"And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."

" And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

"No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

"Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise Him up at the last day." (Jno. 6:39, 40, 44, 54.)

We have in these verses four distinct truths, differing from each other, often indeed considered by man to be utterly irreconcilable, yet all converging to one common end-resurrection at the last day. That goal of high blessing, because of God's glory, is the meeting-point where at last, if not before, all that seems contradictory in the great scheme of redemption will be forever harmonized. Then, to principalities and powers, to the world will God manifest the perfection of His wisdom, power, and grace. But we know that now these precious truths should be made manifest by the Church
(Eph. 3:9, 10), not only to those in the heavenly places, but to all men as well. And if these things are to be manifested by the Church, they must also be understood by the Church. Let us, then, seek to gather some of the wondrous truths taught in these four verses.

First, we have the truth of God's sovereign, absolute election. Here the whole mass of His chosen people are viewed as one-"all which He has given Me." The integrity of this mass is preserved ; nothing is lost from it. It is to be raised up, in glory, and presented before God in the completeness in which it was given to the Son. How entirely is man set aside here ! Before the foundation of the world-ere even sin had brought in ruin-we have this wondrous transaction ; a gift to the Son, intrusted to Him, in the assurance that at whatever cost, whatever risk, no portion of that gift, not the most insignificant, should be lost. Sin, and death by sin, are contemplated as in the future, but spite of sin, through death, beyond the fitful rage of Satan's power, and man's rebellion, that gift is preserved, "raised up at the last day," when He to whom this gift was made will say, " Behold, I and the children which God hath given Me." Compared with the certainty of this accomplishment how puny are Satan's mightiest efforts weakest when they seemed strongest, overthrown at the moment when they seemed to have overthrown God's Son ! how powerless is sin to set aside this purpose-"the eternal purpose which He purposed in Himself"!-sin, black, horrible as it is, working death, bringing in hopeless ruin as far as man is concerned, making an awful gulf impossible for man to cross and regain lost access to God in Eden, erecting barriers mountain high,-how all this is swept aside by the irresistible purpose of God, as the twigs hanging to the grass on the river's bank are borne away by the mighty flood of waters ! Far be the thought to despise Satan's power; he is a roaring lion, mighty and terrible to helpless man ; or to have low views of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. But are these to be compared to God ? Is Satan stronger than He ? can sin thwart His purpose ? Through whom is this will accomplished ? Through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Upon Him hangs the fulfillment of this purpose-"I will raise it up at the last day." How certain is the accomplishment of all this. Even now, in anticipation of it, we can triumph. The great doctrine of Election is feared by most-opposed by many well-meaning Christians. But is not God sovereign ? Has He left to chance the momentous issues of eternity ? All Scriptures answer, No. Is not the dread of, the opposition to, this doctrine to be found in the fact that it takes every thing so completely out of man's hands, and puts it in God's? Man is set aside-he is not even, in the verse we are considering, looked at as an individual :" I shall raise it up again at the last day." Not that individuals are not contemplated in election. "He hath chosen us in Him"-but all thought of human cooperation in election is set aside. But there can be no ground for fear of this most precious and wondrous truth. If it brings out man's helplessness, it only the more clearly manifests God's love and goodness, giving new grounds for praise and adoration. Let it be remembered, however, that election is in Christ. Nowhere is it hinted that God chose men to be lost. The horrible doctrine of reprobation has no place in Scripture, and is utterly opposed to the comforting and God glorifying truth of election. . Nor again let it be thought that this is a truth for the unsaved. It could only confuse and stumble them.

Our next verse give us the manward side. The same will, the same end, but not the sovereign gift of the Father to the Son, but the free and simple acceptance of Christ by all who will. Notice the universality of the truth:every one, not the elect; not certain classes, but every one. Still, it is individual, each for himself. Notice, too, the simplicity :" that seeth the Son and believeth on Him." No works, no moral fitness required, no feelings called for. The eye is turned away from self,-no good to be gotten from that defiled source,-to the Son of God incarnate, who came down from heaven to give life to the world. It is faith which sees Christ,-the faith of a sinner taking as a sinner the gifts held out by the Saviour,-eternal life. "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life." The last day he can now look forward to with confidence as the time when it shall be fully seen what that little act of faith meant, when he looked away to Jesus and lived. But what does he see, as he looks on to the last day ? That God's electing love has brought him there. Here there is no collision between these precious truths. He came as a sinner, lost, guilty, helpless ; he saw Christ, he believed on Him, he received life, and now, wondrous to tell, he sees that he was chosen before the foundation of the world.

Our third verse links these two truths together:" No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day." Faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8); so is repentance (Acts 5:31). Had we been left to ourselves we would never have come to Christ. " The carnal mind is enmity against God." Not all the manifestations of love, nor all the terrors of wrath could have drawn one sinner, were he left to his own will. The fullest gospel, the clearest expositions of truth, are alike powerless unless accompanied by the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit of God. And yet we must be careful to note that this is not something mechanical. Man's reason, conscience, and will are left free, but actuated by divine grace and power, he is drawn, persuaded to believe and be saved. Boasting is excluded. We can no more boast of our faith than of our works-all is of grace.

" 'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly forced us in,
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin."

Blessed be the God of all grace !
This drawing, too, culminates at the same blessed end, -"I will raise him up at the last day." From the first moment when convinced of sin, and the anxious cry, "What must I do to be saved!" on till the trembling soul rested on Christ, was the work of God's Spirit. Having been drawn to Christ, the believer is still drawn after Him till He will find himself in glory, drawn there by the same power which first awakened him. Beloved reader, is there not in all this something which appeals to our heartfelt gratitude, our adoring love ?

But this paper would be incomplete without a consideration of the last verse quoted at the beginning:" Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." In the first verse we have a display of God's sovereign electing grace, "before the foundation of the world." In the second, we have the Person of the Son of God presented as the object of faith, and eternal life result of believing. Next, is shown the drawing of the Father through the Spirit, making it plain that faith is the gift of God. Now, we have in the last place, the work of Christ as the ground upon which God's sovereign love in election and calling can act toward guilty sinners. " Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood." His flesh and His blood were offered as food for the sinner when He laid down His life on the cross. This is the answer to their unbelieving question, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" In incarnation He was alone, with life in Himself, but the work not yet accomplished by which that life could be imparted to others, save in anticipation. But when He said, "It is finished," when His blood was shed, He was indeed food for the dying sinner. His flesh and blood then speak to us of His death on the cross, which removed every obstacle, satisfied every claim of justice, and forever swept away every barrier to eternal love flowing forth in all its fullness. The eating and drinking are strong expressions for the faith which appropriates that sacrifice. But what a view does the cross of our blessed Lord give us of the amazing love of God ! At what a cost have we obtained eternal life !-through the death of the Lord of life. Vile, guilty, undone, with nothing to commend us to God, we see Him giving His only begotten Son for us. " The last day " was for us a day of terror, of judgment, of eternal woe ; now, on the ground of that death, we hear our Lord, saying, "I will raise him up at the last day." It is a day of joy, of glory, of full manifestation as the sons of God..

Thus are these four great truths linked together by the person of the Lord, and the glory in resurrection fruit of God's electing love and on the ground of Christ's accomplished work, received by faith alone. How beautifully harmonious is God's Word !