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QUES. 29.-In the 10th chapter of Luke, vers. 25-27, in reference to eternal life, was it long life on earth, or did it mean more? Could one speak of eternal life as long life on earth ?

ANS.-Your difficulty seems to us to arise from not noticing the entirely different term our Lord uses from that of the lawyer:"This do (keeping the law), and thou shall live." He does not say, Thou shalt have eternal life. If a man kept the law without any violation whatever, he would live and continue upon earth, but that would not be "eternal life." Eternal life is the gift of God bestowed on every one who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a continuance of our human life indefinitely, but a new life imparted which is called in Scripture "the life of God " (Eph. 4 :18), constituting therefore every possessor of it a child of God. In John 3 the Lord opens up the subject to Nicodemus, teaching him both the need (chap. 3:3) and the way (3:14, 15) of new birth, with its blessed result-eternal life ; possessing which, He declares he shall never perish. I John 5 :1 affirms what is held up to faith in John 3.

In Luke 10 the Lord is testing the lawyer, and when He does that we need to exercise spiritual discernment.

QUES. 30.-So much has been made of late years of the doctrine of a "circle of fellowship" (which is new to me), and I would like to ask what truths are necessary to be held in order to be in such "circle?" and who has authority to say who is in or out of said " circle?" Do not the boards of the tabernacle represent individual members of the body of Christ, indwelt by the same Spirit ? Would not such a doctrine tend to great positional pride and consequent looseness of walk and practice? I can find no scriptural solution for any body of Christians being in any degree above their brethren elsewhere in the eyes of God ; does not godliness, with humility and self-judgment, constitute the highest place wherever found? It seems to me that the time has come to hear the last call of our Lord to individual testimony (Rev. 3 :20). It must be a blessed place for those who have faith to take it, and who cannot conscientiously go on with the worldliness and unrighteousness that they have to go on with in the professed assemblies of God today. If wrong, I am willing to be shown.

ANS. -How does it come that you know that " so much has been made of late years of the doctrine of ' a circle of fellowship,' and that it is ' news ' to you ? Is it like the Bible to many, who know that " much fuss is made about it," and yet know nothing of it? In some things ignorance is a virtue ; in others it is guilt.

But to your questions one by one.

First of all, let us say with sorrow, that had not the Church gone astray, there would now be seen all over the world but one circle of fellowship, that of the Church of God. But she has gone astray to such an extent that it has been said her annals were "the annals of hell." What formed the "Protestant" circle of fellowship? It was the abominations of what called itself "the only and true church." And since Protestants have formed a new circle of fellowship, by separating from Rome, what causes have they not given for necessary circles of fellowship out of them also. Would you remain among a people where " Higher Criticism " makes God a liar-substituting their dictum for His Word ; denying the Deity and virgin-birth of Christ, the atoning sacrifice, and the resurrection of our Saviour ? If you did, yon would in the end become like them ; for the word of God says :'' Evil communications corrupt good manners," and the word of God makes no mistakes. If you did not, yon would find yourself separated from them. 2 Tim. 2 :15, et seq., treats of such conditions, and gives us instruction how to meet them. Verse 20 gives the corrupted conditions ; verse 21 the remedy for such as desire to be faithful; verse 22 gives the newly-formed circle of fellowship, which extends to those in the same path. As you see, it is not "what truths are necessary to be held in order to be in such circle ? " It is a divine path accepted, which places one with others who are of a like mind, willing to accept the reproach of Christ.

Such a circle will not pretend to be the Church, the body of Christ, but it will confess "Here is "there is one body," and that it is as members of it they assemble together, separated from others only to avoid the evils from which the word of God bids them to be separate.

That there is danger here of "positional pride" we know but too well. Is there any less danger in what you mention as "the last call of our Lord to individual testimony?" We have never met with greater pride than with individuals who can associate with no one. Of course in any case it must be individual faithfulness, or else I am only following others-a miserable thing, bringing shame and grief in the end. But, in faithfully taking the path appointed of God, if we are humble, we soon find ourselves in the company of others.

You ask, " Does not godliness, with humility and self-judgment, constitute the highest place wherever found?" You confound state with place. A man may be in the highest place, but in a bad state. Israel were by the grace of God set in the highest place among the nations of the earth, and they fell into the lowest state.

We do not know what is your ecclesiastical place, but we pity any one who has to go on with the state you describe among "professed assemblies of God to-day." Even the apostles found in their day plenty of evils to correct among the assemblies of God, but the word of God ministered by them was heeded.

QUES. 31.-"Scripture tells us that we shall see our Saviour's face in glory, but does it say that we shall recognize those who were dear to us on earth among Christians ?''

ANS.-Does not the immediate recognition of Moses and Elias by the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration give an affirmative answer? The Lord also says to the unbelieving Jews':"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13 :28). Does it not imply full recognition there? And why should we think our capacities then less than they are now?