"My Time is not yet full come" John 7 :8

What exquisite obedience in our adorable Lord! His own brothers themselves did not believe on Him. They taunt Him therefore with the very common taunt, " If you have such better things than the rest of us, why hide yourself ? Mingle with the world, and show yourself."

To this He replies, " My time is not yet come; but your time is alway ready; " that is, "You, being of the world, have always ready access to the world; but I come from another world, whose things are not welcome in this one. So I must wait for the opportunity made for Me from above. You go on to the feast at your chosen time; but I must wait till My full time is come." Lovely dependence! lovely obedience! Holy aggressiveness too, when He goes; an aggressiveness which, while it makes Him hated by the world, and stirs strife and division in it, draws to Him, unto eternal bliss, all who are sin-sick and weary.

We can do no better than to follow our Master.

The going down of the Titanic.

If ever a calamity had a lesson in it, the going down of this floating palace assuredly has it. That it is the hand of God laid upon the boastful pride of man is evident to any thoughtful mind who is not in the vortex of that pride. Commanded by one of the most able, experienced, careful and conscientious captains of the sea ; a masterpiece of mechanism; warned of danger ahead; a clear night; a quiet sea; she yet plunged headlong into death as if He before whom not even a sparrow is forgotten had withdrawn His protecting hand:as if He had said, "You are the product, not of man's need (in which I am always concerned), but of man's pride, and independence of Me, and voluptuousness, and I deliver you up to death. As, because of sin, 'it is appointed unto men once to die," so I appoint you to die."

May the two great nations especially concerned in such causes of calamity give ear to the voice that speaks here! If not, more and worse will surely follow.

As to eternal things, what a lesson too! Twice the Lord uses calamities which had come upon the Jews to warn the rest that, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Shall we then, we Christians, who know and have escaped "the wrath to come," be idle while yet the patient grace of God lingers over a world which is hastening to its doom, and not press upon them to repent ? Prophets of Baal abound on every hand who lull the masses to sleep. Shall we let them sleep ? Shall we seek our ease too ? Shall we live in pride and luxuriousness too, and drift with the tide ? Shall we spend upon ourselves to gratify our senses, or shall we lay up treasures in heaven while opportunity is ours to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, and in every possible manner ?

Beloved children of God, the Voice that speaks here speaks to us also. Why is there so much wreckage on our pathway behind ? Because of the same things as in the Titanic's wreckage, however modified they may be by the light that shines, upon us. If we repent not, but go on in pride still, there is worse ahead for us too.
Thanks be to God, we are not in the desperate situation of those responsible toward the multitude on the Titanic. When they awoke to the danger, they could offer no adequate provision for them to escape. The life-boats could carry but a few away. There was nothing for the multitude left. We who preach Christ to a perishing world can assure them that there is the fullest provision in Him for every one of them; that " He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world;" that if they will but repent and take refuge in Him, all is well.

As for ourselves, if we have lost our first love, grown cold, proud, worldly, able to walk with evil, we need but repent, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and, having Jesus Christ for our advocate, we will find abundant pardon and renewed spiritual energies.

Thank God, there are yet those in the world who suffer with Christ in His rejection; who, though faint, are yet pursuing; who keep His word;-who hold fast what they have received from Him. Their Lord, coming quickly, will fail in none of His promises to them. May the burning passion of our hearts be to be found of their number when the Lord arrives !