There are some truths in the word of God, which we believe are important to keep clear and distinct in our minds at all times, and to zealously teach them to the young, and so guard them from the heterodoxy of the these last days. A few of them we will set before the reader.

First.-The deity of the Lord Jesus. It is important to have every part of the foundation solid; if not, the whole superstructure may collapse. And this weighty and important truth lies at the very foundation of our Christian faith. To give up this would be to give up all; to take away this would be to take away the most precious treasure the child of God possesses. If our Saviour was not "God manifest in the flesh," we have really no Saviour at all, no true atonement; hence no salvation for the lost. But Scripture teems with proof of His deity; and by this term we mean not divinity merely, as some would grant, but the God-head glory of Jesus the Son of God. By a careful reference to John 1:1-5, Col. 1:14-17, Heb. 1:1-3, we believe each reader will see that the eternal existence and deity of the Lord Jesus is fully established without a shadow of doubt. Creation is set forth in the beginning as the work of His hands; all things even now are upheld by His power. "God was in Christ;""God was manifest in the flesh " (2 Cor. 5:19; i Tim. iii 16) is the testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning Him. The Father saluted Him, "Thou art My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." And again, to the Son He says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever" (Heb. 1:8).

And although He was crucified and put to death by man, yet He lives, risen from the dead, glorified at the Father's right hand; and of Him now the apostle writes, "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily " (Col. 2:9).

May this truth, so wonderful and majestic, lead us as worshipers to fall at His feet, and there exclaim, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created " (Rev. 4:ii).

Second. The incarnation of the Lord Jesus. Here we begin as worshipers to learn of God and man in one Person:truly God, and yet just as truly man. How wonderful the mystery, far beyond the ken of man. One moment as we survey His path from the manger to the cross we see His Godhead-glory shining forth. His power, His dignity, His majesty; and the next moment His human glories as man, a perfect man. The eternal Son assumes a body prepared for Him (and this was also holy). We behold Him a babe in Bethlehem, yet a perfect babe. One in whom there was no spot, nor blemish, no traces of sin:"God manifest in the flesh," "The Second Man, the Lord from heaven," "The mighty God, the Father of Eternity,"and yet a babe in Mary's arms, "Immanuel, God with us."What a thought for each believer !He was "the true days-man " "the mediator," that every true and anxious inquirer desires. Because He was God (the Son) He knew the requirement of God's throne, and because a true man He could draw near and measure the need of man, and take him by the hand, and bring God and man in righteousness together. How necessary for each believer to recognize, if not able to solve and fathom, the depth of this great mystery, and to hold fast as a most sacred trust-the incarnation of the Son of God; and, in the spirit of the wise men from the east, to give to Him, the second Person of the Godhead, the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. (Matt. 2:2:)

Third. The Lord's perfect life of obedience. Nothing else could we expect to see in Him, when once the truth of His person is apprehended and recognized. In Him we see, not Adam innocent, much less Adam sinful, but the Second man, a new order entirely, as announced to Mary, "that holy thing that shall be born of thee. Hence when we look at His lowly life here below, we look for holiness and perfection-absolute obedience to His Father's will. This we discern in every step of His journey across the desert world. In childhood obedient to His parents; bowing to baptism under John at the banks of Jordan; suffering the forty days of temptation by the devil; then three and a half years of lowly service to man, at the end of which He is "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." His every thought, motive, aspiration, and feeling, word and way, as He Himself-perfect. Nothing else was possible for Him. The "obedience of Christ" is the constant testimony of the Scriptures (2 Cor. 10:5 ; Phil. 2:8; i Pet. 1:2); and this is brought before us as God's standard for our example in daily life. How wonderful to contemplate Him in such perfections, and own Him our Saviour and Lord. Then it is that we enter into the priestly functions; as of old Aaron's family, go inside the fine linen courts of God's holy presence and feed upon the " meal-offering," of fine flour; no coarse, uneven grain, but all perfect:and by thus feeding upon Him (Exod. 29:33), we gradually grow into His likeness, are transformed into His image from glory to glory.

Fourth. The atonement of Christ. The previous subject would prepare us for this one, showing His fitness for this great work. He and He alone could assume such a task and fulfil it. Not Michael nor Gabriel. The one might be permitted to announce the Lord's birth (Luke 2:), and the other, by and by, to lead the angelic hosts on to victory (Rev. 12:); but the work of atonement for sin, the work that would enable God righteously to justify from all their sins and save with an everlasting salvation all who repent and believe the gospel,-this work could be given to do only to Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, for He alone could accomplish it. According to His power and love He has accomplished it. He would not go back to the fair scene of His home until all was finished. Upon that foundation God is bringing millions upon millions to the same home with His Son. The atoning suffering of Jesus, borne when on the cross, made the propitiation. Note it well that it was not by His life mission, but upon the tree-"He bore our sins in His own body on the tree." It was during the last three hours of His suffering there that the dark storm-cloud broke upon Him. It was at that time the waves and billows rolled over His soul. It was then, as the priests of old in Jordan, (Josh. 3:17; 4:10), His feet stood firm till all was finished, and the way opened up for the ransomed host to pass over in safety. There His blood was shed. There satisfaction was rendered to the throne of infinite justice; and since He cried " It is finished," all, all that is required to save with an everlasting salvation those who repent and believe, is proclaimed. As we think of a work so important and entailing such a sacrifice, the feelings of love and devotion grow warm; and when '' higher critics " and sceptics would cast a slight upon such a grand and all-important work as the atonement, we would rise in earnest zeal for the very foundation of the Christian faith, and, as Abraham, drive the unclean birds away.

Fifth. The resurrection of Christ. In this we get the triumph and victory of the blessed Lord over every foe-men and demons. During His lifetime His enemies longed for His death and the time when His name would perish forever (Psa. 41:5). The enemy seemed to triumph at the cross, though it was really the power of God unto salvation for us, as we read:" He was delivered for our offences," but " He was raised for our justification " (Rom. 4:) When He rose it was proof that His sacrificial work was accepted, and this gives us a good conscience; we know by His resurrection that our sins are forever put away. As risen He is the sheaf of first-fruits, the sample, and the pledge that the saints shall rise and follow Him where He is gone. But every man in his own order:Christ the first-fruits, afterward those who are His at His coming. What a glorious harvest will soon be reaped by Him:every grave, every sepulcher that holds the dust of those laid asleep by Jesus, will one day give up its precious treasure, and the fruit of His triumph will be seen before the Father, when they shall then appear in His likeness.

The believer's badge before all nations of the earth is the resurrection of Christ, and we show this by observing that day, the resurrection-day of our Lord, the first day of the week. The Jews kept the seventh day, the Sabbath; we observe the first day, the Lord's day. They did so, because they were under law; we do so as being under grace, and because it is a privilege, the example being set us by the apostles themselves.

Sixth. The present life of Christ in heaven. We fear many do not understand this aright. The righteous foundation of all our blessing is His death; the proof of God's acceptance of that work is His resurrection; but we follow Him yet further:He has gone into heaven, as the high-priest of old, into the sanctuary, and has placed the blood of atonement upon the mercy-seat. That is, He has presented to God the full value of His atoning death, and God has accepted it, and there it abides upon the throne, and abides in all its eternal value. He abides in the presence of God for us, as our Advocate and Intercessor, and hence He could say in view of this fact," Because I live ye shall live also " (John 14:19).And again, "If when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). Our present life as believers is sustained by His life in heaven; our present day by day salvation, right on to the end, is secured for us by the active ministry of our Priest and Advocate in heaven. " He ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Heb. 7:25). Will He ever fail in this service undertaken for us whom He loves? Will He ever give up this work before we reach the end ? Surely, surely not. Then cheer up, ye weak and timid believers; He shall not only bear us upon His heart to the end, but upon His shoulders also. And never until He brings them all home, with His name and the name of His Father upon their foreheads, will one name be erased that has been inscribed. Saved by His blood, we begin our Christian life; saved by His life, along the way; and saved by His power, as to our bodies with the complete deliverance at the end (Rom. 8:24; 13:ii).

Seventh. The second coining of the Lord. This will be the day of His espousals, and the day of the gladness of His heart (Song of Sol. 3:ii). What a contrast this will be to His first coming ! First He came in lowly grace; then He will come with power and glory. First as the Man of Sorrows; next, the gladness of His heart. First, to suffer to put sin away; next, to reap the fruit of His suffering and to reign. We who believe get the salvation of our souls by His first coming:we will get the salvation of our bodies by His second coming. Then the glory, the Father's house, forever and forever. All this for which we look and wait is not death; for death is not the second coming. At death believers are laid asleep; at the second coming they are raised from sleep (1:e., their bodies). Each then will leave the grave who has entered it, and the earth also, and go to join the Lord of life and glory (i Thess. 4:13-18), then to be like Himself the glorified Son of Man in heaven, and to go no more out.

What a cheering and soul-purifying hope, and how suited to meet the longings of His people !

May these lines find every reader clear as to His first coming and the work finished then. Then there will be a way clear to look out for His return, "the bright Morning Star." "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" Let us look over these seven articles, fellow-believer, meditate upon their fulness, cling to them as a sacred trust, and proclaim them by voice and pen to the four quarters of the earth, as His witnesses, ambassadors, disciples, and servants, till He come. A. E. B.
"REST IN THE LORD."