Ques.:Who were the Pharisees?

Ans.:The two most powerful sects in Judea were the Pharisees and the Sadducees:the former
being more numerous and influential, while the latter were more intellectual and wealthy. The
Pharisees labored with unbounded zeal_ worthy of a better cause_to extend their influence and
increase their numbers (Matt. 23:15), and to a very large extent they succeeded, being regarded
by the great body of the people with peculiar veneration and respect, and being by far the most
numerous ecclesiastical party in the country. The Maccabees, in their bold struggle to regain their
country’s freedom, received powerful support from two classes of their countrymen, the
CHASIDIM or pious, and the ZADIKIM or righteous; these ultimately came to be designated
under the well-known and familiar names of Pharisees and Sadducees.

Pharisee is derived from a word signifying to separate; hence Separatists or Pharisees. These have
their counterpart in the Christian, profession as pointed out in Jude, verse 19:"These be they who
separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." The Pharisees were a highly religious class,
keen observers of the life and ways of Jesus, rigid exacters of the tithes and dues prescribed in
their cumbersome ritual, most scrupulous in their observance of the traditions of the elders to
which they attached more authority, practically, than even to the commandments of the Lord;
right, too, as to doctrine in which they bitterly opposed their opponents the Sadducees. Of this
strictest of all sects (Acts 26:5) was Paul; but if they were the most religious, they were also the
most hypocritical class of persons that ever lived.* They were ever the op-posers of the Lord in
His most holy life and ways, and when baffled by a life which exposed their hollow pretensions,
they conspired His death. The Lord gives a most withering exposure of Pharisaical life and
practice, denouncing "woe" upon "woe" on that proud, haughty, and hypocritical people (Matt.
23).

*Paul was, however, an exception surely to this remark. See Phil. 3:6 and II Tim.1:8. Ed

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Prov. 25:11).

Only a word! It was breathed in a whisper,
For the sweet story was tremblingly told,
But in the deep hidden life of the listener
It was imbedded like apples of gold.

Fain would we utter "a word fitly spoken,"
We cannot tell what it yet may unfold;
But are our lives like "pictures of silver,"
Needed to grace the bright apples of gold?

Many around us have heard of the Saviour,
Yet to His love they are lifeless and cold;
Still, as we meet them, we’d joyfully greet them
With His own life-giving apples of gold.

But let our souls be so "filled with the Spirit,"
That we shall neither be bashful nor bold;
Then with a life that is calm and consistent,
We shall be "framing" our apples of gold.

Though to some friends we can say but a little,
They will believe what their eyes can behold,
And while preserving the pictures of silver,
May we not watch for the apples of gold?

Have we just found in the mine of hid treasure,
Some precious promise that never grows old?
Priceless it is! Might not some fellow-searcher
Welcome it too, as God’s apples of gold?

Oft it may seem we have foolishly wasted
Words that we thought were too good to withhold,
Yet we may find that some mute overhearer
Seized with delight the choice apples of gold!

Lord, we would speak of Thy grace and Thy glory,
More is to tell than has ever been told;
Oh, may our lives be kept blameless and holy_
Pictures of silver for apples of gold!

Ques.:Who were the Sadducees?

Ans.:This smallest of all the Jewish sects derives its . name from its founder, Sadoc or Sedoc
(justice), who lived more than 250 years before Christ. The members of this party were chiefly
confined to the wealthy and governing classes. They possessed little or no influence amongst the
people generally, for they never courted the lower classes as did the Pharisees. Caiaphas and
others of the priestly party were of this sect, and they seemed on several occasions to have gained
the upper hand over their rivals the Pharisees, in guiding the ecclesiastical affairs of the nation
(Acts 5:17). The opposition of the Pharisees to Christ was mainly directed against His holy,
spotless life; while that of the Sadducees attacked His teaching or doctrine.

The life of the Lord was the best exposure of Pharisaical hypocrisy; while the resurrection of the
Lord was equally destructive of the Sadducean system. The Lord again and again confronts the
Pharisees; the Apostles repeatedly confront the Sadducees in the Acts. The leaven (evil) of the
Sadducees was bad doctrine, which is briefly summed up in Acts 23:8:"For the Sadducees say
that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit." The denial of these truths led to the denial
of many others.

(See Jan. 1965 Ques. and Ans. for "Who were the Pharisees?")

There are three sacrifices mentioned in the New Testament, to which faith and love would
respond, that are to be offered by God’s people, who, since the rent veil, are, all of them (young
and old), God’s priests.

1) THEMSELVES "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassion of God, to present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service" (Rom. 12:1,
J.N.D. trans.). "Do ye not know that … ye are not your own? for ye have been bought with a
price:glorify now then God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19,20, J.N.D. trans.).

2) THEIR WORSHIP "Yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5, J.N.D.
trans.). "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God,, that is, the fruit
of the lips confessing his name" (Heb. 13:15, J.N.D. trans.).

3) THEIR POSSESSIONS "But of doing good and communicating of your substance be not
forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb. 13:16, J.N.D. trans.). "But I have
all things in full supply and abound; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things sent
from you, an odor of sweet savor, an acceptable sacrifice, agreeable to God" (Phil. 4:18, J.N.D.
trans.).

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer willingly after this manner?
for all is of thee, and of that which is from thy hand have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14, J.N.D.
trans.).

How beautiful to see the grace that moves us and enables us to give to God that which is His own!

The Book of Acts is one of the transitional books of Scripture. It is a Book of changes. In it God
"rings out the old, and rings in the new." It is like March 1st among farm tenants _moving tune.

To lose sight of this fact is to miss the meaning and the message of the Book. In Acts we need to
remember the familiar warning, "Watch your step." Failing at this point, many have tripped and
fallen here. Extreme movements of various kinds have been built and propagated on hasty,
careless conclusions from Acts.

Acts 1:8 is a key to the structure and movement of the Book:_"but ye will receive power, the
Holy Spirit having come upon you, and ye shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (J.N.D. Trans.) Let us notice some of the
changes in this Book.

I. When Acts opens, our LORD JESUS CHRIST was upon the earth; when it closes He is in
heaven, and we have the promise that He will return. In chapter 1 He is showing Himself alive
after His passion,, to His apostles, but in chapter 28, though still possessing the same life, He is
the One "in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory."

The Book of Acts commences in the first advent of Christ, records the end of that advent in an
ascent, and promises His second advent by descent, until which time He is absent.

This leaves on earth a people attached to His Person, gathered to His Name, "remembering" Him
in His death, "until He come." This is the assembly, of which, as we learn in the Epistles, He is
the exalted Head.

II. At the beginning of Acts, the HOLY SPIRIT was in the glory; at its close, on the earth, in the
assembly. In the first instance "the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified" (John 7:39); in the latter, "This Jesus . . . being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye
now see and hear" (Acts 2:32,33).

The Book opens anticipating "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit after now not many days"
(ch. 1:5, J.N.D. Trans.); narrates the fulfillment of that promise by His first advent (ch. 2);
introduces the earth history of the assembly, indwelt by the Spirit; and by more than fifty
references to that Holy One, emphasizes the vital place He occupies in the life, testimony, and
conflicts of God’s people on the earth.

III. In the first chapter, we meet a question about restoring the kingdom to ISRAEL (v. 7); in the
last, ‘this salvation of God has been sent to the NATIONS" (ch. 28:28). In Acts, as in our Lord’s
earthly ministry, the order is "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

The Book opens in Jerusalem, the center of Jewish interests; and works out from that point until

it closes in Rome, the center and throne of Gentile world rulership. Accompanying this, we behold
a movement of the Spirit from the people of Israel, who persistently refused His testimony to the
risen Messiah, out to the Gentiles.

Peter’s ministry on the day of Pentecost was to Jews (ch. 2); but in the house of Cornelius (ch.
10) he reaches out to the Gentiles. This is definitely recognized at the conference in Acts 15 as
the work of God (vv. 7-18).

Paul’s ministry follows a similar course. In the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, after the Jews had
rejected their message, Paul and Barnabas said to them, "It was necessary that the Word of God
should first have been spoken to you:but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (ch. 13:46). When the Jews at Corinth,
in response to Paul’s testimony to Christ, "opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his
raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean:from henceforth
I will go unto the Gentiles" (ch. 18:6). And finally, when the Jews in Rome agreed not among
themselves after hearing his message concerning Christ, he quoted^ from Isaiah 6 as to their
blindness, and said, "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the
Gentiles, and that they will hear it" (ch. 28:28).

"And to this agree the; words of the prophets" (ch. 15:15). This transition is in harmony with the
rest of Divine revelation. It is demanded by other Scripture. It agrees with the prophets, fulfills
the prophets. This fact is not incidental, but fundamental, giving a distinctive character to the
Book.

Thus the assembly, or outcalling, begins with Jewish material, separated by divine call from the
unbelieving nation (Matt. 16:13-18; Acts 2:40-41); and is extended to include on equal footing
believing Gentiles, whom God now for the first time visits "to take out of them a people for His
Name" (Acts 15:14).

We are further assured (v. 16) that there is to be an "after this;" this age is not the end of God’s
earthly program; He has not cast off His people Israel_they are only blinded in part "until the
fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25); an outcalling does not exhaust His purpose
toward either Israel or the Gentiles.

"After this"_(1) He will return; (2) He will build again the tabernacle of David, now fallen
down; (3) He will reach out in a larger way to the nations, through the nation.

But for the present He is occupied with the assembly, as for 2000 years He had been with the
nation Israel, though for the doctrine of this, we must go especially to Paul. "The kingdom" will
"come" (Matt. 6:10); but it is not here now.

Acts shows us, not the kingdom restored to Israel, and prospering in a world-wide administration
under King Messiah; but rather an outcalling, from Jews and Gentiles, walking together in a
beautiful fellowship which, we learn in Paul’s Epistles, involves the truth of membership in the
One Body.

IV. At the beginning of Acts, THE CHURCH (Assembly, literally "outcalling") is a subject of
prophecy; but at the end it is a fact of history. Previously it had, been foretold (Matt. 16:18); here
it was founded.

At the opening of Acts 2, the assembly was not here, though the exalted Head was in His place
in Glory (Eph. 1:20-23); at the close of this chapter a new order of things existed:the Holy Spirit
was here, the assembly was formed (I Cor. 12:13), and a testimony to the risen Christ, ultimately
to encircle the earth, went forth through the assembly in the Spirit’s power.

The assembly, though composed at first of Jewish believers, was not merely a new kind of
synagogue; it was on entirely different ground. Apostolic ministry points out the way of life to a
convicted remnant in Israel (ch. 2:37-40); and apostolic teaching instructs the newly formed
company, as to its normal life (ch. 2:42), in its problems (ch. 6:2-4), and in its growth (ch. 8:14-
17).

What a beautiful picture do chapters 2, 3, and 4 present, as to the assembly’s early simplicity,
unity, energy and testimony, in the power of an ungrieved Spirit! How soon man marred this!
How sad is our present state, in contrast, despite the unchanged fulness and sufficiency of our
glorious Head and the indwelling Spirit! May God give us grace to say, with Daniel (9:5), "We
have sinned"; yea, with Nehemiah (1:6), "I . . . have sinned."

V. There is to be observed a distinct transition in the early church itself. At the beginning, all is
Jewish, through the first seven chapters. These believers, though saved through grace (ch. 15:11)
were "zealous of the law" (ch. 21:20).

Following Stephen’s martyr death, the testimony moved out to the Samaritans (ch. 8). The
harmony and unity of this work of the Spirit with that at Jerusalem was certified (8:14-17).

From this point, further extension took place:first, thru Peter (ch. 10); then through others
unnamed (ch. 11:20); and finally, through Barnabas and Paul (from ch. 13 on).

Resulting from Peter’s mission in ch. 10, "they that were of the circumcision" (ch. 11:2) admitted
(ch. 11:18), "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

When the Gospel was preached to the Greeks in Antioch (11:20), Barnabas was sent forth from
the assembly in Jerusalem, thus showing the oneness of the assemblies.

The mission of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13-14), resulted in the opening of the door of faith unto
the Gentiles (ch. 14:27), who were associated in the assembly capacity and in one common
fellowship with Jerusalem, Samaria, etc. (14:23).

When this unity was challenged (ch. 15:1), the matter was decided at Jerusalem, and believers of
the Gentiles were recognized as "the brethren" equally with those who wrote (ch. 15:23). To be
in fellowship at Antioch was to be in fellowship in Jerusalem. Enlargement maintained and
manifested the fundamental and practical unity of the people of God. (to be cont.)

One of the signs of our times is seen in the many new translations of Holy Scriptures. Hardly a
year passes without the "advances of modern scholarship" presenting to the world something that
it esteems a better translation of God’s revelation to man. It is self-evident that each and every
translator must feel that his translation is better in some way than all that have gone before it or
else he would be contributing nothing new to the reader. We propose to review one of the latest
of these works and see if there is profit for the soul and blessing from above not before realized.

Living Letters, copyrighted in 1962 by Tyndale House, Publishers, is subtitled "The Paraphrased
Epistles" by Kenneth N. Taylor. It is prefaced by the noted Billy Graham and circulated widely
with the help of his organization. It contains all of the twenty-one epistles of the New Testament.
Its advertisements show it to be highly acclaimed in so-called fundamental Christian circles. These
recommendations not only boost sales but tend to lessen the caution of the reader since it would
be thought sound and true having received such praise. Let us see if the work is deserving our
added praises.

It is not possible for sake of time and space to examine the translation of every verse. We may,
however, pick a number of verses and see how these conform to the text and truth as we have
been taught.

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual" (I Cor. 2:12,13). This last expression has been a difficulty for many readers. Mr. J. N.
Darby has rendered it "communicating spiritual [things] by spiritual [means]" which refers simply
to the conveying spiritual truths to us by divinely chosen Words as the spiritual means. Living
Letters reads, "In telling you about these gifts we have even used the very words given us by the
Holy Spirit, not words that we as men might choose. So we use the Holy Spirit’s words to explain
the Holy Spirit’s facts" (I Cor. 2:13). Although great liberties have been taken, we feel they have
grasped the intent of God’s thought here but fail to apply it to the rest of the volume.

Have they used "the Holy Spirit’s words to explain the Holy Spirit’s facts" when we read, "Give
a warm welcome to anyone who wants to join you as a member of the church, even if he scarce
believes that Christ alone can save him. Don’t criticize him for having different ideas from yours
about what is right and wrong" (Rom. 14:1)? God is not referring to church membership but
rather the personal reception in the bonds of brotherly love to believers not yet delivered from
legal ordinances as to "days" and "meats" or "foods." Can we accept as a Christian one who
"scarce believes that Christ alone can save him"? Those "weak in the faith," not seeing the liberty
connected with "the faith," we are to receive, but surely not those who we question as to their
being in the faith! This rendering would throw open the doors to all who do Christ lip service and
mix the "precious with the vile."

While on the subject of church membership, if we turn to Hebrews 6:2 in Living Letters we read,
"We don’t need further instruction about baptism and church membership. . ." What utter

confusion of "the Holy Spirit’s words" when He is referring to the Jewish "doctrine of washings,
and of imposition of hands" (J.N.D. Trans.). This latter refers to the identification of the one
laying on the hands with the sacrifice (Lev. 16:21) or person (Acts 13:3) receiving the imposition.
We challenge the paraphraser and insist that he does "need further instruction as to baptism and
church membership" and that these are not the subjects of Hebrews 6:2. When we come to that
precious verse, I Corinthians 12:13, it shows us that "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body." This baptism, not of water, but of the Holy Spirit, puts us into the one body which is the
church (Eph. 1:23). This is the only church membership known to Scripture.

Since the "laying on of hands" was referred to in Hebrews 6:2 and misconstrued for church
membership, we turned to I Timothy 5:22 where the beloved apostle cautioned Timothy, his son
in the faith, to "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins:keep
thyself pure." Here Paul gives wise and holy caution not to become identified too quickly with
other men whose life and habits, not fully known with new acquaintances, might be a source of
defilement. "Evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Cor. 15:33) and Paul was cautioning
Timothy accordingly. We then turned to the same verse in Living Letters, and were shocked to
read, "Never be in a hurry about choosing a pastor or you may overlook his sins. . . ." "The Holy
Spirit’s words" in the original Greek text cannot bear this poor paraphrasing. This is nothing less
than the twisting of His words to conform to the present day practice in Christendom of choosing
a pastor. Paul did earlier counsel Timothy in chapter three as to the qualifications of bishops (or
overseers) and deacons. These local offices for the administration of assembly matters are not to
be confused with the gifts which God calls "evangelists, pastors and teachers" in Ephesians 4:11.
These gifts given by an ascended Christ are not restricted, according to I Timothy 3, but
distributed by the Lord, as were the talents in Matthew 25:15 "to every man according to his
several ability." Gifts function in the whole body of Christ and are not restricted in their activities
to a local gathering as are bishops and deacons. Not only does Living Letters fail to set forward
this distinction but almost wholly obscures it to the point that one would think the clerical system
of humanly ordained one-man ministry of today was in accord with the mind of God. We are
persuaded that it is a Judaistic carry-over handed down from Rome.

At this point we were not surprised that I Corinthians 11:16 is perverted to read "that a woman
should wear a covering when prophesying or praying publicly in the church. . . ." (emphasis
ours). This verse and I Corinthians 11:5 are both distorted to speak of public participation of
Christian women, whereas I Corinthians 14:34 instructs them to "keep silence in the churches:for
it is not permitted unto them to speak." To disallow the women to speak while giving liberty to
publicly prophesy and pray is not using "the Holy Spirit’s facts" nor "the Holy Spirit’s words."

In Romans 5:12 we are taught that, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Living Letters reads,
"When Adam sinned the entire human race was declared guilty." This is not true. In this very
portion of Scripture God is teaching us that we each one received a fallen sinful nature through
Adam’s sin. Yet, the personal guilt and the sentence of death is passed on each because of his own
sins and not those of Adam! But Living Letters states in Romans 5:13,14, "_and not each person
dying because of his own sins. … So when they died it was not for these sins of their own." What
could be more flatly contradictory to the fundamental truth of man’s personal guilt and need!

I Corinthians 13:13 is equally perverted in the climax of that wonderful chapter showing the
supremacy of love because it abides eternally when faith and hope will be done away. They will
no longer be needed when our hope is fulfilled in His presence and faith gives way to sight. We
read, "And now abide faith, hope, love; these three things; and the greater of these (is) love"
(J.N.D. Trans). Love is greater because it alone remains throughout eternal ages; yet Living
Letters says, "There are three things_faith, hope and love_that keep on forever; but the greatest
of these is love" (emphasis ours). We are dismayed at such contradiction under the cloak of
paraphrasing.

God says of the Christian woman that, notwithstanding her having been deceived by the serpent
and thereby introducing sin through transgression in the garden of Eden, in spite of the pain in
childbearing, "she shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness
with sobriety" (I Tim. 2:15). God promises physical deliverance in travail for the pious believer.
This has nothing to do with the salvation of the soul. If it did it would be making salvation
conditional upon her behavior. Living Letters says, "So God sent pain and sorrow to women when
their children are born, but He will save their souls if they trust in Hun, living quiet, good and
loving lives." It is a sorrowful confusion to mix physical deliverance with the soul’s salvation and
make the latter to be dependent on "trust in Him" (faith) and "living . . . good . . . lives" (works).
Is it any wonder to find darkened souls believing they can be saved by having a baby? No, dear
reader, they have not given us "the Holy Spirit’s words to explain the Holy Spirit’s facts." We
weary to go further in exposing the unholy renditions, of sacred Scripture, but by stopping here
we do not mean to imply that the above are the only portions which are perverted and with which
we are not happy. We have not read a page free of serious distortion. Satan used to work against
the truth by managing to get the Scriptures lost, as in Josiah’s time (IE Chron. 34:14) or chained
to monastery walls as in Luther’s. Today we feel it is the same enemy who seeks to get the same?
precious truth of God buried under the rubbish of "better translations." We believe the "spirit of
error" (I John 4:6) is at work in such things, introducing confusion into that precious volume
where "the Spirit speaketh expressly" (I Tim. 4:1). We do not qualify our opinion in cautioning
the child of God against this and other such works which so falsely translate the inspired Word!
This is a foreboding sign of our times.

With our disapproval of Living Letters the reader may rightly ask if there is any translation more
accurate and more trustworthy than the Authorized Version. We are happy to reply that there is!
and heartily commend The New Translation of 1881 by J. N. Darby. No better translation in our
language has been brought to our attention. We realize it is not a big seller nor even known in
most Bible bookstores. Yet, it may be had through the bookseller listed on our back cover. "Buy
the truth" (Prov. 23:23).

"Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord . . . Divers
weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good" (Prov. 20:10,23).

To those who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone_who have gone "forth …
unto him without the camp" (Heb. 13:13)_how familiar is the Scripture so often quoted, "holiness
becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever" (Psa. 93:5)!

We rightly own that separation from evil there must be among those so gathered_who, though
only a tiny part of that "holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:21), would seek to carry out the
principles suited to such a place of privilege as "an habitation of God" (Eph. 2:22). "The most
High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, . . . what house will ye build
me? saith the Lord:or what is the place of my rest" (Acts 7:48,49)? Yet to this very place of
blessing and privilege has He called His people! (See I Pet. 2:5 and I Cor. 3:16).

Now, to this truth we hold tenaciously; and against all parleying with evil, we are ready to quote
the above Scripture:"holiness becometh thine house, O Lord for ever." But is the church the
temple of God any more really than is the individual saint, in whom the Spirit of God dwells (I
Cor. 6:19)? Do we quote the above verse with equal zeal as to our individual responsibilities?

We see saints who put us to shame in the consecration and yielding of their bodies to God (Rom.
12:1), yet who know absolutely nothing of church truth, or of God’s will as to worship. Will their
individual devotedness excuse them for passing over the equally plain Scriptures as to separation
from evil collectively? He that said the one said the other also (See James 2:11).

We pity them for their ignorance of truth; but, on the other hand, will the fact of our seeking
separation from evil ecclesiastically count with the Lord if we are not also seeking to "purify
ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear" (II Cor. 7:1,
J.N.D. Trans.)?

He asks, "Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights
(Micah 6:11}? Though we may thus be deceiving ourselves, "a just weight and balance are the
Lord’s (Prov. 16:11).

There are saints in confusion ecclesiastically, who nevertheless set Him apart in their hearts and
in practical ways; and there are saints separate from evil ecclesiastically, who, for example,
harbor an unforgiving spirit, or withhold from the Lord His rightful portion of their income, or
are careless as to maintaining personal holiness. At the same time, they criticize those who do not
"see separation." They themselves are deluded!

It is this sort of false balancing by which Satan is deceiving us, and which is eating away the vitals
of spiritual life among us. Was it for the disciples only, or for us also that the Lord said, "Beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees"? Satan allows others to be right individually, if he can keep them
leavened ecclesiastically. Similarly, he will let us be right ecclesiastically, if he can deceive us by

leavening our individual walk. In like manner, he will let others be most loving, if they can be
kept leavened with false doctrine as to Christ; while we may be sound in doctrine, for all Satan
cares, just so he can succeed in getting us to lose the balance as to love. Are we ignorant of his
devices?

Nothing but the balance of the truth will avail us. Throughout all Scripture there is ever a
remarkable balance. The sword of the Spirit is two-edged; i.e., it cuts this side and that side _
not two-pointed, as some would explain it, cutting the one who uses it as well as the one against
whom it is used. This is not the figure, though it is true that the one who uses it must first have
felt its power.

The Spirit’s leading in the assembly (I Cor. 12:8,11) is insisted on as all-important _ and rightly
so; but does Scripture speak of His leading in the assembly any more than it indicates that
individual believers are to be "led of the Spirit" in their daily lives? Here is another instance of
divers balances, yet we look down on saints in "the systems of men" who countenance a "one-
man-ministry,” but seek to follow the Spirit’s leading in their daily path.

Likewise, the Lordship of Christ must be owned absolutely in the assembly if there is to be
blessing; yet, as soon as ths meeting is over, how many of us speak as though we might say with
the wicked, "our lips are our own:who is lord over us" (Psa. 12:4)? Alas, how often is this true
of us all through the week! Many of us deplore this in ourselves and others, and yet, alas, forget
again! How many more seem only to play with the truth! But such trifling with the truth is only
self-deception, and Satan is at the bottom of it.

The Lord is near. Is it not high time to awake to these things, for "divers weights are an
abomination unto the Lord"? This is not true in business matters only, but in spiritual things as
well. Shall we go on wondering why the meetings are cold, and why we are not used to deliver
our brethren? We are deceiving ourselves, as in the days of the judges when idols could be
allowed individually and in a whole tribe; yet, at the same time, pious phrases employed, such as
"before the Lord is your way" (Judg. 18:6). "The children of Dan set up the graven image … all
the time that the house of God was in Shiloh" (Judg. 18:30,31), for "there was no king in Israel,"
though the Lord was King in Jeshurun.

Now, of the children of faith, it is said, "ye are the temple of the living God" (H Cor. 6:16). But
it is sure that what gives all the value to the house is the One who dwells in it. Yet we sometimes
hear more of the body than we do of the Head; we hear the church spoken of as "the mystery,"
whereas Scripture says:"This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church"
(Eph. 5:32); "this mystery . . . which is Christ in you" (Col. 1:27); "Christ is all and in all" (Col.
3:11). So preoccupied are saints with the church, that if some are asked "What is the mystery?"
they immediately answer, "The church." We might as well say that God’s institution of union
(Gen. 2:24, Eph. 5:31) was Eve! In Gen. 5:2, we read that God "called their name Adam"; "so
also is the Christ" (I Cor. 12:12).

It is most blessed and helpful to trace through the Word of God the perfect balance of truth. It has
often been said that nearly all error is based on one side of truth. Take the truth as to the Person

of the Son of God. He is God and Man. Leave out either, and fatal error is the result. So, with
the Spirit and the Word:leave out either and again you have error. Likewise, concerning that
which God has revealed as to Himself:"God is light" and "God is love." To omit either fact
would be ignorance of God and blinding error. Again, at the cross, "Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psa. 85:10).

So it is in the epistle of John. Who, reading there, can separate the truth as to Christ’s Person and
love to the brethren? They are inseparably joined and perfectly balanced, as are "grace and truth"
in the Lord Jesus Himself. As to our path, how we need the balance! It is "watch and pray." It has
been said that one of these without the other is mockery on the one hand, and presumption on the
other.

We read of all that "Jesus began both to do and to teach" (Acts 1:1). For us, the Scripture balance
is:"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine" (I Tim. 4:16).

May the Lord stir up our spirits in His mercy (even now _ as dawn is nearing) by His Spirit’s
power through the Word.

If our hearts are not close to Christ, we are apt to get weary of the way.

All is a vain show around us, but that which is inside abides, and is true, being the life of Christ;
all else goes! When the heart gets hold of this fact it becomes (as to things around) like one taken
into a house to work for the day, who performs the duties well, but passes through, instead of
living in the circumstances. To Israel the cloud came down, and they stayed; and it lifted up, and
on they went. It was all the same to them. Why? Because, had they stayed when the cloud went
on, they would not have had the Lord. One may be daily at the desk for fifty years, yet with
Christ, the desk is only the circumstance; it is the doing God’s will, making manifest the savor
of Christ, which is the simple and great thing. Whether I go or you go_I stay or you stay_may
that one word be realized in each of us:"Steadfast, unmovable". In whatever sphere as a matter
of Providence we may be found, let the divine life be manifested, Christ manifested. This abides,
all else changes, but the life remains and abides for ever, yes, for ever.
    Not a single thing in which we have served Christ shall be forgotten. Lazy, alas! we all
are in service, but all shall come out that is real, and what is real is Christ in us, and this only.
The appearance now may be very little_not much even in a religious view, but what is real will
abide.

Our hearts clinging closely to Christ, we shall sustain one another in the body of Christ, the love
of Christ shall hold the whole together, Christ being everything, and we content to be nothing,
helping one another, praying one for the other. I ask not the prayers of the saints, I reckon on
them. The Lord keep us going on in simplicity, fulfilling as the hireling our day till Christ shall
come, and then "shall every man have praise of God." Praise of God! Be that our object, and may
God knit all our hearts together thoroughly and eternally.

"I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John
6:38). Precious words are these, spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ when He was here on earth.

If any one raises the question as to who sent Him, the Word of God gives the answer. "I came out
from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world" (John 16:27,28). These
statements draw from the hearts of His disciples the reply, "Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and
speak-est no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man
should ask thee:by this we believe that thou earnest forth from God" (John 16:29,30).

Oh, how wonderful it all is_the One who came forth from the Father, who "earnest forth from
God," came to do the will of Him that sent Him! His meat was to do the will of Him that sent
Him, and to finish His work (John 4:34); and He alone could say, "I do always those things that
please him" (John 8:29).

In the garden of Gethsemane, when our Lord was in great agony of soul in anticipation of the
cross, He prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:nevertheless not my will,
but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Yes, it was the Father’s will that He go to the cross and
accomplish that work of redemption, so He could offer salvation to the repentant sinner who
believes in His Son. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son,
and believeth on him, may have everlasting life" (John 6:40).

Oh, dear saint of God, listen to His comforting words, if "This is the Father’s will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the
last day" (John 6:39). His redeemed ones who have fallen asleep before the Lord’s coming will
have raised and glorified bodies; the complete person, body, soul, and spirit, will be in the glory.
"I should lose nothing."

Now, He who ever did the will of Him that sent Him, has left "us an example, that ye should
follow his steps" (I Peter 2:21). Do we truly want to know His will that we may do it? "If any
man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17). Do we really desire to "stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12)?

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification" (I Thess. 4:3). "For so is the will of God,
that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (I Pet. 2:15). "In every
thing give thanks:for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thess. 5:18).

How may we prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God? By not being
conformed to this age, but by being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2).

The child of God is no longer to "live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to
the will of God" (I Pet. 4:2). "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is" (Eph. 5:17).

Communion with God maintains two things:the sense of the blessedness in His presence, and
separation from the world.

We feel our space too precious to drag our readers through the filth and details of the moral
upheaval of this and other nations of the so-called "free-world." We need not defile our readers
with stories of sin that others seem dedicated to publish. Yet, we are alarmed at the spread of these
things! Even the casual reader scanning the journals of Christendom cannot help but be appalled
at conditions today. College campuses, where the young from many homes are sent to acquire an
education to equip them better for the years ahead, are being converted into laboratories for
experiments in sin in this pseudo-scientific age. But, be not alarmed! At these same institutions
they are being soundly indoctrinated in the fatuous lie of evolution that out of all these deplorable
conditions man is evolving into something higher and better.

Men, wise in their own conceits, are becoming bolder by the day to throw off the "yoke of
religion" and discard and blaspheme the Scriptures of Truth. They are pulling up the anchor of
the ship of a "Bible-influenced" society and are going to be tossed about by the waves of the
unleashed human nature. We are careful to speak of this country, not as a Christian nation but
rather, as "Bible-influenced." Mild though that influence may seem, we lament to see it lessened
to the point of discard.

The Apostle Peter writes of those who "if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning" (II Peter 2:20). He is not
referring here to the disobedient Christian nor does this "knowledge" imply salvation. Rather, it
is as stated, that some have escaped the pollutions and degradations to which fallen man has
descended _ not through honest conversion, but simply through the knowledge of the "way of
righteousness" (n Peter 2:21). It is this knowledge of the way of righteousness that we see being
abandoned, as apostasy on a grand scale now pervades Christendom.

The "new morality" is but a cloak to call wickedness "morality" when the divine Standard for
marking out that "way of righteousness" is discredited and the depths of degradation are mistaken
for the higher planes to which mankind is supposedly evolving. Under the misguided influence
of this "new morality" people are in danger of falling not into love, but into sin. This confusion
between love and lust is perilous. God says that "when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). "Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil" (Isa. 5:20).

The Word of God shows instances of moral wickedness assuming greater proportions as the truth
of God is given up. Eli’s sons were involved in horrible immoralities at the very door of the
tabernacle where God dwelt with His people. Is it any wonder that the glory departed? Israel’s
history of departures from the Lord to follow the idolatries of the heathen was almost always
accompanied by moral wickedness and atrocities. The whole course of the Gentile nations is
summed up in Romans 1:"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
. . . Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, . .
. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections. . . . And even as they did not like to retain

God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Rom. 1:21-28). Thus we see
the downward plunge of man.

With the spread of Christian truth came the re-enlightenment of the reprobate mind of fallen man.
This "knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" and "the way of righteousness" as Peter
speaks, blessed though they be, do not necessarily involve salvation. However, the gospel believed
goes much further, imparting life and light as well as pardon, peace, and the crowning blessing
of the indwelling Spirit of God. But when even this is rejected, grace is despised or turned into
lasciviousness; and the heart becomes, as some have termed it, "gospel-hardened." What can there
be but a "certain fearful looking for of judgment"! This latter end is far worse!

In the New Testament we read of the true Church as a chaste virgin; espoused to Christ (II Cor.
11:2). Yet, when the professing church is viewed with its ranks swelled with unbelievers (the true
saints having been previously raptured to glory), God calls her "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS"
(Rev. 17:5). Again, immorality is the consequence and type of spiritual evil. So, we are not to be
surprised at the present course of evil, the "mystery of iniquity" already at work _ "the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience" (H Thess. 2:7; Eph. 2:2).

The gospel of God’s grace has delivered the believer from these things. "But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (II Thess. 2:13).
"And such were some of you:but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6:11). "But, beloved, we are
persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak" (Heb.
6:9).

The believer in the Lord Jesus, who trembles at His Word and accepts no other standard as the
guide for faith and practice, is bound to reject this "new morality" and "with purpose of heart .
. . cleave unto the Lord." God commands us, "Flee fornication," and adds, "Every sin that a man
doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" (I Cor.
6:18). Such is the double evil described by God. Since our bodies are the temples of the Holy
Ghost, and we are not even our own, we are further exhorted to glorify Him in our bodies, for
we are bought with the price of the precious blood of Christ.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassion of God, to present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, (which is) your intelligent service. And be not conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of (your) mind, that ye may prove what (is) the
good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1,2,).

"What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God" (II Pet. 3:11,12)!

The Greek word for "angel" is angelos which is essentially transliterated into English. That is,
English letters are merely substituted for Greek letters. It means "messenger." This word appears
some 185 times in the New Testament_ Greek text. Not half, but over 40% of these references
appear in the Book of Revelation. The English reader would miss a number of these since the
word is occasionally translated according to its meaning_messenger. This really should come as
no surprise when we realize that the created angelic beings serve largely in the capacity of
messengers, thus their name bespeaks their work. Most of the uses of the word "angel" refer
directly to the created angelic host who have not human bodies and are above men in this respect.
They are not subject unto death even though some angels have sinned (II Peter 2:4), and others
are reserved in chains presently (Jude 6). However, there are a few uses of this word "angel"
which, do not refer to these and hence merit our attention if we are to "rightly divide the Word
of truth."

In Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, and Luke 2:27, Malachi 3:1 is quoted, "Behold I send my
messenger before Thy face." This "messenger" is none other than the word for "angel" and clearly
refers here to John the Baptist. John later, in Luke 7:24, sent two of his disciples to the Lord who
also were termed "messengers" by this same "angelic" word. Luke also refers to men sent of the
Lord Jesus as "messengers" or "angels" Luke 9:52. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was Satan’s "angel"
or "messenger" to buffet him, H Cor. 12:7. These uses are few in number and clear to the reader
by consistent translation as "messenger".

There is another meaning of the word angelos closely akin to "messenger," and that is
"representative." This last is found less frequently and its meaning as "representative" is
sometimes obscured by the text. For example, when Peter appeared at the prayer meeting, no
doubt held to intercede for his release from jail, they said, "It is his angel," while not believing
it was really Peter (Acts 12:15). They did not believe it was a created angel but meant, no doubt,
Peter’s ghost or "mystical representative." In like manner the Lord Jesus in Matt. 18:10 speaks
pertaining to little children that "their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in
heaven." From this we rightly understand that little ones taken in death have a portion in heaven,
not because of personal faith in their case but because of the work of Christ, and that they are
represented before God, which the word "angel" here implies. We do not believe in the theory
of guardian angels assigned to watch over little ones, a common popular notion. We do thank God
for the service of angels toward living Christians "who shall be heirs of salvation" according to
Heb. 1:14.

These last two instances prepare us to receive the true meaning of the word angel pertaining to
the assemblies in Rev. 1, 2, and 3. John was told that the mystery of the seven stars which he saw
in the Lord’s right hand was this:“The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:and the
seven candlesticks … are the seven churches” Rev. 1:20. In Rev. 2 and 3 each letter to the
assemblies begins as addressed to the angel of the assembly.

Now some have thought the "angel" of these verses to be a created angel. But, this is to miss
widely the mind of God since nowhere in scripture do we have messages from or through human

vessels to any of the angelic host! Even in Rev. 1:1 "He (the Lord) sent and signified it by his
angel unto his servant John/’ It is through angels to man. Never the reverse. Furthermore, in all
the New Testament we are shown no literal angel having especially to do with a particular local
assembly. And as a matter of fact, the angelic host had nothing to do with these seven messages
or their contents as pertaining to the assemblies then addressed, nor did they function in carrying
these messages from John’s pen!

Who are the angels here then if not of the angelic host? We have already seen John the Baptist,
his disciples, and some sent of the Lord termed "angels" or "messengers." Might these be men
sent from these assemblies to look out for John’s welfare while exiled to Patmos, as the notes of
the Scofield Reference Bible suggest?

Let us examine this. The text does not give any suggestion of such men existing apart from the
conjectured meaning of "angels." Furthermore, does it seem that seven men, even if they did seek
out the beloved apostle, would be pictured as seven stars in the right hand of the Lord, pictured
as walking in the midst of these seven assemblies? I trust not! And further, if I send a message for
an assembly today and use a particular messenger for its conveyance I do not address the message
carrier as though it was to him. In every way I find this "angel" theory a bit unsuitable and that
it raises as many questions as it would fain settle.

Well, who then are these angels?

By far the most commendable thought which has yet come to this writer’s attention is that, as in
Acts 12:15 and Matt. 18:10, we have the thought of the "representative," so here we have
"representative" of the assembly. A New and Concise Bible Dictionary gives the meaning of
"angel" here as signifying "the spirit and character of the assembly personified in its mystical
representative, each one differing from the others according to the state of the assembly." W. E.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, although stating it more briefly, also
agrees. Mr. J. N. Darby’s footnote to Rev. 2:20 says, "That is the meaning I believe of ‘angel’,
the symbolical representative of the assembly seen hi those responsible in it, which indeed all
really are" (emphasis ours). I take it that he means all in the assembly have their part in this
responsible element in varying degrees, yet excluding none. Thus all in the assembly are included
in the angel of the assembly addressed in Rev. 2 and 3. I confess that this concept is not quickly
grasped by the casual reader_thus the admonition to the man of God to study to show himself
"approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth." (II Tim. 2:15).

Thus you, my reader, in whatever assembly, have your part in and are included in the "angel" to
whom John wrote. Now of which of the seven assemblies are you?

Adam’s rib, that is; and the Episcopalians are doing the ribbing. A recent issue of popular "Time"
magazine reports this in a brief article under the above caption.

"Time" keeps in sight that "literal acceptance of such Biblical statements" (as "Eve was made out
of Adam’s rib") "is the hallmark of fundamentalism, and southern Georgia is a stronghold of it."

To break down the "stronghold" of such literal acceptance of the Bible was the obvious objective
of not one, but twelve, Episcopalian bishops, from as far away as Montana, who came to southern
Georgia earlier this year.

"It’s time to sweep away old stories and make the Gospels intelligible against the background of
today," boldly scoffs Montana’s Episcopalian Bishop Sterling. (And "Time" admiringly dubs him
"a hearty churchman"!)

"The problem of fundamentalism is that it cannot withstand critical Biblical scholarship and
scientific facts," derisively echoes "Time."

"No person with any knowledge of history or archeology could possibly buy this fundamentalist
stuff," sneers Archdeacon Mead, challenging the intelligence of his southern hearers. And,
referring to small-town boys going to college, he adds, "they take a course in biology and their
faith is gone. Our great sin is never having offered them a real alternative."

Bishops (so-called), spokesmen of the church (professedly), shepherds of the flock, regard as sin
("our great sin") teaching youth that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable" (II Tim. 3:16)!

Citing this, however, is merely a case hi point to the similar attitude toward the Bible which is
rapidly permeating Christendom.

Perhaps most, if not all, of our readers accept, unquestionably and reverently, the entire Bible as
inspired of God; and profess sincerely to love it "above gold; yea, above fine gold" (Psa.
119:127). Surely, we ought to turn away from such as regard it other than divinely inspired.

We very properly react with alarm and resentment to such a report as that brought to us by
"Time." But is there not in it very much more for us than that? Is it not an appeal to our
consciences and a challenge to our lives?

How much time do we devote to the reverent reading of and prayerful meditation upon that Book
which we jealously contend is the infallible Word of God?

To what extent do we submit to its authority, in our day-by-day lives?

Do we honestly endeavor to "adorn the teaching which is of our Saviour God in all things" (Titus

2:10, J.N.D. Trans.)?

These questions relate to the practical response in our lives to the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ
that we be sanctified by the truth, and should search us to the depths.

Our blessed Lord, as a Man here upon the earth, perfectly exemplified complete subjection to the
Word, testifying, "I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29).

When tempted by Satan to renounce the place of dependence upon and obedience to God His
Father, the Lord Jesus rebuffed him with the authoritative Word of God, saying, "It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"
(Matt. 4:4). Do not our hearts bow in adoration before Him who was "obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8)? "Faithful amidst unfaithfulness, ‘Mid darkness only light, Thou
didst Thy Father’s Name confess, And in His will delight."

Doubtless such words as these strike a responsive chord in the heart of every child of God; and
praise and worship ascend from our redeemed hearts to Him, who in every detail of His life
exemplified perfect obedience to the will of God.

But how about ourselves? Is it our delight to do His will? Is it a deep concern of ours to be subject
to His Word? Do we hear and heed when our blessed Lord and Saviour says, "This do in
remembrance of me" (I Cor. 11:24,25)? Beloved child of God, you know this Scripture; you
believe it; do you obey it?

We know that the Lord is one day (and perhaps very soon) coming to take His own to be forever
with Himself. We read the many Scriptures that affirm that He is coming again. We believe this;
we teach it; we "earnestly contend" for this truth; but do we live as though we believed it? Are
we waiting for Him (I Thess. 1:10)? Are we looking for Him (Phil. 3:20 and Heb. 9:28)? Are we
watching for Him (Luke 12:37)? Is the stupendous fact that He has said, "I will come again and
receive you unto myself" having its delivering, separating, stimulating, purifying, and comforting
effect upon our daily lives?

Shall not we who unhesitatingly accept the Bible as the inspired, unerring, authoritative Word of
God, and bow in adoring worship as we contemplate our blessed Lord in His dependent obedience
to the will of God, realize that He has left "us an example" that we "should follow his steps" (I
Pet. 2:21)?

Will you allow the Scriptures we have been considering, as well as every such Scripture, to appeal
to your heart and conscience, "working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13:21)? Will you be "doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves" (James 1:22)?

The Word was "heard" and brought forth "fruit" in the Colossian saints (Col. 1:5,6). Even so
shall the Word produce fruit in our lives as we learn to know the grace of God in truth, revealed
in His blessed and only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant it for the honor and glory of

His holy Name!

The term "Man-child" signifying the One who is to "rule all nations with a rod of iron" embraces
both Christ and the Church; the interval from His ascension to that of hers not being looked upon
as time, and both taken as one event, of which His was "the first fruits."

The portion of the Church is to reign over the nations in His heavenly glory when the earth will
be brought into ordered subjection in the "administration of the fullness of times" (the millennial
kingdom).

"Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?" says the apostle. This is, then, the portion
of the Church. But she has a sweeter portion than that of judging the nations; she has the
Bridegroom Himself as her heart’s portion_"the bright and morning star."

When Christ asks for the heathen (that is, the nations), according to the second Psalm, He will
have the Church safely in the glory; and she will be joint-heir with Him, the bride of the Lamb.

Many passages might be cited in the Old Testament which show that where Christ is spoken of,
there the Church is included as seen in Him.

She herself is never spoken of.

She was hidden in God’s own counsels.

This is "the mystery" (Eph. 5:32) which, until it was revealed by Paul, was "kept secret" _ "was
not made known" _ "hid in God." (See Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:5-9; Col. 1:26)

Thus, when passages in the Old Testament true only of Him are imported into the New Testament,
we find them applied to the Church, as, for instance, this second Psalm.

We may compare, with this thought in our minds, Isa. 49:6, where it applies to Christ only, with
Acts 13:47, appropriated by Paul in the New Testament for the Church.

Also Isa. 50:8,9, where Christ is before the mind of the Spirit, is comparable to Rom. 8:33,34,
which is the portion of the saints. Compare also Isa. 49:8 with 2 Cor. 6:2; and Eph. 6:13-17 with
Isa. 59:17, etc.

This will help us in understanding these "unsearchable riches of Christ."

How sweet, then, after we read of Him in the Old Testament, to find the Church’s portion, as
united to Him, bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh, by the Spirit sent down at Pentecost!

Did you vote? Was your ballot among the record vote cast in the last election?

The second largest landslide victory in this nation’s history was rendered in favor of the incumbent
president. He could have been elected by a small majority or even a minority of the popular vote,
provided he gained the needed electoral vote majority. But this overwhelming support seemed
strange to many especially in view of the charges of corruption, wickedness, and immorality laid
at the door of his close associates. The campaigns were termed by, some to be the "muddiest" in
our history with these charges being made so frequently. Now it is not our purpose to enter more
deeply into this issue than to say it seems a solemn omen that a vote of such approval should be
cast in favor of one so accused.

Many Christians campaigned vigorously_for both parties. Many Christians gave financial support
and labored hours to support their candidate. Most radio preachers departed widely from the
Scriptures, urging God’s people to "get out and vote" some even expressing political preferences!

What is the proper attitude for the Christian on this subject? The truth on this subject was never
more spurned and flatly rejected by most professing Christians than it is today. We are not an
earthly people with earthly promises. Our King is not visibly on the throne here in this scene. His
last appearance here before the world was when He was rejected and crucified. The world then
cried out, "away with Him, crucify Him," and "His blood be on us and on our children" (John
19:15, Matthew 27:25), but now is trying to ease the burden of guilt resting on all, but more
especially on the Jews (John 19:11).

In the face of His rejection, our Saviour declared, "My Kingdom is not of this world" (John
18:36).

In Hebrews 3:1 the inspired writer declares:"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus."

It seems that few of His own today realize their heavenly calling, and that we "are not of the
world, even as" He was "not of the world" (John 17:16).

God says that "our commonwealth has its existence in (the) heavens, from which also we await
the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20, J.N.D. trans.). The Greek word for "commonwealth",
politeuma, means also "citizenship" or "community." (Conversation, as in the King James
Version, poorly conveys this meaning to us today.) This word has come into our language as
POLITICS and should forcibly impress us with our portion above. In this scene we are pilgrims
and strangers. We are called to be subject to "the powers that be" (Romans 13:1) insofar as these
powers do not demand of us what the Lord forbids. Our subjection to these powers is to be "for
the Lord’s sake" (I Peter 2:13). Only when these powers conflict with the Word of God and go
beyond their divinely appointed bounds of suppressing evil and rewarding good (Romans 13:3)
is the Christian permitted_nay, bound_to "obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). This, of
course, is not asserting our rights but God’s, and His Word as supreme.

Although we are presently in the "day of grace" or the "church age," neither grace nor the church
sets aside God’s principles established for world governments during the present ”times of the
Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). Since the Babylonian captivity of Judah in Daniel’s day until the end of
the future tribulation when Israel shall have paid double for all her sins (Isaiah 40:2), the
principles as to world governments remain unchanged.

At the beginning of these "times" Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams wherein it was
revealed "to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men" (Daniel 4:17). See
also Daniel 2:35; 4:3, 25, 32, 34, 36; 5:18, 21; etc.

God’s man is always on the throne in this and every other country where government prevails.
God sets them up, whether Nebuchadnezzar of old or Mr. Johnson of today. God removes men
too, whether Belshazzar, who trembled at the handwriting on the wall spelling out his doom the
very night he was slain, or by an assassin’s bullet of a year ago. Men take credit for these changes
whether by revolution or by the more peaceable means of voting. When will God’s people learn
that He rules over the kingdoms of men, and go about their proper calling of holding forth the
words of life in this scene of sin and death? Our warfare is in the spiritual realm with the
archenemy of the souls of men, and not taking part in the politics of this or any other nation
wherein we are truly strangers.

We are called to the path of returning good for evil and blessing those that curse us (Matthew
5:39). To the Christian God says, "See that none render evil for evil to any man" (I Thessalonians
5:15). Governments are called upon to suppress evil by forcible means. Of governments we read
that "he beareth not the sword in vain" (Romans 13:4). Again we read of God establishing
government through Noah, and holding government responsible to put murderers to death
(Genesis 9:5,6). This capital punishment is to clear the government of the innocent blood involved
and offers a solemn deterrent to any who think to shed the blood of others.

What a contrast is this God-instituted government with our Lord’s stern rebuke to Peter who did
bare his sword, cutting off a man’s ear. When we see then that God has called rulers and His
redeemed to opposite paths in response to the evil here, we are not surprised at the confusion in
government when Christians are in office. This confusion was evident again at this last election
when, under the leadership of their professed-Christian Governor, Mark Hatfield, the state of
Oregon voted out the death penalty.

We call upon the redeemed of Christ today to pray for all in governmental authority, and to
recognize them in their God-given place as did our blessed Saviour (John 19:11). Let us therefore
find our place of intercession with the Lord on behalf of all around us here, like Abraham of old
communing with the Lord and pleading for the cities of the plains (Genesis 18), instead of being
like Lot striving among them and judging between them to the shameful dishonor of himself, his
family, and his Lord.

During the Reformation controversies in, the sixteenth century, Joachim II., Elector of
Brandenburg, said to his ambassadors, who were deputed to attend the religious disputation at
Worms:"See that you bring back that little word ‘alone’; do not dare to return without it." The
meaning of this was that both parties were prepared to acknowledge that salvation was obtained
"through faith in Jesus Christ," but the Reformers insisted on the addition of the little word
"alone" being kept to the front; that is, that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.

There are many people in the twentieth century who are trusting for salvation to the work of
Christ and something else. The "something else" is their good works, their prayers, their
sacraments, or even a good feeling. But if we are to be saved at all it must be by the work of
Christ and nothing else. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the
gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).

The best thing for us to do is to take God’s reckoning of us, and to admit that we are dead in
trespasses and sins. All that a dead man needs is not religious observances, or fine music, or
devotional feelings, but LIFE. And this is God’s primal gift, for "the gift of God is eternal life."
Surely it is easy enough taking a gift. Then when we have accepted Christ by faith, and not till
then, do we begin to work and bring forth works which God will accept.

The enemy hates the Word of God throughout, but certain portions in particular. Any Scripture
which he singles out for special attack is thus identified as very precious for the saints. Genesis
3 is such a chapter. Why should he hate it so?

1. Because it accounts for conditions in human society and in creation, thus distinguishing between
that which the wise and beneficent Creator produced and that which sin wrought. Any soul,
exercised as to the present unhappy state of creation, and of man in particular, finding and
accepting this divinely given explanation of the cause, thus will be turned to Him in whom alone
is the remedy, and away from all the theories of men which leave their adherents still under the
power of Satan.

2. Because this chapter exposes the enemy in the very midst of his destructive activities. It shows
us his motives, his methods, his helplessness and silence in the presence of God the Judge, and
his ultimate overthrow in the conflict with the Seed.

Satan wishes to work undetected, but this inspired record will not permit it. He does not desire
to be known his wicked ways, the sad results to which they lead for his deluded followers, and
especially his sure defeat at the hands of the Lord.

3. Because here our God is seen in His sufficiency, working deliverance where sin has wrought
ruin; as the Investigator of sin, bringing everything to light; as the Judge of sin, pronouncing with
finality as to its consequences on earth, even as He will at the great white throne concerning its
eternal outcome; and as the Savior of sinners, clothing the guilty pair with the garment of His own
providing and fixing the believing heart upon Him who was to die (and has died) upon the cross.

For these, and many other precious things in the chapter, we should be profoundly thankful. Let
us not neglect this important portion. As it is much hated, let it also be much loved.

EXTRACT
The devil does not select an ignorant or immoral man to make his grand and special attack upon
the Bible, for he knows full well that the former could not speak, and the latter would not get a
hearing; but he craftily takes up some amiable, benevolent, and popular person _ some one of
blameless morals _ a laborious student, a profound scholar, a deep and original thinker. Thus he
throws dust in the eyes of the simple, the unlearned and the unwary.

There was, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, a man in Italy who was a child of God,
taught by the Spirit. His name was Aonio Paleario. He had written a book called The Benefit of
Christ’s Death. That book was destroyed in Italy, and for three centuries it was not possible to
find a copy; but two or three years ago an Italian copy was found, I believe, in one of the libraries
at Cambridge or Oxford, and it has been printed again. It is perhaps singular, but this man did not
leave the Romish Church, as he ought to have done, but his whole heart was given to Christ. He
was brought before the judge in Rome, by order of the Pope. The judge said, "We will put to him
three questions:we will ask him what is the first cause of salvation,, then what is the second cause
of salvation, then what is the third cause of salvation". They thought that, in putting these three
questions, he would at last be made to say something which should be to the glory of the Church
of Rome. So they asked him, "What is the first cause of salvation?" and he answered, "CHRIST".
Then they asked him, "What is the second cause of salvation?" and he answered, "CHRIST".
Then they asked him, "What is the third cause of salvation?" and he answered, "CHRIST". They
thought he would have said, first, Christ; secondly, the Word; thirdly, the Church; but no, he
said, "CHRIST". The first cause, Christ; the second, Christ; the third, Christ; and for that
confession, which he made in Rome, he was condemned to be put to death as a martyr. My dear
friends, let us think and speak like that man; let every one of us say, "The first cause of my
salvation is Christ; the second is Christ; the third is Christ. Christ and His atoning blood, Christ
and His regenerating Spirit; Christ and His eternal electing grace. Christ is, my only salvation.
I know of nothing else.

Ques.:Why do we not now fast, as for instance in the early days of the church; also in I Cor. 7:5?

Ans.:Because we have decreased in piety (or practical godliness, Ed.). But perhaps, in a quiet
unnoticed way, more continue the practice than appears to men, and thereby win victories in their
Christian life which are recorded on high. We are creatures of extremes:many, in ignorance of
God’s way of salvation, have fasted and starved themselves to obtain it_all in vain, of course, for
it is "not of works, lest any man should boast." But when they have discovered this, they are liable
to despise those ways of piety which they used in a wrong way. God did not despise Cornelius’
pious ways, as we see in the account of Acts 10. There was no virtue in them to procure salvation,
but they expressed a mind in dead earnest, and God loves such a mind, not only when salvation
is the matter of interest, but anything which is for the glory of God and the good of His people.
A man, or a company of people, having some divine object in view, and so earnest about it that
they fast and pray over it, are not likely to be disappointed. Refusing food, in a hearty way,
proves we have an object of more value to us than our comfort, and by it we are enabled to
humble ourselves more deeply before God.

Self-righteousness may plume itself with it as having done something very meritorious, and which
puts God in our debt, but shall we deprive ourselves of its benefits because it has been wrongly
used?

The mind of the day is against it. To be happy, to sing, to throw off all sorrow, to make life a
joyful ride through a lovely scene, seems the prevailing mind of the times. But this was not our
Saviour’s course, and if we say we abide in Him, we also ought "to walk even as He walked." (I
John 2:6). We need scarcely say that we have little else than disgust to express concerning the
pretended fasting of the "Lenten season"_a fasting which longs for the end of it that sinful
pleasure may be indulged in again.

Real fasting_such as God takes notice of_is from a heart anxious over some important matter,
and desirous to give itself to prayer and supplication about it. It helps us, if done in sincerity, to
present ourselves before God in brokenness of spirit, an attitude ever becoming to us in the
presence of God.

Call Thy people back, O Lord,
As in the early days,
When love was warm, and fresh, and bright,
When first we knew Thy grace;
When first Thy light broke through our night,
And set our hearts ablaze. Lord, call us back!

Call Thy people back, O Lord,
To that simplicity
Which marked Thy servants long ago;
Our yearning hearts would be
Full satisfied with Thee, although
The world against us be.
Lord, call us back!

From the many paths unmeet
Our wayward feet have trod,
From foolish words, and wilful ways,
Yea, turn us back, O God,
Afresh to taste Thy love and grace,
Else Thou must use Thy rod.
Lord, turn us back!

Call Thy loved ones back, O Lord,
From toilsome paths and steep;
From bearing burdens, all Thine own,
Which only make us weep,
The while we moan, and toil alone,
And only sorrow reap. Lord, call us back!

Call us back from hearts cast down,
And, oh, afresh inspire
Our souls to seek Thee more and more;
To burn with deep desire,
Till hearts o’erflow, and faces glow
With holy, ardent fire.
Lord, call us back!

Call us back to those sweet days
When hearts were knit as one,
When prayer was as the breath of life;
Ere we were so undone,
Ere souls were rife with endless strife;

For Jesus’ sake, Thy Son, Lord, call us back!
Broken is the remnant, Lord,

And difficult the day;
What shame and sorrow cover us,
Our tears oft dim the way;
The tide runs high, Thy coming’s nigh,
Our hearts are loath to stay;
Lord, take us home!

There was in Trinity Hall, Cambridge, a young student of the canon law, of serious turn of mind
and bashful disposition, and whose tender conscience strove, although ineffectually, to fulfil the
commandments of God. Anxious about his salvation, Thomas Bilney applied to the priests, whom
he looked upon as physicians of the soul. Kneeling before his confessor, with humble look and
pale face, he told him all his sins, and even those of which he doubted. The priest prescribed at
one time fasting, at another prolonged vigils, and then masses and indulgences which cost him
dearly. Bilney went through all these practices with great devotion, but found no consolation in
them. Being weak and slender, his body wasted away by degrees; his understanding grew weaker,
his imagination faded, and his purse became empty. "Alas!" said he with anguish, "my last state
is worse than the first." From time to time an idea crossed his mind:"May not the priests be
seeking their own gain, and not the salvation of my soul?" But immediately rejecting the rash
doubt, he fell back under the iron hand of the clergy.

One day Bilney heard his friends talking about a new book:it was the Greek Testament printed
with a translation which was highly praised for its elegant Latinity. Attracted by the beauty of the
style rather than by the divinity of the subject, he stretched out his hand; but just as he was going
to take the volume, fear came upon him and he withdrew it hastily. In fact the confessors strictly
prohibited Greek and Hebrew books, "the sources of all heresies;" and Erasmus’ Testament was
particularly forbidden. Yet Bilney regretted so great a sacrifice; was it not the Testament of Jesus
Christ? Might not God have placed therein some word which perhaps might heal his soul? He
stepped forward, and then again shrank back. … At last he took courage. Urged, said he, by the
hand of God, he walked out of the college, slipped into the house where the volume was sold in
secret, bought it with fear and trembling, and then hastened back and shut himself up in his room.

He opened it_his eyes caught these words:"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (I Tim.
1:15). He laid down the book, and meditated on the astonishing declaration. "What! St. Paul the
chief of sinners, and yet St. Paul is sure of being saved!" He read the verse again and again. "O
assertion of St. Paul, how sweet art thou to my soul!" he exclaimed. This declaration continually
haunted him, and in this manner God instructed him in the secret of his heart. He could not tell
what had happened to him; it seemed as if a refreshing wind were blowing over his soul, or as if
a rich treasure had been placed in his hands. The Holy Spirit took what was Christ’s and
announced it to him. "I also am like Paul," exclaimed he with emotion, "and more than Paul, the
greatest of sinners! . . . But Christ saves sinners. At last I have heard of Jesus."

His doubts were ended_he was saved. Then took place in him a wonderful transformation. An
unknown joy pervaded him; his conscience until then sore with the wounds of sin was healed;
instead of despair he felt an inward peace passing all understanding. "Jesus Christ," exclaimed he.
"Yes, Jesus Christ saves!" . . . "I see it all," said Bilney; "my vigils, my fasts, my pilgrimages,
my purchase of masses and indulgences were destroying instead of saving me. All these efforts
were a hasty running out of the right way."

Bilney never grew tired of reading his New Testament. He no longer lent an attentive ear to the

teaching of the schoolmen; he heard Jesus at Capernaum, Peter in the temple, Paul on Mars’ hill,
and felt within himself that Christ possesses the words of eternal life. A witness to Jesus Christ
had just been born by the same power which had transformed Paul, Apollos, and Timothy. The
Reformation in England was beginning. Bilney was united to the Son of God, not by a remote
succession, but by an immediate generation.

I believe there is a real value in fasting, that few of us know much about. If, on particular
occasions which call for special individual prayer, we were to unite fasting with it, I have no doubt
the blessing of it would be felt Here there is humbling of spirit expressed. There are prayers which
are most suitably accompanied by standing, others by kneeling. Fasting is one of those things in
which the body shows its sympathy with what the spirit is passing through; it is a means of
expressing our desire to be low before God, and in the attitude of humiliation. But lest the flesh
should take advantage of even what is for the mortifying of the body, the Lord enjoins that there
should be means taken rather not to appear unto men to fast than to permit any display. For
although a true Christian would shrink from putting on false appearances, the devil will cheat him
into doing it unless he is very jealous in self-watchfulness before God. "Thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thine head and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." (Matt.
6:17,18).

I cannot conceive how any Christian man can be satisfied to shirk the responsibility of looking
after souls. A man may say, "I am not an evangelist; that is not) my line; I am more of a teacher
or a pastor." Well, I understand this; but will anyone tell me that a teacher or pastor may not go
forth in earnest longing after souls? I cannot admit it for a moment. Nay more, it does not matter
in the least what a man’s gift is, or even though he should not possess any prominent gift at all,
he can and ought, nevertheless, to cultivate a longing desire for the salvation of souls.

Would it be right to pass a house on fire, without giving warnings, even though one were not a
member of the Fire Department? Should we not seek to save a drowning man, even though we
could not command the use of a life boat? Who in his senses would maintain anything so
monstrous? So, in reference to souls, it is not so much a gift or knowledge of truth that is needed,
as a deep and earnest longing for souls; a keen sense of their danger, and a desire for their rescue.

FRAGMENT "Then they said one to another, We do not well:this day is a day of good tidings,
and we hold our peace:if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us:now
therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household" (2 Kings 7:9).

"For the love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Cor. 5:14). 82

He gave Himself for their sins, Gal. 1:4
He quickens them by His voice. John 5:25
He seals them with His Spirit. Eph. 1:13
He feeds them with His flesh and blood. John 6:56,57.
He cleanses them by His Word. John 13:5; Eph. 5:26.
He maintains them by His intercession. Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; I John 2:1.
He takes them individually to Himself. Acts 7:59; Phil. 1:23.
He watches over their ashes. John 6:39,40. He will raise them by His power. John 6:39,40; I
Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:16.
He will come to meet them in the air. I Thess. 4:17. He will conform them to His image. Phil.
3:21; I John 3:2.
He will associate them with Himself, in His everlasting kingdom. John 14:3; 18:24.

Thus the activities of Christ on behalf of His people, take in, in their range, the past, the present,
and the future. They stretch, like a golden line, from everlasting to everlasting. Well may it be
said, "Happy is the people that is in such a case, yea, happy is the people whose God is the Lord".
(Ps. 144:15).

"Happy they who trust in Jesus,

Sweet their portion is and sure."

With reference to this "walk with God", this that characterized Enoch, this to which you and I are
called now, what does it contemplate? This "walk with God" contemplates something as to the
present, and something as to the future.

What is it as to the present? Mark this_suffering, loss, shame, degradation, every step of the
way! That is what is contemplated in a person who walks with God in an evil day:because it is
not walking with God when the rule of everything is godliness, it is walking with God when
everything is in revolt from Him. This is the character of the time, such as it was in Enoch’s day.
Therefore it is suffering, and I will tell you more than that, it is self-abandonment.

Believe me, if there were a little more self-abandonment amongst us, many of our difficulties
would vanish. If it is a simple question of God; His claims, His pleasure, His interests, His
thoughts, why the difficulties are overcome at once! And if God’s will is sweetest to me, even
though it triumphs at my cost, look how well out of the difficulty I am!

I say it with all reverence, looking at the pathway of the Lord Jesus as a man here, was He
successful as a man? Was it not shame, scorn, contempt, reproach, loss, all the way from the holy
mount to Calvary? Was it not downward with Him every step? Was it not surrender with Him:
surrender, too, of what belonged to Him in right and title? He was very different from us. You
and I have no right to claim; everything is pure grace with us:but with Him it was the
abandonment and surrender of everything that belonged to Him, from the throne of God to the
cross. Is that the pathway that you and I are called into? You see how little we weigh these things.

If I set out to follow One who had not a place where to lay His head, I cannot go on with this
principle_ trying to make the best of everything around; on the contrary, I seek to have as little
as I possibly can in it; this I cannot help, if I am truly "walking with God". This, then, is what this
path entails now, and I feel it important for me to state it.

If I set out to "walk with God" in these days, according to the revelation of His mind as He has
given it to me in Christianity and in His book, I make up my mind for this_this is the one thing
that is before me_ "it is enough for the servant to be as his master". I would rather see people
shrink back; I would rather a person looked at it and said, "This involves certain things in it; this
brings certain claims with it; give me a little time, let me think of it, let me weigh it over before
God, do not let me run rashly". I would rather see people like that, I would rather see them
looking the thing, as it were, in the face, because I know when they do that, when they do bring
this thing before God, in quiet waiting upon Him, He will, to a genuine, true, and honest soul,
make known His mind; and further than this, He compensates such a one first. Do you mean to
tell me that the sense that I have pleased Him is not a compensation? If I have that, I am
compensated at once, even before I suffer, and God delights to do so when He sees the heart true
and exercised before Him.

Oh, I feel that the gravity of these things is not sufficiently before our hearts in these days. It is
not a small thing to step out of everything around me, that I may simply answer to the mind of

Him who is up there. It is not a small thing, or a trifling thing, be assured. May God keep any of
you from thinking it a light thing! May God keep your hearts from ever attempting to bring down
the immense solemnity of a divine position to the poor, miserable, wretched, contemptible level
of things down here, taking away all pith and reality out of it! It is the tendency of these times:
I believe we are not outside the danger of it. I know we are seriously in danger of overlooking
state of soul. There is the danger of working upon the mere outward intelligence, instead of God
working upon the soul through the conscience. May the Lord deliver us from this; it is most
dangerous!

Well, now, there is one other thing. What is to be the issue of this "walking with God"? I have
spoken a little about the present, what the present is connected with. It is, as I said, loss and
suffering. I might speak of the other side of it, of the blessed reality of Christ’s presence, of the
sustainment of His love_how He cheers us on, how He walks the road with us, of the joy of
being where He is:but I would rather leave the gravity of the thing on your heart. I do not think
it any loss that you should have a sense of the solemnity of it.

What, then, is the end of it? It is this_just the very opposite to everything contemplated by a Jew
in the Old, Testament times. A Jew looked for everything prosperous here, basket and store in
abundance; he looked for everything being made straight to his hand as to the present. It was with
him plenty, it) was the increase of everything, plenty of corn and wine, plenty of everything this
earth could afford_wealth, dignity, honor, ease. That was all perfectly well in its time; and was
what a Jew looked for; it was his birthright, his inheritance here, and there was never a thought
of being out of it_length of days, long life, was that which was before the Jew.

But when I, as a Christian, look at this "walk with God", what is the issue of it? Look at it in
Enoch. It is just this_to be taken out of the world_it may be today! Do you believe that? Do you
believe that the very next moment may be the cloud of glory? It is a subject that is common among
us, this blessed hope of the Lord’s coming, the blessed expectation of our returning Lord. Think
how little the reality of it is before us! I remember the time when I first of all "saw" the coming
of the Lord, as the expression is_when I first of all believed in the second advent_what a
wondrous brightness, and a freshness, and vividness, there was about it!

May I ask you, how is it now with you? What about today? Is the freshness with which it came
to your heart, twenty, thirty, forty, or any number of years ago, that which is welling up in your
soul now? Do you calculate just minute by minute with reference to that? Is that the next thing
before your soul? Is that the expectation of your heart, that you should be translated, that you
should not see death, like Enoch? "He was translated that he should not see death, and was not
found because God had translated him." There was a power of life in him that completely
overcame the power of death, such a power of life as set aside death completely, the common lot
of man since the fall.

The reason that these blessed facts of God have become stale with us is this_because we have
received them as doctrines, the doctrines of a well-framed creed. There is the solemn part of it_it
has become our creed. We are just as much in danger of having our creed as anybody else. Do
not be deceived about it; the instant that the divine freshness and living reality of these blessed
truths of God pass away from our souls, so that all we can say of them is, "That is my doctrine,
that is what I hold", instead of their having a practical, operative, power upon us, searching us
each moment_ I say the instant that is the case, we go down; we have really dropped from the
blessed, wonderful, divine power of these things, just to be, as somebody has expressed it, "as
clear as the moon, and as cold as the moon." What a mournful picture that is! The Lord keep us
from it.

I believe, if there is one thing we need in these times, it is "walking with God" individually. Let
me say this, and I say it humbly, I believe the difficulties we have collectively are created because
of our low state individually; that is, there is a lack of individual faithfulness, there is some want,
some feebleness, individually. A good assembly state is the result of a close individual walk with
God. You never have assembly power apart from individual faithfulness. And what I believe is
this_I often think it aver, and pray about it_the reason for our general weakness just now is, that
we have overlooked individual state before God.

If you and I were walking individually with God, understanding what is entailed upon us now, and
what we look for as the ultimate issue of it_to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and be
with Him_we should banish the idea of trying to get on in the world, trying to surround ourselves
with anything that would make us comfortable. How foreign the whole thing would be!

The Lord help us to look at ourselves in the light of His presence and His truth; that our hearts
may take these things right home, and in the secret of His presence, in the solitariness and
quietness of His company, go over the thing with Him, our hearts before Him, with this thought
upon them_"Lord, really is it I?"

May the Lord command His blessing; may He use His word to stir up our hearts to more personal,
individual walk and fellowship with Himself, in the blessed hope of being taken out of this world
at any moment, to see Him, and be with Him forever!

FRAGMENT
Be Thou the Object bright and fair
To fill and satisfy the heart;
My hope to meet Thee in the air,
And nevermore from Thee to part;
That I may undistracted be
To follow, serve, and wait for Thee.
G.W.F.

By referring to the last Book of the Bible, chapter 4:11, we learn that all things were created for
His pleasure, and that glory and honor and power are His as the worthy One. This scripture takes
us back to the beginning when man, among that fair creation, is seen in the Garden of Eden. Alas!
There was in him found no worthiness, for he sinned, allowing the Evil One to implant doubt of
God’s Word in his mind and heart.

This evil work has been going on ever since. See Romans 3, where the tongue, mouth and lips,
feet and heart, are all in opposition to God (verses 10 to 19), and culminating in the verdict of
verse 23:"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

How refreshing to turn from this sad picture, and read in verses 24 and 25 of Romans 3, to see
that justification is brought in by the Lord Jesus Christ, the remission of sins accomplished and
man’s good thus achieved, shutting out any work of man’s sinful doing, and upholding God’s
eternal glory only. (Romans 16:27).

Again, in Revelation 5, verses 9 to 13, we read of the ascription of the worthiness to Him, as "the
Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing,"

A reference to Romans 8 will show the groaning creation, verse 22, and our being "conformed
to the image of His Son", verse 29. "The manifestation of the sons of God" is seen in verse 19,
and in n Thess. 1:10 we read that "He shall come to be glorified in His saints." Again we see His
glory and our good brought out.

Thus we see the ultimate end of God’s glory achieved in bringing us to Himself in the glory. We
are reminded ofour blessed Lord’s words in John 17:3,4:"And this is life eternal, that they
might; know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee
on the earth:I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." Our knowing Him in this
fuller way links these two verses together, and gives to that work the perfection that glorifies our
blessed God.

What a sobering effect this should have upon us who are His. Well might the Apostle Paul say:
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is, gain" (Phil 1:21). Well might the thoughts of the following
lines express the prayerful desires produced by the above truth.

Is there a thing beneath the sun
That strives with Thee my heart to share?
O tear it thence, reign Thou alone,
The Spring of every motion there!
Then shall my joyful heart be free,
And find its deep repose in Thee!

May our gracious Lord help us to live in the consciousness of this important and soul-sustaining

truth.

FRAGMENT
If the light made Paul blind (as a man), he never lost the remembrance of it in his soul; therefore,
he called it "the mark." (Phil. 3:14).

FRAGMENT
Sir Isaac Newton was so affected by looking at the sun with only one eye, that for three weeks,
in a darkened chamber, he was haunted by a circular glare and image of it. May we be by faith
so full of the glory of the Lord, that it may be ever before us, making us practically like Him,
supplying us with power for our difficulties, and with abounding praise to Him who has blessed
us with such a rich salvation.

"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." (I Sam. 7:12). "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
(Heb. 13:5). "Lo, I am with you always." (Matt. 28:20).

As the old year now is waning,
And the New Year comes in view,
Blessed Saviour, we acknowledge
Thou hast led us "Hitherto".
"Hitherto" Thy many mercies
Have encompassed every day,
And we have Thy precious promise
Thou wilt be with us always.
"Never leave thee nor forsake thee",
"Surely, I will be with thee",
Promise of Thy blessed presence,
Through each New Year still to be.
What a merciful Redeemer!
What a wonderful Saviour, too!
What a gracious, loving Shepherd,
Who has led us "Hitherto".
And we praise Thee for assurance,
Who has led us "Hitherto",
That Thy presence will go with us,
Every day the New Year through.
"My presence shall go with thee." (Ex. 33:14).

FRAGMENT
Looking off unto Jesus, I go not astray;
My eyes are on Him, and He shows me the way;
The path may seem dark, as He leads me along,
But following Jesus I cannot go wrong. See Heb. 12:1,2.
Anna B. Warner

"Jesus wept"! (John 11:35). Wondrous, significant fact! He wept not for Himself, but for others.
He wept with them. Mary wept. The Jews wept. All this is easily grasped and understood. But that
Jesus should weep reveals a mystery which we cannot fathom. It was divine compassion weeping
through human eyes over the desolation which sin had caused in this poor world, weeping in
sympathy with those whose hearts had been crushed by the inexorable hand of death.

Let all who are in sorrow remember this. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His
circumstances are changed, but His heart is not. His position is different, but His sympathy is the
same. "We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." There is a perfect human heart on
the throne of the Majesty of the heavens, and that heart sympathizes with us in all our sorrows,
in all our trials, in all our infirmities, in all our pressure and exercise. He perfectly enters into it
all. Yea, He gives Himself to each one of His beloved members here upon earth as though He had
only that one to look after.

How sweet and soothing to think of this! It is worth having a sorrow to be allowed to taste the
preciousness of Christ’s sympathy. The sisters of Bethany might say, "Lord, if Thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died." But if their brother had not died, they would not have seen Jesus
weeping, or heard His deep groan of sympathy with them in their sorrow. And who would not say
that it is better to have the sympathy of His heart with us in our sorrow than the power of His
hand in keeping or taking us out of it? Was it not much better, much higher, much more blessed,
for the three witnesses in Daniel 3 to have the Son of God walking with them in the furnace than
to have escaped’ the furnace by the power of His Hand? Unquestionably.

And thus it is in every case. We have ever to remember that this is not the day for the display of
Christ’s power. By and by He will take to Himself His great power, and reign. Then all our
sufferings, our trials, our tribulations, will be over forever. The night of weeping will give place
to the morning of joy_the morning without clouds_the morning that shall never know an
evening. But now it is the lime of Christ’s patience, the time of His precious sympathy; and the
sense of this is most blessedly calculated to sustain the heart in passing through the deep waters
of affliction.

And there are deep waters of affliction. There are trials, sorrows, tribulations, and difficulties.
And not only so, but our God means that we should feel them. His Hand is in them for our real
good, and for His Glory. And it is our privilege to be able to say, "We glory in tribulations also;
knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and
hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost, which is given unto us." (Romans 5:3-5).

The Lord be praised for all this! But it were folly to deny that there are trials, sorrows and
tribulations of all sorts. Nor would our God have us insensible to them. Insensibility to them is
folly; glorying in them is faith. The consciousness of Christ’s sympathy, and the intelligence of
God’s object in all our afflictions, will enable us to rejoice in them; but to deny the afflictions, or

that we ought to feel them, is simply absurd. God would not have us to be stoics; He leads us into
deep waters to walk with us through them; and when His end is reached, He delivers us out of
them, to our joy and His own everlasting praise.

He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak then am I strong." (II Cor. 12:9,19). At the first,
Paul longed to be rid of the thorn in the flesh, whatever it was. He besought the Lord thrice that
it might depart from him. But the thorn in the flesh was better than pride in the heart. It was better
far to be afflicted than puffed up_better to have Christ’s sympathy with him in his temptation than
the power of His Hand in delivering him out of it.

FRAGMENT
"Still His heart amidst the glory
Beareth all our grief and care,
Every burden, ere we feel it,
Weighed and measured by Him there!

All His love, His joy, His glory,
By His Spirit here made known,
Whilst that Spirit speaks the sorrows
Of His saints before the Throne!"

FRAGMENT
"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psa. 126:5,6).

When the clouds loom dark and large,
And the thunder rumbles loud,
God is not behind it,
But is on this side of the cloud.

When our hearts are full of fear,
And we cannot find our way;
He is right beside us,
And the night shines as the day.

He knows the weary way,
For His feet this earth have trod;
And He will not forsake us,
As we tread the thorny road.

As the day our strength will be,
While we journey to our rest;
His arms are underneath us,
And in Him we will be blest.

So do not fear the cloud,
Which spreads across the way;
For soon we will be with Him,
And our night will turn to day.

FRAGMENT
"And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us:we perish. And He saith
unto them, why are ye fearful, 0 ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the
sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey Him!" (Matt. 8:25-28).

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:5,6).

David tells us in this Psalm that a sower is a reaper. But he also tells us that a weeping sower will
"doubtless" be a rejoicing reaper. What an encouragement is this to patient sowing, even when
there is no apparent result.

The Lord our Saviour was a sower, and above all a weeper. As He stood on Mount Olivet and
reviewed the scene of His labors, the pent-up tears flowed as He uttered that sorrowful lament
over Jerusalem, saying, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which
belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." (Luke 19:42). But He still went on
sowing. In the deep love of His heart He gave His life for that rebellious nation, and His reaping
time will doubtless come when "all Israel shall be saved:as it is written, There shall come out of
Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:for this is My covenant unto
them, when I shall take away their sins." (Rom. 11:26).

Paul, too, was a weeper. His epistles tell us of the agonies he went through for perishing sinners
(Rom. 9:2) and backsliding saints (Gal. 4:19). He wept bitter tears (Phil. 3:18), but he well knew
that "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

In fact, one of the things he looked forward to in the day of the kingdom was the joy of the reaper.
He could speak of the Thessalonians as being his joy and crown of rejoicing when the Lord should
come. He urged the saints at Corinth to be "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know," said he, "that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." a Cor.
15:58).

Are you a worker in the Lord’s vineyard_perhaps a Sunday-school teacher with a very unruly
class? Well, don’t give it up. Pray about the children; study the Word of God, to have something
to give to them, and remember the word "doubtless."

Perhaps you distribute tracts. You have left the silent messengers at houses where they have little
desire to receive them, and you cannot speak of a single conversion from all your work. Don’t
forget the "doubtless." It is written for your encouragement. About twenty years ago a gospel
book was written. It had lain on somebody’s shelf most of that time. At last it was taken to a
hospital. God used that book to save a soul!

Or do you preach in the open air when you can; go from door to door with the Word? You labor
hard to reach souls; your desires are sincere; and yet you see no fruit. Remember our word
"doubtless." A servant of Christ went out to a foreign country. His deep desire for precious souls
to be saved had led him there. He labored for many years, and before he saw any fruit the natives
took his life. Another servant went to labor on the same island. In a short time many had turned
to the Lord. Will not sower and reaper rejoice together by and by?

It may be you are neither teacher, preacher, nor evangelist. Still you feel that you must do
something to make known God’s great salvation. You live in a home where some or all are
unconverted, or you know someone at work whose soul you earnestly desire to be saved. You
have often prayed for your family, often spoken to the one you are working with, but only get
ridicule in return. You are becoming discouraged, and feel you must give up. Remember the word
"doubtless," and faith will be strengthened.

Now it does not always follow that in this world the weeping sower will be the rejoicing reaper,
but there is no doubt that the deeper our desires, and the more earnest our efforts for the blessing
of others, the greater will be our joy in that glorious day when both sower and reaper will rejoice
together.

People sometimes say that a Paul may plant and Apollos water, but it is useless if God does not
give the increase. True, but the Scripture says Paul planted, Apollos watered, and "God gave the
increase." He did not withhold it. Now sowing is hard work, needing much patient care. Then do
not let us be disheartened. May the compassion of God and the deep need of lost souls so fill our
hearts that, like Jeremiah of old, we may weep in secret for them, and seek in public to reach
them. May we so catch our Master’s spirit that we may indeed become sowers. This we can all
be in our measure. We are to cast our bread upon the waters; after many days it shall be found.

If anyone is tempted to give up some service for Christ, no matter how insignificant in the eyes
of men, don’t do so. Read and pray over Psalm 126 and I Cor. 15:58 until the word "doubtless,"
and "your labor is not in vain," stir you to more unceasing effort. If you are growing weary, read
Galatians 6:9:"Let us not be weary in well doing:for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not." So we must not give up, but labor on in dependence upon our Master in heaven. The result
is sure, and we shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing our sheaves with us.

I have been thinking much lately in regard to prayer, in respect to its character as well as to its
proper place, in public or in private. Following are a few thoughts which I have gleaned on the
subject of prayer.

Prayer is the offering up to God of our desires for things lawful and needful, with a humble
confidence to obtain them. This truly is through the alone meditation of Christ to the praise of the
mercy, truth, and power of God. (Matt. 6:6,7, and John 16:23, 24, 26).

Prayer is either mental or vocal for ourselves or others, for the procuring of good things, or the
removing or preventing of things evil. (I Tim. 2:1,2).

As God is the only Object, or rather the One we address in prayer, (Ps. 50:15) we must pray for
others as well as for ourselves. (James 5:16).

We are exhorted to pray fervently (Col. 4:12), sincerely and constantly (Col. 4:2), with faith
(James 5:15), not without repentance (Ps. 66:18 and Jer. 36:7), and by the help of the Holy Spirit
(Rom. 8:26).

The Hebrew word for prayer is that which signifies appeal, interpellation, or appealing
intercession, whereby we refer our own cause and that of others, unto God. It involves calling
upon Him_appealing to Him for the right way of presenting ourselves and our cause unto Him.
He who taught us to pray informs us that it is through prayer that we honor God and draw down
upon ourselves His favor and grace.

Prayer may consist of invocation, adoration, confession, petition, pleading, dedication,
thanksgiving, and blessing.

Some prayers are for the public platform, some are for our private closets, and some for our
fellowship or brethren’s meetings.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart:try me and know my thoughts." (Ps. 139:23).