was the portion of his goods which Jacob I promised to give the Lord in response to His wondrous revelation of Himself to the homeless wanderer at Bethel. There, in the vision of the Ladder, Jacob saw himself the object of divine grace and care ; and that there might be no doubt as to the meaning, it is confirmed by the words:"Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land:for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Gen. 28:15.)

On awaking, Jacob, terrified, but apparently not won, by this amazing manifestation, makes a vow, treating as conditional what God had made absolute:"If God will be with me … I will surely give the tenth unto Thee." This tenth we might well call the measure of Jacob's apprehension of God's grace on the one hand, and of his consecration on the other. It is therefore most appropriate that the tenth should be the prescribed proportion, the measure of consecration, under the law, which is indeed conditional in all its blessings (Lev. 27:30). "I give tithes of all that I possess," said the self-righteous pharisee.

But if a tenth will do for one under law-for one who fails to apprehend the true grace of God, what is the measure of consecration for us who are under perfect grace ? Will two tenths do ? one half ? nine tenths ? Ah! if God has given us His all-" He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for its all"-will any fraction do for our response to that grace? "The love of Christ constraineth us," says the apostle, and goes on to show that our life is to be now for Him who died for us and rose again. " To me to live is Christ." The law might demand one seventh of my time ; grace demands nothing, but should receive all – of time, means, opportunities, liabilities. Anything short of complete devotion of all to God means unhappiness-that is, if anything is purposely withheld. Nothing showed the heart of the elder brother more than the words, "Thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends." He wanted to have something for himself, and this showed his real unwillingness to give his father anything If we wish but one hour of our time with God left out, it would show a practical desire to have it all, checked as that desire might be by grace.

This complete consecration, the apostle tells us (Rom. 12:.), is our "reasonable service." There is nothing harsh in it. "His commandments are not grievous," says the apostle of love. There is no constraint in it but the constraint of love; if otherwise, the devotion, would be worthless even did it reach to the bestowing all one's goods to feed the poor and giving the body to be burned. It simply flows from a knowledge of what absolute grace is. It is the response of the heart to One who has shown us all His heart; who loves us with an everlasting love; who can do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think; who would share His pleasures with us ; who would make His joy our strength. Why should we wish to have anything for ourselves, when He provides all for us ? The prodigal made sad use of " the portion of goods " that fell to him; restored, he gets no further share-he lives with his father. Was not that enough ? Is not that enough for us ?

But let us look at ourselves and ask, Is this complete devotedness true of us ? and if it is not, what is the reason ? The answer, one answer at least, would be, Because of our failure to apprehend the absolute, perfect grace of God. The slightest tinge of legal-ism means self-interest. Ah ! we may know in a cold, intellectual way all the doctrines of grace, but when they are held in living power-rather, when their living power holds us-there is but one answer of the heart-" I am my Beloved's."

Beloved brethren, we are at best but learners in; this school of grace. Let us see to it that we are indeed learners increasing in the knowledge of what God's perfect grace is, that the fruits of it may increasingly be manifest in our lives.