QUES. 5.-All recognize that in the Lord's Sapper Christians are having fellowship one with another-that they are together commemorating the love of their Saviour, in which they have a common share.

But there are failings of various kinds in us all. How far, in our fellowship together at the Lord's table, do we make ourselves responsible for each other's failings? Or, are we responsible at all? Have we any business, at the breaking of bread, to look beyond what that signifies to our souls ?

ANS.-It surely would be a complete spoliation of the blessed and holy feast which the Lord intended for us in the communion of His Sapper were we to count ourselves responsible for one another's shortcomings, misapprehensions of truth, or defects in doctrine. The Lord's direction in this matter is plainly given in 1 Cor. 11:28, 29. And the failure to heed this direction has its results told in the verses following. If any think themselves necessarily identified with every failing that may be in their brethren, they must become morbidly burdened, or else develop into a kind of secret police.

When I (using I for the true Christian character) go into the assembly of God's beloved people to remember our Lord together, I go there under the judgment of myself . If I am conscious of having wronged any man, I go before and make things right with him as far as lies in me.

If I am conscious of wrong toward God only, I confess myself to God ever remembering that He may see far more wrong in me than I do.

Then I look upon all my brethren as having done the same. Love can do no less. Then I know that they bear with my imperfections, and so I seek grace to do the same toward them. Thus my soul is free to enjoy the feast:communion is real and holy. If there is something in hiding, the Lord knows it, and He will surely attend to it.

This, of course, does not apply to such cases as that in 1 Cor. 5 ; or 6 :9, 10 ; or 2 Tim. 2:17, 18 ; etc.

"Where the holiness which belongs to the house of God is shocked, or the foundations of the faith are attacked, or perverseness would have its way, to allow such persons to continue at the Lord's table would be unfaithfulness (1 Cor. 5 :13), a disgrace on the name of the Lord, which would make such an assembly cease to he a Christian assembly, though it might be an assembly of Christians.

There are Christians now, who go under the general term of "Independents," and who maybe "Evangelical," who would divorce discipline from the Lord's table, reducing it thus to a "free-and-easy" kind of a thing, at which all who recognize themselves to be Christians may come and go at pleasure, without responsibility to the assembly itself. We need scarcely say that this does violence to Scripture everywhere.

QUES. 6.-At times when looking within myself I question whether I can be a child of God. Yet 1 John 5:1,2 gives me comfort. Bat is it not a mistake to be watching within oneself for love, or faith, or such things? I fear it is pride in me which busies me with such thoughts.

ANS.-Yes, that is the spring of all our self-occupation. We want to find something within ourselves that will give us satisfaction in relation to God. We know He delights in love, and we look for love in ourselves to make us acceptable to Him. He enjoys faith, and we think that if we bring Him a lot of faith He will receive us. It comes to this, that we have not yet read our full lesson in the cross of Christ. There, God said that not only our sins were not to be allowed in His presence, but, as natural men, ourselves as well. There is nothing in the natural man to commend him to God, so God crucified us with Christ (Gal. 2:20), and buried us with Him (Rom. 6 :4). Let us, then, be done with ourselves, as God has done with us. All our history and existence as children of Adam end in the cross of Christ before God; and, in our own estimation, when we receive the testimony of God, our existence and history as children of God begin from the moment we are identified with Christ by faith.

Now all is in Christ. We gaze upon Him whose love has been thus manifested, and love grows in ourselves. We continue to gaze upon Him who has done, is doing, and will yet do, so much for us, and our faith grows by occupation with Him, as our members grow by exercise-not by looking at them.

But then, there is no doubt that God lets us pass through such exercises as you speak of it yourself to break up the pride of our hearts, to humble us, and thus do us good. For the same reason He fed Israel with manna-the bread of humiliation. See Deut. 8 :1-5.

Remember, also, James 1:2-4. Cling the more to Him, and blessed will be the end.

QUES. 7.-Kindly give ns the Scripture teaching, in help and food, as to the disposal of what is called " The Collection for the gospel," usually taken up in our gathering once a month. Should it be given exclusively to those who labor in the gospel; or, may it be applied to other purposes, such as the helping with tracts, periodicals, etc. ?

ANS.-Your question does not involve a Scripture principle, but only a plain definition and understanding among yourselves of what is the specific purpose of the collection. It should be well defined, that all may have intelligent fellowship. "For the gospel," in the broad sense, would surely include the distribution of gospel literature. If intended only for those who go about preaching, it should be so stated. In some assemblies it is agreed on the Lord's day before, for whom "the collection for the gospel" will be. Thus there is no delay in making use of funds collected.

For that which your question reveals we sincerely thank God:it is that your assembly takes a decided share in the work of the Lord, and is thus "a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel." There is blessing in it for yourselves as well as for those you minister to (Phil. 4 :11-19).