CHAP. I. 6-12.

We are now, so to speak, upon a hill-top from whence we view the " city that hath foundations," and the country that is heavenly,- and what a prospect is before us!

Nothing that the eye has seen can be compared to it; for " it is written,' Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.' But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (i Cor. 2:9.) This being our hope, it is added, in the chapter before us, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice," as in Rom. 5:"we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

But let us pause here to consider, What is it we are speaking of? A prospect such as no eye has seen, opened out before us, made known to us by the Spirit of God, and wherein we "greatly rejoice."

Mark the words, and their strength,- "greatly rejoice." In what? In that which is always before the eye of faith, and ever the same, in hope of which we are said to greatly rejoice. The occasion of this great joy, then, never changes, only we are constantly getting nearer to its realization.

Now, we live by the food we eat, and spiritually we live by every word of God. But are we living by this word? do we greatly rejoice? If we are rebuked, we are comforted as well; for is it not deep comfort to know that we may constantly rejoice in this certain and blessed hope, since we are called upon to do so? All Christians have inward and deep joy at the unutterably blessed prospect before them; but how fluctuating is that joy in most of us, which ought to be a strong and steady tide bearing us onward in the power of God for worship and for service! Why are dying Christians often specially lifted up, but that the dross has been rapidly purged away by their chastening, the gaze being set upon glory, and the world receding from view? But why should not this be our abiding state?-why should we not abide in Christ, and resist the first allurement to depart from that place of abiding peace, though we have to cut off the right hand or pluck out the right eye? But no policy or philosophy can keep us there,-only the obedience of faith, and holy fear, by His grace.

The Lord Himself,"for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross."

First, the energy of hope, ever nearer its realization-"the day is at hand;" then, readiness to forsake all and follow Him.

But now comes the trial of the faith as gold is tried in a furnace. We have to descend into the valley of experience-of experience of suffering, for there is a needs-be, and there the heart rests. But though we descend into the valley, yet we abide on the hill-top; for the human figure fails, because by the grace of God we are to abide in our hope while we pass on through the trial; and the right word here is not " heaviness," which might imply failure, but "put to grief"-"Though now for a season, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold temptations."

"Grief" we cannot avoid; but we need not be cast down, and in this there is great power and comfort from God. If we had been told in the Word that gloom and heaviness were a necessity, it would be hard indeed; and yet, by strange inconsistency, we are ready to impatiently refuse the exhortations that comfort-as if it were a privilege and a right to be at times overcome with sorrow and the trials of the way. Let no one make light of sorrow, in their own case or that of others, or aim or pretend to be easily above it:a superficial and flippant reference to comforting scriptures, or imposing them as a law upon sorrow, is but an insult to sorrow-sacred depths with which a stranger can't intermeddle. Such an effort, however sincere, is not true ministry to sorrow; "Jesus wept" is the divine rebuke to such an error.

But neither extreme justifies the other:sorrow is not to be made light of; nor, on the other hand, are we to view it as if God's hand were not in it, either in sullen or shy seclusion, or in that imperious spirit of grief that would have the world clad in blackness because of our own woe. He would have us rather come forth brighter and stronger to love and serve others by the refining; and when we have learned to say, " Thy will be done," He delights to draw very near, and to minister deep and sweet consolation.

There are two things that men think little of that God highly esteems,-the " meek and quiet spirit" is one, in the sight of God, of great price (chap. 3:4), and " the trial of our faith, which is more precious (R.V.) than of gold which perishes." This precious word in Peter makes plain to us the reason for sore trials that we experience. The faith tested and proved genuine, as was Abraham's is acceptable to God. The pure metal gratifies the refiner,-the pure gold; but gold is perishable after all, but faith has fruit that will endure forever. And He who tests and refines supplies the strength to endure, as at the burning bush; but there must be the testing, and only that which is of God can endure. In Gen. 15:, Abram beheld, when the sun had gone down (significant of the darkness of this world), a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp passing between the pieces of the sacrifice. God was marking out the basis and conditions of a covenant with His people:salvation by the cross-by a sacrifice, the Word as our lamp, and the furnace of trial. But whether it is the burning bush, or the three in Daniel in the burning fiery furnace, or the martyr's faith amid the flames of many fires, that which is of God endures, and it will be to His praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Christ, and to the praise and glory of His people; for "glory, honor, and peace" (Rom. 2:) await any one that worketh good.

The appearing of Jesus Christ is the time when all will be brought to light. Nothing is of real value that will not shine then. That which is of faith_ that which is by the grace of Christ-that which is the denial of ourselves, and submission to God, and love to our brethren, and humbling of ourselves, will be honored and exalted then-before God, the holy angels,-the great examination and exhibition day. Therefore nothing that we do is unimportant. "Every man shall give account of himself to God." This will always encourage to diligence every true heart, like a faithful servant who labors with both -interest and zeal when he knows that his master's eye will survey every part of his work, and that he will bestow approval and reward.

Faithful servants "love His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8.) for they seek to walk honestly, as in the day, knowing that they are made manifest unto God. They are letting the light of the coming day into the secret corners of their heart already, that the ways and maxims of darkness may not prevail with them. We do not need to wait for that day to know what will please the Lord. He has told us in His Word and according to that Word all will be judged.

May we delight to view all things in our hearts and in our lives in the light of that coming day.

" Whom not having seen ye love, in whom though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." To these precious words, every truly converted heart responds with deep delight, as the lame man leaped and walked and praised God. We love Him, we
rejoice in Him, with joy deeper than can be told. And then the expression used is too full to be easily otherwise expressed, " full of glory,"-that is, a joy looking on to the glory, as it were already lit up with the light of the coming day, like Stephen's face as the face of an angel. This joy must have filled Paul's heart when he said, " I am ready to be offered." How great the difference between the world and the Christian! Of the one it is said, " They have both seen and hated both Me and My Father;" of the other, that in that same One so hated, he rejoices with joy unspeakable. What a striking suggestion of the new nature in contrast with the old-the carnal mind, which is enmity against God! May the love of Christ possess our hearts, and draw them out every hour.

And now the soul's salvation is spoken of as received by the believer, and this is the salvation spoken of by the prophets, who were themselves interested to inquire into the scope of their own prophecies. What they declared was revealed to them from on high-from God. With reverent minds, they inquired, and searched diligently, about the sufferings of Christ, and the glories to follow. It was the Spirit of Christ in them that testified of those things. These statements are of deep interest, telling us of the power by which the prophets spoke, and of their own exercises of heart about the things foretold. God used them as instruments, by a power beyond themselves, but their souls were in communion with God; and thus, devoutly waiting upon God, God revealed to them that they were ministering things for those who were to come after. " Not unto themselves, but. unto you did they minister those things." The words "unto you" are frequent and emphatic in this chapter, to remind this feeble remnant of faithful ones that though despised and feeble, yet rich and precious things were now in Christianity being ministered unto them by the gospel. The prophets looked eagerly forward to these things. John the Baptist said, " This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled." Simeon said, " Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace; . . . for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." And the Lord Himself said (Matt. 13:) to His own, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and you ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them (did not see them); and to hear those things which ye hear, and did not hear them." And in this verse before us, we are told the angels desire to look into these things. Thus are we graciously encouraged to value what has been brought to us by the gospel. Naturally, these Jews, dispersed in foreign lands, and in humiliation, would look back to the times of the prophets, and to the times of David and of Solomon-glory, as times of greater blessing and power. And such is our own tendency; but in reality, those of Old-Testament times looked forward with deep longing and wonder to what we now enjoy. Do we consider this? The consideration of it is thus pressed upon us by this holy Scripture; and as we think of it, the soul is filled with holy awe and deep joy, and the present is filled up for us with the presence of God. " Old things are passed away:behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ." And this glad tidings is preached to us with or in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

The power that brought us from death to life, even that power that brought Christ from the dead (Rom. 8:11), is the power by which we receive the gospel. And that works in us to enjoy the things freely given to us of God.
If we are seated at the gospel-feast-the royal banquet, the fallings killed, and clad in the best robe, with sounds of heaven's joy about us, may our hearts be filled with the joy of heaven, and with abhorrence of sin, and with the calm but deep persuasion that the power of God is with us, to give entire victory over all that we have to meet. E. S. L.