord to be preserved from a vindictive spirit and to be like his Master carrying forgiveness to all.

A debt of ten thousand talents means limitless guilt, but forgiveness is also limitless as the seventy times seven indicates. What believing soul would not bow before God in the light of this sovereign goodness and infinite grace that has forgiven him and relieved him of a load of guilt that merited eternal condemnation! In this connection I have thought how blessed and fitting it is that numbers of departing saints and servants of the Lord, even those far advanced in ministering the unsearchable riches of Christ, should fall back in faith upon the precious blood of Christ and the joy that the knowledge of full forgiveness gives. We remember the prayer of the Lord to His Father for the forgiveness of His foes when suffering on the cross; nothing could equal the grace and pathos of that prayer, it melts the soul into adoration before Him and covers us with shame at our lack of grace and narrowness of soul and self-importance in sometimes demanding apologies for wrongs done, instead of overcoming the evil by a greater good.

Dispensationally the Jew owed ten thousand talents but viewed nationally they did not repent, they would not have the grace so freely offered to them and they forbad the Apostles to preach it to others. 1 Thess. 2: 15, 16. But Christendom living long in the full light of the goodness of God is no better than the Jew and a day of solemn reckoning is at hand. Knowing the terror of the Lord and the just doom that awaits a grace-despising Christendom we may well use our time in seeking to arouse men and implore them to turn to the Lord who is rich in mercy and ready to forgive.

Marriage. Matthew 19. His ministry finished in Galilee the Lord departs to beyond Jordan to where a great part of His labour was wrought according to St. Luke. The Pharisees came tempting Him, asking, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? This gave occasion for Him to put His perfect touch on the Divine ordinance of marriage with an allusion to certain exceptions which are of a special nature. It is well known that divorce was common among the Jews at that time, women were put away by their husbands for mere trifles as indeed the form of the question implies. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away" (Mal. 2: 15, 16).

The Lord goes back beyond the Law to show that at the beginning God instituted this relationship and that it takes precedence of every other. God made them male and female, and said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? . . . What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say unto Him, why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? Jehovah in the Law through Moses had permitted divorce in a certain exceptional case (see Deut. 24: 1), not commanded it as they said, and it was because of the hardness of their hearts. This word is the key to the whole passage. Had these men ever entered into the finer feelings of the human soul in relation to the ordering of God for His creature they never could have quibbled about divorce. It is to these same feelings Jehovah appeals when He applies the figure of marriage to the relationship in which Israel stood with Himself and when He pours forth His plaint over their unfaithfulness (see Isaiah 50, Hosea 2). Well might the Lord say unto them "Have ye not read." Had they but entered into the meaning of their own position nationally at that moment it would have led them to think more seriously about the sacred bond of marriage. The light way it is treated today in Christendom shows the terrible departure from the doctrine and the will of God.

We ought to be greatly impressed by the beauty of God's order in marriage, and the way the Holy Spirit takes up this relationship between man and woman to illustrate the holy place of intimacy the Church is put into with the Lord Jesus Christ. "He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom," and the Spirit goes so far as to show the Church as the complement of Christ in answer to the showing forth of the same in Adam and Eve. Marriage was instituted at creation, for an exceptional case divorce was permitted by the law, but now in grace the woman is recovered from deep debasement to her honoured position in life as created by God. The awful departure from it in these last days is working dreadful havoc in society and causing suffering, sorrow and death. Does not this show that an outrage upon marriage is an attack upon the soul in its most inmost and mysterious depth.

The Lord next shows three exceptions to marriage. Two of these are connected with nature from different angles of which we need not speak, but the third is of some import and calls for a few words. "Made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." First let it be noted that we are here far from the shocking thought of enforced celibacy. If we have looked at marriage as the richest blessing in nature: here we have a power introduced by grace which carries one above nature altogether. There is nothing legal, stoical or ecclesiastical about this; perhaps it may be best explained by the well-known phrase: — "The expulsive power of a new affection." It is indeed the blessed power of the grace of heaven working in the heart and so shaping the life that a person is so controlled by the interests of Christ as to forego what is his proper portion as a man here on earth. Everything that could distinguish the

Apostle Paul as a man on earth was given up that he might be free to serve the One he once persecuted. In him we see as doubtless in many others a power working which carried him definitely above nature at her highest and best. This again connects with verses 16-22 of our chapter by contrast but before that there is the incident of the little children being brought to the Lord.

Children. Here again the disciples are at fault much in the same way though perhaps in a lesser degree than the Pharisees, and here again the moral beauty and holy refinement of the Man Christ Jesus shines out. Children are an inheritance from Jehovah (Psalm 127). This is indeed a touching scene; the stern disciples like many others today seemed to have no room for the little ones, but they did not know the heart of their Master. Are we not all children? Surely we would admit that the distance between the child and the man is small compared to the infinite distance between man and the Lord Jesus. He took them up in His arms as He had done before, and said "Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Cp. Mark 9: 36, Mark 10: 16). Still later when the priests and scribes were offended at the children voicing His praise He referred them to Psalm 8 by saying out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise. We little understand how the Lord Jesus could appreciate human nature in its uncorrupted state.

Matthew 19.

The Young Ruler. We have had the beauty of God's order in creation with regard to nature, then; the beauty of nature in its uncorrupted state in the little ones and the moral beauty and perfection of the Lord's ways with regard to both. In what follows we see how nature can conform to the outward forms of the Law without any true knowledge of self, and how one could seek the Lord's approval and blessing apart from complete surrender of heart to Himself. This is a peculiarly pathetic case. How it must have affected His blessed heart to look on this young man and love him and then to have to expose him to himself in the very springs of his moral consciousness. We have seen in this Gospel where man would prefer his commerce even among swine than have the Saviour, but here we have a character that is irreproachable, one whom the Lord could look upon and love (See the parallel passage in Mark 10) one who had kept himself blameless in the light of the outward form of the Law and yet he would prefer earth and its good things to having Christ and heaven. Nor, let it be remarked, was he alone in this for it is the universal state of man in nature as fallen and gone far from God. This is that which the Lord alone could detect and His doing it not only exposed this young man but shows to every one of us where we were and are apart from the grace of our God.

Here again the Apostle Paul shows the way out both in his doctrine and practice. He, like this young man was according to the law blameless. He could say, "I had not had conscience of lust except the Law had said, Thou shalt not lust." The last commandment of the ten exposed him to himself and showed him that however blameless he was in an outward way there was a state of corruption within from which nothing could deliver him but the death of Christ. This through grace he faced, as he tells us, "For I through the Law have died to Law that I might live to God" (Romans 7: 7; Galatians 2: 19).

The young man went away sorrowful. He was outwardly blameless, upright and lovable, but his love for earth and earthly things was too strong to allow him to have Christ and the precious things of heaven. Such a case cannot well be dismissed without a tear, but if so do not let us forget that but for the grace of God everyone of us would have judged things as he did. Another question might well be raised with those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, namely, how far do we in practice put earth and earthly things before heaven and the whole range of unseen things — the sphere of faith? It is just here that the whole-hearted devotedness of Paul was seen. He provided the perfect answer to what the Lord desired from this young man. Outstanding in every way as a man in rank, status and personal qualifications; he laid all down at the feet of Him who called him by His grace from being a rabid persecutor to be a humble follower of Himself, the rejected Christ. It was he who said, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (See 2 Cor. 4: 17-18; and Phil. 3: 4-10).

But the disciples had left all to follow the Lord, therefore Peter says, "What shall we have?" It's as if he said we have done what this young man would not do. The Lord graciously meets this with both present and future reward. They would have a distinct place in the coming day of glory, then widening out, He mentions a full present and eternal reward to all who give up what is natural for His Name's sake. Whatever the reward may be and thank God there will be a rich reward to each and every one that has given up for Christ and sought to serve Him, yet it is well to see that the Person of Christ and true devotedness to Him is always the motive for true service. This indeed ensures the enjoyment of the hundredfold now as well as to inherit everlasting life.

Have we noted how the moral glory of our Lord Jesus Christ pervades this nineteenth chapter of Matthew? Difficult questions are met and delicate matters adjusted, human nature is treated both before the fall and after, in its sinful state under Law, and in its uncorrupt condition in the children, and in that peculiar state in the young man who though outwardly blameless had his heart set so on his possessions that he refused Christ and missed heaven's very best. But in this blessed and glorious Teacher there has come a new power which can carry us outside and above nature in every sense and make us lay ourselves at His feet and count everything else but dung and dross.

This parable of the householder and the labourers links on with Peter's question in the previous chapter, "Behold we have forsaken all, and followed Thee, what shall we have therefore?" It is confessedly a difficult parable but it is a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, and may be more easily understood if we see that service and not salvation is the theme. Of course the motive power for all true service is salvation. We are saved by grace and it follows that our walk, our conduct and our service must be on the same principle. All true service is the outcome of salvation and life, but there may be service which flows from mere profession. This is supposed in the case of these labourers who agreed to serve the householder for a certain pay. They entered a profession, the pay and not the work was the first thing with them, that such a thing is possible is clearly proved in Luke 12: 45-48.

True servants of Christ have drunk of His grace and are controlled by the desire for His glory and the blessing of their fellow men, being filled with gratitude for the grace that permits them to serve such a Master, as is the Lord, our Saviour. The holy and estimable privilege of serving Him would be utterly lost if we bargained with Him about it. The legal principle of bargaining for so much pay shows that in this parable the Lord had the kingdom of heaven in its widest aspect in view and that of course includes profession.

Devotedness to Christ will not lose its reward, neither here nor hereafter but that devotedness is fed so to speak by communion with the Lord in the blessedness of the new life and nature and in the power of the new relationship. The Gospel of Mark presents our Lord as the Servant-Son and the service of believers seen in its proper dignity is the service of sons. To work for the Lord because of future reward is mercenary but to work in the power of holy affections puts the stamp of heaven on the service and brings us out in the likeness morally of Him whom we serve. Reward may be promised while in the service but it is not the motive power. If we contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ in His service we learn how to serve.

Of the various groups of workers employed by the Master the first only made a stipulated agreement. This surely is Law and makes God to be man's debtor. But whoever makes the bargain will get his due and proper reward in righteousness, though it leaves him discontented and finding fault. There is nothing of this with the rest. Those hired at the third hour had borne the burden of the day much more than the eleventh-hour men but there is no mention of complaint: they were evidently on the line of grace. The parable is only found in this Gospel and has a dispensational bearing, but we must remember that although the Gentile was brought in on the principle of grace, Christendom has long ago departed from the truth and indeed has gone further on the legal principle and on the line of bargaining than Judaism. The Lord had introduced the parable with the words: — "Many first shall be last, and last first." but closed it with the reverse; evidently referring in the first to the way the servants conducted themselves but in the last to the work of God.

On the way up to Jerusalem for the last time the Lord speaks afresh to His disciples about His death. "The Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and to the scribes and they shall condemn Him to death and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge and to crucify Him and the third day He shall rise again." The deep and solemn events connected with the end of His pathway was bearing on His blessed spirit as the time was drawing nigh. Just then there came to the front the hidden arrangement between two of His disciples and their mother.

This is indeed a humbling picture. Peter had asked the Lord: — "What shall we have," James and John go further and ask what they want, but in doing so they employ their mother. All this be it remembered from the men who belonged to the inner circle of the Lord's disciples and at a time when His blessed heart was distressed with thoughts of the darkness of Calvary. The folly and vanity of fallen flesh is indeed amazing, in spite of the fact that we know it so well in ourselves. We may see in it the weakness of a fond mother for the public aggrandisement of her sons and on their part seeking preeminence by taking advantage of their fellow-disciples in a dishonourable way. It made the others angry, can we wonder? No, indeed when we think of what human nature is. And yet it was but flesh, petty fallen flesh meeting the same in their brethren. Ah, but Jesus was there. The Lord of glory: the One Who is above all and in Whom every glory centres and in the presence of the foolish aspirations of His disciples He is on the way to the Cross. It gave occasion for a display of His wisdom indeed but far beyond that, it showed the lowliness and deep self-renunciation of the Man Christ Jesus. It put all concerned to shame and flooded the whole scene with peace and quiet. It was one of those moments in the history of our Lord when the combined features of supremacy and subjection, authority and obedience come out in such a way as to put not only the disciples but every one of us at His blessed feet in adoration.

What child of God could behold this scene without being deeply moved? The precious peerless Son of God with all the glory of pre-eminence, supremacy and majesty yet within the shadow of betrayal, scourging, mocking, taking the lowest place and strewing His poor disciples not merely by His words but by His ways what was their true place as followers of Him. Note His answer, "To sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give but whom it is prepared of My Father." He then proceeds to show the character of His Kingdom. "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so with you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant) and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant (bondman). Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many."

The two disciples were real in their desire. They said they were able to follow Him to death. They are two of the most honoured names of the New Testament. They gave up all to follow the Lord, James was the first of the twelve to die a martyr's death and John was the last to die, after his sufferings on the lonely isle of Patmos. They will indeed have a great place in the Kingdom glory of their Lord. John was used by the Spirit to put on record the most sublime words ever written. They had the common weakness of fallen humanity and for the moment dropped beneath their level. They had a Master that knew them better than they knew themselves and their fall like that of Peter's later was used by Him for nobler work and a greater place in His testimony than they had conceived or their faith had yet laid hold. In saying a word on their failure we must not forget that their desire was to be near their Master and Lord and without doubt they will be near and with Him in the day when with their fellow-disciples they sit on thrones judging the tribes of Israel.

. . . . . . .

We are permitted to follow the Lord in the Gospel of Matthew and see Him (Matt. 11), while here on earth in His own divine relationship as the unknown and unknowable Son of the Father and on through the many varied features of His glory right on through death, resurrection and ascension and to His coming again to be the adored Centre of a creation every part of which will ring with His praise and every part of which will bring its own quota to complete the glory for God's deepest delight.

May we connect for the reader the foregoing with some of the Epistles written for saints from among the Jews as following the Book of Acts. First and Second Peter with Hebrews connect closely with the Gospel which has Israel and her King in view. The remnant of Israel which gathered round the Lord seen as wisdom's children are brought through the Book of Acts transferred from Jewish to Christian ground. These are addressed as in the Kingdom established at Pentecost, and in chapter two of the first Epistle called living stones in the new living structure which the Lord said He would build. The Lord spoke both of building and administration in Matthew 16, and both are seen here in 1 Peter. The Kingdom is still, of course, seen in mystery. But in the 2 Peter it is no more mystery, for the transfiguration of Christ in the Mount is there referred to as portraying the Kingdom in glory (Matt. 17: 1-8).

The Epistle to the Hebrews goes further, bringing out the deeper glories of the Lord as covering the ground we are on here in Matthew. Opening with His sublime grandeur as Son, the Creator, we are taken back to eternity to behold Him constituted Heir of all things. How exquisitely beautiful is the link with Matt. 11: 25-27. The unknown Son of the Father is the Creator and upholder of all things: the One Who is the brightness of Godhead glory, the express image of His substance, and Who upholds all things. So also He is constituted Heir of all things and in Matthew 11 we as it were see Him taking these all things from the Father. Again in Hebrews we get Him Son of Man under whose feet all things are put. Who of us in writing to Hebrew Christians would have passed beyond the Son of David to the Son of Man? But the Epistle goes beyond this to the utmost bounds of the creation (see Hebrews 12: 22-24). In this way the Spirit brings out the glory of Him whom man refused, linking up those blessed features given in Matt. 11 - 17, with all that is intrinsic and eternal down to His Incarnation, humiliation and death, then on to the establishing the Kingdom in its present form and going on to the full manifestation in glory.

The Spirit, while bringing out the full glories of our Lord does not go on to the fuller and richer place of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ. The truth of the Mystery as belonging to eternal purpose was given through Paul. While Peter's Epistles and Hebrews were written for those from the circumcision, all that belongs to them as there brought out is shared by those other sheep which the Lord brings in from the Gentiles: and such are the inner intimacies of life and nature in the present economy of grace that all the deeper things of eternal counsels communicated to Gentile Christians are shared by those brought from among the Jews.

The Entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew 21, Matthew 22.

With His entrance into Jerusalem there begins the last week of the Lord's life on earth and the events occupy more than one fourth of the whole Gospel. Seeking divine aid we would look at it not so much in the way of exposition but to follow His footsteps which led only to the cross and gain thereby a deeper sense of His glory who suffered all its woe and passed through it into resurrection triumph.

The entrance into Jerusalem gives a foreshadowing of the coming glory of the King. The two blind men (Matt. 20: 30) own Him as the Lord, the Son of David, and receive their sight. What a time of joy and wonder it will be for Israel when they look on Him whom their father's crucified and own Him as their Lord and Saviour God. Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9 are brought in to complete the picture. When the KING comes Who is just, having salvation, then shall be heard the shout "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed be He who cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." But it can only be a picture for the moment for all must be founded upon His death. While the two texts recalled from the Old Testament record His royalty in Israel the two men that received their sight combine that same royalty with His Omnipotent glory as God the Son.

But the Temple scenes go further as bringing out the opposition to His authority and leading Him to the holy activity of judgment. Amidst the many events at this point of the history there are two solemn scenes of Judgment; the cleansing of the Temple and the sentence on the fig-tree.

Let us note the detail here. Two blind men are made to see, two disciples are sent for the colt, two animals brought, one to accompany the other upon which the King is seated Twice was His praise proclaimed, on the way up to the city and by the children in the temple; two texts cited from the Old Testament to celebrate the King and two solemn acts of judgment by the King. In the first of these He combines two texts from the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah as descriptive of the state upon which His judgment came. In each case the Divine Human Personality of the King is in evidence while in certain of them His Deity overshadows all. As already remarked Omnipotence was at work upon the blind men, prescience in sending for the colt and glory and majesty in His entering His city on an unbroken animal: a colt upon which never man sat, but the two acts of judgment recall the mystic cloud and its flaming fire of the prophet Ezekiel. In the act of cleansing the temple we indeed anticipate the time when the King shall be seen in His fury, when He shall gird His sword upon His thigh with glory and majesty and ride prosperously because of truth and righteousness and His right hand shall do terrible things.

It appears from the record in Mark that the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing the fig-tree were on the second day. The one refers to the place of Israel as committed to the privileges and responsibilities of the House of God, the other her place among the nations politically. In the latter there was plenty of outward appearance but no fruit, and the time had come to end that state of things. As is now well known the words "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever," have a deep moral significance as referring to the close of man's moral history as a responsible agent before God. We have already seen that Christianity is anticipated in the Gospel, see Matthew 9: 16, 17, where the Lord refers to new creation in figurative language. In the sentence on the tree the Lord shows that which is preparatory to the introduction of Paul's gospel. The Apostle was the witness to the grand truth that God had ceased to look for response from man as a responsible creature, that now instead of being tested by law, Christ in glory is presented as Saviour on the ground of free grace for every man. This serves to explain the apparent severity of the Lord's dealings by bringing out the wisdom of His ways in relation to the bearing of divine testimony throughout the ages.

"And when He was come into the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching and said, By what authority doeth Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?" They felt that something must be said but the question exposed themselves; the divine activities of this blessed Person declared Who He was. The Lord answered them with a question about His servant John the Baptist which served further to bring out both the hostility of these men to what God was doing and their absolute incapability as shepherds for God in the midst of His people. The parable that follows showed His estimate of His servant and their guilt in refusing his message. The two sons refer to the two classes in Israel of which they His opponents were the second. The other class were the publicans and harlots who though open in their defiance yet were reached by the ministry of the Lord and His servant John.

The next parable spoken by the Lord goes much deeper bringing home to this apostate class their guilt and condemnation. They were the offspring morally of that class which all along the line of history had' treated the gracious overtures of Jehovah with hatred and had persecuted and killed His messengers, and they were about to consummate their guilt in the murder of the sent One of the Father, the Father's only-begotten Son. "This is the Heir, come let us kill Him and seize on His inheritance." By His question the Lord in solemn majesty draws forth from these men the sentence of God on themselves as to where they where and what they were doing at that moment. All this He supplements by reference to Himself as the Stone that these builders rejected. (See Acts 4: 11-12). From a topical point of view this expression of a Stone is most fruitful and would yield a rich fund of blessing but all is judgment here "He that falls on this Stone shall be broken." This exactly describes what Israel did. By refusing Heaven's richest favour in the presentation of the Son the Messiah they were broken to pieces and remain so till this day. But "On whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder." Here the Gentile is in view, it connects with Daniel 2: 34, 35-45. where we are shown that Christ as Stone will fall on the whole imperial system of Gentile supremacy and grind it to powder.

Matthew 22.

This chapter opens with the parable of the marriage of the King's son. It calls for care. It is not now the Messiah King of Israel but the Son of God. Besides this the parable gives in figure the transition from Judaism to Christianity and follows on to the figurative presentation of professing Christendom at the close. The servants went forth to call those that had been bidden, evidently those who had been invited during the Lord's ministry appealed to again by the preaching in Pentecostal days. Verse 1-7 anticipates the book of Acts right down to the governmental judgment of God in the Roman sedge of Jerusalem and the terrible price Israel had to pay for their refusal of Christ when on earth and also the testimony of the Holy Spirit to His ascended glory. At verse 8 we pass in the parable to the work of grace among the Gentiles or perhaps more properly mankind in general. The wedding was filled with guests but there was one present who refused to answer to the King's conditions. The man is a specific case and doubtless refers to that class which take up the profession and enter upon the privileges of Christianity without submitting themselves to Christ. The Lord knoweth them that are His and the eye of God detects the state of every heart and judgment is bound to follow. But here it is deeper than the governmental judgment upon the Jew spoken of in verse 7. Israel was cut off to be restored again but Christendom will go down under judgment never to come up again. Then said the King to His servants (Angels here the providential agents of Judgment) bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This parable is different from the great feast of Luke 14. There the guest of Luke 15 is also a specific case representing all that are Christ's. The son who returned from the far country came into new creation by reconciliation and into the deepest and richest accompaniments of the counsels of God. The parable there anticipates the doctrine of the Epistle to the Ephesians which is New Creation. No one could possibly enter the feast of Luke 14 without the best robe, that is to say the place necessitates a corresponding state, nor could it be possible for any to be there and be cast out. Here in Matthew the wedding garment refers to the soul's acceptance of Christ as Saviour, there it is Christ formed in the soul. Here it is Christ for righteousness and the person is seen as justified having peace with God: there in Luke it is the believer made the righteousness of God IN CHRIST. Inside in this parable refers to the circle of Christian profession where there are both real and unreal, whereas to be inside in Luke 15 is to be within the sphere where all things are of God and where Christ is everything and in all. (See 2 Cor. 5: 17-18. Col. 3: 11). There God rests in the unclouded blessedness of His own nature having Christ and those that are His before Himself for His own complacency. As it is said "That we should be holy and without blame before Himself in love" (Eph. 1: 3, 4).

Matthew 22 and Matthew 23.

From verse 15 the wickedness of the enemies of the Lord came definitely to the fore, they took counsel to entangle Him in His talk. They were as subtle as they were wicked, these Pharisees, and their uniting with the Herodians showed that their hatred of Christ overrode all political enmity. Their question was cunningly planned, it was calculated to put the Lord in opposition to Caesar and so into collision with the civil authority; or else set the people against Him who hated Caesar's yoke. But a greater than Solomon is here, and in one short sentence He goes to the root of the matter, exposes the true condition of the nation, and puts them to silence. "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Had they owned God's supreme claim and yielded themselves to His holy will they never would have been under the Roman yoke.

The same day came the Sadducees, and their question went beyond life in this world to resurrection and the life beyond death. We are thankful that they were allowed to bring forward their cavils, and had the Lord's answer been understood the denial of the resurrection could not have found an entrance into the Corinthian Assembly (see 1 Corinthians 15). On another occasion He had said, "I am the resurrection and the life," here He goes beyond the question of the Sadducees and establishes the truth of the immortality of the soul as well as resurrection and life in the resurrection world. As He had exposed the Pharisees so now He lays bare the ignorance and folly of the Sadducees. He honoured the Word of God, which they did not know; and the power of God which shows itself in resurrection when all man's power is laid low in death, and in a few words described life in the glorified state. Then by the reference to Exodus 3, He proves the immortality of the soul and shows that all, even in the unclothed state, live unto God. How full of comfort this is, and how deeply thankful we are that in meeting the opposition of His foes He brought out the full truth for faith to rest upon.

The Pharisees gathered together and put forward one of their number, a lawyer, determined to find some way of overthrowing Him whose presence in grace among them ought to have laid them prostrate at His feet. Again the Lord's answer goes beyond the question and brings in both tables of the law, first that which is due to God and then our obligation to our fellow men. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two hang all the law and the prophets."

Having silenced each class the Lord puts forth His question which at first seemed easy to meet, but in reality was beyond the reach of any of His opponents. His reference to Psalm 110 could but close the mouths of all. The Psalm was known and held by these men to be Messianic but they would not own their Messiah. When He asked them concerning His servant John (Matt. 21: 29) they would not own that John's ministry was; from heaven nor, because of their fear of the people dared they deny it. Here the very truth that formed part of their Rabbinical creed condemned and closed their mouths. Unhappy miserable and apostate, they were dumb, condemned but not subdued after all their efforts to condemn the Lord of glory. That David's Son is David's Lord hangs upon the mystery of the Incarnation and like His word from the glory in Revelation 22: 16, "I am the root and offspring of David and the bright and morning star." It shows Him in divine human Personality as Lord of all.

Matthew 23. The stern words of this chapter leave little to be said by way of comment. Having met all their questions and put His own which they could not answer the Lord Himself has the last word. It is peculiarly solemn, searching and penetrating and like the flaming sword of old it turns every way as guarding all that was of God in His Person and displaying supreme authority in Him on whom they were ready to pour out all the hatred of their hearts. Judgment is a necessity of the moral nature of God and being fully revealed there is of necessity an answer in the creation to all that He is as revealed. The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? The Lord God hath sworn by Himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city. Amos 3: 8; Amos 6: 8.

The Lord addresses the people in verses 1-12. Moses' seat is occupied by the Scribes and the Pharisees: all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, but bind burdens hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger. In their ostentation and love of pre-eminence they scruple not to use the legal code to crush the people. Coming back to the law of His Kingdom the Lord asserts that great truth that he that will be greatest must be servant of all.

From verse 13 to 36 He addresses the leaders and in language unsurpassed for solemn denunciation pronounces eight woes of judgment upon them. They shut the kingdom of heaven against men; they were callous; devouring widows' houses and for a pretence made long prayers, they were blind and were completely void of the sense of what was sacred whether the temple, the altar or heaven itself. With an exterior of sanctity that compelled the servile homage of their followers they show themselves to be the children of their fathers by perpetuating their guilt. Verses 34 to 36 mark the transition of thought to the people in general and prepares for His lament over Jerusalem, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" And then with what pathos and distress of heart: — "Behold 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."

Before proceeding to the prophetic sketch of the next two chapters (Matt. 24, Matt. 25) we would reflect upon the glory of the Lord as seen in what has passed before us. The royal entry right from the Jordan through Jericho may well remind us of the nation's entrance upon their inheritance in earlier days. Then acclaimed by the people on the way up to the city and by the children in the Temple the blessed One broke down in sadness, Well He knew that the words of Psalm 118 sung by the people must be used by Himself against them (comp. Matt. 21: 9, Matt. 23: 39, Luke 19: 41). It was the last solemn test of the nation during His life here below and it was in every way complete.

To the opened eye He was there in full mediatorial capacity making known the heart of God on man's behalf for grace and blessing. Every movement pre-supposes that both God and Man are there in One Person and consequently depicts Deity shining through the Human Veil. Omnipotence, Omniscience, Prescience in effulgence and refulgence everywhere are seen yet withal a Man: a gracious tender Man whose dignity combined with lowliness, greatness with simplicity and was such as to set Him forth in a holy refinement which was so far beyond others as to be difficult to understand. One Who honours Scripture fulfils Scripture while He is the blessed centre around which the light of the whole sacred Volume radiates.

He does what He does because He is what He is and in doing what He does shows Who He is. He tells and foretells because He both knows and foreknows, and does these because He is Who He is. "Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." He opens up the future both for blessing and for judgment, all hanging upon Himself as the divine Centre of the whole moral arena.

In the parable of the King's son he anticipates the governmental judgment on Israel, the refusal of God's claims in Christendom later while the fulness of the gospel is supposed all the time. The parable indeed lays the ground for the expansion that comes out in the scheme of prophecy in the second sermon on the mount which is recorded in Matthew 24, Matthew 26. He is moving in an atmosphere of murder but no man can take His life from Him: yea, rather, He had come there to lay it down. But before doing so all must come under His eye to be measured by His standard and exposed in the light of the perfect judgment of Him whose moral measures are divinely perfect.

He claimed the Messianic rights as being the perfect answer to every divine prediction of God's Anointed and at the same time brought to the most delicate adjustment the wider claims of all mankind. Although the difference between Jew and Gentile was great He stood in relation to both and at the same moment was available as a Saviour for all, and indeed He stood as Son of God beyond each, Who would build His assembly which brings in another company taken out from both Jew and Gentile which would be for His own eternal delight

What a glorious Person for our contemplation, adoration and praise is the Lord Jesus Christ There is mystery, majesty, magnitude and depths that command and control us; yea that overwhelm yet draw us; draw us on to richer strains of joy and praise. Jesus Lord we can but prostrate our souls at Thy feet in holy fervour and profound amazement, Thou Who was rich but for our sakes became poor that we through Thy poverty might become rich. Thou hast enriched our souls for eternity and put us under a debt we can never pay but we shall live to serve and adore throughout that eternity where God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit shall shine in light divine and glory never failing.

"For ever our still wondering eyes shall o'er His beauties rove; to endless ages we'll adore the riches of His love."

Matthew 24, Matthew 25.

These two chapters may be called the second sermon on the Mount. They belong to the grand scheme of prophetic truth which has an important place in the Scriptures and particularly in the New Testament. We have been permitted to listen to the glorious anticipatory chant of Psalm 118 in combination with Zechariah 9: 9, and been drawn still nearer to contemplate Him as the sent One of the Father, as those that are robed in righteousness at the marriage of the King's Son, we have now to behold by faith His glory as Son of Man which is destined to fill both heaven and earth.

This address includes in one long chain of testimony the Jew, the Gentile and the Church of God, and so comprehensive is the range of divine dealings that it runs down to eternity, as may be seen in the judgment of the sheep and goats which is final. The Saviour Son of Man is the Centre around which all these events blessed or fateful revolve, all being made to hang upon His Incarnation. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Well we know that the work of redemption necessitated Manhood for the Son, but there is more, for the Father hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." He is seen here in relation to earthly saints, both of Israel and the nations, and heavenly saints who form His Assembly, as well as those glorious beings which are the Ministers of His pleasure to men.

But let us note well His judicial aspect as Judge before Whom the different classes of rebels connected with these three dispensational companies must stand, and from Whom they must receive their sentence for eternity. All this it should be noted shows Him in Mediatorial capacity in relation to the great conflict of good and evil which is raging in the creation and takes in the whole arena of heaven and earth and hell. Yet, and here we touch the cross, that which surpasses all, that which in its fulness of mercy, love and kindness bows our souls before Him in praise, worship and adoration. We touch the cross which on our side shows both guilt and malice combined with both helplessness and hopelessness, while on the side of God it speaks of all that He is in righteousness and holiness with His pity, mercy and love. The Mighty One Who spoke and taught here as never man speaks in the beauty of holiness and the fulness of these glories as connecting Him with the various phases of God's moral creation was just about to stand before the tribunal of the creature and be judged by men as a blasphemer, and between two malefactors, nailed to a cross and crucified.

The Sermon depicts evil come to its height; close indeed to which we are to-day. To such an extent has it arisen that it has to be said, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." It depicts the time of the great Tribulation. The righteous must flee for the devil has come down in great fury to swallow up all that is of God upon the earth. (See Revelation 12). Such is the triumph of evil that apart from a divine intervention there would be no flesh saved, a state of things as never had been nor shall be again on the earth.

To Matthew 24: 14 the teaching is general. By which we mean that the Lord so orders His words that they may apply to others as well as those spoken to. It seems clear that we come to a definite prophetic landmark at verse 15. The taking away of the daily sacrifice and setting up the abomination of desolation — what ominous words for a Jew — is the sign for the righteous to flee. It is a time of unprecedented suffering when the furnace of affliction is heated one seven times more than it was wont to be heated, when the beast and the false prophet are allowed to work their terrible ways after the working of Satan with all power and lying wonders, when the blood of the righteous shall flow, and when they shall cry in agony of soul, "How long, O Lord" (see Rev. 13). We cannot wonder at the apparent break-up of all ordered government which seem symbolised in verse 29, a point reached which leads to the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens which is the answer to the second part of the question put by the disciples in verse 3.

From this point on to verse 44 contrary to what we might have expected the Lord goes back to what preceded His coming to warn His disciples both by parables and from history with regard to the terrible state of things yet to come. Foreseeing the dreadful storm the blessed One adds emphasis to His solemn Forewarnings by saying, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." These are the words of a faithful and well-known love. Could they or we doubt Him? His words are the guarantee that evil shall be permitted only so far as divine wisdom sees fit for the working out of its own wise decrees. "Hitherto shall thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." He concludes this part of His instruction with the words of verse 44, "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh."

At verse 45 the Lord comes still further back to the times preceding the catching away of the Assembly according to the words of 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. He speaks of faithfulness to Himself in His absence during the Church period. His instruction is given in three parables which run down to Matthew 25: 30, after which He resumes His future connection with the earth and the Gentiles. From this it will be seen that the part between Matthew 24: 44 and Matthew 25: 30 may be read parenthetically. Taken in this way the discourse falls into three distinct parts; the first dealing with Israel, the second with the Church and the third with the nations of the earth, each being viewed in relation to His coming. As in all of Scripture there is here perfect moral order. In the Book of nature around us everything fills its allotted place in the great scheme of Creative wisdom; every forest leaf and every blade of grass; every drop of water and every grain of sand. So in this the Book of Revelation, every word and every letter is divinely chosen to bring out the mind of Him who is in complete control of the moral order in relation both to His eternal counsels and to His time ways in Christ His well-beloved Son.

It is not difficult to see in the closing verse of Matthew 24 a description of conditions to-day. There is, thank God in spite of all the unreality a faithful witness to Christ. We rejoice in the thought that in the very world out of which our Lord has been cast there are ransomed hosts whose delight it is to serve, honour and adore the rejected and crucified One. Alas, there is the evil servant also who says, My Lord delays His coming and begins to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. How deeply solemn it is for such, for, the Lord of that servant comes at a time he thinketh not and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him a portion with the hypocrite; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Continuing His instruction concerning His second coming the Lord uses the well known parable of the ten Virgins. The illustration is that of an eastern marriage. Keeping in mind what has been already said it will be seen that the Church as the Bride of Christ is not seen here nor is the secret catching up of the saints when the Lord comes into the air (1 Thess. 4). The parable describes a condition of things which would obtain at the close of the dispensation, the virgins representing the whole Christian profession as it is seen in Christendom to-day. The words, "THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom," seem not only to denote this but also the remarkable awakening concerning the coming of the Lord which marks the present time. The expression "Behold the Bridegroom" (N. Trans.) may go further and include the precious unfoldings of Scripture in relation to the Person and glory of the Lord which have been so blessedly ministered in connection with the movement of the Holy Spirit relative to the Philadelphian letter of Revelation 3.

While the call found all in a condition which could but be described as sleep there began to come into evidence the marks of heavenly and divine vitality in the recognition of the presence of the Spirit of God. This and the fact of a glorified MAN in heaven are the two main marks of the dispensation if such it may be called. However much the line of demarcation between the righteous and the wicked may be effaced today the Spirit of God makes the distinction and like the figs strewn to Jeremiah (see Jer. 24: 1-3), the good are very good and the bad very bad. Whatever was their place in the profession the foolish virgins had not the Spirit and the solemn outcome of it was that they were left outside. "Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh."

The third parable (verse 14-30) sets forth the responsibility of trading with the Master's property. The talents here are different from natural qualifications which put certain persons beyond their fellows in this life. The talents are gifts bestowed by a departing Lord. A distinction exists too between what is here and the parable of the ten pounds in Luke 19, and both must be kept clear from the gifts to His Assembly by Christ the exalted Head in Ephesians 4. The latter shows the Assembly in corporate relations. There, gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints "for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come . . to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

The passage before us in Matthew as well as that in Luke has clearly Christendom in view as favoured by the light of Revelation beyond masses of their fellowmen in heathen lands. Faithfulness in the first two doubles that which had been committed to them, and draws forth both commendation and reward, while the third is left by failing to trade with the talent, in a worse position than if he got nothing. The one who hid his talent in the earth is like the man who entered the feast disregarding the condition; both were marked by insubjection.

At verse 31 we enter another department of glory in the prophetic scheme, and consequently have to contemplate another phase of the glory of our Lord. Here it is the Son of Man coming in glory with His ministers of state to hold an assize of discriminating judgment. We have had His coming in relation to Israel which was a divine intervention at a time of unprecedented suffering; then His coming in relation to that part of the earth where heaven's richest gifts have been bestowed: here it is the same coming in relation to the nations of the earth which have just been tested by the gospel of the kingdom. In the first it was as Son of Man, the second as a thief in the night; here in the third it is the King upon His throne and all nations gathered before Him. The final test of these nations was the gospel of the kingdom and this great event shows the result for each individual for eternity. "He shall separate the one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand. Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . for I was an hungered and ye gave Me meat . . I was in prison and ye came unto Me. Then shall He say unto those on the left hand, Depart from Me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered and ye gave Me no meat . . . sick and in prison and ye visited Me not. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

The disciples had asked, When shall these things be, and what is the sign of Thy coming and the end of the age? All is answered with a perfection that fits in each part of Scripture with every other part and the blessed Person Who is the Centre of all stands forth imparting completeness to all. Each of the three great lines of truth are seen to converge upon Himself in such a way that the whole prophetic scheme can be seen in its completeness. What is said of Israel involves the fulfilment of the promises in the judgment of their foes: what is said of the church age involves the translation of the Assembly and the judgment seat of Christ on high; the marriage of the Lamb and His coming forth in warrior judgment when in Solomonic splendour He shall sit upon His throne and the Gentile come into the blessing of eternal life.

There yet remained in the mystery of His ways a deeper unfolding of His love in the supper chamber and what followed: truth concerning the Father's gift to the Son and the Son's coming forth to die for these and all that will come into the great scene of eternal bliss. John 13-17 brings out the deepest and richest things of eternity, but withal nothing can detract from the grandeur of this sermon where we see our Lord Jesus Christ as the Sun and Centre of all the ways of God in time.

The prophetic address being finished the Lord now turns to the circumstances connected with His betrayal and death. He turns to meet the whole source of evil, and Satan himself as the hidden source of all evil, and beyond all the stern judgment of sin. First of all desertion, denial by His friends, next a mock trial with smiting, scoffing and spitting by His people, the Jews, and then every coarse and brutal indignity at the hands of Gentile soldiers. Along with this the whole power of Satan pressing death as the judgment of God on His spirit in the garden, and last of all the meeting God about sin. This last stands alone in its solemn majesty, a mystery of mysteries which forbids at once and for ever all creature power to apprehend. The Holy One must be there alone. Alone, stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He must in that hour of deepest extremity know what it is to cry in agony of soul as the forsaken one and not have an answer because He is bearing sin, made sin for us. He who knew no sin must be made sin, and be engulfed in the darkness and horror of that darkest of all hours with none to pity or no one: to help. He must be led as a Lamb to the slaughter to suffer and to die. We rightly say no created being could endure what He endured, but let us add, there is no creature that can form an estimate of what took place there. We gaze with wonder and amazement and worship and adore while we share in the fruits and blessings of that stupendous work but into the depth of what our Lord Jesus Christ suffered or the measureless distance into which He went under God's judgment of sin no creature shall ever be able to conceive.

In turning to the circumstances which led up to all this it is striking how the events seem to fall into a certain order which seem to admit a kind of a threefold classification. Matthew 26 opens with a gathering of His enemies, followed by the supper in the house of Simon the leper. and then the coming together with His disciples to celebrate the Passover. In the first were the priests. the ecclesiastical rulers, the scribes, the learned of the nation; and the elders as those marked by age and maturity. There were the heads of that nation which had been for long under the public culture of Jehovah; to whom pertaineth the adoption and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God and the promises; whose are the fathers. and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed for ever, Amen (Romans 9: 4, 5). There they were gathered together "Consulting that they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him." What a sight! Enough, indeed, if such be possible, to make the angels weep. Weeping, indeed has been theirs and their children's; a weeping that still goes on and will continue till the blessed One whom they were about to kill comes back again to put an end to all their sufferings; but for the moment it is His time of weeping. The blessed Saviour Who wept over Jerusalem is now nearing the agony of Gethsemane when in the agony of that sweat of blood He will pour out His cries and tears. But ere that moment comes He, the adorable Centre of all these scenes must be feasted, for the Father has prepared for Him a feast. This leads to the act of the woman who came with her alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on His head as He sat at meat.

At a time when various classes are showing their estimate of the Saviour the Father shows His appreciation of His beloved Son. He prepared one who did all that lay within her to glorify and honour Him and amidst the gathering gloom He is seen to be loved and appreciated in an act that none but Himself can measure. Where were the disciples? Where the ardent Peter and where the beloved John that could pillow his head on His blessed bosom? These two with James, belonged to the inner circle of intimacy, but they are left far behind by this woman. What of the rest of the disciples, and saddest of all, what of Judas Iscariot? "The Lord is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed." Giving to the poor has a large place, yea, with such sacrifices God is well pleased, but what is this world with all its charity and philanthropy compared to the Son of God. This woman anticipated the day of His glory when to Him shall be brought the wealth of the Gentiles, when the kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents, and the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts, when all kings shall fall down before Him and all nations serve Him. All this will be fitting in its time but the act of this devoted woman surpasses all; she lighted up the whole moral scene by anointing Him for His burial in that dark hour of His betrayal and dishonour and death.

It was the unerring accuracy of spiritual instinct that flows from personal occupation with her Lord. She spent upon Him her all. She did the proper thing in the proper way at the proper time, for she anointed Him for His burial: an act which stands alone by one who can say nothing for herself, well knowing that He upon Whom the sacrifice was performed alone would estimate it and vindicate her. This world goes on with its charity and philanthropy, all right and beautiful in its place, but here is something which must be proclaimed through all time and in every land, an act which will be remembered to her credit through all eternity. "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. The gold and crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold" (Job 28).

The third meeting (ver. 20-25) was with the twelve in the upper room to celebrate the passover. He sought seclusion with His own in a touching farewell meeting. The time is near when He and they must be parted: parted indeed as after flesh and blood for ever. His heart goes out to them in the words, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." It was then that the Supper was instituted which would serve as a memorial a calling of Him to mind. His death being the basis of all, and around which revolves the deepest and richest feelings of the heart of God and the wealth of eternal counsel. Many things came out concerning His death and resurrection, and the Spirit's presence here consequent on Him being glorified on high as we learn from John; but even here while the storm of evil was rising outside there was that which brought deepest distress to His heart. One would betray Him (verse 25), another would deny Him (verse 34), and all the rest would forsake Him and be scattered.

The case of Judas is a tragedy beyond compare. Who can fathom the depth of our Lord's words, "It were better for that man he had never been here." And again when speaking to His Father: — "None of them is lost save the son of perdition." His was a place of richest favour, companying with the Son of God. May we not say that he was the product of His generation and the representative of fallen humanity? The way was opened in the act of disobedience in Gen. 3, which ended in the betrayal of the Son of God with a kiss. With Peter it was different: boasting self-confidence led him beyond his faith, and breakdown followed in the most deplorable way. Viewed from the place of intimacy in which he stood Peter's fall seems to go beyond even that of the Iscariot. Well for him however that his fall did not put him beyond the ground of mercy. Peter had to weep bitterly, but Judas, like Ahithophel of old (2 Sam. 17: 23), went out in the bitterness of remorse to end his own life. The forsaking by the rest of the disciples completes the humiliation of the Apostolic band, and the Holy One is left in the hands of His foes.

The Lord took occasion at the feast to transfer their thoughts from the type, that is the deliverance from Egypt and the Covenant at Sinai, to the commemoration of His death and the covenant of grace, a covenant which may be seen in its spirit and principle (Gal. 3: 14-18) long before the covenant given at Sinai. This new covenant though not yet made can be spoken of as eternal (Heb. 13: 20). It was promised in Jeremiah 31: 31-34, and is marked as springing from the nature of God coming to man on the principle of grace. It was necessary that the pattern of things in the heavens should be purified with blood, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these (Heb. 9: 23). The Blood of this New Covenant was shed at Calvary and is here spoken of symbolically by the Lord as the cup of the New Covenant in His Blood. That cup is later called the Cup of Blessing, indicating surely the whole range of divine blessing brought to us in the death and blood shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is touching how He speaks of it at the time of the break up of all earthly associations in view of its renewal with them in the Father's Kingdom as connecting them with Himself in the highest and richest place in the heavenly order of things. It was at this moment, according to the account of John, that the Lord began to let His heart out to His disciples concerning their place with Him in that which is heavenly and eternal in a way which culminated in the sublime words to His Father in John 17.

Blue

Blue.

James McBroom.

Introductory

There is but one mind in heaven, and that is the acknowledgment of the worth of the Lamb that was slain. "Him hath God exalted"; to Him hath Jehovah said, "Sit on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool." The whole intelligence of heaven is occupied in discovering all the glories of the Person and work of the Son. Here then, is heavenly-mindedness; it can only be the portion of those who are risen with Christ . . . . There is one all-absorbing subject — it admits not of a divided mind — the loins of the mind must be girded up. It is a subject, too, which is inexhaustible. He who is a father in Christ is one who has unlearnt all else, in order to know Him that was from the beginning; and has yet to pray "that I may know him." It is, therefore, by knowing Jesus, that we know the mind of heaven. There is nothing fanciful or speculative in this; it is not giving the rein to a lively or warm imagination, in order to picture to ourselves what might be the employments of heaven, but it is our ability, through our knowledge of Him who descended first into the lower parts of the earth, and then ascended far above all heavens, to have fellowship with those who are there. The same substantial reality which is presented to us, is also to them the engrossing object, even the Lamb that was slain. It is this which measures the utter distance between the utmost stretch of human intellect, or loftiest flights of man's imagination, and one led by the Spirit — the subject is so different.

"Subjects for the Household of Faith," Page 70, 71.

Blue.

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen." (Ex. 28: 6).

The complex materials which formed the high priest's garment called the Ephod, and indeed, all the priestly robes present an interesting subject of enquiry. Since they speak of the glories which shine in the Son of God, who is called to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedek, they are sure to present a rich compensation to those who reverently wait on the Lord for the explanation. They all speak of Him in one way or another, and while the gold tells of what is divine and glorious, the blue follows on to indicate the pre-eminence of heaven in correspondence with that glory and in relation to all the ways of God. Here then, my friend, is a field for research where we may contemplate heavenly and eternal things by the Spirit of God, which history cannot offer, nature cannot promise, nor science unfold; unreachable by the natural mind, incomparable for grandeur, and, because belonging to the realm of faith and revelation, infinitely beyond both the reach and conception of the creature. How great and glorious beyond all thought is the Person of our blessed Lord, and how infinitely gracious of our God to make it known to feeble creatures in this way. There is plenty of glitter and worldly pomp all around to captivate the natural heart, and those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth are accustomed, while passing through the world, to keep in check their natural desires. They may, however, let themselves out with perfect freedom in the happy contemplation of spiritual verities which are pure, heavenly, and eternal. "Things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, and which have not come into the heart of man, which God hath prepared for them that love Him " (1 Cor. 2: 9).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the end and aim of all Scripture, and many and varied are the ways which the Holy Ghost takes to set Him before our hearts. Delightful as is the tracing of the typical signification of the gold with its representation of the divine glory in Man and the display of divine righteousness, there is quite as important and equally interesting line of thought in the blue. We must see, indeed, that the whole accumulation of types, shadows, promises, and prophecies, find in Him their end, and "He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes." Speaking on 2 Cor. 3, "There is," says W. Kelly, "a distinct purpose or idea couched under the legal forms as their inner spirit and this he — the apostle — lets us know is really Christ the Lord. 'Now the Lord is that Spirit,' this it is that runs through the whole legal system in its different types and shadows."

This brings us to the Tabernacle, the dwelling-place of God, and scene of the manifestation in type of the divine glory, every ray of which shines in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And since it is spoken of as a figurative representation of things in heaven, we may note a beautiful link of connection between the seen and unseen, the natural and the spiritual; God as it were, speaking to us by the things He has created rather than by the language of earth. The tent of mystic beauty with its sacred furniture and favoured priestly family voiced the language of another world, indicating in those early days, the intention of God regarding another order of Man, and with Him a new company in priestly dignity, clothed in garments of glory and ornament to worship in holy splendour. Here remark the peculiar place of the tabernacle as linking together the two grand systems of Creation and Redemption, the former setting before us omnipotent power and beneficent goodness, and the latter, eternal counsels of love from which all the rest sprang. Created things are made to teach the uncreated, and the soul is made to adore as the Holy Spirit unfolds the eternal verities which lie behind the things that are seen.

Besides the actual fabrics which composed the structure there were certain colours arranged in such a way as to give an appearance of magnificence to the whole. The tabernacle was made of fine twined linen with blue, purple, and scarlet and covered with cunningly wrought cherubim. Then there was the hangings before each entrance, including the holy veil, as well as the clothes of service and the priestly robes all being brought from the great workshop of nature and cunningly wrought by the designer for beauty and order, because it was the habitation of Him who deigned to take up His abode among His people. The fine twined linen gave a groundwork for the colours, and is in itself a fit emblem of the spotless humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, while the colours speak of the combination of graces and perfections which were proper to Him. This is seen in Hebrews 10, where the holy veil is said to represent His humanity. As the colours were arranged in the cloth in an orderly way so that unity and consistency would be seen in the whole they speak of the moral perfections of Him in whom all was so perfectly blended as to set forth a perfect human life on the earth.

A distinction must be made, however, between these colours. The purple and scarlet are well known to indicate dispensational and royal glory both in Israel and the nations, speaking both of the Davidic sway and the time when the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to Him as Son of Man. Blue is the colour which speaks of heaven and heavenly things. This gives an interest to the latter different from the other two. While the claims of royalty and kingly dignity is seen in every step, all was in perfect accord with the ways, thoughts, and life of heaven all the way through. It will be seen that the blue was the predominating colour all through, for besides the combination with purple and scarlet, it is found in many places where the others are absent.  See the lower fastenings of the breastplate, the long blue robe of the ephod, the ribbon which encircled the mitre and encircled the holy crown, and such is the Spirit's use of this colour that it appears again in another set of symbols altogether where everything speaks of glory. We allude to the Scripture use of precious stones where we meet with the sapphire, which is said to be the colour of the deep blue sky. It is found in combination to exhibit the divine glory in Creation, Grace, and Redemption (Ezek. 28: 13, Ex. 28: 18; Rev. 21: 19), and is used in the description of the throne of God Himself (Ex. 24: 10; Ezek. 1: 26).

It is just possible, however, to use the types to hide the great antitype, and to be able to give a good account of the material figures with but a poor apprehension of the Lord Himself. Leaving therefore, the department of types and shadows, we enter the domain where the Person in all His moral beauty is portrayed, where the sinfulness of sin and the ruin of man supply the dark background which brings His perfection more distinctly into view. Never was there such a record as the Gospels give for there the activities both of good and evil are seen in all their varied ramifications in character, conduct, and life, and there the supremacy of good is set forth to the delight of the heart of God by a Man. The second Man out of heaven is seen making good the claims of God in the midst of a fallen race, and He is contrasted with the first man not as a sinner only, but as to order of origin. "The first man out of earth made of dust; the second Man out of heaven."

The distance and estrangement which sin had wrought was removed for faith in the birth of Christ. This is put with certain touches of exquisite beauty in the early chapters of Luke. The incident of the heavenly visitant and Zechariah leads to the song about the day-spring from on high. Then Gabriel with the most momentous of all messages, the most mysterious of all mysteries, declaring the power of the highest which leads to the song about the mighty One whose name is Holy. Next, the Angel of the Lord and the heavenly host, saying glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to man. The aged Simeon who sees in the holy Child God's Salvation to all the earth and most wonderful of all, the opened heavens, the descending Spirit and the Father's voice proclaiming the worth of His beloved Son.

The history of the intervening years is passed over till the time of His ministry with the exception of the incident in the temple, all being summed up in the words, "Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favour both with God and man." We have often wondered at this silence and asked the reason why? All can understand that nothing could be recorded to meet mere curiosity, and that God has given all that is needed. We can understand, too, that the prophetic history of our Lord in the Old Testament includes the whole life pathway from Bethlehem to death, resurrection, and glory, see Micah 5: 2; Isaiah 53: 2; Psalm 16. A beautiful moral reason may be seen, however, in the history, if we take account of the change in His position when His public ministry began. From that moment, His life-work consisted in the declaration of the heart of God to man, this we have recorded to meet our need. But before that time, He was declaring before all heaven what Man is to the glory of God, and we can surely see how morally fitting it is that this should be omitted on earth and recorded in heaven. The spiritual eye will discern here the profound lessons taught by the omissions of Scripture.

He entered upon His service, not as One who was head and shoulders above all others merely, or towering above a Moses or a David as they had been above their generation. Nor is He one who perfectly reaches the standard which others sought to attain. No, He is alone of His kind. This is where some err — who use beautiful language about the Man Jesus — as if He had connected Himself with a ruined race to lift it by His incarnation. Some one said by way of illustration, that man was broken china, but He was whole china. This is to display ignorance of His marvellous stoop. It was met by the answer, "No. He was not china in the sense of the illustration at all." He was "That holy thing" spoken of by the angel "The second Man out of heaven." "We," says the apostle, "beheld His glory as of an only-begotten with a Father, full of grace and truth."

The testimony of His fore-runner shows an accumulation of glories. Personal, moral, and dispensational, besides pointing out the sacrificial, which is the basis of sin's removal from the creation. The King, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, the Bridegroom, and withal, the Man out of heaven. It is with this last we are concerned here, and how beautifully it shows the blue in relation to the gold and the royal colours in Him. "He who comes from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthy and speaketh of the earth, He that cometh from heaven is above all" (John 3: 31).

He came not to associate in worldly and earthly pursuits, or make His life consist in such things; there was therefore, bound to be a gap between Him and all others. We can conceive of a messenger coming from heaven delivering his message and returning without interfering with anything here. He made known His mission indeed, bringing heaven's richest and best among men, but along with that, He lived among them in the same circumstances, meeting the complications incidental to this life, apart from sin, putting His own heavenly stamp upon all.

Nor could it be otherwise, for nothing could add to Him. He must give character to all He comes in contact with. The reality of this lies deep in the nature of things. His Person makes the place and gives character to it, so that every day is alike sanctified, and every place alike holy. His birth had illuminated the stable at Bethlehem with a glory far surpassing earth's stateliest mansions, so His Presence makes the mountain-top a sanctuary and: the little boat a shrine. Think of the unfolding of truth both moral and prophetic, in the two mountain discourses recorded in Matthew 5 - 7 and Matt. 14 - 25: or again, the comprehensive sketch of dispensational truth recorded in chapter 13 of the same gospel, which runs on to the consummation in the coming kingdom glories. Then remark the amazing display of power in the two boat scenes of Matthew 8 and Luke 5, where both the physical and animal creation obey His mighty voice, and note how in another kindred scene, He made the waves a highway to reach His own when they were in need (Matthew 14).

But far surpassing all is the mountain scene of Galilee, where the combined glories of the King burst through the veil of humiliation, pledging to the hearts of His own the future display. Here we contemplate the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, combined with the fine linen of His spotless humanity, where His face was like the sun and His raiment glistering like the lightning's flash. Well may we with them behold by the eye of faith His Majesty, and reverently listen to the Father's voice proclaiming from the excellent glory the worth and preciousness of His beloved Son. The scene marks an epoch in His earthly career. He reaches the highest point and from there he treads the downward path to the cross, where in death He lays the basis for the full and universal display of all that which the transfiguration was a pledge.

But not scenes of nature only. The busy haunts of life must be frequented, where the activities of man are met, in the village, town or city where the great questions of life, national, political, and ecclesiastical, must be met and adjusted in the light of heaven and the Father's will. It is in such scenes where wisdom and resource is called for, that the variety of His glory shines out and the pledge of His ability to subdue all things is given, for He must reign till He puts all things under His feet.

The Village. Nazareth, the scene where the presentation of Man Godward had been set forth is visited with a view to presenting the heart of God manward. Though no prophet is accepted in his own country, the people there must hear from His own lips that He is the sent One of God. All bore Him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth, but when He asserted the sovereignty of God and the universality of grace, they were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city. His life had been sought in infancy by Herod, but now it is the people among which He had lived and for whom He came from heaven, that seek to kill Him.

The Town. Capernaum was the centre from which flowed forth His royal bounty and from which He journeyed over land and sea. Certain of His disciples were drawn from it and many works of mercy were done there. The nobleman's son, the ruler's daughter, Peter's wife's mother, and the woman with the issue of blood. There the grand discourse on the bread of God, the food of everlasting life was given, that a man may eat thereof and not die. It might well be said of that town that it was exalted to heaven; bodies and souls were under His beneficent ministry and many were made to rejoice for time and eternity. But alas! the time came when He had to speak of judgment and pronounce woe on the favoured town.

The City. Jerusalem is the city of which glorious things had been spoken. The One was here that only could bring to pass all that was promised, but she knew not her day, and like Hagar, she must remain in bondage with her children many days. The seat of the nation's learning, the home of the leaders was here, and yet here was the scene of the strongest opposition. Here was seen the fiercest bigotry and untiring energy of opposition which at last culminated in the dark tragedy of Calvary. It was here the leaders were met in the great controversies of John 5 and John 7 - 9. His own relationship with the Father set forth in sovereignty of life-giving, and supremacy of judgment, and as One who speaks the word of God and carries out His works. In that city, during the last week of His life, He met and answered the leaders in the pressing problems of the moment and when He puts before them His inquiry no one could answer. Then in a chapter which is unequalled for penetrating scrutiny He exposes and pronounces judgment. But such is the state that it cannot be that a prophet perish outside that city. Well might He say, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen her brood under her wings, but ye would not (Matt. 21: 23 and Luke 13: 34).

On the political side the bondage of the nation is apparent. His answer to the question, "Is it right to give tribute to Caesar or not?" shows He was not there to rival the emperor or intervene at that moment for the overthrow of the Gentile. Deliverance from the yoke is linked with their repentance and reception of Him as Messiah; this had been refused. If we let Him alone said the leaders, all men will believe on Him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. They did not let Him alone, and what they feared was carried out and with terrible vengeance. A kingdom in the earthly carnal sense could not suit the heavenly One. If My kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight for it. His kingdom we know to be righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

They stood, however, in a place of nearness dispensationally, having the covenant and the fathers, etc. His ways in the case of the Syrophenician woman shows that however they may refuse Him, the messenger of the covenant and vessel of all the Messianic blessings, He will honour and adjust everything in relation to the divine promises, putting the woman in her true place before Him,, meeting her need, and at the same time maintaining the distinctness of the nation's place in the ways of God. The children's bread is reserved, and she learns that though His grace abounds for every need, He will respect the promises made to the Fathers and the sure mercies of David.

We may note how sovereign grace and responsibility meet and are maintained here. The vessel of all the promises stood before them and every conceivable way had been tried to show them the character of the time. All having failed, the cross comes more definitely into view as a basis for the fulfilment of the same promises on the principle of divine grace, for behind the gracious offer of the Messiah to Israel at that time lay the great truth that His kingdom could not be a worldly one, but founded on His atoning death at Calvary. While He is on high at the present time all the sure mercies of David are found in Himself, ready to be made good to the nation, but on the principle of sovereign grace. "Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"

Part 2.

Since the Holy Word exhorts us to consider Him we may draw yet nearer, and with quickened sensibilities behold the beauty of the Lord. The complete absence of what is called character meets us at every turn, every moral trait blending with every other and all crystallizing into one perfect whole. He was the humblest yet the most dignified; the most gracious and gentle, yet uncompromisingly firm and unswerving. Zeal apart from cruelty, lowliness without being mean, a kindness which delighted to make His followers His most intimate friends — their joy a place of sweetest intimacy which, however. in the very nature of things, forbade what we call familiarity. No sign of fear nor hesitancy of speech, and having spoken, there is nothing to withdraw, modify, or call for apology. This latter we see in His most devoted servants.

{"There was no unevenness in Jesus, no predominant quality to produce the effect of giving Him a distinctive character. He was, though despised and rejected of men, the perfection of human nature. The sensibilities, firmness, decision (though this attached itself also to the principle of obedience), elevation, and calm meekness which belong to human nature, all found their perfect place in Him. In a Paul I find energy and zeal; in a Peter ardent affection; in a John, tender sensibilities and abstraction of thought, united to a desire to vindicate what he loved, which scarce knew limit. But the quality we have observed in Peter predominates and characterises him. In a Paul blessed servant though he was, he does not repent, though he had repented. He had no rest in his spirit when he found not Titus, his brother. He goes off into Macedonia though a door was opened in Troas . . . . John, who would have vindicated Jesus in his zeal, knew not what manner of spirit he was of, and would have forbidden the glory of God, if a man walked not with them. Such were Paul, and Peter, and John.

But in Jesus, even as Man, there was none of this unevenness. There was nothing salient in His character because all was in perfection to God in His humanity, and had its place and exactly its service, and then disappeared. God was glorified in it, and all was in perfect harmony. When meekness became Him, He was meek; when indignation, who could stand before His overwhelming and withering rebuke?" J. N. Darby, Synopsis, Volume 1, pages 181-2.}

In the greatest of the earthly race there are the faults of their virtues, and much that is humbling comes out in the defects of the great and the follies of the wise. Beautiful characters are portrayed by men of scholarly attainment and refined taste, and from nature's point of view there is much to admire, but all break down somewhere. His gracious acts made hearts to leap for joy, and in that way He could not be hid, though often charging them to tell no man. We have in the Gospels a grand and incontrovertible proof of inspiration, for no mind of man could imagine what is given there. A perfect account of a perfect life written by men for the most part simple and unlearned.

Well may we ponder with deep adoration that Holy Person whose life here stands alone in all its heavenly and unsullied beauty. in the knowledge that all that was outward which could be taken account of by others, sprang from what He was with the Father. "I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of Him that sent me." He who came forth from the Father and was necessarily one with the Father, accomplishes all the Father's will, heaven thus breaking in on the life of man on the earth for its own intention and honour, in the blessing of the creature of God's purpose and electing grace. But oh! what has that meant for the world which has sealed its doom in the awful guilt of putting the Son of God to death, the shameful death of the cross?

But, with all, there was much He passed by. In the nature of things it must be so. The equalisation of capital; — "Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me." "Who made me a judge or a divider over you?" was His answer. Though appointed Judge for eternity He would not adjudicate in the things of time in a death-stamped scene. He had come to put things right, but not in this way, therefore, things are adjusted in the light of eternity, men are met by that which reaches the conscience and the selfishness of the heart laid bare.

So it was with the world of learning. The work of God is in creation as the mirror wherein is reflected His natural attributes. Man is part of these works and is himself a marvellous piece of workmanship. In the works of creation he finds ample scope for his intellectual powers, and at that time had reached an advanced stage of science and philosophy as men speak. Whatever his progress in these things he is wrong at the centre. Having fallen from his original estate he is a lost sinner at a distance from God and unable to help himself. At that very moment, with all his learning, all the great questions pertaining to his life and being stood unanswered, and by him unanswerable. It was impossible, therefore, that the Lord Jesus could take up such things. His coming was in relation to a theme which lay nearer to the heart of God than even creation's wonders, viz., the declaration of eternal love. Moral relationships in regard to eternity, heaven, earth, and hell, sin, righteousness, and judgment, the exposure of man's heart as a sinner and the revelation of the heart of God to meet him, are the things which engage the heavenly One.

No other could do this. Heavenly messengers had often been here, but merely to deliver their message and return. Both Enoch and Elijah had been caught away, and with the exception of the momentary appearance of the latter on the mount of glory, nothing had been heard of them. Again, in the commerce between earth and heaven, Paul was taken to the third heaven, but coming back could not utter what he heard. With the advent of this blessed Person, all the mind of heaven comes out. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God. How surpassingly lovely is the scene in Luke 15, where He sets forth the joy of God and the delight of heaven in the recovery of the lost. He there shows how the divine heart is satisfied in satisfying the heart of the fallen creature, the blessed God Himself giving impetus to the joy of the whole scene.

Though leaving alone the world of science He is perfectly acquainted with the book of nature. The heavens declare the glory of God, and well we know the earth and sea join in the glorious song. From all these He draws that which illustrates and enforces the great and abiding principles of the creatures obligations to the Creator. Both animate and inanimate are used, for the sun, moon, and stars come in as well as the eagle, raven, and sparrow. So with the earth, mountains, rivers, trees, as well as sheep, lambs, wolves,. and for the sea, His kingdom is likened to a net cast therein, and when He would bring home to men the sorrows and consternation of a coming day, He likens it to the sea and the waves roaring.

But that He is perfectly acquainted with the great drama of life in all its phases may be seen from the fact that the moral world is laid under tribute also. Kings with their subjects and armies. Masters of estates and their stewards, trades in all varieties, profit and loss, building planting, sowing, etc., etc. In the world of letters there are schools of philosophy, all of them more or less put in language by a process of reasoning beyond ordinary people. With Jesus our Lord it is not so, for there the simplest may draw water from the wells of salvation, which the most advanced can never fathom.

Though conversant with all that was going on, His business we have seen was the work of God. In the execution of that He met not only the contradiction of sinners, but want of faith, and understanding by His own. This latter He felt keenest of all, and it was -teen most of all in the three who were favoured by being brought into the place of intimacy and nearness with Him. The brothers wanted Him to put forth His power on one occasion for destruction and on another had betrayed a covetous spirit in seeking a conspicuous place with Him in His kingdom, and Peter on one occasion sought unwittingly to come between Him and His great work of the cross, while at the end, all are found in disagreement about who would be the greatest. All is met in view of their place in testimony after He had gone on high. The time of His ministry is used by Him while proving the world's guilt to fit them for the great work of their lives, viz., the spread of the testimony after He had gone on high.

Having glanced briefly at His ways among men in the outside, let us with reverence view Him a moment among His own. He had adjusted with beautiful precision the detail of life in view of heaven and eternity and now the time has arrived when He can speak freely to them of the Father and of heaven and the counsels of love. Here; with deep delight, we behold the Lord in the midst of His own in anticipation of the day of the Church, where He could bring out without reserve the heavenly communications which concerned His glory and their association with Him in a new scene where all is of God.

As soon as Judas goes out the Lord opens His blessed heart. The presence of the betrayer had caused Him distress of spirit, but now He is free to bring out all the deep, thoughts of His love. He consoles them by telling them of the Father's house and their place there with Him, and though unseen, He would come to them till the time came when He would come for them. He takes them into full confidence regarding the working out of divine interests and the new heavenly testimony in which all the Father's glory is bound up in and with the Son, and whatever was the necessities they connected with it, they had only to seek the Father in His Name, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Nor need they hesitate to do this, for the Father Himself had affection for them because they had received His Son.

He speaks of His relationship with the Father and theirs with both Him and His Father, all being made good to them by the Holy Ghost whom He would send. The Father's house as prepared by Him, the Father's love, Himself the object of it, and they with Him to enjoy it, the Father's purpose as centring in Himself and they in that purpose as given to Him by the Father. The earthly, Jewish side is left far behind in the plenitude of revelation and unfolding of the heavenly. He speaks so as to draw out their difficulties, transferring them, in thought, from Judaism and the earth to the thoughts, purposes, and counsels of God as revealed in Christianity. In that way, John 13 and John 14 are seen much like a Bible reading, where the disciples put forth their questions to Himself and are led on into the deeper things of God.

On reaching the end of John 16 He turns from speaking to them to the Father. The communications of the previous chapters were to them, here, all is to the Father. He had glorified Him on earth and now looks up and seeks to be glorified above, that He may continue to glorify Him in that place. Surely this is the place where Christ is all and in all (Col. 3: 11). His voice alone is heard, He traces the new heavenly testimony from its source, in the bosom of eternal love long ere time began, to its ultimate consummation in a coming eternity of bliss. Their having been given to Him as the Father's love-gift to Himself, to have part with Him in all He takes up as Man, which necessarily would identify them with Him before the world in His rejection.

He had kept them in the Father's Name and had given them His word. All He brought from heaven is deposited with them, the name, the affections, the word, and the Father's purposes of love. All had been given. And now the Father will keep them because it concerns the glory of His Son. Loved with the same love as the Father had for Himself, and then brought home in a display of glory before the world that hated Him, and them also because of Him. He marks out a place for them in that radiant scene which is peculiar to one favoured class; a place which for favour and excellence passes beyond words, where He will have them with Himself to behold Him in that which is only His. The eternal glory which is beyond their creature ability to share, He will have them with Himself to behold.

We might stop here and ask how far these things have become a reality to our souls. A reality however, which for Him necessitated the cross. Before He could become the Centre of the glory He must first be the Centre of all the shame and ignominy. The scene in John 13: 17, most lovely in its historic setting, could have no meaning did we not see by anticipation the marking out of a new order of things based upon His atoning work at the cross. He had said (chapter 16: 16), " A little while and ye shall not see me." He was going down into a depth where they could not follow, and they would weep and lament, but He would see them again and their hearts would rejoice with a joy none could take from them.

During that little while, the blessed One had been in the conflict battling death's forces and meeting God about the whole sin question. Accomplishing the work which is of the greatest consequence for God and for the whole creation, by which all the activities of time are adjusted in relation to the divine glory. Having borne the full weight of all by going into death, He breaks death's power by rising, and thereby establishes a new creation where all is of God. The resurrection message to Mary reveals for His own that new relationship with Himself on the other side of death, which connects with the thoughts, feelings, tastes, and joys brought out by Him to them in that memorable night before He suffered (John 13: 17).

The blessedness of this should be pondered, seeing it is not on the surface. It is clear that every relationship must carry its own affections and feelings with it, and it is most instructive to see the way the Lord brings these latter out as connected with the presence of the Holy Ghost in our souls. The following extract may help us here.

{"This was the introduction of the disciples into the realisation of that new state which Christ inaugurated by His resurrection, Son of God in power. They should see the second Man beyond death, and be in living communication with Him. . . . It was the same Christ, but what was of all importance, the basis of all for us, it was Christ beyond death, the power of Satan, the judgment of God, and sin; He who had been made sin for us and by whom our sins had been borne and put away, that God might remember them no more. We see here the link between Jesus, known in His humiliation in our midst in grace, and man in his new state, according to the counsels of God, a state in which He could no more be subject to death, nor put to the proof." J. N. Darby. "On the Gospel of John." Chapter 16. }

But if He comes forth in resurrection it is on the way to the throne. His going there is an event which must affect all parts of creation. Think of it, a Man above, upon the throne of God. Past angels, lordships, principalities, dominions, and authorities, beyond every circle, leaving far behind the vast hierarchies of the heavens in their stupendous grandeur, almost unknown to us, distancing every conceivable force, to the very centre of the universe, the throne of the Majesty on high. Scripture speaks of His own throne upon which He shall sit with His royal bride in the day of glorious display; the throne He sits on at the present time is His by virtue of His Deity.

He is there in Manhood that in Him all the grace of the heart of God may shine out to the creature, a fact which gives a completeness to the truth, the force of which is sometimes missed. His coming out from God as we have seen, was to make Him known, this brought out the grand secret of eternity, that a God of love will have man richly blest and at home in His own presence for His own satisfaction for ever. Such a revelation necessitates an answer in man, for God cannot be defeated. The great truth comes to light, therefore, in the exaltation of Christ, that He who came out to make the revelation as God has gone in as Man, in answer to what has been revealed, thus completing the circle of truth so that revelation and approach are complete in Himself in view of the Gospel going forth.

There is another point of importance here. At a time when God was compelled to chasten His people for their sins, the prophet Ezekiel beheld in vision a Man above upon the throne. The exaltation of Christ is the fulfilment of that vision. If, however, we examine the circumstances, we shall see a very marked difference. The prophet, sees the throne in judicial character with judgment about to be accomplished, a circumstance which is more in keeping with the character of the throne seen by the apostle in Revelation 4 and 5. The Old Testament seer beheld the throne in view of the great dispensational change which was about to displace Israel and begin the times of the Gentiles, while the New Testament apostle beheld it at a time when all was preparing to put Christ into possession of His inheritance. Note the perfection of Scripture here. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow, passing entirely over the church age: the New Testament seer stands beyond that age when the church is seen in heaven participating in the praises of the Lamb.

Well we know that the presence of Christ upon His Father's throne during the present age constitutes the reign of grace. "That as sin has reigned unto death even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Having been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, He is seated on high as the Centre of royal power and authority and made the Administrator of all the grace of heaven. The contrast both with Ezekiel and the Apocalypse is easily seen, for instead of messengers of judgment sent forth, the Holy Ghost comes from a glorified Christ to carry out the will of the Father and the Son. This is something new, being outside of the time-ways of God and belonging to the counsels of eternity. It is the full glory of the throne. The One who bore the judgment is there. in the supreme rights of His Person and work, and while that continues judgment, though not cancelled, is deferred. This recalls the sapphire stone colour of the deep blue sky, and tells of the triumph of God in richest blessing where all that He is shines out in holy splendour in full and unmerited blessing to sinners.

Part 3.

So far, the moral perfections of the Lord Jesus in His life upon the earth have chiefly engaged us: a theme which calls for the exercise of holy affections. Let us turn now to the application of His grace and redemption to His saints that we may learn how the heavenly is woven into their being by the Word and Spirit of God. This calls more for the exercise of the renewed mind and connects itself with His ministry from the place where He. now is, having in view the believer's transfer from his fallen state as in Adam to a new status and position spoken of in Scripture as being "in Christ."

Here a difficulty meets us because of how few there are that have any real sense of the importance of the present time. It may be said that the hour of Christ's session at the right hand of God is exceptional and differs greatly from the divine dealings in every other hour in the history of time. Not only is it fraught with the richest unfoldings of the mind of God, surpassing anything before revealed to men, but the Spirit of God dwells in the believer to form him by the things revealed. It may be distinctly affirmed that the apprehension of Christ in glory by the Spirit puts us at the centre of all God's thoughts, and gives the key to the unlocking both of the counsels, of eternity and of all His ways in time. The light of a glorified Christ rays itself forth on all the activities of the Godhead in time, illuminating the histories, types, and shadows, with a glory which no Old Testament saint could conceive, throwing, too, its beams forward, and opening up the whole vista of glory through millennial times to God's eternal day. "Undimned Thy radiancy appears, changeless through all the changing years."

The gospel of the glory of the blessed God comes forth to meet the sinner in his need, showing how all his guilty state has been met for God at the cross. The Holy Ghost works in him, bringing the joy of what Christ has done for him into his soul and linking him up with his risen Head in glory, the divine plan being not only to clear him from the effects of the fall, but to go back to the original created position and transfer him from the earthly to the heavenly order. If we ponder this carefully, we shall see how in the wisdom of God He uses man's failure to effectuate His own purpose, and in recovery, brings him back not merely to where he departed from, but to a place marked out by Himself in the counsels of eternity.

On our side, this could not be the work of a day, but is connected with a process of experience whereby the soul learns its own resourcelessness and the incorrigibility of the flesh It is true that every believer begins with the reception of the Spirit which constitutes him part of the new order, but it must be apparent to all that changes of great import are involved in all this, and the more real the person is, the more painful must be the experience, The revolution in the soul which makes a man love what he hated and hate what he loved, involves a thorough shaking from the very foundation of his being, taking in the source of thought, feeling, desire, and conduct. It is a transition which affects both character and conduct, being connected with moral questions, involving responsibility to God and faithfulness to fellow-men, it concerns both righteousness and holiness, and is attended with great searchings of heart. This is that process spoken of as deliverance, called by some sanctification, which is set before us in Romans 7: 14-25. The marvel is, that such a transfer can be made while in a bodily condition which is suited for the earth, and in that way incapable of giving expression to the new heavenly thing implanted there.

If such a lesson is not soon learned, neither can it be got merely from books. Being an experimental process it involves the ups and downs of circumstances in trial and conflict which are necessary to self-knowledge. As we grow in this, the evil of our sinful nature shows itself more and more which, in the light of all the grace which has reached us, makes us cry out in distress: — "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me out of this body of death?" It is then that the gladdening truth dawns upon us that all this wretched state has come under the eye of God in judgment in our glorious Substitute at the cross, and we say, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 7: 24, 25). A landmark in the soul's history is thus reached and the person can now offer his body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is his reasonable service (Rom. 12: 1).

Happy are they who have reached this in the soul's history; a point by no means transcendental, but a deep, practical reality known and enjoyed by those who were once far from God in their sins. For such, life is much simplified, all being reduced to a question of what is of Adam or what is of Christ. The outlet from the fallen state, whether Jew or Gentile, was by death, that only could end a condition which as long as it lives is rebellious; and the believer, in virtue of the death of Christ and the gift of the Spirit, is privileged to reckon himself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6: 11). The importance of our being thoroughly alive to this and entering upon it will be seen from the following, where deliverance is spoken of ill relation to life and nature.

{"Now the things of the Spirit are the things of Christ, "all that the Father hath." Are these things less real and substantial than the things of the flesh? (Hebrews 11: 1). What of our home with its new relationship and joys? What of the fellowship which is ours with the Father in His thoughts of, and plans, and counsels and work for, the glory of the Son? For which we need indeed, Christ dwelling in the heart, that we may comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, but are strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man for this very purpose. What of the new objects thus presented to us, instead of the poor things we were pursuing after the flesh? What of the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to which we are called? Is it less powerful to our heart than the association and fellowship of men we once belonged to and took such deceived interest in? What of the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory — which none of the princes of this world knew — to replace and displace for us for ever its wisdom, and learning, and philosophy.

. . . The heavens, with Christ there as the intimate link that connects us with all that is there, are the present revealed scene of our home, relationships, objects, hopes, joys, interests, and pursuits, that thus a heavenly people may be formed practically as such, by what is heavenly on the earth — showing out nothing but what is heavenly." "Truth for Believers," Volume 2, Pages 183-185, J. A. Trench.}

Looking back from this standpoint we can clearly see that the grace which came out in the birth of Christ could not stop there. That wondrous stoop had the cross in view, that the power of death which rested on man might he broken and that the Saviour might enter on life of another order wherein others could be associated with Him before His God and Father. He laid down flesh and blood, which in Him was perfect, to take up an order of Manhood which abides for eternity, while in that same act He brought to an end for God, and for faith, the state of ruin in which the objects of His mercy lay. In His exaltation the Holy Spirit came forth for the interweaving of the blue in their souls, forming in them a new moral being which is of God in Christ Jesus, constituting them heavenly: redemption and new creation, having in view for them not only deliverance from that which came in by the fall, but lifting them from the earthly as created, to the heavenly in new creation.

This work is of fine needle-work, every stitch involving the displacement of what is earthly, and is accomplished by the Word penetrating the heart through the conscience, involving constant exercise of soul, but with richest blessing. Normally, it is the result of a proper estimate, the things of heaven taking their own proper precedence, but often becomes a costly process because of the tendency to cling to things here. "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life " (Job. 2: 4), and the ruling passion being strong in death there is often a struggle at parting with what is of earth. The effect of this formative work is put by John as that which is 'true in Him (Christ) and in you (the saints) in the first epistle, chapter two, and in chapter four it is put in the words, "as He is so are we in this world."

This meets the thought underlying the garments made for Aaron's sons. While the beautiful priestly robes belonging to the high priest spoke of what was proper to, and inherent in our Lord in His glorious Manhood — nothing could possibly add to Him — the embroidered robes made for his sons, speak of the moral qualities of Christ formed in the saints to-day by the Holy Ghost. They too, were clothed in garments of glory and ornament, indicating. another order of things, all of which link up beautifully with the scene and state into which reconciliation brings, as seen in Colossians and Ephesians, as well as with the grand paraphernalia of glory seen in the tabernacle and its heavenly priesthood in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Reconciliation supposes the person brought from alienation and distance to the place of nearness in the complacency of God, a condition of things made possible by the removal of enmity in the death of Christ. To be inside the house one must have on the best robe where the eye of God rests upon His saints as accepted in the Beloved. This, the parable (Luke 15) shows, has in view, love's response and festive joy where, adorned in the beauties of Christ in measure, and under His Headship, God can have returned sinners before Himself as sons for His pleasure. Of Israel Jehovah has said, "I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badger's skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen? and I covered thee with silk" (Ezekiel 16: 10). . .

It is in the Epistle to the Hebrews however, that the Holy Ghost seems to present the antitype to Aaron and his sons, for although the garments of glory and beauty were never worn in the Holiest in Israel all is in view of that here. Whatever breakdown may have been in man's hands, all that was sketched out must have its answer in Christ. We come into the apprehension of the revelation of God in Christ, where the delight of God is known in the expression of His counsels of grace in His well beloved Son and in perfect suitability, as the priestly company robed in garments of salvation can rest without reserve. Christ is shown to be both Son and Priest, the one hanging upon the other, the same being true of the saints whom He leads in as His companions to all the blessedness of that scene of heavenly glory. As the Minister of the sanctuary and Mediator of the covenant, saluted by God as Priest for over after the order of Melchizedek, He is able to control the whole company, forming and giving character to all, and having gone in by virtue of His perfect sacrifice, He carries on through the saints the service of the sanctuary, declaring His Father's name to His brethren and leading their praises to the Father.

Ephesians opens out the purposes of eternity which necessarily shows the whole time scene to be but yesterday, every bit of which is controlled in view of these counsels and their fulfilment in the eternity to come. As we open the epistle we are, in a certain sense, outside of earth and time, being led back to before the foundation of the world, to see what engaged the Godhead regarding the display of itself and for its own pleasure. The range of blessings, the thought of which strikes the note of praise, are spiritual and heavenly as contrasted with basket, and store, and the land of Caanan and at the same time, secure in Christ as contrasted with the first Adam. The great point is Sonship and the inheritance fruit of the divine will which leads on to the new man, the House of God, and the Body of Christ.

With that should be noted, however, the significant description of the new heavenly position brought out here as nowhere else in Scripture. In chapter 2, the saints are viewed in the work of God in their souls as having anticipated in a spiritual way both the truth of resurrection (1 Cor. 15), and translation to heaven (1 Thess. 4). "But God . . . has quickened us with the Christ (ye are saved by grace) and has raised us up together and has made us to sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2). The blessing peculiar to the day, consequent on there being a Man in heaven and a Divine Person here, is that saints are heavenly in constitution, and in character, and in hope, and thank God, heavenly also in destiny.

Nor is it different with John, the character of whose ministry is to claim the world for God. If, as is often said, Paul takes the saints to heaven, but John brings God down here, nothing could more perfectly show heaven and earth brought together in moral accord. In that Gospel eternal life being (after the Person of the Lord) the great theme, the transfer from the earthly, sinful state to association with Christ in risen heavenly life is shown. The sovereignty of the Son as life-giver, whose blessed voice is heard in death, our side being the appropriation of that death by eating His flesh and drinking His blood, all looking on to the time of meeting them in resurrection where, as last Adam, by breathing upon them He associates them with Himself in resurrection life before His God and Father.

There is nothing mechanical, legal, nor forced in all this for God does not lift a person out of his sins and lay him down so to speak a full-grown saint all at once, as a man would transfer a log of wood from one place to another. We are moral beings and He works in the soul, producing feelings of sorrow for sin and desires after Himself and holiness which bring about moral progress by which the person travels in his consciousness from the fallen Adamic condition to a new state in Christ. The sense of the new environment follows, for there must be the position. This gives the range of things the soul is introduced into — a faith system where all things are of the God which has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.

O EVER GREAT AND GRACIOUS GOD AND FATHER, BEFORE WHOSE MAJESTY ALL CREATION TREMBLES, WHAT INTELLIGENCE CAN EVER CONCEIVE THE WAY THOU HAST TAKEN TO BRING GLORY TO THYSELF IN THE REMOVAL OF OUR RUIN, SIN, AND SHAME? AND WHAT INCONCEIVABLE WONDERS ARE SEEN IN THE FACT THAT WE ARE TAKEN OUT OF IT ALL AND PRESENTED BEFORE THEE IN HIM WHO ALONE COULD DO IT, THE ONE WHO IS THINE OWN CO-EQUAL, BUT MARVEL OF ALL MARVELS, IS A MAN. JESUS LORD, EVER TO BE ADORED, WE ARE AMAZED AT THY WONDROUS STOOP AND DESIRE TO HONOUR THEE HERE, THEN TO LIVE WITH THEE IN A SINLESS, STAINLESS SCENE TO PRAISE THEE AND THY GOD AND FATHER IN THE POWER OF THE ETERNAL SPIRIT FOR EVERMORE

Part 4.

It is one of the greatest deceptions of the human heart that it can accept the wealth of blessing which grace brings, persuading itself that all is right, while the practice betrays the opposite. In what is around us today many are found in positions which belie the heavenly status of saints and the heavenly calling of the Church. We do well to remember that a mental acquisition of truth leaves the conscience untouched, and that credulity is not faith, and that only as the truth reaches the heart by the conscience can there be any real soul progress.

Part with a glorified Christ necessitates sharing the portion of a rejected Christ on the earth The practice consistent with such blessing may therefore engage us for a moment. Since conduct springs from character, and the Spirit in the Christian forms a new heavenly character, there is bound to follow a new line of practice different from that of saints in former days. He who we have seen gilded everything down here with the colour of heaven, has left us an example that we should follow His steps (1 Peter 2: 21), and consistency demands it, for "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked (1 John 2: 6).

In previous ages they rightly used the sword, he that does so today shall die by the same (Matt. 26: 52). They were commanded to fight, Jehovah fighting with them, and some have honourable mention because they waxed valiant in fight in Hebrews 11. But now they are commended for having endured a great fight of afflictions and taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods. Solomon prayed that Jehovah's eyes might rest continually on the House he had built for His name, and Daniel prayed in his chamber with open windows toward Jerusalem, but Stephen looked up and saw the glory of God and Jesus. Israel prided themselves in the pleasant land but now they seek a heavenly country. "For if Joshua had given them rest then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day." Hezekiah wept in the presence of death as that which was taking him away from his blessings, but Paul rejoiced in the prospect of the same because it was his servant to usher him into his heavenly home.

There is a sameness yet practical difference which we note between the saints of the heavenly and those of the earthly calling. Prayer, piety, and separation must ever mark the children of faith in this fallen world. But even in these things, the way of a heavenly people will be different from all others. This lies in the nature of things, each being formed by the revelation given. Piety today is bound to bring in God as revealed in fulness of love in trinity, a thing which was not possible for the saints of former days. Prayer for them was outlined by their knowledge of God, and is often marked by calling down judgment on their enemies, a thing diametrically opposed to the spirit of the gospel. Then as God's witnesses they were to be separate from the nations, but must enter into the affairs of the state and if necessary, take up arms in its defence, a thing which marks the most faithful men of the Old Testament.

The saints of today have put on the new man where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free, but Christ is all and in all, a thing which lifts him out of national and patriotic feelings, entirely forbidding the thought of his taking part either in politics or in wars. In the application of all this to daily life we know that God would not deny His saints a happy domestic circle. It is not to he had. however, by putting things of nature first and saying, I have married a wife and cannot come. The same may be said of the piece of land and five yoke of oxen. Such things are by no means evil in themselves; the whole point being how they are used. They belong so to speak, to the twilight of God's ways with man. Adam got a wife, the Patriarchs got flocks, and Israel got the piece of land. Now the blessed God sets forth, through the work of His Son, that which ever lay near to His heart, viz., the things of eternal purpose wherein is hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Instead of being in the twilight He would have us in the full sunshine, enjoying the full measure of divine favour — enjoying the feast He has provided in a risen Christ (Luke 14).

Since the divine Centre being changed from earth to heaven immensely enlarges the blessing it must also affect the obligation, and since it greatly enlarges the outlook, it must cause the charge of narrow-mindedness to reflect back upon the man of the earth. The Jew had a divinely-given portion on the earth which the Gentile never had: on the other hand, the Christian has a portion in heaven which they as Jews never can have. If in the providence of God, Christians are entrusted with certain things here, they are for time and the circumstances connected with their sojourn here, and must be given back. "If ye have not been faithful," says the Lord, "in that which is another's." — temporal things — "who shall give to you your own?" — the things of the Spirit. In this way we are adjusted in relation to both spheres and shown that the use made of the things of divine providence affects us now in relation to the heavenly sphere, and will affect our future. position in the kingdom glory.

But follow with us a little further. It is a day of great and imposing architecture, houses are built flat upon flat to a great height so that an elevator is necessary because the higher they go the further they get from their source of supply. It is not so in the spiritual realm. The Christian belongs to God's upper chambers (see Psalm 104: 3, New Translation), heaven is his source of supply and the Holy Ghost is the Divine Elevator which keeps him in touch with the Lord, who is the Administrator of all the divine bounty, When a member of parliament is made a peer, he is said to be transferred to the upper chamber. The simple believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who is indwelt by the Holy Ghost, has his life, his home, his all, in the upper chambers of God.

Like the lightning conductors, we are privileged to transmit heaven's precious things to earth. We have access to that blessed scene with a view to carrying down into the detail of life on earth the mind of heaven. This answers to the ribbon of blue on the border of the Israelite's garment. How important for us to cultivate the mind of heaven by setting our minds on things above and seeking those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. No mere stretch of the imagination can do this. We sometimes hear of high talk and low walk, and doubtless the Lord has had to deal with us about this. In Ephesians we got the highest expression both of the truth and the walk, the latter being connected in that Epistle both with the Person of our Lord and the purpose of God (see Eph. 5: 1, and 2: 10).

Have we not sometimes thought that offering the body to God as a living sacrifice is some great thing done only by preachers or those devoting themselves to the work of the Lord in a foreign land and forgetting that it is the simple obligation of every saint. It is very much in evidence that we may assume to be preachers and missionaries and yet not have given our bodies to God as our reasonable service. It were better not to encourage the inherent desire for activity on the part of young saints till they have learned something of the blessing, for it has been well said that the Lord has more to do in us than by us, and rightly understood, the saint is like a lamp-post, always shedding light in darkness but making no noise.

If we have followed thus far, it will be clear that the attempt to link Christianity on to the world's system can only end in failure. Many have tried this to their sorrow. It has often been said that the world needs good men, and Christians are the men to fill responsible positions for the good of the people. It is true that the world is helplessly in need of good rule, but the death of the Lord Jesus Christ proves it to be a system dominated by Satan who is its god, and the sentence of God lies upon it. The blessed God sends His servants to it with the good things of heaven, this is the proper service of those who have learnt the goodness of God. No amount of good men could ever put this world right, the Christian is taken out of it in view of the divine system and is being trained in it in view of future service above while on his way home.

But what of the religious side? Here the success of the enemy seems complete. The judaising element having become almost universal so that the enjoyment of heaven and heavenly life by holding the Head is either unknown or ignored. Worse indeed than this is seen in the spread of satanic systems, calling themselves Christian, wherein we have the resurrection so to speak of all the heresies of early days. It is not of these, however, we wish to speak, but of the church as composed of all those who know Christ as their Saviour.

It is a time of great gospel work. Many laudable efforts are put forth, and many are found devoting their time, strength, and means to the service of Christ for the conversion of souls in a way which He can and will appraise. There is much that is noble and unselfish for which we can sincerely thank God. But after all, we cannot ignore the fact that it is far from being the full Gospel of the glory of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1: 11).

What is preached is largely man's relief, forgiveness of sins, and heaven in the end, comforting as far as it goes, but often without insisting on repentance, as if a fallen sinner could enter into blessing by a mere mental assent to the Word. This, by lowering the Gospel, tends to popularise that, which in the nature of things, can never be made so in this world. God's Holy Gospel, which shows the establishment of divine righteousness in the cross, is lost sight of, as also the removal in judgment of man in the flesh, the gain for the believer of a new relationship in virtue of which he is united to a glorified Christ, the ability to take account of himself as belonging to a new generation and consequently, the triumph of God in having man for Himself in a new power in the very place in which he fell.

Why all this? Is it that God has ceased to work among His people? Far be the thought. It can be proved on the contrary that these last days have witnessed the greatest revival of truth since Apostolic times. The Lord has graciously given back the truth in such a way that many have been enlightened and blessed beyond anything known since the apostles left the scene. But alas, like every other movement of the Spirit, it has waned, and many favoured with the light of Paul's gospel and the revelation of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ are letting all go for what appears to be an easier path, proving that it had never reached the heart by the conscience.

It is sweet to think, however, that there are some who through mercy are seeking, though in weakness, to answer to the mind of the Lord for the moment. Like the men of Issacher that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, and did it, there are those to-day who value Christ's word and seek to keep it. To such He says  "Thou hast a little power and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name." There is nothing outwardly imposing, but they have seen and escaped from the wholesale departure from the truth by taking heed to Christ's word.

How blessed to know that at such a time as this the individual may have the word of Christ dwelling in him richly in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, a blessed reality which opens up for him the whole Christian revelation, giving access to the Father and all the system of heavenly and holy affections connected with the Father and the Son and the home of divine affections to which the Son will bring His own. In this way many hearts have been recalled at the close, and able to stand in the presence of Laodicean indifference in the conscious light and gain of what was true of the Church in her brightest day.

But if they taste the joys there are other things to be reckoned with. In the history of the professing church in Revelation 2 and 3, we get the development of evil in that which calls itself the church, and reach a time in the progress of the apostasy when Christ Himself is shut out. Those who are loyal to Him are bound to share that place for He has said that where He is there would His servant be (John 12). Faithfulness to Christ in a day of apostasy puts one outside of the circle of accredited religion, as we see in the man whose eyes the Lord had opened in John 9. They cast him out because of his testimony, but the outside proved to him the most blessed place of all, for in meeting with the Son of God he reached in principle the holiest of all. So it is here. The world-church goes on, having the pretension and receiving honour one of another in much outward pomp and show, she trades in gold, silver, and precious stones, but there is no mention of the blue, the heavenly calling and the rights of heaven are disowned. In the midst of it all, there are those who through infinite grace are led into the mind and secrets of heaven, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that blessed scheme of divine counsel wherein is hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

But there is more, for the promise to the overcomer at the point we have reached in Philadelphia (Rev. 3), is couched in the most precious words of all. Let us listen with adoring hearts and seek to weigh something of the depth of feeling expressed here by our Lord. "He that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more at all out; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from MY God, and My new name." Who shall attempt to expound a verse of Scripture like this? Blessed, holy Lord, the time is near when Thy blessed heart shall find fullest expression in bringing out into public distinction those, who through Thine own grace, have had in this scene any measure of faithfulness for Thee.

"O endless joy, how shall my heart Thy riches all unfold:

Or tell the grace that gave me part in bliss no tongue hath told.

Lord, let me wait for Thee alone: my life be only this,

To serve Thee here on earth unknown, then share Thy heavenly bliss."

They had kept the word of His patience, and to overcome was to hold fast what they had that no one take their crown. The public mark of His approval would be to make them a pillar in the temple of His God. It had been the place where He dwelt between the Cherubim, where everything uttered glory and where He was approached in holy splendour. A pillar there is His answer to a little strength here. The Jachin and Boaz of Solomon's temple are evidently in mind, but here we are infinitely above all that is connected with Israel and the earth. "They shall go no more out" is His answer to the place they had been in here. The time of testimony goes on here today along with the holy privilege of priestly approach, but then the idea of testimony in a scene of reproach shall have ceased for ever for he shall go no more out at all, but remain in the sunshine of eternal love by the Son's eternal decree and for God's eternal pleasure.

"And I will write upon him the name of My God." The resurrection message to Mary will be recalled when He used the words "My Father and your Father and My God and your God," and the prayer of Paul to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1). It is the place the only-begotten stood in as Man, for He delights to bring us as His well-beloved to that bright scene above to share with Himself all that is there. It is Christ in the day of His glory distinguishing those who have shared His shame by displaying them with and like Himself before His God.

Then there is the administration of the throne, and the city is where the throne is set. "And the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from My God." He who once wrote upon the ground and to-day is writing upon the heart shall then show — like what David did with his devoted followers when he came to the throne — in complete identification with Himself all those who remained loyal in His absence. The City being the Vessel of rule in that radiant scene, all administration will emanate from it, and the word of the Lord here assures to the devoted heart a place of rank and honour which shows the insignificance of the distinction which is being so much sought after to-day.

"And My new name." How beautifully touching this is at the end of such a marvellous communication, where He speaks of His God four times over. He had undertaken to accomplish the will of His God and had been exalted to the highest place in virtue of that work. God had highly exalted Him, giving Him a name above every name, something new and belonging to the new resurrection world where all His renown shines out. He would not withhold even this from those, but write upon them His new name. Blessed, glorious Lord, Thy love would produce in our hearts loyalty to Thyself, not for what it gives nor for reward merely, but for its own blessedness and the prospect of being with Thyself for evermore.

All the above is connected with the Kingdom reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is precious to think that grace will take every blood-bought one to the Father's house, that scene of love which our Lord has gone to prepare. His death puts all on a level, and the grace that takes the greatest saint to heaven will take also the least. In the Kingdom, however, the Lord is the righteous Judge who gives to every one according to his works. We must therefore connect the place of distinction spoken of above with the coming out to reign with Christ in glory, and in doing so, it will be evident that whatever place one fills in the day of Christ's glory must be in exact correspondence with divinely-formed ability here in the day of His reproach. This shows the true connection of the writing of Revelation 3: 12, with the writing on the heart of 2 Cor. 3. The writing of Christ on the heart today by a ministry of righteousness from heaven, produces conformity to the glory and corresponding reflection of itself on the moral waste around, this fits the person for the service of the King! in the time of His glorious reign, when His people shall be willing in the day of His power and when the glad earth shall ring with His praise. Hallelujah. Praise Jehovah from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts (Psalm 148: 1, 2).

The connection between what is heavenly and the truth connected with the terms second man and new man is of such an intimate nature that our meditation would scarcely be complete without a few moments' consideration.

There are four passages in the writings of Paul which we may note, — "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him " (Rom. 6: 6). Here there is no mention of a new man, and it is noticeable that it is our old man, i.e., not exactly the old man viewed as an abstract entity, but what belonged to the saved ones out of the fallen first order seen to be judged in the death of Christ. Next, "that He might form the two, in Himself, into one new man making peace " (Eph. 2: 15). In this there is no mention of the old man, but simply that which was in view in the death of Christ and has come to pass in the establishment of Christianity by the Holy Ghost come down from heaven and the removal of the enmity existing between Jew and Gentile by forming them in a new state. Again. — "Your having put off, according to the former conversation, the old man which corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts; and being renewed in the spirit of your mind; and your having put on the new man which, according to God, is created in truthful righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4: 22-24). There is here the mention of both with the moral character of each, the new being alone spoken of as created. Lastly, "Do not lie one to another, having put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new, renewed into full knowledge according to the image of Him that created him" (Col. 3: 9, 10). Here again we have the creation of the new man and his renewal after the image of Christ. The last two passages give our coming into what Christ has done. He formed the new man; we put that man on by the same act as we put off the old, viz., turning away from ourselves to Christ for salvation.

From all this we see that the character of the old man is unmixed evil. It must be clear, therefore, where he came from: to connect the origin of that with God would be to make Him the Author of evil. On that account the Spirit is careful to avoid using the word created in regard to the old man in the above passages. On the other hand, neither good nor evil was directly connected with the creation of the first man, but simply that he is out of earth, earthy; the contrast not being between good and evil, but between the earthy and the heavenly, as seen in the words of 1 Cor. 15: 47. Man, the creature, is upon the scene and placed in responsibility before the state described as deceitful lusts existed. There could indeed have been no fall if responsibility had not been there before. It is clear that the first man was created of God and life with its moral obligation known before the breakdown took place by which the old man came into existence.

We who live in the full light of divine revelation can see that both the above terms, or at least, the ideas connected with them, centred in the race down through the Old Testament ages. It would be meaningless, however, to speak of a first man until there was a second, and also of an old until there was a new. We must then keep clearly before us that it was man as created by God, a moral and responsible agent, that God was dealing with down through the ages of probation, and that it was that same being His judgment dealt with substitutionally in the Person of His Son at the cross. It was said to Adam, In the day thou eatest thou shalt die. In his fall, sin entered, and death by sin, the very thing by which he would be removed from his created place as representative of God in His authority on the earth. If the point be missed here we may fall into the mistake that it was the old man only, i.e., the state described by deceitful lusts that God removed from before His sight in the cross, losing the solemn truth that the sentence of death lay upon him as a fallen creature, and that that sentence was carried out judicially for the divine glory at Calvary.

The distinction between the two terms — for there is a great distinction — may be further seen from the fact that the old man is defined as a lie and only evil with not a shadow of good, nor a capability for it. This is not said of man as God's creature, nor could it be since he is the highest part of the Creator's work, and though fallen, is not spoken of before the incarnation of the Son as being incapable of good. At his Creation he stands as the grown and beauty of the whole order, the most marvellous exhibition of the power and wisdom of God: and such is the combination of his creaturehood, physical, mortal, moral, and spiritual, that to this day he is to himself the most wonderful prodigy of all. As it is written, "fearfully and wonderfully made."

It was this that Satan set himself to destroy, and how well he succeeded, though the evidence is all around, only God can say. But a house may be broken down and dilapidated and still retain some marks of its former greatness. So it is with man; depraved thoughts, perverted feelings and actions, and indeed, much more of a like character. But amidst it all there remains that which God can take account of as in accord with Himself — natural affection (what would this world be without them) innocence, intelligence, etc., etc. These, though mixed up with much that is sinful, God's eye can take account of and He can appreciate (see Mark 10: 21). Were this distinction kept more in view we might be able to use with more caution the phrase "end of the first man " as handed on to us by those taught of God, and see more clearly his removal by judgment from the place he stood in between Eden and Calvary.

If there was some time elapsed between the creation of the first man and the entrance of the old in the same way, an interval of time passed between the coming of the second Man and the creation of the New. Our Lord is seen as the second Man during His life here, and is sometimes spoken of as a new Man, but Scripture connects the creation of the new man with His death and resurrection. The removal of the old and the creation of the new is outside the creature's reach, being work of the God; the point for us is to put off the one and put on the other, the warrant being, that our old man is crucified with Christ.

As to the place of nature in all this, man may be spoken of as the natural man, whether innocent or fallen. It is of interest to see that the words, natural man, in 1 Cor. 2 is taken from the same word as the Scripture (Sept. ver.) uses for man as he came from the hand of God. Whether he be innocent, fallen, or recovered, nature remains, not unaffected, however, for the fall has affected his whole being. In conversion he receives a new nature, and in connection with it, the Holy Ghost to dwell in his soul, whereby everything in his life may be adjusted according to the will of God. We see in our Lord how perfectly all is adjusted, everything perfectly honoured as of God. So with those brought back to God in Christ there is power to carry out all the legitimate claims of nature in a becoming way, but being heavenly in calling, their life consists in the things of the diving nature — heavenly things.

Natural relationships are God's richest mercies to a heavenly people, and it is well when they are received as such, if for wise purposes our gracious God is pleased to assert His claim on these we are made to fool the pain connected therewith. How marvellous are the ways of God. If at the cross we see the darkest deed we have also the divine estimate of him that did it. It had been the divine intention that a public demonstration of His estimate of the sinner should be given. "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." The blessed Lord takes that place vicariously, that the judgment might be carried out and in Him the divine estimate of man is publicly declared to all. The deed that fills up man's guilt demonstrates his state and sets him aside for over.

Taking the four forms in a general way, the second Man must be first morally: He is the beginning of the creation of God, and became Man by an act of His own. Not so the first man who, being a creature, had no choice; being created in innocence, a state which could not apply to the Lord Jesus. Again, the new man like the first is a creation, but contrasts in that he is created in righteousness, etc., instead of the innocence of the first. The new contrasts with the old as to truth and falsehood; the old is a lie. Again, the second Man could not be a creation because He is God the Son, the old man is not a creation because God is good.

We can see then, that beside the well-known dependence of the earth and its inhabitants for physical existence, on the heavens there may be traced the moral and spiritual dependence as well. In doing so, however, we must remember the place the earth has in the mind of God above all other parts of His creation and that its very existence is the necessity of divine counsel. At its creation, the intelligences of heaven peal forth the Creator's praise, and throughout the multiplied distances of the universe there was heavenly celebration. When earth's foundations were laid — home of him who is the crown of all creation — the scene in which would be worked out both the ways and purposes of God, "the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Can we wonder, if these holy beings had some divinely-given glimpse of the mysterious depth of suffering and consequent height of glory that lay in the womb of the future for the new-born earth and its future inhabitants, things which were destined to bring out the deepest and richest revelation of the Being and Nature of God.

For a brief moment the complacency of God rested upon all, but the fall soon cast its blight upon the whole scene. Even then, however, the rule of the heavens asserts itself and promise, prophecy, providence, and government goes on, heavenly visitors and communications being kept up, till in the incarnation of the Son, the distance and estrangement was for faith removed. The Spirit's presence here, consequent on redemption, maintains that still, for heaven could not be shut on a Divine Person on the earth. All is thus prepared for the greatest transaction of the time-ways of God, when millions shall in glorified bodies go up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4). These bodies of glory are characterised as our house which is from heaven, the connection being maintained between the present heavenly status of the saints and the permanent state in glory, for "He that has wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit " (2 Cor. 5).

However we may speak of heavenly life upon earth it can never be permanent here and therefore, the Church, as composed of the saints called in the day of Christ's absence, must ever be an exotic here. The time is near when it shall not be so, when every man shall sit under his own vine and when Israel shall dwell in safety alone and his heaven shall drop down dew, when they shall be satisfied with favour and filled with the blessing of the Lord, and it shall be said, "Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, a people saved by the Lord" (Deut. 33). Earth shall then rightly be his home, and the rule of the King Messiah being in force, the curse removed, and creation's groan hushed, man will hold the earth for God, not as in untried innocence but as knowing good and evil, and by divine power, cleaving to the good for ever.

For those of earth's race taken up to be the bride or the second Man earth can never again be their home. The upper chambers is that alone which answers to the relationship which is theirs. Myriads of saints belonging to other dispensations will be there also, for earth can never again be the home of resurrected persons. Such will be promoted to positions of rank and honour in proportion to past faithfulness on earth, but for one class remains the highest place of creature exaltation. Earthly saints will live through that long reign of blessing in flesh and blood. The close of the Millennium must therefore bring about for them the transfer to new and eternal conditions, for all things have then become new. The new heavens and new earth speak of the whole scene in perfect accord with the will of God through the Son's atoning work, but leave room for the distinction throughout eternal days of heavenly and earthly life according to the will of God.

The Book of Revelation shows the whole company gathered home without distinction, an order apparently maintained all the time the preparatory judgments are being poured out in view of the Lamb taking His inheritance. But a moment arrives when the false apostate church is judged, then the glorified church in heaven is seen in her own place, in relation to the Lamb as distinguished from all the other heavenly saints. From that time, right on through days of Kingdom glory, she is seen as the vessel of administration, and Help-meet of Him who claims her as His royal Bride, the distinction being maintained throughout eternity, when she is seen as the tabernacle of God, wherein He dwells for the outshining of His glory for evermore.

This is the prospect; may we make an appeal to the heart in the light of it all. As part of that favoured company whom He will have brought home publicly as loved by the Father with the same love that rests on Him, the Son, to be witness both to the glory and love of God, a glory and love known now in faith by the strengthening power of the Spirit, where the Church is as a chaste virgin espoused to Himself. Shall we not seek by the Spirit to dwell with delight on the ineffable beauties and glories of Him who loves us so much? speaking to the Father in holy worship of what He has taught us of the glory of that blessed One whose stupendous stoop to Calvary baffles all thought. And shall we not appreciate more the favour of being associated with the Son before the Father in the joy of such holy relationships, where the treasures of the Father and Son are made known, where the Holy Ghost delights to open out the wealth of eternal counsel, where all things are of God and where, clothed with the best robe, we can enjoy the Father is deep delight in the revelation of Himself in the Son. May it be the blessed portion of both reader and writer to enter into and enjoy these things for the glory of our adorable Lord. Amen.

"Purple"

"Purple"

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen" (Ex. 28: 6).

J McBroom

Part 1

The person of our Lord Jesus Christ presents such an infinite variety of beauty and glory that we can never reach its end. And nowhere in the Old Testament is the plenitude of that beauty and glory more in evidence typically than in the complex character of these priestly robes. We are in the company of the same wonderful person here when dealing with the "purple" as when speaking of gold, blue, and scarlet, but the attendant circumstances are very different. If gold is used to delineate the glory of the Son of God and blue the same One as man out of heaven, scarlet and purple speak of His kingly beauty and regal splendour both in connection with the covenant people on the earth and with the wider ranges of creation. Of the latter two the scarlet may have in view His connection with the earthly people and the purple His place over all as Son of Man. It was because of this that we ventured to take the scarlet first, so that we might begin with the smaller and then go on to that which is widest of all.

It is interesting to know that purple may be produced in natural things by mixing scarlet and blue, since it seems to show a strong link of connection between the natural and spiritual orders of creation. By bringing together the place of our Lord as Messiah in Israel with that of the Man out of heaven, we reach all that is necessary for the full mediatorial place of the man Christ Jesus; purple is the figure of this latter, and it combines all that the scarlet and blue adumbrate.

The One who created all things is in manhood the appointed heir of all (Heb. 1). This shows the universe to be His inheritance, and we know that the power that created all and holds it all in being will be put forth in swaying it, but have to remember that between the one and the other He became a man. It is this grand fact — which is the centre not only of Scripture but of all creation--which calls forth our wonder and praise, because it creates a situation which was called for both by Creator and creature. There was a double necessity for the Son becoming man, one of which existed on His own side — that of the Godhead, and the other on the side of the fallen creature. Man having sinned, was under death and incapable of extricating himself, so that the Son came forth to bear the judgment and remove the power of death; but besides this, though necessarily connected with it, there was a scheme of glory and blessing in the heart of God from before the ages of time which had to be unfolded in the creation. While He came to meet man's need the great end in view was to meet the need of the heart of God.

The incarnation of the Son necessarily pledged His death by which both the need of man was met and the purpose of God brought out; this involves the complete solution of the sin question by the consigning of all evil to the lake of fire for ever and the triumph of good in and with the blessed God in a scene of stabilised bliss for evermore. The reign of Christ precedes eternity and is the answer in the present creation on the part of God to the whole sinful history of man, as well as the glory in the present creation of Him who at such cost to Himself brought all that about.

Purple, then, is the pledge that Christ will soon be seen at the centre of the universe, the assembly, His body and bride with Him, as helpmeet, the administrative medium, through which will shine out all that is in Him her glorious Head. If in the truth of the scarlet we just touch the place of the assembly in connection with the divine ways on earth, here we see her place in and with Christ in relation to the counsels of eternity.

It was in view of this that we ventured to speak of the telescope whereby we might gaze into that expanse which is garnished with the magnificence and splendour of the towers, bulwarks, and palaces of this glorious King; that we might, on the principle of faith, visualise something of the far-reaching extent of that domain in its breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and with adoring hearts rejoice in Him whose power will control the whole of it, and whose love must of necessity be both its life and its law.

Our theme, then, is still connected with glory; a glory, blessed be God, secured as all else is by the sufferings of Calvary. We can understand something of the unsullied glory of God in the reciprocation between divine persons of that which belongs to Godhead; we can think, too, of that glory in the creation before sin came in; but how great is the revelation of God's glory which is seen in the removal of our sins and the triumph of His grace in the blessing of the sinner. How blessed to see the One to whom every glory belongs covering Himself and the name and throne of God with fresh glory in His triumph over sin. We can behold Him, too, having part by virtue of deity in that incommunicable glory which all belongs to God at the same time as He shares with us all that glory which He has acquired in carrying out the whole will of God.

But if it be necessary for the understanding of God's ways to view the place of our Lord in connection with the house of Israel as distinct from the rest of mankind, it is also incumbent upon us to distinguish between His relation to man and the earth as distinct from the hosts of other and higher intelligences. Different from these in his constitution, and coming upon the scene probably much later, there is yet much that man shares with these ranges of creation, both as to moral obligation and duration of existence. Spirit beings under moral obligation and capable of being affected both by good and evil may be said of each, both taking intelligent account of the working out of the plans of God in His creation. In rank, however, man is much less than the other class and stands in the moral scale at the bottom.

Little is revealed concerning these wonderful hosts of the heavens, whether as to the magnitude of their numbers or the character and conditions of their life. The will of God being of necessity the law of life, wherever moral beings are found, we know they are kept, for every creature of whatever rank must be dependent. Servants of great and dignified rank they are, as seen both in Gabriel and Michael, and with different degrees both of authority and responsibility, classified and numbered for their respective services, they are spoken of as "mighty," "holy," and "elect." Far beyond man in strength, equally beyond him in power of transit, because not confined to a material body, and with interest and attention upon events in distant parts of the creation, they may be said to far excel the frail being who is confined to this planet (see Dan. 4: 17; Luke 9: 26; 2 Thess. 1: 7; and 1 Tim. 5: 21).

There are certain features in the constitution of man, however, which go far to make up for this apparent inferiority and serve to bring out the marvellous end for which he was created. Living in a body of clay which binds him to the earth, and of which it forms a part, he is a composite being, both spiritual and physical, which necessitates a range of life in relationships and activities which the higher intelligences could not possibly know. Marvellous workmanship of God in which there is the power to soar in common with other spirit beings right up to God Himself, the great Father of spirits, while in the same personality exists all the emotions of the soul from which springs the natural affections which he has in common with the creature beneath him. Closely connected with this is the wonderful creation of difference of sex and the institution of marriage whereby in the wisdom of God the race is multiplied and continued upon the earth. This is a most blessed feature of human life to which nothing that we know belonging to the higher orders can compare. High and lofty beings though they be, they yet remain units in their individuality and sphere in the great aggregate of creation, while to mankind is given the sweetness of marital and family relationships upon the earth.

Departure from creature subjection had evidently come about before man was upon the scene, which would have the effect of making two great classes. How long it was before Adam we know not, nor what length of time elapsed between their creation and their fall. The number in proportion to the whole which fell is also hidden. This explains, however, the presence of a tempter to whom the first man succumbed, so that he and his posterity are found, like the fallen part of creation, in apostasy from God.

The particular interest of the Deity in man shows itself in a variety of ways; first in the consultation between divine persons about him, before he was made; then in the prohibition laid down, and most wonderful of all in the way that God comes after him immediately after the fall. How blessed it is to hear God speaking that very day of another MAN; One who would deal with the sin question in relation not only to mankind but to the whole creation. Here note the connection between time, space, and all creation on the one hand, and the moral measures which are in the heart of God to be wrought out on the other. It would have been quite easy for God to have brought His man upon the scene at that moment, but other things must come to pass first; things which in their very nature called for a measure of time which must run into thousands of years. The pre-incarnate ages were necessary not only to show to man his hopeless state as a sinner, but to display before the eyes of the creation the wonderful mercy, faithfulness, and loving-kindness of God. These dealings culminated in the incarnation of the Son, which not only verified all the previous interest, but brought out the still greater truth that God had man before Him for blessing long before time began.

Having come among men He is all that man should be. All was perfectly in order; there was nothing to distinguish Him from other men, "Like as the children were partakers of flesh and blood He also took part in the same"; it was the simplicity and beauty of a man with all the sensibilities proper to humanity, in a condition unimpaired by sin. He is the "Son of Man," and as such passed through every stage of human life, from the manger to the cross. In Matthew He is the kingliest of all kings, in Mark the most faithful of all servants, in Luke the most gracious and tender of all men, and in John while these are present He is the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.

Since the birth of Christ was an event that all history anticipated and all prophecy foretold, we dwell a moment on what the Scriptures foresaw concerning Him. We may touch the typical foreshadowings at three different points, namely, what is set forth in certain typical men; a glance at the directions about carrying the golden vessels; and also seek to cull from the rich range of prophetic testimony a few plain statements concerning the Son of Man.

Men who Prefigure Christ as Son of Man

The connection with Israel, as already noted, began with Abraham, but the universal place is of necessity linked with the beginning of man's history upon the earth. The words spoken to the serpent is a proof of this, for the woman's seed must in the nature of things embrace the whole race. Adam and Noah are the two outstanding men which in these early ages were made to express something of the wider glories of our Lord: the former is called the figure of Him that was to come and the latter is made ruler over a scene which had been already purged by judgment. Ps. 8 stands, as it were, midway in the working out of things between Adam and Christ; it is a commentary on the headship of Adam and dwells on the weakness of the race in comparison with other parts of the creation, but goes on to give a pledge of the One who would make every part of it resplendent with glory. Both Heb. 2 and 1 Cor. 15 show this by bringing out the latent truth of the Psalm, while Eph. 1 goes on to the assembly's place with Him at the head of a universe of bliss where all will be amply fulfilled.

Noah, who comes before us in the front rank of the great cloud of witnesses, presents a beautiful type of the Son of Man at the head of all things in administrative government. After he came out of the Ark and offered his sacrifice it is said that the Lord smelled a savour of rest. In that offering which spoke of the excellency of Christ in death Jehovah found His pleasure, and Noah, type of the coming One, takes his place as governor of the whole scene. The fear of him comes upon the animal creation, which shows that the fall had made a change for man in the attitude of the creature beneath him. Mankind continued for some little time as one family which beautifies the whole scene before the breakdown which led eventually to the call of Abraham.

Proceeding with the history, two more outstanding men come before us, namely, David and Nebuchadnezzar. The former of these was a wonderful man, and in some respects goes beyond them all; he made Israel's name to be respected among the nations of the earth; prefigured the glory of Christ as King, Priest, and Prophet in Israel, and went on to give a hint of His place as Head of the heathen.

In Nebuchadnezzar we have the first representative of imperialism, type of Him into whose hand is put the kingdom under the whole heaven. It was after the complete failure in the house of David when the glory had departed and Lo-ammi, not my people, had been pronounced, that the Gentile was entrusted with the sword of government. This gives a beautiful inlet to the wonderful wisdom of God in His actings. It was needful that the Gentile should be tried as well as the Jew, and it was necessary before the coming of the Son to give a picture of the kingdom in its cosmopolitan character, so that He who works out His brightest designs by the failure of the creature-takes account of Israel's failure to bring in the Gentile to give the finishing touch to the picture of the kingdom of the Son of Man. Nebuchadnezzar is made a king of kings and put into the place of universal rule. "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold."

Christ in Universal Splendour Portrayed in the Ritual

Ex. 30 shows the material required for making the sanctuary which speaks of the holy universal order. The cloth and the colours, as well as other elements both for the house itself and the priestly robes, indicate that God would dwell in a scene of holy splendour and be the centre of delight for a redeemed and worshipping people.

These things were useful for the time then present, and though all broke down they served to foreshadow that which in the hand of Christ will be carried through to perfection. The priestly ephod combines in itself a full type of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the priest himself was not in the royal line. Royalty in Israel is bound up with Judah, but Aaron sprang from Levi, so that however expressive his garments the royalty could not be his; another priesthood, however, had come upon the pages of Scripture centuries before that of Aaron, which combines royalty with all that for which Aaron stood. Mark here the profound beauty and perfect harmony of holy Scripture seen in the combination of the two orders of priesthood which is deeply embedded in these holy garments. Though royalty was beyond the reach of Aaron, the very clothes that he wore spoke of both the Davidic and universal royalty of our Lord. Our Priest, then, is a King not only of Israel, but is Ruler over the whole creation and a King that is eternal without beginning or end of days. (Compare Gen. 14, Ps. 110, and Heb. 7)

These things may be further demonstrated by reference to the way the golden vessels were carried through the desert by the sons of Levi. We shall mention three of these only, which fell to the lot of the Kohathites: the Ark which belonged to the holiest of all, the table from the holy place, and the brazen altar from the court. The first of these, which prefigures Christ both divine and human, was taken down and covered with the holy veil, then the badgers skins, and outermost of all was the cloth wholly of blue, signifying that the Son of God in passing through this desert scene was all for God and consequently the repelling power of divine holiness was there, while what the eye could take account of was a heavenly man.

The table had a covering of blue, then the bread of the presence with the dishes, etc., covered with a cloth of scarlet, and lastly the badgers' skins: all this in connection with Israel, both Godward for His pleasure and in divine administration among men. With the brazen altar it was different. The ark speaks of Him whom death could not hold, who ever delighted in the will of God and set forth the pleasure of His will; the table tells of the law of Jehovah going out to the nations when Israel is before Him for His pleasure; but the altar of burnt offering where sin was dealt with is pre-eminently the Cross. It was covered first with a purple cloth, after which came all the attendant vessels covered with a cloth of badgers' skins. Here the universal bearing of the Cross is prefigured, and like the three liftings up in John's Gospel it rises from Israel and the earth to the whole creation. Surely our souls are stirred at the contemplation of such things to worship and adore. And in proportion as we appreciate them entrance is given into the chambers both of His. Messianic and mediatorial glory, so that we may behold the King in His beauty and the land of far distances (Isa. 33: 17). While Israel and the Abrahamic promises are not forgotten, every part of the creation is kept in view.

The Son of Man in Prophetic Scriptures

We have travelled this way before in relation to the scarlet and the line of Davidic testimony; here, let us refer to a few of those statements which describe the wider place. Ps. 2 speaks of the king in Zion, but also of His inheritance among the heathen (Ps. 18). He is made Head of the heathen, a people He has not known shall serve Him; and Ps. 22 declares that all the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord and all kindreds of the earth shall worship before Him. For the Kingdom is the Lord's: and He is the Governor among the nations. All this links beautifully with the words to Abraham. "In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed. Kings shall bow down before Him and all nations shall serve Him" (Ps. 72). But note the astonishment of both kings and nations in Isa. 52. Jehovah draws attention to His Servant as extolled and made very high; but the way He took to the glory passes all comprehension and they are dumb. "Kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." His dominion is from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth (Ps. 72), for there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him (Dan. 7: 14). He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; . . . for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth. (Micah 5). He shall not faint or be in haste till He have set justice in the earth and the isles shall wait for His law (Isa. 42). The blessed One who stood before Pilate is not only King in Zion in view of Israel, but is King over all nations (Rev. 15).

But He who is all this is also the King of glory before whom the everlasting gates lift up their heads and the everlasting hills recede, and to survey in faith the vastness of His dominions we must in thought soar from the planet of our existence and endeavour to see Him in relation to the rank upon rank of heavenly intelligences of whom we know so little that delight to own His blessed sway. Is it not the case that He is the appointed Heir of all things? Is it not true that He has already paid the price and has purchased all? Are we not told that things in heaven as well as things on earth are put into His hands and that the blood of His Cross is applied to both? (Heb. 1: 2; Eph. 1: 8-10; and Heb. 9: 23). If so, we may well seek to catch a glimpse in the faith of our souls of the thrones, dominions, lordships, authorities, principalities, and powers which people those glorious realms, not seeking to go beyond that which is revealed, but using with diligence the Holy Word to learn something of the vastness of that empire and the wonderful intelligences which form its subjects.

May we not in this way get an enlarged sense both of the kingdom and the King. We view the planet of our existence as a wonderful place, and well we may, but it need not detract from that for us to endeavour to look out on the vastness of the dominions of the Son of Man, nor will it do so if we remember that by His incarnation and death the King has given proof that the centre of all that vast domain is this same planet. However baffling to our little minds or nebulous out conception of it may be, we can but bow in praise as it engages our thoughts. Nor however much the tendency to be overwhelmed by its magnitude, need we be incredulous, since God the Holy Ghost is the teacher whose office is to glorify the Son.

In such ways we are permitted to trace how that all through the ages God was preparing for the coming of His Son. Such men as we have noted, as well as many others, shine brightly in the moral firmament in the light of a coming Saviour, the whole of the divinely established ritual in Israel proclaims His coming, and the divinely chosen words of prophetic testimony puts it before us in detail. For Christ is the end of the law — God's great end in giving it — for righteousness to every one that believeth (Rom. 10: 3).

Part 2

On opening the New Testament, we find ourselves on very different ground. Here type merges into antitype, shadow into substance, and prophecy is turned into history. Here the Holy of Holies of the sacred Book is before us where the richest treasures of inspiration are laid bare, and here, to the delight of adoring hearts, the glories of the Lord shine forth. We have travelled this way before, as the reader will recall, in our previous meditations, and the little gained quickens surely our desire for deeper acquaintance with Himself. "To whom coming," says Peter, "a living stone." Nor need we fear repetition, since the fulness which is before us in these holy pages will be upon our lips for evermore.

The words "Son of Man" were often on the lips of our Lord when speaking of Himself, and that even in those incidents of His life which were more definitely connected with the house of Israel. We can feel in proportion as we are taught that this was a necessity, for being a representative people what applied to them applied to all; for this reason we are permitted to see the mediatorial place of the Son in all the great leading landmarks of His history. What has been spoken of as wisdom's seven pillars, viz., His Birth, Baptism, Temptation, Transfiguration, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, bear witness to this in a remarkable way. The Virgin's Son is the Woman's seed, and though coming in connection with Israel (Rev. 12), is the Man-child brought forth to rule all nations; the baptism in the Jordan, and the Holy Ghost coming upon Him, shows the anointing of the true meat-offering, the anointed Man who was here for the pleasure of God. And so it was with all the others, for who, that is taught of God, cannot see in the temptations and transfiguration of our Lord, as well as in the three later events, that He was standing for God, the representative of Him in the creation?

If we linger a moment over His wondrous pathway we are reminded that He who was the source of all that is morally good and blessed is here covering Himself with fresh glories in the place of man's sin. How utterly incomprehensible all this is to the mind of the man of the world? Here was One whose delight it was to glorify God and enjoy Him for ever. Have we noted sufficiently the moral beauty exhibited in His unfaltering trust and unshaken confidence in God in every circumstance right on to death itself? The best of men become chilled and discouraged through lack of appreciation of their services by their fellows: He was always the same. Surrounded by lack of sympathy and tender sensibilities which produced misunderstanding and even desertion by his friends, malevolent and cruel persecution by enemies, nothing could turn Him aside or diminish the unwearied activities of His goodness in carrying out the will of God. As to demeanour He vaunted not Himself nor was puffed up; so meek and lowly indeed that an Apostle could beseech the saints "by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." He who was rich became poor, down even to a bondsman's form, and by the prophetic Spirit we hear Him say, "I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground, for man acquired me as bondman from my youth" (Zech. 13: 5, New Translation). He could say, "I am among you as one that serves"; "My Father worketh hitherto and I work"; "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many."

But what must have been His feelings in a world where man had departed from God and at his best was living in a show of vanity and appearances? What, we ask, could be the feelings of One whose holy sensibilities could not be blunted by sin as He beheld man religiously, socially, and politically under the power of sin and death. Able to estimate sin in the light of the divine majesty in all its enormity and beholding the indisputable sway of death over the whole race; surely it was not possible for Him to be other than a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And yet there was a joy, a holy joy, there with which nothing could interfere; a joy which sprang from unbroken communion and heavenly intimacy which belonged to the relationship in which He stood with the Father though He was in a scene of sin and death. He was dependent, sorrowful, made to suffer and despised, but never murmured or was embittered. No despairing words fell from Him like what may be heard from a Moses or an Elijah, a Job or a Jeremiah (Num. 11: 11-14; 1 Kings 19: 4; Job 3: 3-14; Jer. 20: 14-18). Paul could say: "I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence," not so with our Lord. It never says He was exercised, doubted, believed, or hoped in the way such words are used of His greatest servants. We have said before that He never had anything to withdraw, but may we not go further and assert that there could be no misunderstanding or wit's end as we speak. Our common vocabulary of think, wish, feel, or long for, could in no wise be applied to Him. Imperfection has its ideals, and every bit of knowledge gained proves ignorance; but in these things as in all else the Man Christ Jesus stood alone.

But withal He was a dependent Man and a Man of prayer. In Luke's Gospel He is seen many times praying, and many of the outstanding events of His ministry are connected with His communings with God. At His baptism, at the call of the Apostles, after feeding the 5,000, and before walking on the sea, at His transfiguration, as well as Gethsemane and the Cross. What was the subject of many of these prayers we are not told, and yet there is much we might gather since we read how that His ear was opened morning by morning that He might succour those that were weary. He prayed as none other prayed, using, too, a word all His own, for His prayers like His obedience and service must for ever stand alone.

In this world we have kings and subjects, masters and servants, supreme and subordinate, etc., but in our Lord both thoughts combine, there we see supremacy and service, authority and subjection; cut off in the midst of His days, yet continuing through all generations, all of which hangs upon the mystery of the incarnation which must for ever defy the creature's ability to understand.

With your permission, then, dear reader, we would before leaving this matchless theme, let the heart loose in all affection after the adored object of its delights. If I go through these holy Gospels hanging on the footsteps of divine love, drawn by the attractions of One whom I have learned to know and to love by my deepest needs; One who is everything to me, whose movements entrance my poor heart, so that my soul adores; One who can say, "Before Abraham was I am," who is marked by majesty, splendour, and wonder; controlling creation, yet stooping to the cries of a frail mortal; equal with the Father but stooping to wash the disciples' feet; here, oh here, my soul rests in the tranquillity of bliss, and with His gracious approval I pillow my weary head upon His blessed breast. Here I taste a love that interests itself in such as me and that will take its own, though poor and ignorant, into confidence with itself in all the holy intimacy which it delights to bestow, keeping nothing back from the inquiring heart of all the interests, plans, and movements of the Godhead, in the working out of the counsels of eternal love. Here there is intimacy but no familiarity; matchless mystery of grace that frail and feeble mortals can be at home with Him who in His own mysterious greatness must be beyond them for evermore.

But like Moses, I would still draw near. He beckons me to Himself to dwell in the home of love begetting fullest confidence because of a nature and relationship which permits of no distrust. But there is more, for He makes known His interest in me not merely by meeting my needs but by communicating His own and the Father's interests, so that I might know the things of the Father and the Son and with an enlarged capacity be able to appreciate the wondrous heavenly favour heaped upon my soul. But still I linger and gaze with adoration upon Himself noting His power over all things, physically in the grandeur of creation, morally in the ranks of created intelligences, and above all His relation to the Father and the Holy Spirit in the carrying out of all the divine plans for time and eternity, knowing that while He is and does all this He has time to think of such as me. He calleth His own sheep by name, notes the town, street, and house where they live; wonder of wonders He creates, upholds, governs, and supplies, but beyond all this He loves. It is because He loves and is love that He does everything else, and it is because of this He interests Himself in me.

We make no apology for this since there is a distinct call for living affections for Christ. Orthodoxy, however good it may be, is not enough; there must be vitality. The well-known saying that one may be as clear as a sunbeam and as cold as an iceberg describes that which is sadly possible because of a mental acquisition of holy things. Surely there is abundant scriptural warrant in the way saints are seen all through the ages giving expression to the joy that filled their souls through occupation with the Lord and what He has revealed of Himself; if in the twilight of God's ways saints are found voicing their appreciation of heaven we who live in the full light of divine revelation may well let ourselves go. "Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar and the fulness thereof." Are we not reminded here of the words of the Lord when asked by the Pharisees to rebuke His disciples for this very thing: "I tell you that if these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out." It was a saying of an eminent servant of Christ about Samuel Rutherford: "For an hour at glory's gate commend me to heavenly Master Rutherford."

All that we can ever know of God must come to us by redemption, the person of the San, His work upon the Cross, and both of these for us, the latter being the means by which we can be brought in to appreciate and take delight in the former so that our hearts may be captivated by and for Himself, even now is a thing worthy of God Himself. Such a life as His must remain for ever blooming in the garden of God in all its holy fragrance; no books, even the world itself could not contain it; thank God the heavens will, for there it will be enshrined upon an ornament carved out as fruit of God's eternal counsels, to be read throughout eternal days. The assembly now being formed is that in which all that Jesus is and has done will be treasured up forever for God's eternal praise.

If the glory of that life is so far beyond us what shall be said of His death where all the accumulated forces of evil are seen at work spending themselves upon the sinless One. Before the Council the charge was, He called Himself the Son of God; before Pilate it was that He claimed to be a King; but with the people it was, "Behold the Man." Ecclesiastically, politically, and socially the world would not have Him. At that very time, however, something infinitely more solemn came to pass, for having taken the place of the sinner's surety there could be no help for Him in God. The Righteous One is abandoned and treated as guilty by His God. In these closing hours we read of the mock robe which is said to be scarlet, purple, and gorgeous; there need be no contradiction, for as we have seen, the first two are closely connected and may well be called gorgeous, but all foreshadows the time when every glory shall be set forth in Him.

But think for a moment on the connection between His birth and death. Both were a necessity and each lay outside the common course of mankind. He chose to be born of a virgin; no one else ever had any choice about his birth; He lived outside the common course of that life which "must needs die," yet gave Himself up to the shameful death of the Cross. The period of His life here must eternally abide before God, ever producing fresh praise in all its imperishable and incomprehensive grandeur but it had to come to an end. His people's state called for relief and God's glory called for a sacrifice, hence the necessity of the sacrifice at Calvary. The presence of Moses and Elijah with Him on the holy mount proved the necessity of the Cross for the securing of their right to be there, but the glory in which He Himself shone on that occasion necessitated death, for on the Mount of Transfiguration He stood anticipatively in the glory of redemption. On His side, too, there was a necessity for death that He might take up the place appointed for man in the counsels of God. He comes upon the scene to walk in the path of responsibility by way of the virgin's womb, but enters .the place and condition marked out in the purpose of God by resurrection from the dead. "This is He that came by water and blood." As He said to the two on the way to Emmaus: "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? '' (Luke 24: 26).

In resurrection we see the new state, and what it involved, for, though not yet ascended to heaven, the links are cut with flesh and blood; not only does the world see Him no more, but His friends cannot have Him in the same associations as before. But if He could not be with them in the same order of life as before His love had made a way for them to be with Him in the new conditions in which He now stood beyond death. The forty days are evidently peculiar, since they tell of One who has left this world but not yet gone to heaven; in the wisdom of God they set forth the position of His own for which they would need the presence and power of the Holy Ghost after He had gone on high.

This exaltation to the right hand of God is still more wonderful. Who can estimate the changes involved in the ranks of creation by His going there? We should mark well the bearing of this new thing upon man and the earth, for His going there had in view the sending of the Holy Ghost, an event which puts this planet and the beings upon it in a place of immeasurable favour before God. The events of the moment are of such enormous import that heavenly intelligences must stand by; they desire to look into these things, but a divine person is here to Whom is committed the whole range of the interests of Christ.

So many important principles are seen at the point we have reached that it is needful to take account of the position. On the side of purpose Christ had appeared in the end of the ages to put away sin, while in the bearing of the divine ways and man's responsibility He had been offered to the world and refused. Before going to the Cross He had pronounced judgment on the world, but before that judgment is carried out and the full public result is seen in the glorious reign of the Son of Man there comes a sudden break in the outward dealings of God with the world. In divine wisdom all public transactions with man and the world cease, and the intervening gap during which the assembly is brought upon the scene begins to run its course.

It is this gap of time when Israel is set aside and under judgment, and the Church, the heavenly company, is being called out, which demands our deepest attention, because in it we have not what is of earth and time but what is heavenly and eternal. The Son of Man, while waiting for the full public answer to all that He has done, is glorified in God. His atoning work had met the sin question in its bearing on the whole creation and paid the price for the redemption of the whole in which way He stamped His claim upon it with a view to putting the whole under His beneficent sway.

This will be the full answer to what He has done, and in that way the thoughts of inherited and acquired glory are brought together: what He inherits, as the appointed heir of all, He acquires by His death; all to be taken up in the double claim of personal and redemption rights, but between the Cross and the glory there comes in the gap of which we speak — the present Church-age during which time He is in a more wonderful place still — glorified in God.

Had the public ways of God gone on, judgment must have come upon the guilty world immediately after Christ went on high, but instead, the Holy Ghost comes down, and the Gospel, with the full blessing of God, begins to go out far and wide. The atoning work of His Son had so met the claims of God, and the majesty of His throne, that for the moment judgment would have been out of place, and instead a holy banquet to which all mankind are called, takes its place. This is the Gospel. Heaven rings with joy, and to the world guilty of the Saviour's death the Spirit is sent to bring men into the feast. What a triumph for God, and what a marvellous display of His grace and patience: He meets the creature's worst by His very best at the time of that creature's greatest extremity. At the moment when the world — both Jew and Gentile — had left itself open to unsparing judgment and had incurred the greatest debt, He frankly forgave them both. Nor did it stop at forgiveness merely, for the feast is spread and the dress for the guests provided (see the best robe, Luke 15); that the fruits of Christ's victory may be seen by the saints being before God vested in the beauty of His Son. This is where the proclamation of the Gospel links with the counsels of eternity, bringing to light the secret that men should be brought into sonship and that the Church should be presented to Christ as His complement, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all, so that when the heir comes into His inheritance the bride is seen associated with Him in all that pertains to His glory in that vast domain. Note, then, the perfect beauty of God's ways combined with all that He ever proposed in counsel as brought out in this divine parenthesis; had His judgment fallen when Christ ascended there could have been no heavenly city and no suitable helpmeet for the Man of His counsels. It had been written long before, "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmeet for him"; we can see surely that not merely Adam but Christ was then before Him. All these things converge, so to speak, at one point. Christ's rejection, the end of man's testing, and of his moral history and the judgment of the world in the Cross. In this way room is made for bringing into effect the counsels of eternity, the revelation of heavenly things, and the call of the new heavenly company.

Before passing on to the nature and calling of the Church, a few words are necessary on the truth of deliverance on account of its being the process of experience the soul must pass through before entering properly into these things. Who that is acquainted with the movements of God's testimony during the last century does not know that the conflict of truth raged round the fact of the accomplishment of divine righteousness in the Cross, and the consequent inauguration of a new creation by resurrection. The battle-ground lay chiefly in the Epistle to the Romans. In the most elaborate argument perhaps ever put upon paper the Apostle brings out there the way that divine righteousness had been established in the judicial removal of man in the flesh from the platform of God's dealings and a new order of man seen in a risen Christ now before the face of God forever. Much was made to revolve around the phrase, "Union in Incarnation." The assertion of this in one way or another by many was a denial of man's lost state in Adam and amounted to the averment that in becoming Man the Son had connected Himself morally with a fallen race. We may be thankful that there were those raised up of God who were enabled to put before the saints that which had been before given through the Apostle. It was amply demonstrated from the scriptures by one well-known servant that not only could there be no moral link with man in Adam but there could be no union between Christ and the believer till after redemption was accomplished, by which the sinful state was set aside in judgment.

Conditions have changed since then, but alas, not for the better. The same truth is opposed today though in a different way among those who stood so valiantly for it then. Union with Christ is admitted, but the subjective work of the Spirit is denied or beclouded with the result that the richest blessings are accepted and spoken of as possessed without the necessary state for their enjoyment. It is not uncommon to meet with those who assume to be seated in heavenly places in Christ, and very zealous for the truth in orthodox statements, who show a great deal of activity in the Gospel but yet ignore the Spirit's work and practically deny the new creation. This lack of deliverance from the flesh, and ability to take account of oneself under the Headship of Christ as belonging to a new race, produces a class of Christians that can be outwardly devoted but know nothing of the offence of the Cross. God's richest blessings are slighted, the path of separation unknown, the very birthright of souls is lost and God dishonoured.

We insist, then, that deliverance by the death of Christ is the key to the whole situation: it opens up to the soul another order of things beyond death, while at the same time it enables us to see everything in this world at its true moral value. Where it is refused, no matter how conscientious the person is, there is bound to be confusion, because the person is surrounded with disorder and can see no way out.

But now we turn for a few moments to the place of the assembly and those things which are so blessedly reached by the journey of the soul from Adam to Christ.

Part 3

The distinctive place of the Church is set before us in the writings of Paul, and it may help considerably if we point out certain lines of truth which, though not arbitrary, may be of use to make clear the view. First, the place of our Lord in connection with Israel, but refused by them and the blessing made good in a remnant which forms, so to speak, the link between the present position of that nation and the full blessing of a coming day. Matthew, Hebrews, and 1 Peter give these things with the book of the Acts in between as showing the transition of the Israel of God from the place of the guilty nation to a new heavenly calling by companionship with Christ where all the spiritual fulness which was hidden in the types is known and enjoyed. Second, the more general place of the Lord where He is seen in relation to the whole earth. This the Gospels of Luke and John clearly bring out and go on with Paul to His rightful place in the creation. The close connection between Paul and Luke is beautifully seen in the way the latter introduces the new heavenly company in his Gospel and the former the extent of the heavenly calling. John connects with both the above, but is more occupied with the circle of love proper to the Father and the Son and the range of family relationships which are ours in that connection, things which scarcely come within the scope of our present meditation.

Apart, then, from the third line of things which is given chiefly in John, we have the circle of divine interests in regard to the Davidic kingdom which began properly with Abraham, then Christ the Centre of the ways of God in regard to all things. All that is seen in the first is the promise of the second, for just as each of the colours of the rainbow may be seen in one drop of rain so all the variety of glory seen in Israel in the past will ultimately expand and fill the whole creation. Not only does the kingdom and temple with their gorgeous array of grandeur and beauty furnish typical proof of the magnificence of the larger system, but what is seen in the divine ways with men like Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon speaks of the system dimly foreshadowed in the head of gold and reaches out to the holy universal order as described in Ps. 8, 1 Cor. 15, Eph. 1, and Heb. 2.

Having glanced in "Scarlet" at the Church as the vessel of God's ways, in time, we may now look at that same vessel in relation to the counsels of eternity. Here let it be said that one's feeble apprehension of this great theme is most humbling; it must be confessed with shame the want of ability to value and dwell upon that which is the richest and innermost part of divine counsel and the very masterpiece of God. Not to make much of the assembly (viewed in its proper place in Christ) is to slight that which is nearest His heart and for which He not only parted with all that He had but freely gave Himself. We are creatures of extremes, and constantly need to be balanced; may we suggest, that if a little of the time given to dispensational and prophetic truth was devoted to the grand solution of moral questions and the revelation of heavenly and eternal verities which are now brought out in connection with the assembly, in this the Spirit's day, it would be most wholesome both for saints and servants. The ways of God in relation to the dispensations are most blessed to know; the truth, indeed, so hangs together that one cannot be known without the other, and in this way many Bible students are able to correctly place the dispensations and give the assembly her true place in relation to all the rest; but surely there is much more to be gained than this. If we could see that the assembly as united to Christ gathers up in herself all the deep moral principles of the past, combining with it what will be seen in the future, besides her own unique place in relation to Christ as the vessel of counsel, surely we would give ourselves more to the contemplation of such things. Does anyone ask proof of what is here advanced? Nothing is more simple since all that is in the head is for the body and all that the bridegroom takes up is shared by the bride. Israel will know Him as the glorious Messiah and the nations of the world rejoice before Him as the Son of Man; but, as being His royal consort, the assembly is to know Him in every way in which He is to be known. All, therefore, that the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine-twined linen adumbrate, speaks of that which those who form the bride of Christ are being educated in today. It will not be doubted by anyone taught of God that heavenly as well as earthly things are laid out before us in the present economy of grace in a way they never were before. Let us therefore take courage and seek through grace to apprehend the favour of the moment. Though surrounded with all the evil of apostate Christendom, it is a time when the secrets of eternity are out, the motives of the Godhead are laid bare, and not only are the counsels of God disclosed, but all that He is in nature, character, and being is brought within the reach of faith with the express purpose of forming a company to be heavenly in character and conduct, though still in a bodily condition which cannot go beyond the earth. Surely there is a moral fitness in all this and a moral necessity for it which lies deeply in the nature of things, and which stamps itself upon the heart as of God, and which is right because He it is that does it.

Here, beloved reader, there is a point that must not be passed over. How often when servants of the Lord have been endeavouring to open out these things have we heard the complaint: "It is far too deep"; or, "It is beyond us; it is over our heads." Surely if such things are given to us of God it is meet that we should seek through grace to understand and appreciate them. But apart altogether from the danger of slighting such things, or they who seek to speak of them, is there not a mistake in the reasoning? We believe there is, and that it lies in the failure to distinguish between the intelligence and the moral consciousness in man. In acquiring knowledge we have to labour and go step by step from that which is elementary to what is advanced, but this is merely a means to an end, for to be effectual that which is taken in by the mind must reach the heart by the conscience (we speak of the children of faith) setting God before the soul in the fulness of revelation and glory. It becomes us, then, to encourage each other; God is training His people for a great and glorious position, and what He has put before us in His Word He can teach us by His Spirit so that even now we may climb the delectable mountains and behold the celestial expanse which lies spread out before the soul's gaze, producing praise and worship to such a great and wonderful God.

From this digression we turn to speak of the assembly, and would remark that there are three expressions in the writings of Paul which serve to bring out the calling and relationship of those who form that company in a very blessed way. There is first "The mystery" from which comes the place of the Church as the body of Christ, and following upon that the truth of the bride wherein she is fitted in nature and affection for Himself. All three thoughts hang together, each in turn serving to bring the other into view.

The Mystery. — "The truth of the mystery," it has been said, "includes four things: 1st, the revelation of God's counsels concerning Christ as the second Man; 2nd, the relation of the Church to Him as His body and bride; 3rd, the nature of this union; 4th, what the Head is to the body and to each individual member. In other words, it is the unfolding of the glory of the Head, the grace which has set the Church in relation to Him in that glory, and what the Head is to the body for its present maintenance while on earth" (Christian Friend, 1892, p. 68).

The mystery, then, is not the person of Christ — there we have a mystery which can never be known — nor is it the Church however richly blest in the sovereignty of God. No; it is the grand secret of eternity in which the Church is seen in Christ and Christ in the Church. It is the outcome of divine counsels that the Son should become Man, taking up the whole creation as his inheritance in virtue of the Cross and form through redemption a company which should stand in relationship with Himself as helpmeet and be associated with Him in his royal sway.

We are told that this mystery was kept secret since the world began, and that it was not made known to the sons of men; it was hid in God, and before time began it was nearest His heart, for it was according to His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. Between Christ Himself and those who form it there is complete identity of life and nature, and it is that which gives perfect finish to all the dealings of God with mankind. To the Apostle was given the revelation of it with a view to complete the Word of God. All this is seen to fit in with the protracted dealings of God with the world, and shows how that judgment could not immediately follow the crime which put the Son of God on the cross: time must be given for the call of the bride, for the MAN is not to be alone.

Having stepped into the creation by becoming Man, the Son accomplishes redemption and takes up a company which is spoken of as His fulness — the complement of the Man Christ Jesus. No words could duly emphasise this, for indeed it is spoken of as the impelling motive that governed the Creator in bringing the creation into being (Eph. 3: 9, 10). "The mystery was the secret of the Creator, hence the whole creation had some reference to it, when the assembly has its place in glory it will be a blessing to the whole creation." Those brought into it had partaken of sinful human nature by virtue of their relation to Adam; that that condition might be put away Christ went to the Cross and in resurrection the Holy Ghost came to form them after Himself, whereby there might be evolved from Him that which should in this special way be eternally suitable to His own heart. The relative importance of this may be seen in Ephesians, where the saints are viewed as the House of God; there, the variety of divine blessing is marked out but the mystery is singled out for special treatment and enlarged upon by the Spirit in the parenthesis of Chapter 3. In the latter half of Chapter 2 we get the new man, Reconciliation, the Kingdom, the City and Temple, all the necessity of the House in verse 22; but the mystery is taken up alone and developed by the Spirit in the following chapter.

The Body of Christ. — This is part of "the mystery," and indicates the Church here in the life of Christ her Head. In 1 Cor. 12 the body is seen as the Vessel of the Holy Ghost, in Colossians it is seen as the medium through which Christ is set forth, and in Ephesians it is the display of the all-various wisdom of God. In the first of these the saints at Corinth are viewed as a microcosm of the whole, so that what came out in Christ is continued by the Holy Ghost, that through them God might be known in the blessing of men. A sphere of life is opened up which is properly the domain of the Spirit in which the whole Trinity is seen at work; the diversity of gifts are from the same Spirit, the diversity of administrations are from the same Lord, and the diversity of operations from the same God. The chapter goes on to show the working of these things in the assembly, and all in view of the district in which the saints are located in the providence of God. There was, it is well known, the manifestation of other spirits at Corinth, but in Christ's assembly there was the manifestation of God's presence by the Holy Spirit.

At Colosse the view is further enlarged. The greatness of Christ is shown in a full and blessed way, and then carried over into the redemption sphere to show that He, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead, is the Head of the Body. If at Corinth the saints are seen as the vehicle of the Spirit, here it is all the saints on earth for the expression of the sensibilities that are in the head. Like the colours of the sun reflected in the myriads of water drops which compose the rainbow, the moral features of Christ are to be seen in His members, which has in view the triumph of God in the continuation of His Son here, in spite of His refusal by the world.

Coming to Ephesians there are certain peculiarities which call for careful consideration. Here the ground is enlarged so as to take in all creation. It is the prerogative of the Book of God to speak as no other book could, and in this Epistle what is not yet accomplished is spoken of as having come to pass. This is not uncommon in Scripture, as every student of the Word knows (see Rom. 8: 30 and many other passages). Here the assembly is seen as complete, taking in all the saints between Pentecost (Acts 2) and the coming of the Lord for His own (1 Thess. 4). This should be noted, for it leaves room for a freedom of language about the assembly both regarding time and space which otherwise we could not understand. Mark well, then, that in this Epistle the assembly is seen in her own place all through the present age, then in her place of glory in millennial scenes, and lastly as the vessel of God's glory in God's eternal day.

In the combined view we recall that in Corinthians the Body is seen locally as the vessel of the Spirit, in Colossians it is the whole company in relation to the greatness of Christ; but in Ephesians it is even now the expression to heavenly intelligences of the all-various wisdom of God. In the first we see the supernatural, in the second what is cosmopolitan, and in the third the supramundane. At Corinth it is supernatural because of the manifestations of the Holy Ghost to be seen in them in relation to their life here; at Colosse it is cosmopolitan because the whole Church on earth is in view looked at as risen together with Christ but still on earth; at Ephesus it is supramundane because it is not only risen together with Christ but seated in the heavenlies in Him. Out of this latter, which refers to space, arises the threefold view in regard to time and eternity, viz., the place of the Church to-day, then the position in the age to come, and lastly, the dwelling-place of God in eternity. In Chapter 3: 9, the celestial intelligences read in her now the all-various wisdom of God; in 2: 7, the exceeding riches of His grace will be seen there in coming ages; but, in 3: 20 and 21, she will be the resting-place of the divine glory by Christ Jesus for evermore.

The Bride of Christ. — If the truth of the mystery has shown us the Head and the Body, we now come to the Bridegroom and the Bride. The first thing we ask the reader to note is that in the truth of the body it is the singular but here it is the plural. In the former it is ONE; a whole Christ, the body seen in its completeness in the head, but in this we have two, the man and the woman. But if on different ground with the ascended man and His bride before us the truth of the bride depends upon that of the body, and we would make clear the connection. It was said the other day that "possibly the Holy Ghost had waited for these last days before the Lord returns to give greater prominence to this the bride-aspect of the Church." We heartily endorse this, believing that at this moment the Holy Spirit is producing in many bridal affections that nothing can satisfy but the Bridegroom Himself.

We have, it is well known, a number of women in the Old Testament which foreshadow the assembly as the bride of Christ. If we turn to these a moment we shall see that none completes the picture like her who was taken out of Adam to be presented to him. Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, and Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, the wives of Joseph and Moses, were lifted by their marriage to the rank of their husbands, a thing which could not be possible in the case of Eve. With her there was equality before the presentation simply because she was part of himself. These other women supply an important part in the type as showing how sinful creatures have been lifted from the dunghill and exalted to such a wonderful position; but with Eve it is the type of the assembly as in the purpose of God taken out of Christ to be presented to Him. Rebekah would not even fit here, for though she was kindred with Isaac and supplies a most important point as to our being one with Christ (Heb. 2: 11), she could not supply that part which the first woman does. As Eve came from Adam when he was in a deep sleep, the assembly is taken from Christ in death to be made a suitable companion for Him. Our Lord stood alone in the Gospels, but by going into death it became possible for the assembly to be taken from Him, so that she owes her existence to Him, but by way of death, and having gone on high He is made "Head over all things to the assembly which is His body" (Eph. 1: 22).

The transition is made from the thought of the body to that of the bride in the verse just cited (Eph. 1: 22), and we can clearly see that the figure used goes back to the divine operation upon the man in the garden. We pass in thought from the body to the bride in the verse in Ephesians in much the same order as we reach the man and his wife by the operations of the Lord God in Gen. 2: 21-23. The explanatory clause, "The fulness of Him who filleth all in all," transfers us in thought from the assembly as His body to the assembly as His bride. This should be attended to, for it is impossible to connect the idea of union with a single personality. All our members are part of our bodies as one whole, and cannot be rightly spoken of as united to our bodies, but when we come to the assembly as the bride, we are immediately prepared for the truth of Eph. 5, where the institution of marriage is shown to have had from the beginning Christ and the assembly in view. Such thoughts would not fit in with what we have seen in Corinthians or Colossians, simply because there is no bride equal in rank with the bridegroom, but grasping the thought of the duality of persons in Eph. 1: 22, in relation to Gen. 2: 21 and 22, we immediately see the suitability of Eph. 5: 32 with Gen. 2: 24. It is in the latter that union can be rightly spoken of, and we are led with deep delight to see in the light of a glorified Christ that God had before Him from the beginning the procuring of a bride for His Son.

All this is connected with the before-time purposes of God, and is undoubtedly before the mind of the Lord in the parable of the goodly pearl, which we may further connect with His words to the Father in John 17: "Thine they were and Thou gavest them Me." In the great parable chapter (Matt. 13), the Lord sets before us the beauty of the assembly in His eyes — the one pearl of "real price. For this He would part with all that He possessed. In doing so He obtained the whole world (a point which bears on His place as Son of Man), but it was that He might have the pearl for Himself. She is here viewed in the purpose of God in her inherent beauty as fitted for Himself and in the incorruptible blessedness of His life and nature before God.

Both the passage in Matt. 13 and Eph. 5 take account of the state which called for the Cross and the work of His grace in us by the Spirit forming each individual in a new order, so that in the aggregate He might have an helpmeet suited for Himself. During the time He is on high there is the calling out, the sanctifying and cleansing by the washing of water by the word, and the nourishing and cherishing, which produces that unfading youth and beauty in His sight where there is neither spot nor wrinkle. We have the Cross and the motive for it in regard to that company which is taken out of the "all things" to be the consort of Him into whose hands all things are put.

What a marvellous unfolding of heavenly light and blessing is brought to us in these last days, and to know too that the issue of it all will be the marriage of the Lamb when the glorious nuptials shall be celebrated in a scene of heavenly festivity which passes beyond all words to describe. Here again let us note another threefold description, recalling what we have said about the body; she stands today in the scene of the bridegroom's rejection, espoused as a chaste virgin to Christ; tomorrow she shall be seen in the plenitude of glory identified as the city of gold, the vessel of divine administration, in the sunny days of creation's glory, when all shall adore the King her glorious bridegroom; and, beyond all that, she is seen at the entrance to eternity as a bride adorned for her husband, going on into the calm of an unruffled eternity of bliss, "Where God shall shine in light divine and glory never fading." Shall we ask again the question, Is it possible to make too much of this wonderful masterpiece of God? One said in our hearing lately, "This picture of the Church as the bride of Christ comes into view before the fall brought sin and death into the world. That is to say, the instant creation was completed. God says, as it were, I will tell you the great secret of my heart, I will tell you why I have brought this creation into being. I am going to secure out of it an object to satisfy the heart of Christ."

Thus we can trace her portion in relation to God — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; in regard to time, the present age and the age to come; then pass on to God's eternal day, and placing ourselves there, in thought, look back over the bridge of time in all its wonders and see her place in the heart of the Deity in the eternal past; all now perfectly effectuated to God's eternal delight. Being the bride of the Lamb she takes her place at the centre of the creation with her glorious bridegroom; today, the display of God's grace and wisdom; tomorrow, of His grace and glory; but in eternity the vessel of His glory alone. "Unto Him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen."

Part 4

From viewing the centre of "the vast universe of bliss," let us turn for a moment to the circumference. From Christ the king and His royal bride, we are privileged to behold something of the unity and variety of that vast empire, and take some little account of the many families which, it is the purpose of the Father, should fill the heavens and the earth.

For using the expression that "We have to remember that the Church is not everything," in a Scripture reading a brother was sharply pulled up and even demanded to withdraw. This, of course, he would not do, and to relieve the tension another came to the rescue with the illustration that a half-sovereign may be much smaller than a crown piece, but is of more value. As to the fittingness of the illustration we offer no opinion, but express unqualified agreement with the statement that the Church is not everything. It must be admitted that our little minds often get so warped with the importance of one thing, so as to lose all sense of due proportion in the whole. So far is the statement, that the Church is everything, from the truth, that it destroys the view of the whole. To belittle any one of the circles of the vast accumulation of the redeemed families and the rank upon rank of heavenly intelligences not only detracts from the place of the assembly, but is positively derogatory to the glory of the King. When we view Israel in Canaan set up in the midst of the nations of the earth, does it not ennoble rather than weaken their position to take full account of every nation that then was there? If we view the sun as centre of the solar system, the planets that revolve around it at the furthest distance are as necessary as those at the nearest place; the same law that governs one governs all, and indeed, the whole is balanced with such nicety that the removal of one would be detrimental to the whole; so it is in the moral system, where the law of love is that which controls all. It does not detract from the relative place of each company in that vast scene of glory to say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the necessity and guarantee of the life of the whole, nor can it possibly lessen His glory to say that every part of it is necessary for the display of what is in Himself.

How all is to be brought about may engage us for a moment, for although Christ is at the right hand of God and all things put in purpose under His feet, it still remains true that we see not yet all things under Him. Such is the certainty of the accomplishment that prophecy may be said to be the face of the historian turned the opposite way. Let us endeavour to see in the space at our disposal how all will be brought to pass.

The divine government proceeds from the throne of God, but it is exercised in a different way, from the time that the sword was given to the Gentile than what it had been before, when the throne of David was established and Jehovah sat between the cherubim. At that solemn crisis in the world's history the state of Israel was so bad that they were carried away to Babylon; the glory, symbol of Jehovah's presence departed to heaven, Israel ceased to be owned as the people of God, and the times of the Gentiles began. From that moment till the present, God's holy government, which is certain, has been exercised in an indirect and less public way. Instead of ruling from His place between the cherubim, He controls all from His throne in heaven; an order which must continue, till Christ takes His own throne and the public government is made good in His hands. In all this we trace the divine order in creation where providential government is constantly in exercise and where the higher intelligences come in as intermediary servants to carry out the mandates of their Creator for the well-being of man upon the earth; an order which vividly displays the goodness, wisdom, and beneficence of the Creator. Now God has put all things into the hands of His Son, the man Christ Jesus, and the world to come is not put under angels so that a change in the divine government of great importance is necessitated. The way this change is brought about by the transfer of the executive of the throne of the majesty of God to the hands of the glorified man, is put before us in the Word and calls both for earnest consideration and our deepest praise.

All this, it need scarcely be said, hangs upon the mystery of the person of Christ. The sending of the Holy Ghost by Him at Pentecost was the beginning of a new thing, which it is essential that we should understand in connection with this change of the divine government of the world. This new thing was, in a spiritual way, and on the principle of faith, the commencement of that world over which Christ is set which is destined to expand till it covers the universe, and which had been constantly spoken of both by promise and prophecy. It exists ever since, but for the moment it is spoken of as "God's administration which is in faith." Here all is set up under the Son of Man. The present world with its nations and kings, senates and armies, etc., is the scene of God's holy government where holy angels are His ministering spirits for carrying out His will. In the glory system all is different. The Lord Jesus Christ who is supreme in administration concerning all the bounty of God, has sent the Spirit in relation not to this world, but in relation to the revelation which He Himself had brought. Angels, high and holy beings, must here stand aside; into these things they desire to look; and, in those who are the called of God, they are to learn something which no creature in past ages could possibly get to know. All this surely accentuates the importance of the present moment and calls for faithful men who, in a time of appalling disorder, stake their all upon the maintenance of the claims of God.

The reader will remark that we are not looking merely at the. outer framework of the dispensations, nor at the important gap in these which is still running its course, but at the inner lining or moral fulness of the thoughts, plans, and procedure of God which is laid before us in relation to other ages both past and future. Stephen beheld the man in the centre of the glory of God, and from that point right on through the New Testament there is opened up for us the richest unfoldings of God; that we may see Him, our glorious Saviour in the exercise of His lordship, headship, and priesthood, which is the blessed proof to our souls of the place of the anointed man whose administration is not in relation to this world, but to all that which concerns the glory of our God in the creation as purposed by Him before time began.

From what has been said it will be seen that certain things are the result of a moral necessity, and Christ's present piece, at the right hand of God being provisional, is one of these (Ps. 110). While refused His rights He engages Himself there, with other arid deeper things, till the moment when He shall rise to take over the full and universal control of all things. Then the world of blessing, now known in faith, shall come into full view, and the whole scene of the divine government which is now the sphere of angelic service shall pass under His control, they delighting to own His sway and adore His holy name. A moment's consideration of such things gives us to see how all is measured, planned, and timed to fit together for the grand coronation day, when the appointed heir shall come into the inheritance in all the dignity that is His, in full view of a wondering creation. Let us look for a moment at the circumstances connected with the change of the divine government as presented in Rev. 5.

It is a scene in heaven, the abode of God and the universe in its varied races is represented. The activities of heaven are often mentioned in Scripture, as again and again the veil is drawn aside that we may learn the wondrous doings of God with the earth in connection with the great conflict between good and evil (see Job 1, 2 Chr. 18, and Zech. 3). We read of Moses, with Aaron, and his sons, and seventy of the elders, called up "and they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness" (Ex. 24: 9). Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel had each been called to witness the movements of the throne in its varied actions, and at different epochs, in the exercise of the divine government, all of which combined to exhibit the majesty and supremacy of God. This scene surpasses them all for sublimity of grandeur and splendour of majesty. It is a meeting which has in view the assumption of universal government by Him who was slain, and all the attendant circumstances are so ordered that nothing may be wanting that could impart dignity to the scene.

The scene on the holy mount had displayed His majesty before the chosen three in the days of His flesh, and after He had ascended, other three, viz., Stephen, Saul, and John, had beheld something of that same majesty. Here He is seen at home, the centre not only of myriads of celestial intelligences, but in the midst of that host for whom He bled and died. There is first the throne and Him that sat upon it, the Holy Lord God Almighty; the seven lamps of fire which are the seven Spirits of God; the four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind, expressive of the character of the divine government; and then the twenty-four elders, the whole redeemed company then brought home to heaven. Justice and judgment are the habitation of the throne, and the rainbow round about speaks of His covenanted faithfulness in the creation: all the great elements we may say of creation, providence, government, and redemption are there. Lightning and thunder speak of judgment, for at that very moment there is gathering together the greatest combination of evil that ever was on earth.

But if there is thunder in Rev. 4 there is singing in Rev. 5. A sealed book is seen in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, but no man in heaven or earth could open it; it is the title-deeds of the Lamb, and the time is come for Him to assert His rights. When He took the book this was the signal to begin the new song which should travel out to the boundary of creation. What an answer to Calvary is here! Who can ever think of what all this means for Him, seated in the court of heaven, the centre of God's delight, surrounded by hosts of heavenly intelligences and at the same time the object of the delight of redeemed myriads whose presence there made the Cross for Him a necessity?

We would gladly linger over this scene, but our point is the transfer of the action of the throne to Him upon whose shoulder rests the government of creation. From this point on in the book of Revelation the angels are seen carrying out the behests of Him who had prevailed and alone could open the book. "The Son of Man," it has been well said, "is the connecting link between the purpose of God and the wheels of divine providence, as they move on in the accomplishment of all that concerns the glory of God for ever and ever," and the providential judgments which follow whether the seals, trumpets, or vials are all introductory to the coming forth of the King who, having taken the book, controls such judgments.

The song in Rev. 5 which celebrates the Lamb's praise, takes in suffering saints on earth and turns the mind to a class which may be viewed as the last and perhaps most noble of all that grand army of heaven's worthies. Their suffering and death necessitate resurrection and translation which will complete the circles of blessing in the heavens, but the presence of the king Himself is a necessity for the putting things right upon the earth. The fearful state of things there is seen at its height in the combined resistance of the kings and their armies against the coming One. Judgment, which had hitherto been providential, is now to be direct from the hands of the Lord who appears with eyes as a flame of fire and a sharp sword, for, "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war; he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies" (Isa. 42: 13).

This judgment, which is Davidic in character, may be said to be the vintage of the earth, but there is still the harvest when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of His glory and all the holy angels with Him. There can be no doubt that the vintage and harvest include all the judgments which are preparatory to the scene of ordered blessing when the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea; the judgment of the great white throne, being a thousand years later, is introductory to eternity. Order being effected, the king takes His place in the royal city, which is the centre of His vast empire, and the place from which His administration emanates.

As we have shown in "Scarlet," Israel will not be forgotten in that day. All Scripture shows her to be the centre of blessing and glory upon the earth, and the direct link of connection with the city of glory above. Jerusalem, set up as a strong city far beyond anything ever known before, shall have put on her beautiful garments, and the righteous nation shall have become the centre of prosperity and blessing in a scene where all the problems which are disturbing society to-day shall find their complete solution (Ps. 72).

It is just here that the difference of the Church's place is seen. If Jerusalem is made the centre of the whole earth, the heavenly city is the metropolis of the whole creation. It is an aggregate of intelligent people, a vast corporation which is seen as the crown of all the work of God in His dealings with mankind, a city whose founder and builder is God. The city speaks of centralisation, and has been defined to be "the most perfect realisation and the most convenient representation of society in its maturity." What thinking person can fail to see right from the building of the Cain city, the tendency on the part of man for centralisation. The closing book of the Bible sets before us two cities: one the climax of civilisation, fruit of the industry, ingenuity, and device of man, as having departed from God; the other, the blessed expression of the wisdom, skill, and resource of God.

In the vast system around us, where civilisation has risen to such a height, all the revenues of the centuries have come down to us. Nature, science, and history have been explored to supply us with their varied stores, so that a range of knowledge is brought to us far beyond what was considered possible by those gone before. Facilities for pleasure, pride, and idleness, fruit of many inventions; and, legislation for the masses, so that " Rich and increased with goods " is much in evidence. Here is found the accumulated results of the industry of ages, and all the refined capabilities of man's complex being is expanded to their utmost to make the earth a place of rest and satisfaction without God. Respectability, refinement, and "prohibition" are all found in this city; schemes, too, for destroying slums and building garden cities, etc., etc.; but with it all infidelity, godlessness, and opposition to Christ on every hand.

In the midst of all this God is working. His eye is on every one and on every element of the situation, and if His blinding judgment seems to be resting on many who lead the van in apostasy, there is, on the other hand, many tens of thousands who love Him and delight to own that they owe their all to Him whose precious blood was shed for their salvation. Note, too, how He makes even the evil to serve Him, for "All things serve His might." Those who are to be in the king's service, in the city of glory, in the glorious administration of divine justice, are being trained for office in the circumstances they are made to pass through today. While all the capabilities of man in the flexibilities of his soul are being stretched to the utmost in the race for life in science, commerce, and politics, there are those who are being fitted, while passing through the same things, for filling an office in the administration of the city and its glorious king. In that scene the officers of the king will take up positions which call for resource, and the ability to deal with men and circumstances. This resource is developed by a course of training which shows the importance, for the Christian, of the interval between His first confession of Christ, and the moment when he enters his heavenly home.

But now look at God's city. There is no brick and slime here. The whole structure is composed of living stones. Its construction has been going on in the hands of a divine architect since the day of Pentecost, and it is prepared against that day when chaos, thank God, shall give place to cosmos, in a creation which will be filled with the light and excellency of Christ to the everlasting delight of God. There is gold, silver, and precious stones in Babylon, but no living stones; these belong to the heavenly system where the city is pure gold, like unto clear glass, and garnished with all manner of precious stones. It is the central part of that mystery in which is hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Faith by producing divine instinct, as well as by scriptural intelligence, ever looked forward to it, and every principle brought out in the course of divine dealings down through the ages finds a place there. Sacrifice in regard to righteousness as in Abel, prophecy and translation in Enoch, salvation and government in Noah, all is found there. Again we get headship as represented in Adam, blessing as in Abraham, dwelling as in Moses, and ruling as represented in David.

But besides this blessed accumulation of heavenly principles which have been displayed in the ways of God, there is also the witness to His counsels which existed before the world began. Christ Himself the centre of these counsels and the assembly His body and His bride. Here both the counsels of God and His time ways meet, finding in both their consummation and rest, and solving to our adoring hearts the great enigma of the past; explaining, too, the secret of why the creation came about, and the wonderful mystery of His forbearance with all that which so long called in question His honour; all, all is there, because He is there in whom it all centres, and from whom it all sprang, and by whom it shall all be upheld throughout everlasting days to the glory and praise of God.

There is the throne of God and the Lamb, while in the river all is seen as under the influence and power of the Holy Ghost. The rays of the glory will rest upon those brought into the place of nearness, and will pass from them to the varied circles meeting each in perfect suitability with their moral constitution, and the relationship in which they stand. The tree with its twelve manner of fruits for the glorified, and the leaves for the healing of the nations.

We have noted her ministry earthward (see "Gold"), but as the helpmeet of the king her service shall extend to the utmost bound of the creation. The same chapter which speaks of her activity towards the world tells also of the same towards the higher intelligences (see 1 Cor. 6), which in the nature of things is a moral necessity. While forming the link between the creation and Him who created it, she is distinct in some sense from it. As sharing with Him for whom it was all created and as the bride of Him who is the centre of God's counsels, she has her place with Him in giving effect to these counsels.

Here, beloved reader, ponder with us a moment this expression of the Purple. See the Son of Man of the Gospels, the Son of Man who is now glorified in God, the Son of Man with a golden crown coming forth to judge, and then behold Him as the man of Ephesians 1: 20-23, with His glorious bride at the centre of a universe made glad with His glorious sway. See Him, the God who stooped to this earth and manhood to settle the question of sin, the centre of the Father's counsels, who hurls from their place every fallen dignity and prostrates every foe, cleansing both the heavens and the earth and bringing in everlasting righteousness, for He must reign till He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power and all enemies under His feet. Should we not then, my reader, delight in the grace which has enabled us to bow and own Him Lord and God now, and seek to apprehend more of the wonderful things of our God who has connected us with His Son as members of His body, soon to be with Him on high to serve and praise Him for evermore.

Having become man He remains that for ever, and at the end of the kingdom age, when all that is connected with time has been brought to a finish and the former things shall have passed away, the assembly is seen as a bride adorned for her husband going on into an eternity of bliss. There in the beauty of the divine nature, for stones and pearls are not required, she shall be the suited dwelling-place of God for His eternal delight and in His eternal day.

Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity! And let all the people say, Amen! Hallelujah!

Scarlet

Scarlet.

James McBroom.

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work " (Ex. 25: 6).

Looking closely at those "five words," which contain something of the glories of our Lord, we are reminded of what is said in another place, viz., that the world itself could not contain the books which might be written on such a theme. A Saviour who, on the one hand is God over all, marked by divine righteousness and glory (Gold), and on the other, by Incarnation as the Second Man out of heaven (Blue), comes necessarily before us in regal Majesty and Kingly beauty as the appointed Heir of all things (Purple), and Son of David, King of Israel, that nation's glorious King (Scarlet), while behind all, we are led in the fine twined linen to see Him as loving righteousness and hating iniquity, and exhibiting a life of unstained purity in a world of sin and death, where all had gone their own way and outraged the claims of God.

Much patience is required if we would enter into these things and watching daily at His gates. He delights to be sought after and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him out To be admitted to the place of intimacy inside, to behold the King in His beauty, to have the heart delighted with the sight of Him as Centre of such varied glories is a favour of no ordinary degree, and recalls His own words to His disciples, "Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear." "We beheld," says Peter, "His majesty on the holy mount." Stephen saw Him in the centre of the glory of God, and since then it is the privilege of every child of faith to look up and see Jesus, crowned with glory and honour, at the right hand of God. "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

There are some, alas! who seem to have no taste for these things. There are, it is well-known, certain persons afflicted with a certain defect called colour blindness. Much of the sublime in nature is lost to such. The beauty of the rainbow above, or the richly decorated landscape beneath, which lends a charm to our life here, elevating the heart often above the pressure of mental and moral troubles is unknown to them. What shall be said of those who are morally blind and are content to remain in that condition. The language of repentant Israel, as recorded by the Holy Ghost is, "He hath no form or lordliness, and when we see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him." Contrast here Psalm 27: 4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord . . . to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in His temple." How deplorably sad it must be for those who interest themselves in the things of the Lord sufficient only to secure heaven at the end, but conform to the ways and fashions of the world and fail to catch a glimpse of the beauty of Him who is the fairest among ten thousand and the altogether lovely One.

The purple and scarlet of the above verse speak of our Lord in what is magnificent and gorgeous, and combine in Him with the moral and spiritual verities indicated by the other three things, viz., gold, blue, and fine twined linen: He is a heavenly Man in the royalty marked by divine righteousness and stainless purity, and His rule is set before us in the Word as having a two-fold bearing. The first is His place as Son of David, King of Israel, the second, that of Son of Man in universal sway in the creation, and it is generally agreed that the scarlet refers to the former glory and the purple to the latter. With the one we may connect the thought of the microscope showing the minute perfections of His grace and glory in a little nation on the earth, the people which, in grace, He stooped to link Himself with in the working out of God's ways in time (see the Psalms, particularly Ps. 2, Ps. 45, Ps. 72), and with the other, the telescope opening out the far-reaching extent of His dominions as King of kings and Lord of lords, and as swaying the whole creation of God (see Psalm 8, and its various quotations in the writings of Paul).

He it is upon whose shoulder the government of all rests. It has often been pointed out that earth's blessing supposes Israel restored and set up in millennial joy under Messiah's glorious sway, with all nations in happy accord', delighting to own their Messiah as Son of Man, their rightful King, whose beneficent sway through the people of His choice will bring contentment and satisfaction to all. This is well put by another. — "Thus the two streams of blessing will flow peacefully around the Lord Jesus, the centre as it were of two concentric circles, which will then expand to His glory and fill the world with blessing. He is the Son of David for the smaller circle and the lower of the two, Ho is the Son of Man for the larger, all-embracing government, which will then be established under the whole heaven and not only over-the land of Judea. The rule of the heavens in His Person will enfold all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, and so ensure righteousness and peace throughout the whole earth" (The Second Coming, W. K., page 111).

These two lines of truth often intersect each other and are continually brought together in the same context, the Spirit beginning with the place of Christ in the nation and going on to His wider glory among all nations. See for example, Psalm 2, where it is said, "Yet have I set My King on My holy hill of Zion," and then goes on to say, "Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance." Nor must we forget that there are times when the Spirit breaks through all mundane limitations and reaches out to His place of rule in the width of the creation. This comes very clearly out in Psalm 8, and its citations in the New Testament, where the Lord is portrayed at the centre of the universe and His Church associated with Him in the time of His glorious reign.

It will be seen from what has been said that it will be preferable to take the scarlet as depicting the narrowest circle first, and afterwards go on to what is universal. For this, let us prayerfully seek that an entrance may be given into the chambers of His Messianic glory, that He who has the key of David will graciously give admission, and that we may enter into "Things concerning Himself," and be entranced by beholding the King in His beauty in that Temple where every whit utters glory.

Scarlet seems in some way to connect with Israel. It is mentioned in the pledge given to Rahab of her security when Israel would take the City. It is descriptive of national glory in the days of Saul, when the daughters of Israel were clothed in gold and scarlet. And the fact that our Lord is spoken of as clothed in a scarlet robe in that Gospel where He is portrayed as Son of David would seem to indicate its use in Jewish royalty. Its significant rise in the ritual, when along with cedar wood and hyssop it was cast into the burning of the heifer, speaks of the end of all man's glory in the cross (Gal. 6). The Woman clothed in purple and scarlet (Rev. 17) indicates, as is well known the daring character of the professing system at the close, assuming the right of Christ both in Israel and among the Gentiles.

There are certain well marked allusions to the supremacy of Christ in the early chapters of Genesis, which we must pass over since they are connected more with that of which the purple speaks. The call of Abraham marks an important epoch, and although it was comparatively late in the history when that event took place, he was made the root of the olive tree of testimony and the one from whom the Nation took its origin. Hence we read in the opening verse of the New Testament, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." Here the genealogy is not traced to Adam as in Luke, the point being, to show our Lord as the true Solomon, Heir to the throne, and the true Isaac, the risen One, who is Heir to the land. The call of Abraham is thus seen as a new departure in the ways of God, and the glorious answer to all the promises is seen in Him who became a Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers (Romans 15).

The Kingdom reign is first mentioned in Exodus 15: 18, and we cannot fail to see in the events of that period the power that will usher it in. The deliverance from Egypt, the opening of the sea and the leaping of the hills, are grandly expressive, producing the language which celebrated Him as a Man of power. I will sing unto the Lord for He hath triumphed gloriously.... The Lord is a Man of war: the Lord is His Name. Then the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Stone of Israel, Benjamin (the son of my right hand) who ravens as a wolf, all speak of Him whose name is Immanuel (Genesis 49). The Star and Sceptre spoken of by Balaam and the greater prophet, mentioned by Moses, tell us distinctly of Him whose authority none would gainsay, and in like manner the Captain of the host of the Lord, who with a drawn sword appeared to Joshua.

In all the history it may be clearly seen that God is so ordering and controlling events as to give a clear outline of the Man of His purpose, who, at the end of the ages of probation, would come forth and take up all that had broken down in men's hands in previous times and make all good for God's glory and honour. To those acquainted with the Pentateuch, we may recall that Genesis chiefly foreshadows Christ in the person of certain men. Exodus in the way of certain acts. Leviticus, the wondrous fulness connected with the sacrifice of Christ and the Priesthood for the service of God, while Numbers and Deuteronomy describe a whole system of life and relationships which finds its counterpart in Christ and the Church.

The prophetic strain given through Hannah is a bright gleam in a dark day, and brings the King before us in Person. Her faith went far beyond the mere instinct of nature, and got for its answer a Samuel (asked of God) who was raised up to supply the link between the fall of the priesthood and the establishing of the monarchy in David. In this man we come to what is permanent, for although there was breakdown in his house, as in all the rest, all hope continues to centre there because of David's greater Son. This leads to the Psalms, where we get a rich and magnificent strain of prophetic utterances concerning the beauty of the King and the glory of His reign. The prophets dwell, by the same Spirit, on the sufferings of Christ and the glories which were to follow, passing over the long gap of time during which He is on the Father's throne. Their testimony may be said to have in view, Christ upon His own throne and the full blaze of His glory, but for the present He sits upon the throne of His Father, engaged with the deeper things of eternal counsel. Keeping this in view will save us from much which might otherwise be confusing.

A King according to God would combine every virtue with a resource that nothing can baffle. Moses who was king in Jeshuron, may illustrate both by type and contrast. He acted in that capacity with a resource which was wonderful and in a way that draws out the words, "Faithful in all God's house." There were times, however, when the circumstances were too much for him and he had to say "Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you" (Numbers 9: 8). This could not possibly happen with the true King. "The Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And His delight will be in the fear of Jehovah, and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness shall He judge the poor and reprove with equity the meek of the earth . . . and righteousness shall be the girdle of His reins and faithfulness the girdle of His loins (Isaiah 11: 2-5).

With Moses, as with all others, the divine Teacher was at work producing that which in later times He would carry out to fruition. Take that man of God for a moment along with Samuel and David, stars as we say, of the first magnitude. In their service they set forth our Lord as Lawgiver, Judge, and King. Who does not admire the beautiful traits of Christ seen in such men. Their faithfulness was the outcome of God's work in their souls, for, like ourselves, the blessed God had more to do in them than He had to do by them, and being mortal, we can see the element of weakness, and even failure, here and there. At a later day, when the prophet depicts Zion as a city of solemnities and a quiet habitation, it is because the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver, the Lord is our King, for all that the three leaders stood for is combined in Him, with the absence both of weakness and failure.

Here then, we get our knowledge of Him at first hand. No one knows the Son save the Father, and we listen with joy to His communications of Him in those old Testament days. "Behold My Servant whom I uphold, Mine elect in whom My soul delighteth! I will put My Spirit upon Him and He will bring forth judgment to the nations. He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break and smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment to truth. He shall not faint nor be in haste till He have set justice in the earth, and the Isles shall wait for His law." How exceedingly precious is all this for this poor, down-trodden world, where unrighteousness and tyranny have so long flourished. But the place of Israel, as symbolised by the scarlet, must be kept in view. Therefore we get, "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout; daughter of Jerusalem! Behold thy King cometh to thee: He is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt, the foal of an ass."

But, my reader, there is more, for we are privileged to come into the sacred enclosure and listen with adoring hearts to the communications which passed between the Father and Son concerning the work of grace, the place the Son takes and the unutterable cost to carry all out. In the time of His deep sorrow we hear Him say, "Take Me not away in the midst of My days," and the answer which is given shows the Sufferer to be God over all, — "Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou continuest, etc." (Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1). And when the cross is seen from the side of man's hatred, the words ring out, "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and for Thy possession the ends of the earth." See also Isaiah 49, and the various passages in the New Testament where the Father speaks directly to Him from the unseen world.

But such a favour must produce a corresponding result. We can, therefore, hear the language of faith in its communings with God about Him. "His glory is great in Thy salvation; majesty and splendour hast Thou laid upon Him. For Thou hast made Him to be blessings for ever; Thou hast filled Him with joy by Thy countenance" (Ps. 21). Next note faith's address to Him as seen in the Song of the King. "Thou art fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever. Gird Thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty One, in Thy majesty and Thy splendour; and in Thy splendour ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness, and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things" (Psalm 45). And last of all, note the delightful outburst about Him to others, "My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold . . . His eyes are like doves by the water-brooks with milk fitly set," and she goes on with the happy description of His features till able to go no further, she says, "Yea, He is altogether lovely" (Song of Solomon 5: 9-16).

It will readily be perceived that a mere carnal kingdom could not suit such a King, nor could He assume the government over man in his sinful condition. The reign of Christ supposes sin put away, the curse removed, the inheritance cleansed, and the whole earth full of His glory. This necessitated the cross with all its tale of woe. Hence we find, interspersed through the prophetic Scriptures and running parallel with what we have already touched, the description of His humiliation, suffering, sorrow, and death. He is described as a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, giving His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, and hiding not from shame and spitting. This, too, is set forth in a concrete shape, that is to say, not merely by prophetic statement, but by type and shadow. See for example, the offering up of Isaac, the sufferings at the hands of his brethren by Joseph, the sufferings and distresses of David who, though anointed king, was hunted like a partridge on the mountains, and remember that the whole sacrificial system is an adumbration of that death by which the sin question is settled for ever.

His sufferings from the nation began with His ministry and ended with His death. The feelings of His heart may be traced in many passages, "Jehovah, how are they increased that trouble Me, many there be that rise up against me." And as the end drew near He has to say, "Yea, Mine own familiar friend in whom I confided, who did eat My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me" (Psalm 41: 9). And in the Psalm of Atonement we learn what passed through His heart in the hour of deepest woe. "For dogs encompassed Me, an assembly of evildoers have surrounded Me, they pierced My hands and My feet." All closed in upon the holy Sufferer in that hour, but beyond all that evil powers could do, we have to take account of Him as forsaken of God. It was then that the whole sin question was settled for the glory of God, never to be raised again while eternity's ages roll.

One passage may engage us a moment because of how it combines the two lines of prophetic testimony glanced at above, viz., the sufferings of Christ and the glories which were to follow. In Isaiah 22, the Lord comes before us as a nail to be fastened in a sure place. Eliakim, who displaced Shebna, is the figure, and to apprehend the passage we must remember that in Jewish homes, the nail on which the ornaments hung was in a conspicuous place. "The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantities from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons."

Here our adorable Lord is seen, not only as the perfect answer to all the types, shadows, promises, and prophecies which cover the pages of Holy Writ, but the radiant Centre of that glorious constellation of luminaries which shone throughout the ages, illuminating the record of man's history on the earth. Trace the whole line of honoured witnesses, that great galaxy of heavenly orbs which shone in the light of the approaching Sun from Abraham to Malachi: go through the holy Gospels and see the honourable mention of names like Moses, Joseph, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, etc; and last of all, visualise the King and His intimate ministers on the holy mount, and there behold the Nail and all the attendant vessels. All the vessels, not only outstanding ones, but the hidden and obscure? whose lives were lived in relation to God. For all the vessels of small quantities, from vessels of cups to the vessels of flagons were there.

Here comes, in a ,most solemn turn in the chapter, an event which indicates that the Incarnation of the Son of God, however great, is not enough for the divine glory in a world of sin and death. " In that day, saith the Lord of hostel, shall the nail that is fastened in a sure place be removed and cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off. Hence we read in another place that He was cut off out of the land of the living (See Isaiah 53: 8; Daniel 9: 26).

But why all this? Clearly because a world of sinners, where death shadows all, can never be made suitable for God. Death must come in, an event which, while proving the guilt of man, makes way for the resurrection platform where the Kingdom is established and where all that is of God rests. What a tremendous shattering of every human hope was the cross. Who can conceive what the disciples felt when Jehovah delivered up His strength to captivity and His glory into the enemy's hand. Can we wonder when one said, "I go a fishing, and others, said, We go with thee" and others in deep concern said, "We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel" (John 21: 3; Luke 24: 21).

Part 2.

But here, as of old, it may be said, we would see Jesus. We turn then from the portrait to the Person Himself with the prayer on our lips, "Lord, show me Thy glory," and with confidence of heart contemplate those spiritually enchanting scenes set before us in the pages of the four evangelists. Here the King stands before us, giving concrete expression to the whole. Every line is filled with life, which gives substance to the shadow, completeness to the mould, and equilibrium to the whole. It has been said that Christ would not have come sooner than He did, and in the combined view of both the purposes and ways of God nothing can be more certain; the pre-christian ages being a necessity, during which the activity of the Godhead is seen working in the fallen race both in grace and government. Behind it all, however, there was the sketching out of an order of life and being which the Incarnation of the Son only could make good. In the birth of Christ all was actualised because every part of truth was perfectly combined in Him.

The divine glory and credentials are prominent in John and the human pedigree in connection with the nation in Matthew. Bethlehem, though small, is the place from which He comes, whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity. The glory of the Person is interwoven with the human details and presented in such charming simplicity as to rejoice the heart, while all fits in perfectly with what had been written before. All that Hebrews 1 predicates of Him is here seen in the Babe who is called Immanuel The control of affairs is markedly in divine hands, and the Child must be taken to Egypt. Not merely to escape the dragon's power however, but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son." The history of the nation, which was one of failure, had begun from that place: He goes there to identify Himself with that history and put His own perfect stamp upon all.

As soon as He is announced by His forerunner and before beginning His public ministry, another king — one who had had long practice on man — comes upon the scene to challenge His royal rights and attempt to allure Him from the path of His moral glory. The one temptation relative to our present theme is that given second by Matthew, and alludes to the holy city and the temple. connecting with His place in Israel both politically and ecclesiastically. But the King, whose right it is to command, knows perfectly how to obey and the evil one is defeated by the Word of God.

Having defeated the strong man He goes forth to spoil his goods. He enters the strong man's palace where he kept his goods in peace, where he had his armour and much spoil, to dispossess and cast him out. That one had early raised up bulwarks between the creature and God, but the Deliverer had come. The King is here in the sphere of man's need on the line of mercy, but it never can be possible to think of mercy toward the spiritual forces of evil. The crushing of Satan meant the deliverance of man in so far as he was prepared to submit himself to the King. For there could be no truce in that conflict nor compromise, since mercy were lost on that which is irreconcilable.

Satan left Him for a season to come back at the end with his last and strongest weapon; Indirectly, however, his murderous opposition is kept up all through the time of the Lord's ministry. The ingenuity of his tactics is seen in a multitude of ways, for not only are evil spirits seen at work, but the very people that the King had come to bless are made the instrument of his attack. When we reflect that the very elements are stirred up by him to frustrate the work of the King, as in the storm on the lake of Galilee, we get some idea of the determiner! opposition of the evil one.

Demons were commanded to be silent, and on being cast out were found pleading with Him not to be sent into the abyss (Mark 1: 34; Mark 3: 11; Luke 8: 31). Here we have the saddest of all truths, that though Satan may delude man into the foolish device of scepticism it is beyond his power to do that with evil spirits. "The demons even believe and tremble" (James 2: 19). The majesty and resource of the King is seen not only in the exposure of every device of Satan, but that all is made to work out for his disgrace and defeat. This is seen all through the history, but nowhere more conspicuous than at the cross, where his last, worst. and vilest attack brings about his downfall for eternity.

As we behold the moral scenery of the Gospels the plenitude of His glory shines before us in such a way and in such variety that we feel the difficulty of keeping to the Scarlet. There everything utters glory and blends together, combining what is Personal, Moral, Official, and Creatorial, with the cross at the end, where the glory of Redemption (the door of entrance for us, whereby we may enter in and contemplate them all), shines in full meridian splendour. The unity, variety, and symmetry of what belongs to God and man may be traced in such a way as to anticipate God's eternal day, when He shall dwell with man in a condition of things into which disorder can never come. There, if we may be allowed the expression with all reverence, we see God at His best because He is dispensing grace and mercy in a world of need, and there, too, we see Manhood for the delight of the heart of God, a Sight for all intelligences to behold. Thousands have drawn near to the Ark of the covenant in that holy place, getting their tiny vessels filled and thousands mole will follow, but it must ever remain in its own eternal fulness the richest of the rich, the grandest of the grand, the most wonderful of all the wonders of God.

We make no apology then, dear reader, for asking the favour of your company that we may together go by the footsteps of the flock, and enter into the inner chambers of the King, saying to Him, "We will be glad and rejoice in Thee, We will remember Thy love more than wine" (Song of Solomon 1: 7). "Where the word of a King is there is power, and who may say unto Him what doest Thou?" Such words could only be used in an absolute sense of our Lord and point forward to His public reign. But the One who is to rule in a scene of righteousness must first rule in grace, and we may well ask as we look forward in the light of the past and present which is most profound. "The shout of a King is among them," was as true in John 7: 37, as it will be in the time to come, and of this we have living proof in those who have heard the mighty voice of the Son of God and been made to live. Power is there, but controlled by love, in the sphere of good and evil and on behalf of the creature who had long groaned under the power of the tyrant.

His word carries authority, and from the moment He comes upon the scene the axe is laid to the root of the trees ready to cut them down. His being a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief is in relation to the conditions which prevail among men, this being a mark of divine grace towards the race in which His purpose centred, could in no wise affect His dealings with all other parts except that all should be in happy harmony with Himself in His work of grace. Where this was not true the very opposition, because of who He was, was bound to work for its own destruction. All is at His command. The physical, the animal, the spiritual, and the moral. The winds and waves obey, the tree withers away, the unbroken colt carries Him, the fish obey His voice as the sea yields her treasures, the demons quake before Him, and death itself, the king of terrors, surrenders to Him his spoil. No King like this. In Psalm 24, the question is asked, Who is He? "Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." His word controls the seen and unseen, heaven, earth, and hell, and destruction and death say we have heard the fame thereof with our ears. But see the effect of that word in human hearts. Distressed ones are filled with joy as they behold their loved ones relieved from both disease and death. The nobleman's son (John 4), the distressed sisters of Bethany (John 11), and the widow of Luke 8, show the gladdening rays of the Sun of Righteousness streaming in on sorrowful hearts in anticipation of the day when all tears shall be wiped away. "I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof," said the centurion, "but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed." And the soldiers sent to apprehend Him have to say, "Never man spake like this Man." Some would say, "What doest Thou" to their shame, and even a disciple might unwisely intrude to meet with stern rebuke. Other kings hold their subjects under command either by fear or affection. He is Lord of all, and holds the mind and heart of each under His control.

There were those again whose delight it was to bow before Him, owning His sovereignty and drinking in His word. "In the light of the King's countenance there is life and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain (Prov 16: 15). The woman of Luke 7, found His words to be like drops of water to a thirsty soul, and the grace of heaven dispensed by Him made her heart like a watered garden. If she learned the grace of forgiveness the woman of Luke 10, tasted His complacency in the joy of communion. Surely the Person and the communications of the King commanded her whole being and made her oblivious of all else. She knew the light of His countenance, and her faith rejoiced His heart by penetrating into His thoughts and His excellency to such an extent as to anoint Him in view of both the sepulchre and the throne (Matthew 26 and John 12).

Take again the words: — "Take away the wicked from before the King" (Proverbs 25: 5). Perhaps the most solemn illustration of this is seen in the going out of Judas into the dark of that, for him, morally dark night. The case, too, of those who brought the sinful woman for Him to condemn. The answer of His lips so exposed them that they were shamed out of His presence and all slink away. In Matthew 12, the King is seen on the line of mercy, the expression of which arouses the animus of the leaders to such an extent as to seek to destroy Him. Silenced by His word and baffled by the work of His goodness they go out and hold a council to put Him to death. While they are on the line of murder He goes on in His work of mercy taking. so to speak, no notice till He bring forth judgment unto victory. The moment is at hand, however, when He will turn His attention to these, when "the Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war, He shall cry, yea, roar: He shall prevail against His enemies." Then shall He say, "I have a long time holden My peace, I have been still and refrained, now will I cry like a travailing woman, I will destroy and devour at once" (Isaiah 42). In the language of another prophet it shall then be said, "The lion hath roared, who will not fear?" (Amos 3: 8).

Judah is the royal tribe whose ensign was a lion, and from him Messiah sprang. And when we reflect that lions are emblematical of the majesty and dignity of Israel's throne, we get some sense of the true dignity of the nation as linked up with the Son of David. Judah is a young lion. "From the prey, my son, thou art gone up," says Jacob. "He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, and as a lioness who will rouse him up." We who live in the light of accomplished redemption with the power of Satan broken at the cross, can see how having spoiled principalities and powers, triumphing over them, He has gone up. Yes, He that descended into the lower parts of the earth has ascended up far above all heavens that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4). "But who shall rouse Him up?" That shall be the day of the vengeance of our God (Isaiah 60), when He shall say, "I have sharpened my gleaming sword and my hand shall take hold of judgment, for a fire is kindled in Mine anger that shall burn unto the lowest sheol" (Deut. 32: 22, 41).

Is there nothing akin to this, it may be asked, in the day of His ministry? Can we not see something of this when His disciples remembered that it had been written of Him, "The zeal of thine house devours Me"? He found in the temple the sellers of oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers sitting, and having made a scourge of small cords He cast them all out of the temple and said . . . . "take these things hence: make not My Father's house a house of merchandise." This second cleansing of the temple, it will be recalled, took place within a few days of His death, and at no time in the history does His supremacy so shine out. If the doings of the last week be carefully studied it will be seen that He is indeed a King against whom there is no rising. "The voice of Jehovah is powerful, the voice of Jehovah is full of majesty, the voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars" (Psalm 29: 4, 5).

But there is another side to His character which is of great importance for us to look at. He is the Lamb as well as the Lion, and it is worthy of note that both these titles come out in the first and last books of Holy Writ. This double presentation of our Lord presents Him either at the top or at the bottom, and while the Lamb is used as typifying His death, it is never so with the Lion, for no wild animal could be used in sacrifice. See Him in John 5, whose power will sweep the whole domain of death and whose mighty voice commands the tomb, and almost in the same breath hear Him say, "I can of mine self do nothing." If the exigency of the moment demanded stern righteousness He is there, "Jesus Christ the righteous," and if need or suffering, He is there to bind up the broken heart. "I beseech you," says the apostle, "by the meekness of Christ," and His own words were, "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart and ye shall find rest to your souls."

The two things come together at His arrest. At one word from Him they all go backward and fall to the ground. and immediately afterwards He submits to all. There is no distraction in that moment, and although Peter's zeal created a scene, He is there to bind up and bring all to order. See Him before the council, spat upon and buffeted, then in Gentile hands mocked and crowned with thorns, and follow on to see Him led as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb. It is this combination of divine power and glory with lowly grace, that submits to all manner of abasement, that entrances the soul; an inscrutable mystery which fills us with speechless amazement and richest adoration.

"There see the Godhead glory shine through that human vail,

And willing hear the story of love that's come to heal.

My soul in secret follows the footsteps of His love;

I trace the Man of sorrows His boundless grace to prove."

While beholding these two features shining out the difference between them is pressed upon us. The working of miracles in one very obvious sense could be nothing wonderful for Him, nor indeed the checking of evil and deliverance of the creature from sin, disease, and Satan's power. All these things He had been doing in different degrees all along the line. He Himself is to us the greatest miracle of all, and the marvel would be if He did not do such things. But the most wonderful thing of all, and that which is bound to touch the heart most deeply is, that such a Person should be found going through the circumstances of this life patiently and calmly committing Himself to God and doing everything in a way that was well-pleasing to Him. Here, beloved reader, let us ponder as we behold this sight which is surpassingly lovely; to see such an One commanding the storm or walking on the water produces wonder indeed, because it was done in Manhood's lowly guise, but to see Him smitten, stricken, and afflicted, mocked, and spat upon, surpasses all that creatures can conceive. What could bow the soul in holy and adoring worship like that? It is that which has been called His moral glory, and in which He is seen as the most gracious and accessible of all men. One who never turned any away, whether old or young, but made Himself the servant of all.

Part 3.

Here we must trace, though in the fewest possible words on account of want of space, the history of His rejection by the people and its connection with that already touched. The first four chapters of Matthew we have seen give the birth, baptism, proclamation, and testing of the King. Next follows the Sermon on the Mount, a discourse incomparable for beauty, simplicity, and grandeur. A King like this must have a kingdom altogether different from anything which had ever been before. It is therefore a description of the character of His kingdom. Those things which are necessary for a nation and kingdom among men, such as wealth, education, and distinction of rank and a standing army are conspicuous by their absence, the reason being that all the requirements of His are stored up in Himself. The Beatitudes of Matthew 5: 1-7, are a description of Himself to be produced in His subjects by faith and on the principle of reflection; the whole discourse being a searching exposure of the accredited leaders of religion at that time.

The two following chapters (Matt. 8 and Matt. 9) give His service, and there we may see the display of the power of the kingdom in such a way as to demonstrate the truth that the King and the kingdom are bound up together and all its requirements are stored up in Himself. He is refused at the end of Matthew 9, and His mighty works which could not be denied are imputed to evil power. Before He accepts their decision He tries them in another way by sending forth the twelve disciples, for what could have been done more for that people than what He has done. They go forth as the ministers of His bounty, equipped by Him to meet every emergency and to demonstrate the power and resource of the King. What a day that must have been and what joy and gladness came into many hearts who, like ourselves, were sharers in the common heritage of woe which sin had brought in. All that was necessary was the glad acknowledgment of the King, but this was not to be. His presence, the description of the kingdom and the display of its power, did not awaken response; the forerunner might mourn, and He Himself pipe, but they would neither lament nor dance and at last, treated as a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber He has to pronounce woe upon the cities in which most of His mighty works were done.

This should be carefully pondered for it brings before us one of the most decisive moments in the world's history. Decisive not only for the Jew, but for the nations of the world, and creating the position for the greatest display of wisdom and resource, the richest unfolding of heaven's grace, the position which God takes account of to fulfil the counsels of eternity. In the light of previous testimony however, it will create no surprise since all had been foretold in the prophets, and indeed, it was this that was before Paul in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia when he told the Jews that in condemning their Messiah they were but fulfilling that which their own prophets had written (Acts 13: 27).

There are, therefore, three important landmarks around which all this part of the history turns which if taken account of, will serve to simplify matters at the same time as impressing us with the profundity and beauty of all Scripture.

(1) The connection of Matthew 11 with Isaiah 49.

(2) The strong link between Matthew 16 and Isaiah 8.

(3) The bringing together of Psalm 118 and Zechariah 11 with Matthew 21 - 23.

(1) The point at which we have arrived in Matthew 11 will be found to fit in exactly with the words of Isaiah 49: 4, where the blessed Lord speaks by the prophetic Spirit saying, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent My strength for naught and in vain. yet surely My judgment is with the Lord and My work with My God . . . Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord." At that moment the answer comes from His God; — "Is it a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I have even given Thee for a light of the nations, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth." If the reader will at this point carefully read the words of our Lord in Matthew 11: 25-27, he will see that never was there a time when He was more glorious in the eyes of His Father than when Israel made that solemn decision.

(2) Having broken with. the nation at the end of Matthew 12, He formally abandons the testimony and takes wider ground, Matthew 16: 20. By charging the disciples to tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ, He connects with Isaiah 8: 16, 17. "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples, and I will wait for Jehovah who hideth His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for Him." It is at that moment that the disciples are seen as given to Him out of the nation, as shown in the words of the prophet in verse 18. (See also Hebrews 2: 13).

(3) In Matthew 21 the Lord enters Jerusalem in fulfilment of Zechariah 9, and is acclaimed King in the words both of that prophet and Psalm 118. But in spite of all the leaders would not have Him. The birth of Messiah had been a fresh overture or covenant on the part of God, not only with Israel, but with all nations. Their refusal was bound to affect all the others and the symbolical act of breaking the staff in Zechariah 11: 10, signifies the breaking of this covenant with all the peoples. This, in all probability, vas accomplished in the solemn words of Matthew 23, which end with the statement, "Behold, 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." All ended as we know midst the gloom of Calvary, fulfilling that great branch of prophetic testimony which spoke of the sufferings of our precious Lord, bringing with it the shattering of every hope. and producing distress and consternation among those who had been privileged to witness much of the glory and beauty of the King.

We have now to see the use that is made of the people's decision. In the ways of God Christ had been offered and refused, but all had been foreseen their decision in that way making room for the operations of divine love in the purposes of grace. While it was necessary that the trial of man in his responsibility should be completed in that people by the presentation of Him in whom all the promises centred, it was also foreknown that He would be refused. How the blessed God causes all to work for His own glory and the good of the creature may be seen in the way the rejection and ignominious death of Christ is used by Him to bring out the richest and fullest manifestation of His grace. The forces of evil were at work, but to make way in divine wisdom for the hidden purposes of eternity and the deeper glories of the Godhead. The prophets had written of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow? but knew not that a long period which has lasted nineteen centuries would come between the one and the other. The people having forfeited everything He said, "I will go and return to My place till they acknowledge their guilt" (Hosea 5: 15). See Genesis 42: 21 — "We are indeed guilty." He had said before that time while expostulating with them, "What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before." We know His own place was with the Father, as He said in John 17. "And now I come to Thee." His going there was in connection with deeper and richer purposes, which has engaged Him since and will continue to do so till the moment now at hand in which Israel, having received at the Lord's hand double for all their sins, shall say, "Come and let us return to Jehovah, He hath torn and He will heal us, He hath smitten and He will bind us up."

It is during this period that a new thing comes to pass. While Christ is on high the Holy Ghost comes to dwell in His people on the earth. consequently the whole counsel of God is brought out. The Church age is undoubtedly the most important time in all the dealings of God with Man because the Holy Ghost, a diving Person, is here to unfold the glory of God and Jesus. This necessitates the opening out of the counsels of God concerning the glory of the Son in the Creation calling out the Assembly as His Body and Bride, which brings into moral display all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, going far beyond anything ever before conceived, showing the dealings of God which began with Genesis to be as yesterday, all being as elevated in character as heaven is above the earth. Such things are far beyond the scope of Israel's blessing and would scarcely be fitting in a paper dealing with the glory of Christ in that people. But besides her place in relation to divine Persons and the counsels of eternity. the Church fills an important part in relation to time and the ways of God. While here in the scene of His holy government she is made the witness of His grace, patience, and faithfulness in such a way that all these great and blessed principles of truth, which had for their centre the earthly people, are now being worked out in her. In this way, it is so important to see that nothing that God had in mind for His earthly people can be said to have failed. Their refusal made room for the call of others, who are brought in and made the recipients of the blessing in such a way as to demonstrate both His faithfulness to His people and the securing of His glory in them. The Lord Jesus Christ had come as Centre of all the counsels of God, and at the same time, the One in whom all His ways were gathered up and centred. His refusal brought about redemption by which He took His place at the right hand of God, and by the Spirit the Assembly was formed to take her place in regard to both the counsels of eternity and the time-ways of God. While the former, which is the deeper and fuller, must be reserved for another time we are compelled to look into the latter because of its connection with the ways of God with Israel and the earth.

We would emphasize this and press upon the reader the importance of giving attention to it singe it is the key to open up the whole range of divine dealings. Many can say a great deal about the past and look forward to the great things of the future, describing minutely the moral and political disorders of the day; books, too, constantly coming out, interesting and helpful as far as they go, but not having the key, viz., the place of the Church as the vessel in which the ways of God centre, there is both loss and confusion. The result is that these things are spoken of as if the great gap of time during which Christ is at the right hand of God were a mere hiatus where all is blank. The Church may be spoken of, but in such a vague way that there is no distinct sense of her place as the vessel wherein are deposited the blessings which are proper to the earthly people.

The link between Israel and the Church is the elect remnant given to Christ out of the nation. In that important section of the epistle to the Romans, where the faithfulness of God to that people is seen to agree with His promises, it is said that they are not all Israel who are of Israel. This was also put before them by the Lord Himself in John 8, when He said, I know that ye are Abraham's seed, and in the same breath, If ye were Abraham's children ye would do the works of Abraham. The generation of faith is thus distinguished from the nation as an election of grace and this is confirmed by figurative teaching. Isaac, the son of the free woman, represents the line of faith, while Ishmael sets forth the nation in unbelief (Gal. 4: 22-26). Much confusion exists, for want of attention to this important distinction. While the apostate nation is cut off and, like Cain of old, doomed to wander in the land of and with the mark of a vagabond, the election of grace are brought in and become the true nation, the Israel of God. The people had, as it were, thrown back in His face the Messianic blessings, but He found hearts in which they could be enjoyed, these came into all the blessing of Israel and far more, being given to Him as companions and transferred from Israel and earthly blessing to the Church. Thus we can see how all that belongs to Israel is maintained and carried through for God in the Church during the time that the nation is suffering under His government for the murder of their Messiah.

It is in this light we must view the great apostle when, having brought out the counsels of God in connection with the change of dispensation. he still speaks of himself as standing for the true hope of Israel. It is well worth pondering that the man to whom, above all others, was committed the truth of the heavenly calling does not give up the true hope of those whose blessing is on the earth. After the interview with the elders of Ephesus, where he speaks of himself and his labours in connection with the Gospel, the Kingdom, the Counsels, and the Church of God, he speaks before Agrippa as standing for the hope of the promises made of God to our fathers to which our twelve tribes, serving God day and night, hope to arrive. This, it will be seen, he connects with resurrection as showing the ground of Israel's blessing to be like that of all others, viz., the redemption work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance and the true Israelite never loses sight of the fact that, in His own time, God will bring His people in like all others, as subjects of His mercy.

But some one may enquire what are the blessings which belong to Israel which are shared by those who form the Church and carried through in them provisionally for God in view of that people. The answer is that the Kingdom, the new Covenant, the Sanctuary, and the Priesthood, with all the holy adornment belonging to these things are existent today in the presence of the Holy Ghost, things which were spoken of and fore-shadowed in pre-Incarnate days, and in like manner, the great blessings of Salvation, Reconciliation and Eternal life, with all the peace, love and joy which necessarily belongs to such things. These things, and far more, came here in the Person of Christ and was offered to Israel who, being the covenant people, had a certain claim. After all, such things could only reach man by redemption and God took account of Israel's rejection of His Son to bring that about.

We see in the second of Acts the Kingdom established in an altogether new way, the King having taken His place on high as the Centre of royal power and authority. From a dispensational point of view it covers a certain geographical area and encloses a mass of people who enjoy the benefit of the King's sway in an outward way, accepting Christianity as a creed and owning the Lordship of Christ in a nominal way. Like Israel of old, the righteous are seen in the midst of a mass of profession, where many are favoured with the light of God. The Kingdom exists, however, as the great moral security for man and only those who in faith have bowed to the Lord Jesus Christ have entered there and are said to be brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love. "I will sing unto the Lord for He hath triumphed gloriously.... The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His name.... The Lord shall reign for ever and ever" (Exodus 15).

The Covenant prophetically spoken of by Jeremiah is given effect to in the spirit of it in the Gospel today, the preachers being called new covenant ministers (see 2 Cor. 3). The terms of it are forgiveness of sins and the law written on the heart, which has in view cleansing from sins and deliverance so that man becomes a reflex of Christ. The cup of the new covenant is in the hands of the Assembly today and used at the greatest of all feasts, the Lord's Supper. This is a thought of priceless value, for it is at that feast that the saints enter into all the blessedness of the sanctuary, taking their part in divine service in the company of the great Priest who is over the service of God. It has often been remarked that when you get the covenant immediately the sanctuary and divine service come into view. In both 2 Corinthians and the epistle to the Hebrews the covenant leads on to the whole range of truth connected with the sanctuary and the service of God.

Nor can it be different with the other items of truth already mentioned, for from the moment sin came, faith was ever taught to look forward to the coming age, where God's triumph will be displayed in the removal of sin and the curse and the display of what springs from His own heart of love. Reconciliation may be said to be the great underlying thought of the great day of atonement in Israel. We get there, in no ambiguous terms the assurance that all will be reconciled to the great Godhead in the eternally abiding value of the work of the cross, where all that is connected with breakdown will be so entirely removed that the complacency of God will rest upon all. Surely it needs little application for us to see how thoroughly the soul may enter into and enjoy this to-day with such Scriptures before us as Luke 15, 2 Corinthians 5, and Ephesians 1.

Isaiah speaks of a day of salvation which, like all the great predictions of that prophet, look forward to the day of glory when the glad earth shall ring with the praises of her Creator and Lord; when the creature shall be set free from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. That day has come now according to 2 Corinthians 6: 2, bringing with it deliverance from sin, the world, and the power of Satan, and leading on to the blessed knowledge of eternal life in Christ Jesus. This, too, is spoken of in the Psalms as connected with Zion as the habitation of Jehovah, where He will rest forever. "there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." Eternal life is preached in the Gospel today and in the latter writings of the New Testament is opened out by the Spirit of God as one of the richest items of truth contained in the whole revelation of God. Thus we can see the beauty, symmetry, and perfection of God's ways and, like the apostle of old, are led to cry out, "O depth of riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways.... For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be rendered to Him? For of Him and through Him and for Him are all things: to Him be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11: 33-36).

The transition from Judaism to Christianity covered a period of forty years, during which time God was graciously bearing with His people and seeking to lead them out of that which was about to be judged and set aside. Both the city end the temple must go and the truth of the Assembly be apprehended as a heavenly thing outside of dispensations, a faith system outside of that which appeals to sight and sense. This transit was carried out in the companions of Christ of whom He says, "Behold I and the children which God has given Me." These were seen in the apostles and all those Jewish Christians who, by identification with the rejected Messiah, became the foundation of the new thing and are addressed as partakers of a heavenly calling in contrast with what they before stood in as Jews. Peter addresses the same class and though suffering in their outward lives, calls them a kingly priesthood who offer up sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, going on to the great thoughts of a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that they might set forth the excellencies of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvellous light. Thus showing that if they had lost the shell they had come to the kernel, that all that had been sinned away in unbelief by the nation was theirs in a new and divinely stable way.

Surely this indicates the importance of the time when Christ is on high and when all that is soon to be displayed is set forth to faith in the power of the Holy Ghost. Looking back we see the revelation of God coming out in our Lord, looking forward we can see the time for display is near, meantime, all is set forth in testimony, for it is a principle with God to set forth in testimony all that He is going to display. In the linking up of the time-ways of God we may therefore see a unity of thought and feeling amidst much diversity, which characterises all the elect independent altogether of dispensations and His ways with different companies. What marked the faithful in the days before the flood was to walk with God. Well it is for those who do so today. In the exercise of such a blessed privilege it will be marked by much greater light. The communion of these noble worthies of faith end the Old Testament saints in general could not be in the same wealth of truth which we possess to-day since all looked forward to the advent of the Son. Not one of these, however favoured, could know the Father as such, consequently they could not possibly know association with the Son. But if the blessing is different the path is the same. This world of sin and sorrow must ever be the training ground for the children of faith. There sin and death prevail, there everything is in opposition to righteousness, and there the saint learns the treachery of His own heart while learning the goodness and love of the heart of God.

All this shows the great value of the Old Testament for the saints today and since these Scriptures, which are the special portion of the earthly saints, helps us today to a deeper knowledge of our good and gracious God, showing us His grace, patience, and faithfulness, we may well conclude that those precious, heavenly communications in the New Testament, which belong to the Assembly, will serve to educate those of the earthly saints in the knowledge of God both in His nature and character. If we who are called from heaven to heaven find much in the Psalms and kindred Scriptures which meet and help us while passing through the world which, through grace, has become to us a desert, we can well understand that the saints of a coming day will draw much from Romans, Colossians, and Ephesians, and other Scriptures, to deepen their souls in the apprehension of the wealth of the glory of God. "Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and song, He also is become my salvation, Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

Part 4.

But we must pursue the line of the scarlet thread a little further for, "Glorious things are spoken of Thee, O city of God." Her past tells an awful tale, but, like Job of old, the end of the Lord shall surpass for excellency of glory. The siege and capture of Jerusalem by the Romans is one of the blackest pages in the history of the race, when that nation, dreadful and terrible, devoured and brake in pieces, when she exceeded herself in blood and butchery and made the nations of the world to tremble at her wild ferocity. It had been foretold by Moses and the prophets and by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and some of the darkest parts of Holy Writ describe it (see Deuteronomy 28: 49-68; Zechariah 11; Luke 21: 20-24). They had chosen a murderer instead of their King and now murder and carnage embroil them, they had sold their Messiah for thirty pieces of silver, they themselves are sold it is said, thirty of them for one penny, and the very foundations of society trembled in a cataclysm which threatened to decimate the most important nation of mankind. How solemn to think that the worst is still to come (Matthew 24: 21). They cried, His blood be upon us and our children. The first part of this sentence was fulfilled in the above, the rest remains for the great tribulation.

Meantime Christendom, that is, the mere outward profession of Christianity without the reality, is going on to judgment, having rejected the revelation of God in His Son; The judgment of the Gentile and the reinstatement of the Jew is at hand and there are not wanting signs, like the rustling of the mulberry trees, which tell us that great things are at the door. That He who changeth times and seasons, removeth kings and setteth up kings, and has determined beforehand both the times and the bound of their habitations, is moving in view of the fulfilment of His thoughts for the glory of His Son. The League of Nations shaping the revival of the Roman Empire, the coming into the political arena of Egypt, and greatest of all, the raising up of Israel as seen in the vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek. 37). All begins at the right hand of God and the effect is seen here by those who wait upon the Lord. May we have grace to be like Habakkuk upon the watch-tower.

Israel, the people of God, have long been trodden down and even become accustomed to it, like Issacher, who bowed his shoulder to bear and was a tributary servant. But now they are awakening as from the dead and coming into view as a nation, making their presence felt throughout the civilized world. (The careful reader will not need to be reminded here that this is a sure indication that the translation of the Church to her place in heaven is near at hand). The following words from a leading Zionist are worthy of our consideration, spoken about a quarter of a century ago. "It seemed as if we were witnessing a miracle which affected ourselves and all around us. We felt ourselves part and parcel of a fairy tale, in which we saw our brethren, thousands of years buried, again become flesh and blood. We wanted, in the joy of this reunion, to rehearse the sad history of the hundreds of years in which we have been dead and in our tomb, in a grave which lacked the peace of the grave." This raising up of Israel it will be recalled, connects with the feast of trumpets, which shows that we are in the feasts of the seventh month. In Leviticus 23., we are shown that after the feasts of the first and third months there is a long period elapses till we come to the feast of trumpets in the seventh month and the rising of the new Moon for the resurrection of Israel is in view of her taking her place on earth to reflect the glories of the Sun of righteousness, her glorious Messiah. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed on our solemn feast days (Psalm 80: 3). The prophet Joel should be read with this, particularly Joel 2, as showing the intervention of the King at a time when the peoples are saying, where is their God.

But before taking the place of blessing she has yet to pass through the fire. The common saying that the darkest hour of all the night is just the hour before daylight is clearly seen here, for the Israel of the Ishmael type comes into evidence with every desire to assert herself by taking her place among the nations, but without her King. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12: 2). How clearly this and many other Scriptures are being fulfilled before our eyes. A nation is springing into existence as it were which has been terrible from its beginning, hitherto a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled, with all the marks of youth, energy and virility, and with a determination characteristic only of that people, to play her part in the progress of civilization and in the perfecting of the race. The re-peopling of Palestine by the Jews, the assertion of their national rights, Zionism, which means the claims of the ancient people, her schools and universities, and the proposal to rebuild the temple, all this and much more and unbelief which refused the King is still at work also, and it. is impossible that they can be right without their King. The movement is clearly national and political, the effort being to bring about what Scripture speaks of in man's way without Christ. How solemn to see, as taught of God, beneath all the present activity with all its promise and apparent success the beginning of a work which, in its full-blown results, will be the most daring and God-defying combination that has ever been upon the earth.

The Lord had long ago to say, "I am come in My Father's name and ye will not receive Me, if another comes in his own name him ye will receive." In the flush of excitement and apparent success they are about to receive a king under whose domination they will reach the lowest and darkest point that it is possible to get; saying in bold defiance, "We have made a covenant with death and with sheol have we made an agreement: when the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come to us." Here we have the fulfilment of the Lord's words in Matthew 12, for the unclean spirit comes back and takes with him seven other spirits worse than himself and they enter in and dwell there, and the last condition of the nation is worst of all. Then shall their chosen ruler exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and speak monstrous things against the God of gods, and he shall prosper until the indignation be accomplished.... And he will practice in the strongholds and fortresses with a strange god, whoso acknowledgeth him will he increase with glory and he will cause them to rule over the many and shall divide the land to them for reward. It is then that Jehovah whets His glittering sword and His hand takes hold on judgment, saying, I will render vengeance to Mine enemies and will reward them that hate Me, I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood and My sword shall devour flesh (See Isaiah 28: 15-18; Daniel 11: 36-39; and Deuteronomy 32: 41, 42).

We may well ask what does it all mean? See the accumulation of Scriptures setting forth the appeals of longsuffering goodness that the poor besotted people might be brought to see and own their God, listen to the plaint of Jehovah in the book of Jeremiah in highly figurative language when He says, "My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at My very heart, etc. (Jeremiah 4: 19-22), and compare the language of the same blessed Person when, in the days of His flesh, He wept over the infatuated people, saying, If thou hadst but known, etc. (Luke 19: 41-44). No, no, nothing can be right even among the nations of the earth till Israel is in her proper place of blessing, and certainly she can never be there till she owns her glorious Messiah, in whom all her blessing centres. Jehovah has said long, long ago, "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no more until He come whose right it is and I will give it to Him" (Ezek. 21: 27).

But there is another side. The melancholy picture of a nation defying the God whose mercy and long-suffering has so long been towards them is lighted up by the believing class, whose unflinching faithfulness and tenacity for the glory of God in relation to the sins of the whole people is a sight for all creation to behold. They are a people terrible indeed from their existence hitherto, and maintaining their distinctive position through every conceivable character of suffering, marked by ability that puts them in the front rank in every pursuit in life: leaders in science, commerce, politics, and many other things, but alas, blind to the goodness of God, and found in the front rank of the great closing apostasy, which forms so to speak, the closing scene in the great drama of the agree. In the fearful scenes among the nations which have marked these last days, there has not been wanting men from among the Jews who have led in disorder and lawlessness, introducing anarchy and revolution, with all the fearful accompaniments of those things. From that nation came an Ahithophol and a .Judas Iscariot, and from it there is about to arise the Anti-Christ, who surpasses all, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, etc." Under this last leader the bulk of the nation will be found in league with the Gentiles against Jehovah and His Anointed in a carnage which is beyond expression, and compared to which the French Revolution will indeed be an "innocent idyll," and to which no parallel can be found in the world's history.

It is a relief therefore, to turn to that which, mid all the fearful condition of things, is well-pleasing to God Our Lord Jesus Christ came of that nation and took the place of a Jew, and if we bow and adore Him as our Lord and God, let us not forget to honour those men of God who witnessed a good confession, who were the ornaments of their generation and whose life work has left its mark for good on the history of the whole race. Men "who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

The suffering and service which lies before this remnant in the closing struggle requires picked men. There is a work to be done for the King and He shall choose His workers. If Gideon has thirty-two thousand men for the battle they must be tested, that all who wish to return to their homes may go. But from the ten thousand who wish to go there must yet be a selection that the three hundred fit for the battle may stand alone (Judges 5). So it is at the end, when many shall seal their testimony with their blood and in that way enter into heavenly blessing. The King shall select and put His own stamp upon His servants. Happy are they of Abraham's sons who have the stamp of God upon their foreheads and are honoured with the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. Their experiences are detailed for us in many Scriptures, particularly Psalm 9 - 15, 44, 94, and the closing chapters of Isaiah.

This class began, as we have seen, in those given to Christ out of the nation, who were transferred to church. position. The same class are in evidence and are preparing, under the work of the King, for reverting to the proper position of Israel and the establishing of the Kingdom in glory upon the earth. In the work of God among the Jews in these last days, large numbers have been brought to own the Lord Jesus Christ as the Centre of the nation's hopes and the cry has arisen from many, Jehovah has forsaken me and the Lord hath forgotten me. This can never bed, listen to His answer. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? even these may forget, but I will not forget thee. Lo, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands: thy walls are continually before Me.... I will lift up My hands to the nations and set up My standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom and thy daughters shall be carried on their shoulders . . . and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me (Isaiah 49: 14-22).

The idea that all this is merely dispensational has been the cause of much loss since it ignores many of the exercises of the human heart and much of the grace of the Lord. Listen to the yearnings of His heart on their behalf. "For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth (Isaiah 42: 1). All must begin with Him where He is, and the exercises of the moment tell us that occupation with the Church has not dulled His affections for His earthly people, but that He is raising up intercessors and bringing them into communion with Himself to pray for it. "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, Jerusalem; all the day and all the night they shall never hold their peace: ye that put Jehovah in remembrance keep not silence and give Him no rest till He establish, till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. In the progress of events the darkness deepens till the great siege and sack of the city, spoken of in Zech. 14, will have shattered the hopes and dreams connected with present Jewish activities, and drawn forth the agonising cry, "How long, O Lord." The distress of this time is put in words for us in Psalms 74 and 79, and linked with what comes out in the close of Isaiah, "Look down from heaven and behold the habitation of Thy holiness," and then, "Oh that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down . . . wilt Thou restrain Thyself for these things, Lord, wilt Thou hold Thy peace and afflict us very sore."

We would remind ourselves that all this is earthly and in relation to the earthly people. The Church as such, is heavenly in hope and character, and is outside of time and prophetic events as far as related to Israel and the earth. There may, however, be a number of that nation converted before the catching away of the heavenly saints, which will form the link between the present and coming age. This seems quite in accord with the ways of God in His dealings at the change of dispensations and indeed, there seems some indication of it by the present action of the Spirit of God among that people. The Scripture already cited in reference to their raising up seem, too, to indicate something of this, for while many of them come forth to everlasting contempt it is to be noted that others of them come forth to everlasting life, and are found turning many to righteousness, which doubtless refers to those who go forth with the testimony of the coming One. A transitional period marked the Church's beginning, the same may be seen again when she is removed to heaven, when the Jews will come in again to form the link, this time from the Gospel of the glory to that of the kingdom, as was put before their fathers, but with the definite fulfilment in view.

The cities of Judah will be visited with this message, for the preachers will be in the midst of their work when the King comes. "Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come" (Matthew 10: 23). These are they who, amidst unprecedented suffering, stand for the testimony of Jesus and the testimony of Jesus we are told, is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19: 10). This testimony connects for Israel all the fulness of Messianic prophecy with the One whom their fathers despised and crucified, combining in His glorious Person all that belongs to God with every Israelite desire. The mass of the people however, while crying to Jehovah for deliverance, will in all probability be unable to connect deliverance with the crucified One till they behold Him face to face, but will mercifully find in their Scriptures many portions fitted to give expression to the deep distress through which they are then passing.

The dealings of Joseph with his brethren serves to illustrate this period. They came to him in their need and he met it, but while yearning over them he made himself strange to them, holding them at a distance till the time come that he could show himself to them. Like them, these sufferers will be brought through a process of schooling, but maintained in the fiery trial, till at the end they look on Him whom they have pierced. When the appointed moment comes He shall come forth and calm the awful hurricane of persecution raging around them, like as in days of old on the lake of Galilee, bringing salvation to all them that look for Him. Then shall He pay His vows, fulfilling all that He has set Himself to do for His beloved people, and the language of Ruth 3: 11, will be fitting, "For the Man will not rest until He has accomplished the matter this day." What a moment will that be when one shall say, What are those wounds in Thy hands? And He will say, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends. The meeting of Joseph and his brethren can but faintly adumbrate this scene, which shows the people face to face with the One whom their fathers had crucified, as the bearer of all the glory yet with the marks of the cross. Is this our glorious King, our long-looked for Deliverer, the One our fathers treated so ill?

"Yes this is He and this is love, love unimagined and unknown.

He left the joys of heaven above, turned from His Kingdom and His throne.

Yea, cast aside His holy crown, a weary wayfarer became.

Bore e'en Jehovah's bitter frown, endured the cross, despised the shame.

Then conquered hell and burst the grave and rose Omnipotent to save."

Then shall the words of Thomas (who it will be remembered, came in after the church period) spring to their lips, "My Lord and my God," (see John 20: 19-23 and 26-29).

What follows connects itself with the second feast of the seventh month, or rather, the feast of that date when the people, representative of the whole nation, King, Prophet. Priest, and People, shall be bowed in deepest repentance and shall mourn every family apart, the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart: the family of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart: the family of Shimei apart and their wives apart: all the families that remain, every family apart and their wives apart. If we recall flow these four names were connected at different times in the history with the death of a man we can see how fitting it is that they should be mentioned here as expressive of the nation's deep contrition regarding the death of their Messiah (see Genesis 49: 5-7 and 2 Samuel 12: 1-14)

But who can conceive what the presence of the King will mean. If for Israel richest blessing, what of the scorching judgment meted out to those nations which had been so long concerned in rebellion against the will of the King. We have heard, and perhaps seen, the tumultuous joy of the ringing of hells. the playing of music, and the beating of drums, and whole nations intoxicated with joy at the close of a war which had steeped such nations in blood for years. The second advent will end wars, because He comes in whose Person in the answer to every question and the solution to every problem, to deliver His people and reign supreme. Some little time is necessary however, in the nature of things, that all enemies may effectually be dealt with and order restored. We find in Jeremiah 31 the joy of Israel described at that moment when they shall come and sing aloud upon the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness or good things of Jehovah, for corn, and for new wine and for oil, and their soul shall be like a watered garden. Then stall the virgins rejoice in the dance, and the young men and old together? and their mourning shall be turned to gladness, for He will satiate the soul of the priest with fatness and His people will rejoice in His good things. But terrible indeed, must His attitude be towards those nations which were set to resist His coming, when He girds His sword upon His thigh in majesty and splendour, and appears red in His apparel, with garments like him that treadeth the wine vat.

Some time after this comes the entrance of the ten tribes known as Ephraim into the land of their fathers and the blessing of Jehovah, long scattered and lost to view, and not being directly connected with the refusal of Messiah, they had not been in the land when the furnace was heated one seven times more than it had been before. It is God's way to rehearse, as it were, the history of the nation by bringing these out from among the peoples and the countries with a mighty hand, and causing them to pass under the rod as a shepherd with his sheep, and purging them of the rebels and bringing them into the land that they may know Him (Ezekiel 20). The long-standing breach is healed, as seen in the symbolic act of joining the two sticks (Ezekiel 37), and they shall be one nation upon the mountains of Israel, and one King shall be King over them all.

Just before the King appeared there had been, in the providential judgments of Revelation 6 - 19, the break-up of all ordered life among the nations: the complete convulsions of the whole frame-work of society in all its various departments. This had in view divine construction, viz., an entirely new order of things affecting the very land itself. Not only will the social conditions of life be changed, taking in what is social, commercial, and political, but there will be changes by the word of His power which will affect the land both physically and geographically. The Mount of Olives we are told, shall cleave in the midst, half going towards the north and half towards the south, so that a deep valley is formed from east to west, wherein flows those living waters which go to the Dead Sea in the east and to the Mediterranean in the west. The waters have their source in the Sanctuary and are marked by life and healing, so that the part of the land so long known as lying in death and barrenness is now marked by fertility and beauty. The river itself abounds with fish and its banks with trees, both for food and medicine. The mighty power of the King, which was seen in the days of His flesh, is again in evidence and all nature hastens to obey His blessed command now in the day of His glory.

The new Temple from which the water flows shall be built on a scale far surpassing anything known before. The glory which the prophet saw reluctantly departing returns again when Jehovah beautifies the house of His magnificence and the latter glory of the house transcends all our greatest thoughts (Haggai 2: 7). Jerusalem, the City of the great King, is raised to a height which could be but faintly fore-shadowed in the days of David and Solomon. The resources of the various kingdoms of nature will be brought to it by the Gentiles for beauty and for glory, and her magnificence, as becomes the metropolis of the whole earth, will shine out in an unprecedented way. They of the nations shall flow unto it, and many people shall go and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob.... For out of Zion shall go forth the law and Jehovah's word from Jerusalem. She is become a strong city. Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, her people are all righteous, for Jehovah is her everlasting light. Great is Jehovah. and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

Not only did the shaking of the earth precede this, but the shaking of the heavens also, for well we know that there must be a sweeping out of all the hidden forces of evil that are there. The host of the high ones on high must be put down as well as the evil upon the earth, that the whole arena may be made suitable for the King. Such is the general state that it is characterized by the Spirit as new heavens and new earth, not that this will be literally till later, at the introduction of the day of God, for that creation which has witnessed the humiliation of the King must be purged to behold the greatness of His glory. This brings us to the Jerusalem above, through which Israel and Zion receive all their greatness and joins together in beauty, order, and symmetry, the whole grand system which we call a universe of bliss in our Lord Jesus Christ as the glorious Administrator of all.

We have seen that Israel's refusal of the Messiah brought about the call of the Church, that company called the Body of Christ, around which the purposes of eternity revolve and for which creation came to exist, and noted, too, how that divine wisdom makes that same company serviceable for carrying through all His ways in time, so that all that belongs to Israel as the covenant people was carried through these. This is that company that appears in the heavens as the city of gold, fitted to be the medium through her long course of disciplinary education, for the administration of heaven's richest blessing not only to Israel, but to all that dwell upon the earth. Jerusalem on earth is well fitted, after her long course of training, to express Jehovah God to the whole wide earth, but the City above is the Metropolis of the vast universe of God. The new covenant, reconciliation, and eternal life will then be known and enjoyed, but let us note how it comes about. In the course of her training, the nation had been the scene of heavenly visitors, those glorious beings which are His servants in Providential government, now a new thing comes to pass for those, who are the ministers, are the witnesses of redemption. The glorified saints of the Church take the place of the heavenly beings, inasmuch as the lesson to be taught could only be known by those whom Christ had died to redeem. Then, indeed, Jehovah shall hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel, for great shall be the day of Jezreel (Hosea 2: 22 and Hosea 1: 11).

The Church must go in before she comes out, and having no dates, she waits the assembling shout which we know is at the door. She goes into the Father's house just at the time that the Jews are entering the frightful scenes of the great tribulation, and when the fiery trial is over, will come out in the company of her Head to teach Israel all the preciousness of the thoughts of God. This surely is a consummation worthy of our good and gracious God, and surely the education connected with it is well fitted for beings such as we are. While opening out before the adoring hears all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, He deals with us so as to impart to us an appreciation and a capacity for them, which fits the soul for long-suffering with joyfulness. Where in all creation can we find language to give expression to the thoughts which flood the soul at the contemplation of such a climax as this, where the Scarlet of earthly, Jewish glory is seen in all its beauty and majesty centred in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, where every thought of God seen in the honoured witnesses raised up from time to time, but marked by weakness and failure, is carried through to the glory of God and the richest blessing of His people, by Him who became the Son of David.

If, through grace, we are permitted to trace a little the thoughts connected with the Purple we may have to look at this grand climax again, but from a different standpoint. As we said at the beginning, we may take the telescope of the Spirit and by divine permission, range through the heights and depths of the creation, and with delighted hearts, see every part of it controlled and bearing the stamp of our glorious Head, the Man Christ Jesus, Son of David, Son of Man, Immanuel, God with us. Shall we not then, beloved reader, in the light of all this, set ourselves more for entrance into the deep things of our God and be more fitted to witness here for Him till the coming of our adorable Lord.

Fine Twined Linen

Fine Twined Linen

James McBroom.

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen with cunning work." — Exodus 28: 6.

Part 1.

If the first four things mentioned in the above verse speak of the glories of the Son of God, Personal, Moral and Official, covering a very wide field; the fine linen into which these things were wrought, or dyed, speaks of the Man Christ Jesus in Whom all glories shine. In this fine linen, we pass in thought from the side of eternal Godhead in an eternal Person, to the side of Manhood in the same Person and behold the MAN in Whom every glory centres and indeed go beyond that to the complete unveiling of God.

Of the five things mentioned, all of them except gold were to be found in the veil of the sanctuary. Here, the inwrought cherubim took the place of the gold, whereas in the ephod the gold was present but no cherubim. The holy veil hung between the holy place and the holiest of all and was suspended by golden hooks upon four pillars. This formed a doorway into the place where all was gold and every whit uttered glory. The Man Christ Jesus is in Himself the "way" into where all the deep unfoldings of God are displayed. The veil speaks of His flesh, that is, His precious body. (Hebrews 10: 20); and if the four pillars be taken as expressive of the four Gospels and their writers, we can see the answer to the Holy of Holies in His Person and are led to these holy records as being the inner shrine of God's holy book. The fact that the veil speaks of His flesh explains the reason why the gold was displaced by cherubim, for that holy Man ever displayed the justice of God which the cherubim set forth, but beyond all that "God was in Christ" a holy mystery which speaks of the heavenly grandeur which was inside the veil.

With the ephod it was different. Here, Christ is prefigured as Head of a new order in resurrection. This leads in thought to the Epistles of the New Testament and particularly to Hebrews where He is seen as the great King-Priest, the Glorified Man. To supply a figure of this there-must also be gold. "He that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to-day have begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." Hebrews 5: 5, 6. In the Gospel we see Christ in relation to God's glory in this world, the scene of sin and man's failure; but in the Epistles we behold Him Head of a new world, which is the domain of divine purpose where all His glorious perfections shine out, with nothing of sin to interfere.

While we dare not separate, we may profitably distinguish between the unique Personality of the Man Christ Jesus and the various features of glory and beauty that shone out in Him. There were incidents in that busy life that brought each to the front, here one, and there another, so that it might be the outshining of the gold of divine Sonship or, the simple display of the Man who stamped everything with the blue of heaven's beauty. Again, it might be the dispensing of covenant blessings as Son of David or, the homeless Son of Man Who was the appointed Heir of all things. But besides these, there were times when He might be seen as it were in the centre of a circle, where each glory combined in such beautiful harmony in Him, as to give all in one distinctive view.

Two outstanding events, namely, the Temptation at the beginning of His ministry and the Transfiguration at the end may illustrate this. At the end of Matthew 3 the Father proclaims Him, His Beloved Son and immediately the tempter comes forward with the challenge — "If thou be the Son of God."

All this relates surely to the gold of His glory but the tempter goes on to that which relates to the blue as seen in the Man out of heaven. The first temptation takes us back to Eden and the Lord's answer from Deuteronomy gives a sublime description of man's place in relation to God but in an obedience peculiar to Himself. "The obedience of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1: 2. The second recalls the scarlet by the mention of the holy city and the temple. The third recalls the purple and bespeaks His universal place as Son of Man by the mention of the high mountain and the kingdoms of the world. This is a scene of perfect moral beauty. God gets His place; man gets his place; and, for the first time in man's history, the Devil gets his place from One who has a perfect right to all but seeks no place at all.

The vision on the holy mount presents a scene of unalloyed delight, where there is nothing to oppose. We judge there is nothing absent to complete the picture which, by including the Father's voice and the Shekinah, carries us in thought beyond the administrative order of full millennial display, to the glories of the Father's house where sons shall be at home with the Father and the Son, in a scene pervaded by the Spirit's power. The heavens and earth in all their departments of blessing and glory are depicted here but beyond that, the Father's voice indicates something, which John the Apostle of love was given to bring out, and the blessed Son of the Father, Who is here rejected by man, is the centre and guarantee of all.

God's order in the race must be noted that we may see how this blessed Man adapted Himself in. every way to the divine plan. The Creator puts forth His intentions for the race in one man. The character and order for the whole is set forth in the head. This works out both in regard to created status and moral condition; those connected with Adam being earthly as to creaturehood and sinful in moral condition, while those connected with Christ are heavenly in origin and holy as to condition. In all this we can see Adam as a figure of Him that was to come. Here we touch the scheme of sacred typology, the wealth of which pours itself out around the Person of this blessed MAN. This in itself is a rich study but we must remember that it is only one side, that side indeed which connects itself with the time ways of God. When we turn to the study of God's eternal purpose, we behold our Lord as the eternal Son, marked out for incarnation and redemption. Consequently, Adam's creation was a necessity and He, the eternal One, the great proto-type. We rightly say that at the birth of our Lord, all, including heaven, earth, and hell, were in commotion. (Psalm 90; Hebrews 10; Matthew 2; Luke 2; Revelation 12). But along with that, God required One to make known His plan and purpose. Man on earth needed a Redeemer and Satan the enemy looked on, entirely ignorant of divine resources, trying if he could, to thwart and hinder the work of the blessed God. The advent of the Son met every need, God's perfect claims and all His desires, and man's every need, and forever defeated and exposed all the forces of evil.

That advent filled up the whole ways of God by taking up every thread of these ways, not only in type and shadow but also in promise; prophecy; government and grace; imparting a completeness to all, while at the same time going back beyond Genesis. He, the Son, linked up in Himself the whole scheme of God's eternal purpose, that God might be made known in a triumph of glory from eternity to eternity, and the universe put on the basis, not only of omnipotence but on the stable footing of redemption which, through Calvary's depth of woe, the depths of God found a channel to flow forth.

From the above it will be seen that the Incarnation made it possible for the Spirit of God to speak of our Lord both as Second Man and Last Adam, while every thing both in nature and revelation witnesses to Him as first in cause, dignity, moral sequence and result. In coming into time, unlike Adam, He became a babe, that in every phase of human life God might be glorified. Much was called for in this world for moral disorder prevailed and all along the line outstanding individuals had tried to put things right. Being themselves part of the ruin, this was impossible. The only way things could be put right was by Calvary since man was lying under the judgment of death. He came to die that death and to redeem the creature who lay under it, but all the way to it from the manger was marked by His putting the stamp of heaven and the will of God on every detail of life here as in flesh and blood. What could be more pleasing to God? Yea, what could be sweeter to the believing heart that has drawn upon His grace and delights to worship Him?

But some one will say, This involves going over ground already trodden. (See the booklets "Gold:" "Blue:" "Purple:" "Scarlet.") Our answer is, Why not? Who would lay claim to originality here? Nay — let us ask — who would desire it? If such transcendent things are to engage us forever, surely we may well continue in them now. But after all, such a fear may be groundless. Many and varied are the highways of Holy Writ. We need not travel precisely by the same route as before. There are lines of truth in this holy book of God but little known; sights and scenes within the domain of the Spirit but little frequented which will yield both honey and cream if we will but commit ourselves to the care of our great guide the Holy Spirit. He will lead us into the Messianic chambers of Holy Writ to behold Him Who preceded all; Whose will originated all, and Whose stupendous stoop put the stamp of finality upon all.

Before coming to the New Testament, let us glance a moment at the range of moral instruction wrapped up in these holy garments. Aaron was to be clothed with garments for glory and ornament. The Tabernacle had been previously set out in prescriptive order which, in type, speaks of the holy universal order and calls for a living centre who would impart life and completeness to the whole scene. The high priest is the answer. He is taken out of ordinary life and clothed with these garments of official splendour as fore-shadowing our Lord in His triumph and splendour, at the centre of redeemed creation. The ingenuity of divine device gives a present application of all this as a faith system in the Assembly, as seen in the Epistle to the Hebrews, but in the nature of things the typical significance goes on to the full issue in glory. The fine linen of the passage is the translation of the Hebrew word Shes, which signifies whiteness and supplies another colour to the group mentioned here. It would remind us of the spotless purity of the Man, Christ Jesus. It was woven of twisted threads of flax, foreshadowing the union in Him of every beauteous grace, in the power of which every detail of that perfect life was adjusted.

Two different orders of dress were called for on the part of Aaron in the exercise of his priestly duties. On the day of atonement he must lay aside the garments of glory and be clothed in fine linen only, because his duties on that day bespoke the Cross in all its magnitude of meaning for God and the creation. The garments of glory and ornament might be suitable for him to function in the whole year through but on that day, they must be laid aside. The solemn reality pictured here, the reader may see portrayed in Hebrews 9. In verse 12 of that chapter, the Lord entered the holiest in virtue of His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. This answers to the solemn time when the blood of the sin offering was taken within the veil, for upon that day the blood of the sin offering was prominent. While all the glory of God is made to rest upon our Lord in that aspect, it was not in itself a time for a blaze of glory but a time of woe. Then in verse 24 of the same chapter He is seen as "gone into heaven, now to appear in the presence of God for us." These last two little words here indicate that He is there in the robes of glory. And why not? since all the woe is past. It may be further noted in verse 12, that the Lord takes ground which we in Hebrews 10: 19 are exhorted to occupy, but in verse 24 He is gone to where we cannot go till He Himself comes to take us there. The Holy Spirit has come out to report His glory there but besides that, He leads us even now to enjoy all the blessedness of His own company within the holiest of all. Heb. 10: 19-22.

Another class of robes is used to designate our Lord in judgment. "Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke." Isa. 59: 16-17. In this dress He comes forth conquering and to conquer, for — "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were In heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Rev. 19: 13-16. In all this we may visualise the rider of Psalm 45 Who, in majesty rides prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness and Whose arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies. Jacob's words about Benjamin point to the same time when, in solemn majesty, He shall devour the prey and divide the booty. This is the Man of Isa. 63, Who comes from Bozrah, glorious in apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength, Whose garments are stained with the Blood of His enemies. Scripture puts this as the vintage of the earth but the harvest is to follow when He shall sit upon the throne of glory — His own throne — in solemn majesty, when the nations shall be gathered before Him; the harvest of the earth gathered in and all this in view of His glorious administration when His Name shall rule throughout the multiplied distances of creation. Here again we may connect Psalm 45, where the King is seen in robes of royal splendour; where His Israel takes her proper place and the nations of the earth come in to fill up the picture.

Various other features of the character of our Lord mark the Tabernacle and its services. For example — "Take fragrant drugs — stacte, and onycha, and galbanum — fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be. And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy." Exodus 30: 34-35 New. Trans. None of these ingredients grew in Israel's land and it is striking that to this day, it is not known for certain where they come from. May not the divine intention be to remind us that our Lord learned nothing from man, or this world's teaching, but that all He was and did was of the Second Man out of heaven. It was said of Him, "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" And again. "Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works?" There was nothing here to minister to Him; He grew up as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. All was to be tempered together by the art of the perfumer.

Here we stand and behold with deep adoration Jesus — our Lord Jesus — in His own inimitable perfection whom none but the Father can know. Neither irreverent curiosity, nor unholy speculation will help us here for — "Jesus fills that holy place" as well as everlasting love. But if flesh cannot follow, thank God faith may and He graciously beckons us to Himself that we may behold Him, the Only-begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. We know now in measure and ever shall delight to learn the wonders of His glorious Person but it must ever remain true that, "No man knoweth who the Son is." Luke 10: 22. This abiding wonder must remain true within the circle of Deity to all eternity. "Ye shall not make for your selves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah." If the redolence of it came out in His life, well we know that its fulness came out at the cross. It was to be beaten small and laid up before the testimony. This carries us in thought to the hour of His bruising for — "He was bruised for our iniquities, and with his stripes we are healed."

It will be recalled that the burnt and meat offerings go together, fore-showing what Christ was to God both in life and death. In the burnt offering, the carcase had to be parted in pieces but this was after death. In the anti-type, the parting all took place before He died; all the dissecting and scrutinising had to be gone through that the excellency of the offering might be proved and so the holy scrutiny of divine majesty searched Him in the hour of Calvary. The peace offering seems to amplify this for at the close of that blessed life, the Holy One of God was parted in pieces in a way beyond all our comprehension. "At a place called Calvary," holy Manhood in Him was torn to pieces in the midst of the most coarse and cruel indignities and brutalities, in a way that leaves the sufferings of the most spiritual far far behind. He was indeed led as a lamb to the slaughter for these men were so hardened under the power of Satan as to be carried beyond all the practices carried out in the execution of the vilest of criminals. "Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me." "They that sit in the gate speak against me and I was the song of the drunkard."

But there is another side and to that we may turn. "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning." Leaving the pictorial scenes of the typical system, let us with reverence draw near and behold the Saviour, more directly as He is presented in the holy Gospels where, surpassingly, the inimitable grandeur of His moral glory shines forth.

Part 2.

If the Old Testament may be looked upon as a great picture gallery where our Lord is portrayed in sundry ways and divers manners, the New Testament takes us inside where we see God unveiled in a MAN. The holy Gospels are the areas storehouse of heavenly manna — the resource of God for a wilderness people. It is true we are made God-conscious here, but that was also true of the previous part of Scripture. There is not merely gold, blue, purple and scarlet with what they entail in that glorious Man but the majesty of Deity. It is not only glories of different variety coming out, one here, and another there, but God at one time, Man at another and more often both in one holy combination which produces praise but baffles thought. For example — see the wearied Man of Mark 4 in that holy slumber connected with the sinless condition of humanity which He had taken up. The next moment, His Godhead power shines forth in quieting the storm. The scene at the tomb of Lazarus combined both. Not only was it from human lips that the command was issued for the dead to come forth but the cheeks of Him Who did so were wet with the holy tears of human sympathy.

His obedience was different from all others, even from man in innocence, since it called neither for command nor prohibition. The law of His life was such that it ever gravitated Godward. Hence, the obedience of Jesus Christ was unique. He did not serve in view of reward nor could there be any servile work, for it all sprang from a nature that knew no distrust. The joy set before Him of the accomplishment of His Father's will, produced a life in a scene of contrariety that stands alone; treasured up before God for ever. Nothing could rival the joy, or compare with the pleasure it gave, of carrying out all that was due to the Father. "As the living Father has sent me and I live by the Father." Again. "I have set the Lord always before me." This was the law of the Man. (2 Sam. 7: 19, Rev. Ver. and New Trans.). If He be viewed in relation to the moral virtues, these are in Him elevated to a new plane. Truth, integrity, patience and sincerity are all there but on the high plane of the will of God. All His actions have a charm of their own whether commanding, or obeying. He did what He did, because He was Who He was, and in doing it, He showed Who He was and IS.

See Him in command. We have already noted His way both with nature in the storm and the unseen region in raising Lazarus. With the Devil it was, "Get thee behind me," with demons, "Hold thy peace;" with the diseased, "I will;" with the woman of Samaria, "Go, call thy husband" — which had soul conviction in view; the resurrection message, "Go, tell my brethren." Whatever be the sphere, He is Master but all had in view the unveiling of God. In Luke 4 we read that the people of the village where He had been brought up sought to cast Him over a precipice but He walked quietly away as if nothing had happened. So we read again in Luke 7, in the house of Simon, He asserted His supremacy, Simon was judged, the sinner for which He came from heaven was blessed, and God was glorified. What hidden glories lie behind the scene of His temptation, yea, whether we take His service, temptation, transfiguration or, greatest of all, His crucifixion, there is that that could be written which would fill more books than the world could hold.

While the above incidents bring out each side of the Person of our Lord respectively, that is, both Godhead and Manhood, it should be noted that each side implies and necessitates the other. To illustrate this we may turn to Hebrews 1, 2. The first chapter describes the incomparable glories of the Son but in Manhood. The second shows us His incomparable greatness in Manhood but in language that implies that He is God. So it is in the Gospels, whichever side comes out, the other is Inseparable in His Person. There is therefore another class of His sayings and doings which are not so much expressive of one side but are the fruit of the combined activity of both in one Divine-Human Person, In proof, note the words, "I am the light of the world." John 8: 12. "I am the resurrection and the life." John 11: 25. While each of these statements came from a Man, they indicate one Who was more than a Man and not less than God. The terms Saviour and Redeemer carry the same sense, implying as they do something that only God could accomplish but necessarily by Incarnation. We have seen this at the tomb of Lazarus, but is not the same thing clearly in evidence when He walked on the sea? He calmed their fears when they thought it was a spirit by saying, "Fear not, I am." It was God Himself, not in abstract Deity, but the Man they knew as their Master and Lord. The same may be said about the feeding of the multitude for, while all the grace and compassion of the Man Christ Jesus came out, it was in the Omnipotence of creatorial power and goodness.

Having noted these distinctions, let us follow this wonderful Person like some of old whom He called to abide with Himself. His separation was different from His servant John the Baptist. Such was the state of the people that John was called to live in the desert but the Lord went in and out among the people. As the centre and source of holiness, He walked in the midst of the uncleanness, unstained and unstainable. The location of the servant apart, has been taken up in the church in a monastic way with sad and solemn results. The time will come when the words, "Come out of her my people" will sound forth. Rev. 28: 4. Meantime, we are called to walk, "as He walked." (1 John 2: 6), in a profession that is fast developing into full-blown apostasy. The servant was said to have a demon but the Master was called a gluttonous man and a winebibber.

In holy simplicity, combined with divine dignity, Jesus goes into the house of a Pharisee and sits down to eat. On another occasion we see Him at a family gathering; then at a social feast in the house of Levi; and again, at the marriage of some of the friends. There is nothing stand-offish nor austere, while there is always that holy influence emanating from Him that gives character to all. Society in general was His province. He accepted the invitation of the rich; was at home among the poor; stooping to encourage what was of God everywhere but always supreme. The customs of society and the barriers which separate the classes and the masses, could be nothing to Him whose abundance was at the disposal of all. With the rich we may in general identify the official classes. Doctors; Lawyers; Scribes; Pharisees and Sadducees. Though there are exceptions here and there, these in general were opposed to Him. In fact, this class hung upon His footsteps till at last they succeeded in getting Him crucified. With the poor we may in general identify the diseased and sorrow stricken. This was the class which benefited most by His ministry. "The poor have the Gospel preached."

But the national position of our Lord is a great study. It has been pointed out that while others fill their day and serve their generation, all are patriots and live for the land of their birth. In the conditions of human life this is somewhat of a necessity and indeed is counted a virtue. David was a Jew; Alexander a Greek; Caesar a Roman and so on but Christ stood in relation to all. As the vessel of covenant promise He was the Son of David and took the place of a Jew (John 4: 22), maintaining carefully Jewish blessings and privileges. (Matt. 15: 24). But He was a MAN and as such, He stood forth in relation to, and on behalf of, mankind. At that time the people of Galilee were simple and open-minded, while they of Judea were more sophisticated and given to petty disputations about the Law. In the bosom of both classes burned a fiery passion, ever ready to break out and throw off the Roman yoke. This led to tumults in which much fanaticism was displayed as may be seen in Acts 21, or Acts 7. There was seething among them that feeling which led to the fall of Jerusalem later. Here was one Who was fitted to be a leader. Such works of power proved beyond all doubt His ability if He would only put Himself at their head. This would ensure their place of supremacy among the nations and had not their Scriptures marked out that place for them? His refusal drew out their hatred with a violence that only His death could appease. The very position they wanted Him to take, they used against Him. The depth of the iniquity of the human heart comes out in Caiaphas when he said, "It is expedient that one man die for the people and that the whole nation perish not." Little did he think that like Balaam of old, his tongue was directly under divine control. All ended in the dark tragedy of Calvary where both Jew and Gentile filled up the measure of their guilt.

As we have said, He was a MAN. Two thousand years of man's history had run its course before there was a Jew or a Hebrew nation. His coming in relation to the race was made known both in type and promise in that age. The seed of the woman could not be limited to anything short of the whole race. Israel's rejection of Him opened the door for all and as it were, put Him in relation to the whole race. "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob . . . I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." (Isa. 49: 6). This distinction runs through all Scripture. The Gospel of Matthew shows Him Son of David and Abraham but with Luke it is the Son of Man. The temptation also brings out both, but with a further distinction between the Man in His full moral beauty and the Son of Man in official splendour. The full question there goes back to Eden and Adam in thought but the kingdoms of the world speak of the rights and glory of the Son of Man. There is far more said of this distinction than we are accustomed to think for the glories of the Son of Man in official capacity awaited death and resurrection and go out to the whole creation but the beauty, simplicity, subjection and obedience of the Man, Christ Jesus, in the varied detail of life and the complications of man's sinful condition morally, socially and nationally, becomes a feast to the devout heart. It is here we see His power for moral estimates. In the human race, every man is what he is, as a result of certain conditions. Heritage and environment are the leading factors. We all inherit both virtues and vices and are all, more or less, affected by our surroundings. Here is One Who is outside of all this. Why? Because He is the Second Man out of heaven.

Yet, while rendering to every one their dues, He had not come to take up politics. God was glorified; the covenant people owned and Caesar allowed his rights but He did not come to divide to men their inheritance. Luke 12: 13, 14. His work had to do with eternity and eternal realities. Man's condition and his petty rights accounted for the state of vexatious confusion existing and in his ignorance, he applies his moral standard to everything. What must it have been for our Lord to move about in a state of things like that? Knowing where He came from and where He was going and with sensibilities unimpaired by sin, He trod a path which was all His own and which in the nature of things, must inevitably lead to the cross. None can know fully what he must have felt, beholding the race around Him in all its stages of degeneration, grovelling in disease both physical and moral, with little knowledge of God, less of themselves, and without any moral objective because dominated by sin.

The same perfection of touch is seen in His ways with the Ecclesiastical order in Israel. The Tabernacle stood as a system of visible and sensuous worship, which could only be temporary and indeed was permitted as a type for the time then present of the eternal order, which was to be set up in the power and glory of redemption, which meant for Him the cross. He had not come to destroy but to fulfil and in the midst of the ruin of the dispensation in man's hands, it was necessary to disentangle certain great principles and put them in order. Marriage; the Sabbath; Circumcision; all were put in their proper setting as belonging to the ways of God in a time prior to Moses. As God's great centre standing in time with all the weight of the divine glory resting upon Himself, He adjusted all in relation to the past — right past kingdom days — to God's eternal day. The law was honoured in all its claims; the ritual owned by sending those Whom He had cleansed to the priest; the Calendar in all its enactments was answered to, while strewing on account of their state that the feasts had ceased to be Jehovah's. In a system where the word of God was set aside for tradition, He honoured that Word in a life which was its reflex to the most minute detail.

In this way our God has set Christ — the object of His own delight, before our hearts for our delight and adoration. Ought we not with a devout heart to dwell on the walk, ways, words and actions of that Holy One in the clear sunshine of His presence as glorified and thus acquire riches for eternity without putting the hand on the Ark, or entrenching on that which must abide in its own sacred majesty for ever? In this way, the very theme that infidelity seeks to make capital out of, becomes the food and delight of the believer's soul. Again, note another striking feature of that life. Christ drew attention to Himself in a way that would be sin for a creature but is a proof of Who He is. "Follow me" were His words. And again, "Come unto me." But further, "He that loveth father, or mother, more than me, is not worthy of me." Would not language like this be enough to produce distrust in any other and to cause us to mark him off as one to be avoided? But we may go further, for there are words of His which would be blasphemy on the lips of any other. "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." Who else could speak in such a way? To give one more example, who else could say in reference to holy Scripture, "Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . but I say." (Matt. 5: 21, 22)?

So far we have thought upon our Lord in His perfections in the precise adjustment of moral qualities, every one of which was in full accord with every other and all in due proportion, whether in activity or at rest. But says some one, Why make so much ado about it all? Who that knows Him we answer, can keep from singing His praise and spreading His fame? "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." "What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou cost so charge us?" "My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand — or, as in another translation, 'He is conspicuous among myriads' (Youngs Trans.) — His countenance is as Lebanon. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." How well it is when words fail us that we can turn to the holy book where He is well known and find there language which fitly describes Him. "Ye that stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise ye Jehovah; for Jehovah is good: sing psalms unto his name for it is pleasant." There we may behold the beauty of the Lord and enquire in his temple. "Now will I sing to my beloved, a song of my beloved touching his vineyard." "O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth." He is well known throughout the height and the depth of the universe, adored by His own, though feared and dreaded by demons. "Thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee." "Thy countenance is as the sun shineth in its strength." "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made thee glad." "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" Thou art greater glorious Saviour than the Temple, or Jonah, or Solomon; Lord also of the Sabbath day. "In the greatness of thine excellency, thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee." Before John the Baptist thy forerunner; before Abraham; before all things. God, co-equal in eternity with the Father and the Spirit in majesty and splendour, albeit a gracious, tender, lowly, and lovely Man. We love to think of thee, adore Thee, own Thee, and glorify Thy name. Like a favoured one of old we can say, "The king hath brought me into his chamber and his love is better than wine."

My beloved reader, what thinkest thou of these glorious words concerning thy Lord and Master? "Hast thou seen Him, heard Him, known Him; Is not thine a captured heart? Chief among ten thousand own Him; Joyful choose the better part." Blessed Lord to see Thee and be like Thee is our joyful hope but Oh ! how sweet it is to be brought by the Spirit into all this to-day during the time of Thy rejection, when all that which lies before us in the day of Thy displayed glory, can be entered upon, and enjoyed on the principle of faith. To us Lord, these are, "The precious things of heaven," — things that, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." 1 Cor. 2: 9, 10. Yes, we love thee blessed Lord and however feeble we are, we can be in the same measure of blessed at-homeness with Thyself and God our Father. Made in infinite grace Thy companions in the blessed stability of redemption's glorious worth, we render unto Thee the homage of which thou art so worthy, both now and ever more.

Can there be any wonder then — we may ask — if one is beside oneself in the contemplation of such a lovely Person? In reality we have to bow and admit that the wonder is the other way about. Nothing could prove the lack of moral refinement and depth of spiritual feeling, than the callous way we all speak of Him who fills the Father's heart. This raises another question to which we must turn, namely, Why should such a life have to come to such an inglorious end in this world? Yea more, Why should it have to cease and not be perpetuated in the earth? The answer to this covers a vast range of Scripture, bringing in the counsels of God and the deepest things of divine revelation all of which leads to another part of our theme to which we now turn.

Part 3.

Coming to the truth of atonement, it is necessary to view the great work of our Lord at Calvary as the centre of the eternal plan and purpose of God, in relation to the whole creation. Redemption in Christ is the central thought around which not only all the time ways of God circle but also His eternal plan and purpose. The first of these regards man in his creature responsibility; the latter is sovereign grace by God towards him, when he had lost all as a responsible creature. This is the outcome of the eternal purpose of God. Nothing could be clearer than the way the Incarnate Son is presented in Scripture as coming at the end of a long period of testing; the culminating point in the history of man's moral history in creature responsibility. Having been tried in a variety of ways, first in Eden, then by promise, law, covenant and prophets with continued failure, last of all God sent forth His Son. "This is the heir, come let us kill him and seize on the inheritance," is what they said. These things are so clearly put in Scripture and so often dwelt upon that we need not go further here.

On the other hand, nothing could be clearer than the way our Lord is presented as coming forth from the womb of eternity to accomplish the will of God by redemption, in His sacrificial work at the cross. These two great thoughts of man's responsibility and God's sovereignty run all through Scripture, as seen in the two trees of paradise but there can be nothing more profound than to see how they come together in our Lord at the cross. That work which finished the history of man's responsibility in the darkest crime in the history of eternity, was at the same time a work accomplished by the Son, which brought out the full revelation of the heart of God, and instituted a righteous basis upon which all the counsels of His heart, in majesty and glory, will rest for all eternity. The combination of these two grand conceptions, worked out in the time scene in the great conflict of the ages — the conflict between good and evil — is the story of how the great and glorious Godhead has revealed Itself. That revelation has brought God out in nature, character, and Being, in a way that unveiled Him as a glorious Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; strewing each One at work in carrying out the eternal counsels, and that in a way which brings out the thoughts, feelings, delights and motives of divine Persons, which will be the delight of redeemed myriads for evermore. This is what comes before us in this part of our meditation and it will serve, we trust, to answer the question of how that glorious life, portrayed in the Gospels, is to be perpetuated in the creation, eternally. In the relative working out of things, it should not be forgotten that sin entered the creation in the higher ranks, long before man was created. God's dealing with it therefore at Calvary had the whole creation in view. But that stands as it were, at the outskirts of revelation. Man is the creature in which the whole question was to be wrought out; earth the centre and Calvary the place. In that dreadful hour — the centre as it were of two eternities — God is eternally glorified. Let us look then a moment at the cross from each of these viewpoints, that of man — the creature's guilt, and then at its glorious expression of the eternal thoughts of God.

"Crucify him." In the fist mention of these words, the speakers doubtless thought of once, and forever, sinking in irretrievable defeat and shame, the Saviour's Name. Chagrined, outwitted, and defeated by the power of good, His opponents take refuge in the diabolical subterfuge of imputing His mighty works to the Devil. This conclusion reached, they fix upon Him His death sentence. "It is needful that one man die for the nation." If we do not see to this, said Caiaphas, the Romans will kill us. (John 11) This meets with full consent but, who is to do it, and how is it to be done? We will take him to Pilate. Rome, our captors will do this. His claim to be a king constitutes the charge of treason, and he will be crucified. Such a death involved irremediable shame, infamy, execration, beyond recovery. Scripture had pronounced upon it a curse. "Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree." Rome was too proud to crucify her sons. Such a death was reserved for slaves and felons only.

But note the estimate of His own people. Lepers must be put outside the camp. The pestilential infection of murderers, blasphemers, and lepers, must be kept back from the dwellings of men. Outside the gate, carrying His cross, Jesus must go a victim. If it be Rome, He must go to the bottom by crucifixion; if it be His own people, He must go outside the gate to Golgotha, carrying His cross. What a state poor, blind humanity was in, to go thus far with the Saviour. It was that very state which He, in grace, was meeting at that very moment. But what must have been the divine estimate of fallen flesh when, for its substitute, nothing less than curse would do. The curse, darkness, and abandonment of Calvary was our due but the sinless sufferer was our substitute. It is thus we get God's estimate of the creature He had been cultivating for four millenniums.

Guilty, vile, and helpless we:  Spotless Lamb of God was He!

'Full atonement,' can it be? Hallelujah! what a Saviour!

But the transcendent glory of Calvary links with the eternal plan and purpose of God. This plan had man in view for richest heavenly favour. His creation was but yesterday comparatively, but with it the Incarnation of the Son was indissolubly linked. Such purposes presupposed a state of breakdown that only the coming of the Son into Manhood could meet. In the creation, man came last but his fall created the position for redemption, hence, on the very day he sinned the promise of the redeemer was given. Redemption, it should be remembered supposes a third party. That third party was Satan in the form of a serpent in Eden. This of course proves that sin was there before, but man, listening to the tempter, brought it into his race and raised at once the question of the rights of God. Redemption is that which frees from an encumbrance something which already belongs to the redeemer. To free the property or inheritance from the encumbrance, a ransom must be paid. This is the story, the entrancing story of the Redeemer's blood. "The precious blood of Christ."

The seduction of man by the enemy not only corrupted him and alienated him from God. It robbed God of the creature; of His highest predilection. Of the original entrance of sin we may know but little but that its entrance into the human race raised at once the whole question of God's righteousness in the highest and most important part of His creation — is the burden of a great part of holy Scripture. As a creature, Satan may well have known that the Creator had His own inviolable rights, in the creation. This is what he challenged but he could have no possible knowledge of the infinite resources of wisdom, love, and power, which lay behind these rights. The story is well known. Satan's success brought death as the judgment of God on His creature man. Not merely the article of death but its moral power, as that which Satan pressed on the spirit of our Lord in Gethsemane — death as the judgment of God. But if in His character, God in righteousness and holiness stood publicly out against man, what of His nature which is Love? Here we touch the resources of God which no creature could know. It was then that the time ways of God began in the fallen race and He put forth His rights in a variety of ways as, for example, in the law. But we are dealing here with the purpose of God and that raises the question of how He has put forth these rights in grace. We can conceive of God putting forth His rights in judgment, and Satan, not knowing the resource of the Creator, doubtless expected this. If God had put forth His rights in that way and carried out His sentence, He could, out of His resources have created another race to take the place of man. This would have displayed His power but what of His purpose of Love? Such a course must have spelled for Him defeat in the best part of His creation. But our God — whose resources none can fully know — is neither arbitrary nor capricious; hence the story of redemption in Christ Jesus in all its sublime dignity of glory, will be the theme which will fill an endless eternity with His praise.

In speaking thus of the rights of God, we refer to His just and holy claims on His creature which is His own property. This should be distinguished from the attribute of righteousness which is inherent in the blessed God and is an eternally abiding principle. God put forth His rightful claims in the way of grace m His Son and in view of this, righteousness and grace have been termed synonymous in Romans 3. This should be carefully guarded however, for in ver. 26 of that chapter, both thoughts are expressed. The declaration of His righteousness, is the public declaration of His perfect consistency with Himself in constituting the believing sinner righteous. Moreover, the cross is much more than the putting forth of the Creator's rights on man. When we view that cross as establishing the authority of God, the moral Governor of the universe, we can see righteousness as a divine attribute and, in its operations, it becomes the standard for the whole creation and indeed, in result, everything must come to that measure.

The bearing of the cross upon man as distinct from the higher ranks of creation, calls for a few more remarks. God's predilection of the human race is proved by the Incarnation of the Son. The fact that the Word became flesh, passing by the hierarchies of the heavens, shows man at the centre of divine purpose. The stoop of the Son into Manhood proves this both as to purpose, promise, and fulfilment. Then note, creation began in the heavens and ended on earth with man. With redemption and NEW CREATION, it is the other way about. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth." In creation the progress is downward. "By him to reconcile alt things unto himself; by him, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." In reconciliation the progress is upward and begins with man. Col. 1: 16, 20. Revelation is given to man who, in divine sovereignty, is himself at the centre of God's eternal plan. The circumference takes in the whole wide creation which, as we said, forms the outskirts of that revelation. The death of our Lord is the great central basis upon which all rests for the universe, man included. But the bearing of that death upon man is different from what it is on any other part of the moral creation. It is clear that the unfallen hosts above do not need the blood, as sinners do upon earth and it is just as clear that the fallen hosts of the heavenlies do not get its saving efficacy as sinners do on earth. In connection with this, note the purpose of God was to put Christ, the Son of Man, at the head of all things. This is strewn in Psalm viii, with its quotations in the New Test. See how this works out in the transfer from Godhead to Manhood in our Lord's Person, as taught in Heb. 1 and 2. From eternity, the Son is the appointed heir of all things. Between the creation of all things and His taking them up, they became defiled by sin so, He became Man to make purgation. Consequently He takes His place at the head. That place indeed He fills by double right, that is as Creator and Redeemer but the main point is, all things are put under a MAN. Then, as the man is not complete without the woman, the Church is taken from Christ to be presented to Him as Eve was to Adam, so that in the day when God displays Himself in all the wonders of all His plan and purpose, man, who at the cross expressed the creature's worst, will be seen at the highest point of glory with Christ and in the enjoyment of God's very best. Hallelujah. Surely it is fitting that the Apostolic doxology should come in here. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Eph. 3: 20, 21.

We would now close this part of our meditation by endeavouring to bring together the two great aspects of the cross we have looked at separately namely, the creature's guilt and God's eternal purpose. So many thoughts flood the mind that care is needed on this, the most profound of all themes. It has been said that the cross will be our lesson book throughout eternity. As we gaze upon it we see the unimpeachable justice of our God combined with the unquenchable desire of His heart to have the creature — whose dreadful guilt came out there — at home with Himself in perfect moral suitability for ever. Heaven called for it; earth needed it; hell demanded it; each from motives peculiar to itself. Heaven, the source of all good; hell the place of all evil, while earth was locked in the dreadful conflict between good and evil. Both heaven and earth have got all they required with an immeasurable excess, which puts the whole creation on an eternally stable foundation — redemption — and floods the throne of God with a new glory which eternity itself will never exhaust. It has glorified God, met our every need and has laid low the combined forces of apostate creation forever.

But perhaps the most wonderful thing of all is that the cross has unveiled, in the creation, the great and glorious God. Nothing else could conceivably reveal to the creature the great Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in the relationships and affections inherent in Deity, nor the counsels of eternity, with the part each glorious Person in the Holy Trinity takes in relation to each other, in the working out of these counsels.

Creation, providence and government, though bringing out His power, wisdom, authority, and goodness, could not make Him known. God has been revealed in love, light, and glory, so that He might be known in the Son as Father and all that has been revealed, has been made good in the heart of the creature, in a triumph of glory surpassing thought. The cross explains the riddle of the universe — the riddle of suffering, strewing the necessity of creation itself. It explains the permission of sin and the why of the four millenniums of the first man's culture. It has brought his moral history to a close by bringing to light the Second Man and His race that is to abide for eternity. It shows us too how all things serve God's great end, for sin, Satan, death, demons, and hell, must serve Him. There is nothing — there could be nothing — like the cross. It is the complete solution of every moral question; the means by which all wrongs shall be righted and above all — if we may with all reverence say it — the cross explains God. It explains the exigency of His heart to have man before Himself in the holy relationship of sonship, so that the Father's house might be marked by family feelings and the Son firstborn of many brethren — all pervaded by the unction of God the Holy Spirit.

There is yet one tender touch in connection with the peculiar place and calling given to men, as connected with the cross and the purpose of God. We who are subjects of His mercy are called to serve and praise Him as revealed by the Son Who became man to make Him known, while the unfallen angels serve their Creator with the obedience of delight in the relationship and status wherein they were created. In this connection, how wonderful to think that they come under a MAN and will worship God in that MAN. However great and good all this is, it can never equal the reciprocal joys of those who were saved from earth and sin. Their service and praise is the fruit of the divine nature and as a result of the transfer from Adam fallen to Christ their glorious Head. Here we touch that which passes beyond all creature conception for grandeur of glory. We shall praise Him as being in His own life and nature, but as those who have been down in the pit of sin and death, which nothing but Calvary's depth of suffering and woe could rescue us from. Glory be to God we are not to be in heaven merely as forgiven sinners, great and wonderful as that would be; we are to be there in the nature and life which belongs to the place. No unfallen status or Adamic innocence can match this. The praise of those who have known the depth of sin and proved the mercy of God in their rescue, is a most marvellous supposition. Yet, when we think it is beyond that, in the divine nature and in a new relationship: when we think, I say, that it is from such a height that we look down to the depth, we can have some little idea of the difference of the service and praises proper to redeemed sinners who went so far as to outrage the name and character of God, and crucify His blessed Son.

"And at the moment the burnt offering began, the song of Jehovah began, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded, all the time till the burnt offering was finished. And . . . the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped." 2 Chr. 29: 27; 29.

This pictures our Lord in sacrificial excellence of glory in whom we are accepted, not as the sin offerings which had all to be consumed outside the camp, but as the One who has gone through death and risen again to establish an order which will throb with His life, vibrate with His praise, as being the eternal perpetuation of what came out in the Gospels. It will be the eternal reflection of the Being and nature of God. The marvel of it; the mystery of it; yea, its stupendous height and depth of glory will be the answer, yes, God's glorious answer, to the solemn hour of Calvary. Jesus our Lord, what can we say? for all language fails and thought is lost in holy amazement as we thus contemplate THEE. Hallelujahs and Hosannas; feelings of joy; delight and ecstasy; all fail to rise to what is Thy due. We will thank Thee for all Thou hast given and praise Thee for all Thou hast done, but in the profound sense of Thy infinite and eternal greatness which gives all its lustre to Calvary, we adore Thee for WHO THOU ART.

It might perhaps be thought that a little might have been said on the bearing of the cross in relation to the lake of fire and those who go into everlasting punishment. Perhaps the bitterest pang of all for those who go there will be the thought that they themselves spurned a way of escape. It is a character of things not much dwelt upon and perhaps this is best. Scripture itself indeed says little of it. Turning to our theme, we may now see why that holy life was taken from the earth and how, in the divine resources of wisdom it will be perpetuated for evermore.

Part 4.

We may now be able to see why the perfect life of our Lord had to come to an end in death. He had taken up life in flesh and blood condition with that end in view. There was the purpose of God to be accomplished and our state to be dealt with and beyond all, He was to enter into His glory that way. "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" (Luke 24: 26.) We are far removed here from the current teaching which links our Incarnate Lord with man in his fallen state and then goes on to speak of Him as a great world teacher, citing the sermon on the mount as a beautiful compendium of moral instruction for fallen flesh. To teach that His coming was for the adornment of a fallen race is confessedly black, so black indeed that, but for the mercy of God, it would have destroyed the truth long ago. This Judaising of christendom has led, in the estimate of the masses, to bringing Christ back to flesh and blood and putting man under law. This denies the cross and puts man — like the Galatians — under law and thus continues the testing of man, which the cross had already brought to an end. This teaching not only ignores the cross but sets aside the whole range of divine purpose as revealed in christianity. "Beware that thou bring not my son — the risen one in type — thither again" said Abraham to the servant, when he sent him to call a bride for his son Isaac who in type, had passed through death on the mountain top. Previous to that, Abraham had not only to part with Ishmael — type of man in nature — but had also to take Isaac to the mount and figuratively pass him through death. (Heb. 11: 19.) So Christ whose perfect life met in every way His Father's approval, goes down into death that the eternal plan and purpose of God might be brought to fruition in the establishing of the world of God's glory in resurrection.

How often is the resurrection of our Lord spoken of as the birth of a new creation? Such is the prevailing confusion that there is little sense of the glorious way our God has taken, through His blessed Son, to remove all the disorder. Three passages of Scripture will demonstrate this. "This is he that came by water and blood." His coming into the world and death upon the cross. 1 John 5: 6. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour has come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world." John 16: 20, 21. His resurrection. "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come . . . by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place." His present place in heaven. These three passages show (1). that our Lord was born into this world at Bethlehem and died upon the cross as witnessed by the water and the blood. (2) That His resurrection, seen in the figure of the birth of the man, has inaugurated a New Creation. (3) That He has gone back to heaven in the good of this new system and sustains it in His high priesthood.

In connection with the new creation, we need our thoughts widened out from individualism. As soon as Adam's race began to multiply, there was a necessity for administration. It is impossible to have a company without organisation of some kind. In this way we have in the resurrection of our Lord the dawn of a new day and a new world for faith to enter into and enjoy. It has been well said that in the first creation man came last, but in new creation Man is first, that is, Christ in resurrection. As to full bodily condition, He only is risen but by the operation of the Holy Spirit there is a company on earth united to Him as His body and of such it is said, they are even now risen together with Christ. Col. 2: 12.

This links itself with a further development of the purpose and plan of God. There is now a Man in heaven. In the provisional ways of God, man was created for the earth but in the purpose of God, as the fruit of redemption, his eternal home is in heaven. This shows the remarkable way in which grace reaches back beyond the fallen state to lift him out of the original condition and put him in a new heavenly status in the risen Head — the glorified Man. This is a most blessed racia1 reality. The place and the state suited for the first order was seen in Adam innocent, the first head. The place and state suited for the new order is seen in Christ risen and glorified in heaven. His place determines ours because of the relationship of life and sonship we have with Him. Glory be to God. Such wonderful blessings are far beyond us for we are creatures and ever will be, but the blessings we are brought into are far beyond creature conception,

The blessing of men on earth through the administration of a Man glorified in heaven, is foreseen and richly set forth in the Old Test. Psalms 110, and 132, with their quotations in the New Test., give both the present exaltation of Christ and His present administration in those who form His body. Comp. Eph. 4. Acts 2: 34. Heb. 1-2. Again and again the typical picture presents the Gospel age in detail. If we take the time between Adam and Enoch; the story of Joseph and his glory in Egypt; the volume of typical instruction contained in the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan; all prefigure and speak of the time when heaven's resources would be administered by a MAN in the glory, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit down here. As the sun rays itself forth in the solar system, so Christ in glory is the pledge of security for the whole moral system. His going there put the stamp of finality on the whole divine procedure because by that act, revelation and approach were completed. The One who came out to reveal has gone in, carrying Manhood in His Person in there, in answer to what He revealed.

At the risk of being thought tedious, we would endeavour to amplify the transitional blessing at this point, by speaking of life in its moral activity in a three fold way. (1). When on earth our Lord stood alone as the corn of wheat who must abide alone until death. (2). His disciples, though born again, were in the life and status of man in the flesh. (3). By death the Lord laid down the flesh and blood condition and took up life in a new state entirely. This new life He brought His disciples into by association with Himself in resurrection, by breathing on them. Just as He had breathed into Adam and he became a living soul, so the disciples were one with Him in life and status. The Spirit puts it thus. "Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. 2: 11. The Gospel is not reformation in any possible sense. It reconciles man to God by reconstituting him in his moral being and in that way transferring him from under the original Adamic headship, to the Headship of Christ. "Reconciliation;" "in Christ;" and "new creation" all go together. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature — new creation — old things are passed away; behold, all things are new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself." 2 Cor. 5: 17, 18.

In this way we reach in thought, the connection between the robes prepared for Aaron and the holy vestments for his sons. It will be recalled here, how the Lord insists on the impossibility of patchwork in the parable of the new garment in Luke 5. New creation is the complete change of texture in our moral being and in no other way could there be the perpetuation of the life of Christ here. In the sons of Aaron we see that God would have a company separated from the life of flesh, for the service of the sanctuary. In His going on high, Christ took His place as Minister of the sanctuary and in that capacity, His saints are without any disparagement in association with Him as the consecrated company, for the service of God within the Holiest of all. This for us supposes an indwelling Spirit, Who forms us after Christ, so that in the power of intelligent affection we may even now enter in to that sphere of light and life, on the principle of faith, having part with Himself in all that concerns the glory of God.

This is put in such a lovely picturesque form by our Lord in Luke 15, that we are able to visualise it. The best robe is to fit us for a scene of holy festivity; a scene of holy joy, which is the fruit of the Father's counsels and to which He gives impetus in the words, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring. hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry . . . And they began to be merry." This reminds us of a scene in heaven where the words ring out," Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready." Rev. 19: 7. Here again, all is " fine linen clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." But the picture in Luke 15 is beautifully illuminated by the words of Ephesians 1: 3, 4. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." In Zech. 3, the filthy garments had to give place to "Festival-robes." New. Trans. Here in Ephesians we learn that a God of holiness will have those who are the fruit of His own love, in His company, for His pleasure and in perfect moral suitability through the work of His Son. "To himself" as verse 5 assures us. The parable also links with the truth of the sanctuary as taught in Hebrews. The fatted calf is the death of our Lord in the character of the peace offering which includes the communion of the worshipper. In that way, we have the truth of the inside as in Hebrews, linked with the grandeur of the revelation at its height as in Ephesians.

Thus far, we have had the place of the believer before God and in the life of Christ. That life is to be seen coming out here,. That is to say, the character of Christ is seen in His people. This is the christian circle where they are portrayed in relationship with one another, reciprocating the grace of Christ, and thus His life is reproduced down here. "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering: Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Col. 3: 12, 15. This is the description of what was seen coming out in the life of Christ in the Gospels, now seen, in the Epistles, as coming out in a company during His absence. We may be asked, Where is it to be seen? It is to be seen, thank God, in the Church. In spite of all the break-down today, we may still see the beautiful features of Christ, in His people. This is what prevents the world from pandemonium today. Moreover, it pleased God to give a complete expression of it in the Church before He allowed the breakdown to come in. If we read Acts 2 to 4 at one reading, we shall find a beautiful answer, in the saints, to what came out for the pleasure of God as recorded of our Lord in the Gospels.

Then there is the conduct suited to those who are linked up with the testimony of our Lord on the earth. The manner of life suited to those who are heavenly, as being united to a glorified Christ. Sincerity — "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12: 1. Reverence — "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body . . . Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." vs. 4, 5. Courage — "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God." v. 8. Greed — "Take heed and beware of covetousness." v.15. Worry and distraction — "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. Your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things." vs. 22, 30. These are the traits of a heavenly man. They have all been seen in our Lord in this world and the Word says, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to so walk, even as he walked." 1 John 2: 6. Thank God there is no lack of power from Himself on high to carry it out. Then what shall we say of our attitude in the place of servants? "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, . . . 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." Luke 12: 35, 37.

Thus far we have traced the way divine power and wisdom have taken to perpetuate in the saints, the wonderful life of our Lord as seen in the Gospels. A word is called for on the dress which the Lord has provided, for the saints to stand in His interests to-day and to thus anticipate the day in which He will appear in judgment. We have already seen how He is coming in judgment, clothed with the garments of vengeance for clothing and clad in zeal as a cloak. Isa. 59: 16. This conflict is not with flesh and blood but with the hosts of evil which have their place in the heavenlies. This is perhaps the highest favour committed to the saints, or indeed, ever committed to man. It is that subtle character of conflict going on in christendom today, in which the enemy has had such success, by attacking our Lord and the whole range of heavenly truth, treasured in the Church to-day.

The Epistle to the Ephesians where this conflict is mentioned unfolds, as no other Epistle does, the magnitude of christianity in relation to the counsels of eternity. It shows that the present economy of grace as a faith system goes on to the day of full display when faith shall be no more called for. This is new creation or the resurrection world we have been speaking about. Mirrored forth in that system, our Lord stands, with His Assembly, at the centre of all. He stands in relation to all creation in a glorious triumph of grace. All this is apprehended and enjoyed by the saints to-day, by faith. This is what the enemy is out to oppose and every inch of the ground has to be contested. So, in Ephesians 6, we have the armour which we need in this conflict, outlined for us. "Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth." Not only are the Messianic rights of Christ in the earth attacked, but His universal authority as Son of Man — His rights both in heaven and on earth. What adds both pathos and solemnity to this conflict is, that christendom, in its leaders, has gone back to the God-defying wickedness of the early centuries and the multitudinous schools of thought of the Gnostics. This same playing with holy things is in evidence amongst those leaders in christendom calling themselves Modernists. The sad feature of it all is that the Gnostics were openly opposed to christianity, but the enemies of the truth to-day are inside, taking the place of giving us new light; delivering us from the traditions of the past, while robbing the people of all the holy things of God. How terrible is the position of church leaders today. The synagogue of Satan is what the professing church has become and the throne of Satan is set up there. Rev. 2: 9, 13, 14; Rev. 3: 9. In the great hierarchy of the professed body of christendom, men are set up as officials who do not fear to attack the birth, ministry, and atoning work of our Lord, in such a way that the common people, whose guides these men assume to be, are afraid.

It was fore-seeing all this that the Lord has doubtless given back to the Church in these last days, the whole Apostolic testimony. This, in the goodness of our God, has come into the hands of many of the flock of Christ in power, so that a remnant are fitted to stand, in the face of the apostasy of the ages. Laodicea, with all its pretension has come. Some have got the eyesalve to see the situation and to open the door of the heart to give Him His place, Who is so worthy, and consequently, have the joy of supping with Him in the very midst of apostate christendom. It is only the fear of God that delivers from the fear of men and such are delivered from the hereditary class, who claim to be what they are not but are in truth, blind leaders of the blind.

We must remember that this is a moral conflict. It has long raged, including in its arena heaven, earth, and hell. Its present aspect has gone on since Calvary and will continue till the Lord Himself appears. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. 10: 4, 5. This warfare may be visualised in the men who were the servants of Christ in the days of the Acts of the Apostles. Here were men who knew that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. They were clothed in the armour of light and exposed the hidden things of darkness, pulling down strong holds in such a way, that their enemies were compelled to say, that these men had turned the world upside down.

The whole armour of God is thus provided for us that we may stand and, having done all — that is, having conquered — may still stand. There are Truth; Righteousness; Peace; Faith; and Salvation. These are the divine verities provided for this awful conflict and the way they are bound together, so as to become effective, is by PRAYER. This is the power. It has long been said that a man of prayer is a man of power and surely in this way, it is proved. Then it has to be remembered while the clash is on earth, we are made conscious that our real enemies are lords of darkness; spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenlies.

Needless to remark, all these garments are moral as indicative of certain features which the Spirit produces in those who belong to Christ. Material dress has its place and it is well when dwelling on these abstract realities, that we should not only be clothed with humility but also in modest apparel. We have reached a time when morals have got so low that modesty is little known and that which Scripture designates abomination, is seen in our streets without shame. It is one of the proofs that Laodicea has come and the saddest thing of all is, to see how easily believers fall into such things. But as we close our meditation on fine linen, we may recapitulate and it may be glance at christendom in relation to the truth we have had before us.

Our point in part one was the wealth of typical instruction contained in the Old Testament concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. As the centre of the divine volume, He fills both Testaments but in the Old Testament it comes out necessarily in type, figure, symbol, promise and prophecy. Prophecy foretold what history records namely, that the march of events in this world, from Adam, for four millenniums, was towards the incarnation of the eternal Son of God. During much of this period, Messianic songs sounded out in strains of heavenly music, both from men and women, in ecstatic vision, as under the control of the Holy Spirit. This glorious event was foretold in a threefold way as answering to what we have already seen in the Divine-Human Person of our Lord. (1). God Himself was coming down to deliver. Ex. 3: 8; Isa. 13: 3, 5; Zech, 14: 5; Mark 1: 1, 3. (2). The seed of the woman; the Son of Abraham; the Son of David; the Prophet like unto Moses that would be heard. Gen. 3: 15; Deut. 18: 15; Matt. 1: 1. (3). These two lines of Messianic prophecy run right through the Old Testament, but combine together in Isa. 6: 9 and Micah 5, where the Babe of Bethlehem is described as the eternal God whose goings forth have been from eternity.

This leads to part two namely, the holy Gospels and the grandeur of the incarnation. Coming then to the holy Gospels we pass from types and pictures and come under the charm of a MAN. If we must have a department, this is the Holiest of all. No other subject is like this. It bows us in humility white we exult in praise. Its simplicity inspires us with confidence but its grandeur with holy amazement. At times there is ecstasy of delight, while at other times it is the silence of holy awe. All is wonderful! His Name is Wonderful. Isa. 9: 6. We worship and adore. Here behold the matchless beauty of that MAN, in the simplicity of obedient service; serving His God faithfully, in unbroken dependence on the one hand, while on the other there is the Majesty, Omnipotence, and Omniscience of God. Putting the two together we have the Divine-Human Person of our Lord in a holy mystery where there is perfect control with perfect submission; command with obedience; endless resource with poverty; supreme power over all in heaven, earth, and hell yet, submitting to the cross. This is the record of the Gospels. This is our Lord, the peerless Lord Jesus Christ. Oh! why do we not adore Him more? Marvel of all marvels, this is the One this world has crucified and, still taking advantage of His wondrous stoop, continues to tarnish His glory.

This leads to part three where we have considered the cross in relation to the creature's guilt and, behind it all, the wonder of the cross as the fruit of the eternal purpose and plan of our Got. The perfect submission of our Lord to everything that apostate creatures could. heap upon Him and along with this, His set purpose to carry everything through for God's glory according to plan and the blessing of the creature whose malignity put Him there. In the light of this, think of the way our blessed Lord is set aside today, both in His incarnation and atoning work. We do not refer here to this deluded world but to christendom — that which calls itself by His Name. Could we have a more melancholy picture than the numbers of church dignitaries, who belittle and ignore the work of the cross, by assuming that the Lord Jesus connected Himself with man in the flesh to lift him up? Perhaps there is nothing more amazing than the way Christ is belittled in christendom. When we think that soon every part of the universe is to vibrate with His praise, from the highest down to every blade of grass, Why is it, we may well ask, that men who stand high in official dignity in that great religious hierarchy called christendom, are not intelligently in the light of His Incarnation and Redemption and leading His praise just now? Instead of that, there is the deplorable sight of many of these men at a loss to know what to do and sadly crying out for a new age.

This leads to part four where we saw how God had made good His thoughts in a remnant. There are those today who, in infinite grace, see the perfect beauty of His plan and purpose and can in holy liberty worship and adore. Such have learned the meaning of God's plan and see how, line the key to the lock, it fits into and solves every problem. Surely every sane person would admit that since it is His plan, it must be perfect in every way. Instead of attempting to bring Christ back to this life and eulogising Him as a great Teacher to set up again fallen men, they have learned the racial character of the Gospel which comes from a glorified Christ, to lift them out of the Adamic condition and link them with Christ in glory, as the new Head of a new race, into which thank God, no fall can ever come. "Hallelujah! Sing unto Jehovah a new song; sing his praise in the congregation of the godly. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto him with the tambour and harp. For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people; he beautifieth the meek with salvation. Let the godly exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand." Psalm. 149: l, 6. New Trans.

So beloved reader, we sought your ear at the beginning of our meditation and now, one word at the close. We have looked together at some of the entrancing scenes of holy Scripture. Things which the Gold; Blue; Purple; Scarlet; and Fine Twined Linen portray. Have we learned something of the wonders of the holy Book of God? It shows us God: man; angels; and devils, as well as heaven; earth; and hell. It shows us the sphere where good and evil rages and man's entrance into the conflict with all its terrible results and terrible consequences for those who refuse salvation from Christ. It shows us where time touches eternity in the past and leads us on through storms and conflict, to where eternity touches time's end in the future. How marvellous and beyond all our creature thoughts is all this! It shows us man's world where the fallen creature grovels under Satan's tyranny, where sin, death, and demons operate and where the creature is engaged with things which must — however great in his estimate — pass away for ever.

Beyond all this, it shows us God in His Own world. That scene where all that is pure and holy obtains and sin and death can never come. Here He displays Himself in the fulness of redemption, grace, and glory, surrounded by those who have been made capable by redemption, to respond to Himself in holy adoration for ever more. The time scene sets forth many wonderful things both on the side of good and the side of evil. Above all, it sets forth GOD. In that scene He is seen today in perfect control of all whether Providence, Government, Long-suffering, Goodness and Truth. Oh! how marvellously does it display Him in redemption, where all His wonders are seen in plan, purpose, and execution in His blessed Son — now being made good by His Spirit. The centre of all the grand legacy which eternity will draw from time's eventful history, will be the abiding miracle of God the Son's becoming flesh, to carry out in the creation, the eternal counsels of the great Godhead. His stoop to Manhood and the cross with the holy grandeur as recorded in the four Gospels — all will abide and form the grand centre of that eternal scene, in the light of the grand fact that Manhood, in Him, has been carried far beyond its originally created condition, to the place marked out for it in the counsels of eternity. His Incarnation and Atoning work will continue to be, as it were, the twin pillars upon which will rest the stupendous fabric, which the great Godhead has built up out of the time history of sin, sorrow, and woe. While, in the time history my reader in our schooling days, let us give ourselves to these heavenly and eternal verities, that we may carry with us into eternity some of the spoils of victory. This has now been made blessedly possible by the constant supply of the mighty power and grace of our God.

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work."

Epitome of Readings

Epitome of Readings

Given at Edinburgh in August, 1923.

With James McBroom.

Scripture Reading 1. Romans 1: 1-7; Romans 5: 1-11.

Scripture Reading 2. Romans 8: 1-4; 12: 1-5.

Scripture Reading 3. 1 Corinthians 10: 15-21; 11: 17-27.

Scripture Reading 4. 2 Corinthians 3: 1-6; 17-18; 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21.

Scripture Reading 5. Hebrews 1 and 2: 1-4.

Scripture Reading 6. Hebrews vii 25; 8: 2; 10: 19-25.

Scripture Reading 7. Colossians 1: 18-29; 3: 12-17.

Scripture Reading 8. Ephesians 1: 1-23; 3: 14-21.

Foreword

These pages present the salient features of eight Readings at Edinburgh in the month of August, 1923.

They closely follow the line taken by our brother, James McBroom, and others, and have since been carefully revised.

Though some amendments have been found necessary they have only been made in order that the report might accurately represent what was in the mind of the speakers — their condensed and disjointed character being preserved.

All who have had experience of Readings such as these were, will know how difficult it is to preserve continuity of thought under the conditions that prevail at such times.

Still, if they prove under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, now that they are issued in a permanent form, to be as valuable as they were when they were originally spoken, they will surely be a mine of wealth, to the student of the word; food, that will satisfy the hungry; material, that will build up that which is divine in the soul; and above all, cause for thanksgiving to Him whose fame and worth were the principal theme of the gatherings.

S. Scott. Sturton-by-Stow, Lincs.

1. Scriptures read, Romans 1: 1-7; Romans 5: 1-11.

This is God's gospel. His heart is its source rather than heaven. Hence Christ is its theme, for it is concerning His Son, and salvation for men is its aim. It is the power of God unto salvation. It is the expression of God and must therefore be worthy of Him, and if it is concerning His Son it must also be worthy of Him. It is the full blessedness of what God has shown Himslf to be towards man in Christ Jesus.

Righteousness is also a prominent subject of the epistle, for if God has to deal with men it must necessarily be on that basis. There can be no other way of dealing with sin except in righteousness. There can be no mercy for sin, so that righteousness is the backbone of the gospel. This must be so on account of what God is in His own being.

The gospel is as it were, a great mirror, wherein the grandeur of the blessed God is set before us, so that He might be known both in His nature and attributes.

In Psalm 40 five great characteristics of God are set before us when He says, "I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart, I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation, I have not concealed Thy loving-kindness and Thy truth from the great congregation." There we see the telling out by the Son, the heart of God as it were in detail, but now all the details are gathered up and presented to men in the gospel, by the Holy Ghost.

There is now but one testimony to God, though we do read in 1 Cor. 2 of "the testimony of God," and in 1 Cor. 1 of "the testimony of Christ." By sin coming into the world, God's glory had been set at nought, and Christ (who is God) became man to settle the sin question so that God might be glorified.

The first eight chapters of Romans shows how this has been worked out. God is therefore, the great objective set forth, and it is to these chapters that we turn for the testimony of God. On the other hand, when we think of the testimony of Christ, it is the place which Man, the Man Christ Jesus has in the scheme of divine mercy. The same blessed Person who has gone down the whole way to the deepest depths on account of sin, is now in the centre of the glory, and supreme in the administration of all the bounty of God. "His glory is great in Thy salvation."

Note the force of the words in verses 3 and 4. "The gospel is concerning His Son." This sets forth what He is to God; but "Come of David's seed," sets for His relation as a Man to the favoured nation. Then He is marked out Son of God by resurrection from amongst the dead, and then later He is Jesus Christ OUR Lord. So that first of all we get what He is to God, which is beyond all our comprehension, then what He is to His people, Jesus Christ our Lord, whilst in between the two statements, there are presented the two sides, the human and the divine, of His glorious Person.

Question. — Why is the resurrection introduced here?

Because it is the demonstration of His own mighty power. That power over death was seen in the days of His earthly ministry, for example, in the raising of Lazarus where He says, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby." In these cases we must remember that those raised were actually brought back to a life of flesh and blood on which death would eventually come. In His case, resurrection was the opening up of a new creation into which death would never intrude. The glory of His Person is thus unfolded before the gospel itself is announced, just as the sin offering was pronounced most holy ere it was consumed on the altar.

The first seven verses of the chapter form one sentence, which is addressed to the saints, showing that the epistle is really instruction in the scope of the gospel. It is the same as in Matthew 13, when the Lord took His disciples aside to instruct them in the mysteries of the kingdom, so the saint has to be instructed in the true meaning of the gospel, and to know what is involved in it.

The preaching of the gospel is to the unconverted, and there is no man on earth more highly favoured than he who proclaims it, and he can only be adequately fitted to give a true report to the unconverted, by being introduced to a place of nearness to God so that there he may learn how the gospel is in itself a display of God.

In the course of the epistle it is said to be Paul's gospel, and at the end it is linked up with the mystery that had been kept secret since the world began.

No other epistle elaborates the work of Christ like this one, yet it both begins and ends with the exaltation of His blessed Person, for of necessity, the value of His work hangs upon what He is in Himself.

Question — Will you say something of what the gospel is?

It is good news, and as we have been saying, it is the full moral display of God. It is God's answer to all the rebellion of man which culminated at the cross, and it is such an answer as He alone could give. We live in a day when God has shone out in all His splendour as a triune Being, and the counsels of eternity made known.

In Christianity there is a perfect revelation of the purposes and of the heart of God made known by the Holy Ghost. When man had done his worst in putting Christ to death, there was nothing left as far as we could see, but that God should clear the whole earth in judgment. But instead of that, Christ comes forth in resurrection and in the full power of the glory of redemption as a Saviour. It is perfectly amazing to see the resources of love, how God uses man's worst to bring out His best, and present it freely to those who were guilty of the death of His Son. Depend upon it, there is an infinity of lessons to be learnt in the cross!

The two main ideas of righteousness must be kept clear in our minds, first, that God is perfectly consistent with Himself in all He says and does (Romans 2: 5 and 3: 5), and then that man was tried under the law to prove to himself that he had no righteousness of his own, and that he could not stand before God on the ground of responsibility (Romans 1: 17 and 3: 21, 22). These two thoughts are blended in Romans 3: 26; "That He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."

In the gospel, God has revealed the fact that He has provided a righteousness for man, and that it is unto all and upon all that believe! It is very touching to read in Ezekiel 18, His pleadings with His people when He says, "Are not My ways equal, and are not your ways unequal." Now that man's trial in responsibility is at an end, and God is free to act according to His own thoughts of love, nothing is kept back. He is good, gracious, tender, and kind, and He delights to make Himself known to us as He does in the gospel.

Question — Will you say a little more of how God sets Himself before us in the gospel?

Everything that God is for man came out in the life and death of His Son. We have seen what was spoken of in Psalm 40 — His righteousness, faithfulness, and salvation — so in the first chapter of this epistle we get the power, the righteousness and the salvation of God; then in chapter three there are the oracles of God, the faithfulness of God, the righteousness, the truth and the glory of God.

These are intended not merely to instruct us ill doctrine, but in the knowledge of what God is morally, and therefore, we see ho w He delights to set Himself forth in this blessed scheme. He brings heavenly blessings out of His resources for those who have besmirched His name, and in so doing, He glorifies Himself. We should connect the great thought of God's righteousness with Christ's present place, from which righteousness is ministered by the Spirit.

At the cross righteousness is accomplished for God; in the resurrection it is declared; it is celebrated in His exaltation, and now by the Holy Spirit it is continued in the Assembly.

We are very defective in the apprehension of the awful distance there is between God and the sinner, but as we do learn something of it, the magnitude of the work that has removed the distance and brought us into the nearness becomes apparent.

The scapegoat spoke of the removal of sins, while the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, shows how the state of man is dealt with. In the burnt offering, all the unseen parts were for God, whilst the outward beauty and characteristics (the skin) were for the priest, showing how the believing sinner can be in the presence of God, clothed in the beauty of Christ. Adam and Eve were clothed in the skins of the sacrifice that God had Himself provided. The best robe was for the the eye of the Father. But the fruits of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ have become available for us in His resurrection.

Question. — Will you please say a little more on the three thoughts connected with righteousness? You said it was first accomplished, then declared and afterwards celebrated.

The whole scheme of the gospel seems to revolve around these three thoughts. We have spoken of the first and seen how the character of God was perfectly vindicated in the death of Christ. The second is the declaration of righteousness by resurrection, because that is the answer of God to what His Son had done. It suggests those precious words in John 13, "If God be glorified in Him, He shall also glorify Him in Himself and shall straightway glorify Him." The third thought, that of celebration, shows Christ exalted in the glory of redemption, and all heaven vocal with His praise. The Holy Ghost has come down to bring those that are Christ's into the joy of the celebration of righteousness.

Righteousness is for us, in virtue of the blood (Romans 5: 9), by virtue of His resurrection (4: 25), whilst it is said to be from heaven in (2 Cor. Salvation, redemption, and righteousness are all shown by the apostle Paul to be "in Christ," and the first time that we have these words in this epistle is "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," that is, God can come as a Saviour to man, in the man Christ Jesus. He has found in Him a centre where every blessing of His heart for His creature, can be located. Thus, blessed be His name, He who has become blessings for evermore is also the Administrator of them, and like Joseph in Egypt who dealt out the bounty of Pharaoh, He lavishes on His redeemed ones the fulness of heaven.

But this is not all, for not only is He the Representative of God to man, but He has taken up a place on man's behalf before God. These two thoughts are seen in the first and last verses of the eighth chapter of this epistle; in the first verse the believer is free from condemnation by being in Christ, while in verse 39, the love of God is presented as in Christ Jesus.

When God's salvation is set forth "in Christ" it is for every man, for God says, "whosoever will," but when we are considering the question of drawing near to God, only those who have already received the gospel are said to be "in Christ."

Righteousness marks every stage of the gospel, and is in itself marked by beauty and order. A universe marked by beauty and order will spring from Christ, and the law of it will be the perfect will of God, and every one in it will be so constituted as to delight to be in perfect obedience to it.

Now look for a moment at the divine triumph in the celebration of righteousness. Behold our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre of glory, heaven fail of joy, and the Holy Ghost come down to link the hearts of His own with the joy of that scene, while with all reverence one can, as it were, hear God Himself saying, "It was meet that we should be merry and be glad!" God is the happy God. and everything that He has in view must work towards joy and gladness. The Holy Ghost came down at Pentecost to form the House of God, and that house is the gate of heaven, distance is gone and the joys of heaven are ours, so that the Godhead is united in making the redeemed happy.

The feast of grace is proposed in Luke 14, and it is enjoyed in chapter 15, where we may witness the universality of the joy. The fatted calf suggests the Peace Offering which is he communion offering. And so in Leviticus 8, God gets His portion first, Moses next, and then Aaron and his sons, thus the whole scene rings with the joys of redemption. All heaven is changed because of the presence of Christ in resurrection glory; righteousness is celebrated; Man in the glory of God is the centre for every eye.

Nor must we overlook Christ's own joy in His work, it was for this that He suffered, enduring the cross and despising the shame — the joy that was set before Him; and beyond this again, it is our privilege to share it now in the Spirit.

Question. — Is that what you meant when you said that righteousness was continued in the Assembly?

Yes, and when it is, everything not of God is excluded on the one hand, while the hearts of the saints are attracted on the other. It is as Christ is written on the heart by the Spirit that we are brought into conformity with the glory of God, and what is accomplished by His ministry will endure.

Stephen beheld Christ as the centre of that radiant scene at the moment of his departure to be with the One whom he saw there. Paul, who took up the testimony as it was being laid down by Stephen, saw Chris in glory too, but it was in view of his pathway here. It is the same with us, we behold the glory of the Lord and are changed. The subjective operations of the Spirit spoken of at the beginning of the chapter (that is, Christ written on the heart) is that which produces the moral transformation that results from the upward and outward gaze on the glory of the Lord as shown at the end of the chapter.

The fifth chapter of Romans is divided into two parts, the first part from verse one to verse eleven; the second from verse twelve to the end. The first part answers to Israel's singing on the banks of the Red Sea. There they sang Jehovah's praise, what He had done and the place in the land into which they would be brought "Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance." So that death is behind, and glory before them. We boast in hope of the glory of God. In Egypt they were redeemed by blood, but at the Red Sea it was by power, and in the joy of that, a saint can look forward to the consummation in glory.

Up to this point we have had a good deal about righteousness, bull it is in these verses that we meet with love for the first time in this epistle, and it is mentioned in a subjective way. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." Here we see the positive work of the Spirit in our souls. In Galatians 5: 17, the Spirit is said to be greater than the flesh, so that ye should not do the things that ye desire, that is, the power of the Spirit within us is resisting the tendencies of that which would turn us from Christ. In 1 John 4, we read, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," showing that it is the power of God's Spirit that meets that which is outside of us; but in Romans 5, we have the normal work of the Holy Ghost in us, diffusing the holy love of God through and through our hearts.

Saints get discouraged and disheartened by the power of Satan, but it is well to know that the power of the gospel is greater than every, other power.

Verse 8 is the great objective presentation of God's love, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This must be the groundwork of everything, because it is what God in His nature is. Righteousness and holiness are attributes, and connect themselves with the character of God, but love is His nature. When we apprehend this, we have a sense that certain things must be because of what He is. Verse 8 is therefore, the great presentation of God's love in the death of Christ, and it was for sinners, but while that is so, we must bear in mind that it is on this planet that the heart of God has been declared, and yet it stands good for the whole creation.

There is here a four-fold description of what we were, ungodly, without strength, enemies, and sinners. Two negative and two positive. This brings out the greatness of the grace of God. It speaks, too, of a righteous man and of a good man, to show that we were neither, it was when we were enemies that He died for us so that we might be reconciled to Himself.

Note, too, the three great facts of verses 10 and 11: reconciliation, salvation by His life, joying in God, by those who were enemies. The word rendered joy would be better expressed by the word boast, which is found three times in this part of the chapter. We boast (or exult) in hope of the glory of God (verse 2) — we boast in tribulation (verse 3); and we boast, in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (verse 11).

2. Scriptures read, Romans 8: 1-4; 12: 1-5.

This morning we spoke of the greatness of God's gospel. That gospel sprang from Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ is its great theme, and its aim is the salvation of all. We behold in a risen Christ the accomplishment of the will of God in righteousness, that we might be justified and brought into association with Him, so that all His moral traits might be continued in the Church here.

Romans 8 gives the place into which we are brought in the power of God and in divine righteousness, but before we can know this, there must be the recognition of the teaching of the seventh chapter.

In the second part of chapter 5, the subject is righteousness and life, together with the fact that the second Man has displaced the first. This has been done for God by the Lord Jesus on the cross, and it is wrought in us by the operation of the Spirit.

Question. — What is the link between the eighth chapter and what precedes?

The section begins with chapter 5: 12. From that verse to the end of the chapter, we see the change from Adam to Christ, the new Head. It is this that connects us with the first verse of the eighth chapter. It has often been said that the former section is what God is for us in Christ Jesus, and the latter, what we are for God in Him. Besides this link between the eighth and the fifth chapters, verse two is connected with the sixth, verse three with the seventh, and verse four presents the teaching of the eighth itself.

Then note also that the first verse is an abstract statement of truth, verse two is experimental, verse three is doctrinal, and the fourth is practical. This presents a wide range of truth.

Verse 1 just touches upon the truth of new creation, but it is not enlarged upon. The apostle does not speak of himself in the first verse, but merely makes the abstract statement, that if any man be in Christ a certain effect will follow. In chapter 5, we see that sin and death are connected with the first head of the race, but life and righteousness with our new Head, Christ Jesus. It is essential that each of us should have a strong sense of the clearance from all our antecedents that has been effected by the death of Christ,.

The fifth chapter does not unfold the doctrine of original sin, but assuming it as a fact, passes on to the resources of grace in making a way out of the morass in which we were. In the sixth we learn that our old man has been crucified, that is, all that is obnoxious to God has gone under His judgment at the cross, and we should fully realize that this is so, in order that we may know how fully we are cleared from all condemnation. We are completely delivered from one headship and brought under another. In this transfer there is nothing whatever in the nature of a compromise, or a patching up, but we are placed completely outside the judgment that ends in condemnation.

Condemnation is the result of judgment, for if God enter into judgment with a man it must result in his being condemned. But those who are in Christ are completely cleared from it and there is a full salvation. It is much the same as the answer that Balaam gives in Numbers 23. "How can I curse whom God hath not cursed"; or again when he declares that God. "had not found iniquity in Jacob nor seen perverseness in Israel. He hath blessed and I cannot reverse it." There is nothing to curse or condemn in those who are in Christ, for, blessed be His name, He has borne all the judgment, and now He must be condemned before those that are in Him could be

There are four reigns spoken of in these verses; the reign of death, "Death reigned from Adam to Moses" (verse 14); the reign of sin and the reign of grace (verse 21); and the reign of life which goes on to eternity (verse 17). They which receive abundance of grace shall reign in life by One Jesus Christ. Such is the outcome of the transference from Adam to Christ.

Question. — In what sense is the word Law used in verse 2?

It is a fixed and uniform action that lies deep in the nature of things. The law of a fallen life is to gravitate downwards, and is characterised by sin and death. The life of the Lord Jesus ever gravitated towards God.

Question. — Is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit?

Yes, I think so.It is an experimental thought, for the apostle is speaking of himself, "Hath made me free." The life is in Christ Jesus, it is objective, but the power of the Spirit working in the apostle sets him free from the power of sin and death. It is the same line of thought as the well of water springing up into everlasting life, but it does not go so far.

Question — Why?

Because here, the reference is to the liberation from the oppression of the law of sin and death, but in speaking of the well of water, there is the positive action of the Spirit rising up to all the blessedness of eternal life with the Father and the Son.

This law is the rule of a different life, the life which is in Christ Jesus, sustained. by the power of the Spirit, and when that is in operation, the law of his former life, which is sin and death, is nullified. In that way, the life that is in Christ Jesus is worked out here, and like Him who delighted in the law of the Lord, the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled. The life is in Christ Jesus, and it is there for man just like righteousness and salvation. He is made blessings for ever, and all are available for faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Question. — In what light do you view chapter 7?

It is connected with the third verse of chapter 8. It is a soul under law. In the early part of chapter 7, we come to the new husband in order that we might serve in the newness of spirit. In chapter 6: 4, we walk in newness of life, and in chapter 7: 6, we serve in newness of spirit, for in the former, the service is that of a bond-slave, and in the latter as a wife.

There is a change of masters in the sixth, we were the bondslaves of sin, but have now become bondmen unto righteousness. In the seventh it is a new husband, not a new master,. "Ye have been made dead to the law by the body of Christ to be to another." The second half of chapter 6 begins with the question, "What then shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?" Not being under law is dealt with in the remainder of the chapter, while being under law is the subject of chapter 7: 14-25: and being under grace is considered in chapter 8.

We often see, and especially in the Psalms, that a certain position is described in the first few verses, while the remaining part goes on to show how that position is reached. This is so in Romans 7.

Bringing forth fruit to God is the result of passing through the conflict of soul described at the end of the chapter. You get the application of the law which brings out the awful state of the flesh, and yet you cannot get people to believe they are sinners! As we all know, a work of God in the soul is necessary to bring this to pass, but we have here a description of one in these conditions. Having a work of grace in his soul, but not having learnt how God has made a way out for him, he attempts to find one by the law, with the results that are so well known.

The law was given by God as embodying His rightful claims upon His creature, and we know that there were none that could meet them, owing to the ruin of the race. The best man in the Old Testament, Job, and the best man in the New, Paul, are both made to know how hopeless the flesh is. But every one must learn it, and also the solemn fact that deliverance from the law or from the flesh is by death and in no other way.

In the Old Testament we find One who, speaking by the prophetic Spirit, says, "Thy law have I hid in My heart." We are now brought into relationship with that Man and we delight to fulfil the law, not as children of Adam, but as having a new nature and a new power, which is the Spirit of that Man. Thus it can be said, there is a new generation who love the Lord with all their heart.

Question. — Is this new generation in any, way represented by those who beheld the brazen serpent as alluded to by the Lord in the third of John?

There is no way out of death but by death itself, but in the figure the chief thing is life. He that beheld the serpent of brass lived, and it is they who form the new generation that enter the land. The brazen serpent is treated of in the third chapter of John — the springing well is in the fourth, this is connected with the truth that we are considering in Romans 8, and shows where Paul and John approximate in the types.

Paul, however, goes back to Egypt in the earlier chapters of the epistle. He shows the righteousness of God met by the blood (chapter 3); the salvation by power, at the Red Sea (chapter 4); the song of Exodus 15 having its counterpart in the rejoicings of the fifth the bitter waters being made sweet by the cross (chapter 6); and the giving of the law bringing out the incorrigibility of the flesh in the seventh. Thus there is a correspondence between the experiences of the people in the wilderness and the teachings of Romans from the third to the seventh chapters. But in the eighth the ground is common to both Paul and John, for as we have seen, the latter presents the truth both of the brazen serpent and the springing well which corresponds with the teaching of Paul in the eighth.

Question. — What are we to understand by the fact that only two of the grown men that left Egypt entered the land?

They show the connecting link between responsibility and purpose, for they left Egypt in the life of responsibility, and entered the land in the light of God's purpose.

Question. — Will you please make that statement clearer?

The display of the majesty and the splendour of God at Sinai should have once and for ever convinced Israel that they were under the special care and guidance of Jehovah, and that He was as good as His word. But at Kadesh, they were so dissatisfied with the way that they were being taken, that they sent out spies to spy the land, and yet would not go up and possess it. This was an act of unbelief and is described as "despising the pleasant land." The immediate consequence of this was that that generation perished in the wilderness). It is not till the fortieth year that we hear of them again. By that time Aaron and Miriam had died, and Moses was left alone with the people who show clearly that they were no better than their forefathers — they were murmurers still.

Up to this point God had dealt with them on the ground of their ability to meet His demands, but when these murmurings culminated in their loathing the manna, fiery serpents were sent amongst them so that much people of Israel died.

Here, God as it were, says the state is so incurably bad that nothing but death can meet it. Hence, at the brazen serpent, there is the declaration that all is over on the ground of responsibility and that it is only in the power of the new life, given by beholding the uplifted serpent, that they can enter the land. Joshua and Caleb had parted company as it were with the first generation and are reckoned as belonging to the new one, they are in the light of the new life that will take them on to the realization of that which God intended to bring His people into.

This also shows us how it was that Balaam could not curse the people, for he came after the evil state to which the curse attached had been typically removed in death, and after the song of the springing well had been sung, this latter speaking of the Spirit. So here in Romans the challenge is raised, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect," for there can be no condemnation (verse 1), no accusation (verse 33), and no separation (verse 39) to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Sin was condemned in the righteous One, and the open enmity which characterised human nature cannot be reconciled to God, hence, death is the only way in which it can be dealt with. If a sinner die he is irrecoverably lost, but Christ having suffered for sin, and entered into death on account of it, came back in a new order of life in which there is no possibility of breakdown, and into that life He introduces every Saint of God, so that each might know what it is to be before God in the divine nature — in the life of Christ. Each should be able to say, "I am not in the flesh but in the Spirit." We must all come to recognize the fact that the flesh has no place before God.

In the case of Ishmael we see how it was displaced. "Cast out the bond woman and her son," and later on we see that it was not only Ishmael, but Isaac has no place after the flesh. He had to be offered up in death on Mount Moriah. This surely foreshadows our ever adorable Lord, in whom everything was absolutely perfect in His life here, laying aside that condition, but in speaking thus, one must be careful to make it clear that it was not His manhood that came to an end, but that He laid down the flesh and blood condition and took up a new order of life in resurrection which will abide for ever.

Question. — But you do not mean to say that there was anything in Him which needed to be brought to an end?

Oh, certainly not! We cannot be too clear about His perfect and spotless manhood, for as far as He was concerned, He might have been in that condition still. But you see that that would leave out the divine intention in the Son becoming incarnate. When the Lord Jesus took flesh and blood, He had death in view so that He might bring to an end the condition in which man had brought dishonour to God. It was our state that directly necessitated the closing up of the history of the flesh from a moral point of view. But on His side, you must remember that He was marked out in the counsels of God to be the Head of a vast system of glory, all of which must take character from Himself.

Now how could this be in the days of His flesh when He stood alone. Even His own could not be united to Him till after His death and resurrection. That is the reason it was necessary that He should lay down flesh and blood, however perfect they were in Him, and come forth again in that new order of life into which He brings His own, and associate them with Himself in that life before His God and Father.

All our relationships and associations are linked up with Him in a world of glory, on the other side of death. This was clearly intimated to Mary in His resurrection message, "I ascend to My Father and your Father." He had become Man and had shared all that is common to human life, sin apart; but that was now put away by death, and a new life which will abide for ever entered upon. He remains Man, blessed be His name, the same blessed Person that He was before the cross, but in another condition, and His own are being formed morally into His likeness by the Holy Ghost, and presently, when He rises up to call them to be with Himself, they shall be changed in body like unto His glorious body, and to be for ever with Himself.

The truth of new creation is just glanced at in Romans 8, but in the Scriptures where it is elaborated, the saints are seen before God in Christ distinct from the flesh and blood condition altogether, for how could it be otherwise, since that condition is coming to an end either by death or by the coming of the Lord?: Nothing that we have or are can be connected with the new place that has been established in resurrection, and that place can never come to an end.

"Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice" (Romans 12: 1), is an act of the mind and done once and cannot be repeated. When a soul once realizes the mercy of God in freeing it from sin and death, the body is placed on the altar as a living sacrifice. It, is quite voluntary and is in the nature of the burnt-offering — holy and acceptable to God. It may not be always maintained for the lack of spiritual energy, but it is done once and for all.

The intervening chapters 9—11, are the answer to the question, "How can God be faithful to His promise and yet set Israel aside?" They show the security of Israel's earthly blessing on account of the fathers, and also the way for them to enter into the far richer blessings of the gospel, which is to the Jew first.

When a saint goes on with the Lord in the joy of deliverance, the exhortations of this twelfth chapter will be carried out; they are all involved in presenting the body to the Lord. The transformation that will be effected by the renewing of the mind will be seen in all our ways, not merely in dress, but in our homes and in our speech. It is a great thing to have clean speaking in the Christian.

Question. — What is the force of the word transformed?

It is the same word as is used in the gospels for transfiguration, and shows the complete change effected by the renewing of the mind. God works in us so that all our parts are brought under His control. He works in the soul of men and not merely on the intellect.

In Romans 3, all the members are in the service of Satan, in chapter 6 they are said to become servants of righteousness, in chapter 8, the body in its relation to sin is considered dead, and in chapter xii„ it is considered alive in the will of God, and it is the saints rational or intelligent privilege to present it a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to Him.

By the removal of the flesh and the giving of the Holy Ghost, the way is clear for the presentation of the truth of the saints being one body in Christ.

Question. — Do you think that the expression in this chapter, "One body in Christ," gives the thought of the body of Christ as we have it in the other Scriptures, as in Ephesians for example?

Yes, it is the body of Christ as that which is in the life of the Head but viewed on its earthward side and being here in the scene of the ways of God.

3. Scriptures read, 1 Corinthians 10: 15-21; 11: 17-27.

We had before us yesterday, the completeness of the clearance which is ours in Christ and which has been wrought for us in perfect righteousness on the part of God. This must ever be kept before us when considering the question of fellowship.

The fellowship of His death is presented in chapter It is a fellowship that has been established here. and the deepest and sweetest expression of it is in the Lord's supper, that which reminds us of the darkest of all dark hours, and we can only dwell on these things with minds under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Our right to have any part in these things is that a faithful God has called us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and chapter 10 is mainly directed to the solemnity of having to do with the things of God without the suited condition. It was for this that Israel came under the judgment of God in the wilderness.

The Corinthians were in danger of following man, and making him, instead of the Son of God, the centre of their thoughts.

Question — What is the remedy for that?

The cross! This seems to be the remedy in this epistle for every difficulty, for although in the first three chapters we get the cross, the new creation, and the temple, yet in each recurring difficulty the cross is brought in as the corrective. In 1 Cor. 1, 2, it is introduced on account of the factions among these saints; in chapter 5: 7, 8, with reference to the purity of fellowship, "Purge out therefore the old leaven . . . for even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us "; in chapters 8 — 10 with reference to their liberty of action the Spirit by the apostle saying, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ," and finally the truth as to the supper in. chapter 11 is brought from heaven to correct their conduct in God's house. Judaism, philosophy and all man's wisdom had to be brought to nought by the preaching of the cross. The seeds of all the ecclesiastical evil that we see to-day were in evidence at Corinth.

The epistle to the Corinthians gives the groundwork both for the church as the house of God and as the body of Christ, for in the beginning of the first chapter, believers are addressed as sanctified in Christ Jesus, which is connected with the truth of the body, and in the same verse they are spoken of as calling on the name of Jesus Christ our LORD, which involves the truth of the house of God. The testimony is presented in Romans, but here it is the vessel formed of God, i.e., His house to contain that testimony; this is maintained here by the power of the Spirit and the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it.

The apostle addresses wise men, and so he can and does speak of the deep things of God; the cross and new creation, the temple and the body, these, though but slightly touched upon, are solid food.

Question. — Is there not a thought of progress at the supper?

When we come together to break bread, nothing puts the affections of the saints in motion like the thoughts that the emblems of the body and blood of the Lord on the table, suggest. We begin, therefore, with Him and the love which gave Himself for us. This produces worship, and presently we find ourselves in the company of the Son praising the Father.

Question — But we do not get worship spoken of here?

The whole tenor of the epistle is corrective, because of their low state. After the supper has been spoken of, the Lord is seen asserting His authority in chastening and discipline, and not leading them on to worship; and again in chapter 12, the ministry is manward and not Godward, as it should be, if the real significance of the death of Christ had been before them.

If we would learn what is proper to worship, we must turn either to the epistle to the Hebrews, for there you get the truth of the sanctuary, or to the Colossians, where the body is seen in the life of the Head. Neither in the Hebrews nor in the Colossians do we get the truth of the supper, which shows that worship is not confined to the time when we come together to break bread. The heart may run over at all times and it is a good thing when it is so. But the worship of the company is of a higher order than that of the individual, inasmuch as praise in our circumstances is less than that which ascends to Him in His own circle and in His company as Leader of the worship of the assembly worshipping the Father.

We are called into the fellowship of God's Son, that is, a definite circle of communion has been established here by the Son of God which is the broad platform of the whole church of God; in chapter 10 we read of the fellowship of His death, because there the body and blood are separated as seen in the cup and the loaf. The fellowship itself seems to view the saints here standing shoulder to shoulder for Christ in the scene of His refusal, while the expression of it is the breaking of the loaf and the drinking of the cup.

Question. — Will you say a little more about the principal features of the fellowship.

First of all, it has been established by God's Son, and we have been called into it by a faithful God. The Son established it by His death and in His blood, for it is called the fellowship of the blood of Christ. We must also learn why it has been set up, what is its duration, its characteristics, and the necessity for maintaining them unsullied.

We are called out to maintain this testimony and to learn the privileges associated with it.

The cup suggests His sacrifice, — the shedding of His precious blood. When He drank the cup of divine wrath there was no ingredient that could bring sorrow and distress that was Tacking, but it has secured for us a cup of infinite blessing, not any specific blessing, but fulness of blessing. This is learnt in the supper through the fellowship of the Lord's table, and every moral characteristic should be expressed by those who partake.

The first object that God had in view in establishing this fellowship was that there might be a company wherein would be found the truth of God, that is, a vessel here to maintain the testimony, or in other words, the assembly, the temple of God, the body of Christ, the place where God might dwell and His testimony be found:. The principles of the testimony may be found in other epistles at which we may look later, but the vessel itself is found in those we are now considering.

Where there is a healthy spiritual state in the saints — where the flock of Christ is fed, and whore they can retire from the chilling influences of this world, and be in the enjoyment of heavenly things, there the graces, feelings, and tastes of the Lord Jesus are in activity, and there is mutual support and a godly character amongst the saints. No Christian can stand alone, the opposition is too strong, the devil's system is all around, and the workings of the flesh easily carry one away, hence the great importance of meeting together.

Question. — Is there not a difference between fellowship here and in 1 John 1 where we get fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Yes! In that chapter the communion is with the Father and the Son, but in Corinthians it is the fellowship of the Son of God, that is, we are standing here for Him in His absence. The words communion and fellowship are from the same root word, in the original; communion seems the more suitable word in the 1 John, while in 1 Cor. 10, fellowship would be better.

1 Corinthians 10 corresponds in one way with Luke 22, where the saints are regarded as being in the outside place; "Ye are they who have continued with Me in My temptation," for in Luke He is teaching at the supper table what is connected with His pathway here. 1 Cor. 11 is the actual supper which should put us into the inside place with Him as is seen in John 13. The supper, though not named in John's gospel, puts them inside with the Father and the Son. We may thus enter into the deepest and richest thoughts of heaven and so be brought outside the world.

In Luke 22, the man with the pitcher of water shows where the Lord would have them go. In John 13, in the inside place, the water is put into the basin to put their feet right, i.e., communion with Himself.

" How sweet and sacred is the place with Christ within those doors

Where everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores."

Question. — Is communion similar to "Part with Me"?

Not exactly! "Part with Me," embraces the thought of association with Christ in all that upon which He was entering in virtue of His death and resurrection, and reaches on to the full thought of association with Him when He comes out in glory. It also involves the outside place that we have with Him now.

The supper is not the command of Sinai, but the request of love. It puts the soul in motion towards the Lord Himself, bringing us inside to the Father and the Son and outside from the world. There is nothing that can move the hearts of the saints like the sufferings of Christ, and, therefore, we rightly begin with Him, — the Lord Jesus our precious Saviour. There is progress in the supper, however, for in the actual celebration of it, the soul passes into His risen life and in His company meditates on the Father and the Son. We begin with Him as Lord and later we worship the Father

It is precious to begin with the Lord in His wondrous love, giving Himself for us, and this induces us to follow Him, but this can only be done in the life of Christ Himself. One must guard against being too sentimental when dwelling exclusively on the sufferings of Christ. Hence the importance of proceeding to God's thought of the assembly, reaching the scene of divine counsel, and worshipping the Father in company with the Son.

Question. — Why is the blood in chapter 10 put in contrast with the cup in the eleventh, and the body of Christ in chapter 10, with the body of the Lord in the eleventh?

We have to remember that the tenth chapter is not the actual meeting of the assembly, while the next is, and also that the whole moral condition of the Corinthians was at fault both inside and out.

The Spirit has the moral features of the fellowship in view in the former, but in the latter, the Lord asserts Himself in relation to their individual condition. The love that has taken us up will never let us down, but that same love may have different ways of dealing with us, and He may have to remove us altogether if He think fit.

We are identified with Christ, and as a consequence, the Spirit of God would have us in a condition to take up holy things. In order to get that moral condition we have to accept the meaning of the blood, which involves self-judgment. The death of Christ involves the refusal of all that we are actually.

Question. — What is the difference between the discipline exercised in the eleventh chapter and that in the fifth?

That in 1 Corinthians 5, is parallel to verse 2 of the fifth of Numbers. In the former, the discipline is committed to the assembly, but in the eleventh the discipline is in the Lord's own hands. The epistle seems to answer to the trial of jealousy in the fifth of Numbers. The apostle takes the place of the priest, leading them through the trial, and they come out morally cleansed in 2 Corinthians 7 — 11.

The tenth chapter is full of warnings: "With many of them God was not well pleased," and things have now become far worse in the church than are here described, and that too, in the light of the revelation of God Himself.

The supper was given from heaven through Paul, in connection with the truth of the mystery, and the one loaf seems to follow the fact that we are one body. In 1 Corinthians 10: 16, the fellowship is that of the body and blood of the Lord, as is also the sense in the next chapter; but in 1 Corinthians 10: 17, the one loaf is expressive of "all saints." God once had the twelve tribes before Him, but now He has but one company. The twelve loaves on the table were His food. After seven days they were taken away to be eaten by the priest and twelve fresh loaves were put in their places. This is indicative of priestly communion with God, and His interests in His people.

All are priests, and in the supper the consideration of the sufferings of Christ should put each in priestly trim and in normal conditions, would put the company in movement towards God and Christ. His death is before us, and we thus recall One that was here, but is not now. He is risen and is in His new life in the midst of His assembly as the glorified One. As the One who died He has left the world, and in that connexion gone for ever. He is therefore recalled by the Spirit; but as the risen One He is known in the midst and we, as brought into association with Him in that life being at home, can worship.

Question. — Whether there is priestly condition or not, all partake of the supper?

Certainly. But that is another side of the question — the actual state of things. So much has been said of these things, that we may have been idealistic without being conscious of it. It is well to speak frankly and freely in the light of actual existing circumstances, always remembering that God's standard remains, and that we should not make excuses about our state.

Question. — Have saints different degrees of apprehension according to their different spiritual capacities?

Certainly! When we come together none know what the actual order of the meeting will be. This shows the great need of all coming together with the heart full of Christ. The Head would put us in touch one with another, and deliver us from a riot of radicalism on the one hand, and the assumptions of clericalism on the other.

Question. — Do you not think that the more you know the Lord, and are in His hands, the simpler you become?

Yes, for you do not try to work up a State that you deem suited to the occasion. You are perfectly at home in His presence and are thus freed from every other influence.

Remark. — You spoke of three leading thoughts in connection with the fellowship, and you have given us but one.

The fact that the testimony of God rests here, suggests an out-of-the-world place where the saints can be together for mutual support. Its duration is during the time of His absence, the supper which is the expression of the fellowship goes on till the Lord comes. Every saint is morally responsible to see that his behaviour is suitable to the Lord, or He may have to deal with him Himself, as in the eleventh chapter, or in the fifth of the Acts; or he may come under the discipline of the assembly as in the fifth of this epistle, i.e., the holy government of God's house. Though that house is the gate of heaven, where we enter into heaven's blessedness, we have to see to it that we do not in any way compromise that fellowship and come under its discipline. In 1 Corinthians 11, the supper continues to be celebrated till He comes. When the Lord was going away and led His own into the upper room, He took up an ancient custom in Israel which would recall their thoughts to Himself (see Jeremiah 16: 7 in the margin) till all would be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. This was not exactly the supper as is known to us. That was given from the glory and continues till He comes.

Remark. — In eating of the loaf and drinking of the cup, we express the fact that we are in fellowship with the death that we celebrate, we proclaim the fact that we accept, each for himself, the significance of that death.

Yes! It is like Ruth who said, "Where thou diest will I die." There are many hearts in this world who are truly drawn to Him. He is so great a Saviour and such a wonderful Person, that ten of thousands of people all over the world, gather together with nothing but Himself before their hearts, in adoration of Himself.

Surely it is then that His blessed heart is rejoiced to lead their praises and to conduct them into the Father's presence in worship and thanksgiving. Here we learn Him, not merely as the One who ministers to us, but we see Him in His own glory as Son of the Father's bosom, and the centre of the Father's counsels, and the order of things connected with that place.

Glory supreme is there,

Glory that shines through all,

More precious still that love to share

As those that love did call.

I do wish that each saint knew more of that side of things.

We tell the Lord much of the place from which He has brought us, but how little we know of the place into which He would bring us. God will have His praise, and if we do not give it to Him He will produce it in others, but it cannot be produced artificially, it must be the spontaneous outflow of adoration from hearts that are perfectly satisfied, and are perfectly at home with Him in His own sphere. We are brought to the place where Christ is all and in all, and where all things are of God, who has reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ.

There the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one; there the Son declares the Father's name; and there He leads His brethren's praise, an offering of a sweet smell wholly acceptable to God by Jesus Christ for "it is of necessity that this Man should have something to offer."

4. Scriptures read, 2 Corinthians 3: 1-6; 17-18; 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21.

In these passages we get the unfolding of the gospel of the glory; that which could not be revealed till the Lord had gone back to heaven in the glory of redemption. It was with that, however, that the ministry of the apostle Paul began. The expression "The gospel of the glory of the blessed God" in 1 Timothy 1, suggests that all the glory of the blessed God is bound up with it. It is, too, all set forth in a Man.

These are the two characteristics of the gospel:

1. The full revelation of God in His Son.

2. The answer to it in Christ as Man at God's right hand.

He is the only One that could tell out the heart of God, and He is the answer to all that has been told out.

The more we know of the magnitude of the revelation that has been made to us in the person of the Lord Jesus, the greater does He, the Revealer, become to us. He must be God to reveal God and at the same time, He must be Man to represent man in heaven. He must necessarily be glorified before the gospel of God could be set forth.

There is a Man in the very centre of the glory of God, and His glory is great in God's salvation. All that God has to say to man is found in that blessed One. In Him God puts Himself in touch with the creation. In the gospels we see a new Man, but in the epistles we see a new Man in a new place, and He is presented there for our appreciation.

Question. — What is the difference between the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of the glory of God?

There is no difference to-day. You can think of the grace of God being preached before the cross. Peter, too, preached the gospel of the grace of God between the day of Pentecost and the death of Stephen. 1 Corinthians 15, also sets it forth, "How that Christ died for our sins . . . and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." The "gospel of the glory" is a fuller expression, for it carries with it all the grace, but starts from a Man in the glory of God. We shall see in this chapter, that in a previous dispensation, glory was connected with government, the giving of the law setting forth both, but that has passed away to make room for a divine system where glory is accompanied by grace.

No more beautiful type of the gospel of the glory can be seen than in Joseph in Egypt where he is seen supreme in the administration of the corn of Egypt under the hand of Pharaoh. It is a precious figure of the administrative glory of our Lord Jesus at God's right hand. God delights in the Son who sets Him forth.

Question. — What is glory?

The answer will depend on what you have in your mind. God is spoken of as the God of glory in Acts 7, the Father of glory in Ephesians and the Lord Jesus is called the Lord of glory. God in delighting to give a full display of Himself in the person of His Son manifests His glory, and He, who went down into the lowest place and is now in the highest, showed forth His glory in doing so.

Solomon adumbrates the glory of the Messiah, and Joseph the universal glory of the Son of Man. Though the Lord Jesus is now in heaven in all the radiance of the glory of God, He has rights of glory in Himself which must be distinguished from the glory of God.

The glory of God in Acts 7, is the perfect reconciliation of His character with His nature in so far as man and sin are concerned, but the Man who is the centre of that glory has personal as well as official rights, for example, He is the Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of David.

Now the One who is all this, and far more, went to the cross, the lowest place, and is now in the highest, actively engaged in ministering righteousness from the glory on the principle of grace, so that men who once were sinners might be fitted to stand in the presence of that glory.

Question. — What is meant by the conciliation of God's character with His nature?

Ever since the fall, God's nature — love — has been towards His creature man, but the righteousness and holiness of God, that is His character, have been constantly outraged by him in his sin and iniquity, so that while God's love was for His creature, His attributes were against him.

But the cross has changed all that. The work of Christ met the character of God at the same time as it expressed His love; God's answer to man's worst is the fulness of blessing. So that while there is no mitigation of the wrath and the judgment of God against sin, there is no reserve or hindrance to blessing.

Question. — Is that why we can stand in the presence of the glory?

Yes! This was an impossibility in the Old Testament days as we see in Isaiah 6, but the work of Christ having vindicated the character and majesty of God, Man in the person of Christ, has entered into all the blessedness of what has been counselled, and man on earth, associated with Him in resurrection life, is now a partaker of the glory of God.

This must be constantly insisted on, for whatever growth there is in the soul it must be after the new order, for nothing else can be in affinity with God: and whatever honours God gives to His Son all are in answer to His work, and are bestowed on the saints as sharers in His triumphs.

Question. — Is that the New Covenant ministry?

There are two sides to that ministry, one positive and the other negative. The first is "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." The second is, "I will put MY laws into their minds and write them in their hearts." It is put in that way in writing to the Hebrews, but in writing to the Corinthians who were Gentiles, he says, "Ye are Christ's epistle, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God on the fleshy tables of the heart." The new covenant is connected with the Lord's supper in the first epistle, and with the gospel in the second.

That recalls what we were saying about the testimony. The epistle to the Romans presents the testimony itself. 1 Corinthians the vessel in which it is contained, and 2 Corinthians something of the leading principles of it.

Question. — What are the leading principles of the testimony?

The first is Resurrection as given at the end of the first epistle. This connects us with another world, and it is only on the principle of faith that it can be known to-day. That is why it is a testimony. When faith ceases testimony will be replaced by display. There are three leading thoughts connected with the three periods of time. These are revelation, or one might say, yesterday; then testimony, that is, to-day; and display, that is, to-morrow.

The second feature is the ministration of Righteousness from the glory, and the third is the ministry of Reconciliation, which is connected with new creation.

The first principle Resurrection is connected` with Romans, and while that epistle treats of the second principle too, it is on a different basis from what is treated of in 2 Corinthians, where it is associated with the place that Christ has taken in heaven. Righteousness is ministered from heaven by the Spirit. The third is also mentioned in Romans, but is not developed there, but is fully discussed in 2 Corinthians.

The Spirit has a very prominent place in the epistles to the Corinthians; He searches, knows all things; chooses His own words to bring the revelation of God before us, and acts according to His sovereign will in the assembly. There is also the anointing and the sealing of the Spirit, as is stated in the closing verses of 2 Corinthians Everything is by the Spirit. In Christianity we only know divine Persons by the power of the Spirit, He brings before us the things that belong to the Father and the Son.

This passage (2 Corinthians 1), shows three things which are ours by virtue of the Holy Ghost, viz., anointing, sealing, and earnest.

The anointing is in view of relationships which are eternal, it therefore must be for eternity, while the earnest is given in connection with the inheritance. The anointing is the power to appreciate and understand what has been declared. In John's epistles the affections are moved, and the earnest is the pledge of all that there is in store for us.

The passage shows that Christ Himself is the guarantee of the stability of the whole moral creation, for whatever promises of God there are, in Him is the Yea, and in Him the Amen to the glory of God by us; but this can only be available for us as we are firmly attached to Him.

The apprehension of Christ as the One who is able to fill and sustain the whole moral creation according to God; to bring in blessing and satisfaction for man; to uphold society and solve every problem, and hold everything in perfect equilibrium for the delight of the heart of God, should settle every difficulty for the child of God.

That of course, leads us beyond what we have here — to Ephesians — where the assembly is seen as the complement of Christ. She is now being fitted for the full and adequate expression of Christ in all that He is as the risen Man into whose hands God has committed everything.

Question. — What is the difference between the reference to the new covenant in the first epistle and what is before us now?

In the first epistle it says, "The cup is the new covenant in My blood," while in Hebrews xiii,, it says, "Through the blood of the everlasting covenant." In the first, covenant there were two parties and the blessing was conditional. In the new covenant there is only one party, and the blessing is secured for us unconditionally by the blood of Christ. But we are now speaking of the ministry and not the cup of that covenant. His precious blood is the ratification of the new covenant.

Remark. — Then the cup on the table does speak of the covenant.

That recalls the difference between Israel's blessing and ours. There is no covenant with the church as such, hence both the covenant and the cup belong to Israel. Of old, before the declaration of God's counsels, all His ways revolved around His ancient people, but now, as the fruit of the death of His Son, the church has the leading place in His counsels, and even at present, takes the place of Israel as the centre of His ways, too, on the earth. All the principles of those ways are found in the assembly to-day; for you find the true circumcision, as well as the cup and the covenant. When the assembly passes out of the scene of God's ways to her own heavenly sphere, then Israel will come into the new covenant blessing, and the cup belonging to it will revert to them once more.

Question. — If the loaf expresses the one body, the cup also speaks of the love of God, both in purpose and in His ways?

Yes, it is a cup of blessing both to them and to us, and in each case both are infinite and eternal; but in the case of the assembly it is of a much higher order.

Though the covenant is linked up with the gospel in the second epistle, the new birth is taken for granted, for apart from a work of grace in a man, he is incapable of taking in anything of God. In Ezekiel 36, the first step is the removal of the stony heart which is replaced by a heart of flesh. • It is that that is impressionable and upon which the Spirit of God writes.

The first step is the new birth, and when the gospel is received the Spirit is given as the seal until the day of redemption; and the work of the Spirit is to form Christ in the soul. As has often been said, as it is seen in the types, first the water, then the blood, and then the oil.

The writing on the fleshy tables of the heart is in contrast with the writing on the tables of stone. Scripture often speaks of writing, and there are four notable instances of it, each with its own special significance. That on the tables of stone, speaking of government; that on the wall at Belshazzar's feast — judgment — the Lord's writing on the ground in grace, and that on the fleshy tables of the heart in righteousness.

God must begin His work in our souls ere we can avail ourselves of what He has done for us outside ourselves., So in this chapter, the subjective work of the Spirit precedes the objective. Our power to behold the glory of the Lord is connected with the writing of the Spirit on the fleshy tables of the heart.

In the parenthesis verses 7-16, the second giving of the law is contrasted with the ministry of righteousness; the law, as first given, never came into the camp, for Moses finding the people dancing round the golden calf broke the tables, so that Israel was never under the full and holy law of the Lord. All was lost, for the relations between God and His people were broken, but in virtue of the intercession of Moses, God fell back on His own sovereignty and gave them a fresh covenant in which law was mixed with grace: It is this which is called in this chapter a "Ministration of condemnation and death."

In Exodus the glory was connected with the law and man's obedience, which was bound to fail, and hence, spoken of here as being annulled. But then note that if that which is annulled was introduced with glory much more then that which abides subsists in glory.

But that blaze of glory was not seen when the fresh generation was first called into being, for that was at the cross in the darkness and throes of His death when He suffered at the hands of God. This was indeed glory, but it was not of that order that was seen at Sinai. If God in sovereign mercy came out and met the people with a modification of His claims on account of their frailty, mark well, that when He dealt with His beloved Son on the cross on the question of sin, there was not the slightest modification then. "All Thy waves and Thy billows rolled over Me," and again, "But Thou art holy, Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." Those holy claims were met without any mitigation, and in such a way, that all the wealth of blessing that was in God's heart for us might flow forth.

If our souls are in the joy of all this we can well afford to be transparent. "Seeing then that we have such hope we use great plainness of speech, and not as Moses, which put a vail over his facet" In this incident it is necessary to distinguish between what Moses was morally and what he prefigures. His moral greatness is seen in the way he refused personal distinction in insisting that the people were Jehovah's and not his own. He also prefigures the present dispensation.

There are two systems seen in this chapter, the one is set forth in Moses and the other in the people. When he went in he stood in the presence of the glory, which is a clear figure of the Christian to-day, but when he came out he put a vail on his face, indicating the place of comparative distance in which the nation stood.

Verses 17 and 18 are connected with verse 6, those in between being parenthetic. Glory is connected with grace, and the One who is in the highest place of the glory has gone there from the very lowest point. He is active on our behalf in that scene and He ministers righteousness to us by the Spirit, which produces likeness to Himself, and puts us into perfect harmony with the glory, so that like Stephen, we can stand and behold the glory of His blessed face.

Question. — What does the expression "The Lord is that Spirit" mean?

It is connected with verse 6, "The Spirit quickeneth," and indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is the spirit of all Scripture. He is essentially the underlying spirit of all that is positively set forth in the Old Testament, If it be law, He is the end of it for righteousness to every one that believeth; if it be the Scriptures they concern Him; if it be the Tabernacle and its vessels they all spoke of Him. The Lord is that Spirit.

Question. — Is there any likeness in this passage to what we get in Hebrews 10, "Boldness to enter into the holiest"?

There it is the same line of truth but is suited to those who knew the Scriptures. The Covenant and the Sanctuary are brought together in 2 Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews 10 Christ is the Mediator of the Covenant and also Minister of the Sanctuary, i.e., both the Covenant and the sanctuary are linked in Him.

Chapters 3 and 5, present the ministry, and chapter 4 the ministers, who have the treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God. The power of the ministry of chapter 3, produces a life on earth that is in conformity to Christ, the Christian bearing about in His body the dying of Jesus.

In the verses that were read in 2 Cor. 5, the theme is reconciliation as connected with the great truth of new creation. There all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.

Question. — Is there any connection between this chapter and what you said of the testimony?

Reconciliation is the third great factor in the testimony and involves the presentation of the saints holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight. We are invested with all the beauty of Christ, which is indicated by the best robe in the parable of the fifteenth of Luke, and are brought into His life before the eye of God for His own good pleasure. If the moral illumination of chapter 3 produces transformation, the fifth places us in all the blessedness of divine complacency.

Question. — Is that where new creation comes in?

Yes, since God's finding His pleasure in His people is the fruit of His own grace, grace, "It was meet that we should be merry and glad." Where there was distance there is now nearness, and we are brought into the complacency of divine love. This is precisely on the lines of the first of Ephesians, but Luke puts it into parable form.

The Headship of Christ is closely associated with the thought of reconciliation, for He is the One in whom all things will be reconciled, and the fact that He is now seated in the glory of redemption is the pledge of it all. As we apprehend the great fact that reconciliation is in Christ, the more are we freed in the spirit of our minds from the first man and his world, and rejoice in knowing that all abides for us iii Him in the resurrection world.

God over had before Him the fulfilment of His counsels, this was indeed His first thought, and it was in view of their fulfilment that the first creation was brought into being. In that creation, the last work of His hand was the creation of man to be its head, but in the new creation, Man is the first in order of time as well as in precedence. Actually there is but one Man — Christ — in the new creation, and this of necessity involves a new sphere where all is sinless and deathless and abiding purity, the pervading influence of which is the holy love of God. It is into this domain that the Christian, while living in a body which is of the old creation, is introduced on the principle of faith and by the power of the Holy Ghost.

The ministry of reconciliation is secured in the person of the Lord Jesus, as we read that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, but the word of reconciliation is the effect of the redemption that has been accomplished for us. Everything is made to hang on the fact that "Christ was made sin for us."

But these great things are not to be enjoyed without exercise for those who through mercy know and delight in them, are in their outward lives troubled on every side. This must be so in a fallen world. When the true King reigns all will be all right. Meanwhile, He is the guarantee of Stability for faith (chapter 1). He is the Conqueror who leads the conquered ones in His train, and their delight is to spread abroad the fragrance of His name (2: 15-16).

Though we await a glorified body we are already fitted for it, for He that hath wrought us for this self same thing is God who hath also given us the earnest of His Spirit.

5. Scriptures read, Hebrews 1 and 2: 1-4.

We are now coming to to the depth and fulness of the person and work the Lord Jesus Christ, both of which are presented in this epistle in a very complete was. We might speak of the epistle as showing the great structure of the world to come, and the two pillars upon which it rests are set forth in chapters 1 and 2, the first presenting the Son of God and the glories of His name, and the second, those of tile Son of Man. All these meet in the person of our Lord; not that the first chapter leaves out His manhood, or the second His personal glories, for both bring His person conspicuously before us, but the divine side is prominent in the first and the human in the second chapters.

We can make no progress in the study of this epistle unless these two leading thoughts are very clearly established in our minds.

Remark. — There are three first chapters in the New Testament which present the glories of His person, the first of the gospel of John, the first of Colossians, and the first of the Hebrews. Will you say what is the difference between them?

The Spirit of God foresaw much that has now passed into history. He knew that the glorious person of our Lord would be open to the enemy's attack, not only in the last days but in the earliest too. He thus made provision against this, by setting forth God's estimate of Him in no unmistakable way.

In the apostle's day, the saints at Colosse were in danger of being drawn aside by the wild imaginations of the Gnostics, so the Holy Ghost brought to their especial notice the eternal glories of Him who is Head of the church. John's gospel, coming much later, was directed against the same character of evil, but that to the Hebrews was written to revive the waning affections of the Jewish Christians to Christ, by bringing before them the glories of their Messiah, who had now taken, a new place in the glory of God.

The co-existence and co-equality of the Son with the Father, which involves all that is proper to deity is insisted upon in each of these epistles, and while each of those different companies get a different presentation of Him, it is reserved for us to have them all.

God could not have spoken in a greater way than in the Son. It is God who speaks.. Previously He had spoken by men, and in many and various ways, but now Godhead is voiced in the Son. It is not exactly the Son who speaks, it is God, and that not as Father, nor as Son, nor as Spirit, but in the Son, so that now there is a full revelation of the Godhead.

The Holy Ghost dwells upon the glory and the greatness of the Son before a word of His message is delivered. He is shown to be Heir of all things, and the Creator of them, and that He too will, as a Man, rule all things; but between the creation of all, and His ruling over all a foreign element — sin — was introduced, which necessitated incarnation and atonement, and in consequence of which, everything had to be put on a new footing so that the Creator in Manhood might sway all, in His double rights of Creator and Redeemer.

Question. — Has the inheritance in verse 4 anything to do with the heirship of verse 2?

Yes, they are closely connected; His being Heir of all things hangs upon His eternal glory as the Son. The glory and the renown of the angels are great, but "the more excellent name" shows Him as far beyond those great and holy beings as the Creator is beyond the creature. We start with the fact that God has appointed Him heir. The eternal silence, if we may so speak, was broken in the far back ages when the Son uttered His creatorial fiats, thus expressing His own omnipotence. Now at the end, though He had been speaking in many ways down the ages, so that His character was known, the Son voices Him, making bare His heart and declaring all His counsel.

In this chapter His name is said to be inherited, but in the epistle to the Philippians it is said to be an acquired name. He must stand alone on account of who He is, but on the other hand, all His acquired glory is shared with the church as seen in Ephesians 1. His eternal glory is quite distinct from His acquired glory, the latter He shares, while the former is displayed alone in Him as a Man.

There was ever a moral effulgence shining from Him during His earthly career, as for example, when the soldiers, who went to take Him., fell back to the ground, or when He commanded the storm it became a calm. As we are permitted. to witness such outshining our hearts are bowed before Him in adoration and praise.

Question. — Is there any connection between His being Heir of all things and our being heirs of God?

Our capacity for the enjoyment of the place that we have in Him is being developed to-day, and it is a joy to Him to display His glories to His own. The heart of God found expression in His becoming a Man, to restore man who had fallen from his first estate, for not only was almighty power shown forth in Him, but there was also the moral fulness of God displayed in a Man.

In the third verse, the "brightness of His glory" refers to the outshining of that glory, while the words, "expression of His substance," is much deeper, the first being the outshining, the second, the essential being; He is the expression of the divine substance.

We are here on the most profound of all themes, and it reflects the infinite favour that God has put upon us to allow us to get even a glimpse of these things, but that glimpse produces everlasting praise. And yet how amazing it is to think that there are those who see no beauty in Him!

Remark. — "Out of Zion. the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."

Question. — Is the "outshining of His glory" all that God is?

I think it is His moral excellencies coming out in a man, the Man Christ Jesus. His almighty power is seen in the calming of the storm, while in the transfiguration there is a display of His official glory, but the manifestation of grace, compassion, longsuffering, righteousness, holiness, is the setting forth of His moral glory. in all His words and ways He expressed God because He was God, and the cross is the moral display of the heart of God.

He made man and set him up as head, but the man fell, and now the Son of God has become Man to accomplish redemption to recover him. His power was demonstrated in the way of grace and love. He binds up the broken heart and preaches deliverance to the captives. This is seen in the raising of Lazarus, for though Jesus wept at the grave, the power of God shone out in resurrection.

"Upholding all things by the word of His power," indicates that the whole of creation, with its laws that pervade it, and all the rolling orbs that spangle the sky, are upheld in their positions by the word of the Son of God.

Question. — Does the phrase "expression of His substance" refer to His essential deity?

I think it is one of the things that you cannot say much about. The words of Scripture are our only safeguard. It is essential deity and passes the creature's power to apprehend, in the least degree.

Question. — Why is purification of sins spoken of at the beginning of the epistle?

You first of all get His eternal greatness as Creator, and then we are told that this great One is the Redeemer. It is on similar lines in the first of John, but there you have His glory as the Word, what He has done, and the revelation or the Father's heart after which come the memorable words, "Behold the Lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world," for not only is He the Creator and Redeemer, but He is the expression of God in both characters.

Question. — Was it not necessary that before God could approach man and reveal His purposes, the question of sins must be dealt with?

Yes, the requirements of God must be met. In chapter 10 He says, "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." Thus God comes out for our relief and clearance from liabilities.

In the ninth and tenth chapters the work is spoken of as giving approach to Him, but here, the Person who did the work and the place He has taken are being considered — He has sat down.

It is interesting to note that all through Scripture there are three official glories of the Lord continually shining out, Prophet, Priest, and King. The Prophet voices God — He is His mouthpiece. The Priest makes purgation of sins, while the King is the appointed heir of all things. The apostle is the one who has come out, the priest is the one who has gone in.

Question. — What is involved in the words, "Purification of sins"?

It signifies the whole effect of the work of the cross, not that it was the sins of any one person, but that all sins were by His work removed from the eye of a holy God. Purification was never effected through the sacrifices or under the law. He is the last speaker. Nobody can speak after Him and His work is done.

While purgation is set forth typically in the sacrifices, one must keep in mind to whom the types pointed, and also that in this epistle everything is in contrast to the past dispensation. Purification of sins indicates that sin will for ever be swept out from every part of the creation of God (see Hebrews 9: 23). The only value that the sacrificial system had was in its pointing to Christ. Had there been a possibility of cleansing under the old system it would have been a calamity for us.

The beginning of verse 4 is connected with the end of verse 3. The emphasis is to be placed on the place that He has taken, in being made so much better than the angels He has been placed at the highest point of glory. No mere creature could take a place at the right hand of God. When He comes into the world that He had created, He must take the highest place in it. In becoming Man He passed by the angels. He took the lowest place and "a bondsman's form," but such a Person becoming a Man must necessarily exalt manhood above all other parts of creation. He who had a more excellent name takes a place higher than the angels, and sits at the right hand of God.

Remark — It is not the place that has been given to Him that is here spoken of, it is the place that He has taken. Four times in Hebrews He is said to have taken this place.

Question. — How does Philippians 2: 8, 9, apply here?

These verses show the great stoop to the depths from which God exalted Him, but here it is presented as His own doing, He sits down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The epistle to the Hebrews was evidently written to show that what the Jew had lost after the flesh, was secured for these believers in Christ by the Spirit. The adoption and the glory and the covenants had all been lost, but everything was recovered to them in the Spirit.

It is important to note that there is no name attached to this epistle, for the speaker is God. He speaks by His Apostle and none other could express Him.

The Son is here contrasted with angels who were the highest order of being known to the Jew. They are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Unto the Son He saith, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom." God the Father addresses Him as Son, He speaks to Him, but of the angels. God the Father addresses Him as God the Son. While He abides Man for ever, and while we prove and know Him as our Lord to all eternity, He still remains God in the immutability of His being, infinitely above us, and above all creation for ever.

All through the Scriptures the Holy Ghost has taken pains to guard the glory of His person. "Great is the mystery of godliness." The Spirit of God has said stronger things of the Son than either of the Father or of Himself, as though God had seen that His great stoop would be taken advantage of to tarnish His glory. "He loved righteousness and hated lawlessness," He has effected the solution of good and evil; here love and hatred are seen in perfection. What He did in life and in death demonstrates His ability to fill the place that God has given Him in creation; this is brought out in the parenthetic verses 23-28 of 1 Corinthians 15, for though this is seen as in God's purpose, it has to be worked out in every detail later. In the thousand year's reign it will be fully displayed, for He must reign till He has put every enemy under His feet.

The first work of His mighty power will be to change our bodies of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory; His last to destroy death. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. He will subdue all things to Himself.

Question. — What is the idea of the throne?

Supremacy. The idea here is righteousness in perpetuity. The will of God must be law to creation. In chapter 4 the throne is said to be one of grace, because the One who accomplished the will of God is upon it — the One who loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. It is also a throne that will never be superseded, and what it was at the beginning, it shall be at the end, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."

Question. — Who are the companions and the fellows?

It is the same word for both and has the thought of sonship and association. To us this relationship is a new one, but with Him it was eternal. Brought into manhood by His incarnation, it becomes ours by redemption.

Question — What is the oil of gladness?

Is it not the joy of the Lord Jesus in the place given to Him as the result of His work and which is shared with His companions? Only one Man could fill that place, and while we all feel that He is infinitely beyond us on the divine side, we have to realize the fact of His unique glory and supremacy as Man. "He that is high priest among His brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head nor rend his clothes" (Lev. 21: 10).

Sonship and priesthood are linked together in the person of our Lord, and in this epistle the same is true of the saints. In chapter 5, the writer quotes from Psalm 2 and 110. He that said unto Him, "Thou art My Son," saith also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever." His position determines ours. We have the blessing of sonship in the second chapter, "Leading many sons to glory," and in the tenth we are seen as priests. Sonship is the relationship, and priesthood the privilege to approach, and both are linked up with the Lord in chapter 5 We are of His generation. Kinship, too, is seen in this epistle. Both He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren

Question. — Is the passage in John 20, "ascend to My Father and your Father," the same thought?

There you see sonship and association, for though John does not use the word sonship, it is clearly involved there. The bride must be the same kinship as Christ as is seen in Gen. 24. According to that figure, being of his kindred must precede union. "Bring not my son thither again." The saints have to be brought up to Him.

The epistle to the Romans lays the basis for this in the complete clearance of the one that is dead with Christ. He is said to be the fulness of the Godhead in Col. 2: 9, and in Ephesians the assembly is spoken of as the fulness or the complement of Christ. He is seen there as the risen Man. It would seem as if this was leading us to the blessedness of our position with Christ in order that we might take up our functions as priests.

Our being priests supposes some intelligence of the way in which the glory of God is secured by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. We must distinguish between what He is as Son of Man, and what He is as Son with the Father. In the typical system we do not get the thought of the Father and the Son. What is there prefigured is the removal out of the creation of every mark of sin and the establishment of the glory of God by the Son of Man. As sons we are brought into relationship and association with the Son before the Father, in an order of life and affection which belongs to divine Persons and into which it was the purpose of God before the world was, to bring us.

In John 13 — 17, we have the full revelation of the Father by the Son, and also our place in infinite grace in that revelation. In Ephesians we get both lines of thought. The prayer in the third chapter is to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one but God would have taken up such as we were, and yet He has put us in His Son, the Man Christ Jesus.

When the apostle uses the word sonship he has the thought of adoption in his mind. That word supposes a past history and also suggests a transference from the lowest to the highest place. In using the word "children," the thought is one of a new order, having no past history. In that He is not ashamed to call us His brethren there lies a declaration of His perfect and infinitely blessed work.

Question. — What is the scope of the "great salvation" in the second chapter?

It indicates the whole range of blessing, and covers all the relationships in which we stand in the presence of God. The death of Christ was the end of the world as far as God's dealings with it are concerned. When men put His Son to death there appeared nothing left for God to do but sweep the whole scene in judgment; but instead of doing this, He began to fulfil His eternal counsels in Christ by calling out His assembly.

The prophet Hosea speaks of the period of estrangement as two days (chapter 6: 2). "After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up." The two days may speak of the whole church period. The world's history closed at the cross. Now is the judgment of this world," but the execution of the sentence is delayed until the expiration of the two days, in other words, till after the calling out and the glorifying of the church.

At the end of chapter 1 He says, "They shall perish but Thou remainest." God being what He is, He must have a moral basis for all His activities. The material basis has been serviceable simply to afford a platform upon which the counsels of God could be worked out, and when the first creation has served its purpose it will pass away. That which is moral must ever be the first with God, and it is the great delight of His heart to express His love.

Being who He is, He must be His own Object; and all that He does being for His own glory, the consummation of all things will find Him manifesting Himself in the midst of a redeemed and satisfied creation, every part of which will vibrate with His praise for evermore.

Yet deeper if a calmer joy

The Father's love shall raise;

And every heart find sweet employ

In His eternal praise.

6. Scriptures read, Hebrews vii 25; 8: 2; 10: 19-25.

May we now touch on the greatness of the Priest and on our association with Him as priests? Iii the seventh chapter a new Priest is presented, and afterwards we get our place with Him who is the chief Priest. In the eighth chapter, as has often been said, the new covenant is introduced, in the ninth the new sanctuary, and in the tenth the new company. The superstructure of the "World to come" is thus reared and is based upon what comes out in chapters 1 and 2. These two chapters show that the Lord Jesus Christ is the guarantee for the security of the whole creation, and for the maintenance of the character of God.

The priesthood was instituted when the Lord said to Moses, "Separate unto Me Aaron and his sons, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office." Thus priesthood is first of all for God. It is God's provision for the people in the wilderness, though it was exercised when they got into the land. In it all, however, approach to God is in view. It must ever be borne in mind that the priest is taken out of the life of flesh, to minister to the Lord in sacred things.

In chapter 4 we are exhorted to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for seasonable help, and in chapter 10 there is the same thought of boldness. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the holiest." In the fourth we come to get our tiny vessels filled, but in the tenth the question of need is not raised, we come to give and to pour out our praises before Him.

Not only do we see the dignity of the priest, but also that of the priestly company. The characteristics of the Priest that becomes us are holiness, harmlessness, and separation from sinners, and in chapter 2: 10, we see what becomes God, "It became Him for whom are all things . . . in bringing many sons to glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." In neither of these cases in the question of need raised, though even there our Lord Jesus is altogether indispensable, as always and everywhere. We shall find Him as indispensable in glory as we have found Him here. "Because I live, ye shall live also," shows that we shall live by Him throughout eternity.

Question. — Do you mean that the priesthood of Christ goes on for ever?

Not exactly. When the kingdom is given up by our Lord, there will be no need for official glories, so there will be no mediatorial or official functions to exercise. But in the very nature of things we shall ever be dependent, and our Lord Jesus Christ will in some sense over be the One through whom we shall be sustained in life and blessing.

Chapter 7: 25, speaking of saving to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him, must necessarily refer to the wilderness, and not to the holiest, since it involves the question of need. There are three thoughts in connection with the wilderness priest. He succours, as is seen in the third chapter: He sympathises in the fourth, and saves to the uttermost in the seventh. It must be remembered that whilst we may be in the holiest, we have not left the wilderness as to our actual presence, as being there is a spiritual condition and in no sense material.

There are two sides of the priesthood involved here. In the fifth chapter he is chosen from among men, that he might be able to succour and sympathise, so also Christ, who is called of God a High Priest after another order, has to pass through a course of suffering with strong crying and tears in view of the qualifications belonging to that office, so that He can compassionate the needy and succour the tempted. But in the eighth He is spoken of as a Minister of the sanctuary having charge of the golden vessels, as Chief Priest over God's house. There are also two ways in which the saints may be regarded: one as being needy and encompassed about with infirmities, and the other as viewed by God as being a priestly company, the first is seen in their every day life, as the common people; and the other as an inside company, i.e., the priestly family, identified with the tabernacle and its ordinances.

Question. — Do the fourth and sixth chapters suggest the carrying the names of the children of Israel on the shoulders and the breast of the priest?

Is not that seen better in chapter 9: 24, "He has gone into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us? That is to say, He has gone there in garments of glory and beauty. Appearing in the presence of God for us suggests representation, which is prefigured in the ephod with its names. This again would indicate that while He was inside for them they are outside, but in the tenth chapter they are inside with Him, at least they are invited to go where He is. Since we learn everything in Christ, we should ponder well His glories as Priest.

In the seventh chapter He comes before us as King of Righteousness and King of Salem which is King of Peace. These titles carry us on to the world to come, where righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85), and in the seventy-second Psalm, where the reign of the Son of David is celebrated, these two marks are closely associated. Not only is He King, He is Priest, after an order differing from that of Aaron, that is to say, after the order of Melchisedec.

In chapter 7, His official and His moral glories are distinguished from each other, and yet are combined in one whole, and still both hang on what He is in His own Person. The early part of the chapter shows the King in His official dignity, the latter, He that is harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, that is to say, His moral beauties and glories are found there. Both these again are found combined in verse 2, for His name Melchisedec means King of Righteousness, and the name of the city, Salem, means peace.

Question. — But are there not personal glories too?

Yes. They are found in verse 3, where Melchisedec is said to have neither beginning of days nor end of life, but assimilated to the Son of God. There you have the eternal Son; this takes you back to the first chapter to the One who made purgation.

The royalty is set forth in the purple and scarlet of Aaron's robes, which is a further indication that the kingly priest was the order of priesthood that was before the mind of God from the start, but these glories come may into view in the place that He has taken, consequent upon His resurrection. He could not be a priest before His death because He was not of the priestly tribe — Levi — but even in His life the moral characteristics of a priest were seen in Him, as is so charmingly narrated in the gospels. All that He now is, He was when on earth, but neither His headship nor His priesthood could be declared or known till the circumstances were propitious, and that was not till after His death and resurrection, though their power and glory were vested in Him during His earthly sojourn.

In chapters 6 and 7, God is seen to confirm His word by an oath first to us (6: 17), and then to the Son (7: 21 and 7: 28).

It was not till after the slaughter of the kings that Melchisedec, who received tithes from Abraham, is introduced. He thus learns the sufficiency and the blessedness of his ministrations before he has to encounter the wiles of the king of Sodom.

In speaking of verse 26. Such an High Priest became us," we must be careful to maintain the balance of truth, and it is clear from this chapter, that all that the saints are, hang upon what He is and what He has done, "For the priesthood being changed there is of necessity a change also of law," for it would be an impossibility to tack a legal system on to a risen Christ.

Everything must be in accordance with the One who has been here and is the centre of the new system that Tie has introduced — priesthood, liberty, access, and a better hope.

The introduction of a better hope speaks of an entirely new thing which involves a change of order. By it, too, the priestly company has access into the Holy of Holies.

Question. — Are not the priests also sons, and have they not a right of entrance by virtue of their consecration?

Sonship and priesthood are prominent thoughts in this epistle. Observe how the Spirit of God culls from Psalm 2 and from Psalm 110, and links the two quotations together in the person of Christ, one indicating relationship and the other service. We also are spoken of as sons in the second, and as priests in the tenth chapters; but in our case, sonship is the calling of God and priesthood service. Christ on high, in His own Person, maintains the calling in its true dignity, but as Priest, He is able to maintain us in conformity to it.

Question. — Is there a difference between Son over God's house and High Priest over the house of God?

Yes. Son over God's house is supremacy in divine administration, and is quoted in contrast with Moses who is seen in Hebrews 3, at the height of his dignity, faithful in all God's house. High Priest over the house of God is in contrast with Aaron and refers to his service in the sanctuary. The latter is a special service whilst the other is more general.

Returning for a moment to the garments of the high priest, I would like to say that Aaron could enter the holiest only when he had on the holy linen garments, and then only once a year on the day of Atonement. It is never said that he went in adorned in the garments of beauty,. This brings the greatness of our Priest into strong relief with the one whom He superseded, for every thought expressed in the garments of glory and beauty is now amply expressed in our blessed Lord. All the rich complexity of glory and magnificence which was there prefigured, shines forth in the great Melchisedec Priest.

Question. — What do the golden bells on the hem of the priestly robe suggest?

To my mind, they bring the idea of His glory and OUT blessings. The bells rang without effort while the priest was otherwise engaged. They spoke of life. Our Priest is one after the power of an endless life, and has gone into the presence of God for us, and while He is there, His people are here, and the bells ring in the gracious activities of His love.

Question — How is the ringing of the bells heard to-day?

The blessed Spirit of God has come from a glorified Christ to bring to our souls the greatness of His glory. I connect this with the feast of Luke 14, and the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The bells, too, speak of testimony, not our testimony, nor indeed any testimony, but the testimony of the Holy Ghost to the saints as seen in John 16 and in 1 John 5.

Question. — What difference is there between the teaching of the beauteous garments and the teaching of the holy linen garments?

In the latter you have the presentation of the cross, for until all the glory of God has been established there could not be any display of beauty, Never was the Son more precious to the Father than when He laid down His life, though externally, all was suffering and death. The twelfth verse of the ninth chapter is connected with the linen garments, and the twenty-fourth with those of glory and beauty. In the former, Christ has gone into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption, in the latter, He has gone into heaven itself there to appear in the presence of God for us. His people are seen waiting, but in the meantime they are well represented there, but while waiting, they may with all holy boldness, enter into the Holiest of all.

Question. — You do not mean that we can go into heaven now?

Oh, no. We cannot go there till we are taken (John 14), besides, this forms no part of Christian exercise. Meanwhile, we are exhorted to join Him in the place that He has taken in resurrection, that is in the Holiest of all. This we do by the Spirit.

Question. — Is the Holiest a place or a state?

It is a state undoubtedly. "Heaven" suggests the thought of a place. We shall be taken there, but may now have the consciousness of being before God in the revelation of Himself in Christ for His pleasure, to praise and worship with adoring hearts. This is being in the Holiest! The word, "The vail that is to say His flesh," is surely meant to guard us against materializing these holy things.

Question. — Do you connect all this with the meeting to remember the Lord in His death?

Surely. If there is a time in our life on earth when these things are entered upon it would be then.

Christ is always in the midst of His assembly. It is His own circle.

Remark. — There is no mention of the coming together of the saints in this epistle.

No, but though we get such in 1 Corinthians 11, the proper privileges and worship of the assembly are not found as they are here. Individual worship, however meet and precious and acceptable to God, is scarcely that which meets His rights; it is only in the company of the saints that we get the activities of sonship. This is the true anticipation of the time when the universe shall ring with His praise.

"When God shall shine in light divine

In glory never fading."

Christ is the One who leads the praises, offering them to God, as it is necessary "that this Man shall have somewhat also to offer," for everything that ascends to God from His people does so in the fragrance of our blessed Lord. Thus there is a link formed between the singing of the praises in the midst of His own (Heb. 2: 12), and entrance into the Holiest (Heb. 10: 19), where the soul gets an apprehension of what Christ is to God. In our wilderness circumstances we may learn what He can be to us, but it is far more precious to learn what Christ is to God. We behold the glory of the Lord and are fitted to be witnesses here, of what we have seen in His presence there. A two-fold ministry is seen in Hebrews 2: 12.

He declares the Father's name to us, and He leads His brethren's praises to the Father. It is the declaration of the Father's name that produces worship in the hearts of His brethren, this He presents to the Father as an offering to Him, fulfilling the word that "This Man must have something to offer."

Question. — How does man become a reflex of God?

What a Christian is to others, should be the result of his being in the presence of God. When inside with Him we are brought into perfect accord with the glory of the Lord, which cannot fail to be expressed when we are outside in the world; for God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine, has shone into our hearts for the shining forth of the glory of God. Here is the true reflex of God in the saint. This outshining is the result of the ministry of the new covenant — that of the Spirit and not of the letter.

This also fits the saint for entrance into the Holiest and illustrates how these things act and re-act the one on the other. When the law is written on man's heart, he cannot but do the will of God, and he becomes in measure what Christ was here — the reflex of God.

Question. — Does the new covenant, then, prepare for the Holiest?

The Holiest fits one to be the reflection of God, just as the new covenant does.

Everything in Christianity is by the Spirit. In the fourth of John the Lord said to the woman, "The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth." The same thought is found in Ephesians 2: 18, where you get the nearest approach to worship in that epistle, "Through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

As Moses in Leviticus 8, consecrated Aaron and his sons for the worship of the sanctuary, so the Lord Jesus prepares a company for the Father's pleasure. It should be our most treasured privilege to enter the presence of God as worshippers, expressing the spontaneous overflow of the heart with praise to the blessed God in the company of His own. There can be no artificiality in such a delightful occupation.

Chapter 10: 9, seems to be the climax of this epistle. It is well to observe that "Outside the camp" comes after that.

In chapter 12 we get the thought of the race. We are to run with patience the race set before us, that has been called the flat race, while entrance into the Holiest has been designated the upward course, and being bound with those who are bound (13: 3), may be described as the downward one.

In the inside place we are formed in the character of Christ. This will necessarily affect our conduct outside, and we should then be like the apostle Paul, who could say, "For me to live is Christ."

Question. — Are the saints viewed here as a consecrated company in relation to Christ, as Aaron's sons were related to their father?

Yes, that is the inside company. That will mark them in the coming age and for eternity. The church will always be the inside company.

Question — Do you judge this to be so from precise Scripture or only from the general tenor of the epistle?

The general character of the epistle is on that line, but it is clearly seen in the verse "Let us approach with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, sprinkled as to our hearts from an evil conscience and washed as to our bodies with pure water." These two statements refer definitely to what was done by Moses in Leviticus 8. They are applied here to the company of the priests who enter the Holiest, having access by the better hope, and join Christ who is the true Aaron, the Great (i.e. Chief) Priest over the house of God.

7. Scriptures read, Colossians 1: 18-29; 3: 12-17.

This epistle begins with the glory and greatness of our adorable Lord, and then leads on to the truth of the Head and the body, and the love of Christ expressed therein. We have to admit brokenness and confusion, but it is a great thing to have the thoughts of God notwithstanding it all.

What could help us in the state of things like that with which we are surrounded, more than the favour of having the truth of the greatness of Christ in His eternal glory, the greatness of His place as the Head of the body, and the greatness of the church's place in relation to Him, committed to us, and the feelings, tastes, and sentiments of the Head coming out in His members here?

Question. — Will you give us a summary of the glories Of His Person?

That is more than anyone could do. The Spirit in the chapter presents a very rich and full declaration of His glory that is well calculated to make us independent of the world and its resources. The Lord is presented as Firstborn of all creation, and His glory is stamped upon everything throughout the vast creation of God. All that He is, and all that which is proper to Him, is introduced in its relation to the body. The Creator and Upholder of all is the Head of the body, the assembly. All the power and glory of which creation speaks is carried over into new creation, and seen to centre in Him who is the Head of the body.

Remark. — Prior to that, do you not get the "Son of His love," as if that was something more intimate? There is the bond between the Father and the Son which must be infinitely more precious than even the outshining of His glory.

That is very precious and seems to fit in with John's line of teaching, which consists of the revelation of the Father by the Son, and the system of divine affections brought here by the Son in manhood. But Paul considers the solution of the question of good and evil by a Man, the Man Christ Jesus, for the glory of God. These are the salient features, for we well know, that each touches on the theme of the other.

Question. — Is there any difference between the inheritance and the kingdom?

I think that the kingdom as here presented, looks at a sphere where everything is put into subjection to the Son. But it is the rule of love. You are made meet for "the portion of the saints in light," for you are brought into divine affections proper to the Father and the Son.

He must be pre-eminent in every sphere. The "First-born of all creation" does not refer to generation or to time, it is rank, not time, that is in view. The idea is the same as is seen in Psalm 89: 27, where the Psalmist speaking of Solomon says, "I will make him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth."

In the first chapter there are two Headships, two reconciliations and two ministries. He is the Head of the body and Head of creation? He reconciles the saints now, and all things in the time to come. There is the ministry of the gospel and of the assembly.

Question. — What is the meaning of the word Head?

When the Head of the body is spoken of, there is an organic connection between the Head and the members, but as Head of creation Be stands infinitely above it all. The distance between Him and it must be infinite. It is no part of Him, nor is He any part of it. In the body the members are in the life of the head.

Question. — As Head of all principality and power is He entirely apart from it?

Yes, but that is quite another thought, and must be viewed distinct from His creation glory. The epistle speaks of Him as Head of the body, and Head of all principality and power, but in Ephesians He is Head over all things. Thus three thoughts of Headship are beautifully joined in Him. Head of every man, of the body, and of all things; and, although there is no correspondence between them, there are three ways in which the body may be viewed. First Corinthians presents the body in its local expression, "Ye are the body of Christ "; in Colossians it includes every saint on the earth at any given moment; and in the Ephesian epistle it includes every saint from Pentecost till the Lord comes. The aspect named in Corinthians is seen in operation in chapter 5, where one getting away from the Lord, affects the whole company.

His headship of creation is quite different from that of every principality and power. He created long before He became incarnate. Creation is His by right, and includes everything natural and physical. When we speak of principality and power it is a moral order, and Christ is over that by virtue of redemption. It is the risen Man who is made Head over all things (Ephesians 1).

Question. — But is not Satan head of principalities?

He is certainly the leader of a vast host of wicked spirits spoken of as principalities and authorities in Ephesians 6: 12, but we know little of them. We do know, however, that all these vast and inconceivable powers were created by and for Him who is our Lord. Principalities and powers are spoken of as good and evil.

Question. — Would it take in the kings of the earth?

It must take in everything. In the Revelation we read of the Prince of the Kings of the earth.

We must draw an important distinction here. All that come into blessing are brought into the sphere of reconciliation and are identified with Christ. This sphere covers heaven and earth, "To head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth even in Him." But when you come to Philippians 2, the sphere is enlarged because His subduing power is in question; then heavenly, earthly, and infernal beings are compelled to bow and own Him Lord by divine decree.

The domain of Headship is co-extensive with that of reconciliation and of course with that of Lordship, too. Those who will not have the Lord Jesus and His great salvation will have to bow and own that same Saviour as Lord, to the glory of God, though to their everlasting sorrow. God has decreed that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Question. — And that is not only in this world?

At the close of the first of Ephesians we see the vast universe of bliss with Christ the Centre and His bride, the assembly, with Him. It is co-extensive with verses 9 and 10 of the same chapter, which is the widest expression of the Kingdom in Scripture.

Question. — What do you understand by the verse, "Not only in this age, but also in that which is to come"?

It is the authority of Christ over all, for all time; the millennial reign of Christ is in view, when His supremacy will be enforced, when there will be one Lord and His name One, but of course, His supremacy will be eternal.

Question. — What are the two reconciliations that you spoke of?

One is the reconciliation of all things (verse 20), and the other that of persons in the next verse, "You hath He reconciled." The words, "All things," in verse 16, are used of creation, but in verse 20 they refer to reconciliation. The believer is now reconciled through the death of Christ, but creation waits for it. Creation is groaning now.

Question. — In what way do we now realize the reconciliation into which we are brought?

You, as brought to God, have new feelings, new tastes, and new desires. These have been introduced by the presence and the power of the Holy Ghost, who delights to lead us into the new creation joys. It is the privilege of every believer to dwell in that sphere. The fifteenth of Luke gives us a complete representation of reconciliation seen in parable form, the joy of the blessed God, the place of delight before Him and the fruit of His sovereign will. One would never tire of dwelling on that parable. We can never be acceptable to God except we are clothed in what is of and from Himself. Now we are made suitable for the delight of God, whose presence is our home.

God is now reconciling persons. We beseech in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. Reconciliation is preached in the gospel, while in 2 Corinthians 5, the ministry of it is presented. The work is accomplished whereby the ministry can be sent forth. In 2 Corinthians 5: 20, the word "you" should not be there. It is better read, "We entreat for Christ, be reconciled to God." It is the burden of the servant and his message. The Corinthians had already been reconciled to God.

Reconciliation and new creation subsist in Christ personally, in His exalted place in heaven. Redemption is complete and the gospel comes out from Christ where He is. The One who went to the most distant point from God, is now in all the nearness, and we are accepted in Him. Christ Himself is the full expression of reconciliation, and we are graced in Him for the good pleasure of the heart of God.

In Luke 15, we get what the Father gets, for by feeding on the fatted calf we share the Father's joy in the sacrificial glory of Christ. The Son came here to make known the heart of God, but before the gospel could be announced, there must be the answer to that revelation in His being accepted by the Father, and the glory of His person underlies that.

We get the present benefit of being brought into harmony with God. We are "reconciled in the body of His flesh through death," which plainly declares that nothing but death would do. Active, open enmity cannot be reconciled, it can only be ended.

Question. — May we not now enjoy reconciliation?

Surely, if one is at the table partaking of the fatted calf the enjoyment is complete. There is a difference between communion and relationship. Sonship and eternal life are given to us of God, but the enjoyment of them is another matter. Every blessing depends on the gift of the Spirit; this cannot be lost, but communion with God may.

The presentation of this is a very great incentive to every saint to walk in the power of these things. We have to bow our heads that we know so little of them. They involve an apprehension of what God is both in His nature and character. His nature (love), was as much towards man in Old Testament times as in those of the New. He is unchangeable in love; but when we think of His attributes this is not so. God's holiness and righteousness must necessarily be against man for he is a sinner. Hence, at the cross, not only does His love find expression, but His righteousness and holy character are met too.

In Eden the sword of the cherubim was turned every way to guard the Tree of Life, but there was no sword in the hand of the cherubim that overshadowed the mercy seat, for redemption in type is there, and they look upon a blood-sprinkled mercy seat and all is peace. God did not need to be reconciled to man, He loved him, but the Fall put man in such a position that God's attributes stood out against him, and therefore they had to be met.

This has, in grace, secured a position for man far beyond that in which he stood before the Fall. Had he remained in innocence, he could not have had the privilege of entrance into the presence of God as he has now. Man has been brought to God by God coming to him, and that could not have been accomplished in any other way. The prodigal son was reconciled when the Father came out to meet him.

Remark — The father ordered the best robe to be brought out, he covered him with kisses, but the servants had to invest him with his new covering.

Remark — That is what we are having to-day.

Like 2 Corinthians 5, it is the ministry of reconciliation, and though truly the work of the Spirit, it is in connection with the ministry of the word by His servants.

Question. — In verse 18 it says, "In Him all the fulness was pleased to dwell," was that really true before the cross?

He was pre-eminent before the cross, and now He is pre-eminent as First-born from the dead.

We have to remember that what is said there and in chapter 2: 9, "for in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," was said of Him after Ho had gone back to the glory. It was true in pre-incarnate times; it was true when He was here, and it is true now where He is, for in Him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

The Spirit has the reconciliation of all things in view in this passage, and in that connection it must be remembered that the blood of Christ was shed for "men on the earth." Higher unfallen beings do not need it as they had been kept in their original and uncorrupted state, as is seen in the song of Revelation 5. As reconciliation predicates being brought from distance it could not apply to them.

Remark — But the heavens are not clean in His sight.

That is the creation, and we know that the cross is that by which the whole inheritance will be cleansed. We know, too, that all things are to be reconciled, and so come under the Man Christ Jesus. That involves a change of order for those glorious hosts of unfallen beings above us, Hitherto, they had been servants of God and relatively above man, but now that Christ has all things under Him their position is necessarily changed, for God having become Man to recover all, and His being appointed Heir over all, they consequently take a place under a Man.

Question. — Do you think that "all things" refers to those glorious beings and intelligences that have not fallen, but have in some way become affected by the presence of sin?

I do not know. The all things would take in thrones, dominions, etc., as in verse 16, showing that whatever has been put wrong will be put right, and that when recovery comes in, angels take a different place because their Creator has become a Man. When the Lamb that had been slain takes the book, angels take their places as servants because the earth has become His inheritance. As He is supreme in the world to come, the angelic) beings must be subservient to Him. "Thou hast put all things under His feet." In the eighth of Romans the apostle says, "the whole creation groans": but the change of administrative order is seen when He takes the book in Revelation 5.

Everything has been secured for God by reconciliation, and all that has in any way been affected by sin Will be brought into complete harmony with the will of God by the blood of the cross.

Question. — Is it only that which was at enmity that is reconciled?

That is true of the saints, but there is evidently a large part of the fallen creation which is not reconciled. That which is not reconciled will be subjugated, for Christ will be owned as Lord, even by those that are for ever lost.

Question. — Did you not speak of the celebration of righteousness?

Yes! It has begun now. They began to be merry. The parable shows that the blessing is enjoyed now. We are said to be "holy and unblameable in His sight," but the presentation of the church to Himself will be in glorified bodies, when we are perfectly like Him. Suitability to His nature will be our eternal condition.

Question. — What is the idea in the expression "Having made peace by the blood of His cross"?

Sin has brought in confusion and disorder. The cross has removed the element of discord, and peace will spread till it fills the creation. Meantime, He is our Peace.

Question — Would you say that He thus restores that which He took not away?

Yes! That is connected with the trespass offering in which a fifth part of what had been taken away had to be added. If man has robbed God of His glory, Christ has restored it. But if that was all that He had done, man would have been reinstated in the position that he had lost by his sin. But in the addition of the fifth part, there is a revenue of glory for God that gives a basis for His eternal counsel and puts man into a new place in heavenly blessing.

Reconciliation means far more than recovery. It is new creation. Sin brought in discord, but the work of the Lord Jesus brings about a re-adjustment which embraces the whole creation. The cross puts all on a new footing. The Creator is Redeemer and is the appointed Heir of all things.

Chapter 1 unfolds the range of His glory. Chapter 2, the greatness of His work, which has cleared the ground and so made room for the assembly which is His body (chapter 3) I think we might be helped if we considered that side of things a little.

The first part of chapter 3 puts us in touch with heaven and at the same time, fits us for the earth. Chapter 2: 12 is a key verse for the saints.

There are three distinct exhortations based on verse 12: The first, which is negative in character, is chapter 2: 16-19. The second, also negative, is found in verses 20-23, and the third is in chapter 3: 1-4. This is positive. Each of these forms a little paragraph by itself and shows the things with which a person risen with Christ can have nothing to do and what, on the other marks the movements of his life.

We are said to be buried with Him, risen with Him, and quickened together with Him. Risen with Him implies that we are viewed as being on the earth, but in relation to the system of glory of which He is the Head.

Question. — What is the difference between being quickened and raised?

Being raised associates you with the new order of things which is permeated by life and love, as seen in chapter 3: 1-4.

Question. — Is not resurrection, victory over death, and quickening, the positive side of association with Christ in life?

Precisely so! Resurrection is anticipated here and ascension in Ephesians. We are regarded as being on the earth, not having left our flesh and blood condition, but linked up with a new Man on resurrection ground, with the joys and feelings of another world. In the first creation, man was the last of God's works, but in the new creation He comes first. Resurrection is the assurance of the breaking of the power of death, and the removal of the man in the flesh. The assembly is essential to the love of Christ, while Christ Himself is its life. If you are risen with Christ, you are in His circle and identified with His interests.

That has a practical and living effect on our lives. You are brought to the place where there is unlimited joy and into that which death cannot touch, outside the life of flesh and blood which will end in death. Hence, you walk through this world a stranger, blessedly supported because filled with delight. All this is divinely certain, more certain than any earthly thing, but yet it is on the principle of faith. We have to put on the clothes. "Put on, therefore, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness," etc.

Remark. — In the end of this chapter you have the dress for the home, but in the sixth of Ephesians it is the military equipment, "Put on the whole armour of God."

When thus addressed in the graces of Christ you set Him forth in all your ways. The saints are what Christ is. They are called holy and beloved. These are the marks of Christ in those who are called of God. As God called the Man and the woman Adam (Genesis 5: 20), so in 1 Cor. 12: 12, the church is called Christ.

We being risen with Christ are left here to represent Him. God speaks of His saints as the elect of God, holy and beloved, and exhorts them to put on what are really the graces of Christ, and which spring from having the heart in tune with Him.

The subjective operations of the Spirit which are spoken of here, produce no less than seven embellishments in the Christian. These are really the feelings and the sentiments of Christ. It is one thing to be a Christian and quite another to be formed in the tastes, feelings, and sentiments of Christ. These come out in the very smallest details, in visiting, in deportment, or in the daily duties of life. It is the fruit of the Spirit in our souls. He makes us true gentlemen, you take on, so to speak, the refinements of Christ.

We are in the place of suffering, but suffering is not growth. It should bring us to God and it is well when it is so, and it is there that we growl. We may suffer a great deal, and gain little spiritually by it; doubtless, this is the case with most of us. We may take a lesson in the meekness and gentleness of Christ from the well known story of the two goats who met on a narrow ridge, too narrow to turn round on, or even turn aside. One lay down and allowed the other to walk over his prostrate body. Such is true humility, and needs much grace to carry it out. May we all seek to do so!

But we have also to learn to resist. He resisted unto blood.

Question. — When would you refuse to yield?

When the claims of God are at stake. There, as a matter of fact, you have no choice, but even then, if one is under the influence of the grace of Christ, it is done in a becoming way.

God's word and His claims are being set aside on every hand, and the word for each of us is to "Stand, and having done all to stand." This demands discernment as well as faithfulness, but you yield in no divine principle. Abram yielded in Genesis 13, when Lot chose the well watered plains, but in the following chapter when Lot was taken prisoner, he fought.

The seven excellencies named here (Colossians 3: 12) have been likened to the rainbow which sets forth the colours that are found in the sun, and we, walking in the light of the Son of God, reflect His moral glories — bowels of mercies, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, etc.

Question. — Would you say that everything that is found here was perfectly blended in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Everything was perfectly measured and balanced in Him, all He said and did was said and done at the right moment, and in the most excellent way, whether it was for man's good or for God's glory. Every man has the faults of his virtues, but in Him everything was perfectly co-ordinated. We should seek to walk thus with God, and then no matter what our circumstances may be, we shall be kept in perfect accord with His will.

This requires no effort if one is walking in communion with the Lord. Great vigilance is required to do this as it has so many opportunities to show itself either in the domestic, the business or the Christian circle.

Remark — It needs not a little energy to forbear and forgive.

Yes, but we have to set about- it heartily and readily, keeping ourselves in the love of God. It must be the fruit of spiritual exercise and not merely an effort of the will.

It may sometimes depend on the measure of confidence that one has in the other, for sometimes we may graciously accept from one what we would not think of doing from another. If, indeed, we are to be our brother's keeper, we must walk very humbly before the Lord. If you are in a proper degree of intimacy with the blessed Master, you can truly act for Him in the midst of departure from Him, "Above all things put on love." Someone has likened this to an overcoat. Apart from the love of God these things are apt to degenerate into mere human sentiment. If love be there you have the state that is suitable to God and the state He can use among His people. Love has been likened to the hoops around a cask, binding them all together.

Question. — Should this be the attitude towards every member of the body of Christ?

Undoubtedly. The fact that the saints are the body of Christ is the great outstanding feature of the present revelation. In the past we have made too much of the doctrine and too little of the practice of this membership. These things cannot be put on, they must come from within. It has been said that the feathers are not put on to a bird, they must grow upon it. They characterise the bird and it is known by them. It is a fact that we are linked up with Him, and if we are one with Him we are one with each other.

In this list of virtues that we have to put on, love is named the last of all, but when they are named as the fruit of the Spirit as in Galatians 5, it is at the head of the list.

Drawn together as we now are, love is seen in living reality. When we have true Christian fellowship as members of His body we are in full accord with the heart of our adorable Lord.

Question. — What is the peace of Christ?

Peace must be the presiding principle in the heart of the Christian. In the body the members do not vie with one another, there is peace in the body.

The Lord speaks of two kinds of peace in John 14. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. The first is what He made, the second is what is spoken of iii this verse. The peace that ever filled His blessed heart is ours now. There is no peace in the world except in the body of Christ.

Question. — How would you compare "Blessed are the peace makers" with this Scripture?

Thank God, that there are such in spite of all the failure. If we are holding the Head these things will come out and we shall be peace-makers. How could we lend our ears to tittle-tattle and gossip if we knew this peace? If the peace of Christ preside in your heart you will carry it wherever you go.

Oh! may God give us to desire to be peacemakers, for such shall be called the sons of God.

8. Scriptures read, Ephesians 1: 1-23; 3: 14-21.

I think this Scripture brings us back to what we began with, the grandeur and the glory of the gospel.

The gospel has God for its source and Christ for its theme. You get here the full height of the gospel of God, i.e., the truth of sonship, and that is the highest of all our blessings. As it has often been said that the individual blessing is higher than the corporate.

In the prayer of chapter 1, we have presented to us the fruit of His eternal purpose, which connects us with God, and the body which is our link with Christ.

The beginning of the chapter connects us with God as sons, and the end with Christ, thus our position with divine Persons is set forth, while the expression, "Members of Christ's body," expresses our link with the risen Man.

Question. — What are we to learn from the fact that the first prayer is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the second to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?

There is a strong connection with John 20, where the Lord says, "I ascend to My Father and your Father; and to My God and your God." These two statements may be said to relate to what we are in the line of sonship and in the line of priesthood. In John "My Father" comes first.

God made Himself known in the past in connection with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men on the earth, but now He does this by the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is going to bring up everything to the level of Him, the new Man.

The past dealings of God display to us much of His character so that His ways are known and they afford much instruction for us. The patriarchs passed through similar circumstances to what we do, but when we come to the revelation of the purposes of God we are on quite new ground. These could be alone revealed by the Son: He is their Centre and is the standard for man now.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was associated with earthly blessing, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is connected with heavenly blessings. There is an implied contrast to Deuteronomy 6, which was spoken in view of the people entering the land, "And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not . . . and wells digged which thou diggest not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantest not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full; then, beware lest thou forget the Lord."

You could not have sonship in the Old Testament, our blessings are all in Christ, and are made available for us by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Their blessings depended on themselves, ours depend on Christ.

Remark. — God is also the Father of glory.

The glory and the rights of God are made good by Christ.

There are three things in the first prayer. First, "The eyes of your heart being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling," that is to say, the calling of sonship as named in the fifth verse. The second, "The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," which are seen in verses 8-10; and third, "What is the working of His mighty power." This began in the resurrection of Christ. All this is the good pleasure of His will.

The call of sonship is to heaven and it comes from heaven. It is called elsewhere a holy calling, and the hope of it is the present consummation of the work of God in the soul. It is the full joy of the Father's house, the realization of all that He has purposed for us from a past eternity in His Son.

Question. — What is the difference between children and sons?

Children is a sweeter and more endearing term, and suggests our origin. Nature and origin are of course connected with both terms, but the thought of children contemplates a new generation in which the nature of God is displayed. What you are is greater that what you have.

Question. — Is not the hope of His calling connected with the consummation and knowledge of the assurance of it in our souls now?

Yes! but it is not so much the carrying out of the purposes of God, as the counsel itself before the world that we are considering.

The first time that "Christ" is named in the chapter is after the world, in one sense, had run its course. It is necessary that a distinction should be drawn between the counsels of God in the past and their being carried out in time. God began to fulfil His counsels in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

All the previous dealings of God with men were on the basis of responsibility and came to an end in the cross. There the history of the first man came to an end morally and there the judgment of the world took place. The life and the ministry of the Lord is on that account passed by and the Spirit begins with Him in death. The chapter has eternal things in view, and so the Lord Jesus is brought in as being raised from the dead.

When the word "children" is used there is no suggestion of any previous history, but not so with the word "sons," for the word adoption at once implies previous associations. Sonship gives the new position for eternity.

Question. — Is priesthood consequent on sonship?

I think so. They come together in one individual. Priestly service entails a rich appreciation of the excellencies of the sacrifices and this corresponds in itself with the privilege of sonship in the New Testament. It is this that gives the place of importance to the priest and when we recall what has already been said in the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 2 and 10, we see the wealth of favour that has been showered upon us in bringing us to God as sons. The only part of the burnt offering that did not go up in the sacrifice to God was the skin, and this was given to the priest, those who brought the offering stood by and looked on and saw that it was accepted of God. God, who ever had the death of His Son before Him in the burnt offering, tells out to us all its blessed details so that we might have a fuller insight into the preciousness of what His Son was to Him.

Question. — Are we sons by adoption and children by birth?

Yes, that is a very clear way to express the. thought. Seven times over in the epistle of John we are said to be born of God. This presents the new generation who walk in righteousness and love, which are the marks of eternal life. This last is a great thing in that epistle.

Question. — Are not we "sons" to set forth the character of God in this world?

It is in the sight of God that we are said to be sons here, and are called children as seen in this world. "Be ye, therefore, followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved us."

Remark. — Sons are taken into a position to which they have no right by births.

Question. — What does the inheritance in the saints mean?

It is that which He takes possession of, in or through, the saints. It is the vast inheritance that He takes up in the day of glory.

Remark. — The truth of the body in the epistle to the Corinthians seems to be that it is the vessel in which Christ is expressed. He is the Spirit of it, and it is there the local expression of the body. In Ephesians the church is regarded as taking in every saint from the second of the Acts to the fourth of first Thessalonians, nor could it be otherwise, for the purpose of God could not be limited in any;way whatever, for everything is on a grand scale here.

Remark. — The fulness of the Head is spoken of in the Colossians, but here it is the fulness of the body.

All the fulness dwells in Him as God, but in Ephesians, Christ is looked at as the risen Man and as such, the body is considered His complement, "The church which is His fulness," the complement of Him that filleth all in all. This is a thought of surpassing wonder, and hangs upon the character of Christ Himself. It is the same thought as Eve giving expression to Adam. The assembly is taken from Christ to be His help-meet in spreading His glory throughout the whole creation in the coming day of glory.

Remark. — Before Eve was the bride she was the body; she was part of himself, built in to a woman and presented to Him.

The thought of the body and the bride are closely connected, that which is presented to Christ must be morally at His level, therefore, she has to be taken from Him to be presented to Him.

Christ's name and character will be stamped on every part of the universe, and the bride is the means by which it will be done. That there should be a vessel formed for the adequate display of Christ is a very overpowering thought.

If it were a question of merely going to heaven, He could have taken us there when we were converted, but He has a definite object in leaving us here. When we consider the frailty of those that He has taken up, and what He has in view for them, we cease to wonder at His ways with us in present discipline. Saints are being trained now for what they are to be capable of to-morrow.

Question. — Shall we go on developing in that day?

This is the day for development, you should never be off duty, but if you are, both the Lord. and yourself will suffer loss.

Question. — Is the capacity that is being formed to-day for the enjoyment of divine things limited to the millennium or will it abide for ever?

I think it will abide for ever. You could not think of one filling a place in the millennium which would have to be given up at the end of it. The beginning of the kingdom glory is the beginning of the eternal state, as far as the heavenly saints are concerned.

The second chapter shows what we are taken out of. Remember the pit from whence ye were digged — a solemn injunction to bear in mind. And to such, God has chosen to reveal Himself!

Remark. — The greatness of the power available for us is measured by Christ being raised from the dead.

All His enemies are under His feet now. The resurrection of Christ has drawn more upon the resources of God than the creation of the universe. Paul desired to "Know Him and the power of His resurrection," i.e., a power outside of nature, the power of new creation. God has raised Him and given Him the highest place over all creation, and His bride is to be with Him.

As individuals, we are under Christ as Lord, and needless to say that we delight to be under such a, Lord. Having tasted that the Lord is gracious we gladly own His supremacy, but the body is not under Him in that sense, but is associated with Him in all that vast dominion of glory over which He rules. All that Eve was or had was centred in Adam, so that we should have to be careful when speaking of the church hem All that she is, or has, is because of her links with Christ.

Remark. — He set Him at His own right hand. He sits there alone.

Every heart should bow to that and say, "That is His place and His alone." From thence He administers all things for the benefit of the church, A distinction, however, must be made between the church's place in the day of glory, and the place of all the rest. Eve was distinct from the rest of all creation over which Adam reigned.

Question. — Does it not say that He is Head over the church?

No! It says He is Head of the body, not over the body. Every movement of my hand comes from my head, i.e., there is perfect harmony in my body. God intends that all the members of the body should work in perfect agreement with each other so that amid diversity there should be unity.

In chapter 9 you come to the building. This chapter supplies the link between the two prayers which we have read.

Question. — Is the holy temple in the Lord looked at as complete now?

No! it is growing. The chapter is in two parts. The first part down to verse 10 shows the whole extent of the work of God, transferring us to heaven, and anticipating in a spiritual way the truth of 1 Thessalonians 4. Verse 11 begins the second part, and after the warnings of verses 11 and 12, there is opened out the fulness of what has been set up here by the presence of the Holy Ghost.

The assembly is the;house of God now and here, and it behoves is to consider the whole extent of what is connected with that house. Oh! that we might apprehend that we who were afar off are now brought near, where there is a new Man, one body by reconciliation, access to the Father, and instead of being strangers and foreigners, are made fellow citizens of the saints. In fact, we are brought to the blessedness of the city and the house.

Question. — It began with the apostles?

Yes, they are the foundation, but we must not fail to see that the machinery a what is set up here is consequent on Christ glorified; The parenthesis of chapter 3 springs out of that as well as all the practical part of the epistle covering that last three chapters. I fear that there is a danger of our becoming so accustomed to these expressions that they lose their power over us. The immensity of the revelations and their far-reaching effects deeply humbled the apostle, so that he felt his true position before such majestic communications and spoke of himself as the least of all saints.

Coming to actualities, does not the poverty of our prayer meetings speak of a great lack of closet prayer? Do not the demands of business swallow up too much of our time? We must remember that the devil is the organizer of the world's system to-day. He will see to it that we have little time for prayer, readings, for the meetings or the things of God in general. If we could only have a little determination to redeem the time, Satan would be defeated.

Remark. — You do not mean to find fault -with being in business

Oh, no! I would not do that, but the Lord must have His place, and if we do not give it to Him we shall be losers in some way or other,

Remark. — Nehemiah prayed while he was at his business.

In the first prayer of Ephesians the power is outside of us, it is the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, but in the second prayer, the power is within us, "Strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man." The "inner man" is the outcome of the work of the Spirit in the affections of the saints. "I delight in the law of God after the inner man."

Remark — The outer man has reference to the body, "the outer man perishes."

Yes! but it is more than that. It is what is true of the saints. Scripture does not speak of the worldling as having an inner man, and therefore, it would be foolish to speak of his having an outer man.

Question. — But every man has an outer man as contrasted with his inner self?

If you speak of a man in that way he is a moral being in a physical body. In that sense you may speak of an inner and an outer man, but that is not what is spoken of here. A Christian has an inner man in the sense of a new moral being. It is in it that he has to say to God and the whole faith system, but besides that, he has to do with the things of sight and sense. These latter, are the things of the outer man. The outer man is a great deal more than a merely material thought.

In chapter 6, the power is working out from us, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

Question. — Is not the body the temple of the Holy Ghost?

Oh, yes! but there is more than that, for the Holy Ghost dwells in you, that is, He dwells not merely in the body, but in the man who lives in the body.

These two prayers open up the deepest thoughts of God in a most astonishing way. Each rises step by step to a beautiful but different; climax, the first having its issue in the kingdom glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the other in eternity itself.

The first prayer begins with GOD and ends with the glorious reign of Christ over all things, having His church associated with Him; the second has the FATHER of the Lord Jesus at the beginning and ends with he assembly as the vessel in which the glory of God shines throughout eternity. What a culmination of the sorrows and throes of the cross! What a theme for endless praise from the reconciled ones!

Blest Lord! what heavenly wonders dwell

In Thine atoning blood.

The Beauty of the Lord

The Beauty of the Lord

James McBroom.

PART 1.

It is sweet to linger in thought around the PERSON of our Lord. Whatever variety of ministry may be called for this is always acceptable; it is indeed the finest of the wheat. A settled conviction possesses the heart and fills the affections in such a way that while occupied with that which must ever be beyond us there is at the same time the holy winsomeness of spiritual attraction which beckons us on, so that we may feast our souls on the precious things of heaven in a Man. "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, dunk abundantly, O beloved." There are searchless heights and fathomless depths; all that can be predicated of God the Eternal, but with it all the rich variety of features proper to man in incorruptible beauty: "The Man Christ Jesus."

But it may be said that man is to himself a mystery. And this is true, for with all his marvellous ability, desires and far-reaching activities, he is living in a house of clay, a vessel made of dust, which cannot rise above the earth of which it forms part. Morally and spiritually fitted to rise up and respond to the deepest thoughts of God, yet connected by his body with the creation beneath him; man is indeed a marvellous piece of divine workmanship. As the Poet has said, "O what a miracle to man is man."

Comparison must fall into contrast when we come to the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in Manhood He is unique, and stands alone a Man after a different order from Adam. He is an eternal Person every creature receives being from Him and is every moment sustained by Him. Manhood in our Lord was an act of His own, by that act an eternal Person took a new condition and by it came into a new position. We began to be, He chose to become, our birth is by the ordinary God appointed means, His was a manner all His own. Such an One could have no genealogy, He is without beginning or end of days. Yet having become Man He has genealogy and is traced first to the heads of the favoured people and then past all, right on to Adam. Compare the beginning of Matthew with that of Luke.

It is interesting and instructive to compare the beginning of John and even also Mark with this. The omissions in John are because He is God, in Mark because He is a Servant. John begins with Godhead glory, Mark with service. Both pass over the genealogy and miraculous birth: no Bethlehem, no Magi, no Childhood nor subjection to parents, no increase in wisdom and stature. With John there is much about Deity, divine glory, illuminating splendour, and sovereignty of power; but Mark hastens to present the Servant. Even here, however, there is a difference, for Mark, with the other two Synoptists, gives the transfiguration which John omits. The latter shows Him the Centre and Source of glory intrinsic, to Whom nothing can be added, but Mark shows the glorious answer given to Jehovah's Servant; the One to be exalted and extolled and made very high (Isa. 52: 73). While Matthew and Luke give the earthly human circumstances, each from his own point of view with regard to the Birth of our Lord, and the providential agents brought into action in relation to filling out the prophetic word; John links up the Incarnation, even as Paul, (see Heb. 10), with eternal purpose, and shows the activity of the Godhead in the eternal world.

All this is in perfect moral order, and behind the human instruments there is the wise and skilful ordering of the Holy Spirit. In the mystic cherubim this fourfold distinction is made prominent, as indeed in the ingredients which composed the holy incense. The beautiful significance of this number is seen in the former of these along with the plenary wealth of symbolic teaching, and pious minds, all down the ages, have connected them in one way or another with the four-fold presentation of the Lord in the Gospels. That they each were intended to be a symbolic representation of Him, there can be no doubt.

In the throne of Jehovah, which is described with an unusual degree of minuteness in the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 1), all is coloured by the characteristic features of a Man, as combined with what is intrinsically holy and divine. There is the lightning speed which accompanies both wheels and wings, with the unerring vision of divine omniscience, as seen in the eyes both within and without: all of which seems to denote the perfect intelligence, combined with rapidity of discriminating judgment, which proceeds from that throne. Then the full executary character of the throne is seen under the likeness of glowing creatures, whose appearance were like to burning coals, which were likened to lamps from which went forth lightning, but over all there were the predominating features of a Man.

This wonderful description of the throne of the divine Majesty in full executive function is founded on the basis of the four heads of creation; man, lion, ox and eagle, but clearly showing man in pre-eminence. Out of the midst of the fire came "the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a Man." Each of them had four faces; a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle, with certain members peculiar to each of these creatures but all was characterized as under the likeness of a Man. Man's face speaks of intelligence and spiritual discernment here, with a wisdom and knowledge, capable of using to advantage the great strength of the lion, the plodding feet of the ox as upon the earth, and the rapidity of the height and flight of the eagle, as careering through the heavens. As confirmatory of all this, the throne, which seems to rest on this complicated structure, (see 1 Kings 7: 23-25), is occupied by a MAN. Without presuming to detail this wonderful vision as God has been pleased to set it before us we may affirm that it is a representation of the glory of God in His attributes, as expressed in the Son Incarnate. Man, whose form is the governing prototype in the vision, has been created in relation to the working out of the great scheme of God's eternal counsels, all of which looked forward to the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son. This four-fold representation of creation in its heads, as coming under a man, leads, in the four Gospels, to the wondrous expression of all that God is in His essential attributes, in the Man Christ Jesus.

As to the various commodities which formed the holy incense, not one of them belonged to Palestine. Here again there were four, (Ex. 30: 34-38), and not one of them grew in the land. All were exotic to Canaan and expressive of the typical glory of the Lord Jesus in the combination of holy excellencies in His Person. He who grew up as a tender plant out of a dry ground, brought from heaven all the precious moral features, and virtues which marked Him in that pathway of glory. Every trait fitted into every other in such an inimitable way, so as to meet the desires of infinite love to perfection. Such a life in its true proportion could neither be written, understood nor appreciated, apart from the Holy Spirit, the true Perfumer. This is what the four Gospels put before us; time has not dimmed it; foes have not tarnished it, and friends can never fathom it. It has produced perpetual volumes of praise in God the Father's ear, and its infinite worth of Glory is known to Him alone.

This surely is a heart study; incomprehensible, yet supremely engrossing, for "The Father only that blest Name of Son can comprehend." But who would not have it so? If we could comprehend Him we must lose Him, for He is "God over all." Of all the glories that are His as become Incarnate, glories indeed, in which we shall have our part in thus owning Him, there is none to which we delight to bow more than the fact that above and beyond all that we know or ever can know, that artistic work, and these sweet spices, speak of Him in a way that will ever remain beyond us. He is now, and ever will be well known to us in the holy intimacy of a new relationship that is ours as fruit of eternal counsels, in the adoration which will be our souls' eternal delight; yet, in that very intimacy of delight, there will still remain a distance, infinite and eternal, between all that we can know, and what He is, properly and essentially, as known to God alone.

It is the assemblage of graces and virtues, in such holy combination that holds the soul in reverent and adoring charm; we would dwell upon it with an enquiring heart, and holy submission, in the language of Psalm 27: 4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and enquire in His temple."

A King in regal splendour (Matt. 17: 1-8), yet the most accessible of all men, a Commander (Isa. 55: 4), yet a bondslave (Phil. 2: 7). Come to rule, yet living the life of a Servant. A homeless Stranger, yet distributing abundantly to all. The elements of poverty and wealth meet and suspend from the same fulcrum as obedience and universal sway. He is dependent, yet supreme, subject but subduing, submissive, yet controlling all things. It is this that gives such holy and commanding charm to these precious Gospels. See how all these elements of character combine in proper moral sequence: each fitting into each in such a way that nothing predominates to overshadow the rest. If He commands it is fitting: — "Bring them to Me." "Make the men to sit down upon the grass." If He obeys it is the same: — "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish His work." If among the poor, His movements befit the circumstances. "I will not send them away fasting lest they faint by the way" (Matt. 15. 32). If among the rich it is the same (Mark 10: 21). It was with the religious leaders that there came the greatest clash. This is seen in the great controversies at Jerusalem. "Which of you convinceth Me of sin." "Ye are from beneath, I am from above." "Ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father you will do."

Touching life in all its complex machinery of obligation whether in village, town, or city, yet in such a way that all was in perfect order. Nothing alarming, prodigious, or unbalanced; all is done with the measure of a Man and the common things of life gilded with the colour of heaven. After His great kingdom sermon He is met at the foot of the mountain by a leper, in the town with the message of the Centurion's servant, and in the house with the sickness of Peter's wife's mother. All are met in relation to their needs by the word of Immanuel, His power is unlimited, covering the physical, moral, and spiritual realms. He is at the service of all and none need be shut out. He knows the past and right down into the eternal future and brings everything to bear on the present, and with deep compassion could say, "Come unto Me." Linger a moment over these words of Matt. 11: 28. No mere creature could say: "Come unto Me . . . and rest." Such expressions belong to a class of texts which, in an indirect way prove His Godhead. Leading men of outstanding character and ability like Abraham, Moses or David could give counsel and help in times of need: One only could say "Come unto Me." The creature shines at his best when calling attention to Him, but to be the Centre and Object of all is the prerogative and glory of God. Of himself the Baptist could say, "I am a voice" but in his message, "Behold the Lamb of God." And again "He must increase but I must decrease."

Take another of these wonderful Scriptures. "Ye believe in God believe also in Me." Would not this be blasphemy on the lips of any creature? Or again, "Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and these are the witness-bearers of Me." All this comes out in the most simple way apart from excitement or distraction. Then see how it works out in presenting His claims upon men. He does this in the most marvellous way, so as to come before father and mother, and without the slightest word that might indicate presumption. He asserts His Godhead rights. What could surpass for beauty the mutual reciprocation of affection, and the divinely established order of authority, and subordination, in a well ordered home? Obedience to parents is said to be the first commandment with promise. The claims of God must come first and God who laid down these commandments is here (Cp. Luke 14: 26 with Gen. 12: 1). The Scriptures testily of Him in many ways, as, for example, in pre-Incarnate glory He is Creator, Upholder and moral Governor of all, and in His glorified Humanity He is Lord, Head and Priest. Whoever could say in relation to the Holy Scriptures "Ye have heard that it hath been said. Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, But I say unto you, not to resist evil, but whosoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other," etc. But He is Scripture's Author. See in this connection a tremendous weighty statement in Mark 13: 31. Heaven and earth shall pass away but My words shall in no wise pass away.

How is it possible in the light of all this to stand quietly by when the glory of our adorable Lord is attacked? Can we allow men to fritter away the truth be they who they may? Negatives surely ought to awaken surprise and at least put us on our guard, and this marks them all. "See that there be no one who shall lead you away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit." And again, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?" Are not the thieves and robbers of John 10 all around us today? A thief takes what is not his own; a robber leaves others without what is their own. The devil is never more devilish than when robbing the saints with pious pretension. The holy Scriptures belong to the Church as composed of every believer. No mere professor has any right, whatever be his status, to touch that blessed Book. A man with high pretension offers us a translation of the Bible which diligently labours to rob us of the richest part of divine revelation. It may indeed attempt to take from us the Person and work of our Lord. What can the one who feels he owes his all to that blessed Saviour do? May we not, in holy indignation, turn and say, "Traitor, begone"? But alas, even among those that are being robbed, this is not counted polite!

Take again Unitarianism and its kindred cults. Where in all the earth is there anything to be found so stupid and absurd? Truly the credulity of the incredulous is a study. To speak of our Lord as a good Man. and attempt to rob us of His Deity, as these people do, is to show not merely an amazing lack of judgment, but to be blinded of the devil. I he apostate Jews were more consistent. There was nothing for them between His being God, and a mere blasphemer. The believing remnant owned Him as God but the unbelieving mass put Him to death as a blasphemer. By eulogising Him as a good Man, apostate Christendom seeks to come in between and by so doing, cuts the ground from beneath its own feet.

As we approach the deeper side of His service we see a marked difference between the spoken testimony of our Lord and His works. These latter were the benevolent application of His power with regard to man's life upon earth, and had in view the furtherance of His spoken testimony. His mighty works were public and appealed to man's reason, but His teaching was that which faith alone could appropriate. He set men free from the weaknesses and blemishes that clung to them as a result of sin, but He dealt with them in their soul in a new life with heaven and heavenly things in immediate connection. Having the cross before Him and the purpose of God, He was forming a company for association with Himself in heaven in all the blessed range of heavenly things in new creation. His mighty works in the sphere of nature were in this connection an attestation to His wisdom, power and glory. He opened blind eyes and deaf ears, cleansed the leper and raised up the paralytic, going on to raise up the dead; all of which could be taken account of by human reason, but in His teaching the faith sphere was distinctly in view. This meant not merely forgiveness and reinstatement upon earth, but the formation of a new company for heaven and heavenly glory.

The rejection of Christ by Israel put Him on the wider ground of dealing with man in the race. This changed the character of His ministry from the mere fulfilment of promise in Israel, to the fulfilment of eternal counsels and the call of the Church. Names written in heaven and the hope of soon going there, "In My Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. If I go I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am there you may be also," was very different from "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

It will be seen that our Lord was not merely a wonder worker. He did not do things merely to excite people or secure popularity. Not one thing He did can be called capricious or the mere arbitrary work of a person seeking to display his ability. If wine is created or food multiplied, both are to meet existing needs. Divine power is at work in love and goodness, and all so beautifully ordered as to conform to the principle of demand and supply. This is the perfection of wisdom, the lack of which has spoiled the actions of men of many parts and shining gifts.

It is remarkable how one thing leads to another in this wonderful life. We pass at the point we have reached from the Galilean ministry where the kingdom is much in evidence, to the Perean ministry in Luke, where the Lord as rejected by Israel is busy preparing a company for heaven. His perfection shines everywhere; what may have marred the page in every other record serves to bring out the heavenly refinement of this glorious Man. In Him every moral feature combined with every other, in such a way as to present a complete balance in every detail, both Godward and manward. Character springs from constitution, and both may be seen coming out in conduct. In every man there is some predominating feature which comes to the front which defines his character. With the Lord Jesus there was none of this. Men with the highest moral conceptions may be marked by personal blemishes, and leading ethical teachers often descend to personal inconsistencies: some flaw, indeed, is found in all, but in our Lord there was perfection. Every feature of moral life came into true and just proportion, each rising to its highest expression, without in any way entrenching on the others, so as to constitute a perfectly moral answer in Man to the glory of God, and a complete expression of the love of God to fallen man. His dignity was accompanied with comeliness, and perfect accessibility, and while the grandeur of His thinking never took Him beyond the range of the simple His unimpeachable justice combined perfectly with grace and made Him the most accessible of all. Nor could His unsullied purity deter Him from mixing with publicans and sinners, although for that He was called a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber. His power was side by side- with gentleness, and along with the most exalted dignity there was the most approachable lowliness. Well may we say Hallelujah! what a Saviour. See how admirably the two Testaments are linked together in His Person, "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11: 2).

PART 2.

But we are reminded while dwelling upon the deeper side of that wondrous life that there is a distinction in the presentation of God, in that life, not yet noted. Hitherto we have been engaged with the beauty of a Man, and the way the combined features of God and Man meet and flow out in His Person and service. We would look now, not at the varied features, divine and human, which were seen there, but at the difference between the manifestation of God in His moral nature as love and what He is in the grand features of Deity, or in other words, the difference between the love of His heart and the attributes inherent in His Being. This latter may be distinguished from the assemblage of virtues which combined together and found expression in that wondrous Man as leading to the full manifestation in Him of the eternal God. Needless to say, this calls for reverence, and dependence upon Himself.

It may be affirmed that whatever way God has been pleased to set Himself before us in the Holy Scriptures, whether in nature or character, or even in the great and glorious attributes of His Being, all can be found in one way or another in the glorious Immanuel of the holy Gospels. There is love and light, then holiness and righteousness; the last two being the moral attributes of the divine nature. Then there are the other great attributes such as Eternity, Immensity, Omnipotence and Omnipresence, etc., all of which remind us of Him who is a great God and terrible (Deut. 7: 21; Deut. 10: 17).

We can well understand the condescending grace of our Lord Jesus and follow with holy delight the movements of His peerless Person in relieving, healing and feeding, etc., but there are times when we cannot understand, and there are moments when we see but cannot follow. There are times and scenes in that life of lowly grace when Omnipotent power breaks forth in such a way as to forbid creature scrutiny. Times indeed when those men who knew His love dared not ask Him a question. True, it is, that His condescending grace drew them around Himself and made them feel at home there in holy intimacy, but (and may we not say that the same is our experience to day), it was necessary that the deeper side of His eternal Majesty and Glory should be known, "Our God is a consuming fire." There were indeed actions of His which gave such a glimpse of His eternal Godhead as to make every creature tremble. We note first some of these manifestations of power and glory and afterwards shall endeavour to show the same thing at work but combined with the expression of eternal love.

He trod upon the waves of the sea. That which had fled before the action of His mighty hand in days of old (Psalm 114), became a pavement for His feet, and to the anxious fears of His disciples said "Fear not, I am." When Peter would intrude with nature's best intention He said "Get thee behind Me, Satan." To them all, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?" and to Peter's question about John He answered, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"

A moment came when His disciples durst not say, "Who art Thou," and when no man dared ask Him a question. Why? Was it not that they were held in holy awe at the sacred Majesty of His Person and bearing? What a mystery! at one moment a poor woman is at His feet, washing them with her tears, and drying them with her hair; at another a disciple pillows his head on His blessed bosom, but a time comes when no one dare ask a question. Then think of Him, when those amongst whom He grew up "thrust Him out of the city . . that they might cast Him down headlong." "He passing through the midst of them went His way." And what must it have been when those sent to take Him were helpless, and went back saying; "Never man spake like this MAN."

There came a time when He had to tell the leaders at Jerusalem their moral origin; a generation which sprang from the devil. Was it not then that the three shepherds were cut off in one month (Zech. 11: 8., cp. Matt. 22). In close connection with all this came the woes on the cities of Galilee and furthermore, the solemn denunciations of Matt. 23. Who does not recall here the word of Hosea 6. 5, when He said, "I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth"? Listen to Him of Whom it is said, "Whose voice once shook the earth." "Blind guides," "whited sepulchres," "Ye serpents, generation of vipers, how can ye escape the condemnation of hell"? Are these not the occasions when He took account of their guilt in refusing their blessing and cut asunder those two staves called Beauty and Bands, which were emblematical of the richest blessing, not only for Israel, but also for the whole earth (see Zech. 11, Matt. 11 and chap. 23)?

Is it not difficult to imagine that we are listening to the same voice here as said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour, and I will give you rest"? It is the voice of God. "The voice of Jehovah is powerful, the voice of Jehovah is full of majesty. The voice of Jehovah breaketh cedars, yea, Jehovah breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of Jehovah cleaveth out flames of fire" etc., etc. (Psalm 29 and see Heb. 4: 12).

But greater still: see the fire of Seraphic holiness breaking forth at the temple when with a whip of small cords in His hand they fled from the courts before Him. This is "Jesus Christ the righteous." And yet more awful for those that came to apprehend Him, when they all went backward and fell to the ground. Surely the Shekinah cloud was here, which was in sight like devouring fire (Ex. 24: 17). What a wondrous scene, and with such close proximity to Calvary where He Himself would suffer under the fire of Jehovah's wrath. What is the explanation of it all? Immanuel, God with us, come down to suffer and die, yet God in eternal might and majesty supreme.

We turn now to look at the working of these same attributes in our Lord Jesus Christ, but in such combination with the tenderness of the heart of God, that the fearful and awe-inspiring features of Deity are, so to speak, hid behind the grace and mercy of God come down to bless. By multiplying food to feed many thousands from five barley loaves and two fishes, His Omnipotence is seen in full activity, but as controlled by the love that would not let them go lest they would faint by the way. But as ever, the historic wraps up in itself both the dispensational and the moral: His power did not stop at the mere need of the moment, and so in the twelve baskets that were left, He supplies a figurative presentation of the abundance that remains for the blessing of the whole tribes of Israel. The same may be said of the turning water into wine: it was for His people's need, but along with the activity of His mighty power there is a picture of the time when He shall rejoice over His Israel with joy, He will rest in His love and joy over them with singing (Zech. 3: 17). And so we might go on, for whether it be a poor woman who had spent her all upon doctors, or a helpless paralytic, or a poor distressed and shunned leper, that power incomprehensible and divine is ever ready to work.

Two cases among Gentiles serve to show His power and glory in a remarkable way, namely, the Centurion's servant that was ready to die, and the Canaanitish woman's daughter that was vexed of the devil. In each His mighty power was at work, but in none of them was His bodily presence given. Both have a dispensational significance, both shew the love of God for His poor degraded creature, and besides all there is the display of the omnipotence and omnipresence of God. These things remind us of His seeing Nathaniel under the fig-tree alone: an Israelite in whom was no guile; of His sending two disciples for the colt upon which He would ride into His royal city, of the man they would meet and what would be said, and of a like occurrence later in connection with the room for the passover feast. He knows all things. Being the Son He is intimately acquainted with the movements of God's testimony upon the earth. As the source and origin of that testimony He is in all the holy intimacies of heaven and heaven's eternal purposes, and being Lord of all He is cognisant of all that is going on in hell (Matt. 13, John 17, Luke 16).

Thus we are called to dwell with adoring hearts on the way God, in nature, and character, has been set forth in a world where sin has ruined the creature, and dishonoured that same blessed God. Our sin has not hindered Him from coming near to us to express His love and to do it in such a way as to regain our hearts for His eternal pleasure, "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?" like Moses in the glory cloud, "who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, and shaketh his hand from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ear from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in His beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off" (Isa. 33: 14-17). Surely it would be the deep delight of us all to behold the King in His beauty. May we remember that for this we must be among those that walk uprightly.

It will be clear that our meditation would be incomplete without a few words on the parables and miracles of our Lord. It is fitting that His teaching should combine in itself the three great divisions of time, namely; past, present and future. While treating the then present and its exigencies He linked up with it both the past and the future in one grand whole, so as to constitute in Himself a Bridge stretching from eternity to eternity. Thus there is the perfect solution of all moral questions, which ensure the glory of God in the creation by the removal of sin and the blessing of the creature, in a condition of never ending satisfaction where everything shall reflect our God in all that He has revealed Himself to be.

The parables of our Lord differ in some respects from His miracles. The latter appeal more to the senses, producing wonder and amazement, and are said to be the powers of the coming age. Parables are pictures in words showing the wisdom of God in the moral realm; miracles display His power in the sphere of nature. The former are for all time, linking up with eternity both at the beginning and end; the latter are more a divine intervention at certain stages in God's testimony in the earth in time.

In the parable the Lord is seen standing as it were on the confines of two worlds, of which one is invisible and unknown to man, but both well known to Him. He brings out treasures from the eternal world, clothing all in figures drawn from this world of time and nature, such as a Shepherd and his sheep or treasures hid in a field. By using the material to serve the moral, He brings out that which is heavenly and eternal from the invisible world, which in that way becomes in the hands of the Spirit available for creatures such as we. In His resource we are brought to learn that which otherwise we could not know and are instructed in the thoughts, ways, and purposes of God for the pleasure of God. What a glorious fund of spiritual instruction is contained in these parables. They are drawn from nature, history, politics and commerce, from field and forest; the business and the home: nature lays her treasures at His feet; who could teach like Him?

Generally speaking, the parables of our Lord fall into two great parts. Those of the kingdom which show Israel in a place distinct from all other nations, and those of a deeper character which describe the work of God in the grace of His heart in relation to all mankind. The former are dispensational and belong chiefly to the first two Gospels as set forth in the Galilean ministry of the Lord, the latter go down to the moral root of man's departure from God and the way He has come in to recover and reinstate the creature. In the Perean ministry in the Gospel of Luke, where the Son of God is presented to men as the Son of Man the whole race is in view.

Though speaking often figuratively it was not till His refusal by Israel that parables became prominent in the teaching of our Lord. At that time He fulfilled the words of Psalm 78: 2, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret since the foundation of the world" (Matt. 13: 35). The group of parables which the Lord brings out there describe the guilt of Israel in His rejection and go on to show the setting up of the kingdom of heaven in mystery by His ascension to the right hand of God. These go on to tell in prophetic precision of the breakdown of that new thing among the Gentiles and the progress of corruption till it becomes the worst thing of all. But from its beginning there was in it that which was dear to Him, His own peculiar treasure, the Assembly.

The parables in Luke go still deeper, anticipating doctrine as given both in Romans and Ephesians. The group recorded in Rom. 7: 41; Rom. 10: 30-35; Rom. 14: 16-24; Rom. 15: 11-24, set forth in the richest of diction the journey of the soul from grace to glory. The work of the Spirit in the human heart is shown from the moment grace reaches it as a five hundred pence debtor with nothing to pay, till it finds itself delivered from the Adamic condition and clothed in Christ in a new creation before the Father, for His eternal delight. Compare the two little parables of new cloth for new garments and new wine for new bottles.

There are certain leading parables which stand by themselves, as, "A sower went forth to sow." There are duplicate parables, as for example, the marriage of the king's son, in Matt. 22, and the feast by a certain man, in Luke 14. Again, there are parables in triplicate form, as in Luke 15. The Shepherd seeking the lost sheep, the woman and the lost piece of money, and the Father running out to meet the one which had been lost. In these last we pass from the kingdom to the House, from the dispensational to the moral, right in to the richest and best of divine revelation to the deepest depth of the heart of God.

Beloved reader, what can we say to all this? Surely we have the best of the best, the richest of the rich, and the grandest of the grand, from the Master Himself. Has He not said, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see; for I tell you that many prophets have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them." "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" And again listen to the Lord Himself; "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes." May the Lord enable us to have a deeper appreciation of such grace so that we may respond to it more, and in praise and worship for His own and the Father's delight.

PART 3.

In attempting a few words on the miracles of our Lord, one wonders if we are sufficiently near Himself and under the control of His Spirit to do such a thing. It is no question of what men of science may say or think, or of research into nature and her laws; a proper apprehension of the ONE we are speaking of makes all this perfectly clear. The devout heart sees God in His own domain, using the physical in view of the moral; sorting, assorting and adjusting in the midst of man's failure and need, both for his present relief and his eternal blessing.

The miracles of our Lord appeal to man's senses and produce both wonder and amazement, and in that way become a public witness to the greatness of the Worker. if the works of God in creation be said to leave man without excuse, what of these mighty and mysterious workings of His power? "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it to them. For the invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead (or Divinity) so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1: 19, 20). If God's eternal power and Divinity may be clearly seen in creation, and His Providential goodness in the world of men, as witnessed to by the whole course of human history, what shall we say of the manifestation of that same God in the mighty works of the Son here? (see Acts 14: 17; Acts 17: 25-28). Since God is clearly seen in creation and has left not Himself without witness in the sphere of providence, surely the voice of Immanuel silencing the storm, removing disease, commanding demons and raising the dead — works which also appealed to reason — was a bringing of the blessed God near to men. If the witness of creation left men without excuse the witness of the mighty works of the Lord Jesus Christ by those that refused Him, prove positive enmity and hatred to God. If it be seen that the Incarnation of the Son was at the end of a long course of patient dealings on the part of God, when man as a responsible moral agent was under trial, we can readily understand the divine thought in the miracles of our Lord. It was the will of God that nothing might be wanting on His part calculated to appeal to the creature that his affections might be gained, but all was of no avail. The mass connected His works with the power of Satan, and handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified as a blasphemer, and like the swine in the miracle of Luke 8: 26-33, careered their downward way till they were lost in the sea of Gentile nations, while the remnant owned Him as their Lord and God, and came in for richest blessing.

The refusal of Christ was, in effect, the rejection of the Father and the Son. The Lord Himself interprets their action with regard both to His word and works. "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not sin: but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father" (John 15: 22-24).

But it may be asked if all the gracious activity of power seen in the miracles of our Lord is to go for nothing. To this it may be said that Christianity assumed a place in the earth by the accompaniment of miraculous power. In this sense we follow the working of His mighty power after He had gone on high. The Gospels may show all that He began to do and to teach (Acts 1: 1), but the book of Acts and the Epistles, what He continued to do through His servants.

There is, however, an answer of a deeper character, for although all was without avail on the line of human responsibility, so that the Lord had Himself to say by the prophetic Spirit, "I have spent my strength for naught and in vain" (Isa. 49: 4), yet God gives an answer which is worthy of Himself on the line of His purpose, and in grace. That answer will come out through the Assembly, which is the Body and Bride of Christ, in the day of display now near at hand, and will be perfect in its entirety as a reflex of every feature of Godhead fulness which has been revealed. All will come out through that city which descends out of heaven from God, in all that He is as revealed in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Turning to the miracles themselves, we see some marvellous moral pictures of man's need and heaven's grace. The place they fill in the great scheme of truth must be seen, if we are to apprehend their import, with regard to the state of man and the full glory of God. For reasons that are plain, they were wrought mostly in that period of the life of our Lord that comes in between His Baptism and Transfiguration. It was then that the great leading transactions of His presentation to Israel and their rejection of His testimony took place. The transition to the Gentiles followed, with the full proof of the state of man universally, and God's sovereignty, as a resource, in the call of the Assembly, the vessel of purpose and of glory. All this gave full scope for the exercise of power in the miracles which He wrought as fitting in exactly with these great lines of truth.

The moral condition, as going right back to Adam, is seen in the leper and the paralytic (Matt. 2 - 4 and 5 - 13). In these the state of degradation and moral corruption is seen combined with the incapacity to avail itself of the power that had drawn nigh. For the doctrine see Rom. 5: 6, 8. Others portray that moral blindness which was ignorant of Him, come forth to bless, and the power of Satan to keep man from God (Matt. 9: 27-31; Mark 8: 22-26), as was seen in the leaders, who said, "We see" (John 9: 41). These cover a large part of the Lord's spoken testimony, which plainly show man's incapability on the one hand, and wilfulness on the other (cp. John 6: 44 with 5: 39)

Then note how the miracles of the Lord lend themselves to the confirmation of the dispensational ways of God, and link up with His parables. The parable of the Vineyard and husbandmen fits in with the miracle of delivering the demoniac at Gadara. Israel had been set up in favour but refused all overtures on the part of Jehovah, and when the Son came they said, "This is the Heir; come, let us kill Him and let us seize on the inheritance." This brought them under judgment which the incident with the swine at the deliverance of the demoniac foreshadows. The demons cast out of the remnant, such as Mary of Magdala and this man at Gadara, took possession of the infatuated people, and they ran down the hill to their destruction. This may be historically seen in the Scribes and Pharisees, and individuals like Caiaphas, etc. But the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead, tells of the time when having suffered for their sins, Israel will be raised up as from the dead, in view of the complete fulfilment of the promises to the fathers, and the full millennial blessing. This is further confirmed by the vision of the valley of dry bones which were made to live (Ezek. 37).

Thus far we have seen the Israel that received Christ in the past, and those to whom He is about to come in richest blessing. But what comes in between? What He is doing now is clearly portrayed in the woman which had an issue of blood. Like the Gentiles, she had had many doctors and was nothing bettered, and like Christians today, she is brought into fullest blessing in the time between the deliverance of the Jews when He was here and the full result in blessing when He comes again. All this the feeding of the five thousand guarantees, for while the multitudes are fed! figurative of His resources in evidence today, there is, in the twelve baskets taken up, a pledge of that which shall meet every need of the twelve tribes in the day to come.

One part is still wanting to fill up the great dispensational picture of Millennial glory. The Gentile nations come in as it were on the skirts of the Jew to share in the blessing of that glorious day. The post-Resurrection miracle on the sea of Tiberius comes in here to fill up the picture. The great haul of fishes may portray the host that will come from all nations to swell the ranks and join in the praises of that glorious time (Matt. 25: 31-46, Rev. 7: 9-17).

One word more on the bearing of certain miracles of the Lord on the testimony after He had gone on high. The remnant blest by the Lord when here are seen in testimony in the book of Acts. Judaism, which was an earthly system, had to be given up for the new heavenly economy set up in a glorified Man and the Holy Spirit on earth. The miracle of walking on the water and Peter leaving the boat to go to Jesus, serves to foreshadow a great and important part of truth which was in the forefront all through the book of Acts. The boat prefigures Judaism, but Christ was outside upon the water; Peter's leaving the ship serves to show the transition which had to be made by Jewish christians from the system they had been brought up in, to the new heavenly order as united to Christ at God's right hand in heaven. The Lord's joining the disciples in the ship, refers to His coming again to put an end to that fearful storm of judgment, in the great tribulation; but what we need to see here, first, is the place He takes upon the water, as proper to the present dealings of God in Christianity. There the principle of attraction is His person and the power that is in Him to hold His own above every adverse element.

Historically, it took the forty years between the Cross and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans for those early Jewish christians to turn from Judaism to Christianity, by going forth unto Him without the camp. Some never did, but those who did, as seen in the Apostles and others, are portrayed in Peter's act of leaving the ship to go to Jesus. Those who accepted the Gospel and preferred to continue in the ship of Judaism, are before us in the miracle of the cleansing of the ten lepers. These again may be seen historically in that numerous class of which the Apostle James seems to be the type. It probably was him who said to Paul, "Thou seest brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law" (Acts 21: 20).

In the cleansing of the ten lepers, only one returned to give glory to God. Jesus said, "where are the nine?" they seem to foreshadow those who were believers but were zealous, like many, alas, today, who are also zealous of the law. And so we might go on, for the healing of the Centurion's servant shows in principle the many that were called by the Gospel from the hidden darkness of heathendom to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven.

But what of those who sought a place in the ship, so to speak, that had no right there? The Galatians and others who went back to the law after having believed the Gospel present a sad picture of confusion. Such had never been under the law, and by going back to that which their fellow believers from the Jews had left. presented the sorry spectacle of adorning themselves with the cast off clothing of others. How deplorable, and yet how much is this in evidence to-day among believers in our Lord Jesus Christ!

This then, beloved, is Jesus; whether parables or miracles, He is the same, "Our Lord Jesus." What heart can conceive or tongue can tell the wonders of this great and glorious Saviour? He ever is and ever will be beyond every creature; the distance of infinity must ever abide between Him and each of us. God, co-equal with the Father and the Spirit; His glory stands undimmed, not only through all the changing years, but, to all eternity. Nevertheless, He will have us with and near Him: it was for this He became a Man, a blessed, tender, gracious, glorious Man. In Him the fulness of Godhead dwells bodily, and in Him the power of Godhead is seen at work on man's behalf. He wrought on man physically, mentally and morally: in the spirit realm, the natural realm, with the moral, social and domestic as well. Disease, death, demons, the sea and its inhabitants, and also the winds. Death and life, heaven, earth arid hell. All are in His hands, at His disposal, and under His control. Miracles prophetic, moral, dispensational and transitional: He is over all God, Creation, Providence, Government and Redemption, all witness to the divine resource that has brought God into Manhood, to die on Calvary's Cross. Who would not adore Him? "All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice." "Fire and hail; snow and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling His word." "The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Hallelujah! praise ye the LORD."

PART 4.

Having dwelt chiefly, thus far, on the presentation of our Lord as seen in the first three Gospels, it remains that we linger a moment and endeavour to contemplate Him with a worshipful heart as set before us in the Gospel of John. As we enter this part of truth's domain we have a feeling of being in an entirely different atmosphere. In the other Gospels we are mainly on the ground of dispensational and prophetic truth, where our Lord is the Centre of the time ways of God, in mediatorial fulness, as the Man of His purpose. The Son of David, the King in Matthew; the great Servant Prophet in Mark, and the Son of Man, the Man of God's pleasure as in Luke. While in each of these the Godhead of our Lord is either expressed in word or act, yet the presentation as a whole is that of a Man. One who is Prophet, Priest and King, but all this as born into this world as a Man. That Man is Immanuel, God with us, (Matthew); God's Son, a Servant, (Mark) Begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of a Virgin (Luke). Only God could foretell the course of all time to come, right down into eternity, or speak of Himself as coming in the clouds of heaven, (Matt. 13: 37-50; Matt. 26: 63). Only God could say, heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away (Mark 13: 32). And only God could speak of coming in His own glory and His Father's glory and that of the holy angels, as in Luke 9: 26. In each of these it is the presentation of a Man; the great anointed Man whose glory is great in God's salvation, and whose dominion is only limited by creation itself. All is different in John.

In the fourth Gospel, God the Son is in view all through, albeit He is Man, the One who created the universe (John 1: 3), and who was at work all through the Old Testament ages (John 5: 17), but had now come down from heaven (John 6: 38), that God — Father, Son and Spirit — might be fully revealed. This coming down was by becoming Man, but what is kept in view is His eternity (John 8: 58), Omnipotence (John 1: 3), Omnipresence (John 1: 48), Co-Equality with the Father (10: 30), and the essential oneness of nature, plan, purpose and counsel of Godhead (John 5: 23; John 14: 11). In Matthew we are reminded of the word, Behold thy King (Zech. 9: 9), in Mark, Behold My Servant (Isa. 42: 1), and in Luke, Behold the Man; but with John it is, Behold your God (Isa. 40: 9).

To move freely in the scenes and circumstances of the fourth Gospel, it is necessary to know the place it fills in the circle of divine revelation. It was written long after the other three, and when there was a much fuller apprehension of the meaning of the Incarnation of the Son. The gap of time in between, was filled up by the service of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. In the ministry of Paul, the circle of divine revelation was filled up. To him it was given, as he tells us in Colossians, to complete the word of God. Decay immediately set in, and Paul lived to see the breakdown of all that which he had been used to rear up, in the way of Church order, ministry and government. As time went on the grievous wolves of which he had spoken, (Acts 20: 29), came in, not sparing the flock, and furious attacks upon the truth of the Lord's Person were current. By inserting the ministry of Paul between the Gospel of Luke and that of John we can better understand this great difference in the inspired communications given in each. John was used of the Spirit at the close of the Apostolic age to meet the current errors, with an unfolding of the richest truth to be found in the whole inspired volume. The truth of divine relationships, affections, intimacies and interests, never before conceived. He goes back beyond the record of the Synoptists and dwells upon the inner life of the Godhead in such a way from the lips of the blessed Lord Himself as shows us the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Spirit, from eternity right on into time and through its eventful history to where it links with eternity again. He shows the thoughts, feelings and delights proper to the Holy Trinity; each in relation to the others intrinsically, and also the interests proper to Each and common to All, incidental to the fulfilment of eternal counsel in the creation.

Surely we have here the marvels of divine wisdom and resource. The very attacks of the enemy are taken as the occasion of bringing out yet fuller and richer revelations of the deep things of God, for the instruction and blessing of His own, and the enrichment of their souls in the apprehension of divine favour.

Let us look now a little at how the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is presented in this Gospel as Object of the Father's love. This has a threefold bearing and connects with a remark above about eternity past and also future, with time in between. The love of the Father to the Son before time (John 17: 24); in time (15: 9); and in eternity to come; having, as it were, received a new impetus in virtue of the Cross. The first was in a glory proper to Deity: that which although external to Godhead, like the insignia of splendour surrounding a Monarch, has its source in the Being of God (John 17: 3); a glory essentially divine. The second in the circumstances of human life here in this world where He had come, in connection both with man's need and the counsels of eternity. The third based upon the cross, and carried forward beyond the bounds of time, to where all that was true of that love, both in eternity past, and in time here, shall combine together with the impetus given to it in His death to give an answer worthy of God. When along with the glad anthems of a redeemed creation, God's heart will find its full outflow to His beloved Son, in the full accomplishment of all He set Himself to do in the counsels of that eternal past.

Until the Incarnation of the Son the truth of the Trinity lay concealed in the depth of essential Deity. Simultaneously with the revelation of plurality in Godhead came the truth of eternal relations, the one hanging upon the other, with the state of love and glory proper to Godhead (17: 5, 24). Closely connected with these, and, indeed, that which has brought them out, was the scheme of eternal counsel. This scheme could not be arbitrary as on the line of agreement, but the spontaneous outcome of the moral nature and being of God. In these counsels the Holy Trinity are made known in the relationships of the Father, Son and Spirit in the love that constitutes the divine nature, and which was mutually reciprocated between Them long ere time began. It is through the activity of the Godhead in giving effect to these counsels that we have learnt something of the life, love and glory of divine Persons in relation to each other, as well as Their relation to creation by Redemption.

Ponder then for a moment these words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world." Who can enter into the depth of meaning in such a statement? Note that something else is made to hang upon it. Yes, both His given glory and His given companions which were the Father's love-gift to Him in that eternal past. "Father, those whom Thou hast given to Me, I will that where I am they also may be with Me, that they may behold My glory that Thou didst give to Me, because Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world" (Young). The men given to Him, and the glory given to Him, are both made to hang upon the mutuality of love in eternity; and then, as to the new place He takes in the given glory, He desires that the given ones should be there with Him, to behold that given glory. It is not here that they may be seen in the glory, although they will be seen in glory with Him; Oh, matchless grace and favour divine! (see verses 22-23). It is that He may be beheld in a glory which is all His own when the universe is at His feet (all of it taken from the hand of His Father) by those favoured ones which also had been given to Him by the Father. Have we beheld His shame, His suffering, sorrow, and grief, in that hour of all hours? As we sit at His Supper meditating on the love that led Him right down to the dust of death, can we not with deepest adoration anticipate the time when we shall behold Him in His glory? Yes, precious Lord, we shall be with Thee, and like Thee, and see Thee, but oh! how sweet to hear Thee say, "Father, I will that those that 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." The transfiguration may help us here where Moses and Elias were with Him in the cloud, and the three disciples were eye-witnesses of His Majesty.

But they will as we have said, be seen in the glory with Him. Here again is the call for refined sensibilities to grasp His thought and sense the sweetness of His holy desires for His own. They are to be seen as loved by the Father, what self-hidingness on His part, whose love led Him to the cross, that He might have us there with Him. He would have us with Him in all the dignity of the Father's love, to see Him in that glory which is His as from the Father, both love and glory being eternal.

The chief passages for this holy intimacy of love and glory before time, are John 17 and Proverbs 8. In these the Father and Son and by implication, the Spirit are seen in the holy reciprocation of love and glory, in the perfect self-existent and self-satisfying delight of Deity; and as the source of those purposes of love which supposes a created universe of intelligent agencies for the outflow of that same love, in such a way, as to create therein a suitable response to itself for evermore. In this way, God will surround Himself with a universe of redeemed and satisfied intelligences, in whose praise He shall delight to all eternity. This shows the counsels of love for the glory of the Son, He having been constituted Heir of all things before these things existed (Hebrews 1: 2). And recalling the anticipatory pledge in the men given to Him in that scene of love and glory in John 17, we can see how all springs from the love which is properly the nature of God, and which was so blessedly reciprocated within the ever blessed Godhead, from each to each, in that scene which is so far beyond us as almost to forbid creature thought. But we turn for a moment to the Son, a Man on earth, an Object enough to engage the heart of God, and see the activity of that same love in time as resting upon Him, a Man upon the earth.

We will cite one or two beautiful texts here which lead to the precious theme of the Man Christ Jesus as the resting place of the love of God as seen here upon the earth. "The Father loveth the Son; and hath given all things into His hand" (John 3: 35). "The Father loveth (philei) the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth" (John 5: 20). "As My Father hath loved Me so also have I loved you" (John 15: 9). "That Thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me" (John 17: 23). The intimacy of communion that these passages suppose is beautifully exemplified in this Gospel. In the Synoptics the Father speaks of Him and once to Him, in the scenes of His Baptism and Transfiguration: here He converses with Him (John 12: 28), witnesses to Him (John 5: 23), draws to Him (John 6: 47), honours Him (John 5: 23), speaks in Him (John 5: 24, New Trans.), dwells in Him and works in Him (John 14: 10). But the Old Testament helps us here. It is remarkable that the New Testament shows us our Lord in eternity looking back, and the Old Testament shows Him to us on the earth looking forward. The Father speaks of Him in Psalm 2 as His Anointed, whom He in purpose has set on Zion. And again in Psalm 91 "Because He has set His love upon Me, therefore will I deliver Him." But in Isa. 49 in the same prophetic Spirit, the Father speaks to Him. "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation to the end of the earth."

It is in the Gospel of John, however, that we see the Son of the Father in His exquisite perfections in relation to the Father. Here He is declaring the Father by doing His work and spreading His word (John 5: 22-23). Here He is the bread of God, while His meat was to do the will of Him that sent Him and finish His work (John 4: 34; John 6: 33). Such was His love to the Father that He lived by the Father (John 6: 57; John 14: 31).

What a fund of spiritual wealth lies in all this, and how poorly we can enter into it. A visitor stays for a time in a well ordered home and is struck with the marks of tender feeling manifested in the dealings one with the other. There is mutual forbearance and tender consideration to a degree, and each one seems to live for the well-being of the others; he looks on, although in the home, he is not in the circle. He may admire, but cannot participate. There are relations, affections and feelings that he is outside. Nor can it be altered, however well they may treat him. They are a family of which he is not a member, and though a welcome visitor, there is that into which he cannot intrude. Beloved Christian reader, you and I are within. Grace has brought us in and as begotten of God, all the rights of the family are ours. In the very instincts of our renewed nature and being we know Him, love Him, and are in Him in the intimacy of the divine nature as the children of God. Yet alas, how often we are like the man who was a visitor, and outside.

Here then, we adoringly follow the movements of the Father and Son in the hands of the Spirit, who has so graciously stooped to put it before us. We are called into the fellowship of God's Son and as brought into His life can participate in holy communion with the Father and the Son. It is in this way that the Father desires to pour into our hearts His own thoughts of that blessed One. In chap. 3 of this Gospel, He calls us to listen to Him as come down from heaven. "He that cometh from heaven is above all: and what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth," who would make such an One a divider of earthly inheritances at such a moment? (Luke 12: 13, 14). Like Moses of old He is here to consecrate worshippers for the Father in chapter four, and in five, six and seven He brings out the full revelation of the Trinity —  Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In chapter five the Son, in six the Father, and in seven the Spirit. In the first of these the Son is the theme, the words "the Son," occur eight times within the compass of eight verses. It is not Son of God nor Son of Man, although each is found in the same context. The Son is first seen in the testimony of grace in relation to the Father (v. 19-22), then in His place in relation to man (23-29), and all connected with the great questions of life, death, resurrection and judgment. The Son is unknowable. "No man knoweth the Son save the Father." Yet all is known unto Him. He knows all the past, all that was going on in the then present, and all that will take place in the future. He is God, knows God, heaven, earth and hell. "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4). But it may be said; what of Mark 13: 32? Well, read the passage. "But of that day or of that hour no one knows, neither the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father" (New Trans.). The mystery, magnitude and grandeur of this passage produces a holy fear and, while wishing to know exactly its meaning, we confess a reluctance to deal with it. There is not, nor indeed can there be, any contradiction, nor need there be any difficulty if we are in the hands of the Spirit. It would mean a long digression here; we shall therefore go on with what is before us in this meditation, and ask the reader to read carefully, and in the fear of God the note at the end.

We have said that in John's Gospel, John 5-7, the Son reveals the Trinity. In the first it is the Son; now in John 6 the Father is prominent as the source. He sealed, and sent the Son (27: 57). He gives to the Son, by drawing to Him those He had in His purpose for Him in the eternal past, and it is His will that all He gave to Him, the Son shall raise up at the last day. We are so accustomed to intrude ourselves into these things that we miss much of the beauty and blessing of Scripture. Here it is the Father's action towards the Son in relation to their own eternal thoughts of love. In John 5 we had the Son in connection with counsel in relation to the Father, and then in relation to men, but both giving the mutual workings of Father and Son in the world. Here it is the same from the standpoint of the work of the Father.

John 7 is exceedingly rich as giving the place of the Spirit; He comes down from the Father and Son and in a certain peculiar way. Here we pass outside kingdoms and covenants to God's eternal day. "In the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, if any one thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that believes on Me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, But this He said concerning the Spirit which they that believed on Him were about to receive, for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7: 37-39). This feast of Tabernacles had an eighth day, which speaks of a new order as that which carries us outside the system of dispensed glory on the earth. In that way we are brought to a scene of divine satisfaction where the heart overflows with the wealth of divine blessing. Blessed be God, we have all that creature capacity can enjoy to overflowing, so that out of the belly flows rivers of living water. In the gift of the Spirit we have come to what is beyond dispensations and the scene of kingdom blessing, to the joys of eternity in the home of the Father's love.

Such is the testimony to which we are called. It is the testimony of One who saw what He witnessed. He made known here the Father and the whole range of eternal thoughts of the triune God. He could say, "We speak that which we know, and we bear witness of that which we have seen" (John 3: 11); He had seen the Father (John 6: 46); heard Him speaking to Himself (John 12: 28); spoke the Father's words and did the Father's works. What a service! how can we refrain from breaking out in holy strains of adoration? Blessed, precious Lord, Thou art worthy! all this comes out from Thee as the loved Son of the Father! What a dark picture was the state in Israel when this ministry came out! A wicked and adulterous generation (John 8: 1-12). Lying under the fulness of satanic power (John 20: 1; Luke 8: 2), and completely insensible to their moral blindness (John 9: 1, 39-41). This is the world condition morally in which was carried out the service of the Son of the Father's love. Effete Judaism, what a picture! This is where He told out divine Persons' interests and counsels, and above all, the heart of God. Who else could do this but the Son loved by the Father, and who could say, "That the world may know that I love the Father"?

PART 5.

But there is, as we have said, a further thought in connection with the love of the Father to the Son. He was loved in the eternal past and then in His path of service here, but at the cross there is a yet deeper touch of feeling in connection with the outflow of that love. So far it was the gracious flow of that which is divine in the uncaused and causeless depth of what is essentially divine. While the same is true, there is a touch imparted to it by the cross, which is of such a sacred character that it passes beyond our most refined and holy thoughts of God. Jesus said, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, BECAUSE I lay down My life that I might take it again" (John 10: 17).

Much has been said on this "because." One whose ministry has been blest to millions said that in this passage the Son ministered a new motive to the Father's heart to love Him. This has been questioned, and perhaps because the passage is such as calls for the most refined sensibilities, the richest thoughts of God. The thought is precious and surely suggested by the Spirit of God. The difficulty to many is how we are to conceive of any modification in the flow of that love which is infinite and eternal. "My Father loves Me because — " Why because? The Father ever loved Him in the depth of nature, essence and moral Being, in an ageless eternity of bliss: loved Him, too, shall we say, with an added pathos of unutterable depth in that holy path which resulted from His immeasurable stoop from Godhead to a bondsman's form. But now we see the Father loving Him "because." O matchless tale, sublime beyond our words or thoughts. The Father loves His Son with a love which is conditioned with a "Therefore" and a "Because." It was a love that rested upon Him in the Home of Love and that kept His heart in unruffled peace and joy while in that service, which kindled a fire upon the earth; but a love which received such an impetus at the cross as produced new feelings in the deeper depth of Godhead. We are confessedly at our extremity here. We can think, praise, worship, and adore, and with holy delight participate in that love which is divine, and which gave itself for us, but there is that in that death which is so peculiarly divine that it is sacred to God and to Godhead for evermore. "Therefore (or, On this account) doth My Father love Me because I lay down My life (soul) that I might take it again."

But see how the movements of Godhead and Manhood come together in close proximity. He goes on to say; "No one takes it from Me but I lay it down of Myself." In these few words we are led beyond all the rebellious forces of evil to Godhead power and glory. He, the source of life to all creation had both the right and power to lay down His life, but immediately that is said, the holy obedience of the perfect Man comes out, "This commandment have I received of My Father." Why the Father's commandment? Why should the eternal Son of the Father be here in a condition of life which He could lay down? Does it not show that the same love that flowed between the Persons of the holy Godhead, was at work in behalf of the creature, who, according to the same counsels, was to be brought from sin and death, to be before God for His pleasure, in the company of the Son, in a glory based upon divine righteousness, where love, (that love which came into conflict at the cross) would find its complete rest in love's eternal home, to the glory and praise of God.

We are reminded here of the scene in Genesis 22. There the father and son went up the mountain together. The Son's obedience is therefore shown right up to death itself, but in the actual scene at Calvary there could be no ram caught in a thicket. No, for Him that cross was a needs be. He said to Peter; "Put up thy sword into his place . . . Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?" It is the same in John 3, the Son of Man must be lifted up.

Our passage in John 10 is clearly the cross in relation to the nature of God, but we may note its connection with His character. It is said that through the eternal Spirit Christ offered Himself without spot to God (Heb. 9: 14). In this way all the majesty, holiness and righteousness of God was made good in a glory which is immeasurable and unassailable to all eternity. We may, and indeed, it is through grace, our inalienable portion, to dwell with deep adoration on that death as the anti-typical fulness of every type, but there is that there which goes beyond every type, shadow and figure, to the heart of God Himself. It is that inner communion of holy sympathetic feeling which we call unction, in its deepest reciprocal action between divine Persons, in that hour, which must indeed be the centre of all hours, in the history of eternity. It was as if that love (may we say it with reverence) which flowed without beginning or end, and without let or hindrance, in its own calm and unbroken current, received such an impetus in the moment when the Son laid down His life, as to establish a new claim on the Father's most tender affections for evermore. We can understand with comparative ease how the death of our Lord has established His claim of love on the whole wide creation, in all its departments, far beyond the original created status. Our own lost condition as sinners, and His wondrous stoop to save us, has produced a sense of indebtedness which can never be repaid, but the fact that the Son has so wrought as to produce a cause for the Father's love, and in that way, so to speak, have a fresh claim upon the Father and the Spirit, passes beyond our creature minds in their highest renewed capacity.

Surely, beloved reader, we have to admit a sad lack of refined sensibilities which qualify our souls for dwelling upon this, the inner side of divine revelation, where love's treasures are to be known and enjoyed. Far indeed must we be from the thoughts and feelings of the Father and Son, if we not only miss the beauty of this passage, but are prepared to affirm that the Father abandoned His Son in the hour of Calvary. That our Lord Jesus Christ was forsaken of God, in that time when He had freely offered Himself to meet the whole character of God, in the creation, with regard to sin, is a necessary foundation of the whole redemption scheme, but we are dull indeed if we refuse to distinguish between that (connecting, as it does with the character of God), and the inner feelings, affections and relationships of love, which are bound up with the nature of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

But look again at this passage, (John 10: 17). The Father loves Him not only for laying down His life, but for laying it down that He might take it again. In this last clause we have resurrection. Death was His own act and so also resurrection. There can be no contradiction nor clash with the part both the Father and the Spirit had, in His glorious resurrection (Rom. 6: 4; 1 Peter 3: 18). He who said "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days," says here, "I lay down My life that I might take it again."

Following the trend of our meditation, we can see the life of the Son here on earth in a glory which can never grow dim, but it was to come to an end. He took the flesh and blood condition in view of bringing it to an end. It had to come to an end in Him, the sinless perfect One, in view of a new creation. It had to come to an end in us, because of its sinful and incorrigible condition, and for the glory of God. There was no moral necessity that it should be ended in Him, for it was perfect and complete, for the glory of God in every way. But He must pass through death, and by resurrection take up a condition of Manhood that abides for eternity, and thus establish in Himself the new resurrection world of which He is Head, and in which He fills every official position, in every department of that world, through all time, right down into eternity. Then every mark of the first order shall be gone forever, and He, God over all yet Man, will have a universe perfectly suitable for God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — for evermore.

The cross then, links with two scenes, and is the doorway out of the one into the other. One transient and of a day, but oh! what a day! The other fixed and eternal in glory. Both linked up with that eternal past in the heart of that God whose counsels of grace was the necessity of all. One the history of time, sin, sorrow, anguish and woe, where God had been dishonoured by the creature, and where, spite of perversity of will in the fallen creature, all the deep feelings of His heart in mercy and compassion were drawn out. But, beyond all that finite creatures could imagine, where God Himself came a Man to bleed and die: came, yes, precious Saviour, to share our woes, and carry our sorrows, in a capacity of human nature refined beyond all our ken; came to weep and to sympathize, to hunger, fast, and endure fatigue, and at the end, oh thought beyond all thought! in spite of all our perversity, sinfulness and hatefulness to divine holiness, to bear our sins in Thine own body on the tree.

Such thoughts are suggested from these holy Gospels, and particularly from the three-fold bearing of the Father's love to the Son, from eternity, and eternal counsel, to Incarnation and the Cross. We are constrained to put them out because of the need, the crying need everywhere in evidence, of food for the flock of Christ. The constant output of prophetic literature from the press is a remarkable proof that the secret rapture of the saints to heaven is close at hand. This and other kinds of sacred literature abound on every hand in cheap and readable form, in a way which to most people are easily acquired. The scriptures are expounded in books, tracts and charts, by subjects historic and prophetic, scripture typology and symbolism, right on to the opening up of dispensations, ages and covenants. Surely for all this we give fervent thanks to God. It has been said, however, that the great need of the moment is a ministry of the Person of Christ. It is Himself personally as brought to the affections now, that we would desire. Oh for more of that which feeds the affections and nourishes the soul, and which begets, and empowers, the cry, Come Lord Jesus! The foregoing pages are a feeble attempt on this line, and while trusting that there is nothing that is unsuitable for the mind, our great desire is to feed the heart. We would appeal to that class of men: faithful men who have given proof of divinely given ability for this service, to help by prayer and a ministry of Christ to feed the flock of God. There is no lack of that which instructs and furnishes the mind by the acquisition of knowledge, and we are thankful for it all, but there is undeniably a call for that which meets that class who feel His absence, and eagerly await His coming, but are seeking acquaintance with Himself where He is, by the Spirit, in communion now.

May we therefore exhort the reader to cultivate acquaintance with the Lord Himself? We had no intention of proceeding so far, but the theme is infinite. We are reminded that the world itself could not contain the books that might be written of Him. We know that in the Assembly which is His Body and Bride, God is preparing a divine Library in which He will be read by a wondering creation.

We conclude with a reference to three different occasions in this Gospel of John, when the Lord asserted His glory, and in each case an attempt was made to kill Him, but in this Gospel, as we have seen, no man could tab. away that life. "My Father worketh hitherto and I work." "For this therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He had not only violated the Sabbath, but also said that God was His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (John 5: 17, 18). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. They took up therefore stones that they might cast them at Him" (John 8: 58, 59). "I and the Father are one. The Jews therefore again took stones that they might stone Him" (John 10: 30, 31).

The three-fold answer to this, seen in the two following chapters is a beautiful expression of God's vindication of His Son. The incident with Lazarus was for the glory of God, that the Son of God should be glorified by it (John 11: 4). Then He is hailed King of Israel in the light of Zech. 9: 9. And in the same chapter when the Greeks desire to see Him He says: "The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified." Thus we get the Glory of the Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of David, which seems to be the Spirit's answer to the previous attempts at violence. Three times He speaks in His Godhead, and ignorance attempts to take His life as the life of a MAN. The Spirit's three-fold answer shows Him, both God and MAN, in the fulness of an official splendour that shall not only fill the universe with blessing, but shall cover the Name and Majesty of God with a glory, which is the only fitting answer to the counsels of eternity, and which meet every desire of the Nature and Being of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit for evermore.

O Jesus Lord, Eternal God;

Surpassing creature thought;

Come down a Man to bleed and die,

An act with wonder fraught.

Amazing grace, yet human needs,

Didst mark Thy holy path;

A path bestrewed by glorious deeds

Yet come to bear God's wrath.

It passes words, it passes thought,

It passes creature ken

Yet, by Thyself divinely taught,

We own its worth sublime.

Amazing yet inspiring trust,

Mysterious yet so sweet

We worship, as indeed we must

As prostrate at Thy feet.

O Holy, Holy Peerless One,

My inmost soul's delight;

Why should I ever cease to praise

With all my creature might?

O Worthy, Worthy Precious Lord,

My Life, my Shield, my Sun;

I'd feast my soul upon Thyself

Till travelling days are done.

And then, O then in boundless Face,

In rest and joy divine;

I'll live to love, and serve, and praise

My everlasting home.

NOTE.

Mark 13: 32. So much has been written on this passage by men richly taught of God, that we have to own that any attempt on our part seems a little presumptuous. Nowhere could mental confidence or human assurance be more out of place. But if the sense of grace and divine favour produce in us a spirit of adoring worship, we need not fear to follow on to know the Lord.

As there are no critical questions about the translation, we may take the common version. "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." This occurs in the Volume which asserts and proves our Lord to be God (John 1: 1, 2; Col. 1: 16-20; Heb. 1: 1-3). It came, too, from the lips of Him who claimed to be God (John 8: 58; John 10: 30). If this truth be a living reality in our souls nothing can disturb or unsettle, not even what is said in Scripture itself. We ought to be as firm on this as the great Apostle was about the Gospel, when he said, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1: 8). The moment we allow the thought of limitations in our Lord it is clear we have lost the truth of His Person. Suppose then we come across a passage such as this, what are we to do? Wait on the Lord for His help to understand it. If we keep close to Himself by the Spirit, with a sense of His grace, we will not be surprised at what seems to be contradictions. But suppose that light does not come and we are baffled, and cannot get to know the meaning, what then? Wait still on the Lord. If it be a settled thing in my soul that our Lord Jesus is God, How can I expect ever to understand all about Him? There are mysteries on every page of the gospels that we shall never be able to clear.

But, says some one: we know that God is infinite and beyond our finite understanding, but this passage speaks of our Lord as Incarnate, that is, as the Word become flesh. Yes, and surely this adds to the depth and profundity of the whole matter. If God in His Being be so far from us that He has come down into Manhood to make Himself known, surely there must be a solemn mystery surrounding His Person which will be felt by every spiritual mind, and which in the very nature of things must retard every attempt of curious scrutiny. If, for example, the mystery of our own creature constitution as spirit, soul and body, is so far beyond our ability to fathom, why should we foolishly try to know all about the Incarnation of God the Son? Omnipotence, Omniscience, or Omnipresence can allow of no limitations. Omnipotence is in evidence in creating a drop of water as well as in creating a planet. Omnipresence is in evidence in the omnipotent act of healing the Centurion's servant (Matt. 8: 13), as it is described in the language of Psalm 139. 6-10, where it says, "If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there." Omniscience is the same in John 2, where it is said, He knew what is in man, as in 1 Chr. 28: 9, where it says, The Lord searcheth all hearts. The same is true as to His knowledge. It could not in the very nature of things be otherwise. In Matt. 13, He foretells the history of the centuries in a way that completely identifies Him with the Jehovah of Isa. 42: 9, Who says; "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."

Turning to the passage the question arises; if He is God, why does He say "neither the Son"? why does He speak of not knowing? what can the words mean? Is it not clear that both are true, that is, He is God and knows all things, and being Man, is in the state proper to Man, and that this state which is proper to Man is what the words "Neither the Son" apply to. If we were more deeply affected by this profound mystery, may we not say difficulties would vanish away? It is said, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead?" May we not apply the same to our passage? Why should we His people have a difficulty because He speaks in Manhood and says "Neither the Son"? On the side of Godhead there can be no limitation, while on the side of His Manhood there is that which was proper to the Manhood He had taken upon Him.

There is no demur with the devout heart when it is said, He is Supreme yet a bondslave: Sovereign Ruler yet subject: a Commander yet obedient. If it be asked how can such opposite features meet in the same Person, the answer is; it is not ours to deal with the "How," it is ours with adoring hearts to accept what the Holy Spirit has put before us concerning the holy mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord. The truth lies before us on the page of holy writ, that the Man Christ Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, and that He thirsted, hungered, and was fatigued, in the same path and service as He cast out demons, quietened the storm, and raised the dead. If then the glorious features of Omnipotence and Omnipresence were in Him along with obedience, subjection, and dependence, can we fail to see that Omniscience and not knowing can combine in Him as well. We repeat with deepened emphasis, that if we are firmly established in the Godhead of our Lord no real difficulty can come.

Here the wisest of men may err. The question constantly raises itself, how can such opposite and apparently contradictory things co-exist in the same Person. It is as if we could bring HIM down to our level and apply the rules of Logic as within the circle of creature knowledge. Far better to abide by the statements of scripture on such a weighty and profound theme. Men set to work on what they call the limitations in that blessed Person and many eventually land themselves in rank heterodoxy. The least divergence from the truth marked out in Scripture, like departing from the bearing in a coal mine, takes us in every movement further from the truth till we land in some of the speculative delusions of the day.

Scripture presents our Lord in His unique Person, both God and Man. All His sayings and doings sprang from Him as such. It is thus we are privileged to behold Him in full mediatorial capacity acting for God and His glory, being equal with God, and acting for man, having become man. It is thus the great range of the teaching and service of the Saviour is put before us, and we are in our proper place when we accept without question what the Spirit says. Come unto Me, all ye that labour, etc. (Matt. 11: 28). Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink (John 7: 37); I am the light of the world (John 8: 12), and I am the good Shepherd (John 10: 11). These and many more passages set our Lord before us a real Man, yet not less than God. There are other occasions, however, when He speaks in an abstract way in His Godhead, and others again when He speaks in His Manhood. No man knoweth the Son but the Father (Matt. 11: 27), I and the Father are one (John 10: 30). These and certain other passages present Him on the side of Deity. Give Me to drink (John 4: 7) Show Me a penny (Luke 20: 24). These again present Him speaking in Manhood. The passage before us in Mark 13 is belonging to this last class.

There is one expression in the verse which calls for a few more words which may serve to make the truth a little clearer to some. It is the word "Son." The term is descriptive of our Lord in His eternal relations with the Father, and Spirit, in the Trinity (Matt. 11: 27). It is used sometimes also as designating Him in Incarnation, as for example: "The Father loveth the Son and hath committed all things into His hands" (John 3: 35; "The Father loveth (philei) the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth" (John 5: 20). It is also used in connection with His Manhood, and to this the passage we are dealing with applies. It is clear that what is predicated of the Person belong to His Manhood, but why is the term which is descriptive of Him in eternal Person used in connection with that which is proper to Manhood? Such a difficulty is only imaginary, for the Spirit who gives us scripture is Sovereign and is free to speak of Him as is proper for the bringing out of His glory.

All this appears to be connected with a divine mode of acting, to which we do well to take heed. When the Lord speaks of Himself as the Son of Man which is in heaven, it is clear He is using a human designation of Himself, in a position which is His by right of divine and eternal Personality. The same may be said of His words in John 6: 62, "What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?" The term Son of Man is a title belonging to time; where He was before is expressive of Him before becoming Man and therefore Divine. No instructed Christian has any difficulty with these passages, it is Scripture's own way of putting our Lord before us, and who dares to find fault?

What then is the proper application of this principle to Mark 13: 32? Is it not that our Lord is speaking of Himself in Manhood and using a designation in His own eternal right as the Son? "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." The very context of the page proves this, for who but God could say what our Lord says here in the same breath; "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away"?

That there is nothing but the plain intention of Scripture in all this may be seen from 1 Cor. 15: 28. The passage is in the parenthesis (v. 20-28), where the Spirit stretches as it were a line from the resurrection of Christ to God's eternal day, and may be given from the ordinary version. "But 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." No instructed christian infers from the mention of the Son's subjection in this passage that because He continues Man throughout eternity, to which subjection applies, He has given up His Godhead. The very thought is an outrage. How could the unchangeable God be ever less than God? Why then should men talk of limitations in His Person, seeking to analyse and dissect in a sphere which in the very nature of things must be beyond the creature for ever?

Surely what applies to the passage in Corinthians has the same meaning in Mark. Moreover, the same line of interpretation has been at work all down the age in connection chiefly with the 1st Epistle of John, where it is well known that the Spirit passes beyond all the rules of grammar in the use of Divine Names. But who can question the right of God to speak as He may? What is reason, grammar or logic to Him who is the Author of Life? We do well then, to take heed to what the Spirit says. He may speak of the Lord or indeed show us the Lord speaking of Himself in one nature while the thing spoken of applies to the other nature without any cause on our part for venturing upon ground where we have no right to be, nor making foolish statements about our Lord, which only show the working of the mind and lay us open to the deceptive attacks of that enemy who has all down the centuries set himself to attack our Lord Jesus Christ.

We prefer then, to take scripture as it reads, and to stop where it stops. To those who go on to talk of limitation in that glorious Being who is God over all, Almighty in every sense of the word, yet a real Man who stooped to bleed and die, we say no. We cannot, we dare not follow you there. His claims are first, His honour paramount, He is the Alpha and Omega, Lord God Almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come. In the Gospel of John He is seen as such at the beginning by Nathaniel and owned the same at the end by Thomas, while in between He asked for a drink from a poor woman (John 4) and spoke the very words given Him to say as carrying out the commands of Another (John 12: 49, 50).

Perfect in the Manhood He took we adore Him, "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son," and we say with another company "This is our God," and with the Queen that came to Solomon "The half has not been told" (Isa. 25: 9: 1 Kings 10: 7).

The mystery of the Incarnation we cannot, we dare not penetrate, but we can adore. While God is not limited, man is not deified and all is so perfectly balanced as to meet every desire of God's heart concerning every department of creation in relation to Counsel, Redemption, Government and Glory in that One Person. On the divine side all that God is in moral fulness is brought out while on the side of creation a perfect response is guaranteed in virtue of His Manhood. Satisfaction, peace, joy and gladness will pervade the whole to the delight of God; Father, Son and Spirit for evermore.

The God of Glory

The God of Glory

James McBroom

"O Thou eternal One! Whose presence bright

All space doth occupy, all motion guide;

Unchanged through time's all-devastating flight;

Thou only God! There is no God beside;

Being above all beings! Mighty One!

Whom none can comprehend and none explore;

Who fill'st existence with Thyself alone;

Embracing all, supporting, ruling o'er, —

Being Whom we call God, and know no more!"

Derzhavin.

Part One

This is the language of man in nature, and holy scripture bears witness to it. "O that I knew where I might find Him!" was the language of the Patriarch of old (Job 23: 3). "He doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number." "Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in His anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. . . Lo, He goeth by me, and I perceive Him not" (Job 9: 5-11). "O Lord my God Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest Thyself with light as a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; Who layeth the beams of His (upper) Chambers in the waters; Who maketh the clouds His chariots; and walketh upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 104: 1-2). "There is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. . . Such knowledge is too high for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Psalm 139: 4-6). "The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee" (1 Kings 8: 27). "If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold Thou are there. If I take wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139: 8-10).

Such passages antedate the fulness of divine revelation in the Son as given to us to-day, and shew the thoughts and feelings of the creature in relation to his Creator: nor could it be otherwise while Jehovah remained behind the vail. He asserted His Majesty in manifold ways, both in relation to His rightful claims in the trial of man, and in view of the coming down of the Son, in Whom He has now shone forth in the full glory of His Being and Nature as God. There is a large class of texts proclaiming the Majesty of God, such as Judges 5: 4-5; Psalm 18: 7-17; Habakkuk 3: 3-10; with many others, but we will cite further only one or two expressions from the lips of Jehovah Himself.

"Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretchest out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; that bringeth the princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity" (Isa. 40: 21-23). "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen. 18: 14). "Am I a God at hand. . . and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 23: 23-24).

We can well understand the wisdom of God in speaking thus to His creature, and also the feelings of awe produced in the hearts of those that heard it. It was necessary in view of correction, guidance, and the establishing of divine authority over fallen man, in relation to God's moral government in the earth. The majesty of God must ever fill the fallen creature with terror, but, if so, it will connect itself with the different states and position of men in relation to the moral rule of God. To the deeply degraded, terror and dread can be felt only in proportion to the capability of their moral sensibilities for alarm. The enlightened Gentile — like the Jew, who, although under culture, was insensible to the claims of Jehovah, — could only hear such expressions of God with unmixed terror; while the pious, those in whom there was a work of God, had a feeling of godly fear, combined with a sense of divine mercy. This raises the question of the place of the time-ways of God, in relation to His eternal purpose, and shews the difference of the saints of past days, as compared to the fulness of light and blessing we are brought into to-day.

The Old Testament begins with time, and the time-ways of God, and goes right forward to the full revelation of the Godhead in the New. The New Testament, while linking up with this, goes back beyond time to eternity, and links time, at the Incarnation of the Son, with the thoughts, plans, purposes and activities of the Holy Godhead in the eternal past. It is thus that we have the full revelation of God, in which is brought to us what never was, nor could be, known before; but it is done in a way that links up the progressive revelation of the Old Testament with itself, shewing that what began in the one, reaches its proper climax in the other. This gives a peculiarly rich character to the New Testament, as unfolding to us the revelation of God in Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in those counsels which were eternally wrapped up within the Godhead, and which, as being expressive of the moral Being of God, were the cause of all His wondrous works. It shews, also, the importance of the Old Testament, as recording those ways of God that led up to the necessity for the coming of the Son, and the full revelation. The progressive revelation, in the Old Testament, came out in such a way, as not only to anticipate the full result in the New Testament, but to create a position that the Incarnation of the Son alone could meet.

It may be thought best, in looking into these things, to begin with the Old Testament, and come forward. This way is the more proper. It is impossible for those, who live in the light of the full revelation of God, to put themselves in the position of the saints of past days. Not only is God fully revealed, but man, in the Person of Christ, is gone into the presence of God, as the complete answer to all that has been revealed. As united to Christ in Glory by the Spirit, the believer is brought into a new state and relationship, in which he is fitted to stand in the presence of the glory. This no Old Testament saint could do. God was then dealing with man, on the ground of His Creator rights, on the footing of the creature's responsibility, and was hid behind the vail; which accounts for the constant expression of His authority as moral Governor; all His rights have been settled for ever in the Cross, and now He is free to come out towards man, in the fulness of His love and glory, in all that He is, as God. The believer to-day, as taught of God, can, humbly and adoringly, stand before God in His Majesty and Glory — the glory of Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence; His Immensity, Immutability, and Infinite Splendour of Glory and Majesty. All this is, thank God, a blessed reality to him, and made possible because he knows God, as revealed in His nature and Being, in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we come to speak of God, there are certain paradoxical statements which at first perplex, but as we have seen elsewhere, when speaking of our Lord, such statements are to be expected. "No man hath seen God at any time." In another place, "They saw God and did eat and drink." "Whom no man hath seen nor can see." "Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (1 Tim. 6: 16; Heb. 12: 14). He is unapproachable, yet brings us before Himself in love. He fills all space, yet dwells in a movable Tent to be approached and served in an intimacy of filial delight: Infinite, eternal, and incomprehensible, yet revealed to be known, loved, and adored (1 Tim. 6: 15-16; Eph. 1: 4; Exodus 25: 8; Isa. 66: 1).

Needless to say, both lines are called for, and the explanation lies in the distinction between what Deity is, in its own essential and impersonal excellence, and what it is as revealed in the holy intimacies of triune delight, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the former, it is the veiled Majesty of essential Godhead, to which attaches the great awe-inspiring attributes of eternity, Omnipotence, etc., which stand in relation to creation, time and space. In the latter, it is the deeper features of Holiness and Justice, which embrace all His dealings with the moral order of creation, and which are descriptive of the character of God. The former of these have been termed the natural, and the latter the moral, attributes of God. The one connects with Deity in its unrevealed excellence, and does not necessarily raise a moral question; the other with the honour and integrity of Godhead, which spreads itself out over every part of Its activity in the moral creation. It shews the Holy Trinity at work, each glorious Person distinct as to willing and working, yet all in the one will of Godhead, — the Persons distinct, and distinguishable from each other, but the attributes the same, as characteristic of one God.

Keeping this distinction before us, we can see Godhead coming forth, as it were, from the dimness of a past eternity, as an intelligent first cause, and creating a universe of endless variety — but receding from us in Its Own veiled glory — In this way, we seem to touch, as it were, the fringe of the infinite and eternal in its own native being and glory, and since all this connects with His Nature it supplies for us the link between the revealed and unrevealed in the great and glorious Godhead.

As confirmatory of all this, attention may be drawn to the Seraphic and Cherubic figures presented in Scripture as the characteristic agencies of divine activity in the creation, and the expression of the activity of the throne, and the glorious majesty of God. In this we pass from the physical to the animal creation, and pass on from the creature of instinct to the intelligent in the face of a man.

The four faces were that of man, lion, ox and eagle, indicating apparently the outstanding heads of creation in intelligence, power, stability and rapidity, but all under the power of God, as seen in the eyes within and without, and the Spirit who was the power of control. It is thus that the activities of that Throne are marked as expressive of the character and activity of Him, whose Throne it is. That there was a Man above, and upon the Throne, shews at this time of judgment a beautiful connection with the richest and deepest thoughts of divine revelation, but these are things which must be left for the moment, as going beyond our present point. It is thus that Creation, while expressive of divine omnipotence, becomes serviceable in the hand of the Creator, relative to His moral nature in His gracious activities among moral agents, and while these figures are expressive of God's power in the creation, the eyes, wheels and wings speak of that which is more directly the divine side, bringing in not merely heaven and earth, but the all-pervading intelligence, power, stability and rapidity of the action of Him who is the moral Governor of it all. Need we wonder when we hear one say, "O Lord my God, Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with honour and majesty" (Ps. 104: 1). But now a word on these glorious attributes of God.

God is called the Father of eternity, and the eternal God. He is said, too, to inhabit eternity. The word must be taken in its full unlimited bearing, as shewing the infinity of Deity in regard to what we call time. We are lost when we attempt to think of eternity. Time, to us, is what comes in between events which our minds can take account of, as space is what we conceive as the distance between bodies. There is no time with Him who is the First and the Last, who is, was, and is to come, nor are there measurements of space with Him who fills heaven and earth. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God."

Omnipotence is unlimited power. Like God's eternity it is both mysterious and incomprehensible to our minds. "The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth." — And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?" (Rev. 19: 6; Dan. 4: 35). We cannot have an act without an actor, an effect without a cause, and in the same way a creation without a creator. But how the Creation came into existence, no creature can tell. An article may be made if the material to make it is supplied, but how the universe sprang into being out of nothingness, we cannot know. The wonders of creation may be examined by the microscope, as well as by the telescope, but greatness and littleness, or immensity and intensity, are both alike to omnipotence. The power that creates is the same that upholds, for He upholds all things by the word of His power. However great the thoughts and language of men of science, scripture alone can describe the omnipotence of God. Here again we turn to Isaiah, where Jehovah, when dealing with the responsible creature, speaks of His creatorial power and glory. "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance" (Isaiah 40: 12). Nor is only creating — for the same power is seen at work upholding all. "The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah" (Psalm 75: 3). A most comprehensive lesson on this is put before us in Job, chapters 38-42, where God meets His servant, and solves every question in the moral problems of that book, by pointing him to His power and wisdom as seen in the creation.

In omnipresence there is the presence of God in every place. If it be heaven, He is there; it is His abode. And earth; "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23-24). "Hell is naked before Him" (Job 26: 6; Psalm 139: 8). God is everywhere: He fills all places at all times. He fills space, earth, sea, and land. He fills our homes, with Him there can be no in and out, nor above and beneath. "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." "The whole earth is full of His glory" (Zech. 4: 10; Isaiah 6: 3). How deeply blessed to be able to contemplate this glorious attribute in our Lord Jesus Christ! In fact, each of these wondrous features may be seen in Him in His ministry. Could there be anything to surpass this amazing mystery of grace: — a Man here, who is in every way suited, as to His body, for the place He had taken, yet, at the same moment of time, in consubstantial union with the Father and Spirit filling all in heaven and earth?

Coming to omniscience, it is noticeable how the word infinite covers all these glorious attributes of God. Limitless as to time, power, and space, He is the same as to knowledge. There is a close link between omniscience and omnipotence, for, to compass the ages, and foretell what will come to pass in dim and distant times, God must have the hearts of all men under His direct control. Known unto God are all His ways from the beginning, and as we trace these ways, and see how He makes both sin and Satan to serve Him, we can understand how He works out His purposes of eternity in connection with the failure of the creature. This is a matter worthy of our deepest thought, concerning, as it does, His marvellous grace, in relation to us in all our helplessness and ruin. The great outstanding proof of this is the Cross, where our God has taken account of Man's darkest and worst crime in crucifying His Son, to bring in, for man, His own richest thoughts of blessing. He both knows and fore-knows; Prescience and omniscience are His, because He is GOD. "Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them" (Isaiah 42: 9). "For the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts" (1 Chron. 28: 9). (See, for its action in our Lord, John 2: 24-25; and compare Jer. 17: 10). This wonderful feature of the divine majesty fills the heart with holy awe, and is productive of richest praise. The Bible is full of the all-knowing, all-pervading marks of the eternal God, and, when we reach the holy Gospels, we are filled with wonder, love, and praise, as we behold every characteristic feature of Godhead coming out in a Man — our Lord Jesus Christ.

Part Two

Coming now to the attributes more directly connected with the moral nature of God, we meet with holiness and justice, out of which necessarily arise all those rich elements, which come out in His moral government. In His activities among men, we see sovereignty, goodness, truth, mercy and compassion, but all characterised by the moral purity of His holiness, and the rectitude of His justice. Holiness is His intrinsic moral purity. "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1: 13). It has been defined as God's perfect satisfaction with Himself in the power of all-satisfying good; and may be said to inhere in His nature. Justice or righteousness is more external, as being characteristic of God in all He says and does. It is His perfect consistency with Himself in both word and act. It brings us to the great scope of His moral government. Holiness may be said to be the standard to which all must be brought, and justice the mode of action which leads to that standard.

The holiness of God, in the very nature of things, is bound to call forth punishment for sin. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12: 29). "Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil" (Isa. 33: 14-15). See the attitude and language of the Seraphim as they stand round the Throne of the majesty representative of creation. "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isa. 6: 3). In His mercy sinners are forgiven, but sin is not condoned. "Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God, Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy!" (Psalm 99: 8-9).

The justice of God is that which characterises Him in all His ways; it shews Him to be the perfect guarantee of order, stability, and security, in the whole created sphere. It displays the perfect equality of His every movement in creation, providence, and government, and is brought out fully in the New Testament in relation to redemption.

The attributes of holiness and justice are necessarily linked up in the being of God with those other great awe-inspiring features we have looked at, but are more directly connected with His nature as in relation to the moral order of creation. If His omnipotence is called into action, as at the Red Sea, or the Jordan, it is controlled by moral motives, that is, in behalf of His people. Being a God of order, as seen in His wisdom, goodness, and beneficence, we could not think of Him acting in a mere capricious or arbitrary way. Controlled, in all that He does, by His love, which is His nature, everything is marked by unerring wisdom in the inflexible holiness of that nature, and the unimpeachable justice of His being, for the good of all. He is infinite in power, but that is used only according to the dictates of His love. The word of God is that which guarantees stability to the whole physical creation, while His justice, which is the law of the moral order, secures stability there. Whatever be the difficulties or disorder in the moral creation as a result of the presence of sin, or the problems which are beyond the capability of the creature to solve, there are no difficult problems with God. All are met and solved, and the eternal supremacy of God established in and through the Son, as we shall see, in the redemption sphere. His word is expressive of His goodness, and links with His natural government in providential goodness, whereby He obligates Himself to meet the needs of all. By His justice, He controls the whole moral order as keeping evil in check. Apart from His control of nature, the whole cosmos would be turned to chaos, and but for His complete control of the moral order, this world, as under the domination of Satan, would have destroyed itself long ago.

It appears from Scripture that the action of the Throne in holy government came into operation before man came into being. For the entrance of sin, and its continued presence, one of only two reasons can be given. It is permitted for wise reasons on the part of Him who is Sovereign Ruler, or else it is there in defiance of Him, and at His expense. The latter is unthinkable, as we conclude, for all Scripture, and indeed all nature, proves that sin is permitted as serving the great Creator's end. We know not when sin first came in, but we know by whom it came. It certainly was known to God, as an abstract conception, from eternity, but it had its origin in the creature. "The devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3: 8). This beginning of sin, which Scripture defines to be lawlessness, called into action that Throne of which justice and judgment are said to be the character (Ps. 89: 14). "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment" (2 Peter 2: 4). Man's departure from God into sin transferred these operations of moral government into the race of God's predilection. It is remarkable how the later parts of divine revelation refer to these activities of God in moral government from the very earliest of His ways. The outstanding instances of holy government are recorded for us in 2 Peter 2: 4-6. Against fallen angels first, then the deluge in the days of Noah, and further the destruction of the ungodly in the fires of Sodom and Gomorrha.

It is well for suffering saints to know that God holds the reins. "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38: 11). In the working out of His ways, He may change the times and the seasons and remove kings and set up kings (Dan. 2: 21). He may even go back upon what we speak of as the laws of nature, but never for one moment has He changed His word. "Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name" (Psalm 138: 2). In the material realm iron has been made to swim, the Jordan while in spate was made to divide and go backwards, the sea to divide and made a path for the redeemed of the Lord, and the sun to go back in his course — but never once has He gone back upon His word. From this He never has, never will, nor ever can depart. While it is clear there can be no limit to His power, we know He is governed by His love, and, in the region of moral verities, there are certain things He cannot do. "He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2: 13). "God cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1: 13). "God is not unrighteous" (Heb. 6: 10). "For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with Thee" (Psalm 5: 4). From these, and other passages, we learn that God is so governed by His nature, that He cannot do anything that is opposed to justice. It is not that He obligates Himself to use His almighty power in accord with the principle of Justice, but that justice so inheres in His moral nature that He cannot act otherwise. Think for a moment of the grace of the Almighty stooping down to tell us this, that we may be able to stay ourselves upon Himself.

The justice of God, then, is the complete guarantee of order, security, and stability in the universe. All this does not rest on the will of an arbitrary Being who decides to act in certain way. No, His nature is such, that He cannot act otherwise. This is proved by His way of acting in the physical as contrasted with what He does in the moral sphere. He may, as is well known, continue to act in the sphere of nature in the normal way, or He may depart from it. The miraculous display of power above referred to and hundreds of other cases shew this. In deviating from His ordinary law of working, in the sphere of nature, He shews His resource in working for the good of His people in beneficent goodness, in conformity with the justice of His being, but when it is a question of His word, there can, in no sense, be any possible deviation. He cannot, we say it with deepest reverence — depart from His word. His justice, the unimpeachable justice of His being, controls Him that He cannot act otherwise. "By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water" (2 Peter 3: 5). See also Psalm 33: 6. Then it is said He upholds "all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1: 3). The word of God can in no way be impugned. "I will worship towards Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy loving kindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name" (Psalm 138: 2). See this perfectly expressed in a Man. Mark 13: 31, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

Justice then or righteousness is that feature in God in which He is consistent with Himself in all He says and does. His word, which is the expression of His justice, is the guarantee of stability in all. If, for example, the law of gravitation ceased to act for one moment, the whole structure of the heavens and earth would immediately collapse, and fly to destruction. Moreover, if God ceased for an instant to honour His word, the whole moral structure of society would crumble up. The divinely ordered barriers between good and evil give way; the conflict between good and evil cease, and evil alone prevail, and chaos, moral darkness, cover all, to the everlasting defeat of God. How good and blessed it is to know, in a scene where evil is permitted, and often flourishes at the expense of the good, and where the innocent are often seen to suffer, that the God who for His own wise purposes permits all this for a moment, is Himself the sure and stedfast proof that all wrongs must be righted, and that evils must be punished, and what is of good prevail to the glory of His name, and the security and blessing of all that is of Himself. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18: 25).

In connection with the above, there is a point which cannot well be passed over, because of its connection with the honour of God and the well-being of His people. It will be remembered that the godless in Israel dared to challenge the consistency of God's ways, in His dealings with the people. He took account of this, and graciously came down to reason with them, at a time when their ways had got so bad, as to cause Him to depart from His own Sanctuary. (Ezek. 8: 6). In such a state of things we hear Jehovah saying: "Yet saith the house of Israel, the way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not My ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God." (Ezek. 18: 29-30). This condescension of the Lord is most telling in the light of Deut. 32: 4: "He is the Rock, His work is perfect: all His ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He."

But there was something still more perplexing, for there were times in the lives of the most honoured servants and saints, when they were suffering, and being made to pass through the deepest trials when the wicked were prospering, and at their ease. This was, to the righteous, most baffling. The patriarch Job, who was perhaps the greatest sufferer in the Old Testament — but there were many others (James 5: 10-11) — had to say: "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. . ." (See Job 21: 7-13). So also with David "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree" (Psalm 37: 35). Such things these men could not reconcile with the justice of God's moral government. In His revealed will, the order seemed to be joy and happiness for the good, but sorrow and suffering for the evil. The law had laid this down very fully and clearly, and it had been said, "He that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it" (1 Peter 3: 10-11; also Psalm 34: 12). Yet those who sought to live according to this were kept in suffering. Think of a man like Job of whom Jehovah could say to Satan, "Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth," yet his suffering were prodigious. It is just at this point that we may learn the wonders of God's wisdom, and see the richest and choicest of His dealings with His children in the world. The wicked may prosper for a brief season, as we have seen, but in a moment their candle goes out, and then for them it is the blackness of darkness for eternity. The righteous may suffer in a world where sin and death are permitted, but, this, in the hand of a Father, is educative in view of forming the character, and making them morally Christ like in view of future glory.

The standard of God's holy government is fixed and sure, and can never be lowered. What a man sows, that shall he reap, and punishment for sin is judicially and divinely certain, but to limit God in His dealings with His children to that is to dishonour Him, and to miss the richest and choicest of His designs. In point of fact, it displaces Him, leading to the conception of Him as an arbitrary Being, as the book of Job shews, and, coming to men, it turns the moral order of society upside down, and is accountable for the cruellest sufferings inflicted by men upon their fellows. In Job we have a man whose sufferings might well melt the hardest heart: yet, his friends (and they were men of a very high standard of life), through missing this important link in the chain of God's dealings with His servant, were turned into the cruellest and bitterest of foes. Why? Because, by limiting God's dealings to the punishment of sin, and missing the educative and promotive character of the sufferings, they could only conclude that such a great sufferer must have been a great sinner. What a solemn position these good men were found in. Condemning Job, by attempting ignorantly to justify God, instead of sympathising with the needy, they fixed upon him the cruellest charges. The position became a kind of deadlock, and those who came to help were found to hurt. The basis of their argument was wrong, their premises were false, and making a wrong start, both as to God and to Job, instead of the good that the circumstances called for, the very worst that was in them came out. It was doubtless thoughts like these that led the poet to write that "Man was made to mourn," for indeed "Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn." Like the ecclesiastical tyranny of the dark ages of so-called "Church History," these men belied their messages, and were turned into despots of the inquisition. Thinking they were serving God by treating an unbroken sinner in faithfulness, they went all the length to recover him, and like many to-day, who conclude that THEY are the testimony, with hearts steeled against every human and tender feeling, persecute to the death those who may be like Job in the crucible of suffering, but, like him also, may be more in the thoughts and sympathies of heaven than themselves.

Yes, God in infinite and tender goodness can, and does, bring His children through sorrow and suffering. He did it with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and others, and He is doing it to-day. He may chasten for sin, as corrective, or He may discipline the soul as seeing danger ahead, which surely is preventive, and, as in the case of Job, He may put us through a good deal of trial, that we may learn ourselves, and enter better into the knowledge of Him — which is surely promotive.

Part Three

From this digression we turn to the connection of the holy governmental dealing of God with His providential goodness. These are linked together very closely in His control over the whole range of nature. If in goodness He meets and supplies the needs of all His creatures, by the skilful manipulation of the forces of nature, it will readily been seen how easily He may deal with the sins of men and nations, by so ordering the working of these forces, that the supplies might be curtailed. This is made to work out in such a way as to leave unbelieving men without excuse. For the living God, which made heaven and earth, and sea, and all things that are therein, "left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14: 15-17). We may recall how rain was withheld at the prayer of Elijah in the day of Israel's apostasy. "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5: 45). "If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith" (Matt. 6: 30). These scriptures and many more, shew the God that we have to do with. "He giveth to all life and breath, and all things" (Acts 17: 25). All this covers the animal creation as well, for He opens His hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. "The young lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God" (Psalm 104: 21; see also verse 27). The Lord says: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them" (Matt. 6: 26). All this shews that it is not merely a question of the earth, set under certain laws, to bring forth its annual supply, but that the hand of God is daily at work in it, in relation to His holy government for the good of all. How often has it been seen, that storms and earthquakes, with pestilence and famine following, were but the variations of His control of nature for the correction of moral agents on the earth. "Fire and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy winds fulfilling His word" (Psalm 148: 8). It is thus we get the connection between God's providence, and His natural and moral government. In the six days of Genesis 1, He was arranging the physical and material in relation to the moral and spiritual, — preparing for man, the subject of His counsel, with regard to his natural constitution on the earth.

Behind all this there lay the question of man's spirit-being, which constituted him a responsible moral agent. As such, he comes immediately under obligation and fails. In that act he touched the question of good and evil already raging in the creation, and, becoming a sinner, brought himself immediately amenable to the holy government of God. The rights of God are attacked, and His supreme majesty trampled in the dust by the presence of sin. For its presence one of two reasons may be given. It is either permitted for some wise purpose on the part of God, or it is there at His expense, and in defiance of His authority. The latter is unthinkable, as it would dethrone God and bring in eternal chaos. It is inconceivable that God could be frustrated in His creation; hence we may see that sin is permitted for His own wise ends. It serves God; all things must indeed serve Him, as all scripture entitles us to say. Satan, sin, death and hell must obey Him. The Almighty One is supreme and there cannot be two supremes. All nature, history, experience, our life, existence upon the earth, the interventions of God in the race, — and above all the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, — all prove the supremacy, the glorious and eternal supremacy, of our God.

While permitting sin, and indeed allowing its reign, God keeps it in check. "Hitherto shalt thou come but no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." It merits His condemnation, and must be punished, both in the unit, and in the aggregate. In the former "Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting," and in the latter, "Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, etc." (Dan. 5: 25-31). In the individual dealings, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap " — In the national, the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. Pharaoh and his host were destroyed at the Red Sea; Assyria fell before Babylon, they in turn before Persia, who had to give way to Alexander, and so on, till Rome, under whom our Lord was crucified. God may use men in these governmental judgments, or Nature herself may serve His purpose. The Assyrian was "the rod of His anger" (Isa. 10: 5); the king of Babylon His servant (Jer. 25: 9), and Cyrus His shepherd and anointed. (Isa. 44: 28; Isa. 45: 1); while Israel is His battle axe (Jer. 51: 20). In His use of nature, He may deluge the earth with rain, or withhold it. He may use fire, as in the case of Sodom, or He may cause the earth to open and swallow men up, as in the case of certain in Israel (Num. 16: 31-33). Israel were the people of God's choice, and their sin was in the presence of much greater light, and consequently the government had to be borne in greater severity, for with God there can be no respect of persons. "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. . . . and fell in one day three and twenty thousand" (1 Cor. 10: 7-8). "Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile" (Rom. 2: 9). Nor is it different with the individual. Jacob deceived his father, and was deceived by his sons; David passes sentence on the offender, saying that he would have to pay four-fold, and had to suffer the loss of four of his sons. Adoni-bezek cut off the thumbs and great toes of threescore and ten, and then found himself under the same suffering (Judges 1: 6-7).

"Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces, and others high in office, who distinguished themselves by their zeal and bitterness in persecuting the early Christians, one became speedily deranged after some atrocious cruelty, one was slain by his own son, one became blind, the eyes of one started out of his head, one was drowned, one was strangled, one died in a miserable captivity, one fell dead in a manner that will not bear recital, one died of so loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death, because they could not abide the stench that filled his room, two committed suicide, a third attempted it, but had to call for help to finish the work, five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others died the most miserable excruciating deaths, several of them having an untold complication of diseases, and eight were killed in battle, or after being taken prisoner. Among these was Julian the apostate. In the days of his prosperity he is said to have pointed his dagger to heaven defying the Son of God, whom he commonly called the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle, "he saw that all was over with him, and he gathered up his clotted blood, and threw it into the air, exclaiming, etc." We dare not stain the page with the blasphemy of this dying man. (William S. Plumer, cited from "The Treasury of David." pp. 17-18. Vol. 1).

Sin must be punished; God is insulted by it; an affront to Him in the very nature of things spells defeat. Malevolence cannot be met by benevolence merely; active open enmity cannot be reconciled. Sin is never either forgiven nor condoned, it is condemned. Hence the Cross, and the lake of fire, with the complete triumph of God — Father, Son and Spirit, over sin, Satan, death, and hell, the public vindication of the character of God in righteousness and holiness of eternity. In the Cross a way has been made for salvation to the penitent, and millions have been saved and blest, to come eternally into all the good and joy of the heart of God, where all that He is, in love and glory, shall be known and enjoyed, while the lost will remain for ever a witness to His holy government and supreme majesty.

The character of God has been so perfectly met and vindicated in the Cross, that we might pass on to it at once, but the working out of His time-ways, as linked with eternal purpose, calls for a word on the giving of the Law. What led up to this was the taking of Abraham and his seed and separating them from the rest of the nations, that He might deal with them as representative of the whole. It was in Israel that all the great leading thoughts of God and His testimony came out. The thoughts of His kingdom, covenant and dwelling-place, with the things proper to these, — all came out in connection with the tabernacle, temple and the land, and many of the leading thoughts of His purpose in Christ shone out with these.

In connection with all this came the Law. It is comparatively easy to see that the march of God's ways, from Adam, had Christ in view as their goal and resting place. In the marvellous device of love, God continued to deal with the fallen race, while maintaining, before all the intelligences, the majesty of His Throne. Twenty-five centuries had passed in His grace and patience, when the time came for the giving of the Law. This set forth His creatorial claims upon the creatures. Israel while under grace chose to be on the ground of righteousness, and engaged themselves to obey all that the Lord had said (Ex. 19: 8). Of the ten commandments, the very first tells where man was. The command of the Creator that the creature should love Him showed that things were out of gear, and indeed the whole transaction showed how far man had gone from God. By promising to obey, the people took themselves out of the hand that had delivered them, and from the One Who had carried them as on eagle's wings, and brought them to Himself. They forsook the ground of mercy, and accepted that of righteousness, and by so doing compelled the thunders and lightnings, and the blackness and darkness of Sinai. The occasion necessarily brought to light the tremendous moral distance between God and the fallen creature. "God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light: He had horns (or "rays" — New Translation) from His hand: and there was the hiding of His power. Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at His feet. He stood and measured the earth; and beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: His ways are everlasting" (Hab. 3: 3-6). "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them. He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: From His right hand went a fiery law for them" (Deut. 33: 1). "Then the earth shook and trembled: the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. . . yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place: His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the sky" (Psalm 18: 7-11).

We would commend to the reader's careful attention these passages; they should be read for their glorious impressions of God along with Exodus 19 and 20, Deuteronomy 5, and Hebrews 12: 18-21, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled." Let the whole passage be read: — Exodus 19: 16-25.

These manifestations of Jehovah, which shew the work of the Holy Trinity in grace and patience, yet faithfulness to His name and character, fit us for understanding a little the awful yet necessary declaration of the divine Majesty and Glory at the Cross. Before the law could come into the camp, Israel had made a golden calf, and began to dance around it. "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." This brought down upon them the judgment of God and many were slain. But the relationship was broken and all was lost. Jehovah fell back upon His own eternal resource of grace, and made a new covenant with the Mediator, — a covenant in which both law and grace marked the history, till we reach the greatest breach of all between God and the world at the Cross.

The Person of the Son in Manhood completed the progressive revelation which had been going on all through the past ages. In Him the past ways of God meet, and combine with the whole scheme of eternal counsel. He, the Word, was the first Speaker (compare Genesis 1 with John 1: 3), and He must of necessity be the last. The first three Gospels take us back, each in its own way to certain past dealings, but in John we are taken back to eternity. "In the beginning was the Word." That which came out on the banks of the Jordan is here linked with eternity past, that the Son is seen to be the Centre of all. Every type, shadow, promise and prophecy is seen to centre in the One Who is come to carry out all the before-time purposes of God. The view of nature in the twilight may be beautiful, but it is restricted; whatever light there is comes from a hidden sun. Seas, rivers, mountains and valleys are there, but are partially seen. Let the sun arise, and everything is seen as it is. Not only are existing objects seen in a new way, but the source of light is itself seen as the centre of all. All the beautiful lines of truth in the Old Testament were but in shadow, since God was behind the veil: but in the New Testament everything is seen in the full light of God. The Son has come out from the Father to make God known, and, while we behold Him the Centre of eternal purpose, He is, at the same time, the filling-up and fulfiller of all the divine activities, which had come out in testimony before.

Three outstanding events in the Gospels seem to shew these things, and serve to bring us to the point where all that God is shone out at the Cross, — namely, the Baptism, Temptation and Transfiguration of our Lord. It was at His baptism that the first formal revelation of the Trinity came out. The Son on earth is claimed by the Father, and the Spirit is seen to rest upon Him. The triunity is complete, and we seem, as it were, to hear a voice from the eternal world saying: "Behold, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of Me. . . to do Thy good pleasure. . . My God is My delight, yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Psalm 40: 5-8; Heb. 10: 7). At the temptation, the moral perfections of the Man Christ Jesus shone out, relative to the divine ways, as taking man's place, and living by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Deut. 8: 3). The Transfiguration gave a pledge of fullest glory. It linked with the past ways of God, as reflected in the kingdom, and also with the Cross, as the securing, in His Person, of all the glory. The transfiguration was the answer to His path of devoted service and a pledge of future glory. This pledge necessitated that He should descend from that Mount down to the Cross. The presence of Moses and Elias called for Redemption, and this is confirmed in the subject of their converse. They spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.

Part Four

To attempt a few words on the Cross in the light of the complete glorification of God in His nature, character, and being, in relation to the whole sin question, and the solution of all moral questions for all time, right down into eternity, is no light matter. A sense of the majesty, mystery, and magnitude of the atoning work of the Son of God is almost overwhelming, and yet there is that in it that attracts, yea, and draws us on with such magnetic power, as to engross the whole being, laying us at the feet of Him who hung there in a state which no words can describe. We can only approach such a theme with unshod feet, for the God of Sinai (with its thunder and blackness) has come out of His place to judge, once and for ever, the whole sin question. There may have been some mitigation and forbearance in the days of Moses (see Exodus 34), but there can be no mitigation now. Judgment must come, in all its relentless force, in the light of the offended majesty of God, but it is to be done in a love that no creature measure can ever fathom; it is to be done in the Son of His bosom, the Lamb of His own providing. Well might we say "Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of Hosts," and "Great and wonderful are Thy works, Lord God Almighty," and with the same breath: "To Him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in His own blood. . . to Him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen."

In the solemn hour of Calvary when the opposing forces of good and evil met, success seemed to be with the powers of evil. This we shall see lies deeply in the nature of things, for God was judging sin in the Person of One Who was at the same moment the target of all the combined forces of evil. The very sin that rose on that solemn occasion to its worst and most rebellious form was being judged by divine holiness in the Son of His bosom, the Holy One of God. It is this that forms the holy mystery of Calvary. The sinless, stainless, Son of God suffers at the hand of evil, from the accumulated masses of rebellious forces in hatred's most hateful form, when there could be no help for Him in God. Having become the Victim to meet the claims of justice, there could be no help for Him in God.

In that amazing hurricane of apostate malevolence, we may descry Judas Iscariot, the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas and Annas, then Pilate and Herod with Pilate again and the Roman soldiers. In the figurative language of Psalm 22 there were bulls, strong bulls of Bashan, dogs, the assembly of the wicked and the lion, a ravening and a roaring lion; none to pity. But what of His friends? He was forsaken by His disciples; one betrayed, another denied, and all fled and left Him alone. This was the end, the end of man's moral history; the murder of the Son of God filled up the cup of man's guilt, and the end of his responsibility is reached. Could a creature, a moral intelligent being, who is responsible to God, have done more to turn God against him than this? Could he have done more to make the lake of fire his eternal abode? Yet it was the act of the class that God had taken up to cultivate, to give them His law, His house and sanctuary, and in whose hands were the Oracles of God, and who had the privilege of carrying on the service of God. That which is flesh is flesh, and, cultivate it as you may, it turns against God.

But Nature, what of it, in that day of days? Serving Him in His teaching, accommodating Him in His errands of mercy, and obeying in His work of compassion; what of the whole vast machinery of creation then? All is affected, and in sympathy with the transaction of the time. The sun was hid, and darkness prevailed, while the earth shook, and the rocks were rent. Psalm 18, with 114, should be read here. Both look back to the deliverance from Egypt, but the highly figurative language may apply to the Cross. "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundation also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth (Psalm 18: 7. See the whole passage). "The sea saw it and fled; Jordan was driven back, The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? Thou Jordan that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 114: 3-7).

But deeper and yet more solemn things develop in that awful hour, for the Holy One must suffer from His God. Extremes meet, but oh how different the motives! The forces of evil would not stop short of His death, but the glory of God necessitated it. The counsels of heaven, the need of the creature, and the whole defiled creation, called for His atoning death and He had come from heaven to die. The character of God demanded such a sacrifice; it was the stern necessity of Him, who is moral Governor of Creation, and must be met. He, the Son, submits in holy obedience and becomes the sin-offering, but, on the other hand, He offered Himself voluntarily without spot to God, as this was a sweet savour as the burnt-offering. It is a peculiar scene, for the One Who is Himself holy, righteous and obedient, is abandoned of God, being unheard of in the history of God's moral creation. He, the Son offers Himself to glorify God, in all the claims of His being, and all the dread consequences come upon His blessed head.

God must punish sin. We have seen how the angels that fell were cast down, how the world was judged by the flood, and Sodom by fire. These judgments and others were the necessary result of divine holiness, for judgments upon earth; this was wrath from heaven, and sin cannot go unpunished; they were governmental judgments upon earth; this was wrath from heaven, and the glory of God, in the whole structure of the Universe, is based upon it for eternity. God was taking up the sin question in the Person of His Son, (the only One capable), in a public way, in the creation. This presents our Lord as the sin-offering, and, being such, there could be no sweet savour; but, for the full value of atonement, the burnt-offering is necessary, as shewing God's gracious acceptance of that glorious sacrifice, which went up as a sweet savour to Him. The combined value of these two sacrifices was such as to give full scope to the outflow of God's mercy, so that sinners, however sinful, might be brought to God to be before Himself without spot and dwell in love with Him.

The offerings and their laws are given in Leviticus 1-7, as pointing forward to Him in Whom they all meet. They fall into two classes, namely, the voluntary and the compulsory. To offer a sacrifice for sin could never be voluntary, since justice demanded it. This is that aspect of the Cross which shews the obedience of our Lord to all the rights of God against sin, but, in the burnt-offering, there was something more. In that character He freely offered Himself, and the fire could but find the holy excellence of His Person. As sin-offering He was bearing judgment, and there could be no sweet savour there. What was called for was One that could meet the unmitigated claims of the Judge. This He did perfectly, for, unlike the type which was consumed by the fire, He exhausted the judgment, but we are led far beyond this, and here, in thought, we pass to the burnt-offering character of His death, where the moral excellence of the Sacrifice went far beyond the claims of the Judge to delight His heart with its own innate excellence.

Whilst both these sacrifices had sin in view, judgment was more directly connected with the sin-offering. The day of atonement (Leviticus 16) prefigures the work of the Cross, as meeting God, concerning sin, in the whole creation, from the moment of its entrance, till its final relegation to the lake of fire for eternity There the sin-offering was most in evidence. The blood was shed at the altar of burnt-offering, and carried inside, and sprinkled upon the Throne, but the carcase was taken outside the camp. With the exception of the fat, which was to be burnt on the altar (Lev. 16: 25), all was to be burnt outside the camp With the burnt-offering neither was the blood carried in, nor the carcase carried out. As sin-offering our Lord Jesus Christ was passive. "He was made sin." "He was bruised for our iniquities." "His soul was made a trespass-offering."

All this was the holy subjection of One Who was led as a Lamb to the slaughter. With Him as burnt-offering all was different. He gave Himself. He offered Himself without spot to God. He said, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again." And, "Lo I come, in the volume of the book it is written of Me, to do Thy will, O God." All here is His own doing, and all is a delight to the heart of His God. "Even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." (See Isa. 53, Ps. 40, Heb. 10, and Eph. 5). The perfection of our Lord combines beautifully with the Spirit's presentation of Him. If He delighted to do the will of God, and went on in it right to death itself, He could not delight in the unmingled sorrow of being forsaken of His God in that dark hour. That was the cup He had to drink in all its bitterness, and that was what drew the cry of anguish from His holy lips, the meaning of which no creature shall ever fathom.

Linger a moment here. Could anything enhance the glory of the Cross like this? There was the judgment of God against sin, in all its stern necessity and terrific force; a judgment which only a sacrifice of infinite worth could meet. Sin had deluged God's fair creation with suffering, sorrow, and woe; it was antagonistic, rebellious, and set to dethrone God. (Isa. 14). It must be punished, yea, judicially met, and God's holy wrath appeased. Christ the Son of God becomes the Victim and God in all His claims is perfectly met. But — and here we reach the greatness of His glory — the payment exceeded the demand, so that when wrath is borne and Justice satisfied, there yet remains an excess which is the eternal guarantee of glory. In holy submission He had become the willing Victim, and met every claim, but, in the same transaction, He offered Himself without spot to God, and, being accepted, was so morally excellent as to fill God's heart with delight. If that Sin-Offering met the obligation — that which meant everlasting condemnation to the sinner — the same act as Burnt-Offering brought such a revenue of glory to God as to supply a basis for filling creation with that same glory, in a condition of everlasting bliss. It glorified God, it added lustre to all His time-ways, shewing their necessity, their perfection and their place in the whole scheme of divine dealings, while at the same time it radiated both backwards and forwards to eternity. It opened heaven with all its resources to men, supplied the key to open up the secrets of revelation, the power to deal with moral questions and unravel every tangle, solve every problem and explain all mysteries. It supplies the position for the elucidation of all Scripture, putting everything in proper moral order: it is the Centre of the dispensations, and, by it, chaos is turned to cosmos, and creation in all its departments glorified.

But, having glorified God, it is beyond all this. It has displayed Him to the Spirit-taught heart, as a God who is Love. While it maintained His character in majesty, integrity, and honour, in the condemnation of sin, it made room for the sinner, so that God might have His creature in right relations with Himself, in a condition beyond the possibility of breakdown. It made the God of glory more glorious. Needless to say, our God is ever glorious, but since sin had invaded His glorious realm, the work that put sin away brought in another glory; something, indeed, infinitely greater than the original state of sinlessness could have been. It has filled the heart of God with delight, covering His Name, throne, majesty, character and being with a lustre, which never could have been conceived, and which supplies the motive in creation for universal and never-ending praise. Oh the depth of it, the wonder of it, the magnitude and the grandeur of it! Speechless, fathomless, and measureless; standing in a dignity all its own; time cannot tarnish it, nor evil diminish. Passing creature capacity, yet supplying a continual theme for meditation and an endless cause for praise, God alone can comprehend its worth, and, by it, He works out all the counsel of His will, Jesus, Jesus, Holy Lord, what can we say? We worship and adore. We see Thee there, the centre of ignominy and shame, the target for all the accumulated malice of apostate creation; we see Thee beyond that a suffering Victim bearing God's judgment. We worship, we wonder, we gaze, and adore. But beyond all that we see Thee in Thine excellence exhausting the judgment, and clearing the ground of everything offensive that Thou mightest fill all things, yea fill all things with God. It amazes, it entrances, and we are left in motionless and speechless adoration of the wonders of Thy death. It is beyond us, beyond all creatures, but in measureless grace, Thou dost give us to share with Thee in its results. It has put us — yea, the whole creation — under a debt, which never shall be paid. "We triumph Lord, Thy joys our deepest joys afford."

What shall it be to Thee to see creation's answer to Thine atoning death? — When Thou shalt have Thine own with Thee as the TRAVAIL of Thy soul, when Thou shalt see and hear circle upon circle of intelligencies, and family beyond family of redeemed ones filling the universe with Thy praise, when through creation's vaults Thy name, Thy fame, Thy worth, and splendour shall echo, and re-echo, till eternity itself can find room for nothing more? Then not only moral intelligencies, but the mute and inanimate, shall join harmoniously to swell the strain and give to Thee Thy rightful place. It reminds us of nature's sympathy in the hour of Thy distress, when the sun was hid at midday, and the rocks were rent, when creation, so to speak, adorned itself in sackcloth as befitting the solemnity of the hour. But now, sorrow has given place to joy, distress and mourning to delight and ecstasy, and instead of groaning, creation basks in the sunshine of eternal love. Then, blessed Lord, Thou shalt have a worthy answer to all Thy deep distress. We long to see it, and to join the grand Hallelujah of that day, but here again there is that for Thee which passes infinitely beyond it all, namely; the joy of Thy blessed heart in the perfect accomplishment of Thy Father's will. "Looking steadfastly on Jesus the Leader and completer of faith: Who, in view of the joy lying before Him, endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12: 2). That joy, the inner personal joy of carrying out the will of Thy Father, in the full accomplishment of His counsels of love, none can ever fully know. It is Thine, and Thine alone, and we delight to own it, and blessed Lord, in virtue of that death, we shall dwell with Thee to behold Thee in the joy of it for evermore.

Part Five

First let us notice the bearing of redemption on the creation at large. The view of the Cross as set forth in the sin and burnt offerings gives the great objective declaration of God for all. Its far-reaching effect is doubtless seen in the fact of His being lifted up between heaven and earth. We may gather from Scripture — though it is not put before us in detail — that creation is separated into different departments, all of which come under the effects of the Cross for eternity. These may be hinted at in the distinct classes mentioned as angels, principalities, powers, lordships, dominions and authorities. While the vast hierarchy of unfallen agencies come under the anointed Man into the scheme of reconciliation, fallen hosts, who stand irreconcilable in the conflict between good and evil, come into eternal condemnation by subjugation.

With man and this earth, it is different. Whatever part it may have in the vast system of creation, it is manifest that morally it is the centre in relation to divine revelation, and the place where the eyes of all created intelligencies turn. Man being the creature upon whom the counsels were set, in the fulness of time, the Son became a Man. This necessarily connects the activities of the Godhead with the earth and man, and leads to the thought that all the other and higher classes of the creation are mentioned in scripture, because of their relation to what was before God in His dealings in the creation.

What more directly concerns us, then, is the position created by the death of our Lord with regard to man and the world. Every link was broken, and man in his responsibility left without excuse. The state was such, that it may be said while our Lord lay in the tomb, the end of all flesh had come before God. On the side of God's purpose the view was different. A way was made, by that death, for the outflow of His love, and the accomplishment of all that He had in His heart for man's blessing. Oh, that the children of God laid firm hold of this!

Since the Cross, this world is a scene of guilt and condemnation but it is God's world still. Though guilty and condemned, men are God's creatures, and in virtue of the death of His Son, God provides the very best saying, "Come for all things are ready." It were much for God to glorify Himself in His Son, where we had dishonoured Him — but to do so, and, by the same act, include in the blessing of it the creature who had crucified His Son — who could conceive? To be received back, on the ground of sin put away, would be much, but it stirs the heart deeply to know that we are brought back in the acceptance of Him Who fills the heart of God with delight. The Gospel begins from an ascended Christ, shewing that revelation and approach are joined together in the Person of our ascended Lord. He, the Son, came out to reveal, and having done that He shews the grandeur of God's Gospel, beyond words, in a living Person in the glory of God. It shews that God has not only certain thoughts of blessing put forth in words, but He has the grand truth personified, so that we can read His thought for us in our Lord Jesus, the glorified Man at His own right hand in heaven. This brings in the Holy Spirit, in whose hand is the subjective work, and who dwells in us to form us intelligently in the new state into which eternal life and sonship bring us.

This leads to the typical significance of the Peace Offering. If judgment was connected with the sin-offering, acceptance with the burnt-offering, communion is connected with the peace-offering. This offering is given in Leviticus 3, and its law with certain supplementary instructions in chapter 7. Its proper place in the ritual is seen in Chapter 8, at the consecration of the priests. There, we learn how God can have a company separated to Himself for His service in the Sanctuary. In the sacrificial work of the day, the sin and burnt offerings came first, as shewing how Christ had borne the judgment due to us, and that we now can be before God in His acceptance. The third offering was the ram of consecration, which, like the peace-offering, speaks of communion and is the food of all. Here, we see, in type, how God graciously deigns to share with the redeemed His appreciation of His Son in devotedness to death, in so far as they are able to take it in. His own portion which is composed of the excellencies and energies of the sacrifice, is put upon the altar, having been waved first before Him, by priestly hands. Christ Himself is seen in His own delight, as partaking of the wave breast, seat of the affections. This is foreshewn in Moses the mediator. Then, in the eating of the flesh by the priestly company, we have the completion of the scene where God and man — the creature that was at a distance from God — are brought together in holy communion, rejoicing together in Him who has by His death brought it all about. We see here how God has made a feast in His own House, for His own, and at His own expense, and how He would have us in our spiritual constitution so nourished with Christ that holy worship would flow . . . That Christ might be so digested, by the Spirit, into the life of our moral being, that His graces and perfections might be flowing out from us for God the Father's delight.

In this way, we are permitted to visualise, on the principle of faith, a company in the good of reconciliation and sonship, which means nearness to God in the complacency and delight of His nature (Eph. 1: 4). He is the blessed or happy God, and out of the darkness and ruin of the race, as seen at Calvary, He has brought back to Himself those whom He has fitted to take part in the celebrations of joy in His own House. See how the Lord puts this before us in the parable of Luke 15. The sinner is brought back from distance to nearness and clothed in the "best robe" — God's very best, which really means to be before God in Christ; he is able to take part in the holy festivity of the place. The fatted calf speaks, in parable, of the same blessed One as the peace-offering does in type, and the whole picture describes the scene and state into which returning sinners are brought for the pleasure of God, and for their own measureless blessing.

The connection of it all with the Lord's Supper is clear, for there heaven's richest and best is spread out before our adoring hearts. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" It is at the Supper, sacred and holy, the bearing of that death is seen in measure in its varied aspects for God and for the creation, we partake of the symbols and contemplate God revealed in all that He is, in nature and character, and in triumph over every opposing element. It is thus we seek the link-up of the ways of God with His eternal purpose, and as brought into a large place we worship and adore. We remember Him in His going into death for us; that death which is the divinely appointed outlet from all our ruined condition, and we shew forth that death, till He comes again, in the world that cast Him out. The state was such that nothing in the way of culture, education, or reformation, could meet it, hence the necessity for New Creation by death and resurrection, and the work of the Spirit. The Lord Himself had said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12: 24). The wisdom and glory of God are demonstrated before all as to fore-knowledge, resource, precision, and power, with regard to all His ways. He has triumphed over everything, bringing those, who were enemies in their mind by wicked works, into the place and state of friends, and into all the delight of obedience to His holy will.

So far, we have had the display of God as seen in the Christian position and blessing, as given through St. Paul in the light of the typical system sketched out in the Old Testament, There is still that which passes beyond type and shadow, which calls for notice, because of its wealth of communications in relation to the nature and character of God. It carries us beyond type into the inner intimacies of divine relationships, tastes, feelings, and joys as reflected in the counsels of eternal love.

It is clear that, while hating sin, God loves the sinner. All is simply demonstrated in the Cross, and is the result of who He is (Hab. 1: 13, John 3: 16, 1 John 4: 10). "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire, who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isa. 33: 14). "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12: 29). "If I whet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render recompense to mine enemies" (Deut. 32: 41). Such scriptures describe a God of holiness, before whom the sinner may well tremble. But in His resource that same God has devised a way, whereby the sinner may not only be recovered, but be brought to dwell with Himself in a nature and state suited to Himself — to dwell indeed with everlasting burnings.

Believers are brought to God. They are made His children, formed in His nature, and graced in His life. They are constituted righteous as He is righteous. They know God, and they know that they know Him by keeping His commandments. They are in God, and they know that also by keeping His word. These things are not merely by stated communications, although they have it on the authority of holy scripture. Such communications are received in a new nature, and by the Spirit of God, and bring a certainty beyond anything in the sphere of nature. For man in nature such words could have no meaning, but for those brought to God in Christ, they are spirit and life. To man at his best the Lord had to say, "Ye must be born again," and later it was said to the saints, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1: 28). By this mysterious work of the Spirit in the soul of man, there is planted a new nature which gives a capacity to know and love God, the One who has thus acted from His own side, and from Whom all the blessing comes. In this new nature we come into the relationship of children of God, from which we can know the blessedness of holding communion with Him, and "at-homedness" with divine Persons, in all the sweetness of the home of everlasting love.

Does anyone think that such things are too great for such poor things as we are? Anything at all would be too much for those who forfeited even life itself, and were under judgment, but they are not too great for the Father to bestow. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God." And this is not all, for although we are now children of God it is not yet manifest what we shall be. We know, says the scripture "that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3: 1, 2).

May we not say that, to understand these scriptures, holy and refined sensibilities are called for? As children of God, it is our inalienable right to be at home with the Father and Son, where there can be no reserve, to enter into the thoughts, feelings, and interests of the Father's love. The illustration fails, however, for there can never be familiarity there, and even in our innocent and unsophisticated condition of childhood, sin is there. We are in the realm of love here, the domain of the Spirit, the sphere of life eternal, where it can be said, "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." How else could it be said, "As He is so are we in this world"? (1 John 4: 16, 17). It is clear that this work of grace in the soul is entirely outside the previous sin-condition, and, in its own abstract power of moral purity, is proof against sin. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit (practise) sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3: 9).

Such are the life and relationships we are now brought into, in the fulness of divine revelation. It is the result of the Father's purpose, the atoning death of the Son, and the indwelling of the Spirit with His subjective operations in us, in relation to the Father's will. He it is Who takes the subjective side to make good in us the mind of God in relation to the work of the Son. It is this that brings about the intelligent transition in us from the previous sin-state, as in Adam, that we may be in the sober sense of a new order of life apart from mere imagination. How much harm may be done by appropriating the statements of scripture, as true of oneself, and speaking on the richest and deepest parts of truth, when the state we are in is a plain contradiction. It should be clearly understood that all these precious statements of truth, indeed the whole scheme of New Testament doctrine, is a divine description of a new divine order, and the way we come into it, which has been established for God in virtue of the Cross, in the risen glorified Man at His right hand in heaven. He takes account of us as in Christ at all times, yet we have not left the flesh and blood condition; that indeed constitutes the complex condition (and fits for this gracious schooling), to which attaches infirmities and weaknesses, which often degenerate and lead us into sin. This very scripture, which shows the wealth of blessing into which we are brought, reminds us of these very things. (1 John 1: 6-10, 1 John 2: 1-2, and compare Heb. 4: 14-16: Heb. 9: 24).

These remarks, which seemed necessary, will not hinder the devout heart from seeking to learn more and more the new place and state, into which we are now brought. As sons of God we have the nature of the Son, and are associated with Him before the Father in acceptance and calling, but, while that is true, we are still in the place where He was rejected. His coming back is now at hand, — may we not look for a ministry, that will enable His own to speak a word of bringing back the King? At such a time, may we not expect a ministry that will produce bridal affections, and awaken the cry, "Come, Lord Jesus!"?

Part Six

We are now in a position to view the present economy of grace, which we call Christianity, in its moral connections. Let us recapitulate a little before drawing our meditation to a close. We have seen the distinction between Deity, in its unveiled Majesty as unseeable and unapproachable, and the glorious Self-revelation of God in Trinity, and moral fulness, in and by the Son. While subsisting in its own essential and impersonal grandeur, in all the intrinsic bliss which is both native and proper to Itself, and gathering up within Itself the great features of Eternity, Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence, there abides the grand fact of Three glorious Persons within that Circle of Deity, a holy Triad which abides in love eternal. These, in the nature of things, are Co-eternal, Co-existent and Co-equal — a great reality, which hangs on the Truth that God is ONE, and God all THREE. The revelation of God springs from all this, but connects directly with the moral nature of God, which is love, and is necessarily the Source of the display of God in the creation, while the unveiled remains beyond us for ever. This creates no difficulty for faith; we have already seen that paradoxical statements are bound to come in from the very nature of the theme. We can thankfully leave what is beyond us in limitless power, presence, and prescience, and rest peacefully in the knowledge that at the centre of the whole vast structure of creation, and all the ranges of created intelligencies, there is a heart of love, which holds and controls, in view of moral rectitude, order, and purity.

This love is that alone which is eternally active; it proceeded from God and could only have an end if He had. It was there in full activity as the motive, spring, and life of the Holy Trinity, before the power that created was called into action. It neither began to be nor commenced to be active, nor shall it cease to exist and be active. It is inherent in and native to Godhead; it flows from Each to Each within the Holy Trinity, and spreads itself over all that God is and does. "Love is of God." "God is Love." Love is behind all that God does, whether in creation, providence, or government, and is seen in fullest lustre in its own sphere, namely Redemption. Righteousness and holiness were called into action by their opposites; love cannot be dormant. Hence the beautiful moral suitability, as all thoughtful minds have felt, of plurality within the blessed Godhead. The activity and reciprocity of love within the Godhead is instinctively felt, as we learn that love is the nature of God, but we have the truth itself stated by the Son: "Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world" (John 17: 24).

The eternal activity of divine love pre-supposes two important things, namely, — divine relationships and divine counsels. The first is within, while the second has creation in view. In the former, there is the internal and eternal reciprocation of that which is native to Deity, in the self-existent and self-satisfying delight of God — in the latter, namely, the counsels of grace, we have that which necessitated the creation of the universe, and the whole vast mediatorial system in which Each glorious One takes a place, in relation to the Others, for the glory of ALL.

Care is called for here, lest, when speaking of the place of subordination taken by the Son, in relation to the Father and Spirit, or of the place the Spirit takes in relation to the Father and Son, we might lose the balance and allow that which might militate against the unity of the Godhead. Whatever be the place taken by Each, whether of Authority or Subordination, eternal with the Co-equality remains the same. While Scripture connects purpose with the Father, it is ever the purpose of the Godhead. That is to say, the whole scheme is from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In its working out, the Father represents supreme authority, the Son by Incarnation takes a place of subordination, while ever remaining God, to glorify God, and the Spirit comes down from the glorified Lord to carry out the will of the Father and Son. A parallel to this may be seen by comparing the work of creation. While creation is the act of Elohim, namely the Godhead (Genesis 1: 1), yet when it is imputed to one Person of the Holy Trinity, it is either the Son or the Spirit, never the Father. Note the place Each ONE takes in working out the divine plan.

(1) In the scheme of purpose leading to the mediatorial system, all is seen to hang upon the will of the Father. He it is Who sets forth supreme authority. He constituted the Son heir of all things, gave the heirs of purpose to Him. (Heb. 1: 2; John 17: 6); and purposed them for blessing before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1: 4). He is the Father from Whom every family in the heavens and earth is named (Eph. 3: 15). He purposed the assembly for the Son, in His glorified humanity, as His body and Bride, a part of truth long spoken of as the masterpiece of God. Above all, He marked out for Him the Cross, in all its depth of woe, as it is said; "Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2: 23). For this He sealed, sanctified, and sent the Son, when the fulness of time had come. It is in this way we understand the words, "To us there is one God, the Father, of Whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him" (1 Cor. 8: 6). While co-equality in the unity of the Godhead ever remains, it can be said: "One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4: 6). While the Son took a place in the creation to carry out the will of the Father in obedience, the Father remains in His own abstract Godhead as representing the Deity from Whom all things come, and to Whom all must eventually be in subjection eternally.

(2) If possible, more wonderful is the place the Son has taken. Remaining eternally One with the Father and Spirit, He became Man to make God known. To declare God, the Godhead in the creation, He, the Absolute, became relative, and lived by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He was sent by the Father to do His works, speak His words, and obey His commandments, right down to the Cross. All this shews the passive place of our Lord Jesus, but parallel with it come out the gracious activities and sovereign rights of God the Son. He took the body prepared for Him, and in it declared God, laid it down at the Cross, took it up again in resurrection, and ascended to the right hand of the Majesty in glorified humanity; He is known there now, the great Anthropos, standing at the centre of all that is revealed, as Head, Lord and Priest, in administrative supremacy to fill, rule, and order the universe for the glory of God.

(3) The place of the Holy Spirit is different, but of equal import. He fills all things, yet comes forth in relation to divine counsels and the mediatorial system, to dwell in believers form the House of God, and the Body of Christ. His is the subjective work; by operating in man's soul He effects the New Birth, which for us is the beginning of new creation. He seals, sanctifies, and anoints the believer, and is the earnest of all future blessing and glory. He presents Himself under such figures as wind, fire (Acts 2), water (John 4), and oil (Matt. 25: 3-4), and is seen resting upon our Lord, as a dove. He is Life, Truth, Comforter and Guide; the Spirit of God, of the Father, of the Son and of Christ. His personality is shewn in John 14: 16-17. His sovereignty in 1 Cor. 12: 11, and in the last book of Scripture He is seen in relation to grace (Rev. 4: 2), glory (Rev. 21: 10), and government (Rev. 1: 4). By Him comes to us the Holy Scriptures, in fulness of plenary inspiration. There He gives us the full record of all that God is, and does, as revealed in the Son. He gives a perfect record, in fulness of variety, of history, prophecy, and dispensational truth, combined with promise, type, shadow, and symbol. It is by Him we are capacitated to receive divine thoughts, and it is He Who has put these thoughts on record. Whoever may be the vessel, in all the different personalities used to give us the Holy Scripture, He is the Author of all, and so important is its accuracy, that He Himself has selected the very words that are used. To God the Eternal Spirit we are indebted, not only for the revelation, but for the power to take it in.

It should be remembered that these distinctions in no way trench upon the Co-Eternal, Co-Essential and Co-Equal relations in the Godhead, and that, having been taken, scripture seems to shew that they shall not be laid aside. The Son we are told abides Man for eternity, and in that condition is said to be subject, and the Spirit, Who has been the inner controlling power of the whole mediatorial order, will not cease to influence, and illuminate, the whole sphere of bliss in eternity.

One more point may call for a word. The question is raised whether the counsels of God are eternal, or did there come a point, or time, in that timeless scene, when these counsels were formulated. The scheme of divine purpose is designated eternal, which should settle the point, but as the word is sometimes used in a sense not strictly absolute as in, for example, "Eternal salvation", "Eternal inheritance", it might be thought to be limited, in regard to purpose. A conference between divine Persons has been supposed, when it was asserted that One of the Holy Trinity would come into the creation, by becoming Man, and in that act would become Son to Another, Who would at the same time become Father.

This seems to militate against the essential unity of the Godhead. We cannot think of the Holy Trinity as we speak of three individuals, and suppose an agreement by arrangement. There is but one will, plan and purpose, within the Godhead. The thought seems to do violence to the inspired assertion that God is One. Moreover it seems to assume that He is arbitrary, and that all the glorious revelation of God is the result of an arbitrary agreement. In the very nature of things, an agreement reached always supposes the possibility of a different result. By adopting such theories, men may unconsciously belittle and humanise the God of glory.

But if carried out to its logical conclusion, this theory seems to deny the Omniscience of God. If there was a point, or time, in Eternity (speaking as a creature), when the counsels of God were formulated, then the counsels of eternity must have been as of yesterday, comparatively; since an endless eternity had been running on before that arrangement was made. These counsels pre-suppose creation, the fall and the whole range of divine dealings up to, and including the Cross, and all that follows, right on to eternity. Can we suppose that all this was unknown to God, until a certain arrangement was come to about it all? Is it not to assume that redemption is an afterthought? To assume that there was an eternity, before the Incarnation and Death of the Son were arranged, seems a very serious thing; but it does seem needed, along with other theories, to support the denials (a) of the relationships of Father and Son in eternity (b) that the Son is the eternal Word, and (c) that His eternal dwelling place is the Father's bosom.

How blessed beyond all thought is the knowledge of God! Revealed in His moral nature in the counsels of eternity, we can go back by the Spirit, and dwell with delight upon the love, life and activities of that eternal scene, in the reciprocation of all that is native and proper to God. The Son loved by the Father was there constituted Heir of all things, and the heirs of promise given to Him, while for them redemption, life and glory, were the purpose. With respect to our daily needs, we are to know and trust the Father; He cares for us; we are of more value than many sparrows; and He numbers the hairs of our heads. We are to be like Him in our ways, and to go into our closets and pray to Him, Who sees in secret. Then the Holy Spirit is here in the interests of the Father and Son, so that we can be kept in the blessed illumination of all that God is as revealed. "O the depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor? Or who has given to Him and it shall be rendered to Him? For of Him, and through Him, and for Him are all things to Him be glory for ever. Amen."

Thou glorious God of majesty supreme,

Great in Thy being, holiness unstained;

Unknown, to men eternally unseen,

Dwelling in light to which none can attain.

Thou the eternal, uncreate, alone,

Whose glorious presence everywhere doth shine

Which speaks of light peculiarly Thine own,

Intrinsic Godhead which is ever Thine.

But, were this all, my heart dare not intrude,

Nor find relief for all its creature need,

Greatness alone might humble but exclude

Creatures like me from Thee and all that's good.

Impersonal Essence, far beyond all ken,

Unknown to all in searchless Majesty,

But yet revealed in Love's divinest form,

To Thee my soul draws nigh in ecstasy.

Within Thyself, mysterious and grand,

With attributes which could but terrify,

Dwells holy love, which counsels and commands;

Thee, great and good, my soul doth magnify.

Within Thyself, Love's everlasting state,

God, Thou art Love, how wonderful to tell!

Love that controls Thine attributes so great;

Love that in spite of sin o'er all excels.

O God of gods, Thy holy nature, Love,

Brought Thee down here in Son to take my place —

To suffer, Lord, O thought all thoughts above,

Worship is mine and praise before Thy face.

Eternal love Thy purposes enshrine,

Sacred and rich in Godhead's secret plan,

Secrets eternal, glorious and profound,

Godhead in Trinity made known in Man.

The Son, eternal; wondrous to relate,

Heir and Completer of all that glorious scheme,

Which brought Thee down in manhood's low estate;

To Calvary's darkness that Thou might'st redeem.

Lord, LORD, Thy Love my inmost soul's delight, —

Thy Father's bosom Thine eternal home —

Yet Thou would'st bow in sorrow's darkest night,

Engulfed in judgment by Thyself alone.

Thy death, blest Lord, has met God's every claim,

Has brought to Him a victory e'en divine,

Thy love's resource has covered both the Name

And Throne of God, with glory all sublime.

Worship and homage mark yon heavenly host;

Earth's ransomed myriads laud Him and adore,

Father and Son, and e'en the Holy Ghost,

Eternal gladness, praise for evermore.

J. McBroom.

The Spirit of Truth

The Spirit of Truth

J. McBroom.

Contents

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

THE SPIRIT CONTROLLING ALL THINGS IN VIEW OF THE INCARNATION

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE INCARNATION, ATONEMENT AND INAUGURATION OF THE NEW ETERNAL SYSTEM

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE HOUSE OF GOD

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE ASSEMBLY AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

THE WEALTH OF GOD

THE DEPTH OF GOD'S WISDOM

THE DEPTH OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Appendix

Note A

Note B The Kingdom

Note C The House of God

Note D The Body of Christ

Note E The Rainbow

To the Reader.

This booklet is complement to two others, one, "The Beauty of the Lord," and the other, "The God of Glory." It was felt that after putting out a meditation upon God which necessarily led to the Father, and one on the Son, our glorious Lord, a word was called for on The Spirit. In this way, the three make a meditation upon GOD.

In the New Testament we have the revelation of God — Father, Son and Spirit — in the Son. It is there we learn that God is ONE (1 Timothy 2: 5) yet THREE (Matthew 28: 18, 19). One in Essence or Essential Being; Three in Person. In the Old Testament The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6: 4, 5) in contrast with Polytheism. In the New Testament HE is One in contrast with Tritheism. Revelation may far outstretch our creature thought, but never goes against, or clashes with it. We may apprehend but never comprehend. We learn, therefore, that "God is One," is different in sense from what He is as Three. The former being impersonal and expressive of Him in His Eternal Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. "Heaven is My throne, earth is My footstool." The latter shows us that within that Essence or Substance there are three Subsistances or Persons in holy and intrinsic relation dwelling together in LOVE. This we also learn is the nature of God from Whom comes the counsels of eternity, and follow on through Scripture to see how each One in the Holy Trinity engages in relation to and with the Others in carrying into effect the one eternal plan.

This, then, is the subject of the three booklets: and the Holy Spirit being the One Who carries out the subjective work in our souls, we may expect to get with Him this rich, deep and blessed fulness of revelation.

J. McBroom.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

by James McBroom

Much is said in Holy Scripture concerning the knowledge of God, and nothing within the range of human thought can equal It. In two former booklets entitled "The God of Glory" and "The Beauty of the Lord," we sought to dwell a little on God the Father in the one, and God the Son in the other. Seeing the Godhead subsists in Trinity, we felt something should be said on God the Holy Spirit, and we ask the reader to accompany us for a little, in a meditation on that blessed Person. It is to Him we are indebted for the Holy Scriptures; the record of the revelation of Who God is; and what He does, so that all we know, or can know is from Him. Moreover, it is by His operation in our souls, we are made capable of availing ourselves of the revelation He has given us.

The Holy Trinity is presented as Three in One. This, faith accepts, though it be beyond creature comprehension. There is much we believe even in our creature constitution which we cannot fully understand. While we are anxious to avoid negatives here, it may be said that in applying numerals, it is not three in the same way, or in the same sense as They are One — Three Persons in one Essence. This, though beyond us, is not out of bearing with sense, as are some of the delusions of the present day.

But if God is one in Essence, there are within that Essence, or Substance, three Persons, each standing in relation to the other as Father, Son and Spirit. Essence gives us an impersonal thought by which we can understand that He fills all space and permeates the universe with life, glory, and majesty. Eph. 4: 6. "Heaven is My throne." Ps. 11: 4. Acts 7: 49. As such there is one mind, purpose, will and plan, hence, what is true of One, is true of all Three. This explodes for ever what speculative theology has pre-supposed namely, a conflict within the Godhead. To raise a moral question like that would be equal to saying, that God can be at variance with Himself.

God is a Spirit, infinite, Eternal and unchangeable in His Being; full of power, holiness, justice, mercy, goodness and truth. In His natural attributes there is first His eternity. " Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God?" Hab. 1: 12; Inscrutability. "Even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God." Ps. 90: 2; Omnipotence. "With God all things are possible." Matt. 19: 26. "The blessed and only Potentate." 1 Tim. 6: 15; Omnipresence. "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me." Ps. 139: 7-10.

The moral attributes are descriptive of His nature and character and come out fully in the working out of purpose in His time ways among men. Thus Righteousness and Holiness describe His character and spring from His nature which is love. 1 John 4: 8-14. This last is absolute and exists eternally as constantly reciprocated within the Godhead. He is also Light, but this is relative as standing in relation to darkness and is the exposure of sin, lawlessness and moral disorder.

In the very nature of things, what is true of One, is true of all Three as we have said, yet in the working out of the eternal plan, each takes His Own place in relation to the Others. The Father is He by whom every family in heaven and in earth is named; He worketh all things after the counsel of His Own will; He is above all, and through all and as to His children, is in you all. Eph. 3: 15; Eph. 1: 11; Eph. 4: 6. The Son creates. John 1: 3. Col. 1: 16. Heb. 1: 2; Redeems. Rom. 3: 24; Eph. 1: 7. Col. 1: 14; He is also the Judge. John 5: 22. By creation He brought in the platform upon which the plan would be wrought out. He became Man to cleanse it and put it on the stable basis of redemption and finally, He will put down all that is offensive and rebellious against God. The Spirit performs the subjective work, working for glory and adornment. His part in creation was to garnish it. Job. 26: 13. His work in the saints is to array them in the beauty of Christ. Luke 15: 22. Col. 3: 12-14. To accomplish this, He uses the word of God. He takes up His abode in the believer and thus becomes the subjective power for spiritual instinct; intuition; inspiration; revelation; and illumination. In this way it is the Holy Spirit which qualifies the saints for service whether for conflict in the kingdom; Levitical service in the testimony; or worship in the sanctuary. He is the power which qualifies for all moral activities whether estimates, values or measures. See Note A.

In the counsels of eternity we have a scheme which is the necessity of the divine nature. It is neither dictatorial nor arbitrary. Nor can we say it is the result of a formal agreement between divine Persons. An agreement reached by consultation supposes the probability of a different conclusion. This could not be possible here. God being LOVE in nature, the definite plan is the moral necessity of Who and what He is. Although one in essence, He subsists in three glorious Persons, each having His own day in relation to the eternal plan or purpose. All the time ways of God in the Old Testament had these THREE DAYS IN VIEW. The first is the Spirit's day. It began at Pentecost and will terminate when the Lord takes the Assembly home. Then will begin the day of the Lord, an event which runs right through the millennial age, and which terminates in the beginning of the day of God which is eternity. All the dealings of God in the Old Testament are included in His time ways and while these days displayed Him before the eyes of all creation, in His nature, character and being, He remained hid behind the veil. All therefore was probationary, testing man in his responsibility as an intelligent moral agent, while governmentally providing both the ground and the material for the fulfilment of His purpose. All was preparatory to the fulfilment of these counsels by the incarnation of the Son, Who, by His death at Calvary, His resurrection and ascension, laid the basis for the accomplishment of these counsels and made way for the coming of the Spirit to inaugurate the new day.

As we shall see, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit for all we know of God in His word, but through a misunderstanding or a mistranslation of John 16: 13, it has been thought that the Spirit tells us nothing about Himself. Competent authorities tell us it ought to read thus, "He shall not speak from Himself." Compare this with John 5: 19, "The Son can do nothing of Himself." Both texts show the mutual activities of Father, Son and Spirit. From the above remarks — which were necessary to guard us from Tritheism on the one hand, which is three gods, or Sabellianism on the other hand, which is one god with three different names — we now proceed to dwell on the office and work of the Holy Spirit.

THE SPIRIT CONTROLLING ALL THINGS IN VIEW OF THE INCARNATION.

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33: 4. "Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews." Job 10: 10-11. Here we are taken back to that consultation in Eden when the Deity held consultation over the creation of man. "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." Zech. 12: 1. All this calls for careful attention, for while we do not read of any other section of the moral creation over which Deity deliberated before, neither do we read of any who were so created, that at a later time, they could be re-created and thus become a new creation in Christ. This must have a distinct place in our thoughts if we are to understand the true character of the Spirit's day, and the blessings proper to it.

The first mention of one of the eternal Three, is in Gen. 1: 2. The earth was waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. This was the beginning of a work which would turn chaos into cosmos; a dreary waste into a scene of splendour. A work which will result in the whole earth being resplendent with glory. But as the material is servant to the moral, it adumbrates His work in the spiritual chaos of the soul of man. In this is seen God's triumph in the recovery of the creature of His predilection, and brings into view His resource in the Son of His love.

As created, man was richly endowed with capabilities for great things and it is well to note how these were developed in spite of the seduction and corruption of his moral nature. Certain works were accomplished which involved language, arithmetic, mechanics, etc. Cain built a city and trades began to be practised which called for lines, angles, cubes and squares. This development of primitive man must have been under the hand of his Creator. We are not left to inference here, for we are told that He who endowed him with such capabilities, imparted the strength, wisdom and understanding for their use. Ex. 35: 30-35. This is a sample view of man as created and developed under the hand of the Holy Spirit. What he might have become had he remained in obedience none can say, but we do know what he has become as in Christ as a vessel of glory for the delight, satisfaction and praise of God. Having come under the power of sin and Satan through the fall, his gifted qualifications have been used against a beneficent Creator to build up a gigantic system called world. A system governed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Satan is its god; it hates the Father and the Son; it is already judged; the execution thereof being at the door. In this way, after the fall, Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch which means dedicated. Here, the trades and commerce began to flourish with music and entertainment as an accompaniment. Nothing can meet the need of the heart of man but God, hence the call for music and the many false charms the enemy gets up — science; politics; travel; or religion with its sensuous musical programmes for his entertainment. Passing over some allusions to the Spirit, we come to a remarkable work of His in the desert of Israel's wanderings. This we select as showing His control of man both in body and soul. Having heard of the triumph of Israel over the Egyptians, Balak the king of Moab hired Balaam to come and curse for him the people of God. It appears that Balaam was not entirely destitute of the knowledge of God, but sought to make gain by trafficking with evil spirits. The Holy Spirit is seen here both with the testimony and with the people of God; whatever their failure is, no enemy can curse them. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Rom. 8: 33. Balaam makes an attempt, with the result that he is forced to bless them altogether. The Holy Spirit so controlled both the mind and the vocal organs of the man, that he was compelled, against his will, to bless them. Moreover, such is the beauty of his language and the comprehensive bearing of his words, that his four little parables or poems will compare favourably with the richest strains of prophetic language in the whole book of God. If we take the lovely grandeur of the song of Moses and the people in Ex. 15; or listen to the felicity of his words in Deut. 32, 33; or the dignity and pathos of the last words of David in 2 Sam. 22, and again in Ps. 18; then follow on to the sublime strains of praise, in 2 Sam. 7: 18-29; 1 Chr. 29: 10-14, with all their thrill, they do not surpass the language which the Holy Spirit draws from the lips of this wicked man. Nor was it different with Caiaphas, the High Priest. John 11: 49-52. With Balaam it was an attempt to mix clean and unclean; holy and unholy, but with Caiaphas we see a man governed by hatred to the Lord Jesus, yet made to utter the precious truth of God.

When the people of God are obedient as in the days of Joshua, the Spirit is owned in His proper work, and victory is the result, but where they are disobedient and lapse into open failure, He is engaged with correction and recovery. There is a marked contrast between the books of Joshua and Judges as to this In the former, they took the land by conquest and the lot of each tribe was assigned to them by their leader Joshua. In the latter, after his death, they not only failed to take their possessions but fell into the sins of the Canaanites and brought upon themselves the sword of divine government. The Spirit of God came upon men again and again from Othniel to Samson. Judges 3: 10; Judges 6: 34; Judges 11: 29; Judges 13: 25; Judges 14: 6; Judges 15: 14. The most remarkable of all these was Samson. Both he and Jephthah were morally far below men like Joseph or Daniel but the Holy Spirit could use them as expressive of their generation. If Israel were low enough to produce a Samson they got lower still to produce an Ahithophel, 2 Sam. 16: 20-23. And down to the deepest depth of all to produce a Judas Iscariot.

Pre-eminently thus the Holy Spirit was at work ruling and over-ruling, in every circumstance guiding the march of all history forward towards one grand event — the incarnation of the Son. Whichever way we look at man, he is under the Spirit's control. Physically He controls the beating of the heart, the breathing of the lungs and the circulation of the blood in growth, waste and decay. As to the moral man, He is the power for both thoughts and feelings; temperaments and faculties; emotions and tastes, all are the fruit of His sovereign will and while each one must give an account for every word, thought, and deed, we must never forget that we can originate nothing but are dependent on Him for all.

The victory of Abram over the five kings, or of Moses over Pharaoh, or Israel over Amalek were by the Spirit. So also the conquest of Canaan by Joshua, but as history proceeds Israel has to learn that God is holy and no respecter of persons. They fall before Assyria, Babylon and ultimately into the hands of Rome where, through rejecting their Messiah, they are in bondage to this day.

There is however, a brighter side and it is comforting to trace the marks of His work in the men of the covenant, throughout the ages. The Spirit as a divine Person is behind the word faith in Heb. 11. It was by His power the exploits of these witnesses were accomplished. The sacrifice of Abel; the communion of Enoch; the building of Noah were all potentially of Him. Abraham the pilgrim and friend of God; Moses the legislator — the meekest man on earth; Joseph the administrator; Joshua the captain; David the king — all was the fruit of sovereign power directed by the Spirit. The same is true of the exploits of the Judges; the beautiful poetic strains of the Psalmists whether David, Solomon, Moses, Asaph, Ethnan or Habakkuk. The Lamentations of Jeremiah; the weeping of captives in Babylon or Rachel weeping for her children. Each and every part had its place in sovereignty of wisdom, holiness and love, all going to show that God the Holy Spirit is immanent in all history, the superintending force in every event whether in the unit or aggregate. At every moment both private thought and public opinion are the fruit of His sovereign will.

But besides His place in the sphere of holy government, the Spirit pervades the typical system. The fire of the Altar; the water of the Laver; the oil for cleansing the leper, sanctifying the Levites and consecrating the priests, spoke symbolically of the Spirit. He was the overseer of the ritual on the great day of atonement, as also the feasts of Jehovah. When we recall that it is He who gives the inspired account of the whole range of things in Creation; Providence; Government and Redemption, we get some impression of the Office and work of the Holy Spirit in co-relation with the Father and the Son.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE INCARNATION, ATONEMENT AND INAUGURATION OF THE NEW ETERNAL SYSTEM.

On the first page of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit comes before us as preparing a body for the Son. In prophetic language the Son had said, "The Lord God, and His Spirit, hath sent Me." Isa. 48: 16. The angel of the Lord said unto Joseph. "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Matt, 1: 20. Previous to that, Gabriel appeared unto the Virgin Mary and said. "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus . . . . . . The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1: 31-35. In this the most profound of all miracles, the whole Trinity was engaged, and its repercussion was felt universally in heaven earth and hell. Our Lord was sent, sealed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. He began His ministry from the Jordan, associating Himself with a remnant of His people in the Baptism of John. Here for the first time the whole Trinity are manifested and come within the cognisance of human sensibilities. The Son is owned by the Father and the Spirit rested on Him in the form of a dove. Observe in following this out, that He was sent or driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan, and having bound the strong man there, He returned in the power of the Spirit to begin His itinerations through the land. Mark 1: 12; Luke 4: 14. In this service He declared the heart of God. God had been glorified in Him when, for thirty years of private life, the beauty of a man shone under His eye. The words of Ps. 16, are descriptive of the exercises of that time. He grew up before Jehovah as a tender plant and a root out of dry ground. There was nothing of an external nature to distinguish Him in the eyes of men. Isa. 53. In His public service which covered about a tenth of the time spent in private, all was marked by the unction of the Holy Spirit. What He said and what He did, all His words and works were the work of the whole THREE. Matt, 12: 28; John 14: 10; Acts 10: 38. This went on to the cross, where, through the eternal Spirit, He offered Himself without spot to God. Heb. 9: 14. During His ministry, certain ones had been brought back from the dead to life here again but His resurrection was the triumph of good over evil. It was the establishment of a new creation as part of divine purpose, and Scripture shows each member of the Holy Godhead at work in that mighty act. This intimacy and co-working of divine Persons still goes on as seen in His breathing into His disciples and saying Receive the Holy Spirit. His last charge to them was given by the power of the Spirit and also His last promise. John 20: 22; Acts 1: 2-5.

Being now on the verge of the Spirit's day, let us glance back to the outset of God's time ways and note how the march of events was preparing for the coming of the Son which was followed by the coming of the Spirit. Whether we take History, Prophecy, Providence or Government, all was preparing for the accomplishment of His eternal purpose in the Son. His ancient dealings with Israel in the law, both in the moral code and in the ceremonial observances; the typical mysteries of the prophets, priests and kings — all was working towards the point we have now reached. The Son would be seen by the eye of faith, a Man in heaven in virtue of redemption and the Holy Spirit on earth in relation to the counsels of eternity. In the Gospels, Matthew goes back to Abraham and David, linking up the Son with promise and royalty. Mark presents Him as Jehovah the servant prophet. Luke takes us back to Eden, presenting the Son as the Second Man out of heaven. But John steps over the whole of history into eternity to show the Son is God, come down to fulfil His eternal plan. Hence in this Gospel, man is treated as a lost sinner from the outset.

The two basic facts of the Gospel are, the exaltation of Christ in the rights of redemption, and the presence of the Holy Spirit on the earth. As it is said, a Man in heaven above is a new thing in divine dealings and the Spirit here to dwell in the believer a new thing as well. Instead of assuming a body as the Son did, He takes up His abode in the souls of believers and builds them together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Eph. 2: 22. In the Gospel God is working according to pattern and this shows that not only has He been revealed but in the exaltation of Christ He has a complete answer to the revelation. All this should be seen as accomplished in the ascension of Christ from Whom the Holy Spirit came down to continue the work of affecting God's Purpose.

We might speak of the pentecostal gift in many ways but it may be better to put it under three leading heads, namely, the Kingdom of God; the House of God; and the Body of Christ. These three were formed simultaneously by the coming of the Spirit. Believers stand in relation to the first in an individual way: in relation to the second collectively; and relation to the third corporately — Jew and Gentile as a joint-body in Christ. That the heavens do rule, man had to learn in early days (Dan. 4: 26), but the kingdom of heaven is the Spirit's domain. The kingdom of God was here in the person of the Son, but before it could be established as the kingdom of heaven the King must Himself have gone there. This is the sphere of divine rule on the earth, where the Lordship of Christ is the bond and from which goes out the Gospel of the glory of Christ. Within that kingdom, God has His dwelling place and, while Christ is Lord in the kingdom, He is Head in the House. John 8: 35; Rom. 14: 9; Heb. 3: 6. Needless to say, we are far from material things here. The kingdom being spiritual, it provides a bulwark for the house and in that way is protective of the holy things of God — the precious things of heaven. Within that House is presented the innermost treasure of all, namely the mystery, or secret, which was hid in God — the truth of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ. Moreover, it must be seen that the saints form both the Church militant, and the kingdom as a generation of faith. By the Spirit's power they meet and defeat the opposing forces of evil, just as they form the House of God and stand in relation to His testimony in the world. In their relationship to Christ as members of His Body, they stand united to Him in organic union on the one hand, and as members one of another, one Body in Christ on the other.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

The Epistle to the Romans is an elaborate exposition of the Gospel of God. There we are told that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14: 17. In this Epistle there is an answer produced in the saints by the Spirit, corresponding to that which was accomplished in Christ for God at the cross. Here the Blessed Lord died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3: 18. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we might have full and free forgiveness, but, if we were to be brought into the joy of these things, the Holy Spirit must work in us. The work of the cross goes much deeper than the forgiveness of sins. It goes even to the fallen state in which we stood. It was there in the sinless One, God dealt judicially, and condemned sin in the flesh. This was the end of man's responsible history and it is of solemn moment that we should notice that man's crowning act of guilt brought it about. What the Lord did brought out God's richest act of mercy but man's part brought out sin at its height. There, light and darkness; good and evil; life and death, came into awful conflict. The Lord's part was making atonement by bearing the judgment. Man's part was filling up his own guilt, while the Blessed God was judging and condemning the whole state in the Person of the sinless One — His own beloved Son — and giving to the whole creation a public expression of the awful, sinful, God-defying state of the creature, while the whole guilty state goes down in death and is left there. The resurrection bursts upon the scene and in the risen One, we behold Man in His new estate according to the thought of God from eternity to eternity.

Now while all this is objective and for the apprehension of faith, the Spirit's work is subjective. He came to work in us the deep thoughts of God, based upon the work the Son had accomplished and, as we have said, His work is according to pattern. Christ having set foot on earth, God will tolerate nothing less in testimony, hence the transfer of the soul by the operation of the Holy Spirit from Adam to Christ. The cross is the basis of His work in the human heart and the new birth is His work in every dispensation, but the formation of a new company in the nature, calling and relationship of the glorified Man, is that which necessitates that He should take up His abode in the soul. He does not dwell in man as in the flesh — a state already condemned — but in the soul as previously prepared by Him in the divine operation of new birth.

All this calls for careful consideration for, as an intelligent moral agent, man cannot be transferred out of the condition of estrangement from God, and brought into intimate nearness like a mere material object. In the very nature of things soul history and progress in relation to the divine claims must be attended with pain. In the sovereign work of new birth when the Spirit says, "Let there be light," the effect is repentance and produces the cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," as a result. Faith as the gift of God is now present and the Gospel is accepted which brings about conversion and the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins. This may come immediately after the initial work of new birth, which is the divine order, or it may well be some time after, and in many cases, where the truth is little known, souls are often left a long time struggling in a condition analagous to that detailed in Rom. 7. This interval may be seen in a case like Cornelius the centurion, a pious man who prayed to God, to whom was given a vision, followed by a visit from the Apostle Peter. Having received the Gospel he was sealed by the Holy Spirit. Acts 10. The same thing may be seen in Saul in the three days he was without sight, after the Lord had met him on the Damascus road. Acts 9. Again, the twelve men at Ephesus who were in the Christian company but had not yet received the Spirit. Acts 19. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His, or he is not of Him. Rom. 8: 9. This brings us to the peculiar favour and blessedness of the indwelling Spirit. It is not that souls in the transitional state between new birth and sealing do not belong to Him. The Old Testament saints belong to Him; so also the disciples before the cross, but to be of Him is another matter. This can only be true of those within the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be in Christ, free from condemnation and blessed with every spiritual blessing, is the portion only of those sealed by the Spirit of God. It is no question of denying that souls may be happy and in the hopes of heaven, for the Lord can meet them where they are, but deliverance from the law, the flesh or sin, cannot be the experience of souls in that state.

The pity is that so few seem to enter into what it is to be in the Spirit. Failing to see that God has not only dealt with the sins but with the whole sinful state, many are left struggling with that state in themselves and do not know the way out. Robbed of the holy joy of deliverance in a new relationship of life and peace, pious souls spend their days in bondage to sin, the law and the flesh and the world, not having the holy freedom from these things which is their very birthright. It is here that the verses of Romans 7, mentioned above call for a few remarks. The exercise is personified in the Apostle and it simplifies matters if we distinguish between the concrete and the abstract. "I am carnal, sold under sin," v. 14, is the expression of one who has light from God. He may, or he may not, have received the Spirit but is in bondage to sin. He is now, so to speak, in the tunnel of introspection which, though dark at this point, leads to further light and eventually to an outlet of brightest sunshine. Next, through a process of reasoning, he is able to distinguish between himself and sin which dwelleth in him. This is a great step. It is really man before he fell in Eden and what he became after. Then the next step is still greater for, through a further process of reasoning, he can identify himself with the good. "I delight in the law of God after the inward man." v. 22. Apprehending this, he can take account of sin in his nature as a foreign element which is irreconcilable and to which the law applies all its positive and negative commands. The law — which is holy — can only condemn this state. No discipline, education or reformation can help such a state. The law pronounces his condemnation and claims his death. This condemnation and death having been submitted to and borne by his substitute at the cross, he accepts that death as his in the faith of his soul and is now able to say, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now he sees that although sins law is still in the flesh, he himself is in Christ and free from condemnation. Rom. 8: 1. This is a needful experience if we are to know the blessedness of the christian calling. It is no imaginary thing, but a blessed reality. The abstract nature of this is to be observed. While appreciating what it is to be in Christ in a status and life which is of God and beyond responsibility, he is conscious that only the grace of God can keep him. "So then I myself with the mind serve God's law, but with the flesh sin's law." Rom. 7: 25. N.T. This mixed condition that he is in, will go on till the end of the pathway, but though that is so, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made him free from the law of sin and death. Rom. 8: 2. The uniform working of life in the first Adam ever gravitates downwards in sin to death. The uniform working of the life of Christ the Last Adam was ever upward. In that the believer now is by the Holy Spirit. It is regrettable that many suffer real loss by refusing to face the exercise of Romans vii. On the other hand, how deplorable it is that it may be mentally acquired in such a way that we may be able to speak of the deep things of God, while our practical condition is morally akin to the man of the world.

Having arrived at the consciousness of being in Christ in holy freedom, we can take account of the ground trodden in relation to the Spirit. Free from the domination of sin and having yielded to the claims of law, we are now, in the words of Rom. 6: 14, "not under law but under grace." The place of the Spirit in all this is set forth in Romans 8. The Spirit is mentioned in that chapter no less than seventeen times. As a consequence, there are four statements in the chapter that call for consideration. "Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." v. 9. " There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." v. 1. "If Christ be in you." v. 10. The flesh is descriptive of man's state as a creature. It is that which gives colour to all our thoughts, feelings, tastes and all that goes to make up life. The fall corrupted that, hence all is contaminated. By displacing flesh, the indwelling Spirit becomes our power for everything. So then, if we are in Christ before God for His pleasure, Christ is in us before men for testimony — the indwelling Spirit being the power for all.

In the light of this why do we hear so little of the knowledge of the Spirit? It is true that He is here on behalf of the Father and the Son and that He does not make Himself an object. He comes before us in an impersonal way by the use of the neuter pronoun "it" but He is God and we know Him as knowing God. In plain words, all we know of God is directly from Him and by Him. "Ye know Him" was the word of our Lord to His disciples. John 14: 17. Hereby we know the Spirit of God — every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh is of God. Now God is Love. The Holy Spirit is God hence, He is Love. "Now I beseech you brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Rom. 15: 30. How could He shed the love of God abroad in our hearts if He were not love? He is the Spirit of truth, John 14: 17. The Spirit of power 2 Tim. 2: 7. Do we not gather from the words of the Lord Jesus that the Holy Spirit will tell us more of what He Himself is?" It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16: 7. In Him then we have the God of all comfort. "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." Isa. 66: 13. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." 2 Cor. 1: 3. Inasmuch as the Spirit is within us, we get made good to us and in us, all that God is, by God the Holy Spirit. But He can sympathise, yea, and intercede for us. "In like manner the Spirit joins also its help to our weaknesses; for we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered." Rom. 8: 26.

Then there is communion of the Holy Spirit. Think of the marvellous condescension He shows to come and dwell in such close proximity with evil, for we have to remind ourselves that, although transferred from Adam to Christ, the law of sin is still in our members. Doubtless, this was the cause of His appearance as cloven tongues of fire at Pentecost. He dwells in us in that which He Himself has formed in us by new birth and here it is, His communion with us. Surely in coming to our side, it is that He may bring us to His, in all the blessed consciousness of divine favour within the sacred enclosure of His own domain, where all things are of God. It is thus as the Spirit He enters into the closest intimacy with us in our spirits. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Rom. 8: 16.

But the Spirit is sensitive. This we can understand, for distance is measured by nearness even in human relationships. The more refined the sensibilities are, the more susceptible we are to the chilling influences of man and the world. The Spirit can be grieved and may for the moment be inactive but He is also jealous. Love is always jealous. Many are the tragedies that follow it in human life To the young men it is said, "Love not the world." How could the Holy Spirit go on ungrieved in us if we let our hearts go out to anything in this poor world which is not of God? "I The LORD thy God am a jealous God." Ex. 20: 5. The Spirit therefore can be grieved; quenched; lied to and even blasphemed.

Enough has been said we trust of the possession of the Spirit, to impress us with the simplicity and beauty of life lived practically under His sway. Some seem to think that walking in the Spirit — which is walking by faith — is impractical and produces austerity and a tendency to frown upon the enjoyments of daily life. A plea is sometimes made for the young in such words as, Do not be a kill-joy. Nothing could be more deceptive and harmful. Nature's. joys are at their best ephemeral and leave us dissatisfied. Well we know they fade and decay but the joys of the Spirit are pure; lasting; heavenly and eternal. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14: 17. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." Gal. 5: 22, 23. This lovely passage falls into three beautiful clusters of Christ-like features, each containing three and all reflecting in a three-fold way The first three are Godward; the next three manward, the last three personal. Can any one say there is either austerity, legality or mere sentiment in this? On the contrary, it can be said there are no more happy, joyous, genial people in this world. As led by the Spirit of God they are sons of God and true geniality is seen in them with the absence of all levity. Isaiah said, "Woe is me." Isa. 6: 5. Peter said, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Luke 5: 8. Paul said, "O wretched man that I am." Rom. 7: 24. It is just there that this holy Person has deigned to take up His abode. Not in what we are as flesh of sin, but in what He has Himself prepared in His initial operation of new birth.

One other passage calls for a word before passing on. Being accused by the Corinthians of unfaithfulness to his promise, the apostle takes occasion by the charge to show on the one hand his own transparency, and on the other to speak of the office of the Spirit in a three-fold way as the anointing, seal, and earnest of all that is yet to come. Christ is the embodiment of all the promises of God. Whoever else may vacillate, there is both stability and security in Him "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. 1: 20-22. In accord with what has been already said, this passage supposes a previous work of the Spirit in the soul. These things come before us in a perfectly orderly way in the cleansing of the leper. Lev. 14: 1-18. Washing with water prefigures new birth. Sprinkling with blood — forgiveness of sins. Anointing with oil — the gift of the Spirit. We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Eph. 2: 10. Here we come to spiritual instinct, intuition and intelligence. " But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth, and is no lie, even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 1 John 2: 27. Spiritual instinct is a most precious reality but it must be regarded with care. It is one thing for a devout soul to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, and not be able to give a text of scripture for it. It is quite another thing for people to act by what they call the inner light which they lay claim to, while ignoring the word of God. The act of Mary of Bethany when she broke her box of spikenard and anointed her Lord, has earned for her undying fame in the testimony. The Lord Himself vindicated her. But the claim of "Inner light," which we hear so much of today, is a mark of one of the evils of the last days.

"Who also hath sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." It is clear that these different things are brought to pass in our hearts by one and the same act when the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in us. By putting the stamp of God upon us, the Spirit claims our persons for God. "Ye are not your own? for ye have been bought with a price: glorify now then God in your body." 1 Cor. 6: 20, New Trans. "And has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." In this we have a token of the inheritance. Eph. 1: 14. This means we are called to share with our Lord in all that He has acquired. All that range of universal glory and blessing which He takes up by double claim namely, Personal right, and the redemptive acquirement. In this way the Spirit is the pledge and the present enjoyment of the thing pledged, while we await the full result in the redemption of our bodies. He brings into the obedient heart the enjoyment of what is future in communion with the Father and the Son. This leads to the peak of christian blessing, namely, sonship, and associates us with the Son before God in fulness of blessing. This we shall dwell upon in connection with our next point, namely, the House or Dwelling place of God. See note B at the close.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE HOUSE OF GOD.

It has ever been the desire of God to dwell with man and to secure this, redemption must first be accomplished. As before remarked, in the kingdom the saints are seen in their individual settings as subjects, with the name of the Lord as their bond. In the House of God, they are seen as sons. The House of God is the result of His own workmanship. Bearing in mind that we are as far as possible from material things here, the saints are said to be God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, and built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. A man's household is his family and he is known through them In this way, God, as He has revealed Himself, is known through His sons today. "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell." Ps. 132: 14. From that centre, the voice of God is heard. Acts 13: 2-4. 1 Tim. 4: 1. Here, no disturbing element can come. God is its centre, there He rests in the blessing of His own, whose delight it is to worship and adore Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's righteousness with glory bright

Which with its radiance fills that sphere,

E'en Christ, of God the power and light,

Our title is that light to share.

In establishing that House, the middle wall had to be broken down between Jew and Gentile. All strife being gone, Jew and Gentile are brought nigh in One New Man, and are reconciled to God in one body by the cross; both having access by one Spirit unto the Father. A verse like this intensifies our interest as we dwell upon the Holy Spirit. It is that Person in the Godhead who has brought us out of the darkness and distance of our Adamic state and turned the dark tragedy of Calvary into the greatest triumph of God. This leads on to the city and the Household of God. Eph. 2: 11-22. Then to the building fitly framed together, which groweth into a holy temple in the Lord. Here, in the very heart of the precious things of heaven, we come to the habitation of God; the place where all these treasures are installed; the resting place of all that is of God; the evidences of past victories and the receptacle of much spoil. Well it may be so since — if we may use the language of the typical house — this Palace is not for man but for the Lord God. 1 Chr. 29: 1. Amongst all this wealth, there is one treasure kept as a secret; a mystery hid in God. This is taken up parenthetically in Eph. 3. To this we shall return when dealing with the Holy Spirit in reference to our corporate relationships.

The Epistle to the Ephesians falls into two parts of three chapters each. The last three, being the hortatory part, may be read with the first Epistle to Timothy. The Spirit is mentioned thirteen times, or it may be twelve (see footnote to 1 Tim. 5: 9. New Tran), and thus He comes before us six times in each of the two divisions of the Epistle. In 1 Tim. 4: 1-14, we are seen in relation to one another and are exhorted to walk worthy of the calling in all lowliness, meekness and longsuffering; using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace; both holding the truth and growing up in it in love. In the next section, 1 Tim. 4: 17 to 1 Tim. 5: 21, we are exhorted how to conduct ourselves with regard to those that are without. Having been set before the face of God in richest blessing, we are to walk in love as dear children and reflect His light in the midst of the darkness for we are now made light in the Lord. In the next section, 1 Tim. 5: 22 to 1 Tim. 6: 9, we are instructed as to our conduct in the home circle — the sphere of natural affections. Subjection on the part of wives; love on the part of husbands; obedience on the part of children. Then in the business circle faithfulness on the part of servants and righteousness on the part of masters. Lastly from 1 Tim. 6: 10, it is the conflict with the spiritual forces of evil, the powers of darkness. In each of these sections we are in the hands of the Spirit and thus have power to stamp the colour and character of heaven on them all.

In 1 Timothy God's administration which is in faith is first brought before us and the standard is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. Believers in the House of God is the theme, and that which binds the whole structure together is the mystery of piety in the incarnation of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The men are to pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and reasoning and the women to be marked by modesty of dress in the fear of God. In this way, a proper impression of God will be set forth in testimony. God is One, and the mediator between God and men One, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony to go forth in its own time. The rest of the Epistle gives instruction concerning oversight and ministry with directions concerning the distribution of alms to the needy and dependent. All these details are given us because God desires all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. He does not want us to give a false impression of Him, for it is through His saints He puts Himself in touch with all. The Holy Spirit speaks of Himself here in this Epistle and, as dwelling in the saints, is the immanent life and power of the whole spiritual structure.

The witness of the Spirit, both to the saints and through them, is brought out very plainly in the first Epistle of John. He is mentioned eight times and here we have a holy record of spiritual blessing which includes some of the wealth of heaven in the richest of christian blessing. The saints are viewed in House of God connection as the family of God. Seven times they are said to be born or begotten of God, and having thus the birth-right, their place of intimacy is assured in all the unreserved blessedness of the Father's love. In this circle of holy love there can be no distrust; no distance; no reserve, for the Father has found an outlet for His love in His children and to them in love's own circle He can unfold all that is in His heart. The Epistle opens with the saints being brought into company with the Apostles to enjoy with them communion with the Father and the Son. In that communion it is the delight of the Father to unfold to our hearts His own appreciation of His Son. And correspondingly, the Son delights to make known the Father in His goodness, grace, mercy, and His eternal counsel of love. So intimate is the relationship in both life and nature that we dwell in God. Divine love is our home and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. 1 John 4: 16. They are an entirely new generation; they know that they have passed from death unto life because they love the brethren; they know that they know God, because they keep His commandments; they know they are in Him, because they keep His word and in that way, His love is perfected in them. This word dwell or abide reminds us that this is not a temporary retreat but the abiding home of the soul. Then the character of God their Father is seen in them for, not only do they love, they practise righteousness also 1 John 3: 10; 1 John 4: 7. They know that the Son of God has come and has given them an understanding to know Him that is true, and they are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. They can say, if no one has seen God at any time, "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." 1 John 4: 14. They have eternal life and they know it. 1 John 5: 13. The very first characteristic of that life is to know the Father and His sent One, Jesus Christ. John 17: 3. They also know the Holy Spirit. 1 John 4: 2. This is not mere speculative theology but the word of God brought home to the heart by the living power of the indwelling Spirit. This is infinitely beyond the critical reasoning of the present day. Nor are the saints ignorant of the power and insidious working of evil all around them and their liability to fall into it if not constantly kept in the conscious enjoyment of these holy treasures. Although brought abstractly into all this range of blessing, they are yet in a bodily condition which is liable to both weakness and wilfulness. It is well to hold truth in balance and for that, let us look for a moment at the other aspect of our position.

"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Answer. "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil . . . . . Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." (of distances) Isa. 33: 14-17. That is the heavenly land. Observe in reference to this, Moses, Aaron and his two sons with seventy of the elders of Israel were called up to meet Jehovah in the mount. Moses alone was brought near in the cloud and the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud. Ex. 24: 9-18. Does this not teach us something of what it is to be brought to dwell in God? If sin is in question, God is a consuming fire. Heb. 12: 29. Does this bring home to us the necessity of the Cross where that fire fell upon the Holy One, judging and condemning our sinful state? So efficacious has that work been, that God has cleared us from all that was offensive to Himself. Consequently, He now brings us before Himself holy and without blame for His pleasure, fitted, not only to dwell in the love of God but in the God who is Love.

But dwelling in God is by dwelling in love. Care is needed here lest we wander into the by-paths of imagination and, like the mystic, lose ourselves in the ecstasy of folly. The mystic is self-engrossed being occupied with his wants, wishes and desires. The intelligent believer is occupied with Christ and perfectly satisfied, his heart being filled with peace and joy as the result of being occupied with the object set before him by the Holy Spirit. There can be no real intimacy apart from the fulfilment of this condition, namely, he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. We rise then from the ways, work and counsels of God to God Himself. Beyond this we cannot get now, but in the company of the Holy Spirit we come forward into time on the way to an eternity of bliss where we shall ever dwell with and in God. But it is not only what we get in all this but what God has got for Himself in the fulfilment of His own eternal plan, in the triumph of that grace which has secured for Himself the creature of His choice.

But does it follow that every believer who has received the Spirit dwells in God? The Corinthians and Galatians are an example of the opposite. Even in this Epistle of John, if any man sin, or, if our heart condemn us. When we are dwelling in God, there is no inner conflict going on between the flesh and the Spirit. All is rest, peace and joy. And hereby we know that He abideth or dwelleth in us, by the Spirit which He has given us. 1 John 3: 24. But note. "Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us, because he hath given us OF his Spirit." 4: 13. In the first of these passages the believer dwelling in God is the effect of obedience and is put first — all resting on the gift of the Spirit. In the second, while showing the same mutuality of dwelling as the result of communion in nature and the circle of love in the activities of life, there is the addition of that little word OF in verse 13, which is important as raising the question of the Being and relationship of God and the Three who form the Holy Trinity. It is as if God gave us part of Himself. No man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him. 1 Cor. 2: 11. We all know there is a mysterious depth in a man known only to himself. But if that is so, what shall we say of God? If we are conscious of the impossibility of intruding into the inner enclosure of the being of a fellow mortal, what shall be said of God? To illustrate this, someone has said, "I could not give you my spirit if I would, neither would I give you my spirit if I could. Why? Because you would know too much about me." This is exactly what God has done. He has given us His Spirit, His own Spirit, part of Himself that we may know Him. He desires to be known not only in His works, words, ways, covenants, purposes and counsels but Himself in all that He is in the deep moral fulness of love and glory. The Spirit which He has given us searcheth all things, yea, the deep things or rather the depths of God. 1 Cor. 2: 10. Nature in its ruined state cannot intrude here, nor creature capacity at its best understand the things of God. Into the inner consciousness of the depths of movements, tastes, joys and feelings of Him who created this vast universe and upholds it in all its unity, none dare venture. But when we learn that not only would He have us there, but He has undertaken, through His Son, to remove every hindrance that sin had occasioned and take us right into His own company in moral suitability to Himself; creating a capacity in us to know Him in the depths of His Being; to rejoice in Him and adore Him for ever more — what can we say? "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." Ps. 104: 33.

This raises another question which calls for a word here. In the light of all this blessing, how far can it be said that the saints partake of Deity? Some have erred by failing to distinguish between the Essential Being and the Moral Nature of God. As begotten of God we have His life — eternal life; His nature — eternal love. We are made His righteousness in Christ and are partakers of His holiness, but if we partook of Deity we would cease to be creatures, and He would cease to be God.

It is here we learn the importance of having right thoughts of the incarnation. The distance between the creature and the Creator was twofold. First as a creature; then as fallen into sin. By becoming Man, the Son removed the first, bridging the distance. As to the second, He removed that also by His death, so that we might share the glory with Himself in proper conditions, according to God. In Him, Sonship and eternal relationship was brought into Manhood, and made available for us by His atoning work upon the cross. Here, let it be said, we behold Him in a three-fold way. First, what He is in Deity — the glory we are going to behold. Second, what He is in Manhood as risen and glorified — to Whom we are united by His Spirit from on high. Third, what He is as a Divine-Human-Person — with Whom we are associated, as by adoption, before God for His pleasure. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Gal. 4: 6.

In connection with the office and work of the Spirit in the company, we turn to John 14: 16. The operations of the Spirit in the soul individually, had been brought out by our Lord in John 2; John 4; John 7. Just before His betrayal and apprehension, the Lord gathered His own around Himself, and in view of His departure and the break up it would cause, instructed them on the necessity of His going away and the coming of the Spirit as a consequence. He assures them that the coming of the Spirit was a necessity for them that they might have a capacity to take in and be led into the meaning of all that the Lord had said and done while He was among them. The result would be, they would be brought into a greater degree of intimacy with Himself than was possible while He was with them. In the most tender way, the Lord was detaching them from Judaism, the earth and earthly things by attaching them firmly to Himself as exalted in heaven, Part with Him there in a new faith system, every part of which would be instinct with life in the power of God the Spirit Who would be in them, making good what the Lord had taught them, thus creating a new capacity to fit them for the work that, as His disciples, lay before them. It was needful for them, as well as for Him, that He should go, for if He did not go the Comforter would not come. They were to learn that there was something beyond miracles, which would lead them to rejoice in the moral depths of His teaching. They were to be enlightened within by God the Spirit Whose immanence would flood their innermost being with the knowledge of God.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 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: 15-17. It is as if He said, My being here with you can but be transient; He shall be with you for ever: all the things you have heard and seen during My ministry here ye cannot apprehend or appreciate for want of capacity, but when He is come He shall give you to understand, that never were creatures favoured like you have been. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." v. 26. Here we have illumination, on the ground of which they could say after He had gone — but not before — "We beheld His glory, the glory as of an only-begotten with a Father, full of grace and truth." The words, "He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you," includes the inspired record of the Gospels and the opening up of the holy grandeur of all they had been taught. He had spoken of Himself as the Son; Son of God; Son of Man; Son of David. The Tabernacle, the Temple, the Law, the Testimony, all figured in His ministry. His parables explored the moral world and His miracles the world of nature — all was marked by a combination of depth and simplicity, that only the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth could unfold. But what of the present time? If the Spirit alone can teach us the meaning of His life and service here, who shall tell us of where He is now and what He is doing? Peter asked Him, "Lord, whither goest thou?" John 13: 36. Thomas said, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" John 14: 5. The Spirit is the answer to all this. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from with the Father, he shall bear witness concerning me; and ye too bear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning." John 15: 26-27. New Tran. When He left them at His ascension, they stood bewildered till two men in white clothing said to them, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?" Acts 1: 11. Sometime later Peter wrote of Him, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." 1 Peter 3: 22. How did Peter know this? Flesh and blood could not reveal it. It was revealed by the Spirit, Who had come according to promise, that our Lord's whereabouts, His official glories and activities might be known by us, and that, by the same blessed Spirit, we might have the joy of communion with Him where He now is. We are told that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever. Heb. 13: 8. The Holy Spirit makes Him known to us as He was 'yesterday' in the Gospels. John 14: 26. He also shows us where He is and what He is doing 'today'. John 15: 26. This comes out in the Epistles. Thirdly, the Spirit shows us things to come. John 16: 13. This is what the Lord will do 'tomorrow'. Thus we have in these three chapters the work of the Spirit concerning our Lord past, present, and future. At the present moment, He is gone far above all heavens; He has been made Lord; Head; Priest, and is coming again to put down all evil and establish the rule of God over every part of creation. We know Him as He is now. The Lord of Glory; the Head of every man; the Head of the Body the Assembly; the great Priest over the House of God; the Minister of the Sanctuary; the Mediator of the better covenant. And well we know that He is about to come forth and call His own home to be with Himself for ever.

But John 16 goes further and shows the coming of the Spirit to His people as a vessel prepared by the Lord Himself to receive Him — with the bearing of His pressure on the world and its prince. While He comes to the disciples, the first effect of His presence is to bring demonstration to the world of its guilt in the death of the Lord Jesus. After telling them that it was profitable for them that He should go away, He used the words to you twice. As dwelling in them, He would bring demonstration to the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. "Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." John 16: 9-11. It is not to be taken that the activities of the Holy Spirit were in any way towards the world or its prince. His presence here in the Assembly, in the working out of the plan of the Godhead, is a challenge to a system which refused the Son; and that challenge works out in a threefold way. Observe that He names the three factors, sin, righteousness and judgment twice. The second time He qualifies these three things by bringing in three other actors in the arena; Himself; the world, and Satan. He had before said, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." John 12: 31. Here, that solemn sentence in its eternal, irrevocable character is confirmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The very thing which appeared to be a complete victory for the world and its god, is seen to be their complete overthrow. The sin here is, they believe not on Him. This the sin, beyond all other sins — the sin of hating the Father and the Son. John 15: 22-24. Righteousness here is what is right. What could be more fitting, in the nature of things, than His exaltation to the Father's right hand? And note here, it is an act of His own volition, "I go to my Father." Judgment can be the only result, for this world, led on by the Devil, joined issue with God over the Son incarnate and this is the result for both to all eternity.

Following this, the Lord opens out the work of the Spirit as come down from the Father and the Son, in His normal working in the company. Three things the Lord outlines here. First, "He shall guide you into all the truth." This must be taken as the new faith system established in resurrection, of which all scripture speaks. Directly, or indirectly, all scripture has in view a new creation into which sin and death can never come. Whether it be history, prophecy, typology, or doctrine, the words employed and the things concerned are from the Holy Spirit. Mental activity has wrought much mischief by intruding into the mysteries of the faith but ignoring the guide. Is there any wonder that the flock is robbed of food? The saints are starved and the precious things of heaven undervalued or unknown. "He shall guide you into all truth," might be illustrated by the Epistle to the Hebrews. Chapters one to two present the Person of our Lord, first in His Deity and then in His Manhood. In three and four we get the House, the Word, and the Throne. In chapters five to seven, the new Priest. In chapter eight — the new covenant; in nine — the new sanctuary; in ten — the new worshipping company. This is all an answer to the typical system set up by the same Spirit in an earlier day, as taught us in Exodus and Leviticus. The second thing the Spirit would do would be to show them things to come. He alone can unlock the chambers of the Old Testament, dispensational, Messianic or moral, and link all together as leading sectors in the great circle of truth. How could the different ages or dispensations be known apart from Him? Who could have known the parenthetic gap in the ages, in which Israel is cut off and the Assembly brought in as the vessel of eternal purpose? Or who could have understood the seventy weeks of Daniel apart from Him? In the book of the Acts, He has linked up the past dispensation with the present, and in the book of Revelation, He has linked up the present with the future. In that book too, He shows the connecting link with eternity — God's eternal day. In this way, "He shall show you things to come." "He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." This is the third and last point here of the ministry of the Spirit and it leads from the things to the Persons and Their relations in trinity, both in essential Being and in co-equality of interests. We shall leave that till we have dealt with the office and work of the Spirit in our corporate relationship. This brings in the truth of the Mystery — the Assembly as the Body of Christ; the secret which was hid in God but is now made known unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE ASSEMBLY AS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

In approaching this part of the truth, it is necessary to keep in mind what we have seen as to being "In Christ." Nothing of an inferior nature could be united to Him, and the saints stand in the same constitutional and organic connection with Him, as the human body to the moral being within it. So close indeed is this link, that the Church is included in the term "The Christ." "As the body is one — the human body — and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ." 1 Cor. 12: 12. cf. Gen. 5: 2, where both the man and the woman are called Adam. " For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." 1 Cor. 12: 13. There may be an obscure allusion here to the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper as some have thought, but the truth itself clearly stated is that work of the Spirit in which there can be no failure, where all is of God. We have already seen the Headship of Christ in a racial way, but this is much more intimate, showing the Assembly substantially and organically the expression of Christ the Head of His Body. 1 Cor. 12: 12-13. But, while that is true, we do not get the Head of the Body here. The Epistle being corrective, the Body of Christ is presented here in its local setting and is thus but a microcosm of the whole. It is seen as the vessel of the Spirit in view of ministry, hence, His sovereignty is asserted. vv. 8-11.

We have already seen in Ephesians 2, the saints as the family of God and His dwelling place too. God being there, all His treasures are there — the precious things of heaven. This simply means, that the blessings spoken of are wrought into the hearts of His own by the Spirit. From all the blessings enumerated there, the Spirit selects one, namely, the Body, and in a long parenthesis occupying the whole of Ephesians 3, opens it out as the secret, or Mystery, which had been hid in God through the ages. Remark that the Body is not exactly the Mystery here, nor is it the Lord Himself; it is Christ and the saints as one organic entity. In this chapter, Paul speaks of the administration which had been given to him, towards the saints. By revelation the Mystery had been made known to him, which in other generations had not been made known to the sons of men. It was that the nations should be joint-heirs, and a joint-body, and joint-partakers of His promises in Christ Jesus, by the Gospel, of which he had become minister. Note here that the Gospel, namely, that by which we have made the transfer from Adam to Christ as taught in Rom. 8, is the way in to this wonderful blessing, spoken of here as the Mystery and explained to be Jew and Gentile one body in Christ. To Paul was committed both the ministry of the Gospel and the ministry of the Mystery. Col. 1: 23-26. The Gospel contains the unsearchable riches of the Christ. Eph. 3: 8. The Mystery, that in which God has set forth His manifold wisdom, before the heavenly intelligences, is the Church, the Body of Christ. This we are told was the motive for creation. v. 9-10. The Mystery was hidden throughout the ages in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, in order that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God. That is, the variegated or many coloured wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages, which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. This truth the Apostle tells us, completes the word of God. Col. 1: 25. Not only that part of truth which must come out before the inspired volume could be closed, but that sector in the great circle of revealed truth which gives completeness to the whole. Creation; Government; Providence; History; Prophecy; Typology; things moral and spiritual; all were known, but like the keystone to an arch, the Mystery being made known gave completion, symmetry, beauty and order to all. It will be said that in the life and death of our Lord, God was fully revealed. True, but He said to His own, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16: 12. The Spirit's coming not only gave them capacity to understand but also expanded the truth to the unfolding of the whole counsel of God.

But the Assembly, in virtue of being the Body of Christ, is also His Bride. This takes our thoughts back to the beginning and shows the link between the beginning and the end of Revelation. Adam was alone and it was not good, so the LORD God made for him a help meet. But before she could be presented to him, she must be taken out of him. For that the deep sleep — which so aptly prefigures the death of Christ — was a necessity. In taking up the inheritance which God gave him, she was associated with him in his dominion. This leads to the institution of marriage which gives the true thought of union. Two persons are united together in holy wedlock, but in the body it is no question of being united. Each member is part of the one Body and in proper healthy conditions, all work together in perfect unity. Speaking of this in Eph. 5, the Apostle says this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.

The administration of the Mystery works out in various ways. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians it is viewed as the vessel of the Spirit locally: He distributing gift, according to His sovereign will, for the manifestation of Himself in the Church as come together, before they had the New Testament. In the Epistle to the Colossians, it is the Body universally as composed of all saints in the baptism of the Spirit at any time on earth. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, it is the whole vast Assembly as composed of all the saints from Pentecost till the coming of the Lord. In Corinthians, the truth was given as a correction of clericalism on the one side or radicalism on the other. In the wisdom of God He permitted this disorder and so has furnished us with this corrective instruction for all time. In Colossians, this truth was given to counteract the dreams of the Gnostics, a class which rose up early in opposition to the truth. In Ephesians, apart from anything which called for correction, we have a treatise on the eternal counsel of God. In Colossians, the Head and the Body form one entity but in Ephesians, as we have seen, we pass from the thought of the Body to that of the Bride, that is, two entities.

Now we see the place the Holy Spirit had in all this. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians He is mentioned twenty-four times, and ten of them are in 1 Cor. 12. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Spirit is mentioned thirteen times. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Spirit is mentioned only once. This will readily be understood if we reflect that the divine side of our Lord's Person is in view in Colossians. In Ephesians, it is the risen glorified Man that is in view but in Colossians it is God the Son, the Creator. While the Spirit gives the Subject, and the inspired account, He wisely and Divinely stands aside that we may be led into the knowledge of the greatness and glory of Christ. For much the same reason the Spirit is not mentioned in the Book of Leviticus.

As the Bride of Christ, the Assembly is now being prepared for the marriage. Christ gave Himself for it. He will yet present it to Himself not having spot or wrinkle. Not a mark either of defilement or old age but holy and without blemish. This is the same word as in Eph. 1: 4. The actual presentation is shown us in Rev. 19: 7-9. Here we have the marriage of the Lamb. After this, John is called to view the Bride the Lamb's wife. Rev. 21: 9. Here, the figure is changed and he beholds a city descending from God out of heaven, having the glory of God. We have here the climax of the work of the Spirit in that vast throng; a company in which each Person of the Godhead will take a peculiar delight, because this company stands in relation to the Son. In thus company, He who was the Man of sorrows but is now the Man of joy, will see of the travail of His soul, and will be satisfied. The last view we get of the Bride, is when she comes down from God out of heaven, a thousand years later. Rev. 21: 2. Here the figure is changed again and when called to see the holy city, John sees her prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Previously, she had come out for display and administration which goes on throughout the Millennial age, but here she is all for Himself. "Thine eye in that bright glorious day, shall with supreme delight, Thy fair and glorious Bride survey, unblemished in Thy sight." Display having been ended, the new Adam and the new Eve go on into an eternity of bliss. Rev. 21: 1-5. Meanwhile the Spirit is forming in devoted hearts bridal affections for Christ, which cause them to join with Him in saying, "Come, Lord Jesus." "And the Spirit and the Bride say Come." Rev. 22: 17.

We now turn to the special and peculiar work of the Spirit as we are promised in John 16. "He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." v. 14. His glory — that is, the glory of the Son — is great in God's salvation. Ps. 21. It is the work of the Spirit to show us that glory. But here in John 16: 15, we are led in beyond that to His glory within the sacred circle of the Holy Trinity.

In seeking an answer to the question, What are the "things that are mine?" we must distinguish between Godhead and Manhood in the Person of our Lord, and view Him abstractly on the divine side as co-equal with the Father and co-possesser of all things. In His official capacity as Administrator, all things are given by the Father into His hands and all things are put under His feet. In order, that this may be carried out, all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. But here we distinguish between the glory of His Person and the offices He fills; the difference between delegated authority and proprietorship, and this leads to the wealth of God. Oh, the depth of wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God! The material universe being the product of His power, is a witness of His wealth, wisdom and knowledge. Look then a moment at these things.

THE WEALTH OF GOD.

The heavenly bodies in their numbers, distances, and rapidity of movement; the sea and all that swim therein and the ships that float on its surface; the land with all its rivers, lakes, mountains and hills. Then there is man, with all his monumental works of ingenuity, device and splendour; all are His. A remarkable text comes before us here. "Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3: 22, 23. We are His both in body and in soul. "All souls are mine." Ezek. 18: 4. "Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6: 20. "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Ps. 50: 10. As to material wealth, according to man's estimate, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts." Hag. 2: 8. In the light of this, where is the millionaire today or the man who pulls down his barns to build greater saying, "There will I bestow my goods?" Can we wonder when the true provider says to him "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." And what of the man clothed in fine linen and purple, who fared sumptuously every day, while the afflicted beggar lay at his gate seeking the crumbs. The love of money is the root of all evil and it has filled the earth with wars, famines and many other evils which have turned the fair creation of God into an inferno of diabolical intrigue, despite the graciousness and beneficent goodness of God, the author and provider of all.

But if greed and selfishness mark us in nature with material things, it is not so with the things of the Spirit. The moment a person gets converted he becomes anxious for others to share with him in the good things. These things are heavenly, spiritual and eternal as elements of the life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; reciprocated between them long before creation; native to Deity; inherent in the divine nature and subsisting in incorruptible and unfading beauty. But while love and glory ever flowed evenly there, we can understand that the Incarnation would give as it were, renewed impetus to that love. For instance, there was no call for the Father's voice to be heard in pre-incarnate days saying, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." The love, joy and peace that ever was there, continued in undisturbed delight both causeless and innate but now, when the Son has stooped to Manhood, there is a fresh cause, a new motive, and a ground for comparison. The Son is the channel through which all that is native to Godhead flows to man. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." Then, He is the object of His Father's love in His path of obedience. This love, He shares with His disciples. There is now a company on earth sharing the Father's love through Him Who was its ineffable Object in His own rights but came near to men to make it available for them. Although this was divinely perfect and of surpassing beauty, it had an end in view. The end in view being the Cross there is thus yet a fresh impetus given to the Father's love. "Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life." Loved as the darling of the Father's heart in eternity; loved as the devoted and dependent Man on earth; loved more deeply still at the Cross — He brings His own in to share with Him the inner intimacies of that same love. This is a deep that knows no sounding; an ocean without a shore. It fills and satisfies the heart while ever leading us on to new wonders and fresh glories. Our God is a giving God. He gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not. Jehovah of hosts said to Israel, "Prove me now herewith, if I open not to you the windows of heaven and pour you out such a blessing that ye will not be able to contain it." Mal. 3: 10. This is superabundance of blessing. "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you," said the Son, and, the Holy Spirit distributes to every man severally as He will. "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Such thoughts are suggested by the words, "He shall take of the things that are mine, and show them unto you." It is not merely a question of ink and paper, but the soul being led through the various departments of Godhead wealth, into the innermost knowledge of all that God is and has, that good, better, and best, may be valued by us in the power of the Spirit of God. This produces a holy discrimination which fills the soul with delight; calling each one to see the tinsel of this passing show of vanity in the world, and leading us to the deepest praise, worship and adoration. It is here the Giver begins to get. What He gets, yea, what He seeks, is the overflow, and surely we can say, "Of thine own have we given thee."

THE DEPTH OF GOD'S WISDOM.

When the first Epistle to the Corinthians was written, the world had reached a very advanced state of wisdom. But it was the wisdom of men who were ignorant of the wisdom of God, and in their blindness, crucified the Lord of Glory. There were many schools of philosophy, not only among the Jews but also in Greece and Rome. In this state of ferment, this new company — the Assembly — had its beginning, and like a mighty wave swept aside decadent Judaism, Roman imperialism, and Grecian philosophy. As these powers began to wane in apostolic days, a new school arose which spread over the whole ground of the testimony from Syria to Gaul. This was a class that sought to mix certain parts of Christianity with the reasonings of the schools of Greece, Rome and Judaism as well. Their knowledge of divine revelation was speculative and they were known as Gnostics, or in other words — the people who know. To such people, the preaching of the cross was foolishness. But the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Bring in faith and philosophy must go. Put the prefix con before science and you get conscience, which takes us from intellectual to moral ground; from speculative dreaming, to stand before divine holiness as naked sinners. What then?" Then said I, 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. So the apostle writes by the Spirit, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Cor. 2: 7, 8. Moses was schooled in all the wisdom of Egypt but when he had become great he refused its rank, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasures of sin. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Heb. 11: 24-26. Yet, before he could begin the work of his life, he must spend forty years in the backside of the desert, educated by God Himself. Joseph is also a fine example of this. He was destined to teach the statesmen of Egypt how to rule and, in preparation for this, he had to be sold for a bondman. "They afflicted his feet with fetters; his soul came into irons." Ps. 105: 18. New Trans. Daniel and his companions refused Babylon's food and were ten times better than all the scribes and magicians in learning and skill, so that in matters of knowledge and wisdom, the king found them better than all others who were in his land. In this way, wisdom is justified of all her children. "Thus saith Jehovah: let not the wise glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might; let not the rich glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah, who exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah." Jer. 9: 23, 24.

But with our God, His wisdom is controlled by His love in everything. That order is seen in the symmetry, order and beauty of the creation. Everything created reflects Him, so that the whole earth is filled with His glory; The apple tree produces apples and not oranges; wheat produces wheat and not barley. So it is in the moral sphere. If good for good may be seen on earth, evil for good is of the pit, but good for evil is of God, and from heaven. How exquisitely blended is all this. His wisdom ever waketh; He not only plans and works for our good, but He actually takes account of and uses the creature's worst act for that creature's blessing. Many examples of this might be given, but one will suffice. The crucifixion of His Son was man's worst act but God used it to bring in for man His very best. By it, God in righteousness and holy love comes out in forgiveness and richest blessing to the culprit. We see a beautiful picture of this in Genesis 37, where, the sons of Israel, in treachery to their brother, put him in the very place where he would be their greatest benefactor. What more can we say? By His wisdom, our Lord — who is God over all — met, and silenced all opposition, condemning the leaders of the people from their own lips. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things that thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand: and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her." Prov. 3: 13-18. Wisdom hath builded her house and she invites all to her feast. Prov. 9: 1. But there are conditions. "With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavoury." 2 Sam. 22: 26, 27. To be initiated into wisdom's secrets (Job. 11), and endowed with her treasures we must be trustworthy. "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you," Matt. 7: 6. Wisdom longs to divulge her secrets and share her treasures with us, but can we be trusted to appreciate and value them? "I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures." Prov. 8: 20, 21. "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." Rom. 11: 33.

THE DEPTH OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

Like His wealth and wisdom, this is infinite. He both knows and fore-knows; He is both Prescient and Omniscient. His knowledge is linked with His Omnipresence as related to the dimensions of space — above; beneath; around; and with the three variants of time — past; present; and future. This also links with His Omnipotence, for to know what will take place at a future time necessitates that all is under His control. He telleth the number of the stars and numbers the hairs of our heads. "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge shall he not know?" Ps. 94: 9, 10. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." Rom. 8: 29. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. 4: 13. But see how it works out in God incarnate — the Man of the Gospels. He saw Nathanael under the fig tree, John 1: 48. "Lord thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee," John 21: 17. He knew the movements of heaven, earth and hell. Luke 10: 18; Luke 16: 23-31. His eye was upon the fish in the sea and He sent one to Peter with the money in its mouth to meet the pressing need, Matt. 17: 27. "For the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts." 1 Chr. 28: 9. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, etc." Matt. 15: 19. He foreknows and foretells. He told them that Jerusalem would fall to the Romans in desolation, distress and wrath. Luke 21: 20-24. This came to pass forty years after the Cross. Many other things did He foretell which are about to be fulfilled. Here again is a depth that knows no sounding.

It raises this question, How far do we know God? We are to grow by the true knowledge of God. What solemnly concerns us, is not abstract truth, nor a range of speculative dogma, but the thoughts of God. He shows Himself to us, not only that we may know, but, what is more than this, that we may do, and above all that we may be. No part of truth has quite accomplished God's end when we have understood it only. Every divine impression is meant to form us like Himself that we may live in conscious conformity to His will. He has given us of His Spirit that we might know; that everything that could cause unrest might be removed; that every moral question might be settled; and that we might be in holy intimacy with Himself. This links the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God with His love; and as responsive to that love, we are made conscious that every blessed feature of His character and attributes comes under the sway of that love which is the nature of God; and like the thimble in the ocean, we dwell in God because we dwell in love.

In this way, we have much more than the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God. We might go on indeed to speak of the depth of His justice, holiness, goodness and truth, and we see them all focused for expression, in the ministry of our Lord. Enough has been said surely to challenge our hearts, as to how far we have been led, under the control of the Holy Spirit, to gaze into the invisible, yea, into the depths of God. "All, all within, beneath, around, above, speak but of Thee and tell me what I am, the happiest of the happy, O Thou peerless One!" Pause a moment here. It is said that if the sun were a hollow body, the earth could traverse its circuit within its depth, with an immensity of space between itself and the inner surface of the great luminary. But all illustrations fail here, since all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.

One more scriptural illustration may be cited because of its significance, for beauty and adornment in the physical scenery and its rich and manifold instruction in the moral sphere. The heavens have been garnished in all their deep grandeur of gorgeous adornment by His Spirit. The same blessed Person who stamps the beauty of the Lord our God upon His saints. Job. 26: 13; Ps. 90: 17; Ps. 149: 4. The rainbow — which is mentioned four times in scripture — is part of this garnishing. It forms a link between the material and the moral and in this way, it is an evidence of divine glory. Its appearance is a welcome announcement that the storm is past and creation may again bask in the clear sunshine. So we sing of Calvary — "The storm that bowed Thy blessed head, is hushed forever now." Four times then is the rainbow mentioned in scripture and it proclaims the DEPTH of the faithfulness of God. "And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth, and it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." Gen. 9: 11-15.

In its unity and variety of colour? the Rainbow adumbrates the manifold wisdom of God. The word translated manifold is many-coloured or variegated. Thus we have in the various tints, seen in combination, that which sets forth the glory of God and the wisdom of God. Seven is the perfect number and all seven colours are combined in the rainbow. They are, Crimson; Amber; Gold; Emerald; Blue; Purple; and Violet. This is the perfection of beauty. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined." Ps. 50: 2, The word translated here as " beauty " is sometimes translated "glory." Thus for the words translated, "Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness," we have "Worship Jehovah in holy splendour." Ps. 29: 2. New Tran. Science has told us that the seven colours can be reduced to three, thus constituting a perfect picture of the glorious Trinity from Whom everything emanates. The various glories suggested by these colours, were manifested by the Son in Incarnation and now, by the Spirit, are to be made known, through the Assembly, to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. This leads to the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. As before said, three Godward; three manward; and three personal. Surely these are graces to decorate ourselves with; garments of undecaying beauty to be dressed in; things indeed against which there is no law. See Note E. The Rainbow.

Now all this is seen in fuller relief in the Epistle of James 3: 13-18. "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." This is the wisdom that knows not God and crucified the Lord of glory. " or where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Here then we have the answer to the colours of the Rainbow as set forth in the moral realm. As the combination of colours in the Rainbow bespeaks the beauty and adorning of the material creation in the hands of the Holy Spirit, so we have here in detail the varied tints of moral colouring, in the moral realm which, by the operations of that same Spirit, reflect the wisdom of God as revealed in grace, glory and eternal counsel by, or through the Assembly, to the unseen ranges of heavenly intelligences above.

"Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? On the top of high places by the way, at the cross-paths she taketh her stand. Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud. Unto you, men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man: O ye simple, understand prudence; and ye foolish, understand sense. Hear, for I will speak excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my palate shall meditate truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing tortuous or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold: for wisdom is better than rubies, and all things that may be desired are not equal to it." Prov. 8: 1-11. New Trans.

Someone will say, All this is beautiful, but where can it be seen? It is admitted that failure abounds on every hand, but nevertheless, there are those who in simplicity and obscurity respond to God in sweet appreciation of what He has done for them and in them, and what He is to them in Christ by the Spirit. To deny this is to ignore the Spirit's work so blessedly in evidence today in many. It also ignores the truth that, whatever the failure, at any moment in the history of the testimony, God secures an answer to all that He has given, by the Spirit. For this, obedience is called for. "To obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Sam. 15: 22. Neither is there any vacillating or uncertainty. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." John 7: 17.

Obedience leads to delight, and as taught by the Spirit there is enrichment. This has often transported simple, unlettered men beyond the greatest thinkers of the day who have refused the teaching of the Spirit. Moreover, growth in the knowledge of scripture leads to advance in the knowledge of God and this is growth which widens the outlook on life. Since the books of nature and revelation are from the same blessed Source, the individual, however simple and unlearned, acquires a working knowledge of things, and an outlook on life, which leaves far behind leaders of thought who limit themselves to the passing things of the day. He that created the universe and combines the whole sphere of nature, upholds and rules public opinion as well, but He has also inspired and given us a written revelation of Himself. This is the circle of truth of which, as the Spirit of truth, He is the guardian, and into which He delights to lead us. O depth of God's riches and wisdom and knowledge!

And now a word as promised on the subject of the blessing of sons. By associating us with Himself before the Father in His own calling, life, and acceptance, the Son, as firstborn among many brethren, has brought us into the highest of all blessings. He has connected this, the House and family character, as so blessedly put before us in the Epistle to the Ephesians, with the House of God, where all its spiritual wealth is brought before us. With this in mind, we pass from the treasures of John 16, "The things that are mine," into the sacred enclosure of John 17, and with holy and sacred feelings, listen to the words which flow from our adorable Lord, concerning the most sacred of all the treasures of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here the Son, standing in time, gazes back into a past eternity and forward into a coming eternity of bliss, crystalising all in one eternal NOW, (vv. 5, 24). On the verge of that dark hour which must forever stand alone in the history of this world, He speaks (surveying all that He has accomplished and as anticipating death and resurrection v. 4) of what He has given them vv. 8; 14; 22; of what He is going to do for them vv. 2; 19; of what He desires for them v. 17; and above all, of that oneness of life and nature which was theirs v. 23, which was seen for a time in practical expression in Acts 2-4. If this outward unity has broken down — He would in His love bring them right home and in such a way, that the world that had hated them on His account would yet see them in the same glory with Himself, and loved with the same love wherewith He was loved by the Father. All this is surpassed by the desire that what, as creatures, we can never share, we might behold — His own eternal glory in co-equality with the Father and the Spirit in all that constitutes Deity in its holy relationships, and all brought into manifestation in Him, a Man. The meetness, preciousness and mutuality of it floods the soul with speechless delight as, by the Spirit, we sit before Him. Note the connection with the THINGS that are mine in John 14 with what is here in John 17. "I do not demand concerning the world, but concerning those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine (and all that is mine is thine, and (all) that is thine mine,) and I am glorified in them." vv. 9. 10. The mutuality of possession supplies the double motive for all being kept while in the world. Though His, they belong also to the Father and both His and the Father's glory are concerned in their being kept. No petition of His can be denied and so they shall be kept by the guardianship of the Holy Spirit — that blessed one who supplies us with the grand doxology of Jude 24, 25. "But to Him that is able to keep you without stumbling, and to set (you) with exultation blameless before His glory, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, (be) glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen." New Trans.

The holy domain of the Spirit is thus opened up before the heart, where all things are of God and where Christ is everything and in all. This is the Spirit's realm, these the Spirit's things, and all made known by Spirit chosen words. "But we have received . . . the Spirit which is of God; that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God: which things we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means." 1 Cor. 2: 12, 13. In this way the youngest and the most simple are led on and are at home with the oldest and the most deeply taught; all finding themselves at home in that which is heavenly and eternal, apart altogether from that which is earthly and natural, as belonging to a new creation in Christ Jesus. With this, the highest and the richest of all blessing in view, the great Apostle can only pray. "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father (of our Lord Jesus Christ) of whom every family in (the) heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what (is) the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge: that ye may be filled (even) to all the fulness of God." Eph. 3: 14-19. New Trans.

A word of caution is called for. The corruption of the best is the worst corruption of all. In Christianity we have God's very best. The fatted calf; the best robe; the Holiest of all. These, in figurative speech show this. But the simple literary statements of Holy Scripture, concerning the Father and the Son, and the counsels of God concerning the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son, and the coming of the Spirit — all show the depth and fulness of divine revelation and the wealth of blessing for man today. The House of God — the domain of the Spirit — and a new creation in Christ Jesus entered into by faith are clearly the marks of the Spirit's day. All this is beyond human nature, and the moment we touch the super-natural there is danger. Foreseeing this, the Lord has given us a written revelation in His word of Himself and of His doings. Thus the believer is protected from every hostile element by the word of God, the gift of the Spirit, and divinely bequeathed faith. By these the believer can be preserved from many rocks and shoals which have been the cause of many sad and melancholy wrecks. Unhappily with some, natural temperament has been allowed to play a part, but happy are they who, through communion with the Lord, have recourse to a self-knowledge which distrusts self and all human ability. Critical minds would level all down to man's thoughts, exclude the Spirit and dishonour God and thus the blessing is lost. This is the leaven that has been at work till the outer systems have become an inflated mass. Then again, there is the sensational or sentimental temperament, which is a danger in the other extreme. It is by these things that Mysticism, Pantheism and many other wild and fantastic theories have deluded their victims and many well-meaning souls have been deceived. Both classes may be seen in the Sadducees and the Pharisees or Rationalists and Ritualists. The former is the modernist of today, and the latter is seen in the resurrection by Satanic power of the ancient pagan mysteries, seen today in such things as Millenial Dawn; Christian Science; Spiritism, etc.

Well indeed it is for those who know the blessedness of being in Christ, a new creation, and enjoying the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God by dwelling in Him. "And we have known and have believed the love which God has to us. God is love, and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him." 1 John 4: 16. New Trans. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit (be) with you all."

Amen.

J. McBroom.

Note A.

The babes or young converts of 1 John 2: 13, 18-27, are an example of instinct by the Holy Spirit. They have an unction from the Holy One and know all things. In this way they are fitted to meet the apostasy whether of Judaism or Christianity. The intuition of the Spirit is seen in Mary when she broke her box of ointment and anointed her Lord for His burial. The inspiration of the Spirit is seen in the recording of Holy Scriptures; in the addresses of the Apostles to their persecutors; and in their words of salvation to the multitudes. Revelation must be distinguished from inspiration though both are by the Holy Spirit. In the former we have what is positive and from God; in the latter the Spirit's record of history which includes both good and evil in recording the words and works of nature and the doings of evil men. Illumination is a beautiful word, describing how the Spirit enlightens our souls by His communications, so that the believer in His hands, becomes a reflex of Christ here among men. Luke 11: 35, 36, Phil. 2: 15, 1 John 2: 6.

Nature in its different departments of order and beauty is the work of the Holy Spirit. The seasons come and go; suitable food is provided for all; time for labour and for rest; strength and energy expended — rest and recuperation in return, but all in view of the moral realm, God, Christ and new creation and eternity. His control of the moral and physical realms in combination, is a theme for reflection and profound thanksgiving. In our natural conditions it is said, "In Him we live and move and have our being." He controls the heart, the circulation of the blood, the lungs to breathe and the brain to think. Here we pass from the physical to the mental and moral. Thought, with its flights in a fraction of a second to the ends of the earth and even to heaven or to hell, is a mysterious continuance. The Spirit is the power of our thoughts but we are responsible for reactions. Here we must distinguish carefully, for He who searches the depth of God, penetrates in us to the dividing of the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. He is the power of speech but we must guard the tongue. One man may rob or kill another and he is indebted to the Holy Spirit for strength to do it but the deed is from a motive, springing from an evil source, which calls into action the pangs of a guilty conscience.

Note B.

The Kingdom.

The kingdom of God and of Heaven is a sphere on earth where the rule of God is maintained. It is not heaven nor in heaven as some have thought. Since it had to be set up here by the Spirit, it must be different from the rule of the heavens spoken of by the prophet, Daniel 4: 26, which is true from the beginning of time. Romans 14: 17 explains it. Negatively — it is not meat and drink, i.e., not concerned with temporal things. Positively — it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a sphere of good and blessing where grace reigns through righteousness in contrast with the world where sin reigns. Three things mark it. The Lordship of Christ; the will of God which is salvation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity is at work on behalf of guilty man. The saints are subjects of divine grace and fitted to stand as good soldiers of Jesus Christ in the conflict which rages with the fallen hosts who have their head-quarters in the heavenlies. They are also consistent with the testimony of God's grace which is the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God. In fidelity to their Lord, the rejected King, they stand for His inheritance during His absence and are provided with the whole armour of God, in a power that is not carnal but mighty through God. It is true that this kingdom is spoken of as a lodging place for mere christian profession, and by the working of man's mind, to the exclusion of the Spirit, it has become an inflated mass. Luke 13: 18-21. But it must be remembered that, though people get much of the light and beneficence of heaven in this land by a nominal profession of christianity, the real entrance into the kingdom of God is by being born again. John 3: 5. "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18: 3. It began at Pentecost and goes on till all things are brought into subjection to God by the Man of His purpose; all enemies put down and even death itself destroyed. 1 Cor. 15: 2-28. The kingdom is confined to the Assembly during the reign of grace but when that company is summoned to be at home with the Lord, the testimony will pass into other hands by the resumption of divine dealings with Israel the covenant people. Judgments of various kinds both providential and governmental shall then be executed, in view of the kingdom being established on the earth in full regal display. Matt. 13: 30, 41, 48. Matt. 25: 31-46. The kingdom today is a bulwark for the House of God and all the treasures that are there — the precious things of heaven. As the warriors in Israel stood for the protection of the Tabernacle, the Priests, the Levites and the wives and children, so the church militant stands in the conflict for the maintenance of all that is of God. The place of the Holy Spirit in all this can be gathered from the place where the conflict is described and the way He is mentioned there twice. "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Eph. 6: 17-19.

Note C.

The House of God.

It is important to see that the House of God is presented in a twofold way. First, as God's own workmanship by which He prepares a dwelling place for Himself by the Spirit. Eph. 2: 10, 22, This is seen in such scriptures as Matt. 16: 18. 1 Peter 2: 5. "This is my rest, here will I dwell, for I have desired it." Ps. 132: 14. Secondly, it is seen here in relation to man's responsibility and his workmanship where failure has come in. 1 Cor. 3: 9-17. This, like the wheat and tares of the kingdom, shows the way man has intruded into the holy things of God, ignoring the Spirit with the result that all is lowered and debased. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. 1 Cor. 3: 17. Judgment must begin at the House of God. 1 Peter 4: 17. We are dealing however with the dwelling place of God as composed of all within the baptism of the Spirit, built of living stone, and instinct with life — the life of the family of God. It is protected by the kingdom as a bulwark and within its compartments or chambers are installed the precious things of heaven. We have looked at these heavenly treasures in Eph. 2, 3, as wrought into the souls of the saints by the Spirit, for the pleasure of God. The beauty and felicity of typical language greatly helps us here, for the Palace is not for man but for the LORD God. Note the men who had charge of the treasure and what the treasures are as combining together to express the assemblage of glories that combine and shine in the Person of Christ. There were chief men among the brethren. One was a wise counsellor, others were princes of the sanctuary and others again, princes of God. 1 Chr. 24: 5; 1 Chr. 26: 14. New Tran. Such men would be entrusted with the manifold mysteries of God. cf. 1 Cor. 4: 1. They had charge of the chambers or storehouses and all the treasures of the House of God. These consisted of the vessels of service; the fine flour; the wine; the oil; the frankincense with the spices. Then above all this there were the dedicated things 1 Chr. 27: 27-30; 1 Chr. 26: 24-28. These dedicated things were the evidences of past victories, the spoils won in battle and set apart for God and the glory of His dwelling place. But if the pattern of heavenly things was set up in a panorama of splendour and glory, what shall be said of the things themselves that are set up in a glory that excels? The new order of things we are brought into today is heavenly and eternal. It is a faith system, and no one can read the Epistles of the New Testament intelligently without coming into contact with the princes of God to whom were entrusted the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. Nor can one fail to see as taught of God, that these things bespeak the features of the Man, Christ Jesus, in a scene of undecaying and incorruptible splendour, permeated by the Spirit of God and where Christ is ALL and in ALL. And, by the Holy Spirit, these features are inwrought in the saints today.

Note D.

The Body of Christ.

The truth of the Body of Christ leads into the innermost treasures of the House and heart of God. Unlike the Kingdom and the House, it does not admit on the part of man either responsibility or break-down. Both the Kingdom and the House form part of the time ways of God and will go on in this world after the Church is taken to her home in heaven, but the mystery hid in God throughout the ages — fruit of God's eternal purpose — the Church, the Body of Christ, is unique and stands alone. It is of Himself in such a way as to be substantially and organically, Christ. "So also is the Christ." 1 Cor. 12: 12. New Tran. The Church as the Bride of Christ is a further thought and nothing inferior to Him can be united to Him. How then is this grand conception of our God brought into effect? and how can those who were far from God and living in sin be brought near, so near as to be part of Christ Himself ? The answer is, that as Eve was taken out of Adam when he was in a deep sleep, so the Church is taken out of Christ in death by the Holy Spirit, who undertakes the subjective work of God. As we have seen, this blessed Person formed the body prepared for the Son in which He glorified God in Redemption. The same blessed Spirit also forms His Body the Church. This is done by forming in the believer a new moral being which, in the language of Scripture is "Christ formed in you." Gal. 4: 19; Gal. 1: 15, 16; Gal. 2: 20. From this is developed the truth that the Church is the Bride of Christ. It is not as members of His Body that we, His saints are united to Him. As such we are in Him, part of Himself. It was as taken out of Adam that Eve was united to him. So, to be united to Christ supposes the nuptial bond which unites the Bride to the Bridegroom as the fulness or complement of Him who fills all in all. Hence it is that when we come to Ephesians 5, where marriage is spoken of, the Spirit passes from what the Church is as His Body, to what she is as His bride — the object of His heart.

Note E.

The Rainbow.

It is interesting and instructive to note the connection of the Rainbow with the rain drops, as seen in the waterworks of nature. It illustrates the various glories of Christ as reflected by His saints on earth. Jehovah said to His servant Job, "Hath the rain a father?" as if to show that the mighty God fathers even a drop of rain. Millions of tons of water rise from the oceans each day by evaporation and are held in vapours in the clouds, till nature's ruler has need for them to water His garden. These clouds carry it as vapour, till it is transformed to liquid again, to be poured out on the earth as from God's bottles in view of combining with the sunshine to bring forth bread for the sower. The result is that countless myriads of drops of water are held in the clouds in such a way that when the sun shines forth, they become reflectors of His substance. It is not that one drop sparkles with one colour of the sun and other drops with other colours but that each drop becomes a microscopic picture of the whole so that all the colours of the great governing centre are reflected, that we who cannot look into the sun with the naked eye, may behold his beauty on the principle of reflection. Here then we have the beauty of moral design. As the saints share in the light of the Son of God holding the Head, His life circulates through their souls in such a way as to constitute them reflectors of His glory, so that the aggregate becomes like a beautiful Rainbow expression of the Heavenly One. See how this is put before us by the Spirit, in Colossians 3, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." vv, 12, 13. The source of these seven graces is Christ and if we put them on, they are bound to make their presence seen and felt, so that like the rain drops reflecting the sun's colours, we are reflectors of Him. But such things might be more or less imitated by an amiable disposition, so it is added. "To all these (add) LOVE which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of Christ preside in your hearts, to which also you have been called in one body, and be thankful." Col. 3: 14, 15. New Trans. In this way the saints are brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God's Love, and decorated by the Spirit with inwrought tapestry of skilful work as forming the House of God; the beauties and graces of Christ so wrought in them by the Spirit, that they reflect Him here. Thus they are the actual possessors of the precious things of heaven.

May the Lord Himself graciously help us to value them rightly, for His Name's Sake.

The Four Gospels

The Four Gospels.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 25, 1933, page 175.)

The four holy Gospels stand alone. They present Him who is the glorious Luminary to the whole moral universe, just as the sun is the light of the solar system. They shew us One who stands alone in His divine glory. They show us a life that could not have been imagined or invented by any man, and such is the glory of that life that no creature could have recorded it apart from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.

We should not dare to speak of these Gospels if we did not know that the One who inspired them can give an understanding as to them. So we venture, as others have done, to dip our tiny vessel into this fathomless ocean of bliss, with fear and trembling and yet with holy delight, for it is a joy to speak of the wondrous Person who once lighted up this dark world with His presence and whose glory is destined to cover the whole creation of God.

The writers of the Gospels speak in the simplest way not appearing to-say anything great or extraordinary. There is neither exclamation nor acclamation, no unnecessary stopping to comment on the great things they have to record. They take up the dealings of God in past times, going back to the beginning of time, and then on to its end; touching the great outstanding events in the world's history, and pass on to coming greater events. They tell out the grand facts of revelation, speaking of wonders, signs and miracles without comment. They show our Lord dealing with the present in relation to the past and future in the way that none but He could do it, combining all into one grand and glorious whole.

The Gospel of Matthew quotes more from the Old Testament than the others, and by the law of the relation of type to antitype is more closely related to it. It presents our Lord in relation to David and Abraham, to whom the land and the throne belonged. Refused by the Jews as the Fulfiller of promise, He turns to the Gentile, in view of the calling out of the world and the building of His Assembly, the Church. This transition underlies the greater part of His ministry as given there both in miracle and parable. It was historically accomplished in the Acts and witnessed to in the Jewish Epistles of the New Testament.

Mark begins with the Son of God. The Spirit presents our Lord as the Servant and it was necessary to give the descent from which He entered upon His work. The amazing thing is that this Servant is God. "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." Such a Servant goes to the highest place of all, even the right hand of God.

Luke goes back beyond Matthew to the beginning of man's history. He is not here viewed as the Son of David or Abraham as in Matthew's Gospel, but the Son of Man in relation to mankind. He appears as the One able to take up in His Person the whole of man's history from Eden onwards, to glorify God where everyone else failed and carry everything to the Kingdom and eternal glory. The Man Christ Jesus is seen here in every way fitted to take up and carry through every question, principle and obligation which stands between God and man. Here we see with deep delight that "The charm of a Man is His kindness" (Prov. 19: 22).

In these three Gospels what Christ is to God in relation to His time ways comes before us. There had been a long line of faithful witnesses on earth which God in grace had secured for Himself. In them certain features of Christ had been portrayed. Ever since the fall God had been working in view of another order of man entirely. God had created man for His own pleasure, Christ alone can be that in perfection, but in spite of the fall God had so wrought that features of Christ could be seen in men who were subjects of mercy. In Adam life; in Abel, righteousness; in Noah, rule; in Abraham, sovereignty, calling and election; in Isaac, Sonship; in Jacob, head of the earthly company in prophecy, blessing and worship. The Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfil in His own Person every blessed divine trait which grace had produced in these and all others belonging to the family of faith.

But what of the Gospel of John? In Mark the designation Son of God was a necessity, because He had become a Servant. But in that Gospel there is no genealogy, no history of His birth, no great sermons: He is a Servant. In John there is no genealogy, no birth, no mount of transfiguration, no agony in the garden nor cry of abandonment upon the cross. In John we go beyond the prophets as in Mark, beyond David and Abraham as in Matthew and beyond Adam as in Luke. We begin with God and eternity. "In the beginning was the Word." If the others begin each at his respective point and go on to show our Lord in relation to the time ways of God, past, present and future, John goes beyond them to show our Lord, and indeed the Godhead, in relation to eternal purpose. This Gospel gives the activities of Godhead both before and after time began.

This is the distinguishing feature of the fourth Gospel. While all of them are divine and heavenly and above the creature there is that here which in measure leads us to the inner life of the Godhead. This last is touched both in Matthew 11 and Luke 10, but we are speaking of what characterises each. In John we have the Persons of the Godhead in relation to each other. In the others we see God in relation to time and the creation, taking in the whole arena of good and evil, but in John, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are seen in relation to each other in what is native and proper to Godhead in such a way as nowhere else. Certain statements in relation to time may touch this, as in the words "Let us make man," or "Let us go down," but while these speak of plurality in the Godhead they fall short of that which John gives, namely; the essential unity of the Godhead in the triune blessedness of holy love.

Here the adoring heart finds its deepest delight in contemplating that which stands out as the richest part of divine revelation. The eternal Word, the Logos, is seen as the Son of the Father's love in communion of nature, essence, being and counsel; co-equal and co-eternal, yet in perfect Manhood carrying out the Father's will. The holy intimacies which were there without beginning in virtue of the unity of the Godhead in essential Being, in the eternal reciprocation of what is native to Deity, in love and fulness of glory, could but give a matchless, heavenly grandeur to all that path of suffering, shame and woe.

This is JESUS, "Our Lord Jesus" (Heb. 13: 20). We dwell with holy adoration upon His beauties and perfections as with ever fresh and increasing joy we follow His holy footsteps in these Gospels. The charm of this blessed Man: His tenderness, sweetness, compassion and beauty bind our souls to Him in love which is eternal, and as we pillow our heads in the holy seclusion of love in His blessed bosom we ever remain conscious that He is "God over ALL, blessed for evermore. Amen."

The Coming of the Heir

The Coming of the Heir

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 209.)

In Luke 2: 1 we read, "There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." This decree had a result of which he had no conception. It has been said that, "In whatever conferred dignity and power he had no rival and no check;" and again, "Whilst in enjoyment of this pre-eminence, the Roman Emperor was unconscious that in a village in Judea, in the lowest ranks of life, among the most contemned tribe of his dominions, his Master was born. By this event the whole current of the world's history was changed."

How different are the ways of God from the doings of man and the world! An event which stands alone in the world's history came to pass; the eternal God came into it as an Infant (see Isaiah 9: 6). He was unnoticed and unwanted, and there was no room for Him in the inn. All heaven, the very throne and heart of God were moved. The events in time, connected with it, are given in Matthew and Luke, but the activities and bearing of it in the eternal world are given in such Scriptures as Psalm 40: 5-8; Hebrews 10: 5-8; John 1: 1, 14; John 10: 36. All heaven was astir, and the angelic celebration, recorded in Luke 2 shows how far-reaching its effects: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men" (New Trans.) The Son had passed by all the hierarchies of the heavens to become Man.

But what of the lower, infernal part of creation? There was undoubtedly consternation, and a malignant opposition, which is pictured in Revelation 12: 1-5 and which found its channel of expression on earth in the massacre of the infants, recorded in Matthew 2. Previously the malevolence of Satan had attempted to hinder the fulfilment of the promise by cutting off the royal line (see 2 Kings 11: 1-3) but, now that the Heir was here, the activities of evil were held in check till the moment when the exercise of all its hatred was permitted at the cross. It was impossible that the incarnation of the Son of God should pass as an ordinary event. Though fallen men knew little of it and cared less, the vast arena of heaven, earth and hell was in commotion.

The one great event towards which all the events of this world's history were directed, was the Incarnation. This shows Divine omniscience and omnipotence, and also the perfection of inspiration. The whole history of our Lord is outlined in the Old Testament, and it should be observed that if His coming had in view man's necessity as a sinner, it had also in view the necessity of the heart of God in connection with His eternal plan and purpose. We have been created by Him and for His pleasure, and while the death of our Lord was for us, it remains true that we were created for Him and have been redeemed by Him. All was foreseen long ere time began; creation and the permission of sin was not an accident, but the fruit and outcome of an eternal plan, which emanated from the heart of God.

The holy body of our Lord was prepared for Him by the Father and formed by the Holy Spirit. This answers to the fine flour and oil of the Meat Offering. His words and works were the fruit of the gracious activity of the whole Trinity. Entering upon. His ministry, the Spirit came upon Him; all His works were by the Spirit, and when He had gone on high, who but the Holy Spirit could record the story of that wonderful life?

The interweaving of events as they came out in that life, was not only the work of a "Cunning Artificer," they also remind us of the four ingredients that were used in the composition of the holy incense. "Thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy" (Ex. 30: 35). It is clear that the Spirit alone could recount in proper and perfect order the life of the Man Christ Jesus here on earth. "Behold Thy King," is fitting as a heading for the Gospel of Matthew, as "Behold My Servant" is for Mark, and "Behold the Man" is for the Gospel of Luke; but with John it is, "Behold your God."

Again, the word most suitable for Matthew might be drawn from Romans 15: 8, "Jesus Christ was a Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." For Mark the words most suitable might be "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." For Luke we might well bring forward the words of Titus 2: "The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared" (margin). With John it is different: he gives his own headline in his golden preface, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . . full of grace and truth." In all this we have the weaving of the Skilful Artificer and the compounding of the Divine Apothecary.

Eternity itself will never exhaust the fulness of that blessed Man, who is excellent in dignity and glorious in power. "There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."

Matthew and Luke give the birth and pedigree. The former traces His lineage to Abraham, and the latter to Adam. Mark and John record no genealogy; in the former He is presented as a Bondman, and it is not expected that the pedigree of a bondman should be traced. With John it is different. He goes back into eternity, and speaks of Him, who is without father or mother and beginning or end of days, the eternal One.

But the Bondman of Mark's Gospel is Jehovah, as the opening verses, taken from Isaiah 40, prove. John the Baptist came saying, "Prepare ye the way of Jehovah." Yet it is in this Gospel that we read, "He could there do no mighty work . . . and He marvelled because of their unbelief." Here also it is that we find Him disclaiming knowledge of the day and hour of His second advent; yet in the previous verse we hear Him saying what would be blasphemy on the part of the highest created being, "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but My words shall not pass away" (Mark 13: 31). And also in Mark 6, where there is something He could not do, He in Godhead power feeds five thousand men besides women and children with five barley loaves and two fishes.

Observe too, that Matthew and John omit the ascension. With the former it is the King Messiah, and it closes with a little picture of millennial glory and His earthly people worshipping Him. The closing words are, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." This is proper for the Gospel where what is dispensational and administrative is prominent. In John we have what is above and beyond all dispensations, He is God, and wherever He is, there is heaven.

Passing over details we come to the Transfiguration. John, who certainly was a witness of it, does not refer to it, for what he was given to write is of a still deeper and richer character. Matthew speaks of the Son of Man coming in His kingdom and he gives us the title "Son of Man" more often than Luke, and yet that is the setting of Luke's Gospel. Mark speaks of the kingdom of God come with power. How fitting are these words in this Gospel where our Lord is presented as a Bondman. In Luke, who writes for Gentile believers, three great things come before us — the kingdom of God, the Cross and the Shekinah glory cloud. Stress is laid upon His death: Moses and Elijah were communing with Him of His decease which He would accomplish at Jerusalem. On four different occasions the Lord spoke to His disciples about His approaching death, but not one of them could take it in. We learn here that if it could not be taken in by His own on earth, it was a well known theme in that world of glory.

The transfiguration was the Father's answer to His completed service. He came down from the mountain to die, setting His face to go to Jerusalem. He knew that the elders, — the aged,  -  the chief priests,  -  the ministers of God  -  and the scribes,  -  the learned  -  of that nation, which had so long been the scene of His care and culture, would put Him to death. All three Synoptic Gospels give the Shekinah, from which the Father's voice was heard, proclaiming His own thought of His beloved Son. This links itself with the heavenly and eternal relationships within the ever-blessed Godhead, which were given to John to bring out. There is the administrative order of blessing in the kingdom of God, revealed in the Son of Man, which for us begins with forgiveness of sins and goes on to new creation, as setting us in Christ before God for His pleasure. But this is linked together with the relationships and affections proper to the Father and the Son, into which we are brought in family relations with Divine Persons: our home the Father's house forever.

In Matthew and Mark the disciples are seen more as the remnant from the nation, who clung to Him as the Messiah in His rejection. This should be noted in connection with the progress in the testimony, recorded in Acts 1-12. There we see that remnant being transferred consciously from Judaism to Christianity. This transition had become necessary by the new circumstances and relationships, brought about by the ascension of the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

With Luke all this is different, for he laboured with Paul and wrote for Gentile believers. Hence, after the transfiguration, he is led by the Spirit to recount a long course of the Lord's ministry, wherein He is seen turning from the nation that rejected Him and from earthly blessing, and bringing into view a new company for heaven. In this way we get the blessing of the heavenly company indicated in Luke 10-18. The ministry of Paul began from the glory; that is, from the ascended Lord, and had in view the Gentiles, the "other sheep" of which the Lord had spoken. So we see Christianity coming out anticipatively in the Gospel, and then established and progressing in Acts 13-20, through the labours of the Apostle Paul.

Coming back, let us dwell a moment on the differences of statement in these holy Gospels about the amazing scenes of Gethsemane and Golgotha. John gives neither the sweat of blood in the garden nor the cry of abandonment on the cross. Our suffering Saviour and Lord is seen here as the great I AM. The scene surpasses all. A multitude come to take Him with swords and staves. Stepping forward, He said, "Whom seek ye?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I AM," was His answer. They all went backward and fell to the ground. Therein had burst forth His majesty supreme. Nor was it different at the cross. "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. "These words from John 13 cannot be divorced from the cross, for never was He more glorified than when He was hanging there.

But if the sweat of blood with all its agony is in Luke and not in John, it is absent also in both Matthew and Mark. How deeply important it is for us to trace these differences. It was in the garden that the whole power of him, who had the power of death, was met anticipatively but, while that was so, it in no way lessened the awful load, that had to be born in actuality at the cross. It was there that the full weight of Divine wrath had to be borne, and that it was that drew out the cry of abandonment. This is what both Matthew and Mark give, as recording His death in the light of the sin and trespass offerings — "My God My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" The distance, the darkness, with its mystery and magnitude; its infinite height morally, and its measureless depth — all are so amazingly great, that we are left in our own littleness to worship and adore.

Could anything touch the chords of our hearts like this?

"Hark! ten thousand voices crying

'Lamb of God!' with one accord

Thousand thousand saints replying

Wake at once the echoing chord."

As with burning hearts we listen, do we not realise that,

"Loud and far each tongue partaking

Rolls around the endless song."

If there were vibrations and perturbations through the whole creation at the birth of our Lord, what must there have been at His death, when the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks were rent?

Truly,

"Earth shuddered as He died

God's well beloved Son."

and we may apply the words of Psalm 18: "The earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth . . . He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet."

Creation and New Creation

Creation and New Creation

James McBroom

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 33, 1941, page 102 & 118.)

The word creation is often used in Scripture for the vast universe of which our Lord was the maker and is the upholder (John 1: 3; Col. 1: 16; Heb 1: 2), but it is sometimes used to describe the earth only. Proverbs 8 speaks of the creation of the earth in some detail, and it is evident that it was one of the later works of God, for certain spiritual intelligences were there as we read in Job 38: 6, 7. When the foundations of the earth were fastened and the corner-stones thereof laid, the stars of the morning sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. We do not hear of singing over any other part of the universe, and of no other creature than man do we read of consultation within the Godhead as to his creation (Genesis 1: 26).

We must mark the difference between the physical creation and the moral order of life placed therein. The first gives the sphere in which God's eternal counsels are worked out and the latter those whom those counsels concern. The higher intelligences — angels — are purely spirit beings, but man is complex in his being, partaking of both spirit and matter. Immortal in his spirit and mortal as to his body, he joins in himself both the moral and the physical parts of creation. Man is unique in the creation of God. As a spirit being he is the lowest in the scale of the moral order, the higher intelligences being much greater in power and glory. As to his physical being he is above the whole range of the animal creation.

These things excite our interest and lead to enquiry, and we have not far to go for answer. The whole creation was the necessary outcome of the thoughts and feelings within the Holy Godhead which appear throughout the pages of the New Testament, as the eternal purposes of God, and these purposes show that man, the feeble creature of the earth, the being created last, and come into the scene but yesterday, was to be the first and highest in the spiritual and eternal order. The simple proof of this being the coming of THE SON into manhood.

An important point was reached in the activities of God at the creation of man. Great ranges of intelligences had been created long before and certainly great and important questions had been raised. This we know from the fact that the conflict between good and evil was raging at the time. But in Adam, as he came from the hand of God, we see the type of the Man destined of God to settle every question that had arisen or could arise. It is written that Adam was " the figure of Him that was to come " (Romans 5: 14), and we learn that all was foreseen and that the Incarnation of the Son and His death upon the cross was before God as the settlement of the sin question long before sin began.

Revolt against the Creator had taken place before man had being. Satan had been the first to challenge the supremacy of God, others were in league with him, or followed him, and the moral creation was divided into two camps, the unfallen and the fallen. How long man remained in the condition of innocence in which God created him we do not know, but by disobeying the one Divine prohibition he joined the ranks of the rebels. This brought the conflict of good and evil into the human race, and in the purpose of God made way for the Redeemer. " The woman's Seed," the Eternal Son, who in Manhood would take up the whole question of sin and all it involved, not only on man's behalf but for the vindication and glory of God in the whole creation.

By His Incarnation the Son stood in direct contact with man, but the whole creation was also in view, for all things are to be made subject to Him as Son of Man (Ps. 8: 7; 1 Cor. 15: 27, 28; Heb. 2: 6-10). By His death He glorified God about the whole question of sin, going beyond the fall and need of man, and reaching out to the whole creation, laying the basis for its redemption and deliverance from the bondage of corruption, and putting it finally beyond the reach of the defilement of sin in the power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 8: 21; 2 Peter 3: 13).

Though man came last in the first creation, he takes the first place in the new creation. Our Lord linked Himself with the first order of man when He took part in flesh and blood, in Him without sin. After glorifying God in that state He brought it to an end in death and began in resurrection a new order of Man entirely. This new order is called in Scripture " new creation." But before we could be brought into it in Christ the judgment that lay upon us had to be borne and removed. This was done at the cross. There, not our sins only, but our sinful state also, was dealt with according to God's own righteousness. His Name, His throne, His majesty were vindicated in the Son. This accomplished, He rose up from the dead and ascended on high and sent down the Spirit, who in His operations transfers us from Adam — the fallen head — to Christ, the new Head of a new race, and sets us before God in Christ. In this way the believer is said to be created in Christ Jesus (Eph 2: 10),

This reflects on man's first created condition as contrasting him with the higher created intelligences Angels, however glorious, ever remain units. Adam was set up as head of a race and his moral state, fallen and sinful, was transmitted to all his posterity. This though seeming to work for ill is far more than compensated for in the wisdom of God in the new creation. In it Christ the Head communicates His life to the new race, they become a new generation in Himself. Well may we adore Him who has planned and wrought out such wondrous things for His own glory and our eternal blessing.

As brought into this new creation the believer is one with Christ and therefore heavenly in character and origin. "As is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly" (1 Cor. 15: 48). And this stands in contrast to what we were as having our part in the first created state. Man was created for the earth and as such is earthly. This wonderful transfer is therefore not only from our fallen condition, but goes back to the original creation. "If any one be in Christ, there is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5: 17 (N.T.). Man is not only recovered from the place into which he fell, but is brought to a new place marked out for him in the eternal purposes of God.

As set in Christ before God the transmission of moral qualities, namely, the features of Christ are reproduced in him by the Holy Spirit who dwells in all who believe, so that the once despised and rejected Christ is now continued in His body on earth. So divinely true is this new thing, this new creation, that believers are seen linked up in the life of Christ organically as His body, that glorious organism to which the Head gives impulse and in which His life circulates and radiates in its beneficent sweetness in this poor world.

In considering our subject, care is needed in the use of the words "old" and "new." Old is generally used as the antithesis of new as in "old man" and "new man," "old covenant" and "new covenant." But while Scripture speaks of the new creation, it does not call the first creation old, nor the first birth old. The "new man" displaces the "old man," and the "old covenant" gives way to the new, but the new birth does not displace the first birth, nor the new creation the old. The first creation was a divine act, the first birth the human medium, these produce the person upon whom the Spirit of God operates in the new birth, and transfers him from Adam to Christ, in the work of new creation, but this work of the Spirit does not undo or set aside the original creation or the first birth. The need of these remarks will be understood when we realise that there is a tendency to view new creation as though God had been defeated in the fall of man and had to create a new race in his place outside the possibility of sin. The words old and new as applied to the physical creation may engage us later.

But some one is sure to say, what is the gain of all this abstract reasoning to me? Much in every way, let it be said, for we are in touch just here with the richest things of heaven. As united to Christ in glory believers have access to the Father in the holy relationship of sons; and the wealth of divine revelation is available and enjoyed on the principle of faith. Part with Christ in glory as His companions assures an entrance into the richest and deepest things of God. No words can fully describe the grand range of blessings that are made ours in Christ. Having the birthright all is ours and the Lord Himself ever seeks to lead us into the appreciation of these things. They are unseen things; things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him (1 Cor. 2: 9).

While subject to many and varied changes, both mentally and morally, there are three distinct conditions of manhood which should be noted. First, man stood in innocence, knowing neither good nor evil; second, as fallen he stood a guilty sinner alienated from his God; third, he stands recovered and brought back to God; reinstated because reconstituted, but brought into an infinitely higher position than he was in as first created. In a normal way his walk and conversation are the outcome of the new nature and coloured by the grace of heaven, but alas! it may not be for he may act in the flesh. In the former case he identifies himself with the work of grace in his soul and you have the "I" of purpose — "I delight in the law of God after the inner man." But in case of failure, instead of acting in the dignity of his renewed being he is simply walking and acting as man in a carnal way. "My little children," says John, "these things write I unto you that ye sin not."

The above consideration shows the individual in relation to the widely different characters of life flowing from the two Heads, namely, Adam and Christ. This necessitates the use of the personal "I" in a threefold way as is shown in the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2: 20, "I am crucified with Christ." That is as a man in Adam. "Nevertheless I live." This is the "I" of creature personality which must be kept distinct in our minds from both the "I" of responsibility and the "I" of purpose. "Nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me," shows the consciousness of the completeness of his identification with Christ the new Head in life and nature. In this threefold use of the personal I, all hangs on the individual himself as seen between the "I" of responsibility on the one side and the "I" of purpose on the other. The rest of the verse shews the man in his life in bodily condition with Christ on high as his Object.

New creation then, has begun and it must spread till it includes the whole vast creation. It takes time, however to work out these things and so far as it has gone man only is brought in, and that in a faith state as an abstract reality waiting its completion at the coming of the Lord. In its working out the moral order takes precedence as we have seen. When every family has been set in the place marked out under the Head, all moral values adjusted and every problem solved, the physical order, as having served its purpose, will be changed. It came in first as a necessary part of the whole as suited to the character of life intended of Him and the marvellous moral issues involved. As having served its Creator as everything must (sin, Satan, death and hell must serve the great Creator's end), it is spoken of as become old (Ps. 102: 26; Heb. 1: 11).

All being finally rectified, the Name, Throne and Majesty of God triumphant, the physical order of creation, too, passes through its change; shall we say death and resurrection in view of serving its Creator in the moral life of a new eternal scene? There we hear the words, "Behold I make all things new." There had been tears, and death with grief, crying and distress, as alas! there is plenty of these things today. Planting our feet in that holy scene by anticipation we can look back into the time scene where all the sorrow was. While these the former things are passed away, those who were in them are now in the New Things in God's eternal day. Praise His Holy Name for evermore.

This is a blessed theme as concerning the glory of our Lord. It fits in properly with the great scheme of Reconciliation in its bearing on the higher ranges of intelligences. If the Lord permit we may be permitted to trace it out a little as sketched out for us in the Book of God. The Lord graciously add HIS blessing.

The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth, 1913, Vol. 5, page 281.)

It is important to take account of the place this precious chapter has in the Book of Leviticus; whether we regard it historically in its bearing on the congregation of Israel, in covenant relationship with Jehovah, or in its typical character as shadowing forth the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God had delivered Israel from their enemies and brought them to Himself; He had come down to dwell among them in the tent which Moses had reared up according to His directions. In His mercy He had established a system of sacrifice whereby the uncleanness and transgressions of the people might be met provisionally, and in a way consistent with His holiness, so that He might dwell among them. The uncleanness, transgressions, and sins of the people made blood-shedding and death a necessity (ver. 16). Sins and transgressions were met by the offerings and their laws detailed in Leviticus 1-7, and in Leviticus 11-15. instruction is given in regard to the uncleanness of the flesh. Both are in view in chapter 16.

Chapters 8.-10. give the history of that which was the immediate occasion for the ordinance of the day of Atonement: "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me" (Lev. 10: 1, 2, 3). But it was impossible that God, who is love, and whose love is the mightiest force in the universe, could be limited to one class of men to the exclusion of the rest of mankind; hence, while dealing with Israel in relation to the circumstances of the moment, He gives, in His matchless wisdom, a figurative representation of how the whole question of man's relationship with God would be taken up and settled in Christ in divine righteousness, for His own eternal satisfaction, and the good and blessing of men.

The great theme of the chapter is Christ and His work, for it is true, here as elsewhere, that "Christ is the end of the law," the spirit and substance of it all is found in Him. What He is sacrificially in all His peerless excellence comes first and gives the foundation for all else. But two things claim our attention. First, Aaron's garments, then the distinction between the priestly family and congregation. The linen garments mean holiness and purity. It is no question here of outward display; all these garments set forth in figure what Christ is as come to take up the question of sin, all in Him is in perfect moral accord with the purity and holiness of the throne of God; and although we know Him now in the garments of glory and beauty (see Ex. 28), "crowned with glory and honour," yet this could only be as the result of what is prefigured in the holy linen garments and the work connected therewith. The Holy Ghost unfolds these things for us in Christ in Hebrews 9. We see Him there wearing the holy linen garments, as the antitype of Aaron in the solemn work of atonement (vers. 11, 12). Then in verse 24 of the same chapter we see Him as He now appears in the presence of God for us. These words clearly indicate the robes of glory and beauty, as it was in these that the names of the people were set.

The distinction between the priestly family and the nation is doubtless intended to show the distinction between the heavenly saints and the earthly saints, the former, the church composed of His brethren (Heb. 2: 11, 12), are associated with Christ in the sanctuary and have boldness to enter the holiest, whither He has entered, while the earthly company, Israel, await His coming out (Heb. 9: 28).

In the purpose of God, those who form the church are made holy and without blame before Him in love and in relation to Christ, are brought into the distinctive relationship of His body and His bride, and are now being educated for the day of display (John 16: 14, 15; Eph. 3: 14-21).

In the sacrificial work the sin-offering came first (vers. 11-14). After it was slain the blood was taken into the holiest and sprinkled on and before the mercy-seat. The priest could only enter the holiest enveloped in a cloud of incense, which was symbolic of the fragrance of Christ. Without this he would have died, for no flesh could stand there. The glory of God is secured for Him in His creation in the blood of Christ as sin-offering. The blood of the burnt-offering was not to be taken in. We have here, in figure, a twofold declaration of the truth that God has carried out His own sentence upon man. "For the life of the flesh is in blood," and the blood sprinkled on and before the mercy-seat was witness that life had been given up. The judgment of God has fallen vicariously upon Christ, and if the life is gone the man whose life it was goes too. The only One who ever lived upon the earth who had not forfeited His life and upon whom death had no claim has died, and in that death God has carried out His own judgment, for His own glory, in the removal by judgment of sinful man, so that he can not again have any standing before Him for ever. In the case of the animal whose blood was carried in, the carcase was taken out, "without the camp," and burned (vers. 11-15 and 27; Heb. 13: 11, 12). In this we have the truth, clearly prefigured

that sinful man, in whichever way he may be viewed — learned or ignorant, rich or poor — has come under the consuming judgment of God in the death of Christ, who alone could sustain that judgment. There was also on the part of man that which made death a moral necessity. The creature in which God's highest thoughts were centred lived in enmity (Rom. 8: 7), and it was impossible for Christ to connect Himself with man in such a condition. Clearly "no act of power could e'er atone." But Christ came in the purpose of God to die that the confusion might be removed, consistent with the being of God, and that in His resurrection a new creation might be brought into being where no disorder can come.

We may be conscious that this cuts right across all the lofty dreams of poor fallen man, but being what he is, a lost sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, nothing else is possible. But many believers while trusting in Christ have not learnt the truth of the cross as the immovable basis of divine righteousness from which all blessing flows, and they do not see that it introduces into a new order of life on the other side of death with relationships and affections which all centre in Christ our risen Head. To refuse this side of the truth is to slight God's most cherished thoughts and works in the attempt to connect Christianity with man and his world instead of with the risen Christ.

There is that in the work of Christ and His adorable Person which is beyond description. Human conception and language are of necessity limited; hence, no type can fully show the truth. Christ is before us in the animals of sacrifice, and also in Aaron and his going in to accomplish the work, and still most of all He is seen in the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat — the living, triumphant Saviour in glory — "redemption which is in Christ Jesus." But mark the contrast: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sin, forever sat down on the right hand of God." Aaron went in to accomplish the work, which in its bearing was efficacious for ONE YEAR, But at the cross the work was accomplished, and the stamp of divine approval put upon it, and His going in is the result of having obtained eternal redemption.

In the case of the people, though the act of atonement was identical with that of the priestly house, yet there are certain differences which are of interest.

The goat, though of a lower order of sacrifice, is duplicated. On one upon which the Lord's lot fell is connected the great truth of propitiation; the other, called the scapegoat, was for the people, and sets before us substitution.

These blessed truths — so largely developed in the New Testament, in which Christ has glorified God in regard to sin, and also borne away the sins of the believer — have often been dwelt upon.

But there is a hint here by the Spirit of God as to the difference between the church and Israel which may yield profit. As already noted, the bullock is the highest order of sacrifice and indicates the fullest measure of communion with the death of Christ on the part of those who form the assembly. This truth, involving the counsels of God in regard to the heavens and the earth, shows us that the divine intention is that the church should apprehend the cross in its relation to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit; to men, angels, and devils, to the universe at large; to apprehend that wondrous, amazing scene, where we get the full moral display of God in a way creation never could display Him, where the great problem of the universe is solved — the question of good and evil — to the everlasting glory of God. What wondrous thoughts fill our hearts as in silent adoration we gaze on that cross!

Though this may show the moral distinction between the two, there is also a dispensational touch of great beauty in the ways of our God. The place of association and nearness peculiar to the church is known and enjoyed by faith during the moment of the long-suffering of God with the world. Not so with the earthly company; for when He — the true Aaron — comes out, it is then the scapegoat aspect is seen: sin is taken away and they are brought into the enjoyment of forgiveness and righteousness in virtue of that wondrous work so long before accomplished at the cross. This is the time of which prophets have spoken and psalmist has sung, when "they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me . . . said the Lord," and the time when Jehovah says "I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel" (Jer. 31: 34; Hosea 2: 21, 22; Ps. 96 - 100).

The work of propitiation and cleansing being past, Aaron put off the holy linen garments and washed his flesh in water, and proceeded to offer the burnt-offering for himself and the burnt-offering for the people, significant of the divine acceptance of the work of that day. This was a sweet savour as it was burnt on the altar, and with it the fat of the sin-offering, whose carcass had been burned without the camp, there was signified the complete identification of the two, and that He who "was made sin" is, in the internal excellencies of His being, the same One who is acceptable to God as a sweet-smelling savour (Eph. 5: 2; 2 Cor. 5: 21). It may be remarked that though there are different families in the divine order of blessing all are brought into supreme happiness for the glory and praise of God. Then the praises of the Lamb shall vibrate through the vast extent of creation "unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;" and then shall He "see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied."

"Oh 'tis His due — that worthy One

Tastes now the fruit of love's blest ways;

Eternal is His joy in us,

Eternal is our song of praise."

The Development of the Testimony

The Development of the Testimony

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 261.)

In considering the resurrection of Christ it cannot be too clearly seen that the whole sin question was met at the Cross: every claim of the Name, throne and majesty of God was settled there, and resurrection became a new beginning. Observe that God's beginning works out in a threefold way. First, in the birth of Christ, leading to the beginning of the ministry of reconciliation in His service. Secondly, in His resurrection, when further developments took place. Lastly, in His ascension, which introduced the Spirit's day, and the saints became the dwelling-place of God by the Spirit. Resurrection is a key truth of the Bible. It becomes for us the door out of our ruined condition into that which is for us a new order, though the oldest of all, being eternal.

"Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15: 20).

Thus the Lord entered into the place marked out for Him in the purpose of God. It was needful for Him "to enter into His glory" (Luke 24: 26). Being a key truth, resurrection runs right through the Scriptures. We have it literally, as in our Lord, and presently in His people. But in the Old Testament it is found typically, as in the case of Aaron's rod that budded, or at the deliverance of the Red Sea. We have it in a dispensational and prophetic way in the vision of Ezekiel 37; the dry bones brought to life. In a moral and spiritual way we have it in saints today by the operation of the Spirit — see, Ephesians 2: 5, 6; Colossians 2: 12. It provides a new platform for the working out of God's purpose as in a new world. Thus new creation is entered today in faith; a stainless, sinless order, where Christ is everything and all things are of God.

During the forty days that elapsed between the resurrection and the ascension there were many important transactions, all linked up with the Gospels, but looking forward to the Spirit's day. Yet finality in the ways of God, as combined with His purpose, could only be reached by the risen Man taking His place at the right hand of God. During this interval He brought His own into the same relationship as Himself before the Father, and, by breathing on them, linked them up with Himself in risen life. He opened their eyes and their understandings and then opened up for them the Scriptures. But for them to be united to the Man in the glory the Holy Spirit must come down, for only thus could this mighty transaction be brought about.

It is important that we should apprehend this beginning, which starts from the combination of the revelation of God and approach to God in one and the same blessed Person, who is now at His right hand. Surely this gives completeness to the whole divine scheme of blessing. Although there was much to be done, much that has been going on in the power of the Spirit ever since, still the two grand thoughts, that link together the ways of God in time and His purpose in eternity are seen in the Son of His love, the Man Christ Jesus. The One who went to the lowest depth of darkness and sorrow is now in the place of nearness and deepest joy, and from that point, God begins to work out all to eternal fruition, for His own glory and the good and blessing of man.

How remarkable it is that the Spirit in His coming passed by the Temple and its ritual, and took up His abode in the little company gathered in one place. There and then were formed the Kingdom, the House of God and the Body of Christ. These things were not known by the disciples at the moment but were opened up to them and apprehended as they became conscious of the transition then going on from Judaism to Christianity. This new heavenly order had been planted and was gradually developing, while Judaism, in the forbearance of God, was gradually fading out. Gradual transition from one order of things to another marks God's dealings and, as the immediate coming of the Lord is sensed by believers today, who knows but we may have reached the beginning of transition from Gentile Christianity to the resumption of dealings with the ancient people of God?

The overlapping of the dispensations covered forty years; that is, the time between the Cross and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. All that time God was bearing with the apostate nation and graciously leading the converted remnant into the greatness of the heavenly and eternal system, proper to the Spirit's day. God was now dwelling here, and His voice would now go out from His house to the ends of the earth. A new fellowship was formed, a new community, which had become the vessel of the Spirit of God, and although small and insignificant to man and the world, it sprang from the eternal purpose of God, and would prove to be His masterpiece. Even in its early stages its enemies had to admit that its messengers had turned the world upside down.

Let us follow for a moment the advance of the testimony in these early years. The book of Acts traces its progress from Jerusalem to Rome. Two other important cities come in as landmarks in the journey, Antioch and Ephesus. The former at the close of the ministry of the Twelve as voiced by the Apostle Peter, and the latter when the public ministry of Paul drew to a close. Acts 1-12, give us the progress of the testimony from Jerusalem to Antioch. In this period two gifted men outside the apostolic band become prominent, Stephen and Philip. The advance from Antioch to Ephesus, which has especial interest for us as being Gentiles, is given in Acts 13-20, and shows the labours of Paul among the Gentiles.

In the earlier section, the remnant of the Jews, with which the church began, links it with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark: in the later section, the Gentile converts, fruit of the ministry of Paul, link up with the Gospel of Luke. All this is morally fitting, since the first two Gospels set our Lord before us in Messianic position, while to Luke it was given to set Him before us as the Son of Man. It is confirmed too by the way that Luke accompanied Paul in many of his labours.

To refer again to "the ends [revenues] of the world [ages]" (1 Cor. 10: 11); it will be recalled that the Laver, called "the great sea," which Solomon made for the temple, sat upon twelve oxen with their hinder parts inward and their faces outward; three to the north, three to the west, and the others looking to the south and to the east. It is remarkable that the march of the testimony under the control of the Spirit, as recorded in the Acts, agrees with this. The city of Antioch was the capital of Syria to the north, and there an assembly was formed by the labours of simple Christians. From thence Barnabas and Saul were called by the Spirit to carry the Gospel to the west. The water of the great laver ran through the body of the oxen and came out, it is said, through their mouths. If so, how it fits in with the words of our Lord, "He that believeth on Me . . . out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7: 38).

Paul's arrest brought to an end his public ministry as an apostle. The closing section of the Acts gives his two years' imprisonment at Caesarea, then the voyage to Rome, and another two years' confinement there. Meantime the wave of power seen in the early part of the book had begun to wane. It broke on the shore of man's inordinate degeneracy and the backwash was seen in the rise of the Gnostics. This was a system composed, it is said, of a mixture of effete Judaism, Grecian philosophy, Roman imperialism and superstitions from the east. It spread over the whole profession, and threatened to strangle the infant church. This may be looked upon as the time when men slept and the enemy sowed tares.

The book of Acts covers a period of over thirty years, and carries us nearly to the time when both Paul and Peter were martyred, and Jerusalem destroyed in A.D. 70. Later came the time when the Apostle John became the vessel of the Spirit to write that which would meet the developing evil, while linking up with what had gone before. Here we get that which abides; the glory, power and majesty of God from eternity to eternity, against which the forces of evil will be for ever broken to pieces, as shown in the book of Revelation.

This book John wrote in the Isle of Patmos as a prisoner for the truth, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. It has a peculiar connection with the book that has been before us, for the Acts is the link with the Gospels and all that has gone before, whilst the Revelation links the present dispensation with the future right through the millennium and into eternity.

John thus connects with Paul's finish at Ephesus in a double way. First historically, as bridging the gap between the time when the ministry of Paul had reached its highest point and the beginning of the descent which began at Ephesus in the departure from first love. Its awful depth was reached at Thyatira, when "that woman Jezebel" dominated the professing body, and right down to the God-defiant condition of Laodicea. Secondly, while the Divinely-given unfoldings of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians stand out in the height of their grandeur as characterizing the whole Christian age, the Apostle John is brought in to link with it what is, if possible, even richer and deeper — the very heart of God Himself.

But we must not put one against another where all is so infinitely blessed. It must suffice us to say that the Spirit gave through John something of supreme moral excellence — that display of God Himself, as He is revealed in Christ — which met the necessity of the moment. What He thus gave stands out in its rich and heavenly grandeur for all time.

The Fame of the Lord

The Fame of the Lord

Deuteronomy 32: 1-15.

J  McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 9, 1917, page 57.)

In Deuteronomy 32 we have the publication of Jehovah's name, and in it Moses gives a most comprehensive unfolding of the glory of God. The publication of Jehovah's name is connected with His goodness in coming down to us where we are in all our troubles and need.

Moses calls the heavens to hear, at the opening of his majestic song. It is not the material heavens only, but the intelligent heavens which are called upon to hear something about Jehovah. The great theme is not the people and their failures, but the faithfulness of God: "My doctrine shall drop down as the rain. My speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as showers upon the grass. Because I will publish the name of the Lord." As in a time of drought, when everything seems burnt up and lifeless, a shower of rain brings life and vigour to the earth, so the publication of Jehovah's name revives His people and makes them like a well-watered garden. The ministry to us of what God is for us through the risen Christ should have this effect upon us, it should refresh us and cheer us amidst all the care and discouragement and distress of these days: "My doctrine shall drop as rain; my speech shall distil as dew." Why? Because I am going to speak about God. I have something to tell you about the fame of Jehovah. There is nothing in the universe of God can lift our heads like the knowledge of God. That knowledge enables us to lift our hearts and lift our heads in praise and adoration to that God who delights to unfold Himself to our hearts. So he says, "I will publish the name of Jehovah." We are accustomed to speak of name in the sense of greatness or fame. That this is the thought in this passage is evident, for Moses continues: "Ascribe ye greatness to our God" — the greatness He has gained for Himself in His mighty acts.

God is not only great in the sphere of power, as is seen in creation, He is morally great also. Not only great in what He has done, but great also in what He is. These are brought together in Psalm 147: "He telleth the number of the stars: He is strong in power, not one faileth." But He also bows down to bind up the broken heart. Which is the greater? For a mighty supreme being to send forth the glorious orbs that fill the heavens, or for that same Being to bow down to interest Himself in poor weak things like you and me? It is the greatness of His love and grace that engages Him with those He has created, cares for them in their sorrows and binds up the broken heart.

"He is the rock; His work is perfect, for all His ways are judgment. A God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is He." This reveals His stability, His unchanging goodness. The blessed God carries out His own purposes in spite of men's failure and evil and wickedness. There is no flaw in His ways. All is perfectly right. He uses everything to serve His own purpose. He is supreme over all. He brings out the divine excellency, the righteousness and goodness and love in Himself. When you come to God you come to perfection, reliability — that which cannot shift. You have come to that which you can stake your soul upon for time and eternity. As we are told in the New Testament, "We receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved." Everything material and shakable will be moved, but Christ is the one in whom there is eternal continuity. To the Son God says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."

Then he turns aside for a moment to give a picture of the dark background.  Israel were a people taken up by God, to display His moral government, to display His wisdom, grace and mercy. Where could there be a better place for God to come and display Himself than in a world of sin? But we read: "They have corrupted themselves," and that is true of all: "All we like sheep have gone astray." There were ninety-nine just worlds, and one world fallen, but after that one world God would go, and He has come to our world. He has come to where we have corrupted ourselves. Israel is but a sample of the whole of mankind. We have corrupted ourselves, but our gracious God has come after us. God the Father has sent His only-begotten Son, who has glorified the Father, and brought a people to Himself who can sing His praises now.

"When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance."

These verses give us the key to prophecy and of God's government of the earth. We must work from that point, Israel being the centre. Otherwise we shall not rightly divide the word of truth. It is important to notice that when God divided the people in Genesis 10, He gave them all their place in relation to a people that had not been born. His grace was set upon Israel before Israel or their great progenitor had yet come into being. When God allotted the nations their position, He allotted it all round His plot of land, which is now trodden under foot by the Gentiles. He kept that for His people. So His ways with the nations had Israel in view, and now His assembly is His chief interest, and there is not a movement going on under heaven now but God will make it turn out for the good of His assembly. In the book of Esther the king could not sleep, and he had the book of the chronicles of Persia brought before him, and the scene was changed. The people of God were in view and the king's sleeplessness is used in the providence of God on His people's behalf. When we come to the birth of Christ, Micah tells the town. It was Bethlehem. There seemed no likelihood of the Babe being born at Bethlehem, but there was a command from the Emperor that all should go up to his own town for the census. It was so arranged in the providence of God, in order to fulfil His word. So it is today. There is not a movement in the world, but God is ruling directly, or overruling indirectly, with a view to the gathering out of His people. There is much spiritual food and comfort in it, when we see in that way the hand of God ruling or overruling all for His people.

Then how sweet is the next verse: "The Lord's portion is His people." I do not know how far we enter into it. In the New Testament we are told we have treasure in heaven. We are told, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Ah, but Christ has a treasure here upon earth, and in view of that treasure He sold all that He had, and He laid aside all His Messiah titles and rights, that He might secure that treasure. Christ has a treasure here tonight upon the earth, and we have a treasure up there. "The Lord's portion is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance." The children of Israel are the people in question in our chapter, but in this present period God is gathering out of this world a people for heaven, He is forming His assembly. You and I belong to it, and it is in connection with that that all the dealings of God are going on at the present moment. "Ye," says the Lord Jesus Christ, " are the salt of the earth." That is, your presence in the world preserves it from total corruption. There is nothing that keeps the earth from becoming wholly a pandemonium but the fact that the church is in it, and the Holy Spirit of God is here in the church. The moment the church is withdrawn, and the Holy Spirit gone at the coming of the Lord for His saints (1 Thess. 4) the earth will become the scene of the devil's unrestrained power (2 Thess. 2). The darkest and most awful time it has ever had in its history will be then.

Let us remember that "the Lord's portion is His people." He loves them with a Father's love. The sense of this love refreshes our hearts. This makes us, in the language of Jeremiah, like a well-watered garden. God help us to be in the appreciation of it. We are His, and, thank God, He is ours.

"He found him in a desert land, and in a waste, howling wilderness." Where did God find you and me? In the quarry of nature. We were in the gutter, but, thank God, He came to the gutter for us. We were unclean and sinful. Some of us may have been respectable, and others disrespectable, but we were all covered with sin, that thing that nailed the Son of God to the cross. But He sought us and saved us. How great is the grace of our God!

"He led him about, He instructed him; He kept him as the apple of His eye." There is nothing in the human body so guarded as the eye. The eyelid guards it in a wonderful way. When the miner hits the coal with his pick, and the dust flies from it, the lid closes instantly upon that most sensitive member. God kept His people as the apple of His eye. Think of the preciousness of such a statement. It was good for Israel. It is good for you and me.

"As the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young; taketh them, beareth them on her feathers." The last thing we do naturally is to turn to God; we prefer to lean upon friends, or circumstances, and all the gracious dealings of our God are to remove from beneath us the human supports, so that we may use the wings of faith and soar into a fuller knowledge of Himself. The eagle carries her young on her back for some distance, and then she drops it, but is instantly beneath it so that it shall not fall. She makes: the nest uncomfortable, so that the young bird has to get out of it, and thus the young bird learns to use its wings and begins to fly. The figure teaches entire trust in God. This is intensely real. We are in a pathway where our God intends us to learn to trust in Himself, and all the varied circumstances have this end in view. There is no book like the Bible for simplicity of figure, and this is one of the finest drawn from nature.

"The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." Does the Lord alone lead you and me? In all our life, is the Lord alone before our eyes?" There was no strange god with him." Do not let us allow anything between God and our souls. This glorious God, whose name and fame the Spirit of God is bringing before us, has come to where we were, that He might bring us to where He is. He guards us like the apple of His eye.

"He made him to ride on the high places of the earth." Where are your high places and mine? They are not on the earth, but, blessed be God, He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1) Israel rode on the high places of the earth. Read those beautiful prophecies of Balaam, who, though a wicked prophet, was made by God to utter His thoughts about Israel, and see the power and favour and beauty of the people of God as under His eye (Num. 23: 24).

"He made him to taste honey out of the rock." Everything that brings God before the soul is the honey. David says, speaking of God's thoughts, that they are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, and more to be desired than fine gold. Is there anything in man's literature like this? It brings food from God in the power of the Holy Ghost to our souls. If we get where Ephesians 1 puts us, if we get into communion with God, into the joy of God's precious thoughts, we know something of what it is to suck the honey out of the rock.

"Then Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked." What a response to God for all God's very best! Let me ask, "Has the church done better?" It has remained for the church dispensation, the day in which we live, to perpetrate the darkest deeds that were ever done on God's earth, deeds which must have made the very angels weep. We need to be kept lowly and to remember that all our blessing is the fruit of grace. Let us remember a verse in the prophecy of Isaiah, "Thou shalt remember the pit from which thou wert digged. "Let us remember that the man who wrote Ephesians, which gives the highest truth in all of Paul's epistles, wrote afterwards that he was the chief of sinners. While climbing up the heights of God's everlasting purposes and counsels in grace, in which He displays Himself, let us never forget what we were, and where God's grace found us. So shall we be kept from vaunting ourselves and ever sensible of the exceeding grace of God to whom all the glory must be.

The Glory of God and the Father's Purpose

The Glory of God and the Father's Purpose.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 26, 1934, page 88.)

It is a conception worthy of the blessed God that He will one day have the whole universe filled with love and light and glory in and through the MAN of His right hand. Even now it captivates the hearts of all who have drank from the river of His grace. It is fitting that the humbled Christ, should be glorified, and that the creation which beheld His sorrow, shame and woe should witness His glory and join in the Hallelujahs that will fill the vast creation of God.

This blessed theme covers a large part of Scripture and is fruitful of anticipatory praises. "For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. Because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the Glorious liberty of the children of God." But there is another side to the glory which is yet deeper, fuller and richer and which connects more vitally with the counsels of eternity as well as with the very heart of God. There is an inside to this vast scene of promised glory, where the sons of the Father's richest and eternal thoughts shall rest in the joy of that love which purposed them for that place long ere time began.

Within the depths of the glory, in that home of love, the family of many sons will dwell, and in their praises the Father shall live for evermore. For He has chosen them that they should be before Himself in love for ever. (Eph. 1: 3, 4.)

In that eternal life which ever was with the Father, every movement is in perfect concert with the Father's will and yet governed by the perfect law of liberty; divine life cannot be fettered. The life of hopes, fears and desires that belong to this world will have gone for ever, and His redeemed sons will be at home in the love of the Father who is at once the origin, source and governing power of all that heavenly bliss.

There the Father's well beloved Son will find His deepest delight. He, the eternal Object of the Father's delight, came forth to declare all that was in the Father's heart, and this could not be done apart from the Cross with all its depth of woe. But having died and risen again He has many brethren, the sons of the Father's choice, who had been given Him by the Father. Conformed to His own image in nature, relationship and affection they will enter as holy brethren with Him into all that He has won. Not only subjects of sovereign grace, wondrous as that is, but with the Son before the Father in the life, love and joy proper to the relationship into which He has brought them, and loved with the love wherewith the Father loves the Son.

This inner glory is the source from which all the publicly displayed glory in the millennial kingdom will flow; all the splendour of the celestial and terrestrial glory must take character from this. The long continued chaos of sin, sorrow, tears and woe will be turned into an ordered system of divine delight, and all filled and upheld from that inner home of paternal and filial delight.

The inconceivable wealth of love and glory native to the Holy Trinity and reciprocated within the Godhead no creature can tell, but we know that the Lord spoke of both the love and the glory in John 17. It is beyond our comprehension, but we can rejoice in the thought of it, and see how wonderful a character it gives to the Father's love-gift to the Son. The sons of eternal choice were that gift, but whatever wealth of blessing that choice means for them, they were first of all a gift from the Father to the Son. These glorious communings and operations within the Godhead before time began, speak to us of the holy nature and character of God in love's divinest ways. Instead of an inert and dim and distant God who could only be known in relations taken in time, when, one of the Divine Persons came to bring Him within our range, we are led to contemplate Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the activities of eternity choosing sons, promising eternal life and ordaining wisdom for myriads not yet in being. (Eph. 1: 4; Titus 1: 2; 1 Cor. 2: 7).

In the way taken to fulfil the eternal purpose of God is seen the supreme exhibition of unfathomable wisdom. The Cross is its centre (Acts 2: 23). It is the grand unifying power of the universe of bliss. By becoming Man the Son brought an eternal relationship into Manhood, for He did not cease to be the Son when He became man. But the heirs who were predestinated to Sonship were then in a condition far beneath their original created state, they lay under the power of death. For these in that state the Son went into death. The Son in nature and relationship eternal became a Man to die, that the claims of Divine holiness might be met. The Son of the Father's bosom came forth from that eternal splendour, the sent one of the Father. As dwelling in that bosom, He knew by nature and essential being all that was there. He has died, and as risen from the dead He is declared Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead; and now being glorified on high He is the Firstborn of many brethren, the many sons that God is leading home to glory.

Were it conceivable that God could have had a family of sons in glory that had never fallen He could not have been known in the deeper depth of His being as He is now known in redemption. A heaven filled with men in the state Adam was previous to the fall could not have given intelligent response in adoring worship to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The enemy could have said, You have fenced them in, let them be tried. This is exactly what has been done and after trial, sin and death, all heaven's resources have been displayed in the redemption and recovery of men.

By his fall man gained an immense range of knowledge, a knowledge which but for the intervention of God must have condemned him to everlasting misery. That intervention was the full revelation of God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — in the counsels of eternity. And the issue of those counsels is, that those whom the Father gave to the Son, fitted and formed by the Holy Spirit, as sons in company with the eternal Son, and in the full blessing of knowing the Father shall raise suited praises which shall delight that Father for evermore. The full revelation shall secure a full response.

In the glories of the millennial kingdom we reach the consummation of the ways of God in time. The purposes of eternity meet and combine there to make known in the creation God's appreciation of His Son. We are now in the Spirit's day and eternity to come is called the day of God, but between these comes the day of Christ. In that day the Church, the bride of the Lamb, is seen as the holy city in which both the counsels of eternity and the resources of God in His time-ways are set forth in display. All that which in principle Abel, Enoch, Noah, and all the others stood for is found there, while at the same time in her own peculiar heavenly calling and constitution she abides the witness to the eternal purpose of God.

This is God's glorious answer to all the sin and sorrow of the ages, yea it explains as nothing could the wondrous riddle of Calvary. But yet it is not the end. The Millennium with all its extent of glory, and when a delivered creation will shout its hallelujahs and pour all its treasures around that glorious MAN whom men despised and slew, is but a means to an end, but what an end? Every question solved, the eternal supremacy of God established and put upon an unalterable and unchallengable basis in a scene where breakdown can never come. There the Father, Son, and sons in full Holy Spirit power will abide in the incorruptible blessedness of the glory which is proper to the paternal and filial relationships which existed before the world was made.

The glorious blaze of Christ's day in which He was seen as the centre of the throng of worlds will have passed away, but this deeper, calmer, fuller and everlasting joy and glory will continue. This must, as standing in the Father's love, abide for ever for the Father's eternal delight, it is the fruit of the Father's counsel which alone is the true manifestation of the Father's heart.

Goodly Words

Goodly Words

J. McBroom

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 197.)

We have in this world eloquence in the pulpit and on the platform, the Bench and the stage. Then there are the literary productions of many great and skilful writers. But in the pages of the Bible we have both eloquence and literature of quite a different order. There the platform is heavenly and spiritual, and the Speaker is Divine. When we take the writings of the prophets and apostles, the attempt to compare must of necessity fall into contrast.

It has been remarked that the literary possessions of our ancestors were completed in three books; the Holy Bible, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Foxe's Book of Martyrs. The second of these is a noble allegory drawn from the Bible, and the third is an awful history of the persecution of lovers of the Bible. But it all goes to prove the divine dignity and power of the Bible.

In the Bible we have both inspiration and revelation; and where its truth is received the result is both illumination and transformation. Men love the tragedies of the stage, but in the Bible we have recorded the greatest tragedies the world has ever seen, and they are truth and not fiction. A great stage actor was asked by a preacher why it was that he could hold the people while the other could not get their attention. The answer was, "I speak fiction as though it were truth, but you speak truth as though it were fiction."

But to return; do not the first pages of the Holy Book show us a tremendous tragedy in relating the fall of man? We see the entrance of the traitor, who is the author of both lying and murder, as seen in the seduction of our first parents and in the death of Abel. Then what awful tragedies are related in the Flood, the judgment on Sodom, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea. But let the reader come in thought to Calvary. There he will see the tragedy of eternity.. All this is not the mere spinnings of the imaginations of the creature, but the description of the awful conflict of good and evil, which still rages in God's fair creation.

Then again, the beginnings of the sciences are all in this blessed Book. Things that are known today were on record there before our creature research discovered their existence. And why not? It is the Book of God, wherein the Creator has graciously condescended to stoop to make Himself known. Confessedly there are in it difficulties and mysteries to our minds. How could it be otherwise? We have but to read Psalm 104: 1-4, and we realise how far He is beyond us. But this is the God who reveals Himself to us in the Bible, and it is one of the greatest wonders that He should stoop to do so.

As touching the language of the Bible, where could anything be found to compare with the addresses of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy and his valedictory song in chapter 32? There is not only the subject-matter as giving a prophetic sketch of the nation's history through the ages into millennial blessedness, but the beauty and felicity of the language has such a holy charm that even the enemies of the truth have to admit it. Then compare the blessing of the tribes by Jacob in Genesis 49 with the blessing on the nation pronounced by Moses in Deuteronomy 33. There is great wealth here for those who can appreciate it.

But now do not miss the song of Moses and Israel on the banks of the Red Sea. Read the early verses of Exodus 15. The dignity, purity and nobility of language used here is unsurpassed, and truly none but the Spirit of God could have given it. This leads us to other songs of Scripture; those of Hannah and Deborah will appeal for their simplicity and beauty. The former has its links with that of Mary, the blessed Virgin, and that of the latter with the victorious majesty of God.

It is in the Book of Psalms, however, that we get the anatomy of the human soul laid bare. Here we travel from the depth of sorrow and distress to the heights of joy, delight and ecstasy. Here the Spirit of Christ is at work in the singers; and not only that, but our Lord is seen there as the Speaker again and again — (see, Ps. 16; Ps. 22; Ps. 40; Ps. 69; Ps. 102).

There can be no comparison between the Bible and all other literature. McCheyne wrote of, "Isaiah's wild measure and John's simple page." We truly find simple words in John, but conveying the profoundest truth. Isaiah has left us language of rugged and transcendent grandeur, such as we find, for example, in Isaiah 40: 12. But the same prophet gives us language of beauty and tenderness, both as to our Lord Himself and His people. Isaiah 53 must ever stand alone as giving us the sacrificial sufferings of our Lord, and based upon it the words of richest mercy and blessings for both Israel and the Gentiles, as seen in Isaiah 54 and Isaiah 55.

Has the reader ever been touched with the pleadings of the heart of God over His poor, wandering, failing people? We know of nothing in the Old Testament that leads us into the knowledge of our God like this. He puts Himself before us in the opening chapters of Jeremiah, and in Hosea, the prophet of the heart of God, in pathetic language like a sorrowing parent, weeping over the wilful ways of disobedient children, who have brought upon themselves the contempt of their neighbours and their own destruction.

But perhaps as wonderful as anything in the Old Testament are the prophetic effusions of Balaam in Numbers 23 and Numbers 24. A man, a poor, deluded mortal trafficking with Satanic powers, yet seeks Jehovah, hoping to be allowed to curse His people. In his endeavours to curse, the Spirit uses him to bless, and his unwilling lips are made to pronounce language as rich and fine as ever came from mortal tongue. All four pronouncements should be carefully read and weighed for they are unsurpassed in depth of meaning as well as beauty of language.

Nearly all that has been said is but calling attention to the beauty of the structure of Scripture, and this we can assert with confidence, "even our enemies themselves being judges" (Deut. 32: 31). But when we come to the New Testament it will be necessary to go inside and beneath the surface, for "the revenues of the ages" are now shown to be brought to us. Those ages ran their time and are necessarily the subject of the Old Testament. The ancient oracles unfold to us the working out of the time ways of God in manifold scenes of mercy and government, attesting in the fullest way that while God stooped to adapt Himself to the fallen creature, yet in holy government He maintained the honour of His name and glory. But in the New Testament there comes to light His eternal plan and purpose. If in the Old we are permitted to see the "back parts" of our God (Ex. 33: 23), in the New we are fitted to stand before Him and behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But what are "the revenues of the ages"? The answer to this question will take us to the inside of the structure. God, who created the world, formed the ages in His dispensational ways, each of which is marked off from the others and blessed with a different revelation of Himself. For example, the righteous, who lived between Noah and Abraham, had a fuller revelation of and from God than those who lived between Adam and Noah. The same holds good through all the succeeding ages or dispensations of the Old Testament. Referring to the early dealings of God, it is said in 1 Corinthians 10: 11, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [types]; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends [revenues] of the world [ages] are come." What could be more wonderful than to see God's own thoughts, plans and purposes underlying all His dealings with the fallen race from Adam until Christ came?

The blessed Son of the Father came here as the answer to all the promises, types and shadows; as the fulfilment and the filling full of all that was foreshadowed in the previous provisional ways of God throughout the whole history. That history in its onward march was clearly and definitely leading on to our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the filling up of these ages, our God in His wisdom and resource was bringing out in a little nation like Israel, and in a small part of the earth — the land which He had chosen — that which in its immensity will fill all eternity. It was foreshadowed there in the tabernacle and temple with their ministries and services in the moral code and the ceremonial observances, in the covenants and even in their calendar. There indeed He deposited His oracles, which indicated the things which in their fulness must develop until they fill both heaven and earth.

In the six days of Genesis 1, we have not only the ordering of creation, a scene of vastness and variety, but also how it was fitted for its inhabitant, the head of a race in which the predilections of the great Creator were centred. The sons of God shouted for joy and the morning stars sang at its creation, for it was to be the theatre wherein would be wrought out both His time ways and His eternal purposes. God will carry into eternity a redeemed company for His own everlasting delight. In that eternity, based upon redemption, will be other families, in the midst of which the Church will take her place as the body and bride of Christ, as the "Eve" for the "last Adam." The formation of the man and the woman at the outset foreshadow the eternal purpose of God for Christ and the Church. This is surely something of the revenues of the ages.

It has often been said that the New Testament is enfolded in the Old, and the Old is unfolded in the New. This is confirmatory of what we have been saying as to the revenues of the ages. It recalls also a statement, made long ago, that when we come to the New Testament we find a Man, a blessed, glorious Person, the Son of God, around whom all Scripture pours its treasures. All the wealth of creation, providence, government, redemption and glory are found in Him.

"All hail the power of Jesus' Name,

Before Him prostrate fall!"

We certainly have to come back to these ancient oracles, as it pleases the Lord to open up to us these things. It is impossible to open any part of Scripture without finding Christ, the blessed Son of the Father, as its Centre and its Theme.

Sonship by Incarnation or the Incarnation of the Son

Sonship by Incarnation or the Incarnation of the Son.

A Letter

J. McBroom

To the Reader,

The following letter was written to meet an attack lately made on Divine Persons by denying eternal relationships; a pamphlet by Mr. C. A. Coates is chiefly in view. To give evidence to the theory a new way of reading Scripture is brought in which outrages common sense and makes its inventors look foolish indeed. To the opened eye the foundations of our faith are attacked while the deluded are boasting of new light for our day.

Some who accepted the error are enraged at those who protest: others who grieve at it, counsel quietness because of the holy part of the truth in question.

Instead of seeking to clear the matter, we are told it is only a change of a word here and there, and on the other hand, while pushing it on others, it is said to be too holy for controversy.

Since this letter was written a booklet by Mr W. H. Westcott has been published also one by Mr. A. J. Pollock. Mr. Coates makes clear that he is writing for his party, (see pages 3, 4, 5, and 29.) I have written on my own exercise before the Lord desiring to be clear of party even in meeting evil. There are other errors coming out from the same people. These I leave preferring to keep to the one point because of its fundamental importance.

May the Lord graciously stir up His people to meet such an attack both upon Himself and Holy Scripture.

J. McBroom

36, Glebe Road,

KILMARNOCK,

Ayrshire. 1932.

Dear Brother,

I have the Pamphlet entitled “Remarks” etc., by Mr. C.A. Coates. One cannot but be pained to think that such a brother should rush into print on this solemn matter. That sarcasm and what is “ungentlemanly” should come from one whose praise is in many of the churches is sad indeed. May it be a warning to all of us and particularly to those who venture to touch such a holy theme.

The paper compels us with sorrow of heart to conclude that the writer has with certain others, become affected with darkness of mind, and in spite of the greatest apparent zeal for the truth he is leading many astray. He has taken ground where he cannot have the Lord's support, consequently he is found making confused statements on the holiest of all subjects, contradicting himself and taking ground which must eventually put an end to all proper interpretation of Holy Scripture. I shall go over a few of the points with you prayerfully in the absence of both the heat of debate and strife of party, and endeavour to point out, with fairness, where there is confusion of statement and self-contradiction.

There is one point, however, which marks the sayings of these men, which, if attended to, would expose the theory and clear the matter.

Briefly stated the point is this:

While maintaining that “Sonship” for our Lord began with Incarnation, it is affirmed that the relationship as such subsists in His Person as Divine. Along with this the important truth to which all subscribe is emphasised, namely, that there could be no change in the Person. Now, it must be carefully noted that if there could be no change in our Lord's Person as Divine, and the relationship of Son, even while in Manhood, subsists in His Divine Personality, then His Sonship must be unchangeable and subsisting within the ever blessed Godhead eternally. This is incontrovertible and brings the theory to a collapse from the very lips of its propounders.

Connected with this is the assumption, apart from Scripture proof, that “Son” is a title of rank, a mere appellation conferred or assumed by Incarnation, such as title conferred on one who has been elevated to the peerage. In attempting to prove this, illustrations have been used which are irreverent and border on the profane. As it is clear that Mr. C. is endeavouring to support Mr. J. Taylor in the matter I shall quote from each, taking the latter first. See “The Divine Standard”.

“He is a Divine Person and that underlies the fact that He is capable of representing God. As Man the designation “Son” undoubtedly regards Him in that light, but to make it apply to Him as in the form of God is another matter.” (p. 49-50).

“The speaking was in a Divine Person of course, the title “Son” conveys that, but nevertheless, what is alluded to right through is mediatorial, God speaking as in Christ become Man.” (p. 52).

“It is a term, therefore, while applying to Him in Manhood only, asserts His Deity. The Person is before the adoring Believer.”

(Letter to Mr. Carter)

Great care is here taken to show that “Sonship” exists in our Lord's Person as Divine by one who affirms that there could be no change in the Person.

If, therefore, “Sonship” subsists in our Lord's Person (as is here admitted) He is Son for evermore.

Following on to Mr. Coates there is the same line of reasoning:

“Scripture makes clear that His Person is eternal and changeless whether as in the form of God as in eternity, or as come in the flesh, or as glorified as Man as God's right hand, or as the subject Son in eternity to come. He is ever the same... a divine title conveying the thought of eternal immutability”. (Remarks p. 3 also p. 7 & p. 13).

NOTE 1

I have taken this sentence as it is in view of establishing the one great point of eternal Sonship. Will the reader look again at the words quoted. (See “Remarks” page 3). How could an eternal changeless Person be subject? If He is ever the same in eternal immutability how could He be the subject Son?

No words could more clearly show the unchanging character of our Lord's Person as Divine. If, then, we insist that the ground of Sonship is in His Divine Personality we are compelled to own that it is eternal. A relationship between Divine Persons as such can no more have a beginning than Divine Persons themselves. If our Lord is Son as a Divine Person at any moment He is Son for evermore.

Scripture shows that by Incarnation the Son became Man. This theory attempts to set it aside by asserting that by Incarnation a Divine Person became Son. This error involves something even worse, for if one Divine Person became Son by Incarnation then another became Father by the same act. Now, He who is Father ever remains in absolute Deity where there can be no change. If then He is Father at any moment He is Father to eternity.

This solemn negation would deny that we have a revelation of what God is, and supplant it by something which He became; some change in Godhead which is admitted to be impossible. Moreover, it would assert that the sphere of love and glory which the relations of Father and Son presuppose began to exist in time.

In the words of Mr. C. “Let the saints of God watch diligently that they be not diverted from the apprehension of how Divine Persons are known now through the Incarnation of the blessed Son of God.” If our Lord's Sonship is not within the Godhead and eternal it is limited to His manhood and He is reduced to the “Adoption” which is the portion of the saints.

The same inconsistency is seen in the effort to limit the term “Son” to creation and the mediatorial sphere. The King and the Prince of Wales have been mentioned; also the Duke of Wellington and Lord Kitchener in an attempt to illustrate this. Here is one of the best examples:

“We say the King was born in 1865, or the Duke of Wellington was educated at Eton. But we quite understand that the King was not king when he was born, nor the Duke such when he was at Eton”. (The Deity of the Lord Jesus.” M. W. Biggs.)

This example taken from one of the worst papers written on the subject goes against the writer. Was not the King a son long before he became King? Both the office and title lay ahead of him, but he was son from the time he began to live, The Duke of Wellington when a boy at Eton could not be Duke but was a son. The word designates a positive participation in nature and relationship, a relationship which is inherent in the very being, apart altogether from what is official. Here the illustration fails for the Son of God had no beginning. “I and my Father are one”, shows that His “Sonship” subsists in Essential Being where there can be nothing official either in office or title.

That this may be further amplified I ask your attention to pages 6 and 7 of “Remarks”. “The glory of the Lord's eternal Person appears in a wonderful way in John's Gospel.” Read the paragraph through and rest upon the words. “The essential truth of His Person is interwoven with His Mediatorship.” This we welcome and assert on the strength of it that the Godhead glory of our Lord shone out during His life upon the earth. That His Person gives character to all He does we gladly own, and that the stoop to Manhood to carry out “His God appointed mission,” implied a relative position which is not one of absolute equality.

It may be asked how a Divine Person could be in a position which is not one of absolute equality. The answer is, by His becoming a Man. The new position was the result of a new condition, that of Manhood. This condition and the position proper to it were perfect in their order, but taking these did not for a moment mean that the condition and position of Godhead were relinquished. When here in Manhood He was still unchanged in Person, co-equal and co-eternal in fulness of glory, majesty and splendour, GOD. But having become Man He was, in virtue of Manhood, under God, (1 Cor. 15: 27; Heb. 2: 9), in a position which was “not one of absolute equality.”

I ask your careful consideration of this. The point must not be missed that both Godhead and Manhood were there. It is thus we can understand how the lips that said “I and my Father are one”, also said “My Father is greater than I”.

Look at the five passages quoted here by Mr. C. in John 3: 31, our Lord is above all; in John 8: 58, He is before all; in John 5: 17, there is community of action; John 10: 30, unity of essence, and in John 16: 15, community of possessions. These are brought forward by Mr. C. to show out the Godhead glory of our Lord when in Manhood, and we thankfully agree. But He was Man and stood at the same time in the moral beauty which in Him attached to Manhood.

In conformity with the passages quoted by the writer showing the side of His Godhead I would note other five which describe His moral perfection on the side of Manhood. “The Father loves the Son and has given all things to be in His hand.” (John 3: 35) “I do always those things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8: 29). “I have received this commandment of my Father.” (John 10: 18). “My Father is greater than all.” (John 10: 29). “The Father is greater than I”. (John 14: 28).

In touching here the mystery of Incarnation it is indeed difficult to proceed. We would gladly linger on these Scriptures which show the wondrous stoop and full moral glory of Him who has forever bound the soul to Himself in holy affection. Blessed, blessed, holy Lord. Thine obedience, dependence and submission to the Father's will produce in us a holy enchantment by which deepest worship flows.

I beg of you, dear brother, at this point to note that which must settle the matter for every unbiased mind. Most of the passages quoted by Mr. C. which describe the Divine side and thus apply to Deity and eternity, include the relations of Father and Son just the same as the passages which so sweetly describe Him in Manhood. This proves His Sonship to be eternal.

To prove the truth beyond controversy, I ask again, wherein did the relationship of Son subsist in our incarnate Lord? We have already had the answer from both Mr. Taylor and Mr. Coates, but the latter gives a beautiful answer from Scripture. (See the scriptures quoted here). “I and the Father are one.” (John 10: 30). Two Persons. “I and the Father are one”. One what? One in essence. Can anyone in the face of these words be so bold as to deny that the Father and Son subsisted in an eternally related state within the Godhead as Father and Son?

Still more wonderful is the way the Spirit passes from Godhead to Manhood when speaking of our Lord. As I said to Mr. Higgins in my letter to him of Nov. 1931; we often get a divine designation with human characteristics as in Romans 5: 10, Romans 8: 32, and Gal. 2: 20, and in other places a human designation with divine attributes as in John 3: 13, John 6: 62. The same thought in other words I put before Mr. Taylor in a letter dated 5th April, 1932. “Scripture uses the words 'I' 'He' 'Him' when speaking of our Lord whether as God or as Man, passing from the one side to the other in matchless simplicity, because of the mystery and Majesty of Who He is.”

I had intended to put the group of texts quoted by Mr. C. alongside the other five passages so that they might be more easily compared as showing our Lord both on the side of Deity and Humanity. Space is limited, so I ask you to compare one text from each group.

John 16: 15, cited by Mr. C., gives our Lord pre-eminence from His own lips. Not of Person or relationship which are both eternal, but of possessions. “All things that the Father hath are mine.” Placing alongside of this the words of John 3: 35, we get a most precious distinction. “The Father loves the Son and has given all things to be in His hand.” If all things are given to Him as in Manhood, the same “all things” are HIS OWN as in Godhead. The Spirit always guards the glory of HIM who stooped to become Man and here in His pre-eminence with regard to the “all things”.

The manner in which these men contradict themselves and make Scripture bend to their own theories while claiming to be “the testimony” is truly pathetic. Having endeavoured to show you a little of this I will leave this point and ask you to note the following. After the attack on the truth of a few years ago Mr. T. remarked at Bristol: “I think we ought to see in the Son becoming Man, one adequate for God to express all that He is. No finite being would be adequate for God, but in the Son you have a Person great enough for God's heart.” (“Eternity to Eternity” p. 20). Also at Birmingham, this year, a brother asked the question, “Is it possible to have the love of relationships without the relationships?” and referred to John 17: 24, “Father..... Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.” Mr. T. replied: “No, there must be the relationships.” The truth of eternal Sonship is here asserted at the same time as it is attacked. This indeed is bad, but what can we say to such things when we see it forced upon brethren in the revised hymn book and brethren everywhere rudely cut off for protesting against it.

A few words must suffice concerning the attack upon “THE WORD”. The same inconsistency marks each of these brethren here. In the same meeting in which Mr. T. attacked this truth he said: “It has to be borne in mind that the Divine Personality of our Lord is properly based on the statement, “In the beginning was the Word” (The Divine Standard p. 49).

Nor is Mr. C. less distinct. In “Remarks” we read: “But in face of the enemy's efforts to obscure the truth they...the saints...needed to know the eternal Personality and Deity of the Word.” (p. 27)

Much more might be brought forward, but this will suffice to show how the men that rudely attack the glories of our Lord are made to confute themselves. If we need to know the eternal Personality and Deity of the Word, how can the Word as such have a beginning? The evidence put forward in defence of this solemn negation would not be accepted in a court of law. Yet, with an effrontery which disregards the ministry of the saintliest of teachers and practically the whole church through all her history, they persist in their folly and speak of “new light”. May He whom it concerns be graciously pleased to show them the solemnity of it all.

I am not able to credit them with integrity of purpose concerning what they say of John 1: 18. The denial that the Father's bosom is the Son's eternal home is necessary to Sonship by incarnation. To put it baldly, if the Father's bosom is the place of Sonship and He was not Son till incarnate then He was not there eternally.

This came out first in various letters by Mr. T. in which he spoke of the Greek preposition in a way that has exposed him to the same charge as some of the worst heretics of the age. He has been remonstrated with, but has given no answer. Is it right to spring such a solemn negation on saints and force its acceptance in spite of Godly protest? The hymn (No. 27), containing the words:

“Son of God, Thy Father's bosom

Ever was Thy dwelling place;”

is taken away. Please note that the booklet, “The hymn book revision”, passes over this without comment. Now Mr. C. alludes to the point in a few ambiguous words which seem to indicate that he is not quite clear in the matter.

It is well known that John 1: 18, possesses such a holy charm that this attack is resented even where there is no ability to reason out the matter. Is this attack not laying rude hands upon the innermost treasures of Divine revelation? Even then, instead of trying to clear the matter, it is deliberately forced upon saints in the hymn book with the assurance that it is only a word here and there to bring it into line with scripture. Then there is a deliberate hiding behind the sacred character of the subject by saying it is too holy for debate.

Mr. C. says on page 20 of “Remarks”: “God was declared, and the Father's Name made known, by the Son as Man on earth, who was at that very time the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,” His theory so outrages the law of language that even while asserting it he states the truth. No one questions that God was declared and the Father's Name made known by the Son as Man on earth. That He was at that very time the “only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father,” all delight to own. So also on page 30. “It is a statement of what was true of Him when He declared God.”

It has been the delight of the most spiritual minds to own that not only was it true then but in virtue of His essential oneness with the Father it stands true for evermore. It is true too that “millions have found their affections quickened and their souls warmed by contemplating it,” but the writer well knows that the quickening of these affections was not by the passage robbed of its precious fulness. Is he conscious that while saying what is true of the passage he contrives to rob the saints of the wealth of relationships and affections proper to the Father and Son for eternity?

It should be remembered that while relegating our Lord's Sonship and the Father's bosom to incarnation these brothers have not yet said (so far as I know) that the Father's bosom is not peculiar to Himself. This would expose the theory to the simplest. If Sonship is not in His Divine Personality, and eternal, then it subsists in His Manhood and He is reduced to the “adoption” proper to the saints and robbed of His own unique place in the Father's affections from which all that is heavenly and eternal has reached us.

Part Two

So far we have looked at the three points which I have already treated in “An Appeal”, namely, “Sonship”, “The Word”, and “The Father's Bosom”. One or two things yet call for remark. Take what is said on John 17, beginning at page 12. One who has been known as helpful in written ministry is here seen to be both vague and mystical and while attempting to prove his theory makes it difficult for us to get sense.

Referring to the words of John 17: 5, Mr. C. says: “They do prove His pre-existence, and that He had glory with the Father in eternity and was loved by the Father.” We all delight to own this. Note that he admits a Father in eternity, the very thing that his book is written to deny.

And again he says: “But who could define the glory which attached to His presence and place with the Father in eternity?” The truth is again admitted while attempting to deny it: but we are bound to show that it is the writer who is defining and the folly is made evident by the magnitude of the truth in question. He tells us on the opposite page (13) what the glory was not, and then tells us what it is. He attempts to define what he had just before said there was “an unrevealed depth about” which no creature could define.

Passing by the next two sentences so badly contravened by the writer, we read: “But to say that His glory in the past eternity was the glory of Sonship is more than Scripture says.” The phrase “the glory of Sonship” is misleading and supposes the glory of Fatherhood also. Instead of seeing the Father and Son in the one glory proper to Godhead, the writer implies two glories, an idea foreign to the passage. The Father and Son are seen in Scripture in glories which are distinctive of each but not so in John 17: 5. From this part of the page it is difficult to get sense. The word “Place” is used eight times in sixteen lines and there is confusion between “Persons” and “Place”.

With the utmost reverence and apart from any attempts at definitions we see in this glory (John 17: 5) what is external to the Persons. The equipage, splendour and magnificence of a king is distinct though connected with his person. On one side of the truth our Lord had left a scene of radiant splendour and come into one of sin and death; He now seeks to be along with the Father in that heavenly scene.

But, as indicated, there is another side to this truth. We speak with holy reverence of infinite Godhead and must not press one side of truth to violate another. The Father had not left that glory. Whatever is the glory of absolute Godhead He remained there. As being in the Father and the Father in Him neither had the Son left that glory. All that is proper to Deity in Being, nature and attributes, shone out through the veil of His Humanity here.

Need we stop to prove this? Besides being in the Father and the Father in Him, while walking on earth He is in heaven (John 3: 13). He beheld and took part in all the Father was doing. (John 5: 19) Controlled the intelligence of heaven. (Heb. 1: 7) Beheld Satan cast out of heaven; which combines the prophetic with Omniscience. (Luke 10: 18). He upholds all things; heaven, earth and hell are under His eye and control. Consider the detail; men bow before Him, demons are silenced, the wild beast, (Mark 1), the fish, (Luke 5 — Matt. 17), the winds and sea, (Matt. 8) and tree (Matt. 21: 19), disease, death and demon. How amazing! He is everywhere, in all places at all times.

But there are not three Self-Existing Beings. I have pointed out to Mr. Taylor that his language would lead one to accept the doctrine of Tritheism. Take note, therefore, that all the above is true of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and when our Lord was here upon earth the whole Trinity was engaged in all that He did. This truth we get from His own lips. In the light of this please note: “Not for a moment ceasing to be what He was, but taking a new place which, by its very nature, had not the glory (emphasis his) of His eternal place.” The writer here forgets that Godhead glory cannot be affected by locality. Again; “It was the place and glory of His eterna1 Person, but it is not defined by any Name,”... i.e., the place is not defined by any name... “as if God would engage us with the Person rather than with any relative Name or title.” Comment is needless. I only bring it forth that it may be seen how a good man gets confused when leaving the Truth. With holy reverence we accept in faith that which we can never explain, namely, that He who came forth from the Father is eternally without a break in and with the Father. (John 16: 28, John 10: 30-38).

Note 2

The writer is here apparently oblivious of the fact, (see “Remarks” page 13), that he is applying divine attributes to “place”, he says: “It was the place and glory of His eternal Person but it is not defined by any name,” etc. It is a Person and not a place that is in view. In his determination to shut out relationships while owning the Person the writer is reduced to the folly of implying that a place may have attributes or relative titles.

Have you noted the way these teachers labour on the words which emphasise the Godhead glory of our Lord when attacking His holy relationships? There is assuredly here that which is kindred to the Unitarian. The latter use the richest language about God at the expense of our Lord, the former use the richest about our Lord's Godhead when denying His relationships in the Godhead. Mr. Taylor at Barnet, used the words “The Person”, “Eternal Person”, “Eternal Personality”, in such a way that it came from him, in some way or other, over thirty times in one meeting while denying that our Lord was “The Son” and “The Word”, before incarnation. Mr. Biggs writes on the Deity of our Lord and uses the word “Deity” sixteen times when deliberately excluding His eternal Sonship. Now from Mr. Coates we get “Unrevealed depth”, “Transcendently great and glorious”, “transcendent glory”, “ineffable Divine greatness”, as well as “Eternal immutability”, and other words of a like character, while deliberately seeking to rob us of the richest part of Divine revelation. To his challenge, “Does not this suffice?” we say NO! You are taking from us the very sweetest of our precious and eternal portion.

Regarding the remarks about Melchizedec, it is a great pity that our brother should become sarcastic. It may simplify matters if we cite the passage as it might properly be put.

“For this Melchizedec, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from smiting the Kings, and blessed him; to whom Abraham gave also the tenth portion of all; (first being interpreted King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, which is King of peace; without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but assimilated to the Son of God;) abides a priest continually.” Heb. 7: 1-3)

Read in this way the parenthesis is seen in its setting as being supplementary and therefore capable of separate consideration. “Without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life but assimilated to the Son of God”, shows Melchisedec as one who is brought in mysteriously to set forth an eternal Person. This is so clear that one wonders why it is not laid hold of. I am thankful to say that J. T. differs with both D.L.H. and C.A.C. here and clears the point. In his letter to me, dated 26th Dec. 1931, he says: “But while the designation 'Son of God' implies that God is Christ's Father, it also denotes the greatness of His Person — who He is. He is derived from no one. He is 'I am' and has neither beginning of days nor end of life. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever!” The writer goes on to say that “Son of God” is a time name carried back to describe an eternal Person, but I am thankful to see that he concedes that which neither D.L.H. nor C.A.C. will allow.

In the passages we get type and antitype, but it must be noticed that we have Prototype as well. Melchisedec was the type of Him who came as the great Antitype. But he stood also in relation to Christ as the One who is “before all”, how else could he be assimilated to One who, as to His Manhood, came after him? Our Lord as born in time, had parentage as in flesh and blood with beginning and end of days. How could He be a priest otherwise? I ask any person of ordinary intelligence to look at this parenthetic passage and say if the words “without father”, etc., refer to Him in that connection. No! The Son of God to whom Melchizedec was assimilated is beyond both time and birth. He is before us as Son in His eternal glory in Hebrews 1: 2, but in Hebrews 5: 5-6, two prophetic passages are used from the Psalms to show him called to be a priest as the risen Son of God. Thus in spite of all the reasoning of Mr. C. and others the passage is clear and Mr. T. agrees with this as against both D.L.H. and C.A.C.

That this may be clear to the simplest I ask you to note that the negative words to Heb. 7: 3, “without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life”, show that the comparison with the Son of God is on the Divine side of His Person. This Mr. C. will not have and it spoils all his reasoning on the passage. Mr. T. on the other hand, admits that the words prove that the comparison is on the Divine side. Is not such a discrepancy a serious thing? The former says: “It is the Son born in time according to Heb 5: 5, perfected through suffering (v. 9), and now a Son perfected for ever...........as the glorified Man at God s right hand.” That is, he limits the negative words “without father”, etc., to our Lord's humanity. The latter says, “It also denotes the greatness of His Person — who He is. He is derived from no one......the same yesterday and to-day and forever.” While Mr. C. is all wrong, Mr. T. avoids the plain force of his own words by resorting to the usual subterfuge, “that names applying to our Lord in time may be employed to designate His Person as in the past eternity.”

There are two leading thoughts of our Lord in the verse, first, His endless Being; second, His eternal relationship. The words “Without father” etc., give the one; the words, “the Son of God”, the other. This disposes of the rather foolish reasoning of the writer when he says “without father” could not apply to our Lord in such a relation.

It may be said that the passage (v. 1-3), shows Melchizedec as foreshadowing our Lord in three distinct ways, two positive and one negative. (1) Royalty: “King of Salem” (2) Priest: “Priest of the most high God” (3) Absence of pedigree: “without father” etc. The writer says that the first thing said of Melchizedec is that he is without father. The scripture shows us that it is the last thing.

A rather conspicuous example of unfair dealing is seen in connection with 1  John 1: 2. (See pages 26 and 30). The passage is in parenthesis and reads thus: “And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us”. The writer Mr. C. is combating what he had said that the life which was with the Father referred to what was before time began. (pages 26 and 30). Mr. C. says “this is what the writer thinks, and not what scripture says. Or, if Scripture does say so, let him tell us where.” And on page 26, “How does Mr. P. know this? Certainly John did not tell him so.”

After all this it is amazing to see the way in which Mr. C. asserts that he knows all about it. After seeking to throw obloquy on another while on the most holy ground, he is quite certain. “I have no doubt that eternal life was with the Father in the Person of the Son in Manhood, and as being there was manifested to the apostles.” If it can be proved that he is wrong and with the utmost modesty I believe it can — see the place it puts him in.

Eternal life is personified in the passage. This is often done. The Scripture itself is personified in Gal. 3: 8. Eternal life was along with the Father and has been, says the apostle, manifested to us. I ask any intelligent reader, does not the first clause refer to a time anterior to the second clause? This may well be borne out if we remember that we are speaking of that which had no beginning. If it was manifested to the Apostles, seen and handled by them as personified in our Lord, where was it before He became Man? Surely there can be but one answer. It was with the Father. It did not cease to be with the Father when the Son became Man. No! we believe, with the writer, that it was with the Father when our Lord was here, but we also hold to be perfectly clear what he refuses, that eternal life was ever along with the Father. Surely, if life was in “the Word” in eternity past (John 1: 3), and “the Father hath life in Himself”. (John 5: 26), it was with the Father in eternity. It is remarkable that the tendency in all this is to rob us of the blessed range of holy relationships of love and life eternally reciprocated between the blessed Trinity, and insist on what has been revealed as something God has become. As if the counsels of the Godhead necessitated a change in the Godhead itself.

That “we only know Divine Persons as and when they are made known to us,” is blessedly true; but having been made known as existing in a circle of relationships with the affections proper to such, we can never give this up for that which puts Him at a distance from us as a dim and distant all-powerful Being.

The remarks about the Name “Jehovah” are rather startling. On page 24, we read: “The Name Jehovah was not made known until Exodus 6, but Moses, as knowing that Name, continually uses it throughout the Book of Genesis in relating circumstances which took place long before God was known by that Name.” This sounds rather like the modernist. A comparison with his “Outline of Exodus” will show that the writer has been changing, not for the better, since taking up these novelties. What he says there is true and corrects what is here though he scarcely catches the point even there.

The love of God which is His nature lies behind all His dealings. He was known to the Patriarchs as Almighty. (Gen. 17: 1, Gen. 33: 11, Gen. 48: 3). That was morally suitable for them in the life they were called to. The God of resurrection was certainly apprehended by Abraham. (Rom. 4: 19, Heb. 11: 19, see also Job 19: 26-27), but the time had come to unfold what was enfolded in the Name Jehovah. The blessed God would have His people's confidence by giving them to know that He is the “I Am” and by that they would see that all through the centuries of their oppression He had been watching and had come down to deliver and would be for them in all history to come. If “Almighty God” speaks of His power for His own, “Jehovah” speaks of the love of the “I Am” that never slumbers, working the present in view of both past and future for His own glory and the blessing of His people.

Admitting with Mr. C. that Moses uses the Name Jehovah, throughout the book of Genesis, are we to suppose that he put it into the mouth of Abram in Genesis 14: 22, or his servant in 24: 12, or Isaac in 27: 7, or Jacob in 28: 16? But above all, we may ask did Moses put it into the mouth of God Himself? Gen 15: 7. This surely is enough to correct the statement quoted above. A rich blessing is connected with the study of Deut. 32, where, in his glorious song, Moses publishes the Name or the Fame of Jehovah.

The word “mediator” is used in this booklet some twenty times in one form or another. “mediatorship”, “mediatorial”, “mediatorial designation”, “mediatorial glory”, “mediatorial place, position and character”, etc. The word occurs six times in the Scriptures and only in the New Testament. With the exception of 1 Tim. 2: 5, where the whole race is in view, it refers to Israel and the Covenants. The Kingdom in glory is the full expression of mediatorial glory. The blessing of Sonship supposes our Lord as Firstborn of many brethren. It would spoil everything to bring in mediatorship there. So with the place of children. How foreign to the truth is the idea of a mediator between a Father and His children. This surely is enough to guard out thoughts as to mediatorship in John's Gospel. In displayed glory the side of truth presented in this Gospel passes beyond display. At that time the Mediator will be seen in the full blaze of glory in the creation, but inside there is a holy intimacy where the mediatorial thought would be out of place.

It is well-known, however, that in the poverty of language this word is used by respected teachers in a much wider sense. As long as it is kept within the bounds of truth there is no cause to differ. If we think of Divine Persons in relation to each other we have the Trinity in the eternal reciprocation of what is proper to God. We may think of them also in relation to something external to Godhead. In the one we have what is inside the Godhead, in the other what is outside, namely, creation. We gather from the use of the word in this booklet that the writer will agree that every movement of the Godhead is in and by the Son, and in this wider use of the word, creation itself is a mediatorial act. “He was the mediator of creation as well as redemption. God could do nothing towards the creation but by mediation” (J.N.D., “Notes and Comments”, Vol. 7, p. 2). The Scripture proof is John 1, Col. 1, and Heb. 1, where we learn that the Godhead work of creation was in and by the Son. Mr. C. is not consistent here for although he speaks of mediation in its widest sense he excludes its action till the incarnation.

Observe page 27. J.N.D. is quoted to support what he stood against. It is well known that this servant was raised up and made the medium through whom the truth was in great measure recovered for the Church. Mr. C. while deliberately setting aside what he taught, contrives, for the sake of its influence, to link his name with what, it is well known, was abhorrent to him. Mr. J. Taylor, in a still more glaring way, has wronged the same servant, and when remonstrated with has refused to answer. Where is conscience in all this?

Look at what is selected from J.N.D. to support the theory. Read also first two sentences of bottom paragraph of page 27. The writer is endeavouring to prove that our Lord revealed God as “the Word” in Manhood but when creating it was an unnamed Divine Person. Justice claims that the writer cited by him should be heard. Note, therefore, the following: “It is the revelation of the eternal Logos before all creation.” And again “But there is another thing, besides the supreme act of creating all things, (an act that characterises the Word), there is that which is in Him. All creation was made by Him; but it does not exist in Him”. (Synopsis John 1). This clearly proves that the writer, quoted for support, held that our Lord was “mediator of creation as well as redemption”.

An important question is asked in page 28. “Is anything taken from Him by saying that the intelligible expression in Him of every divine thought was in Manhood?” We say, Yes! emphatically, Yes! for all the expressions on same page about “Eternal Being”, “distinct Personality”, “His action as universal Creator”, may be used, and we are still left with a mighty Being, but without the blessedness of holy love which is seen in the blessed relationships of Father and Son.

The point in the quotation from J.N.D. about the “Word” is clearly “Expression”, While agreeing with Mr. C. that our Lord has told out the heart of God in redemption, we affirm, in the light of these Scriptures as well as the writings of the servant cited, that creation (John 1: 3), was the expression of the mind of God by our Lord as the eternal Word.

I say again, “let the saints of God watch diligently,” and I here ask the question; can we have nothing but inscrutability, nothing but the form of God which all admit is unknowable? If we can have nothing but a God who dwells in light unapproachable till one of the Divine Persons come to earth to place Him within our range, what of the Old Testament? We have there Creation, Providence, Government, besides a display of the moral character of God before the eyes of higher intelligence in righteousness and holiness with His mercy and loving-kindness, yet we are told we can have nothing but Deity till the incarnation. I have already pointed out to Mr. Taylor, from his own writings, that the incarnation did no more bring the essential Being of God — the unapproachable — within our range than did the creation.

Part Three

Having looked at some of the Scriptures under consideration I will close by calling attention to one or two blemishes which may serve to further confirm the truth.

If we are to have a mental deduction every time we read “The Father sent the Son”, or “I come out from the Father”, and conclude that an unnamed Divine Person became “Son” by becoming Man, then there is an end to all interpretation of the Word of God. Let one text of Scripture correct this. “I came out from (with) the Father....again I leave the world and go to the Father.” This text has to be outraged to suit the “new light”. They will admit He went back to the Father, but by denying His eternal Sonship they are compelled to refuse that He came out from the Father. This writer is here condemned out of his own mouth. On page 39 he says: “It would be interesting to know why, if Scripture says one thing, it entitles us to say something quite different.” Scripture says, “The Father sent the Son”. No! says Mr. C., one Divine Person sent another and by coming He became Son and the Sender Father. On page 6 we read: “It will be obvious to any careful reader that Scripture does not speak of the Lord as 'sent' until He was actually here.”

We may take it that it would be impossible to raise such a question until the Person was come. But the moment He is here the mind enquires “from Whom”? or “from where”, Scripture meets both. He came from God, from the Father. (John 13: 3, John 16: 28). He came also from heaven. (John 6: 58) Now, take the last sentence of this paragraph. “Let any reader look at the Scriptures which speak of the Lord as being 'sent' and ask himself if there is one of them that could apply to Him before He was actually here.” (Underlining Mr. C.)

Apart from the question of divine relationships the scriptural authority for seeing in the Man, Christ Jesus, the eternal God, is taken from us. Is the writer conjuring with words? It can easily be shown that he and others count on passive credulity in their hearers, but this surpasses all. If not one of the Scriptures which speak of the Lord as being 'sent' COULD APPLY TO HIM before He was here, what meaning can the word “sent” have? Let the writer answer. “The word 'sent' implies a relative position which is not one of absolute authority. It implies authority on the part of the sender, subjection on the part of the 'sent' (page 7). This may be true in human things, and is the evil of this whole line of reasoning. It is working up from the creature to God. Who told this brother that in abstract Deity one Divine Person could not be sent by another? Is this not a gratuitous assumption by a creature who has ventured into a region beyond his right?

But it does not end here. While denying that the Son could be sent because of co-equality he tells us that the Spirit could be sent although He is also co-equal. On page 18, we read; “Another of those Persons condescended to be sent by the Father and the Son.” Strange it is indeed that this brother can venture upon ground of absolute Godhead and tell us what could and what could not be. He is quite certain about it too, for just when he is speaking of “a region utterly beyond creature apprehension”, he tells us that “Names of revelation were certainly not needed within the sphere of Deity.” (page 25). It is all very solemn. The Holy Spirit, though co-equal with the Father and the Son could be sent; the Son could not be sent because that implies subjection on the part of the One sent. We desire to speak of these things in holy reverence, but how a creature can venture into the region of absolute Godhead and tell us that one Divine Person condescended to the other two is more than we can understand.

And note, that all this confusion flows from a determination to show that our Lord could not be 'sent' until here, in spite of a full blaze of Scripture testimony against such a thought. Here again we have a discrepancy between the two men at the head of this new school of teaching. Mr. C. insists that the word 'sent' implies a relative position which is not one of absolute equality, therefore the Son could not be sent till He was here in an inferior place. Mr. T. says in a letter: “I have never had the thought that the idea of the Lord, the Son, being sent did not precede incarnation. The Father sent the Son is a full general thought and I should not limit it to time, but I do believe that the bearing of it includes the Lord's formal entering on His service.” — this no one denies — “as anointed after His baptism. That He came down from heaven as sent is surely true.”

Look now at a sentence on page 14. “He had the glory of Sonship when here, for He was saluted as Son when begotten, and at His baptism, and on the holy mount.” This mixture comes badly from one who is castigating another for what he takes to be much the same. See his strong condemnation of another (page 31), for using what is said in Heb. 1: 8, taken from Psalm 45, applying to the Son as outside of time. Here he takes a prophetic statement of the Lord and puts it along with two historic statements without the slightest apparent sense of the difference. The blessed Lord was saluted at His baptism and on the holy mount, but where or how was He saluted when begotten?

The writer is evidently confusing between being begotten and being born. The same word is translated in both ways, but the context makes clear which is in view. In the order of our creaturehood God has set a time between begetting and birth, and when coming into Manhood our Lord took the divinely appointed way. Ever bear in mind Luke 1: 35, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,” etc.

This deeply sacred scene is for worship and not controversy. If compelled to speak of it may it be with becoming reverence. It is impossible to address a human being when begotten. (Remember, Mr. C. has taken us into the human circumstances of the birth of our holy Lord). This is the impossible barrier to the application of the words of Psalm 2: 7, to that wondrous birth, and Acts 13, properly understood bears it out.

It is most amazing in the light of this to read the language of this brother on pages 32 and 33. While charging another with statements in direct opposition to Scripture he not only applies — in a dogmatic manner where he ought to tread lightly — the word “begotten” to the birth in time, but actually makes the word “Begotten” of Psalm 2, the same as the “Only-Begotten” of John. I would be sorry to misunderstand our brother here, yet I would prefer to do so rather than think that he was robbing our Lord of His place as the Monogenes the Only-Begotten, of which J.N.D. says “Is His relationship to God eternally.” That I may not do him an injustice, here are his words: “The word “begotten” is definitely used of our Lord as born in time, and in no other sense is the word ever used of Him.”

Think of such a person as C.A.C. ranging himself on the side of the assailants of that precious Gospel which was written to bring out the Godhead glory of the Son in His eternal relationships, at the time His Deity was attacked. These five precious passages (John 1: 14-18, John 3: 16-18, 1 John 4: 9), in which “Only-begotten” asserts not only pre-incarnate existence, but eternal existence in an eternally related state, are reduced to the level of His birth in time. Could Russellism or Unitarianism ask for better support?

A question here may lead us into the truth. Wherein does our Lord's Sonship subsist? That it resides inherently in His Being we have already proved from the words of the writer. Had he kept to it he would have been saved from many wild and foolish words.

But it may be inferred, (indeed it has been) that sonship for the saints would necessitate partaking of Deity if this were true. Here we have another proof that these men have wandered from the truth. While we are made partakers of the divine nature it is inconceivable that a creature can ever partake of Deity. Sonship has been brought into time, “God sent forth His Son, come of woman....... that we might receive sonship.” (Gal. 4: 4) Could words be found to make the truth more simple? Instead of an unnamed Divine Person becoming Son, the Son becomes Man, taking thereby a condition in which He could die. This was a necessity because of the state the co-heirs were in. By His death that state was removed for God. By resurrection He came forth the Son in a condition of Manhood that abides for eternity. It is as the risen Son of God that saints are associated with Him, so that not only is the impious thought that saints partake of Deity by Sonship set aside, but it is clearly seen that death and resurrection were as much a necessity as incarnation before we could receive sonship and be thus associated with Him. He, the Firstborn among many brethren, the saints, the many sons whom God is leading home to glory.

One more point: page 26. “When Scripture speaks precisely of our Lord as in eternal Deity, with no reference to what is mediatorial, we are simply told that He was God, and that He subsisted in the form of God.” Are we expected to accept these things without scripture proof? The sentence is not true. The words used seem to indicate what John 1: 1-2, and Phil. 2-6, are before the mind. The first of these speaks of Him apart from creation as God the Word, so that we are not “simply told that He was God”. Phil. 2; “Subsisting in the form of God.” is one link in a chain of separate clauses brought in to show the infinite stoop as in the form of God to that of a bondman. “I and the Father are one.” Here is a complete sentence standing almost alone, insisting on His place in eternal Deity, and in His own consummate wisdom it shows the eternal relations of Father and Son.

Coming to Proverbs 8, we have to remark, again with sorrow, that all is loss. The reasoning may pamper perverted tastes, but will not meet the affections. It may suit a few devotees who see men as trees walking, not because they understand it but because they mistake mysticism for truth. Without knowing it the writer is certainly very near Sabellianism here, Scripture shows the Godhead at work in creation. We have Jehovah and an abstract quality. It may be asked; did Jehovah make an abstract quality the nursling of His love? How could an abstract quality rejoice before Him, and how could that abstract quality rejoice with the sons of men? Creation was for the Son. The power, wisdom and goodness of God are seen planning, measuring and decreeing, but in holy love He is rejoicing. Love and joy suppose moral beings and not merely material things or abstract qualities. In the light of John 17: 5-24, we prefer to see here the rejoicing of the Father and Son, recorded by the Holy Spirit as anticipating Eph. 1: 10, Eph. 3: 10-20-21.

Note 3

The reasoning on Proverbs 8 ignores the supremacy of Holy Scripture. In certain cases a passage of Scripture begins with the ordinary and passes imperceptibly to the extraordinary. Psalm 16 begins with David and passes over to our Lord. So on the side of evil. Ezek. 28: 11 begins with the King of Tyre and passes over imperceptibly to describe the Evil One. Proverbs 8 passes clearly from what would be thought of as an abstract principle to Divine Persons as all respected teachers have noted.

I close with an expression of unfeigned sorrow that a brother with such a long record of faithful service should be found in such a predicament at the close. While saying many precious things he boldly denies the eternal relations of Father and Son, the pre-incarnate distinction of our Lord as the Word and His place in the Fathers bosom eternally. To do this holy Scripture is violated while making the highest pretension to honour it. The confusion and self-contradiction shows that he is not supported of God, and we see in himself the verification of his own words: “But if the 'brethren' become hostile to what is of God they no longer have His support in holding what He may have given them in time past.” (Outline of Deuteronomy, page 20).

With Mr. Taylor there is also confusion and self-contradiction as I have pointed out to him. But besides this there is stilted language. Among other expressions of assumed superiority note the following: “What I detect in the papers urging so-called eternal Sonship is disregard (unconsciously I believe), of the magnitude of the Incarnation. The enemy is in this.” While bowing before this wondrous miracle of grace in the deep sense of its infinite wealth of glory — and how little we can apprehend it — we may justly apply the word “disregard” to the man who has gone wrong about it and not only refuses the pleadings of his brethren but deliberately forces it upon them at the pain of excommunication.

In “The Divine Standard” page 4, we read:

“Scripture records two things presented in the voice from heaven. 'Thou art my beloved Son.' and 'This is my beloved Son: hear Him.' Applied to us as servants, the former would be to impress us that God is pleased with us, and then in the latter He calls the attention of others to us.”

In speaking thus Mr. T. shows a lack of the sense of the unique glory of the Son incarnate. Our blessed Lord is here allowed but a first application of that which is peculiarly and properly His own. Such was the delight of the Father in His Son that He must bring it within the cognisance of human sense. “Thou art MY SON the Beloved.” Does not the person who uses the words quoted here betray a very feeble sense of the magnitude of the incarnation?

Although a number are carried away with these erroneous negations there is evidence that with many there are great searchings of heart. To these we would appeal. “Thou shalt not follow the multitude for evil; neither shalt thou answer in a cause to go after the multitude to pervert judgement.” (Exodus 23: 2)

Affectionately yours in Christ,

J. McBroom.

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper

Its Character and the Worship connected with it.

James McBroom.

The Lord's Supper and holy worship to the Father and Son by the Holy Ghost.

"Had you a happy time in the meeting this morning?" is a question often asked among those who seek to answer to the desire of our Lord in these last days, in the breaking of bread. While the answers are varied, we often hear such as this: — "Yes, very happy: a sweet sense of the Lord's presence and the love that gave Himself for us. We did not, however, get far beyond thanksgiving, and one could have wished that there might have been a little more entrance into the new order of things opened up for us beyond death, and a little more energy in leading up to the worship of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit" (see John 4).

The central feast in God's House.

The will of the Lord supreme.

Taking the above as a sample of the feelings common to the partakers, may we say a few words on that holy feast which He has called us to and which is the greatest of all favours which He has made the common portion of His own while on the way home to be with Himself for ever. As it is pre-eminently the Lord's own domain, it is necessary to approach the theme with reverence and holy submission to His word, that we may be preserved from laying down rules, or in any way obtruding ourselves, but finding to our souls deep delight that He who lays claim to our hearts deep fidelity has given in His Word full instruction about it.

Questions which bring disagreement and strife will in this way be excluded — indeed, all would admit that in no circumstances of the Christian life are disputes and striving more felt to be out of place.

The normal gathering together of the Assembly.

The Scriptures which speak of the supper, make it abundantly clear that it is simply to remember the Lord in His death that saints come together. It is thus the normal coming together of the assembly — the rallying point — and is such, on account of the claim of His love. "The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor. 11: 23, 24). If this were simply attended to, much that is trying to the saints and grieving to the Lord, would not take place. The supper celebrated in simple response to the Lord, puts the saints in touch with the sanctuary where in spiritual function, and as a holy priesthood, they are led out in worship and adoration to the Lord Himself, and to His God and Father.

It is most happy when saints are led out in true ministering to the Lord.

In such cases, ministry to the saints is often excluded as being outside of the current of the Lord's leading for the moment. Happy it is for all when this is the case. We have no thought of condemning ministry to the saints, however, for there are, undoubtedly, times when the condition is quite in keeping with it and when the Head gives the impulse, when a distinct word from Himself is felt by all. Such a word would come from "a priest among priests ministering according to the grace of the Head," and would carry conviction with it, but however precious this may be, it is still better when the hearts of the saints are so full, that in company with the Son, they rise in spirit to bless the Father. There, the Father's counsels of love so engage their hearts that they worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Divine festivity in God's House.

It is then that the saints hold festival, when all the instincts of the divine nature are in movement in their souls Godward, and the Holy Spirit leads their hearts in touch with the Head in His own domain in richest praise to God.

Surely, beloved, whatever helps in this, must be acceptable to us and well-pleasing to Him whose love is our eternal portion. But we turn to that scene which surpasses all others, and with adoring hearts let us dwell thereon.

The claim of Christ on the affections of His own.

It is well said that nothing can set the affections of the followers of Christ in movement towards Himself like His sufferings. In coming together to partake of the Lord's Supper, the emblems of His precious body and blood on the table speak to them of His suffering and death. Recalling, too, the whole circumstances of that night in which He was betrayed, chiefly from the time He sat down with them, saying, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer," we hear the invitation in the fullest sense, "Come ye yourselves apart." It is here we recall Him when He sought for compassion, and where He had to say to His enemies "This is your hour and the power of darkness," when all broke down; one denied, another betrayed, and all forsook Him and fled.

Suffering of our Lord at the hands of the forces of evil.

He is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, condemned by false witnesses in a mock trial, buffeted, struck with the palm of the hand, and spat upon, and, when later put into the hands of Gentiles, made the sport of the coarse and brutal soldiers. Here the charge was, that He made Himself a king. The scarlet cloak, the crown of woven thorns and the reed in His blessed hand, bespeak the awful length to which their mockery could go, as they bow the knee and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" It was here that Roman justice would wash its hand in condemning the innocent, and when priests, judges, people, and soldiers all combine against Him.

He is abandoned of God in His hour of need, His enemies taunting Him with this.

But there is more, infinitely more, for as we approach Golgotha's hill where this awful tragedy is completed, a new and unheard of thing comes to pass. There is no help, for Him in His God. Others had cried in their need and been heard and answered (Ps. 22: 4, 5), but now righteousness is alone and unheard. This is interpreted by His enemies, and in one solemn sense rightly, as if God were against Him. They say, "He trusted in God" — literally, "rolled Himself on Jehovah," compare Ps. 22: 8, margin with Matt. 27: 43 — "let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him." They daringly claim God as on their side against His blessed Son.

But let us not be misunderstood on this, the most solemn of all themes. Never was His Son more precious to the heart of the Father than at that moment, but He had willingly come forth and offered Himself to carry out the will of God, and the moment had come when God was judging sin. He, whose penal judgment upon sin is death, deals with the whole sin question in the Person of His Son. Therefore, God is against Him. Solemn words. Ponder them, my soul.

He might, if it were merely a question of power, intervene, yea, the holy Sufferer in that case might easily have come down from the cross. It was even part of His suffering at that moment to be challenged by a dying criminal to do so, for what did He not suffer? But it must be seen that no act of power could atone.

Not only is the Lord forsaken but positive suffering at the hands of a holy God is His portion as the Sin-bearer.

But is this all? Oh! no, my soul, thou knowest right well, for the righteous One, instead of being heard and delivered, is bearing the wrath of God against sin. In the moment when the combined malevolence of fallen, rebellious creation is showered upon Him, He is under the consuming fire of divine wrath against sin. How blessedly this was held in due balance may be seen from the following, which we extract from "The Man of Sorrows."

"The pride of careless greatness could wash its hands of Thee:

Priests that should plead for weakness, must Thine accusers be."

And then travelling in thought to the deeper judgment from God —

"I PAUSE" — for on Thy vision the day is hastening now,

When for our lost condition, Thy holy head shall bow;

When, deep to deep still calling, the waters reach Thy soul,

And death and wrath appalling, their waves shall o'er Thee roll

His sufferings, which baffle thought, produce adoration as they come before us in thought at the Supper.

It is this beloved, that gives the supper of the Lord its supreme place in the affections of His own, and when we recall that all this was for us, our hearts are subdued, and we participate in it with holy and chastened feelings in accord with His own precious desire. It was the custom in Jewish homes in times of bereavement, to break bread and partake of wine with the afflicted (Jer. 16: 7, margin). The Lord takes up that simple custom and perpetuates it in His assembly; but what a difference! The character of His suffering exceeds infinitely all our little sufferings combined. The problem of suffering baffles indeed the strongest intellect, but what can we think as we behold the unmitigated suffering meted out to the sinless One?

Creation affected physically as well as morally in that that solemn hour.

Nor was the terrible character of the time confined to the moral order of creation, for nature herself was in sympathy with the scene. "There was a darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst" (Luke 23: 44, 45). "And the earth did quake and the rocks rent" (Matt. 27: 51). Truly

"Earth shuddered as He died,

God's well-beloved Son."

It was the time when creation's God, who had stooped to manhood, was making atonement for sin.

Difference between drinking the cup in the three hours of darkness and death itself. but all perfectly gone through by Him.

But the three hours of darkness pass, the time when He was drinking the cup of God's wrath, and when alone, at the furthest point of moral distance, the agonising cry of abandonment was wrung from Him. The wrath is borne and judgment exhausted. All previous sacrifices had been consumed by the judgment. This precious sacrifice exhausts the judgment, and now His blessed voice is heard, saying, "Father." In the hour of His abandonment He cried, "My God" twice over, but now it is "Father." The article of death is accepted, that all may be perfectly accomplished, and with a loud voice He delivered up His spirit.

A hush falls upon our souls as we come to the end of this marvellous scene. It is the central hour of eternity, the centre of all moral history, the scene where everything is properly adjusted and where the deeper depths of the heart of God are made known.

The supreme importance of the Supper.

Its Institution and continuance.

It is this that comes before the hearts of His own in the supper; that holy feast, which is the central and outstanding coming together of saints in the day when He is rejected. Without it, all meetings would degenerate, and our hearts soon become dull to the love expressed therein. This the Lord knew well when He instituted it. This He had before Him in ensuring its continuance till He comes again, and this, thank God, is the way He takes to secure the outflow of all our heart's affections in praise, and worship, and adoration.

Resurrection and reunion in a new way.

It was impossible that death could hold Him. He comes forth in resurrection power, the Spoiler of death and the Inaugurator of a new creation. He had said to His own, "I will see you again and your hearts shall rejoice." Accordingly, His first thought when risen is their company. Alone in the judgment, they could not possibly be with Him there. But as risen, He can bring them into association with Himself before His Father and His God. Then He speaks by the prophetic Spirit, saying, "He brought Me up out of an horrible pit, . . . And He hath put a new song in My mouth, even praise unto OUR God" (Ps. 40: 2, 3).

He associates His own with Him as last Adam and as Leader of their praises.

Thus we come together to remember Him and begin with the most sacred theme of His sufferings, and as melted before Himself, are put in tune with the sanctuary. He brings His own into new associations of life in holy intimacy to "join the singing that He leadeth," and to share the triumphs of His grace. Brought thus to new creation scenes where all things are of God, and where Christ is everything, and in all the full joy of forgiveness, and Christ formed in the soul, we worship and adore. Here, the priestly company are seen in function, and, blessed be God, all the result of the Spirit's unction, so that from the hearts of those who were once enemies, and in the world out of which His Son has been cast, God is glorified in deepest, richest praise.

The Assembly as convened for this holy feast.

But now, having touched the suffering side, let us ask the careful attention of the reader, while we endeavour to dwell a little on the results in the holy banquet to which His own are invited as His guests, and: which is seen in the divine idea of the assembly come together. We get running through Scripture, the thought of festivity and festive robes. The thought of beautiful robes for a royal conventicle is richly described there. "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city" (Isa. 52: 1). "I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy" (Ps. 132: 16). "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, etc." (Isa. 41: 20).

This is the anticipation of the day of glory, when the whole scene shall be luminous with the glory of the King. Zechariah 3 and Luke 15 show the coming in of the individual and his being fitted for this glorious feast. In the former it is said, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment" [festive robes, N.Tr.], and in the latter, the father said to his bondmen, "Bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry."

God's feast at His own expense and at His own House.

Thus are we brought to "a solemn assembly for purposes of festival rejoicing" (Heb. 12: 23, see New Testament Synonyms. Trench). "Wisdom hath built her house, . . . she hath mingled her wine, she hath also furnished her table" (Prov. 9: 1, 2). "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey: I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Cant. 5: 1). Much more might be cited, but read especially Isa. 25: 6, and connect with Matt. 22: 1-10 and Luke 14: 15-24, where the thought of feasting before the Lord is set before us as His thought for His people.

The King in His beauty or Christ in fulness of administrative power and glory.

1 Kings 10: 1-13 with 2 Chr. 9: 1-12, furnish a pictorial representation of the King in His beauty and glory. There we can, in typical language, visualize much of that which we taste now in faith. Solomon's resource is seen in the house he had built, and all its vast machinery of glory. This, we learn, foreshadows the assembly's position as distinguished from Israel. It is the place of His royal Bride and the food of His table. This typifies the Incarnate Son in redemption and mediatorial right of glory, as the sustaining and upholding power of the whole scene. In the type we have the deportment of His servants, and the order of service of His attendants, and their apparel, etc. This speaks to us of Christ, the glorified One among His brethren, where He makes known the Father's name and leads the praise to Him. We come in this scene to where Christ is everything and in every one. It is Christ the centre of the heavenly company, leading the praises to His God and Father.

What is to be displayed when He comes is today enjoyed in faith in His Assembly by the Spirit.

Here let us remind ourselves that Matt. 18 is a chapter of the Kingdom, yet the words, "there am I" in verse 20, give His presence in the assembly in glory and beauty, which beautifully harmonises with the scene on the holy mount presented in the chapter before. There He shines as centre of all the displayed glory and that which is mediatorial; known now in the assembly to faith; soon to be displayed in fulness, when He comes in His own glory and in His Father's, and in that of the holy angels.

Surely, beloved, we respond to all this favour in holy delight, and nowhere can we find words to express it like those of holy writ. "The King hath brought me into His chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in Thee, we will remember Thy love more than wine" (Cant. 1: 4).

Rejoicing in New Covenant blessings and partaking of the New covenant cup.

The more with delight we trace this holy celebration, the more we see the connection of thought of the new covenant ministry. The cup, on the table is the cup of the new covenant in His blood — and the ministry of reconciliation is brought before us in the Lord's Supper. It connects the peace offering or ram of consecration with the house and the feast, helping greatly to an apprehension of the fatted calf in Luke 15, where, from the lips of our Lord, we get a description of the scene and the joy brought about by His own precious death. Blessed, adorable Lord, what must Thy joy be in that wondrous work which removes sin and brings God and the creature that had fallen, into such holy delight.

Another most important aspect showing that which passes beyond display.

There is another side, however, for the assembly in her highest relations goes beyond that which is dispensational to the circle of holy love belonging to the Father and the Son. The Father's voice and the glory-cloud give the link of connection in that scene in the mount, between what is dispensational and these divine relationships which are beyond regal display. A few words from another may help to make this distinction clear.

"I think there is a double character in worship — our being able to draw near in the sense of what Christ is to God, as the blessed Man in whom all His glory was made good, and the question of good and evil solved for ever. We have that in Leviticus 8. Then there is what He was as Son with the Father. There we have eternal relationships before ever there was a created scene — Glory which the Son had with the Father before the world was, even as He was loved before the foundation of the world. Yet this wonderful love has been and is to be told out forever in the created scene, for Sonship has been brought into Manhood. So that there is not only the worship connected with the perfections of Christ as Man, but affections rising to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (T. H. Reynolds).

Sonship, its home, joys and feelings tasted now in the Assembly.

It is here that all the deep blessedness of the higher communion belonging to the calling of God comes in, and we can be before the Father in the consciousness of sonship for His pleasure, resting at home in the joy of having a place there in the present enjoyment of love's own circle before the Father, in the beauty and acceptance of the Son, according to the revealed will of the Father, and in perfect accord with the holy character of God.

It is all the fruit of divine workmanship, which is the free outcome of the divine will, and the pleasure of that will in the relationship of the Son, and the divine nature lifted from the scene and state where love compassionate met us, and brought to where love complacent dwells. Here, with adoring hearts, we gladly pour in the Father's ear what we have learnt of the ineffable beauties and glories of the Son, what the Son is to the Father as having glorified Him, and capable personally of being an object for His heart's eternal delight. There we learn that all the Father's counsels claim equal honours to the Son, for He who stooped so low for our redemption is eternally one with the Father.

"Rise our hearts and bless the Father,

Ceaseless song e'en here begun:

Endless praise and adoration

To the Father and the Son."

Great need of encouragement that we might rise to God's thoughts and that He might get His portion.

All this is deeply blessed and some might think it ideal, particularly at a time like the present, when the actual state is one of brokenness and weakness. We write to encourage and are far from ignoring the general state of the church, however humbling it may be. At the same time, we cannot and dare not leave out the thoughts of God, as these alone can lift us up. And besides, we dare not deny that there are those who, by the power and goodness of God, are in the enjoyment in measure of these things, that such things are known, enjoyed and reciprocated in the assembly today.

If we refuse the loss is great not only to us but to the Father and the Son.

The danger among the Corinthians was to turn the Lord's Supper into a time of revelry. Our danger is different. We, too, often in effect look on the supper as a means of grace, where we come to sing some beautiful hymns, using the hymn book much like the prayer book among others. Then at the end, break the bread and separate. In such a case, the whole range of heavenly and eternal things are left untouched and great is the loss great not only to ourselves, but to Him who seeks our worship, and who is so well worthy of it, and who desires to lead us as the priestly company into the heavenly sanctuary in worship.

Eph. 3: 14-21 compared with John 13, 17, with the worship flowing therefrom.

In closing, let us note the beautiful connection of thought underlying John 13-17, with the prayer in Eph. 3 in relation to the range of things on which we have been dwelling, and which puts the Apostle in the state of worship so that he bursts forth with these words: "Unto Him be glory," etc. The prayer views us in relation to His Father, "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." With that, read John 13. "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands." Here by communications at the supper table, He is instructing His own in the heavenly things about to be introduced and preparing them by the act of feet-washing for part with Himself in all that into which He is entering. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Eph. 3: 17). In this we have the preciousness of heavenly affections and devotion as seen in John 14: 20: "At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you." See also verses 21 and 23. We are on holy ground, in the presence of the richest and deepest thoughts of love divine.

A climax of glory passing thought, and which words cannot express.

But there is more. We read: "Being rooted and founded in love" (Eph. 3: 17). Compare this with John 15: 7-17, where we see a company wedded together in love. "As the Father hath loved Me, so also have I loved you: continue ye in My love" (John 15: 9). It is in the next verse, however, that the identification seems the closest: "That ye . . . may be able to comprehend with all saints" (Eph. 3: 18). Here we touch the vast system of glory belonging to the Father and the Son of which the Lord speaks in John 16. It was to be made theirs by the ministry of the Holy Ghost. So we read, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine" (John 16: 14, 15).

This brings us back to the well-known and yet thought-surpassing love of Christ. Surely this is John 17. Who will open out to our souls the depth and grandeur of all this? The Holy Spirit, thank God, delights to do it. The thought-surpassing love of Christ and the filling even to all the fulness of God — for all is measureless here — brings us surely to John 17, where the love of the Father and the glory of the Son are co-equal with the glory of the Father and the love of the Son, and where all that the Son is, shines out in relation to the counsels of the Father, and the complacency of that love in those who were given to the Son by the Father.

The holy appeal of such love to our hearts.

We would encourage those that are His. We are brought into such an inconceivable place of blessedness, where love is seen in its highest form, giving, not as the world, but bringing the objects of its choice into all its richest and best, and making them at home there.

Surely, beloved, if there is a time when such things can be enjoyed it is at His supper when, having left for a little our own things, we meet with Him in His own circle. To refuse this, is to slight love's best. The Lord encourage His own, and may we all be more in the enjoyment of His riches, and thus able by the Spirit, to worship the Father and the Son.

Lord, to be with Thee in Thine own abode,

The place prepared where Thou wilt have us dwell;

Brought home unto Thy Father and Thy God,

Where harpers harping shall Thy triumphs tell.

Sons of His love! Heirs of His festal joy!

What bliss! how full, how pure beyond alloy!

To gaze around in that effulgent light,

With not a mist from earth to intervene;

Thy majesty, Thy beauty, full in sight,

Thy glory flooding all the boundless scene,

Thy love in its perfection, known at last —

'Twill solve the long enigma of the past.

To read in full the story of the cross —

Known dimly — but with growing wonder now;

To measure by God's glory what it cost,

Beneath His curse, Thy holy head to bow.

Thy royal garments (in that hour laid by)

Proving the depths of Thy descent — to DIE!

To hear Thee leading in our midst, high praise

To Him whom Thou hast glorified on earth;

Whose will, the rule of all Thy pilgrim days,

Made Thee a suffering stranger from Thy birth.

Proof — Thou the slain One — highest heaven above,

Of sovereign mercy and victorious love.

To know how Thou hast made an end of sin;

Swept every hostile element away;

To see eternal righteousness brought in,

And watch the universe Thy mind obey.

No longer to perceive and know in part;

But feel with Thee — behold Thee where Thou art.

To worship Him who sitteth on Thy throne,

Whose Church are we, the purchase of Thy blood.

Thine incorruptibility our own,

The dearest purpose of Thy heart made good,

And through eternity's exhaustless days,

Our Lord, our Saviour! to sound forth Thy praise."

(Voice to the Faithful, Vol. 3, pp. 255/6).

The Lord's Way in the Relationships of Life

The Lord's Way in the Relationships of Life.

James McBroom

(Extracted from Scripture Truth, 1915, Vol. 7, page 335.)

The Lord Jesus put His own exquisite touch upon every detail of life and perfectly adjusted, as it were, by the balances of the Sanctuary every existing relationship.

Family Relationships.

His mother's desire that He should distinguish Himself, and the wish of His brethren that He should make a public display, were each perfectly met in the full intelligence that the time for display had not come, that He must first be the sufferer, and in His death lay a basis of glory transcending all power of human thought.

Governmental Authority.

When the Pharisees and Herodians joined together to ensnare Him on the tribute question, the simplicity of His answer showed them at once their proper place in regard to "the powers that be," and at the same time pressed home upon them the claims of God.

The Claims of Israel.

The claims of the Jews as the covenant people were fully and clearly upheld when He said to the Gentile woman, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and give it to dogs" (Matt. 15). He was there as "a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers" (Rom. 15: 8). But if the state of those people was such that they were incapable of appropriating the goodness of God come to them in their own Messiah, that same goodness would overflow every dispensational barrier to meet the need of those who had no claim upon Him.

The Law.

Stern religionists sought to tie His hands from doing good by the Sabbath question, and when they could not succeed held a council to destroy Him; but the grace of Christ overcame every legal barrier in the scene of man's need. The mercy that was in Him could not be restrained. When the question of the temple tribute arose (Matt. 17) He paid it so as to give no offence, though as the Son of the great King He was under no obligation to do so. He met the claim for both Himself and His servant, but in such a way that His creatorial power and glory shone out. He was the Lord of the temple for which the tribute was paid; that was a great truth that Peter, zealous for His master's honour, had to learn.

The State of Society.

When one came to Him and said, "Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me," He answered, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you" (Luke 12: 13, 14), And this may seem a difficulty to some, but the more we look at it the more shall we see His amazing perfection. The state of society was very far from what God intended it to be, but He will not take the place of Caesar, and put it right. He had not come to patch up the old garment, but to go to the cross, where He was to die, that in resurrection He might establish a new order of society entirely, in which every moral and social question should be established according to God's own thoughts.

The Obedience of Jesus Christ

The Obedience of Jesus Christ.

J McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 53.)

Once we were "in Adam," who disobeyed. Now we are "in Christ," the obedient One. Have we realized what this signifies?

What does this spiritual journey from Adam to Christ mean for us? We are moral agents, and cannot be transferred from one order to another like a log of wood. This journey involves an experience which reaches down to the depths of the soul; but if it be faced it is followed by an enlargement and an enrichment of soul and life that is beyond words. This wonderful transition is shown to us chiefly in the writings of Paul. It is a new relationship, implying not only a new life and nature but a new origin, with a new spiritual constitution — a new creation — the conditions of which are set forth in a Man who is in heaven, the beginning of a new race for God. To be in Christ is to be of Him. To belong to Him is an unspeakably blessed thing, but to be of Him is the most wonderful thing of all. The greatest of angels, it has often been said, would desire such a place. The question for us is do we desire to know it? If so, the Holy Spirit is given to us that we may both know and enjoy it.

The passage of the soul through this transitional state is described in Romans 7. It has been likened to a person in a tunnel, in which every step taken brings him nearer to the light. He begins as carnal and sold under sin, and ends as one who delights in the law of God. In the intensity of his distress he is led to distinguish between himself as divinely operated upon by the Spirit, and the law of sin and death which is in his members. "If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me" (vv. 16, 17). Here comes in the necessity for some abstract thinking, and so he concludes in verse 22 with, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man." The journey is made. He delights in the good. Sin, however present and powerful, is not himself but a foreign element from which he is set free by "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8: 2).

An important stage of soul history is reached at this point. When he says, "I delight in the law of God," he is using the very words that would apply to our Lord, as Psalm 1: 2 shows. True, there could be no "after the inward man" with Him, nor indeed what follows here, for He was altogether for God in sinless and stainless Humanity. Here we recognise not only the complex condition created by the work of the Spirit in us, but that the Spirit is the new power for working through us the obedience of Jesus Christ. Here surely is a note of triumph. The law with its stern commandments had brought him into death, "for I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died; and the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me" (Rom. 7: 9-11).

Here observe how the Cross in all its blessedness comes in for the soul's relief. "Death and the curse were in our cup." Both have been borne by our Substitute: the judgment of our sins borne, and sin in the flesh condemned in the death of the-sinless One, our great and glorious Substitute. We appropriate that death as ours and pass from under judgment into His risen life, where there can be no condemnation. Having been our Substitute on the Cross, He can now be our Representative in the glory. Our old state is judged and He who accomplished it is risen in a new order of life, and we are in Him there. That this may be a divinely accomplished reality, He has given us of His Spirit. "If any one has not the Spirit of Christ he is not of Him" (Rom. 8: 9 New Trans.) No words can adequately describe the blessedness of all this: its fittingness for God in the defeat of every opposing force, the perfect conciliation of all that He is in nature and character in the blessing of man, the bringing of it all to pass in His blessed Son by incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension, with the coming of the Spirit to make it good in our souls, so that we can be in a new order, a new creation now, and be consciously transferred from the fallen man to the Man of God's purpose to delight in Him and be able by His grace and the Spirit's power to walk as He walked and obey as He obeyed.

The obedience of Jesus Christ, then, is specific. It is not to be found as coming from the Adamic order, whether innocent or fallen. It stands by itself, and can be compared with nothing in the whole circle of nature. No imitation or counterfeit or mixture is possible. It flows from the divine nature, and is so linked up with its source in the Godhead that it passes from the thought of responsibility to that of holy and happy response — that is, from a necessary moral obligation to a natural outflow. Responsibility is there, but in the background. A new life and nature finds its natural delight in pleasing its Object, that Object being the Father whose love has made us His beloved children.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons [children] of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not" (1 John 3: 1). God has so wrought that the feelings, tastes and joys are the same in the subject as in the Object; and being maintained as proper to the relationship, they are reciprocated in happy and holy communion. So in the first Epistle of John believers are taken account of as the offspring of God, a new generation in the earth, and it goes so far as to say that they cannot commit sin. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit [practice] sin; for His seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." It is impossible to connect sin with the new life. Should failure come in, as shown in 1 John 2: 1, there is the Advocacy of Christ in view of recovery. There we are viewed in the concrete as in our present condition, but here we are seen in the abstract blessedness of the life of God as a new generation, so that sin is impossible.

What a relationship is this, and what a place before our God it puts us in; the sweetness and blessedness of intimacy and nearness, brought before the Father in the life nature and calling of the Son in His glorious Manhood. Surely it is becoming that His path and practice should be ours. Moreover, His obedience led to the Cross. He took upon Him the form of a servant and became obedient unto death. This too has its bearing on the believer. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3: 16).

How simple and happy is Christian life in the light of all this. We often speak of difficulties. To be what God has made us, walking by faith and in the Spirit, many things which we call difficulties would be seen in their true light as food for faith, and coming in to provide a channel for the outflow of the life of Christ in us. Difficulties indeed amount to impossibilities for 'the flesh, for the flesh is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be'. If we can say, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man," and say with the Apostle, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death," we shall follow on to say, "the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Are we followers of a rejected Christ? If so, it can only rightly be in the life of an accepted Christ in glory. Are we living? If so, goodbye to all that is legal, formal and artificial, and. in fellowship with the Father and the Son let us rejoice in the blessedness of being here in these closing apostate days as heavenly ones, separated to the obedience of Jesus Christ, in the enjoyment of the things of God and of heaven.

The Old Paths

The Old Paths.

"Thus saith Jehovah: stand in the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths, which is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest to your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jer. 6: 16, N. Trans.).

James McBroom

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 32, 1940, page 106.)

The above passage should be read along with Matthew 2: 29 and Revelation 2: 4. To get its bearing on Israel it is needful to know not only the immediate context but to be acquainted with the moral condition as described both in these chapters and in the closing chapters of second Kings. It was a time of dark apostasy and morals were low. The degradation during the reign of Manasseh followed by the short time of Amon had brought the people of Judah and Jerusalem to a state of rebellion, corruption and God-defiance that eventually brought upon them that judgment from God known as the seventy years' captivity.

It was one of the most important moments in the history of the world for then the times of the Gentiles began. God makes the evil of the men to serve Him. This was the time when the sword of government was put into the hands of the Gentile in the person of Nebuchadnezzar, the time when the glory cloud, symbol of Jehovah's presence, departed from Israel to heaven. Ephraim, the ten tribes, had been taken captive by the Assyrian and Judah instead of taking heed fell into the same practices and got lower and lower till they became steeped in the abominable rites of the Gentiles around them and hope of general recovery there was none.

Josiah came to the throne a child of eight years and under the care of Hilkiah and the godly remnant grew up in the fear of God. A revival began which led to the cleansing of the Temple. In the midst of this work the book of the law was found which gave great impetus to the work of recovery and outwardly the work of the Lord seemed to prosper. In spite of all this the general condition was so bad that judgment had to fall.

It was at this time that Jeremiah was called and through whom the voice of the Lord was heard and the veil lifted which gives a glimpse of the frightful condition of the people. Ecclesiastically, socially, morally the case was hopeless. Every kind of shameful moral impurity marked the people, priests, prophets and elders. Men were offering to false gods and their women baking cakes to the Queen of heaven. They are foolish (Jer. 5: 21), deceitful (Jer. 5: 27), sottish (Jer. 4: 22), hopeless (Jer. 3: 25), rebellious (Jer. 4: 17), treacherous (Jer. 3: 7), and impudent (Ezek. 2. 4). This was the state of things that Jeremiah and the remnant had to meet and these were some of the words he had to say to them. Remember too, that they had their religion. How like Christendom today. They boasted of the ark of the covenant. They had done so in Samuel's day and lost it to the Philistines, a circumstance of which they are reminded in Jer. 7; they were now to lose it for ever (see Jer. 3: 16). The temple too was their lying boast but they had made it a den of thieves. In spite of their wicked and licentious ways they boasted in the law, saying: "We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us" (Jer. 8. 8), and in spite of their descent to the awful corruption of the Phallic cults they still boasted in the Burnt Offering.

What a transcript of all this is seen in Christendom with her much greater light and responsibility to-day! Have we not defiance in the godless cults of the day in their blasphemous opposition to God, and the lying pen of the scribe (Jer. 8. 8, margin), in the modernist, the awful descent to mental reservation in the pulpit; the godless trampling upon holy things by the people where the very name of Jeremiah is made a by-word for pessimism. It is needless to dwell on this, but see 2 Timothy 3. 1-5. It remained for the times of the Gentiles to produce in Christendom the darkest state of things that God ever permitted upon the earth. Infatuation always precedes judgment and it is at the door; yea, what if it is already active in the ravages of war begun?

It was during this time that Jeremiah in his second address to the people uses the text at the head of this paper. "Stand ye in the ways, and see and ask for the old paths." Has the gravity of the situation dawned upon us? Are we not in danger of taking this gracious appeal out of its place and apply it to what is merely external? Is there not distinct evidence on our part of seeking a correct ecclesiastical position without the inner moral condition which Jehovah pleads with His people about? But still more solemn, is there not a danger of missing the whole force of the Divine plaint and confining it to a mere detail, however solemn that detail may be? The old paths are clearly before us in Jer. 2: 2, 3. "I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness."

What a tremendous moral difference in these words from the condition of the people detailed in these chapters. What of the truehearted remnant at this time? There were Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Huldah the prophetess, Shaphan the scribe, Ahikam and Baruch. These were not divided. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel were all busy in the prophet's office at this time. It was no part of these to exhort each other to return to the old paths. What then? They were weeping (Jer. 13: 17), and saying, "Seek not great things for thyself" (Jer. 45: 5). But what of Jehovah God? His heart is laid bare in its pleadings here as nowhere else in Scripture. Like a husband deserted by a faithless wife He pleads for them to return, and as a father frantic with grief at the lawlessness of his children He calls upon them to obey.

What then is the bearing of Jer. 6: 16 by analogy on saints to-day? The passage is so constantly used for mere ecclesiastical purposes that we are in danger of not only losing its force but of perverting the solemn language of God to Christendom at this moment. Is it not clear that to us such a passage for external order is to lose the whole plaint of Jehovah, miss the pathos of the message and show ourselves incapable of that holy refinement that springs from the true knowledge of God? Let us then get beyond the ecclesiastical failure to the cause. The old paths and the good way mean much more than talking of divine principles or of assuming to be standing for the truth. The men standing for the truth in the book of Jeremiah were living it.

What then are the ancient paths? Holiness to the Lord (Jer. 2: 3). "I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of His increase." Have we not an echo of this for saints of today in the words of Revelation 2: 4, "I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love." Instead then of attempting to form a testimony for the Lord by artificial means let us like the brethren of the early part of last century listen to the voice of the Lord. "To him that overcomes, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2: 7). Both this passage and Jer. 2: 2, 3 should be read along with Matt. 2: 30. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me and ye shall find rest unto your souls." It is simple and easy to see that without all controversy the way to overcome is to imbibe the spirit of Christ.

God's principles never change and by putting these texts together we can see how the individual can overcome in an evil day and be in all the light of the dispensation and walking quietly in the fear of God with those likeminded (2 Tim. 2: 22), in the absence of all pretension to judicial administration may be well-pleasing to the Lord.

Our Incarnate Lord

Our Incarnate Lord.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 25, 1933, page 277.)

The way our blessed Lord is presented in the holy Gospels has for the devout heart a peculiar charm. The heart dwells with delight upon the glories, both divine and human, that the Spirit of God presents in Him. He came to fill full as well as fulfil the whole will of God, as before written. He was the embodiment of every promise, prophecy, type, symbol and shadow before outlined in the Book of God.

It is remarkable that while presenting Him in all the riches of glory, the Holy Spirit seldom or never uses the word "as" to distinguish between Godhead and Manhood. Instead of saying He speaks here as God, and there as Man, the Spirit shows Him acting in His own unique Personality, always the same One glorious Person, the Son become a Man, the Word become flesh. At one time He is spoken of in word or act when the fountain of Deity is the source from whence the word and act flow; at another the gracious activities are those of a veritable Man, while in the greater part of that life, the union of both natures are evidenced in such a way as to present the Divine-Human Personality of our Lord, in all the mystery of its holy glory.

This calls for careful consideration, but one or two passages may be suggested before passing on. Speaking of Himself as "I am" and in raising the dead, it is the Son speaking and acting in His Godhead power. "Show Me a penny." "I thirst," or sleeping in the ship, portray the same blessed One in the grace of Manhood. But "Come unto Me," "Ye believe in God, believe also in Me," "I give unto My sheep eternal life," are statements which clearly cover all that He is both Divine and Human. This last, as we have indicated, places Him before us in both natures and covers the greater part of the Gospel records. This may be clearly apprehended if we remember that whether "Shepherd," "Lord," "Head," "Saviour," "Prophet," "Priest" or "King," He must be both God and Man. In any one of these positions, let us say "Saviour," He is not seen in Godhead only, nor only a Man, but in all His Mediatorial fulness, able, in Godhead fulness, to stand on the part of God, and in the perfection of Manhood to undertake everything for man.

What is before us is the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not attempting to intrude into this holy mystery of the Divine and human in Him or vainly seeking to discover how such a thing could be. Many prefer to hold back on account of the solemn grandeur of the theme. This indeed is praiseworthy, and more so when we think of the many who have made shipwreck. But after all it is set before us for instruction and blessing, and if taken up in the spirit of worship and holy reverence, it becomes the most soul enriching of all that Scripture presents of the precious things of heaven.

Each member of the Blessed Trinity speaks of our Lord as uniting in Himself both the Divine and Human natures. The Old Testament anticipated this and the New is full of it. "Thy throne, O God, is forever," is said by the Father to the One He speaks of as "the Man who is My Fellow" (Ps. 45: 6, 7; Heb. 1: 8; Zech. 13: 7). The blessed Lord says "I am" and yet "the Son of Man who had no where to lay "His head." The Spirit speaks of "the Man Christ Jesus as "Who is over all, God blessed for ever" (John 8: 58); Matt. 8: 20; 1 Tim. 2: 5; Rom. 9: 5).

This opens up a glorious range of truth which claims our attention, engages us in devout meditation, and produces in us deepest praise. We are apt to forget, however, that the Person is One; and doubtless the word "as," which we often use, betrays our inability, unconscious even to ourselves, to hold the truth of the Person in true balance. The word "Person" is not used in Scripture of any Godhead Being, but the pronouns "I," "Me," "He" and "Him" are used by and of our Lord in such a way that we can apprehend (though never comprehend) Him, God become Man.

The import of the above may be seen by calling attention to the statement that "It was as Man only that our Lord died." One has heard this asserted and strenuously maintained by true-hearted saints who were jealous of the Lord's glory. The statement falls short of the truth. If the Cross is nothing more than the death of a Man we can have no atonement. That His death is limited to our Lord's Manhood in many minds may be gathered from the retort (as soon as it is questioned) that He could not die as God. No one affirms that death could touch Godhead in Him, but while avoiding such a thought it does not follow that His death was only that of a Man.

The blessed Person Who died is God as well as Man, the Word become flesh: and unless we keep this clear we cannot have an apprehension of the glory of the Cross. Scripture says, "We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5: 10). "God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8: 3). The Lord of glory was crucified (1 Cor. 2: 8). The Son has made purgation for sins (Heb. 1: 3). And Paul has said, "The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2: 20).

These passages and many more show the glory of the Cross, for although God cannot die, He has in wondrous grace taken His own way to come right down into death in its deepest and most solemn sense, even that of His own offended majesty and judgment against sin. It is here that the Incarnation fits in with divine precision. The Son, who is God, becomes Man to bear, on the one side the judgment due to man, and on the other, to give effect, on the part of God, to all the purposes of eternity.

The miracle of Incarnation is the outstanding wonder of the Godhead and of eternity. Around it all Scripture pours its treasures. God's purpose had man in view for a place and relationship infinitely beyond his created standing. He had fallen from the created place, and death the judgment of God, rested upon him Man needed One who could meet the death state and remove it, while God called for One, who, while meeting the fallen state, could give effect to all His counsels of eternal love.

Who can estimate the terrors of that hour, or stand in the judgment with God? His majesty outraged, the glory of His throne trampled upon, His Name, His Character, His Being, all profaned and outraged. Had God executed judgment upon man it would have swept him away forever, the result from which would have been the Creator's defeat in the sons of men in whom He delighted. What then? JESUS. Here is One who is God and Man, the Son become a Man, and all is met, perfectly and for ever met in Him.

Judgment is divine and infinite, so also the Sacrifice. No Theophany —  Divine manifestation as seen in the Old Testament again and again, will suffice. No, it must be the great and glorious Theanthropos, which is God and Man in one glorious Person for ever. But while insisting on the divine side nothing must be allowed to weaken the other. It was a Man who died, not merely a Divine Person in a human condition. A condition could not die for sinners, nor be nailed to a tree. No, we adoringly behold in Him who hung there God, in the full revelation of all that God is, while we see Him; a Man, the first to enter into all that that revelation unfolds.

Place of Communion

The Place of Communion

The words “There will I meet with thee, and will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel” (Ex. 25: 22), refer to the ark, mercy seat, and cherubims in combination, as they served together to form the throne of Jehovah in Israel. There He dwelt, and from thence He communicated His thoughts to His people. In its typical teaching there is presented to us our Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. God has spoken in Him (Heb. 1: 1). By Him God was declared (John 1: 18). Every principle of blessing shadowed forth in that ark, whether we look at it as one whole or at each part separately, find their centre of expression and shine forth fully in Him who was God manifest in flesh.

The holy place in the tabernacle and its furniture may typify Christ and His people, or more accurately Israel, as seen in Christ under the eye of Jehovah, but in the holiest, the place of the ark, it is Christ alone. Nothing could surpass for heavenly grandeur that which is outlined in the ark. It is Christ, standing alone in His own unique glory and dignity, and in the measureless distance that lies between Him and every other man as the revelation of God — God manifest in flesh, and as we see this we can understand the words, “There will I meet with thee, and commune with thee.”

The Book of Exodus, in which we are introduced to the ark, does not give us the blood-sprinkled mercy seat — that belongs to Leviticus and is connected with our approach to God. Here it is God speaking to man in that glorious Person whose name is “Wonderful,” and in it comes before us the fathomless depth of that wonder of all wonders, the inscrutable mystery of the Word made flesh. We must not lose sight of this distinction between Exodus and Leviticus.

God is there. Whether we survey the pathway of the Lord through this world or take it in detail, God is there. Take, for instance, His words to the demoniac, Luke 8: 39, “Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done for thee.” The Father was in Him and He was in the Father, and His Deity was recognised at last by the disciples, when Thomas worshipped Him as his Lord and God (John 20: 28).

Perfect manhood is there. From His sinless human heart there flowed holy feelings of deep compassion, as when He removed the fears of a daughter of Abraham who had sought blessing from Him (Luke 8: 48). Matthew 8: 17 is an instructive passage in this connection also.

The mercy seat is there. He appeared as the mercy seat when a guilty woman of the city drank deeply of the mercy of God at His tear-washed feet (Luke 7). And when the Pharisees on another occasion would have made Him the servant of the law, to condemn a sinful woman to death (John 8), He stooped and wrote upon the ground, and if we had discernment we might read that writing; may we not say that it is found in another scripture: “I will have mercy and not sacrifice”?

Justice is there. Justice, of which the cherubims spoke, was not wanting. How stern was the rebuke with which He silenced the Herodians and Pharisees. “Render therefore into Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22: 21). To trace out the blessed perfections of our adorable Lord is happy work, and the preciousness of the theme must be accepted as my apology for dwelling upon them. The communications from between the cherubims may be viewed as foreshadowing the purpose of God as coming out in the ministry of Christ, particularly in the Gospel of John. He appears in that Gospel as rejected from the beginning (John 1: 10-11), and there He is presented not in relation to Old Testament promises, but in relation to God’s eternal purposes. In His person divine and eternal relationships are revealed which are set forth as the thought of God for those who believe on Him, and which would be entered into when He had gone back to the Father. Eternal life, Sonship, and the knowledge of the Father, communion with the Father and the Son by the Holy Ghost in a new relationship based upon His finished work. These are some of the communications that came out in Him, and they all referred not to the day in which they were spoken, but to this present time in which the Spirit of God is here below and Christ is at the right hand of God.

But while distinguishing between the mercy seat of Exodus 25 and the blood-sprinkled mercy seat of the day of atonement (Lev. 16), they must not be separated, for all the communications promised in Exodus 25 had the day of atonement in full view, though the fall of the priesthood (Lev. 10) was the immediate cause of the ordinance of that day, yet we gather from Exodus 30: 10 that Jehovah had before Him the yearly service of Leviticus 16 before the failure of the priests. So while pointing out the perfections of the Incarnate Son we cannot separate them from His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Incarnation naturally preceded atonement; but nothing is lost, and all the communications that came out in His life are carried over into resurrection and are established now in Christ and the church.

J. McBroom

S.T. 1915

Prayer: an Index to the Soul

Prayer: an Index to the Soul.

by James McBroom.

God the Eternal stoops to hear prayer and connects the glory of His Throne with man on earth.

How sweet to the soul is the privilege of communing with God. His greatness on the one hand and our feebleness on the other, shows such a distance between that the possibility of drawing near and breathing out our little sorrows and perplexities seems an impossibility. In spite of this He has so ordered things that we can come before Himself and, with all the mystery which produces awe there is, nevertheless, a holy simplicity which fills the heart with unspeakable delight. If the knowledge of His creatorial power with all its works of grandeur in evidence everywhere, would augment the difficulty and put us further from Himself, there is the revelation of His heart in the counsels of His love which silences every fear and draws us after Himself in ever increasing intimacy and holy joy. Though so far beyond the feeble creature that He has placed upon the earth and which is itself but a speck in the immensity of creation, yet He stoops to interest Himself in our joys and sorrows, pains and pleasures, hopes and fears, in such a way as to gain the confidence of our hearts for Himself and when we see that He has been pleased to link His glory, the honour of His Name, and the integrity of His throne with such creatures as we are before the eyes of the higher ranks of creation, we can but bow in adoring worship and deep delight.

The complex character of man's being in regard to prayer.

While on our side prayer is a clear expression of dependence it also speaks of the unique place we fill in the scale of being. In the complex character of His being man has links both with spirit creation above and the animal class beneath. Bound by his body to the earth of which it forms part he has links with the creature beneath but taking a place in the spirit creation he not only has links with these but is fitted to hold converse with God the great Author of life to whom he owes his existence Then when we recall that the before time purposes of God specially concern the race of mankind though almighty power would repel, holy love attracts and we are encouraged to draw near and lay bare in His presence the inmost secrets of our heart. Both the natural and spiritual sides of our being should be kept in view when speaking of prayer. There are the bodily needs which must be met or death will terminate the earthly course while on the spiritual side the heart must have an object. All the great structure of life around us, where field and forest, city, town, and village appear, is traceable to the fact that man needs food for his body. But as a moral being cannot exist without an object, much of the same structure witnesses to the requirements of his soul. From the earliest ages man has sought to gratify his thirst for knowledge by investigating the various departments of creation to which he has access. Success here may-in his present state-exalt man but never satisfy him. Consequently he is compelled to look beyond what is material to Him who is over all, and in Whom he lives, moves, and has his being.

The unconverted may pray to God and be answered.

Having departed from his created estate, it is impossible apart from a work of grace in the soul for man to approach God intelligently. Prayer is therefore properly the resource of those in relationship with God. In spite, however, of his state of alienation man is often found seeking God in prayer. This, all would admit springs from his resourcelessness and an innate sense of the supremacy of God. This is clearly seen in Cain, who after slaying his brother, actually held converse with God, who offered him an outlet from the consequences of his guilt. Natural conscience may own God though morally far from Him and the man of the world, while rejecting the Gospel, may often seek God in prayer regarding things of this life while content to remain outside the pale of blessing and be lost for eternity. The man of faith is rebuked by the worldling (Gen. 12) who owned the hand of God in the matter. The Patriarch falling into the same evil again is reproved by Abimelech to whom God manifested Himself in the matter. Balaam, at a later date, sought permission from God to curse Israel, and though actuated by the basest of motives, had considerable converse with Him. Others will own God though outside the blessing, through those that are in relationship with Him, seeking in that way His help on their behalf. The Pharaoh of the Exodus sought divine aid through Moses, Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel, and Simon the sorcerer through Peter. Such is the heart of man that even a sorcerer may act thus for in some way or another though far from God and hating His people there is a sense that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5: 16.).

Prayer is properly the privilege of faith and is guided by revelation.

Though man in his fallen state may come to God and seek His help while ignoring the Gospel, prayer is properly a feature of the family of faith and should be marked by intelligence "Behold he prayeth," are the words used by the Lord to distinguish one just brought to own Himself. Then again it would be governed by the way God is pleased to make Himself known. The communion of the antediluvian saints would be very different from that of saints to-day. Revelation being progressive till its completion in the death and resurrection of Christ the theme of interest was of necessity constantly changing as fresh light was given by God. It would be as far beyond the ability of Enoch or Noah to converse with God about the land of His purpose and the temple as it would have been for Moses or David to pray to God in the name of the Lord Jesus. None of the Old Testament saints could pray for the Father's Kingdom as the disciples were taught in Matt. 6; nor would these disciples at that time however favoured be able to pray like Paul in Eph. 3 that the Christ might dwell by faith in the heart.

Intimacy and divine communications.

Such changes in the ways of God were a necessity when fuller communications were made known; but whatever the testimony may be, communion with God must bring supreme happiness at any moment. In the nature of things it must take the saint from the man and his world to God and the scene of His purpose. Both Enoch and Noah are said to have walked with God, an immense thing surely in those apostate days. It involved for each an holy intimacy in which special communications of the mind of God were given which reached down through the ages right on to the day of glory yet to come. To Enoch was given the revelation of the second advent of Christ in glory, and to Noah the disclosure of impending judgment with the promise of being carried through the flood and becoming the head of a new world which had been purged by judgment.

A chain of honoured witnesses to prayer.

In the development of the divine ways Abraham comes next. He stands as a landmark at the beginning of a new departure in the testimony and such is the intimacy that he was called into that he is named the friend of God. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph each in their generation followed; men whose histories exhibit not only the ordinary exercise of supplication on the principle of faith but also divine communications both by visions and dreams. These three are, so to speak, the links of connection between Abraham and Moses the mediator, of whom it is said "The Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend." He is a witness of how a man may be drawn beyond the day and dispensation in which he lives in such a way that the glory of God shone in his face, and in holy confidence he could say "Show me Thy glory." The book of Job, belonging to these same days, indicates the apprehension of a good man and his friends which God had given to men at that time. Living in the full light of revelation we can see "the end of the Lord" as the blessed solution of all the Patriarch's distress. The three friends said many true things but they failed by limiting God. Elihu shows advance beyond Job himself and by his words prepares him for the manifestation of Him whose intervention brought all to an issue.

Unity and yet diversity both in prayer and praise.

The volume of prayer and praise ever ascending in the ages between Moses and Christ was very great. It is exceedingly instructive as strewing the variety of wants and woes, joys and sorrows, experienced by the saints and the ever gracious care of God. Unity in diversity is seen in the way that both prayers and praises take their character from the circumstances in which they were uttered, and the way in which God was revealed at the moment. Joshua's prayers differed from those of Moses as having reached the land of promise, the fear of God and the sense of resource characterising each. Ezra and Nehemiah of necessity differ greatly from both David and Solomon as both Isaiah and Amos would from Zechariah and Malachi, though all appeal to the covenant God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Certain outstanding persons and the character of their prayers.

The prayers of Hanna mark another important epoch in the ways of God. Her afflicted soul yearned after that which would meet not her own need only, but also that of the people of God. Samuel-asked of God-was given in answer to her beseechings, one who was markedly a man of prayer. Ho was raised up and became the link between God and the people, until the arrival of the king, the man after God's own heart. With David we reach that which in a sense is permanent because of His greater Son. Whatever may be the failure after that recovery must be connected with his house because David's Son is David's Lord. Like Joseph he had to go through a course of training, in view of the place he was destined to fill. Much that was beyond explanation in the early life of these two honoured servants lay in the fact that they were chosen to typify the rejection of Christ. In men like Elijah and Elisha, Ezekiel and Daniel, we can see the variety of exercise, trial and sorrow common to God's servants in relation to His testimony but to none was it given to exhibit so full a measure of the varied tossings, struggles, and commotions of the human heart as is seen in David. To his Psalms we turn for the inspired record of the capabilities of the human heart both in its storms and calms and with it adoringly learn something of the soul-searching process which a faithful God puts His people through. Linking for a moment the two great names of Job and Jeremiah with that of David we may learn something of the marvellous ways of our God. All three represent deep Sorrow and poignant suffering and while David gives us so much the other two got so low down as to curse the day of their birth.

Prayer is the instinctive cry of the heart in the battle of life.

But it is possible to go through Scripture pointing out a long list of devoted servants and their communings with God and know little about it ourselves. A man of science may give a good lecture about a loaf, telling all about its constituent elements, but a hungry person though ignorant will eat it. Prayer is the instinctive yearning of the human heart after God and is better understood than taught. It may be well, therefore, before touching the New Testament to look a moment at the inner psychology of prayer. This will give an insight to the variety of feelings, motives and exercises, which are so characteristic of those who are brought into the school of God. How much do we know of that soul-distress which is needed for a sinner to pass into the sense of peace with God. Men like Martin Luther and John Bunyan and many others passed through such agonies as almost to unhinge the mind. In my distress I cried unto the Lord and He heard me (Ps. 120: 1). What was his cry "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord . . . For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity for it is great." (Ps. 25: 7 and 11). But deliverance comes and the soul can triumphantly say "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble: Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah (Ps. 32: 7).

It is an outlet in distress and shows the capabilities of the soul.

It is just here that the disciplinary dealings of God with the soul begins. "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." "He is the preserver of all men but especially those that believe," but if so the bearing of His government towards the righteous must be different from its action upon men of the world. We must remember also that the saints of earlier days were not so favourably situated as we are today. Christ having come, redemption is accomplished, and hence we are in the reign of grace. They were in the reign of death and were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Rom. 5: 21. Heb. 2: 14, 15). The blessed God doubtless met them in their needs but they had not, as we have, a sympathising high Priest in heaven. Weighing Job's case in the light of this we see the magnitude of his suffering and the enigma of his case that neither he nor his friends could meet. This man, along with David and Hezekiah, shows the saint in bodily affliction. "Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and holdest me for Thine enemy? Wilt Thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble?" (Job 13: 24, 25). "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure." (David, Ps. 6: 1). See for Hezekiah Isa. 38. What good would a prayer book or a written form of prayer have been to men in such circumstances? The distresses of the heart none can anticipate. All that is artificial but adds to the sorrow, and the soul cries out in its own language of agony to its God.

Prayer looks past all secondary causes to God.

There is also the hatred of the world for it has become the training ground of those who are made heirs of glory. Joseph was shut up in prison because he would not defile himself. "Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry" might well have been his plaint. David was hunted by Saul because of his integrity. "Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me." Jeremiah is shut up in prison for speaking the word of the Lord. (See his wail in Jer. 20: 7-21.). In all this we are made to see that life is not a playground but a schoolroom, not a holiday but a training. We have to face realities if we are to be here for God. In these things as in all else our blessed Lord is the great Example.

By it the soul is led above all circumstances to praise God.

Through such trying circumstances the Lord leads His people that He may have the full confidence of their heart. Joy and not sorrow is His thought for us but He has to put us through sorrow on the way to it. "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning." Even now He so works that we may taste the blessedness of holy joy in Himself. "Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased." (Ps. 4: 7). As an illustration of this there is nothing better than Habakkuk. He began wailing and finished exulting. "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Hab. 1: 2-4; Hab. 3: 17, 18).

Part 2.

The progress of revelation alters the character of prayer.

Coming to the New Testament we are on very different ground. The full revelation of God in the Son incarnate necessarily places the righteous in a position greatly in advance of anything known before. Communion with God being of a richer character, prayer and praise is made to correspond. As associated with Messiah on the earth the disciples were taught that God was their Father and all the gracious interest which that relationship presumes was to be known by them. He had numbered the hairs of their heads, and would have them to know that they were themselves of more value than many sparrows, that His delight was to meet them in all their needs and His good pleasure to give them the Kingdom. Such an advance in blessing involves a change in moral obligation hence instead of calling down fire from heaven or entreating for judgment on their enemies they were to love them and bless those that would curse them, do good to them that hate them and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute them. By so doing they would show themselves to be the sons of their Father in heaven. This was the necessary result of the presence of Christ here and it continued until He took His place on high when further light and blessing was made known. By redemption Christ took up a new place in heaven and sent down the Holy Ghost in whose power His servants went forth as the heralds of heaven's bounty to men.

The advance in the character of prayer both in Paul and John as distinguished from the Three Synoptic Gospels.

Prayer is thus lifted to a much higher plane. But we must mark a distinction even here, for the teaching about prayer in John's Gospel is far beyond that of the other three. The synoptic Gospels connect prayer with life here and its circumstances and their needs, but in John, prayer is about the interests of the Father and the Son. The disciples are viewed in John not merely associated with a suffering Messiah on earth but as having part with Him glorified; and having the new testimony of heavenly things committed to their trust their prayers were to take character from that. They were to ask in His name and they would receive. If they would abide in Him and His word abide in them they would ask what they wished and it would be done that the Father might be glorified in the Son. We have to remember that John's writings come last and therefore Paul's ministry comes between him and the other three Gospels. The Gospel of the glory given to Paul and the truth of the mystery, wonderfully amplify what began to come out by the Lord. These great truths create for faith an entirely new situation, setting in a new light the dealings of God, not only with the earth and mankind, but with the whole creation and enlarging in the apprehension of the believer the glory of Christ as the Object of the counsels of eternity. In the light of this the prayers of the prison Epistles should be read particularly that to the Ephesians; for there the Church is seen with Christ at the centre of a redeemed creation, things which produce in the Apostle the richest and grandest strains of prayer and praise. After all this John is used to tell us about prayer in relation to the Father and the Son and the circle of love in the light of eternal counsels.

In all this let it be remembered that the Son is addressed in Manhood as Lord and both prayer and praise directed to Him. In the days of His flesh the wise men of the east, the woman of Tyre, and the man who received his sight worshipped Him. The decree had gone forth "Let all the angels of God worship Him." In spite of this it is a sad fact that many who own His Lordship, and one has no reason to doubt that they are His by faith, refuse to make Him the Object of their richest notes of praise. If they that have been rescued from eternal woe by Him refuse to adore Him now it is a comfort to think that such will join the song of praise which has Him for its Object in the scene above in the coming time of His glory. Stephen invoked Him saying "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," Paul fell before Him saying " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Ananias obeyed His voice concerning the penitent Saul. Peter communed with Him at the introduction of the Gentile into blessing. Paul is seen several times in the Acts in communion with His Lord, and in company with John delights to render to the Son the honours due to deity. "Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Rev. 1: 6).

Secret prayer, soul agony and soul testing.

We rightly distinguish between public and private prayer. The latter indeed qualifies for the former. If power and freshness is to be maintained in public service there must be dealings with God in the closet. It is in this way that true piety is formed and combined with a sense of dependence which is the proper qualification for true service. Weakness and want of resource with us, eternal love and power with Him. He delights in having our confidence, and makes us to know that all His resources are at our disposal if we are willing to give Him His proper place and keep ours. He cannot be deceived since all things are naked and open to His eyes, neither can He be informed though He delights to hear His children telling out their needs. There is much that passes between the soul and God in secrete that is too sacred for human ears. Who can conceive the depth of feeling and agony in the struggles with God in the secret chamber. We have all a secret history with God and He has wisely shut this out from all else. It is well said that the best part of human history is never written. There are, moments in the history of God's testimony in this world when everything is made as it were to rest on the shoulders of one man. Paul stood alone when even Peter and Barnabas gave way. Athanasius and Augustine had both to stand alone in their day for all that is fundamental. Luther was made to stand alone in the face of all Christendom. The prayer of this servant is preserved for us that he poured out to God in deepest agony the night before the decision in his trial at Worms. Anyone may read it in the history of the Reformation by D'Aubigné or Miller's Church history.

Examples of secret prayer and intercession for our encouragement.

For our encouragement our God has recorded in His word many instances of the secret prayers of His saints whether in regard to their own affairs or in behalf of others. Jacob wrestled with God till the breaking of the day and obtained the blessing. Jabez, whose name means sorrow, "called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed and enlarge my coast, and that Thou mightest be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!' and God granted him that which he requested" Both Abraham and Moses pleaded with God on behalf of others and their prayers were honoured by Him. Hezekiah and Daniel at a later date are notable examples of intercessory prayer in the secret of God's presence. The former went into the House of God alone and spread out the threatening letter of the King of Assyria before Him resulting in an immediate answer which brought about the destruction of the whole Assyrian army in one night. With Daniel it was different. The blessed God leads us up as it were to the chamber of this holy man and permits us to hear the breathings of his soul, in his fasting, prayer and confession.

Though in a strange land he poured out his heart in behalf of his people and was signally honoured by the revelation to his soul of the great prophecy of the seventy weeks, which supplies the key to the dispensational dealings of God with the earth from that time to the day of glory yet to come. There is nothing more pleasing to God than to have us before Himself with nothing kept back and no reserve whether in regard to our own affairs or what concerns the interest in His testimony in the earth.

It shows a capability for interest in the whole scope of God's dealings with the race.

The practice of secret prayer is not acquired suddenly but is the result of a course wherein we are made to learn our own nothingness and the loving kindness of our good and gracious God. Let none think that it is limited to the advanced saint. There is room in the practice of it for advance, but from the moment the soul is converted, real intercourse with God begins which shows that a change has been wrought. Its continuance gradually puts a new moral colour on the whole life. It is not insipid and lifeless as merely asking what we want: it is real, living and energetic as a result of having an intelligent hold; upon God. From one's self and home circle it reaches out to the whole scope of the interests of Christ. Then to the sphere of the divine government on the earth, taking in kings and all that are in authority, and going out to the utmost bounds of the earth for the blessing of men. This is seen in many scriptures (1 Thess. 5: 17, 18. Phil. 4: 6, 7; and Heb. 4: 16.) and as it becomes the habit of the soul a new character is formed-the character of Christ really-which results in the person's ability for moral influence by the body being full of light. To Samuel the Israelites turned, saying, "Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us," and a little later in the book it is said "All the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel." (1 Sam. 7: 8, 1 Sam. 12: 18.).

It leads to spiritual maturity and puts a new moral colour on the whole life.

The continuation of closet work encourages self-judgment, a healthy exercise, which leads to self knowledge and growth in the knowledge of God and all that is not in accord with holiness is detected and avoided. Then these secret communings with God will lead to a desire for The Scriptures, by which He speaks to us, and the Bible will be increasingly treasured. If God therein speaks to us His voice will call forth the joy of the new relationship in which His grace has set us and holy affections will be awakened which will flow out to Himself in worship, praise and adoration. Thus God becomes better known and the soul seeks increasingly the solitude of His presence where fresh communications of heavenly and eternal verities are tasted. Along with this a holy watchfulness takes possession of the person so that nothing may be permitted which would cause reserve or disturb the holy tranquillity that is enjoyed.

The place of fasting in connection with prayer.

Fasting may be mentioned here in connection with devotional exercises as that which refers to the needs of the body. It is the result of the person being sustained in the presence of God in such holy intimacy as to forget for the moment the bodily needs and even when they make their rightful appeal they are for the moment quietly postponed. Stated times for this are most precious where there is energy for it. Holy watchfulness is needed however, for it is well-known that the enemy has wrought great havoc here by leading many into practices hurtful to spiritual well-being and also to bodily health. It is better apart from prearrangement though none dare to lay down rules. Which ever way it may be done let us be careful to follow Scripture lest Satan get an advantage over us in that which is most holy.

Sad lack of closet work seen in our public prayer.

It is clear that many things may be said in the closet that should not be repeated in public. Alone with God the soul may act in a way it could not do before others for there may be groanings which cannot be uttered. "For whether we be besides ourselves it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause." What is said would be in connection with the occasion whether come together to speak to saints or sinners, or it may be at the bedside of the sick or with the bereaved. How sad that a person while bending at a sick bed should ramble from one thing to another for a considerable time till the sufferer is on the point of crying out in distress. It should not be rambling but simple and direct and avoiding tautology. Repeating lines from hymns and even passages of Scripture may encourage a tendency to sanctimonious affectation which is hurtful to others and displeasing to God. We hesitate to speak on this point but assuredly something is called for. When those who are both estimable and helpful never lead in prayer without dragging on about many things which have no bearing on the immediate occasion of our being together we are compelled to conclude that there is at least a lack of self-knowledge. If we add to this the constant repetition of the names of divine Persons in prayer it surely will be admitted that there is a need for drawing attention to such things. "Is it a small matter for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?" If there was sufficient self-possesion to stop with what the Spirit would give at the moment we would stop at the top note and have the satisfaction of helping according to our measure. While pointing out this for the consideration of our brethren we have no thought of faultfinding. Rather would we encourage all to freshness and power that they may be helpers in God's House as coming forth from the closet. It is just possible with our best directed efforts to become a hindrance to others. We may endeavour to help the meetings with a view to encourage others to come and by our very efforts keep them back.

Public prayers honoured and recorded for our encouragement.

The public prayers of Scripture are a delightful study. Three men stood up on different occasions, viz.: Moses, Samuel and Elijah, and were honoured of God in relation to His people. When Amalek attacked the people in the wilderness Moses stood with uplifted hands in intercession till the enemy was routed. At a time of defeat Samuel gathered all Israel to Mizpah and cried unto the Lord and was heard. The Lord thundered that day and discomfited the Philistines and they were smitten before Israel. (Ex. 17: 8-14, 1 Sam. 7: 5-12.) In the time of Israel's apostasy under Ahab, Elijah built an altar and called upon Jehovah before the prophets of Baal. By a divine intervention he was answered and great was the destruction of the apostates that day. God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him out and He has said, "They that honour Me I will honour." (1 Kings 18: 30-39, Heb. 11: 4, 1 Sam. 2: 30.) Then note the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple and the supplication of Jehoshaphat in an hour of need on the lines of what Solomon had said. (2 Chr. 6: 12-42, 2 Chr. 19: 5-12) and the gathering for prayer-praise and confession in Neh. 9. Lastly may we with reverence bring in our Lord's intercessory prayer in John 17 as that which He uttered in the hearing of His disciples but as something which forever must stand alone.

Our Lord Jesus Christ a Man of prayer. This is a holy mystery.

We are compelled in dealing with prayer to say a few words on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as having taken a path of dependence and exercising the holy function of prayer. This is something that calls for separate treatment and upon which our words in a meditation like this must be few. That He spent much time in prayer during His sojourn upon the earth while still remaining God over all is a mystery beyond all creature ken. None ever prayed as He did. "Hold up My goings that My footsteps slip not." "By the words of Thy lips I have kept Me from the paths of the destroyer." May we not learn with reverence what was the subject of much of His prayer. If we were more in the knowledge of His word doubtless these very prayers would yield much for our blessing. He was in converse with His Father before calling the twelve, before feeding the five thousand and before He raised Lazarus from the dead besides the memorable occasions of His Baptism, transfiguration, the sorrows of Gethsemane and the deep dark hours of Calvary. Did the relationship in which He stood lessen the sorrow and anguish which His sufferings entailed or detract from the fervency of His prayers? Let the scene in Gethsemane supply the answer. Is it not clear that in His coming into Manhood in the very nature of things one of two things must happen? He must either sweep the scene in judgment or be a Man of sorrows. In the light of the purpose of God the latter must be His portion and in that chosen position He lived a life of prayer and dependence for the glory of God. "Is it nothing to all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like My sorrow." (Lam. 1: 12.)

He spoke to His Father as friend with friend.

It is necessary, however, to point out that He never took common ground with others in prayer. The glory of His Person forbids such a thought. Not once did He use the word in addressing God which is proper for a creature when supplicating his God. He spoke as friend with friend using a word that none other dared use. In this, as in all else, we see in Scripture the care the Holy Ghost has taken to guard His glory and the adoring heart says Who would not have it so. On the one hand we behold One to whom both prayer and praise is addressed, who hears and answers according to His immutable power and wisdom, while on the other we see Him in man's estate for the glory of God and there He is the Man of prayer seeking in dependence to carry out the whole will of God.

Prayer and the government of God.

There is in many minds a difficulty about prayer because of the orderly way that all things are made to work in the economy of nature and the apparent reign of law. Since this bears directly upon the character of God we must look at it for a moment. The way God rules creation for the common good while dealing with a special class calls for reverent inquiry since it links with both His providence and government on the one hand, and His holy nature and the counsels of grace on the other.

Creation controlled in view of the earth and mankind.

Whatever may be the extent of creation we may reasonably conclude that the earth is the centre of interest as being the home of man. The place of that being in God's counsels proves this and accounts for the way that things are ruled not to speak of the grand fundamental facts of Incarnation and Atonement. Certain it is that the earth does not travel in her orbit as an isolated unit, unaffected by those other bodies which fill the heavens in a visible way. In the providence of God all this has in view the need of our bodies and the whole animal creation as well "for He openeth His hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing." Sunshine and rain, storm and tempest, the lightning's flash and thunder's peal, all speak of divine power put forth beneficially in view of life upon the earth. These things along with others such as pestilence, famine and earthquakes may also be used in His holy government for keeping evil in check and the maintenance of moral order in a fallen race. All is wisely ordered in view of forming the character and shaping the conduct of man and qualifying him to learn the wisdom, power and glory of his God. In this way the material is governed by the moral throughout creation and God's power is seen as servant of His love. He maketh His sun to shine on the just and unjust, He may make it stand still or even hide it in darkness. The moon, too, is stayed in her journey and the stars made to fight in their courses, the wind becomes His messenger, the rain fulfils His command, and the earth itself is made to tremble. All this and much more may be seen as creation's testimony to its God.

Prayer shows creation ruled in relation not merely to men but for the training of the righteous.

But the witness is refused. The enemy has succeeded in blinding men to the beneficent goodness of God, and much worse, for in the name of science some have attempted to shut God out of His creation altogether. In spite of this, the good work goes on for the good of even the impious, but, at the same time, another class comes into view to whom the grand lessons of creation, providence and government become educative in view of still richer blessing in the redemption sphere. The believing heart while adoring God, recognises that the only law that governs creation in all its departments is the ever present will of the Creator, and that the whole machinery of creation is at work not only in relation to man in the aggregate but also with a view to the well-being, discipline and training of the righteous. It is at this point we pass from the outer departments of creation, providence and government into the inner circle of redemption to learn the love of God and His counsels of grace in Christ Jesus our adorable Lord. "He is the preserver of all men, but especially of those that believe," and in this way we are made to see the conjunction of the general with the particular in the combined display of His hand and His heart. While controlling the whole framework of creation for the good of all, at the same time it is made to work in view of a coming eternity for the growth and blessing of the family of faith. "But we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." The knowledge that all the mighty forces of nature are linked in the providence of God with the affairs of men is a marvellous thing, but we can go further and see the whole grand scheme at work with wheels working within wheels with accurate precision, controlled by eternal love and omnipotent power for the good of suffering saints. "He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye shall He not see?" (Ps. 94: 9. See also Jer. 23: 23, 24.)

Convulsions in the realm of nature may be in answer to the cry of faith.

But such things are connected with faith and state of soul. It is unthinkable that God should intervene in the same way on behalf of those not walking in subjection to Himself. Israel may carry the ark of God round Jericho for seven days at the end of which God overturns the City walls, but if they think the mere presence of that vessel will save them from the Philistines when they themselves are in disobedience woe be to them. It is the prayer of faith that moves the hand of Him that rules creation. In this way the natural is made to serve the spiritual, the material the moral, and the very things which hide our Creator from our gaze are made the medium of His display. It was in answer to His people's need and the cry of Moses that a path was made through the sea. God, having no controversy with material things makes them serve His end for moral reasons. "Was the Lord displeased against the rivers, was Thine anger against the rivers? Was Thy wrath against the sea that Thou didst ride upon Thy horses and Thy chariots of salvation." (Hab. 3: 8.). Nor yet does He find fault with the mountains though He may make them to tremble or overturn them by the roots. If He turn a river into blood or stay another in full spate so that it flow back it is an intervention on behalf of His people. Such things were done in answer to prayer and brought blessing for His own people but judgment upon His enemies. That such events were outside the ordinary course of things is proved, by the fact that the Egyptians who daringly ventured to follow the Israelites through the sea were destroyed. Prayer brought bread from heaven and water out of the rock; by it Amalek and his host were defeated in the wilderness and in answer to Samuel the Lord thundered with a great thunder upon the Philistines when they were discomfited at Mizpah. Elijah prayed and rain was with held and again he prayed and it was given. In answer to the prayer of Hezekiah a great army was destroyed in one night. And thus we see God proving His interest in His people in the display of His power in answer to their prayers.

"He everywhere hath sway, and all things serve His might;

His every act pure blessing is, His path unsullied light.

When He makes bare His arm, who shall His work withstand?

When He His people's cause defend, who then shall stay His hand?"

He controls men's minds in regard to prayer. The whole fabric of human life under His control.

But there is more than this. The knowledge of God's power everywhere at work on our behalf is intended to beget confidence in our hearts towards Himself. But the whole moral world is under His control as well. The hearts of all men, the whole realm of human thought and action, public opinion in all its phases, and at all times with all the characters great and small which figure therein; all are ruled or over-ruled by Him. Consequently He orders the rise and fall of nations, the course of their histories and extent of their territories, so that the development of human history is as conclusive in proof of God's providential and moral government as the heavens are of His power arid glory. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." (Prov. 21: 1.) "The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, He bringeth low and lifteth up." (1 Sam. 2: 6.) "For promotion cometh neither from the east nor the west nor from the south but God is the judge: He putteth down one and setteth up another." (Ps. 75: 6-7.) These things are established beyond all doubt, being set before us in the Holy Word both through the inspired writings of the Old Testament Seer and the New Testament Apostle. (Dan. 2: 20-23.) (Acts 17: 24-26.)

In many ways God seeks our confidence and our company.

In many ways our God is seeking the confidence of His people but we ill requite His love. Is it not often the case that we refuse to turn to Him till every plan we can devise has been tried and every human avenue shut? May not much of the suffering we pass through be on account of our reluctance to trust Him. He has to stir up our nest so that instead of feathers there is thorns till the soul often has to cry out in distress. "Prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive." Love must have company and in numberless ways He attracts us into His presence that we may feel ourselves at home while He unfolds to us His plans counting on our interest in what is before Him. Things which "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."

Like the rising vapour, prayer is constantly going up to God.

The recorded prayers of Scripture are but a sample of what is constantly going up, and who can tell its bearing upon the world of human life. Just as in nature where the rain that comes down is the result of that process of evaporation by which the immense volume of water ascends to come upon the earth as the small rain upon the tender herb, so there is the constant answer to our cries making glad the hearts of many and bringing blessing to souls in distress. A glance at the book of martyrs shows a long list of honoured witnesses whose prayers describe an intimacy with heaven that carried them through suffering and death. Men like Luther and his companions by their prayers shook the professing Church to its foundations, and of John Knox it is said that a Scottish Queen feared his prayers more than an army of soldiers.

Prayer shall cease; being lost in eternal praise.

A word here at the close on the end in view in all our prayers. Surely it is not only that we might have the mind of heaven and the ways of God but that He in Christ should be so endeared to our hearts as to become the object of our deepest praise. This last will be our eternal employ in a scene where constant prayer is no more called for. We reach this end even now as we apprehend the transfer from our sinful state in Adam to a new creation in Christ. Scripture views us here in a scene of need where God graciously meets us in that need' but it also views us in heavenly associations of life with our risen Head where no needs can come, where all things are of God, and where we can let our hearts out in deepest praise. In the one we are in our pilgrimage where He daily loadeth us with benefits and where we prove His grace: in the other we can be at home in all the blessedness of His complacency and delight. Happy indeed are they who apprehend these things and are able to withdraw from the turmoil of things here to rest in the unclouded blessedness of that scene of joy. Soon there will be no more need to turn again to things of earth but in unbroken continuity praise our God and His blessed Son our Lord by the Spirit's power for evermore. God having recovered man for Himself will rest in the joy of being the eternal Object of their delight; but if possible, more wonderful still is the thought that He can be that Now. It is a grand conception and worthy of a God so great and good that while we are in the scene of needs and where evil abounds He can so fill the soul as to become the Object of its adoring delight. "Hallelujah. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. Praise ye Him all His angels: praise ye Him all His hosts. Praise ye Him, sun and moon: praise Him all ye stars of light. Praise Him, ye heaven of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah."

The Sacrificial Glory of our Lord

The Sacrificial Glory of our Lord.

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 227.)

If we think of the Cross in relation to the holy nature of God and His place as Governor of the universe, and to the whole question of good and evil, it may be helpful, as widening our thought and outlook, if we meditate a little on the sacrificial glory of our Lord, as seen in the offerings and their laws, set before us in the early chapters of Leviticus. There were five altogether; one of which — the Meat offering — was bloodless. The Burnt offering, the Meat offering, the Peace, or Prosperity, offering were voluntary. The Sin offering and the Trespass offering were compulsory.

It may help us to look a little at this distinction. An offering for sin could not be voluntary, nor could a free-will offering be the result of a command. When sin is in question our God is a consuming fire: the Cross was therefore an absolute necessity. Propitiation being a work no creature could accomplish, what could be done? God's resource was to send forth His Son. What lay behind all was the eternal purpose of God. In obedience to the Father's will, the Son came forth to die as the sin-offering. This met the holy nature of God and vindicated His character with regard to sin. The submissive obedience of our Lord was perfect.

But the voluntary offerings bespeak on the part of our Lord the free offering of Himself. In the celestial chambers above the voice of the Son is heard, saying with regard to the provisional system of sacrifices, "Sacrifice and oblation Thou didst not desire: ears hast Thou prepared Me. Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not demanded. Then said I, Behold, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of Me — to do Thy good pleasure, My God, is My delight" (Ps. 40: 6-8, N. Tr.) It is to be noted that this was said long before He came down, and it was repeated in Hebrews 10, some time after He had gone on high, in virtue of having accomplished that work, which combined both free-will offering and submissive obedience.

To these words may be added, "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour" (Eph. 5: 2). It is thus we get the true Nazarite, and the greatest of all vows. For other vows, see Psalm 22: 25. Although it was in the place of sin-bearing that He offered Himself, we are far from the thought of sin here. It is Himself in all His pure, holy, intrinsic excellence, as appreciated by the Father, even at the extreme moment, when He was bearing our guilt.

It should be observed that all the five offerings meet in our Lord upon the cross. God begins from His own side with the burnt offering and comes to the meat and peace offerings. We begin with the trespass and sin offerings, and meet our God in the peace offering of Leviticus 3. This is the great communion offering; a study of its place in the consecration of the priests shows its import. It is that aspect of the death of our Lord which represents our God as making a feast at His own expense, namely, the death of His Son, at His own house. He brings us to it in the good of reconciliation, so that in moral suitability to Himself we can share His delight in His well beloved Son, and in all that He has done. In virtue of it, the whole heavens and earth will eventually be placed before God on the basis of redemption, to His eternal praise.

We have listened with chastened feelings to the utterances of the Son to the Father at His coming down into time and man's world; shall we now dwell for a moment with the same awe and reverence on some of the most touching of all communings that are bound up with His death. In Psalm 102, we may hear the deep breathings of the heart of both the Father and the Son. In the words, "I said, O My God, take Me not away in the midst of My days," we have the utterance of the Son.

Then comes the answer of the Father, which is quoted in Hebrews 1, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands; they shall perish, but Thou remainest." Again He says, "Thou art the Same [a name of absolute Godhead], and Thy years shall not fail." Then further, there was the Father's voice from heaven in answer to His soul's distress, as recorded in John 12: 27, 28. And in Hebrews 5 we have recorded His strong crying and tears in Gethsemane, and He was heard "in that He feared," or, "for His piety."

But there came a time, when He was upon the cross, in which there could be no answer to His cry of abandonment. This brings us back to consider our holy Lord as the sin offering, when He was forsaken of God. This brought to light the dreadful malignity of men, who took advantage of the Divine silence to assume that they had God on their side against the holy Sufferer. What a moment it was in the history of eternity, when our blessed God, in spite of the yearnings of His heart towards His Son, the Beloved of His bosom, had to hide his face from Him in the moment of His extremity and remain silent!

Many passages give us God's estimate of His Son in that dark hour, but there is also His estimate of man — the creature that nailed Him to the tree. There Man is seen, in the Person of our Lord, to the delight of the heart of God, while on the other hand, man, the creature, is seen at his darkest and worst. This most amazing thing is seen there; man, the creature of God's predilection, the being that, renewed in Christ, will stand with Him at the very heart of His eternal plan for blessing and glory, perpetrating the most awful deed in the history of eternity.

To crucify was to put a person to a death of unending shame and ignominy. The Jews could not crucify: stoning was their way of execution according to the law. Nor could the Romans crucify a Roman citizen. This mode of execution was for slaves and foreign criminals. Hence the deep meaning of that cry, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." Not only must He die but His death must be accompanied by ignominy, execration and shame never to be lifted, as far as man was concerned.

But now note the solemn meaning of all this under the eye of God. The curse and death rested upon man as departed from God. Living in his guilt, he was under death as God's original sentence, and under the curse of a broken law. And, after four millenniums of Divine dealings and culture, the crucifixion of the Son of God became the crowning act of his guilt. As a Substitute the blessed Lord was bearing the guilt, the curse, the shame and the death, so that the lower He went as a voluntary and sinless Sufferer the clearer is seen not only the completeness of His work of propitiation but also God's estimate of man in the flesh. In the cross the long history of man's probation came to a close, and the words of our Lord to the fig-tree, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever," find their proper explanation. No fruit can ever be found for God in fallen man.

How sad it is that there are many who still claim that there is something good for God in fallen man. Sadder still it is to find even Christians who do not bow to the truth that man is no longer under probation, but is proved to be wholly lost. The death of our Lord has settled that question once and for all, and now the One who died lives triumphantly in glory as the Head of a new order of man, which is for the eternal pleasure of God.

In the retributary ways of God such an act could not go unpunished, for no greater insult, which developed into such a terrible assault, could be launched forth upon the Creator. Marvellous to say, that in the midst of all this devilish activity, the holy Sufferer made a way of escape for His very murderers. In dying He said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do."

In keeping with these words the Gospel of God is sent to the race that crucified His Son. Had His death been reckoned as an act of deliberate murder, God would have been compelled in His righteousness to judge us all and commit us to everlasting woe. Under the law there was a remedy provided for the manslayer — the man who killed another without intent. Even so, in the death of Christ, a means of escape was provided, so that the grace of God in salvation can righteously flow forth to all. Those who receive that grace are secure, for they have "fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Heb. 6: 18).

Sanctified to the Obedience of Jesus Christ

Sanctified to the Obedience of Jesus Christ.

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 39.)

What a beautiful place this world would be if man were only obedient to God. His disobedience has filled it with sin, misery, confusion and death. Now obedience to God springs from the knowledge of Himself. A boy may obey his father from fear or duty, but how great the difference when obedience flows from the affections! We may treat our God as a stern Creator whose rigid demands must be met, or as One who holds before us a scourge, but how much more blessed when we know His heart of love, and seek to respond to Him in all our ways. An Apostle could say, "We . . . do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col. 1: 9).

Obedience is better than sacrifice. It becomes us therefore to seek to please the Lord in our conduct by quietness and simplicity, rather than by aiming at big things in an ostentatious way. Thus we may be found walking with God like Enoch, who had the conscious witness that he pleased God. "Wherefore," says the Apostle, "we labour, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of [or, agreeable to] Him" (2 Cor. 5: 9). We may observe how closely obedience is linked with righteousness, that leading principle which is the great moral law of the creation. God the Creator is sovereign, and in the nature of things His will must be law to the creature. His will must be right, and from this comes the big word righteousness which is so often misunderstood — a word that runs right through the Scriptures. To say obedience is right is simplicity itself, and the result is beautiful moral order; disobedience, on the contrary, is wrong, and the result is disorder and chaos.

How blessed it is to be able to look with the eye of faith on a scene of perfect moral order — a world where all things are of God and where Christ is everything. This is the resurrection world, brought into view for faith by the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, spoken of in Scripture as new creation. By virtue of the operations of God in his soul the believer belongs to that world — an entirely new order of things brought in by the One who was obedient unto death. Having his home in that world, with a new life and all its relationships and joys, the believer is called to the obedience of our Lord in this world, as stated in 1 Peter 1: 2 — an obedience which went all the way to death. It is well that we should see the difference between the two systems. A new place is given us before the face of God in richest blessing with a divinely given capacity to enjoy it and be at home in the joy of the Father's love, all of which is fitted to bring us out here as pilgrims and strangers to walk as children of light in the obedience of Jesus Christ. "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: 15)

It is well that we should get at the root of things here. Obedience is linked with the question of race. By one man sin entered into the world and all have sinned. As a result of the fall of Adam, all have inherited a fallen state which is opposed to God — is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The obedience of Jesus Christ to which we are set apart springs therefore from a new life and nature, into which we come as under the headship of the risen Christ. Christian obedience must therefore be distinguished from the obedience of the saints of the Old Testament. For although the power that produces obedience to God at any time or dispensation is always the same, namely, that of the Spirit, the circumstances, tastes, feelings and relationships that are ours today are altogether different from those of the saints of Old Testament times.

They had their line of conduct set before them in a moral code, we in a living Man. This will be clear when we recall that they lived in the period of man's probation. The race was tried, as we know, in a variety of ways, and all failed. God never leaves Himself without witness, and so He produced in certain elect vessels an answer to the revelation of the moment. We live in a day when there is not only the full revelation of God, but the perfect answer to it in a Man. In that Man there has been seen a perfect answer also to every expression of the rights of God from man in any and every dispensation: whether we take Abel, Enoch or Noah; Abraham, Moses or David. With all these, it was God with His creature in His claims as Creator. All that order of dealing has come to an end in the Cross, and now all His dealing is on the level of Christ. We as Christians are sanctified to the obedience of Jesus Christ.

It will be said that this is putting things on very high ground. Blessed are they that see and accept it thus, for it must be so if it is to be for God. We have noted the character of obedience worked out in Old Testament saints: there is also that legal obedience which marks the Pharisee, and of which a good example is seen in Saul of Tarsus (Phil. 3: 5-7). There is such a thing, too, as feigned obedience, as seen in the Gibeonites and also in 2 Sam. 22: 45, Psalm 66: 3 (margin). And, saddest of all, that compulsory obedience which is seen in men such as Balaam and also in demons (Mark 1: 27, Luke 4: 36), which will go down to the lake of fire where all that remains irreconcilable will be an eternal witness to the supremacy of God. Compared to every other character of obedience, that of our Lord must forever stand alone.

The obedience of our Lord is a delightful theme for contemplation. It went on to death. It is there, indeed, that it is seen in all its immeasurable perfection. But Scripture distinguishes between that and the path of glorious worth that led up to it. There, for the first time was a Man who never for one moment travelled outside the will of God. In this He established His right to live. Man was to live by every word of God, and in keeping the Law he would continue to live. So true was this of our Lord that He might have been here yet, that is, so far as sin, death and the curse were concerned. But He became obedient unto death. His death was for us, as we well know. He could say, "I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will but the will of Him that sent Me." "I do always those things that please Him." "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." This was His delight; it was the joy of His Being. He had become Man to die, but the path that led up to it brought out all His excellences in such a way as to delight the heart of His God, fulfill prophetic Scriptures, and give a theme of praise for the redeemed of all ages. If we scrutinize such an obedience (and it is our joy and privilege to do so), we have to own it is far beyond us, while at the same time we rejoice that we are called to nothing less than the obedience of Jesus Christ.

Such a practical line of conduct amongst men would indeed produce a scene of beautiful moral order. "It is impossible," says some one: "God would have to produce a race of the same order as that blessed Man to bring it about." That is exactly what He is doing. He is operating in men's souls in such a way by His Spirit that they are transferred from their original standing and state in Adam to be in Christ, who is now at the right hand of God, the beginning of a new creation for God. The Gospel is sent to all for the obedience of faith with the revelation of the full purpose of God. It is the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God. It came out from the glorified Man

God thereby signifying His intention of producing a race of the same order as that Man. For this the Holy Spirit — a divine Person — is given to the believer that Christ may be formed in him. God has reached His end in the ascended One; in the risen and glorified Man we have the Model from which He is working, and the Spirit is the Worker to bring it about. It is well to see what God is doing, for how can we be right otherwise? Observe then, that the Bible is a Book describing two heads with their respective generations — Adam and Christ. We have only to read the last half of Romans 5 to see this; and if we wish to see the distinction in moral order and character between the two we must read 1 Corinthians 15: 45-49.

Some Glories of Christ

Some Glories of Christ

As typified in the Ark of the Covenant and its Contents (Exodus 25).

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth, 1912, Vol. 4, page 246.)

Our Lord Jesus Christ and His glories are of commanding interest to His saints, and the unceasing activities of the Holy Spirit are to keep Him before us, and, than Himself, nothing can be so precious to our souls that have learned His love through His atoning death.

The Book of God has Him as its centre and object, but nowhere is the holy grandeur of His glory seen more strikingly than in the tabernacle and its furniture. Here, as it is said of the temple, "every whit utters glory" (Ps. 29). The divine and human, official and sacrificial, dispensational and moral co-mingle; everywhere we turn the manifold glories of Christ are disclosed.

The Ark.

Exodus 25. gives the order of the house as in the mind of God, and the ark comes first. It is the vessel which with its appendages formed the throne of God in Israel, the place where His glory dwelt (Ps. 80. 1). From the character of the instruction it is clear that what is immediately in view is the journey from the desert to Canaan. The rings and staves speak of its passage through the wilderness to its place in the purpose of God. From this point of view it connects with our wilderness journey and looks forward to the coming day of glory.

Every Israelite had an interest in the ark, for, carried on the shoulders of the Levites, it took the lead in the desert to find a place for the host of Israel, and as it passed into the bed of the Jordan the waters of the overflowing river rolled back, like the band of John 18. 6 at the presence of Jehovah. "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou west driven back" (Ps. 114: 5). It was thus that a way was made for God's people to pass over.

The diligent reader of Scripture will follow its course from its being carried round Jericho to Shiloh (Joshua 18), and from there to the lamentable time when it was taken by the Philistines, then to Bethshemesh, the house of Abinadab in the hill country, and so on till it was eventually put into the place prepared for it by Solomon (2 Chr. 35: 3), and it will be noted that at all times the majesty of God surrounded it. Its history terminates in mystery, for we hear no more of it after the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.

Let us dwell a little on the beauties of the Lord as presented by the Spirit m this vessel, for it may indeed be said that it is the highest figure of Him in Holy Scripture. Here we are taught something of our Lord Jesus Christ as the One who binds together the moral universe of God, giving effect on the part of God to the counsels of the Godhead. A brief comparison of the three articles which were set in the outer apartment may help to make this clear. In these we learn how He associates His people with Himself in the maintenance of what is suitable to God in (1) worship, (2) true witness, and (3) administration, as seen in the golden altar, the lampstand, and the table.

But inside stood the mystic vessel which gives us Christ absolutely alone in the majesty of His being as the sustainer of all the glory of God. In the Gospels, which may answer to the inner apartment, we have that which is true in Him, but in the Epistles, which give the outer, we have "that which is true in Him and in you." In the former He, "the corn of wheat," stands alone; in the latter, through His glorious redemption, others are brought into blessing for God's glory, and while ever remaining alone in His glory as God, He is also the Firstborn among many brethren.

In the gold and wood the adoring heart sees Deity and humanity. "The Word became flesh." The distance between God and man was bridged by incarnation, though for its complete removal the cross had to come in. God and man are brought together; in One who, being God, could unfold all the deep perfections of His love, while maintaining the claims of His throne, and as perfect man could glorify God in the place of man's responsibility and bruise the serpent's head. With holy reverence we may behold this divine reality. Not a vision, not a phantom, not an apparition, but "Jesus Christ come in flesh" (1 John 4: 2, 3). The mystery of mysteries! The miracle of all miracles! "God manifest in flesh." Can we be surprised at anything in the presence of this; before it holy angels bow, rendering their homage and praise; they are His obedient servants, whether in the day of His sojourn here or in His ascended glory now. But there is reserved for man as redeemed by Him a more exalted note of praise than even they can raise, "the high praises of God" (Ps. 149).

The Tables of Stone.

There were three things in the ark (Heb. 9: 4): the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant. The latter only are in view in our chapter (Ex. 25). Rich and precious as is the instruction connected with the two former things, yet we must note that all the glory of the throne is based upon the tables of the covenant. They spoke of Christ; for all that constitutes the glory of that throne — the being, nature, and character of God, the eternal unchanging principles of His will, as expressed in the tables of stone, find their true and proper resting-place and expression in Christ.

In Psalm 40. the Lord comes into view saying, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea Thy law is within My heart." This is the true answer to the tables of stone in the ark. And when we remember that these same tables are spoken of in 2 Corinthians 3 as a ministration of death we see the infinite moral distance that lay between Christ as man and the whole human race. That which was to man, even under divine culture, a ministration of death, was in Him the delight of His heart and the very sustenance of His being. But the divine thought was to possess the heart of man, and the beautiful moral connection between Christ and His people is shown in Hebrews 10. There the Apostle speaks of the "will of God," in regard to the death of Christ, and in regard to our sanctification. "By the which will we are sanctified," the end in view being, "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them" (Heb. 10: 7, 9, 10, 16). God will have men who in heart and mind shall delight in the law of the Lord. They shall take character from Christ. (See also 2 Cor. 3: 3, where instead of the law it is Christ written in the heart, and also Rom. 8. 4)

The Pot of Manna.

Now the question arises: What special importance attaches to the pot of manna and Aaron's rod that they should also have a place in the ark? The manna was Israel's food, "spiritual food" from heaven, typical of the heavenly grace given of God to sustain His people in their pilgrimage through this wilderness world. It speaks of the life of the Man Christ Jesus. We may fail to appreciate the wonderful grace of that pathway wherein was the perfect combination and exhibition of "every beauteous grace," yet blessed it is to see that God has decreed that it should be treasured up before Him for ever. Psalm 16, given by the Spirit of Christ in David, shows the dependence, obedience, and devotedness of that path, and as it cannot be confined to the days of His ministry it shows the whole course covering the eighteen hidden years not mentioned in the Gospels. Finding His little band of followers among the poor of the people, the subject of angelic ministry, dependent on a poor and sinful woman for a drink. "Foxes had holes and the birds of the air had nests," but He, "the Son of Man, had nowhere to lay His head." Everything bespoke His complete dependence. And if we look for a moment at the other side of His life as brought out by the need of others: He commanded the resources of creation, multiplied the bread to feed His rejectors, readjusted the distorted conditions of humanity so that disease in every variety was displaced.

Add to this that, in His teaching, not only was the whole of the Scriptures open before Him as their Author, but Nature also unfolded to Him her treasures. The various kingdoms of nature contributed (Matt. 13 and Luke 12), the family also (Luke 15) and the unseen world (Luke 16). All this, though it may carry us beyond the thought of manna, furnishes an answer to the question Why was it in the ark 7 A true-living Man, stamping His own heavenly character on all, meets us at every turn, and though He is in changed circumstances, still He remains in His own eternal sameness, and in Him the witness of those thirty-three years shall be perpetuated through all eternity. The hidden manna of Revelation 1: 17 is doubtless an allusion to Christ in this way, and is connected with reward, confidence, and communion.

Aaron's Rod.

Aaron's rod recalls a crisis in the history of the people which necessitated a divine intervention. "Men of renown envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord." They refused in type the priesthood and royalty of Christ and brought on themselves the judgment of God. In the laying-up of the rods and the budding of Aaron's the truth of resurrection as the turning point of all God's ways comes to light. This may account for its being in the ark. It is by resurrection that Christ is marked out Son of God with power, and the priesthood which before stood on expiation, is now established on resurrection, and we learn that God's new creation rests not merely on the blood of Christ but on His glorious resurrection as the firstfruits for God.

The Mercy Seat.

The ark with its contents was covered by the mercy seat which formed a lid, and with it, all one piece, was the cherubim of beaten work called the "cherubim of glory" between which and above the mercy seat sat the cloud of glory, symbol of Jehovah's presence. Everything spoke of glory having for its basis the testimony contained inside the ark. The point in this chapter is evidently the glory of Christ and not the atonement, for this latter we have to go to Leviticus 16, where the blood is put upon the mercy seat. Here it is the meeting place. "There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee." "God was in Christ . . . reconciling the world to Himself," putting Himself in touch with man in Him. What a comment on the Gospels is Hebrews 1 "God . . . spoken in Son." In Him we get the revelation of God. That which no prophet knew of He speaks out. Being in heaven, He could speak of heavenly things.

Nowhere could anything be found to surpass what He unfolds in the Gospel of John (though this may go beyond the type we are considering). He calls His disciples friends in the intimacy of divine love, and makes known the divine communications to them (John 15). But John 17 exceeds all, for there He draws aside the veil and show us what engaged the Father and the Son in the eternal past, then looks ahead and shows the coming display of His own glory, and His people loved by the Father in the same circle of love with Himself. All this anticipates the cross, and just as the mercy seat of Exodus 25 — place of divine communication — had in view the blood-sprinkled mercy seat of Leviticus 16 — place of atonement — so all the heavenly revelations of love and glory which came out during the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ had in view the cross and new creation. Romans 3 is the answer to the blood-sprinkled mercy seat, a risen Saviour has gone in in the rights of redemption, and the eye of faith sees Him even now as the One who bears the glory (Zech. 6: 13). "A Lamb as it had been slain." Wondrous thought! The Saviour, bearing the marks of the conflict is in the centre of the glory. Nor is it in the mercy seat alone that the distinction between incarnation and redemption is seen, it may be traced also in the cherubim.

The Veil.

From Exodus 26: 31 we learn that in the holy veil there were cherubim, and the Spirit of God in Hebrew 10: 20 speaks of this veil as "His flesh" — thus signifying that all that these wondrous mystic figures represent was set forth in the earth life of the Lord Jesus. The cherubim stood in relation to the tables of testimony which formed the basis of God's direct government in Israel, and through them to all the earth. They speak of the activities of the throne, as seen in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4, where the four heads of creation set forth the intelligence, power, stability, and rapidity of the judgment of the throne, or rather of Him who sits thereon. All this awe-inspiring grandeur which shines in the infinite God — set before us here in figures to suit our creature capacity — has been set forth in grace in the Man Christ Jesus.

We may note briefly a few instances of this coming out in the Gospels.

INTELLIGENCE. "Before Philip called thee . . . I saw thee." "But Jesus . . . knew what was in man." "We speak that we do know." (John 1: 48; 2: 24, 25; 3: 11. Also 1 Chr. 28: 9; Jer. 3: 24; 20: 23; Rev. 5: 6.)

POWER and MAJESTY as seen in the lion comes out both in the moral and material spheres. "Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him." "And He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." "Whom seek ye? . . . they went backward, and fell to the ground." "And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. . . and there was a great calm." (Mark 1: 25; John 11: 43; John 18: 4-6; Mark 4: 39; Isa. 40: 28.)

STABILITY. It is in Mark we have the perfect Servant, working long after sunset and away in the morning before daybreak to a solitary place to pray. "He set His face to go to Jerusalem." "I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day." (Mark 1: 32-35; Luke 9: 51; John 9: 4.)

RAPIDITY OF JUDGMENT is seen in the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree (Matt. 21: 12, 13, 19, 20).

All this and much more, which the diligent may trace out, comes out in the life of our Lord here; in Him we see the glory of the throne shine out. "Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.... Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows."

Sonship

Sonship.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 27, 1935, page 110 etc.)

The goodness of God and the sovereignty of His favour to man has come out in Christianity as nowhere else. His gracious dealings with men in other dispensations call for earnest attention and prayerful consideration, but today He is seen in the full blessedness of all that He is in nature and character, having given expression here in time to what engaged the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit, in the timeless scenes of eternity past. It was then, mid scenes of celestial glory and eternal love, a love which is the nature of God, that believers were chosen of God to be before God for God's own pleasure and marked out for a place of association with God's Son in richest bliss for ever (John 17: 5-24: Eph. 1: 4, 5).

This choice for blessing and glory supposes for these a new relationship, namely, that of being made sons of God, the adoption, but the way it is brought to us and the time it comes calls for careful attention. It is brought to us in the Son of God; no less a Person could do this, and it reached us when we were at the lowest point of helplessness and ruin. The height of the blessing can only be seen in the light of the grace that has stooped so low, it is brought to us in the Son but at a time when we had wandered from our created state and place; so that we come not into it directly by creation but by redemption. The counsels of eternity pre-suppose man's creation and even his fall, for known unto God are all His ways from the beginning.

The calling of sonship therefore refers to the new state and place we are brought into by redemption and supposes a previous history as sinners at a distance from God that nothing could lift us from but the grace of God in Christ. That grace does not stop at mere recovery to where we were as created, but carries us into what God had in mind for us before we were created. It is brought to us in the Son of God's love; the blessing is seen in the Blesser and for us it means a new nature, relationship and calling, which has the Father for its source, the Holy Spirit in our souls the immediate cause and the Son Himself its model and expression.

All this dates back to the counsels of eternity which are indeed the outcome of Who God is, and which display God in a Trinity of Holy Beings; Father, Son and Spirit, in eternity past where so to speak the revealed and the unrevealed meet. We are taken back across the ages to eternity, in thought, to contemplate so far as creatures can, the Holy Trinity in the eternal and internal reciprocation of all that is native and proper to the Being of God, in thought, movement, plan and counsel, in the home of love, which is the very being of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There in a glory suitable to such a God, because taking its character and existence from His wondrous Being, lay the counsels, which, after we had fallen and wandered far away, would become operative in the Son in a relationship far beyond our first created state. Whatever may be our conception of the Being of God, infinite and glorious, omnipotent and omniscient, yet we may learn from this, that, at the centre from which all emanates, there beats a heart of eternal love, a love which is powerful and supreme and which makes all these other mighty attributes of Deity the willing and obedient servants of that same LOVE. "GOD IS LOVE."

As sinners living in alienation from God, we must begin with repentance and forgiveness by the gospel of God. This leads on to the sense of deliverance from the power of evil and complete salvation, so that we can be at home with God in the sense of His love and favour. This may be defined as soul history as it speaks of the internal struggle which is passed through in the passage from darkness to the light of God. It is the moral journey from Adam to Christ, in which is apprehended, the transfer from the status of a fallen sinner, to a new creation in Christ before God.

It is clear however that God begins from His own side and from His own height, having in view that we should be "holy and without blame before Himself in love." The whole Trinity is engaged, as we have seen, to bring this about, and the fifteenth of Luke is a beautiful expression of it from the Lord Himself in parabolic form.

The spring and source of all is in the Father's love, but the relationship itself is in the Son. This excludes, in His glorious Person, all thought of generation, offspring or subordination. Such thoughts are not consistent with the co-existence, mutuality and co-equality of that God Who is One yet God all Three. "I and the Father are One," and again, "I am in the Father and the Father is in Me," (John 10: 30; John 14: 10), speak of the relations and intimacies of Godhead, from eternity to eternity, yet spoken in Manhood in time, by the Son. In coming out to reveal, He is Himself what He reveals, and being Man, while still abiding in the unity of Godhead, all the blessed joys and affections proper to the filial relation are His without a break, in the Manhood He took. In this way the communications that belong to the relationship, in its heavenly and eternal blessedness, is brought before us from the Son's own lips, in the seventeenth chapter of John. There, God the Spirit records, through John, the words of the incarnate Son in His prayer to the Father, and as units in the great aggregate that was before Him in that prayer we are privileged to listen and adore and to link ourselves with the home of Divine Love, and the counsels of eternity from which all has come.

The relationship of Son is seen in our Lord in different ways. He is "The Son of Man" though not begotten by man, and "Son of David" though not begotten by David. Character, and not offspring evidently is what we are to learn. Son of God is predicated of our Lord in a three-fold way. 1. Abstract Godhead; the Son in relation to the Father in the unity of the Godhead. 2. Incarnation: the Son of God a Divine Human Person. 3. Resurrection. "Declared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the dead. The first is Godhead and expresses His own place with the Father and the Spirit distinct from the creation. In the second, while eternally Co-Equal by virtue of the hypostatic union, yet, having become Man He is the Son of God, a Divine Human Person. In the third we see Him risen from the dead in His glorified Humanity, with all power in heaven and on earth given to Him, (Matt. 28: 18) all things in His hand, (John 3: 35; John 13: 4) and all put under His feet (Ps. 8: 6; Heb. 2: 8).

1. Sonship before time and in the ages preceding Incarnation.

It might be said that our Lord is never spoken of as Son till He became Man. This would deny the prophetic testimony of Scripture and endanger, not only the truth of His relationship but also the truth of His Godhead. It calls for consideration, however, for it affects both the progress of revelation, and its prophetic and anticipatory scope. We could not, in the progressive line of revelation, have the name of the Person till the Person Himself was revealed. Such a thing would have militated against the testimony of Scripture. It was necessary that the testimony, then, should be, "The LORD our God is One LORD. In the New Testament the Holy Trinity is revealed, and along with that the names distinctive of each Person in the Godhead.

On the other hand it is well-known that we can go back with the light of New Testament revelation, and see certain hints of a Trinity in the Godhead, coming out in the Old Testament in such passages as Gen. 3: 22; Gen. 11: 7; Numbers 6: 23-26, and perhaps also Isaiah 6: 3. If these dim allusions to the plurality of Persons in the Godhead may be gleaned from the Old Testament may we not also see, coming out, some allusion to the Names distinctive of each One. Surely we cannot fail to see the name of the Son both in Isa. 9: 6, and Prov. 30: 4. But besides this if we compare Psalm 45: 6, with Hebrews 1: 8, we get full proof both of the Person and the Son, and His relationship to the Father as such. The Spirit, who inspired the Psalm, brings out its latent fullness in Hebrews, and thus we learn, that, long before Incarnation, the Father addressed the Son as God co-equal. "Unto the Son He saith, 'Thy throne O God is for ever and ever.'" Thus we get N. T. proof that our Lord is Son in eternity and O. T. proof of the same in the ages preceding His becoming Man.

2. The Son of God in Incarnation, the Man Christ Jesus.

In His becoming Man, we pass from Sonship in abstract Deity, to the Son of God a Divine Human Person on the earth. The union in Him of the Divine and Human constitutes Him One glorious but unique Person. Since God, the Eternal, can never be less than God, He remains co-equal with the Father and the Spirit, sharing of the same necessity, in all the mysterious operations of the Godhead; upholding, ruling, controlling, both in the moral and physical orders of creation, while by virtue of Incarnation, He is something which the Father and the Spirit are not, He is Man. It is this that constitutes the mystery of the Person of our Lord. In these other great and glorious Beings of Godhead the One who is Father ever remains such in His own eternal Being, and the Holy Spirit also is eternally the same, but in our Lord we have God set forth in the Son of Man, and Man set forth in the Son of God. One glorious Person Who is both God and Man.

At the beginning of His ministry our Lord was owned by the Father as His beloved Son (Matt. 3: 17). Then immediately afterwards challenged by the devil (Matt. 4: 3) in the words, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Next, He is owned Son of God by the demons (Matt. 8: 29), acknowledged by those in the ship (Matt. 14: 33), and confessed by the Centurion after He had delivered up His Spirit to the Father. Nathaniel confessed Him Son of God (John 1: 49), so also did Martha (John 11: 27), and above all, note the confession of Peter (Matt. 16: 16), which drew forth from the Lord the revelation of His future work in building His Assembly in the resurrection sphere. We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Rom. 5: 11), the Son of God gave Himself for us (Gal. 2: 20), and, in His own Son, God condemned sin in the flesh (Rom. 8: 3, 22).

The Gospels describe our Lord in the mystery of His Person. To faith and affection He may be seen as possessing all things, yet having nowhere to lay His head, there is supreme Majesty, combined with dependance and obedience. He is the Child born, but the Son given (Isa. 8: 20). He clothes the heavens with blackness, and dries up the sea, yet gives His back to the smiters, and His cheek to them that plucked off the hair (Isa. 50: 2-6). When in abstract Godhead, the Son created (Heb. 1: 2) having become Man, He still upholds all things, but by virtue of Manhood He can suffer, serve and obey.

As sons then we can meditate upon the glory of God's own Son He is also called the Son of the Father (2 John 3). We are privileged to know Him, love Him, and adore Him. Heaven owns Him, earth owns Him, and to do so, hell will be compelled. The whole vast arena is necessarily brought in because of who He is. How marvellous that this earth is the centre of the conflict between good and evil. When He spoke of being Son of God who would clear the tomb of all its dead, they took up stones to kill Him. The glory of the Son of God shines forth at the grave of Lazarus (John 11: 4), in His muzzling the storm on the lake (Mark 4: 39), in His walking on the water to meet His distracted disciples, and in numberless other ways, but in spite of all, He was charged with blasphemy, because He said He was the Son of God.

But all this had to come to an end. for He had come down to die. In the days of the flesh He abode alone (John 12: 24). It does not mean that He did not go out and in among men, for this He did; He was alone a sinless spotless Man of a different order from the poor sinful creature He came to save. He did not take flesh to adorn a fallen race, but to go to the cross that the history of man in the flesh might reach its end in death. He laid down flesh and blood, to establish in resurrection an entirely new creation. The true Corn of wheat must die to bring forth fruit, and in this way, surround Himself with a race after His own order in resurrection. On the part of God, His death was a necessity, on the side of Man it was called for in the way of relief, both are perfectly met because of Who He is, the Son of God in Manhood.

It is most remarkable how the power of evil seems to come into close co-operation here, with the working out of the will of God. Such was the malevolence of the combined forces of evil, that short of His death they could not stop. Heaven claimed that He should die; earth needed that death as a means of deliverance from sin and the judgment of God, and hell demanded it on account of hatred to all that is of God. And so all combined, however different the motive, to bring to an end that wondrous life of devotedness to God, which shed its heavenly lustre on all around. It was not the death of God for that could not be, nor was it the death of a mere man for that could not avail; it was the death of One who is both God and Man. Nothing less would meet the claims of God with regard to our state, and nothing more was needed because of who He is. Sin has been condemned! in His Person, and removed in His death, and now He is seen, in the potential power of life, in a new state; having left behind in death that state to which sin is in us attached. Before the cross He stood in the condition He had taken in view of death that sin might be dealt with in Him. The desire of divine love was that His banished might be brought back (2 Sam. 14: 14), so the Son becomes the sin-bearer in all its full dread reality though, indeed, He never could be more precious to the Father and the Spirit than at that moment He bears God's judgment, meets man's need, and submits to the power of evil, down to death itself. In this way God is declared in love, man is met in his need, and the forces of evil are defeated, in a victory which abides to all eternity.

Such was the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and such is its efficacy that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, shall be adored for evermore. We can think of that death as the vindication of God's glory in the assertion of His rights and the recovery of His place in the heart of the creature, and His authority as moral Governor of the universe; but in a richer and deeper sense the death of our Lord Jesus Christ has so covered the Being, Throne and Majesty of God with glory as not only to meet all the effects of sin in every part of the creation, but to lay a basis for the bringing into effect all that was in His heart before sin came in.

3. The Son of God in resurrection. Resurrection may be spoken of as a great key truth of the New Testament. It is closely linked with the truth of the Lord's Person. He is marked out Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1: 4). This passage calls for careful consideration. God's gospel is concerning His Son, it unfolds the fulness of His unique Person, the Son become Man. Next, the Scripture opens out to show both the Divine and human in Him. Come of David's seed shows His humanity, marked out Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, His Divinity. The first statement is to show who He is, the next two statements declare the Divine and the human in Him. We cannot understand the working out of the ways of God in the whole mediatorial order apart from this, every official position He fills hangs upon it. In abstract Godhead He creates but becoming Man he redeems, then follows His place as Reconciler, Head of the body, the church, and Head of all principalities and powers (Col. 1: 13, 14, 16, 18, 20-21). The Son of God the risen Man builds His Assembly (Matt. 16-18), and is supreme in administrative authority in the House of God (Heb. 3: 6). Lordship, Headship, Priesthood, everything right down to the execution of all judgment are His. It is because the Son has become the Son of Man that all judgment is committed unto Him (John 5: 22, 27).

There are certain operations of our risen Lord where Godhead is prominent and others where we see plainly demonstrated that He is true Man. This calls for careful attention. As revealer He acts on the part of God manward: only a Divine Person could do this. On the side of our approach, He is on man's part Godward, the risen glorified Man.

These two great thoughts might be followed out with profit, as showing the characteristic difference between certain New Testament Epistles. The one to the Colossians shines with the glory of God the Son, while Ephesians unfolds His glory as the risen Man, both thoughts centering in the same blessed Person. In the former it is the Son, in eternal dignity, as Creator, going on to give all the weight of what He is to the work of the cross, and as the Head of the body, linking up the church with Himself in the vast scheme of reconciliation (Col. 1: 16-20). In the latter it is the one Man under whom God has put all things in heaven and earth: the same, Who, having descended, has now ascended far up above all heavens, that He might fill all things. In Colossians the Creator Son is Redeemer, the latter bringing in His Manhood. In Ephesians the glorious Man fills all things, which brings in His Godhead.

This beautiful combination is seen from another point of view in the Epistle to the Hebrews. May we follow with deep adoration, apart from all thought of speculation, dissecting, or prying into the unrevealed. There the heavenly calling is set forth as including a new Priest (Heb. 5), a new inheritance (Heb. 6), a new law (Heb. 7), a new covenant (Heb. 8), a new Sanctuary (Heb. 9), and a new company of worshippers (Heb. 10), but before these things are mentioned all is introduced by the Gods head and Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Heb. 1, the Son Who created has made purgation for sins, for this He had to take flesh and blood (Heb. 2: 14). This brought Him down past angels, but now, having accomplished His miss sign, He is seen in the centre of the glory, having carried Manhood, in Himself, to the right hand of God.

It will thus be seen that apart from the union in our Lord of the Divine and human we could have nothing. No Atonement, and hence no salvation; no Saviour for sinners, and hence no escape from the eternal consequences of our sins and sinful condition. By His becoming Man, God and Man are brought together in one glorious Personality — not transformation but Incarnation which is the crowning miracle of eternity. By it, the eternal Son came into time in view of going down into death itself, thus becoming in Himself the fulfiller of every promise, type, shadow and prophecy, that came out in the ways of God in the Old Testament, and going beyond everything to the accomplishment of the counsels of eternity.

We are now to consider the way in which man is brought into this relationship with God. God's counsels had marked out a company for association with the Son by adoption. The fulfilment of these counsels was comparatively late, hence the order of divine operations must be carefully noted. Man's creation, the permission of the fall, with the protracted period of divine dealings, in Providence, Grace and Government had to run their courses. Created beings have, of necessity, to be tested, and this explains the riddle of divine dealings, during the ages preceding the coming of the Son. The Son of God appeared at the end of these ages, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Heb. 9: 26). His rejection, and death, completed the story of man's broken down responsibility, and in this way, all the grace and goodness of God, seen in the times of Prophets, Priests and Kings, in His marvellous forbearance with men, was sinned away. This brought the Son which concluded the story, and the creature's worst and darkest crime, was seen at Golgotha's hill. Thank God, all have been foreseen long before. In promise, type and shadow, the death of our Lord Jesus Christ was fore-shown in the Old Testament, on the side of man's need, as well as of his guilt. (See Lev. 1 to 7, and compare Gen. 37 to 45).

It was just at the moment when the creature had reached his lowest point that the pent up fulness of God's love broke forth. Instead of coming forth in judgment on the murderers of His Son, the very best of all that He is. comes out by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. By the bearing of sin's judgment, a basis had been laid for the perfect settlement of all moral questions, and the sin-Bearer came forth from the dead in a new state, the beginning of a new creation into which neither sin nor death, can ever enter.

Note carefully the meaning of resurrection. We can conceive it to be a return to the life before lived, as in the case of Lazarus. The condition of life in which our Lord rose from the dead was different altogether from that which He laid down in death, although, in Him, that flesh and blood condition was perfect. His resurrection takes us back across the ages to the plan of eternity. The attempt to briny beck our Lord to the life of flesh and blood, constitutes the great failure of Evangelic Christendom today. "Beware that thou bring not my son thither again" was said of the typically risen man. (Gen. 26: 6). The Son had been marked out for glory, constituted Heir of all things; in the volume of the book, namely, the decree of eternity, all have been written. Since this had to be reached by redemption we can see the necessity for His taking flesh and blood, but the order of Manhood that abides for eternity is a new creation. This He reached not merely, by the Virgin's womb, but by the travail of the cross, and His glorious resurrection, which was the birth of a new creation. (See John 16: 21 to 22).

To tarry a moment on this should call for no apology, for the cross is God's final reckoning with this world.

There, the history of man in his responsibility is brought to an end. It may be said how can this be so when we see man in his sinful condition before our eye to this very day? The answer is that moral questions are not affected by time. As God passed over the sins of men in view of the cross, during the ages preceding it, (Rom. 3: 25. margin). and dealt with the fallen race. though in a condition that was irretrievable, so He does in the ages which follow in the working out of His own ways relative to His nature and character as moral Governor of the creation. His doing this fits in beautifully with the great truth that in the death of Christ every question of creature responsibility was settled for eternity. The new creation is so definitely in view in Ephesians that God passes over the first man's world and its history and begins by raising Christ from the dead, and opening out the scene of glory, which has Christ the risen One as its head, and Centre. It may be said that the last three chapters, which are the practical part of the Epistle have the time scene in view. It is there that those who are brought by faith into a new creation in Christ Jesus as belonging to the first three chapters of the same Epistle, fill in the remains of their responsible life in connection with the testimony of God in His world.

By apprehending the above, we see the resurrection of our Lord as the dawn of another world, the doorway from the Adamic order of life into the eternal order. We are brought into it, as having been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1: 4) and in this way, to use the words of another, "We belong in the counsels of God to a system set up by Him in Christ before the world existed, which is not of the world when it does exist and exists after the fashion of this world has passed away for ever."

Turning to the bearing of this upon ourselves, we come at once to the place and work of the Holy Spirit. In the working out of divine counsels His is the subjective side. While it is true that we come ins to it by faith in Christ Jesus, on the divine side it is by adoption. As children of God we are begotten by God, but as sons we are adopted. This shows a clear distinction between the blessing of children and falling of sons. The former is indeed sweetest of all, as giving the birth tie, and strewing a new beginning, a new generation in this world formed in the divine nature; the latter gives the dignity of the new place and calling, but implying that past history which necessitated the cross. It connects with the Father and the Son in a new life death cannot touch. We have entered a new chapter in our history, which connects us with heaven and eternity, and knows no end, wherein we have imparted to us a sympathy in every interest of heaven, and a susceptibility to every divine touch, and which binds us to the testimony of God in this world for the rest of our life in flesh and blood.

This complex position the Lord had before Him with His own, the last night before He suffered. (John. 13 to 17). At glance at this will show the perfect way He took to lift them not only from the hopes, joys and sorrows of nature and the time scene, but to transfer them in thought from Judaism and the earthly system, with its Messianic connection, by linking them up with Himself and the Father in the new heavenly order where eternal thoughts and purposes come to light.

"Part with Me" is the ruling idea in this section of the Gospel. It anticipates what came out of the message sent through Mary later. (John 20: 17). Between chapters seventeen and twenty all the requirements of God concerning the state of His people, had been met in His death. All being met, the new thing comes out. "Go to My brethren end say unto them I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." He had said to them before He suffered, "Ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again, and your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (John 16: 22). This wondrous relationship with Him and the Father is confirmed, and enjoyed in the Assembly, for in John 20, the risen One comes among them saying; "Peace unto you." In this way Hebrews 2: 12 is antedated, where He now declares the Father's name and leads the brethren's praise, while all is linked together with the prophetic statement of Psalm 22.

It is not difficult to see that the words — "Part with Me" are intended to convey the thought of association with Himself, in the glory system beyond death. The mystical bearing of the feet-washing shows how He would maintain His own unrivalled claim on our affections by ministering to us from heaven in such a way as to keep up the sense in our souls of our place with Him there in the joy of the Father's love. Having gone to prepare a place for them He will come again and receive them to Himself, but counting on their affections that He is indispensable to them He would during the interval come to them. (John 14: 18). Meantime, He bequeaths to them, and may we says ourselves, all that is His. "My" peace, (John 14: 27). My love, (John 15: 9. John 17: 26). My joy (John 15: 11). and the glory (John 17: 21), and to crown all, the Spirit would be with them and: in them, that they might be conscious of His company in all the requirements of the testimony.

All was to be carried on with a feeling of holy intimacy, and a sense of the favour that makes us trustworthy; He brings us into the intimacy of friends and unfolds the secret of His own and the Father's heart, and then goes on to show that we are the objects of the Father's affection (John 16: 27) because we have trusted in His Son.

This leads to the innermost circle of all where we are permitted with holy reverence, to listen to the communings in time of the Son with the Father concerning the interest of the Godhead from eternity to eternity; in all that which concerns the Holy Trinity from that eternal past where creature thought must stop, right on through time's all-changing flight to an eternity of bliss where God shall be known, unveiled in the Son in all that He is and does, in endless glory and satisfied bliss. What grandeur of glory is here? "If the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed." We are introduced, as it were, by the Son into the counsel chamber of eternity to hear words which speak of the love and glory proper to Godhead in His holy being and nature; and as linking us up with Itself in the revelation now brought to light by the unveiling of the counsels of eternity. Surely we find ourselves here in the place of sons with holy liberty attaching to it and which, so to speak, is its life, with the plenitude of holy communications which feeds the affections, moulds the will, and bows the whole being down with richest praise and adoration. When we reflect that all this came out from our Lord in almost the same hour as that prayer and agony which drew forth the sweat of blood, (Luke 22: 44) and within a few short hours of the abandonment of the cross, what can we do but adore.

Holy Peerless SON OF GOD how great and glorious Thou art, surpassing all our creature thought. When we think of Thy love, and the place it led Thee to for us, we can but wonder, worship and adore. Soon, at the centre of the vest creation of God Thou shalt have full praise, when everything, animate and inanimate, shall unite to give Thee Thy dues in God the Father's ear, and when, with Thee, that glorious company of sons which Thou art not ashamed to call brethren shall worship God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for evermore.

In full accord with all we have seen, the Spirit unfolds through Paul in the Epistle to the Ephesians the counsels of God, and the new creation. The link is given in the message to the disciples (John 20: 17). He spoke there of "My Father and your Father, My God and your God," and in this Epistle we get two remarkable prayers, one to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and the other to His Father, now through grace, become our God and Father. Could words be found to show more clearly the difference of His Person, and relationship with the Father and ours who, by grace, come in by adoption. Never once did He say, our Father, as including Himself with them. God is leading many sons to glory, and for that He gave "His own Son." The message which reveals the new relationship which is founded upon His death, and gives association with Himself in life, and nature, maintains at the same time, His own proper place with the Father, in words which put the matter beyond the region of dispute.

The suitability of the Lord's words to the overcomer in the Philadelphian church as fitting in with His message in John 20 and with the two Ephesian Prayers will not be questioned. "He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name" (Rev. 3: 12). How sweetly does He repeat the words "My God." Once only, in the history of Time had these words been duplicated by Him, and well we know that that was in the hour which must stand alone for ever, in that same history.

Looking for a moment at the two prayers in the Ephesian Epistle, they seem to cover the whole ground of divine counsel, concerning the Assembly. It may be best to take each in its setting in the chapter in which it appears. Ephesian 1 opens with the counsels of God, and closes with Christ the exalted Man, Head over all things to the Church which is His body. The closing words touch the truth of the mystery which is the outstanding feature of Paul's ministry and joins with the truth of Ephesian 3 and the prayer there.

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1: 17) is the Father of glory, the origin and source of all that is morally excellent. The desire is that the saints might get the full knowledge of Him in a three-fold way, namely; that we may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power which he wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. The hope of His calling refers to the consummation in glory when sons shall be at home with the Son in the unbroken joy of the Father's love forever. The riches of the glory of His inheritance is the vast scene of glory which is for God and which He takes up in and by the Assembly. Our inheritance is contingent on our calling as sons and is given in v. 10 and 14. It connects with the first petition and speaks of the day of display when all that is proper to sonship will be ours to enjoy with Himself for ever. God's inheritance is that world of bliss which is filled by the many families, but taken up in the sons which are His own workmanship created in Christ Jesus; that company which, indeed, will be His eternal dwelling place (Rev. 21: 3: Eph. 3: 21). It greatly helps to take the first petition of the prayer along with v. 3-8, the second with v. 11-14, and the third with v. 20-23.

What a blaze of glory is here and what marvels concerning the Son of God's love. Do not let us forget that the counsels of God centre in the Son; it is because of this that we are brought in, but if we are brought in it at all it is to nothing less than sharing with Himself all that He has won. The prayer gives what is necessarily eternal, but stops at the glorious kingdom display. The points of it are the calling, the inheritance and the power that operates in the new creation. God is its theme, Christ and His glory are the objective, and for this we are brought in. All is closely linked with the truth of the House of God. The saints are God's workmanship, He dwells in His sons: they are His household, to set forth the honour and glory of their God.

Ephesians 2, shows God's house as the resting place of the glory, the centre from which His testimony of life and blessing emanates. There are salvation (v. 8) made nigh by the blood (13), the new man (15), reconciliation and the body of Christ (16), access (18), and citizenship (19) these necessitate the House of God, set up to be the depositary of every blessed feature of the divine system. From this springs the parenthesis of Ephesians 3. The spirit lays hold of one of the main items of truth from Ephesians 2; namely, the body of Christ (see Ephesians 2: 16), and dwells on the great truth of Christ and the Assembly, as the mystery which had been hid in God, but was now made known, and which as we have said, is the outstanding feature of Paul's ministry.

In Ephesians 3, the place of the Assembly is strewn in relation to the creation. God created all things by Jesus Christ to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God." The tremendous greatness of all this puts the Apostle on his knees to pray to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1 the prayer was in three great petitions, to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, here it is to His Father; there it was that we might know certain things; here it is that the Christ, who is the Centre of it all, might dwell within us. Here one great thought suggests another, or in other words, one great thing rises out of another till we reach the grand climax of being filled into all the fulness of God.

We do not dwell further on this. The link between sonship and the truth of the body of Christ, consists in the way eternal counsel has designed, that God should have a bride for His Son, and that those He has marked out for companionship with Him as sons, should be the company which form His body and bride to come out with Him in His splendour in the day of displayed glory. This shows what the saints are to God the Father in the calling of sonship, and what they are to Christ the risen Man in fulness of life. In the former we are associated with God's Son, He the Firstborn, we His companions, the company He is not ashamed to call brethren; all being the work of the Holy Spirit, who is here to glorify the Father and the Son. If comparisons may be permitted in such an exalted sphere of blessing, the filial place must be first; the bride of Christ is for the display of Himself in that day of wondrous glory, when she is seen as "a bride adorned in holy splendour"; but what the saints are to the Father, as companions of His glorious Son, carries us, in thought, beyond the possibility of display to the inner circle of holy love, and the intimacies of the Father and the Son, as filled with the Spirit for ever.

The above may be beautifully amplified in the practical part of this epistle (Ephesians). Note the double bearing of the practical life in testimony and conflict. Passing over Ephesians 4 where the saints are seen as God's House we reach in Ephesians 5 the highest character of practice ever set before a creature. And just as the relationship is twofold so also is the bearing of the moral obligation. "Be ye imitators of God" concerns our conduct as sons with the Father but in Ephesians 6 we are to stand before the enemy, clad in the whole armour of God, as being set for the maintenance of the rights of Christ here.

"Be ye imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love" reminds us of the closing paragraph of Matt. 5 where we are to come out like our Father, by loving our enemies, and praying for them which despitefully use, and persecute us. Here we are exhorted to walk in love, and further down to walk in light (Eph. 5: 1, 2, 8). The two words "Love" and "Light" are given by the Spirit as expressing who God is (1 John 1: 5 and 1 John 4: 8, 16). Being brought before God for His pleasure, we take on the impress of Himself in such a way, that we come out here through grace the moral reflex of Himself.

Who can estimate the greatness of the privilege seen in all this? The blessed God would set Himself before the creation, men and angels in the beauty of His Being in Love and Light but deigns to do it in His saints. That we may be capable for it He has suited us morally for Himself by associating us with His Son in the calling, nature and acceptance of the Son. Being made at home. in this so that the feelings, tastes, joys and delights proper to such a relationship are ours now; we can, through grace, in the very place where our Lord was cast out and crucified, set forth the nature and character of God.

The other aspect of moral obligation comes out as we have said in Ephesians 6. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon to assert His rights with an helmet of salvation upon His head; and wearing the garments of vengeance for clothing, and clad with zeal as a cloak (Isa. 59: 17). Before He comes, He puts His own into His place here to meet the enemy clothed in the whole armour of God (Eph. 6: 10-20). The whole vast inheritance is His both by Creatorial and Redemption rights. These rights are refused and faith and affection are permitted, however weak, to stand for them till He comes again.

"Our struggle is not," says the Apostle, "against blood and flesh, but against principalities, against spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenlies" (Eph. 6: 12). These hostile powers are at work today in the Christian profession and there can be no quarter given. Joshua fought not for supremacy only but for the complete extermination of the foe, and that conflict in the land was the fore-shadowing of what is ours under the Captain of the Lord's host today. May the Lord raise up men for this, "able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, men whose faces are like the face of a lion, and are as swift as roes upon the mountains" (Ex. 18: 21, and 1 Chr. 12: 8).

May we remember that we are dealing with the high and holy things of our God, "the precious things of heaven," at the moment when the coming of our Lord is just at hand, and when alas there is but little heart for such things, as indeed is evidenced among those to whom much has been given. Yet there are, thank God, many hearts that beat true to the Lord at this moment. May the spirit of grace and of supplication be upon His people that God our Father may be praised according to His name and the revelation of Himself, and bridal affections be stirred up in all our hearts in view of meeting Him to Whom we owe our all for time and eternity.

"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).

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

The Surpassing Glory of the Cross

The Surpassing Glory of the Cross.

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Grace and Truth magazine, July 1989.)

Sin had deluged God's fair creation with suffering, sorrow and woe. It was antagonistic, rebellious and set to dethrone God (see Isa. 14). It must be punished! Christ the Son of God becomes the victim, and God in all His claims is perfectly met.

But — and here we reach the greatness of His glory — the payment exceeded the demand. So when wrath is borne and justice satisfied, there yet remains an excess which is the eternal guarantee of glory. In holy submission Christ became the willing victim and met every claim, but in the same act He offered Himself without spot to God. Being accepted, He was so morally excellent as to fill God's heart with delight. As the sin offering Christ met the obligation which would have eternally condemned the sinner; as the burnt offering He supplied a basis for filling creation with the glory of God.

THE GLORY OF OPENED HEAVENS

The sacrifice of Christ added lustre to all God's time-ways, showing their necessity, their perfection, and their place in the whole plan of divine dealings. it opened heaven with all its resources to men and supplied the key to open up the secrets of revelation. It provided the power to deal with moral questions, unravel every tangle, solve every problem and explain all mysteries. As the centre of the dispensations, it turns chaos to cosmos and glorifies all of creation.

THE GLORY OF GOD'S LOVE

But it is still beyond all this. It has displayed God to the Spirittaught heart as a God who is love. While maintaining the majesty, integrity and honour of His character in the condemnation of sin, it made room for the sinner — so that God might have His creature in right relation with Himself in a condition beyond the possibility of breakdown.

THE GLORY OF SIN PUT AWAY

Needless to say, our God is ever-glorious, but since sin had invaded His glorious realm, the work that put sin away brought in another glory; something infinitely greater than the original state of sinlessness could have been. It has filled the heart of God with delight. It has covered His Name and character with a lustre which never could have been conceived. It motivates creation to give universal and never-ending praise.

THE RESPONSE OF A WORSHIPPING HEART

Oh, the depth of it, the wonder of it, the magnitude and the grandeur of it! Speechless, fathomless and wonderless, it stands in a dignity all its own. Time cannot tarnish it nor evil diminish it. Passing creature capacity, it yet supplies a continual theme for meditation and an endless cause for praise. God alone can comprehend its worth; and by it He works out all the counsel of His will.

Holy Lord Jesus, what can we say? We worship and adore. We see Thee there, the centre of ignominy and shame, the target for all the accumulated malice of apostate creation. We see Thee beyond that as a suffering Victim bearing God's judgment. We worship, we wonder, we gaze, and adore.

But beyond all that, we see Thee in Thine excellence exhausting the judgment and clearing the ground of everything offensive that Thou mightest fill all things, yea fill all things with God. It amazes, it entrances, and we are left in motionless and speechless adoration of the wonders of Thy death. It is beyond us, but in measureless grace, Thou dost give us to share with Thee in its results. It has put us — yea, the whole creation — under a debt which never shall be paid.

What shall it be to Thee when Thou shalt have Thine own with Thee as the travail of Thy soul? When Thou shalt see and hear circle upon circle of intelligences, and family beyond family of redeemed ones filling the universe with Thy praise? When through creation's vaults Thy Name, Thy fame, Thy worth, and splendour shall echo and re-echo till eternity itself can find room for nothing more? Then, not only moral intelligences, but the mute and inanimate shall join harmoniously to swell the strain and give to Thee Thy rightful place.

It reminds us of nature's sympathy in the hour of Thy distress when the sun was hid at midday and the rocks were rent; when creation adorned itself in sackcloth as befitting the solemnity of the hour. But now, sorrow has given place to joy, distress and mourning to delight and ecstasy. Instead of groaning, creation basks in the sunshine of eternal life. THEN, blessed Lord, Thou shalt have a worthy answer to all Thy deep distress.

The Workings of the Holy Spirit

The Workings of the Holy Spirit.

J. McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 36, 1948-50, page 273.)

The full blaze of the Lord's glory could not be manifested while He was on earth. A glimpse of it was seen both by Peter and Thomas (Matt. 16: 16; John 20: 28), but how could the disciples, or even those in the home at Nazareth, have lived had they known that the eternal God was amongst them in that lowly One? It began to come out immediately after the Spirit had come. Speaking of the Pentecostal gift, the Lord had said, "When the Comforter is come . . . He shall testify of Me," and again, "He shall glorify Me" (John 15: 26; John 16: 14).

This immediately began to be fulfilled in the new-born assembly, as the early chapters of Acts reveal. The One whom ye crucified, says Peter, God has made both Lord and Christ. Then the Apostles show from the Scriptures, which as illuminated by the Spirit, they can now use with holy freedom, that He is the King, the Son of David, the Prophet greater than Moses, the Priest greater than Aaron, till in Acts 7 Stephen beholds Him in glory as the Son of Man.

There is progress in all this, bespeaking the official and mediatory glory of our Lord, yet immediately Saul of Tarsus was converted he began to preach Him as the Son of God. This is personal and shows His place with the Father and the Spirit. The assembly had been constituted as the vessel formed by the Spirit to contain and carry on these things. This involves for the believer the transfer, in his soul's consciousness, from what he is in the flesh and in nature to what he is "in Christ."

That the Gospel embraces a racial question is made clear by the way the Spirit goes back to Adam in Romans 5. The death of Christ is the divinely ordered way out of all our ruined state as in Adam, and a new creation began in the resurrection of our Lord. Both the life and the relationship and the associations belonging to that life, come out in John 20: 17 and 22. As a moral being, placed in the conflict between good and evil, man cannot be lifted out of one world into another as a mere material object. Time and growth is called for, linked with the inner springs of the soul. It is a most searching process, reaching to the deepest depths of our being.

That this might be simplified for us, the Apostle Paul is led to show it as personified in himself. On the one hand he could say that concerning the law he was blameless, but on the other hand he had to learn that the sting of the law was in its tail, and that the last of the ten commandments claimed him, so that he had to say, "Sin revived, and I died." That really is the way we must all go if we are to participate in the blessedness of the new creation. If a man must be born again, it proves that all that precedes in our natural state is of no avail for God. Education, reformation, refinement, or whatever else may be named, all are ruled out, and man as born into this world, with the heritage of a fallen nature, called in Scripture, "the flesh," is incapable of pleasing God. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." What then? Christ as our Substitute has died, and if we accept His death as ours all becomes clear and we come out of the dark tunnel of introspection into the light of being in the risen life of our Lord. It should be noted that no mere mental acquisition of these things will do: having the light of deliverance apart from the deep soul-searching that it involves is the cause of much of the superficiality and unreality that is so manifest today.

When this important landmark in the history of a soul is reached the individual becomes conscious that he has a new spiritual being and he begins a new spiritual history. Though still in the body, where still sin resides, he knows that in the eye of God he has made the journey from Adam to Christ; he knows what it is to be "a man in Christ," so that he traces up his spiritual pedigree to Him as his Head in heaven. How perfect and admirable are the ways of our God! Oh, what a change it would bring about in the lives of countless multitudes if this transfer was accepted.

We are now intelligently on the ground of the purpose of God, and able to enter into and enjoy the precious and heavenly things that belong to this new order. There is not only our individual blessing but also that which is collective, as embracing family affairs. The saints are the assembly of God, and they are living stones in a spiritual house, the house of God where heavenly treasures are found.

Here again we may be enriched by "the revenues of the ages," for in the typical house we read of treasures, both the dedicated things and that which was taken as the spoils of war. (See 1 Chr. 26: 20-28). We may take the spoils of victory, which were found there, as typical of the way in which the whole circle of truth is available for us today, much of it having been won by men of God through many a conflict. The energy of Luther and many others may be recalled, as well as the labours and conflicts of men used in the recovery of truth well over a century ago.

But there were also the dedicated things and these we may take as typical of such spiritual realities as we have recorded in Ephesians 2. Here all is the fruit of Divine workmanship, for both Jew and Gentile are made one in a new economy of grace and glory with the middle wall of partition broken down. The distance is gone, and now there is the intimacy of nearness in Christ Jesus, and all is righteously established in His shed blood. Next comes the new man, followed by the truth of the body of Christ, in the full light of reconciliation. Then crowning it all, and in the light of the Holy Trinity, we have through the Lord Jesus access to the Father by the Spirit. And there is still more, for the saints are seen as the household of God, as a growing temple, and last of all as a habitation for God by the Spirit. Here surely we are in the midst of the accumulated treasures of God's house.

How infinitely blessed is all this! Surely Christianity is a faith system and above all our senses, for God has by His Spirit revealed to those that love Him things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard, and that have not entered into the heart of man. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is God, "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (1 Cor. 2: 9-12).

From the group of things, mentioned in Ephesians 2, the Spirit takes the church as the body of Christ and dwells on it in a long parenthesis, which occupies the whole of chapter 3. The mystery, or secret of God, which was hidden throughout the ages, includes Christ and His church, but it is now revealed to His holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This secret made known to faith, which has been spoken of as "the masterpiece of God," is defined in verse 6, "that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ;" and the way into it is "by the Gospel."

The wealth of that Gospel shines in verse 8 — "the unsearchable riches of Christ." The administration of the mystery comes next, and here we see its connection with the heart and purpose of God from all eternity, for it is "to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God."

In these closing days there has been a ministry of the place of the church as the house of God and the body of Christ, which has brought blessing to many. The house is where God dwells and where His voice is heard, as we see in Acts 5: 3, 4; Acts 13: 2; 1 Timothy 4: 1; Ephesians 2: 22. It is where God rests, and consequently salvation and blessing are found there, along with the holy joy that belongs to the place, as we have prophetically announced in Psalm 132: 13-16. In the New Testament we find it to be marked by both elevation and illumination, for, "The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it . . . the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof " (Rev. 21: 22, 23). Truly it is the place,

"Where all His brightness God displays,

And the Lamb's glories dwell."

Our Lord said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." If we read Scripture in this way we shall not think of God's present house otherwise than as a living structure, composed of the saints who form Christ's assembly. It was formed by the Holy Spirit for God Himself, and will be His dwelling-place to eternity. In it shall be glory to God by Christ Jesus to all eternity, as we see in Ephesians 3: 21.

Nothing more clearly shows the sovereignty of God and His predilection for man, as distinct from all other of His creatures, than the fact that He dwells with and in man. It was ever His desire, but the entrance of sin, and the conflict between good and evil, was allowed to hinder. But even this He has overruled to accomplish His great end, by the redemption wrought out by His Son. God Himself is the Architect of this house; Christ is the Builder; the Holy Spirit we may with reverence liken to Cement, for He binds all together. Redeemed men are the material; Christ being formed in them, they are living stones. They were given to the Son by the Father in past eternal ages, and He presents them in His own acceptance with the Father, and in His own relationship as sons.

With this in view we are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, and made holy and without blame in love before God, and all this for His own pleasure. Truly then the house of God is a great and blessed reality. The reason perhaps why it is not better understood and enjoyed is our tendency to materialism. But when Scripture speaks of "the house of Israel," or "the house of David," we think immediately not of a material building or fine furniture but of living people. So ought we to think of the house of God.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer is a truth commonly acknowledged, but often it is but little understood how we are transferred from Adam to Christ, so that created anew we are united to Christ and linked up with that world of glory of which He is the Head and Centre. We belong to a new race forming the family of God, and as His household are to be representative of Him in this world; but how could this be if we did not know Him?

God's presence is our home, and we are taken there with a nature and relationship suited to Him. Thus we have fellowship with the Father and the Son in the holy intimacy that belongs to the Divine nature the blessedness of which is beyond words to describe.

"O boundless grace! that fills with joy

Unmingled all that enter there,

God's nature, love without alloy,

Our hearts are given even now to share."

Notes on Matthew's Gospel

Notes on Matthew's Gospel.

James McBroom.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 18, 1926, page 228 to Vol. 28, 1936.)

1. From Birth to Baptism.

2. The Temptation of our Lord.

3. The Master's Words.

The Fame of Jesus - Matthew 8 and 9.

Matthew 9.

Matthew 10

Matthew 11

Matthew 12

Matthew 13

Matthew 14 and Matthew 15

Matthew 16

Matthew 17

Matthew 18

Matthew 19

The Entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew 21, Matthew 22.

Matthew 22.

Matthew 22 and Matthew 23.

Matthew 24, Matthew 25.

No. 1. From Birth to Baptism.

In the Gospel of Matthew there are recorded some of our Lord's longest discourses. The first of these (Matt. 5-7) fills a peculiar place. We would endeavour to lay before the reader the teaching of that discourse in its moral order and note at the same time the dispensational setting of it, and to whom the Speaker addresses Himself. But we must first learn something of the Teacher; whence He came, what are His credentials, and wherein lies His right to a kingdom.

"Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." Two of the greatest names in the nation's history are here brought together and linked with His, who is the first and the last. He is the true Solomon who will bring in righteousness and peace: but as all must be brought to pass on the ground of death, He is the true Isaac who in resurrection will bring in everlasting delight.

Forty-two generations are given from Abraham to the Messiah which are divided into three groups of fourteen. The first of these bridges the history from Gen. 12 to the Books of Samuel. There we get a full account of the origin and development of that people in whose history the being and character of God are remarkably displayed. We are taken through the Patriarchal age to the day of David the king. He is the great figure in the day of the nation's prosperity and the outstanding type of Him in whom all the nation's hopes centre.

The second part covers the decline and fall of Israel. It began in her brightest day and extends to the waning of her glory and ends with the break up of the kingdom in the time of Zedekiah. The splendour of Solomon's reign was the brightest point in the nation's history. His father had made the name of Israel to be feared and respected everywhere. Then the decline set in, and kingdom glory gave way to prophetic testimony, when men like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, etc., etc. — the grandest figures in history — did their service. The sons of Aaron fulfilled their courses also in putting incense before Jehovah and whole burnt-offerings upon His altar. But, alas! Israel's conduct went from bad to worse, until all had to go. The period which had begun with such rich promise in the building of the Temple, finished with its destruction, and along with it the break up of the kingdom, and Lo-ammi, "not My people," written upon the nation.

Of the third part of the history indicated in these genealogies, little is recorded on the pages of inspiration. God graciously opened the way for the return of a remnant of the people through Cyrus, the Gentile monarch, and a bright picture of revival is seen in their return to the city, temple, and worship of Jehovah. But in process of time all tended to failure, and we learn from the prophets of that period that, however faithful the remnant might be that was maintained, the nation itself was made to pass through the hands of both Persia and Greece, until when the New Testament opens it is found under the iron yoke of Rome.

In verses 18-25, mystery, dignity, simplicity, and beauty are combined. At a time when the House of David had sunk into obscurity and poverty, Heaven began to move in relation to the promises. If on the inner and most sacred side all manner of profane scrutiny is forbidden, the surroundings on the other are spread out in such a way that the heart is held under their influence in worship and adoration. The stable and the manger are lighted with a glory far surpassing thought, and exalted for all time beyond the most princely palace. The Eternal One had become Man and is here presented as the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham. He did not come in the splendour of Solomon, nor with myriads of Seraphic beings in His train. He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant; He came to serve.

It is interesting to see that where Christ is presented definitely in relation to Israel, Gentiles are the first to seek Him. There is a contrast to this in Luke's Gospel. He is presented there as Son of Man in relation to the human race, but the first two chapters present a beautiful picture of the faithful remnant of the Jews. Ruth and Rahab, two of the four women named in the genealogy in this Gospel, were Gentiles, and in Luke 2 certain Gentiles from the East come seeking Him who is born King of the Jews.

Heaven and earth were brought together in the birth of Christ in view of the accomplishment of Divine purpose and the fulfilment of the Scriptures, but the lower regions were active at that moment as well. Ps. 40: 6-8; Heb. 10: 5-9, with John 1: 14, record the movements in the eternal world, while Luke and Matthew present the earthward side. The harmony of the higher intelligences is voiced in Luke 2: 11, but here the dragon of Rev. 12 is active, working through Herod the usurper, for the destruction of the young Child's life. So Joseph is instructed to take Him and His mother into Egypt, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son." God's intention was that the nation's history should be taken up in the Lord's own Person from its commencement in Egypt and carried through until its consummation in glory: evil is thus compelled to serve God in the working out on His will.

The interest of the chapter seems to centre in two indoor scenes: one where there was alarm and dread combined with craft and violence; the other where there was peace and joy. The first was an exposure for the leaders of the Jews. Had their moral sensibilities not been entirely dead they would have been ashamed that the Magi had come from a distant land to enquire for the King while they had to be awakened to an interest in His advent by Herod the usurper. They use the Scriptures and correctly say where Messiah was to be born, but though they were the people that this great event most directly concerned they were the least interested of all.

At the other meeting we have Christ among the Gentiles, "the hope of glory." It is sweet to see that He is the Object of the affections of these men in an atmosphere of peace and joy. It speaks of a time when the kings of Sheba and Seba shall render tribute.... And He shall live and to Him shall be given of the gold of Sheba (Ps. 72). Before that times comes, the church is called in as the heavenly company to witness to the thoughts, purposes and ways of God, and every instructed Christian knows something of the excellencies, beauties and glories of Christ, and they delight to pour out their spiritual treasures at His feet. The gifts of these wise men were symbolical, and we see in them something of the hidden glories both of His Person and work. Gold witnesses to the Divine and eternal glory that was there; the frankincense of all those precious human graces so blessedly combined with the Divine of which the Father could take account; while myrrh — a plant which is said to yield its fragrance when crushed — tells of that which came out by suffering and death at the Cross.

The Spirit takes occasion of the awful massacre of the children by Herod to allude to the heartrending distress which was Israel's when many were bound in chains at Ramah and carried into Babylon (Jeremiah 40). In that portion which belonged to Benjamin there had once more been deep distress. It is interesting to see in the same prophet that the future unprecedented trouble the nation is yet to pass through is called the time of Jacob's trouble, the father's name and not the mother's being used in this case as taking in the whole twelve tribes. The similarity of the words of verses 19-21 to Ex. 4: 19, though not a quotation, is remarkable. Moses was raised up for the deliverance of Jehovah's people from bondage: Jesus came to save His people from their sins, to begin a new order, to destroy Satan's power and the world's system; He was the full revelation of God. Joseph acted in simple obedience but without much intelligence. Mary, who had before manifested the most lively faith combined with obedience, is the subject of angelic care, but the Child, who is mentioned nine times in the chapter, is the centre around which everything must revolve.

Matthew 3 and Matthew 4: 1-11 go together. Here two of the outstanding events in the history of Immanuel come before us, both of which connect with the transition from His private to His public life. His birth and the movement in the heavens connected therewith we have already seen; here it is His baptism and temptation. The interval between birth and the baptism was of very great importance, though little of what occurred is recorded. What happened during those silent years prevented defeat of God's purposes and provided glory to God with regard to the whole race. Man's history from Eden had been failure in man, triumph for Satan, and apparent defeat for the Creator, but now things are reversed. By this Man's obedience Satan is defeated and Heaven is delighted. If there was to be the recovery and blessing of fallen men, the Cross must be met with all its woe; about that there could be no question, but that in no wise touches the truth that Jesus fully glorified God in the path of a man in the world. Two things came out during the years of His ministry, namely, God was revealed to men in Him and in Him God found His full delight in a man. The One who was revealing God to men was at the same time perfectly setting forth man to God. The latter only could be true during those thirty years.

In the light of redemption we can see God's name and throne covered with glory in the blessing of sinful men, but daring those thirty years God was glorified in Man in flesh and blood upon the earth. We may catch glimpses of the life of Jesus during that time as we read the prophetic description of it in Ps. 16, or Isa. 53: 2, but the silence of the New Testament is that which leads the devout heart to adore. What a heaven must the humble home at Nazareth have been during that time!

John came preaching repentance, the kingdom of heaven, and Christ. Again Heaven puts things in movement, but this time it is to assert itself in the souls of men and women. Repentance, confession, and baptism, owning the claims of God in deep self-abasement was proof of a real work of God accompanying the labours of this distinguished servant. He was a preacher of the type of Elijah and came from the desert, his ministry was of a searching nature, the necessity for it being the state of the people.

The Branch of Jehovah having come the axe is at the root of the trees. All man's greatness must be brought down because of this glorious Person. Three kinds of baptism are mentioned: water, the Spirit, and fire. John was doing the first, the other two would be the work of the King Himself. The baptism of the Spirit refers to the future, to be fulfilled when the believing remnant of the Jews shall constitute the nucleus of the nation and enter into blessing; then shall the fire of His judgment purify His threshing floor. Meantime we have a present aspect of the baptism of the Spirit in the church (Acts 2), which may be viewed provisionally as the garner.

His coming to John for baptism calls for attention, for around it circles some important principles. While mercy is in evidence among the people, grace and righteousness are brought into evidence in Christ. The more we think of Him and who He is, the more amazing does His condescension appear to us, while the grace displayed in His seeking baptism at the hands of His servant was in the circumstances morally beautiful. Having taken a place in the creation, for the working out of all moral questions, and the establishment of the Divine glory, He identified Himself with the work of grace in others. This principle of identification we have already seen in a dispensational way (Matthew 2: 14-15), here it is association with God's work in others.

But deeper things come out here, indeed some of the grandest things in Holy Writ come before us. We behold Him the true Meat Offering of Lev. 2, anointed with the Holy Ghost, and hear with reverence the Father from the opened heavens saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I have found My delight." He is the Son in Manhood for the express purpose that through His death others might be brought into this holy relationship and share with Him the Father's love. A Man was here on earth sealed by the Father, setting before us what the Christian's place is to-day. "In four ways He sets forth in Himself the pattern of the place He would set us in by redemption: Heaven opened, the Holy Ghost given to abide, Sonship, and man's place in perfect Divine favour (the object of God's delight)"

(J. A. T.).

Sonship to David and Abraham (Matthew 1: 1) speaks of what is official, relating to the glory of the throne and the security of the promises. The Virgin's Son of Matthew 1: 21, like the woman's Seed of Gen. 3, describes Him in relation to the human race, but the Father's voice proclaims Him as His beloved Son, the object of His own peculiar delight.

Bethlehem for Him involved Calvary, but between these two came out what shall ever remain the richest treasures of eternity. He is seen as the most accessible of men, but ever sustaining Divine dignity; speaking in simplest words but unfolding Divine mysteries; living in the company of the simplest of men, yet far beyond earth's greatest. This was, as it should be, when God was manifest in flesh.

No. 2. The Temptation of our Lord.

In Matthew 4 we reach the scene of our Lord's temptation. The One born King must first be subject; His right to rule is to be demonstrated by His delight to obey; He whose prerogative it is to command takes first the place of a servant. If God is to have the redeemed creation in abiding stability, every part of which will be beyond taint of sin or shadow of imperfection, the One who shall hold it together must be tested. The beginning and guarantee of that new creation is Christ, but for Him there must be testing, and that in a way no other could ever know.

Fallen man lives in a world which is the sphere of Satan's rule, but He who lives with the Father has to be led into the wilderness to meet the tempter. The three recorded tests doubtless correspond to all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2: 16) in the way of pleasure, pride and glory. They touch the Lord in a threefold way as Man, Messiah and Son of Man.

If, as we have seen, the going to Egypt had identification with Israel in view, this first temptation goes back to Eden in view of the history of man. There was no prohibition here as in Adam's case, a point which brings out the perfect obedience of the Lord. The first man had failed in the best circumstances in which he could be placed, the abundance of God's creation was within his reach; but with the second Man there was perfect devotedness in the worst extremity. He was in the wilderness, had fasted forty days, and was an hungered. "Satisfy Your hunger, use Your power for Your own comfort," said the tempter. The Lord replied from Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The holy city and the temple referred to in the second attack brought into view His royal rights in Israel. For Him. according to God's will. they were to be reached through a path of suffering and taken up by redemption. This attack was more impudent, with an endeavour to support it with a text of Scripture. The Lord again replied from Deuteronomy, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." The distinction between miracles and magic should be noted. Our Lord and His disciples wrought the former and exposed the latter. In Acts 8 a man is seen using magic arts and spoken of as the power of God, and one of a like class is called a son of the Devil in Acts 13. It was the same with Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses. As Herod looked for some display of that kind, some sensational feat (Luke 23: 8), so here the Devil suggests that character of things.

The last test was an offer of worldly power, and was a challenge to the Lord's place of universal sway in the creation. He could have it by submission to the Devil. It was, however, far beneath what God had in store for Him, as we see in another mountain scene in this Gospel (Matt. 17). The transfiguration displays His glory in the creation when for the glory of God He shall control it all. Nothing would He take from the Tempter. He who received the cup of suffering from the Father, doing His will in drinking it, will also take the answer to that sorrow in glory from the same hands. At that moment the Lord stood the appointed Heir of all things, and the whole hierarchy of the heavens, whether thrones, lordships, principalities or authorities, were for Him. Satan sought proofs of His Sonship by outward works of display; the Lord gave full proof of the same by obedience to the WORD.

But we lose much if we miss the important lesson here, namely, that the enemy's recorded suggestions cover the range of his resources and pervade the whole complicated course of man's life upon the earth. It shows the interweaving of good and evil, and brings out the need of the Incarnation. It was necessary that One should enter the conflict who was able to disentangle the one from the other and put each in its place for eternity. In this way these temptations speak of whatever surrounded the Lord, and are still to be resisted by His saints in the power of God's Holy Word.

He stood in need of what He had power to supply. The thrust appeared innocent. Make use of personal ability for personal ends. One feels how poorly we can catch the drift of such a suggestion. This has been practised to such an extent that not to do so would put one, in the eyes of his fellowmen, in the place of a madman. It is the predominating sin which has made the world what it is, and is the proof that when man lost God he became self-centred. The Lord Jesus Christ showed that life does not consist merely in what it can get or in doing for oneself, but in what it can give and what it can do for others. "Man shall not live by bread alone, . . ." See Matt. 6: 19-20; Luke 12: 29-31.

The enemy had not met this before, hence the new device. If that is your idea it is no good in this world; no one will be able to understand or appreciate such a life. You may, however, arrest attention by some wonderful achievement that no one has heard of before: you may direct attention to yourself in such a way that all will marvel. "Cast thyself down." To do this might seem complete abandoning of Himself to God, in reality it was distrust — tempting God; for it meant that an outward act was needed to demonstrate His care. No true confidence in God calls for that. Instead there is an inward peaceful trust. See John 6: 30; John 7: 3-5, and the Lord's answer quoted from Deut. 6.

But there is still need of submitting, as men say, to reason. He had come to recover the world for God. There could not be success on the lines adopted. Such a life could neither be understood nor appreciated. It is no use attempting it. If you will be advised by me I can put you in the way of success; in fact, if you commit yourself to me I will guarantee the whole. "All these things" — "the kingdoms of the world and their "lazy" — all are yours "if, falling down, Thou wilt do me homage." Again from Deut. 6 come the words "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve." He had not come to be a patriot or link Himself with creature schemes for putting things right. How often His followers lose their true glory by accepting some favour from the world. The key to the whole position is in the hands of every simple saint who understands the distinction between the faith system, or the world of God's purpose, and this poor world and its efforts, which is dominated by the Devil.

The conflict over, Satan disappears, and angels come and minister unto Him. The public ministry of the Lord according to Matthew now begins, though a good deal had been going on before. (See John 1-4) John is imprisoned for reasons stated later (Matt. 14), and Jesus leaves Nazareth for Capernaum. Having bound the strong man He goes forth to spoil his goods in His royal rights as David's Son and His irresistible power as Immanuel.

Note: His personal appearance was the crowning test to man in his responsibility. His acceptance or rejection stood for a time an undecided point. To understand the development of truth in Matthew this must be kept in mind. He stood before them as the Minister of the circumcision to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and all His words and works had the setting up of the kingdom in view. We who live in the full light can go back from the moment of His rejection and see that all He was doing had also the full purpose of God in view. This could not be otherwise.

He had come from heaven to die, and though necessarily veiled, that death may be seen bearing upon His spirit before Israel's decision had come fully out. See Matt. 9: 15-17, where His words anticipate the cross and involve Paul's gospel and the new creation.

Connected with this is the use of the term kingdom of heaven. John began with it, the Lord used it Himself, and so also the twelve apostles. It was a term suited to cover both periods, but in its full meaning stands proper to the day of His session at the right hand of God. It was used to designate the blessing then offered in fulfilment of prophecy. From chapter 13 the kingdom is set forth in mystery with the King in heaven, the result of Israel's rejection of Him, and His consequent death, resurrection and ascension.

No. 3. The Master's Words.

The greatness of the Person of the Lord as He is presented in Matt. 1-4 prepares us for the teaching of Matt. 5-7. Matt. 4: 23-25 shows the immediate connection of the Sermon on the Mount with what went before. His fame had gone throughout all Syria and the whole country had been stirred, and as the King He took occasion to unfold to His subjects in the hearing of the people the word of God for the moment.

Here He is teaching, and all that He teaches is new. The history of the human race had been that of a downward course, but now we have a new beginning, and an immeasurable gap lay between Christ and the whole race. "The first man was out of earth, made of dust; the second man is out of heaven," hence the teaching must be altogether new. And this the people felt when they said, "Never man spake like this man." If the men of God of previous ages can only stand out in contrast to Him, how painful is the attempt in these modern times to compare certain philosophers and leaders of heathen nations who were mixed up with all manner of uncleanness with Him. Nor is it true as some teach that He merely attained a height towards which others had striven, that as Moses or David were each head and shoulders above their generation, so He went beyond them and gained the height. The fallacy of all this is seen when we remember that "He that came from above is above all," and what He testified He had seen and heard. The language of this Person would have been blasphemy on the lips of any other man.

The discourse supposes regeneration in those addressed and the new relationship which redemption brings. "Having sat down His disciples came to Him and having opened His mouth He taught them." Because it is not understood that the Lord was addressing those in relationship with Himself as subjects of grace, it is assumed that these moral traits can be produced by man in the flesh, apart from the new nature which is implanted at new birth, and the whole truth of the gospel set aside. It is this that accounts for the fact that many admire the Sermon on the Mount who reject the truth of the gospel as set forth in the New Testament, and it demonstrates the truth that man wants to be or do something to merit God's favour but will not tolerate the idea of being nothing and God everything.

The Lord's teaching had its own divine origin and character and could neither compare with nor link on with any other. It was not a new law nor indeed a moral code in the true sense of that word. It was a Person, the living Word, set before men in the spoken word, and a new life, His own life, to be reproduced in His disciples through grace and the power of the Holy Ghost. The grand contrast lies in the fact that this discourse begins with that which all others set out to reach, namely, suitability for God. He had before this time insisted that man must be born again, and that that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3: 6), and in this very discourse He shows the working of each nature as true to law. "Do men gather a bunch of grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? So every good tree produces good fruit, but the worthless tree produces bad fruit" (Matt. 7: 16-20. See also Matt. 15: 13).

The opening verses describe a class of moral virtues different from every other system of teaching that men followed. The seven virtues in verses 3-9 are not what men call the heroic virtues, but in the sight of God they are blessed. There is little room in the schools of philosophy for the poor in spirit and for those that mourn. These blessed things are the reproduction of the life and character of Christ in His people in a world where all is out of gear as the result of man's departure from God.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens." Trust in the hand of Omnipotence and dependence upon God is a law in the sphere of creature obligation. "To this man will I look: to the afflicted and contrite in spirit, and who trembleth at my word." This draws down the complacency of God in a world of man's self-confident boasting. The bearing of this upon us today may be seen by comparing Jer. 45. In the crisis preceding the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian, the word of God through Jeremiah to his servant was, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for behold I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord." We are today nearing a greater judgment; "Behold, the Lord cometh . . . to execute judgment" (Jude 14). We may well take heed to such words. The promise attached to the state of soul in this first beatitude would cover all the virtues mentioned, "Theirs is the kingdom of the heavens."

"Blessed they that mourn for they shall be comforted." This is apt to be misunderstood, particularly at a time like the present when the hunt for pleasure and fashion is engaging the mass of men. There were those who sighed and cried in Ezekiel's time for the abominations done at Jerusalem, and we live in the midst of a godless and suicidal infatuation which calls for the judgment of God. Such a state of things calls for mourning on theft part of those that know God. Every divinely taught heart knows that the time of the Bridegroom's absence is the mourning time (Matt. 9), but like Mary of old has divine comfort even now (John 20). To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.

"Blessed the meek for they shall inherit the earth." Meekness contrasts with the bold boasting of man, but is far from being a sign of weakness. It was no sign of weakness in Abram when he yielded up his right to Lot, as may be seen from his exploits in the following chapter. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth, but there was none so valiant as he. "The meek shall inherit the earth." The land for the people is the cry to-day, and large estates are changing hands constantly. The time is near when in bold apostasy "the wilful king" shall divide the land among his favourites for gain (Daniel 11: 39). But at that time the Lamb will take possession and overthrow every opposer. While we wait of that day it is well to be able to say, Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup (Ps. 16).

"Blessed they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." This is the central trait of the seven, and it seems to bind them all together like the central light on the candlestick. Do we know what this means? David cried, "As the hart panteth after the water-brook so panteth my soul after God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." No person ever sought the Lord and was disappointed, and no amount of this world's goods can ever satisfy the heart that has fed upon the bread of God. A Jewish Rabbi when urged to accept a lucrative situation and to fix his settlement in a place where there was no synagogue, is said to have resisted the temptation by the recollection of the words "The law of thy mouth is better to me than gold or silver" (Ps. 119: 72).

"Blessed the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." How God-like is man when seen in this character. What bright examples are seen in Joseph among his brethren and David when he had Saul in his power but would not smite him. Elisha also when he led the blinded Syrian soldiers to Samaria, and when the King of Israel said, "Shall I smite them?" "Thou shalt not smite them, set bread and water before them," was the answer of the man of God. Mercy is a quality which so affects man that his beast gets the benefit of it. It springs from an inward sympathy with God. In mercy He is sovereign, great, plenteous and tender.

"Blessed the pure in heart for they shall see God." The same lips describe the human heart in its sinfulness, but by His power He can change it from being hard and stony and write His laws upon it, that in boundless grace it might be like His own. It is said of the elders of Israel that they saw God and did eat and drink. Surely it is blessed to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His Temple. Have we ever beheld the King in His beauty? Can we say, "We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour"? If so we can look forward to the time when His servants shall serve Him and shall see His face (Rev. 21). Meantime there is a wholesome word for us, "Pursue peace with all, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."

"Blessed the peace-makers for they shall be called the sons of God." This is not peace at any price. The wisdom that cometh from above is "first pure and then peaceable." This feature supposes all the others, for only those who are righteous, meek and merciful are able to discriminate in moral and spiritual matters in such a way as to lead to peace. This demands much spiritual energy, combining and putting into practice all the other traits mentioned. They that do such thing are called the sons of God. They exhibit the moral features of a generation that has sprung from God. They show themselves the sons of their Father (verse 45).

Verses 10-16 show the submission of heart which accompanies the foregoing. Suffering whether for the kingdom or the King was to be esteemed a favour, and it would have its bearing both on the present and the future. Future reward it ensured to them, but it also gave the present distinction of being in the ranks of heaven's most distinguished witnesses on earth, and set them in the line of divine testimony. They were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Notwithstanding the persecution and hatred of men they were to be a force for good, able to meet and counteract in divine power the corruption that is in the world through lust, and shed a beneficent influence on all around them.

Continuing this great discourse, the Lord said, "Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void but to fulfil." The discourse goes on to show who were the transgressors here, and becomes a tremendous exposure of the leaders of the Jews, both in their teaching and practice. The traditions of the Rabbis are brought under the searchlight of Immanuel the King. For such was He who at that moment stood before them as the embodiment of all that God's ways and words had pointed on to and shadowed forth. Every claim of God put forth in the law met its answer in Him. Nothing that belonged to the relationship He had entered into but was perfectly carried out. This incidentally shows the difference between Him and the Adamic race. The perfect law of God which was His delight became a ministry of condemnation and death to everyone else.

The point, however, was not what He did but what He was. He presents Himself here as filling up in His Person all that the typical system and the law presumed, and in that way He is seen as the embodiment of all that the law and the prophets contained, He is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. God's end in it was Christ: He is the essential and underlying spirit of it all. He is indeed the filling out of all Scripture. Speaking of this He said, "They are they which testify of Me." And again, "Beginning at Moses and the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." A system had been sketched out in previous days which is now permeated with life; the kingdom, covenant, house, temple, all are made good in Him.

Has the reader ever pondered this? Christ stands before us in the Gospels as the ultimate end towards which all time, all nature, all history hastened. The whole march of events down through the ages, with every movement of divine testimony in the progress of revelation, had Him as their goal. He was bound in the very nature of things to be the Pivot around which everything in the ways and purpose of God revolved, and every movement in the Godhead, whether creation, providence or government, had Him in view.

Note, too, His authority. If it is the glory of other teachers to hide behind their theme, not so with Him. He brings His Person to the front, and that without apology, in the most simple and unaffected way. He spake with authority without stopping to say why, and commanded without declaring His right. He teaches in a way altogether different from others, penetrating to the heart of things in a way that carried conviction and exposed the accredited teachers of the day. While ever honouring and fulfilling Holy Scripture, He cites no previous authority for what He says: He taught them as One having authority and not as the scribes.

We may now pass on more rapidly till we reach the end of the chapter. In verses 21 to 37 the human heart is laid bare, and evil is traced back from the overt act to the motive which gave it birth, and with this the adjusting of existing relationships in regard to earth and heaven, time and eternity. Violence (verse 21) and corruption (verse 27) are mentioned only to be traced to the heart of man, however cultivated, and then (verses 29, 30) not only is the spring of evil in man traced to its source, but the cause or opportunity of it must be cut off. (See Col. 3: 5, 8, 9.) The sacred character of human life; the sanctity of marriage; the authority of God in regard to the taking of oaths and its bearing on their conversation, all of which connect with the virtues mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, would indeed manifest the fact that His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is from the old corrupt tree of fallen human nature that these evil things spring; introduce the new life, and instead of the works of the flesh there are love, joy, peace, long-suffering: against which there is no law.

The end of the chapter fits in with the beginning in moral beauty. If at the opening it is character, at the close it is conduct. The standard of all practice is to be according to the Father, who makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust. The blessed God is above all the strife and evil of man, and our adorable Lord is seen here the expression of it all, and He desires that His followers should be the same. If such practice is called for from the earthly people, what shall we say about those who are blest with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ? What a triumph for God that there should be in this world a class so formed in their inner being after Christ as to be expressive of Himself! A class that love their enemies and bless those who curse and do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who insult and persecute them, that they are known as the sons of their Father in heaven. Under the teaching of the Holy Ghost this becomes one of the grandest chapters in the whole Bible.

A few words are necessary here in connection with the dispensational character of this discourse and the class of people the Lord has in view.

It was His early ministry given before His definite rejection by His people, the Jews, and it gives those to whom it is addressed association with Himself in that rejection that was becoming more and more apparent every day, and describes a state of things which ran on to the fall of Jerusalem late in the Apostolic age. Before the gospel as we have it could come out in its fulness, His ministry, involving death, resurrection and ascension, had to be completed. Christianity proper, which gives a much higher range of blessing, and opens out the truth of part with Christ in the glory, could not be given yet. This commenced with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and goes on right through the Spirit's day till the removal of the church to heaven as given in 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. The church formed at Pentecost came into her place at the time of the suspension of divine testimony among the Jews. She is the vessel of God's counsels and witness of a new heavenly testimony during the time of that suspension; and her translation to heaven will be the signal for the renewal of divine dealings with the Jews in view of the advent of the King. In this way all is seen to work out in perfect harmony, and the order and beauty of God's ways fill the believing heart with delight. When the church has been translated to heaven, a company will be converted and entrusted with the testimony of heaven, on the earth, and will pass through many sorrows into the reign of glory with the King. They are seen in many Scriptures both in the Psalms and Prophets. They fall into two distinct classes, one going into heavenly blessing through martyrdom in the unprecedented sufferings of the great tribulation, and the other preserved to inherit the earth. See the reward mentioned in verses 5 and 12.

In Matthew 6 the Lord sets His disciples before the Father with regard to acts of kindness and devotional exercises: all they did was to be done before Him who knows the heart. How effectually must His words have swept the ground from beneath the feet of the accredited teachers of the day! He had said, "Unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven" (5: 20). The body of chapter 5 showed the hollowness of their teaching; what comes out in chapter 6 exposes their practice.

The chapter divides at verse 18, the first half falling into three paragraphs which treat of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting; the second, 19-34, practical exhortations relating to earthly treasures and single-mindedness and anxiety about the future. Almsgiving (verses 1-4) relates to our fellow-creatures, prayer (verses 5-15) to God, and fasting (verses 16-18) to ourselves. It is helpful to see that grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously and piously in this world, and these three things cover the same ground. Soberly as to say to ourselves, righteously to our fellows, and piously to God. This again is confirmed in the beautiful cluster of fruit mentioned in Gal. 5: 22, 23, that can only be produced in us by the Spirit of God: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law." These nine features are easily seen to fall into three groups of three each, which may be seen to work out personally in relation to others and toward God.

"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of them" (R. V.). He puts His finger upon the tendency which is inherent in every human heart to seek greatness in the eyes of others, and shows how the works of charity and devotion done in this world must be done before the Father and His world. Happy are they who are delivered from the mere appearance of things, and from the value that fellow-mortals may put upon their works, and who value only the approval of Him who sees in secret. Their reward is certain, a reward that will not perish with man and his world, but will abide for ever. Surely it is a mark of Heaven's grace in this world to be able to carry on works of kindness in it, but the effect upon and result to ourselves is the point here. Not only is there a secret chamber into which we may enter and close the door (verse 6), but a secret place in our souls where the record of such gracious acts is concealed, that none but the Father who sees in secret may know and reward openly. "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does."

"But when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; . . . Enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret." The Pharisee of Luke 18 is an example of that which is here condemned, but the centurion of Acts 10 beautifully illustrates what the Lord here sets forth. The ostentation and the pride of the Pharisees and the senseless babble of the heathen are mentioned that the vanity of it all may be exposed. The Father knows all the needs of His own before they ask Him. Hence much speaking is an offence, and prayer should be marked by brevity and simplicity, as becoming a creature speaking to His God.

Then the Lord gives a prayer in words unequalled in simplicity, depth and brevity, which was well suited for the disciples in their then position.

Was this that is called "the Lord's Prayer," given to be used as a mere recitation for millions of people all over Christendom apart from any definite sense of their state of sin or of need before God? The prayer is not understood because the dispensational bearing of the whole discourse is unknown. On two different occasions we read of Jehovah giving to Israel a form of words to address Himself, but we do not read of them being perpetually recited afterwards (Deut. 21: 7, 8; Deut. 26: 13-15). John taught his disciples to pray — the Lord here does the same. And this prayer is far beyond the Old Testament prayers, as may be seen by comparing it with the Psalms. It is beyond, in all probability, what John taught his disciples, but in the nature of things it is not up to the increased light brought in by accomplished redemption.

It should be remarked that it is not the prayer for a penitent sinner seeking mercy, but for those who are in a certain relationship with God, who have direct dealings with Him as Father in relation to their need. The petitions divide it into two distinct parts: the first three express the desire for the glory of God, and the last four express the creature's dependence. It is beautiful to see the spirit of worship in the way the Name, the kingdom and the will of God are put in the front. In another connection the Christian knows that these three things cover the whole scope of the counsels of God, and go far beyond what could be known then, extending even to God's eternal day. The four petitions in the second part are the expression of dependence and obedience. The whole may be said to show the three main thoughts in true prayer: God's glory, and the creature's need, first in the temporal and then the spiritual spheres.

We should distinguish between the prayer given here and that in Luke 11: 2-4. Though there is little difference in our Authorized Version, it is well known that Luke takes a wider view and gives an advance on what is here. The Lord goes on there to speak of the gift of the Spirit which links on with the fuller instruction in John 16, the latter being connected with full Christian prayer as seen in the Epistles, which the prayer we are considering is not. (See the New Trans. and R. V. for the prayers in Matt. 6: 9-13, and Luke 11: 2-4.)

It should be remembered, however, while giving due attention to the different readings, that the evidence is not merely external. The ordinary reader who has an insight into these things by divine teaching will see the difference and the moral necessity for it. This difference hangs upon the aim of the Spirit in each Gospel. In Matthew the Lord is teaching in connection with the Messianic kingdom as Son of David for the Jews, but in Luke He is specially before us as the Son of Man, and of necessity in that Gospel the Mediatorial kingdom has its bearing towards the Gentiles as well. This accounts for the difference in words, and teaches that while Matthew shows the remnant preparing for the King, Luke has the same company in view but as about to be introduced into the Christian faith. This is further confirmed by the fact that the prayer is placed in the first Gospel before the question of the King's acceptance was decided, but in Luke's Gospel it is given to us after the King had already been refused, and when the preparation of the disciples for the Church, as a new and heavenly company, was going on. In each case that which was needed for disciples in their circumstances was given, but the Spirit in Matthew had not only the remnant of that moment in view, but those also who will await the coming back again of the Messiah.

In the instructions as to fasting (verses 16-18) the Lord again exposes the desire for display, as He had done in connection with almsgiving and prayer, and shows that that only is of value that is done in secret, i.e., before God. All true prayer supposes not only the refusal of what is evil but the avoidance at times of what may in itself be right. Man is not only a spirit being but has a physical body, and he may be drawn into sin by the very needs of that body. Men may fall both by eating and drinking, as Adam and Noah. On the other hand, people may be deluded into the denial to the body its dues for the sake of appearance (Col. 2: 23). There is, however, a deep moral connection between true prayer and fasting, as all spiritual minds have felt, and its blessedness lies in the fact that a Christian may be so engaged with God and His things as to forget for the time the needs of the body, and even when these make their appeal he may be so filled with God as to be able to deny the natural in the power of that which is spiritual. Such a state, it is needless to say, is far removed from the eye of one's fellow-men.

Coming to the last half of the chapter, we shall see that all the instruction is in close affinity with the three thoughts already touched. Laying up treasure on earth poorly qualifies for almsgiving. The single eye supposes that the whole inner man is laid bare in the presence of God in prayer. A body full of light gives the thought of moral influence, and nothing could be finer than this; it was seen in Stephen before the council, and in Paul before Agrippa, and may be seen in the woman whose unbelieving husband is to be won by her Christ-like behaviour without the word (1 Peter 3). It is blessed when the character is so formed that the body can be offered to God. There is a transparency in a man when the whole soul has been poured out to God in the closet and has been formed there by the communications of His love. Decision of character and clearness of spiritual vision must be the result.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth." Here our Lord contrasts the heavenly with the earthly, the spiritual with the natural, the things of time with those of eternity. His estimate of these is perfect, and He would have us governed by that. The heart follows that which is most highly prized, and if it be the things of earth how great is the loss! Many artificial contrivances are got up to give security in this world where death lies upon all, but there are no insurance societies called for in regard to what is heavenly and eternal — eternal things are the sure things. Spiritual treasures are laid up for eternity, and to have heaven and eternity in view gives clearness of vision. The danger here is that selfishness may darken the moral sensibilities and weaken the character in such a way that power for decision is lost.

"The lamp of the body is the eye." This would indicate the organ of spiritual sight, the single eye denoting uprightness of motive with unity of purpose. "One thing I do." The body gives expression to the inner state, and in walking with God a person becomes an influence for good; where this is not, there is wavering like a double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways.

Verses 25-34 connect with the middle clause of the prayer — "Give us this day our daily bread," showing that the strength expended in the cares and distractions of distrust means positive loss. What a gain it is when the energy of the soul finds expression in faith! The relative bearing of the natural and spiritual spheres upon each other is touched in verse 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the things that all the fretting is about] shall be added unto you." This seeking depends upon the single eye of verse 22, which again connects with secret intercourse with God and the state produced by it. It was the saying of a dying saint: "Had I trusted the Lord better my life would have been different." To this the writer can feelingly subscribe and doubtless many another. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee."

He next presses upon His disciples the need of confidence in the Father for the things of everyday life, so that they might be free from that care which so often withers up the soul. This He does by a threefold illustration drawn from the creation, of which our bodies form part. The birds of the air, the human body, and the lilies of the field. The first and last of these He applies to bring home to then. the providential care and goodness of their heavenly Father. The way the Lord draws His illustrations from the creation when setting great truths before men reminds us of His wisdom as a Teacher, and by these illustrations we are reminded of the wonders of creation wherein is displayed the grand scheme of His Providence whereby God meets the needs of all His creatures. But men are His special care, and especially those that believe. So He says, "Look at the birds of the heaven.... Are ye not much more excellent than they?" So also in regard to raiment. "But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will He not much rather you, O ye of little faith?" May we not say in regard to ourselves that if the character of the moment were apprehended and the value of these tests to faith laid hold of in their relation to the glory of God and our present and future position, such exercises in regard to them would be cheerfully accepted in the power of prayer and communion with God.

If we have followed the line of this precious Discourse in the two previous chapters it will not be difficult to understand what is here. If we live before the Father in simplicity and sincerity, our dealings with others will be marked by kindness and consideration rather than fault-finding, which seems to be the sense in which judging is used in this first verse. It is not that we are not called to judge between good and evil, for had it meant that there could have been no abstaining from evil, but that we should be free from a censorious spirit, which is a very great evil. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4: 31, 32). It is never right to judge motives unless it be our own, for love thinks no evil and will not condemn until it has proof. Should we be, on the other hand, judged wrongly and misrepresented by others, the way out is put before us in Matthew 5: 44: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

"Judge not, that ye may not be judged For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." A wrong spirit is soon seen and condemned by others. "He hath digged a pit and hollowed it out, and is fallen into the hole that he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head" (Ps. 7, see also Esther 7). In the school of God where the daily exercises prove the imperfection of all, ability to look upon our brother for good should be cultivated.

It brings its gain as the opposite brings its sorrow.

The warning as to the mote and the beam of verses 2-5 recalls the single eye of Matthew 6: 22, and as the soul answers to these solemn words there is ensured a right state both with the Lord and with one another. The beauty of character described at the beginning and sustained in the middle of the discourse by prayer is far removed from the petty jealousies which often destroy the happiness of the children of God.

Comparing verse 6 with the above, we see that if a censorious spirit is condemned, careful discrimination is called for in our dealings with those that are outside. It does not seem to be the ordinary unconverted person which is in view here, but that class of profane person, such as Herod, to whom, at a later time, the Lord would not answer a word.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Here it is our dealings with God. We are taken back to the section on prayer, and reminded of the hungering and thirsting of the fourth Beatitude. There were those who asked amiss, that they might use it for pleasure (James 4: 3); others sought, but not in faith (John 6: 34); and some will knock to be refused admission (Matt. 25: 11); but the Lord encourages His own to simple direct dealings with their Father in heaven. This is the opposite to all vain repetition, and teaches that the Lord's disciples were not bound to the recitation of the form of words He had put before them in the previous chapter, but free to voice the deep feelings of their souls to God and to present their needs to Him. The illustration drawn from human relationships was calculated to encourage them, for it shows the delight of God in giving. If man in spite of his fallen condition recognizes the claims of nature, and fathers after the flesh give good gifts to their children, what shall we say of the giving God? He it is who delights to be enquired after, and "He is a rewarder of them who seek Him out" (Heb. 11:  6).

The mention of the law and the prophets in verse 12 seems to indicate that a point is reached where He will sum up what has been said and conclude: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do ye also to them; for this is the law and the prophets." In the first sixteen verses of Matthew 5 He describes the character suited to the Kingdom of Heaven; in the next four verses His own position in regard to the law and the prophets, after which He shows the bearing of the law in its inner spirit upon the human heart in relation to the details of life. This in the nature of things was bound to expose the falsity of the current teaching of the day. In words of surpassing beauty in Matthew 6 He directs His disciples in what is becoming in acts of kindness to men, and in their approach to God, all of which must have been a solemn rebuke to the hypocrisy of the leaders of religion. Here in few words He shows all that is required for the fulfilling of the law and the prophets. A beautiful parallel is given in 1 Tim. 1: 5: "But the end of what is enjoined is love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and unfeigned faith.'' It is as if the writer had said this is a full summary of true Christianity.

"Enter in through. the narrow gate." What is of God can never be popular in a world of fallen sinners. As the dupe of Satan man has lost his bearings, and consequently the road which suits the masses is that which ends in destruction. For them the virtues and graces of Matt. 5 are a narrow way indeed, but how great the difference at the end! There are those who appreciate Him and His way and rejoice in the favour of fellowship with the rejected Christ, knowing it is a way that ends in life. For this, let God be praised.

"Beware of false prophets." Here comes in the religious element. How solemnly He likens them to prowling animals which go about to destroy and devour I Whatever their profession they cannot be anything else but what they really are. "By their fruits ye shall know them." A worthless tree cannot produce anything but bad fruit. This anticipates the words of Rom. 8: 7, 8, about the carnal mind, the enmity of which was proved at the cross of Christ.

And now note, in closing, the solemnity of His words. The supremacy of Immanuel shines out here. "Not every one that says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens." He looks down the ages to the last final judgment when He will have to say, "I never knew you." Their estimate of their service will have to give place to His, that which they thought works of power will then be seen as evil, and the result will be their final doom. How deeply solemn for all who take part in the service of the Lord! Trafficing in holy things is perhaps the worst sin of all.

Mark the words "hearing" and "doing" in verse 24 and compare with verse 21: "Whoever therefore hears My words and does them, I will liken him to a prudent man." Here again in the simplest of words is the cleavage set forth. There are two builders, two houses, two foundations, two storms, and two results. Let us note the solemn finish. "And every one who hears these My words and does not do them, he shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain came down, and the streams came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and its fall was great. Blessed are they that through grace belong to that kingdom which cannot be moved, who, founded on the rock of ages, are secure for time and eternity."

A few words are necessary on the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, which may help still further to clear the position. We begin with the enquiry, Why is it that the Sermon on the Mount is so much spoken of with apparent appreciation by many who refuse the full truth of the gospel? To answer this we must take account of its place in relation to what went before and what came after. It comes in as a link between the position of the faithful in the Old Testament and the place of the church which is called into the full revelation of God in the New Testament. The relationship in which those addressed stood was with the Father in heaven, and it shows a knowledge of God which the saints of earlier days could not have had, consequently the standard of holiness is raised much higher. Evil is traced back from the outward act to the heart, and the good is elevated from Old Testament practice to the ways of the Father, so that praying for enemies and doing good to them that despitefully hurt, contrasts strongly with many Psalms which call down vengeance upon the enemies. The Messiah was present, and consequently the advance on the position held by those who had waited for Him was very great. The discourse was, therefore, a great advance on what had been before, and an illumination worthy of Him who spoke.

It is for this reason, however, that we need to distinguish carefully between what is set forth in the address and what came out later in Christianity by the gospel. At this time it was still undecided whether He would be received or not as Israel's Messiah; the people had to be tested as to this. The trial of man in the flesh which had been going on through the ages and which came to an end later at the cross was still proceeding, consequently responsibility is made prominent while redemption is left untouched. The gospel as we know it today comes from a glorified Christ whose work at the cross brought the trial of the first man in his race to a close. It is because this is not laid hold of that this grand discourse is so much misused and so badly misunderstood.

It is needful to account for the twofold bearing of the Lord's position at that moment. He stood before Israel as proof of the faithfulness of God to all His promises, and was ready, if received, to set up the Kingdom. It was foreknown, however, that He would be refused and crucified, so that we can also view Him as come to die, that by resurrection He might establish a new order of life and manhood on the other side of death. Having accomplished this, He then took His place at the right hand of God, that the gospel might come from Him there to the world which was guilty of putting Him to death. When the gospel did come man was no longer under trial. Until the cross, and therefore when this discourse was given, man was being tested, that his incapability to stand before God in his own righteousness might be demonstrated. After that solemn event he is no longer treated on his own responsibility for blessing' but provided with righteousness from God in the gospel. The enormous advance of blessing brought in by the gospel shows that the believer is accepted in Christ, the risen Head of a new race, and all who believe have a new life and are brought into a new creation in Christ.

The Father's name occurs many times in the discourse, and it may be said that this is the Christian revelation. This, however, is not the full truth, for although there was a partial revelation of God in that relation so that the disciples could look up and address Him in that way, there could not be the full revelation of this till the death and resurrection of Christ. It was the knowledge of God as a Father by a people on earth who were associated with Christ in humiliation, and without the knowledge of redemption. One who cared for them and valued them far beyond the fowls or lilies, knew their needs, sought their trust, and would care for them all the way through. The gospel, on the other hand, gives association with Christ in glory, "Part with Me" in a life in resurrection where neither needs nor cares can come. The one does not displace the other, but it is not difficult to see that the latter is the greater. Here the Father is made known to the adoring heart in the fulness of His love and counsels of grace, made known by the Son as First-born of many brethren to those whom He is not ashamed to call brethren. The reader will note that, while it was impossible for the believing remnant of Israel before the cross to know the full Christian position, for it was not then revealed, we who have come in afterwards, and enter now into the full revelation of the Father's name in association with the Son who is in the glory, share with them all the Father's grace and care as being associated with a rejected Christ upon the earth.

In the thought of God these Jewish believers were to be lifted into the full blessing by the exaltation of Christ and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. The Epistle to the Hebrews and first of Peter show the enormous advance for those who had received the Messiah. Along with these came the revelation of the church's place through Paul and the corresponding heavenly character of the new thing through John, concluding the apostolic testimony. We know from the Acts that this glorious transfer was not generally accepted by believing Jews, for many of them clung to Judaism and were zealous of the law. This an ever-gracious God bore with for a lengthened time, and the Epistle of James is the message of the Spirit to such. This explains how that this epistle gives more allusions to the Sermon on the Mount than all the rest of the New Testament put together.

The destruction of Jerusalem ended this state of things for the Jews, but what of Gentile Christians into whose hands was put the responsibility of the testimony of God? It can easily be shown that before the church had been in existence a century, saints to whom the truth had been committed allowed it to slip, even that as elementary as the forgiveness of sins and justification by faith, so that instead of learning and knowing deliverance from the world, believers as to their experience were left in a worse position than those in a previous dispensation. This being so, we cease to wonder how that all down the ages even the very best of men have been unable to place this glorious discourse and properly appreciate its beauties. Such expressions as "the new law," "the moral law," and the "laws of the Kingdom,'' can but add to the confusion which is the result, surely, of the activity of the mind to the exclusion of the Holy Ghost.

How great is the grace that we should be given to see the beauty, order, and precision of God's ways! The Book of Acts shows the workings of God among men during the transitional period, but the time of the calling out of the church as a whole fits in to the parenthetic gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel's prophecy. Further revelation shows that the church, like Enoch, will be called from earth to heaven, making room for the resumption of divine dealings with Israel in fulfilment of the promises to the fathers. The future remnant will be waiting for the Kingdom which will be set up at the coming of the King. The interval between their call and the appearing of the King will be a time of unprecedented suffering, many will be slain and pass into heavenly blessing, while the sealed ones will enter into full blessing on earth with the King. This, as we said, explains the difference of reward mentioned by the Lord in Matthew 5: 5 and 12.

The Lord in these last days has been pleased to recall our hearts to the truth which is for the whole church, and there are those who have learned through mercy something of the beauty and preciousness of this discourse in its proper setting. In the wealth of ministry coming out from these it has been remarked how little is said on Matt. 5-7. The fact of its Jewish connection and that it is not properly Christian may account for this. To apprehend it in its dispensational bearing requires a knowledge of both Old and New Testaments, while in its moral and spiritual setting it provides a fund of heavenly wealth. This gives the balance; may we be preserved in that balance, and may the Lord create in us all a keener appetite for the things concerning Himself, for His name's sake.

The Fame of Jesus - Matthew 8 and 9.

The fame of Jesus as mentioned in Matthew 14: 1 is an enchanting theme. It comes out in a very precious way in this first Gospel. The great fact which appears everywhere in the New Testament comes out at His birth, namely that He is God and Man in one glorious Person. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS;" and again; "They shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The two lines of truth as to His Deity and Manhood had run in the prophetic word right through the Old Testament. He had been spoken of as the woman's Seed (Gen. 3), the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22), the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49), and the Prophet greater than Moses (Deut. 18: 15), all of which found their fulfilment in this holy birth. But when we come to the prophets Isaiah and Micah we get not only the Man, but God and Man prophetically announced in one glorious Person. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9: 6). "But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5: 2).

Here in Matthew the Child born is to be called JESUS but the same one is Emmanuel, God with us. In Matt. 2 He is taken down to Egypt for in the dispensational ways of God He must take up in Himself the history of His people from Egypt right through till the time of the glory. (See Psalm 18, and compare Hosea 11: l with Matthew 2: 16). In Matt. 3 John the Forerunner proclaims Him King, and the Father acclaims Him Son. The Divine and human is thus kept in view. In Matt. 4 this is immediately challenged by the Tempter and we are led to the scene of the temptation where His glory shines out in the complete baffling of Satan. This is one of the grandest scenes in the whole history of time. Having defeated the strong man He goes forth to spoil his goods. This gives the beginning of His public ministry which was in such power that soon the whole country, all Syria, was astir by His fame. "And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan."

This gave occasion for Him to bring out the situation as it existed at that moment. The sermon which followed in Matt. 5-7 is a very real advance on what had been before, although in the very nature of things it could not rise to what came out after His rejection. It lays bare the heart in its inmost secret motives: it calls upon His followers to be a transcript of the King in moral character, through being in association with Himself, but the Church as such is not found in it; that awaited the work of redemption and the ascension of the Lord to heaven. Note the way Godhead and Manhood, the two great features already spoken of, come out in this mountain discourse. While the moral instruction flows out in beautiful progression strewing the conduct due to God from His creature there are statements here and there which would be blasphemy on the lips of a creature. What created being, for example, could say in reference to Holy Scripture: "Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . But I say." (Matt. 5: 21, 22; Matt. 27: 28, 31, 34). Not that there was any contradiction between the law and His sayings; the first spoke of the outward acts, the second of the innermost thoughts and passions behind the acts.

In Matt. 8 and Matt. 9 we see the power of the kingdom displayed in the Person of the King. These two chapters hang together and we may take Matt. 10 with them. If He is refused in the working of all His grace and power, we see in chap. 10 the gracious forbearance that will not be turned aside from His mission of mercy, but will send forth His servants fully equipped to carry on that work.

How then was He received? He had adapted Himself to His people as and where they were. If they were poor He became poor; if they were despised He also was despised of men. Was the house of David in poverty and obscurity? He had no place to lay His head, were they groaning under the Roman yoke? He associated Himself with them in that also, claiming no rights for Himself, but bearing their burdens and sorrows, like the weeping Jeremiah, and finally going under the judgment of God on their behalf. But in spite of all this the state of the people was such that the very grace in which He came was used against Him and the door closed in His face. Think of the sorrow of it. God had come down in measureless grace to heal them and bless them and reconcile them to Himself and they not only refused Him but actually charged Him with doing the works of the devil. The miracles which were for their deliverance they attributed to Satanic agency, so blinded were they. By so doing they blasphemed the Holy Ghost and committed the sin which never hath forgiveness, and showed themselves to be children of the devil, sunk down to the lowest depths of moral degradation. So much for the leaders.

But He went on, undeterred by their malice, dispensing abroad the bounty of God, and none needed to despair. Those that felt their need clung to Him and they were healed and blest for time and eternity. He had Himself been tested (Matt. 4) and now had become the test for all, and there was no neutral ground; either they were for Him or against Him. Richest blessing there was in Him for all, but only the wise saw it and believed. Wisdom's children owned their need and confessed Him, and came into all the favour of God, while the proud who professed to see and judge were left to their blindness (John 9: 39).

The Lord's glory is made to shine out as it were incidentally in the midst of His work in these chapters. He is confessed Lord many times, He speaks of Himself twice as the Son of Man, the blind men own Him Son of God. The Gentile Centurion rises perhaps highest of all in the words: "Lord I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof." No quarter is given to demons or to the devil; His power is seen at work in grace on behalf of men and for the destruction of the Satanic kingdom.

While fitting into the exact position and condition of the people, there was in His ways, words and works a pledge of the full triumph of His grace. Defeat for Him was impossible whatever the appearance. Underneath all He did in the midst of these blinded people there was the pledge of the fulfilment of the whole prophetic scheme of blessing in the most complete accord with the testimony of God in all His ways past, present and future. The very order in which these works are recorded is so planned as to give a typical foreshadowing of the ultimate blessing of the people who in their representatives were at that time leading onward to the cross. Based upon His death which would be their culminating crime, would come out the fulfilment of all the promises in covenant blessing and the complete triumph of God.

The twelve miracles of these chapters seem to cover the whole ground of conflict, namely; disease, death, demoniac possession, and the power of the devil. There was one leprous man, two palsied men, two diseased women, two demoniacs, two blind men, one dumb demoniac, one little girl in death, and the work of calming the storm. Is there any wonder that His fame went throughout all Syria and that they followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan. God had come within the sphere of nature to work; and men could take cognisance and avail themselves of His mercy.

But what of the WORKER? God is active; Father, Son and Spirit in love and goodness (See Matt. 12: 28 and John 14: 10). There is Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence, but beyond all else there is LOVE. This is the moral nature of God and this it is that calls into action all the other great and glorious features of His Being. This it is that has brought God so near to man — a lowly Man, Jesus the Saviour who saves His people from their sins.

It should be clear to the thoughtful reader that Matthew 8 divides in two at verse 17, and also that the three miracles of verse 1-15, give a sample of those cases which are summarised in verse 16. In this verse we get a summary of His mighty works and the Spirit takes up Isaiah 53: 4 to show how His blessed heart was pressed by the very things which His power removed. We little know what He felt as He moved amongst His creatures, every one of whom was under the power of death, and with diseases of every kind doing their dreadful work.

The scope of His work is seen in relation to the various circles of society namely, country, town and home in the first part, while in the later part (verses 18-34), there is the exercise of His power in the material realm with moral ends in view. As to the first part, leprosy is a figure of the corruption that must be isolated; it was a bodily affliction that tells of that cancerous evil that affects man in his moral nature which nothing but the blood of Jesus can remove and apart from which must find its isolation in the lake of fire for ever. What an awful thing it must be for a man to die in his sins and be separated from God for ever. No man can cleanse his own pollution. "For though thou wash thee with nitre and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord." "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Only one, He can do it, who said to the leper, "I will, be thou clean."

With the palsied man it is helplessness. This again must be taken as applying to the moral condition in which men are found. "When we were yet without strength Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5: 6). "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6: 44). Then there was fever in the home. It was in the house of Peter, the foremost of His disciples. This calls for peculiar consideration. The home is the circle of family affections and in these affections there is that which God can still take account of in spite of all the wreck that sin has wrought in men. The Lord in mercy puts the physical complication right with a touch and she rose and served Him. Fever in its moral signification speaks of that restless excitement which so often incapacitates both for communion and service. Are we to learn something from the fact that this state so often marked Peter, this much loved servant of Christ? Be that as it may, we know the Lord loves to see His people both in person and in their homes free from excitement, and marked by that peace and sobriety which flows from communion with Him self. That Peter came to be marked thus may be seen from what he wrote later to the saints "Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous (1 Peter 3: 8).

The presentation of our Lord in the rest of this chapter (Matt. 8), fills us with wonder by the majesty and grandeur of it. The simple historic record presents our Lord Jesus Christ in a three-fold view which captivates the heart and-produces richest praise. First it may be pointed out that the whole passage presents to our view Messiah, the King, who is Emmanuel speaking and acting in His place, God and Man, a Divine-human Person. Then in the beauty of a Man asleep in the ship and later the mighty Creator who commands the winds and waves.

The incapacity of human nature as seen in Peter's house is illustrated in the first and second proposal to follow Him. The scribe had to learn that He is not a popular wonder-worker but a homeless Stranger, and the other disciple had to learn that this Stranger without a place to lay His head in the land must take precedence of every human claim. There were those who owned His claims and they followed Him in the ship. Cost what it might they would be with Him. They found themselves in His company outside the nation, tossed upon the waves in a storm which threatened to engulf them. Whatever the appearance no storm could harm them in His company. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee" (Isa. 43: 2). He is at their command, for needy ones were never turned aside by Him, and never shall be.

Nothing could more clearly show the perfection of the manhood of the Lord than the fact that He slept in the stern of the vessel. The sacred mystery of His sinless, holy Manhood cannot be explained by men, but we see it there nevertheless when He slept in that storm that threatened to wreck the ship. He knew what sighing and grief and weariness and fatigue were (Mark 7: 34, John 4: 6), and He had withdrawn for a little repose. Why disturb Him? But they were in danger. Was not their panic at that time something of the state of fever that we have seen in Peter's house?

They come to Him saying, Lord save. And at once He responded to their cry. Here we see Him from the side of His Godhead, the mighty, the almighty ONE in majesty supreme. "They that go down to the sea in ships . . . see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, and go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of all their distresses, He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Ps. 107: 23-29). This threefold view of the Lord covers the pages of the four Gospels for the blessed One Who is seen there is God become Man, the Word become flesh.

Underneath this first recorded incident on the lake of Galilee there is a glorious pledge of divine victory at the cross. It was there the waves and billows of God's judgment passed over Him, but it was there He triumphed over all the power of evil. Both Matthew and Luke record what the Lord did in the storm but Mark tells us what He said. "And having been aroused He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Silence, be quiet" (Mark 4: 19). The word means to muzzle, and blessed be His name He has not only silenced the storm on the sea but He has muzzled all the forces of evil. The world is judged, the devil defeated, death annulled, and all the forces of hell laid low." (See the Interlinear translation and Young's Concordance).

What follows is deeply humiliating. Think of swine in Immanuel's land. The humbling thing to a Jew in the parable in Luke was the words "He fain would have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat." But lower still; in the land of God's choice there are two men possessed of as many demons as could enter into two thousand swine. But yet deeper and beyond which it is impossible to get; men will rather have their swine and also the demons than the Saviour of sinners, the Son of God.

Matthew 9.

The rejection seen at the end of Matthew 8 is continued by the leaders of the people in chapter 9. But the Lord goes on with His service of love in its bearing both on body and soul. The case of the palsied man was peculiarly trying, but the Lord graciously encourages him. "Son be of good cheer: thy sins be forgiven." The first thought of the scribes who were sitting by was, this man blasphemes, but He who used the words knew also their thoughts and while exposing them before all immediately commanded the man to rise up and take up his bed and go into his house. It will be noticed that in this case the Lord demonstrated who He was as strewn in Psalm 103. By dealing with the moral state first, the need of the man's soul before his body, He showed that He was in full accord with that Psalm. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." These men were right in their conclusion that none could forgive sins but God (see Mark's Gospel), but they were ignorant of the fact that God was there in their midst. Man was wrong both in soul and body and the Lord was there to put both right.

Notice the Lord's use of the title Son of Man. Not now does He speak of Himself as a homeless stranger but of His divine sovereignty. The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. Why? Because the Son of Man is God.

Nothing could more clearly show the glory of His Person than this constant tracing of attributes both human and Divine to one and the same Person. A comparison of its use by Himself in these two chapters makes this clear.

Passing over the call of Levi we reach that miracle which shows the power of the Son of God over death (John 5). There came to Him a Ruler, one who had a certain place in the house of God but was at the same time helplessly at the disposal of another. This other was that cruel foe death under whose power the whole race lay. But the resurrection and the life was there in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the way to the death chamber there came behind Him a woman with an issue of blood. We learn from Mark that she had spent her all on the doctors without relief. She touched Him and her trouble was healed. The woman's disease was of twelve years duration and the dead girl was twelve years of age. Putting the two together we see the only possible end in the child to that which was at work in the woman.

"Who touched My clothes?'' (Mark 5: 30) said the Lord Jesus. And again in Luke 8: 46. "I perceive that virtue has gone out of Me." It was the effectual power of God to meet the power of death working in her. Faith was there before the touch and well He knew it, but His blessed heart would not let her go without the fuller and richer blessing of peace from God in her soul. The paralytic at the beginning of the chapter was put right first in soul then in body: here it was the body then the soul by the healing virtue of the Son of God. In the woman there had been the touch of faith from her side but in the death chamber it was the touch of power from His side. These two cases bring out very clearly the love and power of the Son of God. First His gracious condescension in following the man, then His tender kindness to the woman, His dealing with the tumult and the minstrels or flute-players in the house bespeak the tenderness of that blessed Man, while the Omnipotence of God shines out to heal the sick, raise the dead and bind up broken hearts.

The two blind men and the case of the dumb demoniac give a fitting termination to the group of the Lord's miracles which the Spirit has been pleased to put before us here. In all three the avenues of the soul were affected. In the blind men's condition there was a world outside, the beauty of which was hidden from them, with the demoniac there was a terrible world within but no way of telling it out. Faith opened the eyes, which were shut to nature, to the glory of the Messiah, the Son of David, and in the confessing of His power bodily healing followed. They had yet to learn that their Messiah Son of David was in rejection and the time for display not yet come. In their new-found joy they departed and spread His fame in all that country. The dumb demoniac was the lowest down of all, and it is to be remarked that both here and in Luke 11 the putting such a one right brought upon the Lord the charge of doing- the works of the devil. How closely this healing of the dumb demoniac stands contrasted with the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit (Luke 11: 13-15) and how awful the state of those committing the sin beyond forgiveness at that moment.

Now a few words on the place this group of miracles holds in relation to the dispensational and prophetic ways of God. The Holy Spirit puts the works of our Lord in the order that would show Him in relation to the testimony of God for all time. By comparing this Gospel with the others we can see that the miracles recorded are not always placed in consecutive order but are set down in view of the Spirit's purpose in this particular Book. We have already seen that His being taken to Egypt had in view that the history of Israel should be taken up in the Lord's Person and carried right, forward to the kingdom glory. The temptation goes further back and shows the history of the race in His Person. See the question of food which was raised in the first temptation.

Having set forth the character of His kingdom in Matt. 5-7, the power of it is displayed in Matt. 8-9. This is so arranged as to give a figurative view of the whole range of testimony from that moment till the kingdom be set up in glory.

First then note how clearly the cleansing of the leper shws the way He put the remnant of His people right when He was here. These were taken up as children of the free-woman while the unbelieving mass were left like the Ishmael generation in bondage. Such are spared to come in again, for Israel is beloved for the fathers' sake. The dealing with Simon's wife's mother furnishes the picture of the future restoration, while the healing of the Centurion's servant shows what has been going on during the long interval since He has gone on high: the work of grace among the Gentiles on the principle of faith, for the man was healed by an absent Saviour. Next follows the boat scene which portrays the cross. Here the storm of evil rose to its height and here the mighty power of the Son of God muzzled all the forces of evil. The saved remnant seen in the Book of Acts may be pictured in the two men delivered from the power of the demons, while the mass of the nation as seen, in that Book are left to run down the hill and were lost in the sea of nations. Even then the respectable world is seen in its refusal of Christ, preferring its commerce to the Saviour and it is left grovelling in its own unclean swinish ways till the time for judgment comes.

In Matt. 9 the paralytic is a clear picture of the Jew as set up here on earth in contrast to those of the gospel period whose home is with Himself in heaven. The call of Levi is to follow a rejected Christ right outside the world. All shows very clearly the calling and place of the Gentile in the time between the cross and the glory and amplifies the teaching of Matt. 8: 5-13. All this is confirmed in the conversations that followed. In a dim way (it could not be publicly declared till He was fully rejected) He alludes to His death and the way His followers would be affected. "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast . . ." This is the place of Christians in His absence, but if so they are brought into a new creation. The instructed believer today has no difficulty in seeing in all this that which is brought out in the Epistles of a later time, particularly those of the Apostle Paul.

In the remaining part these things are still more vividly set forth, for the g eat Master painter puts in touches that fill up the picture. The Jew as we have said is seen in the paralytic (ver. 1-8) and the raising of the daughter of Jairus further amplifies the type in accordance with Ezekiel 37, where we see the raising up of dead Israel. The poor woman that touched Him on the way shows what g ace is going out to the Gentile at this time, before He puts forth the power that will put Israel in their place. The giving of sight to the two blind men shows what is preparatory to the state produced in Zechariah 12: 10. They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced and shall mourn as one mourneth for an only son.

It is then that the dumb demon will disappear; their tongues will be loosed to confess their sins, own their Messiah in the Person of Jesus and adore Him. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But 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" (Isa. 53: 4, 5). Then also shall the words of Psalm 96 peal forth. "Oh SING unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among the people. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods." And then too it shall be said, "Happy art thou Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deut. 33: 29).

Matthew 10

Chapter 10 should begin at verse 36 of Matthew 9. This shows the heart of the Lord moved with compassion for His poor people in spite of the wickedness of the leaders, and leads to the sending forth of the twelve. They are sent forth on their mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. He sets their work before them making Himself chargeable for their every need. This brings out His power in the providential sphere. But there is much more, for what man, though possessed with power to work miracles could impart that power to others?

Having been in His company as learners they now go forth as His witnesses and He presses upon them the solemn nature of their service. "Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore prudent as the serpents and guileless as the doves." Besides this they were to look well to their own state of soul as His ambassadors and according to their faithfulness would He acknowledge them before the Father. It is a most precious enfolding of their privileges and responsibilities as brought into His confidence and drawing upon His resources. The beautiful line of moral instruction is most blessed for all and in spite of certain modifications in the later mission is most precious for all that seek to serve the Lord.

But a point is touched in the dispensational ways of God that makes this one of the most important chapters in the whole Book. The principle which marks all prophetic Scripture is here, and if the reader has carefully pondered the character of the discourse in Matt. 5-7 it will not be difficult to follow out what is here. We allude to the marvellous interweaving of the distant and future with that which is near and present so that the men sent out by Him on this mission can be spoken of as the same men which would be busy with their work when He comes back again in glory. He so orders His words that while applying to His servants at that moment they equally apply to those who will carry the testimony of the kingdom in Israel in the day to come: passing in this way over the Church age to the immediate preparation for the great Millennial display. This clearly supposes the transition in the Book of Acts from Judaism to Christianity and the break at the destruction of Jerusalem which left room for the parenthesis gap which has lasted-so long and is now about to end in another transition, namely from the Church age to the resumption of divine dealings with Israel.

It seems clear that up to v. 15, the apostolic band is chiefly in view. This was marked by the personal presence of the King. From v. 16 to 20 the language is more general having in view the preaching during the "Acts " and on to the fall of Jerusalem. Here the King is gone away and His servants are delivered up to be scourged and brought before rulers and kings. The Holy Spirit from the Father would be in them and would be the power for every emergency. He then speaks in language much more general, much of which applies at any moment but evidently with the testimony in Israel at the close definitely in view. This may be seen from the words of v. 23, "For verily I say to you, Ye shall not have completed the cities of Israel until the Son of Man be come."

Remark that it is during the time that this testimony is suspended in Israel that the gospel of the glory of the blessed God goes out to all nations in view of the church which is the body and bride of Christ. In that way the fall of Israel has brought salvation to the Gentiles, and made room for a character of blessing which coming in after the accomplishment of redemption and the declaration of eternal counsels is much richer than anything before proposed. Nothing had ever been seen or known from God like what is known today of His counsels concerning Christ and the assembly. Here, alas! the failure is much greater, for while the Spirit forms the bride for the Son and leads her home to Him in glory in the light of all the precious things of heaven, the mass of Gentiles refuse this the richest of all testimonies and go on to judgment. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: upon them who have fallen, severity; upon thee goodness of God, if thou shalt abide in goodness, since otherwise thou shalt be cut away (Rom. 11: 22).

We know that the Gentiles have not continued in the goodness and favour of God and that the time of their cutting off is at hand. The times of the Gentiles are nearing a close when Israel will be reinstated in their Land in a security that nothing can assail. They were cut off in holy government but through mercy and the faithfulness of God to His promises will be restored again. Christendom which has so long flourished under heaven's best and still continues in apostacy will be cut off in judgment never again to raise her proud head. Jerusalem having received double for all her sins, the Spirit of God moves in the valley of dry bones; the gospel of the kingdom will again be preached and preparation made for the coming of the KING. "O Zion that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into a high mountain, O Jerusalem that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God" (Isa 40: 9).

Matthew 11

The sorrow connected with His rejection, so deeply felt by the Lord, is here augmented by the message from the prison of His servant John. It but served, however, to bring out the greatness of His moral perfections. But all had been fore-known and prophetically described. The connection with Isaiah 49 is clear. I have laboured in vain, I have spent My strength for nought and in vain: yet surely My work is with My God. Jehovah answers: — "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation to the ends of the earth." The bearing of these last words on the Church age is seen in the way the aged Simeon uses them (Luke 2: 30-32), where the blessing of the Gentile precedes that of the Jew and also in Acts 13: 47, where Paul takes them as the warrant for his mission to the nations. All the wickedness of men and devils eventually but serve God, and here we see it brought out along with His moral perfections in meeting the circumstances the place the Lord fills as Centre of the ways of God.

He sends back the messengers to tell John of the great things that they had seen, finishing with a personal word for His beloved servant. This done, He brings out in the presence of the multitude His estimate of John's worth: first his true moral greatness, then his place as Fore-runner; next He points him out as a pivot in the dispensations and last of all associates him with Himself as refused by the guilty nation. "He shall be great in the sight of the Lord," said Gabriel; "Among them that are born of woman there is none greater," said the Lord. Prophetically foretold to fill the nearest place as Fore-runner he was also a pivot man for "All the prophets and the law prophesied until John." He came in at the end of one order of things but spoke of another. This is the explanation of the apparent contradiction of verse 11. "There hath not arisen a greater ... notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The Lord had already cited Malachi 3: 1 in reference to John's present place and ministry (cp. Luke 1: 17); here He refers to Malachi 4: 5 as showing the Elijah ministry yet to come of which John was the pattern. So definitely is John associated with the Lord in this official way that the Lord goes on to say of him in Matthew 17: 12. "Elias is come already and they knew him not but have done with him whatsoever they listed." But see the place all this puts our Lord Jesus Christ into. All John's greatness was derived from the place he filled in relation to the great Sun and Centre of all the ways of God.

In the light of all this how blessed to see John associated with His Master in persecution and death. John came neither eating nor drinking." His home was the desert and his food locust and wild honey. "They say, he has a devil." Through John came one of the greatest revivals that had been in Israel yet his head was bartered away for a dance. He stands out conspicuously in God's roll of honour and here the Lord associates him with Himself in relation to the then past, present and future.

And now the Lord upbraids the cities that had been in such incomparable favour. They had spoken ill of John the servant, a fellow man. They attacked the Lord of glory. "Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber," they said of Him, but the Lord adds "Wisdom is justified of her children." These were the people that at that moment in face of natural obstacles in themselves, and the determined opposition of those who had the key of knowledge, were taking the kingdom by force. The others could not be charmed, their moral insensibility was such as to blind them to all the grace of heaven which had been brought to their door. That ministry that began with "Blessed" (Matt. 5), here comes to "Woe" and along with it the righteous relation of the judgment to the grace and favour that had been despised.

The turn of the dispensation had come. The Lord is rejected and turns to the Father saying, "I thank Thee, Father." A few remarks on His refusal may help here. The Jews made it clear in every possible way that they did not want the Lord Jesus. The Messiah Son of God was a Man after a different order, and the distance morally between Him and man in the flesh was immeasurable. Even under divine culture as the Jew was here the new birth is a necessity. The Epistle to the Romans written later shows clearly that man is so irretrievably wrecked and lost that reconciliation to God can only be in a new Head. The Lord Jesus was at that moment on the way to the cross to bear the judgment and remove the enmity that was then at work in His refusal, and lay the basis of a new creation in death and resurrection for the glory of God.

They sought therefore to condemn Him at every turn. In His words and works, the question of the Sabbath and the Law; the woman taken in adultery and the question of tribute money; it was no use; they were baulked and exposed at every turn. In no case could they take Him; the sending the officers for Him failed, and their defeat was such that they proposed to put Lazarus to death because of his witness to His power. The darkest possible point must be reached and that surely which shames and humbles us all is the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. What a blot on the pride of humanity: the Son of God betrayed by a friend. Even this, however could only succeed because His hour had come. He had said no man taketh it from Me (His life), and the time came when He gave Himself up saying "this is your hour and the power of darkness."

But to return; we see how the Lord turns to the Father. "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." He is the Son whose being none can know in the intimacy of His relationship with the Father, a rejected Messiah upon the earth. These relationships subsisted in the mutuality and reciprocation of holy love and at that moment the Son could speak of Himself as the Centre of the whole counsel of God. While thanking the Father He turns and says, "All things are delivered unto Me of My Father." Let the light of this marvellous saying shine out upon the dark scene of His rejection. Hear Him speak of the place He fills in the relationships, intimacies and joys in Godhead purpose and glory. He whom we have been thinking of is the Centre of God's ways in relation to the Father and the counsels of eternity in the grand structure of God's purpose in relation to both heaven and earth, of which but an infinitesimal part connects with Israel and the Davidic hopes.

A three-fold view stands out here which leads from the position of the Lord at that moment down to the fulness of His eternal glory. First the Messiah Son of David Whose royal rights were then refused, then the Son of Man at the centre of all things: the Centre of the vast creation of God. Greatest of all and from which all springs, He is the Son in all the intimacies of love and joy that is proper to Godhead in the relations of Deity. This latter carries us to a point beyond which we cannot go even in thought, to the unknown and knowable Son of the Father and what is proper and native to the glorious Godhead.

We may have beheld a glorious view in nature where beyond a stretch of landscape rises a range of hills, behind which, with intervening valleys, rise range upon range of mountains of ever increasing height which fill us with awe and delight as they seem to recede far and away into the unknown beyond. All the gracious unfoldings of our Lord's ministry which has been before are surpassed here in view of His sorrowful refusal, and just at the point where this is reached His glory begins to rise higher and higher towering in the sunshine of its everlasting splendour, until it passes beyond our view for ever in this eternal grandeur of its own infinity.

We know from the Gospel of John that our Lord came to make known the Father, to reveal God. This shows that His rejection as Messiah was fore-known. He had come to make known God in a way far beyond all that the covenant relations pre-supposed, but as ever it is the Jew first. And at that moment there comes into view a new generation which becomes the vessel in which is deposited this revelation of the riches of the grace that are in the SON. "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." To Himself the despised and rejected He calls us that He might make known to us the Father. This surely is rest; the rest of a relationship outside of Israel nationally and outside of all that is of nature as in Adam. Nor is it something only for the advanced for He speaks of it as the first thing needed.

All this is hid to the wise and prudent and revealed to babes, but amidst the accumulation of glories we must not miss the moral glory of His perfect submission. The Son whose being none can know, a rejected, slighted man! Let us attend to this in the light of the words, "Learn of Me." Whatever the circumstances may be He takes all from the Father and so orders His teaching that those who come get the revelation of the Father and learn in Him how to bow and accept every circumstance from the Father's hand.

Matthew 12

The glory of the Son which belongs chiefly to the Gospel of John certainly has a place of importance in the Gospel of Matthew. It is the centre from which shine out the many rays of His moral and official perfections in chapter 12. On the dark background of hatred, scorn and rejection this glory comes into bold relief. The Son is here, a Man to make known the Father, the Messiah, greater than the Temple in regard to Israel; the Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath, in relation to mankind: greater than Jonah in resurrection power, and greater than Solomon in relation to all the glories of the Kingdom.

Matthew 12 includes the features both of Mark and Luke, and if we link with it the end of Matthew 11, of the Gospel of John also. Within this section there is a concentrated view of all four Gospels. The words Son of Man (verse 8), connect with Luke; My Servant (verse 18), with Mark; Son of David (verse 23), is the theme of Matthew, while Matthew 11 is the subject of John. And if for a moment we anticipate Matthew 13 and think of Him as the great Prophet, Revealer and King, we have a galaxy of glories before which we bow in deepest worship and praise.

The attack by the Pharisees in this chapter is because of the incident in the corn field. The Lord graciously condescends to reason with them. These Sabbath scenes bring out the state of these leaders and show their utter moral degradation. To condemn doing good in the alleviation of suffering betrays a class whom the Lord likens to vipers; men whose moral sensibilities were so deadened as to put the animal before a fellow man. They indeed had become like the viper which has venom like the power of hell (Gehenna) Matthew 23: 33. Could hatred go further than attempt to tie the hand of God down to an ordinance, and seek to kill God's Son for doing good? When the Lord healed the withered hand they went out to hold a council to destroy Him. The allusion to David and the priests shows how God is cognisant of the state of things at any time and orders men's conduct in relation to the need. Compare the permission of that which was an apparent disorder in the feast of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29: 30). Mercy rejoices against judgment.

Next note the power of life put forth on the man with the withered hand. He is a picture of Israel who instead of the freshness of living power to serve God which the hand represents, had become withered and decayed. "Stretch forth thy hand." How could a man with a dead hand stretch it forth? The living One who said the word imparted the power and in the presence of the exasperated Pharisees the man's hand was made whole. They held a council to destroy Him, but the Lord went on with His works of mercy. They were on the line of murder, He in the way of mercy. They were mad, He was sad (Luke 6: 11. Mark 3: 5-6).

Two things mark these leaders. They are here described by the Spirit as the bruised reed and smoking flax. First they had a pretence to support the weak but when leaned upon could only wound (see Isaiah 36: 6. Ezek. 29: 6, 7). Second, a burning hatred which is powerless, but waits its time to break out into fierceness of flame (Isaiah 7: 5). This is how the Spirit designates these men in their council of murder. But see Jehovah's Servant in the moral beauty of His service. " My Beloved in Whom My soul is well pleased ... He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory." His heart and hands were so full of His works of mercy that all else must stand over till they are finished. Then shall He deal with those murderers in consuming judgment. Meantime His work goes on in the remnant of His people soon to break through to the Gentiles (Acts 1: 8 from whom many shall come and hope in Him (Romans 15: 12). In the midst of His glories both personal and official which mark this section this gem of moral beauty is set (Matt. 13: 21) in a way that calls forth admiration as well as adoration and leads to the fullest praise.

Here then one glorious Figure towers above all else in the chapter, and from this point down to verse 37 He meets the whole power of evil. He took no notice of the charge of casting out demons in Matthew 9, by the power of Beelzebub, but does so here in a way that narrows everything down to Himself and the opposing power of the devil. "He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." The tree is either good and its fruit good or corrupt and the fruit corrupt (verse 33). The two classes could not be clearer, and in the light of christian doctrine it is the distinction between what is of Christ and of Adam. Here the two generations are brought out: one come under judgment as having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and another coming into view as doing the will of the Father and associating themselves with the Son, the rejected Messiah.

Mixed with the fearful state of things which was bringing down judgment and breaking the links between Him and the nation there was much of a deeply pathetic character. The marks of moral death and decay on the one hand coupled with a people whose state could only be likened to a sheep fallen into a pit; the moral insensibility of the leaders that would hinder their rescue and charge their great Benefactor with evil, and under cover consult His death. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . how often would I . . . and ye would not!" Surely blind and dumb and possessed of a devil described the nation at that moment whose true condition was seen in their leaders.

Their leaders seek a sign (verse 38), a sign of awful portent would be given. The sign in Luke 2. 12 was His birth. A "Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger," that had failed to affect them; here it is His death and resurrection. Jonah had come forth from the belly of hell (Sheol) a sign to the Ninevites; the Lord Jesus Christ would come forth from victory over death a Judge to this generation. In chapter 11 three cities of Galilee were contrasted with three cities of terrible notoriety. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had left these far behind in guilt. Here the contrast is between the men of Jonah's day and "this generation." The Queen from darkest Africa and the men of Nineveh would rise up in the judgment against these people who were rejecting the Lord of glory. There had been an external cleansing since the days when Jerusalem's sisters were Samaria and Sodom (Ezekiel 16) but now the last state was worst of all. Whatever fulfilment this passage (verse 43-45) is yet to have, and it certainly will have a terrible one, the rejection of the Son of God passes beyond all other sin.

Since the fame of the Lord is our theme a few words on the group of chapters eleven to sixteen may help to clarify the position. We who live in the full light of revelation find it difficult to visualise the position as it was before the eyes of the people at this time. Prophecy had outlined in glowing language the coming of the Messiah in glory to reign (Psalm 72 and 96-100), but it had also foretold His rejection, suffering and death. While all were ready to receive a King in splendour there were few prepared to accept the lowly homeless Stranger. A King in Solomonic splendour would have been hailed with general acclamation, but One born in a stable and coming from an obscure village was out of the question. A King with outward display might put honour on the people and deliver them from bondage, but a lowly Stranger! who could understand? Yet the Prophets had spoken of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow (1 Peter 1: 11: Psalm 22: Isaiah 53). The passage from Peter links together both comings, but the church age coming in between none could understand at that time.

The presence of the Lord among His people had all nations in view for the Incarnation was really a covenant made with all the peoples (Gen. 49: 10: Zech. 11: 10). The Lord was there in all the grace of the good Shepherd to feed His flock, His rejection by them constituted them a flock of slaughter; a dreadful slaughter which was carried out later by the Romans. He is seen in the prophet with two staves, a rod and a staff, the one called Beauty or Favour which meant protection; the other He called Bands in view of binding Israel together in blessing. All this grace was refused and in their blind infatuation they sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. (Ex. 21: 32; Zech. 11: 12, 13; Matt. 26: 15.) The consequence was that He broke the staves, the whole world came under judgment as proved at the cross, and the blessing both of the Jew and the nations postponed till He comes again after the gathering in of the church out of the world.

The Lord's rejection thus made room for the turn of the dispensation, and at this point He steps out into the wider place of Son of Man, and begins to unfold a new order of things, namely, the kingdom in the mystery and the Assembly (Church) as its inner treasure, which would result from the cross and the coming of the Spirit from Christ glorified. It was not that His rejection was a surprise which caused the formulation of a new plan. No, all was foreknown, and the perversity of the people made room for God to bring about deeper things which lay behind His outer ways with Israel.

The Lord proceeds in Matthew 13 to connect His labours which had seemed to be for nought and in vain in Israel with the Kingdom as now coming in. Though refused by the covenant people the kingdom would go on but in a different way. Instead of the blessing of the nations with Israel at the head it would be a Kingdom in mystery, as having its King, the source of life, light and glory, an object of faith at the right hand of God in heaven. This leaves room for a hint as to His Assembly, in the pearl of great price, which we shall see is the innermost thought of His blessed heart. Could anything show the perfection and beauty of God's ways like this?

Here is the secret of the permission of Messiah's rejection. The future day of glory necessitated the cross and the call of the Assembly, that company destined in the purpose of God to be the vessel in which the Son would find all His deepest joys and God would give an answer to the creation concerning the sin question and the solution of every moral question.

Matthew 13

The long chain of parables in chapter 13 bring out the glory of the great King-Prophet. In Hebrews He is the King-Priest. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) the Godhead glory shines through the words, and the same is here in the Sermon on the sea. The mountain is descriptive of Israel but the sea speaks of the testimony of God among the nations of the world. No created being could behold the future ages and give an accurate description of coming events. In the seven parables before us the Lord connects His second coming with His first and shows the leading features of testimony during the time that rolls in between. He Who holds every heart under control can alone describe the future, and in His prophetic discourse we see the great Immanuel.

The first parable is given in verses 1-8, and the explanation in 18-23. Between these the Lord opens out the situation to the disciples and the place of favour to which they were called. A parallel is seen in Revelation 2: 18-23 where the Son of Man with eyes as a flame of fire and feet like fine brass removes in holy judgment the candlestick of the professing church because of its state of iniquity, and singles out a remnant, putting them in a place of favour and witness for Himself. "To you it is given," the Lord says here, "to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given . . . Therefore speak I unto them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not neither do they understand . . But blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears for they hear, For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye hear and have not heard them." As the wicked and unprofitable generation recede from the place of testimony the new company are seen separated from the nation to the place of richest favour.

The parable shows what the Lord had been doing since He began His ministry. Refused as Messiah, Son of David, He did not then begin to sow but had been sowing all along in view of a harvest from a much wider field. This work might necessitate a transition of the remnant of His people to the nations, extending the boundaries of divine testimony in the earth to a much wider sphere; a work which-His rejection made room for.

He opened His heart to them strewing the secret working of God head wisdom in the divine ways from the beginning of the world. The One Who created the world planned also the ages (John 1: 1-3. Hebrews 1: 1-2). The inconceivable grandeur of the milky way with its innumerable hosts of suns and systems shows His creative power, but the ages with their unfoldings of moral life bespeak His wisdom and resource. Here at the turn of one age and the entrance upon another He stands in Manhood the ONE who planned them, the great Centre of all strewing to His disciples their place with Him in divine favour and bringing out of His treasures things new and old. If the time had not yet come for unfolding eternal things which belong to eternal counsels He, as the great centre of the time ways of God, can speak to them of things kept secret from the world's foundation (Verse 35. cp. Psalm 78: 2).

The first of the parables describes His work on earth; all the rest describe the kingdom as set up from Him exalted to heaven. These last six are commonly spoken of as similitudes of the Kingdom, and are divided into two threes at verse 36 by the Lord's movements. The first three are spoken in the presence of all and have the external order of divine testimony in view, the last three are spoken inside the house, and have the inner spiritual side of the dispensation in view. The three outstanding elements of prophecy mark the whole six. The pre-intimation, the whole outline in range, and then the fulfilment. These again presuppose the eye of Omniscience, the attribute of Omnipotence that is almighty to fulfil and the beneficent wisdom and goodness of divine love. If He is Immanuel then the power of evil which seemed to have triumphed in His abasement and rejection can but serve His glorious design.

The parable of the wheat and tares properly understood helps greatly to the understanding of the whole, and since much has been written on this chain of parables we shall only note a few points which help to bring out the beauty of the King. "The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man which sowed good seed in his field." The parable is given in verse 24-30 and the explanation in 37-43. A man sowed good seed in his field. The Sower is the Son of Man, the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom (v. 24 and 37-38). But while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares (28). The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the tares are the children of the wicked one; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Thus far is the complete explanation of the parable. Now for the glory and the future of that which was gathered into the barn. The ground covered includes from Pentecost right through the church age, past the rapture of the heavenly saints, and through the preparatory providential judgments right into the scene of millennial glory strewing the whole divided into two grand parts, the heavenly and the earthly; the one the Kingdom of the Father, and the other the Kingdom under the whole heaven, the Kingdom of the Son of Man (verse 41, 43, and see Daniel 7: 27). It began as the kingdom in mystery and runs on to the kingdom in glory, and while the result of the enemy's work is only too sadly in evidence, room is left for all its inner grandeur going on to the final glory of the righteous shining forth in the Kingdom of their Father.

In the following parable (verses 31-32) the Lord foreshows the wholesale departure and development of worldliness in the christian profession during the time that the wheat and tares grow together. The beginning at Pentecost was outwardly insignificant but in process of time it grew to become a great public concern. From a small beginning, a mere mustard seed, there sprang up in process of time a great imposing commonwealth likened to a great tree which became the shelter of the birds of the air. Its passage from Pentecost and the Apostles to the church of the fathers and on to the Papacy was steady, but in the next parable the Lord shows the inner corrupting principle which was at work permeating the whole.

Having reached the point where all seemed defeat the Lord goes inside and after explaining the parable of the wheat and tares gives to His disciples a glimpse of what was really the cause of God's forbearance with the outer ruin he had previously sketched. In the next two little parables we pass from man to God, to that which, though but dimly touched, is the richest part of His eternal purpose in Christ. He began to speak inside of what belongs to the inside, of what is of priceless value to Himself; the treasure and the pearl. The treasure was unseen and unknown to all but Himself. He found it and hid it again. The great tree might be conspicuous but that which was of interest to Him can only be in evidence when He reigns. The pearl was of great value. He was seeking beautiful pearls and found one of great value and went and sold all that He had and bought it.

In the first similitude the enemy was busy while men slept; in the second there was expansion, publicity and popularity, while the third shows the hidden power of corruption that underlay it all. But in the Treasure and the Pearl there is that which is gratifying to the Lord; that which in its own indestructible beauty passes beyond the power of the enemy to corrupt. It is not merely that believers are distinguished from unbelievers as in the case of the wheat and tares, it is the saints seen in the light of eternal purpose anticipatively in the divine nature and in the life of Christ. The great idea is preciousness; for such a pearl He sold all that He possessed, yea, He went further for "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it." In accord with this we read of the saints being "God's workmanship" and also "He that hath wrought us the self-same thing is God."

The last of the similitudes is the net cast into the sea. In the first it was the seed sown in the field of mankind here it is the same testimony among the nations and the end carries us outside the present age to judgment. Angels, providential agents of the King, remove all that offends. Whether it be the sea or the field, all are His. His by creation and also by purchase on the cross. While all are His by double right, He acts here in the light of the latter. He bought the field, in view of the treasure and it was costly, for to secure it He had to sell all that He had. If the treasure was to be had He must purchase the whole field, this gave Him possession of all. The time is near when He shall ask and receive the heathen for His inheritance, but distinct from these is the wheat which are the children of the kingdom and the tares which are the children of the devil.

Matthew 14 and Matthew 15. "And His fame went throughout all Syria," Matt. 4: 24.

In chapter 14 the apparent triumph of evil in the death of John the Baptist becomes the occasion to introduce certain features of the Lord's glory in relation to the new thing that was coming in, namely, His church. Being rejected as the Messiah by Israel, He declares in Matthew 16 that He would build His church upon an impregnable foundation.

The three incidents that follow the murder of John — the feeding of the five thousand, His going up into the mountain alone, when His disciples were sent away across the sea, and His coming to them walking on the water, show the wisdom of the Lord in relation to God's glory and man's need in view of the transition that was taking place. The first incident shows the headship of Christ, the second His priestly service, and the third His lordship.

The grace of the Lord is seen in relation to the need of men. This is the basis upon which all that we may learn of His glory rests. The circumstances were Jewish, but the time had come for Him to put the stamp of a heavenly order upon them. He was a rejected Saviour, and about Him gathered His disciples, a remnant of the people, and then the hungry multitude. His heart went out to these for He could not be indifferent to their need. From five loaves and two small fishes He fed them all, and then said "Gather up the fragments that nothing be lost," and there were twelve baskets full gathered up. The number twelve in Scripture often denotes divine administration through human vessels, as the twelve disciples, etc. We may apply this to what was then near at hand. The disciples were being fitted to go forth into the world with a basket each, filled with the good things of God. Their service here of carrying His bounty to the hungry multitude was a fitting introduction to the great work they were called to do after He had gone on high, and the Holy Ghost had come down at Pentecost. We may give the miracle a distant application also and see in it the time of the full blessing of Israel in the day of their deliverance, and that blessing overflowing to the nations.

How His glory shines out here, and what fame is His! Omnipotence at work in creating food, His power being at the service of His compassion, the foreshadowing of His administrative supremacy on high, He is rich unto all that call upon Him, as well as the indication that He was indeed David's Son and David's Lord who will bring in the glory and the plenty of the millennial day. His authority, capability and resources as well as His compassion illustrate for us His present place on high as the head of every man. Joseph in Egypt displayed the wisdom of headship by interpreting Pharoah's dreams and preparing bread for the people. Our Lord is Himself that which He ministers (John 6) for here as everywhere the contrast between Him and all others is marked. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh which I will give for the life of the world."

After sending the disciples away and dismissing the multitude to their homes He went into the mountain alone. He separates His own from the mass of men while He goes on high. "Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world" (John 15). While He is away the world goes on forgetful of all His benefits, and His own are tossed upon the waves, the wind contrary, verse 24. The sheet of troubled waters is not an inapt figure of what the devil — the prince of the power of the air — has made this world for those who witness for Christ. Taking the distant view, the disciples represent all that is proper to Israel and about them the storm will rage to its very height, for they have yet to pass through "Jacob's trouble." But then He will appear for their deliverance. He came once and the nation refused Him, but in the language of Scripture He will appear the second time to them that look for Him unto salvation.

His coming will bring their travail to an end for as soon as He entered the ship the wind ceased. The darkest time of Israel's history is fast approaching when in deep distress the remnant of them will cry "For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever" (Psalm 44). At that time of terror He will appear. Then shall they see Him whom they have pierced and shall weep, a national weeping, every family apart. He who plants His footstep on the sea will bring them to their desired haven.

But the incidents have a present application. He has gone on high, and ever liveth to make intercession for His own who are buffeted by the storms of life, yet in another sense He draws near to them. The act of Peter in leaving the boat to go to Jesus on the water has long been used to illustrate the transition from Judaism to Christ. Having been refused by Judaism the Lord is outside it, and the system that refused Him answers to the boat. There was no room for the Lord either in the world or amongst His people Israel, the outside place was His, and Peter by his act indicates the place of the believer in the outside place with Him. For his witness for the Lord the man in John 9 was cast out of the synagogue but he found the Lord there, or the Lord found him there.

The new thing which began at Pentecost, namely the formation of the House of God and the Body of Christ by the Spirit was not a continuation of Judaism. The Apostles and those brought in by their labours were gradually brought from their earthly hopes and expectations to the joy of haying part with Christ in glory. We learn from the Book of Acts how this transition was effected and see the forbearance of God in bearing with that system which had crucified His Son. God bore with it in the forty years between the Cross and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Peter's leaving the ship to go to Jesus is a beautiful expression of what it is to join Christ outside the world, the One disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious.

In His answer to the terrified disciples the Lord said, "Be of good cheer, I am." It is well known that this is the right rendering of the words. We see Him thus a Man yet the great "I Am" in a scene that shows figuratively all the power of evil under His feet. He walks upon the sea as His by double right: in Godhead He created it and in Manhood it forms part of His vast domain and in a coming day when the universe, animate and inanimate, hymns forth His praises, the sea shall join with all other parts in that universal song. "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar and the fulness thereof, Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord" (Ps. 96: 12, 13).

The sea is often taken in Scripture to represent the restless forces of evil. At its creation He had shut it up within doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb. He had set bars and doors and said, Hitherto shalt thou come but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed. Again it is said "The floods have lifted up, O Lord the floods have lifted up their voice. The floods have lifted up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Job 38: 8-11; Ps. 93: 34). Here in the double rights of His Divine-human Person the Lord Jesus Christ is seen with all the powers of evil figuratively underneath His feet. What a scene for our devout contemplation; well might we adoringly sing "Crown Him LORD of all."

At the end of the chapter He is received where He had been before refused (See Matt. 9). He is coming and will be received in the world that preferred its commerce and its swine to the holy One; meantime we are permitted to enrich our souls with all the moral wealth of such unfoldings of His glorious Person morally and officially as come out in the incidents where He made the very needs and distresses of His people to draw out the riches of His grace and glory.

We may sum up the 15th chapter of our Gospel in the words exposure and disclosure. The exposure of the heart of man and the disclosure of what is in the heart of God. Both Peter and John speak of the Lord as holy and righteous, both features shine out here in the exposure of these leaders of the Jews who were again finding fault because the disciples did not conform to their traditions. The Lord quotes from the Scriptures in which they boasted to bring home to them their hypocrisy. To possess the outward form of religion with the heart untouched is the most dreadful of all states in which a man can be. Zeal for religious observances with an unsubdued spirit sears the conscience and hardens the heart, and blinds men even to the extent of refusing aid to helpless dependants under the pretext of faithfulness to God.

He deals first with these blind leaders and then in verse 10 turns to the multitude, and lastly addresses the disciples, verses 15 - 20. To these last He describes the utter corruption of the human heart in a way that corresponds with the Holy Spirit's summing up of the human race in the three great branches of it — Shem, Ham and Japheth (Rom. 1 - 3). There appears to be some correspondence with Romans 7 and 8 also. The Lord goes to the root of things, He exposes the condition of the human race. His words are of universal application. In Romans 7 we hear the cry for deliverance from this state of things in view of entering into the liberty of Romans 8; and here the exposure of man's condition precedes the wonderful revelation of the church in Romans 16, where we learn that those who form it are of the same nature as Christ Himself, the builder of it.

As always the Pharisees displayed the perversity of the flesh, but in the incident that follows the power of the devil is revealed; both were opposed to Christ, and the truth is that it is through the flesh, or fallen condition in which man is, that the devil works against God; he has succeeded in turning against the Creator His best workmanship. But have we not today something which closely resembles what is disclosed in these chapters? Apostasy from the faith once for all delivered to the saints is spreading with alarming rapidity in Christendom, the leaders of this apostasy answer to the leaders who- opposed the Lord, while we have a strong evangelical element, for which we may be thankful, which answers to the state of the disciples; real souls who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, but like the disciples not fully able to avail themselves of the great resources that are for them in Christ. Then there are those, who may be of no account in men's eyes, who like Peter have learnt of the Father something of the glory of Christ and what the assembly is to Him (Matt. 16). It is a blessed thing to know that He who was "cut off and had nothing" so far as Israel and the kingdom of this world went, did not go until He could say, "I will build My church." We may thank God that in the midst of the growing apostasy we may through grace appreciate the glory and the grace of Christ and appropriate the precious things of heaven of which He is the Administrator.

There is something unusual in the Lord's manner towards the woman of Canaan. We cannot recall a case in which He refused to answer except in the case of Herod, and there He was carrying out His own injunction "Give not that which is holy to dogs." From Him who came from heaven freighted with divine bounty to meet all need there was no answer to a cry of need. Why? The answer from a dispensational point of view may be twofold. A Gentile could not be met on the ground of the Messianic testimony, she had no claim on the Son of David as such. Though morally, as the sequel proved, far beyond the Jew, she cannot be heard on that ground. Secondly, all that which the nation had refused He will honour. The relationship and blessings of Israel will yet be owned and met, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. This Gospel may be said to present Him as the Minister of the circumcision to confirm the promise made to the fathers but if we look at the text we have cited we shall see that it finishes with the words "that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy" (Romans 15: 8, 9).

The mercy of God transferred this woman from the place of a dog to blessing of the highest character. She owns Him Son of David, she owns Him Lord and acknowledges Israel to be the children and herself a dog. but beyond that she has a sense that the One she is addressing cannot refuse to meet her need. Her faith penetrates through every difficulty, dispensational or otherwise, right to the heart of the Lord and it meets as it always does its full reward. He said, "O woman, great is thy faith." To her as to ourselves the crumbs turn out to be the very best; like the baskets taken up after the desert feast they speak of the precious things of heaven.

Here again note the combination of glories which meet and shine forth in the Person of our Lord. He cast out the demon but did not go to where the girl was; He is God, omnipresent, and His power is in operation everywhere and so He met and answered the faith of the woman out of His sovereign mercy. The moral perfections of His Manhood are seen in the way He acts, while what is official and dispensational comes into evidence in the way He guards and honours the place of the people who had already dishonoured and rejected Him.

The feeding of the 4,000 sets forth the unwearied patience and ungrudging beneficence of the Lord. He had already fed her poor with bread according to Psalm 132. Here He repeats and extends His bounty in a way that fits exactly into that moment, namely the widening out to all nations the testimony of His grace. The feeding of the 4,000 seems to have been a miracle of greater proportions than that of the previous feast where 5,000 were fed. There are certain peculiarities in regard to time, place and numbers which seem to indicate this; while both were the fruit of Omnipotence the bearing of each was different. The time was later as witnessed in their sitting upon the ground or earth and not on the grass as in Perea on the eastern shore of the Lake of Galilee.

There the people would be mostly Gentile, as we read "Galilee of the Gentiles." But perhaps the most notable difference lay in the difference of the numbers used. The numbers five and twelve, in the first feast are pretty much Jewish as seen in the Pentateuch and the twelve tribes, while four and seven are numbers that speak more of the creation in relation to God. Four speaks of what is universal, and seven of divine bounty ministered to the creature. Seven can be viewed indeed as four and three which gives God in Trinity in relation to the universe. Taken with all the circumstances it is clear that we are much more on Gentile ground and in the gospel age. In the former there were twelve small baskets. one for each of the disciples, here there were seven large baskets, as those who read the original tell us. In the former we have a ministry begun at Pentecost which like all committed to men broke down, in the latter we have that which speaks of heaven's administration which never breaks down because it is in the hands of God.

This turns us to the blessed One Himself who ever is the guarantee of divine fulness of blessing in unbroken continuity. If the exposure of man was deep, strewing the universal state and not that of the covenant people only, the disclosure of the heart of God to meet it was also complete. "I have compassion on the multitude . . . and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way," was the revelation of His blessed heart, strewing forth His moral glory and bringing in His activities which display Him in Divine Omnipotence and grace. This again put forth in such a way as to go far beyond the need and create the position for seven large baskets to be gathered up as if He would bring us to the very heart of God in its limitless outflow towards His poor fallen creatures in their need.

Matthew 16

The cleavage between the Lord and the leaders of Israel be comes very manifest at the opening of chapter 16. Like many leaders in Christendom to-day, they were materialistic, but stood convicted of moral blindness, for they could discern the face of the sky, but Him they knew not, nor the time of their visitation. His refusal to give them a sign left them in their darkness. He had already exposed the blindness of the nation when He gave Jonah as a sign against them in Matthew 12, here He goes further and turns away from them. "He left them and departed," verse 4. It is humbling to see that the disciples with all their privileges as being always in His company were hampered by materialism also. When He warned them against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees their minds ran on food, they seemed incapable of receiving moral instruction.

It is interesting and of great importance to note that before bringing out the truth of the Church for the first time in His ministry to them, He warned them against these two leavens. The leaven of the Pharisees is Ritualism, and the leaven of the Sadducees is Rationalism. The pure truth of the Church has been corrupted all down the centuries by one or other, or both these leavens, and was never more so than today. It is the enemy's work, and he knows that no one can know the blessedness of the truth of what the Lord speaks of as "My Church" who is under the influence of the doctrines of the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

Amid the conflict of opinions concerning our Lord there came from the lips of Peter a true confession as to Who He was, "the Christ, the Son of the living God," but Peter did not arrive at this great confession by natural observation, it was a revelation to Him from the Father in heaven. This confession goes beyond that of Nathaniel's in John 1: 49, which had Psalm 2 in view, and beyond that of Martha's in John 11. It was the revelation of One who though truly Man is beyond the estate of man — the Son in Manhood into whose hand the Father has put all things. And it has often been truly said that no one can understand the truth of the Church who has not first apprehended the truth as to the Lord's person.

It is as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," rejected as Messiah by Israel, that He becomes the builder of something that He can call His own. As the rejected One. He stood with His disciples, — the babes of John 11: 25, looking forward to the time when in virtue of redemption He would begin to build His assembly, a new spiritual structure wherein He would deposit and carry through all the blessings which Israel had refused. This building began at Pentecost, and it necessitated the transfer of the disciples from Jewish relationships and hopes to that of living stones in a living house, built by the Son of the living God.

His Church, the Assembly, derives its existence from Him as the Son of the living God, but the Kingdom is bound up with Him as the Son of Man. He had said, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?"

After speaking of the Assembly, He proceeds to speak of the kingdom and its administration as it exists in mystery today — i.e. in its hidden character, in contrast to the time when it will be in public display. To Peter He said, "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This clearly refers to the place given to Peter in the front rank of the testimony as seen in the Acts of the Apostles. He it was who was used of the Spirit to open the Kingdom for the Jews in Acts 2, and for the Gentiles in Acts 10. Binding and loosing was committed to all the Apostles (Matt. 18) and seems to refer to the way heaven ratified their work as under the control of the Holy Spirit.

This passage brings together the Assembly and the Kingdom. The one is the inner and the other the outer. It has been said that the Kingdom is the bulwark of the Assembly. We remember that David had to establish the Kingdom before Solomon could build the temple. In the Epistle to the Ephesians the assembly is viewed as the fruit of the eternal purpose of God in its richest and highest place of blessing as God's house, His habitation, a holy temple in the Lord; consequently in Ephesians 6 the saints are exhorted to stand against the wiles of the enemy, having on the whole armour of God. They are to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Administration is the thought here. Those who are being built up a spiritual house are subjects of Christ as Lord, and fitted to take up His interests. The Lord is the great Administrator in the kingdom and in His might the saints stand against the enemy, while at the same time they are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit, Ephesians 2: 22.

At this point the Lord is seen in each of the first three Gospels acting in the light of Isaiah 8: 16-18. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples and I will wait upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of Jacob . . Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given Me are for signs and wonders; etc., etc. Here He charged His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ (Matthew 16: 20). Having introduced the new thing which He would build, the necessity of His death comes before Him; and Peter, the one who had just been so greatly favoured drops so low as to rebuke Him. Such is man. How often the very greatness of our blessing throws us off our guard. Lest he should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations given to him Paul received a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him. He who had so signally honoured Peter has to rebuke him saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but the things that be of men."

The recipients of divine favour cannot have a place in the world that crucified their Master. Having given them a place with Himself in the new resurrection order of things which He would set up they must take up their cross and follow Him. It is well for each to count the cost. If a person would essay to follow a rejected Christ he cannot consistently be one with the world that crucified his Master. To take up the work of God and to be in it in the holy influence and power necessary for carrying it on, life must be given up in the sense of citizenship status, rank and all that man counts dear as man in his place in society here. In another place the Lord said "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before you" (John 15: 18). In the passage before us it is not the world casting off the Christian but his giving up the world because of his identification with Christ in another order of things which is divine. These men had given up the world, Peter says so later (see Matt. 19: 27), and His Master does not contradict him, and in spite of his lapse in Matthew 16: 22, he still had the keys and moreover had the place of honour as being one of the three whom the Lord was just about to take with Him into the holy Mount to witness the glory of the Son of Man in His Kingdom.

Matthew 17

Chapter 17 opens with the record of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the holy mount. There He shone in His own proper glory. He was the Man of Sorrows, but here we have a glimpse of Him as the Man of Glory. "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." The presence of Moses and Elijah show that the material for this display was all bound up with the nation of Israel that had refused Him and was about to crucify Him; their blindness and enmity would not rob Him of His glory. Here is an anticipation of the glory of the kingdom that will yet fill heaven and earth. It is a scene of holy splendour based upon redemption in which both heaven and earth unite in His praise. The two heavenly visitors had been pillars in the nation which had been the scene of God's operations. Here they are communing with their Lord and the subject of their communion, as Luke tells us, is His decease — His exodus which He would accomplish at Jerusalem. Upon that everything depended. The wise and prudent of earth could not understand either the meaning or the necessity of His death, the cross is foolishness to them, even His disciples could not in that day grasp it as Peter showed in Matthew 16, but it was the theme of heaven; it was known to Moses and Elijah. They could not have been with Him in that glory except as the fruit of His work on the cross, although all its ignominy and shame and sorrow still lay ahead of Him.

Moses and Elijah picture to us that vast host that will fill the heavens, some having passed through death and others to be called up to meet the Lord in the air at His coming (1 Thess. 4), while the disciples set forth the nation of Israel set up in richest blessing upon the earth and those at the foot of the mountain, the nations that will yet come into millennial blessedness under His glorious sway, when He appears to undo all the works of the devil. In that way we may think of Him as Son of God in relation to the Church, Son of David in relation to Israel, and Son of Man in relation to the Gentile. But there is still something of His glory that carries us inside beyond it all. He is the Father's beloved Son. The saints of today, those who form His assembly, His body, and His bride, will see Him in His relation to Israel as the Messiah and in relation to the nations as the glorious Son of Man, but it is theirs to behold Him, in the inner intimacy of sons, as the Father's well-beloved Son. How wonderful is His prayer for them, "Father I will that they 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).

Two great lines of truth run right through the Bible and meet in the Person of our Lord. First, God glorified in the Son of Man and the Son of Man glorified in God. Second, the revelation of the Father in the Son and the Son with the Father in the circle of divine affections which in its own innate excellence reaches to that which is beyond display. Both are here, the former prefigured in full regal splendour, the latter embodied in the Shekinah cloud and the voice of the Father.

The Transfiguration was clearly an answer given to the Lord by the Father with regard to His service. From that landmark in His pathway the Lord descended right down to the Cross. The glory of the Kingdom and indeed every part of the glory of Godhead right through to eternity must be secured there. The three who were with Him were told to tell it to no man till after He was risen. Matthew, Mark and Luke record it and Peter as the only one of the three present speaks of it in his second Epistle. "We . . . were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." Peter's language about building three tabernacles has often been spoken of as an attempt however well meaning to lower the Lord. We may say that it showed how little he had understood the revelation of the Father to him in the previous chapter, and yet it could not be otherwise, for until the Spirit came neither he nor any of them could enter into the meaning of the wonderful favour which had been theirs as being the companions of the Man who is God the Son.

His death was before the Lord. Of it He talked with Moses and Elijah. On coming down the mountain He spoke of it again, and later to them all (see verses 12, 22, 23). But the incident at the foot of the mountain was a trial to His spirit and drew forth a peculiarly solemn word to His disciples. "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you." He connects the close of His testimony among them with want of ability on their part to avail themselves of all that He had put at their disposal. It is indeed solemn to see the close of the Lord's service here linked with the want of faith and power of His own to make good what he had brought to them. But blessed be His name, no failure on our part can lessen His love or interfere with the wealth of blessing He has brought us into. This is surely made abundantly clear in the incident at the end of the chapter.

The moral perfection of our Lord in relation to His transfiguration must not be missed. It has power to fill our souls with praise and worship. The Man Christ Jesus is here seen as the Ante-type of the Hebrew Slave. "And if the servant shall plainly say I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him . . . unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be His servant for ever" (Exodus 21: 5, 6). It was at this point that the Lord acted in the spirit of this passage and declared in an unmistakable way that He would not go out free. He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. This was for Him the valley of humiliation right down to the Cross. His personal fitness as well as His right to go up at that moment none would deny. But had He done so He must have remained alone, a Man in heaven for evermore. He had left heaven to die, and had said the Son of Man must be lifted up, and "It was a necessity." The glory of God, the fulfilment of Scripture and the blessing of every creature hung upon His death, but while giving full place to all this we bow with adoration as we discern the moral beauty of the Man Christ Jesus who would not go out free. The Hebrew servant was to have his ear bored with an awl and become his master's servant forever, setting forth the cross and a token of the condescension of Him who by that cross has become a Servant forever.

All this is richly amplified in the closing incident of the chapter: the incident of the tribute money. Peter with his best intentions is again at fault. Nothing could more conclusively prove the hopelessness of man in nature to understand the things of God, they can only be known by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2). It was not flesh in an evil way. Peter was doing his utmost to show his appreciation of his Master but was unconsciously lowering Him. Of course my Master pays the tribute: He could not be behind in anything and particularly in that which concerns the House of God. Yet his previous confession put the Lord infinitely beyond both the temple and the tax. The question the Lord puts to Peter puts the whole thing in order. "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers? "Of strangers," said Peter. The point was simplicity itself. "Then are the sons free," said the Lord. In another place the Lord said, "If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed." The point here however is the way He connects Peter with Himself. He, the Son of God, stood beyond these claims, but in grace He would come down to it and pay the tribute. Peter is sent to the sea to get that which would meet and pay the tribute both for his Master and himself.

The way the moral beauty of manhood combines with Godhead in this act fills our souls with deep delight. Could any manifestation of Godhead power impress us more than what is here? He not only sent Peter but controlled the fish. All creation is His and all is under His control not only on the land but whatsoever passes through the paths of the deep!

In its figurative bearing we touch the deeper depth of the heart of the Son of God. It speaks to our hearts of that which can never be forgotten, which will cause the hallelujahs of countless hosts of redeemed throughout eternity's golden days. Death lay upon all at that moment but He, the Man Christ Jesus stood outside its claims. As we have seen He could have gone out free but how then was the "mighty debt" to be paid? He who is free from the claims of death endures the death due to us that He might have us with Himself. He made our sins His, our judgment His judgment and paid the debt we owed. Blessed precious holy Lord we adore, and as we adore THEE our souls are led into the deeper depth of Thy holy perfections as the Son. The depth of Thy humiliation can be measured only by the height of Thy glory and both are beyond our comprehension forever. We see them in combination at Calvary where the heart of God was revealed and thereby each of us learns the meaning of the words "For Me and thee." The Bridge that spans the gulf of death none could cross without paying toll; that which meant eternal condemnation. In love surpassing all thought the Lord of glory paid all that was our due and having met every claim takes us in His own acceptance as those given to Him by the Father into that scene of heavenly bliss to share with Himself all that He inherits and has acquired as our Redeemer and Lord.

Matthew 18

The term "Kingdom of Heaven" is peculiar to this Gospel and denotes a sphere on earth under the "control of a King now enthroned in heaven, centre of power and authority. In this chapter the Lord is instructing His disciples in its laws and ways. None can enter into it save by the door of repentance and the becoming as a little child, and to be great in it, this condition of heart must be maintained. This is moral greatness, and evidently the kingdom of heaven is the exact opposite in principles and character to the kingdoms of this world. It is here composed of true believers, those who have been born again, for only such have the "little child" character; and we have a different view of it to that given in Matthew 13, where wheat and tares grow together. While sin and death reign in the world and its kingdoms, grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life in this kingdom.

True greatness consists in being servant of all, the power for which is in the Lord Jesus Himself, who as in all else was the perfect example of it in a life of service to others. "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, to give His life a ransom for many," Matthew 20: 25-28.

The kingdom of heaven was set up at Pentecost, and worldly rank, wealth and education had no place in it. For nineteen centuries the power of evil has been at work against it, yet it stands today in its own distinctive character, as the sphere where the moral rule of God is maintained, the Lordship of Christ is owned, and salvation for man is enjoyed. The administration of the kingdom was committed to the Apostles and as this was carried out under the control of the Spirit it was endorsed in heaven, and in this chapter the promise of the same goes out to all who are obedient to its laws, verses 18, 20.

This kingdom as it exists today is in mystery, i.e., it is not publicly displayed as it will be when the Lord takes His great power and reigns, now it carries on its gracious work in the hearts of men, and is in moral power. The King is in heaven and His subjects are on earth, therefore all is on the principle of faith. It is prophetically described in the Old Testament, but never in the form described here. There it is the power and splendour of the King, who is the Prince of peace and who ensures a state of society never dreamt of in the kingdoms of men, who will cause the desert to blossom as the rose and fill the earth with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. The more we consider the glowing descriptions of His reign yet to be the more our souls are amazed at the character of His kingdom as it exists today. It was offered to Israel as the prophets had spoken of it at His first coming but His chosen people refused it, and, as to the outward glory of it, it was postponed, and set up instead in mystery.

The rejection of Christ created the position for the display of the resources of the King, for nothing that evil powers could do could defeat Him. In result all that the Kingdom will bring in for man in a public way is available to faith today. The coming day of glory will reveal salvation and eternal life for man in a public way, and indeed all the blessings of the heart of God for men, but these blessings are now enjoyed in the Spirit's power and on the principle of faith by those who have accepted the gospel and have been brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love.

The first feature of the subjects of the Kingdom is that of a little child; simple, confiding and unsophisticated. This strikes at the root of self-importance and a vindictive spirit so that one can be calm and quiet when wronged and leave room for the Lord to take up his case in righteousness. But the Lord speaks of the children as such, saying: —  "See that ye do not despise one of these little ones, for I say unto you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." There is something exceedingly blessed here: His coming and the Father's favour shown to children. Not, to seek and save as in another passage, but to save, tells that though not having wandered away they have inherited fallen nature and must be saved. They have a place of special favour with the Father: their salvation brought Him, the Son of Man here.

We have seen already the connection between the Assembly and the Kingdom. Here it is the working out of the truth locally. In His providential wisdom God has placed His people in relation to one another in a way suited for the furtherance of mutual profit in their daily life. This works out in true Christian fellowship in the enemy's world and is one of the richest favours divine love bestows, but it supposes the blessedness of daily going on with the Lord. If not, the very best thing may work towards sorrow. How often alas, sleepless nights through "local troubles" and "Assembly matters" have to be passed through because grace spoken of here is wanting. "But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone." This indeed would avert many sorrows. But more may be needed, hence the witnesses. But even this may not be enough. What then? Tell it to the Assembly. This was to be the believer's only court of appeal. If still the offender remained obdurate, what then? Leave him alone. "Let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax gatherer."

Binding and loosing on earth and in heaven are spoken of in the next verse. It surely conveys the meaning that whatever was done under the Spirit's control would be endorsed above. This we have seen committed to Peter and in some way carried out. Here it is continued in the Assembly and under the Apostolic advice seems to have been carried out at Corinth. (See 1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 6: 11).

What follows in verses 19 and 20 connects closely with the gathering together of saints in these last days, linking up also with the Philadelphian Epistle of Revelation 3: 7-13. "Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from My Father who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Here is a state produced by the Spirit to which the Lord can attach Himself and the Father can take account of it and grant an answer to the prayers.

Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, the Holy Trinity is seen at work. What is here has been the resource of faith in a day of confusion and general breakup. It would be the link with the revival above referred to by which saints have been recalled to own the Spirit's presence in the Assembly and thereby get the gain of the full truth of the revelation committed to the Assembly at the beginning. It should be remembered that there is no warrant for organisation or ecclesiasticism, but simply a spiritual state which owns the ruin and its own utter helplessness, cleaving in faith to the promise and in this way gets the gain of the Lord's presence and the sense of the approval of the Father. The attempt to go beyond this can only bring sorrow, and alas, we have all to own the sorrowful condition of things so much in evidence to-day, the result of spiritual pride and the opposite to the child-spirit.

Two important things may be noted here. First the full light and blessing committed to the Assembly in the gift of the Spirit. Secondly, we are come to that which no failure, breakdown, or ruin can touch. The presence of Christ in the midst is what distinguished the Assembly at the beginning: it was His first thought if we may reverently say so on rising from the dead (See Psalm 22: 21-22). The prophetic intimation in the Psalm we see carried out in John 20 and after the Assembly was formed the truth of it described in Hebrews 2: 11, 12.

"And when the Queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and their apparel, his cup-bearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." Is there not some faint likeness here of the glorified Man in the midst of His own, those He is not ashamed to call His brethren? What a blessed favour it is to be permitted to meet the Lord in His own circle as risen from the dead. All this in its deep blessedness is available to-day in being gathered to His Name: a Name which gathers up in itself all that He is now in redemption glory, as He Himself has said "My new Name." All this and much more may be said for there is no end to the blessing of companying with the risen Lord in His own circle, but it must be emphasised and more especially in view of the misuse of Matthew 18: 20, that it cannot be touched but in the Spirit. For the Lord to attach Himself to anything else, or the Father grant the petitions or heaven to endorse the actions of anything else, no Spirit-taught soul would ever assert. There is an atmosphere of grace and forgiveness in these verses which is of great value in the sight of heaven and which excludes by its spiritual power the very idea of ecclesiastical claims.

FORGIVENESS, verses 21-35. Peter's question as to how often he should forgive his brother went far beyond what we should be prepared to go naturally, but the Lord's answer shows that there must be no limit to forgiveness, "Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God also for Christ's sake hath forgiven you," Ephesians 4: 32. The parable of the unmerciful servant that follows calls for careful consideration. It may be that it has a dispensational bearing and depicts the state of unbelieving Israel among whom the Lord had ministered with such grace, not imputing their transgressions unto them, but it also exposes what human nature is, and by Him who knows the heart, and the soul that is taught of God will feel the need of continually cleaving to the Lord to be preserved from a vindictive spirit and to be like his Master carrying forgiveness to all.

A debt of ten thousand talents means limitless guilt, but forgiveness is also limitless as the seventy times seven indicates. What believing soul would not bow before God in the light of this sovereign goodness and infinite grace that has forgiven him and relieved him of a load of guilt that merited eternal condemnation! In this connection I have thought how blessed and fitting it is that numbers of departing saints and servants of the Lord, even those far advanced in ministering the unsearchable riches of Christ, should fall back in faith upon the precious blood of Christ and the joy that the knowledge of full forgiveness gives. We remember the prayer of the Lord to His Father for the forgiveness of His foes when suffering on the cross; nothing could equal the grace and pathos of that prayer, it melts the soul into adoration before Him and covers us with shame at our lack of grace and narrowness of soul and self-importance in sometimes demanding apologies for wrongs done, instead of overcoming the evil by a greater good.

Dispensationally the Jew owed ten thousand talents but viewed nationally they did not repent, they would not have the grace so freely offered to them and they forbad the Apostles to preach it to others. 1 Thess. 2: 15, 16. But Christendom living long in the full light of the goodness of God is no better than the Jew and a day of solemn reckoning is at hand. Knowing the terror of the Lord and the just doom that awaits a grace-despising Christendom we may well use our time in seeking to arouse men and implore them to turn to the Lord who is rich in mercy and ready to forgive.

Marriage. Matthew 19. His ministry finished in Galilee the Lord departs to beyond Jordan to where a great part of His labour was wrought according to St. Luke. The Pharisees came tempting Him, asking, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? This gave occasion for Him to put His perfect touch on the Divine ordinance of marriage with an allusion to certain exceptions which are of a special nature. It is well known that divorce was common among the Jews at that time, women were put away by their husbands for mere trifles as indeed the form of the question implies. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord God of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away" (Mal. 2: 15, 16).

The Lord goes back beyond the Law to show that at the beginning God instituted this relationship and that it takes precedence of every other. God made them male and female, and said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? . . . What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. They say unto Him, why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? Jehovah in the Law through Moses had permitted divorce in a certain exceptional case (see Deut. 24: 1), not commanded it as they said, and it was because of the hardness of their hearts. This word is the key to the whole passage. Had these men ever entered into the finer feelings of the human soul in relation to the ordering of God for His creature they never could have quibbled about divorce. It is to these same feelings Jehovah appeals when He applies the figure of marriage to the relationship in which Israel stood with Himself and when He pours forth His plaint over their unfaithfulness (see Isaiah 50, Hosea 2). Well might the Lord say unto them "Have ye not read." Had they but entered into the meaning of their own position nationally at that moment it would have led them to think more seriously about the sacred bond of marriage. The light way it is treated today in Christendom shows the terrible departure from the doctrine and the will of God.

We ought to be greatly impressed by the beauty of God's order in marriage, and the way the Holy Spirit takes up this relationship between man and woman to illustrate the holy place of intimacy the Church is put into with the Lord Jesus Christ. "He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom," and the Spirit goes so far as to show the Church as the complement of Christ in answer to the showing forth of the same in Adam and Eve. Marriage was instituted at creation, for an exceptional case divorce was permitted by the law, but now in grace the woman is recovered from deep debasement to her honoured position in life as created by God. The awful departure from it in these last days is working dreadful havoc in society and causing suffering, sorrow and death. Does not this show that an outrage upon marriage is an attack upon the soul in its most inmost and mysterious depth.

The Lord next shows three exceptions to marriage. Two of these are connected with nature from different angles of which we need not speak, but the third is of some import and calls for a few words. "Made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake." First let it be noted that we are here far from the shocking thought of enforced celibacy. If we have looked at marriage as the richest blessing in nature: here we have a power introduced by grace which carries one above nature altogether. There is nothing legal, stoical or ecclesiastical about this; perhaps it may be best explained by the well-known phrase: — "The expulsive power of a new affection." It is indeed the blessed power of the grace of heaven working in the heart and so shaping the life that a person is so controlled by the interests of Christ as to forego what is his proper portion as a man here on earth. Everything that could distinguish the

Apostle Paul as a man on earth was given up that he might be free to serve the One he once persecuted. In him we see as doubtless in many others a power working which carried him definitely above nature at her highest and best. This again connects with verses 16-22 of our chapter by contrast but before that there is the incident of the little children being brought to the Lord.

Children. Here again the disciples are at fault much in the same way though perhaps in a lesser degree than the Pharisees, and here again the moral beauty and holy refinement of the Man Christ Jesus shines out. Children are an inheritance from Jehovah (Psalm 127). This is indeed a touching scene; the stern disciples like many others today seemed to have no room for the little ones, but they did not know the heart of their Master. Are we not all children? Surely we would admit that the distance between the child and the man is small compared to the infinite distance between man and the Lord Jesus. He took them up in His arms as He had done before, and said "Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Cp. Mark 9: 36, Mark 10: 16). Still later when the priests and scribes were offended at the children voicing His praise He referred them to Psalm 8 by saying out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise. We little understand how the Lord Jesus could appreciate human nature in its uncorrupted state.

Matthew 19.

The Young Ruler. We have had the beauty of God's order in creation with regard to nature, then; the beauty of nature in its uncorrupted state in the little ones and the moral beauty and perfection of the Lord's ways with regard to both. In what follows we see how nature can conform to the outward forms of the Law without any true knowledge of self, and how one could seek the Lord's approval and blessing apart from complete surrender of heart to Himself. This is a peculiarly pathetic case. How it must have affected His blessed heart to look on this young man and love him and then to have to expose him to himself in the very springs of his moral consciousness. We have seen in this Gospel where man would prefer his commerce even among swine than have the Saviour, but here we have a character that is irreproachable, one whom the Lord could look upon and love (See the parallel passage in Mark 10) one who had kept himself blameless in the light of the outward form of the Law and yet he would prefer earth and its good things to having Christ and heaven. Nor, let it be remarked, was he alone in this for it is the universal state of man in nature as fallen and gone far from God. This is that which the Lord alone could detect and His doing it not only exposed this young man but shows to every one of us where we were and are apart from the grace of our God.

Here again the Apostle Paul shows the way out both in his doctrine and practice. He, like this young man was according to the law blameless. He could say, "I had not had conscience of lust except the Law had said, Thou shalt not lust." The last commandment of the ten exposed him to himself and showed him that however blameless he was in an outward way there was a state of corruption within from which nothing could deliver him but the death of Christ. This through grace he faced, as he tells us, "For I through the Law have died to Law that I might live to God" (Romans 7: 7; Galatians 2: 19).

The young man went away sorrowful. He was outwardly blameless, upright and lovable, but his love for earth and earthly things was too strong to allow him to have Christ and the precious things of heaven. Such a case cannot well be dismissed without a tear, but if so do not let us forget that but for the grace of God everyone of us would have judged things as he did. Another question might well be raised with those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, namely, how far do we in practice put earth and earthly things before heaven and the whole range of unseen things — the sphere of faith? It is just here that the whole-hearted devotedness of Paul was seen. He provided the perfect answer to what the Lord desired from this young man. Outstanding in every way as a man in rank, status and personal qualifications; he laid all down at the feet of Him who called him by His grace from being a rabid persecutor to be a humble follower of Himself, the rejected Christ. It was he who said, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (See 2 Cor. 4: 17-18; and Phil. 3: 4-10).

But the disciples had left all to follow the Lord, therefore Peter says, "What shall we have?" It's as if he said we have done what this young man would not do. The Lord graciously meets this with both present and future reward. They would have a distinct place in the coming day of glory, then widening out, He mentions a full present and eternal reward to all who give up what is natural for His Name's sake. Whatever the reward may be and thank God there will be a rich reward to each and every one that has given up for Christ and sought to serve Him, yet it is well to see that the Person of Christ and true devotedness to Him is always the motive for true service. This indeed ensures the enjoyment of the hundredfold now as well as to inherit everlasting life.

Have we noted how the moral glory of our Lord Jesus Christ pervades this nineteenth chapter of Matthew? Difficult questions are met and delicate matters adjusted, human nature is treated both before the fall and after, in its sinful state under Law, and in its uncorrupt condition in the children, and in that peculiar state in the young man who though outwardly blameless had his heart set so on his possessions that he refused Christ and missed heaven's very best. But in this blessed and glorious Teacher there has come a new power which can carry us outside and above nature in every sense and make us lay ourselves at His feet and count everything else but dung and dross.

This parable of the householder and the labourers links on with Peter's question in the previous chapter, "Behold we have forsaken all, and followed Thee, what shall we have therefore?" It is confessedly a difficult parable but it is a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, and may be more easily understood if we see that service and not salvation is the theme. Of course the motive power for all true service is salvation. We are saved by grace and it follows that our walk, our conduct and our service must be on the same principle. All true service is the outcome of salvation and life, but there may be service which flows from mere profession. This is supposed in the case of these labourers who agreed to serve the householder for a certain pay. They entered a profession, the pay and not the work was the first thing with them, that such a thing is possible is clearly proved in Luke 12: 45-48.

True servants of Christ have drunk of His grace and are controlled by the desire for His glory and the blessing of their fellow men, being filled with gratitude for the grace that permits them to serve such a Master, as is the Lord, our Saviour. The holy and estimable privilege of serving Him would be utterly lost if we bargained with Him about it. The legal principle of bargaining for so much pay shows that in this parable the Lord had the kingdom of heaven in its widest aspect in view and that of course includes profession.

Devotedness to Christ will not lose its reward, neither here nor hereafter but that devotedness is fed so to speak by communion with the Lord in the blessedness of the new life and nature and in the power of the new relationship. The Gospel of Mark presents our Lord as the Servant-Son and the service of believers seen in its proper dignity is the service of sons. To work for the Lord because of future reward is mercenary but to work in the power of holy affections puts the stamp of heaven on the service and brings us out in the likeness morally of Him whom we serve. Reward may be promised while in the service but it is not the motive power. If we contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ in His service we learn how to serve.

Of the various groups of workers employed by the Master the first only made a stipulated agreement. This surely is Law and makes God to be man's debtor. But whoever makes the bargain will get his due and proper reward in righteousness, though it leaves him discontented and finding fault. There is nothing of this with the rest. Those hired at the third hour had borne the burden of the day much more than the eleventh-hour men but there is no mention of complaint: they were evidently on the line of grace. The parable is only found in this Gospel and has a dispensational bearing, but we must remember that although the Gentile was brought in on the principle of grace, Christendom has long ago departed from the truth and indeed has gone further on the legal principle and on the line of bargaining than Judaism. The Lord had introduced the parable with the words: — "Many first shall be last, and last first." but closed it with the reverse; evidently referring in the first to the way the servants conducted themselves but in the last to the work of God.

On the way up to Jerusalem for the last time the Lord speaks afresh to His disciples about His death. "The Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and to the scribes and they shall condemn Him to death and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge and to crucify Him and the third day He shall rise again." The deep and solemn events connected with the end of His pathway was bearing on His blessed spirit as the time was drawing nigh. Just then there came to the front the hidden arrangement between two of His disciples and their mother.

This is indeed a humbling picture. Peter had asked the Lord: — "What shall we have," James and John go further and ask what they want, but in doing so they employ their mother. All this be it remembered from the men who belonged to the inner circle of the Lord's disciples and at a time when His blessed heart was distressed with thoughts of the darkness of Calvary. The folly and vanity of fallen flesh is indeed amazing, in spite of the fact that we know it so well in ourselves. We may see in it the weakness of a fond mother for the public aggrandisement of her sons and on their part seeking preeminence by taking advantage of their fellow-disciples in a dishonourable way. It made the others angry, can we wonder? No, indeed when we think of what human nature is. And yet it was but flesh, petty fallen flesh meeting the same in their brethren. Ah, but Jesus was there. The Lord of glory: the One Who is above all and in Whom every glory centres and in the presence of the foolish aspirations of His disciples He is on the way to the Cross. It gave occasion for a display of His wisdom indeed but far beyond that, it showed the lowliness and deep self-renunciation of the Man Christ Jesus. It put all concerned to shame and flooded the whole scene with peace and quiet. It was one of those moments in the history of our Lord when the combined features of supremacy and subjection, authority and obedience come out in such a way as to put not only the disciples but every one of us at His blessed feet in adoration.

What child of God could behold this scene without being deeply moved? The precious peerless Son of God with all the glory of pre-eminence, supremacy and majesty yet within the shadow of betrayal, scourging, mocking, taking the lowest place and strewing His poor disciples not merely by His words but by His ways what was their true place as followers of Him. Note His answer, "To sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give but whom it is prepared of My Father." He then proceeds to show the character of His Kingdom. "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so with you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant) and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant (bondman). Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many."

The two disciples were real in their desire. They said they were able to follow Him to death. They are two of the most honoured names of the New Testament. They gave up all to follow the Lord, James was the first of the twelve to die a martyr's death and John was the last to die, after his sufferings on the lonely isle of Patmos. They will indeed have a great place in the Kingdom glory of their Lord. John was used by the Spirit to put on record the most sublime words ever written. They had the common weakness of fallen humanity and for the moment dropped beneath their level. They had a Master that knew them better than they knew themselves and their fall like that of Peter's later was used by Him for nobler work and a greater place in His testimony than they had conceived or their faith had yet laid hold. In saying a word on their failure we must not forget that their desire was to be near their Master and Lord and without doubt they will be near and with Him in the day when with their fellow-disciples they sit on thrones judging the tribes of Israel.

. . . . . . .

We are permitted to follow the Lord in the Gospel of Matthew and see Him (Matt. 11), while here on earth in His own divine relationship as the unknown and unknowable Son of the Father and on through the many varied features of His glory right on through death, resurrection and ascension and to His coming again to be the adored Centre of a creation every part of which will ring with His praise and every part of which will bring its own quota to complete the glory for God's deepest delight.

May we connect for the reader the foregoing with some of the Epistles written for saints from among the Jews as following the Book of Acts. First and Second Peter with Hebrews connect closely with the Gospel which has Israel and her King in view. The remnant of Israel which gathered round the Lord seen as wisdom's children are brought through the Book of Acts transferred from Jewish to Christian ground. These are addressed as in the Kingdom established at Pentecost, and in chapter two of the first Epistle called living stones in the new living structure which the Lord said He would build. The Lord spoke both of building and administration in Matthew 16, and both are seen here in 1 Peter. The Kingdom is still, of course, seen in mystery. But in the 2 Peter it is no more mystery, for the transfiguration of Christ in the Mount is there referred to as portraying the Kingdom in glory (Matt. 17: 1-8).

The Epistle to the Hebrews goes further, bringing out the deeper glories of the Lord as covering the ground we are on here in Matthew. Opening with His sublime grandeur as Son, the Creator, we are taken back to eternity to behold Him constituted Heir of all things. How exquisitely beautiful is the link with Matt. 11: 25-27. The unknown Son of the Father is the Creator and upholder of all things: the One Who is the brightness of Godhead glory, the express image of His substance, and Who upholds all things. So also He is constituted Heir of all things and in Matthew 11 we as it were see Him taking these all things from the Father. Again in Hebrews we get Him Son of Man under whose feet all things are put. Who of us in writing to Hebrew Christians would have passed beyond the Son of David to the Son of Man? But the Epistle goes beyond this to the utmost bounds of the creation (see Hebrews 12: 22-24). In this way the Spirit brings out the glory of Him whom man refused, linking up those blessed features given in Matt. 11 - 17, with all that is intrinsic and eternal down to His Incarnation, humiliation and death, then on to the establishing the Kingdom in its present form and going on to the full manifestation in glory.

The Spirit, while bringing out the full glories of our Lord does not go on to the fuller and richer place of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ. The truth of the Mystery as belonging to eternal purpose was given through Paul. While Peter's Epistles and Hebrews were written for those from the circumcision, all that belongs to them as there brought out is shared by those other sheep which the Lord brings in from the Gentiles: and such are the inner intimacies of life and nature in the present economy of grace that all the deeper things of eternal counsels communicated to Gentile Christians are shared by those brought from among the Jews.

The Entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew 21, Matthew 22.

With His entrance into Jerusalem there begins the last week of the Lord's life on earth and the events occupy more than one fourth of the whole Gospel. Seeking divine aid we would look at it not so much in the way of exposition but to follow His footsteps which led only to the cross and gain thereby a deeper sense of His glory who suffered all its woe and passed through it into resurrection triumph.

The entrance into Jerusalem gives a foreshadowing of the coming glory of the King. The two blind men (Matt. 20: 30) own Him as the Lord, the Son of David, and receive their sight. What a time of joy and wonder it will be for Israel when they look on Him whom their father's crucified and own Him as their Lord and Saviour God. Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9 are brought in to complete the picture. When the KING comes Who is just, having salvation, then shall be heard the shout "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed be He who cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." But it can only be a picture for the moment for all must be founded upon His death. While the two texts recalled from the Old Testament record His royalty in Israel the two men that received their sight combine that same royalty with His Omnipotent glory as God the Son.

But the Temple scenes go further as bringing out the opposition to His authority and leading Him to the holy activity of judgment. Amidst the many events at this point of the history there are two solemn scenes of Judgment; the cleansing of the Temple and the sentence on the fig-tree.

Let us note the detail here. Two blind men are made to see, two disciples are sent for the colt, two animals brought, one to accompany the other upon which the King is seated Twice was His praise proclaimed, on the way up to the city and by the children in the temple; two texts cited from the Old Testament to celebrate the King and two solemn acts of judgment by the King. In the first of these He combines two texts from the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah as descriptive of the state upon which His judgment came. In each case the Divine Human Personality of the King is in evidence while in certain of them His Deity overshadows all. As already remarked Omnipotence was at work upon the blind men, prescience in sending for the colt and glory and majesty in His entering His city on an unbroken animal: a colt upon which never man sat, but the two acts of judgment recall the mystic cloud and its flaming fire of the prophet Ezekiel. In the act of cleansing the temple we indeed anticipate the time when the King shall be seen in His fury, when He shall gird His sword upon His thigh with glory and majesty and ride prosperously because of truth and righteousness and His right hand shall do terrible things.

It appears from the record in Mark that the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing the fig-tree were on the second day. The one refers to the place of Israel as committed to the privileges and responsibilities of the House of God, the other her place among the nations politically. In the latter there was plenty of outward appearance but no fruit, and the time had come to end that state of things. As is now well known the words "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever," have a deep moral significance as referring to the close of man's moral history as a responsible agent before God. We have already seen that Christianity is anticipated in the Gospel, see Matthew 9: 16, 17, where the Lord refers to new creation in figurative language. In the sentence on the tree the Lord shows that which is preparatory to the introduction of Paul's gospel. The Apostle was the witness to the grand truth that God had ceased to look for response from man as a responsible creature, that now instead of being tested by law, Christ in glory is presented as Saviour on the ground of free grace for every man. This serves to explain the apparent severity of the Lord's dealings by bringing out the wisdom of His ways in relation to the bearing of divine testimony throughout the ages.

"And when He was come into the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching and said, By what authority doeth Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?" They felt that something must be said but the question exposed themselves; the divine activities of this blessed Person declared Who He was. The Lord answered them with a question about His servant John the Baptist which served further to bring out both the hostility of these men to what God was doing and their absolute incapability as shepherds for God in the midst of His people. The parable that follows showed His estimate of His servant and their guilt in refusing his message. The two sons refer to the two classes in Israel of which they His opponents were the second. The other class were the publicans and harlots who though open in their defiance yet were reached by the ministry of the Lord and His servant John.

The next parable spoken by the Lord goes much deeper bringing home to this apostate class their guilt and condemnation. They were the offspring morally of that class which all along the line of history had' treated the gracious overtures of Jehovah with hatred and had persecuted and killed His messengers, and they were about to consummate their guilt in the murder of the sent One of the Father, the Father's only-begotten Son. "This is the Heir, come let us kill Him and seize on His inheritance." By His question the Lord in solemn majesty draws forth from these men the sentence of God on themselves as to where they where and what they were doing at that moment. All this He supplements by reference to Himself as the Stone that these builders rejected. (See Acts 4: 11-12). From a topical point of view this expression of a Stone is most fruitful and would yield a rich fund of blessing but all is judgment here "He that falls on this Stone shall be broken." This exactly describes what Israel did. By refusing Heaven's richest favour in the presentation of the Son the Messiah they were broken to pieces and remain so till this day. But "On whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder." Here the Gentile is in view, it connects with Daniel 2: 34, 35-45. where we are shown that Christ as Stone will fall on the whole imperial system of Gentile supremacy and grind it to powder.

Matthew 22.

This chapter opens with the parable of the marriage of the King's son. It calls for care. It is not now the Messiah King of Israel but the Son of God. Besides this the parable gives in figure the transition from Judaism to Christianity and follows on to the figurative presentation of professing Christendom at the close. The servants went forth to call those that had been bidden, evidently those who had been invited during the Lord's ministry appealed to again by the preaching in Pentecostal days. Verse 1-7 anticipates the book of Acts right down to the governmental judgment of God in the Roman sedge of Jerusalem and the terrible price Israel had to pay for their refusal of Christ when on earth and also the testimony of the Holy Spirit to His ascended glory. At verse 8 we pass in the parable to the work of grace among the Gentiles or perhaps more properly mankind in general. The wedding was filled with guests but there was one present who refused to answer to the King's conditions. The man is a specific case and doubtless refers to that class which take up the profession and enter upon the privileges of Christianity without submitting themselves to Christ. The Lord knoweth them that are His and the eye of God detects the state of every heart and judgment is bound to follow. But here it is deeper than the governmental judgment upon the Jew spoken of in verse 7. Israel was cut off to be restored again but Christendom will go down under judgment never to come up again. Then said the King to His servants (Angels here the providential agents of Judgment) bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This parable is different from the great feast of Luke 14. There the guest of Luke 15 is also a specific case representing all that are Christ's. The son who returned from the far country came into new creation by reconciliation and into the deepest and richest accompaniments of the counsels of God. The parable there anticipates the doctrine of the Epistle to the Ephesians which is New Creation. No one could possibly enter the feast of Luke 14 without the best robe, that is to say the place necessitates a corresponding state, nor could it be possible for any to be there and be cast out. Here in Matthew the wedding garment refers to the soul's acceptance of Christ as Saviour, there it is Christ formed in the soul. Here it is Christ for righteousness and the person is seen as justified having peace with God: there in Luke it is the believer made the righteousness of God IN CHRIST. Inside in this parable refers to the circle of Christian profession where there are both real and unreal, whereas to be inside in Luke 15 is to be within the sphere where all things are of God and where Christ is everything and in all. (See 2 Cor. 5: 17-18. Col. 3: 11). There God rests in the unclouded blessedness of His own nature having Christ and those that are His before Himself for His own complacency. As it is said "That we should be holy and without blame before Himself in love" (Eph. 1: 3, 4).

Matthew 22 and Matthew 23.

From verse 15 the wickedness of the enemies of the Lord came definitely to the fore, they took counsel to entangle Him in His talk. They were as subtle as they were wicked, these Pharisees, and their uniting with the Herodians showed that their hatred of Christ overrode all political enmity. Their question was cunningly planned, it was calculated to put the Lord in opposition to Caesar and so into collision with the civil authority; or else set the people against Him who hated Caesar's yoke. But a greater than Solomon is here, and in one short sentence He goes to the root of the matter, exposes the true condition of the nation, and puts them to silence. "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Had they owned God's supreme claim and yielded themselves to His holy will they never would have been under the Roman yoke.

The same day came the Sadducees, and their question went beyond life in this world to resurrection and the life beyond death. We are thankful that they were allowed to bring forward their cavils, and had the Lord's answer been understood the denial of the resurrection could not have found an entrance into the Corinthian Assembly (see 1 Corinthians 15). On another occasion He had said, "I am the resurrection and the life," here He goes beyond the question of the Sadducees and establishes the truth of the immortality of the soul as well as resurrection and life in the resurrection world. As He had exposed the Pharisees so now He lays bare the ignorance and folly of the Sadducees. He honoured the Word of God, which they did not know; and the power of God which shows itself in resurrection when all man's power is laid low in death, and in a few words described life in the glorified state. Then by the reference to Exodus 3, He proves the immortality of the soul and shows that all, even in the unclothed state, live unto God. How full of comfort this is, and how deeply thankful we are that in meeting the opposition of His foes He brought out the full truth for faith to rest upon.

The Pharisees gathered together and put forward one of their number, a lawyer, determined to find some way of overthrowing Him whose presence in grace among them ought to have laid them prostrate at His feet. Again the Lord's answer goes beyond the question and brings in both tables of the law, first that which is due to God and then our obligation to our fellow men. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two hang all the law and the prophets."

Having silenced each class the Lord puts forth His question which at first seemed easy to meet, but in reality was beyond the reach of any of His opponents. His reference to Psalm 110 could but close the mouths of all. The Psalm was known and held by these men to be Messianic but they would not own their Messiah. When He asked them concerning His servant John (Matt. 21: 29) they would not own that John's ministry was; from heaven nor, because of their fear of the people dared they deny it. Here the very truth that formed part of their Rabbinical creed condemned and closed their mouths. Unhappy miserable and apostate, they were dumb, condemned but not subdued after all their efforts to condemn the Lord of glory. That David's Son is David's Lord hangs upon the mystery of the Incarnation and like His word from the glory in Revelation 22: 16, "I am the root and offspring of David and the bright and morning star." It shows Him in divine human Personality as Lord of all.

Matthew 23. The stern words of this chapter leave little to be said by way of comment. Having met all their questions and put His own which they could not answer the Lord Himself has the last word. It is peculiarly solemn, searching and penetrating and like the flaming sword of old it turns every way as guarding all that was of God in His Person and displaying supreme authority in Him on whom they were ready to pour out all the hatred of their hearts. Judgment is a necessity of the moral nature of God and being fully revealed there is of necessity an answer in the creation to all that He is as revealed. The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? The Lord God hath sworn by Himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city. Amos 3: 8; Amos 6: 8.

The Lord addresses the people in verses 1-12. Moses' seat is occupied by the Scribes and the Pharisees: all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, but bind burdens hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger. In their ostentation and love of pre-eminence they scruple not to use the legal code to crush the people. Coming back to the law of His Kingdom the Lord asserts that great truth that he that will be greatest must be servant of all.

From verse 13 to 36 He addresses the leaders and in language unsurpassed for solemn denunciation pronounces eight woes of judgment upon them. They shut the kingdom of heaven against men; they were callous; devouring widows' houses and for a pretence made long prayers, they were blind and were completely void of the sense of what was sacred whether the temple, the altar or heaven itself. With an exterior of sanctity that compelled the servile homage of their followers they show themselves to be the children of their fathers by perpetuating their guilt. Verses 34 to 36 mark the transition of thought to the people in general and prepares for His lament over Jerusalem, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" And then with what pathos and distress of heart: — "Behold 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."

Before proceeding to the prophetic sketch of the next two chapters (Matt. 24, Matt. 25) we would reflect upon the glory of the Lord as seen in what has passed before us. The royal entry right from the Jordan through Jericho may well remind us of the nation's entrance upon their inheritance in earlier days. Then acclaimed by the people on the way up to the city and by the children in the Temple the blessed One broke down in sadness, Well He knew that the words of Psalm 118 sung by the people must be used by Himself against them (comp. Matt. 21: 9, Matt. 23: 39, Luke 19: 41). It was the last solemn test of the nation during His life here below and it was in every way complete.

To the opened eye He was there in full mediatorial capacity making known the heart of God on man's behalf for grace and blessing. Every movement pre-supposes that both God and Man are there in One Person and consequently depicts Deity shining through the Human Veil. Omnipotence, Omniscience, Prescience in effulgence and refulgence everywhere are seen yet withal a Man: a gracious tender Man whose dignity combined with lowliness, greatness with simplicity and was such as to set Him forth in a holy refinement which was so far beyond others as to be difficult to understand. One Who honours Scripture fulfils Scripture while He is the blessed centre around which the light of the whole sacred Volume radiates.

He does what He does because He is what He is and in doing what He does shows Who He is. He tells and foretells because He both knows and foreknows, and does these because He is Who He is. "Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." He opens up the future both for blessing and for judgment, all hanging upon Himself as the divine Centre of the whole moral arena.

In the parable of the King's son he anticipates the governmental judgment on Israel, the refusal of God's claims in Christendom later while the fulness of the gospel is supposed all the time. The parable indeed lays the ground for the expansion that comes out in the scheme of prophecy in the second sermon on the mount which is recorded in Matthew 24, Matthew 26. He is moving in an atmosphere of murder but no man can take His life from Him: yea, rather, He had come there to lay it down. But before doing so all must come under His eye to be measured by His standard and exposed in the light of the perfect judgment of Him whose moral measures are divinely perfect.

He claimed the Messianic rights as being the perfect answer to every divine prediction of God's Anointed and at the same time brought to the most delicate adjustment the wider claims of all mankind. Although the difference between Jew and Gentile was great He stood in relation to both and at the same moment was available as a Saviour for all, and indeed He stood as Son of God beyond each, Who would build His assembly which brings in another company taken out from both Jew and Gentile which would be for His own eternal delight

What a glorious Person for our contemplation, adoration and praise is the Lord Jesus Christ There is mystery, majesty, magnitude and depths that command and control us; yea that overwhelm yet draw us; draw us on to richer strains of joy and praise. Jesus Lord we can but prostrate our souls at Thy feet in holy fervour and profound amazement, Thou Who was rich but for our sakes became poor that we through Thy poverty might become rich. Thou hast enriched our souls for eternity and put us under a debt we can never pay but we shall live to serve and adore throughout that eternity where God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit shall shine in light divine and glory never failing.

"For ever our still wondering eyes shall o'er His beauties rove; to endless ages we'll adore the riches of His love."

Matthew 24, Matthew 25.

These two chapters may be called the second sermon on the Mount. They belong to the grand scheme of prophetic truth which has an important place in the Scriptures and particularly in the New Testament. We have been permitted to listen to the glorious anticipatory chant of Psalm 118 in combination with Zechariah 9: 9, and been drawn still nearer to contemplate Him as the sent One of the Father, as those that are robed in righteousness at the marriage of the King's Son, we have now to behold by faith His glory as Son of Man which is destined to fill both heaven and earth.

This address includes in one long chain of testimony the Jew, the Gentile and the Church of God, and so comprehensive is the range of divine dealings that it runs down to eternity, as may be seen in the judgment of the sheep and goats which is final. The Saviour Son of Man is the Centre around which all these events blessed or fateful revolve, all being made to hang upon His Incarnation. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." Well we know that the work of redemption necessitated Manhood for the Son, but there is more, for the Father hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." He is seen here in relation to earthly saints, both of Israel and the nations, and heavenly saints who form His Assembly, as well as those glorious beings which are the Ministers of His pleasure to men.

But let us note well His judicial aspect as Judge before Whom the different classes of rebels connected with these three dispensational companies must stand, and from Whom they must receive their sentence for eternity. All this it should be noted shows Him in Mediatorial capacity in relation to the great conflict of good and evil which is raging in the creation and takes in the whole arena of heaven and earth and hell. Yet, and here we touch the cross, that which surpasses all, that which in its fulness of mercy, love and kindness bows our souls before Him in praise, worship and adoration. We touch the cross which on our side shows both guilt and malice combined with both helplessness and hopelessness, while on the side of God it speaks of all that He is in righteousness and holiness with His pity, mercy and love. The Mighty One Who spoke and taught here as never man speaks in the beauty of holiness and the fulness of these glories as connecting Him with the various phases of God's moral creation was just about to stand before the tribunal of the creature and be judged by men as a blasphemer, and between two malefactors, nailed to a cross and crucified.

The Sermon depicts evil come to its height; close indeed to which we are to-day. To such an extent has it arisen that it has to be said, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." It depicts the time of the great Tribulation. The righteous must flee for the devil has come down in great fury to swallow up all that is of God upon the earth. (See Revelation 12). Such is the triumph of evil that apart from a divine intervention there would be no flesh saved, a state of things as never had been nor shall be again on the earth.

To Matthew 24: 14 the teaching is general. By which we mean that the Lord so orders His words that they may apply to others as well as those spoken to. It seems clear that we come to a definite prophetic landmark at verse 15. The taking away of the daily sacrifice and setting up the abomination of desolation — what ominous words for a Jew — is the sign for the righteous to flee. It is a time of unprecedented suffering when the furnace of affliction is heated one seven times more than it was wont to be heated, when the beast and the false prophet are allowed to work their terrible ways after the working of Satan with all power and lying wonders, when the blood of the righteous shall flow, and when they shall cry in agony of soul, "How long, O Lord" (see Rev. 13). We cannot wonder at the apparent break-up of all ordered government which seem symbolised in verse 29, a point reached which leads to the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens which is the answer to the second part of the question put by the disciples in verse 3.

From this point on to verse 44 contrary to what we might have expected the Lord goes back to what preceded His coming to warn His disciples both by parables and from history with regard to the terrible state of things yet to come. Foreseeing the dreadful storm the blessed One adds emphasis to His solemn Forewarnings by saying, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." These are the words of a faithful and well-known love. Could they or we doubt Him? His words are the guarantee that evil shall be permitted only so far as divine wisdom sees fit for the working out of its own wise decrees. "Hitherto shall thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." He concludes this part of His instruction with the words of verse 44, "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh."

At verse 45 the Lord comes still further back to the times preceding the catching away of the Assembly according to the words of 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. He speaks of faithfulness to Himself in His absence during the Church period. His instruction is given in three parables which run down to Matthew 25: 30, after which He resumes His future connection with the earth and the Gentiles. From this it will be seen that the part between Matthew 24: 44 and Matthew 25: 30 may be read parenthetically. Taken in this way the discourse falls into three distinct parts; the first dealing with Israel, the second with the Church and the third with the nations of the earth, each being viewed in relation to His coming. As in all of Scripture there is here perfect moral order. In the Book of nature around us everything fills its allotted place in the great scheme of Creative wisdom; every forest leaf and every blade of grass; every drop of water and every grain of sand. So in this the Book of Revelation, every word and every letter is divinely chosen to bring out the mind of Him who is in complete control of the moral order in relation both to His eternal counsels and to His time ways in Christ His well-beloved Son.

It is not difficult to see in the closing verse of Matthew 24 a description of conditions to-day. There is, thank God in spite of all the unreality a faithful witness to Christ. We rejoice in the thought that in the very world out of which our Lord has been cast there are ransomed hosts whose delight it is to serve, honour and adore the rejected and crucified One. Alas, there is the evil servant also who says, My Lord delays His coming and begins to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. How deeply solemn it is for such, for, the Lord of that servant comes at a time he thinketh not and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him a portion with the hypocrite; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Continuing His instruction concerning His second coming the Lord uses the well known parable of the ten Virgins. The illustration is that of an eastern marriage. Keeping in mind what has been already said it will be seen that the Church as the Bride of Christ is not seen here nor is the secret catching up of the saints when the Lord comes into the air (1 Thess. 4). The parable describes a condition of things which would obtain at the close of the dispensation, the virgins representing the whole Christian profession as it is seen in Christendom to-day. The words, "THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom," seem not only to denote this but also the remarkable awakening concerning the coming of the Lord which marks the present time. The expression "Behold the Bridegroom" (N. Trans.) may go further and include the precious unfoldings of Scripture in relation to the Person and glory of the Lord which have been so blessedly ministered in connection with the movement of the Holy Spirit relative to the Philadelphian letter of Revelation 3.

While the call found all in a condition which could but be described as sleep there began to come into evidence the marks of heavenly and divine vitality in the recognition of the presence of the Spirit of God. This and the fact of a glorified MAN in heaven are the two main marks of the dispensation if such it may be called. However much the line of demarcation between the righteous and the wicked may be effaced today the Spirit of God makes the distinction and like the figs strewn to Jeremiah (see Jer. 24: 1-3), the good are very good and the bad very bad. Whatever was their place in the profession the foolish virgins had not the Spirit and the solemn outcome of it was that they were left outside. "Watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh."

The third parable (verse 14-30) sets forth the responsibility of trading with the Master's property. The talents here are different from natural qualifications which put certain persons beyond their fellows in this life. The talents are gifts bestowed by a departing Lord. A distinction exists too between what is here and the parable of the ten pounds in Luke 19, and both must be kept clear from the gifts to His Assembly by Christ the exalted Head in Ephesians 4. The latter shows the Assembly in corporate relations. There, gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints "for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come . . to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

The passage before us in Matthew as well as that in Luke has clearly Christendom in view as favoured by the light of Revelation beyond masses of their fellowmen in heathen lands. Faithfulness in the first two doubles that which had been committed to them, and draws forth both commendation and reward, while the third is left by failing to trade with the talent, in a worse position than if he got nothing. The one who hid his talent in the earth is like the man who entered the feast disregarding the condition; both were marked by insubjection.

At verse 31 we enter another department of glory in the prophetic scheme, and consequently have to contemplate another phase of the glory of our Lord. Here it is the Son of Man coming in glory with His ministers of state to hold an assize of discriminating judgment. We have had His coming in relation to Israel which was a divine intervention at a time of unprecedented suffering; then His coming in relation to that part of the earth where heaven's richest gifts have been bestowed: here it is the same coming in relation to the nations of the earth which have just been tested by the gospel of the kingdom. In the first it was as Son of Man, the second as a thief in the night; here in the third it is the King upon His throne and all nations gathered before Him. The final test of these nations was the gospel of the kingdom and this great event shows the result for each individual for eternity. "He shall separate the one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand. Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . for I was an hungered and ye gave Me meat . . I was in prison and ye came unto Me. Then shall He say unto those on the left hand, Depart from Me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered and ye gave Me no meat . . . sick and in prison and ye visited Me not. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

The disciples had asked, When shall these things be, and what is the sign of Thy coming and the end of the age? All is answered with a perfection that fits in each part of Scripture with every other part and the blessed Person Who is the Centre of all stands forth imparting completeness to all. Each of the three great lines of truth are seen to converge upon Himself in such a way that the whole prophetic scheme can be seen in its completeness. What is said of Israel involves the fulfilment of the promises in the judgment of their foes: what is said of the church age involves the translation of the Assembly and the judgment seat of Christ on high; the marriage of the Lamb and His coming forth in warrior judgment when in Solomonic splendour He shall sit upon His throne and the Gentile come into the blessing of eternal life.

There yet remained in the mystery of His ways a deeper unfolding of His love in the supper chamber and what followed: truth concerning the Father's gift to the Son and the Son's coming forth to die for these and all that will come into the great scene of eternal bliss. John 13-17 brings out the deepest and richest things of eternity, but withal nothing can detract from the grandeur of this sermon where we see our Lord Jesus Christ as the Sun and Centre of all the ways of God in time.

The prophetic address being finished the Lord now turns to the circumstances connected with His betrayal and death. He turns to meet the whole source of evil, and Satan himself as the hidden source of all evil, and beyond all the stern judgment of sin. First of all desertion, denial by His friends, next a mock trial with smiting, scoffing and spitting by His people, the Jews, and then every coarse and brutal indignity at the hands of Gentile soldiers. Along with this the whole power of Satan pressing death as the judgment of God on His spirit in the garden, and last of all the meeting God about sin. This last stands alone in its solemn majesty, a mystery of mysteries which forbids at once and for ever all creature power to apprehend. The Holy One must be there alone. Alone, stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He must in that hour of deepest extremity know what it is to cry in agony of soul as the forsaken one and not have an answer because He is bearing sin, made sin for us. He who knew no sin must be made sin, and be engulfed in the darkness and horror of that darkest of all hours with none to pity or no one: to help. He must be led as a Lamb to the slaughter to suffer and to die. We rightly say no created being could endure what He endured, but let us add, there is no creature that can form an estimate of what took place there. We gaze with wonder and amazement and worship and adore while we share in the fruits and blessings of that stupendous work but into the depth of what our Lord Jesus Christ suffered or the measureless distance into which He went under God's judgment of sin no creature shall ever be able to conceive.

In turning to the circumstances which led up to all this it is striking how the events seem to fall into a certain order which seem to admit a kind of a threefold classification. Matthew 26 opens with a gathering of His enemies, followed by the supper in the house of Simon the leper. and then the coming together with His disciples to celebrate the Passover. In the first were the priests. the ecclesiastical rulers, the scribes, the learned of the nation; and the elders as those marked by age and maturity. There were the heads of that nation which had been for long under the public culture of Jehovah; to whom pertaineth the adoption and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God and the promises; whose are the fathers. and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed for ever, Amen (Romans 9: 4, 5). There they were gathered together "Consulting that they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him." What a sight! Enough, indeed, if such be possible, to make the angels weep. Weeping, indeed has been theirs and their children's; a weeping that still goes on and will continue till the blessed One whom they were about to kill comes back again to put an end to all their sufferings; but for the moment it is His time of weeping. The blessed Saviour Who wept over Jerusalem is now nearing the agony of Gethsemane when in the agony of that sweat of blood He will pour out His cries and tears. But ere that moment comes He, the adorable Centre of all these scenes must be feasted, for the Father has prepared for Him a feast. This leads to the act of the woman who came with her alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on His head as He sat at meat.

At a time when various classes are showing their estimate of the Saviour the Father shows His appreciation of His beloved Son. He prepared one who did all that lay within her to glorify and honour Him and amidst the gathering gloom He is seen to be loved and appreciated in an act that none but Himself can measure. Where were the disciples? Where the ardent Peter and where the beloved John that could pillow his head on His blessed bosom? These two with James, belonged to the inner circle of intimacy, but they are left far behind by this woman. What of the rest of the disciples, and saddest of all, what of Judas Iscariot? "The Lord is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed." Giving to the poor has a large place, yea, with such sacrifices God is well pleased, but what is this world with all its charity and philanthropy compared to the Son of God. This woman anticipated the day of His glory when to Him shall be brought the wealth of the Gentiles, when the kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents, and the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts, when all kings shall fall down before Him and all nations serve Him. All this will be fitting in its time but the act of this devoted woman surpasses all; she lighted up the whole moral scene by anointing Him for His burial in that dark hour of His betrayal and dishonour and death.

It was the unerring accuracy of spiritual instinct that flows from personal occupation with her Lord. She spent upon Him her all. She did the proper thing in the proper way at the proper time, for she anointed Him for His burial: an act which stands alone by one who can say nothing for herself, well knowing that He upon Whom the sacrifice was performed alone would estimate it and vindicate her. This world goes on with its charity and philanthropy, all right and beautiful in its place, but here is something which must be proclaimed through all time and in every land, an act which will be remembered to her credit through all eternity. "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. The gold and crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold" (Job 28).

The third meeting (ver. 20-25) was with the twelve in the upper room to celebrate the passover. He sought seclusion with His own in a touching farewell meeting. The time is near when He and they must be parted: parted indeed as after flesh and blood for ever. His heart goes out to them in the words, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." It was then that the Supper was instituted which would serve as a memorial a calling of Him to mind. His death being the basis of all, and around which revolves the deepest and richest feelings of the heart of God and the wealth of eternal counsel. Many things came out concerning His death and resurrection, and the Spirit's presence here consequent on Him being glorified on high as we learn from John; but even here while the storm of evil was rising outside there was that which brought deepest distress to His heart. One would betray Him (verse 25), another would deny Him (verse 34), and all the rest would forsake Him and be scattered.

The case of Judas is a tragedy beyond compare. Who can fathom the depth of our Lord's words, "It were better for that man he had never been here." And again when speaking to His Father: — "None of them is lost save the son of perdition." His was a place of richest favour, companying with the Son of God. May we not say that he was the product of His generation and the representative of fallen humanity? The way was opened in the act of disobedience in Gen. 3, which ended in the betrayal of the Son of God with a kiss. With Peter it was different: boasting self-confidence led him beyond his faith, and breakdown followed in the most deplorable way. Viewed from the place of intimacy in which he stood Peter's fall seems to go beyond even that of the Iscariot. Well for him however that his fall did not put him beyond the ground of mercy. Peter had to weep bitterly, but Judas, like Ahithophel of old (2 Sam. 17: 23), went out in the bitterness of remorse to end his own life. The forsaking by the rest of the disciples completes the humiliation of the Apostolic band, and the Holy One is left in the hands of His foes.

The Lord took occasion at the feast to transfer their thoughts from the type, that is the deliverance from Egypt and the Covenant at Sinai, to the commemoration of His death and the covenant of grace, a covenant which may be seen in its spirit and principle (Gal. 3: 14-18) long before the covenant given at Sinai. This new covenant though not yet made can be spoken of as eternal (Heb. 13: 20). It was promised in Jeremiah 31: 31-34, and is marked as springing from the nature of God coming to man on the principle of grace. It was necessary that the pattern of things in the heavens should be purified with blood, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these (Heb. 9: 23). The Blood of this New Covenant was shed at Calvary and is here spoken of symbolically by the Lord as the cup of the New Covenant in His Blood. That cup is later called the Cup of Blessing, indicating surely the whole range of divine blessing brought to us in the death and blood shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is touching how He speaks of it at the time of the break up of all earthly associations in view of its renewal with them in the Father's Kingdom as connecting them with Himself in the highest and richest place in the heavenly order of things. It was at this moment, according to the account of John, that the Lord began to let His heart out to His disciples concerning their place with Him in that which is heavenly and eternal in a way which culminated in the sublime words to His Father in John 17.

Epitome of Readings

Epitome of Readings

Given at Edinburgh in August, 1923.

With James McBroom.

Scripture Reading 1. Romans 1: 1-7; Romans 5: 1-11.

Scripture Reading 2. Romans 8: 1-4; 12: 1-5.

Scripture Reading 3. 1 Corinthians 10: 15-21; 11: 17-27.

Scripture Reading 4. 2 Corinthians 3: 1-6; 17-18; 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21.

Scripture Reading 5. Hebrews 1 and 2: 1-4.

Scripture Reading 6. Hebrews vii 25; 8: 2; 10: 19-25.

Scripture Reading 7. Colossians 1: 18-29; 3: 12-17.

Scripture Reading 8. Ephesians 1: 1-23; 3: 14-21.

Foreword

These pages present the salient features of eight Readings at Edinburgh in the month of August, 1923.

They closely follow the line taken by our brother, James McBroom, and others, and have since been carefully revised.

Though some amendments have been found necessary they have only been made in order that the report might accurately represent what was in the mind of the speakers — their condensed and disjointed character being preserved.

All who have had experience of Readings such as these were, will know how difficult it is to preserve continuity of thought under the conditions that prevail at such times.

Still, if they prove under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, now that they are issued in a permanent form, to be as valuable as they were when they were originally spoken, they will surely be a mine of wealth, to the student of the word; food, that will satisfy the hungry; material, that will build up that which is divine in the soul; and above all, cause for thanksgiving to Him whose fame and worth were the principal theme of the gatherings.

S. Scott. Sturton-by-Stow, Lincs.

1. Scriptures read, Romans 1: 1-7; Romans 5: 1-11.

This is God's gospel. His heart is its source rather than heaven. Hence Christ is its theme, for it is concerning His Son, and salvation for men is its aim. It is the power of God unto salvation. It is the expression of God and must therefore be worthy of Him, and if it is concerning His Son it must also be worthy of Him. It is the full blessedness of what God has shown Himslf to be towards man in Christ Jesus.

Righteousness is also a prominent subject of the epistle, for if God has to deal with men it must necessarily be on that basis. There can be no other way of dealing with sin except in righteousness. There can be no mercy for sin, so that righteousness is the backbone of the gospel. This must be so on account of what God is in His own being.

The gospel is as it were, a great mirror, wherein the grandeur of the blessed God is set before us, so that He might be known both in His nature and attributes.

In Psalm 40 five great characteristics of God are set before us when He says, "I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart, I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation, I have not concealed Thy loving-kindness and Thy truth from the great congregation." There we see the telling out by the Son, the heart of God as it were in detail, but now all the details are gathered up and presented to men in the gospel, by the Holy Ghost.

There is now but one testimony to God, though we do read in 1 Cor. 2 of "the testimony of God," and in 1 Cor. 1 of "the testimony of Christ." By sin coming into the world, God's glory had been set at nought, and Christ (who is God) became man to settle the sin question so that God might be glorified.

The first eight chapters of Romans shows how this has been worked out. God is therefore, the great objective set forth, and it is to these chapters that we turn for the testimony of God. On the other hand, when we think of the testimony of Christ, it is the place which Man, the Man Christ Jesus has in the scheme of divine mercy. The same blessed Person who has gone down the whole way to the deepest depths on account of sin, is now in the centre of the glory, and supreme in the administration of all the bounty of God. "His glory is great in Thy salvation."

Note the force of the words in verses 3 and 4. "The gospel is concerning His Son." This sets forth what He is to God; but "Come of David's seed," sets for His relation as a Man to the favoured nation. Then He is marked out Son of God by resurrection from amongst the dead, and then later He is Jesus Christ OUR Lord. So that first of all we get what He is to God, which is beyond all our comprehension, then what He is to His people, Jesus Christ our Lord, whilst in between the two statements, there are presented the two sides, the human and the divine, of His glorious Person.

Question. — Why is the resurrection introduced here?

Because it is the demonstration of His own mighty power. That power over death was seen in the days of His earthly ministry, for example, in the raising of Lazarus where He says, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby." In these cases we must remember that those raised were actually brought back to a life of flesh and blood on which death would eventually come. In His case, resurrection was the opening up of a new creation into which death would never intrude. The glory of His Person is thus unfolded before the gospel itself is announced, just as the sin offering was pronounced most holy ere it was consumed on the altar.

The first seven verses of the chapter form one sentence, which is addressed to the saints, showing that the epistle is really instruction in the scope of the gospel. It is the same as in Matthew 13, when the Lord took His disciples aside to instruct them in the mysteries of the kingdom, so the saint has to be instructed in the true meaning of the gospel, and to know what is involved in it.

The preaching of the gospel is to the unconverted, and there is no man on earth more highly favoured than he who proclaims it, and he can only be adequately fitted to give a true report to the unconverted, by being introduced to a place of nearness to God so that there he may learn how the gospel is in itself a display of God.

In the course of the epistle it is said to be Paul's gospel, and at the end it is linked up with the mystery that had been kept secret since the world began.

No other epistle elaborates the work of Christ like this one, yet it both begins and ends with the exaltation of His blessed Person, for of necessity, the value of His work hangs upon what He is in Himself.

Question — Will you say something of what the gospel is?

It is good news, and as we have been saying, it is the full moral display of God. It is God's answer to all the rebellion of man which culminated at the cross, and it is such an answer as He alone could give. We live in a day when God has shone out in all His splendour as a triune Being, and the counsels of eternity made known.

In Christianity there is a perfect revelation of the purposes and of the heart of God made known by the Holy Ghost. When man had done his worst in putting Christ to death, there was nothing left as far as we could see, but that God should clear the whole earth in judgment. But instead of that, Christ comes forth in resurrection and in the full power of the glory of redemption as a Saviour. It is perfectly amazing to see the resources of love, how God uses man's worst to bring out His best, and present it freely to those who were guilty of the death of His Son. Depend upon it, there is an infinity of lessons to be learnt in the cross!

The two main ideas of righteousness must be kept clear in our minds, first, that God is perfectly consistent with Himself in all He says and does (Romans 2: 5 and 3: 5), and then that man was tried under the law to prove to himself that he had no righteousness of his own, and that he could not stand before God on the ground of responsibility (Romans 1: 17 and 3: 21, 22). These two thoughts are blended in Romans 3: 26; "That He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."

In the gospel, God has revealed the fact that He has provided a righteousness for man, and that it is unto all and upon all that believe! It is very touching to read in Ezekiel 18, His pleadings with His people when He says, "Are not My ways equal, and are not your ways unequal." Now that man's trial in responsibility is at an end, and God is free to act according to His own thoughts of love, nothing is kept back. He is good, gracious, tender, and kind, and He delights to make Himself known to us as He does in the gospel.

Question — Will you say a little more of how God sets Himself before us in the gospel?

Everything that God is for man came out in the life and death of His Son. We have seen what was spoken of in Psalm 40 — His righteousness, faithfulness, and salvation — so in the first chapter of this epistle we get the power, the righteousness and the salvation of God; then in chapter three there are the oracles of God, the faithfulness of God, the righteousness, the truth and the glory of God.

These are intended not merely to instruct us ill doctrine, but in the knowledge of what God is morally, and therefore, we see ho w He delights to set Himself forth in this blessed scheme. He brings heavenly blessings out of His resources for those who have besmirched His name, and in so doing, He glorifies Himself. We should connect the great thought of God's righteousness with Christ's present place, from which righteousness is ministered by the Spirit.

At the cross righteousness is accomplished for God; in the resurrection it is declared; it is celebrated in His exaltation, and now by the Holy Spirit it is continued in the Assembly.

We are very defective in the apprehension of the awful distance there is between God and the sinner, but as we do learn something of it, the magnitude of the work that has removed the distance and brought us into the nearness becomes apparent.

The scapegoat spoke of the removal of sins, while the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, shows how the state of man is dealt with. In the burnt offering, all the unseen parts were for God, whilst the outward beauty and characteristics (the skin) were for the priest, showing how the believing sinner can be in the presence of God, clothed in the beauty of Christ. Adam and Eve were clothed in the skins of the sacrifice that God had Himself provided. The best robe was for the the eye of the Father. But the fruits of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ have become available for us in His resurrection.

Question. — Will you please say a little more on the three thoughts connected with righteousness? You said it was first accomplished, then declared and afterwards celebrated.

The whole scheme of the gospel seems to revolve around these three thoughts. We have spoken of the first and seen how the character of God was perfectly vindicated in the death of Christ. The second is the declaration of righteousness by resurrection, because that is the answer of God to what His Son had done. It suggests those precious words in John 13, "If God be glorified in Him, He shall also glorify Him in Himself and shall straightway glorify Him." The third thought, that of celebration, shows Christ exalted in the glory of redemption, and all heaven vocal with His praise. The Holy Ghost has come down to bring those that are Christ's into the joy of the celebration of righteousness.

Righteousness is for us, in virtue of the blood (Romans 5: 9), by virtue of His resurrection (4: 25), whilst it is said to be from heaven in (2 Cor. Salvation, redemption, and righteousness are all shown by the apostle Paul to be "in Christ," and the first time that we have these words in this epistle is "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," that is, God can come as a Saviour to man, in the man Christ Jesus. He has found in Him a centre where every blessing of His heart for His creature, can be located. Thus, blessed be His name, He who has become blessings for evermore is also the Administrator of them, and like Joseph in Egypt who dealt out the bounty of Pharaoh, He lavishes on His redeemed ones the fulness of heaven.

But this is not all, for not only is He the Representative of God to man, but He has taken up a place on man's behalf before God. These two thoughts are seen in the first and last verses of the eighth chapter of this epistle; in the first verse the believer is free from condemnation by being in Christ, while in verse 39, the love of God is presented as in Christ Jesus.

When God's salvation is set forth "in Christ" it is for every man, for God says, "whosoever will," but when we are considering the question of drawing near to God, only those who have already received the gospel are said to be "in Christ."

Righteousness marks every stage of the gospel, and is in itself marked by beauty and order. A universe marked by beauty and order will spring from Christ, and the law of it will be the perfect will of God, and every one in it will be so constituted as to delight to be in perfect obedience to it.

Now look for a moment at the divine triumph in the celebration of righteousness. Behold our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre of glory, heaven fail of joy, and the Holy Ghost come down to link the hearts of His own with the joy of that scene, while with all reverence one can, as it were, hear God Himself saying, "It was meet that we should be merry and be glad!" God is the happy God. and everything that He has in view must work towards joy and gladness. The Holy Ghost came down at Pentecost to form the House of God, and that house is the gate of heaven, distance is gone and the joys of heaven are ours, so that the Godhead is united in making the redeemed happy.

The feast of grace is proposed in Luke 14, and it is enjoyed in chapter 15, where we may witness the universality of the joy. The fatted calf suggests the Peace Offering which is he communion offering. And so in Leviticus 8, God gets His portion first, Moses next, and then Aaron and his sons, thus the whole scene rings with the joys of redemption. All heaven is changed because of the presence of Christ in resurrection glory; righteousness is celebrated; Man in the glory of God is the centre for every eye.

Nor must we overlook Christ's own joy in His work, it was for this that He suffered, enduring the cross and despising the shame — the joy that was set before Him; and beyond this again, it is our privilege to share it now in the Spirit.

Question. — Is that what you meant when you said that righteousness was continued in the Assembly?

Yes, and when it is, everything not of God is excluded on the one hand, while the hearts of the saints are attracted on the other. It is as Christ is written on the heart by the Spirit that we are brought into conformity with the glory of God, and what is accomplished by His ministry will endure.

Stephen beheld Christ as the centre of that radiant scene at the moment of his departure to be with the One whom he saw there. Paul, who took up the testimony as it was being laid down by Stephen, saw Chris in glory too, but it was in view of his pathway here. It is the same with us, we behold the glory of the Lord and are changed. The subjective operations of the Spirit spoken of at the beginning of the chapter (that is, Christ written on the heart) is that which produces the moral transformation that results from the upward and outward gaze on the glory of the Lord as shown at the end of the chapter.

The fifth chapter of Romans is divided into two parts, the first part from verse one to verse eleven; the second from verse twelve to the end. The first part answers to Israel's singing on the banks of the Red Sea. There they sang Jehovah's praise, what He had done and the place in the land into which they would be brought "Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance." So that death is behind, and glory before them. We boast in hope of the glory of God. In Egypt they were redeemed by blood, but at the Red Sea it was by power, and in the joy of that, a saint can look forward to the consummation in glory.

Up to this point we have had a good deal about righteousness, bull it is in these verses that we meet with love for the first time in this epistle, and it is mentioned in a subjective way. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." Here we see the positive work of the Spirit in our souls. In Galatians 5: 17, the Spirit is said to be greater than the flesh, so that ye should not do the things that ye desire, that is, the power of the Spirit within us is resisting the tendencies of that which would turn us from Christ. In 1 John 4, we read, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," showing that it is the power of God's Spirit that meets that which is outside of us; but in Romans 5, we have the normal work of the Holy Ghost in us, diffusing the holy love of God through and through our hearts.

Saints get discouraged and disheartened by the power of Satan, but it is well to know that the power of the gospel is greater than every, other power.

Verse 8 is the great objective presentation of God's love, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This must be the groundwork of everything, because it is what God in His nature is. Righteousness and holiness are attributes, and connect themselves with the character of God, but love is His nature. When we apprehend this, we have a sense that certain things must be because of what He is. Verse 8 is therefore, the great presentation of God's love in the death of Christ, and it was for sinners, but while that is so, we must bear in mind that it is on this planet that the heart of God has been declared, and yet it stands good for the whole creation.

There is here a four-fold description of what we were, ungodly, without strength, enemies, and sinners. Two negative and two positive. This brings out the greatness of the grace of God. It speaks, too, of a righteous man and of a good man, to show that we were neither, it was when we were enemies that He died for us so that we might be reconciled to Himself.

Note, too, the three great facts of verses 10 and 11: reconciliation, salvation by His life, joying in God, by those who were enemies. The word rendered joy would be better expressed by the word boast, which is found three times in this part of the chapter. We boast (or exult) in hope of the glory of God (verse 2) — we boast in tribulation (verse 3); and we boast, in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (verse 11).

2. Scriptures read, Romans 8: 1-4; 12: 1-5.

This morning we spoke of the greatness of God's gospel. That gospel sprang from Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ is its great theme, and its aim is the salvation of all. We behold in a risen Christ the accomplishment of the will of God in righteousness, that we might be justified and brought into association with Him, so that all His moral traits might be continued in the Church here.

Romans 8 gives the place into which we are brought in the power of God and in divine righteousness, but before we can know this, there must be the recognition of the teaching of the seventh chapter.

In the second part of chapter 5, the subject is righteousness and life, together with the fact that the second Man has displaced the first. This has been done for God by the Lord Jesus on the cross, and it is wrought in us by the operation of the Spirit.

Question. — What is the link between the eighth chapter and what precedes?

The section begins with chapter 5: 12. From that verse to the end of the chapter, we see the change from Adam to Christ, the new Head. It is this that connects us with the first verse of the eighth chapter. It has often been said that the former section is what God is for us in Christ Jesus, and the latter, what we are for God in Him. Besides this link between the eighth and the fifth chapters, verse two is connected with the sixth, verse three with the seventh, and verse four presents the teaching of the eighth itself.

Then note also that the first verse is an abstract statement of truth, verse two is experimental, verse three is doctrinal, and the fourth is practical. This presents a wide range of truth.

Verse 1 just touches upon the truth of new creation, but it is not enlarged upon. The apostle does not speak of himself in the first verse, but merely makes the abstract statement, that if any man be in Christ a certain effect will follow. In chapter 5, we see that sin and death are connected with the first head of the race, but life and righteousness with our new Head, Christ Jesus. It is essential that each of us should have a strong sense of the clearance from all our antecedents that has been effected by the death of Christ,.

The fifth chapter does not unfold the doctrine of original sin, but assuming it as a fact, passes on to the resources of grace in making a way out of the morass in which we were. In the sixth we learn that our old man has been crucified, that is, all that is obnoxious to God has gone under His judgment at the cross, and we should fully realize that this is so, in order that we may know how fully we are cleared from all condemnation. We are completely delivered from one headship and brought under another. In this transfer there is nothing whatever in the nature of a compromise, or a patching up, but we are placed completely outside the judgment that ends in condemnation.

Condemnation is the result of judgment, for if God enter into judgment with a man it must result in his being condemned. But those who are in Christ are completely cleared from it and there is a full salvation. It is much the same as the answer that Balaam gives in Numbers 23. "How can I curse whom God hath not cursed"; or again when he declares that God. "had not found iniquity in Jacob nor seen perverseness in Israel. He hath blessed and I cannot reverse it." There is nothing to curse or condemn in those who are in Christ, for, blessed be His name, He has borne all the judgment, and now He must be condemned before those that are in Him could be

There are four reigns spoken of in these verses; the reign of death, "Death reigned from Adam to Moses" (verse 14); the reign of sin and the reign of grace (verse 21); and the reign of life which goes on to eternity (verse 17). They which receive abundance of grace shall reign in life by One Jesus Christ. Such is the outcome of the transference from Adam to Christ.

Question. — In what sense is the word Law used in verse 2?

It is a fixed and uniform action that lies deep in the nature of things. The law of a fallen life is to gravitate downwards, and is characterised by sin and death. The life of the Lord Jesus ever gravitated towards God.

Question. — Is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit?

Yes, I think so.It is an experimental thought, for the apostle is speaking of himself, "Hath made me free." The life is in Christ Jesus, it is objective, but the power of the Spirit working in the apostle sets him free from the power of sin and death. It is the same line of thought as the well of water springing up into everlasting life, but it does not go so far.

Question — Why?

Because here, the reference is to the liberation from the oppression of the law of sin and death, but in speaking of the well of water, there is the positive action of the Spirit rising up to all the blessedness of eternal life with the Father and the Son.

This law is the rule of a different life, the life which is in Christ Jesus, sustained. by the power of the Spirit, and when that is in operation, the law of his former life, which is sin and death, is nullified. In that way, the life that is in Christ Jesus is worked out here, and like Him who delighted in the law of the Lord, the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled. The life is in Christ Jesus, and it is there for man just like righteousness and salvation. He is made blessings for ever, and all are available for faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Question. — In what light do you view chapter 7?

It is connected with the third verse of chapter 8. It is a soul under law. In the early part of chapter 7, we come to the new husband in order that we might serve in the newness of spirit. In chapter 6: 4, we walk in newness of life, and in chapter 7: 6, we serve in newness of spirit, for in the former, the service is that of a bond-slave, and in the latter as a wife.

There is a change of masters in the sixth, we were the bondslaves of sin, but have now become bondmen unto righteousness. In the seventh it is a new husband, not a new master,. "Ye have been made dead to the law by the body of Christ to be to another." The second half of chapter 6 begins with the question, "What then shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?" Not being under law is dealt with in the remainder of the chapter, while being under law is the subject of chapter 7: 14-25: and being under grace is considered in chapter 8.

We often see, and especially in the Psalms, that a certain position is described in the first few verses, while the remaining part goes on to show how that position is reached. This is so in Romans 7.

Bringing forth fruit to God is the result of passing through the conflict of soul described at the end of the chapter. You get the application of the law which brings out the awful state of the flesh, and yet you cannot get people to believe they are sinners! As we all know, a work of God in the soul is necessary to bring this to pass, but we have here a description of one in these conditions. Having a work of grace in his soul, but not having learnt how God has made a way out for him, he attempts to find one by the law, with the results that are so well known.

The law was given by God as embodying His rightful claims upon His creature, and we know that there were none that could meet them, owing to the ruin of the race. The best man in the Old Testament, Job, and the best man in the New, Paul, are both made to know how hopeless the flesh is. But every one must learn it, and also the solemn fact that deliverance from the law or from the flesh is by death and in no other way.

In the Old Testament we find One who, speaking by the prophetic Spirit, says, "Thy law have I hid in My heart." We are now brought into relationship with that Man and we delight to fulfil the law, not as children of Adam, but as having a new nature and a new power, which is the Spirit of that Man. Thus it can be said, there is a new generation who love the Lord with all their heart.

Question. — Is this new generation in any, way represented by those who beheld the brazen serpent as alluded to by the Lord in the third of John?

There is no way out of death but by death itself, but in the figure the chief thing is life. He that beheld the serpent of brass lived, and it is they who form the new generation that enter the land. The brazen serpent is treated of in the third chapter of John — the springing well is in the fourth, this is connected with the truth that we are considering in Romans 8, and shows where Paul and John approximate in the types.

Paul, however, goes back to Egypt in the earlier chapters of the epistle. He shows the righteousness of God met by the blood (chapter 3); the salvation by power, at the Red Sea (chapter 4); the song of Exodus 15 having its counterpart in the rejoicings of the fifth the bitter waters being made sweet by the cross (chapter 6); and the giving of the law bringing out the incorrigibility of the flesh in the seventh. Thus there is a correspondence between the experiences of the people in the wilderness and the teachings of Romans from the third to the seventh chapters. But in the eighth the ground is common to both Paul and John, for as we have seen, the latter presents the truth both of the brazen serpent and the springing well which corresponds with the teaching of Paul in the eighth.

Question. — What are we to understand by the fact that only two of the grown men that left Egypt entered the land?

They show the connecting link between responsibility and purpose, for they left Egypt in the life of responsibility, and entered the land in the light of God's purpose.

Question. — Will you please make that statement clearer?

The display of the majesty and the splendour of God at Sinai should have once and for ever convinced Israel that they were under the special care and guidance of Jehovah, and that He was as good as His word. But at Kadesh, they were so dissatisfied with the way that they were being taken, that they sent out spies to spy the land, and yet would not go up and possess it. This was an act of unbelief and is described as "despising the pleasant land." The immediate consequence of this was that that generation perished in the wilderness). It is not till the fortieth year that we hear of them again. By that time Aaron and Miriam had died, and Moses was left alone with the people who show clearly that they were no better than their forefathers — they were murmurers still.

Up to this point God had dealt with them on the ground of their ability to meet His demands, but when these murmurings culminated in their loathing the manna, fiery serpents were sent amongst them so that much people of Israel died.

Here, God as it were, says the state is so incurably bad that nothing but death can meet it. Hence, at the brazen serpent, there is the declaration that all is over on the ground of responsibility and that it is only in the power of the new life, given by beholding the uplifted serpent, that they can enter the land. Joshua and Caleb had parted company as it were with the first generation and are reckoned as belonging to the new one, they are in the light of the new life that will take them on to the realization of that which God intended to bring His people into.

This also shows us how it was that Balaam could not curse the people, for he came after the evil state to which the curse attached had been typically removed in death, and after the song of the springing well had been sung, this latter speaking of the Spirit. So here in Romans the challenge is raised, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect," for there can be no condemnation (verse 1), no accusation (verse 33), and no separation (verse 39) to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Sin was condemned in the righteous One, and the open enmity which characterised human nature cannot be reconciled to God, hence, death is the only way in which it can be dealt with. If a sinner die he is irrecoverably lost, but Christ having suffered for sin, and entered into death on account of it, came back in a new order of life in which there is no possibility of breakdown, and into that life He introduces every Saint of God, so that each might know what it is to be before God in the divine nature — in the life of Christ. Each should be able to say, "I am not in the flesh but in the Spirit." We must all come to recognize the fact that the flesh has no place before God.

In the case of Ishmael we see how it was displaced. "Cast out the bond woman and her son," and later on we see that it was not only Ishmael, but Isaac has no place after the flesh. He had to be offered up in death on Mount Moriah. This surely foreshadows our ever adorable Lord, in whom everything was absolutely perfect in His life here, laying aside that condition, but in speaking thus, one must be careful to make it clear that it was not His manhood that came to an end, but that He laid down the flesh and blood condition and took up a new order of life in resurrection which will abide for ever.

Question. — But you do not mean to say that there was anything in Him which needed to be brought to an end?

Oh, certainly not! We cannot be too clear about His perfect and spotless manhood, for as far as He was concerned, He might have been in that condition still. But you see that that would leave out the divine intention in the Son becoming incarnate. When the Lord Jesus took flesh and blood, He had death in view so that He might bring to an end the condition in which man had brought dishonour to God. It was our state that directly necessitated the closing up of the history of the flesh from a moral point of view. But on His side, you must remember that He was marked out in the counsels of God to be the Head of a vast system of glory, all of which must take character from Himself.

Now how could this be in the days of His flesh when He stood alone. Even His own could not be united to Him till after His death and resurrection. That is the reason it was necessary that He should lay down flesh and blood, however perfect they were in Him, and come forth again in that new order of life into which He brings His own, and associate them with Himself in that life before His God and Father.

All our relationships and associations are linked up with Him in a world of glory, on the other side of death. This was clearly intimated to Mary in His resurrection message, "I ascend to My Father and your Father." He had become Man and had shared all that is common to human life, sin apart; but that was now put away by death, and a new life which will abide for ever entered upon. He remains Man, blessed be His name, the same blessed Person that He was before the cross, but in another condition, and His own are being formed morally into His likeness by the Holy Ghost, and presently, when He rises up to call them to be with Himself, they shall be changed in body like unto His glorious body, and to be for ever with Himself.

The truth of new creation is just glanced at in Romans 8, but in the Scriptures where it is elaborated, the saints are seen before God in Christ distinct from the flesh and blood condition altogether, for how could it be otherwise, since that condition is coming to an end either by death or by the coming of the Lord?: Nothing that we have or are can be connected with the new place that has been established in resurrection, and that place can never come to an end.

"Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice" (Romans 12: 1), is an act of the mind and done once and cannot be repeated. When a soul once realizes the mercy of God in freeing it from sin and death, the body is placed on the altar as a living sacrifice. It, is quite voluntary and is in the nature of the burnt-offering — holy and acceptable to God. It may not be always maintained for the lack of spiritual energy, but it is done once and for all.

The intervening chapters 9—11, are the answer to the question, "How can God be faithful to His promise and yet set Israel aside?" They show the security of Israel's earthly blessing on account of the fathers, and also the way for them to enter into the far richer blessings of the gospel, which is to the Jew first.

When a saint goes on with the Lord in the joy of deliverance, the exhortations of this twelfth chapter will be carried out; they are all involved in presenting the body to the Lord. The transformation that will be effected by the renewing of the mind will be seen in all our ways, not merely in dress, but in our homes and in our speech. It is a great thing to have clean speaking in the Christian.

Question. — What is the force of the word transformed?

It is the same word as is used in the gospels for transfiguration, and shows the complete change effected by the renewing of the mind. God works in us so that all our parts are brought under His control. He works in the soul of men and not merely on the intellect.

In Romans 3, all the members are in the service of Satan, in chapter 6 they are said to become servants of righteousness, in chapter 8, the body in its relation to sin is considered dead, and in chapter xii„ it is considered alive in the will of God, and it is the saints rational or intelligent privilege to present it a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to Him.

By the removal of the flesh and the giving of the Holy Ghost, the way is clear for the presentation of the truth of the saints being one body in Christ.

Question. — Do you think that the expression in this chapter, "One body in Christ," gives the thought of the body of Christ as we have it in the other Scriptures, as in Ephesians for example?

Yes, it is the body of Christ as that which is in the life of the Head but viewed on its earthward side and being here in the scene of the ways of God.

3. Scriptures read, 1 Corinthians 10: 15-21; 11: 17-27.

We had before us yesterday, the completeness of the clearance which is ours in Christ and which has been wrought for us in perfect righteousness on the part of God. This must ever be kept before us when considering the question of fellowship.

The fellowship of His death is presented in chapter It is a fellowship that has been established here. and the deepest and sweetest expression of it is in the Lord's supper, that which reminds us of the darkest of all dark hours, and we can only dwell on these things with minds under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Our right to have any part in these things is that a faithful God has called us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and chapter 10 is mainly directed to the solemnity of having to do with the things of God without the suited condition. It was for this that Israel came under the judgment of God in the wilderness.

The Corinthians were in danger of following man, and making him, instead of the Son of God, the centre of their thoughts.

Question — What is the remedy for that?

The cross! This seems to be the remedy in this epistle for every difficulty, for although in the first three chapters we get the cross, the new creation, and the temple, yet in each recurring difficulty the cross is brought in as the corrective. In 1 Cor. 1, 2, it is introduced on account of the factions among these saints; in chapter 5: 7, 8, with reference to the purity of fellowship, "Purge out therefore the old leaven . . . for even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us "; in chapters 8 — 10 with reference to their liberty of action the Spirit by the apostle saying, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ," and finally the truth as to the supper in. chapter 11 is brought from heaven to correct their conduct in God's house. Judaism, philosophy and all man's wisdom had to be brought to nought by the preaching of the cross. The seeds of all the ecclesiastical evil that we see to-day were in evidence at Corinth.

The epistle to the Corinthians gives the groundwork both for the church as the house of God and as the body of Christ, for in the beginning of the first chapter, believers are addressed as sanctified in Christ Jesus, which is connected with the truth of the body, and in the same verse they are spoken of as calling on the name of Jesus Christ our LORD, which involves the truth of the house of God. The testimony is presented in Romans, but here it is the vessel formed of God, i.e., His house to contain that testimony; this is maintained here by the power of the Spirit and the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it.

The apostle addresses wise men, and so he can and does speak of the deep things of God; the cross and new creation, the temple and the body, these, though but slightly touched upon, are solid food.

Question. — Is there not a thought of progress at the supper?

When we come together to break bread, nothing puts the affections of the saints in motion like the thoughts that the emblems of the body and blood of the Lord on the table, suggest. We begin, therefore, with Him and the love which gave Himself for us. This produces worship, and presently we find ourselves in the company of the Son praising the Father.

Question — But we do not get worship spoken of here?

The whole tenor of the epistle is corrective, because of their low state. After the supper has been spoken of, the Lord is seen asserting His authority in chastening and discipline, and not leading them on to worship; and again in chapter 12, the ministry is manward and not Godward, as it should be, if the real significance of the death of Christ had been before them.

If we would learn what is proper to worship, we must turn either to the epistle to the Hebrews, for there you get the truth of the sanctuary, or to the Colossians, where the body is seen in the life of the Head. Neither in the Hebrews nor in the Colossians do we get the truth of the supper, which shows that worship is not confined to the time when we come together to break bread. The heart may run over at all times and it is a good thing when it is so. But the worship of the company is of a higher order than that of the individual, inasmuch as praise in our circumstances is less than that which ascends to Him in His own circle and in His company as Leader of the worship of the assembly worshipping the Father.

We are called into the fellowship of God's Son, that is, a definite circle of communion has been established here by the Son of God which is the broad platform of the whole church of God; in chapter 10 we read of the fellowship of His death, because there the body and blood are separated as seen in the cup and the loaf. The fellowship itself seems to view the saints here standing shoulder to shoulder for Christ in the scene of His refusal, while the expression of it is the breaking of the loaf and the drinking of the cup.

Question. — Will you say a little more about the principal features of the fellowship.

First of all, it has been established by God's Son, and we have been called into it by a faithful God. The Son established it by His death and in His blood, for it is called the fellowship of the blood of Christ. We must also learn why it has been set up, what is its duration, its characteristics, and the necessity for maintaining them unsullied.

We are called out to maintain this testimony and to learn the privileges associated with it.

The cup suggests His sacrifice, — the shedding of His precious blood. When He drank the cup of divine wrath there was no ingredient that could bring sorrow and distress that was Tacking, but it has secured for us a cup of infinite blessing, not any specific blessing, but fulness of blessing. This is learnt in the supper through the fellowship of the Lord's table, and every moral characteristic should be expressed by those who partake.

The first object that God had in view in establishing this fellowship was that there might be a company wherein would be found the truth of God, that is, a vessel here to maintain the testimony, or in other words, the assembly, the temple of God, the body of Christ, the place where God might dwell and His testimony be found:. The principles of the testimony may be found in other epistles at which we may look later, but the vessel itself is found in those we are now considering.

Where there is a healthy spiritual state in the saints — where the flock of Christ is fed, and whore they can retire from the chilling influences of this world, and be in the enjoyment of heavenly things, there the graces, feelings, and tastes of the Lord Jesus are in activity, and there is mutual support and a godly character amongst the saints. No Christian can stand alone, the opposition is too strong, the devil's system is all around, and the workings of the flesh easily carry one away, hence the great importance of meeting together.

Question. — Is there not a difference between fellowship here and in 1 John 1 where we get fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Yes! In that chapter the communion is with the Father and the Son, but in Corinthians it is the fellowship of the Son of God, that is, we are standing here for Him in His absence. The words communion and fellowship are from the same root word, in the original; communion seems the more suitable word in the 1 John, while in 1 Cor. 10, fellowship would be better.

1 Corinthians 10 corresponds in one way with Luke 22, where the saints are regarded as being in the outside place; "Ye are they who have continued with Me in My temptation," for in Luke He is teaching at the supper table what is connected with His pathway here. 1 Cor. 11 is the actual supper which should put us into the inside place with Him as is seen in John 13. The supper, though not named in John's gospel, puts them inside with the Father and the Son. We may thus enter into the deepest and richest thoughts of heaven and so be brought outside the world.

In Luke 22, the man with the pitcher of water shows where the Lord would have them go. In John 13, in the inside place, the water is put into the basin to put their feet right, i.e., communion with Himself.

" How sweet and sacred is the place with Christ within those doors

Where everlasting love displays the choicest of her stores."

Question. — Is communion similar to "Part with Me"?

Not exactly! "Part with Me," embraces the thought of association with Christ in all that upon which He was entering in virtue of His death and resurrection, and reaches on to the full thought of association with Him when He comes out in glory. It also involves the outside place that we have with Him now.

The supper is not the command of Sinai, but the request of love. It puts the soul in motion towards the Lord Himself, bringing us inside to the Father and the Son and outside from the world. There is nothing that can move the hearts of the saints like the sufferings of Christ, and, therefore, we rightly begin with Him, — the Lord Jesus our precious Saviour. There is progress in the supper, however, for in the actual celebration of it, the soul passes into His risen life and in His company meditates on the Father and the Son. We begin with Him as Lord and later we worship the Father

It is precious to begin with the Lord in His wondrous love, giving Himself for us, and this induces us to follow Him, but this can only be done in the life of Christ Himself. One must guard against being too sentimental when dwelling exclusively on the sufferings of Christ. Hence the importance of proceeding to God's thought of the assembly, reaching the scene of divine counsel, and worshipping the Father in company with the Son.

Question. — Why is the blood in chapter 10 put in contrast with the cup in the eleventh, and the body of Christ in chapter 10, with the body of the Lord in the eleventh?

We have to remember that the tenth chapter is not the actual meeting of the assembly, while the next is, and also that the whole moral condition of the Corinthians was at fault both inside and out.

The Spirit has the moral features of the fellowship in view in the former, but in the latter, the Lord asserts Himself in relation to their individual condition. The love that has taken us up will never let us down, but that same love may have different ways of dealing with us, and He may have to remove us altogether if He think fit.

We are identified with Christ, and as a consequence, the Spirit of God would have us in a condition to take up holy things. In order to get that moral condition we have to accept the meaning of the blood, which involves self-judgment. The death of Christ involves the refusal of all that we are actually.

Question. — What is the difference between the discipline exercised in the eleventh chapter and that in the fifth?

That in 1 Corinthians 5, is parallel to verse 2 of the fifth of Numbers. In the former, the discipline is committed to the assembly, but in the eleventh the discipline is in the Lord's own hands. The epistle seems to answer to the trial of jealousy in the fifth of Numbers. The apostle takes the place of the priest, leading them through the trial, and they come out morally cleansed in 2 Corinthians 7 — 11.

The tenth chapter is full of warnings: "With many of them God was not well pleased," and things have now become far worse in the church than are here described, and that too, in the light of the revelation of God Himself.

The supper was given from heaven through Paul, in connection with the truth of the mystery, and the one loaf seems to follow the fact that we are one body. In 1 Corinthians 10: 16, the fellowship is that of the body and blood of the Lord, as is also the sense in the next chapter; but in 1 Corinthians 10: 17, the one loaf is expressive of "all saints." God once had the twelve tribes before Him, but now He has but one company. The twelve loaves on the table were His food. After seven days they were taken away to be eaten by the priest and twelve fresh loaves were put in their places. This is indicative of priestly communion with God, and His interests in His people.

All are priests, and in the supper the consideration of the sufferings of Christ should put each in priestly trim and in normal conditions, would put the company in movement towards God and Christ. His death is before us, and we thus recall One that was here, but is not now. He is risen and is in His new life in the midst of His assembly as the glorified One. As the One who died He has left the world, and in that connexion gone for ever. He is therefore recalled by the Spirit; but as the risen One He is known in the midst and we, as brought into association with Him in that life being at home, can worship.

Question. — Whether there is priestly condition or not, all partake of the supper?

Certainly. But that is another side of the question — the actual state of things. So much has been said of these things, that we may have been idealistic without being conscious of it. It is well to speak frankly and freely in the light of actual existing circumstances, always remembering that God's standard remains, and that we should not make excuses about our state.

Question. — Have saints different degrees of apprehension according to their different spiritual capacities?

Certainly! When we come together none know what the actual order of the meeting will be. This shows the great need of all coming together with the heart full of Christ. The Head would put us in touch one with another, and deliver us from a riot of radicalism on the one hand, and the assumptions of clericalism on the other.

Question. — Do you not think that the more you know the Lord, and are in His hands, the simpler you become?

Yes, for you do not try to work up a State that you deem suited to the occasion. You are perfectly at home in His presence and are thus freed from every other influence.

Remark. — You spoke of three leading thoughts in connection with the fellowship, and you have given us but one.

The fact that the testimony of God rests here, suggests an out-of-the-world place where the saints can be together for mutual support. Its duration is during the time of His absence, the supper which is the expression of the fellowship goes on till the Lord comes. Every saint is morally responsible to see that his behaviour is suitable to the Lord, or He may have to deal with him Himself, as in the eleventh chapter, or in the fifth of the Acts; or he may come under the discipline of the assembly as in the fifth of this epistle, i.e., the holy government of God's house. Though that house is the gate of heaven, where we enter into heaven's blessedness, we have to see to it that we do not in any way compromise that fellowship and come under its discipline. In 1 Corinthians 11, the supper continues to be celebrated till He comes. When the Lord was going away and led His own into the upper room, He took up an ancient custom in Israel which would recall their thoughts to Himself (see Jeremiah 16: 7 in the margin) till all would be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. This was not exactly the supper as is known to us. That was given from the glory and continues till He comes.

Remark. — In eating of the loaf and drinking of the cup, we express the fact that we are in fellowship with the death that we celebrate, we proclaim the fact that we accept, each for himself, the significance of that death.

Yes! It is like Ruth who said, "Where thou diest will I die." There are many hearts in this world who are truly drawn to Him. He is so great a Saviour and such a wonderful Person, that ten of thousands of people all over the world, gather together with nothing but Himself before their hearts, in adoration of Himself.

Surely it is then that His blessed heart is rejoiced to lead their praises and to conduct them into the Father's presence in worship and thanksgiving. Here we learn Him, not merely as the One who ministers to us, but we see Him in His own glory as Son of the Father's bosom, and the centre of the Father's counsels, and the order of things connected with that place.

Glory supreme is there,

Glory that shines through all,

More precious still that love to share

As those that love did call.

I do wish that each saint knew more of that side of things.

We tell the Lord much of the place from which He has brought us, but how little we know of the place into which He would bring us. God will have His praise, and if we do not give it to Him He will produce it in others, but it cannot be produced artificially, it must be the spontaneous outflow of adoration from hearts that are perfectly satisfied, and are perfectly at home with Him in His own sphere. We are brought to the place where Christ is all and in all, and where all things are of God, who has reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ.

There the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one; there the Son declares the Father's name; and there He leads His brethren's praise, an offering of a sweet smell wholly acceptable to God by Jesus Christ for "it is of necessity that this Man should have something to offer."

4. Scriptures read, 2 Corinthians 3: 1-6; 17-18; 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21.

In these passages we get the unfolding of the gospel of the glory; that which could not be revealed till the Lord had gone back to heaven in the glory of redemption. It was with that, however, that the ministry of the apostle Paul began. The expression "The gospel of the glory of the blessed God" in 1 Timothy 1, suggests that all the glory of the blessed God is bound up with it. It is, too, all set forth in a Man.

These are the two characteristics of the gospel:

1. The full revelation of God in His Son.

2. The answer to it in Christ as Man at God's right hand.

He is the only One that could tell out the heart of God, and He is the answer to all that has been told out.

The more we know of the magnitude of the revelation that has been made to us in the person of the Lord Jesus, the greater does He, the Revealer, become to us. He must be God to reveal God and at the same time, He must be Man to represent man in heaven. He must necessarily be glorified before the gospel of God could be set forth.

There is a Man in the very centre of the glory of God, and His glory is great in God's salvation. All that God has to say to man is found in that blessed One. In Him God puts Himself in touch with the creation. In the gospels we see a new Man, but in the epistles we see a new Man in a new place, and He is presented there for our appreciation.

Question. — What is the difference between the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of the glory of God?

There is no difference to-day. You can think of the grace of God being preached before the cross. Peter, too, preached the gospel of the grace of God between the day of Pentecost and the death of Stephen. 1 Corinthians 15, also sets it forth, "How that Christ died for our sins . . . and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." The "gospel of the glory" is a fuller expression, for it carries with it all the grace, but starts from a Man in the glory of God. We shall see in this chapter, that in a previous dispensation, glory was connected with government, the giving of the law setting forth both, but that has passed away to make room for a divine system where glory is accompanied by grace.

No more beautiful type of the gospel of the glory can be seen than in Joseph in Egypt where he is seen supreme in the administration of the corn of Egypt under the hand of Pharaoh. It is a precious figure of the administrative glory of our Lord Jesus at God's right hand. God delights in the Son who sets Him forth.

Question. — What is glory?

The answer will depend on what you have in your mind. God is spoken of as the God of glory in Acts 7, the Father of glory in Ephesians and the Lord Jesus is called the Lord of glory. God in delighting to give a full display of Himself in the person of His Son manifests His glory, and He, who went down into the lowest place and is now in the highest, showed forth His glory in doing so.

Solomon adumbrates the glory of the Messiah, and Joseph the universal glory of the Son of Man. Though the Lord Jesus is now in heaven in all the radiance of the glory of God, He has rights of glory in Himself which must be distinguished from the glory of God.

The glory of God in Acts 7, is the perfect reconciliation of His character with His nature in so far as man and sin are concerned, but the Man who is the centre of that glory has personal as well as official rights, for example, He is the Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of David.

Now the One who is all this, and far more, went to the cross, the lowest place, and is now in the highest, actively engaged in ministering righteousness from the glory on the principle of grace, so that men who once were sinners might be fitted to stand in the presence of that glory.

Question. — What is meant by the conciliation of God's character with His nature?

Ever since the fall, God's nature — love — has been towards His creature man, but the righteousness and holiness of God, that is His character, have been constantly outraged by him in his sin and iniquity, so that while God's love was for His creature, His attributes were against him.

But the cross has changed all that. The work of Christ met the character of God at the same time as it expressed His love; God's answer to man's worst is the fulness of blessing. So that while there is no mitigation of the wrath and the judgment of God against sin, there is no reserve or hindrance to blessing.

Question. — Is that why we can stand in the presence of the glory?

Yes! This was an impossibility in the Old Testament days as we see in Isaiah 6, but the work of Christ having vindicated the character and majesty of God, Man in the person of Christ, has entered into all the blessedness of what has been counselled, and man on earth, associated with Him in resurrection life, is now a partaker of the glory of God.

This must be constantly insisted on, for whatever growth there is in the soul it must be after the new order, for nothing else can be in affinity with God: and whatever honours God gives to His Son all are in answer to His work, and are bestowed on the saints as sharers in His triumphs.

Question. — Is that the New Covenant ministry?

There are two sides to that ministry, one positive and the other negative. The first is "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." The second is, "I will put MY laws into their minds and write them in their hearts." It is put in that way in writing to the Hebrews, but in writing to the Corinthians who were Gentiles, he says, "Ye are Christ's epistle, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God on the fleshy tables of the heart." The new covenant is connected with the Lord's supper in the first epistle, and with the gospel in the second.

That recalls what we were saying about the testimony. The epistle to the Romans presents the testimony itself. 1 Corinthians the vessel in which it is contained, and 2 Corinthians something of the leading principles of it.

Question. — What are the leading principles of the testimony?

The first is Resurrection as given at the end of the first epistle. This connects us with another world, and it is only on the principle of faith that it can be known to-day. That is why it is a testimony. When faith ceases testimony will be replaced by display. There are three leading thoughts connected with the three periods of time. These are revelation, or one might say, yesterday; then testimony, that is, to-day; and display, that is, to-morrow.

The second feature is the ministration of Righteousness from the glory, and the third is the ministry of Reconciliation, which is connected with new creation.

The first principle Resurrection is connected` with Romans, and while that epistle treats of the second principle too, it is on a different basis from what is treated of in 2 Corinthians, where it is associated with the place that Christ has taken in heaven. Righteousness is ministered from heaven by the Spirit. The third is also mentioned in Romans, but is not developed there, but is fully discussed in 2 Corinthians.

The Spirit has a very prominent place in the epistles to the Corinthians; He searches, knows all things; chooses His own words to bring the revelation of God before us, and acts according to His sovereign will in the assembly. There is also the anointing and the sealing of the Spirit, as is stated in the closing verses of 2 Corinthians Everything is by the Spirit. In Christianity we only know divine Persons by the power of the Spirit, He brings before us the things that belong to the Father and the Son.

This passage (2 Corinthians 1), shows three things which are ours by virtue of the Holy Ghost, viz., anointing, sealing, and earnest.

The anointing is in view of relationships which are eternal, it therefore must be for eternity, while the earnest is given in connection with the inheritance. The anointing is the power to appreciate and understand what has been declared. In John's epistles the affections are moved, and the earnest is the pledge of all that there is in store for us.

The passage shows that Christ Himself is the guarantee of the stability of the whole moral creation, for whatever promises of God there are, in Him is the Yea, and in Him the Amen to the glory of God by us; but this can only be available for us as we are firmly attached to Him.

The apprehension of Christ as the One who is able to fill and sustain the whole moral creation according to God; to bring in blessing and satisfaction for man; to uphold society and solve every problem, and hold everything in perfect equilibrium for the delight of the heart of God, should settle every difficulty for the child of God.

That of course, leads us beyond what we have here — to Ephesians — where the assembly is seen as the complement of Christ. She is now being fitted for the full and adequate expression of Christ in all that He is as the risen Man into whose hands God has committed everything.

Question. — What is the difference between the reference to the new covenant in the first epistle and what is before us now?

In the first epistle it says, "The cup is the new covenant in My blood," while in Hebrews xiii,, it says, "Through the blood of the everlasting covenant." In the first, covenant there were two parties and the blessing was conditional. In the new covenant there is only one party, and the blessing is secured for us unconditionally by the blood of Christ. But we are now speaking of the ministry and not the cup of that covenant. His precious blood is the ratification of the new covenant.

Remark. — Then the cup on the table does speak of the covenant.

That recalls the difference between Israel's blessing and ours. There is no covenant with the church as such, hence both the covenant and the cup belong to Israel. Of old, before the declaration of God's counsels, all His ways revolved around His ancient people, but now, as the fruit of the death of His Son, the church has the leading place in His counsels, and even at present, takes the place of Israel as the centre of His ways, too, on the earth. All the principles of those ways are found in the assembly to-day; for you find the true circumcision, as well as the cup and the covenant. When the assembly passes out of the scene of God's ways to her own heavenly sphere, then Israel will come into the new covenant blessing, and the cup belonging to it will revert to them once more.

Question. — If the loaf expresses the one body, the cup also speaks of the love of God, both in purpose and in His ways?

Yes, it is a cup of blessing both to them and to us, and in each case both are infinite and eternal; but in the case of the assembly it is of a much higher order.

Though the covenant is linked up with the gospel in the second epistle, the new birth is taken for granted, for apart from a work of grace in a man, he is incapable of taking in anything of God. In Ezekiel 36, the first step is the removal of the stony heart which is replaced by a heart of flesh. • It is that that is impressionable and upon which the Spirit of God writes.

The first step is the new birth, and when the gospel is received the Spirit is given as the seal until the day of redemption; and the work of the Spirit is to form Christ in the soul. As has often been said, as it is seen in the types, first the water, then the blood, and then the oil.

The writing on the fleshy tables of the heart is in contrast with the writing on the tables of stone. Scripture often speaks of writing, and there are four notable instances of it, each with its own special significance. That on the tables of stone, speaking of government; that on the wall at Belshazzar's feast — judgment — the Lord's writing on the ground in grace, and that on the fleshy tables of the heart in righteousness.

God must begin His work in our souls ere we can avail ourselves of what He has done for us outside ourselves., So in this chapter, the subjective work of the Spirit precedes the objective. Our power to behold the glory of the Lord is connected with the writing of the Spirit on the fleshy tables of the heart.

In the parenthesis verses 7-16, the second giving of the law is contrasted with the ministry of righteousness; the law, as first given, never came into the camp, for Moses finding the people dancing round the golden calf broke the tables, so that Israel was never under the full and holy law of the Lord. All was lost, for the relations between God and His people were broken, but in virtue of the intercession of Moses, God fell back on His own sovereignty and gave them a fresh covenant in which law was mixed with grace: It is this which is called in this chapter a "Ministration of condemnation and death."

In Exodus the glory was connected with the law and man's obedience, which was bound to fail, and hence, spoken of here as being annulled. But then note that if that which is annulled was introduced with glory much more then that which abides subsists in glory.

But that blaze of glory was not seen when the fresh generation was first called into being, for that was at the cross in the darkness and throes of His death when He suffered at the hands of God. This was indeed glory, but it was not of that order that was seen at Sinai. If God in sovereign mercy came out and met the people with a modification of His claims on account of their frailty, mark well, that when He dealt with His beloved Son on the cross on the question of sin, there was not the slightest modification then. "All Thy waves and Thy billows rolled over Me," and again, "But Thou art holy, Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." Those holy claims were met without any mitigation, and in such a way, that all the wealth of blessing that was in God's heart for us might flow forth.

If our souls are in the joy of all this we can well afford to be transparent. "Seeing then that we have such hope we use great plainness of speech, and not as Moses, which put a vail over his facet" In this incident it is necessary to distinguish between what Moses was morally and what he prefigures. His moral greatness is seen in the way he refused personal distinction in insisting that the people were Jehovah's and not his own. He also prefigures the present dispensation.

There are two systems seen in this chapter, the one is set forth in Moses and the other in the people. When he went in he stood in the presence of the glory, which is a clear figure of the Christian to-day, but when he came out he put a vail on his face, indicating the place of comparative distance in which the nation stood.

Verses 17 and 18 are connected with verse 6, those in between being parenthetic. Glory is connected with grace, and the One who is in the highest place of the glory has gone there from the very lowest point. He is active on our behalf in that scene and He ministers righteousness to us by the Spirit, which produces likeness to Himself, and puts us into perfect harmony with the glory, so that like Stephen, we can stand and behold the glory of His blessed face.

Question. — What does the expression "The Lord is that Spirit" mean?

It is connected with verse 6, "The Spirit quickeneth," and indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is the spirit of all Scripture. He is essentially the underlying spirit of all that is positively set forth in the Old Testament, If it be law, He is the end of it for righteousness to every one that believeth; if it be the Scriptures they concern Him; if it be the Tabernacle and its vessels they all spoke of Him. The Lord is that Spirit.

Question. — Is there any likeness in this passage to what we get in Hebrews 10, "Boldness to enter into the holiest"?

There it is the same line of truth but is suited to those who knew the Scriptures. The Covenant and the Sanctuary are brought together in 2 Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews 10 Christ is the Mediator of the Covenant and also Minister of the Sanctuary, i.e., both the Covenant and the sanctuary are linked in Him.

Chapters 3 and 5, present the ministry, and chapter 4 the ministers, who have the treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God. The power of the ministry of chapter 3, produces a life on earth that is in conformity to Christ, the Christian bearing about in His body the dying of Jesus.

In the verses that were read in 2 Cor. 5, the theme is reconciliation as connected with the great truth of new creation. There all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.

Question. — Is there any connection between this chapter and what you said of the testimony?

Reconciliation is the third great factor in the testimony and involves the presentation of the saints holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight. We are invested with all the beauty of Christ, which is indicated by the best robe in the parable of the fifteenth of Luke, and are brought into His life before the eye of God for His own good pleasure. If the moral illumination of chapter 3 produces transformation, the fifth places us in all the blessedness of divine complacency.

Question. — Is that where new creation comes in?

Yes, since God's finding His pleasure in His people is the fruit of His own grace, grace, "It was meet that we should be merry and glad." Where there was distance there is now nearness, and we are brought into the complacency of divine love. This is precisely on the lines of the first of Ephesians, but Luke puts it into parable form.

The Headship of Christ is closely associated with the thought of reconciliation, for He is the One in whom all things will be reconciled, and the fact that He is now seated in the glory of redemption is the pledge of it all. As we apprehend the great fact that reconciliation is in Christ, the more are we freed in the spirit of our minds from the first man and his world, and rejoice in knowing that all abides for us iii Him in the resurrection world.

God over had before Him the fulfilment of His counsels, this was indeed His first thought, and it was in view of their fulfilment that the first creation was brought into being. In that creation, the last work of His hand was the creation of man to be its head, but in the new creation, Man is the first in order of time as well as in precedence. Actually there is but one Man — Christ — in the new creation, and this of necessity involves a new sphere where all is sinless and deathless and abiding purity, the pervading influence of which is the holy love of God. It is into this domain that the Christian, while living in a body which is of the old creation, is introduced on the principle of faith and by the power of the Holy Ghost.

The ministry of reconciliation is secured in the person of the Lord Jesus, as we read that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, but the word of reconciliation is the effect of the redemption that has been accomplished for us. Everything is made to hang on the fact that "Christ was made sin for us."

But these great things are not to be enjoyed without exercise for those who through mercy know and delight in them, are in their outward lives troubled on every side. This must be so in a fallen world. When the true King reigns all will be all right. Meanwhile, He is the guarantee of Stability for faith (chapter 1). He is the Conqueror who leads the conquered ones in His train, and their delight is to spread abroad the fragrance of His name (2: 15-16).

Though we await a glorified body we are already fitted for it, for He that hath wrought us for this self same thing is God who hath also given us the earnest of His Spirit.

5. Scriptures read, Hebrews 1 and 2: 1-4.

We are now coming to to the depth and fulness of the person and work the Lord Jesus Christ, both of which are presented in this epistle in a very complete was. We might speak of the epistle as showing the great structure of the world to come, and the two pillars upon which it rests are set forth in chapters 1 and 2, the first presenting the Son of God and the glories of His name, and the second, those of tile Son of Man. All these meet in the person of our Lord; not that the first chapter leaves out His manhood, or the second His personal glories, for both bring His person conspicuously before us, but the divine side is prominent in the first and the human in the second chapters.

We can make no progress in the study of this epistle unless these two leading thoughts are very clearly established in our minds.

Remark. — There are three first chapters in the New Testament which present the glories of His person, the first of the gospel of John, the first of Colossians, and the first of the Hebrews. Will you say what is the difference between them?

The Spirit of God foresaw much that has now passed into history. He knew that the glorious person of our Lord would be open to the enemy's attack, not only in the last days but in the earliest too. He thus made provision against this, by setting forth God's estimate of Him in no unmistakable way.

In the apostle's day, the saints at Colosse were in danger of being drawn aside by the wild imaginations of the Gnostics, so the Holy Ghost brought to their especial notice the eternal glories of Him who is Head of the church. John's gospel, coming much later, was directed against the same character of evil, but that to the Hebrews was written to revive the waning affections of the Jewish Christians to Christ, by bringing before them the glories of their Messiah, who had now taken, a new place in the glory of God.

The co-existence and co-equality of the Son with the Father, which involves all that is proper to deity is insisted upon in each of these epistles, and while each of those different companies get a different presentation of Him, it is reserved for us to have them all.

God could not have spoken in a greater way than in the Son. It is God who speaks.. Previously He had spoken by men, and in many and various ways, but now Godhead is voiced in the Son. It is not exactly the Son who speaks, it is God, and that not as Father, nor as Son, nor as Spirit, but in the Son, so that now there is a full revelation of the Godhead.

The Holy Ghost dwells upon the glory and the greatness of the Son before a word of His message is delivered. He is shown to be Heir of all things, and the Creator of them, and that He too will, as a Man, rule all things; but between the creation of all, and His ruling over all a foreign element — sin — was introduced, which necessitated incarnation and atonement, and in consequence of which, everything had to be put on a new footing so that the Creator in Manhood might sway all, in His double rights of Creator and Redeemer.

Question. — Has the inheritance in verse 4 anything to do with the heirship of verse 2?

Yes, they are closely connected; His being Heir of all things hangs upon His eternal glory as the Son. The glory and the renown of the angels are great, but "the more excellent name" shows Him as far beyond those great and holy beings as the Creator is beyond the creature. We start with the fact that God has appointed Him heir. The eternal silence, if we may so speak, was broken in the far back ages when the Son uttered His creatorial fiats, thus expressing His own omnipotence. Now at the end, though He had been speaking in many ways down the ages, so that His character was known, the Son voices Him, making bare His heart and declaring all His counsel.

In this chapter His name is said to be inherited, but in the epistle to the Philippians it is said to be an acquired name. He must stand alone on account of who He is, but on the other hand, all His acquired glory is shared with the church as seen in Ephesians 1. His eternal glory is quite distinct from His acquired glory, the latter He shares, while the former is displayed alone in Him as a Man.

There was ever a moral effulgence shining from Him during His earthly career, as for example, when the soldiers, who went to take Him., fell back to the ground, or when He commanded the storm it became a calm. As we are permitted. to witness such outshining our hearts are bowed before Him in adoration and praise.

Question. — Is there any connection between His being Heir of all things and our being heirs of God?

Our capacity for the enjoyment of the place that we have in Him is being developed to-day, and it is a joy to Him to display His glories to His own. The heart of God found expression in His becoming a Man, to restore man who had fallen from his first estate, for not only was almighty power shown forth in Him, but there was also the moral fulness of God displayed in a Man.

In the third verse, the "brightness of His glory" refers to the outshining of that glory, while the words, "expression of His substance," is much deeper, the first being the outshining, the second, the essential being; He is the expression of the divine substance.

We are here on the most profound of all themes, and it reflects the infinite favour that God has put upon us to allow us to get even a glimpse of these things, but that glimpse produces everlasting praise. And yet how amazing it is to think that there are those who see no beauty in Him!

Remark. — "Out of Zion. the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."

Question. — Is the "outshining of His glory" all that God is?

I think it is His moral excellencies coming out in a man, the Man Christ Jesus. His almighty power is seen in the calming of the storm, while in the transfiguration there is a display of His official glory, but the manifestation of grace, compassion, longsuffering, righteousness, holiness, is the setting forth of His moral glory. in all His words and ways He expressed God because He was God, and the cross is the moral display of the heart of God.

He made man and set him up as head, but the man fell, and now the Son of God has become Man to accomplish redemption to recover him. His power was demonstrated in the way of grace and love. He binds up the broken heart and preaches deliverance to the captives. This is seen in the raising of Lazarus, for though Jesus wept at the grave, the power of God shone out in resurrection.

"Upholding all things by the word of His power," indicates that the whole of creation, with its laws that pervade it, and all the rolling orbs that spangle the sky, are upheld in their positions by the word of the Son of God.

Question. — Does the phrase "expression of His substance" refer to His essential deity?

I think it is one of the things that you cannot say much about. The words of Scripture are our only safeguard. It is essential deity and passes the creature's power to apprehend, in the least degree.

Question. — Why is purification of sins spoken of at the beginning of the epistle?

You first of all get His eternal greatness as Creator, and then we are told that this great One is the Redeemer. It is on similar lines in the first of John, but there you have His glory as the Word, what He has done, and the revelation or the Father's heart after which come the memorable words, "Behold the Lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world," for not only is He the Creator and Redeemer, but He is the expression of God in both characters.

Question. — Was it not necessary that before God could approach man and reveal His purposes, the question of sins must be dealt with?

Yes, the requirements of God must be met. In chapter 10 He says, "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." Thus God comes out for our relief and clearance from liabilities.

In the ninth and tenth chapters the work is spoken of as giving approach to Him, but here, the Person who did the work and the place He has taken are being considered — He has sat down.

It is interesting to note that all through Scripture there are three official glories of the Lord continually shining out, Prophet, Priest, and King. The Prophet voices God — He is His mouthpiece. The Priest makes purgation of sins, while the King is the appointed heir of all things. The apostle is the one who has come out, the priest is the one who has gone in.

Question. — What is involved in the words, "Purification of sins"?

It signifies the whole effect of the work of the cross, not that it was the sins of any one person, but that all sins were by His work removed from the eye of a holy God. Purification was never effected through the sacrifices or under the law. He is the last speaker. Nobody can speak after Him and His work is done.

While purgation is set forth typically in the sacrifices, one must keep in mind to whom the types pointed, and also that in this epistle everything is in contrast to the past dispensation. Purification of sins indicates that sin will for ever be swept out from every part of the creation of God (see Hebrews 9: 23). The only value that the sacrificial system had was in its pointing to Christ. Had there been a possibility of cleansing under the old system it would have been a calamity for us.

The beginning of verse 4 is connected with the end of verse 3. The emphasis is to be placed on the place that He has taken, in being made so much better than the angels He has been placed at the highest point of glory. No mere creature could take a place at the right hand of God. When He comes into the world that He had created, He must take the highest place in it. In becoming Man He passed by the angels. He took the lowest place and "a bondsman's form," but such a Person becoming a Man must necessarily exalt manhood above all other parts of creation. He who had a more excellent name takes a place higher than the angels, and sits at the right hand of God.

Remark — It is not the place that has been given to Him that is here spoken of, it is the place that He has taken. Four times in Hebrews He is said to have taken this place.

Question. — How does Philippians 2: 8, 9, apply here?

These verses show the great stoop to the depths from which God exalted Him, but here it is presented as His own doing, He sits down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The epistle to the Hebrews was evidently written to show that what the Jew had lost after the flesh, was secured for these believers in Christ by the Spirit. The adoption and the glory and the covenants had all been lost, but everything was recovered to them in the Spirit.

It is important to note that there is no name attached to this epistle, for the speaker is God. He speaks by His Apostle and none other could express Him.

The Son is here contrasted with angels who were the highest order of being known to the Jew. They are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Unto the Son He saith, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom." God the Father addresses Him as Son, He speaks to Him, but of the angels. God the Father addresses Him as God the Son. While He abides Man for ever, and while we prove and know Him as our Lord to all eternity, He still remains God in the immutability of His being, infinitely above us, and above all creation for ever.

All through the Scriptures the Holy Ghost has taken pains to guard the glory of His person. "Great is the mystery of godliness." The Spirit of God has said stronger things of the Son than either of the Father or of Himself, as though God had seen that His great stoop would be taken advantage of to tarnish His glory. "He loved righteousness and hated lawlessness," He has effected the solution of good and evil; here love and hatred are seen in perfection. What He did in life and in death demonstrates His ability to fill the place that God has given Him in creation; this is brought out in the parenthetic verses 23-28 of 1 Corinthians 15, for though this is seen as in God's purpose, it has to be worked out in every detail later. In the thousand year's reign it will be fully displayed, for He must reign till He has put every enemy under His feet.

The first work of His mighty power will be to change our bodies of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory; His last to destroy death. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. He will subdue all things to Himself.

Question. — What is the idea of the throne?

Supremacy. The idea here is righteousness in perpetuity. The will of God must be law to creation. In chapter 4 the throne is said to be one of grace, because the One who accomplished the will of God is upon it — the One who loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. It is also a throne that will never be superseded, and what it was at the beginning, it shall be at the end, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."

Question. — Who are the companions and the fellows?

It is the same word for both and has the thought of sonship and association. To us this relationship is a new one, but with Him it was eternal. Brought into manhood by His incarnation, it becomes ours by redemption.

Question — What is the oil of gladness?

Is it not the joy of the Lord Jesus in the place given to Him as the result of His work and which is shared with His companions? Only one Man could fill that place, and while we all feel that He is infinitely beyond us on the divine side, we have to realize the fact of His unique glory and supremacy as Man. "He that is high priest among His brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head nor rend his clothes" (Lev. 21: 10).

Sonship and priesthood are linked together in the person of our Lord, and in this epistle the same is true of the saints. In chapter 5, the writer quotes from Psalm 2 and 110. He that said unto Him, "Thou art My Son," saith also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever." His position determines ours. We have the blessing of sonship in the second chapter, "Leading many sons to glory," and in the tenth we are seen as priests. Sonship is the relationship, and priesthood the privilege to approach, and both are linked up with the Lord in chapter 5 We are of His generation. Kinship, too, is seen in this epistle. Both He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren

Question. — Is the passage in John 20, "ascend to My Father and your Father," the same thought?

There you see sonship and association, for though John does not use the word sonship, it is clearly involved there. The bride must be the same kinship as Christ as is seen in Gen. 24. According to that figure, being of his kindred must precede union. "Bring not my son thither again." The saints have to be brought up to Him.

The epistle to the Romans lays the basis for this in the complete clearance of the one that is dead with Christ. He is said to be the fulness of the Godhead in Col. 2: 9, and in Ephesians the assembly is spoken of as the fulness or the complement of Christ. He is seen there as the risen Man. It would seem as if this was leading us to the blessedness of our position with Christ in order that we might take up our functions as priests.

Our being priests supposes some intelligence of the way in which the glory of God is secured by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. We must distinguish between what He is as Son of Man, and what He is as Son with the Father. In the typical system we do not get the thought of the Father and the Son. What is there prefigured is the removal out of the creation of every mark of sin and the establishment of the glory of God by the Son of Man. As sons we are brought into relationship and association with the Son before the Father, in an order of life and affection which belongs to divine Persons and into which it was the purpose of God before the world was, to bring us.

In John 13 — 17, we have the full revelation of the Father by the Son, and also our place in infinite grace in that revelation. In Ephesians we get both lines of thought. The prayer in the third chapter is to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one but God would have taken up such as we were, and yet He has put us in His Son, the Man Christ Jesus.

When the apostle uses the word sonship he has the thought of adoption in his mind. That word supposes a past history and also suggests a transference from the lowest to the highest place. In using the word "children," the thought is one of a new order, having no past history. In that He is not ashamed to call us His brethren there lies a declaration of His perfect and infinitely blessed work.

Question. — What is the scope of the "great salvation" in the second chapter?

It indicates the whole range of blessing, and covers all the relationships in which we stand in the presence of God. The death of Christ was the end of the world as far as God's dealings with it are concerned. When men put His Son to death there appeared nothing left for God to do but sweep the whole scene in judgment; but instead of doing this, He began to fulfil His eternal counsels in Christ by calling out His assembly.

The prophet Hosea speaks of the period of estrangement as two days (chapter 6: 2). "After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up." The two days may speak of the whole church period. The world's history closed at the cross. Now is the judgment of this world," but the execution of the sentence is delayed until the expiration of the two days, in other words, till after the calling out and the glorifying of the church.

At the end of chapter 1 He says, "They shall perish but Thou remainest." God being what He is, He must have a moral basis for all His activities. The material basis has been serviceable simply to afford a platform upon which the counsels of God could be worked out, and when the first creation has served its purpose it will pass away. That which is moral must ever be the first with God, and it is the great delight of His heart to express His love.

Being who He is, He must be His own Object; and all that He does being for His own glory, the consummation of all things will find Him manifesting Himself in the midst of a redeemed and satisfied creation, every part of which will vibrate with His praise for evermore.

Yet deeper if a calmer joy

The Father's love shall raise;

And every heart find sweet employ

In His eternal praise.

6. Scriptures read, Hebrews vii 25; 8: 2; 10: 19-25.

May we now touch on the greatness of the Priest and on our association with Him as priests? Iii the seventh chapter a new Priest is presented, and afterwards we get our place with Him who is the chief Priest. In the eighth chapter, as has often been said, the new covenant is introduced, in the ninth the new sanctuary, and in the tenth the new company. The superstructure of the "World to come" is thus reared and is based upon what comes out in chapters 1 and 2. These two chapters show that the Lord Jesus Christ is the guarantee for the security of the whole creation, and for the maintenance of the character of God.

The priesthood was instituted when the Lord said to Moses, "Separate unto Me Aaron and his sons, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office." Thus priesthood is first of all for God. It is God's provision for the people in the wilderness, though it was exercised when they got into the land. In it all, however, approach to God is in view. It must ever be borne in mind that the priest is taken out of the life of flesh, to minister to the Lord in sacred things.

In chapter 4 we are exhorted to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for seasonable help, and in chapter 10 there is the same thought of boldness. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the holiest." In the fourth we come to get our tiny vessels filled, but in the tenth the question of need is not raised, we come to give and to pour out our praises before Him.

Not only do we see the dignity of the priest, but also that of the priestly company. The characteristics of the Priest that becomes us are holiness, harmlessness, and separation from sinners, and in chapter 2: 10, we see what becomes God, "It became Him for whom are all things . . . in bringing many sons to glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." In neither of these cases in the question of need raised, though even there our Lord Jesus is altogether indispensable, as always and everywhere. We shall find Him as indispensable in glory as we have found Him here. "Because I live, ye shall live also," shows that we shall live by Him throughout eternity.

Question. — Do you mean that the priesthood of Christ goes on for ever?

Not exactly. When the kingdom is given up by our Lord, there will be no need for official glories, so there will be no mediatorial or official functions to exercise. But in the very nature of things we shall ever be dependent, and our Lord Jesus Christ will in some sense over be the One through whom we shall be sustained in life and blessing.

Chapter 7: 25, speaking of saving to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him, must necessarily refer to the wilderness, and not to the holiest, since it involves the question of need. There are three thoughts in connection with the wilderness priest. He succours, as is seen in the third chapter: He sympathises in the fourth, and saves to the uttermost in the seventh. It must be remembered that whilst we may be in the holiest, we have not left the wilderness as to our actual presence, as being there is a spiritual condition and in no sense material.

There are two sides of the priesthood involved here. In the fifth chapter he is chosen from among men, that he might be able to succour and sympathise, so also Christ, who is called of God a High Priest after another order, has to pass through a course of suffering with strong crying and tears in view of the qualifications belonging to that office, so that He can compassionate the needy and succour the tempted. But in the eighth He is spoken of as a Minister of the sanctuary having charge of the golden vessels, as Chief Priest over God's house. There are also two ways in which the saints may be regarded: one as being needy and encompassed about with infirmities, and the other as viewed by God as being a priestly company, the first is seen in their every day life, as the common people; and the other as an inside company, i.e., the priestly family, identified with the tabernacle and its ordinances.

Question. — Do the fourth and sixth chapters suggest the carrying the names of the children of Israel on the shoulders and the breast of the priest?

Is not that seen better in chapter 9: 24, "He has gone into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us? That is to say, He has gone there in garments of glory and beauty. Appearing in the presence of God for us suggests representation, which is prefigured in the ephod with its names. This again would indicate that while He was inside for them they are outside, but in the tenth chapter they are inside with Him, at least they are invited to go where He is. Since we learn everything in Christ, we should ponder well His glories as Priest.

In the seventh chapter He comes before us as King of Righteousness and King of Salem which is King of Peace. These titles carry us on to the world to come, where righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85), and in the seventy-second Psalm, where the reign of the Son of David is celebrated, these two marks are closely associated. Not only is He King, He is Priest, after an order differing from that of Aaron, that is to say, after the order of Melchisedec.

In chapter 7, His official and His moral glories are distinguished from each other, and yet are combined in one whole, and still both hang on what He is in His own Person. The early part of the chapter shows the King in His official dignity, the latter, He that is harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, that is to say, His moral beauties and glories are found there. Both these again are found combined in verse 2, for His name Melchisedec means King of Righteousness, and the name of the city, Salem, means peace.

Question. — But are there not personal glories too?

Yes. They are found in verse 3, where Melchisedec is said to have neither beginning of days nor end of life, but assimilated to the Son of God. There you have the eternal Son; this takes you back to the first chapter to the One who made purgation.

The royalty is set forth in the purple and scarlet of Aaron's robes, which is a further indication that the kingly priest was the order of priesthood that was before the mind of God from the start, but these glories come may into view in the place that He has taken, consequent upon His resurrection. He could not be a priest before His death because He was not of the priestly tribe — Levi — but even in His life the moral characteristics of a priest were seen in Him, as is so charmingly narrated in the gospels. All that He now is, He was when on earth, but neither His headship nor His priesthood could be declared or known till the circumstances were propitious, and that was not till after His death and resurrection, though their power and glory were vested in Him during His earthly sojourn.

In chapters 6 and 7, God is seen to confirm His word by an oath first to us (6: 17), and then to the Son (7: 21 and 7: 28).

It was not till after the slaughter of the kings that Melchisedec, who received tithes from Abraham, is introduced. He thus learns the sufficiency and the blessedness of his ministrations before he has to encounter the wiles of the king of Sodom.

In speaking of verse 26. Such an High Priest became us," we must be careful to maintain the balance of truth, and it is clear from this chapter, that all that the saints are, hang upon what He is and what He has done, "For the priesthood being changed there is of necessity a change also of law," for it would be an impossibility to tack a legal system on to a risen Christ.

Everything must be in accordance with the One who has been here and is the centre of the new system that Tie has introduced — priesthood, liberty, access, and a better hope.

The introduction of a better hope speaks of an entirely new thing which involves a change of order. By it, too, the priestly company has access into the Holy of Holies.

Question. — Are not the priests also sons, and have they not a right of entrance by virtue of their consecration?

Sonship and priesthood are prominent thoughts in this epistle. Observe how the Spirit of God culls from Psalm 2 and from Psalm 110, and links the two quotations together in the person of Christ, one indicating relationship and the other service. We also are spoken of as sons in the second, and as priests in the tenth chapters; but in our case, sonship is the calling of God and priesthood service. Christ on high, in His own Person, maintains the calling in its true dignity, but as Priest, He is able to maintain us in conformity to it.

Question. — Is there a difference between Son over God's house and High Priest over the house of God?

Yes. Son over God's house is supremacy in divine administration, and is quoted in contrast with Moses who is seen in Hebrews 3, at the height of his dignity, faithful in all God's house. High Priest over the house of God is in contrast with Aaron and refers to his service in the sanctuary. The latter is a special service whilst the other is more general.

Returning for a moment to the garments of the high priest, I would like to say that Aaron could enter the holiest only when he had on the holy linen garments, and then only once a year on the day of Atonement. It is never said that he went in adorned in the garments of beauty,. This brings the greatness of our Priest into strong relief with the one whom He superseded, for every thought expressed in the garments of glory and beauty is now amply expressed in our blessed Lord. All the rich complexity of glory and magnificence which was there prefigured, shines forth in the great Melchisedec Priest.

Question. — What do the golden bells on the hem of the priestly robe suggest?

To my mind, they bring the idea of His glory and OUT blessings. The bells rang without effort while the priest was otherwise engaged. They spoke of life. Our Priest is one after the power of an endless life, and has gone into the presence of God for us, and while He is there, His people are here, and the bells ring in the gracious activities of His love.

Question — How is the ringing of the bells heard to-day?

The blessed Spirit of God has come from a glorified Christ to bring to our souls the greatness of His glory. I connect this with the feast of Luke 14, and the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The bells, too, speak of testimony, not our testimony, nor indeed any testimony, but the testimony of the Holy Ghost to the saints as seen in John 16 and in 1 John 5.

Question. — What difference is there between the teaching of the beauteous garments and the teaching of the holy linen garments?

In the latter you have the presentation of the cross, for until all the glory of God has been established there could not be any display of beauty, Never was the Son more precious to the Father than when He laid down His life, though externally, all was suffering and death. The twelfth verse of the ninth chapter is connected with the linen garments, and the twenty-fourth with those of glory and beauty. In the former, Christ has gone into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption, in the latter, He has gone into heaven itself there to appear in the presence of God for us. His people are seen waiting, but in the meantime they are well represented there, but while waiting, they may with all holy boldness, enter into the Holiest of all.

Question. — You do not mean that we can go into heaven now?

Oh, no. We cannot go there till we are taken (John 14), besides, this forms no part of Christian exercise. Meanwhile, we are exhorted to join Him in the place that He has taken in resurrection, that is in the Holiest of all. This we do by the Spirit.

Question. — Is the Holiest a place or a state?

It is a state undoubtedly. "Heaven" suggests the thought of a place. We shall be taken there, but may now have the consciousness of being before God in the revelation of Himself in Christ for His pleasure, to praise and worship with adoring hearts. This is being in the Holiest! The word, "The vail that is to say His flesh," is surely meant to guard us against materializing these holy things.

Question. — Do you connect all this with the meeting to remember the Lord in His death?

Surely. If there is a time in our life on earth when these things are entered upon it would be then.

Christ is always in the midst of His assembly. It is His own circle.

Remark. — There is no mention of the coming together of the saints in this epistle.

No, but though we get such in 1 Corinthians 11, the proper privileges and worship of the assembly are not found as they are here. Individual worship, however meet and precious and acceptable to God, is scarcely that which meets His rights; it is only in the company of the saints that we get the activities of sonship. This is the true anticipation of the time when the universe shall ring with His praise.

"When God shall shine in light divine

In glory never fading."

Christ is the One who leads the praises, offering them to God, as it is necessary "that this Man shall have somewhat also to offer," for everything that ascends to God from His people does so in the fragrance of our blessed Lord. Thus there is a link formed between the singing of the praises in the midst of His own (Heb. 2: 12), and entrance into the Holiest (Heb. 10: 19), where the soul gets an apprehension of what Christ is to God. In our wilderness circumstances we may learn what He can be to us, but it is far more precious to learn what Christ is to God. We behold the glory of the Lord and are fitted to be witnesses here, of what we have seen in His presence there. A two-fold ministry is seen in Hebrews 2: 12.

He declares the Father's name to us, and He leads His brethren's praises to the Father. It is the declaration of the Father's name that produces worship in the hearts of His brethren, this He presents to the Father as an offering to Him, fulfilling the word that "This Man must have something to offer."

Question. — How does man become a reflex of God?

What a Christian is to others, should be the result of his being in the presence of God. When inside with Him we are brought into perfect accord with the glory of the Lord, which cannot fail to be expressed when we are outside in the world; for God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine, has shone into our hearts for the shining forth of the glory of God. Here is the true reflex of God in the saint. This outshining is the result of the ministry of the new covenant — that of the Spirit and not of the letter.

This also fits the saint for entrance into the Holiest and illustrates how these things act and re-act the one on the other. When the law is written on man's heart, he cannot but do the will of God, and he becomes in measure what Christ was here — the reflex of God.

Question. — Does the new covenant, then, prepare for the Holiest?

The Holiest fits one to be the reflection of God, just as the new covenant does.

Everything in Christianity is by the Spirit. In the fourth of John the Lord said to the woman, "The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth." The same thought is found in Ephesians 2: 18, where you get the nearest approach to worship in that epistle, "Through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

As Moses in Leviticus 8, consecrated Aaron and his sons for the worship of the sanctuary, so the Lord Jesus prepares a company for the Father's pleasure. It should be our most treasured privilege to enter the presence of God as worshippers, expressing the spontaneous overflow of the heart with praise to the blessed God in the company of His own. There can be no artificiality in such a delightful occupation.

Chapter 10: 9, seems to be the climax of this epistle. It is well to observe that "Outside the camp" comes after that.

In chapter 12 we get the thought of the race. We are to run with patience the race set before us, that has been called the flat race, while entrance into the Holiest has been designated the upward course, and being bound with those who are bound (13: 3), may be described as the downward one.

In the inside place we are formed in the character of Christ. This will necessarily affect our conduct outside, and we should then be like the apostle Paul, who could say, "For me to live is Christ."

Question. — Are the saints viewed here as a consecrated company in relation to Christ, as Aaron's sons were related to their father?

Yes, that is the inside company. That will mark them in the coming age and for eternity. The church will always be the inside company.

Question — Do you judge this to be so from precise Scripture or only from the general tenor of the epistle?

The general character of the epistle is on that line, but it is clearly seen in the verse "Let us approach with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, sprinkled as to our hearts from an evil conscience and washed as to our bodies with pure water." These two statements refer definitely to what was done by Moses in Leviticus 8. They are applied here to the company of the priests who enter the Holiest, having access by the better hope, and join Christ who is the true Aaron, the Great (i.e. Chief) Priest over the house of God.

7. Scriptures read, Colossians 1: 18-29; 3: 12-17.

This epistle begins with the glory and greatness of our adorable Lord, and then leads on to the truth of the Head and the body, and the love of Christ expressed therein. We have to admit brokenness and confusion, but it is a great thing to have the thoughts of God notwithstanding it all.

What could help us in the state of things like that with which we are surrounded, more than the favour of having the truth of the greatness of Christ in His eternal glory, the greatness of His place as the Head of the body, and the greatness of the church's place in relation to Him, committed to us, and the feelings, tastes, and sentiments of the Head coming out in His members here?

Question. — Will you give us a summary of the glories Of His Person?

That is more than anyone could do. The Spirit in the chapter presents a very rich and full declaration of His glory that is well calculated to make us independent of the world and its resources. The Lord is presented as Firstborn of all creation, and His glory is stamped upon everything throughout the vast creation of God. All that He is, and all that which is proper to Him, is introduced in its relation to the body. The Creator and Upholder of all is the Head of the body, the assembly. All the power and glory of which creation speaks is carried over into new creation, and seen to centre in Him who is the Head of the body.

Remark. — Prior to that, do you not get the "Son of His love," as if that was something more intimate? There is the bond between the Father and the Son which must be infinitely more precious than even the outshining of His glory.

That is very precious and seems to fit in with John's line of teaching, which consists of the revelation of the Father by the Son, and the system of divine affections brought here by the Son in manhood. But Paul considers the solution of the question of good and evil by a Man, the Man Christ Jesus, for the glory of God. These are the salient features, for we well know, that each touches on the theme of the other.

Question. — Is there any difference between the inheritance and the kingdom?

I think that the kingdom as here presented, looks at a sphere where everything is put into subjection to the Son. But it is the rule of love. You are made meet for "the portion of the saints in light," for you are brought into divine affections proper to the Father and the Son.

He must be pre-eminent in every sphere. The "First-born of all creation" does not refer to generation or to time, it is rank, not time, that is in view. The idea is the same as is seen in Psalm 89: 27, where the Psalmist speaking of Solomon says, "I will make him my firstborn higher than the kings of the earth."

In the first chapter there are two Headships, two reconciliations and two ministries. He is the Head of the body and Head of creation? He reconciles the saints now, and all things in the time to come. There is the ministry of the gospel and of the assembly.

Question. — What is the meaning of the word Head?

When the Head of the body is spoken of, there is an organic connection between the Head and the members, but as Head of creation Be stands infinitely above it all. The distance between Him and it must be infinite. It is no part of Him, nor is He any part of it. In the body the members are in the life of the head.

Question. — As Head of all principality and power is He entirely apart from it?

Yes, but that is quite another thought, and must be viewed distinct from His creation glory. The epistle speaks of Him as Head of the body, and Head of all principality and power, but in Ephesians He is Head over all things. Thus three thoughts of Headship are beautifully joined in Him. Head of every man, of the body, and of all things; and, although there is no correspondence between them, there are three ways in which the body may be viewed. First Corinthians presents the body in its local expression, "Ye are the body of Christ "; in Colossians it includes every saint on the earth at any given moment; and in the Ephesian epistle it includes every saint from Pentecost till the Lord comes. The aspect named in Corinthians is seen in operation in chapter 5, where one getting away from the Lord, affects the whole company.

His headship of creation is quite different from that of every principality and power. He created long before He became incarnate. Creation is His by right, and includes everything natural and physical. When we speak of principality and power it is a moral order, and Christ is over that by virtue of redemption. It is the risen Man who is made Head over all things (Ephesians 1).

Question. — But is not Satan head of principalities?

He is certainly the leader of a vast host of wicked spirits spoken of as principalities and authorities in Ephesians 6: 12, but we know little of them. We do know, however, that all these vast and inconceivable powers were created by and for Him who is our Lord. Principalities and powers are spoken of as good and evil.

Question. — Would it take in the kings of the earth?

It must take in everything. In the Revelation we read of the Prince of the Kings of the earth.

We must draw an important distinction here. All that come into blessing are brought into the sphere of reconciliation and are identified with Christ. This sphere covers heaven and earth, "To head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth even in Him." But when you come to Philippians 2, the sphere is enlarged because His subduing power is in question; then heavenly, earthly, and infernal beings are compelled to bow and own Him Lord by divine decree.

The domain of Headship is co-extensive with that of reconciliation and of course with that of Lordship, too. Those who will not have the Lord Jesus and His great salvation will have to bow and own that same Saviour as Lord, to the glory of God, though to their everlasting sorrow. God has decreed that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Question. — And that is not only in this world?

At the close of the first of Ephesians we see the vast universe of bliss with Christ the Centre and His bride, the assembly, with Him. It is co-extensive with verses 9 and 10 of the same chapter, which is the widest expression of the Kingdom in Scripture.

Question. — What do you understand by the verse, "Not only in this age, but also in that which is to come"?

It is the authority of Christ over all, for all time; the millennial reign of Christ is in view, when His supremacy will be enforced, when there will be one Lord and His name One, but of course, His supremacy will be eternal.

Question. — What are the two reconciliations that you spoke of?

One is the reconciliation of all things (verse 20), and the other that of persons in the next verse, "You hath He reconciled." The words, "All things," in verse 16, are used of creation, but in verse 20 they refer to reconciliation. The believer is now reconciled through the death of Christ, but creation waits for it. Creation is groaning now.

Question. — In what way do we now realize the reconciliation into which we are brought?

You, as brought to God, have new feelings, new tastes, and new desires. These have been introduced by the presence and the power of the Holy Ghost, who delights to lead us into the new creation joys. It is the privilege of every believer to dwell in that sphere. The fifteenth of Luke gives us a complete representation of reconciliation seen in parable form, the joy of the blessed God, the place of delight before Him and the fruit of His sovereign will. One would never tire of dwelling on that parable. We can never be acceptable to God except we are clothed in what is of and from Himself. Now we are made suitable for the delight of God, whose presence is our home.

God is now reconciling persons. We beseech in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. Reconciliation is preached in the gospel, while in 2 Corinthians 5, the ministry of it is presented. The work is accomplished whereby the ministry can be sent forth. In 2 Corinthians 5: 20, the word "you" should not be there. It is better read, "We entreat for Christ, be reconciled to God." It is the burden of the servant and his message. The Corinthians had already been reconciled to God.

Reconciliation and new creation subsist in Christ personally, in His exalted place in heaven. Redemption is complete and the gospel comes out from Christ where He is. The One who went to the most distant point from God, is now in all the nearness, and we are accepted in Him. Christ Himself is the full expression of reconciliation, and we are graced in Him for the good pleasure of the heart of God.

In Luke 15, we get what the Father gets, for by feeding on the fatted calf we share the Father's joy in the sacrificial glory of Christ. The Son came here to make known the heart of God, but before the gospel could be announced, there must be the answer to that revelation in His being accepted by the Father, and the glory of His person underlies that.

We get the present benefit of being brought into harmony with God. We are "reconciled in the body of His flesh through death," which plainly declares that nothing but death would do. Active, open enmity cannot be reconciled, it can only be ended.

Question. — May we not now enjoy reconciliation?

Surely, if one is at the table partaking of the fatted calf the enjoyment is complete. There is a difference between communion and relationship. Sonship and eternal life are given to us of God, but the enjoyment of them is another matter. Every blessing depends on the gift of the Spirit; this cannot be lost, but communion with God may.

The presentation of this is a very great incentive to every saint to walk in the power of these things. We have to bow our heads that we know so little of them. They involve an apprehension of what God is both in His nature and character. His nature (love), was as much towards man in Old Testament times as in those of the New. He is unchangeable in love; but when we think of His attributes this is not so. God's holiness and righteousness must necessarily be against man for he is a sinner. Hence, at the cross, not only does His love find expression, but His righteousness and holy character are met too.

In Eden the sword of the cherubim was turned every way to guard the Tree of Life, but there was no sword in the hand of the cherubim that overshadowed the mercy seat, for redemption in type is there, and they look upon a blood-sprinkled mercy seat and all is peace. God did not need to be reconciled to man, He loved him, but the Fall put man in such a position that God's attributes stood out against him, and therefore they had to be met.

This has, in grace, secured a position for man far beyond that in which he stood before the Fall. Had he remained in innocence, he could not have had the privilege of entrance into the presence of God as he has now. Man has been brought to God by God coming to him, and that could not have been accomplished in any other way. The prodigal son was reconciled when the Father came out to meet him.

Remark — The father ordered the best robe to be brought out, he covered him with kisses, but the servants had to invest him with his new covering.

Remark — That is what we are having to-day.

Like 2 Corinthians 5, it is the ministry of reconciliation, and though truly the work of the Spirit, it is in connection with the ministry of the word by His servants.

Question. — In verse 18 it says, "In Him all the fulness was pleased to dwell," was that really true before the cross?

He was pre-eminent before the cross, and now He is pre-eminent as First-born from the dead.

We have to remember that what is said there and in chapter 2: 9, "for in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," was said of Him after Ho had gone back to the glory. It was true in pre-incarnate times; it was true when He was here, and it is true now where He is, for in Him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

The Spirit has the reconciliation of all things in view in this passage, and in that connection it must be remembered that the blood of Christ was shed for "men on the earth." Higher unfallen beings do not need it as they had been kept in their original and uncorrupted state, as is seen in the song of Revelation 5. As reconciliation predicates being brought from distance it could not apply to them.

Remark — But the heavens are not clean in His sight.

That is the creation, and we know that the cross is that by which the whole inheritance will be cleansed. We know, too, that all things are to be reconciled, and so come under the Man Christ Jesus. That involves a change of order for those glorious hosts of unfallen beings above us, Hitherto, they had been servants of God and relatively above man, but now that Christ has all things under Him their position is necessarily changed, for God having become Man to recover all, and His being appointed Heir over all, they consequently take a place under a Man.

Question. — Do you think that "all things" refers to those glorious beings and intelligences that have not fallen, but have in some way become affected by the presence of sin?

I do not know. The all things would take in thrones, dominions, etc., as in verse 16, showing that whatever has been put wrong will be put right, and that when recovery comes in, angels take a different place because their Creator has become a Man. When the Lamb that had been slain takes the book, angels take their places as servants because the earth has become His inheritance. As He is supreme in the world to come, the angelic) beings must be subservient to Him. "Thou hast put all things under His feet." In the eighth of Romans the apostle says, "the whole creation groans": but the change of administrative order is seen when He takes the book in Revelation 5.

Everything has been secured for God by reconciliation, and all that has in any way been affected by sin Will be brought into complete harmony with the will of God by the blood of the cross.

Question. — Is it only that which was at enmity that is reconciled?

That is true of the saints, but there is evidently a large part of the fallen creation which is not reconciled. That which is not reconciled will be subjugated, for Christ will be owned as Lord, even by those that are for ever lost.

Question. — Did you not speak of the celebration of righteousness?

Yes! It has begun now. They began to be merry. The parable shows that the blessing is enjoyed now. We are said to be "holy and unblameable in His sight," but the presentation of the church to Himself will be in glorified bodies, when we are perfectly like Him. Suitability to His nature will be our eternal condition.

Question. — What is the idea in the expression "Having made peace by the blood of His cross"?

Sin has brought in confusion and disorder. The cross has removed the element of discord, and peace will spread till it fills the creation. Meantime, He is our Peace.

Question — Would you say that He thus restores that which He took not away?

Yes! That is connected with the trespass offering in which a fifth part of what had been taken away had to be added. If man has robbed God of His glory, Christ has restored it. But if that was all that He had done, man would have been reinstated in the position that he had lost by his sin. But in the addition of the fifth part, there is a revenue of glory for God that gives a basis for His eternal counsel and puts man into a new place in heavenly blessing.

Reconciliation means far more than recovery. It is new creation. Sin brought in discord, but the work of the Lord Jesus brings about a re-adjustment which embraces the whole creation. The cross puts all on a new footing. The Creator is Redeemer and is the appointed Heir of all things.

Chapter 1 unfolds the range of His glory. Chapter 2, the greatness of His work, which has cleared the ground and so made room for the assembly which is His body (chapter 3) I think we might be helped if we considered that side of things a little.

The first part of chapter 3 puts us in touch with heaven and at the same time, fits us for the earth. Chapter 2: 12 is a key verse for the saints.

There are three distinct exhortations based on verse 12: The first, which is negative in character, is chapter 2: 16-19. The second, also negative, is found in verses 20-23, and the third is in chapter 3: 1-4. This is positive. Each of these forms a little paragraph by itself and shows the things with which a person risen with Christ can have nothing to do and what, on the other marks the movements of his life.

We are said to be buried with Him, risen with Him, and quickened together with Him. Risen with Him implies that we are viewed as being on the earth, but in relation to the system of glory of which He is the Head.

Question. — What is the difference between being quickened and raised?

Being raised associates you with the new order of things which is permeated by life and love, as seen in chapter 3: 1-4.

Question. — Is not resurrection, victory over death, and quickening, the positive side of association with Christ in life?

Precisely so! Resurrection is anticipated here and ascension in Ephesians. We are regarded as being on the earth, not having left our flesh and blood condition, but linked up with a new Man on resurrection ground, with the joys and feelings of another world. In the first creation, man was the last of God's works, but in the new creation He comes first. Resurrection is the assurance of the breaking of the power of death, and the removal of the man in the flesh. The assembly is essential to the love of Christ, while Christ Himself is its life. If you are risen with Christ, you are in His circle and identified with His interests.

That has a practical and living effect on our lives. You are brought to the place where there is unlimited joy and into that which death cannot touch, outside the life of flesh and blood which will end in death. Hence, you walk through this world a stranger, blessedly supported because filled with delight. All this is divinely certain, more certain than any earthly thing, but yet it is on the principle of faith. We have to put on the clothes. "Put on, therefore, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness," etc.

Remark. — In the end of this chapter you have the dress for the home, but in the sixth of Ephesians it is the military equipment, "Put on the whole armour of God."

When thus addressed in the graces of Christ you set Him forth in all your ways. The saints are what Christ is. They are called holy and beloved. These are the marks of Christ in those who are called of God. As God called the Man and the woman Adam (Genesis 5: 20), so in 1 Cor. 12: 12, the church is called Christ.

We being risen with Christ are left here to represent Him. God speaks of His saints as the elect of God, holy and beloved, and exhorts them to put on what are really the graces of Christ, and which spring from having the heart in tune with Him.

The subjective operations of the Spirit which are spoken of here, produce no less than seven embellishments in the Christian. These are really the feelings and the sentiments of Christ. It is one thing to be a Christian and quite another to be formed in the tastes, feelings, and sentiments of Christ. These come out in the very smallest details, in visiting, in deportment, or in the daily duties of life. It is the fruit of the Spirit in our souls. He makes us true gentlemen, you take on, so to speak, the refinements of Christ.

We are in the place of suffering, but suffering is not growth. It should bring us to God and it is well when it is so, and it is there that we growl. We may suffer a great deal, and gain little spiritually by it; doubtless, this is the case with most of us. We may take a lesson in the meekness and gentleness of Christ from the well known story of the two goats who met on a narrow ridge, too narrow to turn round on, or even turn aside. One lay down and allowed the other to walk over his prostrate body. Such is true humility, and needs much grace to carry it out. May we all seek to do so!

But we have also to learn to resist. He resisted unto blood.

Question. — When would you refuse to yield?

When the claims of God are at stake. There, as a matter of fact, you have no choice, but even then, if one is under the influence of the grace of Christ, it is done in a becoming way.

God's word and His claims are being set aside on every hand, and the word for each of us is to "Stand, and having done all to stand." This demands discernment as well as faithfulness, but you yield in no divine principle. Abram yielded in Genesis 13, when Lot chose the well watered plains, but in the following chapter when Lot was taken prisoner, he fought.

The seven excellencies named here (Colossians 3: 12) have been likened to the rainbow which sets forth the colours that are found in the sun, and we, walking in the light of the Son of God, reflect His moral glories — bowels of mercies, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, etc.

Question. — Would you say that everything that is found here was perfectly blended in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Everything was perfectly measured and balanced in Him, all He said and did was said and done at the right moment, and in the most excellent way, whether it was for man's good or for God's glory. Every man has the faults of his virtues, but in Him everything was perfectly co-ordinated. We should seek to walk thus with God, and then no matter what our circumstances may be, we shall be kept in perfect accord with His will.

This requires no effort if one is walking in communion with the Lord. Great vigilance is required to do this as it has so many opportunities to show itself either in the domestic, the business or the Christian circle.

Remark — It needs not a little energy to forbear and forgive.

Yes, but we have to set about- it heartily and readily, keeping ourselves in the love of God. It must be the fruit of spiritual exercise and not merely an effort of the will.

It may sometimes depend on the measure of confidence that one has in the other, for sometimes we may graciously accept from one what we would not think of doing from another. If, indeed, we are to be our brother's keeper, we must walk very humbly before the Lord. If you are in a proper degree of intimacy with the blessed Master, you can truly act for Him in the midst of departure from Him, "Above all things put on love." Someone has likened this to an overcoat. Apart from the love of God these things are apt to degenerate into mere human sentiment. If love be there you have the state that is suitable to God and the state He can use among His people. Love has been likened to the hoops around a cask, binding them all together.

Question. — Should this be the attitude towards every member of the body of Christ?

Undoubtedly. The fact that the saints are the body of Christ is the great outstanding feature of the present revelation. In the past we have made too much of the doctrine and too little of the practice of this membership. These things cannot be put on, they must come from within. It has been said that the feathers are not put on to a bird, they must grow upon it. They characterise the bird and it is known by them. It is a fact that we are linked up with Him, and if we are one with Him we are one with each other.

In this list of virtues that we have to put on, love is named the last of all, but when they are named as the fruit of the Spirit as in Galatians 5, it is at the head of the list.

Drawn together as we now are, love is seen in living reality. When we have true Christian fellowship as members of His body we are in full accord with the heart of our adorable Lord.

Question. — What is the peace of Christ?

Peace must be the presiding principle in the heart of the Christian. In the body the members do not vie with one another, there is peace in the body.

The Lord speaks of two kinds of peace in John 14. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. The first is what He made, the second is what is spoken of iii this verse. The peace that ever filled His blessed heart is ours now. There is no peace in the world except in the body of Christ.

Question. — How would you compare "Blessed are the peace makers" with this Scripture?

Thank God, that there are such in spite of all the failure. If we are holding the Head these things will come out and we shall be peace-makers. How could we lend our ears to tittle-tattle and gossip if we knew this peace? If the peace of Christ preside in your heart you will carry it wherever you go.

Oh! may God give us to desire to be peacemakers, for such shall be called the sons of God.

8. Scriptures read, Ephesians 1: 1-23; 3: 14-21.

I think this Scripture brings us back to what we began with, the grandeur and the glory of the gospel.

The gospel has God for its source and Christ for its theme. You get here the full height of the gospel of God, i.e., the truth of sonship, and that is the highest of all our blessings. As it has often been said that the individual blessing is higher than the corporate.

In the prayer of chapter 1, we have presented to us the fruit of His eternal purpose, which connects us with God, and the body which is our link with Christ.

The beginning of the chapter connects us with God as sons, and the end with Christ, thus our position with divine Persons is set forth, while the expression, "Members of Christ's body," expresses our link with the risen Man.

Question. — What are we to learn from the fact that the first prayer is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the second to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?

There is a strong connection with John 20, where the Lord says, "I ascend to My Father and your Father; and to My God and your God." These two statements may be said to relate to what we are in the line of sonship and in the line of priesthood. In John "My Father" comes first.

God made Himself known in the past in connection with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men on the earth, but now He does this by the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is going to bring up everything to the level of Him, the new Man.

The past dealings of God display to us much of His character so that His ways are known and they afford much instruction for us. The patriarchs passed through similar circumstances to what we do, but when we come to the revelation of the purposes of God we are on quite new ground. These could be alone revealed by the Son: He is their Centre and is the standard for man now.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was associated with earthly blessing, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is connected with heavenly blessings. There is an implied contrast to Deuteronomy 6, which was spoken in view of the people entering the land, "And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not . . . and wells digged which thou diggest not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantest not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full; then, beware lest thou forget the Lord."

You could not have sonship in the Old Testament, our blessings are all in Christ, and are made available for us by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Their blessings depended on themselves, ours depend on Christ.

Remark. — God is also the Father of glory.

The glory and the rights of God are made good by Christ.

There are three things in the first prayer. First, "The eyes of your heart being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling," that is to say, the calling of sonship as named in the fifth verse. The second, "The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," which are seen in verses 8-10; and third, "What is the working of His mighty power." This began in the resurrection of Christ. All this is the good pleasure of His will.

The call of sonship is to heaven and it comes from heaven. It is called elsewhere a holy calling, and the hope of it is the present consummation of the work of God in the soul. It is the full joy of the Father's house, the realization of all that He has purposed for us from a past eternity in His Son.

Question. — What is the difference between children and sons?

Children is a sweeter and more endearing term, and suggests our origin. Nature and origin are of course connected with both terms, but the thought of children contemplates a new generation in which the nature of God is displayed. What you are is greater that what you have.

Question. — Is not the hope of His calling connected with the consummation and knowledge of the assurance of it in our souls now?

Yes! but it is not so much the carrying out of the purposes of God, as the counsel itself before the world that we are considering.

The first time that "Christ" is named in the chapter is after the world, in one sense, had run its course. It is necessary that a distinction should be drawn between the counsels of God in the past and their being carried out in time. God began to fulfil His counsels in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

All the previous dealings of God with men were on the basis of responsibility and came to an end in the cross. There the history of the first man came to an end morally and there the judgment of the world took place. The life and the ministry of the Lord is on that account passed by and the Spirit begins with Him in death. The chapter has eternal things in view, and so the Lord Jesus is brought in as being raised from the dead.

When the word "children" is used there is no suggestion of any previous history, but not so with the word "sons," for the word adoption at once implies previous associations. Sonship gives the new position for eternity.

Question. — Is priesthood consequent on sonship?

I think so. They come together in one individual. Priestly service entails a rich appreciation of the excellencies of the sacrifices and this corresponds in itself with the privilege of sonship in the New Testament. It is this that gives the place of importance to the priest and when we recall what has already been said in the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 2 and 10, we see the wealth of favour that has been showered upon us in bringing us to God as sons. The only part of the burnt offering that did not go up in the sacrifice to God was the skin, and this was given to the priest, those who brought the offering stood by and looked on and saw that it was accepted of God. God, who ever had the death of His Son before Him in the burnt offering, tells out to us all its blessed details so that we might have a fuller insight into the preciousness of what His Son was to Him.

Question. — Are we sons by adoption and children by birth?

Yes, that is a very clear way to express the. thought. Seven times over in the epistle of John we are said to be born of God. This presents the new generation who walk in righteousness and love, which are the marks of eternal life. This last is a great thing in that epistle.

Question. — Are not we "sons" to set forth the character of God in this world?

It is in the sight of God that we are said to be sons here, and are called children as seen in this world. "Be ye, therefore, followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also has loved us."

Remark. — Sons are taken into a position to which they have no right by births.

Question. — What does the inheritance in the saints mean?

It is that which He takes possession of, in or through, the saints. It is the vast inheritance that He takes up in the day of glory.

Remark. — The truth of the body in the epistle to the Corinthians seems to be that it is the vessel in which Christ is expressed. He is the Spirit of it, and it is there the local expression of the body. In Ephesians the church is regarded as taking in every saint from the second of the Acts to the fourth of first Thessalonians, nor could it be otherwise, for the purpose of God could not be limited in any;way whatever, for everything is on a grand scale here.

Remark. — The fulness of the Head is spoken of in the Colossians, but here it is the fulness of the body.

All the fulness dwells in Him as God, but in Ephesians, Christ is looked at as the risen Man and as such, the body is considered His complement, "The church which is His fulness," the complement of Him that filleth all in all. This is a thought of surpassing wonder, and hangs upon the character of Christ Himself. It is the same thought as Eve giving expression to Adam. The assembly is taken from Christ to be His help-meet in spreading His glory throughout the whole creation in the coming day of glory.

Remark. — Before Eve was the bride she was the body; she was part of himself, built in to a woman and presented to Him.

The thought of the body and the bride are closely connected, that which is presented to Christ must be morally at His level, therefore, she has to be taken from Him to be presented to Him.

Christ's name and character will be stamped on every part of the universe, and the bride is the means by which it will be done. That there should be a vessel formed for the adequate display of Christ is a very overpowering thought.

If it were a question of merely going to heaven, He could have taken us there when we were converted, but He has a definite object in leaving us here. When we consider the frailty of those that He has taken up, and what He has in view for them, we cease to wonder at His ways with us in present discipline. Saints are being trained now for what they are to be capable of to-morrow.

Question. — Shall we go on developing in that day?

This is the day for development, you should never be off duty, but if you are, both the Lord. and yourself will suffer loss.

Question. — Is the capacity that is being formed to-day for the enjoyment of divine things limited to the millennium or will it abide for ever?

I think it will abide for ever. You could not think of one filling a place in the millennium which would have to be given up at the end of it. The beginning of the kingdom glory is the beginning of the eternal state, as far as the heavenly saints are concerned.

The second chapter shows what we are taken out of. Remember the pit from whence ye were digged — a solemn injunction to bear in mind. And to such, God has chosen to reveal Himself!

Remark. — The greatness of the power available for us is measured by Christ being raised from the dead.

All His enemies are under His feet now. The resurrection of Christ has drawn more upon the resources of God than the creation of the universe. Paul desired to "Know Him and the power of His resurrection," i.e., a power outside of nature, the power of new creation. God has raised Him and given Him the highest place over all creation, and His bride is to be with Him.

As individuals, we are under Christ as Lord, and needless to say that we delight to be under such a, Lord. Having tasted that the Lord is gracious we gladly own His supremacy, but the body is not under Him in that sense, but is associated with Him in all that vast dominion of glory over which He rules. All that Eve was or had was centred in Adam, so that we should have to be careful when speaking of the church hem All that she is, or has, is because of her links with Christ.

Remark. — He set Him at His own right hand. He sits there alone.

Every heart should bow to that and say, "That is His place and His alone." From thence He administers all things for the benefit of the church, A distinction, however, must be made between the church's place in the day of glory, and the place of all the rest. Eve was distinct from the rest of all creation over which Adam reigned.

Question. — Does it not say that He is Head over the church?

No! It says He is Head of the body, not over the body. Every movement of my hand comes from my head, i.e., there is perfect harmony in my body. God intends that all the members of the body should work in perfect agreement with each other so that amid diversity there should be unity.

In chapter 9 you come to the building. This chapter supplies the link between the two prayers which we have read.

Question. — Is the holy temple in the Lord looked at as complete now?

No! it is growing. The chapter is in two parts. The first part down to verse 10 shows the whole extent of the work of God, transferring us to heaven, and anticipating in a spiritual way the truth of 1 Thessalonians 4. Verse 11 begins the second part, and after the warnings of verses 11 and 12, there is opened out the fulness of what has been set up here by the presence of the Holy Ghost.

The assembly is the;house of God now and here, and it behoves is to consider the whole extent of what is connected with that house. Oh! that we might apprehend that we who were afar off are now brought near, where there is a new Man, one body by reconciliation, access to the Father, and instead of being strangers and foreigners, are made fellow citizens of the saints. In fact, we are brought to the blessedness of the city and the house.

Question. — It began with the apostles?

Yes, they are the foundation, but we must not fail to see that the machinery a what is set up here is consequent on Christ glorified; The parenthesis of chapter 3 springs out of that as well as all the practical part of the epistle covering that last three chapters. I fear that there is a danger of our becoming so accustomed to these expressions that they lose their power over us. The immensity of the revelations and their far-reaching effects deeply humbled the apostle, so that he felt his true position before such majestic communications and spoke of himself as the least of all saints.

Coming to actualities, does not the poverty of our prayer meetings speak of a great lack of closet prayer? Do not the demands of business swallow up too much of our time? We must remember that the devil is the organizer of the world's system to-day. He will see to it that we have little time for prayer, readings, for the meetings or the things of God in general. If we could only have a little determination to redeem the time, Satan would be defeated.

Remark. — You do not mean to find fault -with being in business

Oh, no! I would not do that, but the Lord must have His place, and if we do not give it to Him we shall be losers in some way or other,

Remark. — Nehemiah prayed while he was at his business.

In the first prayer of Ephesians the power is outside of us, it is the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, but in the second prayer, the power is within us, "Strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man." The "inner man" is the outcome of the work of the Spirit in the affections of the saints. "I delight in the law of God after the inner man."

Remark — The outer man has reference to the body, "the outer man perishes."

Yes! but it is more than that. It is what is true of the saints. Scripture does not speak of the worldling as having an inner man, and therefore, it would be foolish to speak of his having an outer man.

Question. — But every man has an outer man as contrasted with his inner self?

If you speak of a man in that way he is a moral being in a physical body. In that sense you may speak of an inner and an outer man, but that is not what is spoken of here. A Christian has an inner man in the sense of a new moral being. It is in it that he has to say to God and the whole faith system, but besides that, he has to do with the things of sight and sense. These latter, are the things of the outer man. The outer man is a great deal more than a merely material thought.

In chapter 6, the power is working out from us, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

Question. — Is not the body the temple of the Holy Ghost?

Oh, yes! but there is more than that, for the Holy Ghost dwells in you, that is, He dwells not merely in the body, but in the man who lives in the body.

These two prayers open up the deepest thoughts of God in a most astonishing way. Each rises step by step to a beautiful but different; climax, the first having its issue in the kingdom glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the other in eternity itself.

The first prayer begins with GOD and ends with the glorious reign of Christ over all things, having His church associated with Him; the second has the FATHER of the Lord Jesus at the beginning and ends with he assembly as the vessel in which the glory of God shines throughout eternity. What a culmination of the sorrows and throes of the cross! What a theme for endless praise from the reconciled ones!

Blest Lord! what heavenly wonders dwell

In Thine atoning blood.

The Spirit of Truth

The Spirit of Truth

J. McBroom.

Contents

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

THE SPIRIT CONTROLLING ALL THINGS IN VIEW OF THE INCARNATION

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE INCARNATION, ATONEMENT AND INAUGURATION OF THE NEW ETERNAL SYSTEM

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE HOUSE OF GOD

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE ASSEMBLY AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

THE WEALTH OF GOD

THE DEPTH OF GOD'S WISDOM

THE DEPTH OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Appendix

Note A

Note B The Kingdom

Note C The House of God

Note D The Body of Christ

Note E The Rainbow

To the Reader.

This booklet is complement to two others, one, "The Beauty of the Lord," and the other, "The God of Glory." It was felt that after putting out a meditation upon God which necessarily led to the Father, and one on the Son, our glorious Lord, a word was called for on The Spirit. In this way, the three make a meditation upon GOD.

In the New Testament we have the revelation of God — Father, Son and Spirit — in the Son. It is there we learn that God is ONE (1 Timothy 2: 5) yet THREE (Matthew 28: 18, 19). One in Essence or Essential Being; Three in Person. In the Old Testament The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6: 4, 5) in contrast with Polytheism. In the New Testament HE is One in contrast with Tritheism. Revelation may far outstretch our creature thought, but never goes against, or clashes with it. We may apprehend but never comprehend. We learn, therefore, that "God is One," is different in sense from what He is as Three. The former being impersonal and expressive of Him in His Eternal Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. "Heaven is My throne, earth is My footstool." The latter shows us that within that Essence or Substance there are three Subsistances or Persons in holy and intrinsic relation dwelling together in LOVE. This we also learn is the nature of God from Whom comes the counsels of eternity, and follow on through Scripture to see how each One in the Holy Trinity engages in relation to and with the Others in carrying into effect the one eternal plan.

This, then, is the subject of the three booklets: and the Holy Spirit being the One Who carries out the subjective work in our souls, we may expect to get with Him this rich, deep and blessed fulness of revelation.

J. McBroom.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

by James McBroom

Much is said in Holy Scripture concerning the knowledge of God, and nothing within the range of human thought can equal It. In two former booklets entitled "The God of Glory" and "The Beauty of the Lord," we sought to dwell a little on God the Father in the one, and God the Son in the other. Seeing the Godhead subsists in Trinity, we felt something should be said on God the Holy Spirit, and we ask the reader to accompany us for a little, in a meditation on that blessed Person. It is to Him we are indebted for the Holy Scriptures; the record of the revelation of Who God is; and what He does, so that all we know, or can know is from Him. Moreover, it is by His operation in our souls, we are made capable of availing ourselves of the revelation He has given us.

The Holy Trinity is presented as Three in One. This, faith accepts, though it be beyond creature comprehension. There is much we believe even in our creature constitution which we cannot fully understand. While we are anxious to avoid negatives here, it may be said that in applying numerals, it is not three in the same way, or in the same sense as They are One — Three Persons in one Essence. This, though beyond us, is not out of bearing with sense, as are some of the delusions of the present day.

But if God is one in Essence, there are within that Essence, or Substance, three Persons, each standing in relation to the other as Father, Son and Spirit. Essence gives us an impersonal thought by which we can understand that He fills all space and permeates the universe with life, glory, and majesty. Eph. 4: 6. "Heaven is My throne." Ps. 11: 4. Acts 7: 49. As such there is one mind, purpose, will and plan, hence, what is true of One, is true of all Three. This explodes for ever what speculative theology has pre-supposed namely, a conflict within the Godhead. To raise a moral question like that would be equal to saying, that God can be at variance with Himself.

God is a Spirit, infinite, Eternal and unchangeable in His Being; full of power, holiness, justice, mercy, goodness and truth. In His natural attributes there is first His eternity. " Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God?" Hab. 1: 12; Inscrutability. "Even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God." Ps. 90: 2; Omnipotence. "With God all things are possible." Matt. 19: 26. "The blessed and only Potentate." 1 Tim. 6: 15; Omnipresence. "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me." Ps. 139: 7-10.

The moral attributes are descriptive of His nature and character and come out fully in the working out of purpose in His time ways among men. Thus Righteousness and Holiness describe His character and spring from His nature which is love. 1 John 4: 8-14. This last is absolute and exists eternally as constantly reciprocated within the Godhead. He is also Light, but this is relative as standing in relation to darkness and is the exposure of sin, lawlessness and moral disorder.

In the very nature of things, what is true of One, is true of all Three as we have said, yet in the working out of the eternal plan, each takes His Own place in relation to the Others. The Father is He by whom every family in heaven and in earth is named; He worketh all things after the counsel of His Own will; He is above all, and through all and as to His children, is in you all. Eph. 3: 15; Eph. 1: 11; Eph. 4: 6. The Son creates. John 1: 3. Col. 1: 16. Heb. 1: 2; Redeems. Rom. 3: 24; Eph. 1: 7. Col. 1: 14; He is also the Judge. John 5: 22. By creation He brought in the platform upon which the plan would be wrought out. He became Man to cleanse it and put it on the stable basis of redemption and finally, He will put down all that is offensive and rebellious against God. The Spirit performs the subjective work, working for glory and adornment. His part in creation was to garnish it. Job. 26: 13. His work in the saints is to array them in the beauty of Christ. Luke 15: 22. Col. 3: 12-14. To accomplish this, He uses the word of God. He takes up His abode in the believer and thus becomes the subjective power for spiritual instinct; intuition; inspiration; revelation; and illumination. In this way it is the Holy Spirit which qualifies the saints for service whether for conflict in the kingdom; Levitical service in the testimony; or worship in the sanctuary. He is the power which qualifies for all moral activities whether estimates, values or measures. See Note A.

In the counsels of eternity we have a scheme which is the necessity of the divine nature. It is neither dictatorial nor arbitrary. Nor can we say it is the result of a formal agreement between divine Persons. An agreement reached by consultation supposes the probability of a different conclusion. This could not be possible here. God being LOVE in nature, the definite plan is the moral necessity of Who and what He is. Although one in essence, He subsists in three glorious Persons, each having His own day in relation to the eternal plan or purpose. All the time ways of God in the Old Testament had these THREE DAYS IN VIEW. The first is the Spirit's day. It began at Pentecost and will terminate when the Lord takes the Assembly home. Then will begin the day of the Lord, an event which runs right through the millennial age, and which terminates in the beginning of the day of God which is eternity. All the dealings of God in the Old Testament are included in His time ways and while these days displayed Him before the eyes of all creation, in His nature, character and being, He remained hid behind the veil. All therefore was probationary, testing man in his responsibility as an intelligent moral agent, while governmentally providing both the ground and the material for the fulfilment of His purpose. All was preparatory to the fulfilment of these counsels by the incarnation of the Son, Who, by His death at Calvary, His resurrection and ascension, laid the basis for the accomplishment of these counsels and made way for the coming of the Spirit to inaugurate the new day.

As we shall see, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit for all we know of God in His word, but through a misunderstanding or a mistranslation of John 16: 13, it has been thought that the Spirit tells us nothing about Himself. Competent authorities tell us it ought to read thus, "He shall not speak from Himself." Compare this with John 5: 19, "The Son can do nothing of Himself." Both texts show the mutual activities of Father, Son and Spirit. From the above remarks — which were necessary to guard us from Tritheism on the one hand, which is three gods, or Sabellianism on the other hand, which is one god with three different names — we now proceed to dwell on the office and work of the Holy Spirit.

THE SPIRIT CONTROLLING ALL THINGS IN VIEW OF THE INCARNATION.

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33: 4. "Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews." Job 10: 10-11. Here we are taken back to that consultation in Eden when the Deity held consultation over the creation of man. "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." Zech. 12: 1. All this calls for careful attention, for while we do not read of any other section of the moral creation over which Deity deliberated before, neither do we read of any who were so created, that at a later time, they could be re-created and thus become a new creation in Christ. This must have a distinct place in our thoughts if we are to understand the true character of the Spirit's day, and the blessings proper to it.

The first mention of one of the eternal Three, is in Gen. 1: 2. The earth was waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. This was the beginning of a work which would turn chaos into cosmos; a dreary waste into a scene of splendour. A work which will result in the whole earth being resplendent with glory. But as the material is servant to the moral, it adumbrates His work in the spiritual chaos of the soul of man. In this is seen God's triumph in the recovery of the creature of His predilection, and brings into view His resource in the Son of His love.

As created, man was richly endowed with capabilities for great things and it is well to note how these were developed in spite of the seduction and corruption of his moral nature. Certain works were accomplished which involved language, arithmetic, mechanics, etc. Cain built a city and trades began to be practised which called for lines, angles, cubes and squares. This development of primitive man must have been under the hand of his Creator. We are not left to inference here, for we are told that He who endowed him with such capabilities, imparted the strength, wisdom and understanding for their use. Ex. 35: 30-35. This is a sample view of man as created and developed under the hand of the Holy Spirit. What he might have become had he remained in obedience none can say, but we do know what he has become as in Christ as a vessel of glory for the delight, satisfaction and praise of God. Having come under the power of sin and Satan through the fall, his gifted qualifications have been used against a beneficent Creator to build up a gigantic system called world. A system governed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Satan is its god; it hates the Father and the Son; it is already judged; the execution thereof being at the door. In this way, after the fall, Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch which means dedicated. Here, the trades and commerce began to flourish with music and entertainment as an accompaniment. Nothing can meet the need of the heart of man but God, hence the call for music and the many false charms the enemy gets up — science; politics; travel; or religion with its sensuous musical programmes for his entertainment. Passing over some allusions to the Spirit, we come to a remarkable work of His in the desert of Israel's wanderings. This we select as showing His control of man both in body and soul. Having heard of the triumph of Israel over the Egyptians, Balak the king of Moab hired Balaam to come and curse for him the people of God. It appears that Balaam was not entirely destitute of the knowledge of God, but sought to make gain by trafficking with evil spirits. The Holy Spirit is seen here both with the testimony and with the people of God; whatever their failure is, no enemy can curse them. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Rom. 8: 33. Balaam makes an attempt, with the result that he is forced to bless them altogether. The Holy Spirit so controlled both the mind and the vocal organs of the man, that he was compelled, against his will, to bless them. Moreover, such is the beauty of his language and the comprehensive bearing of his words, that his four little parables or poems will compare favourably with the richest strains of prophetic language in the whole book of God. If we take the lovely grandeur of the song of Moses and the people in Ex. 15; or listen to the felicity of his words in Deut. 32, 33; or the dignity and pathos of the last words of David in 2 Sam. 22, and again in Ps. 18; then follow on to the sublime strains of praise, in 2 Sam. 7: 18-29; 1 Chr. 29: 10-14, with all their thrill, they do not surpass the language which the Holy Spirit draws from the lips of this wicked man. Nor was it different with Caiaphas, the High Priest. John 11: 49-52. With Balaam it was an attempt to mix clean and unclean; holy and unholy, but with Caiaphas we see a man governed by hatred to the Lord Jesus, yet made to utter the precious truth of God.

When the people of God are obedient as in the days of Joshua, the Spirit is owned in His proper work, and victory is the result, but where they are disobedient and lapse into open failure, He is engaged with correction and recovery. There is a marked contrast between the books of Joshua and Judges as to this In the former, they took the land by conquest and the lot of each tribe was assigned to them by their leader Joshua. In the latter, after his death, they not only failed to take their possessions but fell into the sins of the Canaanites and brought upon themselves the sword of divine government. The Spirit of God came upon men again and again from Othniel to Samson. Judges 3: 10; Judges 6: 34; Judges 11: 29; Judges 13: 25; Judges 14: 6; Judges 15: 14. The most remarkable of all these was Samson. Both he and Jephthah were morally far below men like Joseph or Daniel but the Holy Spirit could use them as expressive of their generation. If Israel were low enough to produce a Samson they got lower still to produce an Ahithophel, 2 Sam. 16: 20-23. And down to the deepest depth of all to produce a Judas Iscariot.

Pre-eminently thus the Holy Spirit was at work ruling and over-ruling, in every circumstance guiding the march of all history forward towards one grand event — the incarnation of the Son. Whichever way we look at man, he is under the Spirit's control. Physically He controls the beating of the heart, the breathing of the lungs and the circulation of the blood in growth, waste and decay. As to the moral man, He is the power for both thoughts and feelings; temperaments and faculties; emotions and tastes, all are the fruit of His sovereign will and while each one must give an account for every word, thought, and deed, we must never forget that we can originate nothing but are dependent on Him for all.

The victory of Abram over the five kings, or of Moses over Pharaoh, or Israel over Amalek were by the Spirit. So also the conquest of Canaan by Joshua, but as history proceeds Israel has to learn that God is holy and no respecter of persons. They fall before Assyria, Babylon and ultimately into the hands of Rome where, through rejecting their Messiah, they are in bondage to this day.

There is however, a brighter side and it is comforting to trace the marks of His work in the men of the covenant, throughout the ages. The Spirit as a divine Person is behind the word faith in Heb. 11. It was by His power the exploits of these witnesses were accomplished. The sacrifice of Abel; the communion of Enoch; the building of Noah were all potentially of Him. Abraham the pilgrim and friend of God; Moses the legislator — the meekest man on earth; Joseph the administrator; Joshua the captain; David the king — all was the fruit of sovereign power directed by the Spirit. The same is true of the exploits of the Judges; the beautiful poetic strains of the Psalmists whether David, Solomon, Moses, Asaph, Ethnan or Habakkuk. The Lamentations of Jeremiah; the weeping of captives in Babylon or Rachel weeping for her children. Each and every part had its place in sovereignty of wisdom, holiness and love, all going to show that God the Holy Spirit is immanent in all history, the superintending force in every event whether in the unit or aggregate. At every moment both private thought and public opinion are the fruit of His sovereign will.

But besides His place in the sphere of holy government, the Spirit pervades the typical system. The fire of the Altar; the water of the Laver; the oil for cleansing the leper, sanctifying the Levites and consecrating the priests, spoke symbolically of the Spirit. He was the overseer of the ritual on the great day of atonement, as also the feasts of Jehovah. When we recall that it is He who gives the inspired account of the whole range of things in Creation; Providence; Government and Redemption, we get some impression of the Office and work of the Holy Spirit in co-relation with the Father and the Son.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE INCARNATION, ATONEMENT AND INAUGURATION OF THE NEW ETERNAL SYSTEM.

On the first page of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit comes before us as preparing a body for the Son. In prophetic language the Son had said, "The Lord God, and His Spirit, hath sent Me." Isa. 48: 16. The angel of the Lord said unto Joseph. "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Matt, 1: 20. Previous to that, Gabriel appeared unto the Virgin Mary and said. "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus . . . . . . The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1: 31-35. In this the most profound of all miracles, the whole Trinity was engaged, and its repercussion was felt universally in heaven earth and hell. Our Lord was sent, sealed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. He began His ministry from the Jordan, associating Himself with a remnant of His people in the Baptism of John. Here for the first time the whole Trinity are manifested and come within the cognisance of human sensibilities. The Son is owned by the Father and the Spirit rested on Him in the form of a dove. Observe in following this out, that He was sent or driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan, and having bound the strong man there, He returned in the power of the Spirit to begin His itinerations through the land. Mark 1: 12; Luke 4: 14. In this service He declared the heart of God. God had been glorified in Him when, for thirty years of private life, the beauty of a man shone under His eye. The words of Ps. 16, are descriptive of the exercises of that time. He grew up before Jehovah as a tender plant and a root out of dry ground. There was nothing of an external nature to distinguish Him in the eyes of men. Isa. 53. In His public service which covered about a tenth of the time spent in private, all was marked by the unction of the Holy Spirit. What He said and what He did, all His words and works were the work of the whole THREE. Matt, 12: 28; John 14: 10; Acts 10: 38. This went on to the cross, where, through the eternal Spirit, He offered Himself without spot to God. Heb. 9: 14. During His ministry, certain ones had been brought back from the dead to life here again but His resurrection was the triumph of good over evil. It was the establishment of a new creation as part of divine purpose, and Scripture shows each member of the Holy Godhead at work in that mighty act. This intimacy and co-working of divine Persons still goes on as seen in His breathing into His disciples and saying Receive the Holy Spirit. His last charge to them was given by the power of the Spirit and also His last promise. John 20: 22; Acts 1: 2-5.

Being now on the verge of the Spirit's day, let us glance back to the outset of God's time ways and note how the march of events was preparing for the coming of the Son which was followed by the coming of the Spirit. Whether we take History, Prophecy, Providence or Government, all was preparing for the accomplishment of His eternal purpose in the Son. His ancient dealings with Israel in the law, both in the moral code and in the ceremonial observances; the typical mysteries of the prophets, priests and kings — all was working towards the point we have now reached. The Son would be seen by the eye of faith, a Man in heaven in virtue of redemption and the Holy Spirit on earth in relation to the counsels of eternity. In the Gospels, Matthew goes back to Abraham and David, linking up the Son with promise and royalty. Mark presents Him as Jehovah the servant prophet. Luke takes us back to Eden, presenting the Son as the Second Man out of heaven. But John steps over the whole of history into eternity to show the Son is God, come down to fulfil His eternal plan. Hence in this Gospel, man is treated as a lost sinner from the outset.

The two basic facts of the Gospel are, the exaltation of Christ in the rights of redemption, and the presence of the Holy Spirit on the earth. As it is said, a Man in heaven above is a new thing in divine dealings and the Spirit here to dwell in the believer a new thing as well. Instead of assuming a body as the Son did, He takes up His abode in the souls of believers and builds them together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Eph. 2: 22. In the Gospel God is working according to pattern and this shows that not only has He been revealed but in the exaltation of Christ He has a complete answer to the revelation. All this should be seen as accomplished in the ascension of Christ from Whom the Holy Spirit came down to continue the work of affecting God's Purpose.

We might speak of the pentecostal gift in many ways but it may be better to put it under three leading heads, namely, the Kingdom of God; the House of God; and the Body of Christ. These three were formed simultaneously by the coming of the Spirit. Believers stand in relation to the first in an individual way: in relation to the second collectively; and relation to the third corporately — Jew and Gentile as a joint-body in Christ. That the heavens do rule, man had to learn in early days (Dan. 4: 26), but the kingdom of heaven is the Spirit's domain. The kingdom of God was here in the person of the Son, but before it could be established as the kingdom of heaven the King must Himself have gone there. This is the sphere of divine rule on the earth, where the Lordship of Christ is the bond and from which goes out the Gospel of the glory of Christ. Within that kingdom, God has His dwelling place and, while Christ is Lord in the kingdom, He is Head in the House. John 8: 35; Rom. 14: 9; Heb. 3: 6. Needless to say, we are far from material things here. The kingdom being spiritual, it provides a bulwark for the house and in that way is protective of the holy things of God — the precious things of heaven. Within that House is presented the innermost treasure of all, namely the mystery, or secret, which was hid in God — the truth of the Church as the Body and Bride of Christ. Moreover, it must be seen that the saints form both the Church militant, and the kingdom as a generation of faith. By the Spirit's power they meet and defeat the opposing forces of evil, just as they form the House of God and stand in relation to His testimony in the world. In their relationship to Christ as members of His Body, they stand united to Him in organic union on the one hand, and as members one of another, one Body in Christ on the other.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

The Epistle to the Romans is an elaborate exposition of the Gospel of God. There we are told that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14: 17. In this Epistle there is an answer produced in the saints by the Spirit, corresponding to that which was accomplished in Christ for God at the cross. Here the Blessed Lord died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3: 18. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we might have full and free forgiveness, but, if we were to be brought into the joy of these things, the Holy Spirit must work in us. The work of the cross goes much deeper than the forgiveness of sins. It goes even to the fallen state in which we stood. It was there in the sinless One, God dealt judicially, and condemned sin in the flesh. This was the end of man's responsible history and it is of solemn moment that we should notice that man's crowning act of guilt brought it about. What the Lord did brought out God's richest act of mercy but man's part brought out sin at its height. There, light and darkness; good and evil; life and death, came into awful conflict. The Lord's part was making atonement by bearing the judgment. Man's part was filling up his own guilt, while the Blessed God was judging and condemning the whole state in the Person of the sinless One — His own beloved Son — and giving to the whole creation a public expression of the awful, sinful, God-defying state of the creature, while the whole guilty state goes down in death and is left there. The resurrection bursts upon the scene and in the risen One, we behold Man in His new estate according to the thought of God from eternity to eternity.

Now while all this is objective and for the apprehension of faith, the Spirit's work is subjective. He came to work in us the deep thoughts of God, based upon the work the Son had accomplished and, as we have said, His work is according to pattern. Christ having set foot on earth, God will tolerate nothing less in testimony, hence the transfer of the soul by the operation of the Holy Spirit from Adam to Christ. The cross is the basis of His work in the human heart and the new birth is His work in every dispensation, but the formation of a new company in the nature, calling and relationship of the glorified Man, is that which necessitates that He should take up His abode in the soul. He does not dwell in man as in the flesh — a state already condemned — but in the soul as previously prepared by Him in the divine operation of new birth.

All this calls for careful consideration for, as an intelligent moral agent, man cannot be transferred out of the condition of estrangement from God, and brought into intimate nearness like a mere material object. In the very nature of things soul history and progress in relation to the divine claims must be attended with pain. In the sovereign work of new birth when the Spirit says, "Let there be light," the effect is repentance and produces the cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," as a result. Faith as the gift of God is now present and the Gospel is accepted which brings about conversion and the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins. This may come immediately after the initial work of new birth, which is the divine order, or it may well be some time after, and in many cases, where the truth is little known, souls are often left a long time struggling in a condition analagous to that detailed in Rom. 7. This interval may be seen in a case like Cornelius the centurion, a pious man who prayed to God, to whom was given a vision, followed by a visit from the Apostle Peter. Having received the Gospel he was sealed by the Holy Spirit. Acts 10. The same thing may be seen in Saul in the three days he was without sight, after the Lord had met him on the Damascus road. Acts 9. Again, the twelve men at Ephesus who were in the Christian company but had not yet received the Spirit. Acts 19. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His, or he is not of Him. Rom. 8: 9. This brings us to the peculiar favour and blessedness of the indwelling Spirit. It is not that souls in the transitional state between new birth and sealing do not belong to Him. The Old Testament saints belong to Him; so also the disciples before the cross, but to be of Him is another matter. This can only be true of those within the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be in Christ, free from condemnation and blessed with every spiritual blessing, is the portion only of those sealed by the Spirit of God. It is no question of denying that souls may be happy and in the hopes of heaven, for the Lord can meet them where they are, but deliverance from the law, the flesh or sin, cannot be the experience of souls in that state.

The pity is that so few seem to enter into what it is to be in the Spirit. Failing to see that God has not only dealt with the sins but with the whole sinful state, many are left struggling with that state in themselves and do not know the way out. Robbed of the holy joy of deliverance in a new relationship of life and peace, pious souls spend their days in bondage to sin, the law and the flesh and the world, not having the holy freedom from these things which is their very birthright. It is here that the verses of Romans 7, mentioned above call for a few remarks. The exercise is personified in the Apostle and it simplifies matters if we distinguish between the concrete and the abstract. "I am carnal, sold under sin," v. 14, is the expression of one who has light from God. He may, or he may not, have received the Spirit but is in bondage to sin. He is now, so to speak, in the tunnel of introspection which, though dark at this point, leads to further light and eventually to an outlet of brightest sunshine. Next, through a process of reasoning, he is able to distinguish between himself and sin which dwelleth in him. This is a great step. It is really man before he fell in Eden and what he became after. Then the next step is still greater for, through a further process of reasoning, he can identify himself with the good. "I delight in the law of God after the inward man." v. 22. Apprehending this, he can take account of sin in his nature as a foreign element which is irreconcilable and to which the law applies all its positive and negative commands. The law — which is holy — can only condemn this state. No discipline, education or reformation can help such a state. The law pronounces his condemnation and claims his death. This condemnation and death having been submitted to and borne by his substitute at the cross, he accepts that death as his in the faith of his soul and is now able to say, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now he sees that although sins law is still in the flesh, he himself is in Christ and free from condemnation. Rom. 8: 1. This is a needful experience if we are to know the blessedness of the christian calling. It is no imaginary thing, but a blessed reality. The abstract nature of this is to be observed. While appreciating what it is to be in Christ in a status and life which is of God and beyond responsibility, he is conscious that only the grace of God can keep him. "So then I myself with the mind serve God's law, but with the flesh sin's law." Rom. 7: 25. N.T. This mixed condition that he is in, will go on till the end of the pathway, but though that is so, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made him free from the law of sin and death. Rom. 8: 2. The uniform working of life in the first Adam ever gravitates downwards in sin to death. The uniform working of the life of Christ the Last Adam was ever upward. In that the believer now is by the Holy Spirit. It is regrettable that many suffer real loss by refusing to face the exercise of Romans vii. On the other hand, how deplorable it is that it may be mentally acquired in such a way that we may be able to speak of the deep things of God, while our practical condition is morally akin to the man of the world.

Having arrived at the consciousness of being in Christ in holy freedom, we can take account of the ground trodden in relation to the Spirit. Free from the domination of sin and having yielded to the claims of law, we are now, in the words of Rom. 6: 14, "not under law but under grace." The place of the Spirit in all this is set forth in Romans 8. The Spirit is mentioned in that chapter no less than seventeen times. As a consequence, there are four statements in the chapter that call for consideration. "Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." v. 9. " There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." v. 1. "If Christ be in you." v. 10. The flesh is descriptive of man's state as a creature. It is that which gives colour to all our thoughts, feelings, tastes and all that goes to make up life. The fall corrupted that, hence all is contaminated. By displacing flesh, the indwelling Spirit becomes our power for everything. So then, if we are in Christ before God for His pleasure, Christ is in us before men for testimony — the indwelling Spirit being the power for all.

In the light of this why do we hear so little of the knowledge of the Spirit? It is true that He is here on behalf of the Father and the Son and that He does not make Himself an object. He comes before us in an impersonal way by the use of the neuter pronoun "it" but He is God and we know Him as knowing God. In plain words, all we know of God is directly from Him and by Him. "Ye know Him" was the word of our Lord to His disciples. John 14: 17. Hereby we know the Spirit of God — every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh is of God. Now God is Love. The Holy Spirit is God hence, He is Love. "Now I beseech you brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Rom. 15: 30. How could He shed the love of God abroad in our hearts if He were not love? He is the Spirit of truth, John 14: 17. The Spirit of power 2 Tim. 2: 7. Do we not gather from the words of the Lord Jesus that the Holy Spirit will tell us more of what He Himself is?" It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16: 7. In Him then we have the God of all comfort. "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." Isa. 66: 13. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." 2 Cor. 1: 3. Inasmuch as the Spirit is within us, we get made good to us and in us, all that God is, by God the Holy Spirit. But He can sympathise, yea, and intercede for us. "In like manner the Spirit joins also its help to our weaknesses; for we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered." Rom. 8: 26.

Then there is communion of the Holy Spirit. Think of the marvellous condescension He shows to come and dwell in such close proximity with evil, for we have to remind ourselves that, although transferred from Adam to Christ, the law of sin is still in our members. Doubtless, this was the cause of His appearance as cloven tongues of fire at Pentecost. He dwells in us in that which He Himself has formed in us by new birth and here it is, His communion with us. Surely in coming to our side, it is that He may bring us to His, in all the blessed consciousness of divine favour within the sacred enclosure of His own domain, where all things are of God. It is thus as the Spirit He enters into the closest intimacy with us in our spirits. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Rom. 8: 16.

But the Spirit is sensitive. This we can understand, for distance is measured by nearness even in human relationships. The more refined the sensibilities are, the more susceptible we are to the chilling influences of man and the world. The Spirit can be grieved and may for the moment be inactive but He is also jealous. Love is always jealous. Many are the tragedies that follow it in human life To the young men it is said, "Love not the world." How could the Holy Spirit go on ungrieved in us if we let our hearts go out to anything in this poor world which is not of God? "I The LORD thy God am a jealous God." Ex. 20: 5. The Spirit therefore can be grieved; quenched; lied to and even blasphemed.

Enough has been said we trust of the possession of the Spirit, to impress us with the simplicity and beauty of life lived practically under His sway. Some seem to think that walking in the Spirit — which is walking by faith — is impractical and produces austerity and a tendency to frown upon the enjoyments of daily life. A plea is sometimes made for the young in such words as, Do not be a kill-joy. Nothing could be more deceptive and harmful. Nature's. joys are at their best ephemeral and leave us dissatisfied. Well we know they fade and decay but the joys of the Spirit are pure; lasting; heavenly and eternal. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14: 17. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." Gal. 5: 22, 23. This lovely passage falls into three beautiful clusters of Christ-like features, each containing three and all reflecting in a three-fold way The first three are Godward; the next three manward, the last three personal. Can any one say there is either austerity, legality or mere sentiment in this? On the contrary, it can be said there are no more happy, joyous, genial people in this world. As led by the Spirit of God they are sons of God and true geniality is seen in them with the absence of all levity. Isaiah said, "Woe is me." Isa. 6: 5. Peter said, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Luke 5: 8. Paul said, "O wretched man that I am." Rom. 7: 24. It is just there that this holy Person has deigned to take up His abode. Not in what we are as flesh of sin, but in what He has Himself prepared in His initial operation of new birth.

One other passage calls for a word before passing on. Being accused by the Corinthians of unfaithfulness to his promise, the apostle takes occasion by the charge to show on the one hand his own transparency, and on the other to speak of the office of the Spirit in a three-fold way as the anointing, seal, and earnest of all that is yet to come. Christ is the embodiment of all the promises of God. Whoever else may vacillate, there is both stability and security in Him "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. 1: 20-22. In accord with what has been already said, this passage supposes a previous work of the Spirit in the soul. These things come before us in a perfectly orderly way in the cleansing of the leper. Lev. 14: 1-18. Washing with water prefigures new birth. Sprinkling with blood — forgiveness of sins. Anointing with oil — the gift of the Spirit. We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Eph. 2: 10. Here we come to spiritual instinct, intuition and intelligence. " But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth, and is no lie, even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 1 John 2: 27. Spiritual instinct is a most precious reality but it must be regarded with care. It is one thing for a devout soul to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, and not be able to give a text of scripture for it. It is quite another thing for people to act by what they call the inner light which they lay claim to, while ignoring the word of God. The act of Mary of Bethany when she broke her box of spikenard and anointed her Lord, has earned for her undying fame in the testimony. The Lord Himself vindicated her. But the claim of "Inner light," which we hear so much of today, is a mark of one of the evils of the last days.

"Who also hath sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." It is clear that these different things are brought to pass in our hearts by one and the same act when the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in us. By putting the stamp of God upon us, the Spirit claims our persons for God. "Ye are not your own? for ye have been bought with a price: glorify now then God in your body." 1 Cor. 6: 20, New Trans. "And has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." In this we have a token of the inheritance. Eph. 1: 14. This means we are called to share with our Lord in all that He has acquired. All that range of universal glory and blessing which He takes up by double claim namely, Personal right, and the redemptive acquirement. In this way the Spirit is the pledge and the present enjoyment of the thing pledged, while we await the full result in the redemption of our bodies. He brings into the obedient heart the enjoyment of what is future in communion with the Father and the Son. This leads to the peak of christian blessing, namely, sonship, and associates us with the Son before God in fulness of blessing. This we shall dwell upon in connection with our next point, namely, the House or Dwelling place of God. See note B at the close.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE HOUSE OF GOD.

It has ever been the desire of God to dwell with man and to secure this, redemption must first be accomplished. As before remarked, in the kingdom the saints are seen in their individual settings as subjects, with the name of the Lord as their bond. In the House of God, they are seen as sons. The House of God is the result of His own workmanship. Bearing in mind that we are as far as possible from material things here, the saints are said to be God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, and built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. A man's household is his family and he is known through them In this way, God, as He has revealed Himself, is known through His sons today. "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell." Ps. 132: 14. From that centre, the voice of God is heard. Acts 13: 2-4. 1 Tim. 4: 1. Here, no disturbing element can come. God is its centre, there He rests in the blessing of His own, whose delight it is to worship and adore Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's righteousness with glory bright

Which with its radiance fills that sphere,

E'en Christ, of God the power and light,

Our title is that light to share.

In establishing that House, the middle wall had to be broken down between Jew and Gentile. All strife being gone, Jew and Gentile are brought nigh in One New Man, and are reconciled to God in one body by the cross; both having access by one Spirit unto the Father. A verse like this intensifies our interest as we dwell upon the Holy Spirit. It is that Person in the Godhead who has brought us out of the darkness and distance of our Adamic state and turned the dark tragedy of Calvary into the greatest triumph of God. This leads on to the city and the Household of God. Eph. 2: 11-22. Then to the building fitly framed together, which groweth into a holy temple in the Lord. Here, in the very heart of the precious things of heaven, we come to the habitation of God; the place where all these treasures are installed; the resting place of all that is of God; the evidences of past victories and the receptacle of much spoil. Well it may be so since — if we may use the language of the typical house — this Palace is not for man but for the Lord God. 1 Chr. 29: 1. Amongst all this wealth, there is one treasure kept as a secret; a mystery hid in God. This is taken up parenthetically in Eph. 3. To this we shall return when dealing with the Holy Spirit in reference to our corporate relationships.

The Epistle to the Ephesians falls into two parts of three chapters each. The last three, being the hortatory part, may be read with the first Epistle to Timothy. The Spirit is mentioned thirteen times, or it may be twelve (see footnote to 1 Tim. 5: 9. New Tran), and thus He comes before us six times in each of the two divisions of the Epistle. In 1 Tim. 4: 1-14, we are seen in relation to one another and are exhorted to walk worthy of the calling in all lowliness, meekness and longsuffering; using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace; both holding the truth and growing up in it in love. In the next section, 1 Tim. 4: 17 to 1 Tim. 5: 21, we are exhorted how to conduct ourselves with regard to those that are without. Having been set before the face of God in richest blessing, we are to walk in love as dear children and reflect His light in the midst of the darkness for we are now made light in the Lord. In the next section, 1 Tim. 5: 22 to 1 Tim. 6: 9, we are instructed as to our conduct in the home circle — the sphere of natural affections. Subjection on the part of wives; love on the part of husbands; obedience on the part of children. Then in the business circle faithfulness on the part of servants and righteousness on the part of masters. Lastly from 1 Tim. 6: 10, it is the conflict with the spiritual forces of evil, the powers of darkness. In each of these sections we are in the hands of the Spirit and thus have power to stamp the colour and character of heaven on them all.

In 1 Timothy God's administration which is in faith is first brought before us and the standard is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. Believers in the House of God is the theme, and that which binds the whole structure together is the mystery of piety in the incarnation of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The men are to pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and reasoning and the women to be marked by modesty of dress in the fear of God. In this way, a proper impression of God will be set forth in testimony. God is One, and the mediator between God and men One, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony to go forth in its own time. The rest of the Epistle gives instruction concerning oversight and ministry with directions concerning the distribution of alms to the needy and dependent. All these details are given us because God desires all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. He does not want us to give a false impression of Him, for it is through His saints He puts Himself in touch with all. The Holy Spirit speaks of Himself here in this Epistle and, as dwelling in the saints, is the immanent life and power of the whole spiritual structure.

The witness of the Spirit, both to the saints and through them, is brought out very plainly in the first Epistle of John. He is mentioned eight times and here we have a holy record of spiritual blessing which includes some of the wealth of heaven in the richest of christian blessing. The saints are viewed in House of God connection as the family of God. Seven times they are said to be born or begotten of God, and having thus the birth-right, their place of intimacy is assured in all the unreserved blessedness of the Father's love. In this circle of holy love there can be no distrust; no distance; no reserve, for the Father has found an outlet for His love in His children and to them in love's own circle He can unfold all that is in His heart. The Epistle opens with the saints being brought into company with the Apostles to enjoy with them communion with the Father and the Son. In that communion it is the delight of the Father to unfold to our hearts His own appreciation of His Son. And correspondingly, the Son delights to make known the Father in His goodness, grace, mercy, and His eternal counsel of love. So intimate is the relationship in both life and nature that we dwell in God. Divine love is our home and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. 1 John 4: 16. They are an entirely new generation; they know that they have passed from death unto life because they love the brethren; they know that they know God, because they keep His commandments; they know they are in Him, because they keep His word and in that way, His love is perfected in them. This word dwell or abide reminds us that this is not a temporary retreat but the abiding home of the soul. Then the character of God their Father is seen in them for, not only do they love, they practise righteousness also 1 John 3: 10; 1 John 4: 7. They know that the Son of God has come and has given them an understanding to know Him that is true, and they are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. They can say, if no one has seen God at any time, "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." 1 John 4: 14. They have eternal life and they know it. 1 John 5: 13. The very first characteristic of that life is to know the Father and His sent One, Jesus Christ. John 17: 3. They also know the Holy Spirit. 1 John 4: 2. This is not mere speculative theology but the word of God brought home to the heart by the living power of the indwelling Spirit. This is infinitely beyond the critical reasoning of the present day. Nor are the saints ignorant of the power and insidious working of evil all around them and their liability to fall into it if not constantly kept in the conscious enjoyment of these holy treasures. Although brought abstractly into all this range of blessing, they are yet in a bodily condition which is liable to both weakness and wilfulness. It is well to hold truth in balance and for that, let us look for a moment at the other aspect of our position.

"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Answer. "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil . . . . . Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." (of distances) Isa. 33: 14-17. That is the heavenly land. Observe in reference to this, Moses, Aaron and his two sons with seventy of the elders of Israel were called up to meet Jehovah in the mount. Moses alone was brought near in the cloud and the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud. Ex. 24: 9-18. Does this not teach us something of what it is to be brought to dwell in God? If sin is in question, God is a consuming fire. Heb. 12: 29. Does this bring home to us the necessity of the Cross where that fire fell upon the Holy One, judging and condemning our sinful state? So efficacious has that work been, that God has cleared us from all that was offensive to Himself. Consequently, He now brings us before Himself holy and without blame for His pleasure, fitted, not only to dwell in the love of God but in the God who is Love.

But dwelling in God is by dwelling in love. Care is needed here lest we wander into the by-paths of imagination and, like the mystic, lose ourselves in the ecstasy of folly. The mystic is self-engrossed being occupied with his wants, wishes and desires. The intelligent believer is occupied with Christ and perfectly satisfied, his heart being filled with peace and joy as the result of being occupied with the object set before him by the Holy Spirit. There can be no real intimacy apart from the fulfilment of this condition, namely, he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. We rise then from the ways, work and counsels of God to God Himself. Beyond this we cannot get now, but in the company of the Holy Spirit we come forward into time on the way to an eternity of bliss where we shall ever dwell with and in God. But it is not only what we get in all this but what God has got for Himself in the fulfilment of His own eternal plan, in the triumph of that grace which has secured for Himself the creature of His choice.

But does it follow that every believer who has received the Spirit dwells in God? The Corinthians and Galatians are an example of the opposite. Even in this Epistle of John, if any man sin, or, if our heart condemn us. When we are dwelling in God, there is no inner conflict going on between the flesh and the Spirit. All is rest, peace and joy. And hereby we know that He abideth or dwelleth in us, by the Spirit which He has given us. 1 John 3: 24. But note. "Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us, because he hath given us OF his Spirit." 4: 13. In the first of these passages the believer dwelling in God is the effect of obedience and is put first — all resting on the gift of the Spirit. In the second, while showing the same mutuality of dwelling as the result of communion in nature and the circle of love in the activities of life, there is the addition of that little word OF in verse 13, which is important as raising the question of the Being and relationship of God and the Three who form the Holy Trinity. It is as if God gave us part of Himself. No man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him. 1 Cor. 2: 11. We all know there is a mysterious depth in a man known only to himself. But if that is so, what shall we say of God? If we are conscious of the impossibility of intruding into the inner enclosure of the being of a fellow mortal, what shall be said of God? To illustrate this, someone has said, "I could not give you my spirit if I would, neither would I give you my spirit if I could. Why? Because you would know too much about me." This is exactly what God has done. He has given us His Spirit, His own Spirit, part of Himself that we may know Him. He desires to be known not only in His works, words, ways, covenants, purposes and counsels but Himself in all that He is in the deep moral fulness of love and glory. The Spirit which He has given us searcheth all things, yea, the deep things or rather the depths of God. 1 Cor. 2: 10. Nature in its ruined state cannot intrude here, nor creature capacity at its best understand the things of God. Into the inner consciousness of the depths of movements, tastes, joys and feelings of Him who created this vast universe and upholds it in all its unity, none dare venture. But when we learn that not only would He have us there, but He has undertaken, through His Son, to remove every hindrance that sin had occasioned and take us right into His own company in moral suitability to Himself; creating a capacity in us to know Him in the depths of His Being; to rejoice in Him and adore Him for ever more — what can we say? "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." Ps. 104: 33.

This raises another question which calls for a word here. In the light of all this blessing, how far can it be said that the saints partake of Deity? Some have erred by failing to distinguish between the Essential Being and the Moral Nature of God. As begotten of God we have His life — eternal life; His nature — eternal love. We are made His righteousness in Christ and are partakers of His holiness, but if we partook of Deity we would cease to be creatures, and He would cease to be God.

It is here we learn the importance of having right thoughts of the incarnation. The distance between the creature and the Creator was twofold. First as a creature; then as fallen into sin. By becoming Man, the Son removed the first, bridging the distance. As to the second, He removed that also by His death, so that we might share the glory with Himself in proper conditions, according to God. In Him, Sonship and eternal relationship was brought into Manhood, and made available for us by His atoning work upon the cross. Here, let it be said, we behold Him in a three-fold way. First, what He is in Deity — the glory we are going to behold. Second, what He is in Manhood as risen and glorified — to Whom we are united by His Spirit from on high. Third, what He is as a Divine-Human-Person — with Whom we are associated, as by adoption, before God for His pleasure. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Gal. 4: 6.

In connection with the office and work of the Spirit in the company, we turn to John 14: 16. The operations of the Spirit in the soul individually, had been brought out by our Lord in John 2; John 4; John 7. Just before His betrayal and apprehension, the Lord gathered His own around Himself, and in view of His departure and the break up it would cause, instructed them on the necessity of His going away and the coming of the Spirit as a consequence. He assures them that the coming of the Spirit was a necessity for them that they might have a capacity to take in and be led into the meaning of all that the Lord had said and done while He was among them. The result would be, they would be brought into a greater degree of intimacy with Himself than was possible while He was with them. In the most tender way, the Lord was detaching them from Judaism, the earth and earthly things by attaching them firmly to Himself as exalted in heaven, Part with Him there in a new faith system, every part of which would be instinct with life in the power of God the Spirit Who would be in them, making good what the Lord had taught them, thus creating a new capacity to fit them for the work that, as His disciples, lay before them. It was needful for them, as well as for Him, that He should go, for if He did not go the Comforter would not come. They were to learn that there was something beyond miracles, which would lead them to rejoice in the moral depths of His teaching. They were to be enlightened within by God the Spirit Whose immanence would flood their innermost being with the knowledge of God.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 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: 15-17. It is as if He said, My being here with you can but be transient; He shall be with you for ever: all the things you have heard and seen during My ministry here ye cannot apprehend or appreciate for want of capacity, but when He is come He shall give you to understand, that never were creatures favoured like you have been. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." v. 26. Here we have illumination, on the ground of which they could say after He had gone — but not before — "We beheld His glory, the glory as of an only-begotten with a Father, full of grace and truth." The words, "He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you," includes the inspired record of the Gospels and the opening up of the holy grandeur of all they had been taught. He had spoken of Himself as the Son; Son of God; Son of Man; Son of David. The Tabernacle, the Temple, the Law, the Testimony, all figured in His ministry. His parables explored the moral world and His miracles the world of nature — all was marked by a combination of depth and simplicity, that only the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth could unfold. But what of the present time? If the Spirit alone can teach us the meaning of His life and service here, who shall tell us of where He is now and what He is doing? Peter asked Him, "Lord, whither goest thou?" John 13: 36. Thomas said, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" John 14: 5. The Spirit is the answer to all this. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes forth from with the Father, he shall bear witness concerning me; and ye too bear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning." John 15: 26-27. New Tran. When He left them at His ascension, they stood bewildered till two men in white clothing said to them, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?" Acts 1: 11. Sometime later Peter wrote of Him, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." 1 Peter 3: 22. How did Peter know this? Flesh and blood could not reveal it. It was revealed by the Spirit, Who had come according to promise, that our Lord's whereabouts, His official glories and activities might be known by us, and that, by the same blessed Spirit, we might have the joy of communion with Him where He now is. We are told that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever. Heb. 13: 8. The Holy Spirit makes Him known to us as He was 'yesterday' in the Gospels. John 14: 26. He also shows us where He is and what He is doing 'today'. John 15: 26. This comes out in the Epistles. Thirdly, the Spirit shows us things to come. John 16: 13. This is what the Lord will do 'tomorrow'. Thus we have in these three chapters the work of the Spirit concerning our Lord past, present, and future. At the present moment, He is gone far above all heavens; He has been made Lord; Head; Priest, and is coming again to put down all evil and establish the rule of God over every part of creation. We know Him as He is now. The Lord of Glory; the Head of every man; the Head of the Body the Assembly; the great Priest over the House of God; the Minister of the Sanctuary; the Mediator of the better covenant. And well we know that He is about to come forth and call His own home to be with Himself for ever.

But John 16 goes further and shows the coming of the Spirit to His people as a vessel prepared by the Lord Himself to receive Him — with the bearing of His pressure on the world and its prince. While He comes to the disciples, the first effect of His presence is to bring demonstration to the world of its guilt in the death of the Lord Jesus. After telling them that it was profitable for them that He should go away, He used the words to you twice. As dwelling in them, He would bring demonstration to the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. "Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." John 16: 9-11. It is not to be taken that the activities of the Holy Spirit were in any way towards the world or its prince. His presence here in the Assembly, in the working out of the plan of the Godhead, is a challenge to a system which refused the Son; and that challenge works out in a threefold way. Observe that He names the three factors, sin, righteousness and judgment twice. The second time He qualifies these three things by bringing in three other actors in the arena; Himself; the world, and Satan. He had before said, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." John 12: 31. Here, that solemn sentence in its eternal, irrevocable character is confirmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The very thing which appeared to be a complete victory for the world and its god, is seen to be their complete overthrow. The sin here is, they believe not on Him. This the sin, beyond all other sins — the sin of hating the Father and the Son. John 15: 22-24. Righteousness here is what is right. What could be more fitting, in the nature of things, than His exaltation to the Father's right hand? And note here, it is an act of His own volition, "I go to my Father." Judgment can be the only result, for this world, led on by the Devil, joined issue with God over the Son incarnate and this is the result for both to all eternity.

Following this, the Lord opens out the work of the Spirit as come down from the Father and the Son, in His normal working in the company. Three things the Lord outlines here. First, "He shall guide you into all the truth." This must be taken as the new faith system established in resurrection, of which all scripture speaks. Directly, or indirectly, all scripture has in view a new creation into which sin and death can never come. Whether it be history, prophecy, typology, or doctrine, the words employed and the things concerned are from the Holy Spirit. Mental activity has wrought much mischief by intruding into the mysteries of the faith but ignoring the guide. Is there any wonder that the flock is robbed of food? The saints are starved and the precious things of heaven undervalued or unknown. "He shall guide you into all truth," might be illustrated by the Epistle to the Hebrews. Chapters one to two present the Person of our Lord, first in His Deity and then in His Manhood. In three and four we get the House, the Word, and the Throne. In chapters five to seven, the new Priest. In chapter eight — the new covenant; in nine — the new sanctuary; in ten — the new worshipping company. This is all an answer to the typical system set up by the same Spirit in an earlier day, as taught us in Exodus and Leviticus. The second thing the Spirit would do would be to show them things to come. He alone can unlock the chambers of the Old Testament, dispensational, Messianic or moral, and link all together as leading sectors in the great circle of truth. How could the different ages or dispensations be known apart from Him? Who could have known the parenthetic gap in the ages, in which Israel is cut off and the Assembly brought in as the vessel of eternal purpose? Or who could have understood the seventy weeks of Daniel apart from Him? In the book of the Acts, He has linked up the past dispensation with the present, and in the book of Revelation, He has linked up the present with the future. In that book too, He shows the connecting link with eternity — God's eternal day. In this way, "He shall show you things to come." "He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." This is the third and last point here of the ministry of the Spirit and it leads from the things to the Persons and Their relations in trinity, both in essential Being and in co-equality of interests. We shall leave that till we have dealt with the office and work of the Spirit in our corporate relationship. This brings in the truth of the Mystery — the Assembly as the Body of Christ; the secret which was hid in God but is now made known unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

THE SPIRIT IN RELATION TO THE ASSEMBLY AS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

In approaching this part of the truth, it is necessary to keep in mind what we have seen as to being "In Christ." Nothing of an inferior nature could be united to Him, and the saints stand in the same constitutional and organic connection with Him, as the human body to the moral being within it. So close indeed is this link, that the Church is included in the term "The Christ." "As the body is one — the human body — and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ." 1 Cor. 12: 12. cf. Gen. 5: 2, where both the man and the woman are called Adam. " For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." 1 Cor. 12: 13. There may be an obscure allusion here to the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper as some have thought, but the truth itself clearly stated is that work of the Spirit in which there can be no failure, where all is of God. We have already seen the Headship of Christ in a racial way, but this is much more intimate, showing the Assembly substantially and organically the expression of Christ the Head of His Body. 1 Cor. 12: 12-13. But, while that is true, we do not get the Head of the Body here. The Epistle being corrective, the Body of Christ is presented here in its local setting and is thus but a microcosm of the whole. It is seen as the vessel of the Spirit in view of ministry, hence, His sovereignty is asserted. vv. 8-11.

We have already seen in Ephesians 2, the saints as the family of God and His dwelling place too. God being there, all His treasures are there — the precious things of heaven. This simply means, that the blessings spoken of are wrought into the hearts of His own by the Spirit. From all the blessings enumerated there, the Spirit selects one, namely, the Body, and in a long parenthesis occupying the whole of Ephesians 3, opens it out as the secret, or Mystery, which had been hid in God through the ages. Remark that the Body is not exactly the Mystery here, nor is it the Lord Himself; it is Christ and the saints as one organic entity. In this chapter, Paul speaks of the administration which had been given to him, towards the saints. By revelation the Mystery had been made known to him, which in other generations had not been made known to the sons of men. It was that the nations should be joint-heirs, and a joint-body, and joint-partakers of His promises in Christ Jesus, by the Gospel, of which he had become minister. Note here that the Gospel, namely, that by which we have made the transfer from Adam to Christ as taught in Rom. 8, is the way in to this wonderful blessing, spoken of here as the Mystery and explained to be Jew and Gentile one body in Christ. To Paul was committed both the ministry of the Gospel and the ministry of the Mystery. Col. 1: 23-26. The Gospel contains the unsearchable riches of the Christ. Eph. 3: 8. The Mystery, that in which God has set forth His manifold wisdom, before the heavenly intelligences, is the Church, the Body of Christ. This we are told was the motive for creation. v. 9-10. The Mystery was hidden throughout the ages in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, in order that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God. That is, the variegated or many coloured wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages, which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. This truth the Apostle tells us, completes the word of God. Col. 1: 25. Not only that part of truth which must come out before the inspired volume could be closed, but that sector in the great circle of revealed truth which gives completeness to the whole. Creation; Government; Providence; History; Prophecy; Typology; things moral and spiritual; all were known, but like the keystone to an arch, the Mystery being made known gave completion, symmetry, beauty and order to all. It will be said that in the life and death of our Lord, God was fully revealed. True, but He said to His own, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16: 12. The Spirit's coming not only gave them capacity to understand but also expanded the truth to the unfolding of the whole counsel of God.

But the Assembly, in virtue of being the Body of Christ, is also His Bride. This takes our thoughts back to the beginning and shows the link between the beginning and the end of Revelation. Adam was alone and it was not good, so the LORD God made for him a help meet. But before she could be presented to him, she must be taken out of him. For that the deep sleep — which so aptly prefigures the death of Christ — was a necessity. In taking up the inheritance which God gave him, she was associated with him in his dominion. This leads to the institution of marriage which gives the true thought of union. Two persons are united together in holy wedlock, but in the body it is no question of being united. Each member is part of the one Body and in proper healthy conditions, all work together in perfect unity. Speaking of this in Eph. 5, the Apostle says this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.

The administration of the Mystery works out in various ways. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians it is viewed as the vessel of the Spirit locally: He distributing gift, according to His sovereign will, for the manifestation of Himself in the Church as come together, before they had the New Testament. In the Epistle to the Colossians, it is the Body universally as composed of all saints in the baptism of the Spirit at any time on earth. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, it is the whole vast Assembly as composed of all the saints from Pentecost till the coming of the Lord. In Corinthians, the truth was given as a correction of clericalism on the one side or radicalism on the other. In the wisdom of God He permitted this disorder and so has furnished us with this corrective instruction for all time. In Colossians, this truth was given to counteract the dreams of the Gnostics, a class which rose up early in opposition to the truth. In Ephesians, apart from anything which called for correction, we have a treatise on the eternal counsel of God. In Colossians, the Head and the Body form one entity but in Ephesians, as we have seen, we pass from the thought of the Body to that of the Bride, that is, two entities.

Now we see the place the Holy Spirit had in all this. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians He is mentioned twenty-four times, and ten of them are in 1 Cor. 12. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Spirit is mentioned thirteen times. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Spirit is mentioned only once. This will readily be understood if we reflect that the divine side of our Lord's Person is in view in Colossians. In Ephesians, it is the risen glorified Man that is in view but in Colossians it is God the Son, the Creator. While the Spirit gives the Subject, and the inspired account, He wisely and Divinely stands aside that we may be led into the knowledge of the greatness and glory of Christ. For much the same reason the Spirit is not mentioned in the Book of Leviticus.

As the Bride of Christ, the Assembly is now being prepared for the marriage. Christ gave Himself for it. He will yet present it to Himself not having spot or wrinkle. Not a mark either of defilement or old age but holy and without blemish. This is the same word as in Eph. 1: 4. The actual presentation is shown us in Rev. 19: 7-9. Here we have the marriage of the Lamb. After this, John is called to view the Bride the Lamb's wife. Rev. 21: 9. Here, the figure is changed and he beholds a city descending from God out of heaven, having the glory of God. We have here the climax of the work of the Spirit in that vast throng; a company in which each Person of the Godhead will take a peculiar delight, because this company stands in relation to the Son. In thus company, He who was the Man of sorrows but is now the Man of joy, will see of the travail of His soul, and will be satisfied. The last view we get of the Bride, is when she comes down from God out of heaven, a thousand years later. Rev. 21: 2. Here the figure is changed again and when called to see the holy city, John sees her prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Previously, she had come out for display and administration which goes on throughout the Millennial age, but here she is all for Himself. "Thine eye in that bright glorious day, shall with supreme delight, Thy fair and glorious Bride survey, unblemished in Thy sight." Display having been ended, the new Adam and the new Eve go on into an eternity of bliss. Rev. 21: 1-5. Meanwhile the Spirit is forming in devoted hearts bridal affections for Christ, which cause them to join with Him in saying, "Come, Lord Jesus." "And the Spirit and the Bride say Come." Rev. 22: 17.

We now turn to the special and peculiar work of the Spirit as we are promised in John 16. "He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." v. 14. His glory — that is, the glory of the Son — is great in God's salvation. Ps. 21. It is the work of the Spirit to show us that glory. But here in John 16: 15, we are led in beyond that to His glory within the sacred circle of the Holy Trinity.

In seeking an answer to the question, What are the "things that are mine?" we must distinguish between Godhead and Manhood in the Person of our Lord, and view Him abstractly on the divine side as co-equal with the Father and co-possesser of all things. In His official capacity as Administrator, all things are given by the Father into His hands and all things are put under His feet. In order, that this may be carried out, all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. But here we distinguish between the glory of His Person and the offices He fills; the difference between delegated authority and proprietorship, and this leads to the wealth of God. Oh, the depth of wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God! The material universe being the product of His power, is a witness of His wealth, wisdom and knowledge. Look then a moment at these things.

THE WEALTH OF GOD.

The heavenly bodies in their numbers, distances, and rapidity of movement; the sea and all that swim therein and the ships that float on its surface; the land with all its rivers, lakes, mountains and hills. Then there is man, with all his monumental works of ingenuity, device and splendour; all are His. A remarkable text comes before us here. "Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3: 22, 23. We are His both in body and in soul. "All souls are mine." Ezek. 18: 4. "Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6: 20. "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Ps. 50: 10. As to material wealth, according to man's estimate, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts." Hag. 2: 8. In the light of this, where is the millionaire today or the man who pulls down his barns to build greater saying, "There will I bestow my goods?" Can we wonder when the true provider says to him "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." And what of the man clothed in fine linen and purple, who fared sumptuously every day, while the afflicted beggar lay at his gate seeking the crumbs. The love of money is the root of all evil and it has filled the earth with wars, famines and many other evils which have turned the fair creation of God into an inferno of diabolical intrigue, despite the graciousness and beneficent goodness of God, the author and provider of all.

But if greed and selfishness mark us in nature with material things, it is not so with the things of the Spirit. The moment a person gets converted he becomes anxious for others to share with him in the good things. These things are heavenly, spiritual and eternal as elements of the life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; reciprocated between them long before creation; native to Deity; inherent in the divine nature and subsisting in incorruptible and unfading beauty. But while love and glory ever flowed evenly there, we can understand that the Incarnation would give as it were, renewed impetus to that love. For instance, there was no call for the Father's voice to be heard in pre-incarnate days saying, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." The love, joy and peace that ever was there, continued in undisturbed delight both causeless and innate but now, when the Son has stooped to Manhood, there is a fresh cause, a new motive, and a ground for comparison. The Son is the channel through which all that is native to Godhead flows to man. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." Then, He is the object of His Father's love in His path of obedience. This love, He shares with His disciples. There is now a company on earth sharing the Father's love through Him Who was its ineffable Object in His own rights but came near to men to make it available for them. Although this was divinely perfect and of surpassing beauty, it had an end in view. The end in view being the Cross there is thus yet a fresh impetus given to the Father's love. "Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life." Loved as the darling of the Father's heart in eternity; loved as the devoted and dependent Man on earth; loved more deeply still at the Cross — He brings His own in to share with Him the inner intimacies of that same love. This is a deep that knows no sounding; an ocean without a shore. It fills and satisfies the heart while ever leading us on to new wonders and fresh glories. Our God is a giving God. He gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not. Jehovah of hosts said to Israel, "Prove me now herewith, if I open not to you the windows of heaven and pour you out such a blessing that ye will not be able to contain it." Mal. 3: 10. This is superabundance of blessing. "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you," said the Son, and, the Holy Spirit distributes to every man severally as He will. "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Such thoughts are suggested by the words, "He shall take of the things that are mine, and show them unto you." It is not merely a question of ink and paper, but the soul being led through the various departments of Godhead wealth, into the innermost knowledge of all that God is and has, that good, better, and best, may be valued by us in the power of the Spirit of God. This produces a holy discrimination which fills the soul with delight; calling each one to see the tinsel of this passing show of vanity in the world, and leading us to the deepest praise, worship and adoration. It is here the Giver begins to get. What He gets, yea, what He seeks, is the overflow, and surely we can say, "Of thine own have we given thee."

THE DEPTH OF GOD'S WISDOM.

When the first Epistle to the Corinthians was written, the world had reached a very advanced state of wisdom. But it was the wisdom of men who were ignorant of the wisdom of God, and in their blindness, crucified the Lord of Glory. There were many schools of philosophy, not only among the Jews but also in Greece and Rome. In this state of ferment, this new company — the Assembly — had its beginning, and like a mighty wave swept aside decadent Judaism, Roman imperialism, and Grecian philosophy. As these powers began to wane in apostolic days, a new school arose which spread over the whole ground of the testimony from Syria to Gaul. This was a class that sought to mix certain parts of Christianity with the reasonings of the schools of Greece, Rome and Judaism as well. Their knowledge of divine revelation was speculative and they were known as Gnostics, or in other words — the people who know. To such people, the preaching of the cross was foolishness. But the foolishness of God is wiser than men. Bring in faith and philosophy must go. Put the prefix con before science and you get conscience, which takes us from intellectual to moral ground; from speculative dreaming, to stand before divine holiness as naked sinners. What then?" Then said I, 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. So the apostle writes by the Spirit, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Cor. 2: 7, 8. Moses was schooled in all the wisdom of Egypt but when he had become great he refused its rank, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasures of sin. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Heb. 11: 24-26. Yet, before he could begin the work of his life, he must spend forty years in the backside of the desert, educated by God Himself. Joseph is also a fine example of this. He was destined to teach the statesmen of Egypt how to rule and, in preparation for this, he had to be sold for a bondman. "They afflicted his feet with fetters; his soul came into irons." Ps. 105: 18. New Trans. Daniel and his companions refused Babylon's food and were ten times better than all the scribes and magicians in learning and skill, so that in matters of knowledge and wisdom, the king found them better than all others who were in his land. In this way, wisdom is justified of all her children. "Thus saith Jehovah: let not the wise glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might; let not the rich glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah, who exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah." Jer. 9: 23, 24.

But with our God, His wisdom is controlled by His love in everything. That order is seen in the symmetry, order and beauty of the creation. Everything created reflects Him, so that the whole earth is filled with His glory; The apple tree produces apples and not oranges; wheat produces wheat and not barley. So it is in the moral sphere. If good for good may be seen on earth, evil for good is of the pit, but good for evil is of God, and from heaven. How exquisitely blended is all this. His wisdom ever waketh; He not only plans and works for our good, but He actually takes account of and uses the creature's worst act for that creature's blessing. Many examples of this might be given, but one will suffice. The crucifixion of His Son was man's worst act but God used it to bring in for man His very best. By it, God in righteousness and holy love comes out in forgiveness and richest blessing to the culprit. We see a beautiful picture of this in Genesis 37, where, the sons of Israel, in treachery to their brother, put him in the very place where he would be their greatest benefactor. What more can we say? By His wisdom, our Lord — who is God over all — met, and silenced all opposition, condemning the leaders of the people from their own lips. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things that thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand: and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her." Prov. 3: 13-18. Wisdom hath builded her house and she invites all to her feast. Prov. 9: 1. But there are conditions. "With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavoury." 2 Sam. 22: 26, 27. To be initiated into wisdom's secrets (Job. 11), and endowed with her treasures we must be trustworthy. "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you," Matt. 7: 6. Wisdom longs to divulge her secrets and share her treasures with us, but can we be trusted to appreciate and value them? "I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures." Prov. 8: 20, 21. "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." Rom. 11: 33.

THE DEPTH OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

Like His wealth and wisdom, this is infinite. He both knows and fore-knows; He is both Prescient and Omniscient. His knowledge is linked with His Omnipresence as related to the dimensions of space — above; beneath; around; and with the three variants of time — past; present; and future. This also links with His Omnipotence, for to know what will take place at a future time necessitates that all is under His control. He telleth the number of the stars and numbers the hairs of our heads. "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge shall he not know?" Ps. 94: 9, 10. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." Rom. 8: 29. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. 4: 13. But see how it works out in God incarnate — the Man of the Gospels. He saw Nathanael under the fig tree, John 1: 48. "Lord thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee," John 21: 17. He knew the movements of heaven, earth and hell. Luke 10: 18; Luke 16: 23-31. His eye was upon the fish in the sea and He sent one to Peter with the money in its mouth to meet the pressing need, Matt. 17: 27. "For the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts." 1 Chr. 28: 9. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, etc." Matt. 15: 19. He foreknows and foretells. He told them that Jerusalem would fall to the Romans in desolation, distress and wrath. Luke 21: 20-24. This came to pass forty years after the Cross. Many other things did He foretell which are about to be fulfilled. Here again is a depth that knows no sounding.

It raises this question, How far do we know God? We are to grow by the true knowledge of God. What solemnly concerns us, is not abstract truth, nor a range of speculative dogma, but the thoughts of God. He shows Himself to us, not only that we may know, but, what is more than this, that we may do, and above all that we may be. No part of truth has quite accomplished God's end when we have understood it only. Every divine impression is meant to form us like Himself that we may live in conscious conformity to His will. He has given us of His Spirit that we might know; that everything that could cause unrest might be removed; that every moral question might be settled; and that we might be in holy intimacy with Himself. This links the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God with His love; and as responsive to that love, we are made conscious that every blessed feature of His character and attributes comes under the sway of that love which is the nature of God; and like the thimble in the ocean, we dwell in God because we dwell in love.

In this way, we have much more than the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God. We might go on indeed to speak of the depth of His justice, holiness, goodness and truth, and we see them all focused for expression, in the ministry of our Lord. Enough has been said surely to challenge our hearts, as to how far we have been led, under the control of the Holy Spirit, to gaze into the invisible, yea, into the depths of God. "All, all within, beneath, around, above, speak but of Thee and tell me what I am, the happiest of the happy, O Thou peerless One!" Pause a moment here. It is said that if the sun were a hollow body, the earth could traverse its circuit within its depth, with an immensity of space between itself and the inner surface of the great luminary. But all illustrations fail here, since all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.

One more scriptural illustration may be cited because of its significance, for beauty and adornment in the physical scenery and its rich and manifold instruction in the moral sphere. The heavens have been garnished in all their deep grandeur of gorgeous adornment by His Spirit. The same blessed Person who stamps the beauty of the Lord our God upon His saints. Job. 26: 13; Ps. 90: 17; Ps. 149: 4. The rainbow — which is mentioned four times in scripture — is part of this garnishing. It forms a link between the material and the moral and in this way, it is an evidence of divine glory. Its appearance is a welcome announcement that the storm is past and creation may again bask in the clear sunshine. So we sing of Calvary — "The storm that bowed Thy blessed head, is hushed forever now." Four times then is the rainbow mentioned in scripture and it proclaims the DEPTH of the faithfulness of God. "And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth, and it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." Gen. 9: 11-15.

In its unity and variety of colour? the Rainbow adumbrates the manifold wisdom of God. The word translated manifold is many-coloured or variegated. Thus we have in the various tints, seen in combination, that which sets forth the glory of God and the wisdom of God. Seven is the perfect number and all seven colours are combined in the rainbow. They are, Crimson; Amber; Gold; Emerald; Blue; Purple; and Violet. This is the perfection of beauty. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined." Ps. 50: 2, The word translated here as " beauty " is sometimes translated "glory." Thus for the words translated, "Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness," we have "Worship Jehovah in holy splendour." Ps. 29: 2. New Tran. Science has told us that the seven colours can be reduced to three, thus constituting a perfect picture of the glorious Trinity from Whom everything emanates. The various glories suggested by these colours, were manifested by the Son in Incarnation and now, by the Spirit, are to be made known, through the Assembly, to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. This leads to the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. As before said, three Godward; three manward; and three personal. Surely these are graces to decorate ourselves with; garments of undecaying beauty to be dressed in; things indeed against which there is no law. See Note E. The Rainbow.

Now all this is seen in fuller relief in the Epistle of James 3: 13-18. "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." This is the wisdom that knows not God and crucified the Lord of glory. " or where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Here then we have the answer to the colours of the Rainbow as set forth in the moral realm. As the combination of colours in the Rainbow bespeaks the beauty and adorning of the material creation in the hands of the Holy Spirit, so we have here in detail the varied tints of moral colouring, in the moral realm which, by the operations of that same Spirit, reflect the wisdom of God as revealed in grace, glory and eternal counsel by, or through the Assembly, to the unseen ranges of heavenly intelligences above.

"Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? On the top of high places by the way, at the cross-paths she taketh her stand. Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud. Unto you, men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man: O ye simple, understand prudence; and ye foolish, understand sense. Hear, for I will speak excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my palate shall meditate truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing tortuous or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold: for wisdom is better than rubies, and all things that may be desired are not equal to it." Prov. 8: 1-11. New Trans.

Someone will say, All this is beautiful, but where can it be seen? It is admitted that failure abounds on every hand, but nevertheless, there are those who in simplicity and obscurity respond to God in sweet appreciation of what He has done for them and in them, and what He is to them in Christ by the Spirit. To deny this is to ignore the Spirit's work so blessedly in evidence today in many. It also ignores the truth that, whatever the failure, at any moment in the history of the testimony, God secures an answer to all that He has given, by the Spirit. For this, obedience is called for. "To obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Sam. 15: 22. Neither is there any vacillating or uncertainty. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." John 7: 17.

Obedience leads to delight, and as taught by the Spirit there is enrichment. This has often transported simple, unlettered men beyond the greatest thinkers of the day who have refused the teaching of the Spirit. Moreover, growth in the knowledge of scripture leads to advance in the knowledge of God and this is growth which widens the outlook on life. Since the books of nature and revelation are from the same blessed Source, the individual, however simple and unlearned, acquires a working knowledge of things, and an outlook on life, which leaves far behind leaders of thought who limit themselves to the passing things of the day. He that created the universe and combines the whole sphere of nature, upholds and rules public opinion as well, but He has also inspired and given us a written revelation of Himself. This is the circle of truth of which, as the Spirit of truth, He is the guardian, and into which He delights to lead us. O depth of God's riches and wisdom and knowledge!

And now a word as promised on the subject of the blessing of sons. By associating us with Himself before the Father in His own calling, life, and acceptance, the Son, as firstborn among many brethren, has brought us into the highest of all blessings. He has connected this, the House and family character, as so blessedly put before us in the Epistle to the Ephesians, with the House of God, where all its spiritual wealth is brought before us. With this in mind, we pass from the treasures of John 16, "The things that are mine," into the sacred enclosure of John 17, and with holy and sacred feelings, listen to the words which flow from our adorable Lord, concerning the most sacred of all the treasures of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here the Son, standing in time, gazes back into a past eternity and forward into a coming eternity of bliss, crystalising all in one eternal NOW, (vv. 5, 24). On the verge of that dark hour which must forever stand alone in the history of this world, He speaks (surveying all that He has accomplished and as anticipating death and resurrection v. 4) of what He has given them vv. 8; 14; 22; of what He is going to do for them vv. 2; 19; of what He desires for them v. 17; and above all, of that oneness of life and nature which was theirs v. 23, which was seen for a time in practical expression in Acts 2-4. If this outward unity has broken down — He would in His love bring them right home and in such a way, that the world that had hated them on His account would yet see them in the same glory with Himself, and loved with the same love wherewith He was loved by the Father. All this is surpassed by the desire that what, as creatures, we can never share, we might behold — His own eternal glory in co-equality with the Father and the Spirit in all that constitutes Deity in its holy relationships, and all brought into manifestation in Him, a Man. The meetness, preciousness and mutuality of it floods the soul with speechless delight as, by the Spirit, we sit before Him. Note the connection with the THINGS that are mine in John 14 with what is here in John 17. "I do not demand concerning the world, but concerning those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine (and all that is mine is thine, and (all) that is thine mine,) and I am glorified in them." vv. 9. 10. The mutuality of possession supplies the double motive for all being kept while in the world. Though His, they belong also to the Father and both His and the Father's glory are concerned in their being kept. No petition of His can be denied and so they shall be kept by the guardianship of the Holy Spirit — that blessed one who supplies us with the grand doxology of Jude 24, 25. "But to Him that is able to keep you without stumbling, and to set (you) with exultation blameless before His glory, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, (be) glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen." New Trans.

The holy domain of the Spirit is thus opened up before the heart, where all things are of God and where Christ is everything and in all. This is the Spirit's realm, these the Spirit's things, and all made known by Spirit chosen words. "But we have received . . . the Spirit which is of God; that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God: which things we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means." 1 Cor. 2: 12, 13. In this way the youngest and the most simple are led on and are at home with the oldest and the most deeply taught; all finding themselves at home in that which is heavenly and eternal, apart altogether from that which is earthly and natural, as belonging to a new creation in Christ Jesus. With this, the highest and the richest of all blessing in view, the great Apostle can only pray. "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father (of our Lord Jesus Christ) of whom every family in (the) heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what (is) the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge: that ye may be filled (even) to all the fulness of God." Eph. 3: 14-19. New Trans.

A word of caution is called for. The corruption of the best is the worst corruption of all. In Christianity we have God's very best. The fatted calf; the best robe; the Holiest of all. These, in figurative speech show this. But the simple literary statements of Holy Scripture, concerning the Father and the Son, and the counsels of God concerning the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son, and the coming of the Spirit — all show the depth and fulness of divine revelation and the wealth of blessing for man today. The House of God — the domain of the Spirit — and a new creation in Christ Jesus entered into by faith are clearly the marks of the Spirit's day. All this is beyond human nature, and the moment we touch the super-natural there is danger. Foreseeing this, the Lord has given us a written revelation in His word of Himself and of His doings. Thus the believer is protected from every hostile element by the word of God, the gift of the Spirit, and divinely bequeathed faith. By these the believer can be preserved from many rocks and shoals which have been the cause of many sad and melancholy wrecks. Unhappily with some, natural temperament has been allowed to play a part, but happy are they who, through communion with the Lord, have recourse to a self-knowledge which distrusts self and all human ability. Critical minds would level all down to man's thoughts, exclude the Spirit and dishonour God and thus the blessing is lost. This is the leaven that has been at work till the outer systems have become an inflated mass. Then again, there is the sensational or sentimental temperament, which is a danger in the other extreme. It is by these things that Mysticism, Pantheism and many other wild and fantastic theories have deluded their victims and many well-meaning souls have been deceived. Both classes may be seen in the Sadducees and the Pharisees or Rationalists and Ritualists. The former is the modernist of today, and the latter is seen in the resurrection by Satanic power of the ancient pagan mysteries, seen today in such things as Millenial Dawn; Christian Science; Spiritism, etc.

Well indeed it is for those who know the blessedness of being in Christ, a new creation, and enjoying the wealth, wisdom and knowledge of God by dwelling in Him. "And we have known and have believed the love which God has to us. God is love, and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him." 1 John 4: 16. New Trans. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit (be) with you all."

Amen.

J. McBroom.

Note A.

The babes or young converts of 1 John 2: 13, 18-27, are an example of instinct by the Holy Spirit. They have an unction from the Holy One and know all things. In this way they are fitted to meet the apostasy whether of Judaism or Christianity. The intuition of the Spirit is seen in Mary when she broke her box of ointment and anointed her Lord for His burial. The inspiration of the Spirit is seen in the recording of Holy Scriptures; in the addresses of the Apostles to their persecutors; and in their words of salvation to the multitudes. Revelation must be distinguished from inspiration though both are by the Holy Spirit. In the former we have what is positive and from God; in the latter the Spirit's record of history which includes both good and evil in recording the words and works of nature and the doings of evil men. Illumination is a beautiful word, describing how the Spirit enlightens our souls by His communications, so that the believer in His hands, becomes a reflex of Christ here among men. Luke 11: 35, 36, Phil. 2: 15, 1 John 2: 6.

Nature in its different departments of order and beauty is the work of the Holy Spirit. The seasons come and go; suitable food is provided for all; time for labour and for rest; strength and energy expended — rest and recuperation in return, but all in view of the moral realm, God, Christ and new creation and eternity. His control of the moral and physical realms in combination, is a theme for reflection and profound thanksgiving. In our natural conditions it is said, "In Him we live and move and have our being." He controls the heart, the circulation of the blood, the lungs to breathe and the brain to think. Here we pass from the physical to the mental and moral. Thought, with its flights in a fraction of a second to the ends of the earth and even to heaven or to hell, is a mysterious continuance. The Spirit is the power of our thoughts but we are responsible for reactions. Here we must distinguish carefully, for He who searches the depth of God, penetrates in us to the dividing of the soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. He is the power of speech but we must guard the tongue. One man may rob or kill another and he is indebted to the Holy Spirit for strength to do it but the deed is from a motive, springing from an evil source, which calls into action the pangs of a guilty conscience.

Note B.

The Kingdom.

The kingdom of God and of Heaven is a sphere on earth where the rule of God is maintained. It is not heaven nor in heaven as some have thought. Since it had to be set up here by the Spirit, it must be different from the rule of the heavens spoken of by the prophet, Daniel 4: 26, which is true from the beginning of time. Romans 14: 17 explains it. Negatively — it is not meat and drink, i.e., not concerned with temporal things. Positively — it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a sphere of good and blessing where grace reigns through righteousness in contrast with the world where sin reigns. Three things mark it. The Lordship of Christ; the will of God which is salvation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity is at work on behalf of guilty man. The saints are subjects of divine grace and fitted to stand as good soldiers of Jesus Christ in the conflict which rages with the fallen hosts who have their head-quarters in the heavenlies. They are also consistent with the testimony of God's grace which is the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God. In fidelity to their Lord, the rejected King, they stand for His inheritance during His absence and are provided with the whole armour of God, in a power that is not carnal but mighty through God. It is true that this kingdom is spoken of as a lodging place for mere christian profession, and by the working of man's mind, to the exclusion of the Spirit, it has become an inflated mass. Luke 13: 18-21. But it must be remembered that, though people get much of the light and beneficence of heaven in this land by a nominal profession of christianity, the real entrance into the kingdom of God is by being born again. John 3: 5. "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18: 3. It began at Pentecost and goes on till all things are brought into subjection to God by the Man of His purpose; all enemies put down and even death itself destroyed. 1 Cor. 15: 2-28. The kingdom is confined to the Assembly during the reign of grace but when that company is summoned to be at home with the Lord, the testimony will pass into other hands by the resumption of divine dealings with Israel the covenant people. Judgments of various kinds both providential and governmental shall then be executed, in view of the kingdom being established on the earth in full regal display. Matt. 13: 30, 41, 48. Matt. 25: 31-46. The kingdom today is a bulwark for the House of God and all the treasures that are there — the precious things of heaven. As the warriors in Israel stood for the protection of the Tabernacle, the Priests, the Levites and the wives and children, so the church militant stands in the conflict for the maintenance of all that is of God. The place of the Holy Spirit in all this can be gathered from the place where the conflict is described and the way He is mentioned there twice. "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Eph. 6: 17-19.

Note C.

The House of God.

It is important to see that the House of God is presented in a twofold way. First, as God's own workmanship by which He prepares a dwelling place for Himself by the Spirit. Eph. 2: 10, 22, This is seen in such scriptures as Matt. 16: 18. 1 Peter 2: 5. "This is my rest, here will I dwell, for I have desired it." Ps. 132: 14. Secondly, it is seen here in relation to man's responsibility and his workmanship where failure has come in. 1 Cor. 3: 9-17. This, like the wheat and tares of the kingdom, shows the way man has intruded into the holy things of God, ignoring the Spirit with the result that all is lowered and debased. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. 1 Cor. 3: 17. Judgment must begin at the House of God. 1 Peter 4: 17. We are dealing however with the dwelling place of God as composed of all within the baptism of the Spirit, built of living stone, and instinct with life — the life of the family of God. It is protected by the kingdom as a bulwark and within its compartments or chambers are installed the precious things of heaven. We have looked at these heavenly treasures in Eph. 2, 3, as wrought into the souls of the saints by the Spirit, for the pleasure of God. The beauty and felicity of typical language greatly helps us here, for the Palace is not for man but for the LORD God. Note the men who had charge of the treasure and what the treasures are as combining together to express the assemblage of glories that combine and shine in the Person of Christ. There were chief men among the brethren. One was a wise counsellor, others were princes of the sanctuary and others again, princes of God. 1 Chr. 24: 5; 1 Chr. 26: 14. New Tran. Such men would be entrusted with the manifold mysteries of God. cf. 1 Cor. 4: 1. They had charge of the chambers or storehouses and all the treasures of the House of God. These consisted of the vessels of service; the fine flour; the wine; the oil; the frankincense with the spices. Then above all this there were the dedicated things 1 Chr. 27: 27-30; 1 Chr. 26: 24-28. These dedicated things were the evidences of past victories, the spoils won in battle and set apart for God and the glory of His dwelling place. But if the pattern of heavenly things was set up in a panorama of splendour and glory, what shall be said of the things themselves that are set up in a glory that excels? The new order of things we are brought into today is heavenly and eternal. It is a faith system, and no one can read the Epistles of the New Testament intelligently without coming into contact with the princes of God to whom were entrusted the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. Nor can one fail to see as taught of God, that these things bespeak the features of the Man, Christ Jesus, in a scene of undecaying and incorruptible splendour, permeated by the Spirit of God and where Christ is ALL and in ALL. And, by the Holy Spirit, these features are inwrought in the saints today.

Note D.

The Body of Christ.

The truth of the Body of Christ leads into the innermost treasures of the House and heart of God. Unlike the Kingdom and the House, it does not admit on the part of man either responsibility or break-down. Both the Kingdom and the House form part of the time ways of God and will go on in this world after the Church is taken to her home in heaven, but the mystery hid in God throughout the ages — fruit of God's eternal purpose — the Church, the Body of Christ, is unique and stands alone. It is of Himself in such a way as to be substantially and organically, Christ. "So also is the Christ." 1 Cor. 12: 12. New Tran. The Church as the Bride of Christ is a further thought and nothing inferior to Him can be united to Him. How then is this grand conception of our God brought into effect? and how can those who were far from God and living in sin be brought near, so near as to be part of Christ Himself ? The answer is, that as Eve was taken out of Adam when he was in a deep sleep, so the Church is taken out of Christ in death by the Holy Spirit, who undertakes the subjective work of God. As we have seen, this blessed Person formed the body prepared for the Son in which He glorified God in Redemption. The same blessed Spirit also forms His Body the Church. This is done by forming in the believer a new moral being which, in the language of Scripture is "Christ formed in you." Gal. 4: 19; Gal. 1: 15, 16; Gal. 2: 20. From this is developed the truth that the Church is the Bride of Christ. It is not as members of His Body that we, His saints are united to Him. As such we are in Him, part of Himself. It was as taken out of Adam that Eve was united to him. So, to be united to Christ supposes the nuptial bond which unites the Bride to the Bridegroom as the fulness or complement of Him who fills all in all. Hence it is that when we come to Ephesians 5, where marriage is spoken of, the Spirit passes from what the Church is as His Body, to what she is as His bride — the object of His heart.

Note E.

The Rainbow.

It is interesting and instructive to note the connection of the Rainbow with the rain drops, as seen in the waterworks of nature. It illustrates the various glories of Christ as reflected by His saints on earth. Jehovah said to His servant Job, "Hath the rain a father?" as if to show that the mighty God fathers even a drop of rain. Millions of tons of water rise from the oceans each day by evaporation and are held in vapours in the clouds, till nature's ruler has need for them to water His garden. These clouds carry it as vapour, till it is transformed to liquid again, to be poured out on the earth as from God's bottles in view of combining with the sunshine to bring forth bread for the sower. The result is that countless myriads of drops of water are held in the clouds in such a way that when the sun shines forth, they become reflectors of His substance. It is not that one drop sparkles with one colour of the sun and other drops with other colours but that each drop becomes a microscopic picture of the whole so that all the colours of the great governing centre are reflected, that we who cannot look into the sun with the naked eye, may behold his beauty on the principle of reflection. Here then we have the beauty of moral design. As the saints share in the light of the Son of God holding the Head, His life circulates through their souls in such a way as to constitute them reflectors of His glory, so that the aggregate becomes like a beautiful Rainbow expression of the Heavenly One. See how this is put before us by the Spirit, in Colossians 3, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." vv, 12, 13. The source of these seven graces is Christ and if we put them on, they are bound to make their presence seen and felt, so that like the rain drops reflecting the sun's colours, we are reflectors of Him. But such things might be more or less imitated by an amiable disposition, so it is added. "To all these (add) LOVE which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of Christ preside in your hearts, to which also you have been called in one body, and be thankful." Col. 3: 14, 15. New Trans. In this way the saints are brought into the Kingdom of the Son of God's Love, and decorated by the Spirit with inwrought tapestry of skilful work as forming the House of God; the beauties and graces of Christ so wrought in them by the Spirit, that they reflect Him here. Thus they are the actual possessors of the precious things of heaven.

May the Lord Himself graciously help us to value them rightly, for His Name's Sake.