Books.

A volume has just issued from The Bible Truth Press to which we desire to call very special attention. It is the "Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew," by William Kelly, announced on the cover of this magazine.

In a correspondence just at hand the writer says:"What a sample this book is of the extraordinary work of God in the unfolding of His word at the time when it was written! It manifests not only the vast knowledge of the word of God in the company of writers among whom Mr. Kelly was a prominent figure, but also the piety and devotedness of life in them with which God was well pleased, and which give power to their writings to edify as well as to impart knowledge. A copy of this book should be in every Christian home, and will surely be if they know what blessing is in it."

We would press it on our readers. In the beginning of our Christian life we found great difficulties in the Gospel of Matthew. We knew not how to unravel its Jewish character and yet the rich grace underlying it all. We have learned much since, yet the reading of these "Lectures "now is most refreshing and strengthening. We therefore sincerely long to see this book read by the many. We are sure they will, as they read it, thank us heartily for having pressed them to do so.

Wesley's Puzzle.

John Wesley was puzzled as to the issues of Christianity. He saw that godliness makes men temperate in all their habits, and that this tends to wealth. But wealth tends to pride, and pride is the destruction of Christianity.

He need not have been puzzled; for if Christianity tends to wealth, as it surely does, it provides the way and the power to prevent its accumulation. It sets the mind "on things above, not on things on the earth." It says, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth" (Luke 12:32, 33).

Faithful Christians, no matter how prosperous in their affairs, have thus at their hand the effectual means of escaping the pride of wealth and at the same time of laying up a wealth which will make them the nobles in " the kingdom " where all danger of pride will be over, and where they will have it forever.

The Seventh of Romans.

There have been, and are still, plenty of foolish things said and written on the subject of the seventh of Romans; but my own soul blesses God day by day for having learned there that the flesh in me which I hate is no longer a part of me, and that spite of its presence in me I can now go on without distraction " bringing forth fruit unto God " in the path of holiness. And this I learned in the same order in which the subject occurs in Romans; that is, after learning my guiltiness in the third chapter, my justification in the third and fourth, and how I can "joy in God" in the fifth.

Truly "blessed are the poor in spirit," who have no great systems to build, but learn the truth at Jesus' feet.

Where lies the path of faith?

Genuine confidence in God can be exercised only in the path of genuine obedience to God. When Jehoshaphat, a devoted man of God, "joined affinity with Ahab," an evil man, he cried out with terror on the battle-field, and well-nigh lost his life. When Josiah, another devoted man, meddled with matters which the Lord had not put into his hands, he received a mortal wound.

Faith is invulnerable only in lowly obedience. God will not identify Himself with the issues of man's will.

Church Decrees.

In Publishing the " Correspondence which appears further on in our number, one is shocked at the thought of men apparently well acquainted with Scripture and yet seemingly so ignorant of God as to make Him the author of a system which compels Him to bind iniquity in heaven and to make His people walk with it on. earth. What a pity that, to enforce such an unholy thing, they should hit upon a passage of Scripture the abuse of which blinds the eyes to Scripture itself. As well might we quote, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do," to hold our Lord responsible to fulfil a multitude of requests contrary to the word of God made in His name, as to quote, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven," to make God bind the errors of the Church. It is thus Rome quotes, "Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them," to establish its corrupting system of the confessional. Scripture abounds with guards against the abuse of any one of its parts.

It is true that God's people may often have to submit to wrong from "the powers that be," though He certainly never expects them to obey if obedience to them be disobedience to Him. If so, His "cloud of witnesses" all along the line have greatly erred.

But why compare the powers that be to the Church ? The two have not a shadow of similarity. God's people form no part whatever of the powers that be. They are subjects of the powers. They are not responsible therefore in any measure for their actions. Is it so with the Church ? Are the children of God subjects of the Church ? Is not every child of God a member-a living, responsible part- of the Church ? Which part of it then has been set up by God in authority over the other ? Such a principle is in itself the confession of a "clergy " and a "laity "-an official class which rules over the consciences of the unofficial. Where such a system is not recognized, yet existing, the power falls into the hands of the proud and self-willed. It may seem like piety to meekly submit to this, but in the sight of God it is otherwise-it is following that which is evil.

The word of God teaches not so. There, every member of the Church is held responsible with the rest. We are "every one members one of another," and that not merely in the local assembly, but to the ends of the earth. None can be rightly independent of the others. If the Church errs, every member is responsible to see to it; every conscience should be exercised, refuse the error, resist it, and if not discontinued turn away from it.

As to the manner of procedure in all that pertains to the affairs of the Church of God, Scripture says, "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility." And this manner preserves love and unity. A people walking in it will never need to appeal to ecclesiastical authority to establish wrong doings and pervert consciences, But history has ever proved, and will prove to the end of time, that "God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble."

How much more simple, how much more honorable and holy, to frankly confess our wrongs, whether individual or collective, than to seek out such devious ways to avoid it! Why seek so strenuously to avoid humbling ourselves, when God's hand is so wide open to bless humiliation ?

The Lord holds His Church responsible to keep herself pure in doctrine, in practice, and in associations. To that end, and that end only, He has given her the authority and the power to put away from her communion such as cause defilement. Beyond this the Church has not a shadow of authority. She has no judicial place. She has not, as some teach, the position of a court whose decree must abide until reversed by a superior one. And if, under cover of keeping herself pure, she trespasses against righteousness, she is the guiltiest thing on earth; for set there to be the exponent of Christ's character, she drags that holy character down into the mire.

What more abominable thing can there be in the sight of a holy God than the claim that, righteous or unrighteous, an action is bound in heaven because it has been done in the name of Christ! Thus have the unspeakable crimes of Jesuitism been sanctified. Evidently the author of that frightful institution still lives.