Our readings during the present month are to be the book of Judges, with its companion Ruth, in the Old Testament, and Paul's epistles-i Corinthians, Galatians, and i and ii Timothy-in the New. There is a common thought in all these of responsibility as to corporate relationships, as well as departure, which we find in Judges and 2 Timothy, together with doctrinal failure, which is brought out in Galatians.

The book of Judges gives us in the main the course of declension after the death of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him. The energy of faith declines, the failure to completely drive out and annihilate the enemy is all too manifest in the alliances made with them, and the idolatry resulting therefrom. Along with this are most touching and instructive reminders of God's patient love for His poor, silly people, again and again raising up judges for their deliverance when they had involved themselves in such disaster as brought them on their faces in confession to Him.

I. (Chaps, 1:-3:4.) This first division deals with the more general independence and rebellion of the people in failing completely to carry out the purposes of God as to their enemies. There will be seen throughout this portion how the nations were allowed to remain, under one plea or another; either because they were too strong, or because they were put under tribute and became bondsmen ; but whatever the pretext, the effect is always the same. An enemy not thoroughly conquered will conquer us in the end-a principle as true for us who are in the enjoyment of our heavenly blessings in Christ as for Israel of old.

II. (Chaps, 3:5-16:) In this portion we have the varied different bondages and deliverances of the people. Here the enemy in each case represents some special form of spiritual evil, and the deliverer the divine remedy to enable us to overcome the evil. It will be well briefly to mark these various stages:

1. The rule of the king of Mesopotamia (Aram) (chap. 3:5-11). Here it is pride, and independence of God. The deliverer is Othniel, "the lion of God," the nephew of Caleb, the whole-hearted one. This is the opposite of human independence, for where the strength is of God there is nothing in us but weakness.

2. (Chap. 3:12-31.) The Moabites and Philistines. Here we have the incubus of profession in its various forms, and the deliverer is Ehud, " Confession." Reality, with its keen knife of the word of God, will put an end to mere formalism.

3. (Chaps. 4:5:) The rule of Jabin, "understanding," carnal reasoning, the worship of the intellect as contrasted with faith. The victor here is Barak, "Lightning," but led on and controlled by Deborah, " the word," suggesting together that word of God, which is " quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword." Faith sings its song of triumph in chap. 5:

4. (Chaps. 6:-10:5.) The rule of Midian, "strife," the invasion of the world, with its accompanying inward and outward strifes. Worldliness eats up all the fruit of the land as the grasshoppers would. The deliverer here is Gideon, " the cutter-down," the man who learned in the secret of God's presence his own nothingness, and then went forth with all the conscious weakness, but with the power of God resting upon him, to cut down the high things, beginning with the altar and grove of Baal, in his own father's house.

5. (Chaps. 10:6-12:) The Ammonites. These were similar to the Moabites, as being naturally related to Israel. They seem, however, to represent that spirit of rationalism which intrudes into the things of God, and may well answer in part at least to the higher criticism of the day. The deliverer here is Jephthah, "the one who opens "-that is, the enlightener who uses the word of God aright. God's word is the great remedy for all forms of rationalistic unbelief. Jephthah's harshness is the extreme into which Satan will sometimes lead faithful men. They make no distinction between their brethren and the enemy, and slaughter all alike.

6. (Chaps. 13:-16:) The Philistines, representing ecclesiastical corruption, the form of godliness without its power. Samson, " Sunlike "-"as the sun when he goeth forth in his might"-here, the Nazarites, represents that separation of spirit which alone can overcome mere formality and ecclesiastical pretension. Alas, in himself Samson exemplified the reverse of all this, becoming a captive in the hands of those over whom he had so often won signal victories-a word for us.

III. (Chaps. 17:-21:) The hopelessly corrupt state of the people manifest in various ways. Chaps. xvii, 18:show the beginning of idolatry. Chaps, 19:-21:give the humbling results of departure from God seen in the disregard of every human tie, no matter how sacred.

The entire book will thus be seen to be the history of a downward course, with gleams of comfort wherever faith humbles itself in acknowledgment of the true condition of the people and lays hold upon the gracious provision of God.

The lovely history of the book of Ruth shows us that there was much that went on individually even during the time when as a nation Israel was taking swift downward steps. The typical lessons are here very clear and beautiful. Israel is seen as having forfeited her rights to be considered the people of God, and coming back at last, under stress _of need, to the place which they had left. This is typical of the latter-day restoration of the people-Naomi, the widowed mother-in-law, representing the broken and hopeless condition of the people, and the young Moabitess, Ruth, the beginnings of that faith which lays hold upon God while acknowledging that they have no claim upon Him.

The three divisions of the book are simple:

1. (Chap. 1:)The loneliness of departure from God.

2. (Chap. 2:) Help for the needy; gleaning in the fields of grace. Boaz is here a type of the risen Christ, " In Him is strength."

3. (Chaps. 3:and 4:) Full redemption by the kinsman-redeemer, and every barrier to blessing set aside.

There is also a most lovely line of gospel truth running through the entire book, and many individual applications to our own souls' experience which the attentive reader will find.
i Corinthians shows us the Church as the earthly vessel of testimony, as Ephesians presents it in its heavenly character. There are four main divisions to its sixteen chapters.

1. (Chaps. 1:-10:) The exclusion of all that is not of the Church-the world, with all its wisdom (chaps. i-4:); the flesh, with all its corruptions (chaps. 5:-7:); and the devil, with all his wiles (chaps, 8:-10:).

2. (Chaps. 11:-14:) Evil having now been excluded, the fellowship of the assembly can be enjoyed-chap. 11:, the Lord's Supper; 12:, the activities of the body; 13:, love the bond of perfectness; and 14:, the sufficiency of the Spirit in the gatherings of the saints.

3. (Chap. 15:) Resurrection and the manifestation in glory.

4. (Chap. 16:)Exhortations and greetings of love.

The epistle to the Galatians is God's remedy for the bondage of legalism into which the saints were being allured. Its divisions are:

1. (Chaps. 1:and 2:) Paul's gospel derived from and maintained in dependence upon Christ alone. Men are here excluded.

2. (Chap. 3:)The mutual exclusiveness of law and faith. If we are under one, we are not under the other.

3. Chaps. 4:-5:6.) The liberty of the Spirit and the adoption of sons. Here we have the two seeds of the bond-woman and the free-types of law and grace.

4. (Chaps. 5:7-6:18.) The walk in the liberty and power of the Spirit.

The epistles to Timothy are the practical provisions for one who had the care in establishing the early assemblies.

The first epistle is devoted to positive directions for the assembly; while the second, written at a time when the inevitable failure and declension had come in, gives the path for faith in separation from the abounding evil.

The divisions of i Timothy are:

1. (Chap. 1:) The sovereignty of God and the divine basis of grace.

2. (Chap. 2:) Man's feebleness and need fully met by prayer and dependence.

3. (Chap. 3:) The holiness of God's house, and all things judged according to that.

4. (Chap. 4:) Creature apostasy creeping into the Church.
5. (Chaps. 5:,6:) Admonitions and warnings' and provision for the way.

The second epistle, as we have said, provides a plain path for faith when ruin has come in.

1. (Chap. 1:) The unchanging character of God and the sufficiency of Christ the basis upon which all rests.

2. (Chap. 2:1-13.) The good fight of faith. The saint is seen both as warrior and husbandman-an important thing to notice.

3. (Chap. 2:14-26.) The great house of profession and separation from vessels to dishonor, to be " meet for the Master's use."

4. (Chap. 3:)Testing for the "perilous times."

5. (Chap. 4:) Final warnings in view of the coming day. The melancholy apostasy of individuals and salutations to faithful men.