Philosophy.

No one would think of denying the greatness of Socrates as a philosopher. Among the wise of the wise Greeks he was chief. Yet all his wise philosophy left him groping in the darkness of his own maxim, " One thing I know, that I know nothing."

All his powers of reasoning, all his wisdom, left him where Scripture declares it must ever leave every philosopher, every reasoner, every man who thinks he has power within himself to solve Pilate's question, " What is truth ? " To all such, Scripture's solemn sentence is, "The world by wisdom knew not God" (i Cor. i:21).

Feeling.

"Oh that could feel myself saved!"is the cry we have heard over and over again from the lips of honest, earnest souls all along our pathway. They were far from the spirit of the philosophers, yet they too closed their ears to the voice which was ready to instruct them. They too wanted to find satisfaction through something within themselves. They could not. They never can. The army of those who would solve truth by their feelings is, to a man, doomed to disappointment as surely as the army of reasoners. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," repeatedly said our Lord. Truth is not in us, but in Him, and we must needs have it communicated to us or remain in darkness.

Knowledge.

Has the reader ever noticed the immense use of the word know in Scripture ? The word feel, or feeling, is not used over a dozen or fifteen times throughout the book. Not that feelings do not abound in connection with truth. They do. Nothing is so productive of feeling-joyful and sorrowful-as truth. But feelings are not truth, and are no more capable than reason of finding truth; and only truth delivers. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," said our Lord. Many hundreds of times is that word know used in Scripture. It tells of ears that hear-of ears into which God has poured some wonderful information. By it

We know that the Son of God is come (i John 5:20).

We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 8:9).

We know that He was manifested to take away our sins (i John 3:5).

We know that all who believe have eternal life (i John 5:13).

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God (Rom. 8:28). And we might go on and on quoting page after page of the blessed things which we know, and can heartily enjoy because we know them.

The Church and the churches.
The word of God says "There is one body" (Eph. 4:4), not two, nor three, but one-only one. That "one body" is the body of Christ (Eph. i:23):that is, every true Christian is to Christ what a man's foot, hand, etc., is to that man (i Cor. 12:12-27). Nowhere in Scripture do we read or find the idea of a Baptist, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, or any other body. The only thing found there is the one body of Christ, formed by the "one Spirit" of God. The relationship therefore of all true Christians is that of fellow-members of the one body of Christ-a divine relationship entered into at conversion by the Spirit's baptism, and consummated in the glory of heaven to which the Church is destined.

Christians assuming any other relationship than this with one another, associating themselves together on any other principle than this, are therefore sectarian. They form another tie than that which God has formed, and by which He binds all His children of this dispensation together.

But the members of that one body are scattered all over the earth. They cannot assemble together in one place. They therefore assemble in any locality convenient to those who live in that locality. There may be "two or three," or two or three hundred or thousand; Christ, the Saviour and Head of the Church, has pledged Himself to be present in the midst of them thus assembled (Matt. 18:20). He is their Center of assembling as the Ark was of old the gathering-center of Israel. He is also the attractive Object of all their hearts-every one rejoicing in the presence, to faith, of the Lord Jesus. These local churches, or assemblies, are, of course, even as the persons who compose them, "one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). If new converts be received in one locality, they are received there on behalf of the whole Church of God universal, and thus introduced into her fellowship-her fellowship, mark, not her membership, for they were already made members by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Should one move where he is unknown, a letter of commendation gives him full access to all privileges everywhere. If one walks in evil and is put under discipline in one place, he is under discipline in the whole Church universal until he repents.

All these local assemblies are, for their doctrine and their practice, primarily responsible to the Lord, inasmuch as "Christ is the head of the Church " (Eph, 5:23), and should any of them fall into evil doctrine or practice He may visit them with judgment, as in i Cor. ii:26-32,or take away its candlestick altogether as threatened in Rev. 2:5. They are also responsible to one another, for all "are members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). No local assembly can act for itself alone. Its actions affect all others, bind all others, and render thus all others responsible with it. It must therefore, when questioned, be open in the fullest way to investigation, as it is accountable to all the rest. The sense of this responsibility toward one another produces wholesome care in all that is done in each place.

But, some one may say, this is all very true, and sound doctrine, and in accord with all Scripture, but Christendom is full of divisions and parties, insubject to each other, which in turn abound with persons who are in no wise subject to Scripture or to the Lord. What then are you going to do ? Walk apart from them, and, by scriptural teaching and godly labor after the fashion of the apostles, form a fellowship on the principle of the whole Church of God, to practice among themselves what the whole Church should practice. It may be small and weak, and cause opposition and contempt, as in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, when they were building afresh upon the old foundations; but it will please God. The mere attempt will please Him. Faithful labor at it He will bless; and when the Lord returns He will manifest that every "living stone" which had been set on the old foundations had been set in a place of special blessing-blessing for eternity.