There is "one Spirit" (Eph. 4:4).Many and varied are His offices; but in each and all, His object is to glorify Christ(John 16:14). Whatever He does, in whatever way He acts, it is always in accordance with what He is Himself, "the Holy Spirit;" and with that one object ever in view -the glory of Christ. Conflict, confusion, or contradiction in His actions there cannot be, He is God the Holy Spirit. Therefore in His many and varied activities and operations, there is, there can be but one, united, consistent, and harmonious action on His part, and an object that is never deviated from. On our part, to " keep the unity of the Spirit," is to see and to act in harmony with the Spirit, and consequently with all those doing likewise. It is not merely seeing eye to eye with one another about some particular truth whatever it may be; but it is seeing eye to eye with the Spirit of God; being in His mind, and acting in harmony with Him. It is not "many men, many minds," but one mind – the Spirit's mind. Many men surely, but "all made to drink into one Spirit" (i Cor. 12:13), so that all may be controlled by, and in the mind of the Spirit.

We see at once that if this is really carried out in practice, then there will be a manifestation of oneness on our part, whether it be in connection with what is ecclesiastical or moral. If we fail in this, then we are not keeping the Spirit's unity. It is not that we have broken it as to actual fact, for we cannot break what He forms, or does ; but we are out of harmony with His object and action, and are not keeping His unity. Hence we see the force of the word that is used "endeavoring;" or as the new translation reads it, "using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace."

Timothy is told to " hold fast the form of sound words;" and to "keep, by the Holy Ghost, that good
thing which was committed to him " (2 Tim. 1:13,14). 'There was no thought of making or breaking, but simply of keeping, holding fast, not letting slip. If otherwise, then he would be out of touch with what was entrusted to him as a valuable deposit from God to keep; and although the things mentioned existed just as ever they did, yet he would be out of harmony with the Spirit about them. The Lord, it will be observed, speaks in a similar way to the remnant in Thyatira, '' I will put upon you none other burden, but that which ye have hold fast till I come " (Rev. ii 24, 25).Then He commends the church at Philadelphia with "thou hast kept My word, and not denied My name " (Rev. 3:8).Thus we see that keeping, or not keeping, does not necessarily mean either making or breaking, but holding fast-being true to, and acting consistently and in harmony with that which we are called upon to keep or hold fast.

Now this exhortation to keep the Spirit's unity is, I judge, very comprehensive. It is not limited to the ecclesiastical aspect or use of it, as has been so often done, but embraces all the truth of God revealed and communicated by the Spirit (i Cor. 2:; 10, 13; i Pet. 1:12). And the moment any saint of God acts contrary to the mind of the Spirit with regard to any truth revealed in the Word, no matter what it is, he is there and then out of touch, has lost hold as it were, and is not keeping the unity of the Spirit. There is thus call for constant exercise of conscience and faith, and constant "endeavoring," as the hindrances and difficulties are many and great.

Let us keep clear in our minds that what the Holy i Spirit forms, and all that He does, stands in its absolute perfection, untouched, and unaffected by all the failure and evil on every hand. We can neither make, break, or mar it in any way. The body which He forms (i Cor. 12:13) is perfect and cannot be divided. The Scriptures which He has inspired and given (i Cor. 2:10, 13; 2 Tim. 3:16) are absolutely perfect and "cannot be broken" (John 10:35). And His interpretations of those Scriptures, or application of their principles. admit of no contradiction, or possibility of saints being led by Him to opposing judgments on the same subject; neither can He be the author of contradiction and confusion; and we must be careful, and not, either ignorantly or otherwise, father on Him the manifest results of our own weakness and failure in endeavoring to keep His unity.

Those who really and truly keep it will have the Word as the basis and guide for their action, for the Spirit ever acts through the Word. Apart from that Word as their authority for such action (and it will appeal to and command the consciences of the godly everywhere) it is but the fleshly activity and assumption of those whose claim to spirituality is but a mere claim for themselves.

It has been said, "The unity of the Spirit is the one mystical body on earth." Indeed this is a view held by many on the subject, that He has formed a something-the one body-which we are to keep. But I think it is a mistake to speak of it thus, and confounds the "one body" with the "one Spirit." Surely it becomes us to be in His mind and act in unison with Him in the truth of "one body:" but if the unity of the Spirit '' is the one mystical body," seeing we are told to keep that unity, it practically means we must keep the one body; and to obey such a command would place us at once in conflict with much of the Spirit's teaching in the Word, and create confusion and contradiction making Him the author of it. We should have to walk with every member of the body no matter who they were, what they were, or where they were. Nothing would justify us in separating from any of them, let their doctrines or practice be what they may; and this certainly would not, and could not be the unity of the Holy Spirit, whose object is to glorify Christ, the One who is the "Holy and the True."

True, He forms the body-a divine unity, as i Cor. 12:13 teaches:that, we do not question. And had there been no failure in acting on that truth, all saints would have been in harmony with the mind of the Spirit, and there would have been an outward manifestation of the oneness of the body; and the unity of the Spirit in that ecclesiastical connection would have been kept by all. But man is a sinful and fallen creature. Even the saints, though born again and indwelt by the Holy Ghost, have sin in them still; and the certainty of failure in responsibility was foreseen, and provision made by God for the walk and path of the godly in the midst of failure and ruin. Yea, the very fact of ruin foreseen, and now existing, necessitates the endeavoring, in the face of difficulty and opposition, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:in other words, to be in His mind, and act with Him and in His power on the principle of one body, spite of all ? hindrances-not try to keep the one body.

The state of the professing Church to-day makes it an impossibility to walk with every member of the body, though we are bound to recognize all true Christians as being fellow-members of it. Not only is moral and doctrinal evil in the individual a barrier, but the awful increase of evil doctrine among those who teach, makes association, where it is known and allowed, an equal barrier to fellowship; and it is this question of association which is being let slip to-day by many, and which we have to guard against. To receive some, therefore, to fellowship at the Lord's table we dare not. Take the case of a true saint of God falling into any fundamental false doctrine, as 3 John 10:; he has not lost his place in the body. The unity of the Spirit, too, remains untouched, altogether apart from the state and action of the fallen brother. But he is not keeping it. He is entirely out of harmony with the mind of the Spirit as to the truth about Christ's person and work, and also with those who are endeavoring to keep it. Besides which he has made himself subject to discipline through his fall.

What then is to be the attitude of fellow-members of the body toward such an one? Are they to continue in fellowship with him under the mistaken plea of keeping the Spirit's unity, and that unity is the one body? Certainly not! He has become leavened; and the instructions in the Word are most explicit in such a case. See i Cor. 5:6-13. Yea, even a Christian lady is commanded by God not to receive such an one into her house, or she would by so doing become "partaker of his evil deeds" (2 John 10). Could we then imagine our own doors closed against such a person and yet the door of God's Assembly kept open for him to come and take his place at the Lord's table? We should be unworthy of the name of Christian were we to allow it.

Then in acting thus toward that one, and refusing him a place at the Lord's table, and also to all those knowingly in sympathy and fellowship with him, and thus "partakers " of his evil deeds, do we, in that, fail in keeping the Spirit's unity? Far from it! Nor do we in any way deny that they are true members of the body equally with ourselves. But in the ordering of the house of God where the Holy Spirit dwells, the instructions are clear and explicit how to act in a case:and it is self-evident that the Holy Ghost would not, and could not lead a company of saints to act thus in obedience to the Word, and another company to act altogether differently and in opposition, and thus be the author of confusion.

Moreover the judgment of a local assembly in regard to any question of discipline which may arise in its midst, is of necessity a judgment for the whole assembly or house of God. How could it be otherwise? It is arrived at under the Spirit's guidance in that house, and in connection with that house (though in a local assembly), for discipline is ever connected with the house, and not with the body. Assuming therefore that such judgment is arrived at in a proper and scriptural way, to refuse it would be a very serious matter indeed; as well as to deny the Spirit's unity instead of endeavoring to keep it! in the bond of peace.

The unity of the Spirit is, however, as I have already said, not merely ecclesiastical and connected with the assembly; but embraces all His activities and operations in connection with everything in the written Word and for the glory of Christ. And our endeavoring to keep it is each one acting individually or all collectively, in harmony with, or in the "fellowship" of the Spirit, in whatever He is occupying us with at the moment.

Nor must we ever forget that to "walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called," as well as to endeavor to keep the Spirit's unity, calls for a certain state of soul to enable us to do it. It must be with "lowliness and meekness, and long-suffering; forbearing one another in love." We shall ever find in ourselves, as we walk in the light, that which calls for lowliness and meekness:and that in others which demands long-suffering and forbearance. We cannot insist that others should not be weak, or that they must see eye to eye with us on every point-except, of course, that which is fundamental:we must wait on them and help them, in order to arrive at that oneness; hence the necessity for the exercise of those qualities.

But on the other hand, when evil is there, and such evil as calls for righteous and peremptory dealing, then forbearance and long-suffering have no longer a place:we are called upon to act for God and "put away from amongst yourselves that wicked person." f At the same time, woe unto us if there is only that fiery and fleshly zeal to put away evil, and the absence of that lowliness and meekness in ourselves which enables us to enter into the gravity and sorrow of that which has so dishonored Christ, disgraced ourselves, and which calls for the extreme act of excision.

The recognition of others as fellow-members of the body of Christ and receiving them as such, so much insisted on in a mistaken way by some to-day, is incumbent on us, we fully admit; but that must be qualified by, "provided they are not scripturally disqualified." To do so otherwise is not keeping the Spirit's unity, but a peace-at-any-price sort of policy, which cares far more for outward unity and a mistaken charity than for the Spirit's unity, and the interests of Him who died for us, and the holiness that becomes God's house forever.

May we all be preserved from the continued encroachments of that looseness which is creeping in; which sees only the unity of the body, and mistakes lit for the unity of the Spirit who gives every scripture its due weight and place-as well as from that extreme exclusiveness which dishonors the Lord by rejecting those who have scriptural right and title to the privileges we ourselves enjoy.

Wm. Easton.

New Zealand

Cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart. Depend on Him. There is power in Christ; there is sufficiency in Christ for all He would have you do or be. Some are allowed a long season of joy on first believing. But God knows our hearts, and how soon we begin to depend on our joy, and not on Christ. He is our object-not the joy. Sin no longer remains on you, but the flesh is in you to the end:the old stock will put forth its buds, which must be nipped off as they appear. No fruit can come of it. It is the new nature that bears fruit unto God. But though the flesh is in you, do not be thinking of this, but think of Christ. As you grow in the knowledge of Christ, a joy comes, deeper than the first joy. I have known Christ more or less between thirty and forty years, and I can truly say I have a thousand times more joy in Him now than I had at first. It is a deeper, calmer joy.

The water rushing down a hill is beautiful to look at, and makes most noise; but you will' find the water in the plain is deeper, calmer, more fit for general use. Cleave to Christ with purpose of heart A distracted heart is the bane of Christians. When we have got something that is not Christ, we are away from the source of strength. When my soul is filled with Christ, I have no heart or eye for the trash of this world. If Christ is dwelling in your heart by faith, it will not be a question with you, "What harm is therein this and that?"But rather, "Am I doing this for Christ? "" Can Christ go along with me in this?"Do not let the world come in and distract your thoughts. I speak especially to you young ones. They who are older have had more experience in it, and know more what it is worth :but it all lies shining before you, endeavoring to attract you. Its smiles are deceitful-still it smiles. It makes promises which it cannot keep-still it makes them. Your hearts are too big for the world:it cannot fill them. They are too little for Christ:He fills heaven, He will fill you to overflowing. "Cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart." He knew how treacherous the heart is, and how soon it would put anything in His place. You will have indeed to learn what is in your own heart. Abide with God and you will learn it with Him, and with His grace.

If you do not, you will have with bitter sorrow to learn it with the devil, through his successful temptation. But God is faithful. If you have been getting away from Him, and other things have come in and formed a crust, as it were, over your heart, you will not at once get back the joy. God will have you deal with this crust, and get rid of it. Remember Christ bought you with His own blood, that you should be His, not the world's. Do not let Satan get between you and God's grace. However careless you may have been, however far you may have got away from Him, count on His love. It is His joy to see you back again. Look at the sin with horror, but never wrong Him by distrusting His love. Mistrust not His work, mistrust not His love.

He has loved you, and will love you to the end. Talk much with Jesus. Never be content without being able to walk and talk with Christ as with a dear friend. Be not satisfied with anything short of close intercourse of soul with Him who has loved you and washed you from your sins in His own blood. J. N. D.

A remarkable religious movement has for some months been proceeding in Wales. The Rev. G. Campbell Morgan-an eye witness-writes :"Arriving in the morning in the village, everything seemed quiet, and we wended our way to the place where a group of chapels stood. Everything was so quiet and orderly that we had to ask where the meeting was; and a lad, pointing to a chapel, said, 'In there.'Not a single person outside. Everything was quiet. We made our way through the open door, and just managed to get inside, and found the chapel crowded from floor to ceiling with a great mass of people. What was the occupation of the service ? It is impossible for me to tell you finally and fully. Suffice it to say that throughout that service there was singing and praying, and personal testimony, but no preaching.

"As the meeting went on, a man rose in the gallery and said, 'So and so,' naming some man,'has decided for Christ,' and then in a moment the song began. They did not sing, ' Songs of Praises,' they sang, ' Diolch Iddo,' and the weirdness and beauty of it swept over the audience. It was a song of praise because that man was born again. There are no enquiry rooms, no penitent forms, but some worker announces, or an enquirer openly confesses Christ, the name is registered, and the song breaks out, and they go back to testimony and prayer.

"In the evening exactly the same thing. I can tell you no more, save that I personally stood for three solid hours, wedged so that I could not lift my hands at all. That which impressed me most was the congregation. I looked along the gallery of the chapel on my right, and there were three women, and the rest were men packed solidly in. If you could but once have seen the men, evidently colliers, with the blue seam that told of their work on their faces, clean and beautiful. Beautiful, did I say?-many of them lit with heaven's own light, radiant with the light that never was on sea and land. Great rough, magnificent, poetic men by nature, but the nature had slumbered long. To-day it is awakened, and I looked on many a face, and I knew that men did not see me, did not see Evan Roberts, but they saw the face of God and the eternities. I left that evening, after having been in the meeting three hours, at 10:30, and it swept on, packed as it was, until an early hour next morning:song and prayer and testimony and conversion and confession of sin by leading church-members, publicly, and the putting of it away; and all the while no human leader, no one indicating the next thing to do, no one checking the spontaneous movement.

"There is no preaching, no order, no hymn-books, no choirs, no organs, no collections, and, finally, no advertising. Now, think of that for a moment again, will you ? Think of all our work. I am not saying these things are wrong. I simply want you to see what God is doing. There were the organs, but silent; the ministers, but among the rest of the people, rejoicing and prophesying with the rest, only there was no preaching. Yet the Welsh Revival is the revival of preaching to Wales. Everybody is preaching. No order, and yet it moves from day to day, week to week, county to county, with matchless precision, with the order of an attacking force."

Various other reports speak in the same way; one and another mentioning features which give the Christian heart the fond hope that there is in it a real work of God -a fresh visitation of that patient love which, from time to time, has revived spiritual life among men; a flood-tide of the river of God's grace which, like the Nile to Egypt, has ministered life and fruitfulness all along its course through the world. Is it an answer to the prayers which have gone up to God from them who have felt and mourned over the spiritual dearth of the times? May God grant it. May prayer ascend up to God continually for a work of His Spirit to be wrought everywhere, bringing sinners prostrate in repentance at the feet of Jesus the Saviour, and saints in subjection at the feet of Jesus the Lord.

There are features in the Wales movement which make one afraid. The word of God is practically left out. Yet we know that any real work of the Spirit of God produces genuine love of, and return to, the Holy Scriptures. A work of the Spirit of God where men and women are all free to have their say, and God no room to have His! This seems incredible. It is by the word of God that the worlds were brought into existence (Heb. 11:3); by the word of God that men are born again (i Pet. 1:23-25); by the preaching of the Cross that those who believe are saved (i Cor. 1:17-21).

We are not criticizing. We are in no mind for this. Life and death, the issues of eternity, are too solemn for that. But it is because they are so solemn that we dread anything which, while promising men something, would still leave them without foundation for the day of judgment. All true work of God, shedding light in the soul of man, of necessity produces a deep sense of sin and guilt, and consequent upon it, the exaltation of the cross of Christ, for it is there alone the convicted sinner finds deliverance from the judgment to come.

" Preach the Word " we are commanded. " They went everywhere preaching the Word" we are told. May we only water the incessant preaching of the Word more with earnest, persevering, supplicating prayer, remembering that " labor" is not only toward men, but also toward God; as Epaphras, " always laboring fervently for you in prayers" (Col. 4:12).

One very prominent truth in the word of God is the estrangement between the enlightened child of God, who walks in communion, and the world. There could be no greater proof of the moral darkness and ruin of the world than that it is absolutely impossible for the child of God to be conformed to this world and to the image of Christ at the same time. It is either one or the other. This truth is found in both the Old Testament and in the New. A noted instance from the Old Testament is referred to in Hebrews 11:24-26. And a like example is found in i John 2:15-17.

One of the first effects of the truth is to wean the heart from the world by making Christ precious to it. Men of necessity set their minds and hearts on what is to them of most worth, or which appeals to them the strongest, and since everything that pertains to this life has a relative value, most any thing can possess the heart, according to each person's environments. By the new birth, God changes the purposes of the heart, giving a new object for our affections. He lessens the value of all there is here by presenting something of greater value. Surely no one will continue to seek that which to them has no more value by reason of what they have now found of so much greater worth! By revealing Him to us as our Saviour, the Scriptures set Christ before our souls in such a way that He supplants all other objects. He is made so precious to the soul that the value of other things is taken away. That is the way we are sanctified through the truth, as mentioned in John 17:17. The truth operating in the soul makes Christ precious, and as a necessary consequence, takes away the charm of this world.

The preciousness of Christ is to those that believe. In i Peter 2:6 the Lord Jesus is set forth as the precious chief cornerstone, and in verse 7 it is "unto you therefore who believe is the preciousness." (J. N. D's. translation.) There is no higher experience for the child of God than the preciousness of Christ, and in consequence, to have the heart set free from the things which are highly esteemed in this world. May God in that grace which is all His own make these things real to our souls and characteristic of our lives. F. H. J.

4. THE MERARITE CHARACTER. (Numbers 3:35.)

In this verse of the third of Numbers we are told what position it is Merari occupies in relation to the Tabernacle. " And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail:these shall pitch on the side of the Tabernacle northward."Here our notice is called to the North, and those influences of the enemy's power here typified. The word for north properly means "hidden," that is, as being dark; its root also means "to deny." It signifies in this way evil, in its mystery and power of darkness. The north points toward the region of gloom and cold, where the sunshine, with its. warmth, does not penetrate-that spiritual darkness which exists because the sunshine of God's light and love has not broken in.

To interpret aright what is our attitude in occupying the place of service in this direction, and the corresponding kind of Levitical service it entails, we must look at what constitutes Merari's burden. Merari's service is in connection with the boards, sockets, pillars and bars of the Tabernacle; also, the pillars, sockets, etc., of the court; and of course under his hand is their erection and establishment in place and position. We know that the boards speak to us of the individual child of God as in Christ, erected on the silver sockets-redemption the basis of their standing and position before God; bound together by the bars-Christ the uniting bond of His people. These boards uphold the coverings, which typify the varied beauties of the character of Christ; and it is for this purpose that the saints of God are bound together in blessed unity. It is their establishment in this unity that Merari has to do with; while in Ko-hath we see the heavenly blessings which are linked with this unity. The pillars supporting the veil speak also of the individual saint manifesting Christ. It is to be noticed that they stand on one socket only; the boards on two. This would indicate that they occupy a special place of primacy as to their position. Are they not the apostles and New Testament prophets, upon whose testimony, upheld before all, concerning the person and work of Christ, the people of God are built up and established in that divine unity of which He is the head ? The pillars upholding the screen of entrance are on brazen sockets, not silver. We see, then, that these do not stand on the basis of redemption, but rather on divine strength and un-changing character, such as needs no redemptive work as its basis, but has power in itself to stand. Christ Himself alone can answer to this-the One who only could so stand; and this, of course, displayed in His ministry and service on earth. He is thus "the way" by which alone entrance can be gained into the sanctuary. By Him, as upheld by the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, by His shed blood the veil has been rent, the way into the holiest of all is open to us. Now notice that it is around these two screens -the veil of the entrance, and that of the holiest of all -that the boards are erected and bound together by the bars. This plainly tells that the unity and building up of the children of God is around Christ and His ministry (the screen of entrance, with its pillars), and the truths of His glorious person and work as upheld and witnessed to by the apostles and prophets of the New Testament (the veil and its pillars). It is these things which constitute the true center around which to group the saints of God.

The pillars of the court, again, speak of the children of God, but as confronting in a special way the world, with their white linen hangings, which are the practical righteousness of the saints. Thus we see them standing on brazen sockets-God's strength and all-sufficiency-and having the silver capitals- redemption crowning all. On these are the silver rods and hooks-redemption again-by means of which the hangings are fastened. Note that the material of the pillars is not given. I apprehend that the white linen hung outside of the pillars, so as to hide the material of which they were made; thus showing only the brazen sockets at the bottom, and the silver capitals at the top. What a lesson for us to learn! Nothing of what we are by nature is to be exhibited before the world. No, but only that beautiful white hanging, the practical conformity to God's mind and nature wrought out in us by the Spirit and the Father's gracious discipline. Underneath this, the basis of it, not our strength, but God's, and His all-sufficiency (the brazen socket), and the crown of it all redemption (the silver capital), our helmet of salvation; and from this alone (as from the silver rods) can our white screen of righteousness hang.

Merari's service, therefore, is typical of the building up of the saints in the realization and value of redemption in Christ, binding them together in the blessed sense of their union in and by Christ, whether as before God in glory or as before the world, with the responsibility of exhibiting His character before it All the various work of erection comes in here, and it is all under Merari's charge. Such a line of service as this is surely blessed, and very precious. Now in connection with this, we have the strange meaning of Merari's name, "bitter." Can it in any sense be "bitter" to occupy the place of service in the Merarite character ? The answer is to be found in what he confronts, in this connection, of the world's influence and power. We have seen of what the North speaks-the mystery of evil, its power and darkness. Are not these the elements encountered, and which must be confronted in the work and labor of love that would seek to properly build up together and establish in the truth God's dear people, who are too often found entangled in some form of evil in practice or doctrine ? How many are the evil and subtle devices the enemy brings out of northern
darkness to trip and stumble the saints! Is it not out of such service as Merari's, confronting such hostile influences, that bitterness of soul arises – the bitterness of sorrow and pain endured in fellowship with Christ over so much that dishonors His blessed name ?

It is these northern, or deadly influences of error, heresy, and falsifying of divine truth in every possible way, that we are called to face more and more in these closing days. We are to meet it in that Merarite spirit of brokenness and humiliation, soul and heart feeling the bitterness and sorrow of it all as being in God's presence. In connection with this, the character of our service is to be that indicated for us in the burdens Merari bears; his service is the picture of what our own is to be, facing northward. The denial and refusal of God's word rises up on every hand as a mist from the pit. Whence its rise, but from the workings of that mystery of iniquity which had begun to work in the devoted apostle's day ? Against this, we must be engaged in service after the Merarite character, to strengthen, build up and fortify God's people. It is to culminate in Antichrist, under whose doom apostate Christendom will fall. We must build up ourselves on our most holy faith, bringing the blessed light of God's word to bear upon and expose the evil works of darkness, Thus we must be equipped with the sword of the Spirit, the saying of God.

May it be so with us, amid the increasing darkness of these last days, that we see to the building up of one another more and more, holding fast with a firm grasp the precious truth committed to our care; and though it bring suffering and sorrow, let us count it a small thing for us to endure, in view of that eternal weight of glory which lies a little ahead of us. How happy we should be as counted worthy to suffer for His sake. J. B. Jr.

(2 Cor. 5:8.)

Those who in earthly homes have met
The swiftly passing hours to spend,
Know not how soon the sun may set
Which marks the earthly journey's end.

But He who sends the sudden call
First seeks His loved ones to prepare,
That while the shadows here may fall
A cloudless sky may greet them there.

Here, cares perplex; here, doubts annoy;
Here have we no abiding place:
But there no discord mars the joy
Of those who have been saved by grace.

They live where sickness is unknown:
They live where tears no eyes bedim:
While praise they give to God alone,
They live a perfect life in Him.

In those who live their Lord to please,
Death cannot break the living cord:
They only pass from scenes like these
To be forever with the Lord.

T. Watson

God is love," I surely see
In His sacrifice for me:
By the blood of His own Lamb,
''From all sin " absolved I am.

He's before the face of God
In the value of His blood;
Trusting Him, in Him I'm there,
Ever, in God's eye, "all fair."

If I die while He's away,
"Better far" to go than stay,-
Sweet to rest with Him above,
Lost in wonder, praise and love.

When He comes, how blest to rise
And to meet Him in the skies!
This "vile body," changed, will be
Fashioned for eternity.

" Ever, ever with the Lord !"
"Ever, ever," precious word!
What a thought to "ever" be
With Him in eternity!

Nought of this "by works" I claim,
Sinner saved by grace I am;
All the praise is due to God,
And the Lamb who shed His blood.

R. H.

Oct., 1905

How many on every hand are like Pilate:he did not seek the having to do with Jesus, but it forced itself upon him, and he could not avoid it. So with many; they do not seek it, but it seeks them; they would like to avoid it, but they cannot; they can no more dismiss it successfully than they can dismiss the sun that shines upon them, or dismiss the incessantly approaching hour of their death and of the judgment which follows.

When the matter was forced on Pilate, he tried to be neutral; to make others decide for themselves and leave him in non-committal. He could not succeed. He must decide for or against Jesus. He loved this world more than his soul; a place of honor for a little season, more than the glory of heaven for all eternity. He decided against Jesus, though his conscience knew better.

Now all this is not related about Pilate for Pilate's sake. There is not a man who can avoid having to do with Jesus-with Jesus now as Saviour, or with Jesus by and by as Judge. None can escape this. It is God's decree. "Every knee shall bow." It matters little therefore what we think of any other, but much indeed does it matter what we think of Jesus.

Nor does this end with our having found the salvation that every one finds who believes in Jesus. It continues with the saved man with regard to all truth. Jesus said, " I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He is the embodiment of all truth, and all truth is linked up with Him as every link in a chain. Should we therefore seek to be neutral concerning any part of the truth-dismiss it because perhaps it is too costly, too disturbing an element for our easy-going life and self-love-we shall surely have to face it some day. Truth in all its parts has a claim upon us. It is not given for our choice, but for obedience. Blessed are they who, knowing it, are doers of it.

My Dear Brother:-

Your letter I found on our return last night from… As you say, the dividing of our Lord's person seems to be a snare of peculiar attraction and danger. " No man knoweth the Son but the Father." It is blessed to see, however, that God has most jealously guarded His holy Person from degradation at just the points where He stooped in humiliation. Thus at His baptism, where He associated Himself with those who had confessed their sins, the descent of the Spirit and the voice from heaven declare plainly He had no sin to confess; or in Psa. 102:, where He speaks of His being "cut off," God declares His eternal deity, and all things the work of His hands. In the types, too, as I have been going over them in the Tabernacle, this divine care is seen constantly. The Manna which tells of His humiliation to be the food of His people, is laid up before God in a golden pot-divine glory. I think this is specially beautiful in the acacia wood:the various articles, boards, etc., are made of it:it gives form to these, but the gold takes the same form and overlays all. So it is God in human form, "Wherever we follow Thee, Lord, admiring, adoring, we see." May it be indeed ours to worship Him; and if we lay off the skin of the Burnt-offering and divide it into its parts, may it be ever and only for presentation in entire worship to our God. (Lev. 1:) S. R.

(Continued from page 111.)

If, as we have seen, Mr. McC. confuses " the Spirit's fulness"with "being filled with the Spirit," and "surrender" with "consecration," he is also mistaken, as we shall now see, as to what is " the highest expression of grateful worship."He says,"The Jewish worshiper fills his hands with the best, richest and choicest of his own, and brought it as an offering to the Lord," and then declares that the offering of ourselves to God is "the highest expression" of "worship" that we can possibly make to the Lord." Now we have seen that it was not the priests who filled their own hands. It was Moses who filled them. We have seen, too, what he filled them with. It was not "the best, richest and choicest of their own" things he put into their hands. It was what God had appointed to be types of Christ. So, too, with us. It is not the bringing to God "the best, richest and choicest" of what we have that is worship. It is not the giving of ourselves to Him that is worship. Of course, I am not arguing against giving our best to God. We certainly should. We should give Him all we have:He has a good claim upon it, which we should own. But what I am pressing is, that this is not "the highest expression"of worship. We should surely give ourselves to God. He has a claim upon us, and we ought to acknowledge the claim; but "the highest expression" of worship is something far greater than this. Beloved reader, what do you think it is ?From what we have seen in looking at the consecration of the priests in Lev. 8:, am I not fully warranted in saying that " the highest expression " of worship that we can " possibly " bring to God is His own joys, delights and satisfaction in Christ which He gives to us-puts into our hands? We are taught that He dwells "in the midst of the praises" of His people. He is seeking worshipers. That His people may have the praises He de-lights in, He gives them His own thoughts of Christ, That they may be the worshipers He seeks, the worshipers He desires them to be, He brings them into communion with Himself, into the enjoyment of His own joys in Christ. What an immensely greater expression of worship this than the gift of ourselves, or the best of what we have! How defective Mr. McC.'s idea of worship!

Dear reader, I appeal to you. What do you value most? What do you prize the highest? Your joy, your delight in your life, your triumphs and successes; or, the blessed knowledge of the perfections of the person and work of Christ-God's own knowledge of Him wrought in you by His Spirit?

It will be said, We do not know Christ as fully as God does. True, but the Spirit in us does; and God knows the mind of the Spirit in us (Rom. 8:27). God, sitting upon the throne, looking down upon us as we give expression to His joys in Christ, however inadequate our expressions are, says, I know the full meaning of that joy so imperfectly expressed. I know the full mind of the Spirit who is working in the soul. Our utterance is the utterance of what the Spirit is working in us. We defectively express the Spirit's mind or thought, but God knows it-what the Spirit's mind is. It is His own thought, and though it is insufficiently expressed by us, yet the thought has in His eyes, nevertheless, the fulness of His own measure.

It may be asked, When are we consecrated? Is it when we believe? Or is it on the occasion of some subsequent act-some act of fuller submission to God ? The answer must certainly be when we believe, for Heb. 10:10 teaches us that " we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. for all." We participate in this sanctification from the moment we believe. All believers have the sanctification, and of course the consecration that is connected with it. The sanctification is "once for all," and so too is the connected consecration. Let it be remembered that it is as linked with Christ that we are both sanctified and consecrated, and there will be no difficulty. It is faith that gives us this link. It is as a company of believers that we are a "holy priesthood" -a company of sanctified and consecrated priests.

There is such a thing as growth in the apprehension of our sanctification and consecration, but this we will look at, if it please God, later. What we are urging now is that in the Scriptures there is a distinction between surrender and consecration, and that consecration is the privilege, portion and blessing of every child of faith, and that the system of Mr. McC. is the denial of it. He makes consecration to be something that takes place some time more or less subsequent to faith, and to consist of our own act in surrendering our wills to God to do His. His system is therefore antagonistic to Scripture. C. Crain

(To be continued.)

QUES. 3.-What authority from Scripture have we for this common expression, "the Bride of Christ." used in reference to the Church?

Answer 1.-In Gen. 2:22, we read, "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He," or rather, builded He, (into) "a woman, and brought her unto the man." It was the bringing the woman to Adam that formed the union, not the making the woman. Union, or marriage, is the joining of a man and a woman together-the making them one. Eph. 5:2:2-32 clearly applies this to Christ and the Church. It is by the Spirit that union is effected. Hence union, or joining to the Lord began at Pentecost. It is still going on and will continue until the complement of the members of Christ is filled up. When that is accomplished, the wedding feast will follow. At this feast the one who is united to Christ-the woman-will be ready-she will have her adornments on (Rev. 19:7, 8) so that Christ will present her to Himself a glorious Church, not a spot or a wrinkle on her. Now Eve, in Gen. 2:22, when brought to Adam became a bride, a wife. So, too, the Church of Eph. v, 22-32, when Christ presents her to Himself will be a bride, a wife, and thus it is perfectly according to Scripture to speak of the Church as the Bride of Christ.

Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it. He is now building it, and sanctifying and cleansing it. She is preparing herself for the wedding feast, for the place she is going to occupy when the marriage is consummated-the place of a bride and a wife. Then she will be displayed in the adornments she is now through grace preparing for herself. God, in manifesting her as thus arrayed, will " show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us " (Eph. 2:7).In that eternal wedding day, the Christ so long despised by men and whose sacrifice has been, and still is disowned, will have abundant glory and honor as the hosts of heaven and earth gaze on the glorious beauty of the Bride (Eph. 3:21; Rev. 19:7).

Christ, the Lamb, Head overall things, will have a partner to share His glory, but whose place in His affections none not of His Church, whatever their blessing may be, shall have part in. The tribulation martyrs will reign with Him (see Rev. 20:4), but will not be a part of what is called "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:23). This is reserved for His body. It alone will be the Bride. C. C.

Answer 2. The Christian, like a married woman who has been free from her first husband by death, has been freed from law by Christ's death in order to be ''joined" (R. V.) to Another, the risen Saviour (Rom. 7:1-4).Again, Christians have been "betrothed" to Christ. to be presented,"a chaste virgin," unto Him (2 Cor. 11:2).Both these views are emphasized in Eph. 5:22-32, and there applied to the whole Church, which (1)already stands in the relation to Christ that a wife does to her husband, and (2) in another aspect is like one "betrothed" to Him.

1. The Church is already Christ's "bride"because already united to Him (Eph. 5:30-32; comp. 1 Cor. 6:17).Hence the Church is "subject unto Christ " as her Head, as a wife should be to her husband (Eph. 5:24,33).

2. But the Church is also like one "betrothed"-one whom Christ loved, for whom He gave Himself, whom He is now sanctifying of His Word, and whom He will soon present unto Himself" glorious."
Thus even now. during her time of humiliation on earth, the Church is "joined " to her glorified Husband and is "one Spirit" with Him. But she waits till He shall have made her "glorious" like Himself, when He will formally "present" her to Himself and openly celebrate their nuptials. This public "marriage supper" we find in Rev. 19:7:''the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." But notice that she is already His "wife." This marriage conies in between the judgment of the false "church" (Rev. 17:, 18:) and the return of the saints with Christ to judge the world (Rev. 19:11-21). Thus the "Lamb's wife" here is doubtless the Church, and the invited guests are other heavenly saints.

But the "bride," "the Lamb's wife," of Rev. 21:2, 9, is not the Church, but the "New Jerusalem."The heavenly city is the Lamb's wife in His character as " the Father of eternity " (Isa. 9:6, Heb.).Christians, with all saints, are viewed as the "children" of this wife, for she is that "Jerusalem which is above, . . . which is the mother of us all" (Gal. 4:26).This is the great "free woman" of Scripture and of the prophets, of which Sarah was a type (Gal. 4:21-31).It is a symbolic representation of that great bosom of grace and new creation which God, in His counsels, espoused to Himself as the fruitful principle by which He would beget all His spiritual children.

Of course there is no contradiction. The Lamb is the Husband of the heavenly city whose mighty bosom of grace claims us all as her free born children. The Lamb is also the Husband of the Church. And He will yet be the Husband of a Jewish bride on earth. In His love unto death He espoused all these and He will make them fruitful. F. A.

Answer 3.-The expression " the Bride of Christ" does not occur in Paul's Epistles and he is specially the minister of the mystery of the Church; but that Christ regards the Church as espoused to Himself is evident from 2 Cor. 11:2, "I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

A consideration of Eph. 5:22-32, will also show that the marriage relation in the human family is a type of the relation of Christ and the Church. Thus the expression has sufficient Scripture warrant.

That it has been used extravagantly by some we cannot deny, but we ought not to discard it on that account. W. McC.

If the soul walks with God, it is not hard, but it is submissive; and there is no softer spirit, nor one which is more susceptible of every feeling submission; but then it takes the will out of the affections without destroying them, and that is very precious. So was it with Christ. He felt everything; this tenderness was perfect, and yet how perfect His submissiveness. How God exercises the heart by these things! It is not simply that the heart is tried by the sorrow itself (in which we can reckon on the most tender sympathy of Christ), but when the heart is thus brought into the presence of a God who is thus dealing with us, all our ways, all the interior of our heart, all His ways with, and His appeals to us, often in such cases rise up within. If the will is unbroken, or no clearness as to grace be known, a perplexed and anxious judgment ensues. If not this, then often a humble and lowly judgment of self; for the knowledge of grace makes us lowly when it is real.

It is astonishing how much often remains as a sediment at the bottom of the heart in a man, gracious in the main of his life, which the rod of God stirs up when He thrusts it in-often underlying all the contents of the heart, yet always to be carried off by the living stream of the waters of His grace-not merely faults, but a mass of unjudged material of every-day life, a living under the influence of the things that are seen, or unjudged affections of every kind. All that is not up to the measure of our spiritual height is then judged in its true character, as connected with flesh before God.

But it is not always so, nor wholly so; but it is always if there is a needs be. God may visit us to bring out the sweet odor of His grace; not indeed even so without need, as the soul itself will own, for in such a case it will feel the need of realizing all the communion, which in its closer character was hindered by that for which God is dealing with us. But grace being fully known, and submission being there, the practical result in fact, and before others, a sweet odor of willing bowing before God, and even thankfulness, in the midst of sorrow:when this is real it is very sweet. He, too, is very present in it, and it is thus we make real progress in such exercises. It is astonishing- what progress a soul sometimes makes in a time of sorrow. It has been much more with God; for indeed that alone makes us make progress. There is much more confidence, quietness, absence of the moving of the will; much more walking with, and dependence on Him, more intimacy with Him, and independence of circumstances-a great deal less between us and Him-and then all the blessedness that is in Him comes to act upon the soul and reflect in it; and oh, how sweet that is! What a difference does it make in the Christian who, perhaps, was blameless in his walk in general previously! …

A first trial of this kind is always very painful:the heart has not been in it before. God comes and claims His right on our tenderest affections. This is strange work when they have been just drawn out; but it is well-it is good. I am sure you are in His hands; and that I am sure is all a way of love, and the best that the wisdom of His love can send. If the needed work can be done without the sorrow, He will not send the sorrow. We might even dread it if it be needed. His love is far better than our will. Trust Him:He may well be trusted; He has given His Son for us, and proved His love. Present your requests to Him:I do fully for you. He would have us do it, and then lean fully on His love and wisdom. If He strikes, be assured He will give more than He takes away. From J. N. D.

Whatever is the real object of the heart is what will, in the long run, characterize a man's course. If money, power, position, pleasure be the thing uppermost in the heart, everything will be made to bend to that, to give way to it, until even a reproving conscience will be silenced, never again perhaps to be awakened until it awakes before the judgment throne-too late, alas, forever. Indeed, not only to an ungodly world, but to a multitude who know, or ought to know better, and who pretend to Christianity, is the admonition of Paul to the Corinthians needful :"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived :neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (2 Cor. 6:9,10). The real object of the heart controls the man, forms his habits of mind and practice, and brings him to an end whose eternal retribution will be meted out by a righteous God who has known and followed every pulsation of that human heart.

How needful, therefore, that the children of God wait much upon God for the state of their hearts, that the object which animates them be the one, with which God may be able to identify Himself fully, and thus give power and sustenance to the heart to carry the object through to the end, whatever be the obstacles and difficulties in the way. Nowhere will the Christian find himself so dependent on God as in the exercises flowing out of this. The Scripture is full of proof of this in the expressions of men of God in every age, who, realizing how deeply deceitful the human heart is-how deceitful their own, each one, was-cried earnestly to God to take charge of them and free them from all hindrance to their possessing the true object, and thus reaching the true, happy end.

"To me to live is Christ" said one who had no reserve, no dark place in his heart. He labored "more than they all," but had labor been his object he would have missed much of the blessing that is in Christ. He would have been engrossed with labor, not with Christ, and his very labor then would have lacked the sweet fragrance of Christ, more precious to God than all beside. With Christ Himself as the burning object of his heart, he was, in all his labor, " unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15).

Had the doing of great things, large audiences, counting professed converts by the thousand, been his object, he would have had to overlook what to him was far above all such things-the character, honor, glory of the adorable Person who lived in his heart and was there enthroned supreme. All must bend to that in his work of faith and labor of love.

Had his object been to get all the children of God together, to show to the eyes of men the ever-blessed fact that the Church-the body of Christ-is one, he might have pleased many erring, self-seeking Christians who were already in his day. It might have made a fine show, it would have eased his path immensely; but to make a show of unity is not the same as pleasing Christ, which was the object of his heart. To his beloved Ephesians he once wrote a wonderful letter, so full of the glories of Christ and of His Church; but if they depart from their first love, if they have some object in their heart which they put before Christ Himself, he cannot follow them, for to him to live is Christ; and so by-and-by he has sorrowfully to write " all they of Asia have forsaken me."How little do God's poor, dear people realize that all causes of division among them come from losing first love, and that there is no divine remedy for them but in this, '' remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (Rev. 2:5).Craft, subterfuge, force,'' condoning sin, lead not to repentance; and repentance alone avails with God. He knows a contrite spirit, He reads the thoughts of a broken heart, He knows them in whom Christ is all, and He knows what to do with them. Ah! did we but know this, did we but know that "not of works, lest any man should boast " is a principle which does not cease with the finding of our salvation, we would not be such prolific talkers ; we would know more of the value of the sanctuary.

Will any good thing be undesired or left to lie dormant if Christ be truly the object of the heart ? Impossible ! What interests Him will interest such an one. What He loves will be loved. What He desires will be desired. What He commands will be sought to be obeyed. But all will be controlled by what He is. No indifference to that can the true heart allow.

" Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended :but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, (of full age) be thus minded; and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you" (Phil. 3:13-15).

In creation man had no part whatsoever in his existence. He was created by the will and word of God, and placed there in the midst of the prepared garden purely by the sovereign will and act of God. All he had to do was just to look around and wonder and enjoy. He had no exercise whatever in relation to it.

In new creation it is the same God working in the same sovereign will and power and plan of His own, but with a responsible creature now, so there must be exercise in that creature to fall into the plans of God. It is not therefore only of the Spirit that men must be born anew to belong to the New Creation, but of water as well, John 3:5. The "water" is the symbol of the word of God, as the " wind" is the symbol of the Spirit of God. The word is for faith; it is heard by the ear of faith; and the Spirit in sovereign power quickens the soul that hears-that believes the word. So, further on, John writes again, "and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name (chap. 20:30. 31). To this i Peter 1:22-25 adds further testimony:"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit . . . being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever . . . and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Men are ever prone to depart from the truth as a clock from correct time, and ever need therefore to be regulated by the word of God. One reasons that because the new birth is a sovereign act of God it is accomplished therefore apart from the responsibility of man. Not so, says the word of God, he must be born both of water and of the Spirit. He must receive what God offers him in the gospel whatever be the need of God's sovereign act with it.

Another reasons that because man is responsible to receive God's offer therefore he needs no power outside of himself. Not so, says the word of God, he must be born of the Spirit as well as of water.

Believing is not choosing, not deciding, not doing, not the activity of the will of man; it is the soul surrendering to the testimony of God; the heart responding Amen to the blessed announcement of what a God of love has done for us by His Son Jesus Christ-the conscience ceasing to accuse, because the God of truth says to faith, I forgive all, I forget all, for all is hid from mine eyes by the precious blood of My beloved Son-it is confessing that truth is truth.

WHY was the story of Cornelius written? What are the lessons we are to gather from it? To answer these questions it is needful to recall the commission the risen Lord Jesus gave to His disciples. Matthew tells us that He authorized them to"disciple the nations" (chap, 28:19).Mark says He told them to '' preach the gospel to every creature in all the world" (16:15).Through Luke we learn that after He had instructed them concerning the preaching of "repentance and remission of sins among all nations," He told them to "tarry at Jerusalem until they received power from on high " (24:47-49).In Acts 1:8,we read He said to them, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the-earth."Another passage in John 16:must also be remembered. Speaking of the Holy Spirit whom He had promised to send to them, He said, "He will guide you into all truth " (ver. 13).

Now, these passages make it clear the risen Lord not only authorized the proclamation and establishment of Christianity in Jerusalem, in all Judea and in Samaria, but also in all the world; and further, that the Holy Spirit, whom He would send to them, would guide them into all the truth they would need in order to carry out their commission.

Turning now to Acts 2:, where we have the account of the descent of the Holy Spirit, we find that the preaching of repentance and the remission of sins began at Jerusalem (ver. 38). In chap. 6:7 we read, "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith."Up to this time there does not appear to have been any thought of Samaria, nor of the great Gentile world. In chap, 8:, we learn of a great persecution breaking out, scattering the assembly "abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria," though the apostles themselves still remained at Jerusalem (ver. i).The fugitive disciples, wherever they go, carry with them the joyful message that has been proclaimed in Jerusalem (ver. 4).Thus the commission of the Lord to His disciples was carried out in the regions of Judea. While this was going on Philip goes to Samaria proclaiming the message there. Numbers, "both men and women," believed. The apostles, still at Jerusalem, hearing of the work going on in Samaria, send Peter and John, who having "prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost," laid their hands on them and thus owned the Samaritan believers as sharers with themselves in the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Though evangelizing many of the Samaritan villages they return to Jerusalem with no thought apparently that the Gentile world is to be invaded with the gospel of repentance and remission of sins. The converted Ethiopian returning joyfully to his own land, of which in due time they must have heard, one would think would have suggested this, but there is no hint that it did. Nor did the conversion of Saul and his call to bear the name of Jesus before "Gentiles and kings" as well as "the children of Israel" remind them of their Lord's command to go "into all the world."It was necessary, then, that the Holy Spirit Himself should force it upon them. It was hard for them to believe that God would grant "repentance unto life" to the Gentiles. It went against all their prejudices to allow that a Gentile, even though he be a believer, was a fellow-citizen with them, and with them in the household of God. These things had to be demonstrated to them, and that, too, in a way they could not resist. This demonstration the case of Cornelius supplies. An examination of the account will make it manifest. It will clearly appear that the Holy Spirit, in all the incidents and circumstances connected with Cornelius was guiding into the truth. Let us, then, study the inspired record-the infallible account of how a Gentile believer was encouraged to take his place among the sanctified through faith in Christ Jesus, and the believing Jews themselves forced to own him as one with them in the household of God.

In the first place we may notice that by his name -Cornelius-he belonged to a distinguished Roman family. He could point to a long list of honored ancestors-men who had taken a conspicuous part in a history of which every patriotic Roman was proud. But this was not his title to take his place among the sons of God:nor was the honorable office he filled – the centurion, or commander, of a choice band of soldiers. But these things, coupled with his great generosity to the Jews, tended to weaken Jewish prejudice against him. He was indeed a man "of good report among all the nation of the Jews "(chap. 10:22).Nevertheless, it was not "a lawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company " with even so good a Gentile.

But, besides all this, we must notice that he had renounced the Roman religion and was a worshiper of the God of the Jews, to whom he continually prayed and whom he feared, guiding his family in the fear of God also. He was not a proselyte to the Jewish religion, but through the testimony of the Jews, imperfect as it was, to the one true God, he had been converted from Paganism and become a worshiper of God. Now here we may ask, what was the position of such as he under the law of Moses? What was the relation of such to Israel? Did they form part of the commonwealth of Israel? No; they were strangers and aliens. They were not sharers with Israel in her blessings. If they saw fit to dwell within Israel's gates they received the stranger's portion, but even thus were excluded from Israel's nearness. Israel had what was exclusively her own. But Christianity had now come and was being established in the world. Is this old exclusiveness to be continued? Is a Gentile worshiper to be kept in the far off place, and only Jewish believers to have the near place? No; "the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men " has now come. Under this grace, a believing Jew not only has the knowledge of a hope of life and incorruptibility beyond death, but of a present place in the favor of God and a present assurance of the remission of his sins. But these are not blessings that belong exclusively to the believing Jew. They are the blessings and portion of the believing Gentile as well, and the truth of it must be demonstrated.

But it must be demonstrated in such a way that not only the believing Gentile will boldly claim, and take, and enjoy his blessing, but the believing Jew acknowledge his right. An angel is, therefore, first of all, sent to Cornelius to assure him that his "prayers" and "alms" are "a memorial" before God. It is not that they are the ground of blessing or of the favor of God, but rather the witness of the faith that is in him-the memorial of a faith that is not a "dead faith"-but a living, fruitful faith. But blessed as it was for Cornelius to learn that his prayers and alms were acceptable to God, apart from the mediation and intercession of the Jewish priesthood, he needed to learn more than this. He needed to learn that it was his privilege to take openly and publicly the place God gives now to the children of God. He needed to learn that he had a God-given right to a place in the household of faith. So the angel directs him to send for Simon to receive a message from God through him. How easy it would have been for the angel to have given the necessary divine communication ! How readily might the Spirit of God have spoken the needed message directly to Cornelius. But neither was the way of God. He would have those who maintained the bars by which the believing Gentile was shut out and held in the far-off place, throw down the bars and proclaim the unity of the believing Gentile with the believing Jew.
But if the believing Jew is to do this he must learn that a vessel, however naturally unclean, when God has cleansed it, is no longer to be treated as unclean. Simon Peter, while dwelling with Simon the tanner, must surely have had opportunity to become familiarized with the idea of "cleansing unclean things for holding pure water," for a part at least of a tanner's business was to prepare the skins of which the water bottles were made. But however familiar with this process, he certainly had not thought of it as symbolizing the cleansing of the Gentiles. At this time he would not have allowed that Cornelius was "sanctified in Christ Jesus."But he must be brought to see in him a vessel cleansed of God. This is the lesson of the vision of the " great sheet " full of, to a Jew, every kind of unclean animals. Bidden to " slay and eat," he refuses on the ground that they are unclean creatures; but the divine voice rebukes him for calling unclean '' what God has cleansed."That the lesson of the vision has to do with the Gentiles he soon learns, for as he is wondering what it all means, the Spirit who is guiding into the truth, tells him of the arrival of three men who are seeking for him, and that he must go with them without misgivings, as He had sent them.

When Peter met them he found them to be messengers from the Gentile Cornelius, who by divine guidance had sent for him to come and to give him a message from God. It was impossible to resist. To do so would be to resist God. If God had cleansed Cornelius, Peter could not oppose it.

He went, therefore, as he says, '' without gainsaying." When he had arrived at the home of Cornelius, he reminds him that it is unlawful for a Jew " to keep company, or come unto one that is of another nation," and then declares that God had broken down his prejudice and scruples, and taught him to regard him as a cleansed person. But the matter could not be left there. The simple recognition that a believing Gentile is cleansed is not enough. There must be the ministry of the blessing that belongs to faith. Peter had been told that Cornelius had been instructed to expect a message from God through him. But before the message is given the case must be made clear. Peter, therefore, inquires, "For what intent have ye sent for me? " To which Cornelius replies that he had received, through an angel, assurance from God that his prayers were heard, and that his alms were acceptable in the presence of God; that God had a communication to make to him, and that he, Peter, had been designated as the one who was to give him the communication. He then adds, "Now therefore we are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God."

The case is now clear to Peter. He understands that not only is a believing Gentile a cleansed vessel, but that the fruits of faith in such are a rich odor in the presence of God, and that it is the will of God that the Jew, who has by grace obtained from the risen and exalted Lord Jesus the forgiveness of sins, should communicate his incomparable blessing to the believing Gentile, and thus openly and publicly acknowledge faith's title to the blessing wherever it is found, whether in Jew or Gentile. This he accordingly now does. He tells Cornelius that he now understands that God does not hold the person of a Jew above that of a Gentile; that, wherever there is faith, there is one who is accepted with God. Then he says, You know the word-the message – God sent to the children of Israel, which they in their unbelief rejected, hanging upon a cross the One who brought it. Now God has raised Him up from the dead-a fact of which there is creditable testimony. As thus risen, He gave a commandment that we should proclaim Him to the people, to be the Judge both of the living and of the dead. Now the combined testimony of the prophets is that whoever believes in this man-rejected, but God-exalted Man, shall receive the remission of sins-1:e., the believing Gentile shares, along with the believing Jew, in the grace that is in the hands of the risen Jesus to bestow. Thus Cornelius is assured that the blessing of the house of faith is his; that he is a sharer with the saints in their portion and privileges. C. Crain

(To be concluded in our next issue.)

"The instant I believe in Jesus, I am called on to reckon myself dead. I am never told to die; but I am told to mortify my members that are upon the earth. But I am never told to die. A man under the law will be trying to die with all his might, but he will never succeed,…Faith takes God's testimony as true, therefore I say I am dead; and, because I am dead, I have to mortify my members, being as dead to the earth as Christ was, for I have God telling me that I am dead through believing. This is most practical as to peace of soul, for the moment I believe in Christ, I am delivered from all these things. I am not seeking to die, for I have the secret of power, and count myself dead… . The moment that I believe in Christ, all that He has done as a Saviour is mine, and God appropriates and applies it to me. I may have failed to realize it, but the treasure is put into my possession." (J. N. D., Coll. Writings, Vol. 7:p. 450.)

"The moment I believe, I am sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." (ibid. p. 451.)

"It is a sweet and blessed thing, that any saint, though born but yesterday, has all in Christ that I have." (ibid. p. 455.)

There are some who say that one must be born again before he can exercise faith in the Lord Jesus.

The word of God says, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name (John 20:30, 31).

One plain word from God is light, dispelling all darkness, and making an end of all controversy in them who are subject to Him.

The prophet Ezekiel did not cavil about the command given him to prophecy to "dead bones."He obeyed, and under his preaching the dead bones were made alive by the power of Him that had commanded him to preach (Ezek. 37:). How wise is faith!-how foolish man's reasonings!

(Continued from page 54.)

Mr. McC. tells us the secret to "our heart-longings for the fulness of the Spirit being satisfied" is "surrender," and he calls surrender "consecration." It will be necessary to consider his thoughts about "consecration," to see how far they are scriptural.

Now my point is that when we believe, the whole word of God is given to us. It is all ours-all for us. At the same time the divine Spirit is given to us to dwell in us, and He dwells in us with all the fulness He has. As we give Him our ear, submit to Him, obey His voice, we grow, but it is growing in what is already pure. We grow in the knowledge of the truth that has been given to us, in the sense of the grace of which we are the subjects, and of the love of which we are the happy objects; in the apprehension of our sanctification and consecration ; in the knowledge of the God to whom we have been brought and with whom we have to do, and of Christ whom He has given to us to be our portion, and with whom He has linked us in blessing and inheritance. We grow, too, in the sense of obedience, of submission, of surrender. We increase in faith, in. trust, in hope. All this is by the Word, by increasing in the Word. This is the scriptural idea of growth. We will turn now to see what Mr. McC.'s idea seems to be.

We have seen that he teaches that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at conversion, yet He is in us " only as a trickling stream," not as a fountain of abundant supply. Between conversion and surrender, while the Spirit is in us, we do not have His fulness. He does not say we do not apprehend His fulness, but, "because we have not His fulness " (see page 38, " The Threefold Secret"). To have the Spirit's fulness there is a "secret" to be learned, and this secret is " surrender." Does he mean there was no surrender at conversion ? His doctrine really implies this. But he speaks of surrendering "our sins" at conversion:-so the principle of surrender is present even at conversion. With him, however, surrender after conversion is not growth in surrender, is not the principle of surrender enlarging in the soul, but a new and distinct thing. He constantly contrasts the surrender at conversion, (which he calls the surrender of "our sins," as we have seen, and speaks of as " for the forgiveness of our sins," or "salvation") with the later surrender (which he calls the " surrender of our lives") with which he connects having the fulness of the Spirit. In his system surrender at conversion is not the definite submission of the soul to the claims of Christ, and then learning more and more the extent of those claims. It is not the definite taking Christ to be Master and Lord, and then learning more and more what that mastership and lordship means. Manifestly his idea of growth is that Of accretion ! A certain kind of surrender is present at conversion, another kind of surrender is added afterwards. But this, as we have seen, is not the scriptural idea.

But we must consider some further statements. On page 48 of "The Threefold Secret" we read:

" Thus the absolute yielding of our lives to God is the first great step after conversion urged in His Word."

Now we have seen that Mr. McC. connects with this "first great step after conversion" the having the fulness of the Spirit. On page 91 he says:

"How needful that he " (the child of God) "should press on to learn that final secret of abiding in Christ which alone can teach him how these ' breaks' in communion shall become fewer and fewer, until at last he has learned to walk in the Spirit, and reaches the glad consummation where ' the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.'"

Then one who has the fulness of the Spirit as " God's response" to his surrender or his consecration of himself to God, may still have "breaks" in his "communion." What is this, after all, but " the trickling stream " ? " The first great step after conversion," elsewhere spoken of as "the first great step of the walk in the Spirit" (" Surrendered Life," page 13), has been taken, and yet there is no change from previous conditions! On this same page 13 he says :

"Without this" (the first great step) "we may, and do, have times of blessing, in so far as we trust and obey God in the acts of our daily life, and thus carry out the principle of obedience involved in our surrender."

How we can "carry out the principle of obedience involved in surrender" before we have surrendered is not explained. The " principle of obedience " is "involved" in the " first great step after conversion."This " first great step," he tells us, " puts us under the control of the Spirit."Now we may, and do, to a certain extent, before we take this step, act as if we had already taken it! Are we under the control of the Spirit while we so act ?If so, what puts us under His control ?If it is considered that we are not yet under His control, then we have times of blessing apart from the control of the Spirit! Can this be true ?Whatever way we look at it, we are involved in difficulties that are irreconcilable with the theory. It is plain it is the theory that is at fault. Scripture is self-consistent.

But again, there are "breaks in communion" before the "first great step" of "surrender" is taken, and there are "breaks in communion" after. Before " surrender" the "fulness of the Spirit" is not possessed, but it is after! Do we have the "fulness of the Spirit" during these breaks ? The theory, as developed by our author breaks down again here. Indeed, it breaks down every where. The principle of growth by accretion, somehow does not seem to be growth really. For some reason, not at all accounted for, it is not true that through consecration " our whole life can be brought into perfect alignment with God's will" and "become a constant joy to ourselves."

But Mr. McC. will say, It is "needful to press on" "learn" another secret-a "final" secret-the secret
"abiding in Christ." This, he assures us, will teach us how the "breaks in communion become fewer and fewer." It is then still the "trickling stream," more or less, only there is slow, gradual improvement. The reader will confess, surely, to much disappointment here. We naturally anticipated we were being shown a stage of experience in which the promised life of "constant joy" is an actual realization, but, alas! it is not so. Instead of this, we are told that what we are to expect is a gradual improvement. There may be some comfort in this, but not much. We wonder how long it will be before this slowly improving stage will end in the longed-for blessing. Mr. McC., it seems, is not able to tell us. He tells us that these "breaks" become "fewer and fewer, until at last" we learn "to walk in the Spirit," and reach "the glad consummation." How eagerly we listen for what is to follow, fully expecting to be told that now we have got to the "fountain" of unremitting flow, that the life of "constant joy" is at last our blessing! But does he tell us this? Reader, he does not. Why? Does he shrink' from the pretentious claim. Does he feel it is too much to assert ? Well, whatever holds him back from the bold declaration that logically and consistently he should make here, we do not know. The "glad consummation" is a condition in which " the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." This is all that Mr. McC. is prepared to say. His system once more breaks down. Not only is it utterly unscriptural, but his own statement of his doctrine lacks consistency. His arguments are not harmonious. One destroys another. In this way it is manifest his system is not of God.

But if we compare it with Scripture, it is clearly antagonistic to it. This we have already seen in looking at several of its features. It antagonizes the scriptural doctrine that the Holy Spirit is in us from the first of His being in us with all His fulness. It opposes what the word of God affirms, that all believers now have life in them as life " more abundant."It ignores altogether the teaching of Scripture that it is God who sanctifies and consecrates us. It conflicts with the word of God as to the time when sanctification and consecration take place. It insists on our accepting as consecration what never once is called that in Scripture. It also falsifies the scriptural representation of what worship is, and it entirely fails in the setting forth of scriptural ideas of growth. And now we have to add that it represents what Scripture asserts to be the blessing of every one who is in Christ, to be a blessing only attained at the end of a course of struggle to learn the "secrets" of surrender and abiding. According to the quotation we have taken from page 91 of "The Threefold Secret," until the " final secret" is learned, there has been no walking in the Spirit and no enjoyment of deliverance from the law of sin and death during a period more or less long, in which there have been "times of blessing" and numerous seasons of communion notwithstanding the frequent "breaks;" "until at last he has learned to walk in the Spirit"!When does the walk in the Spirit begin? When does the Spirit's leadership commence? Does not Rom. 8:9 assure every believer that he is in the Spirit? Mr. McC. teaches that the Spirit is in the believer from his conversion. The apostle uses in this verse the fact of the indwelling Spirit as proof that the believer is in the Spirit. If it be said that is standing, not state, I answer there is a state attaching to the standing, or connected with it. With the Spirit this state is always fully realized. He is never short of it. The measure in which we are entering into it is the fruit of His work in us. If it be asked, Can we ever reach His measure ? The answer is, He " is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Yet while this is ever true, we may be assured that by His working in us our measure enlarges. There is growth in the understanding and enjoyment of the state that is connected with our standing. With the Spirit, state is always real and perfect. It is only as being in Him that we can in any measure realize it-realize what it is.

If the Spirit's measure is ever greater than ours, if He " is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think," is it possible, then, for us to reach such a measure of the enjoyment of what the Spirit enjoys perfectly that we ourselves are fully satisfied ? Surely not. To be. content with the measure we have attained is to ignore the fact that the Spirit is able to enlarge our measure.

The believer indeed is free from the law of sin and death. Christ has set him free. His apprehension and enjoyment of the deliverance that is his may not be very deep, but as being in Christ the blessing is his. It is true there may be many an outburst of the flesh, which Mr. McC. allows is still in him. These outbursts will emphasize the truth that " in the flesh there is no good thing." The final result of all the exercise these fleshly outbursts give occasion for, will be a deepening in the soul of the deliverance and liberty the believer has as being in Christ. There is growth in the apprehension of
"the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free." There is growth in the sense of what the power of the Spirit is, and thus also growth in the ability to " stand fast in the liberty." It is not getting more power, but learning better what the power is we already have.

The difference between Mr. McC.'s system and the truth of Scripture may be put strikingly thus:His teaching occupies souls with themselves ; while the doctrine of Scripture occupies them with Christ. In his system attention is drawn to the idea of how to attain, but the word of God fixes our attention on what God has given in Christ. C. Crain.

(To be continued.)

If a child habitually neglected its father, and did not take the trouble of knowing his mind and will, it is easy to foresee that, when a difficulty presented itself, this child would not be in circumstances to understand what would please its parent. There are certain things which God leaves in generalities, in order that the state of the individual's soul may be proved. If, instead of the case I have supposed of a child, it were a question of a wife toward her husband, it is probable that, if she had the feelings and mind of a wife, she would not hesitate a moment as to knowing what would be agree-able to him; and this where he had expressed no positive will about the matter. Now you cannot escape this trial:God will not allow His children to escape it. " If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

People would like a convenient and comfortable means of knowing God's will, as one might get a receipt for anything; but there exists no means of ascertaining it without reference to the state of our own soul.

Moreover, we are often of too much importance in our own eyes; and we deceive ourselves in supposing some will of God in such or such a case. God perhaps has nothing to tell us thereon, the evil being altogether in the stir we give ourselves. The will of God is perhaps that we should take quietly an insignificant place.

Further, we sometimes seek God's will, desiring to know how to act in circumstances in which it is
not His will that we should be found at all; if conscience were in real healthful activity, its first effect would be to make us quit them. It is our own will which sets us there, but we should like nevertheless to enjoy the consolation of God's direction in a path which we ourselves have chosen. Such is a very common case.

Be assured that, if we are near enough to God, we shall have no trouble to know His will. In along and active life it may happen that God, in His love, may not always at once reveal His will to us, that we may feel our dependence, particularly where the individual has a tendency to act according to his own will. However, "if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light;" whence it is certain that, if the whole body is not full of light, the eye is not single. You will say, That is poor consolation. I answer, It is a rich consolation for those whose sole desire is to have the eye single and to walk with God-not, so to speak, for those who would avoid trouble in learning His will objectively." If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him."It is always the same principle."He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."You cannot withdraw yourself from this moral law of Christianity.'' For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." The mutual connection of these things is of immense importance for the soul. The Lord must be known intimately if one would walk in a way worthy of Him; and it is thus that we grow in the knowledge of God's will. "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ." Finally, it is written that the spiritual man "judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."

It is then the will of God, and a precious will, that we should be able to discern it only according to our own spiritual state. In general, when we think that we are judging circumstances, it is God who is judging us-who is judging our state. Our business is to keep close to Him. God would not be good to us, if He permitted us to discover His will without that. It might be convenient just to have a director of consciences; and we should thus be spared the discovery and the chastisement of our moral condition. Thus, if you seek how you may discover the will of God without that, you are seeking evil; and it is what we see every day.

One Christian is in doubt, in perplexity; another, more spiritual, sees as clear as the day, and he is surprised, sees no difficulty, and ends by understanding that it lies only in the other's state of soul. "He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off."

CIRCUMSTANCES.

As regards circumstances, I believe that a person |may be guided by them:Scripture has decided that. It is what is meant by being "held in with bit and bridle;" whereas the promise and privilege of him who has faith is, "I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go:I will guide thee with Mine eye."God who is faithful, has given the promise of directing us thus-near enough to God to understand by a single glance from Him. He warns us not to be as the horse and the mule which have no understanding of the will, thoughts, desires, of their master. It is needful to hold them in with bit and bridle. Doubtless that is better than to stumble, fall, and strike against Him who reins us in; but it is a sad state, and such is it to be guided by circumstances. Undoubtedly, too, it is merciful on God's part so to act, but very sad on ours.

Here, however, there must be a distinction drawn between judging what one has to do in certain circumstances, and being guided by them. He who allows himself to be guided by them always acts in the dark as to knowing the will of God. There is absolutely nothing moral in it, but an exterior force drags along. Now it is very possible that I may have no judgment beforehand of what I shall do; I know not what circumstances may arise, and consequently I can take no side. But the instant the circumstances are there, I judge with a full and divine conviction what is the path of God's will, and of the Spirit's intention and power. That demands spirituality. It is not to be directed by circumstances, but to be directed by God in them, being near enough to God to be able to judge what one ought to do, as soon as the circumstances arrive.

IMPRESSIONS.

As to impressions, God can suggest them, and it is certain that in fact He does suggest a thing to the
mind; but, in that case, the propriety of the thing and its moral character will be clear as the sun at noonday. In prayer God can remove from our heart certain carnal influences, which, being destroyed, leave room to spiritual influences to take their place in the soul. Thus He makes us feel the importance of some duty, which had been perhaps entirely obscured by the preoccupation caused by an object one had desired. This may be even between two individuals. One person may not have enough spiritual discernment to discover what is good; but the moment another shows it to him, he understands that it is the truth. All are not engineers, but a simple wagoner knows a good road when it is made.

OBSTACLES.

When obstacles raised up of Satan are spoken of, it is not said that God Himself may not have allowed these obstacles to some good desire-obstacles caused by an accumulation of evil in the circumstances which surround us.

Again, the case of a person acting without knowing the will of God should never exist. The only rule that can be given is, never to act when we do not know what is the Lord's will. If you act in this ignorance, you are at the mercy of circumstances; however God may turn all to the good of His children. But why act when we are ignorant of His will? Is the necessity of acting always so extremely pressing?

If I do something with the full certainty that I am doing the will of God, it is clear that an obstacle is no more than a trial of my faith, and it ought not to stop me. It stops us perhaps through our lack of faith; because, if we do not walk sufficiently near to God in the feeling of our nothingness, we shall want faith to accomplish what we have faith enough to discern. When we are doing our own will or are negligent in our walk, God in His mercy may warn us by a hindrance which stops us if we pay attention to it, whilst "the simple pass on and are punished." God may permit, where there is much activity and labor, that Satan should raise up hindrances, in order that we may be kept in dependence on the Lord; but God never permits Satan to act otherwise than on the flesh. If we leave the door open, if we get away from God, Satan does us harm ; but otherwise it is a mere trial of faith to warn us of a danger or snare-of something that would tend to exalt us in our own eyes. It is an instrument for our correction. That is, God allows Satan to trouble the mind, and bring the flesh into exterior sufferings, in order that the inner man may be kept from evil.

The rule that we should do what Jesus would have done in such or such a circumstance is excellent, where and when it can be applied. But are we often in the circumstances wherein the Lord was or
would be found?

It is often useful to ask myself whence comes such a desire of mine, or such a thought of doing this or that. I have found that this alone decides more than half the embarrassments that Christians meet with. The two-thirds of those which remain are the result of our haste and of our former sins. If a thought comes from God and not from the flesh, then we have only to address ourselves to God as to the manner and means of executing it, and we shall soon be directed.

If it be asked, But if it is no question either of love or of obedience? then I answer, that you ought to show me a reason for acting. For if it be nothing but your own will, you cannot make the wisdom of God bend to your will. Therein also is the source of another numerous class of difficulties that God will never solve. In these cases, He will in His grace teach obedience, and will show us how much time we have lost in our own activity. Finally "the meek will He guide in judgment, and the meek will He teach His way."

I have communicated to you on this subject all that my mind can furnish you with at this moment. For the rest, remember that the wisdom of God conducts us only in the way of God's will :if our own will is in activity, God cannot bend to that. Such is the essential thing to discover. It is the secret of the life of Christ. I know no other principle that God can make use of, however He may pardon and cause all to work for our good.

Be assured that God does more in us than we for Him; and that what we do for Him is only in proportion as it is Himself who works it in us. From J. N. D.