" The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He hath girded Himself:the world also is established that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old:Thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure:holiness becometh Thine house, O Lord forever" (Ps. 93:).

'This is a Millennial Psalm, describing the time I when man's wisdom and efforts to govern the world will have headed up in anarchy, and God will then have in His own power set all in order and
established government upon a righteous basis. Then, "holiness unto the Lord shall be written
upon the bells of the horses " (Zech. 14:20).

Holiness is that which responds to divine order in government. Man is holy only in the measure in
which he, in heart, respects God's order. This must begin in the man himself. He who does not govern himself in the fear of God, will have no proper sense of government anywhere. When Adam received Satan's lie, he became a rebel against God's government, bringing ruin and confusion upon himself and the world about him. Peace was taken from the earth, only to be re-established through the triumph and reign of the Second Man. In Him we have the divine model of a self-governed Man, before whom every other man stands condemned and guilty.

When grace has wrought in salvation, the first responsibility of every one thus saved is self-government in the fear of God. Not apart from God, which would be merely satanic pride and independency. This was the promise of the enemy at the first, that man should be "as God"; and this was the very condemnation into which Satan fell, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty " (Ezek. 28:13-17). All who have listened to his lie have become like him, and to them our Lord's words apply, "Ye are of your father the devil." Self-culture and self-government apart from the fear of God, then, is nothing but this same spirit of Satan. It is antagonism to Christ, and the spirit of rebellion against the government of God which He has put in the hands of His blessed Son (John 5:22, 23).

Next to self-government in the fear of God comes the responsibility for household government. "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment" (Gen. 18:19). An ungoverned man will have an ungoverned household. Even the exercise of his authority will be of that despotic character which produces in the end rebellion and anarchy. God's government in the household will be in the power of divine love which holds both the reins of order and the rod of correction.

Passing on further, there is the government of the world, which is the same divine order applied in a larger sphere. In spite of the ruin that has come in, and even the failure of the ruler into whose hands the reins of government have been put, there is a most merciful provision for order and safety in the world through governments. Evil is restrained, and well-doers are protected. "For rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power ? do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same:for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain:for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil" (Rom. 13:1-7). This scripture is a witness for God's care of us while living in a scene hostile to Himself and those who are His.

This brings us to another form of government, that of the assembly of God. If He has ordained political government for the protection of His own in the world, has He been less careful to protect the honor of His Son in the assembly of the saints?

There can be no government without headship:"I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God " (i Cor. 11:3). Thus all government is in the hands of the supreme ruler of the universe. Therefore in whatever sphere it be, whether individual, the family, the world or the Church-all is under the One, whose order must be respected and obeyed everywhere. Even the Lake of Fire is but the prison house where all wilful rebels against His rule will be eternally confined with the devil and his angels.

It is the holiness of God's character which gives value to His order and government everywhere. Just as men have lost the sense of God's holiness, they have lost the key of His government. This has led to the departure of the Church from the divine order of apostolic days, and to the substitution of man's order instead of God's. God is displaced, and His word and the Holy Spirit are set aside for human expedients and human rulers. The result can be imagined, nay it is visible.

When Israel departed from God, as foretold by Joshua, they had no king, and "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Tracing this down to its last results, we find the crime of Gibeah, and the terrible confusion that accompanied its judgment (Judges 19:and 20:). The king of Israel, was to be the head of God's constituted authority and government; the absence of a king was the absence of government, because they had thrown off subjection to God. The same has been true of the Church. Indifference to God's holiness leaves the gate open for self-will, and all manner of corruption and violence. Let us beware of Satan's wiles; his enmity is against Christ, and he seeks to dishonor Him by lowering the standard of God's holiness, and thus producing indifference in the hearts of saints to God's order in the assembly. This is manifestly his special effort in these closing days.

Let us now see the provision for government in the Church, which has been given through the apostles, particularly Paul. We do not find a code of laws, with minute details of the letter, but we have that which is far better and equally definite-the word of God and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. It has been said, for instance, that there is no scripture for a prayer-meeting. But while there is no direct command, there is that which is far better, and which shows God's desire for His people.

In the first chapter of Acts, they were assembled in a ten days prayer-meeting (Acts 1:14). After the Holy Ghost had come upon them, and three thousand had been converted, we read, "They continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers. In the sixth chapter, the apostles when appointing the deacons to look after the poor, declare their own work to be, "the ministry of the word and prayer." Thus the Spirit shows the mind of God as to the subject of prayer-meetings.

In the same way, we see His guidance as to the government of the assembly. He led to the appointment of the deacons for a special work. They had to be "honest men of good report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom." When an assembly was formed, He led to the appointment of elders or spiritual rulers. "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed " (Acts 14:23). Another passage will show the nature of their work and how it was to be done. The Apostle was addressing the elders of the Assembly of Ephesus, just before his final departure from those quarters.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers (or bishops) to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with the blood of His own. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now brethren I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts 20:28-32).

Here we see who has made them elders, the Holy Ghost; their work is pointed out, to feed the Church of God. The need for it is seen in the danger of there being false teachers. The means by which they were to do their work is the word of God's grace. Following is a description of the apostle's own service as a model for all.

We have no apostles now to designate these elders, and it would be folly for uninspired men to attempt to ordain elders; but we do have the same Holy Spirit to call men into this service and to make known their gifts. In the Epistle to the Romans, we have the recognition of gifts, and among them "he that ruleth, with diligence" (Rom. 12:6-8). And again, "God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" (i Cor. 12:28).

We have also the qualifications for an elder, which remain true for all time.

"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?) not a novice, (a new convert, or one young in experience) lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (i Tim. 3:2-7. See also i Tim. 5:i, 17, 19; Tit. 1:5; Heb:. 13:7, 17).

With all these and other scriptures, and their explicit statements as to the qualifications of an elder, can we think it an unimportant matter? Surely not; and yet have we not been very indifferent and careless as to the subject of rule and government in the assembly of the saints? and has not this indifference produced its legitimate fruit?

All can see the weakness which has resulted from this, and many different reasons have been given for it. May we not say that the real root of all our failure has been the lack of a proper sense of God's holiness in government ? Oh, the solemnity of the presence of God! Think of it in the meetings of the saints, in the home, at the place of business. How feeble is our apprehension of that holy presence, the Almighty God!

But does Satan whisper that this tends to legalism, and that we are not under law? But if the law was
intended to impress men with a sense of the awful majesty of God (and we cannot read the descriptions of Sinai without seeing that it was so intended) does grace do less? We are forever delivered from slavish fear that we might have grace to serve God reverently, and with godly fear. If Israel soon lost the sense of His majesty, it is a sad fact that men have done so ever since. We too have repeatedly proved ourselves to be "a crooked and perverse nation," "a stiff-necked and rebellious people," "no better than our fathers." We shall never truly realize what God's grace is, except as we realize also His holiness.

C. E. H.

( To be continued, if the Lord please.)