Whatever God has committed to man’s hands is unstable, and fails. It has been demonstrated through various ages of man’s history recorded in God’s Word. From the Fall to the Flood, left to his conscience, corruption and violence developed to such an extent that God had to wipe out man from the earth. When a new beginning was made with the institution of government (Gen. 9:5,6), Noah, as head and governor, governed not himself; then men fell into general idolatry. When the chosen people was brought out of Egypt and God’s law was given them, He was dishonored by their transgressions and persistent idolatry. Through it all God’s long patience and repeated deliverances produced only temporary checks to an ever-increasing departure.
    Yet the world is not at all persuaded of this, but the reverse. Before the great world war it was largely professed that the world had become too civilized to permit war; and when the awful tragedy came to an end, a lasting peace was predicted, and planned with a democracy in which national hatreds would disappear. But is it so. What have been the conditions since? Statesmen are now cudgeling their brains to find an issue out of general chaos. And if for a little season there issue a semblance of peace, all those who are instructed in, and believe, the Word of God, know that there can be no lasting peace till the Prince of Peace brings in that blessed era for this groaning creation.
    But what of the Church, which the Lord is building upon the Rock, and of which He said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it?" The Rock, Christ, shall stand forever; and so must His Word – every jot and tittle of which must be fulfilled. And has He not provided in it an adequate equipment for the Christian, individually, and for the Assembly which He loves -the whole body of Christ? – Confidently we can say, He has. But, like all that went before, the Church did not abide in its first estate; it proved untrue to its trust.
    The world has its men of genius who continually bring out devices. What was considered satisfactory and complete fifty years ago is now discarded for new equipments to meet new requirements. Is this to obtain in the Church also? Alas! it is coming to this in the world-church. Yet, as we have said, the word of God abides; it has not failed, and in it full provision has been made for His people, and for His workmen as to the whole character of ministry, both for saints and sinners.
    In the days of King Josiah, when Hilkiah found the book of the law which had lain hidden in the temple, it wrought a mighty change as they listened to the reading of the book. Likewise, a century ago it pleased God to raise up godly men to recover to the Church the great and blessed truths that had been kept out of sight and forgotten under the accumulated ecclesiastical rubbish of centuries, and "the whole counsel of God" again was freed from the "traditions of men.” It was not a new revelation; that was completed when the canon of Scripture was finished (Col. 1:25; Rev. 22:20), but the whole truth of God was again brought to light.
    The presence and power of the Holy Spirit was then made manifest in a marked manner; the gospel went forth with remarkable clearness and power; multitudes were saved, and Christians from all ranks -ecclesiastics, professional men, noted ones from the aristocracy as well as from humbler walks of life -were brought into the liberty wherewith Christ makes free. Discarding every "Ism," they gathered simply to the name of Christ, the Lord, knowing one another simply as "brethren." "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." Surely this was true Philadelphian spirit, because Christ’s word was kept.
    Has this quite passed away? Surely not, for there must be some such testimony until He comes; and whilst we may well bow our heads with shame in view of the failure and weakness that has followed this truly divine movement, yet, thank God, the Lord’s Word assures us there are those of whom it can be said:"Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."
    But it has been said that times and customs have changed; that there is a different condition of things to face; that the Church must keep abreast of the times, and adopt modern methods in order to attract people; that what was suited to former days would not avail for these. It is indeed true that we are in the "last days" of which the apostle wrote in 2 Tim. 3:15, when, with a form of godliness, men would be "lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God." The world is running wild after amusements and pleasures, even of the most sensational and voluptuous character. Picturedom is accomplishing this; the eye is assailed everywhere with suggestively lewd bills and placards.
    This is a frivolous age, and many of the churches have become religious theaters – houses of entertainment for the pleasure loving people of the church-going public. But shall this affect also those who, claiming to be gathered to our Lord’s holy name, should, if consistent, be in marked contrast to all this? Shall these take their cue from a well-nigh apostate Christendom?
    When the Church was formed at Pentecost by the Holy Spirit, what was the condition of things outside of Judaism? There was a highly cultured, and educated pagan world – voluptuous, pleasure-loving,, sensuous, philosophical – eager to tell or to hear "some new thing." How did the apostles and their fellow-disciples act? Let the Scripture tell us. In the Acts, the servant’s guide book, we read:"Philip preached Christ unto them" (8:5); Saul (Paul) "preached Christ, that He is the Son of God (9:20); "And there they preached the gospel" (14:7); "He preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection" (17:18); and in chap. 20 Paul gives as the character of his ministry, together with his manner of life, that he had testified "both to Jews and Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ!" He "preached the gospel of the grace of God," "the kingdom of God," "all the counsel of God" (vers. 20,24,25,28); and at the close of his life he writes to Timothy, "Preach the Word," and this was given for the "last days," the days in which we live.
    Are not these present days marked by sensationalism and shallowness in things religious associated with worldly pleasure? The religious world would adapt itself to all manner of devices in order to catch the public. It must be entertained – the senses must be appealed to – the Word of God must be dramatized; in short, man’s ingenuity is invoked in order to make the gospel attractive – and what gospel? Even among true Christians, elocution, oratory, and pleasing personality are admired more than the ministry itself? Why is this? Satan knows that he cannot utterly destroy the second Eve; that the Tree of Life shall be hers forever; that by and by she shall be manifested to the world, "having the glory of God;" that Christ shall present her to Himself faultless – a glorious Church; but he will exert all his power to cause her to dishonor her Lord’s blessed name while He is absent. His work from the beginning has been to induce the Church to condescend to man’s devices, and thus belittle the Holy Spirit’s power, and the efficacy of God’s Word.
    Surely, "it is high time to awaken out of sleep," and not build again the things that we destroyed. Have divine principles and scriptural methods become a matter of indifference to us ? Has God failed us and left us to depend upon man’s devices? Delilah is at work still and our locks are being shorn, our strength is departing from us. Authority weakens, and discipline is being refused. As in the days of the Judges, every man is doing that which is right in his own eyes.
    We should indeed be thankful for the zeal and energy displayed in the gospel. We should indeed thank God for it, and encourage every legitimate effort put forth as we realize that the day of grace is drawing to a close. May we never cease to be an evangelistic people, encouraging by every means at our command the preaching of the gospel of God. The late Mr. J. N. Darby said, "The moment we cease to be an evangelistic people, the Lord will set us aside and use others."
    Was there ever a more devoted evangelist than the apostle Paul? Yet he never used mere human devices to give vim to the gospel. Whether laboring among the Jews or Gentiles, he could say, "I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom….for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified….and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power" (1 Cor. 2:1-4). And again:"We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." And yet again:"Which things also we speak, not in the words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means" (ver. 13, N.T.). So, as we trace the labors of men of God in various times and places, we find them holding forth the Word of Life in dependence upon the Spirit’s power alone, and not using the devices of the world. Thank God that there are such yet to be found.
    The harp and the organ were found in Cain’s generation; they were not mentioned in the generation of Seth. Enoch surely did not use them in prophesying of the coming of the Lord in judgment; neither did Noah, the "preacher of righteousness" in those days of which our Lord has said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man." As a people professedly separated to God, should we not "stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths – the good way, and walk therein," and not be found conforming to the world’s ways and methods?
    Let us shun legality and a sectarian spirit on the one hand, and a loose, compromising spirit on the other. Let us by our practice confess that the Spirit of God and the Word of God are all-sufficient for every form of Christian ministry, and not weaken it by worldly imitations.
May God give us exercise, and cause us to cleave with purpose of heart to His infallible Word till He come – not estimating our labors by apparent success, but in the light of the judgment-seat of Christ, remembering that His approbation of service shall be, "Well done, good and faithful (not successful) servant; enter thou into the joy of Thy Lord."

    *The meaning of the opening sentence of our brother’s article might seem to be a little obscure. However, he makes abundantly clear in the next paragraph that what he has in mind is the well-known fact that man fails in whatever is committed into his hands. There was only One who could say, "/ do always those things that please Him." John 8:29.
NOTE:Attention has been called to the expression "His House" found in the second verse of the poem on the first page of the January issue as unsuitable as applying to our present dispensation. We are sorry for this ‘slip’ and are glad that it was called to our attention that correction might thus be made.
    

    "And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed" (Acts 14:1).
    What is emphasized in the account here given is, certainly, the help they found in God, who links Himself to human weakness so as to make it "mighty through God." Whilst it is clearly the work of God to bring men to Himself, yet, none the less, He is pleased to give effect to the works of His servants in such sort that it can be said, "they so spake" as to produce faith in the message they brought. There is a fitting of words to such an end which we must not overlook; it is a skill which only a wisdom begotten of love can enable for – a skill which disdains not diligence, however, for the attainment of its ends, as we read elsewhere:"Because the preacher was wise he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth" (Eccl. 12:9,10).
    Yet many seem to think that the teaching of the Spirit of God should set all this aside. They speak slightingly of the "study" even of the word of God. They do not "cry after knowledge," nor "lift up the voice for understanding;" they do not "seek her as silver, nor search for her as for hidden treasures," yet they doubt not to "understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:3-5). Without sowing they expect harvests, and that negligence will nevertheless bring the fruits of diligence!
    But the man of God is to be furnished unto all good works; and from Scripture this furnishing is to be obtained. We are to be "as new-born babes desiring the sincere, or pure, milk of the Word." How much does a new-born babe desire milk? It is his life. But the careless way in which God’s word is read by many shows how little they look for the teaching of the Spirit of God; and when the winds of new and strange doctrines arise, their anchor drags at once!
    What is spoken of here, however, is rather the ability that shall affect others; and for this the gift from God must not be forgotten. Yet the possession of whatever gift does not exempt from, or make one superior to, the rules which are common to all Christians – which are plain moral rules. The servant serves with what as a Christian he has acquired; and this is a most important rule indeed. We acquire and prove in our souls what we then can use for the souls of others; and the very fact that we are to serve others with it shows the need all have of it – not the servants only. There is no part of the word of God that is not intended for all the people of God, and we all learn as learners, not as teachers. Oh for the longing of heart in every Christian for that which has all come from the heart of God for all His own!
    Those so speak as to make men believe who have themselves received with a living and joyous faith what they impart to others – and who impart it, therefore, not according to the rules of an artificial pedagogy, but from such full hearts as alone can reach other hearts. So the apostles spake, and so the Iconians believed.-From Numerical Bible on Acts.
    "What will become of those cut flowers tomorrow? They will fade. So truth that is not held in communion with Christ fades away."
    

    Through the wickedness of his brethren, as we all know, for it is a favorite story, Joseph is estranged from the scene of the promised and covenanted inheritance, arid becomes first a sufferer, and then a husband, a father, and a governor in the midst of a distant people; till at last his brethren, who once hated him, and the inhabitants of the earth, are fed and ruled by him in grace and wisdom.
    Nothing can be more expressive than all this. It is a striking exhibition of the great result purposed of God "in the dispensation of the fulness of times." Joseph is cast among the Gentiles; and there, after sorrow and bondage, becomes the exalted one, and the head and father of a family with such joy, that his heart for a season can afford -to forget his kindred in the flesh. This surely is Christ in heaven now, exalted after His sorrows, and with Him the Church taken from among the Gentiles, made His companion and joy during the season of His estrangement from Israel. But in process of time Joseph is made the depositary and the dispenser of the world’s resources; his brethren, as well as all beside, become dependent on him; he feeds them and rules them according to his pleasure. And this as surely is Christ, as He will be in the earth by-and-by, with Israel brought to repentance and seated in the fairest portion of the earth, and with all the nations under His scepter, when He will order them according to His wisdom, feed them out of His stores, and re-settle them in their inheritance in peace and righteousness.
    Surely the heavens and the earth are, in type, here seen, as they will really be in "the dispensation of the fullness of times," when all things, both in heaven and on earth, shall be gathered together in Christ. Surely this is a rehearsal of the great result, and the heavens and the earth tell out together the mystery of God!
    And I cannot but observe the willing, unmurmuring subjection which the Egyptians yield to Joseph. He moves them hither and thither, and settles them as he likes, but all is welcome to them; and so, in the days of the kingdom, the whole world will be ready to say, Jesus has done all things well. What blessedness! Subjection to Jesus, but willing and glad subjection! His scepter getting its approval and its welcome from all over whom it waves and asserts its power!
    And again I observe that all this power of Joseph is held in full consent of Pharaoh’s supremacy. The people, and the cattle, and the lands, are all bought by Joseph for Pharaoh. It is Pharaoh’s kingdom still, though under Joseph’s administration – as in the kingdom of which this is the type, every tongue shall confess Jesus Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    These features give clear expression and character to the picture. But there is one other touch (the touch of a master’s hand, I would reverently say) in this picture which is not inferior in meaning or in beauty to any. I mean, that in all this settlement of the earth, Asenath and the children get no portion. They are not seen, there is no mention of them even. Jacob may get Goshen; but Asenath, Ephraim, and Manasseh, nothing. Is it that the wife and children were loved less, and the father and brethren more? Nay, that cannot be. But Asenath and the children are heavenly, and have their portion, the rather in and with him who is the lord and dispenser of all this, and they cannot mingle in the interests and arrangements of the earth. Even Goshen, the fairest and fattest of the land, is unworthy of them. They are the family of the lord himself. They share the home, and the presence, and the closest endearments of him who is the happy (and) honored head of all this scene of glory.
    Is not this the great result, in miniature or in type? Have we not in all this that promised "dispensation of the fullness of times," when God will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth? Are not the heavens and the earth here seen and heard together in their millennial order? I surely judge that they are. "Known unto God are all His works, from the beginning of the world."

    There are indeed two great and widely prevalent snares:that of sacrificing the individual to the assembly; and that of forgetting the assembly for the individual. Romanism illustrates the former, as Protestantism the latter. In Romanism the church is all; there alone is the Spirit, the truth, holiness, everything:the individual is nothing, not even a saint. It were presumption; the church must settle it, if at all, fifty years after he is dead. The individual cannot even pretend to know his sins forgiven:anathema, says the Council of Trent, to him who says justification is by faith alone; anathema to him who says he can know it for his soul. Thus is the gospel ignored and denied in principle, and most distinctly, for every individual within the bosom of Rome; and this to aggrandize the church, which arrogates to itself alone to speak, but speaks here falsehood in Christ’s name. And as to any individuals pretending to say that their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in them, which they have of God, it could only sound still more awful presumption, if not blasphemy. And no wonder, for it is wholly inconsistent with the sacrifice of the Mass, or the subsistence of an earthly priesthood, which are the Jachin and Boaz of the Romish temple. It is of no avail that the apostolic doctrine is plain, precise, and conclusive that every Christian should know this transcendent privilege of himself now on earth. Romanism boldly sets it aside, and every other which belongs, to the individual, in order to swell the church’s power and glory. "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with’ their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matt. 15:7-9.)
    But there is the opposite snare, not so destructive of man’s salvation, but equally at issue with God’s glory. It is the Protestant scheme, which rightly affirms justification by faith, and God’s title to address every man’s conscience in His word, though enfeebled and spoilt by putting it as man’s right to a private judgment on it. But Protestantism ignores the church of God, and in claiming a coordinate place for churches, national and dissenting and what not, virtually denies the one body on earth. It may dream of one body in heaven, where scripture never speaks of such a thing, but it recognizes ever so many bodies on earth, each independent, which scripture expressly sets aside.
    The word of God guards the truth as to both points, and excludes all error. According to it the gospel deals with each soul first of all. By faith the individual has life and is justified, adopted as a child of God, blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Then, over and above his faith, he is sealed by the Spirit. In virtue of one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, and were all given to drink into one Spirit. Thus, and thus only, is the body, the church, formed; it supposed the individual question settled by faith, and then the corporate relationship begins, and is established by the Holy Spirit; and this now on earth, as a privilege indeed of the highest kind, yet at once involving responsibilities thenceforth of the gravest. If the known individual blessedness by faith delivers the soul from Romanism, no less surely does the corporate place of the church, when understood, lift one outside and above Protestantism, in all its manifold and varying phases. How could you, intelligibly or consistently, join this or that body, when you are consciously of the "one body", and responsible to walk according to God’s will in that relationship? If I hear God’s word, I am first in Christ, then in the church; I know the Spirit dwells in me, and know also that He dwells in the church which, is therefore one while on the earth, not merely alike in doctrine, discipline, and polity, which might be in many independent societies, but one body here below. And this is so true and grave, that the truth would call one out of Romanism, if Rome had not an image nor a superstition, and out of Protestantism, if its sects had not a single unconverted member or minister.
    
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
    It is evident, from Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3, that the Christians of that early day had psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, quite distinct from those God inspired by David and others for His ancient people. Not a word implies that what was sung in the assembly of God was either a Jewish psalm or of New Testament inspiration. They were therefore, I presume, substantially such as Christians in our day, and in all days, are wont to use. Only they sought the Lord’s guidance, and the fellowship of all, on these solemn public occasions. Our chapter is of importance in proving that they sung in the assembly; as the other epistles referred to, as well as James, prove the use of hymns in private or alone. Of course the power of the Spirit was sought in both; as He indeed dwells in the individual Christian no less than in the assembly.
    
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The body of the believer is sown in dishonor, corruption, and weakness:so all see; what do we believe? It is raised in incorruption, glory, and power_ not a mere ethereal or airy body, as Chrysostom and Origen respectively said, but a body instinct with spirit life, as once with animal life from the soul, yet not a spirit, but a spiritual body, not limited by earthly conditions, but capable either of passing through a closed door, or of being felt, able to take food, though needing none, if we may judge from Him who, risen as the great Head and pattern and power, declared that a spirit had not flesh and bones, as they saw He had.

    Twice the judgment seat of God, or of Christ, is spoken of in the New Testament. In Rom. 14:10 "the judgment seat of God" (the best manuscripts have "the judgment seat of God" in Rom. 14:10) is spoken of in view of preventing individual judgment of others in certain matters. In 2 Cor. 5:10 "the judgment seat of Christ" is presented in view of provoking to do good.
    The subject in itself is one of the most solemn, and at the same time most blessed, and this so much the more as we understand it rightly.
    I believe that each act of our lives will be manifested there, according as the grace of God, and His ways with us in connection with our own acts will then be known.
    We read (in Rom. chap. 14) that "every one of us shall give account of himself to God." In this passage the judgment seat is mentioned in connection with an exhortation to brethren not to judge one another in respect of days, meats, or any other such thine.
    I am disposed to think that the acts alone will be subject to manifestation; but all the private acts of our lives depend so intimately upon our inward feelings, that it is in a certain sense difficult to distinguish between the acts and the simple thoughts. The acts manifest the power of the unseen thought, or of the feeling.
    I believe that the whole of our acts will be detailed before the judgment seat; not, however, as if we were in the flesh, and thus to our condemnation but to make evident to our own eyes the grace that occupied itself with us – regenerate or unregenerate.
    In the counsels of God we were elect before the foundation of the world; hence I think that our personal history will be detailed before the judgment seat, and parallel with it the history of the grace and mercy of God toward each of us will gloriously appear.
    The why and the how we did this or that, will be manifested then. For us, the scene will be declarative not judicial. We are not in the flesh before God; in His eyes, by grace, we have died with Christ. But then, if we have walked according to the flesh, we must see how we lost in blessing thereby, and what loss we have incurred. On the other hand, all the ways of God towards us, all the ways of wisdom, of mercy, and of grace, will be perfectly known and understood by us for the first time.
    The history of each one will come out in perfect transparency; it will be seen how you yielded, and how He preserved you; how your foot slipped, and how He raised you up again; how you were drawing near danger and shame, and how He by His own arm interposed. I believe this is the bride making herself ready, and I consider that to be a wondrous moment. There will be no flesh then to be condemned; but the new nature will enter into the full knowledge of the care and of the love which, in true holiness, and in righteousness, and even in grace, have followed us step by step all through the running of the race – all through our life here below.
    Some parts of our life, till then entirely unexplained, will be fully disclosed and become altogether plain. Some tendencies of our nature, that perhaps we do not judge to be so pernicious and deadly as they are, and for the mortification of which we are perhaps now subjected to a discipline that we may not have interpreted aright, will then be perfectly explained; _r and, what is more, the very falls that plunge us now into bitter anguish will be seen then as what God used to preserve us from something more terrible.
    I do not think that until then we shall ever have had a full knowledge of the badness of our flesh. How blessed for us to know that while we are not in the flesh in the eyes of God now, the flesh will no longer be attached to us then.
    On the other side, I doubt not, the manifestation of God’s grace toward us individually will be so magnificent that even the sense of the perversity of the flesh that we had, will be overwhelmed by the greatness of the sense of divine goodness.
Oh why do we not deny and mortify the flesh when we think of that hour. The Lord grant that we may do so more and more to the glory of His grace. This great subject of the judgment seat brings the soul to a very full knowledge of our individual standing "in Christ" before God, through grace.

    But we are to be ‘manifested.’ That is the force of the word, not merely "we shall appear" but "we shall be manifested." That is the blessing of it. Our ways and works will perfectly show what we are and what we have been, and to the glory of Him who has, in spite of all our failure, accomplished at last the blessed purpose of grace towards us, so that we can be with Him, and, as it were, judge with Him our whole condition. What a lack there would be if there were not this great clearing up of things before we have passed fully into eternity, _ if the wisdom and grace and holiness of God were not perfectly displayed thus in all His ways with us, if we had not the lessons of time impressed upon us for the wisdom of eternity! There will be no failure of memory then, but the keenest possible appreciation of everything. Would we forget what we have been, so as to forget along with it the grace which has been with us? Would we lose materials for the song of praise which will be ours forever? Many seem to forget the value of all this to us as the day will declare it and the glory of God which will be manifested, _ the perfect fulfillment of the Lord’s words as to His people:"I am glorified in them."
    The principle is plain, as the Old Testament expresses it, that "God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." Nothing else would be worthy of Him. He has nothing to hide, and no act of His has really been in vain, however much in our folly, as we look at things now, we might imagine so. He is to be found justified in this last judgment of all, and we too, for we are to receive also "the things done in the body, according to what we have done, whether it be good or worthless." Everything is to be appraised and estimated at its right value, but this, as it is said elsewhere, that "every one may have his praise from God."
    God is seeking good and not evil. He is still, as He does ever, taking the precious from the vile, because He loves the precious. It may be needful in this way that the vile should be looked at also, but it will only enhance the preciousness of the precious. That which is worthless will of course be judged as worthless. It will not be gain. But even here the estimation of it as such will have its gain. The continuity of the future with the present existence is strangely often lost sight of. People often look at it as if the entrance into eternity were to be the entire break with the past; whereas this cannot be without proclaiming at the same time the want of eternal meaning in things here.        F. W. Grant
    

    "Take therefore no thought for the morrow:for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matt. 6:34).
    Tomorrow – what will it bring?
    God over everything, Sending the wind and the rain,
    The flowers and the sunshine again.
    Tomorrow – what will it hold?
    Mercies unnumbered, untold, Morning, and noon-tide, and night,
    And after the darkness, God’s light.
    Tomorrow- how shall I bear
    The pressure of sorrow and care?
    God will thy courage sustain;
    Constant His love shall remain.
    Tomorrow – how shall I find Quiet and stillness of mind?
    God shall rebuke thine unrest,
    With His calmness thy spirit invest.
    Tomorrow – tears must impede;
    Great are my wants and my need. Grace all sufficient is nigh,
                                            









God every need shall supply.                            M.E.K.
    

    "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love."     Ephesians 4:2
    "Surely there was a great need that the prisoner of the Lord should put these qualities first, before those whom he besought ‘to walk worthy’ of their vocation, and to ‘keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’
    Can any say it is a distinguishing feature amongst us now? Are we to whom the third verse is so precious ignoring the force of the second? Is there not a quiet self-assertion, a tone of superiority, often shown in speaking to other Christians, that only betrays to them, and to our Lord, how far we are in heart from the spirit of the apostle? We find that his ministry (who was gifted and honored above all others,) was marked by ‘humility of mind’ (Acts 20:19). Is ours?
    We find the Lord was ‘lowly in heart’. Are we? He ‘humbled Himself.’ Is ‘this mind’ in us? Have we put on ‘as the elect of God, humbleness of mind’? Are we, all of us, ‘clothed with humility’?
    It is greatly to be feared that such a spirit, such a state, is becoming rare amongst us. Time was when the ruin of all was so felt that our only position was in the dust. But the truth of the ‘one body’, accepted in the head instead of searching the conscience, has ‘puffed up’ instead of humbling those who thus hold it.
    How painful must it be to Christ, who loves and yearns over His whole Church, that those whom, in His grace, He has called around Himself to feel and own its utter ruin on earth should carry a high head, a self-satisfied air, and be ‘exalted’ by the very greatness of His love! Is not this indeed in principle the Laodicean brand?
    May God give us to shun and dread spiritual pride (that subtle vice) in every shape and form, and enable us to show true brokenness of spirit, that His dear children around may see that there is a little company in their midst whose hearts deeply feel the ruin of all dear to Christ in this scene.
    Surely, beloved brethren, He is allowing things to take such a course, even in our midst, that we have nothing left but shame and confusion of face, our only relief being to look upon His glory, that which nothing shall ever dim or mar.
    The more Thy glories strike mine eyes, The humbler I shall lie; Thus while I sink, my joys shall rise Immeasurably high." (Help and Food – 1885)
    
The word of God is that by which we are sanctified.
    In praying to the Father for His disciples, and for us, the Lord said, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" wrote David under the Holy Spirit’s guidance; and he answers it, "By taking heed thereto according to thy word." Psalm 119:9.
    

    The only hands that Jesus has
    To work on earth’s broad field,
    Are the hands of those by Him redeemed
    And by the Spirit sealed
    .
    The only feet He has on earth
    To speed love’s message on,
    Are those of His beloved saints
     Who with Himself are one.
    
    He has no tongues to spread His fame
    Or sing His praise below,
    But those of His co-heirs of God,
    Saved from eternal woe.
    
    Then dearly bought and much loved one,
     Train well thy hands and feet,
    And tune thy tongue with lofty strains
     His glories to repeat.

FRAGMENT
    "What does Christ think? This is the question. Not, what does so-and-so say, but what does Christ in heaven think, who is patiently following with His loving eyes (which are yet as flames of fire) all our thoughts and ways? What does He think of our present attitude, both with regard to Himself, one another, and our fellow-Christians? Oh, brother, whoever you are, listen to what Christ will tell you of His thoughts about it all, and remember His word, "Follow thou Me."
    "Wherever we get into trial, we may feel confident that, with the trial, there is an issue, and all we need is a broken will, and a single eye to see it." (Help and Food – 1885)

    "One Song of Songs, the sweetest,
     Once learnt thou still repeatest,
    And singest, Christian, o’er and o’er.
    Earth cannot learn its measure,
    This song of heavenly treasure,
    Of grace abounding evermore!
    
    Of one great LOVE it telleth,
    Which every grief expelleth
    Like mist before the morning sun;
    Farewell to all thy sorrow,
Thy cares about the morrow,
    When thou canst sing this sweetest song.’

THE PROPHETIC WORD
    "And we have the prophetic word (made) surer, to which ye do well taking heed (as a lamp shining in an obscure place) until (the) day dawn and (the) morning star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that (the scope of) no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation, for prophecy was not ever uttered by (the) will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of (the) Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:19-21 (JND)
    

    He took my sins and gave salvation,
    The one who died upon the tree;
    His life for me He freely offered.
    He paid the debt that set me free.
    
    What wondrous love for me enduring
     That shameful death upon the cross;
    My sins are blotted out completely,
    I count for Him all else but loss.
    
    I now can rest my soul upon Him,
    By faith can take Him at His word;
    Confiding in Him with assurance,
    And fully trust my precious Lord.
    
    I do not hope to have salvation,
    I know He died my soul to save;
    His work is perfect never failing,
     And everlasting Life I have.
    
    Some morning I shall rise to meet Him,
     When He returns to claim His own;
    My soul forever shall adore Him,
     As I behold Him on the throne.
    
    "The Jewish Sabbath commenced on Friday evening; and, I have often thought, if we could begin the Lord’s day on Saturday evenings, what gainers we might be by it. If we did, we should be far oftener "in the Spirit, on the Lord’s Day." E.D.
    

    Many of you, no doubt, are in the fellowship of assemblies of the Lord’s people gathered out of mere human organizations to the name of Christ alone. Others may be exercised as to these organizations, and desire to know God’s mind as to where they should be.
    First, we are not to view it according to our own ideas, or expediency. We must get God’s viewpoint, His thoughts as to the gathering of His people, and, in obedience and faith, take our stand upon it, even though what represents it in days of ruin like the present be subject to men’s derision, and sometimes of open attack. Shall we shun a little reproach for the truth’s sake?
    The religious natural man wants numbers, a ritual, a display _ what pleases the eye, and gratifies the flesh with a religious cloak cast over it, because he loves the things of the world.
    Nearly 100 years ago God, through faithful men, restored a knowledge of the truth as to these things _ truth buried as it were under much rubbish since shortly after apostolic days _ truth which the great reformation of Luther’s time did not bring out. It is that body of truth then given back to God’s people that should be our chief concern to treasure in our hearts, and to "hold fast" as a sacred trust. It is truth bought at a goodly price in those early days referred to, and must not be cheaply sold by us. Let us hold fast this "crown" that no one rob us of it.
    The testimony of God is the matter in question, though it be with but the two or three, compared to the multitude which follows the principles of "man’s day." Should we expect it otherwise in such a world? Does inspired history show it to have been different at any time during man’s course? Consider the days of Seth, of Noah, of Abram, of the Judges, of Elijah, of Ezra and Nehemiah, of Malachi, of John the Baptist, of Revelation, and now our own. All give one consistent witness.
    Let us ask ourselves, Have we understood and rightly valued this testimony, this truth, in identification with which we profess to stand, in which some of us have "grown up," as we say? Are we in any danger, we who are younger, of thinking we have "outgrown" the "old paths" and must seek new ones more in accord with the spirit of the times? Beware, dear young reader! It is the spirit of lawlessness, and to go against its rapidly increasing current means something, and will mean more, if the Lord tarries. The call is to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, not to seek the soft and easy path; faithfulness to our Lord forbids it.
    But what is this testimony, this heritage of truth, which our predecessors have left to us? They began by owning the complete ruin of the Church as set up in this world. Let it be considered as to its organization, government, fellowship, or doctrine, grievous departure from Scripture marks it as a whole. The Reformation only changed this in measure as to doctrine _ not as to God’s thoughts concerning the church. Now this needs to be owned and confessed in the spirit of Daniel and of Nehemiah, as much today as ever before, even by us who form part of the professing Church; and to this we must add the sad fact that the condition is worse than 100 years ago, because of the great inroads of evil teaching and worldly practice. A true confession of all this will go far to strengthen us in the place of separation from the confusion, as to which our assembly position witnesses.
    What is that place of separation? _ for this is of chief importance. It is obedience to the directions God has given in His word for His people.
    1. We should own no name but that of Christ (1 Cor. 1:12,13); we gather to Him alone. We are to refuse membership in any organization of human devising, because Scripture speaks of one only membership in that body of which Christ is the Head (1 Cor. 12:13), which is the true and only Church.
    2. We should recognize that the Lord’s supper is the feast we are to keep holy in character and associations; where the Lord by His word is to rule, therefore separate from what refuses His order, denies the truth, or would link us with such things.
    3. We should recognize the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, refuse man-made authority over God’s people, refuse human ordination to office and ministry. By acknowledging these things, we do so in separation from what denies them, and in the simplicity of apostolic days exemplified in the Acts, and taught in the Epistles.
    4. We should recognize that these assemblies are of believers only, gathered to the Lord as our Head and gathering Center, and in obedience to the truths above mentioned, which in practice we are responsible to exhibit amid the general departure and ruin _ not with pretension of being "the people," but in humility and confession of our weakness.
    Such assemblies have the responsibility and authority to act for the Lord within the limits of His word, God’s House is holy, and His people are responsible to maintain God’s holy character in His House _ not that they embrace all in that House, but because they are to represent Him according to their responsibility.
    As to service, we are to engage in it according to the ability which the Lord gives. Gift of whatever kind, is not to make us independent of the assembly, but rather in communion with it, as fellow-members with one another, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;" not occupied with, not thinking of our own gifts and service, but rather with that of others.
    There are valuable books and pamphlets which treat of these things, and we would urge their reading. They are not "out of date," but a God-given ministry for us in these closing days.         Help and Food