"Thy testimonies are very sure:holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, forever." (Ps. 93:5.)

In the former papers on this subject, we have been looking toward individual and personal communion and fellowship with God in His thoughts about His blessed Son, as the only true attitude of spirit for worship ; and this also, as the divinely appointed preparation for acceptable worship and service ; just here, it is important to notice that worship is not service, as service is not worship ; since worship is God-ward, while service is manward. We find this clearly illustrated in the account of Mary and her sister Martha, (See Luke 10:38-42). Martha was the woman of the house :she was on the ground of service, and illustrates the legal dispensation. She was occupied with what she was for Him. She had received Him into her house, and now she was responsible to do the very best thing that could be done for the Lord. And in her zeal for Him, to serve Him, she was completely oblivious as to what He was, and could be, for her ! Mary, on the other hand, was occupied with Himself, and what He was for her. And this illustrates the dispensation of grace. Her cup was full, her heart was satisfied and at rest. She had not one word to say. It was enough for her to sit at His feet, and hear His words. Oh blessed attitude !

How few, how very few know what it is ! Ah, beloved reader, please stop right here for a few moments and think. Take this question home to your own heart. Do you know what this is ? have you ever realized the true blessedness of what grace is ? When you could sit at His feet, "as under the shadow of a great rock in a weary land ?"

When you could think this in your heart-for you did not want to hear your own voice, neither the voice of any other, but Himself-but saying in your heart, This is good ! Oh, it is good to be here.

This is what the proper sense of grace always gives, and this is the result of finding all our delights in Him. This is what the apostle prays for the Ephesians, and beloved for you and me also, (Eph. 3:14). " For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

O beloved ! to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, is to be "filled with all the fullness of God." And this is grace.

" Oh to grace !How great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be."

And this is not service, but it is worship, the divine essential for true and acceptable service. We see this is abundantly emphasized, in the Lord's own words of commendation of Mary, and gracious rebuke of Martha.

And now we have need to notice another point in this connection :that happiness is not necessarily
worship. There may be abundant joy and happiness in service, as there will be, if our hearts are right with Him ; if we are consciously in His presence. But I have already said, service is man ward, worship is God ward. Service is from God, down to men. Worship is from saved sinners, up to God. One might be very happy in preaching to a large, attentive and interested audience, while a Christian mother might be detained at home in the necessary care of children or the sick, and yet the preacher know nothing of the joy of true worship, while she might be happily engaged, at the Lord's feet, in the true exercise of praise. It is not that the preaching is wrong ; surely not ; but that God craves the outpourings of the heart in joyful thankfulness for the grace which He has made known to us in Christ.

Is it not often true that a large company of Christians might come together to listen to a sermon and beautiful music without their hearts being stirred at all in true worship ? And yet how often is this called public worship. Let the simple, it may be ignorant Christian, but one enlightened as to worship, come into such a company, and he will feel strangely out of place. His full heart longs to pour itself out in unrestrained praise, to share his joys with his fellows, but alas, they know not the meaning of that word "whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me."

Now let the preacher take up this subject of worship, and he too will soon find a desire which not even the most eloquent sermon, or the most true, can fill.-It is to be at the feet of Jesus, engaged with Himself, offering up praise to Him. And this will fit, as nothing else can, for true service.

Ministry is always service, it is to others, and we can minister to the Lord only as we serve others. The life and labor of the blessed Lord Jesus while down here among men was all ministry to, and service for others. "He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many," and He said, "I am among you as one that serveth." "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of these my brethren." But, I have said, ministry is perfectly right in its place, and if it is the ministry of Christ, it may contribute to produce worship-and if it is in the Spirit, 1:e. by the leading or guiding of the Spirit, it will be the ministry of Christ, since the Spirit could not lead nor guide in anything which was not for the exaltation, the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. See John. 16:13-15 ; compare also i Cor. 12:, Rom. 12:with Eph. 3:11-13. We see by these scriptures that ministry in the Spirit is not always preaching and exhorting, but is also seen in giving and doing. (See Rom. 12:8-13.) And this leads me to notice that ministry and priesthood are often confounded in the minds of Christian people ; and I apprehend the confounding has come in through the Judaizing of Christianity.

In Judaism the priest was the link between God and the people, and as such was a type of Christ, who is our High priest, "who ever liveth to make intercession for us," and by whom we have access to God, and " boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Not by a new, or fresh application of the blood ; as is sometimes said, which would be to reduce the blood of Jesus to the value of the blood of bulls and goats. No beloved, it is not what we think of the blood ; it is not our estimate of the blood which gives it its value ; but what God thinks of it. The blood on the lintel and door post of the Hebrew dwelling in Egypt was not for the Israelite to look at, but for God to look at, for God had said, " When I see the blood, I will pass over you."

One more thought, and this paper must close. We are looking into the subject of Spiritual Guidance. Not so much to explain what it is, and how it is, as to show by the truth, what it is not; since the Spirit's guidance is " into all truth." And this is not saying into all things true; for many things are true, and there is truth in many things ; mathematics, philosophy, art, science, and in every department of nature around us ; but the Holy Ghost is not here to lead and guide into that kind of truths at all, but "the things concerning Himself" – the blessed Lord Jesus Himself. He could say, " I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." (Jno. 14:16.) So that our knowledge of God, and the God-ordained way into His presence, yea into the final blessedness and glory yet to be revealed, yea, more also, the path of faith through this world, for us, all are linked up with Him as God,-our God and Father. And there can be no true knowledge of God apart from Him, the man Christ Jesus,-the dead and risen man, the ascended and glorified Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Yes, beloved reader, this is " the truth " which the Holy Spirit is down here to teach and to guide you into; and you may be sure of this, that He, the Spirit, is not teaching, leading, nor guiding into anything apart from Christ. His honor, His glory, His Lordship, His Divinity, His first coming, His life of lowly service, His death, resurrection and ascension, and His coming again in glory to judge the world, and to fill out all unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible. These truths, with all "things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27), these make up the truth. C. E. H.