Ps. 122:and 127:

Notes of an Address by S. R., Saturday Evening, Dec. 30, 1599 Philadelphia. "''

These two psalms form part of those songs of degrees, beginning- with the hundred and twentieth psalm,-fifteen of them. They are all of a similar character, evidently connected together and developed in a very beautiful and orderly way. You know that in the last or fifth book of the Psalms, from the hundred and seventh to the end we have that which answers, as we have learned, to the book of Deuteronomy. It is the book of results going over again with God the lessons which have been learned, and getting the completion of all.

It reaches on to the very end, so that what you have at the close are just the repeated hallelujahs of a ransomed people for whom there is nothing left but worship and joy and praise. God has taken every other occupation away, and so filled them with His blessing that praise is their occupation. Thus the book of Psalms ceases amidst an outburst of hallelujahs in which not only ransomed Israel, but all the redeemed and all the earth-nature animate and inanimate, even the trees of the field-join in praises and worship that are the fruit of all that God has done.

Therefore I think, as it is the closing book of the Psalms, that the nation is before us as having begun again a national existence. It is not merely private experience, as you have in the earlier psalms, but it is now the whole people, their corporate place, and they are gathered in connection with Jerusalem and the government of God's house.

It is very suggestive to notice that the psalm which precedes these songs of degrees, is the hundred and nineteenth, that longest of all psalms. It is entirely occupied with setting forth the perfections and sufficiency of the word of God. It is divided into twenty-two parts, each part named after one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and each verse in that part beginning with that letter. It is as though the psalmist would say that he had exhausted the whole alphabet, the whole language, to give expression to the fulness and perfection of the literal word of God.

Then, as there are eight verses in each of these divisions, it seems to suggest the new creation of which we were speaking to-day, that new covenant that is made with the house of Judah and the house of Israel, which is characterized by the law being written in their hearts. The law, not written on the tables of stone, not a condition now, but written in their hearts, so that they can say:"Oh, how love I Thy law. It is my meditation all the day." That is the word of the regenerate nation, the law of God is now in their hearts, and you have, as a blessed result of that, their ascent up to the house of God.

These songs of ascents, songs of degrees, suggest the approach, drawing near to God's house. You have, for instance, in the eighty-fourth psalm one longing and crying for the courts of the Lord. He is at a distance. It is one of the Levites, the sons of Koran. His "soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;" his "heart and flesh crieth out for the living God," as he thinks of that home where even "the sparrow," the lonely bird, worth nothing in itself, "hath found an house" for itself; and the "swallow." a restless bird, flitting here and there, moving about, finds "a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God."

There it is the longing, and what we get here is the longing fulfilled. Now their "feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem." They are drawing-near to the house of God, and these fifteen psalms, songs of ascent, seem to mark the approaches, the steps. They tell us that they sang these songs on the steps that led to the temple, to the house of God. Be that as it may, the truths which we have in them beautifully set forth the principles on which God's people will draw near to Him and be indeed in His house.

We turn now to the first psalm that I have read, the 122nd. It has been pointed out that these fifteen psalms also form another little pentateuch in themselves, in which three psalms are grouped together. The 122nd is the third, the Sanctuary psalm of that first division. You have, for instance, the lowest step in the 120th. "In my distress, I cried unto the Lord." How simple it is, dear friends, and how blessed that the very first step in approach to God is taken in distress.

Just here, one feels tempted to say a word in case there should be a single soul here in distress as to salvation. Do you know the first step to God is in your distress ? There is where Christ meets the soul -in its distress and away from God. And if there is one needy soul here to-night that has nothing but distress because of sin, nothing but a sense of guilt and helplessness and the oppression of sins, like enemies all about them, remember that where Christ meets the soul is in its distress. He does not ask you to leave your distress before you find Him, but He meets you in your distress. He took our place in a distress which, thank God, we shall never know, in order that He might meet us and take away forever that distress of soul which the guilty sinner has.

I do not apologize for stopping just to ask any stranger that might be here to-night, to come and join us in these songs of ascent in going up to the house of God. You can begin now, if you take your place in distress of soul because of sin; and you can find that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is for you just as much as it has been for any of us. How good it is, as we are enjoying the precious things of our Lord, to be privileged to hold out an invitation to the stranger, to those young men who have not known Christ though they have heard of Him all their lives; to offer Christ to them and assure them that their fathers' Christ, their fathers' Saviour is ready to be their Saviour too, ready to meet you as you are, in your sins,-to save you.

The next psalm-121:-gives us the help that cometh. It is another step, as it were, "the hills from whence cometh my help." "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

When you come to the third one, which we want to look at to-night, you get the sanctuary:"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem."

Thus we have three plain steps:first, the distress; second, the help,-salvation; third, the access into the place of blessing. How simple this little ascent is for every soul who desires to draw near to God. Your distress, your salvation only in Christ, and then access into the sanctuary, the presence of God.

But, of course, all these psalms apply to Israel. They refer to the nation in the last days. Redeemed Israel is the people, as I said, who have the law now in their hearts, and who are learning and have learned to sing these songs of access into the presence of God. So you find,-in a way that I do not propose to go into, for I want to speak of something quite different-that the whole thought of this psalm is corporate blessing for Israel. They go up unto the house of the Lord, at Jerusalem, the beautiful city, compact and built together. The tribes all go up there to the testimony of Israel to give thanks to the Name of the Lord. It carries us back to Deuteronomy and to Leviticus, where God made provision that wherever He put His Name, all the tribes of Israel should go up to the feasts of the Lord three times a year, to give thanks to the name of the Lord; at the Passover, where they celebrated redemption; at Pentecost; and then at the feast of Tabernacles at the close of the year, the feast of ingathering after the day of atonement, to give thanks to His Name.

In the epistle to the Hebrews, after having spoken of the blessings of the new covenant, the apostle contrasts the old covenant under the law with the new. He says:"Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched," that is, to mount Sinai, but "ye are come unto mount Zion," the earthly Jerusalem. "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion."

We need not be reminded that as Christians we have not come literally to the earthly Jerusalem; so you will remember that the apostle goes on immediately to say that we have come also to the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem. That is, we have come to our proper and appropriate blessings as Christians. But it is on the basis of grace, of which mount Zion speaks, and that is in one sense suggested by the new covenant. Mount Zion is where God will establish His blessing with the people according to the new covenant, and therefore, as the earthly place is a figure and shadow of the heavenly, it seems to me that it is doing no violence at all to the real meaning of this psalm to apply it to ourselves as members of the Church of Christ.

Remembering that our mount Zion is simply the grace of God which has brought us into His presence, and that our Jerusalem is not an earthly city nor an earthly government, but that the house of God for us is a real place and that the government of God's house is a real thing; what I want to do to-night is to try and point out for us some of the thoughts that we gather in that way from this Psalm. Grace is always the same, though it may act in different connections; and holiness is always the same, though it may act in different circumstances. I feel sure that we can get for ourselves, as Christians, some lessons both of grace and holiness in connection with the house of God, from this psalm.

"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go unto the house of the Lord." How our hearts have often responded in the same way! How blessed it is to be able to say, from the depths of our hearts, that we are glad to go unto the house of the Lord, that we are glad to have to do with that which speaks of the presence of the Lord and His government.

For that is what is suggested by the house. It is not a question of individual salvation, nor is it a question of individual communion. When you speak of a house, I suppose you might say the simplest thought of a house is a place where more than one person lives. It suggests the thought of society, of association. The place where God dwells is called His house, in relation with His people.

But here we are confronted with a contrast. For an Israelite, God dwelt in solitude in His house. He might in His mercy call His people about the gates of that house, but then they had no access, no entrance into that house, no way of approach beyond the outer court. It was only for the few privileged priests to enter any nearer than that. Thus in connection with the house of God for Israel, we have suggested that distance which the veil down and un-rent always implies, distance and not nearness. But how blessed the contrast is for us, beloved. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. There is access right into the house of God where God Himself dwells. More than that, and most wonderful is what the apostle Peter says; that we have come to Christ, the Living Stone, to be "a spiritual house." We ourselves are built up to be the house of God, or, as the apostle Paul puts it to the Ephesians:" Builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

So the thought of a house with us suggests association with God. It is God's house, and first of all there must be association with God. Beloved, fellowship is a sweet thing, but what is it that binds us together, that makes us in any sense the house of God? It is because God is recognized in the house. It is God's house, and our association is first with Him, or we could not have any true fellowship one with another. I put it to you, dear brethren, when you say, "I was glad," what is the first joy? Is it not to meet the Lord Himself ? Is not that the first joy of all, dear as it is to meet one another and to have the sweetest association together, the gladness that is so spontaneous in our hearts is that we are going to meet the Lord.

Now, I want to be very simple to-night, so simple that we will think of the real lesson and riot of the way in which it is put. "Where two or three are gathered together unto My Name, there am I in the midst." There is the house of God for us, where the Lord is in the midst; and, brethren, if our gathering together is going to be a real spiritual thing for us, it is always to be a gathering together unto Christ Himself.

We hear people sometimes say they are leaving this and that, leaving system and all that kind of thing. Yes, alas, we have to leave our fellow-Christians oftentimes, if we are to be faithful to the Lord. But it is not anything that we leave that puts us into the house of the Lord. It is not a negative thing that makes us right. People that are always occupied with negative things never have anything real for their own souls. You will find them too often occupied with the failures of their brethren, rather than with the blessings and glories of Him whom they have come to meet. The true coming unto the house of the Lord is to meet the Lord.

You remember, in the early part of the book of Judges we are told that the name of Bethel was Luz at the first. Its natural name was Luz; its spiritual name was Bethel. Luz means "separation," "cutting off," " separating from." The monk is the most separated kind of man. He is separated from his home, separated from his friends; gives up his own name even, goes behind stone walls and leads a life of rigid separation. That is Luz, the natural name of separation. What is its spiritual name? Bethel, "the house of God," the presence of God. The Lord makes manifest Himself, and, if we are going to have any enjoyment of Bethel, it must not be a negative thing,-separation from,-it has got to be the actual positive attraction to the Person of the Lord Himself.

It is being gathered unto Him; and beloved, let that mark us, let that be the thing that characterizes us, a people who have to do with the house of God. Let it not be that we are sharp critics because others are not clear as to those priceless things, but let us rather be those whose souls are absorbed in one precious thought, that we have met the Lord Himself.

You remember that when they came to this place, Luz, and wanted to get possession of it, they did not seem to have the courage of faith to take it. Thank God, faith can always take what He has given us title to; but they spied out the city and found one of its inhabitants whom they promised to spare if he would show them the way in. So they got possession of Luz, and called it Bethel. But they let the spared inhabitant go off, and he, as will always be the case, went and built another Luz, a city after the same name as the one which had been captured:I sometimes think there have been many inhabitants of Luz who have been spared and gone off and built the same old city again, marked by the mere separation . from and not by the presence of the Lord Himself.

That is as to the general principle of gathering. Take now, in a very simple way, our gathering on a specific occasion. We will say, take any Lord's Day morning meeting. I am sure as the Lord's
Day comes around, hearts glow with gladness. O brethren, is there a joy like it this side of heaven? To be gathered to the house of God! Again, let us remember that if it is the house of God for us it is that we go to meet the Lord Himself personally. We do not go to hear gifts and all that kind of thing. We go to meet the Lord; you have an appointment, as it were, with the Lord Himself.

Sometimes we complain of dull meetings. Do you think meetings would be dull if we were really meeting the Lord Himself and not meeting one another? Ah no, " In Thy presence is fullness of joy "-a joy that must find expression in fullest worship. I am sure that we need to remember that as we come together it is to meet the Lord in person, so we will be glad when they say:" Let us go unto the house of the Lord." Our feet then "stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem."

That is the first point, and I want to press it. I trust, if the Lord tarry a little season, that which will characterize us will be this positive sense of the presence of the Lord. As we go on further, we will find other things coming in too, judgment and government and all that, but the first thought is His actual presence.

Do you remember what Jacob said when he awoke out of his dream after he had seen an exhibition of God's grace? He says:"How dreadful is this place." "It is the gate of heaven." We do not say it is a dreadful place, but surely if Jacob felt the holiness of the place, realized the holiness of God's presence, how much more should we who have the full blessing of that grace shining in the face of Christ, realize how holy is the house of God where we meet Him!

"Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together." When you have a given center of attraction and many drawn together, you have compactness. You remember in the epistle to the Ephesians, after the apostle speaks of the body, the whole body joined to the Head he shows the results in the body:"The Head even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth." Here you have the house of God, Jerusalem built as a city compacted together. What is going to compact the saints together? Holding the Head. How much that implies, of individual, living communion with the Lord Jesus, constant, individual fellowship with Him. From that comes the outflow all around. There will be not only the inflow of communion with Christ, but the outflow, compacting the body together by that which every joint supplies; the outflow of grace one toward another. Here you have a center, and every one is attracted to the Center. If every one is trying to get as close to the center of this room as possible, they will be close together.

The secret of real unity in the assemblies of God's dear people is for each to be drawn personally to the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, we cannot legislate that kind of compactness. We can talk about our duty to be close together, but if we are drawn to Christ, as, thank God, I am sure our hearts are being drawn, are we not knit together? is not heart knit with heart?

It is not because we are loving one another first. We are not ashamed to say that we love Christ better than one another. The nearest natural tie is nothing compared with that which binds us to Him. We do love one another, just for the simple reason that we are drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. That will be used of God to heal the things which you cannot describe. Are things holding together very loosely? Saints not knit together? You cannot force them. Saints are distant toward one another, suspicious of one another, whispering comes in? You cannot deal with it as if it were some overt act that you could discipline about. But if you are drawn, if Christ takes hold of our hearts and draws them together, I defy all the power of the world and all the power of Satan to keep us apart from one another.

Beloved brethren, is there not a need of our being drawn to Christ, not as a means of being drawn to one another, but because the distance from one another tells of a greater distance of heart from the Lord Jesus Himself? If we recognize these things, if any of the assemblies represented here recognize these things here is the blessed remedy. "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together," a united, a living, really vital connection one with another, that the world looks upon and can no more understand than it can understand Christ Himself. "Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."

Now, you have the tribes going up. "Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel." We hear a good deal sometimes about a testimony. We want to be a testimony. You notice it is a single word, one united testimony. As we were seeing in the second chapter of 2 Corinthians, the saints are "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ." It is not epistles, as if there might be many of them, but only one-one testimony, one commendation. Think of God, as it were, sending a letter of commendation in His living people, that even the world itself can read and understand, that which recommends the grace of God.

Here we have the tribes going up to the testimony of Israel. The Lord's people are to be a testimony for Him, and, dear brethren, let us not forget that if God, in His infinite grace and mercy, has raised up a testimony to the truth of His Church, it is one of the highest honors that can be conceived, to be connected with that testimony. Do you thing lightly of the privilege of being associated even with two or three who are gathered on the principles of God's truth to the Name of Christ ? I tell you, brethren, next to the salvation of your souls there is no more momentous event in your history than your being brought by the Spirit of God to see the truth of the testimony which God has raised up.

It is no light thing. It is no trifling thing, which God has put into our hands. It is no trifle, brethren, that we are connected with a testimony like this. From the depths of my soul, I can bless God that in His infinite grace, He has entrusted me with a share in this holy, blessed testimony. O beloved brethren, think of it, a testimony in a time when everything is going to pieces. It is not merely a testimony to God's way of salvation, but a testimony to that which is nearest and dearest to the heart of Christ- of anything in the created universe. That is the Church, the Bride. We are associated with the testimony to that blessed fact. If you believe it honestly-talk about possession of wealth, or learning, or anything of that sort, it is trash, rubbish, compared with this commanding truth.

If Israel, in looking around, could say, "We have a strong city, salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks," beloved, how much more can we acknowledge the amazing grace that has connected us with the testimony as to the Church of God. It is not the testimony of a few people-do not think for a moment, that we are the only people, it is the testimony for the whole people of God. Just as Israel meant the whole twelve tribes, and just as Elijah with the ten tribes and in a day of ruin, builded the altar with the twelve stones that spoke of undivided Israel, as a testimony of Israel, so we, a feeble remnant,-often that which is despised as to its numbers, and ability, and endowments, and things of that kind,-are standing for the whole Church of Christ.

Unless we are sure that we are a witness for all the people of God, we have not a sense of the responsibility and dignity of the position. You may say that is high Church doctrine; but the Church is high ; we cannot tamper with it; we cannot trifle with it; we cannot adopt half-way measures in connection with the Church, the Church of Christ, the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, as the apostle declares it. We cannot speak slightingly of it. If we are not connected with a testimony of that kind, we had better at once give up the whole thing. If it is not a testimony for the whole Church of Christ, I am not surprised to see disintegration and every thing of that kind.

If it is a testimony for all the people of God, you need not be surprised that it is going to be assailed and mocked. As in Nehemiah's time the enemies did everything to break up the little feeble testimony to the truth of Israel in that day, so he will do in this. If the enemy lets us alone as to our testimony, we may be afraid that it is not a clear testimony. If there is difficulty in connection, we may thank God that He permits difficulty, because Satan would never trouble a thing that was not a real menace to himself.

So it is the testimony of Israel-all the people of God. That will keep the heart large. What a despicable thing it is to see a man looking down with contempt upon Christ's beloved people ! You will not have that feeling if you realize that the testimony which, by God's grace, you are seeking to maintain is for the whole Church of God. Ah, brethren, we are, by His grace, standing firm and seeking in our little measure to obey God, for whom ? Who are these brethren and companions for whose sake He says:"Peace be within thee " Brethren and companions are the whole people of God, whoever they are. The very ones who may despise us and hate us for what they call our exclusiveness are the ones for whose sakes, next to God's glory, we are seeking the peace and prosperity of the house of God.

What a dignity, what a wonderful thing to be entrusted with such a testimony ! I repeat it, that if you realize it, you will thank God every day of your life that you are put in connection with it. You will realize it to be the highest dignity and honor that could be given to any creature on earth.

They go up "unto the testimony of Israel." Then you have:"To give thanks unto the name of the Lord," and that shows what we are gathered for. We are not gathered, as you might say, to be a testimony. That is a result of it, but a man who is always trying to be a testimony will be occupied with his testimony, rather than with the One for whom he is to testify. But we are gathered unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

What a lovely thought the Lord gave that poor sinful woman of Samaria, when He said, "The Father seeketh worshipers." It is expressing the appreciation of the heart of God. It is offering back to God the appreciation of hearts to whom He has given the knowledge of Himself. We give back to Him our appreciation of what He has made known to us. He is seeking hearts that will respond to the manifestation of His grace. What is your thought of heaven ? Is it not worship ? It is offering eternally the apprehension of the glories of the character of our blessed God, which He has made known to us through Christ, and which we will there know in its infinite fulness. We are together to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.

We come together to the house of the Lord in our little weekly meetings, realizing that it is the testimony for all Israel. What do we give? It is worship, if we are rightly gathered. It is the Lord Himself who is to be before us, and worship will characterize our meeting. Surely our hearts must be in a cold state if giving thanks to the name of the Lord does not mark our gathering as a testimony.

Is praise stinted ? is the spirit of worship feeble amongst us ? Oh, brethren, worship feeble in the house of God, with all the display of what grace has done for us, with the presence of the Lord Jesus amongst us, with the Holy Ghost unfolding His word to our wondering souls,-and worship feeble?

Take the Levitical offerings. Suppose a company of God's people attempting to offer back in praise and thanksgiving the truths connected even with the burnt-offering. Suppose they sought to present before God the perfections and beauties of Christ as seen in the bullock-in its full strength. They see Him without blemish and without spot, with the outer covering removed, all the hidden springs laid bare, and with the word of God applied, but bringing out only the perfections and purity of His character. They see Him divided apart, head and feet, and all the various parts, speaking of Christ, His thoughts, His ways, His deeds, everything connected with Him. They think of all that going up in death before God. The memory of all this is presented at the meeting for worship where we come to give thanks to God. Would there be any dearth in the praises ? But that is only one; take all the offerings. Take all the types. Leave the types. Come to the plain, simple word, the wondrous unfoldings of Christ, as you have them in the Epistles.

Talk about stinted praise, silent lips! My dear brother, is there any one here who never opens his lips to give thanks to the name of the Lord ? What are you thinking of ? Yourself ? Stop that, and think of Christ, and as you think of Christ, I am sure that you cannot keep your lips closed.

" Our hearts are full of Christ, And long the glorious matter to declare."

As you have it in the forty-fifth psalm, "My heart is bubbling up with a good matter ;I speak of the things which I have made touching the King." "Thou art fairer than the sons of men." If I could only be used here to-night by God's grace to unseal a single heart, to unclose a single mouth in the assemblies of God's people, I would bless Him from the depths of my heart. Silent brothers in the meetings where we give thanks to the name of the Lord ! Is it a characteristic weakness amongst us? We want to be stirred up about it. It is a dishonor and shame for those who have had such grace and such love shown them. Let us go into our closets. We want no formal praises, but living praises, from loving hearts that have been set free in the holy presence of our God.

That suggests a whole line of thought, a whole connection that I will not enlarge upon. Our own conscience, our own sense of need, will lead us on in that line. Beloved, let us remember that we are gathered unto the testimony to give thanks.

Think of a man who is able to defend the position, who has not a word of thanks when he comes to the Lord's table. Beloved, if there is one thing that ought to mark us, it is the spirit of worship. What is it in that little hymn-book that makes it different from any book of praise you ever saw before ? It is Christ who is before the soul there. And if Christ is before your souls as you gather to His Name, the praise and worship of your heart will not be the form of singing hymns, but the irrepressible bubbling up that will bring refreshing and joy to our blessed God. He seeks worshipers. We are only giving Him what His blessed heart of love craves, to see His people happy in His love, pouring out their souls in thanksgiving.

"There are set thrones of the house of David." They speak of government and rule. What we have had thus far is grace, that which brings out the love, the attractive side. He is the God of all grace. But now right in the center, in Jerusalem, in a very real sense in the sanctuary, you have mention of thrones. What was the mercy-seat ? Do you know, we have a very selfish way of looking at the mercy-seat? We think of it as a place where we have access. It was more than that, it was the throne of Jehovah in the midst of His people. What a wonderful thought that the place where God has His throne is the place where His grace is magnified in the acceptance of the guiltiest sinner, and the blood upon the throne and before the throne, tells us of our perfect acceptance according to the will of God, and that His righteousness and judgment have been fully vindicated. His throne established in that which is the foundation of peace, the work of Christ.

There is no doubt the psalmist had in his mind the government of those thrones of judgment, in connection with Messiah's rule. But, applying this to ourselves, as before, that which is to characterize the assembly of God, is judgment, the throne, the ordering of divine government. What is it that makes an assembly differ, we will say, from a sect? You will say, we have no denominational name. Is that all ? Why, such are scattered all around-any little company of Christians that chooses to come together- and is that an assembly ? No wonder God's people are harassed and scattered if they think that is God's mind of an assembly. An assembly is marked by a throne of judgment, government exercised. It is the place of divine judgment. Of course, I am only adapting the language to spiritual things. The throne of David suggests the Lord's place of supremacy that we recognize in the assembly.

You cannot have true worship unless you have a true sense of the governmental authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not subjection to my brother, not obedience to the assembly, but it is the whole assembly in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the throne of judgment. How much it suggests ! Do we recognize that sufficiently, the absolute supremacy, the Lordship of our blessed Saviour ? Where is self-will when that is recognized ? Where is there any room for self-will ? It is no question of my will against my brother's will. It is no question of seeing who can gather the most saints and pull in opposite directions. It is only the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. He rules, and by His word He makes known His will; and whoever may point to that will, to the authority of Christ and His word, beloved, we have got to bow to that word as absolutely as though it were sounded in thunder from Sinai itself or from heaven.

Bowing to the authority of Christ ! Think of Christ being enthroned amongst His people. He is our Lord and we own His absolute authority. But, then, the throne of judgment suggests another line of things. In the East the ruler had to judge the cases of wrong doing and everything of that kind, and in the assembly of God, the throne of judgment not only suggests in a general way the authority of Christ, but in a specific and particular way the investigation and the dealings with all matters connected with the government of the house of God. That is just as characteristic of an assembly, as is the relationship that we were speaking of.

Discipline begins with the examination of persons to be received, Some one comes and says, I have
brought my friend with me and he is a dear child of God, and I would like to have him break bread. Does that settle it? Is that the throne of judgment? Is that letting the Spirit of God discern for us? Is that the solemn weighing and testing whether or not the Lord Jesus Christ desires that this one should be received into the company of that which is to be a testimony for the whole Church of Christ? Reception is a solemn thing, it is not dropping in and then dropping out again. Beloved brethren, it is no violation of the unity of the Spirit, and surely it is no denial of the unity of the body, to exercise the greatest discrimination and care in receiving those who seek to have a share in the solemn responsibilities of the house of God.

Trace the troubles in the assembly of God back to their source and you will find that one fruitful source of trouble has been the reception of those who have not been properly exercised in conscience as to the immense responsibilities of the place they have come into. They have come in lightly, without learning in their souls what it is to be in the presence of God.

They have not learned the end of themselves, and so they bring in that which can only bring discord and sorrow and trouble. Is it not so as we trace our common sins, and common shame? Has not much of it originated with just this, the failure to exercise judgment in reception?

Apply it to the spiritual condition of every one of us in the assembly of God. We were saying that we ought to be intimately acquainted with the spiritual state of every one in the assembly,-not by being a busy body in other men's matters. Never make the mistake of prying into the details of others' lives; let them alone unless God brings it out for you. It is always a mistake to do that. It brings fresh sorrow and trouble oftentimes. But we can be acquainted with the spiritual condition of every one in the assembly without prying, and without pretending, any of us, to be better than the other. Surely each of us ought to have a godly love, a jealous care for the spiritual condition of our brethren. May the Lord revive amongst us a sense of that real genuine love for every one. May provoking one another unto love, be aroused amongst us more than ever, that we may, as it were, get close to the heart of every one in the assembly and find out just where they stand before God. How often would the evil be checked.

Why is it that evil springs up in the midst of gatherings? Who is to blame for it? If there had been more exercise, more prayer, more discernment, more true fellowship one with another, how much would be checked and cut off that now, alas, is al-lowed to come out to its full fruitage, to the shame and sorrow of all! May the Lord make us more jealous in this phase of judgment in the house of God!

I do not speak of discipline, except to remind us that it has its place, it must have its place amongst a company who are to be a testimony for the people of God. Painful,-who can tell the sorrows connected with it?-and yet, beloved, it is that which makes us realize that we are together, because we have passed through common sorrows. There must be and will be the exercise of discipline indeed in an assembly of God. Let it be marked by prayer, by a humble spirit. Let the government and discipline spring out of worship, and be but a needful part of that.

Peace is the result of all that. If that characterizes the house of God, peace is the result. So we find that it comes next. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." That does not mean peace at the expense of truth and divine principles. It is in connection with the thrones of judgment that you have praying for the peace of the Lord's people. And, dear brethren, " They shall prosper that love thee." Have you seen brethren who began to awaken to the needs of the assembly? They have made comparatively little growth, perhaps, for many years. They have gone on in a quiet kind of way; perhaps you have lamented that there has been so little progress. But now there has been an awakening to the sense of the needs of the assembly of God, and they have been praying for the peace of the assembly of God, really awakened and exercised. The result is, their souls prosper. " They shall prosper that love thee."

Christ loves the Church. Christ loves every little testimony to His truth. Oh, from the depths of my soul do I pray for the whole gathered assembly of Christ in connection with the grace in which He has put us! "Peace be within thy walls,"-that which separates us from the outside,-and "prosperity within thy palaces,"-the assembly of God which for us is a palace, even the palace of the King. And, as I was saying before, "for my brethren and companions' sake," for all the beloved people of God throughout the world that meet not with us, will now say, "Peace be within thee." It is for His house, and whatever we may do, no matter how menial the service, I am sure that the least thing and the most menial thing, the most self-denying thing that is done for the house of the Lord has His approval upon it.

Psalm 127:emphasizes the lesson of faith in connection with the house of God. We must ever be reminded that all our effort, all our poor, puny work is nothing in itself. As Solomon says here, or David, who writes for Solomon, as the temple is growing up there in its beauty:"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it." I am sure we are not sorry to say this. We will be willing to let our labor be in vain if the Lord is not building His house. If the saints who are being added in grace,-if it is not the Lord's work, all our Bible readings and trying to unfold Scripture is useless. Unless the Lord is working, "They labor in vain who build it." Thank God, He is working, we can count upon Him. Let us never forget it. As Solomon watched that temple rising with its beautiful proportions, and could say that all the labor that was done upon it would be in vain and worthless if the Lord did not build it, so let us remember that it is God who is working and not man. It is not the instrument He may use.

It is none of ourselves who are building. It is God who is building the house, and unless He does it, all our work is in vain. That stops your trying to pull the fruit before it is ripe. It stops all these unseemly arguments about truth that oftentimes are humiliating rather than edifying. If it is God who is doing the work, we can leave it with God. When He is done with us, we drop into our place and the work goes on, for it is God who is building.

Here the watchmen go around the city walls, looking to see that no unclean person comes around.
Watchman, what of the night? They go about, looking, but there is an Eye that never closes, there is One who never slumbers nor sleeps. How sweet it is to know that it is not our watching, it is not our care, it is the Lord, who keeps the city, and unless He does it, all is in vain. Will the watchman go home and go to bed? Not at all. He will watch all the more vigilantly. He will be careful to do God's work with pains, the porter will be careful to see that no unworthy person draw near. His faith in God will only make him all the more careful as he seeks by His grace to keep the city where the name of our God is placed.

How restful it is, how sweet to know it is God who is working. " If God be for us, who can be against us?". How that stops all restless Martha-service. "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows:for so He giveth His beloved sleep," or sleeping.

" O earth so full of dreary noises;
O men with wailing in your voices,
O delved gold, the wailer's heap;
O strife, O curse that o'er it fall-
God makes a silence through you all,
And giveth His beloved sleep."

What is a house without children? A house where the children have all gone out, and found homes for themselves,-what a lonely kind of a place it is to the old people who are left behind! They miss the prattle, they miss the dear little hands and feet, busy perhaps in mischief, running around the house, but they miss them. " Children are a heritage from the Lord." What we have been saying applies to Christians. But my heart has often wept, as I have thought how few spiritual children there are in God's house.

Where does God get most of His children born? Outside. Evangelists who know little about the truth of God, earnest men and women, knowing a little, gather precious souls, saved souls. Why should there not be some of this heritage of the Lord amongst His gathered people? Oh, you say, but we are not evangelists. I do not believe it takes evangelists to see souls saved. Beloved, I sometimes wish there was no such thing as a platform in the meeting room of the saints. It is not preaching that we are after. It is souls born again,-children born. How? By the word of God. There is that mother in the assembly, she has her little children. Are they going to be born again? Who are going to be the ones used of God to bring them into the marvelous light? Some teacher in a mission school, or some one off yonder? What a reproach! Our older ones, are they going to get their blessing in the house of God amongst us or elsewhere?

"He rewardeth them who diligently seek Him." It is the reward. " Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." It is as though they were' weapons. How many souls have been saved in connection with the assembly where you are, during the past year? "Oh,"you say, " don't put it that way." Why not put it that way? Why not have exercise in that direction? Souls born again! "When Zion travailed, she brought forth," and, beloved brethren, if there were that pouring out of soul in prayer, if there were that which would take no refusal from God, if there were that which would plead and claim from Himself this token of His favor and approval amongst us, we would hear the prattle of the new born souls, praising and rejoicing in our God.

It is said of our Lord Jesus:"Thou hast the dew of Thy youth."He never grew old, blessed be His Name, fresh in communion with His God in His whole life, He never lost it for a moment. How is it with our souls? Is Christ just the same for us as the day when we first found Him for our souls 'Is He? Then may you not expect some "children of youth?"If your soul is fresh and tender in your first love, that is what is going to be rewarded in this way.

I was thinking of this in connection with what we always have, thank God, on Lord's days at these meetings, the gospel of the grace of God. What for? Just to hear how nicely this or that brother can put the gospel? Is that what we have been thinking? "A nice gospel," we say. What is a nice gospel, brethren? It is that which will bring some soul to life. What I want to pray for, is that if it be God's sovereign grace to do so, we will see some child born. I do not care who preaches. If we all got down here and wept and owned our departure from God, and some child of some parent would, as a result of it, cry:"Oh, I must find God to-day!" that would be a reward from God.

We want to hear the assemblies of God sounding with the speech of infants. Our own dear children, shall not these be born in the house of God? Where is the natural source of supply for assemblies? I assure you, I do not believe it ought to be picking people out of the sects. I would far rather see souls brought to Christ and find their homes in the assembly, than to have people gathered out of the sects even. Thank God for every one who sees the truth and comes out clear. Who would say nay? But, O brethren, for a distinctive work in the gospel of God's grace in connection with the house of our God. We would not be ashamed then. Go right into the gate, right into the place of judgment. Let the enemy come, let him say, "You brethren do not have much blessing in the gospel." But we are ashamed, and sometimes we say, "You know brethren's distinctive work is to edify Christians." Why do we say so? Because we have so few children to show. But if we turn to our God, thanks be to Him, the fresh dew is ever ready for us, and if that freshness of dew is upon us all, I do not believe that He will refuse us this token of His favor that He is using His beloved people.

May God grant it! Amen!