In our meditations in our last article we were leading up to the principal truths that we had before
us at the last conference at Queen. We saw that the times in which we are now living, in connection
with the Church’s history, are similar in character to those regarding Jerusalem at the time when
Nehemiah was in Shush an the palace .

The tidings brought to him by one of his brethren told of a condition that existed then and which we
now see all around us today_RUIN. This saddened Nehemiah as he could go back in his thoughts
to better things in connection with the place he loved, the place where God had set His Name and
the place that was dear to every sober-minded Israelite. As with Nehemiah, so it is with every truly
born again child of God. As we look around us we see the havoc that has been made and is still being
made by Satan himself, the arch enemy of our blessed Lord. We, like Nehemiah, are thus brought
to the place where we realize the absolute necessity of turning to our God for the much needed
wisdom to act in the right way, the way which will bring honor and glory to His precious Name.

The right way is our second thought_HUMILIATION. In chapters 1-3 the RUIN is mentioned. "The
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." Now
HUMILIATION is brought out in chapter one, verse four, "I sat down and wept, and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven". This should search our hearts as we view
the condition around us now. They are heartrending indeed. One can only say that this is so because
of the lack of a sense of personal interest and responsibility in those things which are vital to the
bearing of a good testimony for Him and of Him "who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good
confession".

Such laxity being verily true, brings us to our next thought which is a must if we are to be faithful
and that is_CONFESSION. We read in verses six and seven of chapter one, I "confess the sins of
the children of Israel (the Fellowship), which we have sinned against thee:both I (personal) and my
father’s house (collective) have sinned". We need to be wholly cast upon Him in these days of sad
failure and departure in order that He might grant us "a little reviving" as He did in this case. In
chapter two, verse eight, we have_ "the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God
upon me". Then in verse eighteen of the same chapter we have _ "I told them of the hand of my
God which was good upon me . . .". In verse twenty "we his servants will arise and build:but ye have
no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem".

All these things working together gives us our next thought_RESTORATION, which should be an
encouragement to us all in times like these. How good of Himself to show us these things from His
word and to allow us to share them one with the other. May it be ours to be fellow-workers together
along these lines while we are left here. As we go on with our musings arid exercises in this
wonderful book we get many precious thoughts. If these thoughts are practical in our lives,
wonderful indeed would be their effect upon us individually and upon those we may be privileged
to have fellowship with in our sojourn here below. We have at all times to be on the watchtower as
the enemy is never asleep.

As we come over to the last chapter we read of some awful things that were allowed to come in.

Verses fifteen to twenty-six give us our next thought and truly we are made more and more
conscious each day of the CORRUPTION * that is all around us.

* God is ever seeking to"take forth the precious from the vile" (see Jer.15:19)

May we be more alert and faithful in seeking, like Nehemiah of old, to exercise the spirit and the
right of our next thought_CORRECTION. Nehemiah says in verse twenty -eight "therefore I chased
him from me".

Thus when in faithfulness to Him we act according to His word we will certainly have for our own
comfort and consolation the next and last thought _ the SATISFACTION of knowing that in some
measure we have done something for Him who has done so much for us. See what Nehemiah says
in the last two verses. Because he had endeavored to be faithful, and saw some fruit of his labors,
he could add "Remember me, O my God, for good". Yes, let us by His grace humble ourselves in
His presence, remembering the exhortation of Paul when he says to the believer "not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think", and "not he that commendeth himself is approved, but
whom the Lord commendeth".

Going back over the thoughts that we have been considering they are respectively RUIN,
HUMILIATION, CONFESSION, RESTORATION, CORRUPTION, CORRECTION, AND
SATISFACTION.