This exhortation applies with special force to those who bring the Word of God home to the conscience of sinner or saint; for the servant of Christ needs to be particularly careful that his testimony consists of "sound speech that cannot be condemned."

The writer has a most vivid recollection, as a newborn babe in Christ, of being cast into deepest dejection at the time by the reiteration in a public meeting of this text, "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ."" The blessed consciousness of peace with God through the sacrifice of Christ, which he had lately enjoyed, gave way to fearful doubts. The thought came, How can I know my sins are forgiven when I must needs stand before the judgment-seat of Christ ? The preacher closed the meeting without one -word of explanation to ease the load upon a despairing human soul. It was not until months after that the writer learned that though the Christian shall be " manifested" (as the word really is) before the judgment-seat of Christ, it will be when he is already in the likeness of Christ in his body of glory. The terror of that judgment-seat is all gone for those who previously will have been caught up and changed in the likeness of Christ, when we shall see Him as He is, and be like Him (i John 3:2). With a true comprehension of the force of the passage, God's Word can now have its due effect upon the heart of the child of God in promoting holy fear as to his walk and life down here.

On still another occasion it was stated in a meeting of Christians that " not all Christians shall rise to meet the Lord in the air. Only such as have clean hands and a pure heart shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord." This, surely, is not calculated to give "understanding to the simple." It was afterwards explained that the brother could not have meant that, but that "not all professing Christians shall 'rise to meet the Lord in the air." This is quite true, but how different from what was said. Those who as teachers deal with the conscience and hearts of their hearers, should realize how much harm may be done by slipshod statement of a fact. It has been demonstrated that to root out wrong conceptions is far more difficult than to implant them in the mind. Negation is much less readily comprehended than affirmation; and it is not otherwise with those who are learners in God's school. How easily are the babes in Christ wounded, and how ready Satan is to use loose statements and half-truths to cloud their peace of soul.

It is not meant that the statement of truths from the Word of God should be in the dry, measured forms of formulas. God forbid. When speaking to those who know not Christ, who would not be stirred in his very being as he realizes the importance of his message and the value of the soul? If privileged to feed His sheep, who would not, in dependence upon the Spirit and in much love, seek to make the Word of God a source of consolation and encouragement to his fellow-Christians ? It is our high and holy privilege to minister Christ in all His fulness. But how much pain, through misunderstanding, may be inflicted upon sensitive souls -which need not be, if the servant of Christ was careful to "hold fast the form of sound words . . . in faith and in love which is in Christ Jesus! " C. G. R.