We are facing serious conditions today. No one (except the child of God who knows his Bible) can tell what is before us. In our own land, those who are in authority are striving earnestly to lift the country out of the depression and despondency in which it lies.

Among the nations at large are distress and fear; leading statesmen wondering when the explosion is coming which will set the entire world in an uproar. In society, rottenness and corrupt morals prevail among the educated and cultured people, as well as among the ignorant and degraded. In the Church is Modernism, infidelity and unfaithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Men who think, see no way to improve conditions. The outlook is most dark and dismal. But to the child of God with his Bible in hand a bright star shines resplendent and glorious in the midnight darkness-

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST-OUR HOPE!

And here our soul rests. Here our heart rejoices.

Here we

".. look beyond the long dark night, And hail the coming day."

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ our hope." Thus commences Paul's first letter to Timothy. First, let us recall that there was a time when Paul did not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, or as his hope. Looking back upon those days he speaks of himself as chief of sinners. Then he thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. He persecuted the Church of God, and when Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death, he consented, and the witnesses laid down their clothes at his feet. He was a blasphemer, a persecutor and injurious. At the same time he profited in his own religion, and so far as he knew, he kept the commandments of God. He was self-righteous and hated the gospel of the grace of God, which is always the case with those who are endeavoring to please God by their own goodness and works (Acts, chs. 7, 9, 26; Gal. 1:13, 14; 1 Tim. 1:13). What caused the change in his life? What caused the self-righteous Pharisee, who loved his religion and hated the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and all who belonged to Him, to turn about?

He saw himself in the presence of God!

He found he was a sinner! His own works could not save him. The only way of true blessing for any one is to find himself in the presence of God, just what he is -a lost, helpless, hell-deserving sinner-then to confess his sins in true repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He who does that finds forgiveness of sins, new birth, eternal life, an inheritance in heaven, everlasting security in God our Saviour and a blessed hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15). Now Paul bowed at the blessed feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with other saints owned Him as his Lord and his God. With Mary, the mother of Jesus, Paul owned Him as "God my Saviour" (Luke 1:47). With Thomas, he could say, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). To Titus he could write of Him as "God our Saviour" (Titus 2:10,13), and to the Philippians of Him who, subsisting in the form of God, thought it not a thing to be grasped it to be equal with God, but humbled Himself to the death of the cross, that He might save us. Now the One whom he hated, Paul delights to own as his God and Saviour, commanding his life, and through all his trials his eye is fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ our Hope. Amid all the darkness and despair of these trying days, is the Lord Jesus Christ your Hope? Not some creed or religious profession. Not some dream of world improvement. Not some hope in the betterment of men. But the one bright star of cheering ray, shining out in this world's midnight darkness is,

The Lord Jesus Christ-Our Hope

And He is a living Hope. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; He was buried, but He arose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, for our justification; and now sits at the right hand of God, where He ever liveth to make intercession for us, and from whence He shall come to receive us unto Himself, that where He is, we may be also.

This is what differentiates Christianity from every religion in the world. Every other religion is but a system of dead works, or of moral teachings and philosophies, propounded by a teacher who is now dead. Christianity is a vital relationship with a living Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the throne of God. We have a living hope because the Lord Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross, and after completing the work of our redemption, took it up again, now no more to die. All who believe on Him are united to our Living Head, in everlasting relationship. "Because I live," He says, "ye shall live also" (John 14:19). The living Lord Jesus, on the throne of God, is the evidence that our sins, which were laid on Him, are forever put away and that the life we have in Him is everlasting.

Then our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ is not only a living hope, but it is sure and steadfast, for it rests not upon some failing foundation on earth, but its foundation is within the veil, even in heaven itself, whither the Lord Jesus has entered for us, and so we have this Hope as an anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:17-20). Things on earth change, decay and pass away. The things in heaven are eternal, where our Forerunner is for us. We see the Lord Jesus, who went to the cross to bear our sins and God's judgment due to us, crowned with glory and honor and seated on the throne of God. There is our security. There is our peace. There is our hope.

And seeing our Forerunner there, we understand His words in John 5:23:"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come unto judgment; but is passed from death unto life." And seeing Him on the throne of God, enables us also to realize the force of His other word in John 10:27-30:"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand, I and My Father are one,"

The Lord Jesus Christ within the veil is our sure and steadfast anchor, the Hope of our soul. He is not only our living Hope, our sure and steadfast Hope, but also the blessed Hope. The living Christ has gone before us into the glory-but we look for Him to come again and take us to be with Himself there. Blessed hope!

"The grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that

BLESSED HOPE,

and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-14). It is for His coming glory we look. It is for His coming we wait. It is Himself who is our Blessed Hope. We do not look for death. We look for Him. Amid the darkness and distress all about us, shines forth the bright beams of the Morning Star-the blessed Hope of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to take us to be with Himself in the glory for ever.

We turned to God to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. And He may come today. "Perhaps today" the sorrows and trials and pains and disappointments and failures and sins of our pilgrimage way, may be ended by His awakening shout as He calls the sleeping saints from their graves and takes us all up instantly to meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52). Then we shall be forever with Him and like Him (1 John 3:2,3). In solemn contrast to the living, sure and blessed hope of the child of God, who is saved by faith in Christ, is the awful condition of those who will not trust Him. Eph. 2:2 tells us, "At that time ye were without Christ -having no hope, and without God in the world." Solemn word of God! All who are without Christ as their Saviour, are without hope, without God!

May we be faithful and earnest in pointing men to the only Saviour and hope, while we await His coming, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ-our Hope! F. L. French