AFRICA

We quote the following extract from Dr. Woodham's letter, dated July 8th, 1929:

We have had the Lord's table at Nyangkundi with the natives for some time, and they have been happy occasions. Quite a number gather including native sisters. Last Sunday, here (Mambassa), there were five natives with those of us who came from Nyangkundi. Much sin has come to light since we started the Lord's table and, in all cases but one, been judged, so communion restored. If this is contrary to "white nature" it is far more so to native nature-admitting and judging sin, I mean. But it is according to God and our new nature. "He that is born from above does not practice sin," and if such a one does sin he is to confess it-how simple and how within reach this is!

Before I forget, I want to express our gratitude for the generous ministry that has been coming in lately. It surely came at a time needed, and was ordered of our Lord who knew the additional expenses we would be under here. We have not had to hold back for lack of funds I am glad to say, but have been able to go ahead. For this we thank our faithful God, and look to the same One that we may have grace to continue looking to Him who never fails.

You ask in one letter about precautions against fire. I suppose you refer to the forest. There never is danger of a forest fire here for there is always so much dampness, and rain is so abundant. I often wondered about this same matter, but am told that in the tropics forest fires do not occur, and from what I see I can corroborate this. I wish they would burn more easily, for even after months I have not yet been able to get the great piles of logs and fallen trees burned from our little clearing. As to our house we are safer here from fire than we have ever been, for we use leaves for the roof instead of grass, and these burn very slowly, if at all.

The children have a fine time here. To-day the trees within seventy-five feet of our back door were full of monkeys, all sizes and ages, to the great delight of the children, especially John, whose eyes showed his feelings.

CHINA

An extract from a letter from brother Kautto will give some idea of the difficulties of travel in China (Isa. 40:31).

Last Monday evening we started back from the out-station at Shuang-shan-tze where we had been for two weeks. As it is very hot during the day, we prefer to travel at night, whenever possible. Arriving about halfway we tried to rest a little during the darkest part of the night, but as the inn was hot and infested by insects we thought it wiser to stay out-doors, and my wife tried to sleep in the cart and I on the cart shafts. Needless to say, there was not much sleep. The following morning we had gone only a little way (it was about 4 A.M.) when about a mile from the inn, on a steep grade and a bad narrow road, the cart axle scraped a stone wall and broke in two. We were some seventeen miles from home with no way to fix the axle, so sent a man to Taitowying, where he hired a cart to haul us home. The cart came about 7 P.M. so we put the broken cart on the other cart, piled ourselves on top of that and arrived home the following morning about 1 A.M. It is needless to mention how we valued a bed when we finally rolled in after being on our way for 33 hours, covering a distance of 33 miles!

JAPAN

Brother Craig sends the following extract from a letter received by him. This should remind us afresh of the unsettled conditions prevailing in Manchuria and Northern China, and the need for prayer on behalf of missionaries and native Christians in those parts.

Brother Totsuka has lately returned safely from his long gospel journey. He had opportunity for good testimony in Kiushu (Japan), Korea and in Northern China amongst the Japanese. In many churches he had opportunity to speak, using brother Booth's chart in Japanese. He has a large copy of this, and was able to sell altogether about 100 of the small size with key. From brother Totsuka's account of his journey, we believe, more than ever, that the end of the age is near. For example, in the crowded city of Mukden, Manchuria, Northern China, the bodies of slaughtered people lay on all sides, and the heads of criminals were exposed hanging from telegraph poles and police station boards. This reminded him of the conditions in Tokyo after the dreadful earthquake fire of 1923. This presumably is a consequence of the war conditions there.

COSTA RICA

We are glad to know from our brother Lamorue that he is in much better health and is able to travel again. He says:-

I am feeling quite a little better as to health. Tomorrow, D.V., I am going to Sequires for a few days, trusting I will be given strength of our God and Father to proclaim the good news to both English and Spanish. For two or three years I have been going down the line one week each month to preach the Word, but this will be my first trip this year. In many small places they have no preaching, or (worse) Catholic or Episcopal. The people seem much to appreciate the truths we know. Eating and sleeping conditions are rough, but the joy otherwise overcomes all. In the lower country in nearly all places there are many who appreciate the Word, but here the heathen priest-ridden condition is pretty hard. Still it is our privilege and business to sow the seed, Luke 8:11; Mark 16:15. Soon the day of grace and privilege will end, then glory forever with HIM. What a hope is ours!

Yours affectionately in Him.

D. Lamorue.

SPAIN

Brother Monttlau writes:

We expect, D.V., to sail on August 21st for Argentina. We have experienced the protection and loving care of our Heavenly Father during the two years of our stay in Spain, for which we praise Him and also for precious souls who have confessed His Name. We are conscious we are answering a Macedonian cry, and that the Lord has opened the way for us to go to Argentina, although we were not ready to go at first. While we wait for our Lord, we trust He will give us strength and wisdom to serve Him there.

Our address will be Mitre 1721, Lanus, F.C.S., Buenos Aires, Argentina, S. A.

BRAZIL

J. P. Ribeiro writes of much encouragement in an extended journey begun on June 2nd to Parahyba, and which he hopes (D.V.) to continue to Rio de Janeiro, S. Paulo and Minas Geraes, not reaching his home at Parintins till the end of the year.

Our brother Robert Deans, his wife, son and two younger children arrived in New York the end of August, en route to the Belgian Congo to join Dr. Woodhams, and expect to sail Sept. 14th.

INDIAN WORK

Brother J. P. Anderson writes as follows:Have just come back from the conference held at Flagstaff, where the Indian missionaries from all the south-west gather each year for twelve days, and where our brethren have been privileged to minister the Word each year for many years. We meet many Christian Indians, and they are a great help to us, for we see what the grace of God can do for these old men and women steeped in sin and superstition. It is a great encouragement and now we are back for another year's work, and are anxious to meet the new children who will be coming in next week.

Brother Dresch is here at present and will help us put , up the Hall at Peach Springs. Our sister Miss Hose Olson will have full charge of the Sunday School and work at the Gospel Hall at Kingman, living in the building herself. We are thankful for this as we could not keep up that work for the white people with all we have to do here and among the Indians. Pray for us all out here in the desert.

FURLOUGH FUND

A very generous response has been made to an appeal for the above fund, sufficient having come to hand to enable Miss Wilson and Miss DeJonge to return to this country for a furlough. May the Lord give our sisters wisdom in this matter, and guide them as to the arrangements for the carrying on of the work which they will have to leave and also for the journey home.

MONTHLY MISSIONARY MEETING

The monthly missionary meeting, usually held in Gospel Truth Hall, 357 Morris Ave., Elizabeth, N. J., will be resumed, D.V., on Monday, Sept. 9th, at 8 P. M. Tea will be served at 6:30 for all who can attend.
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD"

(Continued from p. 363.)

"According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

The phrase, "according to, or, "according as," occurs about twelve times in the first three chapters of this epistle. It is a prominent copulative in Ephesians 1:3-14, which the eminent New Testament Greek scholar, A. T. Robertson, has, from a linguistic viewpoint, pronounced a "noble period" in Paul's writings. Its nobility of thought, too, far surpasses its linguistic beauty, and these "according to's" are harmonious links in the sequence of that thought. They are liaison officers in the stately march of the argument.

The instance in our text yokes the subject of our last "browsing" to that of the present. It not merely suggests the harmonies of God's way with us, the fine inter-lacings of His providences, but in some sort makes each the gauge of the other. "All spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," are lined out against, "Chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy." In each verse is GOD, infinitely wise, infinitely mighty and infinitely loving; in each there are infinitesimal animalculae, such as ourselves, the objects of His grace. The "blessing" of the one pairs off with the "choosing" of the other. Limned in the background of each there is, on the one hand, "heaven," which Christ has gone to fill, and on the other "earth," the foundation of which He laid in the long, long ago. "All spiritual blessings" then blend themselves with the "holy and without blame before Him," so that the verses seem in their relation to each other something like the bass and treble clefs of a glad musical symphony. The orchestra is tuning in to the chanting of choirs celestial and terrestrial.

If then, at the close of the first chapter, the writer of the epistle is on his knees in humble supplication that the eyes of our understanding might be enlightened to "know" other features of God's great plan of redemption, we may very rightly fall upon our own that the light of the "glory" of our subject be not entirely veiled from our eyes. It is a good thing for us to rest awhile in the "valley of humiliation," for all around us, in this epistle, pile skyward the mountain-peaks of God's high resolves, and everyone of us should be a resolute member of the great Christian Alpine club.

"Resolute" indeed, and also enthusiastic! There should be no "lukewarmness" in our hearts as to God's great "Election Day." Mr. Moody once approached a stranger on the verandah of a hotel at Northfield, and in his characteristic way inquired, perhaps somewhat abruptly, "Are you a Christian?' The stranger, taken aback, answered a little stiffly, "What do you think?" "Not red-hot," shot back Mr. Moody, and walked away. The remedy for this lukewarmness is meditation, contemplation, aspiration. We must get the "lure of the heights" in our hearts. That wild philosopher, Nietzsche, once very wisely remarked:"Look too long into the abyss, and the abyss will begin to look into you." We do not want the abyss, but we do want these blessed mountain heights to look into us, so we must keep looking at them.

The peak now before us is "Mount Election." It is hidden from view behind the word "chosen," but in the original the words are almost exactly alike. Consider then the word itself a moment. "Choice" here necessarily involves knowledge, foreknowledge. It has to do, speaking anthropomorphically, with the "mind of God." But the power of "choice" is a peculiar mark of the "will;" it is a distinct characteristic of God's "conative powers," as the learned call them. Finally, "choice" is intimately bound upon God's love; that is in part the "motive" behind the will. So that God in all that He is is operative in this choice. Response with all that we are is the only logical thing for us.

Unfortunately the words "election" and "predestination" have been veritable trumpet-calls to battle, and the endless logomachies and conflicts that have raged interminably, have been the "kill-joys" of quiet, Spirit-guided meditation. Before considering the matter further, therefore, I shall introduce you to a "battle of words" in the 1st chapter of 1st Thessalonians, which subserves just the opposite end, which is a sort of homeopathic remedy for Calvinistic and Arminian fevers.

The words "election" and "beloved" are the two parties to the quarrel, and, as in the most of history, the war is waged over a question of "property," although in this instance it be but "property" in a prepositional phrase. The Authorized Version reads, "Knowing, beloved, your election by God," and the Revised Version and others read, "Knowing, beloved by God, your election." The latter translation is probably more correct, nevertheless we have here one of those delightful ambiguities of Scripture, which, if properly absorbed, become fresh fountains of blessing within. There is no doubt about the truth of each rendition. Taken together they serve to suggest that our "choice" by God is instigated by "love," and that this particular "love" is nourished hi our "choice" or "election." He loved us, and therefore He chose us, and because He had chosen us, He loved us even the more.

"Chosen not for good in me,
Waked from coming wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour's side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show
By my love how much I owe."

A further study of this theme but emphasizes our thesis. Centuries ago a great man, one of the great men of the ages, not long before his death told a little people :"And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them," while on another occasion he says:"The Lord did not set His love upon you nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people, but because the Lord loved you.. .hath the Lord brought you out." This marriage of Love and Choice is further beautifully illustrated in God's election of Christ:"Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom My soul hath found its delight." It is no wonder therefore that David in psalm and song (Ps. 65:7) should exclaim:"Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest."

But our text does not permit us to rest on an unqualified"chosen,"but linksthis"chosen" with"in Him." The "Him" is the Beloved Servant, who had , Himself been "chosen," that same "Beloved" in whom we have been "taken into favor." Thus evidently our choice is indissolubly bound up with Christ, and our indissoluble link with Christ is "faith." So when Peter addresses us as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," the foreknowledge seems to be focussing all its light upon us as "men of faith," "believers." And when our "faith" and God's "love" mingle thus with one another in God's "foreknowledge," all the mists of the mystery of "predestination" dissolve themselves into a beautiful rainbow-promise of holiness and blamelessness before Him. "Without faith it is impossible to be pleasing to Him."

If anyone be otherwise minded, however, that is his right, and we may say to him with the apostle:"But we are bound always to give thanks for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation." "Blessed is the man whom the Lord chooseth."

Over the main portal of the beautiful Milan Cathedral is inscribed:"Our pleasures are but for a season," "Our sorrows are but for a season," "Only that which endures is important." This mark of importance is therefore stamped indelibly upon God's choice:"before the foundation of the world." That choice is also thus linked with a great event, at which all the morning stars sang and "the sons of God shouted for joy."

But the jubilation of the sons of God had never been, had not the foundation of the world been antedated by the glorious day of our election.

And as if further to establish the importance of that time the New Testament repeats the words, "Before the foundation of the world," three times, and in each instance it seems as if the chimes in the clock tower of the "Cathedral of the Ages" were ringing out:"His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!" Listen! "Father, I will that those whom Thou hast given Me out of the world, be with Me where I am, that they may see My glory, for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world." "As a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world." "Chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

Notice that last clause:"That we should be saints, without blame before Him in love;" this is that to which all the Father's will is directed. "I will that they be with Me, where I am;" this is that to which all Christ's will is directed. "As a lamb without blemish and without spot;" this is the infinite cost of that very costly "choosing in Him before the foundation of the world." Should we not love both Father and Son?

"Shout, O earth! from silence waking,
Tune with joy thy varied tongue;
Shout, as when from chaos breaking,
Sweetly flowed thy natal song.
Shout! for thy Creator's love
Sends redemption from above!

"Downward from His star-paved dwelling,
Comes the Incarnate Son of God,
Countless voices, thrilling, swelling,
Tell the triumphs of His blood:
Shout! He conies thy tribes to bless,
With His spotless righteousness.

"Call Him blessed on thy mountains,
In thy wild and citied plains,
Call Him blessed where thy fountains
Speak in softly murmuring strains:
Shout, O earth, and let thy song
Ring the vaulted heavens along."

–F. C.GRANT.

(To be continued, D. V.)

I, the prisoner of the Master, pray you, O my brethren
dear, [you near;
Walk ye worthy of the calling wherewith He hath called
Let the graces of your Saviour, meekness, lowliness and
love, [land above;
Mark out all your earthly pathway till you reach the
All forbearance, all longsuffering, never giving place to
wrath, [ hath
UNITY OF SPIRIT keeping, in the BOND OF PEACE that
Every hope of richest blessing, from THE ONE, who,
yearning, prayed, [made."
"Keep them one, O blessed Father, one in Us forever

Only one great Body is there, indivisible evermore;
One blest Spirit, giving access to THE ONE whom they
adore; [find a place;
One high calling to the mansions where each one shall
One great Lord, whom all are serving, till they see Him
face to face;
One tried Faith that binds each member to THE ONE
who's gone on high;
One baptismal water symbol, and a penitential cry;
One blest Father, whom adoring, prostrate all the ransomed fall,
God forever, blest and mighty, over, round, and in them
all.-(Eph. 4).

Ye have heard the crystal fountain, pouring forth its
limpid stream, [dream,
Ye have caught the words of Jesus, purer than a heavenly
Ye have learned the truth He lived once, pearls of beauty
shrined in life, [and strife;
Therefore put ye off the old man, full of sin and lust
Now renewed within the spirit, God's creation, pure and
bright, [of the light;
Righteousness and goodness clothe you, as in garments
So then now put on the new man, imitators of the Lord,
Rendering praise 'long earthly pathway to THE ONE
by each adored. F. C. Grant

How important are the little words of our great language! How inarticulate it would be without them! As confusing and distressing as were the words written on the wall in the sight of Belshazzar!

But our God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved (and still loves) us, in His wisdom uses the small words to express His thoughts to us. May we bow in His presence, realizing He delights to point us to the One who of Him is made unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).

The three words which form our theme are found in 1 Thess. 1:3, connected with other words of equal importance by one little word, "of." The entire verse reads thus:"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope, in our Lord Jesus 'Christ, in the sight of God and our Father."

The Thessalonians had heard the gospel, and as a result of believing it, had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven. What now is the proof of their faith? Their work-the work of faith. God had seen their faith in Christ, and had accounted it to them for righteousness, and if their Father in heaven is to be glorified, men must see their works, though they could not see the spring, the motive power, which pleased God (Heb. 11:6). The apostle Paul in his epistle to Titus mentions "good works" six times. This shows the place works had in his heart. May we follow his example and seek to be zealous of good works.

Then comes labor, a much stronger word. One might work without laboring, but if one labors, he necessarily has to work. The word means toil, trouble, uneasiness. It is a task, and no easy one usually when one labors at it. But two words mark the labor of the Thessalonian saints. It was one "of love." This did not change their toil, but it changed the character of it. It is easy to labor for those we love. It was love for His Father that led the Lord Jesus to accomplish the work given Him to do, and love to the Church that led Him to give Himself for it. That deep eternal love caused Him to "work" and to "labor," and this is what we see in the Cross. Who could know the full value of such a work? And who could realize and understand the labor-pains as the forsaken One travailed in soul in order that souls might be born of God? None indeed but God!

We come to the third word-patience. This implies the thought of waiting with calmness and without anxiety. But there might be a patience born of stoicism, of knowing that we cannot alter events, and therefore must bear trial whether we like it or not. This is not the patience here spoken of. The little word "of" again comes in, and brings peace and joy for the young as well as the aged believer in Christ. It is the "patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him" (Ps. 62:5). The same One in whom these dear saints had faith was placed before them as their Hope. And as they waited for God's Son from heaven, they were waiting for no uncertain thing-"He that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (Heb. 10:37). There was no need to cast away their confidence; they were assured it would have "great recompense of reward" when their Lord would return. This hope made trials light. It made them (and us too) companions with John of old in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. There was much for them to encounter, as well as ourselves, but considering Him, who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, they manifested their patience of hope. Now for their encouragement the apostle writes assuring them that their work, labor, and patience were remembered by him and those with him, and that continual prayer was made for them. How stimulating this must have been to them! What encouragement for their perseverance! And if all that they had done was remembered by a man who said, "I am what I am but by the grace of God," shall it be forgotten by Him who says, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with Me. to give every man according as his work shall be?" (Rev. 22:12). "Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:7, 9,10). "If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:25). May we follow the example of the Thessalonian saints, so that "of" may be added to our work, labor, and patience. J. S. Hall

Beneath the pressure of Thy hand
The sweetest perfume flows,
And e'er in sorrow's crucible
The subject spirit grows.

The stone unsightly must be shaped,
And fashioned, by each tool
Thy wisdom deemeth best to use,
For those who're in Thy school.

Without this wondrous workmanship
Thou usest for each one,
There could not be that blessedness,
A likeness to Thy Son.

Helen McDowell

ITS PRACTICAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

(John 13.)

In this beautiful 13th chapter of John we have the Lord of Glory condescending to wash His disciples' feet.

Some see in this gracious act of the Lord a commandment to His present-day disciples to apply literal water to the feet of their brethren, and base their authority upon the Lord's words in verse 14, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet." That such brethren miss the whole spiritual import of the Lord's words is evident from the Lord's significant remark to Peter in verse 7, "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." The Lord thus clearly implied that there was another meaning to the action which Peter did not presently apprehend, but that the time would come when he would understand its significance. Peter was quite familiar with the practice of washing a guest's feet whenever he entered the home. This was a common courtesy extended to visitors in Eastern countries where sandals were worn and where the feet became quickly soiled on the hot, dusty roads. Generally the duty was assigned to a slave as being beneath the dignity of the host. But in this lovely incident the Lord disregards such thoughts of dignity and superiority and Himself stoops to wash the feet of His disciples.

Others go a step further in the interpretation of the Lord's action, and see in it a gracious example of humility to be applied in a general way in our Christian lives where social pride and superiority of position would lift us up beyond the reach of our poorer brethren. That such an interpretation is fully warranted we need have no doubt from the Lord's own words in verses 13 to 17. That the Lord of Glory should stoop down and take the soiled feet of His disciples into His own blessed hands and wash them with water was surely an act of amazing grace and condescension that might well cause us to blush for shame and ask ourselves the question:Do we ever humble ourselves to do little acts of kindness to one another? Do we confine our practical Christianity to those in our own social sphere? We might do well to read the second chapter of James' epistle in the presence of God and learn how to mix works with our faith. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:14-17). The fact that Judas Iscariot was included in the number whose feet the Lord washed (ver. 11) would surely teach us that our acts of kindness must not be limited to Christians, but every opportunity taken to do good even to the enemies of the Lord. "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:43,44). We have, therefore, the fullest authority for applying our Lord's action in a practical way in our Christian lives in doing good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).

But as already indicated we are fully authorized to look for a deeper meaning to our Lord's action. Without taking time to examine the chapter verse by verse it is essential to familiarize ourselves with the general setting of the incident. It will be seen that the Lord is seated at the Passover Feast with His disciples on the very night of His betrayal. His hour had come, and He was about to return to the Father via the Cross. The roast" lamb of the Passover lay on the table before Him. In accordance with Exod. 12:9, the lamb had been roasted with fire, and not raw or sodden with water; and He of which it was but the type was about to go to the cross and be made sin for us, when the consuming fire of the holiness of God would be sent into His bones and prevail against them ((Lam. 1:13). No water was permitted to prevent the direct action of the fire upon the lamb, nor would He upon the cross accept the stupefying drink of vinegar mingled with gall that might serve to mitigate the extent of His sufferings. He would drink to its bitterest dregs the cup of wrath prepared for Him by His Father that we might receive from His own nail-pierced hand the joyful cup of salvation.

But now the Lord rises from the supper, and leaves behind the emblems of His death, even as the time would come when He would rise victorious from the tomb, and death and judgment would be past and gone forever. From ver. 4 He is now seen typically on resurrection ground, and His every action is symbolic of precious resurrection truth for the child of God. Having laid aside His garments He girds Himself with a towel, thus assuming the attitude of a servant and foreshadowing His future ministry on behalf of His own in the glory. Having loved His own which were in the world He loved them unto the end, or, literally, to the uttermost. Next He pours water into a basin, and begins to wash the disciples' feet, thus indicating the nature of His High Priestly work would be in applying the water, the well-known symbol of His Word (Eph. 5:26; Ps. 119:9), in cleansing power to their daily walk (the feet) as they would contract defilement in the world. By His advocacy at the right hand of God He would plead their cause when defiled by sin, and as a result recourse would be had to the Word with confession of sin, and restoration of soul effected. The Lord knows our liability to err and thus has made the fullest provision for our restoration. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 John 2:1). It will be noted, however, that before the work of the Advocate is mentioned we are exhorted not to sin. Thus God would teach us that the work of the Advocate must not be interpreted as a license to sin.

On approaching Peter with the water and towel, the Lord is met with the enquiry, "Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?" No doubt actuated by a zeal for his Master's superiority over the disciples and failing to apprehend any spiritual significance in the Lord's action, Peter would question the wisdom that thus applied the water to his feet. The Lord's reply should have been sufficient to put Peter at ease, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter," but Peter exclaims, "Thou shalt never wash my feet."

Little did Peter understand when he thus repudiated the Lord's ministry that he would be the very first disciple who would need his feet washed in a spiritual sense when later he would deny his Lord with oaths and curses. The Lord replied, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." It should be noted at this juncture that the Lord did not say to Peter, "Thou shalt have no part in Me." Peter had his part in Christ as a believer that could never be taken away, but by failing to have his feet washed in a spiritual sense he would lose his part with Christ in communion. Communion with Christ can be easily interrupted by a loose walk, but, thank God, our portion in Christ can never be lost in time or in eternity. On discovering that the Lord connected feet-washing in some way with having a part with Him, Peter's impulsive nature prompts him to exclaim, "Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Truly, as upon another occasion, it could be said of Peter, "he knew not what he said." "Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit." The meaning of this is very clear. The person who has been washed (bathed all over) in the bath of regeneration (Titus 3:5) only requires to watch his daily walk and is clean every whit. A reference to the consecration of the priests in Exodus 40:12 will be of much assistance in understanding this truth. Moses took Aaron and his sons, and once and for all washed them from head to foot in water. We do not read of this act being repeated on their behalf, as it typifies the new birth or washing of regeneration which can never be repeated. In this act the priests were entirely passive, but thenceforth they were responsible to wash their hands and feet at the laver, which answers to the daily cleansing by the Word of God. Occasionally we may see a bather at the seashore returning to the pavilion with a bucket of water to cleanse his feet from the sand which has adhered to them in his walk from the ocean, but it is obvious that his body would not require further cleansing. In order to maintain constant communion with the Lord it is essential that we should daily bring the Word of God to bear upon our conduct, and in this way we wash our own feet.

Another application of this passage may be given to an erring brother who requires his feet to be washed by another, in the sense of Galatians 6:1. We do this by bringing to bear upon the erring saint the Word of God in showing to him his sin. We take the Word of God with us to the brother, as it is manifest that there can be no restoration accomplished unless the Word of God is our sole guide and authority. So let us never forget to take the water with us. But, in addition, it is essential we should also take the towel. The Lord was careful to dry the disciples' feet with a towel after applying the water. Were the disciples to go out with their feet wet it is clear that within a few minutes their condition would be worse than before, as the dust would quickly cling to their wet feet. What a profound and searching lesson the Saviour thus conveyed to us in this simple and thoughtful action. Should it ever be our lot to wash an erring brother's feet let us never forget to use the towel of grace, and do it in the spirit of love and meekness considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted. How many have applied the water of the Word of God to an erring brother in a harsh and unchristlike spirit! The Sword of the Spirit made deep incisions in the spiritual nature of the erring saint, but the gaping wounds were left unmolified, with the result that the last state of that brother is worse than the first. In all probability we have driven the brother further from God than ever, and we will give an account of our conduct at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

How blessed to anticipate that happy day when we will have no more need of cleansing. Our feet will never be defiled on the golden street of Heaven when we will walk with Him in white. Hence in Revelation 4 we have the redeemed seated round about the throne and before them a sea of glass like unto crystal. The laver has disappeared, and the sea is now solidified, serving only to reflect the unsullied beauty of those who have been conformed to the image of God's Son. R. T. Halliday

When Christian brethren in the Spirit walk,
They well perceive their own most sinful hearts,
And hearken not to idle, whispering talk,
Nor traffic in the gossip's evil arts.

They seek to find, what else were lost to view,
The Christ of God in ev'ry fellow-saint;
They minister from treasures old and new
To gird the strong and to refresh the faint:

Unto the saints they speak alone of Christ,
And unto Christ alone about the saints;;
With them the Saviour holds a constant tryst-
Such happy fellowship knows no complaints.

'Tis when I lose communion with my
Lord At once my evil eye is keen to find
My brother's faults-to criticize his word,
And judge his motives and his deeds unkind.

The little that I do, I deem too much,
While patient toil and labor nothing seems
If others spend and spend themselves, for such
I cannot see; my eyes are closed with beams.

O Lord, remove the beams from out mine eyes
That I may apprehend each motive right
That underneath the deed of kindness lies,
And let me walk with Thee, O Lord of Light.

E. H. Hageman

When Dr. E. K. Kane was searching the Arctic regions for the lost Sir John Franklin party in 1853-55, one thing was quite prominent in that Expedition. Regardless of their manifold trials, temperatures at minus 30 to 75 degrees, the long dark night of the Arctic winter, the lack of food and other necessities, the whole party stricken down with scurvy, grim Death lurking continually around their brig-in spite of all these trials, they continued to make observations and sketches of the coast line, to strike out by sledge and whaleboat for evidences of the missing party, to take temperatures and observations, and otherwise follow up the work they had set out to do.

This was Paul's experience in a better cause. "In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the Word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report:as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:4-10).

"Thus ever on through life we find
To trust, O Lord, is best;
Who serve Thee with a quiet mind,
Find in Thy service, rest.
Their outward troubles may not cease,
But this their joy shall be,
'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Whose mind is stayed on Thee.'"

F. B. Tomkinson

II.

The answer given in the "Millennial Dawn" System, or Rmsellism

(Continued from p. 359.)

The great controversy of the fourth century was concerning the acceptance or denial of the Eternal Sonship of Christ. Is He God the Son, eternal and uncreated? Or is He a Son of God, generated before the worlds, and begotten as man in time? Athanasius, that stalwart champion of the truth, stood firmly for the former, and Arius, the gifted and brilliant reasoner, contended for the latter, "How can a son be as old as his father?" he derisively asked, and carried thousands with him, who admired his genius and had forgotten that, "No man knoweth the Son but the Father." It seemed at one time that the truth was about to be lost, but in the end it triumphed, as truth always does, and to-day Christians still confess Christ as the Eternal, Uncreated Son, God over all, forever blessed; while Arianism is espoused only by heretical teachers, and endorsed by evil sects, composed of persons who have never realized the hopelessness of man's estate by nature and the grace that led the Eternal to become Man to meet the need in a way worthy of God and consistent with His righteousness.

Unfortunately, so many abstruse questions arose out of this controversy that for the next two centuries the Church was torn by metaphysical discussions of matters concerning the true nature of the incarnation, which separated even have a little fuller understanding, and so we bring our offering of the flocks. We see in Him the devoted One who "was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb." Or He is represented by the goat, the picture of the sinner whose place He in grace has taken. Others again have a still higher and fuller apprehension of His Person and His work. We see in Him the strong, patient ox whose delight was to do the will of God in all things.

There is very little difference in the treatment of the sacrifice of the herd and that of the flock. But of a necessity .there is considerable difference when we come to that of the fowls. Let us consider a little verses 3 to 9:"If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord," or,' as it reads in the 1911 Version, "that it may be graciously received from him before the Lord." The bullock, or, more literally, the young ox, speaks, as we have said, of the patient servant. It is written in the law of Moses, "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." The apostle Paul applies this To the ministering servants of God, they who prepare the food for the people of God, and are not to be deprived of that which they need for their own sustenance. Our blessed Lord was like the patient ox treading out the corn. The One who came not to be ministered unto bulfto minister, Be was the perfect Servant come to give His life a ransom for many. And observe, the ox musT; be a male without blemish. Among the types the female speaks of subjection, whereas the male suggests rather the thought of rightful independence. Our Lord Jesus was the only Man that ever walked this earth who was entitled to a place of independence, and yet He chose to be the subject One, even unto death. And He was the unblemished One. No fault was to be found in Him, no short-coming of any kind, no sin or failure. The offerer when he presented his unblemished burnt sacrifice was practically saying, "I have no worthiness in myself. I am full of sin and failure, but I bring to God that which is without blemish, that which speaks of the worthiness of His own blessed Son." And the unworthy offerer was accepted in the worthy sacrifice, as we are told in Ephesians 1:6, "He hath made us accepted in the Beloved," or, as it has been translated, "He has taken us into favor in the Beloved." Observe, not according to our faithfulness, nor according to the measure of our zeal, nor yet according to the measure of our de-votedness, but according to His own thoughts of His beloved Son. We who have been brought through grace divine to see that we have no worthiness in ourselves, have all our worthiness in Christ.

This is emphasized in the fourth verse. Man as the offerer stood before the priest with his hand upon the head of the burnt offering. He was really identifying himself with the victim that was about to be slain. It is the hand of faith which rests upon the head of Christ and sees in orthodox believers into warring groups, thus giving the Arians increased confidence and greater prestige, as those who should have presented a solid front to the enemy were quarrelling with one another about definitions and attempted explanations of an inscrutable mystery. Some maintained that it was lowering the truth as to Christ to assert He became actually a man in all things, and contended that in Him the Logos (the Eternal Word) took the place that the spirit and soul do in man.This was called Apollinarian-ism because its chief advocate was a staunch Trinitarian named Apollinaris.Others insisted that the divine and human natures in Christ were fused into one.These were called Monophosites. Still others insisted that the two natures were so distinct, that one could act apart from the other, and were known as Nestorians. There were many other views, all alike tending to occupy believers with questions instead of with Christ Himself. But when the smoke of battle cleared away, the great outstanding truth that the Church has ever since confessed was more clearly seen than ever. In Christ we have the one Mediator between God and man who is both Divine and human-very God of very God, yet Man in all perfection.This abides the faith of the "orthodox," that is, of those who "think straight" in accordance with Holy Scripture.

However, Arianism has never died out, but has appeared again and again in various forms throughout the centuries. In our own days there are different systems that maintain these erroneous views, such as some forms of Unitarianism and, generally speaking, all liberal theological groups that do not utterly deny the pre-existence of Jesus.

Among these Ariaft sects the most notorious is that of the Russellites, known as the "International Bible Students' Association." Their doctrines are fully set forth in a set of seven books formerly called "Millennial Dawn;" but which have been so often exposed that a new edition was put forth some time since innocently entitled, "Studies in the Scriptures." Sold at an astonishingly loy? price these unholy volumes are purchased by many unsuspecting Christians, who are led to believe they embody truths taught in the Word of God, whereas in reality they contain deadliest error.

Briefly, the teaching of the Eussellites as to Christ is as follows:He was created by God before the worlds, but is not the Eternal Son. He was in His pre-existent state the highest spirit-being in the universe. When born on earth He ceased to be a spirit, and was wholly and solely a man, though born by divine generation. He laid down His human life at the cross. His body was never resurrected, but probably "dissolved away into gases." His soul alone was raised. By virtue of His great self-abnegation He has now been promoted to the divine plane, and is now a God, but not the God.
"Pastor" Russell taught that Jesus when on earth was not in any sense divine, but that redemption demanded He should be only a man. He blasphemously declared, "It was not only necessary that the Man Christ Jesus should die. It was just as necessary that He should never live again, should remain dead for all Eternity." Think of the awfulness of words like these when weighed in the light of the statements of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 15.

To state these horrible errors is to refute them. If authorities and explanations are required however, the reader is referred to, "How Russellism Subverts the Faith," by R. J. Reid, and "Millennial Dawnism," by A. J. Pollock.

This is indeed a "sect of perdition," and its teaching is rightly labelled "damnable heresy." "From such turn away." -H. A. IRONSIDE.

(To be continued, D. V.)
The Similitudes of Hosea

(Leviticus 1 to 7.)

Lecture I THE BURNT OFFERING

Read carefully Leviticus, chapters 1; 6:8-13; 7 and 8; Deut, 33:8-10; Psalm 40; Ephesians 5:1,2.

To many believers the theme of the burnt-offering is very familiar, but there are large numbers of God's beloved people who have never carefully studied the marvelous types of the Person and work of Christ given us in the early chapters of Leviticus, where we have five distinct offerings, all setting forth various aspects of the work of the Cross and unfolding the glories of the Person who did that work-a Person transcending all the sons of men, for He was both Son of God and Son of Man, divinely human and humanly divine. We shall get great help for our souls if we meditate upon the marvelous pictures here given us of the great and wondrous truths which are unfolded in the New Testament. In coming to the study of the types, we should never found doctrines upon them, but discovering the doctrines in the New Testament, we will find them illustrated in the types of the Old.

The five offerings may be divided in various ways. First we notice that four of them are offerings involving the shedding of blood-the Burnt offering, the Peace offering, the Sin offering, and the Trespass offering. The Meat offering, or, as it should read, the Meal offering or Food offering, was an unbloody offering, and stands in a place by itself. Then again there are sweet savor offerings as distinguished from offerings for sin. The burnt offering, the meal offering and the peace offering are all said to be "for a sweet savor unto the Lord." This was never true of the sin offering or the trespass offering. The divine reason for this distinction will come out clearly, I trust, as we go on.

The five offerings which are here grouped together present to us a marvelous many-sided picture of the Person and work of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. They show what He is to God, as well as what He has become in grace to sinners for whom He died, and to those who have trusted Him and now stand before God accepted in the Beloved. If there be details, as many there are, which are difficult for us to understand, these should but give occasion for exercise of heart before God and for meditation and prayer. We may be sure of this, that the better acquainted we become with our Saviour and the more we enter into what the Word of God elsewhere reveals as to the details of His work upon the cross, the more readily we shall understand the types.

As we get them here in the first seven chapters of Leviticus we see things from the divine standpoint, that is, God gives us that which means most to Him first; so that we begin with the burnt offering, which is the highest type of the work of the Cross that we have in the Mosaic economy, and we go on down through the meal offering, the peace offering, and the sin offering, to the trespass offering, which is the first aspect of the work of Christ generally apprehended by our souls.

As a rule when a guilty sinner comes to God for salvation he thinks of his own wrong-doing, and the question that arises in his soul is, "How can God forgive my sins and receive me to Himself in peace when I am so conscious of my own trespasses?"

Most of us remember when the grace of God first reached our hearts. We were troubled about our sins which had put us at such a distance from God, and the great questions that exercised us were these:How can our sins be put away ? How can we be freed from this sense of guilt? How can we ever feel at home with God when we know we have so grievously trespassed against Him and so wantonly violated His holy law? We shall never forget, many of us, how we were brought to see that what we could never do ourselves, God had done for us through the work of our Lord Jesus on the cross. We remember when we sang with exultation:

"All my iniquities on Him were laid,
All my indebtedness by Him was paid,
All who believe on Him, the Lord hath said,
Have everlasting life."

This is the truth of the trespass offering, in which sin assumes the aspect of a debt needing to be discharged.

But as we went on we began to get a little higher view of the work of the cross. We saw that sin was not only a debt requiring settlement, but that it was something which in itself was defiling and unclean, something that rendered us utterly unfit for companionship with God, the infinitely Holy One. And little by little the Spirit of God opened up another aspect of the atonement and we saw that our blessed Lord not only made expiation for all our guiltiness but for all our defilement too. "For God hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." It was a wondrous moment in the history of our souls when we saw that we were saved eternally, and made fit for God's presence because the Holy One had become the great sin offering, was made sin for us on Calvary's cross.

But there was other lessons we had to learn. We soon saw that because of their sins men are at enmity with God, that there could be no communion with God until a righteous basis for fellowship was procured. Something had to take place before God and man could meet together in perfect enjoyment and happy complacency. And thus we began to enter into the peace offering aspect of the work of Christ. We saw that it was God's desire to bring us into fellowship with Himself, and this could only be as redeemed sinners who had been reconciled to God through the death of our Lord Jesus.

As we learned to value more the work the Saviour did, we found ourselves increasingly occupied with the Person who did that work. In tie beginning it was the value of the blood that gave us peace in regard to our sin, but after we went on we learned to enjoy Him for what He is in Himself. And this is the meal offering; for it is here that we see Christ in all His perfection, God and Man in one glorious Person, and our hearts become ravished with His beauty and we feed with delight upon Himself.

We can understand now what the poetess meant when she sang:

"They speak to me of music rare,
Of anthems soft and low,
Of harps,.and viols, and angel-choirs,
All these I can forego;
But the music of the Shepherd's voice

That won my wayward heart
Is the only strain I ever heard
With which I cannot part."

"For, ah, the Master is so fair,
His smile's so sweet to banished men,
That they who meet Him unaware
Can never rest on earth again.

And they who see Him risen afar
At God's right hand, to welcome them,
Forgetful are of home and land,
Desiring fair Jerusalem."

To the cold formalist all this seems mystical and extravagant, but to the true lover of Christ it is the soberest reality.

And now there remains one other aspect of the Person and work of our Lord to be considered, and it is this which is set forth in the burnt offering. As the years went on some of us began to apprehend, feebly at first, and then perhaps in more glorious fulness, something that in the beginning had never even dawned upon our souls, and that is, that even if we had never been saved through the work of Christ upon the cross there was something in that work of tremendous importance which meant even more to God than the salvation of sinners.

He created man for His own glory. The catechism is right when it tells us that "the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." But, alas, nowhere had any man been found who had not dishonored God in some way. The charge that Daniel brought against Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was true of us all:"The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." God must find a man in this world who would fully glorify Him in all things. He had been so terribly dishonored down here; He had been so continually misrepresented by the first man to whom He had committed lordship over the earth, and by all his descendants, that it was necessary that some man should be found who would live in this scene wholly to His glory. God's character must be vindicated; and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Man, the Lord from heaven, was the only one who could do that. And in His perfect obedience unto death we see that which fully meets all the requirements of the divine nature and glorifies God completely in the scene where He had been 'so sadly misrepresented. This is the burnt offering aspect of the Cross. By means of that cross more glory accrued to God than He had ever lost by the fall. So that we may say that even if not one sinner had ever been saved through the sacrifice of our Lord upon the tree, yet God had been fully glorified in respect of sin, and no stain could be imputed to His character, nor could any question ever be raised through all eternity as to His abhorrence of sin and His delight in holiness.

So in the book of Leviticus the burnt offering comes first, for it is that which is most precious to God and should therefore be most precious to us.

Others have pointed out how the four Gospels connect in a very wonderful way with the four bloody offerings. Matthew sets forth the trespass offering aspect of the work of Christ, meeting the sinner at the moment of His need when he first realizes his indebtedness to God. It is noticeable throughout what a large place the thought of sin as debt and as an offence to the orderliness of the divine government occupies in that book.

In Mark's Gospel the aspect of sin as unclean-ness and defilement is more emphasized, and so we have the sin offering view of the Cross, Then in Luke we have the peace offering as the basis of communion, between God and man. In chapters 11, 15, and 16 we are shown the way that God in infinite grace has come out to guilty man to bring him in to fellowship with Himself, and yet how many there are who refuse that mercy and so can never know peace with God. In John's Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ is seen as the burnt offering, offering Himself without spot unto God, a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savor, and that is why in John there is no mention made of the awful cry of anguish, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" This really belongs to the trespass and sin offering aspects of His work; but it does not come in where His death is seen as that which fully glorifies God in the world where He has been so dishonored. The meal offering is seen in all the four Gospels where we have the Person of Christ presented in various ways; as the Messiah of Israel in Matthew ; the suffering Servant of Jehovah in Mark; the perfect Man in Luke; and the Son of God become flesh in John.

It is as we meditate upon all these precious things that we really enjoy communion with the Father. At one time in my early Christian life, I had an idea that communion consisted in very pious feelings and frames of mind, and in order to have these emotions I would read every devotional book I could find, and would often jot down in a diary my thoughts when I had, what seemed to me, a distinct sense of piety that was very delightful and solemn. In after years I came across this book and could hardly believe that I had ever had such strange, conceited, thoughts and supposed them to be the result of communion with God. I realize now that I thought communion consisted in having God find delight in my pious feelings. But that is not if at all. Communion with God is when my soul enters into His thoughts concerning His Son.

Did you ever go into a home where a dear mother had been entrusted with a new baby? How did you get into heart communion with that mother? You talked perhaps about various things, but you could not strike a responsive chord in her heart until you said something about the little one. All at once she brightened up and began to tell you what a wonderful baby it really was, and soon you and she were completely en rapport, for you were both occupied with the same little personality. The illustration is a very feeble one. That child of hers is entrusted to her for but a brief period, but the God of the universe has been finding His delight in His blessed Son throughout all the ages of eternity, and now He says, as it were, "I want to take you into fellowship with Me. in My thoughts about My Son. I want to tell you about Him. I want you to understand better the delight that I find in Him and to see more fully what His work and devotion mean to Me."

And so this book of Leviticus opens with the voice of the Lord calling to Moses out of the sanctuary. It was from the excellent glory that the voice came saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I have found all My delight." And so from the inner tabernacle where the glory of God abode above the mercy-seat, the voice of Jehovah called unto Moses saying/'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the, cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock." Notice there is not a word about man's sinfulness. This is addressed to those who are already in covenant relation with God, and whose hearts are overflowing with gratitude for what He has done for them, and who now voluntarily desire to bring to God something which He can approve of; and everything that they bring speaks of Christ. For there is nothing that any of us can bring to God that will give Him joy unless it speaks in some way of His blessed Son. It is the very voluntariness of the burnt offering that gives it such value. There is here no question of legality, no "must," nor any demand, but it is the heart filled with gratitude desiring to express itself in some way before God that leads to the presentation of the offering. And notice the universality of it. It says, "any man." It was something of which any one could avail himself. All may come to God bringing the work of His Son.

Three distinct kinds of offerings are mentioned. The burnt offering might be a sacrifice of the herd, that is, a bullock or young ox, as in verses 3-9; or it might be out of the flocks, a sheep or a goat, as in verses 10-13; or again it might be fowls, as turtle-doves or young pigeons, as in verses 14-17. These grades of offerings had to do with the ability of the offerer. He who could afford a bullock brought it; if unable to bring a bullock, a sheep or a goat; and the poorer people brought the fowls. But all alike spoke of Christ. It is a question, I take it, of spiritual apprehension. Some of us have a very feeble apprehension of Christ, but we do value Him, we love Him, we trust Him, and so we come to God bringing our offering of fowls. We know Him as the Heavenly One, and the bird speaks of that which belongs to the heavens. It flies above the earth. Others have a little fuller understanding, and so we bring our offering of the flocks. We see in Him the devoted One who "was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb." Or He is represented by the goat, the picture of the sinner whose place He in grace has taken. Others again have a still higher and fuller apprehension of His Person and His work. We see in Him the strong, patient ox whose delight was to do the will of God in all things.

There is very little difference in the treatment of the sacrifice of the herd and that of the flock. But of a necessity .there is considerable difference when we come to that of the fowls. Let us consider a little verses 3 to 9:"If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord," or,' as it reads in the 1911 Version, "that it may be graciously received from him before the Lord." The bullock, or, more literally, the young ox, speaks, as we have said, of the patient servant. It is written in the law of Moses, "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." The apostle Paul applies this To the ministering servants of God, they who prepare the food for the people of God, and are not to be deprived of that which they need for their own sustenance. Our blessed Lord was like the patient ox treading out the corn. The One who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, Be was the perfect Servant come to give His life a ransom for many. And observe, the ox must; be a male without blemish. Among the types the female speaks of subjection, whereas the male suggests rather the thought of rightful independence. Our Lord Jesus was the only Man that ever walked this earth who was entitled to a place of independence, and yet He chose to be the subject One, even unto death. And He was the unblemished One. No fault was to be found in Him, no short-coming of any kind, no sin or failure. The offerer when he presented his unblemished burnt sacrifice was practically saying, "I have no worthiness in myself. I am full of sin and failure, but I bring to God that which is without blemish, that which speaks of the worthiness of His own blessed Son." And the unworthy offerer was accepted in the worthy sacrifice, as we are told in Ephesians 1:6, "He hath made us accepted in the Beloved," or, as it has been translated, "He has taken us into favor in the Beloved." Observe, not according to our faithfulness, nor according to the measure of our zeal, nor yet according to the measure of our devotedness, but according to His own thoughts of His beloved Son. We who have been brought through grace divine to see that we have no worthiness in ourselves, have all our worthiness in Christ.

This is emphasized in the fourth verse. Man as the offerer stood before the priest with his hand upon the head of the burnt offering. He was really identifying himself with the victim that was about to be slain. It is the hand of faith which rests upon the head of Christ and sees in Him the One who takes my place. All that He is, He is for me! Henceforth God sees me in Him.

But it is not in His life that He does this, but by His death. And so we read, "And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord:and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." We have all had our part in the killing of the bullock. That is, we have all had to do with the death of Christ. Men generally recognize this, but fail to lay hold of it individually. It Is when I see that Jesus died for me, that even if there were no other sinner in all the world, still He would have given Himself as the victim in my place, that the value of His precious blood is applied to me, and I am accepted before God in all that He has done, and in all that He is.

In verses 6-9 we read of the flaying, that is, the skinning of the burnt offering, and the cutting of the victim into its parts. Of the skin we shall speak in a moment, and there are precious truths connected with it. The pieces were all to be washed with water and then placed upon the wood of the altar and burnt with fire, to go up to God "an offering made by fire of a sweet savor unto the Lord." The washing by water typifies the application of the Word of God to every part of Christ's being; all that He did was in perfect holiness, as under the controlling power of the Word of God in the energy of the Holy Spirit. He could say in the fullest sense, "Thy Word have I hid in My heart that I might not sin against Thee." He did not need the Word for cleansing, for He was ever the Holy One, and yet He was in everything submissive to the Word, for He was here to glorify God as the dependent Man.

We read, "The priest shall burn all on the altar." The burnt offering was the only one of the sacrifices of which this was true. In all the rest there was something reserved for the offering priest or for the offerer, but in this one particular case everything went up to God; for there is something in this aspect of the work of the Cross which only God can fully understand and appreciate.

But in chap. 7:8 we have one apparent exception. While every part of the victim was burnt on the altar the skin was given to the priest. This is indeed precious. It is as though God said to the priest, "I have found My portion in Christ. He is everything to Me, the beloved of My heart, in whom I have found all My delight. Now I want you to take the fleece and wrap yourself in it! Clothe yourself in the skin of the burnt offering." It is a wonderful picture of acceptance before God in Christ. We are covered with the skin of the burnt offering!

It is scarcely necessary to go into any detail in regard to the offering of the flocks, for, as we have already seen, it was handled in practically the same way as that of the bullock. But there is an added thought or two in connection with the fowls. We read in verses 15, 16 :"And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:and he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes." The birds, as we have seen, speak of Christ as the One who belongs to the heavens but who has come down in grace into this scene. There is by no sense the same fulness in picturing His work here that there was in connection with the other creatures. But His death is again fully emphasized, and before the offering was placed upon the altar the crop and the feathers are plucked away and cast in the place of the ashes. The taking away of the feathers from the bird suggests, I believe, the parting with all His glory and beauty when He stooped in lowly grace to the death of the Cross, while the plucking away of the crop speaks undoubtedly of His voluntary giving up all that would minister to natural enjoyment. We sing sometimes, and perhaps but feebly enter into the meaning:

"I surrender all,
I surrender all,

All to Thee, my precious Saviour,
I surrender all."

But if we turn this around, what an appeal it makes to our hearts, and how truly it tells of the place He took in grace:

He surrendered all,
He surrendered all,
All for me, my precious Saviour,
He surrendered all.

In chapter 6:8-13 we have the law of the burnt offering, that is, instruction to the priest as to how he was to conduct himself when carrying out this part of the ritual. In the first chapter we get what is more objective-God's picture of the Person and work of His Son. But in the law of the offering we have what is more subjective -the effect all this should have upon us, and how our souls should enter into it. And so here in chapter 6 we see the priest clothed in white raiment, his garments speaking of that righteousness which is now ours in Christ and which should be ever characterizing us practically, reverently taking up the ashes of the burnt offering and laying them beside the altar; the ashes saying as plainly as anything inanimate could, "It is finished." For ashes tell of fire burnt out, and so suggest that the work of Christ is finished. He has suffered, never to die again, and God was fully glorified in His work which has gone up as a sweet savor to Him. In Old Testament times the fire was ever to be burning on the altar. It was never to be put out, for one burnt sacrifice followed another continually, and the peace offering and the sin and trespass offerings were also placed upon the same fire. The work was never finished because no victim had yet appeared of sufficient worth to fully meet the claims of God. But now, thank God, the flame of the altar fire has gone out, the work is done, and the effect of that work abides for all eternity. May our souls revel in it. In Psalm 40, which is really the psalm of the burnt offering, we hear the voice of praise which results from the soul's appreciation of this aspect of the work of Christ. May it be ours to enter into it in all its fulness. In Deuteronomy 33 we see that the chief business of God's anointed priests was to offer burnt offerings upon His altar. So may we as holy priests of the new dispensation ever find our first delight in occupation with Christ and this aspect of His work! H. A. I.

(To be continued, D. V.)

I will sing of my Redeemer!
Oh, the marvel of His grace!
Very God, He left His splendor,
Took the guilty sinner's place.

All the majesty and glory
Which were His, He laid aside,
In the garb of our humanity-
'Twas for you He lived and died.

When you think upon His passion
Is your sluggish soul not stirred?
He should have your adoration-
He, your high, most holy Lord!

Glorify, exalt, extol Him!
Worship Him, His will obey,
Praise Him for complete salvation,
Yield your life to Him for aye.

E. W. Carlile

(Philippians 4.)

Christian practice flows from Christian position and Christian prospect.

"We are called to be what we are," it has been said. That is, we who are Christians in position and prospect are to be Christians in practice also. Our position is given to us in the great grace of God. We are before Him "in Christ Jesus." This is all and altogether of Himself, as we read in Corinthians 1:30 :"Of Him (of God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." "In Christ," we are created anew. "In Christ," the Beloved, we are "made accepted," and all is to the praise of the glory of God's grace.

Our great ultimate is to be with Christ where He is, with bodies of glory like unto His body of glory. He has apprehended us for this. The hand of His grace reached from the glory of God to the gutter of guilt in which we lay. That hand now holds us in its mighty grasp, and will never allow us to be seized out of it, but will raise us to the glory from which it reached even to us.

Meanwhile power is ours from Himself to walk for His pleasure. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, so that something of the life of Christ may be expressed in us day by day. We have not to walk or war at our own changes. All-sufficiency for every part of our pathway is found in Christ. Thus the apostle could say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Remembering these verities let me speak a little of some of the details of Christian practice which came before us in this fourth chapter of Philippians. The first is

CHRISTIAN STEADFASTNESS

"Stand fast in the Lord" is the apostle's exhortation (ver. 1). There is all might in His hand. He controls everything. He sits on high above the noise of many waters. The stormy winds fulfil His word. We have but to wait a little longer, and He will subdue all things unto Himself. He can do everything and no thought of His can be hindered. Every counsel of His shall have its consummation. So in the midst of all that which is contrary, where the enemy would seek to drive us from our confidence, we are to hold fast, to stand firm, and to refuse to yield aught of the truth committed to our trust.

The next verse presents the thought of

CHRISTIAN UNITY

Euodias and Syntyche, two sisters in Christ, had a difference and were "out" with one another. This antagonism was a dead fly in the ointment of the Philippian assembly. And the word of exhortation is sent to them (and to all Christian sisters or brothers) to be "of the same mind in the Lord." We may notice that each sister is exhorted to get right with the other. The fault may have been on one side only, or as is commonly the case, there may have been faults on both sides. But, however the difficulty arose, Euodias was to seek reconciliation with Syntyche, and Syntyche was to seek reconciliation with Euodias. If such endeavor were made humbly and sincerely by each sister, a happy conclusion surely would be rapidly reached.

CHRISTIAN HELPFULNESS

Paul's "true yokefellow" is besought to "help those women." What a helper was the apostle! Every true yokefellow should aim at this-to be a helper of others. And what need of help is found on every hand. Each of us, writer and reader alike, may well ask, "Am I a help to my fellow-Christians? In the meeting am I a help or a hindrance? Do I seek to carry others, or am I in need of being carried myself?"

A quaint old brother used to remark of an assembly of Christians, "There are many passengers on board the ship, but there are not many who work the ship." Shall we enquire of our own consciences, "Am I a passenger on board the vessel of witness for Christ, or am I a worker helping forward all fellow-voyagers on our way to the port of glory?"

Many are crying aloud for help. May we be fitted to succor the feeble and faint-hearted and failing ones around us.

CHRISTIAN JOYFULNESS

comes before us in verse four. "Rejoice in the Lord alway:and again I say, Rejoice." Paul had a right to say so. Was it not in Philippi that in the prison he had rejoiced? There in the innermost dungeon, while his back was bruised and bleeding from the cruel scourge, and his feet were held fast in the grip of the stocks, his fellow-prisoner Silas and he had "sung praises to God." In that prison "a man of Macedonia" was soon crying out for help as he said, "What must I do to be saved?" And soon he was rejoicing also with all his house, believing the glad and glorious gospel.

The Lord abides unfailing in all our circumstances. Whoever rules, He overrules, and somehow He works all for our good and for His glory. This is the New Testament counterpart of the words of Habakkuk of old :"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17). "The Lord LIVETH." He knows the need of His loved ones, and is all-powerful on their behalf. Believing this they may exclaim, "Blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." Relying on Him and His abounding affection and abiding ability they could afford to show

CHRISTIAN MODERATION

or gentleness to all. They need not "stand for their rights," "the Lord is at hand." This the next verse shows. He is near to uphold His own in all that will be for their truest welfare. He set us the example of moderation, of gentleness, of yieldingness. He was not received in a Samaritan village because His face was toward Jerusalem. John and James would have called down fire from heaven to destroy the inhabitants. But He said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Then there is added, "And they went to another village."

Gracious Master and Lord, "Thy gentleness hath made us great." Help us to be more after the manner of Thy spirit, Thou who wouldst touch and heal Malchus' ear when one of Thy followers had cut it off; Thou who didst say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," when in Thy holy agony upon the tree of shame. Inglis Fleming

(Concluded In next number.)

Our beloved brother Mr. J. R. Estabrook departed to be with Christ on May 6, 1929, at Arlington Heights (Boston), in his 67th year. He had known the Lord as his Saviour for many years, and had been in happy fellowship at the Lord's table for about 40 years. Here he found the centre of his interests in every project of the Lord's people for the spread of His truth and the maintenance of His testimony.

He was a tender and affectionate husband, father, brother and friend. Just and honorable in his business dealings, he had the respect and esteem of those with whom he came in contact, and was thus a witness to the truth of God for which he stood.

In the circle of Christian fellowship in which he moved, the fragrant memory of his loving sympathy and words of encouragement will long remain. The one word which describes him to those with whom he was associated is friend. "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

His health had been somewhat broken during several years past, though the closing illness lasted but two weeks. His heart had been greatly touched by parting from his beloved little daughter-"Jackie," who was taken home some two years ago. It was noticed that it seemed to be a break with earthly things for him. During his last days he said he was ready for whatever was the Lord's Will for him, to go or to stay.

The funeral was largely attended, and gave the opportunity for a gospel testimony, as well as for words of comfort for the sorrowing ones. The scripture spoken from was John 11, and the opening part of chapter 12. (1) A glimpse of a happy home where love dwelt. (2) The shadow of sickness-"He whom Thou lovest is sick." (3) "Our friend sleepeth." (4) "I am the Resurrection and the Life." (5) "Jesus wept." (6) The word of power. (7) A glimpse of the coming feast-communion, service, worship.

Two hymns were sung by a company of young Christian women in whom our brother was interested,-"Oh, tell me more of Christ my Saviour," and, "Face to face shall I behold Him." Prayer was offered by different brethren, in the Hall and at the cemetery, where a brother spoke a few words of reminiscence and comfort, and read one of our departed brother's favorite hymns:

"Sweet the moments which in blessing,
Musing o'er the cross we spend."

So the Lord calls His dear ones home to Himself, away from the sorrows of earth, into His presence where there is fulness of joy, to wait there "till He come." May our hearts be drawn upward to Him, and sustained for the pathway here till that blessed, happy time.

A recent cable from England tells of the home going of one well known to many, and beloved, our brother Mr. Hughes Fawcett, who passed peacefully away on Friday, May 17, 1929, in his 72nd year. No details of his illness have yet been received. Of robust constitution and tireless energy, his health seemed to fail during the past year, and there was manifest to those who knew him well, a loss of the vigor which had been so prominent a characteristic. But whatever the cause, it is well, for he could say, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day."

Early in life he found his father's God and Saviour, and sought to live a life of testimony to Him and the word of His grace. He was active in gospel preaching, and gladly availed himself of the many open doors both in the halls of the Lord's people, and in other places- whether it were the jail or a chapel or a mission.

Our brother's affections went out to a wide circle of believers. During the last twenty years of his Christian life his prayers and labors were largely devoted to an effort at healing the breaches among the Lord's people. This subject occupied a large place in his heart and life, to which he devoted much of his vigor and tireless activity.

Of recent years he was much interested in the work of Foreign Missions, and gave freely of his time as one of a committee serving as a channel for the distribution of funds for the furtherance of the gospel in distant lands. In this he had the comfort of knowing that his labor was not in vain.

Our dear brother was most exemplary in his regular attendance at meetings, and whether few or many were present, his place was seldom vacant. Here his voice in prayer or praise would be frequently heard.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, un-movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." May his tireless activity of service stir our hearts to follow his faith. And may the Christian love which marked him abound among us more and more.

As a large part of our brother's family reside in this country, it was thought well to have a memorial meeting here on the day of the funeral. This was held at the Hall where he was wont to gather with those of like precious faith, on May 23rd. A large company were present of local saints and of those from other gatherings, and many friends, and the family of our brother. The meeting was opened by singing the hymn,

"Oh, bright and blessed scenes,
Where sin can never come."

This was followed by prayer and the hymn:

"The cross! it took our guilt away,
It holds the fainting spirit up."

Acts 4:23 was then read by S. R., "Being let go they went to their own company." (1) Our brother by birth and nature belonged to the company of which we all formed a part – whether characterized by the grosser evils, or a heart alienated from God, marked in some form by "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." (2) From this company he was awakened to see his need, and found it met by the One who found the blind beggar and opened his eyes (Jno. 9), and who when he was cast out by his former fellowship gave him another attraction and another company – "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" Thus our brother, touched by the same divine grace, found his company at the feet of his Saviour, in happy worship. (3) Thus also he found his company, those who knew and trusted in the same blessed Lord Jesus, whom he knew as his Saviour, Lord and Friend. This companionship became the home and centre of his affections and activities. And how warm were the affections, in sympathy, love and cheer; and how tireless were the activities, in attending the meetings, preaching the gospel and ministering to the need of others. His affections were wide, and he longed, prayed and labored for the unity of the people of God.

(4) And now he has been "let go;" where to?-"to his own company," to the Saviour who loves him and us, and to wait with Him till that happy day when, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive… shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord."

Should the sudden call come, where would you go? To your own company. What company would that be? The world, with its empty pleasures changed into the dark eternal despair of doom? Or to the blessed company of the Lord Jesus and all His redeemed? If souls but turn to Him and trust in Him their prospect will be as our brother's-"to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better." The hymn,

"How blest a home, the Father's House,
There love divine doth rest,"

was sung.

H. G. followed with a testimony to the personal life of sympathy, generosity, active labor of our dear brother which had met with a response from many aged and others who had been reached by his self-denying, active service.

Another prayer followed, and the hymn,

"Oh, Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love."

1 Cor. 15:51-58 was read, and a closing prayer and thanksgiving was offered, and the meeting closed. S. Ridout

(continued from p. 244)

The first two psalms form a fitting introduction to the whole collection, and are a kind of preface giving us the double character of the book:first (as seen in Ps. 1), a godly remnant-with whom Christ is identified-in the midst of the ungodly; second (as seen in Ps. 2), God's counsels as to the Anointed King in Zion.

It has been pointed out that the various titles, or names, of God used in the Psalms are helpful, as indicating their subject matter, though we lose somewhat their meaning in our translation.

In the first Book of Psalms (1 to 41) "Lord," or "Jehovah," occurs upward of 270 times; "God," or "Elohim," 50 times. In the second book (42 to 72), "Jehovah" is used less than 30 times; while "Elohim" is found about 200 times. An example may be found in Ps. 14 and 53. So in Ps. 14 we have, "Jehovah looked down from heaven," while in Ps. 53 it is, "Elohim looked down from heaven." The reason for this is that in the first book Judah is looked at as in the land, and Zion is owned as the true earthly centre, so that the people are seen as in covenant relationship with Jehovah, while in the second book the people are seen as outcast from the land, and Jerusalem is no longer God's centre on earth; hence the creatorial title is more largely used.

The first book gives us a gospel presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ's position as on earth, then exalted in heaven, answering to Peter's ministry as seen in the Acts.

Another has said (and it is of utmost importance in reading the Psalms), "The more we seize the idea that it is the Jewish remnant with which Christ, entirely Man -yet shown to be Jehovah-identifies Himself, the more we shall understand the path of Christ Himself. The remnant is seen in the presence of the day oj the Lord. God will then execute His judgment to set His King in Zion."

The world in revolt! Apostasy rampant! The Gentiles banded together in sworn allegiance, determined to throw off all restraint, and have done with God and His Anointed! What a scene of wickedness, what an exhibition of man's will! If the devil in the early history of the world sought to make the creature apostate, at last it would seem he has fully triumphed!

But, in Ps. 2, when revolt has reached its height, and poor puny man has dared to throw himself upon the buckler of the Almighty, his violent dealing returns upon his own head. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." His answer to this world-wide opposition to divine authority is:"Yet have I set My Anointed upon My holy hill of Zion." This Blessed One has ever been the Man of God's counsels-the one He has had in reserve-fully able to take the government of the world (a world of revolt) and bring everything into subjection to Himself, and finally to hand up the kingdom to God the Father, having put down all rule and authority and power (1 Cor. 15:24). Owned as the Son (ver. 7), He is invited to ask for His inheritance, "Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession; Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces, like a potter's vessel."

This He will do in a later day, when the time fixed in the counsels of God shall arrive; meanwhile He waits in patience on high. In view of the work accomplished upon the cross, we find, in that wonderful prayer of John 17 (ver. 9), "I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine." These are His interest and His delight during the time of His patient waiting.

But in saluting the King, set upon the holy hill Zion, -"Thou art My Son, this day I have begotten Thee"- it is as One begotten in time, and not His eternal Son-ship. Yet we cannot separate the two, as we know the former could not be apart from the latter, but the Anointed Man is before us whom Jehovah owns as Son, and this verse Paul quotes in his memorable first recorded sermon (Acts 13:33), distinguishing its application from resurrection; another psalm (16) being quoted for that (Acts 15:35).

With this title and position far-reaching counsels are connected. Universal dominion and world-wide possession are His, and dominant authority over the whole world must be acknowledged. In view of this, the kings of the earth are invited to submit, owning His authority:"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little." All this is the result of God's establishing His title as the Anointed, His King in Zion.

How naturally our thoughts revert to Herod's judgment hall and Pilate's place of judgment! There, in His humiliation, the sport of wicked men, arrayed by Herod in a gorgeous robe (emblem of royalty), the mocking crowd set Him at naught. Later, arraigned before Pilate, further indignity was meted out to this lowly One. Again, a kingly robe was put upon Him and a crown of thorns upon His head (those thorns which bore witness to man's sin and God's curse), and thrusting a reed in His hand, they too mocked Him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews."

To this Peter and John applied the second psalm, when apprehended by the authorities for healing the impotent man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (Acts 3 and 4). Needless to say this fulfilment was only partial, and, as we have seen, the full tide of man's hatred and opposition will flood the whole earth until God intervenes, and man's fury will spend itself impotently upon the "Rock of Ages." In that day, "He shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

What a beautiful contrast the closing words present:"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Blessed indeed to be associated with the Victor in the day of His judgment, and how blessed, even now, to repose in quiet confidence in Him, patiently waiting through this dark night of the world's refusal and rejection, for the dawning of the day, when the One we love shall be universally owned and fully glorified.

"Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing.
Outstretched His wide dominion,
O'er river, sea and shore;
Far as the eagle's pinion,
Or dove's light wing can soar."

J. W. H. Nichols

(To be continued, D. V.)

Some think that this wonderful letter from the prison-house in Rome to the Ephesian saints was actually a circular letter sent to all the little communities of believers that Paul had visited, and that each several copy had inserted in a blank space, left for that purpose, the name of the particular assembly for which it was intended. It was, in its first form, a sort of blank cheque, without the name of the payee.

We may never know the truth of the matter, and it would not do just simply to speculate about it. There is, however, a possibility that it may be true, and we should seek to realize not merely on the certainties but also on the uncertainties of Scripture. We might carry the analogy of the check still further, and think of the letter as a check in which indeed figures have been inserted, but where the drawer has left blank the space for eagles, dollars or cents, to be filled in by the payee as he will. Mr. Bramwell Booth, of the Salvation Army, once had a check tendered him, with the amount to be filled out as he had faith, and his faith partially failed him, and his bank account suffered because of it. So it it with us constantly. We do not realize on all our blessings.

The blank space for the name of the addressee, however, suggests a question. How appropriate is the superscription, "saints and faithful," for the little association of gatherings with which we are individually connected! Could each rightfully lay claim to one of the copies? Are its members saints? Are they actually faithful brethren? Usage has associated with the name "saint" high and lofty virtues, and the word, "saintliness," with such noble consecration of life to God and man, such beauty of character, such ideal motivation, such unselfishness of service, that through these there dimly shine out the "excellencies of Him" who has "called us out of darkness into His. marvelous light." Saints, in this accrued sense, in fact fulfil God's purpose, as Peter phrases it, in calling them.

And "faithful." It is a lowlier word than "saint," yet implies such devotion to duty and office that perhaps no higher encomium may be uttered, and our Lord commends it to us as the object of our ambition, in His parable of service, by the "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

As I write, my thoughts have traveled far away from America to the lonely island of Tanna, in the distant Pacific. The island has been visited by a veritable plague that has been sweeping away life after life, and a party of natives and a black follower of Jesus, a tried companion of that noble missionary, J. G. Paton, are grouped on the beach with their belongings, ready to sail away and leave the stricken to their fate. The white man is speaking:"Abraham, they are all going; are you also going to leave me here alone on Tanna to fight the battles of the Lord?" "Missi, our danger is very great now. Missi, would you like me to remain alone with you, seeing my-wife is dead and in her grave here?" "Yes, but considering the circumstances, I cannot plead with you to do so," he answers. "Then, Missi, I remain with you of my own free choice and with all my heart. We will live and die together in the work of the Lord. I will never leave you while you are spared on Tanna."

And Abraham, another son of the father of the faithful, proves -true to his word:"So saying, with a light that gave the fore-gleam of a martyr's glory to his dark face, he shouldered his box and bundles back to his own house."

In this instance, as it should in all cases, the word "faithful" is a happy companion to the word "saint," in its technical sense of "one separated to God." One who is "faithful" to his position as a saint near to God, in being faithful unconsciously assumes all that lovely character, which the world, at large, has joined to the word.

But the word "faithful" has also another link with the word "saint." In the New Testament the Greek word for it is often translated "believing." You will remember that upon a notable occasion- our blessed Lord once said to a disciple:"Be not faithless, but believing." A legitimate translation might also have made it:"Be not faithless, but faithful." This suggests that the prime essential for faithfulness is believing faith. Now faith is that which leads us to God. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." This being led to God then is the first step in that separation of which saintship speaks. Then the welcome from God seals the adventure with His benison. It is, in each case, the old, old story of the younger son dramatized and etched in living light. The prodigal comes to the Father. The Father runs to meet the prodigal. The Father's arms and the Father's welcome home ennoble him with "saintship." Another prodigal is now a saint. What sweet attractiveness there is in each re-told story. And as long as the prodigal keeps joyously believing in that blessed Father, he remains faithful.

A writer, whose name slips me, has characterized a saint as one "who makes it easier for others to come to God." How the stories of other prodigals all down the ages start again the music and the feasting! How the welcome of these prodigals preaching it, with the light of its gladness in their hearts, has been summoning home poor wanderers, just as that of the prodigal in Luke IS has done. How in this way do they continuously make it "easier for others to come to God."

"Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

It is somewhat astonishing to find, throughout the epistles, that the apostle's prayers are elicited by good news of believers. Consider for instance, the 15th and 16th verses of this first chapter of Ephesians, the fourth and fifth verses of the first chapter of Philippians, the third and fourth verses of the first of Colossians, the second and third verses of the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, as illustration. This fact surely bespeaks in clarion tones the universal need of Christians for the prayers of others. .The invocation of grace and peace on the saints and faithful is as clamant of a similar need. Occurring regularly at the beginning of all Paul's letters, we might regard it as something stereotyped and formal, a set greeting that the apostle has become habituated in using. Actually, however, it is anything but stereotyped. This is confirmed by the fact that it occurs in variously modified forms, at the close of his letters also. Their necessity shouted aloud to him, and the response of his heart to that necessity was overflowing and abundant.

Possibly also this double benison, "grace and peace," whispers to us of the Greek and Hebrew forms of salutation. The Greek constantly began his letters with a "Chaire" (hail) and he also used it as a spoken greeting. The word "chaire" is believed to be derived from "Charis" (grace). The Hebrew, in his turn, was accustomed to say, "shalam aleikum" (peace be with you). If the spirit of these greetings in their true significance always shed its fragrance among the assemblies of the "saints " they themselves would then be promoters of the apostle's benediction. One of John Newton's most popular hymns has often attested in power our individual indebtedness to "grace," and has breathed forth a prayer that we ever need to utter, so I quote it here:
"Could we bear from one another
What He daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother
Loves us, though we treat Him thus,
Though we render good for ill,
He esteems us brethren still.

"Oh, that grace our hearts might soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love I
We forget-alas, how often!-
What a Friend we have above.
Yet when home our souls are brought,
We shall love Him as we ought."

Grace and peace then serve to cement together the assembly of God. They serve to make it indeed "spiritual," for, with these prevailing, it is carnal strife that is "excommunicated" and the "communion of saints" is practically strengthened. How sad it is that after greeting an assembly in this way, Paul is in one instance compelled to write:"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual but as unto carnal-for whereas there is among you envying and strife, are ye not carnal and walk as men?" And that Corinthian lament is not mute for us, even today.

Notice also that these Christian blessings well forth from two inexhaustible springs:"from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ." Campbell Morgan, in his "Crises of the Christ" has beautifully rearranged several well-known phrases from the 1st chapter of John that reach their climax in grace as the revelation of God.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh

And the Word was with God and tabernacled among us

And the Word was God . .. full of grace and truth.

Yes, grace and truth became (as a literal rendering would word it) by Jesus Christ. And the marvelous "kenosis" of the second of Philippians rehearses the grand message, while like the echo of the sweet angel-song near Bethlehem we men "of good-will" breathe in that peace that impregnated the divine mission of our Saviour, for verily we know "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich." "Grace be with all those that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." F. C. Grant

(To be continued, D. V.)

Launch thy bark, mariner!
Christian, God speed thee!
Let loose the rudder bands,
Good angels lead thee.
Set the sails warily,
Tempests will come,
Steer thy course steadily;
Christian, steer home.

Look to the weather-bow,
Breakers are round thee;
Let fall the plummet now,
Shallows may ground thee.
Reef in the foresail there,
Hold the helm fast,
So let the vessel wear;
There swept the blast.

What of the night, watchman?
What of the night? Cloudy, all quiet-
No land yet-all's right.
Be wakeful, be vigilant,
Danger may be
At an hour when all seemeth
Securest to thee.

How gains the leak so fast?

Clear out the hold;
Hoist out the merchandise,
Heave out the gold.
There, let the ingots go:
Now the ship rights;
Hurrah! the harbour's near!
Lo! the red lights.

Slacken not sail yet,
At inlet or island;
Straight for the beacon steer,
Straight for the high land.
Crowd all thy canvas on,
Cut through the foam;
Christian, cast anchor now,
Heaven is thy Home.
–MRS. SOUTHEY.
Young Believers’ Department

(Continued from p..5.)

Resting in faith on the foundation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus, the believer knows that his sins, his many sins, are blotted out. He has the

FORGIVENESS

of sins through Christ's blood, according to the riches of God's grace. So the apostle says, "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake."

Some there are who are presumptuous enough to say that no one can know that his sins are forgiven. But the word of God is explicit. The apostle writes his letter and puts it into an envelope, to speak, and then addresses it:

To those whose sins are forgiven
For His name's sake.

It is only to such that the epistle is written. Every believer is one of the children. Every one of the children is entitled to know that his sins are forgiven.

But some one may ask, "Is it not assuming great holiness to declare that your sins are forgiven? How can any sinful being take it upon him to utter such words." Such an enquirer is forgetting the closing words of the verse, "For His Name's sake." It is wholly because of who Christ is and what He has done that the believer is pardoned.

Years ago three soldiers of the "Black Watch," a Scotch regiment, mutinied. They were tried and condemned to die. The firing party was drawn up and waiting the command, "Fire!" Then the Colonel of the regiment stepped forward. He drew from his pocket a paper. It was a full pardon for the condemned men. For the honor of the regiment, because of its name for valor on a hundred fields, those three men were to be set free. They were forgiven-freely, fully forgiven- for the regiment's name's sake. For their sins, for their names' sake, they had been sentenced to death. They were liberated on account of what others had done.

So it is that while for our own name's sake as sinners we deserve the judgment of God, for Christ's name's sake our sins are pardoned. And notice it is our "sins" -not some of them, but our sins; not many of them, but "our sins." Yes, all of them. Great or small, as we have thought them, all are great in God's sight; but,

"All our sins so great, so many,
In His blood are washed away."

Perhaps we best learn the seriousness of our sins as we gaze Tat the Son of God on the cross of Calvary. Apart from His atoning sacrifice any one of our sins would have shut us out from God. In no other way could our guilt be erased, in no other way could our sins be forgiven.
"All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him (hath caused to meet upon Him) the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Glorious words of peace-giving power for every one who enters by the first "all" of that wonderful sentence. Such come out by the last "all." Our sins, our many sins, our mighty sins, were made to meet upon the suffering Son of God at Calvary. For us His bosom was bared to the storm of wrath. For us He endured the cross. For us He died and rose again.

On account of all this, and only for that reason, our sins are forgiven. The sins were ours; the suffering was His. The forgiveness is ours; the glory is His. The blessing is ours now, but the honor and the praise are His alone. And so with glad hearts we cry:"Unto Him that loves us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:5, 6).

But much more than forgiveness is ours. God is not only a forgiving God, He is a giving God. And in His boundless grace Heaven's treasury has been opened that upon us may be heaped eternal good and privilege.

Thus the apostle shows in chap. 2:13 that it is the portion of even the babes to know the

FATHER

Christians are seen all together in ver. 12. Their sins are forgiven. In the next verses they are distinguished. If the word "little" is omitted in ver. 12, and that same word is underlined in ver. 13, the meaning of the passage will be made clearer. All believers are "children," but all are not little children or babes.

Three classes are spoken to in ver. 13, and also afterwards. They are "fathers," "young men," and "little children" (or "babes").

The "fathers" know Christ-"Him that is from the beginning." He is their heart's delight and occupation. The "young men" have overcome the world by the word of God abiding in them. Their danger is from the world, lest they should love it and the things which are in it. The "babes" know the Father. They are brought into the most blessed and happy relationship as children of God. This is the portion of the youngest as well as of the oldest believer upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only should such rejoice that they are delivered from the fear of judgment, they should know and delight in that into which they are introduced.

"Behold," says the apostle exultantly, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (the children) of God:therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."

The Father in His especial and peculiar love has called believers into this new relationship with Himself. Thus the distinction between Christians and the world is sharp and clear. We are not of the world. "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (or, in "the wicked one"). It is controlled by the devil-the wicked one. It is still in relationship with him. He is its prince and its god.
But believers are born of God. Through this divine act and through the death of our Lord Jesus our link with the world is broken. We are cleared, entirely cleared, from all that association. We are brought into a new association altogether. The world is '"not of the Father;" by His grace we are a] Him. Brought into this nearness and dearness we cry, "Abba, Father." These same words which fell from the holy lips of our Lord Jesus in Gethsemane's dark garden, are now to sound from our lips as begotten in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. In agony of soul He cried, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me." But the cup of judgment could not pass from Him if the will of God were to be done and if we were to be brought into favor and relationship with God as our Father. So we hear Him add, in His perfection of obedience, "Nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).

Blessed Lord! It was for us He endured the judgment. The cup of wrath was taken to the cross and drained by Him there in order that He might hand to us the cup of everlasting joy and blessing, a cup which we can never drain.

Now we rejoice in the sense of the relationship which is ours. In our hearts the Spirit of God's Son abides, and is crying, "Abba, Father," and He witnesses with our spirits that we are children of God. Our Father's care is over us every day and all the day. He ever acts for our good and blessing, and delights in having us near Him, and to hear us pour out our praises and our worship.

We "know the Father." This is our common heritage. In His presence we speak into His ear and "Father" is on our lips. And the Spirit of God ever leads us into fuller and deeper knowledge of that which is ours.

Perhaps the first thought in the mind of many believers connected with this relation was this, that the Father's hand was about us. The Lord Jesus said (in John 10:29 it is recorded) of His sheep, "My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." In that all-powerful grasp is perfect security. No one, devil, demon, or man, can pluck the believer from that mighty and merciful clasp. The Father's hand speaks of perfect safety.

Then with many the next thought is of the great terminus to which by the Father's grace we go – the Father's house opens for us. Our Lord Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us there. His presence there, as the Risen One from among the dead, He having accomplished redemption for us, prepares the place for all His own. He has pledged Himself to return and gather them to be with Him for ever. The Father's house speaks of perfect satisfaction.

Lastly we learn, in our pathway here, the Father's heart in all its deep affection and its abiding love. That love rests upon us now with delight. Our Lord says, "The Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God" (John 16:27).

And we may notice that in the previous verse our loving Lord declares, "I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you." He does not promise to go to the Father on their behalf. He wishes to lead them close to the Father's heart that they may delight in the Father's love, even while they are in a world of difficulty and opposition. "The Father Himself loveth you." Happy are we who know this, and who abide in His love, refusing all that would come between Him and ourselves. "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21), is the exhortation to us who believe. Walk on the sunny side of the road, refuse the invitation of the world to come across into the shadow. Abide in the light and warmth of the special affection of the Father. True happiness and usefulness are found as we do so, and only found thus in Him whose

"…hand and heart, and house are free,
Because Christ's work is done."

Inglis Fleming

(Concluded in next number.)

Calendar:March 16th to April 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING:……. March 16th, Isa. 34; March 31st, Isa. 49; April 15th, Isa. 64.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:March 16th, 1 Tim. 4; March 31st, Heb. 5; April 15th, 1 Pet. 2.

Our readings during the present month are entirely in the prophet Isaiah, and it would be a good opportunity to do a little special reading and study of that wonderful section of the inspired Word. Of the larger works on it, perhaps the best is that by W. Kelly. The portion in Mr. Darby's "Synopsis" will give briefer, but helpful outlines. There is also a brief summary in "From Genesis to Revelation," pages 46-52. It would be well to make a list of all the passages in Isaiah which are quoted in the New Testament. It would also be useful to memorize some of the most beautiful and striking parts; as chaps. l:18; 6:1-8; 7:14; 9:6,7; 11:1-5; 12:1-3; 26:1-4; 40:1,2,28-31; 43:1,2; 44:22; 53; 55:1; 61:1-3; 66:12, 13. Some at least of these portions might be added to your store of precious gems of divine truth.

The supplementary reading includes among other parts the epistle to the Hebrews, which is, we might say, an illustration of how the Old Testament is full of figures of the Lord Jesus. The practical letter of James is full of divine wisdom and guidance. It need hardly be said that there is not the least contradiction between Paul and James. Both teach of real faith, which is known by its fruits.

Reprinted from Help& Food for Feb. 1893

"If ye had known what this meaneth, 'I will have mercy and not sacrifice,' ye would not have condemned the guiltless" (Matt. 12:7.

The Lord does not here say the guilty, yet He speaks of mercy.

The Pharisees were great sticklers for law, and thus professed to be the only ones who honored Moses, and God who gave it. They were orthodox enough, but there was one thing lacking-they had no hearts-no heart-movement toward God, and so no hearts for God's people; and this was an awful lack, was it not?

Although we may not be Pharisees in the full sense, the same principles and the same condition of soul in a measure may possess us in our relations to one another. The cold letter of the Word kills now as then, and none more than those who themselves use it; so we need to know what this means, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." The Lord beautifully meets this hardness of their hearts and justifies the poor of His flock, by pressing upon their consciences (and bringing in themselves as witnesses) that it is lawful to do good at any time. For this is needed a heart right toward God, and bowels of mercies toward men-a tender and compassionate heart. This will not leave out judgment, but it will show mercy. "I will sing of mercy and judgment," said one who had learned something of this.

Our compassions-how easily, alas!-circle around ourselves, and plead for ourselves instead of others. We speak often of principles, too, and set to work to carry them out with hard and fast lines of Scripture, all clear and straight enough, but in the application of them showing judgment is not tempered by mercy. "This ought ye to have done, and not have left the other undone." There is no value in our taking "high ground" and talking about God and His claims, however rightly, if there be lacking in us real heart-care for the least of His people. We cannot separate love to Christ from love to His people, and yet how much this is done!

It is easy to talk of love for brethren far off, and all the time be unable to live with the brethren at our door; of what account, then, is our talk? "For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God (or his brother) whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20).

And so whether it be a question of the guiltless or the guilty, while we are bound to maintain the truth, it must be kept in even balance-as it ever was perfectly by the blessed Lord Himself-with mercy in the heart. The truth has no power when used as a whip for the back of others-merely to beat and to smite them, and thus drive them away, but hi the true love of the true Shepherd of the sheep, to do good with, and this is always lawful.

What a reaping for us it will be, even in the life that is, when "he who showed no mercy will have judgment without mercy!" How happy, on the other hand, to be able to enter into the joy and blessedness of that word, "And mercy glories over judgment" (Isa. 2:13). The Lord graciously teach us more of it; for if we do not learn it, we too may condemn the guiltless. W. Banford

Calendar:June 16th to July 15th

DAILY BIBLE READING:…….. June 16th, Ezek. 3; June 30th, Ezek. 17; July 15th, Ezek. 32.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:.. .June 16th, Matt. 26; June 30th, Mark 12; July 15th, Luke 11th.

Our readings in the Old Testament for the present month are entirely in the prophet Ezekiel. He wrote and labored during the Captivity, either in part or entirely. He had his place outside with those of the Captivity. It has been noticed that the two great prophets of this time, Ezekiel and Daniel, have names which terminate in El, the name of God, "the mighty One," while Isaiah and Jeremiah have endings which speak of Jehovah, the covenant God of Israel. In Esther, where the people are seen completely in Gentile hands, there is no mention of the name of God; and yet His care never leaves His people, though they may forget Him.

A prominent feature of Ezekiel is the vision of the cherubim, the attendants upon the throne of God. This glory departs from Israel because of their sin, and removes from the sanctuary. "Ichabod" is written on all that temple where God had placed His name. The latter part of the prophet shows God's return to the sanctuary, and the temple rebuilt, and the tribes restored to the land of their inheritance. May we get clearer apprehension, and above all, heart lessons from this wondrous book.

In the New Testament, we return again to the life of all lives, as recorded in the Evangelists. Christ is the centre and Lord of all God's revelation.

Meeting of Y. B. D., held April 6, 1929.Present:60.

Meeting opened with singing of hymns and prayer.

Will there be development in heaven? Will we have an infinite mind in heaven? Questions asked by M. R. and E. B., given to L. L., L. S., and R. L.

1 Cor. 1.3:9-12 given in this connection. Quotation given from Kelly in connection with thought that "that which contributes to growth will have ceased so, of course, there will be no growth there." An interesting discussion followed. Eternity is a fixed state-things have reached their maturity or climax. It is also noteworthy that the Bible gives us very little information relating to eternity and even to conditions in heaven.

Will we have an infinite mind in heaven? We shall be like Christ in all respects, morally, etc., but with the exception of His deity. The term "infinite" can not be used apart from God and His attributes. Eph. 4:11-13. Scripture teaches us to seize every opportunity in this scene for growth, etc., so it seems to indicate that our joy will be in different measures, accordingly, but all will have a "full"' measure.

In Rev.22:19, explain "the words of this book" (whether meaning Rev., or whole Bible) "take his part out of book of life." Asked by R. L., given to M. S., C. girls, and C. S.
In Deut 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18,19; Rev. 1:3, the reference seems to be only to book of Revelation in this instance, Deut. 28:38-62. Any who take away from the Word of God, with the intention to destroy the truth of God, assuredly shall not go unpunished, according to the whole tenor of the truth of God. Ps. 119 referred to and John 5:39.

It has been suggested that the seven devils of Luke 8:2 were evil traits in character such as pride, haughtiness, wickedness, drunkenness, etc.-is this correct? To what extent, if any, is "Casting out devils" figurative speech, The corollary to that question is-Can it be rationalized? Why was it a fate of man only in that time? Or can it be applied to present time? Are devils merely habits that enter man and make him dash himself to pieces? The question arises out of attempt some make to rationalize Scripture as much as possible. Asked by B. S., given H. F., H. G., E. B. and M. D.

Some good essays given on subject by different ones, and interesting discussion followed. Jas. 2:19; Acts 19:15; Matt. 8:29-power of speech; recognized Lord as Son of God and looked forward to future with terror. Jno. 13:27.

New Questions for Next Meeting:-Is Satan Omnipresent? (personally). Asked by E. Given as a general question. B. S.'s question as to "seven devils being traits in character" to be discussed further.

Acts 1:12. Explain "Sabbath Day's journey" – its length and why so called? Asked by M., given L. D., and R. S., D. M., and E. M.

Demons – are they the angels cast out with Satan ? Given M. R.

(Matt. 7:11)

How gracious it is of our Lord in faithfully telling us what we are in ourselves to give us such encouragement in what He is in Himself!

What Christian who honestly takes stock of himself in the presence of God will not bow his head and say, "Yes, I am evil?" I will not merely own I have done evil, which is only the fruit, but I am evil, which is the root. In Luke 5 Peter, conscious of being in the presence of One who knew all about him, "fell down at Jesus' knees, and said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord"-not merely "I have sinned," but "I am full of sin."

"Only sin to Him I brought,
Only love in Him I found,
Love that passes all my thought-
Love that doth to me abound."

Nevertheless "being evil, ye know how to give good gifts unto your children." Not only in time of plenty does a mother feed her hungry child, but in time of deepest need for herself many a mother has suffered the pangs of hunger in order to satisfy her needy little one.

But how His love outshines that of a mother! "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" asks the prophet Isaiah (chap. 49:IS); and then answers, "Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Wonderful love! wonderful Saviour!

Who then would attempt to give an answer to the next three words in the verse-"How much more?" "How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"

The question is beyond human ken and in its fulness must remain unanswered. But may it cheer our hearts, and embolden us to bring our needs in faith to Him "who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not," and receive from His bountiful hand that which He delights to give. E. A. Buchenau

(Continued from p.308.)

Psalm 16 is one of the titled psalms. Of the whole collection there are thirty-four 'without titles, often called "Orphan psalms." The titles are fully inspired, and often indicate the contents of the psalm and give force and beauty to it.

A translation of the title will generally be found in the margin of the Bible, and while scholars sometimes differ in judgment, the meaning given in our King James' Version is usually accepted.

Some translate the title of Psalm 16, "Michtam of David," as "Jewel Psalm,"* but the translation of our King James' Version is generally accepted as correct, "A Golden Psalm." *W. Kelly and others.*

Either expresses its beautiful contents, for it is indeed a "jewel" among the psalms, and "A Golden Psalm" would be a fitting designation.

Psalm 16 commences a beautiful series, the group extending over Psalm 24.

In these we have a very complete presentation of our Lord:Ps. 16 giving His earthly pathway; Ps. 22, the cross; Ps. 23, His present service as risen and ascended; Ps. 24, His future, displayed glory. Here in our psalm Christ directly and definitely takes His place among men. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). But His humanity was untainted and incorruptible. That "Holy Thing. . .shall be called the Son of God," was the angel's message to Mary. He is here seen, however, in fullest association with the godly remnant, and gives full character and hope to faith.

THE DEPENDENT MAN is before us in ver. 1 of Ps. 16:"Preserve Me, O God; for in Thee do I put My trust." He is a perfect Man, trusting in God, the God of Jacob, and owns Him Lord. Dependence marked each step of His pathway, not an act performed nor a word spoken apart from the One He came to glorify. How truly it has been said, "He never uttered a word He had to retract, nor took a step He had to retract." Perfect, blessedly perfect in His dependence, when Satan, after those forty days of fasting in the wilderness, sought to overthrow Him; He refused to exercise His prerogative and command the stones be made bread! In His dependence His refuge was the word of God. "It is written," three times repeated, was His effectual answer to the temptations, and Satan was defeated. What a blessed example for us!

THE LOWLY MAN. "My goodness extendeth not to Thee, but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent (or, they are the excellent) in whom is all My delight." Having "emptied Himself" He assumes fellowship with the saints (the Jewish remnant), and thus, as in Hebrews 2, "the Sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren:" all this is grace, having taken the path of the servant to tread the path of faith, leading on through death to fulness of joy at God's right hand. This He did outwardly on the banks of Jordan, being baptized of John, and thus identifying Himself with the poor of the flock-the repentant remnant.

Paul wrote to the saints in Rome, "Not minding high things, but going along with the lowly" (Rom. 12:16, New Trans.). In this, the saints would be likeminded with their blessed Example.

THE SEPARATE MAN (ver. 4). The great sin of Israel was idolatry, and into this they will fall again in the latter days (see Matt. 12:43-45), and by this "their sorrows" will "be multiplied." This blessed perfect Man would own no God but Jehovah. He ever trod a pathway of entire separation to God from all that was contrary to Him. "Separate from sinners" is written of Him, though well we know He was most accessible where human need existed.

THE SATISFIED MAN (vers. 5, 6). In this perfect pathway this blessed Man found infinite joy-Jehovah was His portion, His inheritance and source of joy. "The lines have fallen unto Me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Jehovah's portion was His people; into this He entered, and His counsels were His delight. While He was the "Man of Sorrows," there was ever a deep well-spring of joy within His heart, that which flowed from perfect communion with the God He came to glorify.

THE WORSHIPING MAN (ver. 7). Here He blesses Jehovah whose counsel guided His way and preserved Him as Man; in the night season He received, as dependant, instruction from the Lord. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him," and thus, as alone in communion with God, there was guidance and direction.

THE STEADFAST MAN (ver. 8). Unswervingly He pursued the pathway of obedience and dependence, the Lord and His glory guiding His every step. "I have set the Lord always before Me:because He is at My right hand I shall not be moved." Blessedly true are these words of our adorable Lord. He could say at the close of His pathway, "I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." Nothing moved Him, for Jehovah was His support, and from the Garden of Gethsemane, strengthened by angelic ministry, He went forward to the full accomplishment of God's holy will.

THE GLORIFIED MAN (vers. 9-11). Here the resurrection is introduced for the first time. Jehovah, in whom He delighted and in whom He trusted, would not leave His soul in hades, nor suffer His Holy One to see corruption. He could go into death with perfect confidence, rejoicing in an undimmed hope, whom should He fear? (Ps. 27:1). The path of life, beyond the region of death, Jehovah would reveal. This, we know He did most blessedly, and that path led on to eternal joys, far eclipsing all the blessings of the nation with whom for a brief moment He had sojourned. There, His own- as yet-could not follow, as the Lord told Peter (John 13:33-36). The "Ark" must go into the midst of the Jordan to dry up its waters and thus make a path for His own to the place where He was going. If the path was "a path of life," since it led through death it must lead to that which lay beyond, viz., the presence of Jehovah, at whose right hand there are pleasures forever-more. Thither He has gone, our blessed Forerunner, having trodden the path of faith before us, and left us an ensample. He has given us the light of that path of life beyond the region of death, yea, already we have a life which belongs not to this region of darkness and death, a life which belongs to heaven, where we too shall know fulness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

If a scripture reason were asked for the application of this psalm to the blessed Lord, what more convincing proof could be given than that the Spirit of God through both Peter and Paul applies these closing verses to Him. In Acts 2:25-31 the apostle shows clearly that the closing verses of Ps. 16 could apply to no other. The writer, David, was "both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day," but he adds, "Being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn by an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne:he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hades, neither His flesh did see corruption."

In Paul's first recorded sermon (Acts 13) he says, "David saith also in another psalm (16), Thou wilt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption," and then comes the application to the Lord, "David, after he had served his generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid to his fathers and saw corruption, but He whom God raised again saw no corruption." How blessedly therefore these closing verses tell of His glorious resurrection and ascension to the presence of God!

"Jesus, what memories thrill our hearts,
Of Thy blessed footprints here,
While now to heaven we turn our eyes,
And gaze upon Thee there."

J. W. H. Nichols

(To be continued, D. V.)

Another year is dawning,
O Saviour, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee.

Another year of mercies,
Of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness,
In the shining of Thy face,

Another year of witness,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving.
Thy presence all the days.

Another year is dawning,
O Saviour, let it be,
On earth or else in heaven,
Another year with Thee.

Frances R. Havergal