QUES. 3.-What is the force of John 11 :25, 26? Does our Lord refer to the time of His coming again?

ANS.-We cannot do better than quote from a communication just at hand, in which reference is made to this subject. The writer says :" Is it not that the Lord, in making Himself known as 'the Resurrection and the Life,' takes His position as standing between the then past and present from that time on. For those who had believed on Him before His coming, there had been the dread shadow of death (Heb. 2 :15)-life and incorruptibility had not been brought to light. The believer needed an Interpreter of death. He had now come ; so He could say, ' He that believes on Me, though he have died, he shall live,' and consequently the living ones who believed on Him would never die:that is, the dread meaning of death had gone, the fear was dissipated, and death was, to such, no longer a dreaded enemy. Indeed it is not death any more in its real character, but being 'put to sleep.' Furthermore, the Lord is not speaking of His coming again in any part of the context, so that to apply it to this seems forced, to say the least."

QUES. 4.-Is "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5; 1 :22) the Spirit Himself? Is it the same as in Ephesians 1 :13, 14 ?

ANS.-Yes, it is the Spirit Himself who is both the "earnest" and the " seal." As the earnest, He is God's pledge to the believer of all that which is to follow-the inheritance with Christ (Rom. 8:17) to be manifested at His coming again. As the seal, He is the pledge that the believer will be preserved and kept for that glorious inheritance (see Eph. 4 :30). Thus all is made sure in the gift of the Spirit :the inheritance for us, and we for the inheritance.

QUES 5.-Is 1 Corinthians 11 :5 to be enforced when God's people come together for prayer or ministry? Some hold the Church comes together in its Church capacity only at the meeting for the breaking of bread, and that only there, therefore, the above passage should have force.

ANS.-The passage has no reference to the assembly at all, for when the assembly in its assembly capacity is come together the order is, " Let your women keep silence in the assemblies :for it is not permitted unto them to speak … for it is a shame for women to speak in the assembly " (1 Cor 14 :34). The passage in chapter 11 has to do with headship-that which abides, even in the greatest privacy, as verse 10 shows, where only angels may see the person. In the secret of his closet a man would not kneel in prayer with his hat on his head. Why? Verse 7 tells us. Contrarily, the woman, in the same secrecy, would cover herself. Why? The end of the same verse 7 also tells. Every part of creation has its God-appointed order, and the word of God refers even to the angels looking down and expecting to see that order carried out among the people of God, who profess subjection to Him. Furthermore, to say that the meeting for the breaking of bread is the only one in which the assembly meets in assembly capacity is, we believe, beside the mark. Any meeting known to be intended for the assembly, where every member of the assembly is free to attend, is in that capacity, we believe. Also, is not the Lord's presence with those truly gathered to His name what gives them the character of His assembly?-and He has promised His presence even to two or three thus united for prayer (Matt. 18:19, 20).
Let us guard, however, against the legal, hard spirit, which pushes such matters beyond the limits intended of God-turning, perhaps, into a formal assembly meeting what might partake more of the family meeting in some private house. To be blessed with good sense is a happy adjunct to true and sincere piety.

QUES, 6.-Was the epistle to the Hebrews written to Hebrews as such, or to assemblies of Jewish Christians? And, are there not lessons for us to learn out of the Old Testament ?

ANS.-To Jewish Christians, surely. In the first verse of the epistle he refers to the Hebrew fathers, and in much of it afterward to the types and ceremonials of the system which God had established in Israel, and which now, by the Holy Spirit, are shown to have been ordained as figures of Christ and the blessings we now possess in Christ. This makes it clear the epistle is addressed to Christian Jews. This answers your other question concerning the Old Testament. We would suggest "C. H. M.'s Notes" on the five books of Moses as most helpful in the understanding of the Old Testament. Also the "Numerical Bible ;" its first two volumes cover from Genesis to end of 2d Samuel. It unfolds the treasures of the Word in a way that makes one love and value it as never before. We are quite convinced indeed that there is not an incident related in the Old Testament from which we may not learn some lesson-in example or some principle. Of course the New Testament is the teacher, and the Old chiefly illustrates.

For want of room other answers have to wait for next No.