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diff --git a/40556.txt b/40556.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f0d68b2..0000000 --- a/40556.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11431 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Lord's Coming, by C. H. (Charles Henry) Mackintosh - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Lord's Coming - Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, volume II - -Author: C. H. (Charles Henry) Mackintosh - -Release Date: August 22, 2012 [EBook #40556] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LORD'S COMING *** - - - - -Produced by Julio Reis, Moises S. Gomes, Julia Neufeld and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - -Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - -Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. - -Variations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained -except in obvious cases of typographical error. - - - - - MISCELLANEOUS - WRITINGS - - of C.H.M. - - - The - Lord's Coming - - - _Miscellaneous Writings of_ - C. H. MACKINTOSH - - - _Volume II_ - - - LOIZEAUX BROTHERS - _New York_ - - - FIRST EDITION 1898 - TENTH PRINTING 1960 - - - LOIZEAUX BROTHERS, INC., PUBLISHERS - - _A Nonprofit Organization, Devoted to the Lord's Work - and to the Spread of His Truth_ - - 19 WEST 21ST STREET, NEW YORK 10, N. Y. - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -CONTENTS - - - Pages - - "GOD FOR US" 1-23 - - "WHO LOVED ME"--_Poem_ - - THE CALL OF GOD; OR, REFLECTIONS ON THE - CHARACTERS OF ABRAHAM AND LOT 3-60 - - "THOU AND THY HOUSE;" OR, THE CHRISTIAN - AT HOME 3-48 - - DISCIPLESHIP IN AN EVIL DAY 3-22 - - SIN IN THE FLESH AND SIN ON THE CONSCIENCE 1-8 - - GOD'S WAY AND HOW TO FIND IT 3-16 - - THE UNEQUAL YOKE 5-38 - - GIDEON AND HIS COMPANIONS 3-56 - - MY BELOVED--_Poem_ - - ETERNAL PUNISHMENT 2-8 - - PAPERS ON THE LORD'S COMING 3-111 - -_The original numbering of these writings has been retained. Many of -the above may be had separately in pamphlet form._ - - - - -"GOD FOR US" - -(ROMANS VIII. 31.) - - -How much is wrapped up in these few words, "God for us!" They form one -of those marvelous chains of three links so frequently found in -Scripture. We have "God" linked on to "us" by that precious little -word "for." This secures every thing, for time and eternity. There is -not a single thing within the entire range of a creature's necessities -that are not included in the brief but comprehensive sentence which -forms the heading of this paper. If God be for us, then it follows, of -necessity--blessed necessity--that neither our sins, nor our -iniquities, nor our guilt, nor our ruined nature, nor Satan, nor the -world, nor any other creature can possibly stand in the way of our -present peace and our everlasting felicity and glory. God can dispose -of all--has disposed of them, in such a way as to illustrate His own -glory, and magnify His holy name, throughout the wide universe, -forever and ever. All praise and adoration be to the eternal Trinity! - -It may be, however, that the reader feels disposed, at the very -outset, to inquire how he is to know his place amongst the "us" of our -precious thesis. This, truly, is a most momentous question. Our -eternal weal or woe hangs upon the answer. How, then, are we to know -that God is for us? In reply to this most weighty question, we shall -seek, by God's grace, to furnish the reader with five substantial -proofs that God is for us, in all our need, our guilt, our misery, -and our danger--for us, spite of all that we are, and all that we have -done--for us, although there is no reason whatever, so far as we are -concerned, why He should be for us, but every reason why He should be -against us. - -The first grand proof which we shall adduce is-- - - -THE GIFT OF HIS SON. - -"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that -whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting -life." (John iii. 16.) - -Now, we are glad, for various reasons, to commence our series of -proofs with these memorable words. In the first place, they meet a -difficulty which may suggest itself to the mind of an anxious -reader--a difficulty based upon the fact that the sentence culled from -Rom. viii. 31 evidently applies primarily to believers, and only to -such, as does the entire epistle and every one of the epistles. - -But, blessed be God, no such difficulty can be started in reference to -the all-embracing, and encouraging words of Him who spake as never man -spake. When we have from the lips of our blessed Lord Himself, the -eternal Son of God, such words as these, "God so loved _the world_," -we have no ground whatever for questioning their application to each -and all who come under the comprehensive word "world." Before any one -can prove that the free love of God does not apply to him, he must -first prove that he does not form a part of the world, but that he -belongs to some other sphere of being. If indeed, our Lord had said, -"God so loved a certain portion of the world," call it what you -please, then verily it would be absolutely necessary to prove that we -belong to that particular portion or class, ere we could attempt to -apply His words to ourselves. If He had said that God so loved the -predestinated, the elect, or the called, then we must seek to know our -place amongst the number of such, before we can take home to ourselves -the precious assurance of the love of God, as proved by the gift of -His Son. - -But our Lord used no such qualifying clause. He is addressing one who, -from his earliest days, had been trained and accustomed to take a very -limited view indeed of the favor and goodness of God. Nicodemus had -been taught to consider that the rich tide of Jehovah's goodness, -loving-kindness, and tender mercy could only flow within the narrow -inclosure of the Jewish system and the Jewish nation. The thought of -its rolling forth to the wide wide world had never, we may safely -assert, penetrated the mind of one trained amid the contracting -influences of the legal system. Hence, therefore, it must have sounded -passing strange in his ear, to hear "a teacher come from God" giving -utterance to the great fact that God loved not merely the Jewish -nation, nor yet some special portion of the human race, but "the -world." No doubt, such a statement would add not a little to the -amazement felt by this master in Israel at being told that he himself, -with all His religious advantages, needed to be born again in order to -see or enter the kingdom of God. - -Do we then deny or call in question the grand truth of predestination, -election, or effectual calling? God forbid. We hold these things as -amongst the fundamental principles of true Christianity. We believe in -the eternal counsels and purposes of our God--His unsearchable -decrees--His electing love--His sovereign mercy. - -But do any or all of these things interfere, in the smallest degree, -with the gracious activities of the divine nature, or the outgoings of -God's love towards a lost world? In no wise. God is love. That is His -blessed nature, and this nature must express itself toward all. The -mistake lies in supposing that because God has His purposes, His -counsels, His decrees--because He is sovereign in His grace and -mercy--because He has chosen from all eternity a people for His own -praise and glory--because the names of the redeemed, all the redeemed, -were written down in the book of the slain Lamb, before the foundation -of the world--that therefore God cannot be said to love all -mankind--to love the world--and, moreover that the glad tidings of -God's full and free salvation ought not to be proclaimed in the ears -of every creature under heaven. - -The simple fact is that the two lines, though so perfectly distinct, -are laid down with equal clearness, in the word of God; neither -interferes, in the smallest degree, with the other, but both together -go to make up the beauteous harmony of divine truth and to set forth -the glorious unity of the divine nature. - -Now, it is with the activities of the divine nature and the outgoings -of divine love that the preacher of the gospel has specially to do. He -is not to be cramped, crippled, or confined in his blessed work, by -any reference to God's secret decrees or purposes, though fully aware -of the existence of such. His mission is to the world--the wide wide -world. His theme is salvation--a salvation as full as the heart of -God, as permanent as the throne of God--as free as the air--free to -all without any exception, limitation, or condition whatsoever. The -basis of his work is the atoning death of Christ which has removed all -barriers out of the way, and opened up the floodgates in order that -the mighty tide of divine love may roll forth, in all its fulness, -richness and blessedness, to a lost and guilty world. - -And here, we may add, lies the ground of man's responsibility in -reference to the gospel of God. If, indeed, it be true that God so -loved the world as to give His only begotten Son--if "the -righteousness of God is unto all" (Rom. iii. 22)--if it be God's -gracious will that "all should be saved and come to the knowledge of -the truth" (1 Tim. ii. 4)--if He is "not willing that any should -perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. iii. 9)--then -verily is every man who hears this glorious gospel laid under the most -solemn responsibility to believe it and be saved. No one can honestly -and truthfully turn round and say, "I longed to be saved, but could -not, because I was not one of the elect. I longed to flee from the -wrath to come but was prevented by the insuperable barrier of the -divine decree which irresistibly consigned me to an everlasting hell." - -There is not, within the covers of the volume of God, in the entire -range of His dealings with His creatures, in the aspect of His -character, or in the enactments of His moral government, the very -faintest shadow of a foundation for such an objection. Every man is -left without excuse. God can say to all who have rejected His gospel, -"I would, but ye would not." There is absolutely no such thing as -reprobation in the word of God, meaning thereby the consignment on -God's part, of any number of His creatures to everlasting damnation. -Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt. -xxv.) Men _will_ rush into it. "Vessels of wrath" are fitted, not by -God, but by themselves, "to destruction." (Rom. ix.) Everyone who gets -to heaven will have to thank God for it. Everyone who finds himself in -hell will have to blame himself for it. - -Furthermore, we have ever to remember that the sinner has nothing to -do with God's unpublished decrees. What does he--what can he--know -about such? Nothing whatever. But he has to do with God's published -love--His proffered mercy--His free salvation--His glorious gospel. We -may fearlessly assert that so long as these glowing and glorious words -shine in the record of God, "_Whosoever will_ let him take of the -water of life _freely_," (Rev. xxii. 17) it is impossible for any son -or daughter of Adam to say, "I longed to be saved, but could not. I -thirsted for the living water, but could not reach it. The well was -deep and I had nothing to draw with." Ah, no! such language will never -be used, such an objection will never be urged by anyone in all the -ranks of the lost. When men pass into eternity they will see with -awful clearness what they now affect to think is so obscure and -perplexing, namely, the perfect compatibility of God's electing -sovereign grace and the free offer of salvation to all--the fullest -harmony between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. - -We fondly trust the reader sees these things, even now. It is of the -very last possible importance to maintain the balance of truth in the -soul--to allow the beams of divine revelation to act, with full power, -on the heart and conscience, unimpeded by the murky atmosphere of mere -human theology. There is imminent danger in taking up a certain number -of abstract truths and forming them into a system. We want the -adjusting power of _all truth_. The growth and practical -sanctification of the soul are promoted, not by some truth, but by -_the_ truth, in all its fullness, as embodied in the person of Christ, -and set forth by the eternal Spirit in the holy scriptures. We must -get rid completely of all our own preconceived notions--all merely -theological views and opinions--and come like a little child, to the -feet of Jesus to be taught by His Spirit, from out His holy word. Thus -only shall we find rest from conflicting dogmas. Thus shall all the -heavy clouds and mists of human opinion be rolled away, and our -enfranchised souls shall bask in the clear sunlight of a full divine -revelation. - -We shall now proceed with our proofs. - -The second fact which we shall adduce to prove that God is for us will -be found in - -THE DEATH OF HIS SON. - -And, for our present purpose, it is only necessary for us to take up -one feature in the atoning death of Christ, but that one feature is a -cardinal one. We refer to the marvellous fact set forth by the Holy -Ghost in the prophet Isaiah, "It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him. He -hath put Him to grief." (Chapter liii.) - -Our blessed Lord might have come into this world of sin and sorrow. He -might have become a man. He might have been baptized in the -Jordan--anointed by the Holy Ghost--tempted of Satan in the -wilderness. He might have gone about doing good. He might have lived -and labored, wept and prayed, and, at the close, gone back to heaven -again, thus leaving us involved in deeper gloom than ever. He might, -like the priest or the Levite, in the parable, have come and looked -upon us in our wounds and misery, passed by on the other side and -returned alone to the place from whence He came. - -And what if He had? what, reader, but the flames of an everlasting -hell for thee and me? For, be it well remembered, that all the living -labors of the Son of God--His amazing ministry--His days of toil and -His nights of prayer--His tears, His sighs, His groans--the whole of -His life-work, from the manger up to, but short of, the cross, could -not have blotted out one speck of guilt from a human conscience. -"Without shedding of blood is no remission." No doubt, the eternal Son -had to become a man that He might die; but incarnation could not -cancel guilt. Indeed, the life of Christ, as a man on this earth, only -proved the human race more guilty still. "If I had not come and spoken -to them, they had not had sin." The light that shone in His blessed -ways only revealed the moral darkness of man--of Israel--of the world. -Hence, therefore, had He merely come and lived and labored here for -three-and-thirty years, and gone back to heaven, our guilt and moral -darkness would have been fully proved but no atonement made. "It is -the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." "Without shedding of -blood is no remission," (Heb. ix. 22.) - -This is a grand foundation-truth of Christianity, and must be -constantly affirmed, and tenaciously held. There is immense moral -power in it. If it be true that all the life-labors of the Son of -God--His tears, His prayers, His groans, His sighs--if all these -things put together could not cancel one single speck of guilt; then, -indeed, may we not lawfully inquire what possible value can there be -in our works--our tears--our prayers--our religious services--our -ordinances, sacraments and ceremonies--the whole range of religious -activity and moral reform? Can such things avail to cancel our sins -and give us a righteousness before God? The thought is perfectly -monstrous. If any or all of these things could avail, then why the -sacrificial, atoning death of Christ? Why that ineffable and -inestimable sacrifice, if aught else would have done? - -But, it will perhaps be said that, although none of these things could -avail _without_ the death of Christ, yet they must be added to it. For -what? To make that peerless death--that precious blood--that priceless -sacrifice of full avail? Is that it? Shall the rubbish of human -doings, human righteousness, be flung into the scale to make the -sacrifice of Christ of full avail in the judgment of God? The bare -thought is positive and absolute blasphemy. - -But are there not to be good works? Yes, verily; but what are they? -Are they the pious doings, the religious efforts, the moral activities -of unregenerate, unconverted, unbelieving nature? Nay. What then? What -are the Christian's good works? They are _life-works_, not dead works. -They are the precious fruits of life possessed--the life of Christ in -the true believer. There is not anything beneath the canopy of heaven -which God can accept as a good work save the fruit of the grace of -Christ in the believer. The very feeblest expression of the life of -Christ, in the daily history of a Christian, is fragrant and precious -to God. But the most splendid and gigantic labors of an unbeliever -are, in God's account, but "dead works." - -All this, however, is a digression from our main line, to which we -must now return. - -We have said that, for our present purpose, we shall merely refer to -one special point in the death of Christ, and that is the fact that it -pleased Jehovah to bruise Him. Herein lies the striking and -soul-subduing proof that God is for us. "He spared not his own Son, -but delivered him up for us all." He not merely _gave_ Him but -_bruised_ Him, and that for us. That spotless, holy, perfect One--the -only perfect Man that ever trod this earth--the One who ever did the -things which pleased His Father--whose whole life from the manger to -the tree was one continued sweet odor ascending to the throne and to -the heart of God--whose every movement, every word, every look, every -thought was well-pleasing to God--whose one grand object, from first -to last, was to glorify God and finish His work--this blessed One was -delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God--was -nailed to the cursed tree, and there endured the righteous wrath of a -sin-hating God; and all this because God was for us--even _us_. - -What marvellous and matchless grace is here! The Just One bruised for -the unjust--the sinless, spotless, holy Jesus, bruised by the hand of -Infinite Justice in order that guilty rebels might be saved; and not -only saved but brought into the position and relationship of -sons--sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty--heirs of God and -joint-heirs with Christ. - -This surely is grace--rich, free, sovereign grace--grace abounding to -the very chief of sinners--grace reigning, through righteousness, unto -eternal life, by Jesus Christ. Who would not trust this grace? Who can -look at the cross, and doubt that God is for the sinner--for any -sinner--for him--for the reader of these lines? Who would not confide -in that love that shines in the cross? Who can look at the cross and -not see that God willeth not the death of any sinner? Why did He not -allow us to perish in our guilt--to descend into that everlasting hell -which we so richly deserved because of our sins? Why give His -Only-begotten Son? Why bruise Him on that shameful cross? Why hide His -face from the only perfect Man that ever lived--that Man His own -Eternal Son? Why all this, reader? Surely it was because God is for -us, spite of all our guilt and sinful rebellion. Yes, blessed be His -Name, He is for the poor self-destroyed, hell-deserving sinner, be he -who or what he may; and each one whose eye scans these lines is now -entreated to come and confide in the love that gave Jesus from the -bosom and bruised Him on the cross. - -Oh! beloved reader, do come, just now. Delay not! Waver not! Reason -not! Listen not to Satan! Listen not to the suggestions and imaginings -of your own heart; but listen to that word which assures you that God -is for you, and to that love which shines forth in the gift and the -death of His Son. - - * * * * * - -In pursuing what we may truly call the golden chain of evidence in -proof that God is for us, we have dwelt upon the two precious facts of -the gift and the death of His Son. We have traveled from the bosom to -the cross, along that mysterious and marvelous path which is marked by -the footprints of divine and everlasting love. We have seen the -blessed One not only giving His only begotten Son from His bosom, but -actually bruising Him for us--making His spotless soul an offering for -sin--bringing Him down into the dust of death--making Him to be sin -for us--judging Him in our stead--thus affording the most unanswerable -evidence of the fact that He is for us, that His heart is toward us, -that He earnestly desires our salvation, seeing that He hath not -withheld His Son, His only Son from us, but delivered Him up for us -all. - -We shall now proceed to our third proof, which is furnished by - -THE RAISING OF HIS SON. - -And in speaking of the glorious fact of resurrection, we must confine -ourselves to the one point therein, namely, the proof which it -furnishes of God's being friendly to us. A passage or two of Scripture -will suffice to unfold and establish this special point. - -In Romans iv., the inspired apostle introduces God to our hearts as -the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He is speaking of -Abraham who, He tells us, "against hope believed in hope, that he -might become the father of many nations, according to that which was -spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he -considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred -years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not -at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, -giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had -promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to -him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that -it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, -if we believe on Him that"--what? That gave His Son? Nay. That bruised -His Son upon the cross? Nay. What then? "That raised up Jesus our Lord -from the dead"--the very same "who was delivered for our offences, and -was raised again for our justification." - -Anxious reader, weigh this great fact. What was it that brought the -precious Saviour to the cross? What brought Him down to the dust of -death? Was it not our offences? Truly so. "He was delivered for our -offences." He was nailed to the cursed tree for us. He represented us -on the cross. He was our Substitute, in all the full value and deep -significance of that word. He took our place and was treated, in every -respect, as we deserve to be treated. The hand of infinite justice -dealt with our sins--all our sins, at the cross. Jesus made Himself -responsible for all our offences, our iniquities, our transgressions, -our liabilities, all that was or ever could be against us; He--blessed -be His peerless and adorable name!--made Himself answerable for all, -and died in our stead, under the full weight of our sins. He died, the -just for the unjust. - -Where is He now? The heart bounds with ineffable joy and holy triumph -at the thought of the answer. Where is the blessed One who hung on -yonder cross, and lay in yonder tomb? He is at the right hand of God, -crowned with glory and honor. Who set Him there? Who put the crown -upon His blessed brow? God Himself. The One who gave Him, and the One -who bruised Him is the One who raised Him, and it is in Him we are to -believe if we are to be counted righteous. This is the special point -before the apostle's mind. Righteousness shall be imputed to us if we -believe on God as the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. - -Mark the vital link. Seize the all-important connection. The selfsame -One who hung upon the cross, charged with all our offences, is now on -the throne without them. How did He get there? Was it in virtue of His -eternal Godhead? No: for on that ground He was always there. He was -God over all blessed forever. Was it in virtue of His eternal -Sonship? Nay; for He was ever there on that ground also.[1] Therefore, -it could, in no wise, meet our need as guilty sinners, charged with -innumerable offences, to be told that the eternal Son of the Father -had taken His seat at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, -inasmuch as that place ever belonged to Him--yea, the very deepest and -tenderest place in the bosom of the Father. - - [1] We rejoice in every opportunity for the setting forth of Christ's - eternal Sonship. We hold it to be an integral and essentially - necessary part of the Christian faith. - -But, further, we may inquire, was it as the spotless, sinless, perfect -Man that our adorable Lord took His seat on the throne? Nay; as such, -He could, at any moment, between the manger and the cross, have taken -His place there. - -To what conclusion, then, are we absolutely shut up, in this matter? -To that most precious, that tranquilizing conclusion, that the -selfsame One who was delivered for our offences, bruised for our -iniquities, judged in our stead, is now in heaven; that the One who -represented us on the cross, is now on the throne; that the One who -stood charged with all our guilt, is now crowned with glory and honor; -that, so perfectly, so absolutely and completely, has He disposed of -the entire question of our sins, that infinite justice has raised Him -from the dead, and placed a diadem of glory upon His sacred brow. - -Reader, dost thou understand this? Dost thou see its bearing upon -thyself? Dost thou believe in the One who raised up Jesus our Lord -from the dead? Dost thou see that, in so doing, He has declared -Himself friendly to thee? And dost thou believe that, in raising up -Jesus, He set forth His infinite satisfaction in the great work of -atonement, and furnished thee with a receipt in full for all thy -debts--a receipt for the "ten thousand talents." - -Here lies the gist, marrow, and substance of this magnificent argument -of Romans iv. If the Man who was delivered for our offences is now in -heaven,--in heaven, too, by the hand and act of God Himself; then, -most surely, our offences are all gone, and we stand justified from -all things, as free from every charge of guilt, and every breath of -condemnation, as the blessed One Himself. It cannot possibly be -otherwise, if we believe on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the -dead. It is utterly impossible for a charge to be brought against the -believer in the God of resurrection, for the simplest of all reasons -that the One whom He raised was the One whom He bruised for the -believer's sins. Why did He raise Him? Because the sins for which He -bruised Him were all put away, and put away forever. The Lord Jesus, -_having undertaken our cause, and made Himself answerable for us in -every way_, could not be where He now is, if a single jot or tittle of -our guilt remained. But, on the other hand, being where He now is, and -being there by God's own act, it is impossible--utterly -impossible--for any question to be raised as to the full and complete -justification and perfect righteousness of the soul that believes in -Him. Thus, the moment that any one believes in God, in the special -character of the raiser of Jesus, he is counted perfectly righteous -before Him. This is most marvellous, but divinely and eternally true. -May the reader feel its power, sweetness, and tranquilizing virtue! -Yea, may the eternal Spirit give him the blessed sense of it, deep -down in his heart! Then, indeed shall he have perfect peace in his -soul; then, too, shall he understand how that, in raising, as well as -in bruising and giving His Son, God has declared and proved Himself to -be for us. - -We had intended to bring under the special notice of the reader -Hebrews xiii. 20, but we must allow him to dwell upon that lovely -passage for himself, while we proceed to exhibit our fourth proof that -God is for us, which will be found in - -THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. - -Here, too, we must confine ourselves to one point in that most -glorious event, and that is the form in which that august witness, the -eternal Spirit, descended. - -Let the reader turn to the second chapter of the Acts. "And when the -day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one -place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing -mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And -there appeared unto them _cloven tongues_, like as of fire, and it sat -upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and -began to speak with _other tongues_, as the Spirit gave them -utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, -_out of every nation under heaven_. Now, when this was noised abroad, -the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every -man heard them speak _in his own language_. And they were all amazed -and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which -speak Galileans? And how hear we _every man in our own tongue wherein -we were born_? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in -Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, -Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about -Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and -Arabians, we do hear them speak _in our tongues_, the wonderful works -of God." - -Here then we mark one special fact--a fact of deepest interest--three -times referred to in the foregoing quotation. It is this, the Holy -Ghost came down to speak to every man "in his own dialect"--not the -dialect in which he was _educated_ merely, but "_in which he was -born_"--the very dialect in which his mother first whispered into his -infant ears, the sweet and tender accents of a mother's love. Such was -the medium, such the vehicle which the divine Messenger adopted for -the blessed purpose of making known to man that God was for us. He did -not speak to the Hebrew in Greek, or to the Greek in Latin. He spoke -to each one in the language which he understood, in the plain -vernacular--the mother tongue. If there was any peculiarity in that -mother tongue, any idiom, any provincialism in the dialect of each, -the blessed Spirit would make use of it for the purpose of reaching -the heart with the sweet story of grace. - -Contrast with this the giving of the law from Mount Sinai. There -Jehovah confined Himself absolutely to one language. If persons had -been gathered there "from every nation under heaven," they would not -have understood a single syllable. The law--the ten words--the record -of _man's duty_ to God and to his neighbor was sedulously wrapped up -in one tongue. But when "_the wonderful works of God_" were to be -published--when the blessed story of love was to be told out--when the -heart of God towards poor guilty sinners was to be revealed, was one -language enough? No! "Every nation under heaven" must hear, and hear, -too, in their own mother tongue. - -Reader, is not this a telling fact? It will perhaps be said that those -who heard Peter and the rest on the day of Pentecost, were Jews. Well, -that in no wise robs our fact of its charm, its sweetness, and its -power. Our fact is that when the eternal Spirit descended from heaven, -to tell of the resurrection of Christ, to tell of accomplished -redemption--to publish the glad tidings of salvation--to preach -repentance and remission of sins--He did not confine Himself to one -language, but spoke in every dialect under heaven! - -And why? Because He desired to make man understand what He had to say -to him--He desired to reach his heart with the sweet tidings of -redeeming love--the soul-stirring message of full remission of sins. -When the law was to be given--when Jehovah had to speak to man about -his duty--when He had to address him in such terms as, "Thou shalt do -this, and thou shalt not do that," He confined Himself to one solitary -language. But when He would unfold the precious secret of His -love--when He would prove to man that He was for him, He, blessed -forever be His name, took care to speak in every language under -heaven, so that every man might hear, in his own dialect wherein he -was born, the wonderful works of God.[2] - - [2] The reader will note with interest a fact alluded to elsewhere, - that in Genesis xi. divers tongues were given as a judgment upon man's - pride. In Acts ii. divers tongues were given in grace to meet man's - need. And in Revelation vii. the various tongues are all found united - in one song of praise to God and to the Lamb. Such are some of the - wonderful works of God. May we praise Him with all our ransomed - powers! May our hearts adore Him! - -Thus, then, in our series of proofs--our golden chain of evidence, we -have traveled from the bosom of God to the cross of Christ, and from -that precious cross back to the throne--we have marked the giving, the -bruising, and the raising of the Son; we have seen the very heart of -God told out in deep and marvelous love, and tender compassion toward -guilty perishing sinners. Moreover, we have marked the descent of the -eternal Spirit, from the throne of God--His mission to this world to -announce to every creature under heaven the glad tidings of a full, -free, and everlasting salvation, through the blood of the Lamb, and to -announce these tidings not in an unknown tongue, but in the very -tongue wherein each was born. - -What more remains? Is there yet another link to be added to the chain? -Yes; there is - -THE POSSESSION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. - -It may perhaps be said that our fifth proof is involved in our fourth, -inasmuch as the fact of my possessing a copy of the Bible in my mother -tongue is, in reality, the Holy Ghost speaking to me in the language -in which I was born. - -True; but still, so far as the reader is concerned, the fact that God -has put into his hand or within his reach the sacred volume--the -inestimable boon, the holy Scriptures--is an additional proof that He -is for him. For why were we not left in ignorance and total darkness? -Why was the divine book put into our hands? Why, each one may say, for -himself and herself, was I thus favored? Why was I not left to live -and die in heathen blindness? Why was the heavenly lamp allowed to -cast its precious beams on me--even me? - -Ah! beloved reader, the answer is, "Because God is for thee." Yes, for -thee, notwithstanding all thy many sins--for thee, spite of all thy -forgetfulness, ingratitude and rebellion--for thee, although as thou -very well knowest, thou canst not shew a single reason why He should -not be against thee. He gave His Son from His bosom, bruised Him on -the cross, raised Him from the dead, sent down the Holy Ghost, put -into your very hands His blessed book, all to shew you that He is for -you, that His heart is toward you, that He earnestly desires your -salvation. - -And mark, we pray thee, thou canst not say, nor wilt thou ever dare to -say, "I could not understand the Bible; it was beyond me; it was full -of abstruse mysteries which I could not fathom; of difficulties which -I could not solve; of discrepancies which I could not reconcile. And -when I turned to those who professed to be Christians, I found them -split up into almost innumerable sects, and divided into almost -endless schools of doctrine. And, not only so, but I saw such utter -hollowness, such gross inconsistency, such flagrant contradiction -between profession and practice, that I was forced to abandon the -whole subject of religion with a mingled feeling of perplexity, -contempt, and disgust." - -These objections will not stand in the judgment, nor keep thee out of -the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Remember this. Yes, -ponder it deeply. Let not the devil, let not thine own heart deceive -thee. What does Abraham say to the rich man, in Luke xvi.? "They have -Moses and the prophets, _let them hear them_." Why does the rich man -not reply, "They cannot understand them?" He dare not. - -No, reader; a child can understand the holy Scriptures, which are able -to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. -There is not one beneath the canopy of God's heaven, who possesses a -copy of the holy Scriptures, who is not solemnly responsible before -God for the use he makes of them. If professing Christians were split -up into ten thousand times as many sects as they are; if they were ten -thousand times as inconsistent as they are; if schools and doctors of -divinity were ten thousand times more conflicting than they are--still -the word to each possessor of the Bible is, "You have Moses and the -prophets, and the New Testament, hear them." - -Oh! that we could persuade the unconverted, the unawakened, the -unbelieving reader to think of these things, to think of them now, to -ponder them, in the very hidden depths of his moral being, to give -them his heart's undivided attention, ere it be too late. We -contemplate, with ever-deepening horror, the condition of a lost soul -in hell--of one opening his eyes, in that place of endless torment, to -the tremendous fact that God is against him and against him forever; -that all hope is gone; that nothing can ever bridge the chasm that -separates the region of the lost from the heaven of the redeemed; that -"there is a great gulf _fixed_." - -We cannot proceed. The thought is really overpowering. The heart is -crushed by the appalling contemplation. Dear, dear reader, do let us -entreat of thee, ere we lay down the pen, to turn, this very hour, to -a dear loving Saviour who stands with open arms and open bosom to -receive all who come to Him, and who assures thee that "him that -cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out." Do come and trust in God's -faithful word and Christ's finished work. - -Here lies the precious secret of the whole matter. Look away from -self, look straight to Jesus, confide simply in Him, and in what He -has done for thee on the cross, and all thy sins shall be blotted out, -divine righteousness shall be thine, eternal life, sonship, an -indwelling Spirit, an all-prevailing Advocate, a bright home in the -heavens, a portion in Christ's eternal glory--yes, reader, if thou -wilt but believe in Jesus all shall be thine--Himself the best of all. - -May the Holy Ghost lead thee, this moment, to the feet of Jesus, and -enable thee to cry out, in holy triumph, "If God be for us, who can be -against us?" God grant it for Jesus Christ's sake! - - C. H. M. - - - - - "WHO LOVED ME" - - =Galatians ii. 20.= - - - Three little sunbeams, gilding all I see. - Three little chords, each full of melody. - Three little leaves, balm for my agony. - - ="WHO"= - - _He_ loved me, the Father's only Son. - He gave Himself, the precious, spotless One. - He shed His blood, and thus the work was done. - - ="LOVED"= - - He _loved_--not merely pitied. Here I rest. - Sorrow may come, I to His heart am pressed. - What should I fear while sheltered in His breast? - - ="ME"= - - Wonder of wonders, Jesus loved _me_; - A wretch--lost--ruined--sunk in misery. - He sought me, found me, raised me, set me free. - - My soul the order of the words approve: - _Christ first, me last, nothing between_ but LOVE. - Lord keep _me_ always _down, Thyself above_. - - Trusting to Thee, not struggling restlessly, - So shall I gain the victory. - "I--yet not _I_, but Christ, who loved me." - - H. W. - - - - -THE CALL OF GOD - -GEN CHAPTER XII - - -In a day of such widely extended profession as the present, it is -specially important that Christians should be deeply impressed with -the necessity of realizing _personally the call of God_, without which -there can be no permanency or steadiness in the Christian course. - -It is a comparatively easy thing to make a profession at a time when -profession prevails; but it is never easy to walk by faith--it is -never easy to give up present things, in the hope of "good things to -come." Nothing but that mighty principle which the apostle denominates -"_the substance_ of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" -(Heb. xi. 1), can ever enable a man to persevere in a course which in -a world where all is wrong--all out of order, must be thorny and -difficult. We must feel "_persuaded_" of something yet to -come--something worth waiting for--something that will reward all the -toil of a pilgrim's protracted course, ere we rise up out of the -circumstances of nature and the world, to "run with patience the race -that is set before us." (Heb. xii. 1.) - -All this is fully exemplified in Abraham, and the exemplification -receives additional force from the contrast exhibited in the character -of Lot and others who are introduced in the course of the narrative. - -In the seventh of Acts, we have the following words which bear -directly upon the subject before us. "The God of glory appeared unto -our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in -Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country and from thy -kindred, and come into the land that _I shall show thee_." (Vers. 1, -2.) Here then we are presented with the first dawning of that light -which attracted Abraham out of the darkness of "Ur, of the Chaldees," -and which shining in upon his wearisome path, from time to time, gave -fresh vigor to his soul, as he journeyed in quest of "that city which -hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." "The God of glory" -caused Abraham to see, in the light of His character, the true -condition of things in Ur, and further, to believe, as some one has -observed, _a report concerning future glory and inheritance_, and he -therefore hesitates not, but instantly girds himself up for the -journey. - -However, upon a close comparison of the opening of the seventh of -Acts, with the first verse of this twelfth chapter of Genesis, we get -an important principle. From the time that God appeared unto Abraham, -until he finally gets up into the land of Canaan, an event occurs -involving much deep instruction to us. I allude to the death of -Abraham's father, as we read in Acts vii. "From thence, _when his -father_ was dead, He removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell." -(Ver. 4.) This will enable us to understand the force of the -expression in Gen. xii., "The Lord _had_ said unto Abram," etc. (Ver. -1.) From both these passages, it would plainly appear the movement -made by Terah and his family, recorded in Gen. x. 31, was the result -of a revelation made by "the God of glory" to Abram, but it would not -appear that _Terah_ had received any such revelation from God. He is -presented to us rather as a hindrance to Abram than any thing else, -for until he died, Abram did not come into the land of Canaan--his -divinely appointed destination. - -Now, this circumstance, trivial as it may seem to a cursory reader, -confirms in the strongest manner the statement already advanced, -namely, that unless the call of God--the revelation from "the God of -glory" be _personally realized_, there can be no permanency or -steadiness in the Christian course. Had Terah realized that call, he -would neither have been a clog to Abram in his path of faith, nor yet -would he have dropped off, like a mere child of nature, ere reaching -the future land of promise. We get the same principle illustrated in -Laban afterward in Gen. xxiv. Laban, as some one has well observed, -was fully alive to the value of the gold and silver jewels which the -servant of Abraham had brought with him, but he had no heart to value -_the report_ concerning future things, which dropped from his lips. In -other words, he did not receive a revelation from "the God of glory," -and as a consequence, he remained, as the same writer has observed, -"_a thorough man of the world_." - -In the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, we are taught the same truth. -There were other persons with him when he was struck to the ground by -the lustre of the glory of the Lord Jesus; these persons "saw indeed -the light"--they witnessed many of the external circumstances which -had arrested the furious zealot; but as he himself states, "_they -heard not the voice of Him that spake_ TO ME." (Acts xxii. 9.) Here is -the grand point. The voice must speak "_to me_"--"the God of glory" -must appear "to me," ere I can take the place of a pilgrim and -stranger in the world, and perseveringly, "run the race that is set -before me." It is not _national faith_, nor _family faith_, but -_personal faith_ that will constitute us real witnesses for God in the -world. - -But when Abram was released from the clog which he had experienced in -the person of his father, he was enabled to enter with vigor and -decision upon the path of faith--a path which "flesh and blood" can -never tread--a thorny path beset with difficulties from first to last, -in which God alone can sustain the soul. "And Abram passed through the -land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. _And the -Canaanite was then in the land._ And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and -said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: _and there builded he an -altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him_." (Gen. xii. 6, 7.) Here -Abram at once takes his stand as _a worshiper_, in the face of "the -Canaanite." The altar marks him as one who, having been delivered from -the idols of Ur of the Chaldees, had been taught to bow before the -altar of the one true God, "who made heaven and earth." In the -following verse, we get the second grand feature in the character of -the man of faith, namely, "_the tent_," denoting strangership in the -world. "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a -_strange_ _country, dwelling in tabernacles_ with Isaac and Jacob, -_the heirs_ with him of the same _promise_." (Heb. xi. 9.) - -We shall have occasion to notice more fully, as we proceed, these two -important points in the life of Abraham, and shall therefore rest -satisfied for the present with establishing the fact that the tent and -the altar do most clearly present him to us as a _stranger_ and a -_worshiper_, and that as such, he was a man entirely separated from -the course of this evil world. - -Scarcely had Abram entered upon his course, when he had to encounter -one of those difficulties which have a special tendency to test the -genuineness of faith, both as to its quality and its object. "And -there was a famine in the land." The difficulty meets him in the very -place into which the Lord had called him. Now, it is no easy matter -when we perceive trial and sorrow, privation and difficulty awaiting -us, while walking in "the strait and narrow way," still to -persevere--still to pursue the onward path, and especially if we -observe within our reach, as Abram did, an entire exemption from the -particular trial under which we may be smarting. The men of this world -"are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued as other -men." This feeling is still further increased by the entire absence of -every thing, as far as sight is concerned, which could act as a -confirmation of our hope. Abram had not so much as to set his foot -upon--famine was raging around him on every side, _save in Egypt_. -Could he only find himself _there_, he would be able to live in ease -and abundance. - -Here, however, the man of faith must pursue the path of simple -obedience. God had said, "Get thee out of thy country ... unto a land -that I will show thee." Abram may, it is true, afterward discover that -obedience to this command will involve his abiding in a land where -nothing but starvation, apparently, awaits him. But even though it -should be so, God had not in any way qualified the command. No, the -word was simple and definite: "Into a land that _I_ will show thee." -This should have been as true and as binding upon Abram when famine -reigned around him, as when peace and abundance prevailed. Famine -should not, therefore, have induced him to leave the land, neither -should abundance have induced him to remain. The influential words -were, "I will show thee." - -But Abram leaves this land--he succumbs, for the moment, to the heavy -trial, and bends his footsteps down to Egypt, leaving behind him his -tent and altar. There he obtained ease and luxury; he escaped, no -doubt, the formidable trial under which he had suffered in the land of -promise; but he lost, for the time being, his worship and -strangership,--things which should ever be dearest to the heart of a -pilgrim. - -There is nothing in Egypt for Abram to feed upon as a spiritual man; -it might, and doubtless did, afford abundance for him as a natural -man, but that was all. Egypt would give nothing to Abram unless he -sacrificed his character both as a stranger and as a worshiper of God. -It is needless to observe that it is exactly so at this very hour. -There is plenty in the world upon which our old nature could feed most -luxuriously. There are the rich delights "of the flesh and of the -mind," and abundant means of gratifying the desires of the heart, but -what of all these, if the enjoyment thereof leads, as it must -necessarily do, right out of the path of faith--the path of simple -obedience. - -Here then is the question for the Christian: which shall I have, the -gold and silver, the flocks and herds--the present ease and affluence -of Egypt, or the tent and altar of "the land of promise"? Which shall -I have: the carnal ease and delight of the world, or a peaceful holy -walk with God _here_, and eternal blessedness and glory hereafter? We -cannot have both, for, "if _any man_ love the world, the love of the -Father is not in him." - -But, we may ask, why was it that Abram had to experience famine and -trial in the land of promise? Why did he not find a home and plenty -there? Simply because "the Canaanite and Perizzite dwelt then in the -land." (Chap. xiii. 7.) The land had not as yet been fitted up to be -the residence of God's redeemed ones. Abram's faith might have enabled -him to penetrate through the long and dreary period which should -intervene ere the promise could be consummated; but that very -principle of faith it was that made him "a pilgrim and a stranger." He -could wait for God's time, and until then remain without "so much as -to set his foot on." (Acts vii. 5.) So should it be now. - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -This beautiful chapter shows us the man of faith recovering himself, -through the faithfulness and loving-kindness of God, who never allows -such to wander far, or tarry long away. The gold and silver, the -flocks and herds of Egypt, could not long prove a satisfying portion -for Abram, while deprived of his tent and his altar, and he therefore -once more, in the renewed energy of faith rises, as it were, from the -dust of Egypt, and retraces his steps to the land of promise. Happy -recovery! Certain evidence of a fixed and honest purpose to serve the -Lord. "The ship may be tossed by the waves and the winds, but _the -magnet still points to the north_." - -But some expressions in the opening of this chapter confirm most fully -a thought already expressed, namely, that Abram gained nothing, "as -before God," by his visit to Egypt. Thus, for example, "Abram went on -his journeys ... unto the place where his tent had been _at the -beginning_, unto the place of the altar which he had made there _at -the first_." (Vers. 3, 4.) The words "beginning," and "at the first," -prove that Abram had made no progress while in Egypt, but that, while -there, all his time was, as it were, lost. No doubt he learnt a -wholesome lesson, and it is well when by our failures we learn to -distrust our own hearts, and dread the pernicious influence of the -world. Abram learnt that there could be no tent or altar in Egypt. It -is only faith that can enable a man to raise an altar or erect a tent, -but in Egypt all is sight and not faith, and hence, the moment Abram -set his foot there he ceased to show forth the genuine fruits of -faith--yea, the very principle which led him to leave the land of -promise, led him, at the same time, to relinquish his character as a -stranger and a worshiper. - -How forcibly are we here reminded of a proposal made long after this, -by a king of Egypt, to Abraham's seed. "And Pharaoh called for Moses -and Aaron, and said: Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land." (Ex. -viii. 25.) Thus, it would seem ever to have been the design of the -enemy to get the people of God, the holy seed, to defile themselves by -worshiping or sacrificing to God, _in the world_; i. e., to make their -character, as worshipers of God, accord with that of men of the -world--men holding a place in society where Christ is an outcast; -thus, of course, declaring that there is no difference between the -religion of the world and the religion of God--a truly fearful -delusion, calculated to lead many souls out of the way of truth and -holiness. - -It is most sad to hear, at times, those who surely ought to know -better, in order, as they say, to manifest a _liberal spirit_, -speaking of the religion of the world in all its multiplied forms, as -if it were all right; or, as if it were a matter of total indifference -whether we remained in communion with error or not. Oh, let us not be -deceived! God's principle of separation is as strong and as binding -to-day as it was in the days of Abram or Moses. "Come out from among -them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing," must hold -good as long as the "unclean thing" exists; nor can any outward form -alter the character--the true essential character of "the unclean -thing" so as to make it "a clean thing." - -Moses, then, was not liberal, in the above acceptation of the word, -for he at once refused to countenance the religion of the world. "It -is not meet so to do." Memorable words! Would that there were more -amongst us who, when invited to countenance the religion of the world, -would reply, "It is not meet so to do." Abram could not worship in -Egypt, neither could his seed. - -But Abram had more difficulties than one to encounter in his course. -The path which every man of faith is called to tread lies between two -dangerous extremes. One is the temptation to return to the world; the -other, to strive with brethren by the way. Abram had just recovered -himself from the effects of the former, and we have now to behold him -buffeting the latter. - -The moment Abram emerged from Egypt, he appeared in a special manner -to move under a new responsibility, namely, responsibility to his -brother to walk with him in harmony. While in Egypt, this -responsibility stood quite in the shade. The institutions--laws-- -habits--luxury and ease of Egypt, would in an eminent degree tend to -do away with every such feeling. All these things would have had the -effect of erecting barriers around each individual tending to prevent -him from recognizing the fact that he was his "brother's keeper." Nor -is it otherwise now. So long as we continue in the world--the -religious world, as it is termed--we shall find ourselves completely -relieved from the difficult task of being our "brother's keeper." -Those who advocate a continuance therein may deny this fact, but it is -all in vain, for Scripture and experience alike demonstrate it. Abram -and Lot _did not strive in Egypt_, and a religious establishment -presents this attraction at least--and it is by no means a feeble -one--it effectually prevents _brotherly collision_; and, of course, -where there is no collision there can be no strife--no dispute; where -collision takes place, there must be either grace to enable us to walk -in unity of mind, or strife and contention. But Egypt saps the very -springs of grace by leading us out of a place of simple dependence -upon the Lord, (for dependence ever genders grace and forbearance) and -because she does so, she, at the same time, teaches us, or attempts at -least to teach us, that we do not need grace, by leading us into a -sphere in which responsibility to brethren is never realized, thus the -need is not felt; weakness is mistaken for strength, folly for wisdom. - -When the Christian at first starts on his course, he fondly dreams of -nothing but perfection in his fellow Christians; but in this he soon -finds himself mistaken, for we have all our infirmities, and as the -apostle states, "In many things we offend all." But why, we may ask, -was there such a speedy development of infirmity upon their coming up -out of Egypt? Because they were now called to walk in the power of a -naked principle, without any of the props or barriers of Egypt. They -were called to walk by faith, and "faith worketh by love." - -Now "the Canaanite," etc., "was then in the land." This should have -acted as a hindrance to any strife between "_brethren_," for the -Canaanite cannot understand anything about the infirmities of -believers, and he therefore puts all their failure down to some defect -in the principle professed. - -But in every strife between brethren, there must be fault somewhere. -In the contention between Paul and Barnabas there was fault somewhere. -Nor can we be at any loss to decide where it lay. Barnabas wished to -take _his relative_ with him, but this relative had before proved -himself unfit, or at least unwilling, to "endure hardness," therefore -it could not have been with a single eye to the Lord's work that -Barnabas desired his company. The Lord Himself, too, at once takes -Paul's side of the question by providing him with a dear son and -fellow-laborer, in the person of Timothy, with whom he had "none -like-minded." - -So it is exactly in the case before us. We can have no hesitation in -asserting that Lot was the man in error here. Lot does not appear to -have fully got rid of the spirit of the world, and where there is this -spirit predominating in any one he will ever find the path of faith -too strait for him to walk in, and so it was, "They could not dwell -together." - -If, then, it be asked on what grounds one would pronounce Lot to have -been in the wrong? The answer is, first, Lot's subsequent conduct; -and, second, the Lord's dealings with Abram, "after that Lot was -separated from him." - -What then did Lot do? "_He lifted up his eyes._" This is ever our mode -of acting when not under the direct power of faith. Whenever we lift -up our eyes without divine direction, we are sure to go wrong. I say, -without divine direction, for we find the Lord afterwards directing -Abram to lift up his eyes, but then that was totally different from -Lot's act, which was simply the suggestion of mere human wisdom and -foresight. Human wisdom and foresight, however, can never assist our -progress as men of faith--no, quite the reverse; human wisdom will -ever suggest things which, if acted upon, will lead us right athwart -the path of a man of faith. Therefore Lot, in lifting up his eyes, -could not penetrate beyond the "things that are seen and temporal." -Such was the utmost bound of his range of vision. The things on which -his eyes rested were those with which he had been conversant while in -Egypt, as we read, "He beheld all the plain of Jordan that it was well -watered every where ... _like the land of Egypt_." (10.) Here we -observe that Lot had never been really detached in heart and affection -from Egypt--he had never learnt the vanity and unsatisfactoriness of -all her resources in the light of a better order of things--he had -never contrasted her with that "_city which hath foundations_, whose -builder and maker is God"--in a word, he "having put his hand to the -plow," was now beginning "to look back," and thus to prove himself -"unfit for the kingdom of heaven." - -There is a striking notice of all this afforded in the opening verse -of this chapter, "Abram went up out of Egypt and _Lot with him_." Here -we get the secret of Lot's after instability. He appears to have gone -up rather _with Abram_ than _with God_, and the consequence was that, -when he parted with Abram, he had nothing to lean upon. He had been -hitherto moving under Abram's protection and guidance instead of being -directly before the Lord, and therefore when he lost Abram he went -astray. - -Now then is the moment for Abram to "lift up his eyes," at the Lord's -command, and oh, what a different range of vision was his! While Lot -could not penetrate beyond the narrow limits of the present scene, -Abram was enabled to survey the length and breadth of God's -inheritance. He soars on the strong and rapid pinion of faith, and is, -as it were, lost in the unbounded beneficence of God; while Lot, the -man walking by sight, is well-nigh lost in the deep gulf of Sodom's -corruption. - -Let us then, ere we enter upon the next chapter, take a view of the -different circumstances of these two men who had started together. -"Lot lifted up his eyes," and the prospect on which they rested was, -as might be expected, such as suited his natural desires, -"well-watered plains," which, however fair in man's view, were -nevertheless, in the sight of the Lord, filled with exceeding -wickedness. (Comp. vers. 10 and 14.) Abram, on the contrary, had -allowed his eye to wander over the length and breadth of the -_promised_ inheritance--uninfluenced by all else, he viewed the -portion which God was _reserving_ for him and his seed, and took up -his position accordingly. - -Thus do we find Lot in the unhallowed region of Sodom; and Abram--the -pilgrim and stranger, with his tent and altar--"in the plain of Mamre, -which is in Hebron." - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -Here we have a very minute account of a battle fought by "four kings -with five," and we may ask, What connection had this strife between -"the potsherds of the earth," with the history of the people of God? -With Abram indeed none, in one sense, for _he_ was outside it all. -_His tent_ marked him as a stranger to all these things--it marked him -as one to whom the battle of "four kings with five" would be a matter -of very trivial moment. And then his altar marked him as one whose -pursuits were quite of another character, even a heavenly. His tent -showed him to be a stranger on earth--his altar showed him to be at -home in heaven. Happy man! Happy pilgrim! who could thus from his high -elevation, even the lofty watch-tower of faith, look down, as a -passer-by, upon the battle fields of an evil world. It mattered not to -Abram whether the laurel of victory were about to wreath the brow of -the king of Sodom, or of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; his portion was -not in danger through their strife, because he had it in that place -"where thieves _do not_ break through and steal." - -But, though it was the happy lot of Abram to have his being and his -portion in a place where wars could have no influence, yet such was -not the case with his more worldly-minded brother. His position was -such as to place him in the midst of the strife, and consequently the -issue of this battle could not fail to be of the deepest moment to -him. If the child of God will stoop so low as to mix himself up with -the world, he must calculate upon being made a participator in its -convulsions, and woe be to that man who shall have his portion in the -world in that day (now fast approaching) when all things shall be -shaken by the mighty hand of God in judgment. - -I would here observe that what has ever made the history of nations -and the movements of mighty kings and conquerors, matters of interest -to the Holy Spirit, has been the connection of such things with the -history of the people of God. Beyond this they possessed nothing of -moment to Him. He could find no pleasure in dwelling upon the abstract -history of man. The busy strife and tumult of nations--the fierce -contests of ungodly tyrants grasping after power--the movements of -armies, could not attract the notice of the Spirit of peace; -nevertheless, when such things became, in the least degree, connected -with the history of a "righteous soul," the Holy Ghost can be most -minute in detailing the circumstances of a battle, as is observable in -the case under consideration. - -What then were the results of this contest to Lot? Ruin to him and his -family. He was made prisoner and all his goods were taken. (Ver. 12.) -He had laid up treasure for himself upon earth, and the thieves had -broken through; and thus, while Abram was above it all, in the -power--the separating power of communion with God, _he_ found himself -a prisoner and a beggar. He had sown to the flesh, and of the flesh he -must now "reap corruption." - -But this was just the moment for Abram to show himself in the powerful -activities of love. He had, as above observed, hitherto surveyed with -calm indifference these movements of "kings and their armies," but the -very same faith which had made him indifferent about the strifes of -men, made him quick to take cognizance of a _brother_ in distress. -Faith not only purifies the heart from worldly and carnal desires, but -it also "works by love," as is powerfully shown in Abram's case, for -"when Abram saw that _his brother_ was taken captive he armed his -trained servants," etc. (Ver. 14.) - -Now, it is to be observed that it is in the hour of distress and -difficulty that the relationship _of brother_ gets the prominent -place. In days of unruffled peace, Lot might be known to Abram as "his -brother's son," but now he was in sorrow, and therefore the claims of -brotherhood act, and act powerfully and effectually. - -We are now called to witness a deeply interesting scene. Abram himself -is about to meet a temptation--a temptation at once repulsed indeed by -the power of God in him, but nevertheless, a temptation. The king of -Sodom was about to come forth to display his treasures before the eye -of Abram, and he had by nature a heart to value those treasures. - -That man knows not his own heart who could say that the world does not -present many--very many attractions to the natural heart. There is a -species of misanthropy which looks like elevation above the world, but -which, after all, is not it. The Cynic philosopher Diogenes, when he -told Alexander to get out of his sunshine, was as proud and as worldly -a man as Alexander himself. The only true and real way in which to be -separated from, and elevated above, the world, is by the knowledge of -heavenly things, and Abram was led, through the mercy of God, into -that knowledge. - -But the victory obtained by Abram, was not owing to any power in -himself. He had, as I have observed, a heart to value the things which -the enemy had to give him; and, therefore, if he triumphed, it was -through the operation of a power outside himself. In all this -transaction, the One who had watched over His dear servant during the -dark season of his sojourn in Egypt, and who, moreover, had, by that -very sojourn, taught him a lesson as to the true character of the -world, was now closely observing his ways, and making preparations for -his relief; He was cognizant of the movements and designs of the -enemy, from first to last, and He therefore prepares to supply a -heavenly antidote to nullify his poison. - -It is particularly worthy of observation that between the time at -which the king of Sodom went forth to meet Abram, and that wherein he -made the proposal to him with reference to "the persons and the -goods," there is a remarkable character introduced, namely, -Melchizedek. This stranger, commissioned by God, was on his way to -fortify Abram's heart at the very moment when the enemy was on his way -to attack (Comp. ver. 17, 18, and 21). Now, why did not, "the priest -of the Most High God" come to meet Abram before? Because this was the -very moment in which Abram most needed the strength which he had to -bring. The enemy was about to display his gilded bait before the eye -of the man of God, and therefore is Melchizedek at hand to display in -his view the divine realities of the kingdom. He was about to feed and -strengthen his soul with the "bread," and cheer him with the "wine," -of the kingdom, in order that, "in the strength of that meat" he might -mount above the influence of all the allurements of the world. From -all this we may learn that it is communion with the joys and glories -of the kingdom that can alone cause the heart to reject the pollutions -of the world. - -Reader, upon what are _you_ now feeding? What constitutes your -habitual food? Is it "the bread and wine" which the Lord provides, or -"the goods" of Sodom? Are your ears open to the pernicious suggestions -of the _King of Sodom_, or to the heavenly communications of the _King -of Salem_? The Lord grant that our hearts may ever choose that in -which He delights. - -But to proceed, Melchizedek leads Abram's soul into present communion -with "THE MOST HIGH GOD, THE POSSESSOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH," and thus -completes the wondrous contrast between "the King of Sodom" and "the -Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth,"--"the goods of Sodom" -and the extensive possessions of heaven and earth. Blessed contrast, -which faith ever draws! It is needless to say that Abram at once -rejects the offer of the King of Sodom. The bread and wine, and the -benediction of "the priest of the Most High God," had raised Abram to -such a height that he could, in one comprehensive glance, take in the -vast possessions of heaven and earth, and further, look down from -thence upon the despicable proposal of the King of Sodom and reject -it. Melchizedek had just said, "the Most High God, the possessor of -heaven and earth," and Abram had laid hold on these words and made use -of them in his reply to the adversary. "I have lifted up my hand," -said he, "to the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and -earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and -that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, -I have made Abram rich" (vers. 22, 23). - -Abram appears to breathe the very atmosphere of the presence of Him, -"who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out -heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a -measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a -balance, in whose sight the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are -counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold! he taketh up the -isles as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, -nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering. All nations -before Him are as nothing, and they are counted to Him as less than -nothing and vanity." (Isa. xl. 12, 15-18.) - -And surely, we may say, it was only thus that Abram could triumph; and -let no one who moves not, in some measure, in the same sphere, affect -to despise the world--nothing can be more truly vain. There must be -the experimental acquaintance with _the_ better thing--the fondly -cherished hope of "_good things to come_"--ere we can obtain full -victory over present things, and our own worldly desires. "Ye took -joyfully the spoiling of your goods, _knowing in yourselves_ that ye -have in _heaven a better and an enduring substance_" (Heb. x. 34). If -we are really waiting for the manifestation of the glory, we shall be -found standing apart from everything which will be judged in that day: -and it is written, "Yet once more, I shake not the earth only but also -heaven; and this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those -things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things -which cannot be shaken may remain" (Heb. xii. 26, 27). - -We have, in the last verse of our truly interesting chapter, a happy -feature in the character of the true man of faith. Abram would not -force others to walk according to his elevated standard. Although _he_ -might be able to reject, in the most unreserved manner, the offers of -the king of Sodom, yet _others_ might not be able to do so, and -therefore he says, with regard to "Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, _let them_ -take _their portion_." Our walk should ever be "according as God hath -dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. xii. 3). We have seen, -in our own day, many persons led, at the outset, to give up a variety -of worldly things, and afterwards plunge still deeper into those -things; and why? Because they acted through mere excitement or human -influence, and were not able to say with Abram, "_I have lift up my -hand unto the Lord_." - - -CHAPTER XV. - -In the opening verse of this chapter, we have a principle fraught with -comfort and encouragement to us--a principle eminently calculated to -call out into full exercise a spirit of true devotedness to the Lord. -We observe here, the Lord's grace in acknowledging and accepting the -sacrifice laid upon His altar--the willing offering of the devoted -heart of His servant. Our God is never slow in owning such things, nor -in rewarding them a hundredfold. Abram had just been manifesting a -spirit of self-denial in refusing the attractive offers of the King -of Sodom. He had refused to be enriched from such a source, and had -taken "the Most High God" for his portion and his reward, therefore -the Lord comes forth to confirm the soul of his servant with these -words, "Fear not, Abram, I AM thy shield, and thy exceeding great -reward." "God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labor of love" -(Heb. vi. 10). A similar principle is presented to us in chapter xiii. -where Abram is seen giving way to Lot, in the matter of choosing the -land. Abram's whole anxiety in that matter was about the Lord's honor, -as maintained in the harmonious walk of "_brethren_" before the -"Canaanite and the Perizzite." "Let there be no strife," says he, -"between me and thee ... _for we be brethren_." Nor did Abram desire -to suppress the strife, by _exacting concessions_ from Lot. No; he was -willing to concede everything himself--to surrender every claim--to -sacrifice every advantage, provided the strife were suppressed. "Is -not the _whole land_ before thee?" _Take_ what you please--possess -yourself of the fairest spot in all the region round about. Here, as -some one has observed, is the liberality--the unselfishness of faith. -What was land to Abram in comparison with the Lord's glory? Nothing. -He could give up anything, or everything, for that. How then does the -Lord meet this self-sacrifice on the part of His servant? Just as He -does in this xv. chapter, by coming in, in the plenitude of His -goodness, to make it up to him a hundredfold. "Lift up _now_ thine -eyes ... for _all the land which thou seest_ to thee will I give it, -and to thy seed after thee" (xiii. 14, 15). How truly gracious it is -of the Lord to enable His servant to make a sacrifice for Him, and -then reward that sacrifice by a vast increase of blessing. Such are -His ways--His ever adorable ways. - -We are now called to trace in Abram the development of a feature -which, in a special manner, demonstrates the high order of his -communion with God. After all God's revelations and promises to him, -his soul still breathes after an object without which all besides was -defective. True, he had surveyed, with the eye of faith, the promised -inheritance--the magnificent gift of divine benevolence; yet, -notwithstanding all this, was there a great desideratum--a mighty -blank. He sighed for a SON. A son _alone_ could render complete, in -Abram's estimation, all his previous privileges. "And Abram said, Lord -God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and _the steward -of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus_. And Abram said, Behold to me -thou hast given no seed: and lo, _one born in my house_ is mine heir" -(vers. 2, 3). Now, we have, in tracing the path of this remarkable -man, beheld him, at times, displaying some very noble features of -character. His generosity--his high elevation of mind--his -pilgrim-like habits--all these things denote a man of the very highest -order; yet I hesitate not to say, that we find him, in the passage -just quoted, exhibiting a temper of soul, more in harmony with the -mind of heaven than anything we have met hitherto. Abram desired to -have his house enlivened by the cry of a child. He had been long -enough conversant with the spirit of bondage breathed by "the steward -of his house," but the titles of _lord_ and _master_, though all very -good in their place, could not satisfy the heart of Abram, for Abram -had been taught of God, and God ever instructs His children in those -things which He loves, and which He exhibits in His dealings with -them. And I would just observe, in connection with this, that we see -in the case of the prodigal in Luke xv., the development of a -principle very much in connection with what we have been saying. He -says, in the very midst of all his misery "I will arise and go unto my -Father, and will say unto him, _Father_." Here we have a fine feature -in the character of this poor wanderer. He had such a sense of the -grace of him against whom he had sinned, that he could yet say -"_Father_" notwithstanding his long course of rebellion and folly. - -But let us observe with what accuracy Abram lays hold of the great -principle afterwards brought out by the Spirit in Romans viii. "_If -children, then heirs._" Abram felt that sonship and heirship were -inseparably connected, so much so, that without the former the latter -could not be. This is the meaning of his question, "Lord God, what -wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house -is this Eliezer of Damascus?" Abram rightly judged that to have "_no -seed_" was to have _no inheritance_, for the word is, not if _stewards -or servants_, then heirs, but "if _children_, then heirs" (Rom. viii. -17). - -How very important it is that we should ever bear in mind, that all -our present privileges and future prospects stand connected with our -character as "_sons_." It may be all well and very valuable, in its -right place, to realize our responsibility to act as "faithful and -wise stewards," in the absence of our Master; still the most ample -privileges--the highest enjoyments--the brightest glories, which -belong to us through the grace and mercy of our God, stand intimately -connected with our character and place as "_sons_." (Comp. John i. 12; -Rom. viii. 14, 19; 1 John iii. 1, 2; Eph. i. 5; v. 1; Heb. xii. 5.) - -In the vision presented to us in the close of our chapter, and which -was granted to Abram as an answer to his question, "Lord God, whereby -shall I know that I shall inherit it?" we have a further illustration -of the teaching of Romans viii. Abram is taught by the vision, that -the _inheritance_ was only to be reached through _suffering_--that -_the heirs_ must pass through _the furnace_, previous to their -entering upon the enjoyment of that which God was reserving for them; -and I doubt not that, were we more deeply and experimentally taught in -the divine life, we should more fully apprehend the moral fitness of -such training. Suffering then, is not connected, in this chapter, with -_sonship_, but with _heirship_; and so we are taught in Romans viii. -"If children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, -if so be that _we suffer_ with Him, that we may be also _glorified_ -together." Again, we must, "through much _tribulation_, enter into the -kingdom of God" (Acts xiv. 22). The Lord Jesus Himself, likewise, -stands as the great illustration of the principle upon which we are -dwelling. He occupied the place and enjoyed the favor of a Son from -before all worlds, (Prov. viii.) yet ere He could lay His hand upon -the inheritance He must pass through suffering. He had a baptism to be -baptized with, and was straitened ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}) until it was -accomplished. So also when He remembered that "a corn of wheat must -fall into the ground and die," or else abide _alone_, His soul was -"_troubled_." Now, we are to "know Him in the fellowship of His -sufferings," before we can know Him in the fellowship of His glory; -hence it is that the palmed multitude mentioned in Revelation vii. had -to pass through "great tribulation" ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PSI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}) ere -they reached their peaceful, heavenly home. Passages of Scripture might -be multiplied in proof of this point, but I will merely refer to the -following, viz.--Phil. i. 29; 1 Thess. iii. 4; 2 Thess. i. 5; 1 Tim. -iv. 10; 2 Tim. ii. 12; 1 Peter v. 10. - -But, in this remarkable vision, there are two points which, as they -appear prominently in the whole of Israel's after history, deserve to -be particularly noticed. I allude to "the smoking furnace, and the -burning lamp." (ver. 17.) It has been well observed, by a recent -writer, that Israel's history might be summed up in these two words, -"the furnace and the lamp." Egypt was a trying furnace to the seed of -Abraham. There the fire burned fiercely, but it was soon followed by -"the burning lamp" of God's own deliverance. The cry of the suffering -seed had come up into the ears of Jehovah. He had heard their -groanings and seen their afflictions, and had come down to display -above their heads "the lamp" of salvation. "I am come down to deliver -them," said He to Moses. Satan might take delight in kindling the -furnace, and in adding to its intensity, but the blessed God, on the -other hand, ever delighted in letting the rays of His lamp fall upon -the dark path of His suffering heirs. So, when Jehovah had, in the -faithfulness of His love, brought them into the land of Canaan, they -again and again, kindled a furnace by their sins and iniquities; He, -as frequently, raised up deliverers in the persons of the judges which -were as so many lamps of deliverance to them. Further, when by their -aggravated rebellion, they were plunged into the furnace kindled at -Babylon, even there we observe the glimmerings of "the burning lamp," -and finally it shone out for their full deliverance, in the decree of -Cyrus. - -Now, the Lord was constantly reminding the children of Israel of the -above truth. He says to them, "But the Lord hath taken you, and -brought you forth out of the _iron furnace_." (Deut. iv. 20; 1 Kings -viii. 51.) Again, "Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of -this covenant, which I commanded your fathers, in the day that I -brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from _the iron furnace_." -(Jer. xi. 3, 4.) - -Finally, we may ask, are the seed of Abraham now suffering in the -furnace, or are they enjoying the lamp of God?--for they must be -experiencing either the one or the other--the furnace, assuredly. They -are scattered over the face of the earth as a proverb and a byword, a -reproach and a hissing among all the nations of the earth. Thus are -they in the iron furnace. But, as it has ever been, "the burning lamp" -will assuredly follow "the smoking furnace," for "all Israel shall be -saved; as it is written, there shall come out of Sion _the Deliverer_, -and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." (Isa. lix. 20; Rom. xi. -26.) - -Thus we see how that Israel's eventful history has all along stood -connected with the smoking furnace and the burning lamp, here seen in -vision by Abram. They are either presented to us in the furnace of -affliction, through their own sin, or enjoying the fruits of God's -salvation; and even at this moment, when, as has been already -observed, they are manifestly in the furnace, we can witness the -fulfillment of God's promise, so often repeated, "And unto his son -will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a _lamp_ -(margin) always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen -Me to put My name there." (1 Kings xi. 36; xv. 14; 2 Kings viii. 19; -Psalm cxxxii. 17.) If it be asked where does this lamp shine now? Not -on earth, for Jerusalem, the place of its earthly display, is "trodden -down of the Gentiles," but the eye of faith can behold it shining with -undimmed lustre "in the true tabernacle," where it will continue to -shine "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;" and then, when -the furnace, seen in this chapter by Israel's great progenitor, shall -have been heated to the very highest degree of intensity, when the -blood of Israel's tribes shall flow like water round the walls of -Jerusalem, even then, shall the blessed lamp come forth from the place -where it now shines, and cast its cheering rays upon the dark path of -the oppressed and sorrowing remnant, bringing to mind those -oft-illustrated words, "O ISRAEL, THOU HAST DESTROYED THYSELF; BUT IN -ME IS THY HELP."[3] - - [3] I would refer the reader to the following scriptures in - confirmation of what has been above advanced on the subject of "the - lamp."--Ex. xxvii. 20; 2 Sam. xxii. 29; Ps. cxix. 105; Prov. vi. 23; - xiii. 9; Isa. lxii. 1. - - -CHAPTERS XVI., XVII. - -These two chapters give us an account of Abram's effort to obtain the -promised seed by hearkening to the voice of his wife, and also of -God's mode of teaching him the unprofitableness of such an appeal to -the mere energy of nature as that which his effort involved. - -At the very opening of Abram's course we find his faith put to the -test in the matter of the famine, but here we find him tried in quite -another way, a way moreover, which involved a far higher exercise of -faith and spiritual power. "His own body now dead and the deadness of -Sarah's womb;" although, in the main, "he considered them not," must -have acted upon his mind to a considerable extent. - -Now, as in the case of the famine already alluded to, Egypt was at -hand, holding out a refuge from anxiety as to present supply, so here, -"_an Egyptian maid_,"--one of those maid-servants, doubtless, which -Abram had gotten during his sojourn in that evil place--was presented -to him as a relief in the time of anxiety touching the promised seed. -"_Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai._" - -But why introduce the element of bondage into his house? Why did not -Abram's mind shrink from the thought of "the bondwoman and her son" as -much as it had shrunk from the thought of "the steward of his house?" -Might not the question, "Lord, what wilt thou give me," be asked in -connection with one as well as the other? Surely it was as much -opposed to the divine economy to grant the inheritance to the seed of -"_a bondwoman_," as to a "_servant_." In either case it would be an -allowance of the claims of nature, which cannot be. - -The principles involved in this act of Abram's are fully laid open to -us in the inspired commentary given in the Epistle to the Galatians. -There we read, "Abram had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other -by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the -flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an -allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the Mount -Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is -Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is -in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, -which is the mother of us all." (chap. iv. 22-26.) - -The churches of Galatia had been led away from the simplicity and -liberty of Christ and had returned to "_the flesh_." They were -beginning to substitute religious ceremonies for the energies of the -Spirit of Christ. Hence it is that the Apostle, in the course of his -reasoning with them on their unhappy movement, refers to the matter -recorded in our chapters, and the way in which he expounds it to them -renders it unnecessary to dwell longer upon it. This step of Abram's -only "gendered to bondage;" it introduced an unhealthy and an unhappy -element into his house which, as we shall see when we proceed further -with our subject, he had to expel ere he could reach the highest point -of elevation in his course. - -In chapter xvii. we have God's remedy presented to us, and most -consolatory it is to observe how the Blessed One at once comes in in -order to lead back His servant to the _simple_ yet _difficult_ -position of faith in Himself--simple, because therein we have but _one -object_ with which to be occupied--difficult, because therein we have -to contend against the workings of "an evil heart of unbelief," -leading us to "depart from the living God." - -"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to -Abram and said unto him, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD; _walk before_ ME, _and -be thou perfect_." Here was at once the effectual cure for all -impatient anxiety. "_I am Almighty_"--I can quicken the dead--I can -call those things that be not as though they were--I can, if needs be, -raise up of stones, children unto you--no flesh shall glory in My -presence. "I am Almighty, walk before Me and be thou perfect." - -It is perhaps one of the finest principles with which the mind can be -occupied, that our God desires that He may ever be learnt, in the -variety of His perfections, by the need of His people. We have already -met a striking illustration of this important principle, in the matter -of Abram's conflict with the king of Sodom, in chapter xiv. There, -when Abram was tempted by the offers of the enemy, he found relief in -the apprehension of God's character as "the Most High God, the -possessor of heaven and earth." The character of the communion into -which Melchizedek led the soul of Abram was suited to the -circumstances in which he stood. So is it exactly in this 17th -chapter. Communion with God as "the Almighty" was the sole remedy for -impatient anxiety as to the fulfillment of any promise. - -Now, when once the Lord exhibits Himself in His character of -"Almighty," there can be no obstacle whatsoever to the outflow of His -grace; for, when almighty power and almighty grace combine in behalf -of the sinner, faith may count upon a rich and an abundant harvest. - -The promises, therefore, with which this chapter abounds are just such -as we might have expected. "I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I -will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I -will establish my covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee -in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto -thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy -seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of -Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." -(xvii. 6-8.) Surely these are promises which _almighty grace_ alone -could utter, _almighty power_ alone fulfill. - -The above promises stand connected with "the covenant of circumcision" -which is specially important as looked at in connection with Abram's -effort to obtain the seed otherwise than by the operations of God's -own hand. It would be profitable to dwell for a little upon the -doctrine of this covenant of circumcision but my design in taking up -this history, is not by any means to handle it in a doctrinal way, but -rather to draw from it some of those valuable principles of a -decidedly practical tendency with which it so richly abounds; and -therefore I pass rapidly over chapters xvi., xvii. which contain a -mine of precious doctrinal truth quite sufficient to occupy a separate -treatise.[4] - - [4] I would observe here that the doctrine of the Epistle to the - Galatians stands intimately connected with chap. xvi., xvii., and I - might add, the important doctrine of Israel's future restoration. We - also get the doctrine of justification by faith fully illustrated in - chap. xv. - -Ere closing my observations on this section of our narrative, I would -add that it is _faith_ alone which can enable one to listen, as -Abraham here does, to the promises of Almighty God, and when faith -listens, God will surely continue to speak. Abram here gets his name -changed to Abraham, and the Lord unfolds to him the future greatness -and number of his seed, while Abraham hearkens in the unquestioning -silence of faith. But when the "Almighty God" goes on to say with -reference to Sarai, "As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her -name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and -give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a -mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." (vers. 15, 16.) -He is at once overwhelmed by the pledges of such marvelous power and -grace to be exercised towards him. They exceeded anything he had as -yet known, and "Abraham fell on his face." This is very instructive. -Abraham with his face in the dust, overcome by the plenitude of -almighty power and grace! Surely, we may say, while dwelling upon such -a scripture as this, it is only _faith_ that can rightly entertain the -"_Almighty God_," it _alone_ can give Him His due and proper place and -honor Him as He should be honored. When the Almighty displays Himself, -_self_ must be excluded, hence we find that _Abram_ is set aside in -all this--_Sarai_ is lost sight of--"_the bondwoman and her son_" are, -for the moment, put far out of view, and nothing is seen but "the -Almighty God" in the sovereignty and fulness of His grace and power, -and the faith that could lie prostrate in the dust, in silent -adoration of such a display of the divine glories. - -How different is this from the preceding chapter! There we find Abram -hearkening to the suggestion of Sarai his wife, with regard to the -bondwoman--here we find him hearkening to the voice of Jehovah, as -Almighty, who is about to quicken the dead womb of Sarah, and to call -those things that be not as though they were, that no flesh might -glory in His presence. There it is Abram and Sarai _without God_--here -it is God _without Abram and Sarai_. In a word, there it is -_flesh_--here it is spirit--there it is _sight_--here it is _faith_. -Wondrous contrast! Exactly similar to that afterwards displayed by the -Apostle to the churches of Galatia, when he sought to restore them -from the sad influence of "the beggarly elements" of the flesh and the -world, to the full liberty wherewith Christ had made them free. - - -CHAPTERS XVIII., XIX. - -I class these two chapters together because, like those we have just -been considering, they furnish us with a contrast--a contrast most -marked and striking between the position occupied by Abraham in -chapter xviii., and that occupied by Lot in chapter xix. - -The Lord Jesus when asked by Judas, not Iscariot, "how is it that thou -wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world?" replied, "If a -man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and -We will come unto him and make our abode with him." (John xiv. 23.) -Again, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My -voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with -him, and he with Me." (Rev. iii. 20.) Now, Abraham furnishes us with -an exceedingly happy exemplification of the truth stated in the above -passages. "The Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and He -sat in _the tent door_ in the heat of the day." (chap. xviii. 1.) Here -we find Abraham again in the full exhibition of his stranger -character. _Mamre_ and _the tent_ are associated in our minds with the -day of his triumph over the king of Sodom. Abraham is still a stranger -and a pilgrim "dwelling in tabernacles." The revelation made unto him -by the Almighty God had not altered the tone of his character in this -respect, but had rather imparted fresh vigor and energy thereto. A -simple dependence upon the promise of the Almighty God was the most -effectual means of maintaining him in his stranger condition. - -Now, it is, in the very highest degree, instructive to see the honor -here put upon the character and condition of the stranger. Throughout -the wide range of the world there was just _one spot_ in which the -Lord could accept the rites of hospitality and make Himself at home, -and that was in _the tent of_ "_a pilgrim and stranger_." The Lord -would not honor the sumptuous halls and princely palaces of Egypt -with His presence. No. All His sympathies and all His affections hung -around the stranger of Mamre, who was the only one who, in the midst -of an evil world, could be induced to take God for his portion. - -What a season of enjoyment it must have been to Abraham while those -heavenly strangers sat with him and partook of the offerings of his -generous heart. Mark how he calls forth into action all the energies -of his house to do honor to his guests. He hastens from the tent to -the field, and from the field to the tent again, and seems to lose -sight of himself in his effort to make others happy. - -Nor is it merely by partaking of Abraham's hospitality that the Lord -gives expression to the high estimation in which He holds him; He -renews His promise to him with regard to the son--He opens up His -counsels to him with reference to Sodom. "Shall I," says He, "hide -from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely -become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth -shall be blessed in him? _For I know him_, that he will command his -children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of -the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon -Abraham that which He hath spoken of him." (vers. 17-19.) - -Here Abraham is seen as "_the friend of God_." "The servant knoweth -not what his lord doeth," but Abraham was made acquainted with what -the Lord was about to do to Sodom, while Lot--the one who was so -deeply interested in the solemn event--was left in profound ignorance -about it. - -How then does Abraham make use of his favored position? Does he use it -to strengthen more fully, and place on a firmer basis, the future -interests of his house? Surely the natural heart would at once have -prompted him to make such a use of his present advantage in the matter -of nearness to Jehovah. Does he use it thus? Nay. Abraham had learnt -too much of the ways of God to act in a way savoring so much of the -selfishness of a heartless world. But, even had he thought of such a -thing, he had no need to utter a syllable on the subject, for "_the -Almighty God_" had most amply satisfied his heart with regard to the -everlasting interests of his house--He had fixed it upon such a -foundation that an anxious thought would have evidenced a complete -want of moral order in Abraham's soul. He therefore entertained not a -thought about himself or his house, but like a genuine man of faith, -_he takes advantage of his place in the presence of God to intercede -for a brother, whose worldliness had plunged him into the very midst -of that place which was about to be given over to everlasting -destruction_. "And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy -the righteous with the wicked?" (ver. 23.) "_The righteous!_" to whom -can he allude? Can it be to the man who had so deliberately turned -aside out of the path of faith to take up his abode at Sodom? Yes; he -speaks of Lot--he calls him "_righteous_,"--he speaks of him in the -very same terms as the Spirit in the apostle afterward speaks of him -when he calls him a "righteous soul." Abraham, therefore, was taught -of God when he could recognize in the man surrounded by all the -pollution of Sodom "a righteous soul."[5] - - [5] Although I consider Lot the principal object in Abraham's mind, - while interceding before the Lord, I do not forget that there is - mention made of "fifty," etc. - -I doubt not it will be admitted by every one taught of God that the -conduct of Abraham in this chapter, furnishes us with one of the most -important results of a holy and separated walk. We observe in it a man -pleading with God in a most urgent strain for one who had turned his -back upon him, and selected Sodom as the place of his abode. How -completely must Abraham's soul have been lifted above "the things that -are seen" when he could thus forget "the strife" and the departure, -worldliness and evil of Lot, and plead for him still as "a righteous -soul." If Abraham appears as "the _friend_ of God" under other -circumstances and other scenes, surely he is here seen as the _child_ -of God exhibiting most sweetly those principles which he had learnt in -communion with his heavenly Father. - -We shall now leave Abraham, for a little, enjoying his happy place -before the Lord, while we contemplate the last sad scene in the life -of one who seems to have valued the things of this life more highly -than was consistent with the character of "a stranger and pilgrim" or -"a righteous soul." - -From the time that the separation took place between Abraham and Lot, -the former seems to have proceeded "from strength to strength;" while -the latter, on the contrary, seems to have proceeded only downwards, -from one stage of weakness to another, until we find him, at the -close, making shipwreck of everything, and merely "escaping with his -life." The loss of all his goods in the battle between the "four kings -and five" does not seem to have had any effect upon the mind of Lot in -the way of teaching him the evil of being mixed up with the world; -yea, he seems to have become more deeply involved in worldliness after -that event than he had been before; for, at the first, he merely -"pitched his tent _towards_ Sodom" (chap. xiii. 12); but now we find -him sitting "in the gate" (chap. xix. 1), which, as we know, was then -the place of honor. When once a man has put his hand to the plow if he -begin to look back, we have been told by Him who cannot err, that "he -is not _fit_ for the kingdom of God." Nor is it possible to count upon -the fearful lengths to which a man may go when once the world, in any -one of its varied aspects, has taken possession of his heart, or when -once he has begun to turn his back upon the people of God. The -terrible declension spoken of in Hebrews x., which stops not short of -"trampling under foot the Son of God," has its beginning in the -apparently simple act of "forsaking the assembling of ourselves -together." How needful, therefore, it is that we should take heed to -our ways, and watch the avenues of our hearts and minds, lest any evil -thing should get dominion over us, which, however trivial in itself, -might lead to the most appalling results. - -Now, it strikes me, that we have in the circumstance presented to us -in the opening of chapter xix. the full evidence of Lot's fallen -condition. The Lord Himself does not appear at all. He remains at a -distance from the unholy place, and merely sends _His angels_ to -execute His commission upon the devoted city of Sodom. The angels, -too, exhibit all the symptoms of distance and strangership--they -refuse to go into Lot's house when invited, saying, "_Nay, but we will -abide in the street all night_." True, they subsequently enter into -his house; but, if they do so, it is not so much to enjoy refreshment -as to counteract the sad effects of Lot's wrong circumstances. How -different was the scene at Lot's house from that which they had so -lately witnessed at the tent of the stranger of Mamre! The tumult of -the men of Sodom--to whom, notwithstanding all their ungodly deeds and -ungodly speeches, Lot applies the title of "_brethren_"--the evident -embarrassment of Lot at being discovered in such painful -circumstances--the shocking proposal which he is constrained to make -in order to screen his guests from the violence of the ungodly men of -Sodom--the struggle at the door, and Lot's danger--all these things -must have shocked the heavenly strangers, and stood in marked contrast -with the holy peace and retirement of Abraham's tent, together with -his own calm and dignified demeanor throughout the scene. Well might -those angels have been astonished to find "a righteous soul" in such a -place, when he could have enjoyed, in company with his separated -brother, the peaceful and holy joys of his steady and consistent -course. - -But the time had now arrived for the pouring out of the cup of divine -wrath upon Sodom. "The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?... -bring them out of _this place_: for we will destroy this place, -because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; -and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it." (vers. 12, 13.) The critical -moment which the Lord Jesus, in the gospel, notes by the exceedingly -solemn word "UNTIL," was now at hand for the careless inhabitants of -Sodom, who dreamed not of any interruption to their "eating, and -drinking, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage." A -moment's respite is allowed, during which Lot bears a message to his -son-in-law, a testimony as to the rapidly approaching judgment; but, -ah! what power could the testimony of one who had voluntarily come in -and settled amongst them, have upon those who had lived and moved from -their earliest infancy in the midst of the ungodly scene? How could -Lot expect that his _words_ would have any weight when his _ways_ had -so sadly contradicted them? He might now, with terrified aspect and -earnest entreaties, urge them to leave a place which he knew was -doomed to everlasting destruction, but they could not forget the calm -and deliberate way in which he had at first "pitched his tent toward -Sodom," and finally taken his seat "in the gate;" hence, as might be -expected, "he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law." (ver. -14.) And how, so far as he was concerned, could it be otherwise? His -sons-in-law might be, and doubtless were, responsible before God for -the rejection of the testimony; but Lot could not, by any means, -expect them to heed him much, indeed, we find that even he himself was -tardy in departing from the place; for "_while he lingered_"--while -his heart still went after some object or another that was dear to -him--"the men _laid hold upon his hand_, and upon the hand of his -wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful -to him, and _they brought him forth_ and set him without the city." -(ver. 16.) From this statement, it is manifest that, had not the men -"laid hold of, and brought forth" Lot, he would, no doubt, have -"lingered" on "_until_" the fire of God's judgment had fallen upon -him, and prevented even his "escaping with his life." But they "pulled -him out of the fire," because "the Lord had mercy upon him." - -But this escape of Lot's only served to put fresh honor upon Abraham, -for we read that "when God destroyed the cities of the plain, _he -remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow_" -(ver. 29). Thus, as Abraham's sword had delivered Lot in the time of -the conquest of Sodom, his prayer delivered him in the time of its -final overthrow, "for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man -availeth much." Nor does the contrast between those two men stop here. -There is yet another scene in which they stand at a great distance -from each other as to the moral condition of their souls. "Abraham gat -him up early in the morning, to the place where he stood before the -Lord" (ver. 27). Here the man of faith, the holy pilgrim, once more -raises his head amid the mighty scene of desolation. All was over with -Sodom and its guilty inhabitants, "the smoke of the country went up as -the smoke of a furnace." Sad spectacle! The din and bustle of that -once stirring city was hushed; silence reigned around--the buying and -selling--the eating and drinking--the marrying and giving in -marriage--all the intercourse of social life had been awfully broken -in upon. The solemn "UNTIL" had come at last--the only one in all -that wicked place who, notwithstanding his failure, could be regarded -as "the salt," had been removed--the measure of Sodom's iniquity had -been filled up--the day of divine longsuffering closed, and nothing -now met the eye of Abraham but misery and desolation throughout all -the plain. How melancholy! And yet it was but a type of the far more -terrible desolation which shall sweep across this guilty world when -the Son of man makes His appearance, "when every eye shall see Him, -and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn and wail because of Him." - -Thus, "Abraham stood _before the Lord_," completely exempt from all -the sad effects of the recent visitation, as far as he was personally -concerned. His stranger condition which, in the days of Chedorlaomer, -had enabled him to live outside of Sodom and all its circumstances, -still kept him free, and was the means of his escape from Sodom's -unutterable woe and misery. Had Abraham, when solicited by the King of -Sodom, mixed himself up with the things of Sodom, he would have been -involved, in some measure, as was his brother Lot, in its overthrow. -He himself would have been saved, but his work would have been burnt -up. But Abraham was looking for "a city that hath foundations," and he -knew at once that Sodom was not that city, and hence he would have -nothing whatever to do with it. He would "hate even the garment -spotted by the flesh"--he would "touch not the unclean thing," and now -he was permitted to realize the blessed results of his conduct, for, -while Lot had to retreat in confusion and sorrow to a cave in the -mountains, his wife and all his possessions being lost, Abraham takes -his stand, in all that blessed calmness and dignity which ever -characterized him, in the presence of Jehovah, and from thence surveys -the heart-rending scene. - -But what of Lot? How did he end his course? "Oh, tell it not in Gath! -publish it not in the streets of Askelon!" Well may we desire to throw -a veil over the closing scene of the life of one who does not seem to -have ever realized, as he should, the power of _the call of God_. He -had always displayed a secret desire for the things of Egypt or those -of Sodom. His heart does not seem to have been thoroughly detached -from the world, and therefore his course was always unsteady; from the -time he separated himself from Abraham, he went from bad to -worse--from one stage of evil to another, until at last the scene -closes with the shocking transaction in the cave; the sad results of -which were seen in the persons of Moab and Ammon, the enemies of the -people of God. - -Thus ended the course of Lot, whose history ought to be a solemn -warning to all Christians who feel a tendency to be carried away by -the world. The history has not been left on record without a purpose. -"Whatever things were written aforetime, were written for our -learning," may we therefore learn from the above narrative, "not to -lust after evil things," for, although "the Lord knows how to deliver -the godly out of temptation," yet it is our place to keep as much out -of the way of temptation as we can, and our prayer should ever be -"lead us not into temptation." "The world passeth away, and the lust -thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John -ii. 17). - - -CHAPTERS XX., XXI. - -Lot has now passed off the scene--his sun has gone down amid thick -clouds and a gloomy atmosphere; it now remains for us to pursue, for a -few moments longer, the narrative of Abraham's ways, and God's -dealings with him. - -There was one point involved in chapter xii. which I left untouched, -knowing that it would come before us again in this place. - -When Abraham went down into Egypt, he entered into a compact with -Sarah his wife _to conceal part of the truth_, "Say, I pray thee," -said he, "thou art my sister" (Chap. xii. 13). One evil ever leads to -another. Abraham was moving in the wrong direction when he went down -into Egypt for help, and therefore did not exhibit that refinement of -conscience which would have told him of the moral unsoundness of this -mental reservation. "Speak every man truth with his neighbor," being a -divine principle, would always exercise an influence upon one walking -in communion with God; but Abraham's desire to get out of present -trial was an evidence of failure in communion, and hence "his moral -sense," as a recent writer has termed it, was not as keen or as -elevated as it should have been. However, although the Lord plagued -Pharaoh's house because of his having taken Sarah into it, and -further, although Pharaoh rebukes Abraham for his acting in the -matter, yet the latter says nothing whatever about the deliberate -compact into which he had entered with his wife, to keep back part of -the truth; he silently takes the rebuke and goes on his way, but the -root of the evil remained still in his heart, ready to show itself at -any time if circumstances should arise to draw it out. - -Now, it is marvelous to behold Abraham coming up out of -Egypt--building an altar and pitching a tent--exhibiting the noble -generosity of faith--vanquishing Chedorlaomer and repulsing the -temptation of the King of Sodom--urging his request for a son and -heir, receiving the most gracious answer--on his face before God in -the sense of His almighty grace and power--entertaining the heavenly -strangers and interceding for his brother Lot. In a word, I say, it is -marvelous to behold Abraham passing through such brilliant scenes, -comprising a series of years, and, all the while, this moral point, in -which he had erred at the very threshold of his course, remains -unsettled in his heart. True, it did not develop itself during the -period to which I have just referred, but why did it not? Because -Abraham was not in circumstances to call it out, but there it was -notwithstanding. The evil was not _fully brought out_--not confessed, -not got rid of,--and the proof of this is, that the moment he again -finds himself in circumstances which could act upon _his weak point_, -it is at once made manifest that the weak point is there. The -temptation through which he passed in the matter of the King of Sodom, -was not by any means calculated to touch this peculiar point; nor was -anything that occurred to him from the time he came up out of Egypt -until he went down into Gerar, calculated to touch it, for had it been -touched, it would no doubt have exhibited itself. - -We never can know what is in our hearts until circumstances arise to -draw it out. Peter did not imagine that he could deny his Lord, but -when he got into circumstances which were calculated to act upon his -peculiar weakness, he showed that the weakness was there. - -It required the protracted period of forty years in the wilderness to -teach the children of Israel "what was in their hearts" (Deut. viii. -2); and it is one of the grand results of the course of discipline -through which each child of God passes, to lead him into a more -profound knowledge of his own weakness and nothingness. "We had the -_sentence of death in ourselves_, that we should not trust in -ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" (2 Cor. i. 9). The more -we are growing in the sense of our infirmities, the more shall we see -our need of clinging more closely to Christ--drawing more largely upon -His grace, and entering more fully into the cleansing virtue and value -of His atoning blood. The Christian, at the opening of his course, -never knows his own heart; indeed, he could not bear the full -knowledge of it; he would be overwhelmed thereby. "The Lord leads us -not by the way of the Philistines lest we should see war," and so be -plunged in despair. But He graciously leads us by a circuitous route, -in order that our apprehension of His grace may keep pace with our -growing self-knowledge. - -In chapter xx., then, we find Abraham again, after the lapse of many -years, falling into the old error, a suppression of truth, for which -he has to suffer a rebuke from a mere man of the world. The man of the -world, in this scene, seemed, for the moment, to possess a more -refined moral sense than the man of God. "Said he not unto me," says -he, "'She is my sister'! and she, even she herself said, 'He is my -brother': in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have -I done this." But mark how God enters the scene for the purpose of -vindicating His servant. He says to Abimelech, "Behold, thou art but a -dead man." Yes, with all "the integrity of his heart and innocency of -his hands"--with all his fine moral sense of right and wrong, he was -"but a dead man," when it came to be a question, for one moment, -between him and even an erring child of God. God, in His grace, was -looking at His dear servant from quite a different point of view from -that adopted by Abimelech. All that the latter could see in Abraham -was a man guilty of a manifest piece of deception, but God saw more -than that, and therefore He says to Abimelech, "Now therefore restore -the man his wife; _for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, -and thou shalt live_." What dignity is here put upon Abraham! God -himself vindicates him before the world! Not a syllable of -reproof!--not a breath of disapprobation!--no, "he is a prophet and he -shall pray for thee and thou shalt live." How truly consolatory it is -for the poor, weak, and harassed believer to remember that His Father -is ever viewing him through the medium of the Lord Jesus Christ. He -sees nothing whatever upon His child but the excellency and -perfectness of Jesus. Thus, while a man of the world may have to -rebuke a child of God, as in the case before us, God declares that He -values that character which the believer has received from Him more -than all the amiability, integrity, and innocency that nature can -boast of. - -This reminds us of the way in which the Lord vindicates the Baptist -before the multitude, although He had sent a message to himself which -must have exercised him deeply;--"I say unto you, among those that are -born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" -(Luke vii. 28). Thus, whatever unfavorable aspect the child of God may -wear in the world's view, God will ever show Himself the vindicator of -such. "He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for -their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no -harm" (1 Chron. xvi. 21, 22). - -However, as was observed with regard to John the Baptist, the message -sent from the Lord to His servant must have exercised his spirit -deeply in secret, so is it in Abraham's case. Abraham must have felt -deeply humbled in his soul at the thought of what had occurred, and -the consciousness of the fact that God would not enter into judgment -with him about it would have augmented that feeling. When Abraham fell -into the same error in Egypt we do not find that Pharaoh's reproof -produced any manifest effect. He was not humbled by it to such a -degree as to make a full confession of the whole thing. He takes his -departure out of Egypt, but _the root_ of evil remains in his heart, -ready to shoot forth its pernicious branches again. Not so in chapter -xx.; here we get at once at the root of the matter--Abraham opens up -his whole heart, he confesses that from the very first moment of his -course he had retained this thing in his heart which had twice -betrayed him into an act, which, to say the least of it, would not -bear the light. And as there is the full confession of the evil on his -part, so is there the complete renunciation of it--he gets rid of it -fully, root and branch. The leaven is put forth out of every corner of -his heart, he hearkens to Abimelech's reproof and profits by it; it -was God's instrument by which He brought out the matter, and delivered -the soul of his servant from the power of evil. - -But, in addition to the point upon which we have been dwelling, there -was yet another question to be settled ere Abraham could reach the -most elevated point of his course as a man of faith. The bondwoman and -her son were yet in the house. He must put forth these from _his -house_ as he had put forth the evil from _his heart_. The house and -the heart must be cleared out. In chapter xxi. we find matters brought -to a crisis with regard to the bondwoman and her son, concerning whom -we have heard comparatively nothing until now. The element of bondage -had heretofore lain dormant in Abraham's house because not roused into -action, by anything of an opposite nature and tendency. But, in the -birth of Isaac--the son of the free woman--the child of promise--we -see a new element introduced. The spirit of liberty and the spirit of -bondage are thus brought into contact, and the struggle must issue in -the expulsion of either one or the other. They cannot move on in -harmony, for "how can two walk together except they be agreed." - -Now we are invited by the Apostle, in his epistle to the Galatians, to -behold in these two children, "the two covenants," the one gendering -to _bondage_, the other to _liberty_; and further, to behold in them -samples of the fleshly and spiritual seed of Abraham, the former, -"born after the flesh," the latter, "born after the Spirit." Nor can -anything be more marked than the line of demarcation between, not only -the two covenants, but the two seeds. They are totally distinct the -one from the other, and can never, by any operation, be brought to -coalesce. Abraham was made to feel, and that painfully, this fact. -"Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman -shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac" (Chap. xxi. 10). Here -the natural result shows itself. The two elements could not mingle. As -well might the north and the south winds be expected to blow in all -their strength without exciting a convulsion in the elements. - -But it was most painful work to Abraham to be obliged thus to thrust -forth his son. "The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because -of his son;" but it mattered not, he must be put out, for the son of a -bondwoman could never inherit the promises made only to the spiritual -seed. If Ishmael were to have been retained, it would have been an -open allowance of the claims of the flesh. Abraham would have found -something "as pertaining to the flesh" and would thus have had -"whereof to glory." But no--all God's promises are to be made good to -those who, like Isaac, are the children of promise, born after the -Spirit, "not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will -of man, but of God" (John i. 13). Ishmael was manifestly born "of the -will of the flesh, and of the will of man," and "flesh and blood -cannot inherit the kingdom of God." The flesh must therefore be set -aside and kept under, no matter how "grievous" it may be to our -hearts. The Christian will often find it grievous enough to keep down -the old principle which ever lusts against the new, but the Lord gives -spiritual power for the struggle so that "we are more than conquerors -through Him that loves us." - -But I must again remind the reader that it is not my present purpose -to pursue the doctrinal matter involved in this instructive -history[6]; were I to do so it would carry me far beyond the limits I -have prescribed for myself in this little paper, the design of which -is, as before observed, simply to direct attention to a few leading -principles put forward in the narrative. I will therefore pass on to -the next chapter which is the last of the section laid out for -consideration. - - [6] For a fuller examination and spiritual instruction contained in - Abraham's and others' history, see _Genesis in the Light of the New - Testament_; from the same publishers. - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -The circumstances through which Abraham passed in chapters twenty and -twenty-one were most important indeed. An evil which had long been -harbored in his heart had been put away; the bondwoman and her son, -who had so long retained quiet possession of his house, were cast -out, and he now stands forth as "a vessel sanctified and meet for the -master's use, prepared unto every good work." - -"And it came to pass _after these things_, that God did tempt (or try) -Abraham." Here Abraham is at once introduced into a place of real -dignity and honor. When God tries an individual it is a certain -evidence of His confidence in him. We never read that "God did tempt -Lot"--no, the goods of Sodom furnished a sufficiently strong -temptation for Lot. The enemy laid a snare for him in the well-watered -plains of Sodom which he seemed but too prone to fall into. Not so -with Abraham. He lived more in the presence of God, and was, -therefore, less susceptible of the influence of that which had -ensnared his erring brother. - -Now, the test to which God submits Abraham--the furnace in which He -tries him, marks at once a pure and genuine metal. Had Abraham's faith -not been of the purest and most genuine character, he would assuredly -have winced under the fiery ordeal through which we behold him passing -in this beautiful chapter. When God promised Abraham a son, he -believed the promise "and it was counted unto him for righteousness." -"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was -strong in faith, giving glory to God." But then, having received this -son, having realized the truth of the promise, was there not a danger -that he would rest in _the gift_ instead of in _the Giver_? Was there -not a danger that he would lean upon Isaac, in thinking upon the -future seed and future inheritance, rather than upon God Himself who -had promised him the seed? Surely there was, and God knew that, and -therefore tries His servant in a way, more than anything, calculated -to put him to the test as to the object on which his soul was resting. -The grand inquiry put to Abraham's heart, in this wondrous -transaction, was, "are you still walking before THE ALMIGHTY GOD, THE -QUICKENER OF THE DEAD?" God desired to know whether he could apprehend -in Him the One who was as able to raise up children from the ashes of -his sacrificed son as from the dead womb of Sarah. In other words, God -desired to prove that Abraham's faith reached forth, as some one has -observed, TO RESURRECTION, for if it stopped short of this, he never -would have responded to the startling command, "Take now, thy son, -thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of -Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the -mountains which I will tell thee of" (Chap. xxii. 2.) But Abraham -"staggered not." He at once responds to the call. God had asked for -Isaac, and Isaac must be given, and that too without a breath of -murmur. He could give up anything or everything so long as his eye -rested upon "the Almighty God." And mark the point of view in which -Abraham puts this journey of his to Mount Moriah, "I and the lad will -go yonder _and worship_." Yes, it was an act of worship, for he was -about to lay upon the altar of the Quickener of the dead the one in -whom all God's promises centred. It was an act of worship--most -elevated worship, for he was about to prove, in the sight of heaven -and hell, that no other object filled his soul but the Almighty God. -Hence, what calmness! what self-possession! what pure devotion! what -elevation of mind! what self-renunciation! He never falters throughout -the scene. He saddles the ass, prepares the wood, and sets off to -Mount Moriah, without giving expression to one anxious thought, -although, as far as human eye could see, he was about to lose the -object of his heart's most tender affection, yea, the one upon whom -the future interests of his house, to all appearance, depended. - -Abraham, however, showed most fully that his heart had found a nearer -and dearer object than Isaac, dear as he was; he showed also that his -faith was resting upon another object altogether, with reference to -the future interests of his seed, _and that he was as simply resting -upon the promise of Almighty God after the birth of Isaac as before -it_. - -Behold, then, this man of faith as he ascends the mount, taking with -him his "well-beloved!" What a scene of breathless interest![7] How -must the angelic hosts have watched this illustrious father from stage -to stage of his wondrous journey, until at last they beheld his hand -stretched forth for the knife to slay his son--that son for which he -had so long and ardently wished, and for which he had so steadily -trusted God. Then again, what an opportunity for Satan to ply his -fiery darts! What abundant room for such suggestions as the following, -viz., "What will become of the promises of God with regard to the seed -and the inheritance, if you thus sacrifice your only son? Beware that -you are not led astray by some false revelation; or, _if it be true_ -that God has said so and so, doth not God know that, in the day you -sacrifice your son, all your hopes will be blasted? Further, think of -Sarah; what will she do if she lose Isaac, after having induced you to -expel from your house Ishmael?" All these suggestions, and many -beside, the enemy might bring to bear upon the heart of Abraham. Nor -would Abraham himself have been beyond the region of those thoughts -and reasonings which, at such a time, would not fail to arise within -him. What then was his answer to all such dark suggestions? -RESURRECTION! "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; -and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten -son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: -ACCOUNTING THAT GOD WAS ABLE TO RAISE HIM UP, EVEN FROM THE DEAD; FROM -WHENCE ALSO HE RECEIVED HIM IN A FIGURE" (Heb. xi. 17-19). - - [7] It strikes me that we get, in Abraham's journey to Mount Moriah, a - remarkable type of the mysterious scene afterwards exhibited at - Calvary, when God was really providing himself a lamb. We can have no - difficulty in losing sight of Herod and Pilate, the chief priests and - scribes, the Pharisees and the multitude, and thus we have none - remaining but THE FATHER AND THE SON, who, in company, ascend the - Mount and carry out the gracious work of redemption in the unbroken - solitude of that place. - -Resurrection is God's mighty remedy for all the mischief and ruin -introduced by Satan; when once we arrive at this point, we have done -with the power of Satan, the last exercise of which is seen in death. -Satan cannot touch the life that has been received in resurrection, -for the last exercise of his power is seen in the grave of Christ; -beyond that he can do nothing. Hence the security of the Church's -place; her "life is hidden with Christ in God." Blessed hiding place! -May we rejoice in it more and more each day. - -I will now draw this paper to a close. We have followed Abraham in his -course, from Ur of the Chaldees up to the Mount Moriah--we have seen -him resign, at the call of God, family and kindred, lands and -possessions, worldly ease and prosperity; and lastly, we have seen -him, in the power of faith, at the same call of God, ascend the -solitary mount, for the purpose of laying "his only begotten" upon -God's altar, and thus to declare that he could give up everything and -every one but God Himself--and that, being acquainted with the meaning -of "THE ALMIGHTY" and "RESURRECTION," he cared not though he were -called to look to the stones for the raising up of seed unto him. - -On the other hand, we have followed Lot from Ur of the Chaldees also; -but alas! his path was a far different one from that of his brother. -He does not seem to have realized the power of the call of God in his -own soul; he moved rather under Abraham's influence than under that of -Jehovah; hence we find that, while Abraham was, at every step of his -journey, letting go the world, Lot was doing the very reverse; he was -grasping at the world in every shape and form, and he obtained that at -which he was grasping, but what then? What of the end? Ah, that is the -point. What of Lot's end? Instead of being a noble spectacle unto -angels, and a pattern to all future generations of the faithful,--of -what faith can enable a man "to do and to suffer" for God,--he was -just the reverse; he was led away by the enemy of his soul, who -ensnared him by means of the things of the world; he spent his days -amid the uncleanness of Sodom, and the scene closes with the sad -circumstances in the cave. All he did for God or his people was to -beget the Ammonite and the Moabite, the enemies of both. - -How wondrous then is that grace, which, speaking of the history of -such an one, could say, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy -conversation of the wicked; for that righteous man dwelling among -them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day -with their unlawful deeds" (2 Peter ii. 7, 8). - - C. H. M. - - - - -"THOU AND THY HOUSE." - - -There are two houses which occupy a very prominent place on the page -of inspiration, and these are, the house of God and the house of God's -servant. God attaches immense importance to His house; and justly so, -because it is His. His truth, His honor, His character, His glory, are -all involved in the character of His house; and hence it is His desire -that the impress of what He is should plainly appear on that which -belongs to Him. If God has a house, it assuredly should be a godly -house, a holy house, a spiritual house, an elevated house, a pure and -heavenly house. It should be all this, not merely in abstract position -and principle, but practically and characteristically. Its abstract -position is founded upon what God has made it, and where He has set -it; but its practical character is founded upon the actual walk of -those who form its constituent parts down here upon this earth. - -Now, while many minds may be prepared to enter into the truth and -importance of all the principles connected with God's house, there may -be but few, comparatively, who are disposed to give a due measure of -attention to those connected with the house of God's servant; although -if one were asked the question, What house stands next in order to the -house of God? he should undoubtedly reply, The house of His servant. -However, as there is nothing like bringing the holy authority of -God's Word to bear upon the conscience, I shall quote a few passages -of Scripture, which will tend to show, in a clear and forcible point -of view, what are God's thoughts about the house of one holding -connection with Him. - -When the iniquity of the antediluvian world had risen to a head, and -the end of all flesh had come before a righteous God, who was about to -roll the heavy tide of judgment over the corrupted scene, these sweet -words fell upon Noah's ear: "Come thou and _all thy house_ into the -ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation." -(Gen. vii. 1.) Now, it will be said that Noah was a type of -Christ--the righteous head of a saved family--saved in virtue of their -association with him. All this is fully granted; but Noah's typical -character does not in any wise interfere with the principle which I -seek to deduce from this and kindred passages, which principle I shall -here, at the outset, distinctly lay down--it is this: _the house of -every servant of God is, in virtue of its connection with Him, brought -into a position of privilege and consequent responsibility_.[8] That -this is a principle involving vast practical consequences we shall, -with God's blessing and grace, see ere we close this paper; but we -must first seek to establish its truth from the Word of God. Were we -merely left to argue from analogy, our thesis might be easily proved; -for it could never be supposed, by any mind at all acquainted with the -character and ways of God, that He would attach such unspeakable -importance to His own house, and attach none at all, or almost none, -to that of His servant. This were impossible; it would be utterly -unlike God, and God must always act like Himself. But we are not left -to analogy on this most important and deeply practical question; and -the passage just quoted forms one of the first of a series of direct -and positive proofs. In it we find those immensely significant words, -"_Thou and thy house_" inseparably linked together. God did not reveal -a salvation for Noah which was of no avail to Noah's house. He never -contemplated such a thing. The same ark that lay open to him lay open -to them also. Why? Was it because they had faith? No; but because _he_ -had, and they were connected with him. God gave him a blank check for -himself and his family, and it devolved upon him to fill it up by -bringing them in along with him. I repeat it, this does not in the -least interfere with Noah's typical character. I look at him -typically, but I look at him personally also. Nor can I, under any -circumstances, separate a man from his house. The house of God is -brought into blessing and responsibility because of its connection -with Him; and the house of the servant of God is brought into blessing -and responsibility because of its connection with him. This is our -thesis. - - [8] The reader will not, I trust, imagine that the necessity for the - work of the Holy Ghost in the regeneration of the children of - Christian parents is denied or interfered with. God forbid! "Except a - man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This is as true - of a Christian's child as of every one else. Grace is not hereditary. - The sum of what I would press upon Christian parents is, that - Scripture inseparably links a man with his house, and that the - Christian parent is warranted in counting upon God for his children, - and responsible to train his children for God. Let any one who denies - this interpret Ephesians vi. 4. - -The next passage to which I shall refer occurs in the life of Abraham. -"And the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I -do?... For I know him, that he will command his children and his -household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do -justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which -He hath spoken of him.'" (Gen. xviii. 17-19.) Here it is not a -question of salvation, but of communion with the mind and purposes of -God; and let the Christian parent note and solemnly ponder the fact -that when God was seeking out a man to whom He could disclose His -secret counsels, He selected one possessing the simple characteristic -of "commanding his children and his household." This, to a tender -conscience, cannot fail to prove a most pungent principle. If there is -one point above another in which Christians have failed, it is in this -very point of commanding their children and household. They surely -have not set God before them in this particular; for if I look at the -entire record of God's dealings with His house, I find them invariably -characterized by the exercise of power on the principle of -righteousness. He has firmly established and unflinchingly carried out -His holy authority. It matters not what the outward aspect or -character of His house may be, the essential principle of His dealing -with it is immutable. "Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness -becometh thy house, O Lord, _forever_." Now, the servant must ever -take his Master as his model; and if God rules His house with power -exercised in righteousness, so must I; for if I am in any one -particular of my conduct different from Him, I must in that particular -be wrong. This is plain. - -But not only does God so rule His house; He likewise loves, approves -of, and treats with His marked and honored confidence those who do the -same. In the above passage, we find Him saying, "I cannot hide my -purposes from Abraham." Why? Is it because of his personal grace or -faith? No; but simply because "he will command his children and his -household." A man who knows how to command his house is worthy of -God's confidence. This is a stupendous truth, the edge of which should -pierce the conscience of many a Christian parent. Many of us, alas! -with our eye resting on Genesis xviii. 19, may well prostrate -ourselves before the One who uttered and penned that word, and cry -out, Failure! failure! shameful, humiliating failure! And why is this? -Why have we failed to meet the solemn responsibility devolving upon us -in reference to the due command of our households? I believe there is -but one reply, viz., because we have failed to realize, by faith, the -privilege conferred upon those households in virtue of their -association with us. It is remarkable that our two earliest proofs -should present to our view, with such accuracy, the two grand -divisions of our question, namely, privilege and responsibility. In -Noah's case, the word was, "Thou and thy house" in the place of -salvation; in Abraham's case, it was "Thou and thy house" in the place -of moral government. The connection is at once marked and beautiful, -and the man who fails in faith to appropriate the privilege will fail -in moral power to answer the responsibility. God looks upon a man's -house as part of himself, and he cannot, in the smallest degree, -whether in principle or practice, disregard the connection without -suffering serious damage, and also marring the testimony. - -Now, the question for the Christian parent's conscience really is, _Am -I counting upon God for my house, and ruling my house for God?_ A -solemn question, surely; yet it is to be feared very few feel its -magnitude and power. And here, perhaps, my reader may feel disposed to -demand fuller Scripture-proof than has yet been adduced, as to our -warrant for counting upon God for our houses. I shall therefore -proceed with the Scripture-quotations. I give one from the history of -Jacob. "And God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel.'" This would -seem to have been addressed to Jacob personally; but he never thought -for a moment of disconnecting himself from his family, either as to -privilege or responsibility; wherefore it is immediately added, "Jacob -said unto _his household_, and to all that were with him, 'Put away -the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your -garments; and let _us_ arise, and go up to Bethel.'" (Gen. xxxv. 1-3.) -Here we see that a call to Jacob put Jacob's house under -responsibility. He was called to go up to God's house, and the -question immediately suggested itself to his conscience, whether his -own house were in a fit condition to respond to such a call. - -We now turn to the opening chapters of the book of Exodus, where we -find that one of Pharaoh's four objections to the full deliverance and -separation of Israel had specific reference to "the little ones." "And -Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto -them, 'Go, serve the Lord your God; but who are they that shall go?' -And Moses said, 'We will go with our young and with our old, with our -sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will -we go; _for_ we must hold a feast unto the Lord.'" (Ex. x. 8, 9.) The -reason why they should take the little ones and all with them was -because they were going to hold a feast unto the Lord. Nature might -say, Oh, what can these little creatures know about a feast unto the -Lord? Are you not afraid of making them formalists? The reply of Moses -is simple and decisive--"We will go with our young ... _for_ we must -hold a feast unto the Lord." They had no idea of seeking one thing for -themselves and another for their children. They dreamed not of Canaan -for themselves and Egypt for their children. How could they taste the -manna of the wilderness, or the old corn of the land, while their -children were feeding upon the leeks, the onions, and the garlic of -Egypt? Impossible. Moses and Aaron understood not such acting. They -felt that God's call to them was a call to their little ones; and, -moreover, were it not fully carried out, they would no sooner have -gone forth from Egypt by one road than their children would draw them -back by another. That such would have been the case Satan was but too -well aware, and hence appears the reason of the objection, "Not so: -go now _ye that are men_." This is the very thing which so many -professing Christians are doing (or attempting, rather, to do) at this -present time. They profess to go forth themselves to serve the Lord, -but their little ones are in Egypt. They profess to have taken "three -days' journey into the wilderness;" in other words, they profess to -have left the world, they profess to be dead to it, and risen with -Christ, as the possessors of a heavenly life, and the heirs and -expectants of a heavenly glory; but they leave their little ones -behind, in the hands of Pharaoh, or rather of Satan.[9] They have -given up the world for themselves, but they cannot do so for their -children. Hence, on Lord's day, the professed position of strangers -and pilgrims is taken; hymns are sung, prayers uttered, and principles -taught which bespeak a people far advanced in the heavenly life, and -just on the borders of Canaan, in actual experience (in spirit, of -course, they are already there); but, alas! on Monday morning, every -habit, every pursuit, every object, contradicts all this. The little -ones are trained for the world. The scope, aim, object, and entire -character of their education is worldly, in the truest and strictest -sense of the word. Moses and Aaron would not have understood such -actings, and neither indeed should any morally honest heart, or -upright mind, understand them. I should have no other principle, -portion, or prospect for my children but what I have for myself; nor -should I train them with a view to any other. If Christ and heavenly -glory are sufficient for me, they are sufficient for them likewise; -but then the proof that they are really sufficient for me should be -unequivocal. The tone of the parent's character should be such as to -afford not a shadow of a doubt as to the real, deep-seated purpose and -object of his soul. - - [9] It will be said that there cannot be any analogy between the - actual removal of people from one country to another and the training - of our children. I reply, the analogy only applies in principle. It is - perfectly evident that we cannot take our children to heaven in the - sense in which the Israelites took theirs to Canaan. God alone can fit - our children for heaven, by implanting in them the life of His own - Son; and He alone can bring them to heaven, in His own time. But then, - although we can neither fit our children for, nor bring them to, - heaven, we can, nevertheless, by faith, train them for it; and it is - not merely our _duty_ (a poor, cold, and unworthy expression), but our - high and holy _privilege_ so to do. Hence, therefore, if the principle - on which, and the object with which, we train our children are - manifestly worldly, we do, virtually, and so far as in us lies, leave - them in the world. And on the other hand, if our principle and object - are unequivocally heavenly, then do we, so far as in us lies, train - them for heaven. This, my beloved reader, is all that is meant in this - tract by leaving our children in Egypt or taking them to Canaan. We - are responsible to _train_ our children, though we cannot _convert_ - them; and God will assuredly bless the faithful training of those whom - He has graciously given us. - -But what shall my child say to me if I tell him that I am earnestly -seeking Christ and heaven for him, while at the same time I am -educating him for the world? Which will he believe? Which will exert -the more powerful practical influence on his heart and life--my words, -or my acts? Let conscience reply; and oh, let it be an honest reply, a -reply emanating from its deepest depths, a reply which will -unanswerably demonstrate that the question is understood in all its -pungency and power. I verily believe the time is come for plain -dealing with one another's conscience. It must be apparent to every -prayerful and attentive observer of the Christianity of the present -day, that it wears a most sickly aspect; that the tone is miserably -low; and, in a word, that there must be something radically wrong. As -to testimony for the Son of God, it is rarely--alas! how -rarely!--thought of. Personal salvation seems to form the very highest -object with ninty-nine out of every hundred professing Christians, as -if we were left here to be saved; and not, as saved ones, to glorify -Christ. - -Now, I would affectionately, yet faithfully, suggest the question, -whether much of the failure in practical testimony for Christ is not -justly traceable to the neglect of the principle involved in the -expression, "Thou and thy house." I cannot but think it has much to do -with it. One thing is certain, that a quantity of worldliness, -confusion, and moral evil has crept in amongst us through our little -ones having been left in Egypt. We see many who, it may be, ten, -fifteen, or twenty years ago, took a prominent place in testimony and -service, and seemed to have their hearts much in the work, are now -gone back, lamentably, not having power to keep their own heads above -water, much less to help any one else. All this utters a warning voice -for Christian parents having rising families; and the utterance is, -"BEWARE OF LEAVING YOUR LITTLE ONES IN EGYPT." Many a heart-broken -father, at the present moment, is left to weep and groan over his -fatal mistake in reference to his household. He left them in Egypt, in -an evil hour, and under a gross delusion, and now when he ventures, -it may be in real faithfulness and earnest affection, to drop a word -into the ear of those who have grown up around him, they meet it with -a deaf ear and an indifferent heart, while they cling with vigor and -decision to that Egypt in which he faithlessly and inconsistently left -them. This is a stern fact, the statement of which may send a pang to -many a heart; but truth must be told, in order that, though it wounds -some, it may prove a salutary warning to others. But I must proceed -with the proofs.[10] - - [10] There is, I should say, a very serious error involved in a - Christian parent's committing the training of his children to - unconverted persons, or even to those whose hearts are not one with - him as to separation from the world. It is natural that a child should - look up to, and follow the example of, one who has the training and - management of him. Now, what can a teacher make of a child, save what - he is himself? Whither can he lead him, but to where he is himself? - What principles can he instill, save those which govern his own mind, - and form the basis of his own character? Well, if I see a man governed - by worldly principles--if I see plainly, from his whole course and - character, that he is an unconverted person, shall I commit to him the - training and instruction of my children, or the formation of their - characters? It would be the height of folly and inconsistency so to - do. As well might a man who desired to make an oval-shaped bullet cast - the melted lead into a circular mould. - - The same principle applies to the reading of books. A book is - decidedly a _silent_ teacher and former of the mind and character; and - if I am called to look well to the character and principles of the - living teacher, I am equally so to look to those of the silent - teacher. I am quite convinced that in reference both to books and - teachers, we need to have our consciences stirred and instructed. - -In the book of Numbers, "the little ones" are again introduced to our -notice. We have just seen that the real purpose of a soul in communion -with God was to go up with the little ones out of Egypt. They must be -brought forth from thence at all cost; but neither faith nor -faithfulness will rest here. We must not only count upon God to bring -them up out of Egypt, but also to bring them on into Canaan. Here -Israel signally failed. After the return of the spies, the -congregation, on hearing their discouraging report, gave utterance to -these fatal accents, "Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this -land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be -a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?" (Numb. xiv.) -This was terrible. It was, in reality, so far as in them lay, -verifying Pharaoh's wily prediction in reference to these very little -ones, "Look to it now, for evil is before you." Unbelief always -justifies Satan and makes God a liar, while faith always justifies God -and proves Satan a liar; and as it is invariably true that according -to your faith so shall it be unto you, so we find, on the other hand, -that unbelief reaps as it sows. Thus it was with unhappy, because -unbelieving, Israel. "As truly as I live, saith the Lord, _as ye have -spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you_. Your carcasses shall fall -in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to -your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have -murmured against Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land -concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son -of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. _But your little ones_, which -ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know -the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they -shall fall in the wilderness." (Ver. 28-32.) "They limited the Holy -One of Israel" as to their little ones. This was a grievous sin, and -it has been recorded for our admonition. How constantly does the heart -of the Christian parent reason, in reference to the mode of dealing -with children, instead of simply taking God's ground about them. It -may be said, We cannot make Christians of our children. This is not -the question. We are not called to "make" any thing of them. This is -God's work, and His only; but if He says, "Bring your little ones with -you," shall we refuse? I would not make a formalist of my child, and I -_could_ not make him a real Christian; but if God, in infinite grace, -says to me, "I look upon your house as part of yourself, and, in -blessing you, I bless it," shall I, in gross unbelief of heart, refuse -this blessing, lest I should minister to formalism, or because I -cannot impart reality? God forbid. Yea, rather, let me rejoice, with -deep unfeigned joy, that God has blessed me with a blessing so -divinely rich and full that it extends not only to me, but also to all -who belong to me; and, seeing that grace has given me the blessing, -let faith take it up and appropriate it.[11] - - [11] Very many content themselves with the assurance that at some time - or other their children will be converted. But this is not taking - God's ground with them now. If we have the assurance that they are - within the range of God's purpose, why do we not act upon that - assurance? If we are waiting to see certain evidences of conversion in - them before we act as Scripture directs, it is plain that we are - looking at something besides God's promise. This is not faith. The - Christian parent is privileged to look upon his child now as one to be - trained for the Lord. He is bound to take this ground, in faith, and - train him thus, looking to God, in the fullest assurance, for the - result. If I wait to see fruits, this is not faith. Besides, the - question arises, What are my children now? They may be going about - like idle, willful vagrants, bringing sad dishonor on the name and - truth of Christ, and yet all the while I satisfy myself by saying, I - know they will be converted yet. This will never do. My children - should be now a testimony for God; and they can only be this by my - taking God's ground with them, and going on with Him about them. - -But let us remember that the way to prove our entrance into the -blessing is by fulfilling the responsibility. To say that I am -counting upon God to bring my children to Canaan, and yet all the -while educating them for Egypt, is a deadly delusion. My conduct -proves my profession to be a lie, and I am not to wonder if, in the -righteous dealings of God, I am allowed to be filled with the fruit of -my own doings. Conduct will ever prove the reality of our convictions; -and in this, as in every thing else, that word of the Lord is most -solemnly true, "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the -doctrine." We often want to know the doctrine before we do the will, -and the consequence is, we are left in the most profound ignorance. -Now, to do the will of God in reference to our children, is to treat -them as He does, by regarding them as part of ourselves, and training -them accordingly. It is not merely by hoping they may ultimately prove -to be the children of God, but by regarding them as those who are -already brought into a place of privilege, and dealing with them upon -this ground in reference to every thing. According to the thoughts and -actings of many parents, it would seem as though they regarded their -children in the light of heathens, who had no present interest in -Christ, or relationship to God at all. This is, assuredly, falling -grievously short of the divine mark. Nor is this a question, as it is -too often made, of infant or adult baptism. No; it is simply and -entirely a question of faith in the power and extent of that -peculiarly gracious word. "Thou and thy house"--a word the force and -beauty of which we shall see more and more fully as we proceed. - -Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, the children of Israel are again -and again instructed to set the commandments, the statutes, the -judgments, and precepts of the law before their little ones; and these -same little ones are contemplated as inquiring into the nature and -object of various ordinances and institutions. The reader can easily -run through the various passages. - -I now pass on to that truly memorable resolution of Joshua, "Choose -you this day whom ye will serve . . . . but as for me and my house, we -will serve the Lord." (Josh. xxiv. 15.) Observe, "Me and my house." He -felt it was not sufficient that he himself should be personally pure -from all contact with the defilements and abominations of idolatry; he -had also to look well to the moral character and practical condition -of his house. Though Joshua were not to worship idols, yet if his -children did so, would he be guiltless? Certainly not. Moreover, the -testimony of the truth would have been as effectually marred by the -idolatry of Joshua's house as by the idolatry of Joshua himself; and -judgment would have been executed accordingly. It is well to see this -distinctly. The opening of the first book of Samuel affords most -solemn demonstration of the truth of this--"And the Lord said to -Samuel, 'Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears -of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform -against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning _his house_: -when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will -judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; BECAUSE HIS -SONS MADE THEMSELVES VILE AND HE RESTRAINED THEM NOT.'" (1 Sam. iii. -11-13.) - -Here we see that no matter what the personal character of the servant -of God may be, yet if he fail in the due regulation of his house, God -will not hold him guiltless. Eli should have restrained his sons. It -was his privilege, as it is ours, to be able to count upon the -specific power of God in the subjugation of every element in his house -which was calculated to mar the testimony; but he did not do this, and -hence his terrible end was that he broke his neck about the house of -God, because he had not broken his heart about his own house. Had he -waited upon God about his willful sons--had he acted faithfully--had -he discharged the holy responsibilities devolving upon him, the house -of God would never have been desecrated, and the ark of God would not -have been taken. In a word, had he treated his house as part of -himself, and made it what it ought to be, he would not have called -down upon himself the heavy judgment of Him whose principle it is -never to separate the words, "_Thou and thy house_." - -But how many parents have since trodden in Eli's footsteps! Through -an utterly false idea in reference to the entire basis and character -of parental relationship, they have allowed their children, from -infancy to boyhood, and from boyhood to manhood, in the unrestrained -indulgence of the will. Not having faith to take divine ground, they -have failed in moral power to take even the human ground of making -their children respect and obey them, and the issue has presented to -view the most fearful picture of lawless extravagance and wild -confusion. The highest object for the servant of God to set before him -in the management of his house is the testimony therein afforded to -the honor of Him to whose house he himself belongs. This is really the -proper ground of action. I must not seek to have my children in order -because it would be an annoyance and inconvenience to _me_ to have -them otherwise, but because the honor of God is concerned in the godly -order of the households of all those who form constituent parts of His -house. - -Here, however, it may be objected that up to this point we have been -breathing only the atmosphere of Old-Testament scripture, and that the -principles and proofs have been only thence deduced; now, on the -contrary, God's principle of action is grace according to election, -and this leads to the calling out of a man, irrespective of all -domestic ties and relationships, so that you may find a godly, -devoted, heavenly-minded saint at the head of a most ungodly, -irregular, worldly family. I maintain, in opposition to this, that the -principles of God's moral government are eternal, and therefore, -whether developed in one age or another, they must be the same. He -cannot at one time teach that a man and his house are one, and commend -him for ruling it properly, and at another time teach that they are -not one, but permit him to rule his house as he pleases. This is -impossible. God's approval or disapproval of things flows out of what -He is in Himself; and in this matter in particular, inasmuch as God -rules His own house according to what He is Himself, He commands His -servants to rule their houses upon the same principle. Has the -dispensation of grace, or of Christianity, come in to upset this -lovely moral order? God forbid! Nay, it has rather, if possible, added -new traits of beauty thereto. Was the house of a Jew looked at as part -of himself, and shall the house of a Christian be different? Truly -not. It would be a sad abuse, and an anomalous application of that -heavenly word, "grace," to apply it to the misrule and demoralization -that prevail in the houses of numberless Christians of the present -day. Is it grace to allow the will to ride rampant? Is it grace to -have all the passions, tempers, whims, and appetites of a corrupt -nature indulged? Alas! call it not grace, lest our souls should lose -the real meaning of the word, and begin to imagine it to be what we -have called it. Call it by its proper names--a monstrous abuse--a -denial of God, not only as the Ruler of His own house, but as the -moral Administrator of the universe--a flagrant contradiction of all -the precepts of inspiration on this deeply important subject. - -But let us turn to the New Testament and see if we cannot find in its -sacred pages ample proof of our thesis. Does the Holy Ghost, in this -grand section of His book, exclude a man's house from the privileges -and responsibilities attached thereto in the Old Testament? We shall -see very plainly that He does no such thing. Let us have the proofs. -In Christ's commission to His apostles, we find these words: "And into -whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; -and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into a house, -salute it. And if the house [not merely the master] be worthy, let -your peace come upon _it_; but if it be not worthy, let your peace -return to you again." (Matt. x. 11-13.) Again, "And Jesus said unto -Zacchaeus, 'This day is salvation come to _this house_, forasmuch as he -also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to -save that which was lost.'" (Luke xix. 9, 10.) So in the case of -Cornelius--"Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is -Peter; who shall tell thee words whereby _thou and all thy house_ -shall be saved." (Acts xi. 13, 14.) So also to the jailer at -Philippi--"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and _thou shalt be saved -and thy house_." (Acts xvi. 31.) Then we have the practical -result--"And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat -before them, and rejoiced, believing in God _with all his house_." -(Ver. 34.) In the same chapter, Lydia says, "If ye have judged me to -be faithful to the Lord, come into _my house_ and abide." (Ver. 15.) -"The Lord give mercy unto _the house_ of Onesiphorus." Why? was it -because of its actings toward him? No; but "because _he_ oft -refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain." (2 Tim. i. 16.) "A -bishop must be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children -in subjection with all gravity. For if a man know not how to rule his -own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?" - -Now, under the term "house," three things are included, viz., the -house itself, the children, and the servants. All these, whether taken -together or separately, should bear the distinct stamp of God. The -house of a man of God should be ruled for God, in His name and for His -glory. The head of a Christian household is the representative of God. -Whether as a father or as a master, he is to his household an -expression of the power of God; and he is bound to walk in the -intelligent recognition and practical development of this fact. It is -on this principle he is to provide for and govern the whole. Hence, -"if any provide not for his own house, he hath denied the faith, and -is worse than an infidel." By neglecting the sphere over which God has -set him, he proves his ignorance of and unlikeness to the One whom he -is called to represent. This is plain enough. If I want to know how I -am to provide for and rule my house, I have only carefully to study -the way in which God provides for and rules His house. This is the -true way to learn. Nor is it here a question as to the actual -conversion of the constituent parts of the household. Not at all. What -I desire to press upon all Christian heads of houses is, that the -whole affair, from one end to the other, should distinctly wear the -stamp of God's presence and God's authority,--that there should be a -clear acknowledgment of God on the part of every member. That every -thing should be so conducted as to elicit the confession, "_God is -here_;" and all this, not that the head of the house may be praised -for his moral influence and judicious management, but simply that God -may be glorified. This is not too much to aim at; yea, we should never -rest satisfied with any thing less. A Christian's house should be but -a miniature representation of the house of God, not so much in the -actual condition of individual members as in the moral order and godly -arrangement of the whole. - -Some may shake their heads and say, This is all very fine, but where -will you get it? I only ask, Does the Word of God teach a Christian -man so to rule his house? If so, woe be to me if I refuse or fail to -do so. That there has been the most grievous failure in the management -of our houses every honest conscience must admit, but nothing can be -more shameful than for a man calmly and deliberately to sit down -satisfied with a disordered condition of his house because he cannot -attain to the standard which God has set before him. All I have to do -is to follow the line which Scripture has laid down, and the blessing -must assuredly follow, for God cannot deny Himself. But if I, in -unbelief of heart, say I cannot reach the blessing, of course I never -shall. Every field of blessing or privilege which God opens before us -demands an energy of faith to enter. Like Canaan of old to the -children of Israel; there it lay, but they had to go thither, for the -word was, "Every place that thy foot shall tread upon." Thus it is -ever. Faith takes possession of what God gives. We should aim at every -thing which tends to glorify Him who has made us all we are or ever -shall be. - -But what can be more dishonoring to God than to see the house of His -servant the very reverse of what He would have it? And yet were we to -judge from what constantly meets our view, it would seem as if many -Christians thought that their houses had nothing whatever to do with -their testimony. Most humbling it is to meet with some who, so far as -they are personally concerned, seem nice Christians, but who entirely -fail in the management of their houses. They speak of separation from -the world, but their houses present the most distressingly worldly -appearance; they speak of the world being crucified to them and of -their being crucified to the world, and yet the world is stamped on -the very face of their whole establishment. Every thing seems designed -to minister to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the -pride of life. Magnificent pier-glasses to reflect the flesh; -sumptuous carpets, sofas, and loungers for the ease of the flesh; -glittering chandeliers for the pride and vanity of the flesh. But it -may be said, It is taking low ground to descend to such particulars. I -reply, The daughters of Zion might just as well have passed the same -comment upon the following solemn appeal: "In that day the Lord will -take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, -and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, the chains and -the bracelets and the mufflers, the bonnets and the ornaments of the -legs and the headbands and the tablets and the earrings, the rings and -nose-jewels, the changeable suits of apparel and the mantles and the -wimples and the crisping-pins, the glasses and the fine linen and the -hoods and the vails." (Isa. iii. 18-23.) - -This was descending to very minute particulars. The same might be said -of the following passage from Amos: "Woe to them that are at ease in -Zion ... that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon -their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out -of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and -invent to themselves instruments of music, like David." (Chap. vi. -1-5.) The Spirit of God can descend to particulars when the -particulars are there to be descended to. But it may be further -objected, We must furnish our houses according to our rank in life. -Wherever this objection is urged, it reveals very fully the real -ground of the objector's soul. That ground is the world, -unquestionably. "_Our rank in life_"!--what does this really mean, as -applied to those who profess to be _dead_? To talk of our rank in life -is to deny the very foundations of Christianity. If we have rank in -life, then it follows that we must be alive as men in the flesh--men -according to nature, and then the law has its full force against us, -"for the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth." Hence -this rank in life becomes a serious matter. - -But, let me ask, how did we get rank in life? or, in what life is it? -If it be in this life, then we are liars whenever we talk of being -"crucified with Christ"--"dead with Christ"--"buried with -Christ"--"risen with Christ"--"outside the camp with Christ"--"not in -the flesh"--"not of the world which fadeth away." All these are so -many splendid lies to those possessing, or pretending to, a rank in -this life. This is the real truth of the matter; and we must allow the -truth to reach and act upon our consciences, that it may influence our -lives. What, then, is the only life in which we have a rank? The -resurrection-life of Christ. Redeeming love has given us a rank in -this life, and truly we know that worldly furniture, costly array, -ridiculous parade and retinue, have nothing to do with rank in this -life. Ah, no; the circumstances which comport with rank in heavenly -life are, holiness of character, purity of life, spiritual power, -profound humility, separation from every thing which directly savors -of the flesh and the world. To furnish our persons and our houses with -these things would be furnishing them "according to our rank in life." -But in point of fact, this objection does really bring out the true -principle at the heart's core. It has already been remarked that the -house reveals the moral condition of the man, and this objection -confirms that statement. People who talk, or even think, of rank in -life have, "in their hearts, turned back again into Egypt." And what -does God say will be the end of such? "I will carry you away beyond -Babylon." Yes, it is greatly to be feared that the great millstone of -Revelation xviii. presents but too true a picture of the end of much -of the sickly, spurious, hollow Christianity of the present day. - -It may, however, be further urged that Christianity affords no warrant -for filthy and irregular houses. This is most true. I know few things -more distressing and dishonoring than to see the house of a Christian -characterized by filth and confusion. Such things could never exist in -connection with a really spiritual or even a well-adjusted mind. You -may set it down that there must be something radically wrong wherever -such things exist. Here, in an especial manner, the house of God -presents itself before us as a blessed model. Over the door of that -house may be seen inscribed this wholesome motto: "Let all things be -done decently and in order;" and all who love God and His house will -desire to carry out this precept at home. - -The next point suggested by the expression, "Thou and thy house," is -the management of our children. This is a sore and deeply humbling -point to many of us, inasmuch as it discloses a fearful amount of -failure. The condition of the children tends, more than any thing, to -bring out the condition of the parent. The real measure of my -surrender of the world, and my subjugation of nature, will constantly -be shown in my thoughts about and treatment of my children. I profess -to have given up the world, so far as I am personally concerned; but -then I have children. Have I given up the world for them as well? Some -may say, How can I? They are in nature, and must have the world. Here -again the true moral condition of the heart is revealed. The world is -really not given up, and my children are made an excuse for grasping -again what I professed to have given up, but my heart retained all the -while. Are my children part of myself, or are they not? Part of -myself, assuredly. Well, then, if I profess to have relinquished the -world for myself and yet am seeking it for them, what is it but the -wretched anomaly of a man half in Egypt and half in Canaan? We know -where such an one is wholly and in reality. He is wholly and really in -Egypt. Yes, my brethren, here is where we have to judge ourselves. Our -children tell a tale. The music-master and the dancing-master are -surely not the agents which the Spirit of God would select to help our -children along, nor do they, by any means, comport with that -high-toned Nazariteship to which we are called. These things prove -that Christ is not the chosen and amply sufficient portion of our -souls. What is sufficient for me is sufficient for those who are part -of me. And shall I be so base as to train my children for the devil -and the world? Shall I minister to and pamper that in them which I -profess to mortify in myself? It is a grievous mistake, and we shall -find it so. If my children are in Egypt, I am there myself. If my -children savor of Babylon, I savor of it myself. If my children belong -to a corrupt worldly religious system, I belong to it myself, in -principle. "Thou and thy house" are one; God has made them one; and -"what He has joined together, let no man put asunder." - -This is a solemn and searching truth, in the light of which we may -clearly see the evil of urging our children along a path upon which we -profess to have forever turned our backs, as believing firmly that it -terminates in hell fire. We profess to count the world's literature, -its honors, its riches, its distinctions, its pleasures, all "dung and -dross," yet these very things, which we have declared to be only -hindrances to us in our Christian course, and which, as such, we have -professed to cast aside, we are diligently setting before our children -as things perfectly essential to their progress. In so doing, we -entirely forget that things which act as clogs to us cannot possibly -act as helps to our children.[12] It were infinitely better to throw -off the mask, and declare plainly that we have not given up the world -at all; and nothing ever made this thoroughly manifest but our -children. The Lord, I believe, in righteous judgment, is taking up the -families of brethren, to show in them the actual condition of the -testimony amongst us. In many cases it is well known that the children -of Christians are the wildest and most ungodly in the neighborhood. -Should this be so? Would God accept a testimony at the hand of those -who have it so? Would it be thus if we were walking faithfully before -God as to our houses? These inquiries must be answered in the -negative. If only I get the principle of "Thou and thy house" firmly -fixed in my conscience, and intelligently wrought into my mind, I -shall see it to be my place to count upon God, and cry to Him, just as -much for the testimony of my house as for my own testimony. In -reality, I cannot separate them. I may attempt it, but it is vain. How -often has one felt a pang at hearing such words as these: "Such an one -is a very dear, godly, devoted brother; but, oh! he has the boldest -and wildest children in the neighborhood, and his house is a sad mess -of misrule and confusion." I ask, what is the testimony of such an one -worth in the judgment of God? Little indeed. Saved he may be; but is -salvation all we want? Is there no testimony to be given? and if there -is, what is it? and where is it to be seen? Is it confined to the -benches of a meeting-room, or is it to be seen in the midst of a man's -house? The heart can answer. - - [12] The Christian parent may ask, What am I to teach my child? The - answer is simple. Teach him only such things as will prove useful to - him as a servant of Christ. Do not teach him aught which you know - would prove a positive source of defilement or weakness to him should - he remain here. We are seldom at a loss to know what kind of food to - give our children. We are tolerably well aware of what would prove - nourishing and what would prove the reverse. Now, were the instincts - of the new nature as true and as energetic in us as those of the old, - we should, I am persuaded, be at as little loss to decide in reference - to what we should teach our children. In this, as in every thing else, - it may be said, "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full - of light." If we have a deep sense of Christ's glory, and a sincere - desire to promote it, we shall not be left in perplexity; but if our - body is not "full of light," we may be assured our "eye" is not - "single." - -But it may be urged, Our children will crave a little worldly -enjoyment, and we must indulge them. We cannot put old heads upon -young shoulders. I reply, Our own hearts often crave a little of the -world likewise. Shall we indulge their craving? No; but judge it. -Exactly so. Do the same in reference to your children's craving. If I -find my children going out after the world, I should immediately -judge and chasten myself before God, crying to Him to enable me to put -it down, so that the testimony may not suffer. But I cannot but -believe that if the parent's heart is, from its centre to its -circumference, purged of the world, its principles, and its lusts, it -will exert a mighty influence upon his whole house. This is what makes -this entire question one of such vast magnitude and practical weight. -Is my house a just criterion by which to judge of my real condition? I -believe the whole teaching of Scripture is in favor of an affirmative. -This makes the matter peculiarly solemn. How am I walking before my -family? Is my whole course and character so unequivocal that all can -see that my one supreme object is Christ, and that I would just as -soon, if I could, unlock the portals of hell, and let my children in, -as educate them for the world, or seek the world for them? - -This I feel to be a startling inquiry; yet it is one which we are -bound to follow up to the uttermost. What has called into existence, -in many cases, that awful profanity, that disposition to scoff at -sacred things, that utter distaste for the Scriptures, and for -meetings where the Scriptures are brought forward, that skeptical and -infidel spirit so sadly apparent in the children of Christian -professors? Will any one undertake to say that the parents have -nothing to do with this, in the judgment of God? May not much of this -be justly traced to the sad incongruity between the professed -principles and the actual practices of the parents? I believe it may. -Children are shrewd observers. They very soon begin to discover what -their parents are really at. They will gather this, too, much more -speedily and accurately from their _doings_ than from their _prayings_ -or their _sayings_; and although the parents may teach that the world -and its ways are bad, and though they may pray that their children may -know the Lord, yet inasmuch as they are educating them for the world, -and seeking most industriously to push them on in it, grasping at and -getting in by every opening, and congratulating themselves when they -have succeeded in settling them there, it necessarily follows that the -children begin to say in their hearts, "The world is a good place -after all, for my parents thank God on getting me a berth in it, and -look upon it as a most marked opening of Providence. All that peculiar -talk of theirs, therefore, about being dead to the world, and being -risen with Christ--the world's being under judgment, and their being -strangers and pilgrims therein--all this must be rank nonsense, or -else Christians, so called, must be rank deceivers." Will any one say -that such reasoning as this has not passed through the mind of many a -professor's child? I cannot doubt it. The grace of God, no doubt, is -sovereign, and often triumphs over all our errors and failures; but -oh! let us think of the testimony, and let us see that our houses are -really ordered for God and not for Satan.[13] - - [13] I would, however, desire to remind the children of Christian - parents that they are solemnly responsible to hearken to God's holy - word, quite irrespective of the conduct of their parents. God's truth - is not affected by the actings of men; and wherever one has heard the - testimony of God's love, in the death and resurrection of Christ, he - is responsible for the use he makes thereof, even though he should not - have seen its sacred influence and power exemplified in the life of - his parents. I would press these facts upon the serious attention of - all children of Christian parents. - -But it will be said, How are our children to get on? must they not -earn their bread? Unquestionably. God formed us for work. The very -fact of my having a pair of hands proves that I am not to be idle. But -I need not push my son back into that world which I have left, in -order to give him employment. The Most High God, the Possessor of -heaven and earth, had one Son, His only begotten, the Heir of all -things, by whom also He made the worlds; He did not take up any of the -learned professions, but was known as "the carpenter." Has this no -voice for us? Christ has gone up on high and taken His seat at God's -right hand. As thus risen, He is our Head, Representative, and Model; -but He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. Are we -following His steps in seeking to push our children on in that very -world which crucified Him? Surely not: we are adopting the very -opposite course, and the end will be accordingly. "Be not deceived; -God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also -reap." As we sow, in reference to our children, so shall we also reap. -If we sow to the flesh and the world, we cannot expect to reap -otherwise. But I would not, by any means, be understood to teach that -a Christian parent ought to place his child below the level on which -the Lord has placed himself. I do not believe he would be warranted in -so doing. If my calling be a godly one, it may suit my child as well -as it suits myself. All cannot be carpenters, it is true; yet one -feels that, in an age of progress like the present, where "onward and -upward in the world" seems to be the great motto, there is a deep -moral for the heart in the fact that the Son of God--the Creator and -Sustainer of the universe--was only known amongst men as "the -carpenter." It assuredly teaches that Christians should not be found -seeking "great things" for their children. - -However, it is not merely in reference to the object set forth in our -children's education that we have failed, and so marred the testimony; -but also in the matter of keeping them in general subjection to -parental authority. On this point there has been great deficiency -amongst Christian parents. The spirit of the present age is that of -insubordination. "Disobedient to parents" forms a trait in the -apostasy of the last days; and we have specially helped on its -development by an entirely false application of the principle of -grace, as also by not seeing that there is involved in the parental -relationship a principle of power exercised in righteousness, without -which our houses must prove to be scenes of lawlessness and wild -confusion. It is no grace to pamper an unsanctified will. We mourn -over our own lack of a broken will, and yet we are strengthening the -will in our children. It is always, to my mind, a manifest proof of -the weakness of parental authority, as well as of ignorance of the way -in which the servant of God should rule his house, to hear a parent -say to a child, "_Will_ you do so and so?" This question, simple as it -seems, tends directly to create or minister to the very thing which -you ought to put down, by every means in your power, and that is, the -exercise of the child's _will_. Instead, therefore, of asking the -child, "Will you do?" just tell him what he is to do, and let there -not be in his mind the idea of calling in question your authority. The -parent's will should be supreme with a child, because the parent -stands in the place of God. All power belongs to God, and He has -invested His servant with power, both as a father and a master. If, -therefore, the child or the servant resist this power, it is -resistance of God.[14] - - [14] "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring - them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Eph. vi. 4.) - There is great danger of provoking our children to wrath by inordinate - strictness and arbitrary treatment. We may constantly find ourselves - seeking to mould and fashion our children according to our own tastes - and peculiarities, rather than to "bring them up in the nurture and - admonition of the Lord." This is a very great mistake, and will surely - issue in failure and confusion. We shall gain nothing, in the way of - testimony for Christ, by moulding and fashioning nature into the most - exquisite shapes. Moreover, it does not require faith to train and - cultivate nature; but it does require it to bring up in the nurture - and admonition of the Lord. - - Some, however, may say that the apostle, in the above passage, is - speaking of converted children. To this I reply, that there is nothing - about conversion in the passage. It is not said, Bring up your - converted children, etc. Were it thus, it would settle the whole - question. But it is simply said, "_your children_," which surely must - mean _all_ our children. Now, if I am to bring up all my children in - the nurture and admonition of the Lord, when am I to commence? Am I to - wait till they grow up to be almost men and women? or am I to begin - where all right minded people begin their work, namely, at the - _beginning_? Am I to allow them to run on in nature's folly and - wildness, during the most important part of their career, without ever - seeking to bring their consciences into the presence of God, as to - their solemn responsibilities? Am I to suffer them to spend in utter - thoughtlessness that period of life in which the elements of their - future character are imparted? This would be the most refined cruelty. - What should we say to a gardener who would allow the branches of his - fruit-trees to assume all sorts of crooked and fantastic shapes ere he - thought of commencing a proper system of training? We should doubtless - pronounce him a fool and a madman. And yet such an one is wise in - comparison with a parent who suspends the nurture and admonition of - the Lord until his children have made manifest progress in the nurture - and admonition of the enemy. - - But, it may be said, we must wait for evidences of conversion. To this - I reply, that faith never waits for evidences, but acts on God's word, - and the evidences are sure to follow. It is always a manifest proof of - infidelity to wait for signs when God gives a command. If Israel had - waited for a sign when God said, "Go forward," it would have been - plain disobedience; and if the man with the withered hand had waited - for some evidence of strength when Christ commanded him to stretch - forth his hand, he might have carried his withered hand to the grave - with him. So is it with parents. If they wait for signs and evidences - before they obey God's word in Ephesians vi. 4, they are certainly not - walking by faith, but by sight. Besides, if we are to begin at the - beginning to train our children, we must evidently begin before they - are capable of giving what we might regard as evidences of conversion. - - In this, as in every thing else, our place is to obey, and leave - results with God. The moral condition of the soul may be tested by the - command; but where there is the disposition to obey, the power to do - so will surely accompany the command, and the fruits of obedience will - follow "_in due season, if we faint not_." - -"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters -worthy of all honor, that the name of _God_ and His doctrine be not -blasphemed." Observe, it is "God and His doctrine." Why? Because it is -a question of power. The name of Christ and His doctrine would put the -master and servant on a level, as members of one body. In Christ Jesus -there is no distinction; but when I go abroad in the world, I -encounter God's moral government, which makes one a master and another -a servant; and any infringement upon that government will meet with -certain judgment. - -Now, it is of immense importance to have a clear understanding of the -doctrine of God's moral government. It would settle many a difficulty, -and solve many a question. This government is carried on with a -righteous decision, which is peculiarly solemnizing. If we look -through Scripture in reference to this subject, we shall find that in -every instance in which there has been error or failure, it has -inevitably produced its own results. Adam took of the forbidden fruit, -and he was instantly thrust forth from the garden, into a world -groaning beneath the curse and weight of his sin. Nor was he ever -replaced in paradise. True, grace came in, and gave him a promise of a -Deliverer; moreover, it clothed his naked shoulders. Nevertheless, his -sin produced its own result. He made a false step, and he never -recovered it. Again, Moses, at the waters of Meribah, uttered a hasty -word, and immediately a righteous God forbad his entrance into Canaan. -In his case likewise grace came in, and gave him something better; for -it was much better, from the top of Pisgah, to inspect the plains of -Palestine in company with Jehovah than to inhabit them in company with -Israel. So also in David's case. He committed a sin, and the solemn -denunciation was immediately issued, "The sword shall never depart -from thy house." In his case too grace abounded, and he enjoyed a more -profound sense of grace as he ascended the side of Mount Olivet with -bare feet and covered head than he ever had enjoyed amid the splendors -of a throne; nevertheless, his sin produced its own result. He made a -false step, and he never recovered it. - -Nor is the exemplification of this principle confined merely to -Old-Testament times. By no means. Look at the case of Barnabas. He -gave utterance to the seemingly amiable desire to have the company of -his nephew Mark, and, from that moment, he loses his honorable place -in the records of the Holy Ghost. He is never heard of afterward, and -his place was supplied with a more wholly devoted heart.[15] Hence -God's moral government is a most momentous truth. It is such, that as -surely as one does wrong, he will reap the fruit of it, no matter who -he is--believer or unbeliever, saint or sinner. Grace may forgive the -sin, and will, where it is confessed and judged; but inasmuch as the -principles of God's moral government have been interfered with, the -offender must be made to feel his mistake. He has missed a step of the -wheel, and he shall assuredly feel the consequences. This is a most -solemn but specially wholesome truth, the action of which has been -sadly clogged by false notions about grace. God never allows His grace -to interfere with His moral government. He could not do so, because it -would produce confusion, and "God is not the author of confusion." - - [15] It was nature in Barnabas that led him to wish for the company of - one who "departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to - the work." It was amiable nature, yet it was nature, and it triumphed, - for he took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, his native country, where, in - the freshness of his Christian course, he had sold his property, in - order to be a more unshackled follower of Him who had not where to lay - His head. (See Acts iv. 36, 37.) This is no uncommon case. Many set - out with a surrender of earth and nature with their respective claims. - The blossom on the tree of Christian profession looks fair, and emits - a fragrant perfume; but alas! it is not followed by the rich and - mellow fruit of autumn. The influences of earth and nature gather - around the soul, and nip its beauteous blossoms, and all ends in - barrenness and disappointment. This is very sad, and is always - attended with the very worst moral effect upon the testimony. It is - not at all a question of ceasing to be a saved person. Barnabas was a - saved person. The influences of Mark and Cyprus could not blot out his - name from the Lamb's book of life, but they did most thoroughly blot - out his name from the records of testimony and service here below. And - was not this something to be lamented? Is there naught to be deplored - or dreaded save the loss of personal salvation? Most despicable is the - selfishness that can think so. For what purpose does the blessed God - take so much pains and trouble in maintaining His people here? Is it - that they may be saved and made meet for glory? No such thing. Saved - they are already, by the accomplished redemption of Christ, and - therefore meet for glory. There is no middle step between - justification and glory, for "whom He justified, them He also - glorified." Why, therefore, does God leave us here? That we may be a - testimony for Christ. Were it not for this, we might just as well be - taken to heaven the moment of our conversion. May we have grace to - understand this point, in all its fullness and practical power. - -It is here there has been so much failure in the management of our -houses. We have forgotten the principle of righteous rule which God -has set before us, and in the exercise of which He has given us an -example. My reader must not confound the principle of God's government -with the aspect of His character.[16] These two things are distinct. -The former is righteousness, the latter is grace; but what I here -desire to bring out is, the fact that there is a principle of -righteousness involved in the relationship of father and master, and -if this principle receive not its due place in the management of the -family, there must be confusion. If I see a _strange_ child doing -wrong, I have no divine authority to exercise righteous discipline -toward him; but the moment I see my own child doing so, I put him -under discipline. Why? because I am his father. But it may be said, -The parental relationship is one of love. True; it is founded in love: -"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we -should be called the sons of God." But although the relationship is -founded in love, it is exercised in righteousness, for "the time is -come when judgment must begin at the house of God." So also, in -Hebrews xii, we are taught that the very fact of our being genuine -sons brings us under the righteous discipline of the Father's hand. In -John xvii, too, the Church is committed to the care of the Holy -Father, to be kept by Him through His own name. - - [16] The epistles of Peter develop the doctrine of God's moral - government. He it is who asks the question, "Who is he that will harm - you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" Now, some may find a - difficulty in reconciling this inquiry with Paul's statement, "All - that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." It - were needless to say that the two ideas are in perfect and beautiful - harmony. The Lord Jesus Himself, who was the only perfect and - unwavering follower of that which is good, who, from first to last, - "went about doing good," found, in the end, the cross, the spear, the - borrowed grave. The apostle Paul, who, beyond all other men, kept - close to the Great Original which was set before him, was called to - drink an unusually large cup of privation and persecution. And to this - moment, the more like Christ, and the more devoted to Him any one is, - the more privation and persecution he will suffer. Were any one, in - true devotedness to Christ and love to souls, to take his stand - publicly in some Roman Catholic district, and there preach Christ, his - life would be in imminent danger. Do all these facts interfere with - Peter's inquiry? By no means. The direct tendency of God's moral - government is to protect from injury all who are "followers of that - which is good," and to bring down punishment upon all who are the - reverse; but it never interferes with the higher path of ardent - discipleship, or deprives any one of the privilege and dignity of - being as like Christ as he will; "for unto you _it is given_, on - behalf of Christ [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~} {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}], not only to believe on Him, - but also to suffer for Him [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}]; having the same conflict - which ye saw in me, and now hear in me." (Phil. i. 29, 30.) Here we are - taught that it is an actual gift conferred upon us to be allowed to - suffer for Christ, and this in the midst of a scene in which, on the - ground of God's moral government, it can be said, "Who is he that will - harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?" To recognize and - be a subject of God's government is one thing, and to be a follower of - a rejected and crucified Christ is quite another. Even in Peter's - epistle, which, as we have remarked, has as its special theme the - doctrine of God's government, we read, "But if, doing well and - suffering for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable to God. For - unto this were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving - us an example, that we should follow His steps." And again, "If any - suffer _as a Christian_ [from being morally like Christ], let him not - be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter." - -Now, in every case in which this great truth has been lost sight of by -Christian parents, their houses have been thrown into confusion. They -have not governed their children, and as a consequence, their children -have, in process of time, governed them, for there will be government -somewhere; and if those into whose hands God has put the reins do not -hold them properly, they will speedily fall into bad hands; and can -there be a more melancholy sight than to see parents governed by their -children? I believe, in God's sight, it presents a fearful moral blot, -which must bring down His judgment. A parent who lets the reins of -government drop from his hands, or who does not hold them steadily, -has grievously failed in his high and holy position as the -representative of God, and the depositary of His power; nor do I -believe that any one so failing can ever thoroughly regain his place, -or be a proper witness for God in his day and generation. A subject of -grace he may be; but then, a subject of grace and a witness for God -are two widely different things. This will account for the sorrowful -condition of many brethren. They have utterly failed to govern their -houses, and hence they have lost their true position and moral -influence--their energies are paralyzed, their mouths closed, their -testimony hushed; and if such do lift the voice in some feeble way, -the finger of scorn is instantly pointed at their families, and this -cannot but send a blush to the cheek and a pang to the conscience. - -Nor do people always take a correct view of this matter, and trace the -failure up to its legitimate source. Many are too ready to look upon -it as a natural and necessary thing that their children are to grow up -willful and worldly. They say, It is all very well while your children -are young, but wait till they grow older, and you will see that you -must let them go into the world. Now, I want to know, is it the mind -of God that the children of His servants must necessarily grow up -willful and worldly? I never could believe any such thing. Well, then, -if it be not His mind that they should so grow up,--if He has -graciously opened the same path to my house as He has opened to -myself,--if He has permitted me to select the same portion for my -children as I have, through His grace, selected for myself,--if, after -all this, my children grow up willful and worldly, what am I to infer? -Why, that I have grievously sinned and failed in my parental -relationship and responsibilities--that I have wronged my children and -dishonored the Lord. Shall I go and make a general principle of this, -and set it down that all the children of Christians must grow up as -mine have? Shall I go and discourage young parents from taking God's -ground in reference to their dear children, by setting before them my -abominable failure, instead of encouraging them by setting before them -God's infallible faithfulness to all who seek Him in the way of His -appointment? To act thus would be to follow in the steps of the old -prophet of Bethel, who, because he was in the midst of evil himself, -sought to drag his brother in also, and had him slain by a lion for -disobeying the word of the Lord. - -But the sum of the matter is this: The willfulness of my children -reveals the willfulness of my own heart, and a righteous God is using -them to chasten me, because I have not chastened myself. This is a -peculiarly solemn view of the case, and one that calls for deep -searching of heart. To save myself trouble, I have let things take -their course in my family, and now my children have grown up around me -to be thorns in my side, because I trained them not for God. This is -the history of thousands. We should ever bear in mind that our -children, as well as ourselves, should be "set for the defense and -confirmation of the gospel." I feel persuaded that, could we only be -led to regard our houses as a testimony for God, it would produce an -immense reformation in our mode of ruling them. We should then seek a -high tone of moral order, not that we might be spared any trouble or -vexation, but rather that the testimony might not suffer through any -confusion in our families. But let us not forget, that in order to -subdue nature in our children, we must subdue it in ourselves. We can -never subdue nature by nature. It is only as we have crushed it in -ourselves that we are in a position to crush it in our children. -Moreover, there must be the clearest understanding and the fullest -harmony between the father and mother. Their voice, their will, their -authority, their influence, should be essentially one--one in the -strictest sense of that word. Being themselves "no more twain, but one -flesh," they should ever appear before their children in the beauty -and power of that oneness. In order to this, they must wait much upon -God together--they must be much in His presence, opening up all their -hearts, and telling out all their need. Christians do frequently -injure one another in this respect. It sometimes happens that one -partner really desires to give up the world and subdue nature to an -extent for which the other is not prepared, and this produces sad -results. It sometimes leads to reserve, to shuffling, to management -and generalship, to positive antagonism in the views and principles of -husband and wife, so that they cannot really be said to be joined in -the Lord. The effect of all this upon the children as they grow up is -pernicious beyond all conception; and the influence which it exerts in -deranging the entire house is quite incalculable. What the father -commands, the mother remits; what the father builds up, the mother -pulls down. Sometimes the father is represented as stern, severe, -arbitrary, and exacting. The maternal influence acts outside and -independent of the paternal; sometimes, even, it sets it aside -altogether; so that the father's position becomes wretched in the -extreme, and the whole family presents a most demoralized and ungodly -appearance.[17] This is terrible. Children never could be properly -trained under such circumstances; and as to testimony for Christ, the -bare thought of it is monstrous. Wherever such a state of things -prevails, there should be the deepest sorrow of heart before the Lord -on account of it. His mercy is exhaustless, and His tender compassions -fail not; and surely we may hope that, where there is true contrition -and confession, God will graciously come in with healing and -restoration. One thing is certain, that we should not go on content to -have things so; therefore, let the one who feels the sorrow of heart -cry mightily to God, day and night--cry to Him on the ground of His -own truth and name, which are blasphemed by such things; and, be -assured, He will hear and answer. - - [17] Nothing can be more melancholy than to hear a mother say to a - child, "We must not let your father know any thing about this." Where - such a course of reserve and double dealing is adopted, there must be - something radically and awfully wrong, and it is a moral impossibility - that any thing like godly order can prevail, or right discipline be - carried out. Either the father must, by inordinate severity or - unwarrantable strictness, be "provoking his children to wrath," or the - mother must be pampering the child's will at the expense of the - father's character and authority. In either case, there is an - effectual barrier to the testimony, and the children suffer grievous - injury. Hence, Christian parents should see well to it that they - always appear before their children, and also before their servants, - in the power of that unity which flows from their being perfectly - joined together in the Lord. If, unhappily, any shade of difference - should arise in reference to the details of domestic government, let - it be made a matter of private conference, prayer, and self-judgment - in the presence of God; but never let the subjects of government see - such a manifest proof of moral weakness, for it will surely cause them - to despise the government. - -_But let all be viewed in the light of testimony for God's Son._ It is -to further this we are left here. We are surely not left here merely -to bring up families. We are left here to bring them up for God, with -God, by God, and before God. To do all this, we must be much in His -presence. A Christian parent should take great care not to punish his -children merely to gratify his whims and tempers. He is to represent -God in the midst of his family. This, when properly understood, will -regulate every thing. He is God's steward, likewise, and in order -rightly and intelligently to discharge the functions of his -stewardship, he must have frequent--yea, unbroken--intercourse with -his Master. He must be constantly betaking himself to His feet, to -know what he is to do, and how he is to do it. This will make every -thing easy and happy. It is often the desire of one's heart to get an -abstract rule for this, that, and the other thing, in the details of -family arrangement. One may ask what sort of punishments, what sort of -rewards, what sort of amusements, should a Christian parent adopt. -Actual punishment will, I believe, rarely be called for, if the divine -principle of government be carried out from the earliest date; and as -to rewards, it would be better to put them in the light of expressions -of love and approval. A child must be obedient--unqualifiedly and -unhesitatingly obedient--not to get a reward, which is apt to feed -emulation, a fruit of the flesh; but because God would have him so; -and then, of course, it is quite allowable for the parent to express -his approval in the shape of some little present. As to amusement, let -it always, if possible, assume the character of some useful -occupation. This is most salutary. It is a bad thing to cherish the -thought in the mind of a child that painted toys and gilded baubles -minister pleasure. With very young children, I have constantly found -that they derived more real, and certainly much more simple pleasure -from a piece of stick or paper made out by themselves, than from the -most expensive toy. Finally, let us, in all things, whether -punishment, reward, or amusement, keep the eye on Christ, and -earnestly seek the subjugation of the flesh in every shape and form. -So shall our houses be a testimony for God, and all who enter them be -constrained to say, "GOD IS HERE." - -As to the management of servants in a Christian household, the -principle is equally simple. The master, as the head of the house, is -the expression of the power of God, and as such, he must insist upon -subjection and obedience. It is not a question of the Christianity of -the servants, but simply of the order which should ever be maintained -in a Christian household. Here, too, we must be on our guard against -the mere indulgence of our own arbitrary temper. We have to remember -that we have a Master in heaven, who has taught us to "give unto our -servants that which is just and equal." If only we set the Lord before -us from day to day, and seek to exhibit Him in all our dealings with -our servants, we shall be kept from error on every side. - -I must now close. I have not written, the Lord knows, to wound anyone. -I feel the truth, importance, and deep solemnity of the points here -put forward, and also my own lack of ability to bring them out with -sufficient distinctness and power. However, I look to God to make them -influential; and where He works, the very weakest agency will answer -His end. To Him I now commend these pages, which have, I trust, been -begun, continued, and ended in His holy presence. The thought has -comforted me not a little, that at the very moment in which it was -laid on my conscience to prepare this paper, a number of beloved -brethren were actually assembled for humiliation, confession, and -prayer, in immediate connection with the testimony of God's Son in -these last days. I doubt not that a very leading point of confession -has been failure in the government of the house; and if these pages -should be used of God's Spirit to produce, even in one conscience, a -deeper sense of this failure, and in one heart, a more earnest desire -to meet the failure in God's own way, I shall rejoice, and feel I have -not written in vain. - -May God Almighty, in His great grace, produce, by His Holy Spirit, in -the hearts of all His beloved saints, a more ardent purpose of soul to -raise, in this closing hour, a fuller, brighter, more vigorous and -decided testimony for Christ, that so, ere the shout of the archangel -and the trump of God are heard in the air, there may be a people -prepared to meet and welcome the heavenly Bridegroom. - - _C. H. M._ - - - - -DISCIPLESHIP IN AN EVIL DAY - - -The first three chapters of the Book of Daniel furnish a most -seasonable and important lesson at a time like the present, in which -the disciple is in such danger of yielding to surrounding influences, -and of lowering his standard of testimony and his tone of -discipleship, in order to meet the existing condition of things. - -At the opening of chapter i. we have a most discouraging picture of -the state of things, in reference to the ostensible witness of God on -the earth. "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of -Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and -besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his -hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried -into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god; and he brought the -vessels into the house of his god." (Chap. i. 1, 2.) Here then we have -an aspect of things quite sufficient, if looked at from nature's point -of view, to discourage the heart, to damp the spirit, and paralyse the -energies. Jerusalem in ruins, the temple trodden down, the Lord's -vessels in the house of a false god, and Judah carried away captive. -Surely the heart would feel disposed to say, There is no use in -seeking to hold up the standard of practical discipleship and personal -devotedness any longer. The spirit must droop, the heart must faint, -and the hands must hang down, when such is the condition of the people -of God. It could be nought but the greatest presumption for any of -Judah's sons to think of taking up true Nazarite's position at such a -time. - -Such would be nature's reasoning; but such was not the language of -faith. Blessed be God! there is always a wide sphere in which the -spirit of genuine devotedness can develop itself--there is always a -path along which the true disciple can run, even though he should have -to run in solitude. It matters not what the outward condition of -things may be, it is faith's privilege to hang as much on God, to feed -as much on Christ, and to breathe as much of the air of heaven, as -though all were in perfect order and harmony. - -This is an unspeakable mercy to the faithful heart. All who desire to -walk devotedly can always find a path to walk in; whereas, on the -contrary, the man who draws a plea, from outward circumstances, for -relaxing his energy, would not be energetic, though most favorably -situated. - -If ever there was a time in which one might be excused for taking a -low ground, it was the time of the Babylonish captivity. The entire -framework of Judaism was broken up; the kingly power had passed out of -the hand of David's successor, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar; -the glory had departed from Israel; and, in one word, all seemed -faded and gone, and nought remained for the exiled children of Judah, -save to hang their harps upon the willows, and sit down by the rivers -of Babylon, there to weep over departed glory, faded light, and fallen -greatness. - -Such would be the language of blind unbelief; but, blessed be God! it -is when everything appears sunk to the lowest possible point, that -then faith rises in holy triumph; and faith, we know, is the only true -basis of effective discipleship. It asks for no props from the men and -things around it; it finds "_all_ its springs" in God; and hence it is -that faith never shines so brightly as when all around is dark. It is -when nature's horizon is overcast with the blackest clouds, that faith -basks in the sunshine of the divine favor and faithfulness. - -Thus it was that Daniel and his companions were enabled to overcome -the peculiar difficulties of their time. They judged that there was -nothing to hinder their enjoying as elevated a Nazariteship in Babylon -as ever had been known in Jerusalem; and they judged rightly. Their -judgment was the judgment of a pure and well-founded faith. It was the -selfsame judgment on which the Baraks, the Gideons, the Jephthahs, and -the Samsons of old had acted. It was the judgment to which Jonathan -gave utterance, when he said, "There is no restraint with the Lord to -save by many or by few." (1 Sam. xiv.) It was the judgment of David, -in the valley of Elah, when he called the poor trembling host of -Israel "the army of the living God." (1 Sam. xvii.) It was the -judgment of Elijah, on Mount Carmel, when he built an altar with -"twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of -Jacob." (1 Kings xviii.) It was the judgment of Daniel himself when, -at a further stage of his history, he opened his window and prayed -toward Jerusalem. (Dan. vi.) It was the judgment of Paul when, in view -of the overwhelming tide of apostasy and corruption which was about to -set in, he exhorts his son Timothy to "hold fast the form of sound -words." (2 Tim. i. 13.) It was the judgment of Peter when, in prospect -of the dissolution of the entire framework of creation, he encourages -believers to "be diligent, that they be found of him in peace, without -spot and blameless." (2 Peter iii. 14.) It was the judgment of John -when, amid the actual breaking up of everything ecclesiastical, he -exhorts his well-beloved Gaius to "follow not that which is evil, but -that which is good." (3 John 11.) And it was the judgment of Jude -when, in the presence of the most appalling wickedness, he encourages -a beloved remnant to "build themselves up in their most holy faith, -praying in the Holy Ghost, to keep themselves in the love of God, -looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." -(Jude 20, 21.) In one word, it was the judgment of the Holy Ghost, -and, therefore, it was the judgment of faith. - -Now, all this attaches immense value and interest to Daniel's -determination, as expressed in the first chapter of this book. "But -Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with -the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; -therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not -defile himself." (Ver. 8.) He might, very naturally, have said to -himself, "There is no use in one poor feeble captive seeking to -maintain a place of separation. Everything is broken up. It is -impossible to carry out the true spirit of a Nazarite amid such -hopeless ruin and degradation. I may as well accommodate myself to the -condition of things around me." - -But no; Daniel was on higher ground than this. He knew it was his -privilege to live as close to God in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, as -within the gates of Jerusalem. He knew that, let the outward condition -of the people of God be what it might, there was a path of purity and -devotedness opened to the individual saint, which he could pursue -independently of everything. - -And may we not say, that the Nazariteship of Babylon possesses charms -and attractions fully as powerful as the Nazariteship of Canaan? -Unquestionably. It is unspeakably precious and beautiful, to find one -of the captives in Babylon breathing after, and attaining unto, so -elevated a standard of separation. It teaches a powerful lesson for -every age. It holds up to the view of believers, under every -dispensation, a most encouraging and soul-stirring example. It proves -that, amid the darkest shades, a devoted heart can enjoy a path of -cloudless sunshine. - -But how is this? Because "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, -and forever." (Heb. xiii.) Dispensations change and pass away. -Ecclesiastical institutions crumble and moulder into ashes. Human -systems totter and fall; but the name of Jehovah endureth forever, and -His memorial unto all generations. It is upon this holy elevation that -faith plants its foot. It rises above all vicissitude, and enjoys -sweet converse with the unchangeable and eternal Source of all real -good. - -Thus it was that, in the days of the judges, individual faith was -manifested and achieved more glorious triumphs than ever were known in -the days of Joshua. Thus it was that Elijah's altar on Mount Carmel -was surrounded by a halo fully as bright as that which crowned the -altar of Solomon. - -This is truly encouraging. The poor heart is so apt to sink, and be -discouraged, by looking at the failure and unfaithfulness of man, -instead of at the infallible faithfulness of God. "The foundation of -God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are -His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from -iniquity." (2 Tim. ii. 19.) What can ever touch this enduring truth? -Nothing! And, therefore, nothing can touch the faith which lays hold -of it, or the superstructure of practical devotedness which is erected -on the foundation of that faith. - -And then look at the glorious results of Daniel's devotedness and -separation. In the three opening chapters we observe three distinct -things, resulting from the position assumed by Daniel and his -companions, in reference to "the king's meat." 1, They were let into -the secret of "_the king's dream_." 2, They withstood the seductions -of "_the king's image_." And, 3, They were brought unscathed through -"_the king's furnace_." - -I. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." This is -beautifully exemplified in the case before us. "The magicians, and the -astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans," who were breathing -the atmosphere of the royal presence, were all in the dark as to the -royal dream. "The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There -is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter." Very -likely; but there was a God in heaven who knew all about it; and who, -moreover, could unfold it to those who had faith enough, and -devotedness enough, and self-denial enough, to separate themselves -from Babylonish pollutions, though involved in the Babylonish -captivity. The mazes, the labyrinths, and the enigmas of human things -are all plain to God; and He can and does make them plain to those who -walk with Him, in the sanctity of His holy presence. God's Nazarites -can see farther into human affairs than the most profound philosophers -of this world. And how is this? How can they so readily unravel the -world's mysteries? Because they are above the world's mists. They are -apart from the world's defilements. They are in the place of -separation, the place of dependence, the place of communion. "Then -Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, -Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies -of the God of heaven, concerning this secret." (Chap. ii. 17, 18.) -Here we have their place of strength and intelligence. They had only -to look up to heaven, in order to be endowed with a clear -understanding as to all the destinies of earth. - -How real and simple is all this? "God is light, and in Him is no -darkness at all;" and, hence, if we want light, we can find it only in -His presence; and we can only know the power of His presence as we are -practically taking the place of separation from all the moral -pollutions of earth. - -And, observe, a further result of Daniel's holy separation. "Then the -king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and -commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto -him." Here we have earth's proudest and most powerful monarch at the -feet of the captive exile. Magnificent fruit of faithfulness! Precious -evidence of the truth that God will always honor the faith that can, -in any measure, rise to the height of His thoughts! He will not, He -cannot, dishonor the draft which confidence presents at His -exhaustless treasury. Daniel, on this memorable occasion, realized, in -his own person, as fully as ever it was realized, God's ancient -promise: "And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called -by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.... And the -Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be -above only, and thou shalt not be beneath." (Deut. xxviii. 10, 13.) - -Assuredly Daniel was, in the above scene, "the head," and -Nebuchadnezzar "the tail," as looked at from the divine point of view. -Witness, also, the bearing of this holy Nazarite, in the presence of -the impious Belshazzar. (Dan. v. 17-29.) Have we not, here, as -magnificent a testimony to the destined pre-eminence of the seed of -Abraham, as when Joshua's victorious captains placed their feet on the -necks of the kings of Canaan (Joshua x. 24); or, when "all the earth -sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his -heart?" (1 Kings x. 24.) Unquestionably; and, in a certain sense, it -is a more magnificent testimony. It is natural to expect such a scene -in the history of Joshua, or of Solomon; but to find the haughty king -of Babylon prostrate at the feet of one of his captives, is something -far beyond the utmost stretch of nature's expectation. - -There it is, however, as a most striking and soul-stirring proof of -the power of faith to triumph over all manner of difficulties, and to -produce the most extraordinary results. Faith is the same mighty -principle, whether it act on the plains of Palestine, on the top of -Carmel, by the rivers of Babylon, or amid the ruins of the professing -Church. No fetters can bind it, no difficulties deter it, no pressure -damp it, no changes affect it. It ever rises to its proper object, and -that object is God Himself, and His eternal revelation. Dispensations -may change, ages may run their course, the wheels of time may roll on, -and crush beneath their ponderous weight the fondest hopes of the poor -human heart; but there stands faith, that immortal, divine, eternal -reality, drinking at the fountain of pure truth, and finding all its -springs in Him, who is "the way, the truth, and the life." - -By this "precious faith" it was that Daniel acted, when he "purposed -that he would not defile himself with the king's meat." True, he could -no longer ascend to that holy and beautiful house, where his fathers -had worshipped. The rude foot of a foreign foe had trodden down the -holy city. The fire no longer burned on the altar of the God of -Israel. The golden candlestick no longer enlightened, with its seven -lamps, the holy place. But there was faith in Daniel's heart, and that -faith carried him beyond every surrounding influence, and enabled him -to appropriate, and act in the power of, "all the promises of God," -which are "Yea, and Amen in Christ Jesus." Faith is not affected by -ruined temples, fallen cities, faded lights, or departed glories. Why -not? Because God is not affected by them. God is always to be found; -and faith is always sure to find Him. - -II. But the same faith which enabled those holy men of old to refuse -the king's meat, enabled them, also, to despise the king's image. They -had separated themselves from defilement, in order that they might -enjoy a more intense communion with the true God; and they could not, -therefore, bow down to an image of gold, even though it were ever so -high. They knew that God was not an image. They knew He was a reality. -They could only present worship to Him, for He alone was the true -object thereof. - -Nor did it make any matter to them that all the world was against -them. They had only to live and act for God. It might seem as if they -were setting up to be wiser than their neighbors. It might savor of -presumption to stand against the tide of public opinion. Some might -feel disposed to ask if truth lay only with them? Were all "the -princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the -counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces," sunk -in darkness and error? Could it be possible that so many men of rank, -of intelligence, and of learning were in the wrong, and only a few -strangers of the captivity in the right? - -With such questions our Nazarites had nothing to do. Their path lay -right onward. Should they bow down and worship an image, in order to -avoid the appearance of condemning other people? Assuredly not. And -yet how often are those who desire to keep a conscience void of -offence in the sight of God, condemned for setting themselves up and -judging others! Doubtless Luther was condemned by many for setting -himself up in opposition to the doctors, the cardinals, and the pope. -Should he, in order to avoid such condemnation, have lived and died in -error? Who would say so? - -"Ah! but," some will reply, "Luther had to deal with palpable error." -So thought Luther; but thousands of learned and eminent men thought -otherwise. So also in the case of "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego," -they had to do with positive idolatry; but the whole world differed -from them. What then? "We must obey God rather than man." Let others -do as they will; "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." If -people were to remain in error and continue to do what they, at least, -feel to be wrong, in order to avoid the appearance of judging others, -where should we be? - -Ah! no; my beloved reader, do you seek to pursue the steady, onward, -upward path of pure and elevated discipleship. And, whether or not you -thereby condemn others, is no concern of yours. "CEASE TO DO EVIL." -This is the first thing for the true disciple to do. When he has -yielded obedience to this golden precept, he may expect to "learn to -do well." "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of -light." When God speaks, I am not to turn round to see how my -obedience to His voice will affect my neighbors, or to consider what -they will think about me. When the voice of the risen and glorified -Jesus fell upon the ear of the prostrate Saul of Tarsus, he did not -begin to enquire what the chief priests and Pharisees would think of -him were he to obey. Surely not. "Immediately," he says, "I conferred -not with flesh and blood." (Gal. i. 16.) "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I -was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." (Acts xxvi. 19.) This -is the true spirit and principle of discipleship. "Give glory to God, -before He cause darkness, and your feet stumble upon the dark -mountains." Nothing can be more dangerous than to hesitate, when -divine light shines upon the path. If you do not act upon the light, -when you get it, you will, assuredly, be involved in thick darkness. -Hence, therefore, as another has said, "Never go before your faith, -nor lag behind your conscience." - -III. But, we have said, if our Nazarites refused to bow before the -king's image, they had to encounter the king's rage, and the king's -furnace. For all this they were, by the grace of God, prepared: their -Nazariteship was a real thing; they were ready to suffer the loss of -all things, and even life itself, in defence of the true worship of -the God of Israel. "They worshipped and served their own God," not -merely beneath the peaceful vine and fig-tree in the land of Canaan, -but in the very face of "a burning fiery furnace." They acknowledged -Jehovah, not merely in the midst of a congregation of true -worshippers, but in the presence of an opposing world. Theirs was a -true discipleship in an evil day. They loved the Lord; and, therefore, -for His sake, they abstained from the king's luxuries, they withstood -the king's rage, and they endured the king's furnace. "O -Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If -it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning -fiery furnace; and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But -if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy -gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." This was -the language of men who knew whose they were, and where they were--of -men who had calmly and deliberately counted the cost--of men to whom -the Lord was everything, the world nothing. All that the world could -offer, together with life itself, was at stake; but what of that? -"They endured as seeing Him who is invisible." Eternal glory lay -before them; and they were quite prepared to reach that glory by a -fiery pathway. God can take His servants to heaven by a chariot of -fire, or by a furnace of fire, as seems good to Him. Whatever be the -mode of going, it is well to get there. - -But could not the Lord have preserved His beloved servants from being -cast into the furnace? No doubt. This would have been but a very small -matter to Him. He did not, however, do so: it was His will that the -faith of His servants should be put to the test--should be tried in -the furnace--should be passed through the most searching crucible, in -order that it "might be found to praise and honor and glory." Is it -because the refiner sets no value on the wedge of gold, that he puts -it into the furnace? No; but because he does. And, as some one has -beautifully remarked, "His object is not merely to remove the dross, -but to brighten the metal." - -It is very evident that had the Lord, by an act of _power_, kept His -servants out of the furnace, there would have been less glory to Him -and as a consequence, less blessing to them. It was far better to have -His presence and sympathy in the furnace, than His power to keep them -out of it. What glory to Him in this! And what unspeakable privilege -to them! The Lord went down and walked _with_ His Nazarites in the -furnace into which their faithfulness had brought them. They had -walked with God in the king's palace; and God walked with them in the -king's furnace. This was the most elevated moment in the entire career -of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. How little had the king imagined -the lofty position in which he was placing the objects of his rage and -fury! Every eye was turned from the great image of gold, to gaze, in -astonishment, upon the three captives. What could it mean? "Three men -_bound_!" "Four men _loose_!" Could it be real? Was the furnace real? -Alas, "the most mighty men in the king's army" had proved it to be -real. And, had Nebuchadnezzar's image been cast into it, it would have -proved its reality also. There was no material for the sceptic or the -infidel to work upon. It was a real furnace, and a real flame, and the -"three men" were "bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, -and their other garments." All was reality. - -But there was a deeper reality: _God was there_. This changed -everything: it "changed the king's word," changed the furnace into a -place of high and holy fellowship--changed Nebuchadnezzar's bondmen -into God's freemen. - -_God was there!_--there, in his power, to write contempt upon all -man's opposition--there, in His deep and tender sympathy with His -tried and faithful servants--there, in His matchless grace, to set the -captives free, and to lead the hearts of His Nazarites into that deep -fellowship with Himself for which they so ardently thirsted. - -And, my beloved reader, is it not worth passing through a fiery -furnace to enjoy a little more of the presence of Christ, and the -sympathy of His loving heart? Are not fetters, with Christ, better -than jewels without Him? Is not a furnace where He is better than a -palace where He is not? Nature says, "_No!_" Faith says, "_Yes!_" - -It is well to bear in mind that this is not the day of Christ's -_power_; but it is the day of His _sympathy_. When passing through the -deep waters of affliction, the heart may, at times, feel disposed to -ask, "Why does not the Lord display His power, and deliver me?" The -answer is, This is not the day of His power. He could avert that -sickness--He could remove that difficulty--He could take off that -pressure--He could prevent that catastrophe--He could preserve that -beloved and fondly-cherished object from the cold grasp of death. But, -instead of putting forth His power to deliver, He allows things to run -their course, and pours His own sweet sympathy into the oppressed and -riven heart, in such a way as to elicit the acknowledgment that we -would not, for worlds, have missed the trial, because of the abundance -of the consolation. - -Such, my reader, is the manner of our Jesus just now. By and by He -will display His power; He will come forth as the Rider on the white -horse; He will unsheath His sword; He will make bare His arm; He will -avenge His people, and right their wrongs forever. But now His sword -is sheathed, His arm covered. This is the time for making known the -deep love of His heart, not the power of His arm, nor the sharpness of -His sword. Are you satisfied to have it so? Is Christ's sympathy -enough for your heart, even amid the keenest sorrow and the most -intense affliction? The restless heart, the impatient spirit, the -unmortified will, would lead one to long for escape from the trial, -the difficulty, or the pressure; but this would never do. It would -involve incalculable loss. We must pass from form to form in the -school; but the Master accompanies us, and the light of His -countenance, and the tender sympathy of His heart, sustain us under -the most severe exercises. - -And, then, see what glory redounds to the name of the Lord, when His -people are enabled, by His grace, to pass, triumphantly, through a -trial! Read Daniel iii. 26-28, and say where you could find richer or -rarer fruits of a faithful discipleship. The king and all his nobles, -who, just before, had been wholly engrossed with the bewitching music -and the false worship, are now occupied with the amazing fact that the -fire, which had slain the mighty men, had taken no effect whatever -upon the worshippers of the true God, save to consume their fetters -and let them walk free, in company with the Son of God. "Then -Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, -and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, YE SERVANTS OF -THE MOST HIGH GOD, come forth and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, -and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, -governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered -together, _saw these men_, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, -nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, -nor the smell of fire had passed on them." - -Here, then, was a noble testimony--such a testimony as would never -have been rendered, had the Lord, by a mere act of power, preserved -His servants from being cast into the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar was -furnished with a striking proof that his furnace was no more to be -dreaded than his image was to be worshipped by "the servants of the -most high God." In a word, the enemy was confounded; God was -glorified; and His dear servants brought forth unscathed from "the -burning fiery furnace." Precious fruits, these, of a faithful -Nazariteship! - -And, observe, further, the honor put upon our Nazarites. "Then -Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be _the God of Shadrach, -Meshach, and Abednego_." Their names are intimately associated with -the God of Israel. This was a high honor. They had identified -themselves with the true God when it was a matter of life and death -to do so; and, therefore, the true God identified Himself with them, -and led them forth into a large and wealthy place. He set their feet -upon a rock, and lifted their heads up above all their enemies round -about them. How true it is that "them that honor me I will honor!" And -it is equally true that "they that despise me shall be lightly -esteemed." (1 Sam. ii. 30.) - -My beloved reader, have you found settled, divine peace for your -guilty conscience, in the perfected atonement of the Lord Jesus -Christ? Have you simply taken God at His word? Have you set to your -seal that God is true? If so, you are a child of God; your sins are -_all_ forgiven, and you are accepted as righteous in Christ; heaven, -with all its untold glories, is before you; you are as sure of being -in the glory as Christ Himself, inasmuch as you are united to Him. - -Thus, everything is settled for you for time and eternity, according -to the very utmost desire of your heart. Your need is met, your guilt -removed, your peace established, your title sure. You have nought to -do for yourself. All is divinely finished. - -What remains? Just this: LIVE FOR CHRIST! You are left here for "a -little while," to occupy for Him, and wait for His appearing. Oh! seek -to be faithful to your blessed Master. Be not discouraged by the -fragmentary state of everything around you. Let the case of Daniel and -his honored companions encourage your heart to seek after an elevated -course here below. It is your privilege to enjoy as much of -companionship with the blessed Lord Jesus, as if you were cast amid -the palmy days of apostolic testimony. - -May the Holy Ghost enable the writer and the reader of these lines to -drink into the spirit--walk in the footsteps--manifest the graces--and -wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! - - C. H. M. - - - - -SIN IN THE FLESH - -AND - -SIN ON THE CONSCIENCE - - -It is of the utmost importance that we accurately distinguish between -sin _in the flesh_, and sin _on the conscience_. If we confound these -two, our souls must necessarily be unhinged, and our worship marred. -An attentive consideration of 1 John i. 8-10. will throw much light -upon this subject, the understanding of which is so essential. - -There is no one who will be so conscious of indwelling sin, as the man -who walks in the light. "If we say that we have _no sin_, we deceive -ourselves, and the truth is not in us." In the verse immediately -preceding, we read, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us -from _all sin_." Here the distinction between sin _in_ us, and sin -_on_ us, is fully brought out and established. To say that there is -sin on the believer, in the presence of God, is to call in question -the purging efficacy of the blood of Jesus, and to deny the truth of -the divine record. If the blood of Jesus can perfectly purge, then the -believer's conscience is perfectly purged. The word of God thus puts -the matter; and we must ever remember that it is from God Himself we -are to learn what the true condition of the believer is, in His -sight. We are more disposed to be occupied in telling God what we are -in ourselves, than to allow Him to tell us what we are in Christ. In -other words, we are more taken up with our own self-consciousness, -than with God's revelation of Himself. God speaks to us on the ground -of what He is in Himself, and of what He has accomplished in Christ. -Such is the nature and character of His revelation, of which faith -takes hold, and thus fills the soul with perfect peace. God's -revelation is one thing; my consciousness is quite another. - -But the same word which tells us we have no sin _on_ us, tells us, -with equal force and clearness, that we have sin _in_ us. "If we say -we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -Every one who has "truth" in him, will know that he has "_sin_" in -him, likewise; for truth reveals everything as it is. What, then, are -we to do? It is our privilege so to walk in the power of the new -nature (that is, the Holy Ghost), that the "_sin_" which dwells in us -may not manifest itself in the form of "_sins_." The Christian's -position is one of victory and liberty. He is not only delivered from -the guilt of sin, but also from sin as a ruling principle in his life. -"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body -of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. -For he that is dead is freed from sin ... let not sin therefore -_reign_ in your mortal body, that ye should _obey_ it in the lusts -thereof.... For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not -under the law, but under grace." (Rom. vi. 6-14.) Sin is there in all -its native vileness, but the believer is _dead_ to it. How? He died -in Christ. By nature he was dead _in_ sin. By grace he is dead _to_ -it. What claim can anything or any one have upon a dead man? None -whatever. Christ "died unto sin once," and the believer died in Him. -"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live -with Him; knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no -more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He -died unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God." What -is the result of this, in reference to believers? "_Likewise_ reckon -ye also yourselves to be _dead indeed unto sin_, but alive unto God -through Jesus Christ our Lord." Such is the believer's unalterable -position before God, so that it is his holy privilege to enjoy freedom -from sin as a _ruler_ over him, though it be a _dweller_ in him. - -But then, "if any man sin," what is to be done? The inspired apostle -furnishes a full and most blessed answer: "If we confess our sins, He -is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from -all unrighteousness." (1 John i. 9.) Confession is the mode in which -the conscience is to be kept free. The apostle does not say, "If we -pray for pardon, He is gracious and merciful to forgive us." No doubt, -it is ever happy for a child to breathe the sense of need into his -father's ear--to tell him of feebleness, to confess folly, infirmity, -and failure. All this is most true; and, moreover, it is equally true -that our Father is most gracious and merciful to meet His children in -all their weakness and ignorance; but, while all this is true, the -Holy Ghost declares, by the apostle, that "if we _confess_," God is -"_faithful_ and _just_ to forgive." Confession therefore is the divine -mode. A Christian, having erred in thought, word, or deed, might pray -for pardon for days and months together, and not have any assurance, -from 1 John i. 9, that he was forgiven; whereas, the moment he truly -confesses his sin before God, it is a simple matter of faith to know -that he is perfectly forgiven, and perfectly cleansed. - -There is an immense moral difference between praying for forgiveness, -and confessing our sins, whether we look at it in reference to the -character of God, the sacrifice of Christ, or the condition of the -soul. It is quite possible that a person's prayer may involve the -confession of his sin, whatever it may happen to be, and thus come to -the same thing. But then, it is always well to keep close to -Scripture, in what we think, and say, and do. It must be evident that -when the Holy Ghost speaks of _confession_, He does not mean -_praying_. And it is equally evident that He knows there are moral -elements in, and practical results flowing out of, confession, which -do not belong to prayer. In point of fact, one has often found that a -habit of importuning God for the forgiveness of sins, displayed -ignorance as to the way in which God has revealed Himself in the -Person and work of Christ; as to the relation in which the sacrifice -of Christ has set the believer; and as to the divine mode of getting -the conscience relieved from the burden, and purified from the evil of -sin. - -God has been perfectly satisfied, as to all the believer's sins, in -the cross of Christ. On that cross a full atonement was presented for -every jot and tittle of sin, in the believer's nature and on his -conscience. Hence, therefore, God does not need any further -propitiation. He does not need aught to draw His heart toward the -believer. We do not require to supplicate Him to be "faithful and -just," when His faithfulness and justice have been so gloriously -displayed, vindicated, and answered, in the death of Christ. Our sins -can never come into God's presence, inasmuch as Christ, who bore them -all, and put them away, is there instead. But if we sin, conscience -will feel it, must feel it; yea, the Holy Ghost will make us feel it. -He cannot allow so much as a single light thought to pass unjudged. -What then? Has our sin made its way into the presence of God? Has it -found its place in the unsullied light of the inner sanctuary? God -forbid! The "Advocate" is there--"Jesus Christ the righteous"--to -maintain, in unbroken integrity, the relationship in which we stand. -But though sin cannot affect God's thoughts in reference to us, it -can, and does affect our thoughts in reference to Him. Though it -cannot make its way into God's presence, it can make its way into -ours, in a most distressing and humiliating manner. Though it cannot -hide the Advocate from God's view, it can hide Him from ours. It -gathers, like a thick dark cloud, on our spiritual horizon, so that -our souls cannot bask in the blessed beams of our Father's -countenance. It cannot affect our relationship with God, but it can -very seriously affect our enjoyment thereof. What, therefore, are we -to do? The Word answers, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and -just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all -unrighteousness." By confession, we get our conscience cleared; the -sweet sense of our relationship restored; the dark cloud dispersed; -the chilling, withering influence removed; our thoughts of God set -straight. Such is the divine method; and we may truly say that the -heart that knows what it is to have ever been in the place of -confession, will feel the divine power of the apostle's words, "My -little children, these things write I unto you, _that ye sin not_." (1 -John ii. 1.) - -Then, again, there is a style of praying for forgiveness which -involves a losing sight of the perfect ground of forgiveness, which -has been laid in the sacrifice of the cross. If God forgives sins, He -must be "faithful and just" in so doing. But it is quite clear that -our prayers, be they ever so sincere and earnest, could not form the -basis of God's faithfulness and justice in forgiving us our sins. -Nought save the work of the cross could do this. There the -faithfulness and justice of God have had their fullest establishment, -and that, too, in immediate reference to our actual sins, as well as -to the root thereof, in our nature. God has already judged our sins, -in the Person of our Substitute, "on the tree;" and, in the act of -confession, we judge ourselves. This is essential to divine -forgiveness and restoration. The very smallest unconfessed, unjudged -sin, on the conscience, will entirely mar our communion with God. Sin -_in_ us need not do this; but if we suffer sin to remain _on_ us, we -cannot have fellowship with God. He has put away our sins in such a -manner as that He can have us in His presence; and so long as we -abide in His presence, sin does not trouble us. But if we get out of -His presence, and commit sin, our communion must of necessity be -suspended until, by confession, we have got rid of the sin. All this, -I need hardly add, is founded exclusively upon the perfect sacrifice -and righteous advocacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. - -Finally, as to the difference between prayer and confession, as -respects the condition of the heart before God, and its moral sense of -the hatefulness of sin, it cannot possibly be overestimated. It is a -much easier thing to ask in a general way for the forgiveness of our -sins, than to confess those sins. Confession involves _self-judgment_; -asking for forgiveness may not, and in itself does not. This alone -would be sufficient to point out the difference. Self-judgment is one -of the most valuable and healthful exercises of the Christian life; -and therefore anything which produces it must be highly esteemed by -every earnest Christian. - -The difference between asking for pardon, and confessing the sin, is -continually exemplified in dealing with children. If a child has done -anything wrong, he finds much less difficulty in asking his father to -forgive him, than in openly and unreservedly confessing the wrong. In -asking for forgiveness, the child may have in his mind a number of -things which tend to lessen the sense of the evil; he may be secretly -thinking that he was not so much to blame after all, though, to be -sure, it is only proper to ask his father to forgive him; whereas, in -confessing the wrong, there is just one thing, and that is -self-judgment. Further, in asking for forgiveness, the child may be -influenced mainly by a desire to escape the consequences of his wrong; -whereas a judicious parent will seek to produce a just sense of its -moral evil, which can only exist where there is the full confession of -the fault in connection with self-judgment. - -Thus it is in reference to God's dealing with His children, when they -do wrong. He must have the whole thing brought out and thoroughly -judged. He will make us not only dread the consequences of sin,--which -are unutterable,--but hate the thing itself, because of its -hatefulness in His sight. Were it possible for us, when we commit sin, -to be forgiven merely for the asking, our sense of sin, and our -shrinking from it, would not be nearly so intense; and, as a -consequence, our estimate of the fellowship with which we are blessed -would not be nearly so high. The moral effect of all this upon the -general tone of our spiritual constitution, and also upon our whole -character and practical career, must be obvious to every experienced -Christian. - - - - -GOD'S WAY, AND HOW TO FIND IT - -(Read Job xxviii.; Luke xi. 34-36.) - - -"There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye -hath not seen: the lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce -lion passed by it." What an unspeakable mercy for one who really -desires to walk with God, to know that there is a way for him to walk -in! God has prepared a pathway for His redeemed in which they may walk -with all possible certainty, calmness and fixedness. It is the -privilege of every child of God, and every servant of Christ, to be as -sure that he is in God's way as that his soul is saved. This may seem -a strong statement; but the question is, Is it true? If it be true, it -cannot be too strong. No doubt it may, in the judgment of some, savor -a little of self-confidence and dogmatism to assert, in such a day as -that in which we live, and in the midst of such a scene as that -through which we are passing, that we are sure of being in God's path. -But what saith the Scripture? It declares "there is a way," and it -also tells us how to find and how to walk in that way. Yes; the -self-same voice that tells us of God's salvation for our souls, tells -us also of God's pathway for our feet;--the very same authority that -assures us that "he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting -life," assures us also that there is a way so plain that "the -wayfaring men though fools shall not err therein." - -This, we repeat, is a signal mercy--a mercy at all times, but -especially in a day of confusion and perplexity like the present. It -is deeply affecting to notice the state of uncertainty in which many -of God's dear people are found at the present moment. We do not refer -now to the question of salvation, of this we have spoken largely -elsewhere; but that which we have now before us is the path of the -Christian--what he ought to do, where he should be found, how he ought -to carry himself in the midst of the professing Church. Is it not too -true that multitudes of the Lord's people are at sea as to these -things? Are there not many who, were they to tell out the real -feelings of their hearts, would have to own themselves in a thoroughly -unsettled state--to confess that they know not what to do, or where to -go, or what to believe? Now, the question is, Would God leave His -children, would Christ leave His servants, in such darkness and -confusion? - - "No; my dear Lord, in following Thee, - And not in dark uncertainty, - This foot obedient moves." - -May not a child know the will of his father? May not a servant know -the will of his master? And if this be so in our earthly -relationships, how much more fully may we count upon it in reference -to our Father and Master in heaven. When Israel of old emerged from -the Red Sea, and stood upon the margin of that great and terrible -wilderness which lay between them and the land of promise, how were -they to know their way? The trackless sand of the desert lay all -around them. It was in vain to look for any footprint there. It was a -dreary waste in which the vulture's eye could not discern a pathway. -Moses felt this when he said to Hobab, "Leave us not, I pray thee; -forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and -thou mayest be to us instead of eyes." (Numb. x. 31.) How well our -poor unbelieving hearts can understand this touching appeal! How one -craves a human guide in the midst of a scene of perplexity! How fondly -the heart clings to one whom we deem competent to give us guidance in -moments of darkness and difficulty! - -And yet, we may ask, what did Moses want with Hobab's eyes? Had not -Jehovah graciously undertaken to be their guide? Yes, truly; for we -are told that "on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud -covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony; and at -even, there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, -until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and -the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from -the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and -in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel -pitched their tents. At the commandment of the Lord the children of -Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as -long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle, they rested in their -tents. And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, -then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed -not. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; -according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, -and according to the commandment the Lord, and journeyed not. And so -it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the -cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; whether it was -by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed; or -whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud -tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel -abode in their tents and journeyed not, but when it was taken up they -journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents, -and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the -charge of the Lord at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of -Moses" (Num. ix. 15-23). - -Here was divine guidance--a guidance, we may surely say, quite -sufficient to render them independent of their own eyes, of Hobab's -eyes, and the eyes of any other mortal. It is interesting to note that -in the opening of the book of Numbers, it was arranged that the ark of -the covenant was to find its place in the very bosom of the -congregation; but in chapter x. we are told that when "they departed -from the mount of the Lord three days' journey, the ark of the -covenant of the Lord _went before them_, in the three days' journey, -to search out a resting-place for them." Instead of Jehovah finding a -resting-place in the bosom of His redeemed people, He becomes their -traveling Guide, and goes before them to seek out a resting-place for -them. What touching grace is here! and what faithfulness! If Moses -will ask Hobab to be their guide, and that, too, in the very face of -God's provision--even the cloud and the silver trumpet, then will -Jehovah leave His place in the centre of the tribes, and go before -them to search them out a resting-place. And did not He know the -wilderness well? Would not He be better for them than ten thousand -Hobabs? Might they not fully trust Him? Assuredly. He would not lead -them astray. If His grace had redeemed them from Egypt's bondage, and -conducted them through the Red Sea, surely they might confide in the -same grace to guide them across that great and terrible wilderness, -and bring them safely into the land flowing with milk and honey. - -But it must be borne in mind that, in order to profit by divine -guidance, there must be the abandonment of our own will, and of all -confidence in our own reasonings, as well as all confidence in the -thoughts and reasonings of others. If I have Jehovah as my Guide, I do -not want my own eyes or the eyes of a Hobab either. God is sufficient: -I can trust Him. He knows all the way across the desert; and hence, if -I keep my eye upon Him, I shall be guided aright. - -But this leads us on to the second division of our subject, namely, -How am I to find God's way? An all-important question, surely. Whither -am I to turn to find God's pathway? If the vulture's eye, so keen, so -powerful, so far-seeing, hath not seen it,--if the young lion, so -vigorous in movement, so majestic in mien, hath not trodden it,--if -man knoweth not the price of it, and if it is not to be found in the -land of the living,--if the depth saith, It is not in me, and the sea -saith, It is not with me,--if it cannot be gotten for gold or precious -stones,--if the wealth of the universe cannot equal it, and no wit of -man discover it,--then whither am I to turn? where shall I find it? -Shall I turn to those great standards of orthodoxy which rule the -religious thought and feeling of millions throughout the length and -breadth of the professing Church? Is this wondrous pathway of wisdom -to be found with them? Do they form any exception to the great, broad, -sweeping rule of Job xxviii? Assuredly not. What, then, am I to do? I -know there is a way. God, who cannot lie, declares this, and I believe -it; but where am I to find it? "Whence, then, cometh wisdom? and where -is the place of understanding? seeing it is hid from the eyes of all -living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Destruction and -Death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears." Does it not -seem like a hopeless case for any poor ignorant mortal to search for -this wondrous pathway? No, blessed be God, it is by no means a -hopeless case, for "He understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth -the place thereof. For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth -under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and He -weigheth the waters by measure. When He made a decree for the rain, -and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then did He see it and -_declare_ it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man -He said, 'Behold, _the fear of the Lord_, that is wisdom; and _to -depart from evil_ is understanding.'" - -Here, then, is the divine secret of wisdom: "The fear of the Lord." -This sets the conscience directly in the presence of God, which is its -only true place. The object of Satan is to keep the conscience out of -this place--to bring it under the power and authority of man--to lead -it into subjection to the commandments and doctrines of men--to thrust -in something between the conscience and the authority of Christ the -Lord, it matters not what it is; it may be a creed or a confession -containing a quantity of truth,--it may be the opinion of a man or a -set of men--the judgment of some favorite teacher,--anything, in -short, to come in and usurp, in the heart, the place which belongs to -God's Word alone. This is a terrible snare, and a stumbling-block--a -most serious hindrance to our progress in the ways of the Lord. God's -Word must rule me--God's pure and simple Word, not man's -interpretation thereof. No doubt, God may use a man to unfold that -Word to my soul; but then it is not man's unfolding of God's Word that -rules me, but God's Word by man unfolded. This is of all importance. -We must be exclusively taught and exclusively governed by the Word of -the living God. Nothing else will keep us straight, or give solidity -and consistency to our character and course as Christians. There is a -strong tendency within and around us to be ruled by the thoughts and -opinions of men--by those great standards of doctrine which men have -set up. Those standards and opinions may have a large amount of truth -in them--they may be all true so far as they go; that is not the point -in question now. What we want to impress upon the Christian reader is, -that he is not to be governed by the thoughts of his fellow-man, but -simply and solely by the Word of God. It is of no value to hold a -truth from man; I must hold it directly from God Himself. God may use -a man to communicate His truth; but unless I hold it as from God, it -has no divine power over my heart and conscience; it does not bring me -into living contact with God, but actually hinders that contact by -bringing in something between my soul and His holy authority. - -We should greatly like to enlarge upon and enforce this great -principle; but we must forbear, just now, in order to unfold to the -reader one or two solemn and practical points set forth in the -eleventh chapter of Luke,--points which, if entered into, will enable -us to understand a little better how to find God's way. We shall quote -the passage at length.--"The light of the body is the eye: therefore -when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but -when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, -therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy -whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole -shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth -give thee light." - -Here, then, we are furnished with the true secret of discerning God's -way. It may seem very difficult, in the midst of the troubled sea of -christendom, to steer one's course aright. So many conflicting voices -fall on the ear. So many opposing views solicit our attention, men of -God differ so in judgment, shades of opinion are so multiplied, that -it seems impossible to reach a sound conclusion. We go to one man who, -so far as we can judge, seems to have a single eye, and he tells us -one thing; we go to another man who also seems to have a single eye, -and he tells the very reverse. What, then, are we to think? Well, one -thing is certain, that our own eye is not single when we are running, -in uncertainty and perplexity, from one man to another. The single eye -is fixed on Christ alone, and thus the body is filled with light. The -Israelite of old had not to run hither and thither to consult with his -fellow as to the right way. Each had the same divine guide, namely, -the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. In a -word, Jehovah Himself was the infallible Guide of each member of the -congregation. They were not left to the guidance of the most -intelligent, sagacious, or experienced man in the assembly; neither -were they left to follow their own way,--each was to follow the Lord. -The silver trumpet announced to all alike the mind of God; and no one -whose ear was open and attentive was left at any loss. The eye and -the ear of each were to be directed to God _alone_, and not to a -fellow-mortal. This was the secret of guidance in the trackless desert -of old, and this is the secret of guidance in the vast moral -wilderness through which God's redeemed are passing now. One man may -say, Listen to me; and another may say, Listen to me; and a third may -say, Let each one take his own way. The obedient heart says, in -opposition to all, I must follow my Lord. - -This makes all so simple. It will not, by any means, tender to foster -a spirit of haughty independence; quite the reverse. The more I am -taught to lean on God alone for guidance, the more I shall distrust -and look off from myself; and this, assuredly, is not independence. -True, it will deliver me from servile following of any man, by giving -me to feel my responsibility to Christ alone; but this is precisely -what is so much needed at the present moment. The more closely we -examine the elements that are abroad in the professing Church, the -more we shall be convinced of our personal need of this entire -subjection to divine authority, which is only another name for "the -fear of the Lord," or, "a single eye." There is one brief sentence, in -the opening of the Acts of the Apostles, which furnishes a perfect -antidote to the self-will and the servile fear of man so rife around -us, and that is, "We must obey God." What an utterance! "We must -_obey_." This is the cure for self-will. "We must obey _God_." This is -the cure for servile subjection to the commandments and doctrines of -men. There must be obedience; but obedience to what? To God's -authority, and to that alone. Thus the soul is preserved from the -influence of infidelity on the one hand, and superstition on the -other. Infidelity says, Do as you like. Superstition says, Do as man -tells you. Faith says, "We must obey God." - -Here is the holy balance of the soul in the midst of the conflicting -and confounding influences around us in this our day. As a servant, I -am to obey my Lord; as a child, I am to hearken to my Father's -commandments. Nor am I the less to do this although my fellow-servants -and my brethren may not understand me. I must remember that the -immediate business of my soul is with God Himself.-- - - "He before whom the elders bow, - With Him is _all_ my business now." - -It is my privilege to be as sure that I have my Master's mind as to my -path as that I have His Word for the security of my soul. If not, -where am I? Is it not my privilege to have a single eye? Yes, surely. -And what then? "A body full of light." Now, if my body is full of -light, can my mind be full of perplexity? Impossible. The two things -are wholly incompatible; and hence, when one is plunged "in dark -uncertainty," it is very plain his eye is not single. He may seem very -sincere, he may be very anxious to be guided aright; but he may rest -assured there is the lack of a single eye--that indispensable -prerequisite to divine guidance. The Word is plain,--"If thine eye is -single, thy whole body also is full of light." God will ever guide -the obedient, humble soul; but, on the other hand, if we do not walk -according to the light communicated, we shall get into darkness. Light -not acted upon becomes darkness, and oh, "how great is that darkness!" -Nothing is more dangerous than tampering with the light which God -gives. It must, sooner or later, lead to the most disastrous -consequences. "Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee -be not darkness." "Hear, ye, and give ear: be not proud; for the Lord -hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before _He_ cause -darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and -while ye look for light, _He_ turn it into the shadow of death, and -make it gross darkness." (Jer. xiii. 15, 16.) - -This is deeply solemn. What a contrast between a man having a single -eye, and a man not acting on the light which God has given him! The -one has his body full of light; the other has his body full of -darkness: the one has no part dark; the other is plunged in gross -darkness: the one is a light-bearer for others; the other is a -stumbling-block in the way. We know nothing more solemn than the -judicial acting of God, in actually turning our light into darkness, -because we have refused to act on the light which He has been pleased -to impart. - -Christian reader, art thou acting up to thy light? Has God sent a ray -of light into thy soul? Has He shown thee something wrong in thy ways -or associations? Art thou persisting in any line of action which -conscience tells thee is not in full accordance with thy Master's -will? Search and see. "Give glory to the Lord thy God." Act on the -light. Do not hesitate. Think not of consequences. Obey, we beseech -thee, the word of thy Lord. This very moment, as thine eye scans these -lines, let the purpose of thy soul be to depart from iniquity wherever -thou findest it. Say not, Whither shall I go? What shall I do next? -There is evil everywhere. It is only escaping from one evil to plunge -into another. Say not these things; do not argue or reason; do not -look at results; think not of what the world or the world-church will -say of thee; rise above all these things, and tread the path of -light--that path which shineth more and more unto the perfect day of -glory. Remember, God never gives light for two steps at a time. If He -has given thee light for one step, then, in the fear and love of His -Name, take that one step, and thou wilt assuredly get more light--yes, -"more and more." But if there be the refusal to act, the light which -is in thee will become gross darkness, thy feet will stumble on the -dark mountains of error which lie on either side of the straight and -narrow path of obedience; and thou wilt become a stumbling-block in -the path of others. Some of the most grievous stumbling-blocks that -lie, at this moment, in the pathway of anxious inquirers are found in -the persons of those who once seemed to possess the truth, but have -turned from it. The light which was in them has become darkness, and -oh, how great and how appalling is that darkness! How sad it is to -see those who ought to be light-bearers, acting as a positive -hindrance to young and earnest Christians! But let not young -Christians be hindered by them. The way is plain. "The fear of the -Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." Let -each one hear and obey for himself the voice of the Lord. "My sheep -hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." The Lord be -praised for this precious word! It puts each one in the place of -direct responsibility to Christ Himself; it tells us plainly what is -_God's way_, and, just as plainly, _how to find it_. - - _C. H. M._ - - - - -THE UNEQUAL YOKE - - -No one who sincerely desires to attain, in his own person, or promote -in others, a purer and more elevated discipleship, can possibly -contemplate the Christianity of the present day without an -indescribable feeling of sadness and heaviness. Its tone is so -excessively low, its aspect so sickly, and its spirit so enfeebled, -that one is, at times, tempted to despair of any thing like a true and -faithful witness for an absent Lord. All this is the more truly -deplorable when we remember the commanding motives by which it is our -special privilege ever to be actuated. Whether we look at the Master -whom we are called to follow, the path which we are called to tread, -the end which we are called to keep in view, or the hopes by which we -are to be animated, we cannot but own that, were all these entered -into and realized by a more simple faith, we should assuredly exhibit -a more ardent discipleship. "The love of Christ," says the apostle, -"constraineth us." This is the most powerful motive of all. The more -the heart is filled with Christ's love, and the eye filled with His -blessed person, the more closely shall we seek to follow in His -heavenly track. His footmarks can only be discovered by "a single -eye;" and unless the will is broken, the flesh mortified, and the body -kept under, we shall utterly fail in our discipleship, and make -shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. - -Let not my reader misunderstand me. It is not here, by any means, a -question of personal salvation. It is quite another thing. Nothing can -be more basely selfish than, having received salvation as the fruit -of Christ's agony and bloody sweat, His cross and passion, to keep at -as great a distance from His sacred person as we can without -forfeiting our personal safety. This is, even in the judgment of -nature, deemed a character of selfishness worthy of unmingled -contempt; but when exhibited by one who professes to owe his present -and his everlasting all to a rejected, crucified, risen, and absent, -Master, no language can express its moral baseness. "Provided I escape -hell-fire, it makes little matter as to discipleship." Reader, do you -not, in your inmost soul, abhor this sentiment? If so, then earnestly -seek to flee from it, to the very opposite point of the compass; and -let your truthful language be, Provided that blessed Master is -glorified, it makes little matter, comparatively, about my personal -safety. Would to God that this were the sincere utterance of many -hearts in this day, when, alas, it may be too truly said that, "All -seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Phil. ii. -21). Would that the Holy Ghost would raise up, by His own resistless -power, and send forth, by His own heavenly energy, a band of separated -and consecrated followers of the Lamb, each one bound, by the cords of -love, to the horns of the altar--a company, like Gideon's three -hundred of old, able to confide in God and deny the flesh. How the -heart longs for this! How the spirit, bowed down at times beneath the -chilling and withering influence of a cold and uninfluential -profession, earnestly breathes after a more vigorous and whole-hearted -testimony for that One who emptied Himself and laid aside His glory, -in order that we, through His precious bloodshedding, might be raised -to companionship with Him in eternal blessedness! - -Now, amongst the numerous hindrances to this thorough consecration of -heart to Christ which I earnestly desire for myself and my reader, -"the unequal yoke" will be found to occupy a very prominent place -indeed. "Be ye not unequally yoked together [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}] with -unbelievers: for what partnership [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}] hath righteousness with -unrighteousness [or rather lawlessness--{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}]? and what communion -[{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}] hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with -Belial? or what part hath a believer with an unbeliever [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}]? And -what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the -temple of the living God; as God hath said, 'I will dwell in them, and -walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' -'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the -Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and -will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, -saith the Lord Almighty.'" (2 Cor. vi. 14-18.) - -Under the Mosaic economy, we learn the same moral principle.--"Thou -shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy -seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. -Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. Thou shalt not -wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together." -(Deut. xxii. 9-11; Lev. xix. 19.) - -These scriptures will suffice to set forth the moral evil of an -unequal yoke. It may, with full confidence, be asserted that no one -can be an unshackled follower of Christ who is, in any way, "unequally -yoked." He may be a saved person, he may be a true child of God--a -sincere believer, but he cannot be a thorough disciple; and not only -so, but there is a positive hindrance to the full manifestation of -that which he may really be, notwithstanding his unequal yoke. "Come -out, ... and I will receive you, ... and ye shall be my sons and -daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." That is to say, Get your neck -out of the unequal yoke, and I will receive you, and there shall be -the full, public, practical manifestation of your relationship with -the Lord Almighty. The idea here is evidently different from that set -forth in James--"Of His own will begat He us, by the word of truth." -And also in Peter--"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of -incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." -And again in 1 John--"Behold what manner of love the Father hath -bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." So also -in John's gospel--"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power -to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; -which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of -the will of man, but of God." In all these passages, the relationship -of sons is founded upon the divine counsel and the divine operation, -and is not set before us as the consequence of any acting of ours; -whereas in 2 Corinthians vi. it is put as the result of our getting -out of the unequal yoke. In other words, it is entirely a practical -question. Thus in Matthew v. we read, "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; in order -that [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}] ye may be the sons of your Father which is in heaven; -because He causeth His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and -sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust." Here too it is the -practical establishment and public declaration of the relationship, -and its moral influence. It becomes the sons of such a Father to act -in such a way. In short, we have the abstract position or relationship -of sons founded on God's sovereign will and operation; and we have the -moral character consequent upon and flowing out of this relationship -which affords just ground for God's public acknowledgment thereof. -God cannot fully and publicly own those who are unequally yoked -together with unbelievers, for, were He to do so, it would be an -acknowledgment of the unequal yoke. He cannot acknowledge "darkness," -"unrighteousness," "Belial," "idols," and "an infidel." How could He? -Hence, if I yoke myself with any of these, I am morally and publicly -identified with them, and not with God at all. I have put myself into -a position which God cannot own, and, as a consequence, He cannot own -me; but if I withdraw myself from that position--if I "come out and be -separate"--if I take my neck out of the unequal yoke--then, but not -until then, can I be publicly and fully received and owned as a "son -or daughter of the Lord Almighty." - -This is a solemn and searching principle for all who feel that they -have unhappily gotten themselves into such a yoke. They are not -walking as disciples, nor are they publicly or morally on the ground -of sons. God cannot own them. Their secret relationship is not the -point; but they have put themselves thoroughly off God's ground. They -have foolishly thrust their neck into a yoke which, inasmuch as it is -not Christ's yoke, must be Belial's yoke; and until they cast off that -yoke, God cannot own them as His sons and daughters. God's grace, no -doubt, is infinite, and can meet us in all our failure and weakness; -but if our souls aspire after a higher order of discipleship, we must -at once cast off the unequal yoke, cost what it may; that is, if it -can be cast off; but if it cannot, we must only bow our heads beneath -the shame and sorrow thereof, looking to God for full deliverance. - -Now, there are four distinct phases in which "the unequal yoke" may be -contemplated, viz, the domestic, the commercial, the religious, and -the philanthropic. Some may be disposed to confine 2 Corinthians vi. -14 to the first of these; but the apostle does not so confine it. The -words are, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." He does -not specify the character or object of the yoke, and therefore we are -warranted in giving the passage its widest application, by bringing -its edge to bear directly upon every phase of the unequal yoke; and we -shall see the importance of so doing ere we close these remarks, if -the Lord permit. - -I. And first, then, let us consider the domestic or marriage yoke. -What pen can portray the mental anguish, the moral misery, together -with the ruinous consequences as to spiritual life and testimony, -flowing from a Christian's marriage with an unconverted person? I -suppose nothing can be more deplorable than the condition of one who -discovers, when it is too late, that he has linked himself for life -with one who cannot have a single thought or feeling in common with -him. One desires to serve Christ; the other can only serve the devil: -one breathes after the things of God; the other sighs for the things -of this present world: the one earnestly seeks to mortify the flesh, -with all its affections and desires; the other only seeks to minister -to and gratify these very things. Like a sheep and a goat linked -together, the sheep longs to feed on the green pasture in the field, -while, on the other hand, the goat craves the brambles which grow in -the ditch. The sad consequence is that both are starved. One _will_ -not feed on the pasture, and the other _cannot_ feed upon the -brambles, and thus neither gets what his nature craves, unless the -goat, by superior strength, succeeds in forcing his unequally yoked -companion to remain among the brambles, there to languish and die. - -The moral of this is plain enough; and, moreover, it is, alas! of but -too common occurrence. The goat generally succeeds in gaining his -end. The worldly partner carries his or her point, in almost every -instance. It will be found, almost without exception, that in cases of -the unequal marriage-yoke, the poor Christian is the sufferer, as is -evidenced by the bitter fruits of a bad conscience, a depressed heart, -a gloomy spirit, and a desponding mind. A heavy price, surely, to pay -for the gratification of some natural affection, or the attainment, it -may be, of some paltry worldly advantage. In fact, a marriage of this -kind is the death-knell of practical Christianity, and of progress in -the divine life. It is morally impossible that any one can be an -unfettered disciple of Christ with his neck in the marriage-yoke with -an unbeliever. As well might a racer in the Olympic or Isthmaean games -have expected to gain the crown of victory by attaching a heavy weight -or dead body to his person. It is enough, surely, to have one dead -body to sustain, without attaching another. There never was a true -Christian yet who did not find that he had abundant work to do in -endeavoring to grapple with the evils of _one_ heart, without going to -burden himself with the evils of two; and, without doubt, the man who -foolishly and disobediently marries an unconverted woman; or the woman -who marries an unconverted man, is burdened with the combined evils of -two hearts; and who is sufficient for these things? One can most fully -count upon the grace of Christ for the subjugation of his own evil -nature: but he certainly cannot count, in the same way, upon that -grace in reference to the evil nature of his unequal yoke-fellow. If -he have yoked himself ignorantly, the Lord will meet him personally, -on the ground of full confession, with entire restoration of soul, but -in the matter of his discipleship, he will never recover it. - -Now, in considering the terribly evil consequences of the unequal -marriage-yoke, it is mainly as bearing upon our discipleship that we -are looking at them. I say "mainly" because our entire character and -experience are deeply affected thereby. I very much question if any -one can give a more effectual blow to his prosperity in the divine -life than by assuming an unequal yoke. Indeed, the very fact of so -doing proves that spiritual decline has already set in, with most -alarming symptoms; but as to his discipleship and testimony, the lamp -thereof may be regarded as all but gone out; or if it does give an -occasional faint glimmer, it only serves to make manifest the awful -gloom of his unhappy position, and the appalling consequences of being -"unequally yoked together with an unbeliever." - -Thus much as to the question of the unequal yoke in its influence upon -the life, the character, the testimony, and the discipleship of the -child of God. - -I would now say a word as to its moral effect as exhibited in the -domestic circle. Here too the consequences are truly melancholy. Nor -could they possibly be otherwise. Two persons have come together in -the closest and most intimate relationship, with tastes, habits, -feelings, desires, tendencies, and objects diametrically opposite. -They have nothing in common; so that in every movement they can but -grate one against the other. The unbeliever cannot, _in reality_, go -with the believer; and if there should, through excessive amiability -or downright hypocrisy, be a show of acquiesence, what is it worth in -the sight of the Lord, who judges the true state of the heart in -reference to Himself? But little indeed; yea, it is worse than -worthless. Then, again, if the believer should unhappily go in any -measure with his unequal yoke-fellow, it can only be at the expense of -his discipleship, and the consequence is, a condemning conscience in -the sight of the Lord; and this, again, leads to heaviness of spirit, -and, it may be, sourness of temper in the domestic circle, so that the -grace of the gospel is by no means commended, and the unbeliever is -not attracted or won. Thus it is in every way most sorrowful. It is -dishonoring to God, destructive of spiritual prosperity, utterly -subversive of discipleship and testimony, and entirely hostile to -domestic peace and blessing. It produces estrangement, coldness, -distance, and misunderstanding: or, if it does not produce these, it -will doubtless lead, on the part of the Christian, to a forfeiture of -his discipleship and his good conscience, both of which he may be -tempted to offer as a sacrifice upon the altar of domestic peace. -Thus, whatever way we look at it, an unequal yoke must lead to the -most deplorable consequences. - -Then, as to its effect upon children, it is equally sad. These are -almost sure to flow in the current with the unconverted parent. "Their -children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in -the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people." -There can be no union of heart in the training of the children,--no -joint and mutual confidence in reference to them. One desires to bring -them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; the other desires -to bring them up in the principles of the world, the flesh, and the -devil: and as all the sympathies of the children, as they grow up, are -likely to be ranged on the side of the latter, it is easy to see how -it will end. In short, it is an unseemly, unscriptural, and vain -effort to plow with an "unequal yoke," or to "sow the ground with -mingled seed;" and all must end in sorrow and confusion.[18] - - [18] There are many cases in which one finds persons united, who though - they cannot exactly be said to be "unequally yoked," are, to say the - least, very badly matched. Their tempers, tastes, habits, and views - are totally different; and so different, that instead of maintaining a - desirable balance (which opposite tempers, if properly arranged, might - do), they keep up a perpetual jar, to the sad derangement of the - domestic circle, and the dishonor of the Lord's name. All this might - be very much obviated if Christians would only wait upon God, and make - His glory more their object than personal interest or affection. - -I shall, ere turning from this branch of our subject, offer a remark -as to the reasons which generally actuate Christians in the matter of -entering into the unequal marriage-yoke. We all know, alas! how easily -the poor heart persuades itself of the rightness of any step which it -desires to take, and how the devil furnishes plausible arguments to -convince us of its rightness--arguments which the moral condition of -the soul causes us to regard as clear, forcible, and satisfactory. The -very fact of our thinking of such a thing, proves our unfitness to -weigh, with a well-balanced mind and spiritually adjusted conscience, -the solemn consequences of such a step. If the eye were single (that -is, if we were governed but by one object, namely, the glory and honor -of the Lord Jesus Christ), we should never entertain the idea of -putting our necks in an unequal yoke; and consequently we should have -no difficulty or perplexity about the matter. A racer, whose eye was -resting on the crown, would not be troubled with any perplexity as to -whether he ought to stop and tie a hundred-weight round his neck. Such -a thought would never cross his mind: and not only so, but a thorough -racer would have a distinct and almost intuitive perception of every -thing which would be likely to prove a hindrance to him in running the -race; and, of course, with such an one, to perceive would be to reject -with decision.[19] - - [19] It is important for the Christian to bear in mind the words of our - Lord Jesus Christ, "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be - full of light." Whenever I am in perplexity as to my path, I have - reason to suspect that my eye is not single; for, assuredly, - perplexity is not compatible with a "body full of light." We - frequently go to pray for guidance in matters with which, if the eye - were single and the will subject, we would have nothing whatever to - do, and hence we should have no need to pray about them. To pray about - aught concerning which the Word of God is plain, marks the activity of - a rebellions will. As a recent writer has well remarked, "We sometimes - seek God's will, desiring to know how to act in circumstances _in - which it is not His will that we should be found at all_; if - conscience were in real healthful activity, its first effect would be - to make us quit them. It is our own will which sets us there, and we - should like, nevertheless, to enjoy the consolation of God's direction - in a path which ourselves have chosen. Such is a very common case. Be - assured that if we are near enough to God, we shall have no trouble to - know His will.... However, 'if thine eye be single, thy whole body - shall be full of light;' whence it is certain that if the whole body - is not full of light, the eye is not single. You will say, That is - poor consolation. I answer, It is a rich consolation for those whose - sole desire is to have the eye single and _to walk with God_." - -Now, were it thus with Christians in the matter of unscriptural -marriage, it would save them a world of sorrow and perplexity; but it -is not thus. The heart gets out of communion, and is morally -incompetent to "try the things that differ;" and when in this -condition, the devil gains an easy conquest, and speedy success in his -wicked effort to induce the believer to yoke himself with -"Belial"--with "unrighteousness"--with "darkness"--with "an infidel." -When the soul is in full communion with God, it is entirely subject to -His Word; it sees things as He sees them, calls them what He calls -them, and not what the devil or his own carnal heart would call them. -In this way, the believer escapes the insnaring influence of a -deception which is very frequently brought to bear upon him in this -matter, namely, a false profession of religion on the part of the -person whom he desires to marry. This is a very common case. It is -easy to show symptoms of leaning toward the things of God; and the -heart is treacherous and base enough to make a profession of religion -in order to gain its end; and not only so, but the devil, who is -"transformed into an angel of light," will lead to this false -profession, in order thereby the more effectually to entrap the feet -of a child of God. Thus it comes to pass that Christians, in this -matter, suffer themselves to be satisfied, or at least profess -themselves satisfied, with evidence of conversion which under any -other circumstances they would regard as utterly lame and flimsy. - -But, alas! experience soon opens the eyes to the _reality_. It is -speedily discovered that the profession was all a vain show, that the -_heart_ is entirely in and of the world. Terrible discovery. Who can -detail the bitter consequences of such a discovery--the anguish of -heart--the bitter reproaches and cuttings of conscience--the shame and -confusion--the loss of power and blessing--the forfeiture of spiritual -peace and joy--the sacrifice of a life of usefulness? Who can describe -all these things? The man awakes from his delusive dream, and opens -his eyes upon the tremendous reality that he is yoked for life with -"Belial"! Yes, this is what the Spirit calls it. It is not an -inference, or a deduction arrived at by a process of reasoning; but a -plain and positive statement of holy Scripture, that thus the matter -stands in reference to one who, from whatever motive, or under the -influence of whatever reasons, or deceived by whatever false -pretences, has entered into an unequal marriage-yoke. - -Oh, my beloved Christian reader, if you are in danger of entering into -such a yoke, let me earnestly, solemnly, and affectionately entreat of -you to pause first, and weigh the matter in the balances of the -sanctuary, ere you move forward a single hair's breadth on such a -fatal path! You may rest assured that you will no sooner have taken -the step than your heart will be assailed by hopeless regrets, and -your life embittered by unnumbered sorrows. LET NOTHING INDUCE YOU TO -YOKE YOURSELF WITH AN UNBELIEVER. Are your affections engaged? Then, -remember, they cannot be the affections of your new man; they are, be -assured of it, those of the old or carnal nature, which you are called -upon to mortify and set aside. Wherefore you should cry to God for -spiritual power to rise above the influence of such affections; yea, -to sacrifice them to Him. Again, are your interests concerned? Then -remember that they are only _your_ interests; and if they are -promoted, Christ's interests are sacrificed by your yoking yourself -with "Belial." Furthermore, they are only your temporal, and not your -eternal interests. In point of fact, the interests of the believer and -those of Christ ought to be identical; and it is plain that His -interests, His honor, His truth, His glory, must inevitably be -sacrificed if a member of His body is linked with "Belial." This is -the true way to look at the question. What are a few hundreds, or a -few thousands, to an heir of heaven? "God is able to give thee much -more than this." Are you going to sacrifice the truth of God, as well -as your own spiritual peace, prosperity, and happiness, for a paltry -trifle of gold, which must perish in the using of it? Ah, no! God -forbid! Flee from it, as a bird from the snare which it sees and -knows. Stretch out the hand of genuine, well-braced, whole-hearted -discipleship, and take the knife and slay your affections and your -interests on the altar of God, and then, even though there should not -be an audible voice from heaven to approve your act, you will have the -invaluable testimony of an approving conscience and an ungrieved -Spirit--an ample reward, surely, for the most costly sacrifice which -you can make. May the Spirit of God give power to resist Satan's -temptations. - -It is hardly needful to remark here that in cases where conversion -takes place after marriage, the complexion of the matter is very -materially altered. There will then be no smitings of conscience, for -example, and the whole thing is modified in a variety of particulars. -Still, there will be difficulty, trial, and sorrow, unquestionably. -The only thing is, that one can far more happily bring the trial and -sorrow into the Lord's presence, when he has not deliberately and -willfully plunged himself thereinto; and, blessed be God, we know how -ready He is to forgive, restore, and cleanse from all unrighteousness -the soul that makes full confession of its error and failure. This may -comfort the heart of one who has been brought to the Lord after -marriage. Moreover, to such an one the Spirit of God has given -specific direction and blessed encouragement in the following passage: -"If any brother have an unbelieving wife, and she think proper to -dwell with him, let him not put her away: and if any woman have an -unbelieving husband, and he think proper to dwell with her, let her -not put him away (for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the -wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband, else were -your children unclean, but now are they holy).... For what knowest -thou, O wife, if thou shalt save thy husband? or what knowest thou, O -husband, if thou shalt save thy wife?" (1 Cor. vii. 12-16.) - -II. We shall now consider "the unequal yoke" in its commercial phase, -as seen in cases of partnership in business. This, though not so -serious an aspect of the yoke as that which we have just been -considering, will nevertheless be found a very positive barrier to the -believer's testimony. When a Christian yokes himself, for business -purposes, with an unbeliever--whether that unbeliever be a relative or -not--or when he becomes a member of a worldly firm, he virtually -surrenders his individual responsibility. Henceforth the acts of the -firm become his acts, and it is perfectly out of the question to think -of getting a worldly firm to act on heavenly principles. They would -laugh at such a notion, inasmuch as it would be an effectual barrier -to the success of their commercial schemes. They will feel perfectly -free to adopt a number of expedients in carrying on their business -which would be quite opposed to the spirit and principles of the -kingdom in which he is, and of the Church of which he forms a part. -Thus he will find himself constantly in a most trying position. He may -use his influence to Christianize the mode of conducting affairs, but -they will compel him to do business as others do, and he has no remedy -save to mourn in secret over his anomalous and difficult position, or -else to go out at great pecuniary loss to himself and family. Where -the eye is single, there will be no hesitation as to which of these -alternatives to adopt; but, alas! the very fact of getting into such a -position proves the lack of a single eye; and the fact of being in it -argues the lack of spiritual capacity to appreciate the value and -power of the divine principles which would infallibly bring a man out -of it. A man whose eye was single could not possibly yoke himself with -an unbeliever for the purpose of making money. Such an one could only -set, as an object before his mind, the direct glory of Christ; and -this object could never be gained by a positive transgression of -divine principle. - -This makes it very simple. If it does not glorify Christ for a -Christian to become a partner in a worldly firm, it must, without -doubt, further the designs of the devil. There is no middle ground; -but that it does not glorify Christ is manifest, for His Word says, -"Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Such is the -principle, which cannot be infringed without damage to the testimony, -and forfeiture of spiritual blessing. True, the conscience of a -Christian who transgresses in this matter may seek relief in various -ways--may have recourse to various subterfuges--may set forth various -arguments to persuade itself that all is right. It will be said that -"we can be very devoted and very spiritual, so far as we are -personally concerned, even though we are yoked, for business purposes, -with an unbeliever." This will be found fallacious when brought to -the test of the actual practice. A servant of Christ will find himself -hampered in a hundred ways by his worldly partnership. If in matters -of service to Christ he is not met with open hostility, he will have -to encounter the enemy's secret and constant effort to damp his ardor, -and throw cold water on all his schemes. He will be laughed at and -despised--he will be continually reminded of the effect which his -enthusiasm and fanaticism will produce in reference to the business -prospects of the firm. If he uses his time, his talents, or his -pecuniary resources in what he believes to be the Lord's service, he -will be pronounced a fool or a madman, and reminded that the true--the -proper way for a commercial man to serve the Lord is to "attend to -business, and nothing but business;" and that it is the exclusive -business of clergymen and ministers to attend to religious matters, -inasmuch as they are set apart and paid for so doing. - -Now, although the Christian's renewed mind may be thoroughly convinced -of the fallacy of all this reasoning--although he may see that this -worldly wisdom is but a flimsy, threadbare cloak, thrown over the -heart's covetous practices--yet who can tell how far the heart may be -influenced by such things? We get weary of constant resistance. The -current becomes too strong for us, and we gradually yield ourselves to -its action, and are carried along on its surface. Conscience may have -some death-struggles; but the spiritual energies are paralyzed, and -the sensibilities of the new nature are blunted, so that there is no -response to the cries of conscience, and no effectual effort to -withstand the enemy; the worldliness of the Christian's heart leagues -itself with the opposing influences from without--the outworks are -stormed, and the citadel of the soul's affections vigorously -assaulted; and finally, the man settles down in thorough worldliness, -exemplifying in his own person the prophet's touching lament, "Her -Nazarites _were_ purer than snow, they _were_ whiter than milk, they -_were_ more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing _was_ of -sapphire: their visage is blacker than a coal; they _are_ not known in -the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is -become like a stick." (Lam. iv. 7, 8.) The man who was once known as a -servant of Christ--a fellow-helper unto the kingdom of God--making use -of his resources only to further the interests of the gospel of -Christ, is now, alas! settled down upon his lees, only known as a -plodding, keen, bargain-making man of business, of whom the apostle -might well say, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present age -[{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}]." - -But perhaps nothing so operates on the hearts of Christians, in -inducing them to yoke themselves commercially with unbelievers, as the -habit of seeking to maintain the two characters of a Christian and a -man of business. This is a grievous snare. In point of fact, there can -be no such thing. A man must be either the one or the other. If I am a -Christian, my Christianity must show itself as a living reality in -that in which I am; and if it cannot show itself there, I ought not to -be there: for if I continue in a sphere or position in which the life -of Christ cannot be manifested, I shall speedily possess naught of -Christianity but the name without the reality--the outward form -without the inward power--the shell without the kernel. I should be -the servant of Christ, not merely on Sunday, but from Monday morning -to Saturday night. I should not only be a servant of Christ in the -public assembly, but also in my place of business, whatever it may -happen to be. But I cannot be a proper servant of Christ with my neck -in the yoke with an unbeliever; for how could the servants of two -hostile masters work in the same yoke? It is utterly impossible; as -well might one attempt to link the sun's meridian beams with the -profound darkness of midnight. It cannot be done; and I do therefore -most solemnly appeal to my reader's conscience, in the presence of -Almighty God, who shall judge the secrets of men's hearts by Jesus -Christ, as to this important matter. I would say to him, if he is -thinking of getting into partnership with an unbeliever, FLEE FROM IT! -yes, flee from it, though it promises you the gain of thousands. You -will plunge yourself into a mass of sorrow and trouble. You are going -to "plow" with one whose feelings, instincts, and tendencies are -diametrically opposed to your own. "An ox and an ass" are not so -unlike, in every respect, as a believer and an unbeliever. How will -you ever get on? He wants to make money--to profit himself--to get on -in the world; you want (at least you ought to want) to grow in grace -and holiness--to advance the interests of Christ and His gospel on the -earth, and to push onward to the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus -Christ. His object is money; yours, I trust, is Christ: he lives for -this world; you, for the world to come; he is engrossed with the -things of time; you, with those of eternity. How, then, can you ever -take common ground with him? Your principles, your motives, your -objects, your hopes, are all opposed. How is it possible you can get -on? How can you have aught in common? Surely, all this needs only to -be looked at with a single eye in order to be seen in its true light. -It is impossible that any one whose eye is filled and whose heart is -occupied with Christ, could ever yoke himself with a worldly partner, -for any object whatsoever. Wherefore, my beloved Christian reader, let -me once more entreat you, ere you take such a tremendous step--a step -fraught with such awful consequences--so pregnant with danger to your -best interests, as well as to the testimony of Christ, with which you -are honored--to take the whole matter, with an honest heart, into the -sanctuary of God, and weigh it in His sacred balance. Ask Him what He -thinks of it, and hearken, with a subject will and a well-adjusted -conscience, to His reply. It is plain and powerful--yea, as plain and -as powerful as though it fell from the open heavens--"_Be not -unequally yoked together with unbelievers_." - -But if, unhappily, my reader is already in the yoke, I would say to -him, disentangle yourself as speedily as you can. I am much mistaken -if you have not already found the yoke a burdensome one. To you it -were superfluous to detail the sad consequences of being in such a -position; you doubtless know them all. It is needless to print them on -paper, or paint them on canvas, to one who has entered into all their -reality. My beloved brother in Christ, lose not a moment in seeking to -throw off the yoke. This must be done before the Lord, on His -principles, and by His grace. It is easier to get into a wrong -position than to get out of it. A partnership of ten or twenty years' -standing cannot be dissolved in a moment. It must be done calmly, -humbly, and prayerfully, as in the sight of the Lord, and with entire -reference to His glory. I may dishonor the Lord as much in my way of -getting out of a wrong position as by getting into it at the first. -Hence, if I find myself in partnership with an unbeliever, and my -conscience tells me I am wrong, let me honestly and frankly state to -my partner that I can no longer go on with him; and having done that, -my place is to use every exertion to wind up the affairs of the firm -in an upright, a straightforward, and businesslike manner, so as to -give no possible occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, and -that my good may not be evil spoken of. We must avoid rashness, -headiness, and high-mindedness, when apparently acting for the Lord, -and in defense of His holy principles. If a man gets entangled in a -net, or involved in a labyrinth, it is not by bold and violent -plunging he will extricate himself. No; he must humble himself, -confess his sins before the Lord, and then retrace his steps, in -patient dependence upon that grace which can not only pardon him for -being in a wrong position, but lead him forth into a right one. - -Moreover, as in the case of the marriage-yoke, the matter is very much -modified by the fact of the partnership having been entered into -previous to conversion. Not that this would, in the slightest degree, -justify a continuance in it. By no means; but it does away with much -of the sorrow of heart and defilement of conscience connected with -such a position, and will also very materially affect the mode of -escape therefrom. Besides, the Lord is glorified by, and He assuredly -accepts, the moral bent of the heart and conscience in the right -direction. If I judge myself for being wrong, and that the moral bent -of my heart and conscience is to get right, God will accept of that, -and surely set me right. But if He sets me right, He will not suffer -me to do violence to one truth while seeking to act in obedience to -another. The same Word that says "Be not unequally yoked together with -unbelievers" says also "Render therefore to all their dues"--"owe no -man any thing"--"provide things honest in the sight of all"--"walk -honestly toward them that are without." If I have wronged God by -getting into partnership with an unbeliever, I must not wrong any man -in my way of getting out of it. Profound subjection to the Word of -God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, will set all to rights, will lead -us into straight paths, and enable us to avoid all dangerous extremes. - - -III. In glancing for a moment at the religious phase of the unequal -yoke, I would assure my reader that it is by no means my desire to -hurt the feelings of any one by canvassing the claims of the various -denominations around me. Such is not my purpose. The subject of this -paper is one of quite sufficient importance to prevent its being -encumbered by the introduction of other matters. Moreover, it is too -definite to warrant any such introduction. "The unequal yoke" is our -theme, and to it we must confine our attention. - -In looking through Scripture we find almost numberless passages -setting forth the intense spirit of separation which ought ever to -characterize the people of God. Whether we direct our attention to the -Old Testament, in which we have God's relationship and dealings with -His earthly people, Israel, or to the New Testament, in which we have -His relationship and dealings with His heavenly people, the Church, we -find the same truth prominently set forth, namely, the entire -separation of those who belong to God. Israel's position is thus -stated in Balaam's parable, "Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and -shall not be reckoned amongst the nations." Their place was outside -the range of all the nations of the earth, and they were responsible -to maintain that separation. Throughout the entire Pentateuch they -were instructed, warned, and admonished as to this; and throughout the -psalms and the prophets we have a record of their failure in the -maintenance of this separation, which failure, as we know, has brought -down upon them the heavy judgments of the hand of God. It would swell -this little paper into a volume were I to attempt a quotation of all -the passages in which this point is put forward. I take it for granted -that my reader is sufficiently acquainted with his Bible, to render -such quotations unnecessary. Should he not be so, however, a -reference, in his concordance, to the words, "separate," "separated," -and "separation" will suffice to lay before him at a glance the body -of Scripture-evidence on the subject. The passage just quoted from the -book of Numbers is the expression of God's thoughts about His people -Israel: "The people shall dwell ALONE." - -The same is true, only upon a much higher ground, in reference to -God's heavenly people, the Church--the body of Christ--composed of all -true believers. They too are a separated people. - -We shall now proceed to examine the ground of this separation. There -is a great difference between being separate on the ground of what we -are and of what _God_ is. The former makes a man a _Pharisee_; the -latter makes him a _saint_. If I say to a poor fellow-sinner, "Stand -by thyself, I am holier than thou," I am a detestable Pharisee and a -hypocrite; but if God, in His infinite condescension and perfect -grace, says to me, I have brought you into relationship with Myself in -the person of My Son Jesus Christ, therefore be separate and holy from -all evil; come out from among them and be separate; I am bound to -obey, and my obedience is the practical manifestation of my character -as a saint--a character which I have, not because of any thing in -myself, but simply because God has brought me near unto Himself -through the precious blood of Christ. - -It is well to be clear as to this. Pharisaism and divine -sanctification are two very different things; and yet they are often -confounded. Those who contend for the maintenance of that place of -separation which belongs to the people of God, are constantly accused -of setting themselves up above their fellow-men, and of laying claim -to a higher degree of personal sanctity than is ordinarily possessed. -This accusation arises from not attending to the distinction just -referred to. When God calls upon men to be separate, it is on the -ground of what He has done for them upon the cross, and where He has -set them, in eternal association with Himself, in the person of -Christ. But if I separate myself on the ground of what I am in myself, -it is the most senseless and vapid assumption, which will sooner or -later be made manifest. God commands His people to be holy on the -ground of what He is: "Be ye holy, for I am holy." This is evidently a -very different thing from "Stand by thyself: I am holier than thou." -If God brings people into association with Himself, He has a right to -prescribe what their moral character ought to be, and they are -responsible to answer thereto. Thus we see that the most profound -humility lies at the bottom of a saint's separation. There is nothing -so calculated to put one in the dust as the understanding of the real -nature of divine holiness. It is an utterly false humility which -springs from looking at ourselves--yea, it is, in reality, based upon -pride, which has never yet seen to the bottom of its own perfect -worthlessness. Some imagine that they can reach the truest and deepest -humility by looking at self, whereas it can only be reached by looking -at Christ.-- - - "The more Thy glories strike mine eye, - The humbler I shall be." - -This is a just sentiment, founded upon divine principle. The soul that -loses itself in the blaze of Christ's moral glory is truly humble, and -none other. No doubt we have a right to be humble when we think of -what poor creatures we are, but it only needs a moment's just -reflection to see the fallacy of seeking to produce any practical -result by looking at self. It is only when we find ourselves in the -presence of infinite excellency that we are really humble. - -Hence, therefore, a child of God should refuse to be yoked with an -unbeliever, whether for a domestic, a commercial, or a religious -object, simply because God tells him to be separate, and not because -of his own personal holiness. The carrying out of this principle in -matters of religion will necessarily involve much trial and sorrow; it -will be termed intolerance, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, exclusiveness, -and such like; but we cannot help all this. Provided we keep ourselves -separate upon a right principle and in a right spirit, we may safely -leave all results with God. No doubt the remnant in the days of Ezra -must have appeared excessively intolerant in refusing the co-operation -of the surrounding people in building the house of God, but they acted -upon divine principle in the refusal. "Now when the adversaries of -Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded -the temple unto the Lord God of Israel, then they came to Zerubbabel, -and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, 'Let us build -with you; for we seek your God as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him, -since the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assur, which brought us up -hither.'" This might seem a very attractive proposal--a proposal -evidencing a very decided leaning toward the God of Israel; yet the -remnant refused, because the people, notwithstanding their fair -profession, were, at heart, uncircumcised and hostile. "But Zerubbabel -and Jeshua and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said -unto them, 'Ye have nothing to do _with us_ to build a house unto -_our_ God; but _we ourselves together_ will build unto the Lord God of -Israel." (Ezra iv. 1-3.) They would not yoke themselves with the -uncircumcised--they would not "plow with an ox and ass"--they would -not "sow their field with mingled seed"--they kept themselves -separate, even though by so doing they exposed themselves to the -charge of being a bigoted, narrow-minded, illiberal, uncharitable set -of people. - -So also in Nehemiah we read, "And the seed of Israel _separated -themselves_ from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, -and the iniquities of their fathers." (Chap. ix. 2.) This was not -sectarianism, but positive obedience. Their separation was essential -to their existence as a people. They could not have enjoyed the divine -presence on any other ground. Thus it must ever be with God's people -on the earth. They must be separate, or else they are not only -useless, but mischievous. God cannot own or accompany them if they -yoke themselves with unbelievers, upon any ground or for any object -whatsoever. The grand difficulty is to combine a spirit of intense -separation with a spirit of grace, gentleness, and forbearance; or, as -another has said, "to maintain _a narrow circle_ with _a wide heart_." -This is really a difficulty. As the strict and uncompromising -maintenance of _truth_ tends to narrow the circle around us, we shall -need the expansive power of _grace_ to keep the heart wide, and the -affections warm. If we contend for _truth_ otherwise than in _grace_, -we shall only yield a one-sided and most unattractive testimony. And -on the other hand, if we try to exhibit grace at the expense of truth, -it will prove, in the end, to be only the manifestation of a popular -liberality at God's expense--a most worthless thing. - -Then, as to the object for which real Christians usually yoke -themselves with those who, even on their own confession, and in the -judgment of charity itself, are not Christians at all, it will be -found in the end that no really divine and heavenly object can be -gained by an infringement of God's truth. _Per fas aut nefas_[20] can -never be a divine motto. The means are not sanctified by the end; but -both means and end must be according to the principles of God's holy -Word, else all must eventuate in confusion and dishonor. It might have -appeared to Jehoshaphat a very worthy object to recover Ramoth Gilead -out of the hand of the enemy; and moreover, he might have appeared a -very liberal, gracious, popular, large-hearted man, when, in reply to -Ahab's proposal, he said, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy -people; and _we will be with thee_ in the war." It is easy to be -liberal and large-hearted at the expense of divine principle; but how -did it end? Ahab was killed, and Jehoshaphat narrowly escaped with his -life, having made total shipwreck of his testimony. - - [20] By any means. - -Thus we see that Jehoshaphat did not even gain the object for which he -unequally yoked himself with an unbeliever: and even had he gained it, -it would have been no justification of his course.[21] Nothing can ever -warrant a believer's yoking himself with an unbeliever; and therefore -however fair, attractive, and plausible the Ramoth expedition might -seem in the eye of man, it was, in the judgment of God, "helping the -ungodly, and loving them that hate the Lord." (2 Chron. xix. 2.) The -truth of God strips men and things of the false colors with which the -spirit of expediency would deck them, and presents them in their -proper light; and it is an unspeakable mercy to have the clear -judgment of God about all that is going on around us: it imparts -calmness to the spirit, and stability to the course and character, and -saves one from that unhappy fluctuation of thought, feeling, and -principle which so entirely unfits him for the place of a steady and -consistent witness for Christ. We shall surely err if we attempt to -form our judgment by the thoughts and opinions of men; for they will -always judge according to the outward appearances, and not according -to the intrinsic character and principle of things. Provided men can -gain what they conceive to be a right object, they care not about the -mode of gaining it. But the true servant of Christ knows that he must -do his Master's work upon his Master's principles and in his Master's -spirit. It will not satisfy such an one to reach the most praiseworthy -end unless he can reach it by a divinely appointed road. The means and -the end must both be divine. I admit it, for example, to be a most -desirable end to circulate the Scriptures--God's own pure, eternal -Word; but if _I could not_ circulate them save by yoking myself with -an unbeliever, I should refrain, inasmuch as I am not to do evil that -good may come. - - [21] The unequal yoke proved a terrible snare to the amiable heart of - Jehoshaphat. He yoked himself with Ahab for a religious object; and - notwithstanding the disastrous termination of this scheme, we find him - yoking himself with Ahaziah for a commercial object, which likewise - ended in loss and confusion; and lastly, he yoked himself with Jehoram - for a military object. (Comp. 2 Chron. xviii; xx. 32-37; 2 Kings iii.) - -But, blessed be God, His servant can circulate His precious book -without violating the precepts contained in that book. He can, upon -his own individual responsibility, or in fellowship with those who are -really on the Lord's side, scatter the precious seed every where, -without leaguing himself with those whose whole course and conduct -prove them to be of the world. The same may be said in reference to -every object of a religious nature. It can and should be gained on -God's principles, and only thus. It may be argued, in reply, that we -are told not to judge--that we cannot read the heart--and that we are -bound to hope that all who would engage in such good works as the -translation of the Bible, the distribution of tracts, and the aiding -of missionary labors, must be Christians; and that therefore it cannot -be wrong to link ourselves with them. To all this I reply that there -is hardly a passage in the New Testament so misunderstood and -misapplied as Matthew vii. 1--"Judge not, that ye be not judged." In -the very same chapter we read, "Beware of the false prophets: ... by -their fruits ye shall know them." Now, how are we to "beware" if we -do not exercise judgment? Again, in 1 Corinthians v. we read, "For -what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge -them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore -put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Here we are -distinctly taught that those "within" come within the immediate range -of the Church's judgment; and yet according to the common -interpretation of Matthew vii. 1 we ought not to judge anybody; that -interpretation, therefore, must needs be unsound. If people take, even -in profession, the ground of being "within," we are commanded to judge -them. "Do not ye judge them that are within?" As to those "without" we -have naught to do with them, save to present the pure and perfect, the -rich, illimitable, and unfathomable grace which shines, with unclouded -effulgence, in the death and resurrection of the Son of God. - -All this is plain enough. The people of God are told to exercise -judgment as to all who profess to be "within;" they are told to -"beware of false prophets;" they are commanded to "try the spirits:" -and how can they do all this if they are not to judge at all? What, -then, does our Lord mean, when He says, "Judge not"? I believe He -means just what St. Paul, by the Holy Ghost, says, when he commands us -to "judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will -bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest -the counsels of the heart: and then shall every man have praise of -God." (1 Cor. iv. 5.) We have nothing to do with judging motives, but -we have to judge conduct and principles; that is to say, the conduct -and principles of all who profess to be "within." And, in point of -fact, the very persons who say, "We must not judge," do themselves -constantly exercise judgment. There is no true Christian in whom the -moral instincts of the divine nature do not virtually pronounce -judgment as to character, conduct, and doctrine; and these are the -very points which are placed within the believer's range of judgment. - -All, therefore, that I would press upon the Christian reader is, that -he would exercise judgment as to those with whom he yokes himself in -matters of religion. If he is at this moment working in yoke or in -harness with an unbeliever, he is positively violating the command of -the Holy Ghost. He may be ignorantly doing so up to this: and if so, -the Lord's grace is ready to pardon and restore: but if he persist in -disobedience after having been warned, he cannot possibly expect God's -blessing and presence with him, no matter how valuable or important -the object which he may seek to attain. "To obey is better than -sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." - -IV. We have only now to consider the philanthropic phase of the -unequal yoke. Many will say, I quite admit that we ought not to mingle -ourselves with positive unbelievers in the worship or service of God, -but then we can freely unite with such for the furtherance of objects -of philanthropy--such, for instance, as feeding the hungry, clothing -the naked, reclaiming the vicious, in providing asylums for the blind -and lunatic, hospitals and infirmaries for the sick and infirm, places -of refuge for the homeless and houseless, the fatherless and the -widow; and in short, for the furtherance of every thing that tends to -promote the amelioration of our fellow-creatures, physically, morally, -and intellectually. - -This, at first sight, seems fair enough; for I may be asked if I would -not help a man by the roadside to get his cart out of the ditch. I -reply, Certainly; but if I were asked to become a member of a mixed -society for the purpose of getting carts out of ditches, I should -refuse--not because of my superior sanctity, but because God's Word -says, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." This would -be my answer, no matter what were the object proposed by a mixed -society. The servant of Christ is commanded "to be ready to every good -work"--"to do good unto all"--"to visit the fatherless and the widows -in their affliction;" but then it is as the servant of Christ, and not -as the member of a society or a committee in which there may be -infidels and atheists, and all sorts of wicked and godless men. -Moreover, we must remember that all God's philanthropy is connected -with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the channel through -which God will bless--that the mighty lever by which He will elevate -man, physically, morally, and intellectually. "After that the kindness -and philanthropy [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}] of God our Saviour toward man -appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but -according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, -and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through -Jesus Christ our Saviour." (Titus iii. 4-6.) This is God's -philanthropy; this is His mode of ameliorating man's condition. With -all who understand its worth the Christian can readily yoke himself, -but with none other. - -The men of the world know naught of this, care not for it. They may -seek reformation, but it is reformation without Christ; they may -promote amelioration, but it is amelioration without the cross. They -wish to advance, but Jesus is neither the starting-post nor the goal -of their course. How, then, can the Christian yoke himself with them? -They want to work without Christ, the very One to whom he owes every -thing. Can he be satisfied to work with them? can he have an object -in common with them? If men come to me and say, "We want your -co-operation in feeding the hungry, in clothing the naked, in founding -hospitals and lunatic asylums, in feeding and educating orphans, in -improving the physical condition of our fellow-mortals; but you must -remember that a leading rule of the society, the board, or the -committee formed for such objects is, that the name of Christ is not -to be introduced, as it would only lead to controversy. Our objects -being not at all religious, but undividedly philanthropic, the subject -of religion must be studiously excluded from all our public meetings. -We are met as _men_, for a benevolent purpose, and therefore infidels, -atheists, Socinians, Arians, Romanists, and all sorts, can happily -yoke themselves to move onward the glorious machine of philanthropy." -What should be my answer to such an application? The fact is, words -would fail one who really loved the Lord Jesus, in attempting to reply -to an appeal so monstrous. What! benefit mortals by the exclusion of -Christ? God forbid! If I cannot gain the objects of pure philanthropy -without setting aside that blessed One who lived and died, and lives -eternally for me, then away with your philanthropy, for it assuredly -is not God's, but Satan's. If it were God's, the word is, "He shed it -on us abundantly through Jesus Christ," the very One whom your rule -leaves entirely out. Hence your rule must be the direct dictation of -Satan, the enemy of Christ. Satan would always like to leave out the -Son of God; and when he can get men to do the same, he will allow them -to be benevolent, charitable, and philanthropic. - -But, in good truth, such benevolence and philanthropy ought to be -termed malevolence and misanthropy, for how can you more effectually -exhibit ill-will and hatred toward men than by leaving out THE ONLY -ONE who can really bless them, for time or for eternity? But what must -be the moral condition of a heart, in reference to Christ, who could -take his seat at a board, or on a platform, on the condition that that -name must not be introduced? It must be cold indeed; yea, it proves -that the plans and operations of unconverted men are of sufficient -importance, in his judgment, to lead him to throw his Master -overboard, for the purpose of carrying them out. Let us not mistake -matters. This is the true aspect in which to view the world's -philanthropy. The men of this world can "sell ointment for three -hundred pence, and give to the poor;" while they pronounce it _waste_ -to pour that ointment on the head of Christ! Will the Christian -consent to this? Will he yoke himself with such? Will he seek to -improve the world without Christ? Will he join with men to deck and -garnish a scene which is stained with his Master's blood? Peter could -say, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in -the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Peter would -heal a cripple by the power of the name of Jesus, but what would he -have said if asked to join a committee or society to alleviate -cripples, on the condition of leaving that name out altogether? It -requires no great stretch of imagination to conceive his answer. His -whole soul would recoil from such a thought. He only healed the -cripple for the purpose of exalting the name of Jesus, and setting -forth its worth, its excellency, and its glory, in the view of men: -but the very reverse is the object of the world's philanthropy; -inasmuch as it sets aside His blessed name entirely, and banishes Him -from its boards, its committees, and its platforms. - -May we not therefore well say, Shame on the Christian who is found in -a place from which his Master is shut out? Oh, let him go forth, and, -in the energy of love to Jesus, and by the power of that name, do all -the good he can; but let him not yoke himself with unbelievers, to -counteract the effects of sin by excluding the cross of Christ. God's -grand object is to exalt His Son--"that all should honor the Son even -as they honor the Father." This should be the Christian's object -likewise; to this end he should "do good unto all;" but if he join a -society or a committee in order to do good, it is not "in the name of -Jesus" he acts, but in the name of the society or committee, without -the name of Jesus. This ought to be enough for every true and loyal -heart. God has no other way of blessing men but through Christ, and no -other object in blessing them but to exalt Christ. As with Pharaoh of -old, when the hungry Egyptians flocked to his presence, his word was, -"Go to Joseph;" so God's word to all is, "Come to Jesus." Yes, for -soul and body, time and eternity, we must go to Jesus; but the men of -the world know Him not, and want Him not; what, therefore, has the -Christian to do with such? How can he act in yoke with them? He can -only do so on the ground of practically denying his Saviour's name. -Many do not see this; but that does not alter the case for those who -do. We ought to act honestly, as in the light; and even though the -feelings and affections of the new nature were not sufficiently strong -in us to lead us to shrink from ranking ourselves with the enemies of -Christ, the conscience ought, at least, to bow to the commanding -authority of that word, "BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH -UNBELIEVERS." - -May the Holy Ghost clothe His own Word with heavenly power, and make -its edge sharp to pierce the conscience, that so the saints of God may -be delivered from every thing that hinders their "running the race -that is set before them." Time is short. The Lord Himself will soon be -here. Then many an unequal yoke will be broken in a moment; many a -sheep and goat shall then be eternally severed. May we be enabled to -purge ourselves from every unclean association and every unhallowed -influence, so that when Jesus returns, we may not be ashamed, but meet -Him with a joyful heart and an approving conscience. - - _C. H. M._ - - - - -GIDEON AND HIS COMPANIONS - -Judges vi.-viii. - - -PART I. - -In studying the history of the nation of Israel, we notice two -distinct eras, namely, the era of _unity_, and the era of -_individuality_--the period in which the twelve tribes acted as one -man, and the period in the which one man was called to act for the -twelve tribes. We may take the Book of Joshua as illustrating the -former; and the Book of Judges as a sample of the latter. The most -cursory reader cannot fail to discern the difference between these two -books. The one is characterized by external power and glory; the -other, by weakness and failure. Power is stamped on the former, ruin -on the latter. In that, Jehovah gives the land to Israel; in this, -Israel fails to take the land from Jehovah. - -Now, all this is expressed in the two words which may be regarded as -the motto of the two books, namely, "Gilgal" and "Bochim." In the book -of Joshua we find the congregation always starting from Gilgal to -prosecute the war, and returning thither to celebrate their victory. -Gilgal was their centre, because there they were circumcised; and -there the reproach of Egypt was rolled away. See Josh. v. 9, 10. - -But no sooner have we opened the book of Judges than the eye rests -upon the sad record, "The angel of the Lord came up _from Gilgal to -Bochim_, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought -you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will -never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the -inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars, but ye -have not obeyed my voice; why have ye done this? Wherefore I also -said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as -thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it -came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all -the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and -wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, that is, weepers; -and they sacrificed there unto the Lord" (Judges ii. 1-5). - -Here, then, we have, very remarkably, the contrast between the two -books of Joshua and Judges--the book of unity and the book of -individuality--the book of external power and glory, and the book of -internal weakness, failure, and ruin. Alas! alas! the glory speedily -departed. Israel's national greatness soon faded away. "The people -served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders -that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, -that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the -Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.... And also all that -generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another -generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works -which He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in -the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim.... And they forsook the -Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot -against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that -spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round -about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. -Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for -evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them; and -they were greatly distressed." - -This, truly, is a gloomy and humiliating record. Joshua's sword was -sheathed. Those bright days in the which he had led Israel's compact -host to splendid victories over the kings of Canaan, were passed and -gone. The moral influence of Joshua and of the elders that survived -him had passed away, and the whole nation had rushed, with terrible -avidity, into the gross moral evils and abominable idolatries of those -nations whom they ought to have driven out from before them. In a -word, the ruin was complete, so far as Israel was concerned. Like -Adam, in the garden; and Noah, in the restored earth; so Israel, in -the land of Canaan, utterly failed. Adam ate the forbidden fruit; Noah -got drunk; and Israel bowed before the altars of Baal. - -Thus much as to man. But, thank God, there is another side of the -picture. There is what we may call a bright and beauteous -"_Nevertheless_;" for God will be God, no matter what man may prove -himself to be. This is an unspeakable relief and consolation to the -heart. God abideth faithful. Here is faith's stronghold, come what -may. God is always to be counted upon, spite of all man's failure and -shortcoming. His goodness and faithfulness form the resource and the -refuge of the soul amid the darkest scenes of human history. - -This soul-sustaining truth shines out with remarkable lustre in the -very passage from which we have just given such a depressing -quotation. "Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered -them out of the hand of those that spoiled them." But mark the -following words, so illustrative of the individuality of the book of -Judges: "And when the Lord raised them up judges, then _the Lord was -with the judge_, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies -_all the days of the judge_: for it repented the Lord because of their -groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them" -(Judges ii. 16, 18). - -In these last quoted words, we have the great root principle of the -book of Judges--the divine secret of the ministry of the Baraks, the -Gideons, the Jephthahs, and the Samsons, the record of whose ministry -occupies so large a portion of this most interesting section of -inspiration. Israel had failed--sadly, shamefully, inexcusably failed. -They had forfeited all claims to the protection of Jehovah's shield. -They were justly given over into the ruthless hands of the kings of -Canaan. As to all this there could be no possible question. -"Nevertheless" Jehovah's heart could feel for His poor, oppressed, -and groaning Israel. True, they had proved themselves naughty and -unworthy, yet His ear was ever ready to catch their very earliest -groan; yea, we are even told, in chapter x., that "His soul was -grieved for the misery of Israel." - -What touching words! What tenderness! What deep compassion! How such a -statement lets us into the profound depths of the heart of God! The -misery of His people moved the loving heart of Jehovah. The very -faintest and earliest symptoms of brokenness and contrition, on the -part of Israel, met with a ready and gracious response, on the part of -Israel's God. It mattered not how far they had wandered, how deeply -they had sunk, or how grievously they had sinned; God was ever ready -to welcome the feeblest breathings of a broken heart. The springs of -divine mercy and compassion are absolutely inexhaustible. The ocean of -His love is boundless and unfathomable; and hence, the very moment His -people take the place of confession, He enters the place of -forgiveness. He delights to pardon, according to the largeness of His -heart, and according to the glory of His own Name. He finds His -peculiar joy in blotting out transgressions, in healing, restoring, -and blessing, in a manner worthy of Himself. This glorious truth -shines in the history of Israel; it shines in the history of the -Church; and it shines in the history of every individual believer. - - * * * * * - -But we turn to our immediate subject, namely, "Gideon and his -companions," as presented in that portion of the book of Judges given -at the head of this paper. May the eternal Spirit unfold and apply -its precious contents to our souls! - -Chapter vi. opens with a very sad and depressing record--a record only -too characteristic of Israel's entire history: "And the children of -Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them -into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed -against Israel; and because of the Midianites the children of Israel -made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and -strongholds." What a humiliating picture! What a contrast to the -conquering host that had crossed the Jordan and walked across the -ruins of Jericho! How sad, how humbling, to think of Israel crouching -and hiding in the dens and caves of the mountains, through the terror -of the uncircumcised Midianites! - -It is well for us to consider this picture, and receive its salutary -lesson. Israel's power and glory consisted simply in having the -presence of God with them. Without that, they were as water spilt upon -the ground, or the autumn leaf before the blast. But the divine -presence could not be enjoyed in connection with allowed evil; and -therefore, when Israel forgot their Lord, and wandered away from Him -into the forbidden paths of idolatry, He had to recall them to their -senses by stretching out His governmental rod, and causing them to -feel the crushing power of one or another of the nations around. - -Now all this has a voice and a lesson for us. So long as God's people -walk with Him in holy obedience, they have nothing to fear. They are -perfectly safe from the snares and assaults of all their spiritual -foes. Nought can, by any means, harm them while they abide in the -shelter of God's own presence. But, clearly, that presence demands and -secures holiness. Unjudged evil cannot dwell there. To live in sin and -talk of security--to attempt to connect the presence of God with -sanctioned evil--is wickedness of the deepest dye. No, it must not be! -"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints; and to be -had in reverence of all them that are round about Him." "Thy -testimonies are very sure; holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, -forever." If God's people forget these wholesome truths, He knows how -to recall them to their remembrance by the rod of discipline; and, -blessed forever be His name, He loves them too well to spare that rod, -however reluctant He may be to use it. "Whom the Lord loveth He -chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure -chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he whom -the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof -all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we -have had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them -reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father -of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us -after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be -partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth -to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the -peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised -thereby. _Wherefore lift_ _up the hands which hang down, and the -feeble knees_" (Hebrews xii. 6-12). - -These are encouraging words for the people of God, at all times. The -discipline may be--no doubt is--painful; but when we know a Father's -hand is in it, and when we realize what His object is, we can pass -through the trial with exercised hearts, and thus reap the peaceable -fruits of righteousness. On the other hand, if we meet the discipline -with an impatient spirit, a rebellious will, an unsubdued mind, we -only render it necessary for the pressure to be continued and -augmented, for our loving Father will never let us alone. He will have -us in holy subjection to Himself, cost what it may. He graciously -takes our part against ourselves, subdues the proud risings of our -will, and crushes all that in us which hinders our growth in holiness, -grace, and divine knowledge. - -Oh! what infinite grace shines in the fact that our God occupies -Himself with our very failure and follies, our waywardness and -wilfulness, our sins and shortcomings, in order to deliver us from -them! He knows all about us. He understands and takes into account all -our surroundings and all our inward tendencies, and He deals with us -in infinite wisdom and perfect patience, keeping ever before Him that -one gracious object, to make us partakers of His holiness, -and--wondrous thought!--to bring out in us the expression of His own -nature and character. Surely, then, in the presence of such abounding -grace and mercy, we may well "lift up the hands that hang down, and -the feeble knees." - - -PART II. - -There is one truth which shines out with uncommon lustre in the book -of Judges, and that is, that God is ever to be counted upon, even amid -the darkest scenes of human history; and, moreover, faith can always -count upon God; God never fails a trusting heart--no, never. He never -has failed, never will, never can fail the individual soul that -confides in Him, that takes hold of His precious word, in the artless -simplicity of a faith that trusts Him in the face of man's deepest -failure and shortcoming. - -This is most consolatory and encouraging, at all times, and under all -circumstances. True it is--alas! how true! man fails in everthing. -Trace him where you will; mark him in whatever sphere of action or -responsibility he occupies, and it is the same sad tale, over and over -again, of unfaithfulness, failure, and ruin. Let man be set up in -business, as often as he may, with the largest capital and the fairest -prospects, and he is sure to become a bankrupt. It has ever been so, -from the days of Eden down to the present moment. We may assert, -without fear of contradiction, that there has not been one solitary -exception to the dismal rule, in the history of Adam's fallen race. We -must never forget this. True faith never forgets it. It would be the -blindest folly to attempt to ignore the fact that _ruin_ is stamped, -in characters deep and broad, upon the entire of man's story, from -first to last. - -But, in the face of all this, God abideth faithful. He cannot deny -Himself. Here is the resource and the resting-place of faith. It -recognizes and owns the ruin; but it counts on God. Faith is not blind -to human failure; but it fixes its gaze on divine faithfulness. It -confesses the ruin of man; but it counts on the resources of God. - -Now, all this comes strikingly out in the interesting and instructive -story of Gideon. He, truly, was made to realize, in his own person and -experience, the fact of Israel's fallen condition. The contrast -between Joshua and Gideon is as striking as can be, so far as regards -the question of their condition and circumstances. Joshua could place -his foot on the necks of the kings of Canaan. Gideon had to thrash his -wheat in a corner to hide it from the Midianites. The day of Joshua -was marked by splendid victories; the day of Gideon was a day of small -things. But the day of small things for man is the day of great things -for God. So Gideon found it. True, it was not permitted him to witness -the sun and moon arrested in their course, or the cities of the -uncircumcised levelled with the ground. His was a day of barley cakes -and broken pitchers, not of astounding miracles and brilliant -achievements. But God was with him; and this was enough. "There came -an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that -pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon threshed wheat -by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the -Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, -_thou mighty man of valor_" (Judges vi. 11, 12). - -What words were these to fall upon the ear of Gideon, cowering in the -winepress, through fear of the enemy! They were words from heaven to -lift his soul above the trials, and sorrows, and humiliations of -earth--words of divine power and virtue to infuse vigor into his -depressed and sorrowing heart. "Thou mighty man of valor!" How hard -was it for Gideon to take such wondrous accents in! How difficult to -apply them to himself! Where was the might or where was the valor? -Most surely not in himself or in his surroundings. Where then? In the -living God; precisely where Joshua found his might and his valor. -Indeed there is a striking similarity in the terms in which both these -eminent servants of God were addressed. The similarity of the terms is -quite as marked as is the contrast in their circumstances. Here are -the terms to Joshua: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a -good courage: be not thou afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the -Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." And the terms to -Gideon are: "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." - -Precious words! Soul-stirring, heart-strengthening accents! And yet -Gideon was slow to make them his own--slow to grasp them, in the -lovely appropriating power of faith, which so delights the heart of -God, and glorifies His name. How often is it thus with us! How -constantly we fail to rise to the height of God's gracious thoughts -and purposes towards us! We are prone to _reason_ about ourselves and -our surroundings, instead of believing God, and resting, in sweet -tranquillity, in His perfect love and faithfulness. - -Thus it was with that dear man of God on whose history we are -dwelling. The divine statement was clear, full, absolute, and -unconditional: "The Lord _is_ with thee." There was no ground, in -these words, for any question or doubt, whatsoever; and yet mark -Gideon's reply: "And Gideon said unto Him, O my Lord, _if_ the Lord be -with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His -miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring -us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us -into the hands of the Midianites" (verse 13). - -Here, as is evident, Gideon reasons from his surroundings. Hence the -"_if_"--that little monosyllable of unbelief. It is a familiar remark -amongst us, "If you want to be miserable, look within; if you want to -be distracted, look around; if you want to be peaceful and happy, look -up--'look off unto Jesus.'" This is most true. So surely as we become -occupied with self, or with men and things, the circumstances which -surround us, we must be unhinged and unhappy. Our only strength, our -only comfort, our only light, is to keep the eye of faith fixed on -Jesus, and the heart firmly centred in Him. Most certainly Gideon's -surroundings were of the gloomiest character. His "sensible horizon" -was overhung with dark and heavy clouds. But there was one bright and -blessed ray which shone in upon his depressed spirit--a ray emanating -from the very heart of God, and conveyed in that one brief but -comprehensive sentence, "The Lord is with thee." There was no "if" in -this--no doubt, no reserve, no condition. It was distinct and -unqualified, and needed only one thing to make it a spring of joy, -strength, and victory in Gideon's soul, and that was to mix it with -faith. But then "if" is not faith. True faith never answers God with -ifs, for the simplest of all reasons, that it looks only at God, and -there are no ifs with Him. Faith reasons from God downwards; not from -man upwards. Faith has only one difficulty, and that difficulty is -embodied in the question, "How shall He _not?_" It never says, "How -shall He?" This is the language of sheer unbelief. - -But, it may be asked by some, was there not some foundation for -Gideon's "if" and "why?" Certainly not in God or in His word, whatever -there had been in Israel and their actings. No doubt, if Gideon had -only cast his eye back over the pages of his national history, he -might have discovered ample reason for the sad and humiliating -condition in which he found himself. Those blotted pages would have -furnished an abundant answer to his question, "Why then is all this -befallen us?" But had Israel's actings dimmed the lustre of Jehovah's -mighty "miracles?" Not in the vision of faith, most surely. God had -done great and glorious things for His people; and the record of those -doings lay ever under the eye of faith, in all its soul-sustaining -virtue. No doubt Israel had failed--shamefully failed; and the record -of that failure lay also under the eye of faith, and furnished a -solemn answer to Gideon's inquiry, "Why is all this befallen us?" -Faith recognizes God's government as well as His grace, and moreover -it bows, in solemn awe, before each stroke of His governmental rod. - -It is well to keep all this in mind. We are apt to forget it. God has, -at times, to stretch forth his hand and lift the rod of authority. He -cannot own what is contrary to His Name and His nature. Now, Gideon -needed to remember this. Israel had sinned, and this was the reason -why they were under the rod, of which the power of the Midianites was -the expression in Gideon's day. - -Gideon, we repeat, was called to enter practically into the meaning of -all this; and not only so, but to taste the reality of identification -with his people in all their pressure and affliction. This latter, as -we know, was the portion and experience of every true servant of God -in Israel. All had to pass through those deep exercises of soul -consequent upon their association with the people of God. It mattered -not whether it were a judge, a prophet, a priest, or a king; all had -to participate in the sorrows and trials of the nation of Israel; nor -could any true heart--any genuine lover of God or His people--desire -exemption from such deep and holy exercises. This was pre-eminently -true of the only perfect Servant that ever stood upon this earth. He, -though personally exempt from all the consequences of Israel's sin and -failure--though pure and spotless, divinely holy in nature and in -life--did nevertheless, in perfect grace, voluntarily identify Himself -with the people in all their sorrow and humiliation. "In all their -affliction He was afflicted." Thus it was with our blessed Lord Jesus -Christ; and all who, in any degree, partook of His Spirit, had, -according to their measure, to taste of the same cup, though none -could ever come up to Him in this or in aught else. - -But when we come to compare closely the angel's words to Gideon, with -his reply, we notice a point of deep interest, and one which -illustrates the individual character of the book of Judges. The angel -says, "The Lord is with _thee_." Gideon replies, "If the Lord be with -_us_." This is very interesting and instructive; moreover it is in -full keeping with a passage already referred to, in chap, iii.: "And -when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was _with the -judge_." It does not say, "with the people," but adds, with touching -grace, "and _delivered them_ out of the hand of their enemies all the -days of the judge; for it repented the Lord because of their groanings -by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them" (ver. 18). - -There is peculiar sweetness and beauty in this. If Jehovah had to hide -His face from His people, and give them over, for the time, into the -hand of the uncircumcised, yet His loving heart was ever turned -towards them, and ever ready to mark and recognize the faintest traces -of a repentant spirit. "Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth -iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His -heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in -mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will -subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the -depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy -to Abraham, which Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of -old" (Micah. vii. 18-20). - - -PART III. - -Nothing can be more encouraging to the heart than the mode in which -the Lord deals with the soul of Gideon--the way in which He prepares -him for the course of action to which He was calling him. Gideon, like -ourselves, was full of "ifs" and "whys,"--those little words so big -with unbelief. The poor human heart is ever slow to take in the -magnificence of divine grace; our feeble vision is dazzled by the -brilliancy of divine revelation. It is only artless faith which can -cause the soul to feel perfectly at home in the presence of the -richest unfoldings of the goodness and loving-kindness of God. Faith -never says "if" or "why?" It believes what God says, because He says -it. It rests, in sweet tranquility, upon every word that proceedeth -out of the mouth of God. Unbelief looks at circumstances and reasons -from them: faith looks at God, and reasons from Him. Hence the vast -difference in their conclusions. Gideon, judging from his -surroundings, concluded that Jehovah had forsaken His people. A simple -faith would have led him to the very opposite conclusion; it would -have enabled him to see and know and remember that Jehovah would ever -be true to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, however He might, -in His governmental dealings, have to hide His face from their -rebellious and sinful offspring. Faith always counts on God; and God, -blessed be His name, ever honors faith. He first produces it in us, -and then owns it. - -But not only does God graciously honor faith; He rebukes our fears. He -rises above our unbelief, and hushes all our silly reasonings. Thus, -in His dealings with His chosen servant Gideon, it would seem as -though He heard not the "if" or the "why?" He goes on to unfold His -own thoughts, to display His own resources, and to fill the soul of -His servant with a confidence and a courage which were to lift him -above all the depressing influences with which he was surrounded. - -"And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and -thou shalt save Israel out of the hand of the Midianites: have not I -sent thee?" Here we have the true secret of strength: "The Lord looked -upon him." There was divine power in this look, if Gideon could only -have taken it in. But, alas! he was still full of questions. "And he -said unto Him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my -family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." - -Thus, unbelief turns the eye in upon self, or out upon our -surroundings. It leads us to compare our visible resources with the -work to which God is calling us. Jehovah had said, "Go in this thy -might." What was the "might?" In what did it consist? Was it great -wealth, lofty position, or great physical power? Nothing of the kind. -"Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou -shalt save Israel." This was absolute and unqualified. It left no room -for Gideon's "wherewith?" It made it very plain that the might with -which he was to deliver Israel was not in himself or in his father's -house, but in the God of Israel. It mattered little whether his -family was rich or poor; whether he was little or great. It was God -who was about to use him? What was wealth or greatness to Him? He -could use a barley cake or a broken pitcher. Indeed we may observe -this special feature in the varied instruments taken up in the book of -Judges, namely, that "no flesh shall glory in God's presence." How -does human glory fade away before the humiliating fact that Israel's -hosts were called forth to battle under the leadership of a woman! -What a stain on human pride in the fact of deliverance coming through -the agency of a "left-handed man"! - -But, on the other hand, we find that just in proportion as man's glory -fades away, the divine glory shines out. The humbler the instrument, -the more we see the power of God. What difference does it make to the -Almighty God whether His instrument be left-handed or right-handed--a -man or a woman--a dwarf or a giant? The instrument is nothing: God is -all in all. True, He deigns to use instruments; but all the power is -His, and His shall be the eternal and universal praise. Gideon had to -learn this; and so had Moses; and so have we all. It is an invaluable -lesson. We are all so prone to think of _our_ competency for any work -or service which may lie before us, when we ought to remember that of -all His works that are done upon the earth, God is the doer of them. -Our sufficiency is of Him. We can do nothing; and if we could do -aught, it would be badly done. The human finger can only leave a soil -behind. The works of men perish like their thoughts. The work of God -abideth forever. Let us remember these things, that we may walk -humbly and lean ever and only on the mighty arm of the living God. -Thus the soul is kept in a well-balanced condition, free from -self-confidence and fleshly excitement, on the one hand; and from -gloom and depression, on the other. If we can do nothing, -self-confidence is the height of presumption. If God can do every -thing, despondency is the height of folly. - -But in the case of Gideon, as in that of all God's servants, we -observe two things worthy of our deepest attention. In the first -place, we have the divine commission, as embodied in those weighty -words, "_Have not I sent thee?_" And in the second place, we have the -assurance of the divine presence, as set forth in these encouraging -words, "_Surely I will be with thee_." - -These are the two grand points for all who will serve God in their day -and generation. They must know that the path they tread has been -marked out distinctly by the hand of God; and, furthermore, they must -have the sense of His presence with them along the path. These things -are absolutely essential. Without them we shall waver and vacillate. -We shall be running from one line of work to another. We shall take up -certain work, go on with it for a while, and then abandon it for -something else. We shall work by fits and starts; our course will be -faltering, our light flickering: "Unstable as water, we shall not -excel." We shall never succeed at anything. There will be no -certainty, no stability, no progress. - -These are weighty matters for all of us. It is of immense importance -for every servant of Christ, every child of God, to know that he is at -his divinely appointed post, and at his divinely given work. This will -give fixedness of purpose, moral elevation, and holy independence. It -will preserve us from being tossed about by human thoughts and -opinions--being influenced by the judgment of one or another. It is -our happy privilege to be so sure that we are doing the very work -which the Master has given us to do, that the thoughts of our fellows -respecting us shall have no more weight with us than the pattering of -rain on the window. - -Not--be it carefully observed--that we should, for a moment -countenance, much less cultivate, a spirit of haughty independence. -Far away be the thought! We as Christians, can never, in one sense, be -independent one of another. How can we, seeing we are members one of -another? We are united to one another and to our risen Head in glory, -by the one Spirit who is with us and in us. The most intense -individuality--and our individuality should be as intense as our unity -is indissoluble--can never touch the precious truth of the one body -and one Spirit. - -All this is divinely true, and most fully and thankfully owned. But, -at the same time, we must insist upon the truth of our individuality, -and of our personal responsibility. This must be maintained with all -possible energy and decision. Each servant has to do with his Lord, in -that particular sphere of work to which he has been called. And, -moreover, each should know his work, and give himself to it diligently -and constantly. He should possess the holy certainty and authority -imparted to the soul by that divine and powerful sentence, "Have not I -sent thee?" - -It will perhaps be said, "We are not all Gideons or Joshuas. We are -not all called to occupy such a prominent place or tread such a -brilliant path as those illustrious servants." True; but we are called -to serve; and it is essential to every servant to know his commission, -to understand his work, and to be fully assured in his own soul that -he is doing the very work which the Lord has given him to do, and -treading the very path which the hand of God has marked out for him. -If there be any uncertainly as to this, we do not see how there can be -any progress. - -But there is more than this. It is not enough to know that we are -treading the divinely appointed path. We want to realize the divine -presence. We want to have the precious words made good in our -experience, "Surely I will be with thee." This completes the servant's -equipment. The divine commission and the divine presence are all we -want; but we must have these in order to get on. With these priceless -realities it matters not who we are. The Lord can use a feeble woman, -a left-handed man, a cake of barley meal, or a broken pitcher. The -instrument is nothing. God is the workman. Unbelief may cry out, "O my -Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is _poor_ in -Manasseh, and I am the _least_ in my father's house." Faith can cry -out in reply, "What of all this if God be for us? Does He want the -rich or the noble? What are riches or greatness to Him? Nothing." "Ye -see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the -flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath -chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God -hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which -are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are -despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to -nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 -Cor. i. 26-29). - -These are wholesome words for all of us. It is an unspeakable mercy -for every dear servant of Christ to be kept in the abiding sense of -his own utter nothingness--to be taught to realize, in some measure, -the depth, fulness, and power of that one brief but most comprehensive -statement, "Apart from Me ye can do nothing." There is not a single -branch in all the vine, however imposing or wide-spreading it may seem -to be, which, if separated from the parent stem by the thickness of a -gold leaf, can produce the very smallest atom of fruit. There must be -the abiding realization of our vital union with Christ,--the -practical, living, abiding in Him, by faith, day by day, in order to -bring forth any fruit that God can accept. It is as we abide in Christ -that the living sap circulates freely through us, and gives forth the -healthy bud, the green leaf, and the seasonable fruit. - -Here lies the grand secret of power. It is abiding in the living Vine. -"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord -is; for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that -spreadeth out her roots by the river; and shall not see when heat -cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the -year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit" (Jer. xvii. -7, 8). - -All this is intensely personal. We must each, for himself and herself, -cling by faith to Christ. It is of the very first importance for -Christians to bear in mind that Christianity is a thoroughly -individual thing. We are individual in our repentance, in our faith, -in our salvation, in our communion, in our service, and in our reward. -Look at the addresses to the seven churches in Rev. ii., iii. Hearken -to those pointed words, "_He_ that hath an ear,"--"To _him_ that -overcometh." What do they mean? Do they not set forth, in the most -distinct and forcible manner, that blessed individuality of which we -speak? Unquestionably. But do they touch unity? Not in the smallest -degree. They leave its sacred domain wholly untouched. "There is one -body and one Spirit." This must ever hold good, spite of all the ruin -and failure of the professing Church. Nevertheless, the writings of -John are pre-eminently individual.[22] From the opening lines of his -Gospel to the closing sentence of his Apocalypse, we trace this -feature. He shows us the Philips, the Simons, the Andrews, and the -Nathanaels coming, in their individuality, to Jesus. He tells us of a -Jewish ruler here, and a Samaritan sinner there, who were drawn by the -Father to Jesus. He tells us of the good Shepherd who calleth His -sheep by name. He tells us of the branches clinging to the living -Vine. Thus it is in John's Gospel; and when we turn to his Epistles, -we find the same principle running through them all. He writes to an -elect lady, and to his beloved Gaius; and if he once speaks of "the -Church," it is but to weep over its departed glory, and to raise amid -its ruins that warning note for individual ears, "_Look to -yourselves_." And as to the Revelation, it ends as it begins, with a -solemn appeal "_to him that heareth_." - - [22] Eternal life and its manifestations--first in our Lord, and then - in the children of God--being the general line of truth in John's - Gospel and epistles, is individual and personal. In Paul's epistles - the unity of the saints as baptized by one Spirit into one body, with - what flows from it, is brought out. [ED.] - - -PART IV. - -The more closely we study the narrative of the Lord's dealings with -Gideon, the more we must be struck with the marvelous way in which He -prepares him for his after course. Like all God's servants, in all -ages, Gideon had to undergo a course of secret training and -discipline, ere he was fit to appear in public. The space of time -occupied in this training may vary, as may also the character of the -discipline; but of this we may rest assured that all who will be used -of God in public must be taught of God in private. It is a fatal -mistake for any one to rush into prominence without proper equipment, -and that equipment can only be attained in the secret of the divine -presence. It is in profound and hallowed retirement with God that -vessels are filled, and instruments fitted for His work. - -Let us never forget this. Moses had to spend forty years at "the back -side of the desert" ere he was fit to enter upon his public career. -David had to feed his father's flock, ere he was called to rule the -nation of Israel. He slew a lion and a bear in secret, ere he was -called to slay Goliath in public. The great apostle of the Gentiles -spent three years in Arabia, notwithstanding his very remarkable -conversion and call. The apostles spent three years and a half in -companionship with their Master, and then had to tarry until they were -endued with power from on high. Thus it has been with all those who -have ever been called to occupy a prominent place in the Lord's work; -and even the blessed Master Himself--though surely needing no -training or discipline, inasmuch as He was ever perfect,--to set us an -example, spent thirty years in retirement ere He came forth in public. - -All this is full of most wholesome instruction for our souls. Let us -seek to take it in and profit by it. No one can ever get on in public -work without this private teaching in the school of Christ. It is this -which gives depth, solidity, and mellowness to the character. It -imparts a tone of reality and a fixedness of purpose most desirable in -all who engage in any department of the Lord's work. It will -invariably be found that where anyone goes to work without this divine -preparation, there is shallowness and instability. There may perhaps -for a time be more flash and show in those superficial characters than -in those who have been educated in the school of Christ; but it never -lasts. It may create a momentary sensation, but it soon passes away -like the morning cloud or the early dew. Nothing will stand but that -which is the direct result of private communion with God--secret -training in His presence--the excellent discipline of the school of -God. - -Let us see how all this is exemplified in Gideon's case. It is very -evident that this honored servant was called to pass through deep -exercises of soul before ever he took a single step in public action, -yea, before he ever unfurled the standard of testimony in his father's -house. He had to begin with himself, with his own personal condition, -with his own heart. Those who will be used for others must begin with -themselves. So Gideon found it. Let us pursue his history. - -"And the Lord said unto Gideon, Surely I will be with thee, and thou -shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto Him, If now I -have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest -with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and -bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And He said, I will -tarry till thou come again. And Gideon went in and made ready a kid, -and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour; the flesh he put in a -basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto Him -under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, -Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and lay them upon this rock, -and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put -forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh -and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock and -consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the -Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was -an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I -have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto -him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" (Judges vi. -16-23). - -Here we reach a profoundly interesting stage of Gideon's preparatory -course. He is called to enter practically and experimentally into the -great and universal law for the servants of God, namely, "When I am -weak, then I am strong." This is a most precious law, and one which -forms an indispensable element in the education of all Christ's -servants. Let no one imagine that he can ever be used in the Lord's -work, or ever make progress in the divine life, without some measure -of real entrance into this invaluable principle. We hold it to be -absolutely essential in forming the character of the true servant of -Christ. Where it is not known, where it has not been felt, where it -has not been to some extent realized, there is sure to be -unsubduedness, unbrokenness, self-occupation, in some form or another. -There will be more or less of self-confidence, and various points and -angles turning up here and there, and acting as a sad hindrance to all -that is good, useful, and holy. - -On the other hand, when one has learnt that great family motto quoted -above--when one has learnt, in the divine presence to say, "When I am -weak, then I am strong,"--when nature has been weighed in the balance -of the sanctuary, there you will always find a measure of brokenness, -softness, and tenderness of spirit; and not only so, but also -largeness of heart, and readiness for every good work, and that lovely -elasticity of mind which enables one to rise above all those petty, -selfish considerations, which so sadly hinder the work of God. In -short, the heart must first be broken, then made whole; and, being -made whole, be undividedly given to Christ and to His blessed service. -It is impossible to run the eye along the brilliant array of Christ's -workmen, and not see the truth of this. Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, -Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, in Old Testament times; and Peter, -Paul, and John, in those of the New, all stand before us as vivid -illustrations of the value of broken material. All those beloved and -honored servants had to be broken in order to be made whole--to be -emptied in order to be filled--to learn that, of themselves, they -could do nothing, in order to be ready, in Christ's strength, for -anything and everything. - -Such is the law of the household--the law of the vineyard--the law of -the kingdom. So Gideon found it in his day. His "alas!" was followed -by Jehovah's "Peace; fear not," and then he was ready to begin. He had -been brought face to face with the angel of God, and there he learnt -not only that his family was poor in Manasseh, and he the least in his -father's house, but that in himself he was perfectly powerless, and -that all his springs must be found in the living God. Priceless lesson -this, for the son of Joash, and for us all!--a lesson not to be learnt -in the schools and colleges of this world, but only in the deep and -holy retirement of the sanctuary of God. - -And now let us see what was Gideon's first act after his fears were -hushed, and his soul filled with divine peace. His very first act was -to build an altar. "Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, -and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the -Abi-ezrites." He takes the happy place of a worshiper, and his worship -is characterized by the revelation of the divine character. He calls -his altar by that precious title, "The Lord send peace." He had gone -through many and deep exercises of soul--exercises which none can know -save those who are called out into a prominent place amongst God's -people. He felt the ruin and the weakness of all around him. He felt -the fallen and humiliating condition of his beloved people. He felt -his own littleness, yea, his own emptiness, and nothingness. How could -he come forward? How could he smite the Midianites? How could he save -Israel? Who was sufficient for these things? It is all very well for -those persons who live an easy, irresponsible kind of life; who know -not the toils, the cares, and anxieties connected with the public -service of Christ and the testimony for His name in an evil day. These -know nothing of Gideon's painful exercises of soul; nothing of the -pressure upon his spirit as he looked forth from beneath the shade of -his father's oak-tree, and contemplated the dangers and -responsibilities of the battle-field. They can enter but feebly into -the meaning of those words of one high up in the school of Christ, "We -had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in -ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead." - -These are weighty words for all Christ's servants; but we must be His -servants in reality, in order to enter into their deep significance. -If we are content to live a life of indolence and ease, a life of -self-seeking and self-pleasing, it is impossible for us to understand -such words, or indeed to enter into any of those intense exercises of -soul through which Christ's true-hearted servants and faithful -witnesses, in all ages, have been called to pass. We invariably find -that all those who have been most used of God in public have gone -through deep waters in secret. It is as the sentence of death is -written practically upon _self_, that the power of resurrection-life -in Christ shines out. Thus Paul could say to the Corinthians, "Death -worketh in us; but life in you." Marvelous words! Words which let us -into the profound depths of the apostle's ministry. What a ministry -must that have been which was carried on upon such a principle as -this! What power! what energy! Death working in the poor earthen -vessel, but streams of life, heavenly grace, and spiritual power -flowing into those to whom he ministered. - -This, reader, we may depend upon it, is the true secret of all -effective ministry. It is an easy matter to talk about ministry; to -set up to be ministers of Christ; but oh, how has the professing -Church departed from the divine reality of ministry! Alas! the heart -sinks at the bare thought of it. Where are the Pauls, the Gideons, and -the Joshuas? Where are the deep heart-searchings and profound soul -exercises which have characterized Christ's servants in other days? We -are flippant and wordy, shallow and empty, self-sufficient and -self-indulgent. Need we wonder at the small results? How can we expect -to see life working in others when we know so little about death -working in us? - -May the eternal Spirit stir us all up, and work in us a more powerful -sense of what it is to be the true-hearted, single-eyed, devoted -servants of Jesus Christ! - - -PART V. - -We are now to contemplate Gideon called forth into action. He has -received his commission from Jehovah. His questions have been -answered, his fears hushed, his heart tranquilized, and he is enabled -to build an altar. All this had reference to his own personal -condition, to the state of his own soul, to the attitude of his own -heart as in the sight of God. - -Thus it must ever be. We must all begin in this way, if we are ever to -be used of God to act on others. We must have to do with God in the -secret of our own souls, else we shall prove to be but sorry workmen -in the sequel. All who go forth in public work without this secret -training, are sure to prove flimsy and shallow. Self must be measured -in the divine presence. We must learn that nature is of no account in -the Lord's work. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith -the Lord of hosts" (Zech. iv. 6). - -It was not until Gideon had gone through somewhat of this holy -discipline in secret that he was led out into service. And let us -carefully note where he had to commence. "It came to pass the same -night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, -even the second bullock, of seven years old"--for Jehovah knew how -many bullocks Joash had, and the age of each--"and throw down the -altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by -it. And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this -rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a -burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down." - -Here we see that Gideon had to begin _at home_. He was called to -unfurl the standard of testimony in the very bosom of his family--in -the very centre of his father's house. This is intensely interesting, -and deeply practical. It teaches a lesson to which we should all bend -our ears and apply our hearts. Testimony must begin at home. It will -never do to rush forth into public work while our private and domestic -ways are anything but what they ought to be. It is useless to set -about throwing down the altar of Baal in public, while the selfsame -altar remains standing at home. - -This is of the very first importance. We are all of us imperatively -called upon to show piety at home. Nothing is more sorrowful than to -meet with persons who, abroad amongst their fellow men or their fellow -Christians, are marked by a high tone of spirituality--a style of -speaking which would lead one to suppose them far beyond the ordinary -level of Christians, and yet when you come to close quarters with -them--when you become acquainted with their private life and ways, -their actual history from day to day, you find them very far indeed -from bearing testimony for Christ to those with whom they come in -contact. This is most deplorable. It dishonors the Lord Jesus, grieves -the Spirit, stumbles and repulses young believers, gives occasion to -the enemy to speak reproachfully, and to our brethren to speak -doubtfully of us. - -Surely these things ought not to be. There ought to be a testimony -yielded at home. Those who see most of us should see most of Christ in -us. Those who know us best ought best to know that we are Christ's. -But alas! how often is it otherwise! How often the home circle is just -the place where the lovely traits of Christian character are least -exhibited! The wife or the husband, the parent or the child, the -brother or the sister, the master or the servant, the fellow-servant -or some other companion in daily life, is just the one in whose sight -we least display the beauteous fruits of divine life. It is in private -life that all our weak points come out--our oddities and -peculiarities, our silly tendencies and sinful tempers: instead of -which it ought to be in that very sphere that the grace of Jesus is -most faithfully manifested. - -Christian reader, let us not turn away from the word of reproof, of -admonition, or exhortation. It may not be pleasant; but, we may rest -assured, it is salutary. It may not be agreeable to the flesh; but it -is wholesome to the soul. We are called, like Gideon, to begin at -home, if we would prove helpful to our brethren, or act effectively -against the common foe. - -No doubt there are difficulties involved in this home testimony. It is -often very hard, for example, for a child to bear witness against the -worldliness of a parent, or of the whole family; but where there is -humility of mind and simple dependence upon God, He maintains and -carries us through marvelously. One thing is certain, there is nothing -like decision. "The first blow is half the battle," yea, the whole -battle is often gained by a single blow, when that blow is dealt in -full communion with the mind of Christ. - -On the other hand, where there is weakness and vacillation--playing -fast and loose with the truth of God, trifling with divine principles -and one's own conscience, a looking at consequences and a weighing of -probable results--there the enemy is sure to have the upper hand, and -the testimony altogether fails. God acts with those who act for Him. -This is the grand secret of their success; but where the eye is not -single, there is no real progress, no divine result. - -Here is where so many of us signally fail. We are not whole hearted, -not decided, not thoroughly out-and-out for Christ. Hence there is no -result for God, no action on others. We have no idea of what may be -accomplished by a single devoted heart, one earnest and energetic -soul. Such an one may be used to raise up a standard round which -thousands will flock who might never have had the courage or energy to -unfurl the standard themselves. - -Look at Gideon. See how he wrought for God, and how God wrought with -him. "Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord -had said unto him; and so it was, because he feared his father's -household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, -that he did it by night. And when the men of the city rose early in -the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove -was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon -the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done -this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the -son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto -Joash, Bring out thy son that he may die; because he hath cast down -the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by -it." - -This is what we may call striking at the very root of the matter. The -worship of Baal is completely overturned. This was no trifle. We have -little idea of what it cost the son of Joash to do this thing; but by -the grace of God he did it. True, it may have been with fear and -trembling, still he did it. He dealt one vigorous blow at the entire -system of Baal, and it crumbled into dust beneath his feet. No half -measures would have availed. It would have been of no possible use to -pick a stone here and there out of the idol's altar; the whole fabric -had to be overturned from its very foundation, and the idol itself -degraded in the very presence of its deluded worshipers. A bold -decisive stroke was needed, and that stroke was given by the hand of -Gideon the son of Joash, God's "mighty man of valor." - -There is nothing, we repeat, like plain decision--bold, uncompromising -faithfulness for Christ, cost what it may. Had Gideon been less -decided, had his line of action been less thorough, his father Joash -would not have been so perfectly won over. It needed just such a -method of dealing with Baal to convince a rational person that the -worship of such a god was a sham and a falsehood. "And Joash said unto -all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? _will ye save -him?_ he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is -yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one -hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him -Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown -down his altar." - -This was very simple reasoning, "If he be a god, let him plead for -himself." Gideon's decided course had brought matters to a point. Baal -was either a reality or a most complete delusion. If the former, let -him plead for himself. If the latter, who would think of pleading for -him? Nothing could be simpler. Gideon's action was a complete success. -The worship of Baal was overturned; and the worship of Jehovah Elohim -set up instead. - -Thus we see that the divine work in the soul of Gideon is making very -rapid but very real progress. He is conducted from strength to -strength. How little idea had he, when first the divine voice fell on -his ear, that, in so short a time, he would take so bold a step. If -any one had said to him then, "In a few hours you will overturn the -worship of Baal in the very midst of your father's house," he would -not have believed it. But the Lord led him along, step by step, gently -yet firmly; and as the heavenly light broke in upon his soul, his -confidence and courage grew. - -Thus it is the Lord ever deals with His servants. He does not expect -them to run before they have learnt to walk; but where the heart is -true, and the purpose honest and firm, He graciously supplies the -needed strength, moment by moment. He causes mountains of difficulty -to remove, rolls away many a dark and heavy cloud, fortifies the -heart, and girds up the loins of the mind, so that the very feeblest -are armed with giant strength, and the coward heart filled with -wonder, love, and praise at the triumph of divine grace. - -Having broken down Baal's altar, Gideon is now led to encounter -Midian's hosts. "Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the -children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and -pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon -Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. -And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also was gathered -after him; and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and -unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them." - -In short there was a thorough awakening. The tide of spiritual energy -rose majestically, and bore hundreds and thousands upon its bosom. The -work which had begun in Gideon's heart was extending itself far and -wide, throughout the length and breadth of the land. The Spirit of the -Lord was displaying His mighty energy, and multitudes were stirred up -to gather round the standard which the hand of faith had unfurled. - -But just at this point, it would seem that Gideon's faith needed fresh -confirmation. It may be his spirit was overawed when he saw the mighty -host of the uncircumcised mustering before him; and then, for a -moment, his courage failed, and his heart craved a fresh sign from the -Lord. "And Gideon said unto God, If Thou wilt save Israel by my hand, -_as Thou hast said_"--alas! the poor heart can place its unbelieving -"if" right in front of the word of God who cannot lie--"behold, I -will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the -fleece only, and if it be dry upon all the earth beside, _then shall I -know_ that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, _as Thou hast said_." - -How marvelous! And yet we need not marvel if we know aught of our own -hearts. Anything for the poor human heart but the naked word of the -living God. A sign, a token, something that the eye can see. The word -of God is not enough for unbelieving nature. - -But oh! the matchless grace of God! His unupbraiding love! His tender -considerateness! He graciously meets the weakness of His poor servant, -for "It was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the -fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, _a bowl full -of water_." What condescending grace! Instead of severely rebuking -Gideon's unbelieving "if," He graciously confirms his wavering faith -by superabounding evidence. - -And yet all this sufficed not. Gideon seeks still further -confirmation. "And he said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot -against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me prove, I pray Thee, -but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, -and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: -for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew upon all the -ground." Such is the abounding grace and patience of the God with whom -we have to do. Forever adored be His holy Name! Who would not trust -Him, and love Him, and serve Him? - - -PART VI. - -We shall now ask the reader to open his Bible at the seventh chapter -of the book of Judges. Here Gideon's companions are brought before us; -and their history, as well as that of their leader, is full of -interest and profit for us. They had to be trained and tested as well -as he. Let us ponder the narrative. - -"Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, -rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host -of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of -Moreh, in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that -are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their -hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand -hath saved me." - -The clear and soul-stirring blast of Gideon's trumpet had drawn around -him a very large and imposing company; but this company had to be -tested. It is one thing to be moved by the zeal and energy of some -earnest servant of Christ, and it is quite another thing to possess -those moral qualities which alone can fit a man to be an earnest -servant himself. There is a vast difference between following in the -wake of some devoted man of God, and walking with God ourselves--being -propped up and led on by the faith and energy of another, and leaning -upon God in the power of individual faith for ourselves. - -This is a serious consideration for all of us. There is always great -danger of our being mere imitators of other people's faith; of copying -their example without their spiritual power; of adopting their -peculiar line of things without their personal communion. All this -must be carefully guarded against. We specially warn the young -Christian reader against it. Let us be simple, and humble, and real. -We may be very _small_, our sphere very narrow, our path very retired; -but it does not matter in the least, provided we are precisely what -grace has made us, and occupying the sphere in which our blessed -Master has set us, and treading the path which He has opened before -us. It is by no means absolutely necessary that we should be great, or -prominent, or showy, or noisy in the world; but it is absolutely -necessary that we should be real and humble, obedient and dependent. -Thus our God can use us, without fear of our vaunting ourselves; and -then, too, we are safe, peaceful, and happy. There is nothing more -delightful to the true Christian, the genuine servant of Christ, than -to find himself in that quiet, humble, shady path where _self_ is lost -sight of, and the precious light of God's countenance enjoyed--where -the thoughts of men are of small account, and the sweet approval of -Christ is everything to the soul. - -Flesh cannot be trusted. It will turn the very service of Christ into -an occasion of self-exaltation. It will use the very name of Him who -made Himself nothing in order to make itself something. It will build -up its own reputation by seeming to further the cause of Him who made -Himself of none. Such is flesh! Such are we in ourselves! Silly, -self-exalting creatures, ever ready to vaunt ourselves, while -professing to be nothing in ourselves, and to deserve nothing but the -flames of an everlasting hell. - -Need we marvel at the testing and proving of Gideon's companions? All -must be tested and proved. The service of Christ is a very solemn and -a very holy thing; and all who take part therein must be self-judged, -self-distrusting, and self-emptied; and not only so, but they must -lean, with unshaken confidence, upon the living God. These are the -grand qualities that go to make up the character of the true servant -of Christ, and they are strikingly illustrated on the page of -inspiration which now lies open before us. - -Let us proceed with the narrative. - -"The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the -Midianites into their hands.... Now, therefore, go to, proclaim in the -ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him -return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the -people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand." - -Here the first grand test is applied to Gideon's host--a test designed -to bring out the measure of the heart's simple confidence in Jehovah. -A coward heart will not do for the day of battle; a doubting spirit -will not stand in conflict. The same principle is set forth in -Deuteronomy xx. 8: "And the officers shall speak further unto the -people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and -faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his -brethren's heart faint as well as his heart." - -Faint-heartedness is terribly contagious. It spreads rapidly. It -withers the arm that should bear the shield, and paralyses the hand -that should wield the sword. The only cure for this malady is simple -confidence in God, a firm grasp of His faithfulness, a child-like -trust in His word, true personal acquaintance with Himself. We must -know God for ourselves, in such a way that His word is everything to -us, and that we can walk alone with Him, and stand alone with Him in -the darkest hour. - -Reader, is it thus with thee? Hast thou this blessed confidence in -God--this solid hold of His word? Hast thou, deep down in thy heart, -such an experimental knowledge of God and His Christ as shall sustain -thee even though thou hadst not the support or sympathy of another -believer under the sun? Art thou prepared to walk alone in the world? - -These are weighty questions, and we feel the need of pressing them -upon the Church of God at the present moment. There is a wide -diffusion of the precious truth of God, and numbers are getting hold -of it. Like the blast of Gideon's trumpet, so the clear testimony -which has widely gone forth of late years has attracted many; and -while we quite feel that there is real ground for thankfulness in -this, we also feel that there is ground for very serious reflection -indeed. Truth is a most precious thing, if it be truthfully found and -truthfully held: but let us remember that in exact proportion to the -preciousness of the truth of God so is the moral danger of trafficking -therein without a self-judged heart and an exercised conscience. What -we really need is faith--unfeigned, earnest, simple faith, which -connects the soul, in living power, with God, and enables us to -overcome all the difficulties and discouragements of the way. Of this -faith there can be no imitation. We must either possess it in reality -or not at all. A sham faith will speedily come to the ground. The man -who attempts to walk by faith, if he have it not, must speedily totter -and fall. We cannot face the hosts of Midian unless we have full -confidence in the living God. "Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let -him return." Thus it must ever be. None can go to battle save those -who are braced up by a faith that grasps the unseen realities of -eternity, and endures as seeing Him who is invisible. May this faith -be ours, in larger measure, beloved reader. - -It is full of instruction for the heart to notice the effect of the -first test upon the host of Gideon. It thinned his ranks amazingly. -"There returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there -remained ten thousand." This was a serious reduction. But it is far -better to have ten thousand that can trust God than ten thousand times -ten thousand who cannot. Of what use are numbers, if they be not -energized by a living faith? None whatever. It is comparatively easy -to flock around a standard raised by a vigorous hand; but it is a -totally different thing to stand, in personal energy, in the actual -battle. Nought but genuine faith can do this; and hence when the -searching question is put, "Who can trust God?" the showy ranks of -profession are speedily thinned. - -But there was yet another test for Gideon's companions. "And the Lord -said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto -the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that -of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go -with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with -thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the -water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the -water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by -himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. -And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, -were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon -their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the -three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the -Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man -unto his place" (vii. 4-7). - -Here then we have another great moral quality which must characterize -those who will act for God and His people, in an evil day. They must -not only have confidence in God, but they must also be prepared to -surrender self. This is a universal law in the service of Christ. If -we want to swim in God's current, we must sink self; and we can only -sink self in proportion as we trust Christ. It is not, need we say, a -question of salvation; it is a question of service. It is not a -question of being a child of God, but of being a proper servant of -Christ. The thirty-one thousand seven hundred that were dismissed from -Gideon's army, were just as much Israelites as the three hundred that -remained; but they were not fitted for the moment of conflict: they -were not the right men for the crisis. And why? Was it that they were -not circumcised? Nay. What then? They could not trust God and -surrender self. They were full of fear when they ought to have been -full of faith. They made refreshment and comfort their object instead -of conflict. - -Here, reader, lay the true secret of their moral unfitness. God cannot -trust those who do not trust Him and sink self. This is pre-eminently -solemn and practical. We live in a day of easy profession and -self-indulgence. Knowledge can, now-a-days, be picked up at very small -cost. Scraps of truth can be gathered, second hand, in all directions. -Truth which cost some of God's dear servants years of deep -soul-ploughing and heart-searching exercise, is now in free -circulation and can be intellectually seized and flippantly professed, -by many who know not what soul-ploughing or heart-exercise means. - -But let us never forget--yea, let us constantly remember--that the -life of faith is a reality; service is a reality; testimony for -Christ, a reality. And further let us bear in mind that if we want to -stand for Christ in an evil day--if we would be men for the crisis, -genuine servants, true witnesses--then verily we must learn the true -meaning of those two qualities, namely, confidence in God, and -self-surrender. - - -PART VII. - -There is something peculiarly striking in the fact that out of the -many thousands of Israel, in the days of Gideon, there were only three -hundred men who were really fit for conflict with the Midianites; only -this small band fit for the occasion. This truly is a suggestive and -admonitory fact. There were hundreds of thousands of true -Israelites--truly circumcised sons of Abraham--members of the -congregation of the Lord, who were by no means up to the mark, when it -was a question of war to the knife with Midian--a question of genuine -confidence in God and self-surrender. We are safe in saying that the -men who were morally fitted for the grand crisis in the day of battle -were not one in a thousand. How solemn! Not one in a thousand who -could trust God and deny self. - -Christian reader, is not this something worthy of deep and serious -thought? Does it not, very naturally, suggest the inquiry as to -whether it is otherwise at this moment? Is it not painfully evident -that we live in a day in the which little is known of the blessed -secret of confidence in God, and still less of the exercise of -self-surrender? In point of fact, these things can never be rightly -separated. If we attempt to divorce self-surrender from confidence in -God, it will land us in the deep and dark delusions of monasticism, -asceticism, or ritualism. It will issue in nature trying to subdue -nature. This, we need hardly say, is the direct opposite of -Christianity. This latter starts with the glorious fact that the _old -self_ has been condemned and set aside by the cross of Christ, and -therefore it can be practically surrendered, every day, by the power -of the Holy Ghost. This is the meaning of those fine words in -Colossians iii., "Ye _are_ dead, and your life is hid with Christ in -God." He does not say, "Ye _ought to be_ dead." No; but "ye _are_ -dead." What then? "Mortify your members which are on the earth." So -also in the profound and precious teaching in Romans vi., "How shall -we that _are_ dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that -so many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto -His death?" What then? "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead -indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." - -Here then lies the secret of all true self-surrender. If this be not -understood and practically entered into, it will simply be _self_ in -one form trying to subdue _self_ in another. This is a fatal delusion. -It is a snare of the devil into which earnest souls are in imminent -danger of falling, who sigh after holiness of life, but do not know -the power of accomplished redemption, and the indwelling of the Holy -Ghost--are not built upon the solid foundation of Christianity. - -We specially warn the reader against this insidious error. It -distinctly savors of monasticism or asceticism. It clothes itself in -the garb of pietism and sanctimoniousness, and is peculiarly -attractive to a certain class of ardent spirits who long for victory -over the lusts, passions, and tendencies of nature; but, not knowing -how to attain it, are turning their back upon Christ and His cross, -and betaking themselves to the resources of a spurious religion. - -It is against this most mischievous and delusive system that the -apostle warns us, in Colossians ii., "Let no man," he says, "beguile -you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, -intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up -by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, from which all the body -by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, -increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with -Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the -world, are ye subject to ordinances"--such as, "touch not; taste not; -handle not; which all are to perish with the using--after the -commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of -wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not -in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh" (Colossians ii. 18-23). - -We deem it needful to say thus much lest any of our readers should at -all mistake us on the subject of self-surrender. We desire it to be -distinctly understood that the only possible ground of self-surrender -is the knowledge of accomplished redemption, and our union with Christ -through the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the essential basis of -all Christian conduct. In short, a known salvation is the basis; the -Holy Ghost indwelling, the power; and the word of God, the directory -of all true self-surrender. - -But what did Gideon and his companions know of these things? Nothing, -as Christians now know them. But they had confidence in God, and -further, they did not make their own refreshment or comfort their -object, but simply took it up by the way as a means to an end. Herein -they teach a fine lesson even to those whose privilege it is to walk -in the full light of New Testament Christianity. If they, in the dim -twilight in which they lived, could trust God, and surrender self for -the moment, even in measure, then what shall we say for ourselves who, -with all our light and privileges, are so ready to doubt God and seek -our own things? - -Is it not painfully evident that, in this our day of light and -privilege, there is but little moral preparedness for the path of -service and conflict which we are called to tread? Alas! alas! we -cannot deny it. There is a deplorable lack of genuine trust in the -living God, and of the true spirit of self-surrender. Here, we may -rest assured, is the deep secret of the whole matter. God is not -practically known and habitually trusted; self is exalted and -indulged. Hence our unfitness for the warfare, our failure in the day -of battle. It is one thing to be saved, and quite another thing to be -a soldier; and we cannot shake off the painful conviction that, in -this day of widely extended profession, the proportion of workmen and -warriors would not be found a whit greater than it was in the days of -Gideon and his companions. The fact is, we want men of faith, men -whose hearts are fixed and their eyes single; men so absorbed with -Christ and His cause that they have no time for aught beside. We -greatly fear that, if the double test which was applied to Israel in -the days of Gideon, were to be applied now to those who stand on the -very highest platform of profession, the practical result would not -differ very materially. - - * * * * * - -We shall only touch on two more leading points, and then leave our -readers to meditate closely upon the whole subject for themselves. - -The close of Judges vii. shews us Gideon and his companions completely -victorious. "The cake of barley bread," and "the broken pitchers," -proved a match for all the power of the Midianites, although they "lay -along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude, and their camels -were without number, as the sand by the sea-side for multitude." God -was with those represented by the cake of barley bread and broken -pitchers, as He will ever be with those who are prepared to take the -low place; prepared to be nothing, but to make Him their all in all; -prepared to trust Him and to sink self. This, let it never be -forgotten, is the great root principle in all service and in all -conflict. Without it, we can never succeed; with it, we can never -fail. It matters not what the difficulties, or what the numbers and -power of our enemies, all must give way before the presence of the -living God; and that presence will ever accompany those who trust Him -and sink self. - -Nor is this all. Not only is firm trust in God and self-surrender the -secret of victory over external enemies; it is also the secret of -overcoming, disarming, and melting down proud and jealous brethren, -though these latter are often far more difficult to deal with than -open enemies. Thus no sooner had Gideon reached the point of victory -over the uncircumcised, than he was called to encounter the petty and -contemptible jealousy of his brethren, "And the men of Ephraim said -unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not when -thou wentest to fight the Midianites? And they did chide with him -sharply" (chapter viii. 1). - -All this was most uncalled for and unworthy. Had they not heard the -sound of the trumpet calling Israel to the battle field? Had they not -heard that the standard was unfurled? Why had they not rushed to the -battle at the first? It was an easy matter to come in at the close and -reap the spoil, and then find fault with the one who had been God's -real instrument on the occasion. - -However, we shall not dwell upon the unlovely conduct of the men of -Ephraim; but turn, for a moment, to the exquisite way in which Gideon -was enabled to meet them. "And he said unto them, What have I done now -in comparison of you?... God hath delivered into your hands the -princes of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in -comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him when he had -said that." - -Here, Christian reader, is the true way to vanquish jealous and -envious brethren. The cake of barley bread and the broken pitcher can -vanquish jealous Ephraimites as well as hostile Midianites. A -self-hiding spirit is the grand secret of victory over envy and -jealousy, in all their odious forms. It is difficult, if not -impossible, to quarrel with a man who is down in the dust, in true -self-abasement. "What have I done now in comparison of you?" This is -the language of one who had learnt something of the real meaning of -self-surrender; and we may safely assert that such language must ever -disarm the envy and jealousy of the self-occupied and self-sufficient. -May we know more of the truth of this! - -We must now look at the closing scene of Gideon's remarkable -history--a scene full of admonition for every servant of Christ. From -it we learn that it is easier to gain a victory than to make a good -use of it; easier to reach a position than to occupy it aright. We -shall quote the passage. "Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, -Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for -thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto -them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: -the Lord shall rule over you." - -So far, this was very fine. It was in full keeping with the -self-surrender of Gideon's previous course. Every true servant of -Christ will ever seek to connect souls with his Master, and not with -himself. Gideon would not indeed displace Jehovah as the ruler of -Israel. But, alas! his great victory fills his mind, and he will make -a perpetual glory of it by an ephod (a priestly garment) of gold; and -this, simply because his self-surrender was not complete. There has -been but One whose self-surrender was, and that One must, in all -things, have the pre-eminence. "And Gideon said unto them, I would -desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings -of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were -Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And -they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of -his prey.... And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, -even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which -thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house" (chapter viii. -22-27). - -Such is man, even the best of men, when left to himself. Here we see -the very man who had led his brethren on to victory over Midian, now -leading them into dark and abominable idolatry. The earrings of the -Ishmaelites did what their swords could not do; and the love-tokens of -the men of Israel proved far more dangerous than the sharp chidings of -the men of Ephraim. The latter drew out a lovely spirit of -self-emptiness: the former proved a snare to Gideon and to the whole -house of Israel. - -Reader, let us remember all this. If Gideon had refused the earrings -as well as the throne, it would have been well for him and for his -brethren; but the devil laid a snare for him into which he fell and -carried all his brethren with him. May we all take warning from -Gideon's fall, and draw encouragement from Gideon's victories. May we -remember that it is one thing to gain a victory, and another to make -good use of it; it is easier to reach a position than to occupy it -aright. May God grant to the reader and writer of these lines, more -simple confidence in Himself, and more of the true spirit of -self-surrender! May such be the result of our meditations upon Gideon -and his companions. - - C. H. M. - - - - -"My Beloved" - -(Cant. 5:9.) - - - Oh what is thy Beloved?--they oft inquire of me; - And what in my Beloved so passing fair I see. - Is it the heavenly splendor in which He shines above-- - His riches and dominions, that won my heart's best love? - - Oh no! 'tis not His glories;--He's worthy of them all. - 'Tis not the throne and sceptre, before which angels fall! - I view with heart exulting each crown His head adorns; - But, oh, He looks most lovely, _wearing His crown of thorns_. - - I'm glad to see His raiment, than snow more spotless white, - Refulgent with its brightness, more dazzling than the light; - But more surpassing lovely His form appears to me, - When stripp'd, and scourged, and bleeding, _He hung upon the tree_. - - With warmest adoration I see Him on the throne, - And join the loud hosannas that His high virtues own; - But, oh, most blessed Jesus, I must confess to Thee, - More than the throne of glory _I love that sacred tree_. - - I joy to see the diadems upon Thy royal brow, - The state, and power, and majesty in which Thou sittest now; - But 'tis _Thyself_, Lord Jesus, makes heaven seem heaven to me-- - _Thyself_, as first I knew Thee, _uplifted on the tree_. - - Though higher than the highest, most mighty King Thou art, - Thy grace, and not Thy greatness, first touched my rebel heart. - Thy sword, it might have slain me; Thine arrows drunk my blood; - But 'twas _Thy cross_ subdued me, and won my heart to God. - - Thy sceptre rules creation; Thy _wounded hand_ rules me: - All bow before Thy footstool; I but the _nail-prints_ see. - Aloud they sound Thy titles, Thou Lord of lords most high; - One thrilling thought absorbs me--_this Lord for me did die_. - - Oh, this is my Beloved! there's none so fair as He: - The chief among ten thousand, He's all in all to me. - My heart, it breaks with longing to dwell with Him above, - Who wooed me first, and won me _by His sweet dying love_. - - J. G. DECK - - - - -ETERNAL PUNISHMENT - - -We have received a communication on the deeply solemn subject of -eternal punishment, from a person whose initials are "C. D. S.," and -who would seem to be the exponent of the feelings of a very numerous -class. Our correspondent does not, by any means, write as an objector, -or a caviler, but as an honest inquirer; and we are not sorry to be -called upon to bear a clear and decided testimony on a point of such -grave moment. He asks us to let him know "what the Holy Ghost has -taught us on the subject," and we cheerfully comply. - -We believe the Word of God most clearly and fully teaches the eternity -of punishment. The word which is rendered "everlasting," or "eternal," -occurs about seventy times in the New Testament. We shall give some -examples. "To be cast into _everlasting_ fire." (Matt. xviii. 8.) -"That I may have _eternal_ life." (Matt. xix. 16.) "These shall go -away into _everlasting_ punishment." (Matt. xxv. 46.) And in the same -verse, "The righteous unto life _eternal_." "Is in danger of _eternal_ -damnation." (Mark iii. 29.) "They may receive you into everlasting -habitations." (Luke xvi. 9.) "In the world to come, life -_everlasting_." (Luke xviii. 30.) "He that believeth on the Son hath -_everlasting_ life." (Jno. iii. 15, 16, 36; v. 24.) "The commandment -of the _everlasting_ God." (Rom. xvi. 26.) "An exceeding and _eternal_ -weight of glory." (2 Cor. iv. 17.) "The things which are not seen are -_eternal_." (_v._ 18.) "A house not made with hands, _eternal_ in the -heavens." (Chap. v. 1.) "They shall be punished with _everlasting_ -destruction." (2 Thess. i. 9.) "Hath given us _everlasting_ -consolation." (Chap. ii. 16.) "In Christ Jesus with _eternal_ glory." -(2 Tim. ii. 10.) "The author of _eternal_ salvation." (Heb. v. 9.) -"Having obtained _eternal_ redemption." (Chap. ix. 12.) "Who through -the _eternal_ Spirit offered Himself without spot to God." (v. 14.) -"The promise of _eternal_ inheritance." (v. 15.) "Called us unto His -_eternal_ glory." (1 Pet. v. 10.) "Into the _everlasting_ kingdom of -our Lord and Saviour." (2 Pet. i. 11.) "This is the true God and -_eternal_ life." (1 Jno. v. 20.) "Suffering the vengeance of _eternal_ -fire." (Jude 7.) - -Now, we are aware that the opposers of the doctrine of eternal -punishment endeavor to prove that the word "everlasting" does not mean -everlasting in the Greek; and this is one reason why we have quoted -such a number of passages in which the Greek word {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} (_aionios_) -occurs, and in which the Holy Ghost applies it in such a variety of -ways. The word which is applied to the punishment of the wicked is -also applied to the life which believers possess, to the salvation and -redemption in which they rejoice, to the glory to which they look -forward, to those mansions in which they hope to dwell, and to the -inheritance which they expect to enjoy. Moreover, it is applied to -God, and to the Spirit. If, therefore, it be maintained that the word -"everlasting" does not mean everlasting when applied to the punishment -of the wicked, what security have we that it means everlasting when -applied to the life, blessedness, and glory of the redeemed? What -warrant has any one, be he ever so learned, to single out seven -instances from the seventy in which the Greek word {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} is used, -and say that in those seven it does not mean everlasting, but that in -all the rest it does? They have none whatever. Men may reason as they -will about divine benevolence and goodness--about its being -inconsistent with the mercy of God to permit such a thing as eternal -punishment--as to the strange want of proportion between a few years -of sin and an endless eternity of punishment; a single line of holy -Scripture is amply sufficient, in our judgment, to sweep away ten -thousand such reasonings, even though supported by the learned dogma -that "everlasting" does not mean everlasting in the Greek. "Where -their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark ix. 46.) -Solemn statement! Let men beware of trifling with it, or reasoning -about it. Let them believe it, and flee from the wrath to come--flee -now to Jesus, who died on Calvary's cursed tree to deliver us from -everlasting burnings. - -But not only is the eternity of punishment clearly laid down in -Scripture--as clearly as the eternity of God Himself, or of any thing -pertaining to Him; we believe it also flows as a necessary truth from -other truths which are generally received without a single question. -Take, for instance, the immortality of the soul. Did the fall of man -touch this question? We believe not. Man was made the possessor of an -immortal spirit, by the breath of the Almighty; and we have no -authority whatsoever to say that his fall made any difference as to -this. Immortal he was, as to his soul, immortal he is, and immortal he -must be. Yes, he must live forever somewhere. Tremendous thought! Many -do not like it. They would fain be able to say, "Let us eat and drink, -for to-morrow we die." They would like to pass away as the beasts that -perish; and this very desire, we doubt not, has been, in many cases, -the parent of the notion that punishment is non-eternal. "The wish is -father to the thought." But, ah! man must face that dreadful reality, -_ETERNITY_. Saved or unsaved, there is no escaping that. He must -either deny the immortality of the soul, or admit the eternity of -punishment. - -Again, take the doctrine of the atonement. If any thing less than -eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite -sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Could nothing less -than the peerless, priceless, divine sacrifice of the Son of God -deliver any one from hell fire, and that fire not be eternal? Did -Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of -our guilt, and those consequences be only temporary? We can never -admit any such proposition. Grant us the truth of an infinite -sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment. - -We attach no weight whatever to the argument drawn from the lack of -proportion between a few years of sin and an eternity of woe. We do -not believe that this is the true way to measure the matter. The cross -is the only measure by which to reach a true result; and we believe -the deniers of eternal punishment offer dishonor to the cross by -lowering it into a means of deliverance from a doom which is not -eternal in its duration. - -And now, one word as to the idea of its being incompatible with the -character of God to allow such a thing as eternal punishment. Many -seem to attach great weight to this. They appear to think that eternal -misery could never comport with divine mercy and goodness. But those -who urge this plea seem to forget that there is another side of the -question, which must be looked at if we would reach a sound conclusion -on the point. What about divine justice, holiness, and truth? Are -these things not to be taken into account? Can we base an argument on -some of the divine attributes and leave others out? Surely not. We -must look at them all. The cross of Christ has harmonized them all, in -the view of all created intelligences. In that cross, God has set -forth His perfect love to the sinner; but He also has set forth His -perfect hatred of sin. Now, if a man deliberately rejects that only -way of escape--that perfect remedy--that divine provision, what is to -be done? God cannot let sin into His presence. He is of purer eyes -than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. Will the deniers of -eternal punishment tell us what is to be done? How is this question to -be settled? They say, by annihilation,--that is, by man's perishing -like a beast. Ah, this will never do! "The Lord God breathed into his -nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." (Gen. ii. -7.) Was this ever revoked? Is there a shadow of foundation in the -entire book of God for the theory of annihilation? If there is, let it -be produced. We look upon it as a most miserable subterfuge--a -pitiable attempt to get rid of the awful thought of eternity. But it -will not do. Let man but cast his eye on the page of inspiration, and -there he sees that tremendous word, "ETERNITY"! "ETERNITY"! -"ETERNITY"! Let him but lend his ear to the voice that issues from the -depth of his moral being, and he will hear the same soul-subduing -word, "Eternity"! "Eternity"! "Eternity"! He cannot get rid of it; he -cannot shake it off. He is shut up to the stern fact that he must live -forever. - -Well, then, what about his sin? That cannot get into God's presence. -God and sin can never be together. This is a fixed principle. God is -good, no doubt, and the proof of His goodness is the gift of His Son. -But then He is holy; and between holiness and sin there must be an -eternal separation; so that we are forced to the same solemn -conclusion, namely, that all who die in their sins--all who die in the -rejection of God's infinite provision for the forgiveness of sins, -will have to endure the consequences of those sins in the lake that -burneth with fire and brimstone throughout the countless ages of -eternity.[23] - - [23] Has the reader ever pondered Jno. iii. 36? There is marvelous - power in it. It completely demolishes two special heresies of the day, - namely, universalism and annihilationism. It tells the universalist - that "he that believeth not the Son _shall not see life_," and it - tells the annihilationist that "the wrath of God _abideth_ on" the - unbeliever. If he "shall not see life," he cannot be restored; and if - "the wrath of God _abideth on him_," he cannot be annihilated. - -We will not argue the matter further in this paper; but we would most -earnestly beseech the unconverted reader to pause and seriously -consider this most momentous question. Let him not be deceived by vain -words; let him not hearken to a false criticism, which would fain -persuade him that "eternal" does not mean eternal in the Greek; for, -oh, most assuredly, it does mean eternal, whether in Hebrew, Greek, -Latin, or English. "Eternal" can never mean temporal, or "temporal" -eternal, in any language under heaven. And furthermore, let him not -hearken to a false sentimentality, which would fain persuade him that -God is too kind to consign any of His creatures to hell fire. God was -so kind as to "give His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in -Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." But God is too holy -to let sin into heaven; and hence, instead of feeding himself with the -vain hope (if hope it can be called,) of annihilation, let him build -upon the sure Word of God, which tells him of full, free, and -everlasting salvation through the blood of the Lamb. Our God has no -pleasure in the death of a sinner. His long-suffering is salvation, -not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to -repentance. There is no reason why the reader should perish. God waits -to be gracious. Mercy's door stands wide open, and the sword of -judgment is in the scabbard. But the moment is rapidly approaching -when all shall be changed, and then all who die in their sins will -prove, by bitter experience, that, notwithstanding all the arguments -founded upon a false criticism and a false sentimentality, _the -punishment of sin is and must be eternal_. - - C. H. M. - - * * * * * - -"_And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the -body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will -forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him which after He hath killed -hath power to cast into hell;--yea, I say unto you, Fear Him._" (Luke -xii. 4, 5.) - - - - - PAPERS - - ON - - THE LORD'S COMING - - By C. H. M. - - _Author of Notes on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, - Numbers, and Deuteronomy._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTORY 5 - - THE FACT ITSELF 13 - - THE DOUBLE BEARING OF THE FACT 23 - - "THE COMING" AND "THE DAY" 32 - - THE TWO RESURRECTIONS 49 - - THE JUDGMENT 56 - - THE JEWISH REMNANT 64 - - CHRISTENDOM 73 - - THE TEN VIRGINS 81 - - THE TALENTS 90 - - CONCLUDING REMARKS 98 - - - - -PAPERS ON THE LORD'S COMING - - -INTRODUCTORY - -The attentive reader of the New Testament will find in its pages three -solemn and weighty facts presented to his view; namely, first, That -the Son of God has come into this world and gone away; secondly, That -the Holy Ghost has come down to this earth, and is here still; and, -thirdly, That the Lord Jesus is coming again. - -These are the three great subjects unfolded in the New Testament -Scriptures; and we shall find that each of them has a double bearing: -it has a bearing upon the world and a bearing upon the church; upon -the world, as a whole, and upon each unconverted man, woman and child -in particular; upon the church, as a whole, and upon each individual -member thereof, in particular. It is impossible for any one to avoid -the bearing of these three grand facts upon his own personal condition -and future destiny. - -And, be it noted, we are not speaking of doctrines--though, no doubt, -there are doctrines--but of facts--facts presented in the simplest -possible manner by the various inspired writers employed to set them -forth. There is no attempt at garnishing or setting off. The facts -speak for themselves; they are recorded and left to produce their own -powerful effect upon the soul. - -I. And, first of all, let us look at the fact that the Son of God has -been in this world of ours. "God so loved the world that he gave his -only begotten Son." "The Son of God has come." He came in perfect -love, as the very expression of the heart and mind, the nature and -character of God. He was the brightness of God's glory, and the -express image of His person, and yet a lowly, humble, gracious, social -man; one who was to be seen, from day to day, about the streets; going -from house to house; kind and affable to all; easily approached by the -very poorest; taking up little children in His arms, in the most -tender, gentle, winning way; drying the widow's tears; soothing the -stricken and sorrowing heart; feeding the hungry, healing the sick; -cleansing the poor leper; meeting every form of human need and misery; -at the bidding of all who stood in need of succor and sympathy. "He -went about doing good." He was the unwearied servant of man's -necessities. He never thought of Himself, or sought His own interest -in any one thing. He lived for others. It was His meat and His drink -to do the will of God, and gladden the sad and weary hearts of the -sons and daughters of men. His loving heart was ever flowing out in -streams of blessing to all who felt the pressure of this sin-stricken, -sorrowful world. - -Here, then, we have a marvellous fact before our eyes. This world has -been visited--this world has been trodden by that blessed One of whom -we have spoken--the Son of God--the Creator and Sustainer of the -universe--the lowly, self-emptied and loving, gracious Son of -Man--Jesus of Nazareth--God over all blessed for ever, and yet a -spotless, holy, absolutely perfect man. He came in love to men--came -into this world as the expression of perfect love to those who had -sinned against God, and deserved nothing but eternal perdition because -of their sins. He came not to crush, but to heal--not to judge, but to -save and to bless. - -What has become of this blessed One? How has the world treated Him? It -has cast Him out! It would not have Him! It preferred a robber and a -murderer to this holy, gracious, perfect Man. The world got its -choice. Jesus and a robber were placed before the world, and the -question was put, "Which will you have?" What was the answer? "Not -this man, but Barabbas." "The chief priests and elders persuaded the -multitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The -governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye -that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas" (Matt. xxvii. 20, 21). -The religious leaders and guides of the people--the men who ought to -have led them in the right way--persuaded the poor ignorant multitude -to reject the Son of God, and accept a robber and a murderer instead! - -Reader, remember, you are in a world that has been guilty of this -terrible act. And not only so, but, unless you have truly repented and -believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are part and parcel of that -world, and you lie under the full guilt of that act. This is most -solemn. The whole world stands charged with the deliberate rejection -and murder of the Son of God. We have the testimony of no less than -four inspired witnesses to this fact. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all -bear record that the whole world--the Jew and the Gentile--kings and -governors, priests and people--all classes, sects and parties, agreed -to crucify the Son of God--all agreed to murder the only perfect man -that ever appeared on this earth--the perfect expression of God--God -over all blessed for ever. We must either pronounce the four -evangelists to be false witnesses, or admit that the world as a whole, -and each constituent part thereof, is stained with the awful crime of -crucifying the Lord of glory. - -This is the true standard by which to measure the world, and by which -to measure the condition of every unconverted man, woman and child in -the world. If I want to know what the world is I have only to reflect -that the world is that which stands charged before God with the -deliberate murder of His Son. Tremendous fact! A fact which stamps the -world, in the most solemn manner, and places it before us in -characters of appalling blackness. God has a controversy with this -world. He has a question to settle with it--an awful question--the -mere mention of which should make men's ears to tingle and their -hearts to quake. A righteous God has to avenge the death of His Son. -It is not merely that the world accepted a vile robber and murdered an -innocent man; this, in itself, would have been a dreadful act. But -no; that innocent man was none other than the Son of God, the beloved -of the Father's heart. - -What a thought! The world will have to account to God for the death of -His Son--for having nailed Him to a cross between two thieves! What a -reckoning it will be! How red will be the day of vengeance! How -awfully crushing the moment in the which God will draw the sword of -judgment to avenge the death of His Son! How utterly vain the notion -that the world is improving! Improving!--though stained with the blood -of Jesus. Improving!--though under the judgment of God for that act. -Improving!--though having to account to a righteous God for its -treatment of the beloved of His soul, sent in love to bless and save. -What blind fatuity! What wild folly! Ah, no! reader, improvement there -can be none till the besom of destruction and the sword of judgment -have done their terrible work in avenging the murder--the deliberately -planned and determinedly executed murder of the blessed Son of God. We -cannot conceive any delusion more fatally false than to imagine that -the world can ever be improved while it lies beneath the awful curse -of the death of Jesus. That world which preferred Barabbas to Christ -can know no improvement. There is naught before it save the -overwhelming judgment of God. - -Thus much as to the weighty fact of the absence of Jesus, in its -bearing upon the present condition and future destiny of the world. -But this fact has another bearing. It bears upon the church of God as -a whole, and upon the individual believer. If the world has cast -Christ out, the heavens have received Him. If man has rejected Him, -God has exalted Him. If man has crucified Him, God has crowned Him. We -must carefully distinguish these two things. The death of Christ, -viewed as the act of the world--the act of man--involves naught but -unmitigated wrath and judgment. On the other hand, the death of -Christ, viewed as the act of God, involves naught but full and -everlasting blessedness to all who repent and believe. A passage or -two from the divine word will prove this. - -Let us turn for a moment to Psalm lxix., which so vividly presents our -blessed and adorable Lord suffering from the hand of man, and -appealing to God for vengeance. "Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving -kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy -tender mercies. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in -trouble: hear me speedily: draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: -deliver me, because of mine enemies. Thou hast known my reproach, and -my shame, and my dishonor: _mine adversaries are all before thee_. -Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I -looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, -but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst -they gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table become a snare before -them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become -a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their -loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and -let thy wrathful anger take hold of them," etc. (verses 16-28). - -All this is deeply and impressively solemn. Every word of this appeal -will have its answer. Not a syllable of it shall fall to the ground. -God will assuredly avenge the death of His Son. He will reckon with -the world--with men for the treatment which His only begotten Son has -received at their hands. We deem it right to press this home upon the -heart and conscience of the reader. How awful the thought of Christ -making intercession _against_ people! How appalling to hear Him -calling upon God for vengeance upon His enemies! How terrible will be -the divine response to the cry of the injured Son! - -But let us look at the other side of the picture. Turn to Psalm xxii., -which presents the blessed One suffering under the hand of God. Here -the result is wholly different. Instead of judgment and vengeance, it -is universal and everlasting blessedness and glory. "I will declare -thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I -praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of -Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.... My -praise shall be of thee in the great congregation; I will pay my vows -before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they -shall praise the Lord that seek him; your heart shall live for ever. -All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and -all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the -kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor among the nations.... A -seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a -generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto -a people that shall be born, that he hath done this" (verses 22-31). - -These two quotations present, with great distinctness, the two aspects -of the death of Christ. He died, as a martyr, for righteousness, under -the hand of man. For this, man will have to account to God. But He -died, as a victim, for sin, under the hand of God. This is the -foundation of all blessing to those that believe in His name. His -martyr-sufferings bring down wrath and judgment upon a godless world: -His atoning sufferings open up the everlasting well-springs of life -and salvation to the church, to Israel, and to the whole creation. The -death of Jesus consummates the world's guilt; but secures the church's -acceptance. The world is _stained_, and the church _purged_, by the -blood of the cross. - -Such is the double bearing of the first of our three great New -Testament facts. Jesus has come and gone--come, because God loved the -world--gone, because the world hated God. If God were to ask the -question--and He will ask it--"What have you done with my Son?" What -is the answer? "We hated Him, cast Him out, and crucified Him. We -preferred a robber to Him." - -But, blessed for ever be the God of all grace, the Christian, the true -believer, can look up to heaven and say, "My absent Lord is there, and -there for me. He is gone from this wretched world, and His absence -makes the entire scene around me a moral wilderness--a desolate -waste." - -_He is not here._ This stamps the world with a character unmistakable -in the judgment of every loyal heart. The world would not have Jesus. -This is enough. We need not marvel at any tale of horror now. Police -reports, grand jury calendars, the statistics of our cities and towns -need not surprise us. The world that could reject the divine -personification of all human goodness, and accept a robber and a -murderer instead, has proved its moral turpitude to a degree not to be -exceeded. Do we wonder when we discover the hollowness and -heartlessness of the world? Are we surprised when we find out that it -is not to be trusted? If so, it is plain we have not interpreted -aright the absence of our beloved Lord. What does the cross of Christ -prove? That God is love? No doubt. That Christ gave His precious life -to save us from the flames of an everlasting hell? Blessedly true, all -praise to His peerless name! But what does the cross prove as regards -the world? That its guilt is consummated, and its judgment sealed. The -world, in nailing to the cross the One who was perfectly good, proved, -in the most unanswerable manner, that it was perfectly bad. "If I had -not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have -no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I -had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had -not had sin; but now have they both seen and hated both me and my -Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that -is written in their law, They hated me without a cause" (John xv. -22-26). - -II. But we must now glance for a moment at our second weighty fact. -God the Holy Ghost has come down to this earth. It is now over -eighteen long centuries since the blessed Spirit descended from -heaven; and He has been here ever since. This is a stupendous fact. -There is a divine Person on this earth; and His presence--like the -absence of Jesus--has a double bearing: it has a bearing upon the -world, and a bearing upon the church--upon the world as a whole, and -upon every man, woman and child therein; upon the church as a whole, -and upon every individual member thereof in particular. As regards the -world, this august witness descended from heaven to convict it of the -terrible crime of rejecting and crucifying the Son of God. As regards -the church, He came as the blessed Comforter, to take the place of the -absent Jesus, and comfort by His presence and ministry the hearts of -His people. Thus, to the world, the Holy Ghost is a powerful -_Convicter_; to the church he is a precious _Comforter_. - -A passage or two of holy Scripture will establish these points in the -heart and mind of the pious reader who bows in lowly reverence to the -authority of the divine word. Let us turn to chapter xvi. of John's -Gospel. "But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you -asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things -unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the -truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, -the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him -unto you. And when he is come, he will _convict_ ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER XI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}) the world -of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they -believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye -see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is -judged" (verses 5-11). - -Again in John xiv. we read, "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And -I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that -he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the -world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: -but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" -(verses 15-19). - -These quotations prove the double bearing of the presence of the Holy -Ghost. We cannot attempt to dwell upon this subject in this brief -introduction; but we trust the reader may be led to study it for -himself, in the light of holy Scripture; and we are persuaded that the -more he thus studies it, the more deeply he will feel its interest -and immense practical importance. Alas! that it should be so little -understood; that Christians should so little see what is involved in -the personal presence of the eternal Spirit, God the Holy Ghost, on -this earth--its solemn consequences as regards the world, and its -precious results as regards the assembly as a whole, and each -individual member in particular. - -Oh! that God's people everywhere may be led into a deeper -understanding of these things; that they may consider what is due to -that divine Person who dwells in them and with them; that they may -have a jealous care not to "grieve" Him in their private walk, or -"quench" Him in their public assemblies! - -We shall, if God permit, enter, in our next paper, upon the third -fact, which is the immediate subject of the series of papers which we -propose to write, namely: The coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus -Christ. May God the Spirit open this most glorious subject in living -power and freshness to our souls, so that we may, in truth and -reality, be waiting for God's Son from heaven. - - -THE FACT ITSELF - -In approaching this most glorious subject, we feel that we cannot do -better than to lay before the reader the distinct testimony of holy -Scripture to the broad fact itself, that our Lord Jesus Christ will -come again--that He will leave the place which He now occupies on His -Father's throne, and come in the clouds of heaven, to receive His -people to Himself; to execute judgment upon the wicked; and set up His -own everlasting and universal kingdom. - -This fact is as clearly and fully set forth in the New Testament as -either of the other two facts to which we have already referred. It is -as true that the Son of God is coming from heaven, as that He is gone -to heaven, or that the Holy Ghost is still on this earth. If we admit -one fact, we must admit all: and if we deny one, we must deny all; -inasmuch as all rest upon precisely the same authority. They stand or -fall together. Is it true that the Son of God was refused, cast out, -crucified? Is it true that He has gone away into heaven? Is it true -that He is now seated at the right hand of God, crowned with glory and -honor? Is it true that God the Holy Ghost came down to this earth, -fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord; and that He is still -here? - -Are these things true? As true as Scripture can make them. Then just -as true is it that our blessed Lord will come again, and set up His -kingdom upon this earth--that He will literally, and actually, and -personally come from heaven, take to Himself His great power and reign -from pole to pole, and from the river to the ends of the earth. - -It may perhaps seem strange to some of our readers that we should deem -it needful to undertake the proof of such a plain truth as this; but -be it remembered that we are writing on this subject as though it were -perfectly new to the reader; as if he had never heard of such a thing -as the Lord's second coming; or as if, having heard of it, he still -calls it in question. This must be our apology for handling this -precious theme in so elementary a manner. - -Now for our proofs. - -When our adorable Lord was about to take leave of His disciples, He -sought, in His infinite grace, to comfort their sorrowing hearts by -words of sweetest tenderness. "Let not your heart be troubled; ye -believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many -mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a -place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, _I will come -again_, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be -also" (John xiv. 1-3). - -Here we may have something most definite. Indeed it is as definite as -it is cheering and consolatory. "I will come again." He does not say, -I will send for you. Still less does He say, "You will come to me -when you die." He says nothing of the kind. To send an angel, or a -legion of angels, would not be the same thing as coming Himself. No -doubt it would be very gracious of Him, and very glorious for us, if a -multitude of the heavenly host were sent, with horses of fire and -chariots of fire, to convey us triumphantly to heaven. But it would -not be the fulfilment of His own sweet promise. And most surely He -will do what He promised to do. He will not say one thing and do -another. He cannot lie or alter His word. And not only this, but it -would not satisfy the love of His heart to send an angel or a host of -angels to fetch us. He will come Himself. - -What touching grace shines in all this! If I am expecting a very dear -and valued friend by train, I shall not be satisfied with sending a -servant or an empty cab to meet him; I shall go myself. This is -precisely what our loving Lord means to do. He is gone to heaven; and -His entrance there prepares and defines His people's place. Amid the -many mansions of the Father's house, there would be no place for us if -our Jesus had not gone before; and then, lest there should be in the -heart any feeling of strangeness at the thought of our entrance into -that place, He says, with such sweetness, "I will come again, and -receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also." -Nothing short of this can fulfil the gracious promise of our Lord, or -satisfy the love of His heart. - -And be it carefully noted that this promise has no reference whatever -to the death of the individual believer. Who can imagine that, when -our Lord said, "I will come again," He really meant that we should go -to Him through death? How can we presume to take such liberties with -the plain and precious words of our Lord? Surely if He meant to speak -of our going to Him, through death, He could and would have said so. -But He has not said so, because He did not mean so; nor is it possible -that He could say one thing and mean another. His coming for us, and -our going to Him, are totally different things; and being different -ideas, they would have been clothed in different language. - -Thus, for example, in the case of the penitent thief on the cross, our -Lord does not speak of coming to fetch him; but He says, "To-day shalt -thou be with me in paradise." We really must remember that Scripture -is as divinely definite as it is divinely inspired, and hence it never -could and it never does confound two things so totally different as -the Lord's coming and the Christian's falling asleep. - -It may be well, at this point, to remark that there are but four -passages in the entire New Testament in which allusion is made to the -subject of the Christian passing through the article of death. The -first is that passage in Luke xxiii. already referred to: "To-day -shalt thou be with me in paradise." The second occurs in Acts vii., -"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The third is that most familiar and -lovely utterance in 2 Corinthians v., "Absent from the body, present -with the Lord." The fourth occurs in that charming first of -Philippians, "Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which -is far better." - -These most precious passages make up the sum of Scripture testimony on -the interesting question of the disembodied state. There is a passage -in Revelation xiv. often misapplied to this subject: "Blessed are the -dead which die in the Lord _from henceforth_: Yea, saith the Spirit, -that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them." -But this has no application to Christians now, though no doubt all -such who die in the Lord are blessed, and their works do follow them. -The reference, however, is to a time yet future, when the church shall -have left this scene altogether, and other witnesses make their -appearance. In a word, Revelation xiv. 13 bears upon apocalyptic -times, and must be so viewed if we would avoid confusion. - -We must now resume our subject, and proceed with our proofs, and in so -doing we shall ask the reader to turn to the first chapter of the Acts -of the Apostles. The blessed Lord had just gone up from this earth, -in the presence of His holy apostles. "And while they looked -steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by him -in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye -gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you -into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into -heaven" (verses 10, 11). - -This is intensely interesting, and furnishes a most striking proof of -our present thesis. Indeed it is impossible to avoid its force. Alas! -that any should seek or desire to avoid it! From the manner in which -the angelic witnesses speak to the men of Galilee it would seem like -tautology; but, as we well know, there is--there can be--no such thing -in the volume of God. It is, therefore, lovely fulness, divine -completeness, that we see in this testimony. From it we learn that the -self-same Jesus who left this earth, and ascended into heaven, in the -presence of a number of witnesses, shall _so_ come _in like manner as_ -they had seen Him go into heaven. How did He go? He went up -personally, literally, actually, the very same person who had just -been conversing familiarly with them--whom they had seen with their -eyes, heard with their ears, handled with their hands--who had eaten -in their presence, and "showed himself alive after his passion by many -infallible proofs." Well then, "He shall so come in like manner." - - "He who with hands uplifted, - Went from this earth below, - Shall come again all gifted, - His blessing to bestow." - -And here we may ask--though it be rather anticipating what may come -before us in a future paper--Who saw the blessed Lord as He went up? -Did the world? Nay; not one unconverted, unbelieving person ever laid -his eyes upon our precious Lord from the moment that He was laid in -the tomb. The last sight the world got of Jesus was as He hung on the -cross, a spectacle to angels, men, and devils. The next sight they -will get of Him will be when, like the lightning flash, He shall come -forth to execute judgment, and tread, in terrible vengeance, the -winepress of the wrath of Almighty God. Tremendous thought! - -None, therefore, but His own saw the ascending Saviour, as none but -they had seen Him from the moment of His resurrection. He showed -Himself, blessed be His holy name! to those who were dear to His -heart. He assured and comforted, strengthened and encouraged their -souls by these "many infallible proofs" of which the inspired narrator -speaks to us. He led them to the very confines of the unseen world, -just so far as men could go while still in the body; and there He -allowed them to see Him ascending into heaven; and while they gazed -upon this glorious sight He sent the precious testimony home to their -very hearts. "This same Jesus"--no other, no stranger, but the same -loving, sympathizing, gracious, unchanging friend--"whom ye have seen -go into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go -into heaven." - -Is it possible for testimony to be more distinct or satisfactory? -Could proof be more clear or conclusive? How can any counter argument -stand for a moment, or any objection be raised? Either those two men -in white apparel were false witnesses, or our Jesus shall come again -in the exact manner in which He went away. There is no middle ground -between those two conclusions. We read in Scripture that, "in the -mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established;" and -therefore in the mouth of two heavenly messengers--two heralds from -the region of light and truth, we have the word established that our -Lord Jesus Christ shall come again in actual bodily form, to be seen -by His own first of all, apart from all others, in the holy intimacy -and profound retirement which characterized His departure from this -world. All this, blessed be God, is wrapped up in the two little words -"_as_" and "_so_." - -We cannot attempt, in a brief paper like the present, to adduce all -the proofs which are to be found in the pages of the New Testament. We -have given one from the Gospels and one from the Acts, and we shall -now ask the reader to turn with us to the Epistles. Let us take, for -example, the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. We select this -epistle because it is acknowledged to have been the earliest of Paul's -writings; and further, because it was written to a company of very -young converts. This latter point is valuable, inasmuch as we -sometimes hear it stated that the truth of the Lord's coming is not -suitable to bring before the minds of young believers. That the -Apostle Paul did not think it unsuitable is evident from the fact that -of all the epistles which he wrote not one contains so much about the -Lord's coming as that which he penned for the newly converted -Thessalonians. The fact is, when a soul is converted and brought into -the full light and liberty of the gospel of Christ, it becomes -divinely natural for such a one to look for the Lord's coming. That -most precious truth is an integral part of the gospel. The first -coming and the second coming are most blessedly bound up together by -the divine link of the personal presence of the Holy Ghost in the -church. - -On the other hand, where the soul is not established in grace; where -peace and liberty are not enjoyed; where a defective gospel has been -received, there it will be found that the hope of the Lord's coming -will not be cherished, for the simple reason that the soul is, of -necessity, occupied with the question of its own state and prospects. -If I am not certain of my salvation--if I do not know that I have -eternal life--that I am a child of God--I cannot be looking out for -the Lord's return. It is only when we know what Jesus has done for us -at His first coming that we can with bright and holy intelligence look -out for His second coming. - -But let us turn to our epistle. Take the following sentences from the -first chapter: "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but -also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.... So -that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. -For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia -and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread -abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves -show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye -turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and _to -wait for his Son from heaven_, whom he raised from the dead, even -Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (verses 5-10). - -Here we have a fine illustration of the effect of a full clear gospel, -received in simple earnest faith. They turned from idols, to serve the -living and true God, and to wait for His Son. They were actually -converted to the blessed hope of the Lord's coming. It was an integral -part of the gospel which Paul preached; and an integral part of their -faith. Was it a reality to turn from idols? Doubtless. Was it a -reality to serve the living God? Unquestionably. Well then it was just -as real, just as positive, just as simple, their waiting for God's Son -from heaven. If we question the reality of one, we must question the -reality of all, inasmuch as all are bound up together and form a -beauteous cluster of practical Christian truth. If you had asked a -Thessalonian Christian what he was waiting for, what would have been -his reply? Would he have said, "I am waiting for the world to improve -by means of the gospel which I myself have received? or, I am waiting -for the moment of my death when I shall go to be with Jesus?" No. His -reply would have been simply this, "I am waiting for the Son of God -from heaven." This, and nothing else, is the proper hope of the -Christian, the proper hope of the church. To wait for the improvement -of the world is not Christian hope at all. You might as well wait for -the improvement of the flesh, for there is just as much hope of the -one as the other. And as to the article of death--though no doubt it -may intervene--it is never once presented as the true and proper hope -of the Christian. It may, with the fullest confidence, be asserted -that there is not so much as a single passage in the entire New -Testament in which death is spoken of as the hope of the believer; -whereas, on the other hand, the hope of the Lord's coming is bound -up, in the most intimate manner, with all the concerns and -associations and relationships of life, as we may see in the epistle -before us. Thus, if the apostle would refer to the interesting -question of his own personal connection with the beloved saints at -Thessalonica, he says, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of -rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at -his coming? For ye are our glory and joy." - -Again, if he thinks of their progress in holiness and love, he adds, -"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward -another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end he -may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our -Father, _at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ_ with all his saints" -(chap. iii. 12, 13). - -Finally, if the apostle would seek to comfort the hearts of his -brethren in reference to those who had fallen asleep, how does he do -it? Does he tell them that they should soon follow them? Nay; this -would have been in full keeping with Old Testament times, as David -says of his departed child, "I shall go to him, but he shall not -return to me" (2 Sam. xii. 23). But it is not thus that the Holy Ghost -instructs us in 1 Thessalonians--quite the reverse. "I would not," he -says, "have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are -asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if -we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which -sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by -the word of the Lord, that [not they which shall be, but] _we_ which -_are_ alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent -[come before or take precedence of] them which are asleep. For 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_ which are alive and remain shall be caught up -together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so -shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with -these words" (chap. iv. 13-18). - -It is impossible for any proof to be more simple, direct, and -conclusive than this. The Thessalonian Christians, as we have already -remarked, were converted to the hope of the Lord's return. They were -taught to look out for it daily. It was as much a part of their -Christianity to believe that He _would_ come, as to believe that He -_had_ come and gone. Hence it came to pass that when some of their -number were called to pass through death, they were taken aback; they -had not anticipated this; and they feared lest the departed should -miss the joy of that blissful and longed-for moment of the Lord's -return. The apostle therefore writes to correct their mistake; and, in -so doing, he pours a fresh flood of light upon the whole subject, and -assures them that the dead in Christ--which includes all who had or -shall have fallen asleep; in short, those of Old Testament times as -well as those of the New--should rise first, that is, before the -living are changed, and all shall ascend together to meet their -descending Lord. - -We shall have occasion to refer to this remarkable passage again, when -handling other branches of this glorious subject. We merely quote it -here as one of the almost innumerable proofs of the fact that our Lord -will come again, personally, really, and actually; and that His -personal coming is the true and proper hope of the church of God -collectively, and of the believer individually. - -We shall close this paper by reminding the Christian reader that he -can never sit down to the table of his Lord without being reminded of -this glorious hope, so long as those words shine on the page of -inspiration, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, -ye do show the Lord's death till"--when? Till ye die? Nay; but--"_till -he come_" (1 Cor. xi. 26). How precious is this! The table of the Lord -stands between those two marvellous epochs, the cross and the -advent--the death and the glory. The believer can look up from the -table and see the beams of the glory gilding the horizon. It is our -privilege, as we gather, on each Lord's day, round the Lord's table, -to show forth the Lord's death, to be able to say, "This may be the -last occasion of celebrating this precious feast; ere another Lord's -day dawn upon us, He Himself may come." Again we say, How precious is -this! - - -THE DOUBLE BEARING OF THE FACT - -Having, as we trust, fully established, in our last paper, the fact of -the Lord's coming, we have now to place before the reader the double -bearing of that fact--its bearing upon the Lord's people, and its -bearing upon the world. The former is presented, in the New Testament, -as the coming of Christ to receive His people to Himself; the latter -is spoken of as "The day of the Lord"--a term of frequent use also in -Old Testament Scriptures. - -These things are never confounded in Scripture, as we shall see when -we come to look at the various passages. Christians do confound them, -and hence it is that we often find "that blessed hope" overcast with -heavy clouds, and associated in the mind with circumstances of terror, -wrath, and judgment, which have nothing whatever to do with the -_coming_ of Christ for His people, but are intimately bound up with -"The _day_ of the Lord." - -Let the Christian reader, then, have it settled in his heart, on the -clear authority of holy Scripture, that the grand and specific hope -for him ever to cherish is the coming of Christ for His people. This -hope may be realized this very night. There is nothing whatever to -wait for--no events to transpire amongst the nations--nothing to occur -in the history of Israel--nothing in God's government of the -world--nothing, in short, in any shape or form whatsoever, to -intervene between the heart of the true believer and his heavenly -hope. Christ may come for His people to-night. There is actually -nothing to hinder. No one can tell when He _will_ come; but we can -joyfully say that, at any moment, He _may_ come. And, blessed be His -name, when He does come for us, it will not be with the accompanying -circumstances of terror, wrath, and judgment. It will not be with -blackness and darkness and tempest. These things will accompany "the -day of the Lord," as the Apostle Peter plainly tells the Jews in his -first great sermon, on the day of Pentecost, in which he quotes the -following words from the solemn prophecy of Joel, "And I will show -wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and -fire and vapor of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and -the moon into blood, before"--what? the coming of the Lord for His -people? Nay; but before "_that great and notable day of the Lord_ -come." - -When our Lord shall come to receive His people to Himself no eye shall -see Him, no ear shall hear His voice, save His own redeemed and -beloved people. Let us remember the words of the angelic witnesses in -the first of Acts. Who saw the blessed One ascending into the heavens? -None but His own. Well, "He shall so come in like manner as ye have -seen him go into heaven." _As_ was the going, _so_ shall be the -coming, if we are to bow to Scripture. To confound the day of the Lord -with His coming for His church is to overlook the plainest teachings -of Scripture, and to rob the believer of his own true and proper hope. - -And here perhaps we cannot do better than to call the attention of the -reader to a very important and interesting passage in the second -Epistle of Peter: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables -when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus -Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from -God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him -from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well -pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were -with him in the holy mount. We have also the word of prophecy more -sure [or confirmed], whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a -light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the -day-star arise in your hearts" (chap. i. 16-19). - -This passage demands the reader's most attentive consideration. It -sets forth, in the clearest possible manner, the distinction between -"the word of prophecy" and the proper hope of the Christian, namely, -"the morning star." We must remember that the great subject of -prophecy is God's government of the world in connection with the seed -of Abraham. "When the Most High divided to the nations their -inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of -the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the -Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" -(Deut. xxxii. 8, 9). - -Here then is the scope and theme of prophecy--Israel and the nations. -A child can understand this. If we range through the prophets, from -the opening of Isaiah to the close of Malachi, we shall not find so -much as a single line about the church of God--its position, its -portion, or its prospects. No doubt the word of prophecy is deeply -interesting, and most profitable for the Christian to study; but it -will be all this just in proportion as he understands its proper scope -and object, and sees how it stands in contrast with his own special -hope. We may fearlessly assert that it is as utterly impossible for -any one to study the Old Testament prophecies aright who does not -clearly see the true place of the church. - -We cannot attempt to enter upon the subject of the church in this -brief paper. It has been repeatedly referred to and unfolded -elsewhere, and we can now merely ask the reader to weigh and examine -the statement which we here deliberately make, namely, that there is -not so much as a single syllable about the church of God, the body of -Christ, from cover to cover of the Old Testament. Types, shadows, -illustrations, there are which, now that we have the full-orbed light -of the New Testament, we can see, understand, and appreciate. But it -was not possible for any Old Testament believer to see the great -mystery of Christ and the church, inasmuch as it was not revealed. The -inspired apostle expressly tells us that it was "_hid_," not in the -Old Testament Scriptures, but "in God," as we read in Ephesians iii., -"And to make all men see what is the fellowship [or rather the -administration] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world -hath been _hid in God_, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (verse -9). So also in Colossians we read, "Even the mystery which _hath been -hid_ from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his -saints" (chap. i. 26). - -These two passages establish the truth of our statement beyond all -question, for those who are willing to be governed absolutely by the -authority of holy Scripture; they teach us that the great -mystery--Christ and the church--is not to be found in the Old -Testament. Where have we in the Old Testament a word about Jews and -Gentiles forming one body, and being united by the Holy Ghost to a -living head in heaven? How could such a thing possibly be, so long as -"the middle wall of partition" stood as an insuperable barrier between -the circumcised and the uncircumcised? If one were asked to name a -special feature of the old economy he would at once reply, "The rigid -separation of Jew and Gentile." On the other hand, if he were asked to -name a special feature of the church, or Christianity, he would as -readily reply, "The intimate union of Jew and Gentile in one body." In -short, the two conditions stand in vivid contrast, and it was wholly -impossible that both could hold good at the same time. So long as the -middle wall of partition stood, the truth of the church could not be -revealed; but the death of Christ having thrown down that wall, the -Holy Ghost descended from heaven to form the one body, and link it, by -His presence and indwelling, to the risen and glorified Head in the -heavens. Such is the great mystery of Christ and the church, for which -there could be no less a basis than accomplished redemption. - -Now we entreat the reader to examine this matter for himself. Let him -search the Scriptures to see if these things be indeed true. This is -the only way to get at the truth. We must lay aside all our own -thoughts and reasonings, our prejudices and predilections, and come, -like a little child, to the holy Scriptures. In this way we shall -learn the mind of God on this most precious and interesting subject. -We shall find that the church of God, the body of Christ, did not -exist, as a fact, until after the resurrection and ascension of -Christ, and the consequent descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of -Pentecost. And further, we shall find that the full and glorious -doctrine of the church was not brought out until the days of the -Apostle Paul (compare Rom. xvi. 25, 26; Eph. i.-iii.; Col. i. 25-29). -Finally, we shall see that the actual and unmistakable boundary lines -of the church's earthly history are Pentecost (Acts ii.) and the -rapture or taking up of the saints (1 Thess. iv. 13-17). - -Thus we reach a position from which we can get a view of the church's -proper hope; and that hope is, most assuredly, "the bright and morning -star." Of this hope the Old Testament prophets utter not a syllable. -They speak largely and clearly of "The day of the Lord"--a day of -judgment upon the world and its ways (see Isaiah ii. 12-22 and -parallel Scriptures). But "the day of the Lord," with all its -attendant circumstances of wrath, judgment, and terror, must never be -confounded with His coming for His people. When our blessed Lord comes -_for_ His people there will be nothing to terrify. He will come in all -the sweetness and tenderness of His love to receive His loved and -redeemed people to Himself. He will come to finish up the precious -story of His grace. "To them that look for Him shall He appear -({~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}) the second time, without [that is, apart from all question -of] sin, unto salvation" (Heb. ix).[24] He will come as a bridegroom -to receive the bride; and when He thus comes none but His own shall -hear His voice or see His face. If He were to come this very night for -His people--and He may, for aught we know--if the voice of the -archangel and the trump of God were to be heard to-night, then all the -dead in Christ--all who have been laid to sleep by Jesus--all the -saints of God, both those of old Testament and New Testament times, -who lie sleeping in our cemeteries and graveyards, or in the ocean's -depths--all these would rise from their temporary sleep. All the -living saints would be changed in a moment, and all would be caught up -to meet their descending Lord, and return with Him to the Father's -house (John xiv. 3; 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17; 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52). - - [24] The clause "Them that look for him" refers to all believers. It - does not mean, as some suppose, those only who hold the truth of the - Lord's second coming. This would make our place with Christ at His - coming dependent upon knowledge, instead of upon our union with Him by - the presence and power of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God, in the - above passage, most graciously takes for granted that all God's people - are looking, in some way or another, for the precious Saviour; and - verily so they are. They may not see eye to eye as to all the details. - They may not all enjoy equal clearness of view or depth and fulness of - apprehension; but, most surely, they would all be glad at any moment - to see the One who loved them and gave Himself for them. - -This is what is meant by the rapture or catching up of the saints, and -has nothing to do directly with Israel or the nations. It is the -distinct and only proper hope of the church; and there is not so much -as a single hint of it in the entire Old Testament. If any one asserts -that there is, let him produce it. If there be such a thing, nothing -is easier than to furnish it. We solemnly and deliberately declare -there is no such thing. For all that respects the church--its -standing, its calling, its portion, its prospects--we must turn to the -pages of the New Testament, and, of those pages, mainly the Epistles -of Paul. To confound "the word of prophecy" with the hope of the -church is to damage the truth of God, and mislead the souls of His -people. That the enemy has succeeded in doing all this, throughout the -length and breadth of the professing church, is, alas! too true. And -hence it is that so very few Christians have really Scriptural -thoughts about the coming of their Lord. They are looking into -prophecy for the church's hope--they confound "the Sun of -righteousness" with "the Morning Star"--they mix up the coming of -Christ _for_ His people, and His coming _with_ them--they make His -"coming" or "state of presence" to be identical with His "appearing" -or "manifestation." - -All this is a most serious mistake, against which we desire to warn -our readers. When Christ comes with His people, "every eye shall see -him." When He is manifested, His people will be manifested also. "When -Christ our life shall appear [or be manifested], then shall ye also -appear with him in glory" (Col. iii. 4). When Christ comes to execute -judgment, His saints come with Him. "Behold, the Lord cometh _with_ -ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all" (Jude 14, -15). So also in Revelation xix., the rider on the white horse is -followed by the armies in heaven upon white horses, clothed in fine -linen, white and clean. These armies are not angels, but saints; for -we do not read of angels being clothed in white linen, which is -expressly declared, in this very chapter, to be "the righteousness of -saints" (verse 8). - -Now, it is most evident that, if the saints accompany their Lord when -He comes in judgment, they must be with Him previously. The fact of -their going to Him is not presented in the book of Revelation, unless -it be involved--as we doubt not it is--in the catching up of the man -child, in chapter xii. The man child is, most surely, Christ; and -inasmuch as Christ and His people are indissolubly joined in one, they -are most completely identified with Him, blessed for ever be His holy -and precious name! - -But, clearly, it does not at all lie within the scope of the book of -Revelation to give us the coming of Christ _for_ His people, or their -being caught up to meet Him in the air, or their return to the -Father's house. For these blessed events or facts, we must look -elsewhere, as, for example, in John xiv. 3; 1 Corinthians xv. 23, 51, -52; 1 Thessalonians iv. 14-17. Let the reader ponder these three -passages. Let him drink into his very soul their clear and precious -teaching. There is nothing difficult about them, no obscurity, no mist -or vagueness whatever. A babe in Christ can understand them. They set -forth, in the clearest and simplest possible manner, the true -Christian hope, which--we repeat it emphatically, and urge it upon the -reader as the direct and positive teaching of holy Scripture--is the -coming of Christ to receive His people, all His people, to Himself, to -take them back with Him to His Father's house, there to remain with -Him, while God deals governmentally with Israel and the nations, and -prepares the way, by His judicial actings, for bringing in the -First-begotten into the world. - -Now, if it be asked, "Why have we not the coming of Christ for His -people in the book of Revelation?" Because that book is pre-eminently -a book of judgment--a governmental, judicial book, at least from -chapter i.-xx. Hence even the church is presented as under judgment. -We do not see the church in chapters ii. and iii. as the body or the -bride of Christ; but as a responsible witness on the earth, whose -condition is being carefully examined and rigidly judged by Him who -walks amongst the candlesticks. - -It would not, therefore, comport with the character or object of this -book to introduce, directly, the rapture of the saints. It shows us -the church on the earth, in the place of responsibility. This it gives -us, in chapters ii. and iii., under the head of "the things that are." -But from that to chapter xix. there is not a single syllable about the -church on earth. The plain fact is, the church will not be on earth -during that solemn period. She will be with her Head and Lord, in the -divine retirement of the Father's house. The redeemed are seen in -heaven, under the title of the twenty-four crowned elders, in chapters -iv., v. There, blessed be God, they will be, while the seals are being -opened, the trumpets sounded, and the vials poured out. To think of -the church as being on the earth, from Revelation vi.-xviii.--to place -her amid the apocalyptic judgments--to pass her through "the great -tribulation"--to subject her to "the hour of temptation which shall -come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth"--would -be to falsify her position, to rob her of her chartered privileges, -and to contradict the clear and positive promise of her Lord.[25] - - [25] We shall have occasion, in a future paper, to show that, after the - church has been removed to heaven, the Spirit of God will act both - among the Jews, and also among the Gentiles. See Revelation vii. - -No, no, beloved Christian reader; let no man deceive you, by any -means. The church is seen on earth in Revelation ii., iii. She is seen -in heaven, together with the Old Testament saints, in chapters iv., v. -We are not told, in the Revelation, how she gets there; but we see her -there, in high communion and holy worship; and then, in chapter xix., -the rider on the white horse comes forth, _with_ His saints, to -execute judgment upon the beast and the false prophet--to put down -every enemy and every evil, and to reign over the whole earth for the -blissful period of a thousand years. - -Such is the plain teaching of the New Testament, to which we earnestly -invite the attention of our readers. And let no one suppose that our -object is to find an easy path for Christians in thus teaching, as we -do most emphatically, that the church will not be in "the great -tribulation"--will not come into "the hour of temptation." Nothing of -the kind. The fact is, the true and normal condition of the church, -and therefore of the individual Christian, in this world, is -tribulation. So says our Lord: "In the world ye shall have -tribulation." And again, "We glory in tribulation." - -It cannot, therefore, be a question of avoiding that which is our -appointed portion in this world, if only we are true to Christ. But -the fact is, that the entire truth of the church's position and -prospect is involved in this question, and this is our reason for -urging it so upon the prayerful attention of our readers. - -The great object of the enemy is to drag down the church of God to an -earthly level--to set Christians entirely astray as to their divinely -appointed hope--to lead them to confound things which God has made to -differ, to occupy them with earthly things--to cause them to so mix up -the _coming_ of Christ for His people with His _appearing_ in -judgment upon the world, that they may not be able to cultivate those -bridal affections and heavenly aspirations which become them as -members of the body of Christ. He would fain have them looking out for -various earthly events to come between them and their own proper hope, -in order that they may not be--as God would have them--ever on the -very tip-toe of expectation, looking out, with ardent desire, for the -appearing of "the bright and morning Star." - -Well doth the enemy know what he is about; and surely we ought not to -be ignorant of his devices, but rather give ourselves to the study of -the word of God, and thus learn, as we most surely shall, "the double -bearing" of the glorious fact of the Lord's coming. - - -"THE COMING" AND "THE DAY." - -We must now ask the reader to turn with us for a little to the two -epistles to the Thessalonians. As we have already remarked, these -Christians were converted to the blessed hope of the Lord's return. -They were taught to look for Him day by day. It was not merely the -doctrine of the advent received and held in the mind, but a divine -Person constantly expected by hearts that had learnt to love Him and -long for His coming. - -But, as we can easily imagine, the Thessalonian Christians were -ignorant of many things connected with this blessed hope. The apostle -had been "_taken_ from them for a short time, in presence, not in -heart." He had not been allowed to remain long enough amongst them to -instruct them in the details of the subject of their hope. They knew -that Jesus was to return--that self-same blessed One who had -graciously delivered them from the wrath to come. But as to any -distinction between His coming _for_ His people and coming _with_ -them--between His "state of presence" and His "appearing"--His -"coming" and His "day," they were, at first, wholly ignorant. - -Hence, as might be expected, they fell into various errors and -mistakes. It is wonderful how speedily the human mind wanders away -into the wildest and grossest confusion and error. We need to be -guarded on all sides by the pure, solid, all-adjusting truth of God. -We must have our souls evenly balanced by divine revelation, else we -are sure to plunge into all manner of false and foolish notions. Thus -some of the Thessalonians conceived the idea of giving up their honest -callings. They ceased to labor with their hands, and went about idle. - -This was a great mistake. Even though we were perfectly certain that -our Lord would come this very night, it would be no reason why we -should not, most diligently and faithfully, attend to our daily round -of duty, and do all that devolved upon us in that particular sphere in -which His good hand has placed us. So far from this, the very fact of -expecting the blessed Master would strengthen our desire to have -everything done as it ought to be up to the very moment of His return, -so that not so much as a single righteous claim should be left -neglected. In point of fact, the hope of the Lord's speedy return, -when held in power in the soul, is most sanctifying, purifying, and -adjusting in its influence upon Christian life, conduct, and -character. We know, alas! that even this most glorious truth may be -held in the region of the understanding, and flippantly professed with -the lips, while the heart and the life, the course, conduct, and -character, remain wholly unaffected by it. But we are expressly taught -by the inspired Apostle John, that "every man that hath this hope in -him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John iii. 3). And, most -surely, this "purifying" embraces all that which goes to make up our -whole practical life, from day to day. - -But there was another grave mistake into which those dear -Thessalonians fell, and out of which the blessed apostle, like a true -and faithful pastor, sought to recover them. They imagined that their -departed Christian friends would not have part in the joy of the -Lord's return. They feared that they would fail to participate in -that blissful and longed-for moment. - -Now while it is quite true that this very mistake proves how vividly -these Christians realized their blessed hope, still it was a mistake, -and needed to be corrected. But let us carefully note the correction: -"I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which -are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For -if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which -sleep in Jesus [or are laid to sleep by Jesus] will God bring with -him." - -Mark this. He does not seek to comfort these sorrowing friends by the -assurance that they should, ere long, follow the departed. Quite the -reverse. He assures them that Jesus would bring the departed back with -Him. This is plain and distinct, and founded upon the great fact that -"Jesus died for us and rose again." - -But the apostle does not stop here, but goes on to pour a flood of -fresh light upon the understanding of His dear children in the faith. -"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are -alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent [or -precede] them which are asleep. For 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 [that is, -before the living are changed]. Then we which are alive and remain -shall be caught up together with them in [the] clouds, to meet the -Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore -comfort one another with these words." - -Here, then, we have presented to us what is commonly spoken of amongst -us as the rapture of the saints--a most glorious, soul-stirring, and -enrapturing theme surely--the brightest hope of the church of God, and -of the individual believer. The Lord _Himself_ shall descend from -heaven with a summons designed only for the ears and the hearts of His -own. Not one uncircumcised ear shall hear--not one unrenewed heart be -moved by, that heavenly voice, that divine trumpet call. The dead in -Christ, including, as we believe, the Old Testament saints, as well -as those of the New, who shall have departed in the faith of -Christ--all those shall hear the blessed sound, and come forth from -their sleeping places. All the living saints shall hear it, and be -changed in a moment. And oh! what a change! The poor crumbling -tabernacle of clay exchanged for a glorified body, like unto the body -of Jesus. - -Look at yonder bent and withered frame--that body racked with pain, -and worn out with years of acute suffering. It is the body of a saint. -How humiliating to see it like that! Yes; but wait a little. Let but -the trumpet sound, and in one moment that poor crushed and withered -frame shall be changed, and made like to the glorified body of the -descending Lord. - -And there, in yonder lunatic asylum, is a poor lunatic. He has been -there for years. He is a saint of God. How mysterious! True; we cannot -fathom the mystery; it lies beyond our present narrow range. But so it -is; that poor lunatic is a saint of God, an heir of glory. He too -shall hear the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and leave -his lunacy behind him for ever, while he mounts into the heavens, in -his glorified body, to meet his descending Lord. - -Oh! reader, what a brilliant moment! How many sick chambers and beds -of languishing shall be vacant then! What marvellous changes shall -then take place! How the heart bounds at the thought, and longs to -sing, in full chorus, that lovely hymn, - - "Christ, the Lord, will come again, - None shall wait for Him in vain; - I shall then His glory see: - Christ will come and call for me. - - "Then, when the archangel's voice - Calls the sleeping saints to rise, - Rising millions shall proclaim - Blessings on the Saviour's name. - - "'This is our redeeming God!' - Ransomed hosts will shout aloud: - Praise, eternal praise, be given. - To the Lord of earth and heaven!" - -Amen and amen! - -How glorious the thought of those "rising millions!" How truly -delightful to be amongst them! How precious the hope of seeing that -blessed One who loveth us and who gave Himself for us! Such is the -hope of the Christian, a hope concerning which there is not a single -line from cover to cover of the Old Testament. "The word of prophecy" -is of all importance. We do well to take heed to it. It is an -unspeakable mercy for those who find themselves in a dark place to -have a bright lamp to cast its light athwart the gloom. But let the -Christian bear in mind that what he wants is to have "the day star -arising in his heart;" in other words, to have his whole heart -governed by the hope of seeing Jesus as the bright and morning Star. -When the heart is thus filled and ruled by the proper Christian hope, -then the eye can intelligently scan the prophetic chart: it can take -in the whole field of prophecy as our God has graciously opened it -before us, and find interest and profit in every page and in every -line. But, on the other hand, we may rest assured that the man who -looks into prophecy in order to find the church or its hope there has -his face turned the wrong way. He will find "the Jew" there, and -"Gentile" there, but not "the church of God." We earnestly trust that -not one of our readers will fail to lay hold of this fact--a fact, we -may safely say, of the very deepest moment. - -But it will perhaps be asked, "Of what use, then, is prophecy? If -indeed it be true that we cannot find aught about the church on the -prophetic page, of what possible use can it be to Christians? Why -should we be told to take heed to it if it does not immediately -concern us?" We reply, Is nothing of any value to us save what -immediately concerns ourselves? Shall we take no interest in anything -unless we ourselves form the immediate subject thereof? Is it nothing -to us to have the counsels and purposes and plans of God laid open -before us? Do we lightly esteem the high favor of having the thoughts -of God communicated to us in His holy word of prophecy? Surely it was -not thus that Abraham treated the divine communications made to him -in Genesis xviii.: "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?" -And what was that thing? Did it immediately concern Abraham? Not at -all. It concerned Sodom and the neighboring cities, and Abraham had no -stake in them. But did that prevent his interest in the divine -communication. Did it hinder his appreciation of the mark of special -favor in his being made the honored and trusted depository of the -thoughts of God? Surely not. We may safely assert that the faithful -patriarch highly esteemed the privilege conferred upon him. - -And so should we. We should study prophecy with all the interest -arising from the fact that therein we have unfolded to us, with divine -precision, what God is about to do on this earth with Israel and with -the nations. Prophecy is God's history of the future; and just in -proportion as we love Him shall we delight to study His history; not -indeed, as some have said, that we may know its truth by its -fulfilment, but that we may possess all that absolute, that divine -certainty as to the future which God's word is capable of imparting. -Nothing can be more absurd, in the judgment of faith, than to suppose -that we must wait until the accomplishment of a prophecy to know that -it is true. What an insult offered--unwittingly, no doubt--to the -peerless revelation of our God. - -But we must now turn, for a moment, to the solemn subject of "The Day -of the Lord." This is a term of frequent occurrence in Old Testament -Scriptures. We cannot attempt to quote all the passages; but we shall -refer to one or two, and then the reader can follow up the subject for -himself. - -In Isaiah ii. we read, "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon -every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted -up, and he shall be brought low.... And the loftiness of man shall be -bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord -alone shall be exalted _in that day_. And the idols he shall utterly -abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the -caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his -majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." - -So also in Joel ii. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm -in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for -the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness -and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the -morning spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there -has not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even -to the years of many generations; ... the earth shall quake before -them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark, -and the stars shall withdraw their shining; ... for the day of the -Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" - -From these and similar passages, we learn that "the day of the Lord" -stands associated with the deeply solemn thought of judgment upon the -world--upon apostate Israel--upon man and his ways--upon all that -which the human heart prizes and longs after. In short, the day of the -Lord stands in striking contrast with man's day. Man has the upper -hand now, the Lord will have the upper hand then. - -Now, while it is perfectly true that all the Lord's people can rejoice -in the prospect of that day, which, though it will open in judgment -upon the world, shall, nevertheless, be marked by the universal reign -of righteousness; yet we must remember that the peculiar hope of the -Christian is not the day with its awful accompaniments of judgment, -wrath, and terror; but the coming or presence of Jesus, with its -precious accompaniments of peace and joy, love and glory. The church -shall have met her Lord, and returned with Him to the Father's house, -before that terrible day bursts upon the world. It will be her -blissful portion to taste the ineffable communion of that heavenly -home, for an indefinite period previous to the opening of the day of -the Lord. Her eyes shall be gladdened by the sight of "the bright and -morning Star," long before even "the Sun of righteousness" shall -arise, in healing virtue, upon the pious portion of the nation of -Israel--the God-fearing remnant of the seed of Abraham. - -We are intensely anxious that the Christian reader should thoroughly -enter into this grand and important distinction. We feel persuaded -that it will have an immense effect upon all his thoughts and views -and hopes of the future. It will enable him to see, without a single -intervening cloud, his true prospect as a Christian. It will deliver -him from all mist, vagueness, and confusion; and further, it will -divest his mind of all that feeling of dread with which so many even -of the Lord's dear people contemplate the future. It will teach him to -look for the Saviour--the blessed Bridegroom--the everlasting Lover of -his soul, and not for judgments and terror, eclipses and earthquakes, -convulsions and revolutions, it will keep his spirit tranquil and -happy, in the sure and certain hope of being with Jesus, ere that -great and terrible day of the Lord come. - -See how the faithful apostle labored to lead his dear Thessalonian -converts into the clear understanding of the difference of "the -coming" and "the day." - -"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I -write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord -so cometh as a thief in the night. For when _they_ [not ye] shall say, -Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail -upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, -are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye -are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not -of the night, nor of darkness"--The Lord be praised!--"Therefore let -us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they -that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunken, are drunken -in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the -breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of -salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain -salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we -wake or sleep [that is, are dead or alive] we should live together -with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, -even as also ye do" (1 Thessalonians v. 1-11). - -Here we have the distinction set forth with unmistakable clearness. -The Lord Himself shall come for us as the Bridegroom. The day of the -Lord shall come upon the world as a thief. Is it possible for contrast -to be more striking? How can any one confound these two things? They -are as distinct as any two things can be. A bridegroom and a thief are -surely two different things; and just as different are the coming of -the Lord for His waiting people and the coming of His day upon a -slumbering or intoxicated world. - -Some perhaps may find a difficulty in the fact that the church in -Sardis is addressed in such solemn words as these, "If therefore thou -shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not -know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. iii. 3). The difficulty -will vanish when we reflect that, in the case of Sardis, the -professing body is looked upon as having a mere name to live while -dead. It has sunk to the level of the world, and can only see things -from the world's standpoint. The church has failed utterly; it has -fallen from its high and holy position; it is under judgment; it -cannot therefore be cheered by the church's proper hope; but is -threatened by the world's terrible doom. We do not see the church here -as the body or bride of Christ, but as the responsible witness for God -on the earth--the golden candlestick which ought to have held forth -the divine light of testimony in this dark world, in the absence of -her Lord. But alas! the professing church has sunk lower and become -darker than even the world itself. Hence the solemn threatening. The -exception confirms the rule. - -We shall proceed with this subject as presented in 2 Thessalonians. - -It is a fact full of the richest comfort and consolation to the heart -of a true believer, that our God, in His marvellous grace, ever makes -the eater to yield meat, and the strong, sweetness. He brings light -out of darkness, life out of death, and causes the bright beams of His -glory to shine amid the most disastrous ruin caused by the enemy's -hand. The truth of this is illustrated on every page of the inspired -volume, and it should fill our hearts with peace and our mouths with -praise. - -Hence it is that the varied doctrinal errors and practical evils, into -which the early Christians were permitted to fall, have been overruled -of God, and used for the instruction, guidance, and solid profit of -the church to the close of her earthly history. - -Thus, for example, the error of the Thessalonian Christians in -reference to their departed brethren was made the occasion of pouring -such a flood of divine light upon the Lord's coming, and upon the -rapture of the saints, that it is impossible for any simple mind that -bows to Scripture ever to fall into a similar mistake. They looked for -the Lord to come, and in that they were right. They expected Him to -set up His kingdom on the earth, and in that they were right, as to -the broad fact. - -But they made a great mistake in leaving out the heavenly side of this -glorious hope. Their intelligence was defective--their faith lacking. -They did not see the two parts--the double bearing of the advent of -Christ--His descent into the air to receive His people to Himself, and -His appearing in glory to set up His kingdom in manifested power. -Hence they feared that their departed brethren would necessarily be -absent from the sphere of blessing--the circle of glory. This mistake -is divinely corrected, as we have seen, in the first epistle, chapter -iv. The heavenly side of the hope--the Christian's proper portion--is -placed before the heart as the true corrective for the error in -reference to the sleeping saints. Christ will gather all (and not -merely part of) His people to Himself; and if there is to be any -advantage--a shade of difference in the matter--it will be on the side -of those very people about whom they were mourning. "The dead in -Christ shall rise first." - -But from the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians we learn that those -dear young converts had been led into another grave error--an error, -not as to the dead, but as to the living--a mistake, not respecting -"the coming," but respecting "the day of the Lord." In the one case -they feared that the dead would not participate in thy blissful -triumph of "the coming;" and in the other case they feared that the -living were actually, at the very moment, involved in the terrors of -the day. - -Such is the mistake with which the inspired apostle deals in his -second letter to the Thessalonian believers; and nothing can exceed -the tenderness and delicacy, and yet withal the wisdom and -faithfulness of his dealing. - -The Christians at Thessalonica were passing through intense -persecution and tribulation; and it is very evident that the enemy, by -means of false teachers, sought to upset their minds, by leading them -to think that "the great and terrible day of the Lord" had actually -arrived, and that the troubles through which they were passing were -the accompaniments of that day. If this were so the entire teaching of -the apostle was proved false; for if there was one truth that shone -forth more brightly and prominently in his teaching than another, it -was the association and identification of believers with Christ--an -association so intimate, an identification so close, that it was -impossible for Christ to appear in glory without His people. "When -Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with -him in glory." But He must appear in order to introduce "the day." - -Furthermore, when the day of the Lord does actually arrive it will not -be to trouble His people, but, on the contrary, to trouble their -persecutors. Of this the apostle reminds them, in the most simple, -forcible manner, in his very opening lines: "We are bound to thank God -always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith -groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward -each other aboundeth, so that we ourselves glory in you in the -churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions -and tribulations that ye endure: which is a manifest token of the -righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the -kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: seeing _it is a righteous -thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and -to you who are troubled rest with us_, when the Lord Jesus shall be -revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking -vengeance on them that know not God [Gentiles], and that obey not the -gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ [Jews]" (chapter i. 3-8). - -Thus, not only was the Christian position involved in this matter, but -the very glory of God--His actual righteousness. If, indeed, the day -of the Lord brought tribulation to Christians, then was there no truth -in the doctrine--the grand prominent doctrine of Paul's teaching--that -Christ and His people are one; and moreover it would impugn the -righteousness of God. In short, then, if Christians were in -tribulation, it was morally impossible that the day of the Lord could -have set in, for when that day comes, it will be rest for believers, -as their public recompense, in the kingdom--not merely in the Father's -house; which is not the point here. The tables will be completely -turned. The church will be in rest, the church's troublers in -tribulation. During man's day, the church is called to tribulation; -but in the day of the Lord all will be reversed. - -Let the reader note this carefully. It is not the question of -Christians suffering tribulation. They are actually called to it in -this world, so long as wickedness has the upper hand. Christ suffered, -and so must they. But the point we want to fasten upon the mind and -heart of the Christian is, that when Christ comes to set up His -kingdom, it is utterly impossible that His people can be in trouble. -Thus the entire teaching of the enemy, by which he sought to upset the -Thessalonian believers, was proved to be utterly fallacious. The -apostle sweeps away the very foundation of the whole fabric by the -simple statement of the precious truth of God. This is the divine way -of delivering people from false notions and vain fears. Give them the -truth, and error must flee before it. Let in the sunshine of God's -eternal word, and all the mists and clouds of false doctrine must be -rolled away. - -But let us, for a moment, examine the further teaching of our apostle, -in this remarkable writing. In so doing, we shall see how thoroughly -he establishes the distinction between "the coming" and "the day"--a -distinction which the reader will do well to ponder. - -"Now we beseech you, brethren, by [or on the ground of] the coming of -our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him, that ye be -not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by -word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of the Lord is -present."[26] - - [26] We have no pretensions whatever to scholarship; we are merely - gleaners in the deeply interesting field of criticism in which others - have reaped a golden harvest. We do not mean to occupy our readers - with arguments in defence of readings given in the text; but we feel - that there is no use in giving them what we consider to be erroneous. - We believe there is no doubt whatever that the true reading of 2 - Thessalonians ii. is as we have given it above, "as that the day of - the Lord is present." The word {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} can only be thus rendered. - It occurs in Romans viii. 38, where it is translated "things _present_." - So also in 1 Corinthians iii. 22, "things _present_;" chapter vii. 25, - "_present_ distress;" Galatians i. 4, "_present_ evil world;" Hebrews - ix. 9, "time then _present_." - -Now, apart altogether from the question of various readings, a -moment's reflection will suffice to show the simple minded Christian -that the apostle could not possibly mean to teach the Thessalonians -that the day of the Lord was not, even then, at hand. Scripture can -never contradict itself. No one sentence of divine revelation can -possibly collide with another. But if the reading given in our -excellent Authorized Version were correct, it would stand in direct -opposition to Romans xiii. 12, where we are plainly and expressly told -that "the day is at hand." What "day?" The day of the Lord, most -surely, which is always the term used in connection with our -individual responsibility in walk and service. - -This, we may remark in passing, is a point of much interest and -practical value. If the reader will take the trouble to examine the -various passages in which "the day" is spoken of, he will find that -they have reference, more or less, to the question of work, service or -responsibility. For instance, "That ye may be blameless [not at the -_coming_, but] in the _day_ of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. i. 8). -Again, "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the _day_ shall -declare it" (1 Cor. iii. 13). "Without offence till the day of Christ" -(Phil. i. 10). "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of -righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at -_that day_" (2 Timothy iv. 8). - -From all these passages, and many more which might be adduced, we -learn that "the day of the Lord" will be the grand time for reckoning -with the workers; for the divine appraisal of service; for the -settling of all questions of personal responsibility; for the -distribution of rewards--the "ten cities" and the "five cities." - -Thus, wherever we turn, in whatever way we look at the subject, we are -more and more confirmed in the truth of the clear distinction between -our Lord's "coming," or "state of presence," and His "appearing," or -"day." The former is ever held up before the heart as the bright and -blessed hope of the believer, which may be realized at any moment. The -latter is pressed rather upon the conscience, in deep solemnity, as -bearing upon the entire practical career of those who are set in this -world to work and witness for an absent Lord. Scripture never -confounds these things, however much we may do it; nor is there a -single sentence from cover to cover of the holy volume which teaches -that believers are not always to be looking out for the coming of the -Lord, and eager to bear in mind that "the day is at hand." It is only -"that evil servant"--referred to in our Lord's discourse in Matthew -xxiv.--that "says in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming;" and -there we see the terrible results which must ever flow from the -harboring of such a thought in the heart. - -We shall now return for a moment to 2 Thessalonians ii.--a passage of -Scripture which has given rise to much discussion amongst prophetic -expositors, and presented considerable difficulty to the students of -prophecy. - -It is very evident that the false teachers had been seeking to disturb -the minds of the Thessalonians by leading them to think that they -were, even then, surrounded by the terrors of the day of the Lord. Not -so, says the apostle; that cannot be. Before ever that day opens we -must all be gathered to meet the Lord in the air. He beseeches them, -on the ground ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}) of the Lord's coming and our gathering together -unto Him, not to be troubled about the day. He had already opened to -them the heavenly side of the Lord's coming. He had taught them that -they, as Christians, belonged to the day; that their home and their -portion and their hope were all in that very region from which the day -was to shine out. It was wholly impossible, therefore, that the day of -the Lord could involve any terror or trouble to those who were -actually, through grace, the sons of the day. - -But, further, even in looking at the subject from the earthly side of -it, the false teachers were all wrong. "Let no man deceive you by any -means: for [that day shall not come] except there come a falling away -first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who -opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is -worshipped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing -himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was with you I -told you these things. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might -be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already -work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the -way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall -consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the -brightness of his coming [or the appearing of his presence]. Even him -whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs -and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in -them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, -that they might be saved" (verses 3-10). - -Here, then, we are taught that ere the day of the Lord arrives, the -lawless one, the man of sin, the son of perdition, must be revealed. -The mystery of iniquity must rise to a head. Man shall set himself up -in open opposition to God, nay, shall even assume to himself the name -and the worship of God. All this has to be developed on the earth -before that great and terrible day of the Lord shall burst in judgment -upon the scene. For the present there is a barrier, a hindrance to the -manifestation of this awful personage. We are not told here what this -barrier or hindrance is. God may vary it at different times.[27] But we -learn, most distinctly, from the book of Revelation that ere the -mystery of iniquity culminates in the person of the man of sin, the -church shall have been removed from this scene altogether. It is -impossible to read, with an enlightened eye, Revelation iv., v. and -not see that the church shall be in the very innermost circle of -heavenly glory ere a single seal is opened, a single trumpet sounded, -a single vial poured out. We do not believe that any one can -understand the book of the Apocalypse who does not see this. - - [27] Some have considered that the hinderer or hindrance was the Roman - empire; others that it is the Holy Ghost in the church. To this latter - we have inclined for many years, though it may be there is a measure - of truth in the former. This, at least, we know from other parts of - Scripture, that ere the lawless one appears on the scene, the church - will have been safely and blessedly housed in her own eternal home - above--her prepared place. How precious the thought of this! - -We may have occasion to go more freely into this profoundly -interesting point by-and-by. We can only now entreat the reader to -study the subject for himself. Let him ponder Revelation iv., v., and -ask God to interpret their precious contents to his soul. In this way -we feel persuaded that he will learn that the twenty-four crowned -elders set forth the heavenly saints, who shall be gathered round the -Lamb, in glory, before a single line of the prophetic portion of the -book is fulfilled. - -And here we must close this paper; but ere doing so we should like to -put a very plain question to the reader--a question which can only be -answered rightly in the immediate presence of God. It is this, What -is it thou art looking for? What is thy hope? Art thou looking forward -to certain events which are to transpire on this earth, such as the -revival of the Roman empire, the development of the ten kingdoms; the -gathering back of the Jews to their own land of Palestine; the -rebuilding of Jerusalem; the appearance of Antichrist; the great -tribulation; and finally, the appalling judgments which shall, most -surely, usher in the day of the Lord? - -Say, beloved friend, are these the things which fill the vision of thy -soul? Is it for these thou art looking and waiting? If so, be assured -of it thou art not governed by the church's proper hope. It is quite -true that all these things which we have named shall come to pass in -their appointed time; but not one of them should be allowed to come -between thee and thy proper hope. They all stand on the prophetic -page: they are all recorded in God's history of the future; but they -were never intended to cast a shadow athwart the Christian's bright -and blessed hope. That hope stands forth in glorious relief from the -background of prophecy. What is it? Yes, we again say, what is it? It -is the appearing of the bright and morning Star--the coming of the -Lord Jesus, the blessed Bridegroom of the church. - -This, and naught else, is the true and proper hope of the church of -God. "I will give him the morning star" (Rev. ii. 23). "Behold the -bridegroom cometh" (Matt. xxv.). When, we may ask, does the morning -star appear in the natural world? Just before the dawning of the day. -Who sees it? The one who has been watching during the dark and dreary -hours of the night. How plain, how practical, how telling the -application? The church is supposed to be watching--to be lovingly -wakeful--to be looking out--to be putting forth that inquiry of the -intensely longing heart, "Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?" Alas! -the church has failed in this. But that is no reason why the -individual believer should not be in the full present power of the -blessed hope. "Let _him_ that heareth say, Come." This is deeply -personal. Oh! that the writer and the reader of these lines may -realize habitually the purifying, sanctifying, elevating power of this -heavenly hope! May we understand and exhibit the practical power of -those words of the apostle John, "Every man that hath this hope in him -purifieth himself, even as he is pure." - - -THE TWO RESURRECTIONS - -It may be that some of our readers will feel startled by the title of -this paper. Accustomed, from their earliest days, to look at this -great question through the medium of Christendom's standards of -doctrine and confessions of faith, the idea of two resurrections has -never once entered their minds. Nevertheless Scripture does speak, in -the most distinct and unequivocal terms, of a "resurrection of life," -and a "resurrection of judgment"--two resurrections, distinct in -character, and distinct in time. - -And not only so, but it informs us that there will be at least a -thousand years between the two. If men teach otherwise--if they build -up systems of divinity, and set forth creeds and confessions of faith -contrary to the direct and positive teaching of holy Scripture, they -must settle that with their Lord, as must all who commit themselves to -their guidance. But remember, reader, it is your bounden duty and ours -to hearken only to the authority of the word of God, and to bow down, -in unqualified submission, to its holy teaching. - -Let us, then, reverently inquire, what saith the Scripture on the -subject indicated at the head of this article? May God the Spirit -guide and instruct! - -We shall first quote that remarkable passage in chapter v. of John's -Gospel: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and -believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not -come into judgment; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, -verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead -shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall -live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the -Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute -judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for -the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear -his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the -resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the -resurrection of judgment."[28] - - [28] The English reader should be informed that, in the entire passage, - John v. 22-26, the words "judgment," "condemnation," "damnation," are - all expressed by the same word in the original, and that word is - simply "judgment," {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, the process, not the result. It - is much to be deplored that our Authorized Version should not have so - rendered the word throughout. It would have made the teaching of the - passage so very much clearer. It is with extreme reluctance that we - ever venture to touch our unrivalled English Bible, but it is, at - times, absolutely necessary for the truth's sake, and for the sake of - our readers. As to the rendering of verse 24, it really comes to the - same thing whether we say "condemnation" or "judgment," inasmuch as if - there be judgment at all, its issue must be condemnation. But why not - be accurate? - -Here, then, we have, indicated in the most unmistakable terms, the two -resurrections. True, they are not distinguished as to time, in this -passage; but they are as to character. We have a _life_ resurrection; -and a _judgment_ resurrection, and nothing can be more distinct than -these. There is no possible ground here on which to build the theory -of a promiscuous resurrection. The resurrection of believers will be -eclectic; it will be on the same principle, and partake of the same -character as the resurrection of our blessed and adorable Lord; it -will be a resurrection from among the dead. It will be an act of -divine power, founded upon accomplished redemption, whereby God will -interpose on behalf of His sleeping saints, and raise them up from -among the dead, leaving the rest of the dead in their graves for a -thousand years (Revelation xx. 5). - -There is an interesting passage in Mark ix. which throws great light -on this subject. The opening verses contain the record of the -transfiguration; and then we read, "As they came down from the -mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things -they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they -kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what -the rising from [{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}, from among] the dead should mean." - -The disciples felt that there was something special, something -entirely beyond the ordinary orthodox idea of the resurrection of the -dead, and verily so there was, though they understood it not then. It -lay beyond their range of vision at that moment. - -But let us turn to Philippians iii., and hearken to the breathings of -one who thoroughly entered into and appreciated this grand Christian -doctrine, and fondly cherished this glorious and heavenly hope. "That -I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship -of his sufferings, being made conformable unt{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}o his death: if by any -means I might attain unto the resurrection from among the dead" -[{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER XI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}] (verses 10, 11). - -A moment's just reflection will suffice to convince the reader that -the apostle is not speaking here of the great broad truth of "the -resurrection of the dead," inasmuch as every one must rise again. But -there was something specific before the heart of this dear servant of -Christ, namely, "a resurrection from among the dead"--an eclectic -resurrection--a resurrection formed on the model of Christ's -resurrection. It was for this he longed continually. This was the -bright and blessed hope that shone upon his soul and cheered him amid -the sorrows and trials, the toils and the difficulties, the buffetings -and the conflicts of his extraordinary career. - -But, it may be asked, "Does the apostle always use this distinguishing -little word ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}) when speaking of resurrection?" Not -always. Turn, for example, to Acts xxiv. 15: "And have hope toward -God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a -resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Here, there is -no word to indicate the Christian or heavenly side of the subject, for -the simplest possible reason that the apostle was speaking to those -who were utterly incapable of entering into the Christian's proper -hope--far more incapable than even the disciples in Mark ix. How could -he possibly unbosom himself in the presence of such men as Tertullus, -Ananias, and Felix? How could he speak to them of his own specific and -fondly cherished hope? No; he could only take his stand on the great -broad truth of resurrection, common to all orthodox Jews. Had he -spoken of a "resurrection from among the dead," he could not have -added the words, "which they themselves also allow," for they did not -"allow" anything of the kind. - -But oh! what a contrast between this precious servant of Christ, -defending himself from his accusers, in Acts xxiv., and unbosoming -himself to his beloved brethren, in Philippians iii.! To the latter he -can speak of the true Christian hope in the full-orbed light which the -glory of Christ pours upon it. He can give utterance to the inmost -thoughts, feelings, and aspirations of that great, large, loving -heart, with its earnest throbbings after the life-resurrection in the -which he shall be satisfied as he wakes up in the likeness of his -blessed Lord. - -But we must return, for a moment, to our first quotation, from John v. -It may perhaps present a difficulty to some of our readers in laying -hold of the truth of the Christian's hope of resurrection, that our -Lord makes use of the word "hour" in speaking of the two classes. -"How," it is argued, "can there be a thousand years between the two -resurrections, when our Lord expressly tells us that all shall occur -within the limits of an hour?" - -To this question we have a double reply. In the first place, we find -our Lord making use of the self-same word, "hour," at verse 25, where -He is speaking of the great and glorious work of quickening dead -souls. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now -is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they -that hear shall live." - -Now, here we have a work which has been going on for nearly nineteen -long centuries. During all that time, here spoken of as an "hour," the -voice of Jesus, the Son of God, has been heard calling precious souls -from death to life. If, therefore, in the very same discourse, our -Lord used the word "hour" when speaking of a period which has already -extended to well-nigh two thousand years, what difficulty can there be -in applying the word to a period of one thousand years? - -Surely, none whatever, as we judge. But even if any little difficulty -yet remained it must be thoroughly met by the direct testimony of the -Holy Ghost in Revelation xx., where we read, "But the rest of the dead -lived not again till the thousand years were finished. _This is the -first resurrection._ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the -first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they -shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with him a -thousand years" (verses 5, 6). - -This settles the question absolutely and forever, for all those who -are willing to be taught exclusively by holy Scripture, as every true -Christian ought to be. There will be two resurrections, the first and -the second: and there will be a thousand years between the two. To the -former belong all the Old Testament saints--referred to in Hebrews -xii. under the title of the spirits of just men made perfect--then the -church of the firstborn ones--and finally all those who shall be put -to death during "the great tribulation," and throughout the entire -period between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of Christ -in judgment upon the beast and his armies, in Revelation xix. - -To the latter, on the other hand, belong all those who shall have died -in their sins, from the days of Cain, in Genesis iv., down to the last -apostate from millennial glory, in Revelation xx. - -How solemn is all this! How real! How soul-subduing! If our Lord were -to come to-night what a scene would be enacted in all our cemeteries -and graveyards! What tongue, what pen can portray--what heart can -conceive--the grand realities of such a moment? There are thousands of -tombs in which lie mingled the ashes of the dead _in_ Christ and the -ashes of the dead _out_ of Christ. In many a family vault may be -found the ashes of both. Well, then, when the voice of the archangel -is heard all the sleeping saints shall rise from their graves, leaving -behind them those who have died in their sins, to remain in the -darkness and silence of the tomb for a thousand years. - -Yes, reader, such is the direct and simple testimony of the word of -God. True, it does not enter into any curious details. It does not -furnish any food for a morbid imagination or idle curiosity. But it -sets forth the solemn and weighty fact of a first and second -resurrection--a resurrection of life and everlasting glory, and a -resurrection of judgment and everlasting misery. There is, positively, -no such thing in Scripture as a promiscuous resurrection--a common -rising of all at the same time. We must abandon this idea altogether, -like many others which we have received to hold, in which we have been -trained from our earliest days, which have grown with our growth and -strengthened with our strength, until they have become actually -ingrained as a part of our very mental, moral, and religious -constitution, so that to part with them is like the sundering of limb -from limb, or rending the flesh from our bones. - -Nevertheless it must be done if we really desire to grow in the -knowledge of divine revelation. There is no greater hindrance to our -getting into the thoughts of God than having our minds filled with our -own thoughts, or the thoughts of men. Thus, for example, in reference -to the subject of this paper, almost all of us have, at one time, held -the opinion that all will rise together, both believers and -unbelievers, and all stand together to be judged. Whereas, when we -come to Scripture, like a little child, nothing can be simpler, -nothing clearer, nothing more explicit than its teaching as to this -question. Revelation xx. 5 teaches us that there will be an interval -of a thousand years between the resurrection of the saints and the -resurrection of the wicked. - -It is of no use to speak of a resurrection of spirits. Indeed it is a -manifest piece of absurdity; for inasmuch as spirits cannot die they -cannot be raised from the dead. Equally absurd is it to speak of a -resurrection of principles. There is no such thing in Scripture. The -language is as plain as plainness itself. "The rest of the dead lived -not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first -resurrection." Why should any one seek to set aside the plain force of -such a passage? Why not bow to it? Why not get rid, at once, of all -our old and fondly cherished notions, and receive with meekness the -engrafted word? - -Reader, does it not seem plain to thee that if Scripture speaks of a -_first_ resurrection, then it must follow that all will not rise -together? Why should it be said, "Blessed and holy is he that hath -part in the first resurrection," if all are to rise at the same time? - -In fact it seems to us impossible for any unprejudiced mind to study -the New Testament and yet hold to the theory of a promiscuous -resurrection. It is due to the glory of Christ, the Head, that His -members should have a specific resurrection--a resurrection like His -own--a resurrection from among the dead. And verily, so they shall. -"Behold I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all -be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last -trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised -incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put -on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this -corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have -put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is -written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O, death, where is thy -sting? O, grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and -the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us -the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved -brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of -the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the -Lord" (1 Corinthians xv.). - - -THE JUDGMENT - -There is something peculiarly painful in the thought of having so -frequently to come in collision with the generally received opinions -of the professing church. It looks presumptuous to contradict, on so -many subjects, all the great standards and creeds of Christendom. But -what is one to do? Were it indeed a mere question of human opinion it -might seem a piece of bold and unwarrantable temerity for any one -individual to set himself in direct opposition to the established -faith of the whole professing church--a faith which has held sway for -centuries over the minds of millions. - -But we would ever impress upon our readers the fact that it is not at -all a question of human opinion or of a difference of judgment amongst -even the very best of men. It is entirely a question as to the -teaching and authority of holy Scripture. There have been, and there -are, and there will be, schools of doctrine, varieties of opinion, and -shades of thought; but it is the obvious duty of every child of God -and every servant of Christ to bow down in holy reverence, and hearken -to the voice of God in Scripture. If it be merely a matter of human -authority, it must simply go for what it is worth; but, on the other -hand, if it be a matter of divine authority, then all discussion is -closed, and our place--the place of all--is to bow and believe. - -Thus, in our last paper we were led to see that there is no such thing -in Scripture as a general resurrection--a common rising of all at the -same time. We trust our readers have, like the Bereans of old, -searched the Scriptures as to this, and that they are now prepared to -accompany us in our examination of the word of God as to the subject -of the judgment. - -The great question at the outset is this, Does Scripture teach the -doctrine of a general judgment? Christendom holds it; but does -Scripture teach it? Let us see. - -In the first place, as to the Christian individually, and the church -of God, collectively, the New Testament sets forth the precious truth -that there is no judgment at all. So far as the believer is concerned -judgment is past and gone. The heavy cloud of judgment has burst upon -the head of our divine Sin-bearer. He has exhausted, on our behalf, -the cup of wrath and judgment, and planted us on the new ground of -resurrection, to which judgment can never, by any possibility, apply. -It is just as impossible that a member of the body of Christ can come -into judgment as that the divine Head Himself can do so. This seems a -very strong statement to make; but is it true? If so, its strength is -part of its moral value and glory. - -For what, let us ask, was Jesus judged on the cross? For His people. -He was made sin for us. He represented us there. He stood in our -stead. He bore all that was due to us. Our entire condition, with all -its belongings, was dealt with in the death of Christ; and so dealt -with that it is utterly impossible that any question can ever be -raised. Has God any question to settle with Christ, the Head? Clearly -not. Well, then, neither has He any question to settle with the -members. Every question is divinely and definitively settled, and, in -proof of the settlement, the Head is crowned with glory and honor, and -seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens. - -Hence, to suppose that Christians are to come to judgment, at any -time, or on any ground, or for any object whatsoever, is to deny the -very foundation truth of Christianity, and to contradict the plain -words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has expressly declared, in -reference to all who believe in Him, that they "shall not come into -judgment" (John v. 24). - -In point of fact, the idea of Christians being arraigned at the bar of -judgment to try the question of their title and fitness for heaven is -as absurd as it is unscriptural. For example, how can we think of Paul -or the penitent thief standing to be judged as to their title to -heaven after having been there already for nearly two thousand years? -But thus it must be if there be any truth in the theory of a general -judgment. If the great question of our title to heaven has to be -settled at the day of judgment, then clearly it was not settled on the -cross; and if it was not settled on the cross, then most surely we -shall be damned; for if we are to be judged at all it must be -according to our works, and the only possible issue of such a judgment -is the lake of fire. - -If, however, it be maintained that Christians shall only stand in the -judgment in order to make it manifest that they are clear through the -death of Christ, then would the day of judgment be turned into a mere -formality, the bare thought of which is most revolting to every pious -and well regulated mind. - -But, in truth, there is no need of reasoning on the point. One -sentence of holy Scripture is better far than ten thousand of man's -most cogent arguments. Our Lord Christ hath declared, in the clearest -and most emphatic terms, that believers "shall not come into -judgment." This is enough. The believer was judged over eighteen -hundred years ago in the Person of his Head; and to bring him into -judgment again would be to ignore completely the cross of Christ in -its atoning efficacy; and most assuredly God will not, cannot allow -this. The very feeblest believer may say, in thankfulness and triumph, -"So far as I am concerned, all that had to be judged is judged -already. Every question that had to be settled is settled. Judgment is -past and gone forever. I know my work must be tried, my service -appraised; but as to myself, my person, my standing, my title, all is -divinely settled. The Man who answered for me on the tree is now -crowned on the throne; and the crown which He wears is the proof that -there remains no judgment for me. I am waiting for a life -resurrection." - -This, and nothing short of this, is the proper language of the -Christian. It is simply due to the work of the cross that the believer -should thus feel and thus express himself. For such a one to be -looking forward to the day of judgment for a settlement of the -question of his eternal destiny is to dishonor his Lord and deny the -efficacy of His atoning sacrifice. It may sound like humility and -savor of piety to hover in doubt. But we may rest assured that all who -harbor doubts, all who live in a state of uncertainty, all who are -looking forward to the day of judgment for a final settlement of their -affairs, all such are more occupied with themselves than with Christ. -They have not yet understood the application of the cross to their -sins and to their nature. They are doubting the word of God and the -work of Christ, and this is not Christianity. There is--there can -be--no judgment for those who, sheltered by the cross, have planted a -firm foot on the new and everlasting ground of resurrection. For such -all judgment is over forever, and nothing remains but a prospect of -cloudless glory and everlasting blessedness in the presence of God and -of the Lamb. - -However, it is not at all improbable that all this while the mind of -the reader has been recurring to Matthew xxv. 31-46 as a Scripture -which directly establishes the theory of a general judgment; and we -feel it to be our sacred duty to turn with him for a moment to that -very solemn and important passage; at the same time reminding him of -the fact that no one Scripture can possibly clash with another, and -hence if we read, in John v. 24, that believers shall not come into -judgment, we cannot read in Matthew xxv. that they shall. This is a -fixed and invulnerable principle--a general rule to which there is, -and can be, no exception. Nevertheless, let us turn to Matthew xxv. - -"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels -with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before -him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from -another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." - -Now, it is most necessary to pay strict attention to the precise terms -made use of in this Scripture. We must avoid all looseness of thought, -all that haste, carelessness, and inaccuracy which have caused such -serious damage to the teaching of this weighty Scripture, and thrown -so many of the Lord's people into the utmost confusion respecting it. - -And, first of all, let us see who are the parties arraigned. "Before -him shall be gathered _all nations_." This is very definite. It is the -living nations. It is not a question of individuals, but of -nations--all the Gentiles. Israel is not here, for we read in Numbers -xxiii. 9, that "the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be -reckoned among the nations." If Israel were to be included in this -scene of judgment, then would Matthew xxv. stand in palpable -contradiction to Numbers xxiii., which is wholly out of the question. -Israel is never reckoned amongst the Gentiles, on any ground or for -any object whatever. Looked at from a divine point of view, Israel -stands alone. They may, because of their sins, and under the -governmental dealings of God, be scattered among the nations; but -God's word declares that they shall not be reckoned among them; and -this should suffice for us. - -If then it be true that Israel is not included in the judgment of -Matthew xxv. then, without proceeding one step further, the idea of -its being a general judgment must be abandoned. It cannot be general, -if all are not included; but Israel is never included under the term -"Gentiles." Scripture speaks of three distinct classes, namely, "The -Jew, and the Gentile, and the church of God," and these three are -never confounded. But, further, we have to remark that the church of -God is not included in the judgment of Matthew xxv. Nor is this -statement based merely upon the fact which has been already gone into -of the church's necessary exemption from judgment; but also upon the -grand truth that the church is taken from among the nations, as Peter -declared in the council at Jerusalem. "God did visit the Gentiles to -_take out of them_ a people for his name." If then the church be taken -out of the nations, it cannot be reckoned among them; and thus we have -additional evidence against the theory of a general judgment in -Matthew xxv. The Jew is not there; the church is not there; and -therefore the idea of a general judgment must be abandoned as -something wholly untenable. - -Who then are included in this judgment? The passage itself supplies -the answer to any simple mind. It says, "Before him shall be gathered -all _nations_." This is distinct and definite. It is not a judgment of -individuals, but of nations, as such. And further, we may add that not -one of those here indicated shall have passed through the article of -death. In this it stands in vivid contrast with the scene in -Revelation xx. 11-15, in the which there will not be one who has not -died. In short, in Matthew xxv., we have the judgment of "the quick;" -and in Revelation xx. the judgment of "the dead." Both these are -referred to in 2 Timothy iv., "I charge thee before God, and the Lord -Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing -and his kingdom." Our Lord Christ shall judge the living nations at -His appearing; and He shall "judge the dead, small and great," at the -close of His millennial reign. - -But let us glance, for a moment, at the mode in which the parties are -arranged in the judgment, in Matthew xxv.: "He shall set the sheep on -his right hand, but the goats on the left." Now, the almost universal -belief of the professing church is that "the sheep" represent all the -people of God, from the beginning to the end of time; and that "the -goats," on the other hand, set forth all the wicked, from first to -last. But, if this be so, what are we to make of the third party -referred to here, under the title of "these my brethren?" The King -addresses both the sheep and the goats in respect to this third class. -Indeed the very ground of judgment is the treatment of the King's -brethren. It would involve a manifest absurdity to say that the sheep -were themselves the parties referred to. If that were so the language -would be wholly different, and in place of saying, "Inasmuch as ye -have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren" we should -hear the King saying, "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one another," -or, "amongst yourselves." - -We would beg the reader's special attention to this point. We consider -that were there no other argument and no other Scripture on the -subject, this one point would prove fatal to the theory of a general -judgment. It is impossible not to see three parties in the scene, -namely, "the sheep," and "the goats," and "these my brethren;" and if -there are three parties it cannot possibly be a general judgment, -inasmuch as "these my brethren" are not included either in the sheep -or the goats. - -No, dear reader, it is not a general judgment at all, but a very -partial and specific one. It is a judgment of living nations, previous -to the opening of the millennial kingdom. Scripture teaches us that -after the church has left the earth a testimony will go forth to the -nations; the gospel of the kingdom shall be borne, by Jewish -messengers, far and wide, over the earth, into those regions which are -wrapped in heathen darkness. These nations which shall receive the -messengers and treat them kindly will be found on the King's right -hand. Those, on the contrary, who shall reject them and treat them -unkindly will be found on His left. "These my brethren" are Jews--the -brethren of the Messiah. - -The treatment of the Jews is the ground on which the nations will be -judged by-and-by; and this is another argument against a general -judgment. We know full well that all those who have lived and died in -the rejection of the gospel of Christ will have something more to -answer for than unkindness to the King's brethren. And, on the other -hand, those who shall surround the Lamb in heavenly glory will do so -on a very different title from aught that their works can furnish. - -In short, there is not a single feature in the scene, not a single -fact in the history, not a single point in the narrative which does -not make against the notion of a general judgment. And not only so, -but the more we study Scripture, the more we know of the ways of God; -the more we know of His nature, His character, His purposes, His -counsels, His thoughts; the more we know of Christ, His person, His -work, His glory; the more we know of the church, its standing before -God in Christ, its completeness, its perfect acceptance in Christ; the -more closely we study Scripture; the more profoundly we meditate -therein--the more thoroughly convinced we must be that there can be no -such thing as a general judgment. - -Who that knows aught of God could suppose that He would justify His -people to-day and arraign them in judgment to-morrow--that He would -blot out their transgressions to-day and judge them according to their -works to-morrow? Who that knows aught of our adorable Lord and Saviour -Jesus Christ could suppose that He would ever arraign His church, His -body, His bride, before the judgment seat in company with all those -who have died in their sins? Could it be possible that He would enter -into judgment with His people for sins and iniquities of which He has -said, "I will remember no more!" - -But enough. We fondly trust that the reader is now most fully -persuaded in his own mind that there is, and can be, no such thing as -a promiscuous resurrection--no such thing as a general judgment. - -We cannot now enter upon the judgment in Rev. xx. 11-15 further than -to say that it is a post-millennial scene, and that it includes all -the wicked dead, from the days of Cain down to the last apostate from -millennial glory. There will not be one there who has not passed -through the article of death--not one there whose name has been set -down in life's fair book--not one there who shall not be judged -according to his own very deeds--not one there who shall not pass from -the dread realities of the great white throne into the everlasting -horrors and ineffable torments of the lake that burneth with fire and -brimstone. How awful! How terrible! How perfectly dreadful! - -O! reader, what sayest thou to these things? Art thou a true believer -in Jesus? Art thou washed in His precious blood? Art thou sheltered in -Him from coming judgment? If not, let me entreat thee now, with all -tenderness and earnestness, to flee, this very hour, from the wrath to -come! Flee to Jesus, who now waits to receive thee to His loving -bosom, and to present you to God in the full value of His atoning -work, and in the full credit of His peerless name. - - -THE JEWISH REMNANT - -We must ask the reader to open his Bible and read Matt. xxiv. 1-44. It -forms a part of one of the most profound and comprehensive discourses -that ever fell on human ears--a discourse which takes in, in its -marvellous sweep, the destiny of the Jewish remnant; the history of -Christendom; and the judgment of the nations. At the last-named -subject we have already glanced. It remains for us now to consider the -subject of the remnant of Israel, and the history of professing -Christianity, whether genuine or spurious. - -And, first, let us look at the Jewish remnant. - -In order to understand Matt. xxiv. 1-44, it will be needful for us to -place ourselves at the standpoint of those whom our Lord was -addressing at the moment. If we attempt to import into this discourse -the light which shines in the Epistle to the Ephesians, we shall only -involve our minds in confusion, and miss the solemn teaching of the -passage which now lies open before us. We shall find nothing about the -church of God, the body of Christ, here. The teaching of our Lord is -divinely perfect, and hence we cannot, for a moment, imagine anything -premature therein. But it would be premature to have introduced a -subject which, as yet, was hid in God. The great truth of the church -could not be unfolded until Christ, being cut off as the Messiah, had -taken His place at the right hand of God, and sent down the Holy -Ghost, to form by His presence the one body, composed of Jew and -Gentile. - -Of this we hear nothing in Matt. xxiv. We are entirely on Jewish -ground, surrounded by Jewish circumstances and influences. The scenery -and the allusions are all purely Jewish. To attempt to apply the -passage to the church would be to miss completely our Lord's object, -and to falsify the real position of the church of God. The more -closely we examine the Scripture, the more clearly we shall see that -the persons addressed occupy a Jewish standpoint, and are on Jewish -ground, whether we think of those very persons whom our Lord was then -addressing, or those who shall occupy the self-same ground at the -close, when the church shall have left the scene altogether. - -Let us examine the passage. - -At the close of Matt, xxiii., our Lord sums up His appeal to the -leaders of the Jewish nation with the following words of awful -solemnity: "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, -ye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell? -Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and -scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them -shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to -city. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the -earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zecharias, -son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. -Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come _upon this -generation_. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, -and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have -gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens -under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you -desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth till ye -shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (verses -32-39). - -Thus closes Messiah's testimony to the apostate nation of Israel. -Every effort that love, even divine love, could put forth had been -tried, and tried in vain. Prophets had been sent, and stoned; -messenger after messenger had gone and pleaded, and reasoned, and -warned, and entreated; but to no purpose. Their mighty words had -fallen upon deaf ears and hardened hearts. The only return made to all -these messengers was shameful handling, stoning, and death. - -At length, the Son Himself was sent, and sent with this touching -utterance: "It may be they will reverence my Son, when they see him." -Did they? Alas! no. When they saw Him, there was no beauty that they -should desire Him. The daughter of Zion had no heart for her King. The -vineyard was under the control of wicked husbandmen who wanted to keep -it for themselves. "The husbandmen said among themselves, This is the -heir, come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." - -Thus much as to the moral condition of Israel, in view of which our -Lord spoke those unusually awful words quoted above; and, then, "He -went out and departed from the temple." How reluctant he was to do -this we know; for, blessed be His name, whenever He leaves a place of -mercy, or enters a place of judgment, He moves with a slow and -measured pace. Witness the departure of the glory, in the opening -chapters of Ezekiel. "Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the -threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the -cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my -sight; when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every -one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the -glory of the God of Israel was over them above" (chap. x. 18, 19). -"Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside -them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the -glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon -the mountain which is on the east side of the city" (chap. xi. 22, -23). - -Thus, with slow and measured pace, did the glory of the God of Israel -take its departure from the house at Jerusalem. Jehovah lingered near -the spot, reluctant to depart.[29] He had come, with loving alacrity, -with His whole heart and with His whole soul, to dwell in the midst -of His people, to find a home in the very bosom of His assembly; but -He was _forced_ away by their sins and iniquities. He would fain have -remained; but it was impossible; and yet He proved, by the very mode -of His departure, how unwilling He was to go. - - [29] Contrast with this reluctant departure His ready entrance into the - tabernacle in Exodus xl.; and into the temple, 2 Chron. vii. 1. No - sooner was the habitation ready for Him, than down He came to occupy - it, and fill it with His glory He was as quick to enter as He was slow - to depart. And not only so, but ere the book of Ezekiel closes, we see - the glory coming back again; and "Jehovah Shammah" stands engraved in - everlasting characters upon the gates of the beloved city. Nothing - changeth God's affection. Whom He loves, and as He loves, He loves to - the end. "The same yesterday, to-day, and forever." - -Nor was it otherwise with Jehovah Messiah, in Matt. xxiii. Witness His -touching words, "How often would I have gathered thy children -together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye -would not!" Here lay the deep secret. "I _would_." This was the heart -of God. "_Ye would not._" This was the heart of Israel. He, too, like -the glory in the days of Ezekiel, was forced away; but not, blessed be -His name, without dropping a word which forms the precious basis of -hope as to the brighter days to come, when the glory shall return, and -the daughter of Zion shall welcome her King with joyful accents. -"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Jehovah." - -But, until that bright day dawn, darkness, desolation, and ruin, make -up the sum of Israel's history. The very thing which the leaders -sought, by the rejection of Christ, to avert, came upon them, in stern -and awful reality. "The Romans shall come, and take away both our -place and nation" How literally, how solemnly this was fulfilled! -Alas! their place and their nation were gone already, and the -significant movement of Jesus, in Matt. xxiv. 1, was but the passing -sentence, and writing desolation upon the whole Jewish system. "Jesus -went out and departed from the temple." The case was hopeless. All -must be given up. A long period of darkness and dreariness must pass -over the infatuated nation--a period which shall culminate in that -"great tribulation" which must precede the hour of final deliverance. - -But, as in the days of Ezekiel, there were those who sighed and cried -over the sins and sorrows of the nation, so in the days of Matt. xxiv. -there was a remnant of godly souls who attached themselves to the -rejected Messiah, and who cherished the fond hope of redemption and -restoration for Israel. Very dim indeed were their perceptions, and -their thoughts full of confusion. Nevertheless their hearts, as -touched by divine grace, beat true to the Messiah, and they were full -of hope as to Israel's future. - -Now, it is of the utmost importance that the reader should recognize -and understand the position of this remnant, and that it is with it -our Lord is occupied in His marvellous discourse on the mount of -Olives. To suppose for a moment that the persons here addressed were -on Christian ground would involve the abandonment of all true thoughts -of what Christianity is, and the ignoring of a company whose existence -is recognized throughout the Psalms, the Prophets, and various parts -of the New Testament. There was, and there always is, "a remnant -according to the election of grace." To quote the passages which -present the history, the sorrows, the experiences, and the exercises -of that remnant would demand a volume, and hence we shall not attempt -it; but we are extremely desirous that the reader should seize the -thought that this godly remnant is represented by the handful of -disciples which gathered round our Lord on the mount of Olives. We -feel persuaded that if this be not seen, the true scope, bearing, and -application of this remarkable discourse must be lost. - -"And Jesus went out and departed from the temple; and his disciples -came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus -said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you -there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be -thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives the disciples came -unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and -what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" (or -age, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~})? - -The disciples were, naturally, occupied with earthly and Jewish -objects and expectations--the temple and its surroundings. This must -be borne in mind if we would understand their question and our Lord's -reply. As yet they had no thought beyond the earthly side of things. -They looked for the setting up of the kingdom, the glory of the -Messiah, the accomplishment of the promises made to the fathers. They -had not yet fully taken in the solemn and momentous fact that the -Messiah was to be "cut off and have nothing" (Dan. ix. 26). True, the -blessed Master had, from time to time, sought to prepare their minds -for that solemn event. He had faithfully warned them in reference to -the dark shadows that were to gather round His path. He had told them -that the Son of Man should be delivered to the Gentiles to be mocked -and scourged and crucified. - -But they understood Him not. Such sayings seemed dark, hard, and -incomprehensible; and their hearts still fondly clung to the hope of -national restoration and blessing. They longed to see the star of -Jacob in the ascendant. Their minds were full of expectancy as to the -restoration of the kingdom to Israel. As yet they knew nothing--how -could they?--of that which was to spring out of the rejection and -death of the Messiah. The Lord had no doubt spoken of building an -assembly; but as to the position and privileges of that assembly, its -calling, its standing, its hopes, they knew absolutely nothing. The -thought of a body composed of Jew and Gentile, united by the Holy -Ghost to a living and glorified Head in the heavens, had never -entered--how could it have entered?--their minds. The middle wall of -partition was still standing; and one of their number--the very -foremost amongst them--had, long after, to be taught, with much -difficulty, to take in the idea of even admitting the Gentiles into -the kingdom. - -All this, we repeat, must be taken into account, if we would read -aright our Lord's reply to the inquiry as to His coming and the end of -the age. There is not a single syllable about the church, as such, -from beginning to end of that reply. Up to verse 14, He passes on to -the end, giving a rapid survey of the events which should transpire -amongst the nations. "Take heed," He says, "that no man deceive you. -For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive -many. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars: see that ye be -not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is -not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against -kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, -in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall -they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall -be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be -offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. -And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because -iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that -shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of -the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all -nations: and then shall the end come." - -Here then we have a most comprehensive sketch of the entire period -from the moment in which our Lord was speaking, down to the time of -the end. But the reader will need to bear in mind that there is an -unnoticed interval--a parenthesis, a break--in this period, during -which the great mystery of the church is unfolded. - -This interval or break is entirely passed over in this discourse, -inasmuch as the time had not arrived for its development. It was as -yet "hid in God," and could not be unfolded until the Messiah was -finally rejected and cut off from the earth and received up into -glory. The entire of this discourse would have its full and perfect -accomplishment, although such a thing as the church had never been -heard of. For, let it never be forgotten, the church forms no part of -the ways of God with Israel and the earth. And as to the allusion, in -verse 14, to the preaching of the gospel, we are not to suppose that -it is at all the same thing as "The glorious gospel of the grace of -God," as preached by Paul. It is styled, "This gospel of the kingdom;" -and, moreover, it is to be preached, not for the purpose of gathering -the church, but "as a witness to all nations." We must not confound -things which God, in His infinite wisdom, has made to differ. The -church must not be confounded with the kingdom: nor yet the gospel of -the grace of God with the gospel of the kingdom. The two things are -perfectly distinct; and, if we confound them, we shall understand -neither the one nor the other. And, further, we would desire to press -upon the reader the absolute necessity of seeing the break, -parenthesis, or unnoticed interval in which the great mystery of the -church is inserted. If this be not clearly seen, Matt. xxiv. cannot be -understood. - -But we must proceed with our Lord's discourse. - -At verse 15, He seems to call His hearers back a little, as it were, -to something very specific--something with which a Jewish believer -would be familiar from the fact of Daniel's allusion to it. "When ye, -therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by -Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him -understand): then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. -Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of -his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take -his clothes.... But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, -neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such -as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever -shall be." - -All this is most definite. The quotation from Daniel xii. fixes the -application beyond all question. It proves that the reference is not -to the siege of Jerusalem, under Titus; for we read in Daniel xii. -that, "At that time thy people shall be delivered;" and, most clearly, -they were not delivered in the days of Titus. No; the reference is to -the time of the end. The scene is laid at Jerusalem. The persons -addressed and contemplated are Jewish believers--the pious remnant of -Israel, in the great tribulation, after the church has left the scene. -How can any imagine that the persons here instructed are viewed as on -church ground? What force would there be to such in the allusion to -the winter or the Sabbath day? - -Then, again, "If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or -there, believe it not.... If they shall say unto you, Behold he is in -the desert, go not forth: Behold he is in the secret chambers, -believe it not." What possible application could such words have to -persons who are instructed to wait for God's Son from heaven, and who -know that ere He returns to this earth they shall have met Him in the -clouds and returned with Him to the Father's house? Could any -Christian, instructed in his proper hope, be deceived by persons -saying that Christ is here or there, in the desert or in the secret -chambers? Impossible. Such a one is looking out for the Bridegroom to -come from heaven; and he knows that it is wholly out of the question -that Christ can appear on this earth without bringing all His people -with Him. - -Thus, the simple truth settles everything; and all we want is to be -simple in taking it in. The simplest Christian knows full well that -his Lord will not appear to him like a flash of lightning, but as the -bright and morning Star, and hence he understands that Matt. xxiv. -cannot apply to the church, though most surely the church can study it -with interest and profit, as it can all the other prophetic -Scriptures; and, we may add, the interest will be all the more -intense, and the profit all the deeper, in proportion as we see the -true application of such Scriptures. - -Limited space forbids our entering as fully as we could wish into the -remaining portion of this marvellous discourse; but the more closely -each sentence is examined, the more fully each circumstance is -weighed, the more clearly we must see that the persons addressed are -not on proper Christian ground. The entire scene is earthly and -Jewish, not heavenly and Christian. There is ample instruction -supplied for those who shall find themselves, by-and-by, in the -position here contemplated; and nothing can be clearer than that the -entire paragraph, from verse 15-42, refers to the period which shall -elapse between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of the Son -of Man. - -Some may perhaps feel a difficulty in understanding verse 34: "This -generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." But we -must remember that the word "generation" is constantly used in -Scripture in a moral sense. It is not to be confined to a certain -number of persons actually living at the time, but takes in the -_race_. In the passage before us it simply applies to the Jewish race; -but the wording is such as to leave the question of time entirely -open, so that the heart might ever be kept in readiness for the Lord's -coming. There is nothing in Scripture to interfere with the constant -expectation of that grand event. On the contrary, every parable, every -figure, every allusion is so worded as to warrant each one to look for -the Lord's return in his own lifetime, and yet to leave margin for the -elongation of the time according to the long-suffering grace of a -Saviour God. - - -CHRISTENDOM - -What varied thoughts and feelings are awakened in the soul by the very -sound of the word "Christendom!" It is a terrible word. It brings -before us, at once, that vast mass of baptized profession which calls -itself the church of God, but is not; which calls itself Christianity, -but is not. Christendom is dark and a dreadful anomaly. It is neither -one thing nor the other. It is not "the Jew or the Gentile, or the -church of God." It is a corrupt mysterious mixture, a spiritual -malformation, the masterpiece of Satan, the corrupter of the truth of -God, and the destroyer of the souls of men, a trap, a snare, a -stumbling-block, the darkest moral blot in the universe of God. It is -the corruption of the very best thing, and therefore the very worst of -corruptions. It is that thing which Satan has made of professing -Christianity. It is worse, by far, than Judaism; worse by far than all -the darkest forms of Paganism, because it has higher light and richer -privileges, makes the very highest profession, and occupies the very -loftiest platform. Finally, it is that awful apostasy for which is -reserved the very heaviest judgments or God--the most bitter dregs in -the cup of His righteous wrath. - -True it is, blessed be God, there are a few names even in Chistendom -who, through grace, have not denied their garments. There are some -brilliant embers amid the smouldering ashes--precious stones amid the -terrible _debris_. But as to the mass of Christian profession to which -the term Christendom applies, nothing can be more appalling, whether -we think of its present condition or its future destiny. We doubt if -Christians generally have anything like an adequate sense of the true -character and inevitable doom of that which surrounds them. If they -had it would solemnize their minds, and cause them to feel the urgent -need of standing apart, in holy separation, from Christendom's ways, -and distinct testimony against its spirit and principles. - -But let us turn again to our Lord's profound discourse on the mount of -Olives, in which, as we have already observed, He deals with the -subject of the Christian profession. This He does in three distinct -parables, namely, the household servant; the ten virgins; and the -talents. In each and all we have the two things noticed above, the -genuine and the spurious; the true and the false; the bright and the -dark; that which is of Christ, and that which is of Satan; that which -belongs to heaven and that which emanates from hell. - -We shall glance at the three parables which embody, in their brief -compass, a vast mine of most solemn and practical instruction. - -Turn to Matt. xxiv. 45-47. "Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, -whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in -due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh -shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him -ruler over all his goods." - -Here, then, we have at once the source and object of all ministry in -the house of God. "Whom _his lord_ hath made ruler." This is the -source. "To give them meat in due season." This is the object. - -These things are of the very highest possible moment, and they are -worthy of the reader's most profound thought. All ministry in the -house of God, whether in old or New Testament times, is of divine -appointment. There is no such thing recognized in Scripture as human -authority in appointing to the ministry. Neither is there such a thing -as a self-constituted ministry. None but God can make or appoint a -minister of any sort or description. Thus, in Old Testament times, -Jehovah appointed Aaron and his sons to the priesthood; and if a -stranger presumed to meddle with the functions of the holy office, he -was to be put to death. Even the king himself dared not touch the -priestly censer, for we are told of Uzziah, king of Judah, that, "When -he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; for he -transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the -Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest -went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that -were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto -him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the -Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to -burn incense; go out of the sanctuary: for thou hast trespassed: -neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God.... _And Uzziah -the king was a leper unto the day of his death_" (2 Chron. xxvi.). - -Such was the solemn result--the awful consequence of man's daring -intrusion upon that which was wholly of divine appointment. Has this -no voice for Christendom? Assuredly it has. It sounds a warning note -in our ears. It tells the professing church, in accents not to be -mistaken, to beware of human intrusion upon a domain which belongs -only to God. "Every high priest taken from among men is ordained _for_ -[not _by_] men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both -gifts and sacrifices for sins.... And _no man taketh this honor unto -himself_, but he that is called [not of men but] of God, as was -Aaron." - -Nor was this principle of divine appointment confined to the high and -holy office of the tabernacle. No man dare put his hand to the most -insignificant part of that sacred structure unless by Jehovah's direct -authority. "The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See _I have called_ by -name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah." -Nor could Bezaleel choose his companions in labor, or appoint whom he -would to the work, any more than he could choose or appoint himself. -No; this, too, was divine. "And I," says Jehovah, "behold _I have -given_ with him Aholiab." Thus Aholiab, as well as Bezaleel, held his -commission immediately from Jehovah Himself, the only true source of -all ministerial authority. - -Nor was it otherwise in the case of the prophetic office and ministry. -God alone could make, and fit, and send a prophet. Alas! there were -those of whom Jehovah had to say, "I have not sent them, yet they -ran." They were unhallowed intruders upon the domain of prophecy, just -as there were upon the office of the priesthood; but all such brought -down upon themselves the judgment of God. - -And, may we not ask, Is this great principle changed now? Has ministry -been shifted from its ancient base? Has the living stream been -diverted from its divine source? Is it true that this more precious -and glorious institution has been shorn of its lofty dignities? Can it -be possible that, under the times of the New Testament, ministry has -been cast down from its divine excellency? Has it become a mere human -appointment? Can man appoint his fellow, or appoint himself to any one -branch of ministry in the house of God? - -What answer is to be returned to these questions? No doubtful one, -thank God; but a distinct and emphatic _No!_ Ministry was, is, and -ever shall be, divine; divine in its source; divine in its nature; -divine in its every feature and principle. "There are diversities of -gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of -administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of -operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Cor. -xii. 4-6). "But now hath _God_ set the members every one of them in -the body _as it hath pleased him_." "And _God_ hath set some in the -church; first, apostles; secondarily prophets; thirdly, teachers; -after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments, -diversities of tongues" (verses 18, 28). "But unto every one of us is -given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore -he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and -gave gifts unto men.... And he gave some, apostles; and some, -prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for -the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the -edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the -faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, -unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. iv. -7-13). - -Here lies the grand source of all ministry in the church of God, from -first to last--from the foundation laid in grace, to the topstone, in -glory. It is divine and heavenly, not human or earthly. It is not of -man or by man, but of Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised Him -from the dead, and in the power of the Holy Ghost (see Gal. i.). There -is no such thing recognized in Scripture as human authority in any one -branch of ministry in the church. If it be a question of gift, it is -emphatically stated to be "the gift of Christ." If it be a question of -assigned position, we are, with equal clearness and emphasis, told -that "God hath set the members." If it be a question of local charge, -whether elder or deacon, it was entirely of divine appointment, by -apostolic hands or apostolic delegates. - -All this is so clear, so distinct, so palpable, on the very surface of -Scripture, that it is only necessary to say, "How readest thou?" And -the more we penetrate beneath the surface--the more we are conducted -by the Eternal Spirit into the profound and precious depths of -inspiration--the more thoroughly convinced we shall be that ministry, -in its every department and every branch, is divine in its source, -nature, and principles. The truth of this shines out in full-orbed -brightness, in the Epistles; but we have the germ of it in the words -of our Lord in Matt. xxv. 45, "Whom his lord hath made ruler over his -household." The household belongs to the Lord, and He alone can -appoint the servants, and this He does according to His own sovereign -will. - -Equally plain is the object of ministry, as stated in this parable, -and elaborated in the Epistles. "To give them meat in due season." -"For the edifying of the body of Christ"--"that the church may receive -edifying." It is this that lies near the loving heart of Jesus. He -would have His household perfected--His church edified--His body -nourished and cherished. For this end, He bestows gifts, and maintains -them in the church, and will maintain them until they shall be no -longer needed. - -But alas! alas! there is a dark side of the picture. For this we must -be prepared since we have the picture of Christendom before us. If -there is a "faithful, wise, and blessed servant," there is also "an -evil servant" who "says in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming." -Mark this. It is in _the heart_ of the wicked servant that the thought -originates as to the delay of the coming. - -And what is the result? "He shall begin to smite his fellow servants, -and to eat and drink with the drunken." How awfully this has been -exemplified in the history of Christendom, we need not say. Instead of -true ministry flowing from the risen and glorified Head in the -heavens, and promoting the edification of the body, the blessing of -souls, and the prosperity of the household, we have a false clerical -authority, arbitrary rule, a lording it over God's heritage, a -grasping after this world's wealth and power, fleshly ease, -self-indulgence, and personal aggrandizement, priestly domination in -its nameless and numberless forms and practical consequences. - -The reader will do well to apply his heart to the understanding of -these things. He will need to seize, with clearness and power, the -distinction between clericalism and ministry. The one is a thoroughly -human assumption; the other, a purely divine institution. The former -has its source in man's evil heart; the latter has its source in a -risen and exulted Saviour, who, being raised from the dead, received -gifts for men, and sheds them forth upon His church, according to His -own will. That is a positive scourge and curse; this, a divine -blessing to men. In fine, this in its root-principle, flows from -heaven and leads back thither; that in its root-principle flows from -hell and leads thither again. - -All this is most solemn, and it should exert a mighty influence upon -our souls. There is a day coming when the Lord Christ will deal, in -summary justice, with that which man has dared to set up in His house. -We speak not of individuals--though surely it is a most serious and -terrible thing for any one to put his hand unto, or have aught to do -with, that on which such awful judgment is about to be executed--but -we speak of a positive system--a great principle which runs, in a deep -and dark current, through the length and breadth of the professing -church--we speak of clericalism and priestcraft, in all its forms and -in all its ramifications. - -Against this dreadful thing we solemnly warn our readers. No human -language can possibly depict the evil of it, nor can human language -adequately set forth the deep blessedness of all true ministry in the -church of God. The Lord Jesus not only bestows ministerial gifts, but, -in His marvellous grace, He will abundantly reward the faithful and -diligent exercise of those gifts. But as to that which man has set up, -we read its destiny in those burning words, "The lord of that servant -shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that -he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his -portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of -teeth." - -May the gracious Lord deliver His servants and His people from all -participation in this great wickedness which is perpetrated in the -very bosom of that which calls itself the church of God. And, on the -other hand, may He lead them to understand, to appreciate, and to -exercise that true, that precious, that divine ministry which emanates -from Himself, and is designed, in His infinite love, for the true -blessing and growth of that church which is so dear to His heart. We -are in danger, very great danger, while seeking (as we most surely -should) to keep clear of the evil of clericalism--of rushing into the -opposite extreme of despising ministry. - -This must be carefully guarded against. We have ever to bear in mind -that ministry in the church is of God. Its source is divine. Its -nature is heavenly and spiritual. Its object is the calling out, the -building up of the church of God. Our Lord Christ imparts the varied -gifts, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. He holds the great -reservoir of spiritual gifts. He has never given it up, and He never -will. Spite of all that Satan has wrought in the professing church; -spite of all the actings of "that evil servant;" spite of all man's -daring assumption of authority which in no wise belongs to him; spite -of all these things, our risen and glorified Lord "hath the seven -stars." He possesses all ministerial gift, power, and authority. It is -He alone who can make any one a minister. Unless He impart a gift -there can be no true ministry. There may be hollow assumption--guilty -usurpation--empty affectation--worthless talking; but not one atom of -true, loving, divine ministry can there be unless where our sovereign -Lord is pleased to bestow the gift. And even where He does bestow the -gift that gift must be "stirred up," and diligently cultivated, else -"the profiting" will not "appear unto all." The gift must be exercised -in the power of the Holy Ghost, else it will not promote the divinely -appointed end. - -But we are rather anticipating what is yet to come before us in the -parable of the talents, so we shall close here by simply reminding the -reader that the weighty subject on which we have been dwelling has -direct reference to the coming of our Lord, inasmuch as all true -ministry is carried on in view of that great and glorious event. And -not only so, but the counterfeit, the corrupt, the evil thing will be -judicially dealt with when the Lord Christ shall appear in His glory. - - -THE TEN VIRGINS - -We now approach that solemn section of our Lord's discourse in which -He presents the kingdom of heaven under the similitude of "Ten -Virgins." The instruction contained in this most weighty and -interesting parable is of wider application than that of the servant -to which we have already referred, inasmuch as it takes in the whole -range of Christian profession, and is not confined to ministry either -within the house or outside. It bears directly and pointedly upon -Christian profession, whether true or false. - -"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which -took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." Some have -considered that this parable refers to the Jewish remnant; but it does -not seem that this idea is borne out, either by the context in which -this parable occurs or by the terms in which it is couched. - -As to the entire context, the more closely we examine it the more -clearly we shall see that the Jewish portion of the discourse ends -with chapter xxiv. 44. This is so distinct as not to admit of a -question. Equally distinct is the Christian portion, extending, as we -have seen, from chapter xxiv. 45 to chapter xxv. 30; while from xxv. -31 to the end, we have the Gentiles. Thus the order and fulness of -this marvellous discourse must strike any thoughtful reader. It -presents the Jew, the Christian, and the Gentile, each on his own -distinct ground, and according to his own distinctive principles. -There is no merging of one thing in another, no confounding of things -that differ. In a word, the order, the fulness, and the -comprehensiveness of this profound discourse are divine, and fill the -soul "with wonder, love, and praise." We rise from the study of it, as -a whole, with those words of the apostle upon our lips, "O, the depth -of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how -unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out." - -And then, when we examine the precise terms made use of by our Lord in -the parable of the ten virgins we must see that it applies not to Jews -but to Christian professors--it applies to us--it utters a voice, and -teaches a solemn lesson to the writer and the reader of these lines. - -Let us apply our hearts thereto. - -"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which -took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." - -Primitive Christianity was especially characterized by the fact here -indicated, namely, a going forth to meet a returning and an expected -bridegroom. The early Christians were led to detach themselves from -present things, and go forth, in the spirit of their minds, and in the -affections of their hearts, to meet the Saviour whom they loved, and -for whom they waited. It was not, of course, a question of going forth -from one place to another; it was not local, but moral, and spiritual. -It was the outgoing of the heart after a beloved Saviour whose return -was eagerly looked for day by day. - -It is impossible to read the epistles to the various churches and not -see that the hope of the Lord's sure and speedy return governed the -hearts of the Lord's dear people in early days. "They waited for the -Son from heaven." They knew He was to come and take them away, to be -with Himself forever; and the knowledge and power of this hope had the -effect of detaching their hearts from present things. Their bright, -heavenly hope caused them to sit loose to the things of earth. "They -looked for the Saviour." They believed that He might come at any -moment, and hence the concerns of this life were just to be taken up -and attended to for the moment--properly, thoroughly attended to, no -doubt--but only, as it were, on the very tip-toe of expectation. - -All this is conveyed to our hearts, briefly but clearly, by the -expression, "They went forth to meet the bridegroom." This could not -be intelligently applied to the Jewish remnant, inasmuch as they will -not go forth to meet their Messiah, but, on the contrary, they will -remain in their position and amid their circumstances until He come -and plant His foot on the mount of Olives. They will not look for the -Lord to come and take them away from this earth to be with Him in -heaven; but He will come to bring deliverance to them in their own -land, and make them happy there under His own peaceful and blessed -reign during the millennial age. - -But the call to Christians was to "go forth." They are supposed to be -always on the move; not settling down on the earth, but going out in -earnest and holy aspirations after that heavenly glory to which they -are called, and after the heavenly Bridegroom to whom they are -espoused, and for whose speedy advent they are taught to wait. - -Such is the true, the divine, the normal idea of the Christian's -attitude and state. And this lovely idea was marvellously realized and -practically carried out by the primitive Christians. But alas! alas! -we are reminded of the fact that we have to do with the spurious as -well as the true in Christendom. There are "tares" as well as "wheat" -in the kingdom of heaven; and thus we read of these ten virgins, that -"five of them were wise, and five were foolish." There are the true -and the false, the genuine and the counterfeit, the real and the -hollow, in professing Christianity. - -Yes, and this is to continue unto the time of the end, until the -Bridegroom come. The tares are not converted into wheat, nor are the -foolish virgins converted into wise ones. No, never. The tares will be -burnt and the foolish virgins shut out. So far from a gradual -improvement by the means now in operation--the preaching of the gospel -and the various beneficent agencies which are brought to bear upon the -world--we find, from all the parables, and from the teaching of the -entire New Testament, that the kingdom of heaven presents a most -deplorable admixture of evil; a corrupting process; a grievous -tampering with the work of God, on the part of the enemy; a positive -progress of evil in principle, in profession, and in practice. - -And all this goes on to the end. There are foolish virgins found when -the Bridegroom appears. Whence come they if all are to be converted -before the Lord comes? If all are to be brought to the knowledge of -the Lord by the means now in operation, then how comes it to pass that -when the Bridegroom comes, there are quite as many foolish as wise? - -But it will perhaps be said that this is but a parable, a figure. -Granted; but a figure of what? Not surely of a whole world converted. -To assert this would be to offer a grievous insult to the holy volume, -and to treat our Lord's solemn teaching in a manner in which we would -not dare to treat the teaching of a fellow mortal. - -No, reader, the parable of the ten virgins teaches, beyond all -question, that when the Bridegroom comes, there will be foolish -virgins on the scene, and, clearly, if there are foolish virgins, all -cannot have been previously converted. A child can understand this. We -cannot see how it is possible, in the face of even this one parable, -to maintain the theory of a world converted before the coming of the -Bridegroom. - -But let us look a little closely at these foolish virgins. Their -history is full of admonition for all Christian professors. It is very -brief, but awfully comprehensive. "They that were foolish took their -lamps, and took no oil with them." There is the outward profession, -but no inward reality--no spiritual life--no unction--no vital link -with the source of eternal life--no union with Christ. There is -nothing but the lamp of profession, and the dry wick of a nominal, -notional, head belief. - -This is peculiarly solemn. It bears down with tremendous weight upon -that vast mass of baptized profession which surrounds us, at the -present moment, in which there is so much of outward semblance, but so -little of inward reality. All profess to be Christians. The lamp of -profession may be seen in every hand; but ah! how few have the oil in -their vessels, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost -dwelling in their hearts. Without this, all is utterly worthless and -vain. There may be the vary highest profession; there may be a most -orthodox creed; one may be baptized; he may receive the Lord's -supper; be a regularly enrolled and duly recognized member of a -Christian community; be a Sunday-school teacher; an ordained minister -of religion; one may be all this, and not have one spark of divine -life, not one ray of heavenly light, not one link with the Christ of -God. - -Now there is something peculiarly awful in the thought of having just -enough religion to deceive the heart, deaden the conscience, and ruin -the soul--just enough religion to give a name to live while -dead--enough to leave one without Christ, without God, and without -hope in the world--enough to prop the soul up with a false confidence, -and fill it with a false peace, until the Bridegroom come, and then -the eyes are opened when it is too late. - -Thus it is with the foolish virgins. They seem to be very like the -wise ones. An ordinary observer might not be able to see any -difference, for the time being. They all set out together. All have -lamps. And, moreover, all turn aside to slumber and sleep, the wise as -well as the foolish. All rouse up at the midnight cry, and trim their -lamps. Thus far there is no apparent difference. The foolish virgins -light their lamps--the lamp of profession lighted up with the dry wick -of a lifeless, notional, nominal faith; alas! alas! a worthless--worse -than worthless--thing, a fatal soul-destroying delusion. - -But here the grand distinction--the broad line of demarcation--comes -out with awful, yea, with appalling clearness. "The foolish said unto -the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps _are going out_" (see -margin). This proves that their lamps had been lighted; for had they -not been lighted, they could not go out. But it was only a false, -flickering, transient light. It was not fed from a divine source. It -was the light of mere lip profession, fed by a head belief, lasting -just long enough to deceive themselves and others, and going out at -the very moment when they most needed it, leaving them in the dreadful -darkness of eternal night. - -"Our lamps are going out." Terrible discovery! "The Bridegroom is at -hand, and our lamps are going out. Our hollow profession is being made -manifest by the light of His coming. We thought we were all right. We -professed the same faith, had the same shaped lamp, the same kind of -wick; but alas! we now find to our unspeakable horror, that we have -been deceiving ourselves, that we lack the one thing needful, the -spirit of life in Christ, the unction from the Holy One, the living -link with the Bridegroom. Whatever shall we do? O ye wise virgins, -take pity upon us, and share with us your oil. Do, do, for mercy's -sake, give us a little, even one drop of that all-essential thing, -that we may not perish forever." - -Ah! it is all utterly vain. No one can give of his oil to another. -Each has just enough for himself. Moreover, it can only be had from -God Himself. A man can give _light_, but he cannot give _oil_. This -latter is the gift of God alone. "The wise answered, saying, Not so; -lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that -sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the -Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the -marriage; _and the door was shut_." It is of no use looking to -Christian friends to help us or prop us up. No use in flying hither -and thither for some one to lean upon--some holy man, or some eminent -teacher--no use building upon our church, or our creed, or our -sacraments. _We want oil._ We cannot do without it. Where are we to -get it? Not from man, not from the church, not from the saints, not -from the fathers. We must get it from God; and He, blessed be His -name, gives freely. "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus -Christ our Lord." - -But, mark, it is an individual thing. Each must have it for himself. -No man can believe, or get life for another. Each must have to do with -God for himself. The link which connects the soul with Christ is -intensely individual. There is no such thing as second-hand faith. A -man may teach us religion, or theology, or the letter of Scripture; -but he cannot give us oil; he cannot give us faith; he cannot give us -life. "It is the _gift_ of God." Precious little word, "gift." It is -like God. It is free as God's air; free as His sunlight; free as His -refreshing dew-drops. But, we repeat, and with solemn emphasis, each -one must get it for himself, and have it in himself. "None can by any -means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: that he -should still live forever and not see corruption. For the redemption -of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever" (Psalm xlix. 7-9). - -Reader, what sayest thou to these solemn realities? Art thou a wise or -a foolish virgin? Hast thou gotten life in a risen and glorified -Saviour. Art thou a mere professor of religion, content with the mere -ordinary dead routine of church-going, having just sufficient religion -to make thee respectable on earth, but not enough to link thee with -heaven? - -We earnestly beseech thee to think seriously of these things. Think of -them now. Think how unspeakably dreadful it will be to find thy lamp -of profession going out and leaving thee in obscure darkness--darkness -that may be felt--the outer darkness of an everlasting night. How -terrible to find the door shut behind that brilliant train which shall -go in to the marriage; but shut in thy face! How agonizing the cry, -"Lord, Lord, open unto us!" How withering, how crushing the response, -"I know you not." - -O, beloved friend, do give these weighty matters a place in thy heart -now, while yet the door is open, and while yet the day of grace is -lengthened out in God's marvellous long suffering. The moment is -rapidly approaching in the which the door of mercy shall be closed -against thee forever, when all hope shall be gone, and thy precious -soul be plunged in black and eternal despair. May God's spirit rouse -thee from thy fatal slumber, and give thee no rest until thou findest -it in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and at His blessed -feet in adoration and worship. - -We must now draw this paper to a close; but, ere doing so, we shall -just for a moment glance at the wise virgins. The great -distinguishing feature which, according to the teaching of this -parable, marks them off from the foolish virgins is that when starting -at the first they "took oil in their vessels with their lamps." In -other words, what distinguishes true believers from mere professors is -that the former have in their hearts the grace of God's Holy Spirit; -they have gotten the spirit of life in Christ Jesus; and the Holy -Ghost dwelling in them as the seal, the earnest, the unction, and the -witness. This grand and glorious fact characterizes now all true -believers in the Lord Jesus Christ--a stupendous, wondrous fact, most -surely--an immense and ineffable privilege, which should ever bow our -souls in holy adoration before our God and our Lord Jesus Christ, -whose accomplished redemption has procured for us this great blessing. - -But how sad to think that, notwithstanding this high and holy -privilege, we should have to read, as in the words of our parable, -"They all slumbered and slept!" All alike, wise as well as foolish, -fell asleep. The Bridegroom tarried, and all, without exception, lost -the freshness, fervor, and power of the hope of His coming, and fell -fast asleep. - -Such is the statement of our parable, and such is the solemn fact of -the history. The whole professing body fell asleep. "That blessed -hope" which shone so brightly on the horizon of the early Christians, -very speedily waned and faded away; and as we scan the page of church -history for eighteen centuries, from the Apostolic Fathers to the -opening of the current century, we look in vain for any intelligent -reference to the church's specific hope--the personal return of the -blessed Bridegroom. In fact, that hope was virtually lost to the -church; nay, more, it became almost a heresy to teach it. And even -now, in these last days, there are hundreds of thousands of professed -ministers of Christ who dare not preach or teach the coming of the -Lord as it is taught in Scripture. - -True it is, blessed be God, we notice a mighty change within the last -half century. There has been a great awakening. God is, by His Holy -Spirit, recalling His people to long-forgotten truths, and amongst the -rest, to the glorious truth of the coming of the Bridegroom. Many are -now seeing that the reason why the Bridegroom tarried was simply -because God was long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should -perish, but that all should come to repentance. Precious reason! - -But they are also seeing that, spite of this long-suffering, our Lord -is at hand. Christ is coming. The midnight cry has gone forth, -"Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." May millions -of voices re-echo the soul-stirring cry until it passes in its mighty -moral power, from pole to pole, and from the river to the ends of the -earth, rousing the whole church to wait, as one man, for the glorious -appearing of the blessed Bridegroom of our hearts. - -Brethren beloved in the Lord, awake! awake! Let every soul be roused. -Let us shake off the sloth and the slumber of worldly ease and -self-indulgence--let us rise above the withering influence of -religious formality and dull routine--let us fling aside the dogmas of -false theology, and go forth, in the spirit of our minds and in the -affections of our hearts, to meet our returning Bridegroom. May His -own solemn words come with fresh power to our souls, "Watch therefore, -for ye know neither the day nor the hour." May the language of our -hearts and our lives be, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." - - The dark stream of evil is flowing apace: - Awake, and be doing, ye children of grace, - Let's seek with compassion the souls that are lost, - Well knowing the price their redemption has cost. - While singing with rapture the Saviour's great love, - And waiting for Him to translate us above-- - "It may be to-morrow, or even to-night"-- - Let our loins be well girded, and lamps burning bright. - - -THE TALENTS - -It only remains for us now to consider that portion of our Lord's -discourse in which He again takes up the deeply solemn subject of -ministerial responsibility during the time of His absence. That this -stands closely connected with the hope of His coming is evident from -the fact that having summed up the parable of the ten virgins with -these most weighty words, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the -day nor the hour," He goes on to say, "For as a man travelling into a -far country, who called his servants, and delivered unto them his -goods." - -There is a material difference between the parable of the talents and -that of the servant in chapter xxiv. 45-51. In the latter, we have -ministry inside the house. In the former, on the other hand, we have -ministry abroad in the world. But in each we find the grand foundation -of all ministry, namely, the gift and authority of Christ. "He called -_His own_ servants, and delivered unto them _His_ goods." The servants -are His, and the goods are His. No one but the Lord Christ can put a -man into the ministry, as none but He can impart spiritual gift. It is -utterly impossible for any one to be a minister of Christ unless He -calls him and fits him for the work. This is so plain as not to admit -of a single question. A man may be a minister of religion; he may -preach the doctrines of the gospel, and teach theology; but a minister -of Christ he cannot possibly be unless Christ calls him to, and gifts -him for, the work. If it be a question of ministry inside the house, -it is "whom his lord hath made ruler over his house." And if it be a -question of ministry abroad in the world, we are told that "He called -his own servants and delivered unto them his goods." - -This great root-principle of ministry is powerfully embodied in these -words of one of the greatest ministers that ever lived, when he says, -"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, _who hath enabled me_, for that he -counted me faithful, _putting me into the ministry_" (1 Tim. i. 12). - -Thus it must be in every case, whatever be the measure, the character, -or the sphere of ministry. The Lord Christ alone can put any one into -the ministry, and enable him to fulfil it. If it be not this, it will -be either a man putting himself into the ministry, or his fellow man -doing it, both of which are alike opposed to the mind of God, and to -all the principles of the true ministry as taught in the word. If we -are to be guided by Scripture, we must see that all ministry in or out -of the house must be by divine appointment and divine ability. If it -be not thus, it is worse than worthless. A man may set himself up as a -minister, or he may be set up by his fellows; but it is all utterly -vain. It is not from heaven--it is not of God--it is not by Jesus -Christ; and, in the sequel, it will be made manifest and judged as a -most horrible and daring usurpation. - -It is of the very last importance that the Christian reader should -thoroughly seize this grand principle of ministry. It is as simple as -it is solemn. And, moreover, that it rests on a basis truly divine -cannot be questioned by any one who bows down--as every Christian -ought--with unqualified and absolute submission, to the authority of -the divine word. Let the reader take his Bible, and read carefully -every line therein which bears upon the subject of ministry. If he -turns to the parable of the house-steward, he will read, "Whom _his -lord_ hath made ruler." He does not make himself ruler; neither is he -appointed by his fellows. The appointment is divine. - -So, also, in the parable of the talents, the master calls his own -servants, and delivers unto them his goods. The call and the equipment -are divine. - -We have another aspect of the same truth in Luke xix. "A certain -nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, -_and to return_. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them -ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy _till I come_." The difference -between Luke and Matthew appears to be this: in the former, human -responsibility; in the latter, divine sovereignty is prominent. But in -both the great root-principle is distinctly maintained and -unanswerably established, namely, that all ministry is by divine -appointment. - -The same truth meets us in the Acts of the Apostles. When one was to -be appointed to fill the place of Judas, the appeal is made to -Jehovah, "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all, show whether of -these two _thou hast chosen_; that he may take part of this ministry -and apostleship." - -And even where it is a question of local charge, as of deacons, in -chapter vi., or of elders, in chapter xiv., it is by direct apostolic -appointment. In other words, it is divine. A man could not even -appoint himself to a deaconship, much less to an eldership. In the -case of the former, inasmuch as the deacons were to take charge of the -people's property, these latter were, in the grace and lovely moral -order of the Spirit, permitted to select men in whom they could -confide; but the appointment was divine, whether of deacons or elders. -Thus, whether it be a question of gift or of local charge, all rests -on a purely divine basis. This is _the_ all-important point. - -Again, if we turn to the Epistles, the same great truth shines in full -and undimmed lustre before us. Thus, at the opening of Romans xii., we -read, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that -is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to -think; but to think soberly, according as _God hath dealt to every man -the measure of faith_. For as we have many members in one body, and -all members have not the same office; so we being many, are one body -in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then _gifts_ -differing _according to the grace that is given us_," etc. In 1 Cor. -xii. we read, "_But now hath God set the members every one of them in -the body_ as it hath pleased him" (verse 18). And again, "_God hath -set some in the church_, first, apostles," etc. (verse 28). So also in -Ephesians iv., "But unto every one of us is given grace according to -the measure of _the gift of Christ_." - -All these Scriptures, and many more that might be quoted, go to -establish the truth which we are intensely anxious to impress upon -our readers, namely, that ministry in all its departments, is -divine--is of God--is from heaven--is by Jesus Christ. There is -positively no such thing in the New Testament as human authority to -minister in the church of God. Turn where we may, throughout its -sacred pages, and we find only the same blessed doctrine as is -contained in that one brief sentence in our parable, "He called his -own servants, and delivered unto them his goods." The whole New -Testament doctrine of ministry is embodied here; and we earnestly -entreat the Christian reader to let this doctrine take full possession -of his soul, and exert its full sway over his conduct, course and -character.[30] - - [30] We do not, by any means, restrict the application of the "talents" - to direct, specific, spiritual gifts. We believe the parable takes in - the wide range of Christian _service_: just as the parable of the ten - virgins takes in the wide range of Christian _profession_. - -But it may perhaps be asked, "Is there no adaptation of the vessel to -the ministerial gift deposited therein?" Unquestionably there is; and -this very adaptation is distinctly presented in the words of our -parable, "Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to -another one; to every man _according to his several ability_." - -This is a point of deepest interest, and it must never be lost sight -of. The Lord knows what use He means to make of a man. He knows the -character of gift which He purposes to deposit in the vessel, and He -shapes the vessel and moulds the man accordingly. We cannot doubt that -Paul was a vessel specially formed of God for the place he was -afterwards to fill, and the work he had to do. And so in every case. -If God designs a man to be a public speaker, He gives him lungs, He -gives him a voice, He gives him a physical constitution adapted to the -work which He designs him to do. The gift is from God; but there is -always the most distinct reference to the ability of the man. - -If this be lost sight of, our apprehension of the true character of -ministry will be very defective indeed. We must never forget the two -things, namely, the divine gift, and the human vessel in which the -gift is deposited. There is the sovereignty of God, and the -responsibility of man. How perfect and how beautiful are all the ways -of God! But alas! alas! man mars everything, and the touch of the -human finger only dims the lustre of divine workmanship. Still, let us -never forget that ministry is divine in its source, its nature, its -power, and its object. If the reader rises from this paper convinced -in heart and soul of this grand truth, we have so far gained our -object in penning it. - -But it is not improbable the question may be asked, "What has all this -subject of ministry to do with the Lord's coming?" Much every way. -Does not our blessed Lord introduce the subject again and again, in -His discourse on the mount of Olives? And is not this entire discourse -a reply to the question of the disciples, "What shall be the sign of -thy coming and the end of the age?" Is not His coming the great -prominent point of the discourse as a whole, and of each section of it -in particular? Unquestionably. - -And what, we may ask, is the next prominent theme? Is it not ministry? -Look at the parable of the servant made ruler over the household. How -is he to serve? In view of his Lord's return. The ministry links -itself on, as it were, to the departing and the return of the Master. -It stands between, and is to be characterized by, these two grand -events. And what is it that leads to failure in the ministry? Losing -sight of the Lord's return. The evil servant says in his heart, "My -Lord delayeth His coming," and, as a consequence, "he begins to smite -his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken." - -So also in the parable of the talents. The solemn and soul-stirring -word is "Occupy till I come." In short, we learn that ministry, -whether in the house of God or abroad in the world, is to be carried -on in full view of the Lord's return. "After a long time the lord of -those servants cometh and reckoneth with them." All the servants are -to keep continually before their minds the solemn fact that there is a -reckoning time coming. This will regulate their thoughts and feelings -in reference to every branch of their ministry. Hearken to the -following weighty words in which one servant seeks to animate another, -"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who -shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom: -preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, -exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come -when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts -shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they -shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto -fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work -of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready -to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought -a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. -Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the -Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me _at that day_; and not to me -only, _but unto all them also that love his appearing_" (2 Tim. iv. -1-8). - -Does not this touching and weighty passage show how intimately the -subject of ministry stands connected with the Lord's coming? The -blessed apostle--the most devoted, gifted, and effective workman that -ever wrought in the vineyard of Christ--the most skillful steward that -ever handled the mysteries of God--the wise master builder--the great -minister of the church and preacher of the gospel--the incomparable -servant--this rare and precious vessel carried on his work, fulfilled -his ministry, and discharged his holy responsibilities in full view of -"_that day_." He looked forward, and is still looking, to that solemn -and glorious occasion when the Righteous Judge shall place on his brow -"the crown of righteousness." And he adds, with such affecting -sweetness, "not to me only, but unto all them also that love his -appearing." - -This is peculiarly touching. There will be a crown of righteousness in -"that day," not merely for the gifted, laborious, and devoted Paul, -but for every one that loves the appearing of our Lord and Saviour -Jesus Christ. No doubt Paul shall have gems in his crown of peculiar -lustre; but, lest any one should think that the crown of righteousness -was only for Paul, he adds these lovely words, "unto all them also -that love his appearing." The Lord be praised for such words! May they -have the effect of stirring up our hearts, not only to love the -appearing of our Lord, but also to serve with more intense and -whole-hearted devotedness in view of that glorious day! That the two -things are very closely connected we may see in the sequel of the -parable of the talents. We can do little more than quote the words of -our Lord. - -When the servants had received the talents, we read, "Then he that had -received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them -other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also -gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the -earth and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those -servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received -five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou -deliveredst unto me five talents; behold I have gained besides them -five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and -faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will -make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. -He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou -deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other -talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and -faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will -make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy -lord." - -It is interesting and instructive to note the difference between the -parable of the talents as given in Matthew, and the parable of the ten -servants, in Luke xix. In the former, it is a question of divine -sovereignty; in the latter, of human responsibility. In that, each -receives a like sum; in this, one receives five, another two, -according to the master's will. Then, when the day of reckoning -comes, we find in Luke a definite reward according to the work; -whereas in Matthew, the word is, "I will make thee ruler over many -things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord." They are not told what -they are to have, or how many things they are to rule over. The master -is sovereign both in His gifts and rewards; and the crowning point of -all is, "Enter thou into the joy of thy lord." - -This, to a heart that loves the Lord, is beyond everything. True, -there will be the ten cities and the five cities. There will be ample, -distinct, and definite reward for responsibility discharged, service -rendered, and work done. All will be rewarded. But above and beyond -all, shines this precious word, "Enter thou into the joy of thy lord." -No reward can possibly come up to this. The sense of the love that -breathes in these words will lead each one to cast his "crown of -righteousness" at the feet of his Lord. The very crown which the -righteous Judge shall give, we shall willingly cast at the feet of a -loving Saviour and Lord. One smile from Him will touch the heart far -more deeply and powerfully than the brightest crown that could be -placed on the brow. - -But one word ere we close. Who would not work? Who hid his lord's -money? Who proved to be "a wicked and slothful servant?" The man who -did not know his master's heart--his master's character--his master's -love. "Then he which had received the one talent, came and said, Lord, -I know thee, [?] that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast -not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed; and I was afraid, -and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is -thine. His Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful -servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where -I have not strewed. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to -the exchangers, and then at my coming, I should have received mine own -with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him -which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, -and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be -taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable -servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of -teeth." - -How awfully solemn! How striking the contrast between the two -servants! One knows, and loves, and trusts, and serves his Lord. The -other belies, fears, distrusts, and does nothing. The one enters into -the joy of his lord, the other is cast out into outer darkness, into -the place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. How solemn! -How soul-subduing is all this! And when does it all come out? When the -Master returns! - - NOTE.--We may add, in connection with the foregoing remarks, - on ministry, that every Christian has his and her own - specific place and work to do. All are solemnly responsible - to the Lord to know their place and fill it, to know their - work and do it. This is a plain practical truth, and most - fully confirmed by the principle upon which we have been - insisting, namely, that all ministry and all work must be - received from the Master's hand, carried on under His eye, - and in full view of His coming. These things must never be - forgotten. - - -CONCLUDING REMARKS - -We must now draw this series of papers to a close; and it is with a -strong feeling of reluctance that we do so. The theme is intensely -interesting, deeply practical, and abundantly fruitful. Moreover, it -is very suggestive, and opens up an extensive field of vision for the -spiritual mind to range through with an interest that never flags, -because the subject is inexhaustible. - -However, we must, for the present at least, close our meditations on -this most marvellous line of truth; but ere doing so, we are anxious -to call the reader's attention, as briefly as possible, to one or two -things which have been barely hinted at in the progress of these -papers. We should not think of recalling them were it not that we deem -them not only interesting, but of real practical value in helping to a -clearer understanding of many branches of the great subject which has -been engaging our attention. - -And first, then, the reader who has travelled in company with us -through the various branches of our subject will remember a cursory -reference to what we ventured to call "an unnoticed -interval--break--or parenthesis" in the dealings of God with Israel -and with the earth. This is a point of the deepest interest; and we -hope to be able to show the reader that it is not some curious -question, a dark mysterious subject, or a favorite notion of some -special school of prophetic interpretation. Quite the contrary. We -consider it to be a point which throws a flood of light on very many -branches of our general subject. Such we have found it for ourselves, -and as such we desire to present it to our readers. Indeed we strongly -question if any one can rightly understand prophecy or his own true -position and bearings, who does not see the unnoticed interval or -break above referred to. - -But let us turn directly to the word, and open at chapter ix. of the -book of Daniel. - -The opening verses of this remarkable section show us the beloved -servant of God in profound exercise of soul in reference to the sad -condition of his much loved people Israel--a condition into which, -through the Spirit of Christ, he most thoroughly enters. Though not -having himself personally participated in these actings which had -brought ruin upon the nation, yet he identifies himself, most -completely, with the people, and makes their sins his own in -confession and self-judgment before his God. - -We cannot attempt to quote from Daniel's remarkable prayer and -confession on this occasion; but the subject which immediately -concerns us now is introduced in verse 20. - -"And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the -sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the -Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking -in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the -beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of -the evening oblation. And he informed me and talked with me, and said. -O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. -At the beginning of thy supplications the commandments came forth, and -I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore -understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are -determined [or portioned out] upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, -to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make -reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting -righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint -the Most Holy." - -Now we cannot, in our limited space, enter upon any elaborate argument -to prove that the "seventy weeks," in the above quotation, mean really -four hundred and ninety years. We assume this to be the fact. We -believe that Gabriel was commissioned to instruct the beloved prophet, -and to inform him of the fact that, from the going forth of the decree -to rebuild Jerusalem, a period of four hundred and ninety years was to -elapse, and that then Israel would be brought into blessing. - -This is as simple and definite as anything can be. We may assert, with -all possible confidence, that it is not so certain that the sun shall -rise, at the appointed moment, to-morrow morning, as that at the close -of the period above named by the angelic messenger, Daniel's people -shall be brought into blessing. It is as sure as the throne of God. -Nothing can hinder. Not all the powers of earth and hell combined -shall be allowed to stand in the way of the full and perfect -accomplishment of the word of God by the mouth of Gabriel. When the -last sand of the four hundred and ninetieth year shall have run out of -the glass, Israel shall enter upon the possession of all their -destined pre-eminence and glory. It is impossible to read Daniel ix. -24, and not see this. - -But, it may be, the reader feels disposed to ask--and ask, too, with -astonishment, "Have not the four hundred and ninety years expired long -ago?" We reply, Certainly not. Had they done so, Israel would be now -in their own land, under the blessed reign of their own loved Messiah. -Scripture cannot be broken; nor can we play fast and loose with its -statements, as though they might mean anything or everything, or -nothing at all. The word is precise. "Seventy weeks are portioned out -upon thy people." Neither more nor less than seventy weeks. If this be -taken to mean literal weeks, the passage has no sense or meaning -whatever. It would be an insult to our readers to occupy time in -combating such an absurdity as this. - -But if, as we are most thoroughly persuaded, Gabriel meant seventy -weeks of years, then have we a period most distinct and definite -before us--a period extending from the moment in which Cyrus issued -his decree to restore Jerusalem, to the moment of Israel's -restoration. - -Still, however, the reader may feel led to ask, "How can these things -be? It is very much more than four hundred and ninety years, four -times told, since the king of Persia issued his decree, and yet there -is no sign of Israel's restoration. There must surely be some other -mode of interpreting the seventy weeks." - -We can only repeat our statement, that the four hundred and ninety -years are not out yet. There has been a break--a parenthesis--a long -unnoticed interval. Let the reader look closely at Daniel ix. 25, 26; -"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the -commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the -Prince, shall be seven weeks [49 years] and threescore and two weeks -[434 years]; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in -troublous times;" or, as the margin reads it, "in strait of times," -that is, the street and the wall of Jerusalem were built in the -shorter of the two periods named, or in forty-nine years. "And after -threescore and two weeks [434 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem], -shall Messiah be cut off, and have nothing" (see margin). - -Here then we reach the marked, memorable, and solemn epoch. The -Messiah, instead of being received, is cut off. In place of ascending -the throne of David, He goes to the cross. Instead of entering upon -the possession of all the promises, He has nothing. His only -portion--so far as Israel and the earth were concerned--was the -cross, the vinegar, the spear, the borrowed grave. - -Messiah was rejected, cut off, and had nothing. What then? God -signified His sense of this act, by suspending for a time His -dispensational dealings with Israel. The course of time is -interrupted. There is a great gap. Four hundred and eighty-three years -are fulfilled; seven yet remain--a cancelled week, and all the time -since the death of the Messiah has been an unnoticed interval--a break -or parenthesis, during which Christ has been hidden in the heavens, -and the Holy Ghost has been working on earth in forming the body of -Christ, the church, the heavenly bride. When the last member shall -have been incorporated into this body, the Lord Himself shall come and -receive His people to Himself, to conduct them back to the Father's -house, there to be with Him in the ineffable communion of that blessed -home, while God will, by His governmental dealings, prepare Israel and -the earth for the introduction of the First-begotten into the world. - -Now as to this interval and all that was to occur therein, Gabriel -maintains a profound reserve. Whether he understood aught of it is not -the question. It is clear he was not commissioned to speak of it, -inasmuch as the time was not come for so doing. He passes, with -marvellous and mysterious abruptness, over ages and generations--steps -from headland to headland of the prophetic chart, and dismisses in a -short sentence or two, a lengthened period of nearly two thousand -years. The siege of Jerusalem by the Romans is thus briefly noticed, -"The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and -the sanctuary." Then, a period which has already lasted for eighteen -centuries is thus disposed of, "And the end thereof shall be with a -flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." - -Then, with intense rapidity, we are conducted on to the time of the -end, when the last of the seventy weeks, the last seven of the four -hundred and ninety years, shall be accomplished. "And he [the Prince] -shall confirm the covenant with many [of the Jews] _for one week_ -[seven years]; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the -sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of -abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, -and that determined shall be poured upon the desolator" (margin). - -Here then we reach the end of the four hundred and ninety years which -were determined or portioned out upon Daniel's people. To attempt to -interpret this period without seeing the break and the long unnoticed -interval, must of necessity plunge the mind in utter confusion. It -cannot possibly be done. Numberless theories have been started; -endless calculations and speculations have been attempted; but in -vain. The four hundred and ninety years are not accomplished yet; nor -will they have their accomplishment until the church has left this -scene altogether, and gone to be with her Lord in her bright heavenly -home. Revelation iv., v. show us the place which the heavenly saints -shall occupy during the last of Daniel's seventy weeks; while from -chapter vi.-xviii. we have the various actings of God in government, -preparing Israel and the earth for the bringing in of the -first-begotten in the world.[31] - - [31] It is, we are aware, a question among the expositors, whether the - events detailed in Revelation vi.-xviii. will occupy a whole week or - only a half. We do not here attempt to offer an opinion. Some consider - that the public ministry of John the Baptist and that of our Lord - occupied a week, or seven years, and that in consequence of Israel's - rejection of both, the week is cancelled, and remains yet to be - fulfilled. It is an interesting question; but it in no wise affects - the great principles which have been before us, or the interpretation - of the book of Revelation. We may add that the expressions "forty and - two months"--"twelve hundred and sixty days"--"time, times, and the - dividing of time" indicate the period of half a week, or three years - and a half. - -We are very anxious to make these matters clear to the reader. It has -greatly helped us in the understanding of prophecy, and cleared away -many difficulties. We feel thoroughly persuaded that no one can -understand the book of Daniel, or indeed the general scope of -prophecy, who does not see that the last of the seventy weeks remains -to be fulfilled. Not one jot or tittle of God's word can ever pass -away, and seeing He has declared that "seventy weeks were portioned -out upon Daniel's people," and that at the close of that period they -should be brought into blessing, it is plain that this period is not -yet expired. But unless we see the break, and the dropping of time, -consequent upon the rejection of the Messiah, we cannot possibly make -out the fulfilment of Daniel's seventy weeks, or four hundred and -ninety years. - -Another important fact for the reader to seize is this, the church -forms no part of the ways of God with Israel and the earth. The church -does not belong to time, but to eternity. She is not earthly, but -heavenly. She is called into existence during an unnoticed interval--a -break or parenthesis consequent upon the cutting off of the Messiah. -To speak after the manner of men, if Israel had received the Messiah, -then the seventy weeks or four hundred and ninety years would have -been fulfilled; but Israel rejected her King, and God has retired to -His place until they acknowledge their iniquity. He has suspended His -public dealings with Israel and the earth, though most surely -controlling all things by His providence, and keeping His eye upon the -seed of Abraham, ever beloved for the fathers' sake. - -Meanwhile He is calling out from Jews and Gentiles that body called -the church, to be the companion of His Son in heavenly glory--to be -thoroughly identified with Him in His present rejection from this -earth, and to wait in holy patience for His glorious advent. - -All this marks off the Christian's position in the most definite -manner possible. His portion and his prospects, too, are thus defined -with equal clearness. It is vain to look into the prophetic page in -order to find the church's position, her calling, or her hope. They -are not there. It is entirely out of place for the Christian to be -occupied with dates and historic events, as though he were in anywise -involved therein. No doubt, all these things have their proper place -and their value, and their interest, as connected with God's dealings -with Israel and with the earth. But the Christian must never lose -sight of the fact that he belongs to heaven, that he is inseparably -linked with an earth-rejected, heaven-accepted Christ--that his life -is hid with Christ in God--that it is his holy privilege to be looking -out, daily and hourly, for the coming of his Lord. There is nothing to -hinder the realization of that blissful hope at any moment. There is -but one thing that causes the delay, and that is, "the long-suffering -of our Lord, not willing that any should perish, but that all should -come to repentance"--precious words these for a lost and guilty world! -The salvation is _ready_ to be revealed; and God is _ready_ to judge. -There is nothing now to wait for but the gathering in of the last -elect one, and then--oh! most blessed thought--our own dear and loving -Saviour will come and receive us to Himself to be with Him where He -is, and to go no more out forever. - -Then when the church has gone to be with her Lord in the heavenly -home, God will resume His public actings with Israel. They will be -brought into great tribulation, during the week already referred to. -But at the close of that period of unexampled pressure and trial, -their long-rejected Messiah will appear for their relief and -deliverance. He will come forth as the rider on the white horse, -accompanied by the heavenly saints. He will execute summary judgment -upon His enemies, and take to Himself His great power and reign. The -kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of -His Christ. Satan shall be bound for a thousand years; and the whole -universe shall repose beneath the blissful and benignant rule of the -Prince of peace. - -Finally, at the close of the thousand years, Satan shall be loosed, -and permitted to make one more desperate effort--an effort issuing in -his eternal defeat and consignment to the lake of fire, there to be -tormented with the beast and the false prophet throughout the -everlasting ages. - -Then follows the resurrection and judgment of the wicked dead, and -their consignment to the lake that burneth with fire and -brimstone--tremendous and appalling thought! No heart can -conceive--no tongue can tell--the horrors of that lake of fire. - -But hardly is there a moment to dwell upon the dark and awful picture, -ere the unutterable glories of the new heavens and the new earth burst -upon the vision of the soul; the holy city is seen descending from -heaven, and these seraphic sounds fall upon the ear, "Behold, the -tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they -shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their -God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there -shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall -there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he -that sat upon the throne, said, Behold I make all things new." - -O beloved Christian reader, what scenes are before us! What grand -realities! What brilliant moral glories! May we live in the light and -power of these things! May we cherish that blessed hope of seeing the -One who loved us and gave Himself for us--who would not enjoy His -glory alone, but endured the wrath of God in order that He might link -us with Himself, and share with us all His love and glory for ever. -Oh! to live for Christ and wait for His appearing! - - High in the Father's house above - My mansion is prepared; - There is the home, the rest I love, - And there my bright reward. - - With Him I love, in spotless white, - In glory I shall shine; - His blissful presence my delight, - His love and glory mine. - - All taint of sin shall be removed, - All evil done away; - And I shall dwell with God's Beloved, - Through God's eternal day. - - - - -A FEW THOUGHTS - -ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLDING - -PRE-MILLENNIAL DOCTRINE - -AND - -WAITING FOR THE SON - -Rev. i. 5-7 - - -In a day like the present, when knowledge on every question is so -widely diffused, it is most needful to press upon the conscience of -the Christian reader the vast distinction between merely holding the -_doctrine_ of the Lord's second coming and actually waiting for His -appearing (1 Thess. i. 10). Many, alas! hold and, it may be, -eloquently preach, the doctrine of a second advent who really do not -know _the Person_ whose advent they profess to believe and preach. -This evil must be faithfully pointed out and dealt with. The present -is an age of knowledge--of religious knowledge; but oh! my reader, -knowledge is not life, knowledge is not power--knowledge will not -deliver from sin, or Satan, from the world, from death, from hell. -Knowledge, I mean, short of the knowledge of God in Christ. One may -know a great deal of Scripture, a great deal of prophecy, a great deal -of doctrine, and, all the while, be dead in trespasses and sins. - -There is, however, one kind of knowledge which necessarily involves -eternal life, and that is the knowledge of God, as He is revealed in -the face of Jesus Christ. "This is life eternal, to know thee the -only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John xvii. 3). -Now, it is impossible to be living in the daily and hourly expectation -of "the coming of the Son of Man," if the Son of Man be not -experimentally known. I may take up the prophetic record, and by mere -study, and the exercise of my intellectual faculties, discover the -doctrine of the Lord's second coming, and yet be totally ignorant of -Christ, and living a life of entire alienation of heart from Him. How -often has this been the case! How many have astonished us with their -vast fund of prophetic knowledge--a fund acquired, it may be, by years -of laborious research, and yet, in the end, proved themselves to have -been displaying unhallowed light--light not acquired by prayerful -waiting upon God! Surely the thought of this should deeply affect our -hearts and solemnize our minds, and lead us to inquire whether or not -we know the blessed Person who, again and again, announces Himself as -about to "come quickly;" else, if we know Him not, we may find -ourselves of the number of those addressed by the prophet in the -following startling words:--"Woe unto you that desire the day of the -Lord! to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and -not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or -went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit -him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light? even -very dark and no brightness in it?" (Amos v. 18-20). - -The second chapter of Matthew furnishes us with a very striking -illustration of the difference between mere prophetic knowledge and -the knowledge of Christ--between the exercise of the intellect on the -letter of Scripture, and the drawings of the Father to the Person of -Christ. The wise men, manifestly led by the finger of God, were in -true and earnest search of Christ, and they found Him. As to -Scriptural knowledge, they could not, for a moment, have competed with -the chief priests and scribes; yet what did the Scriptural knowledge -of the latter do for them? Why, it rendered them efficient instruments -for Herod, who called them together for the purpose of making use of -their Biblical knowledge in his deadly opposition to God's Anointed. -They were able to give him chapter and verse, as we say. But, my -reader, while they were assisting Herod by their knowledge, the wise -men were, by the drawings of the Father, making their way to Jesus. -Blessed contrast! How much happier to be a worshipper at the feet of -Jesus, though with slender knowledge, than to be a learned scribe, -with a heart cold, dead, and distant from that blessed One! How much -better to have the heart full of lively affection for Christ than to -have the intellect stored with the most accurate knowledge of the -letter of Scripture! What is the melancholy characteristic of the -present time? A wide diffusion of Scriptural knowledge with little -love for Christ, and little devotedness to His work; abundant -readiness to quote Scripture, like the scribes and chief priests, but -little purpose of heart, like the wise men, to open the treasures and -present to Christ the willing offerings of a heart filled by the sense -of what He is. What we want is personal devotedness, and not the mere -empty display of knowledge. It is not that we would undervalue -Scriptural knowledge; God forbid, if that knowledge be found in -connection with genuine discipleship. But if it be not, I ask, of what -value is it? None whatever. The most extensive range of knowledge, if -Christ be not its centre, will avail just nothing; yea, it will, in -all probability, render us more efficient instruments in Satan's hand -for the furthering of his purposes of hostility to Christ. An ignorant -man can do but little mischief; but a learned man, without Christ, can -do a great deal. - -The verses which stand at the head of this paper present to us the -divine basis on which to found all Scriptural knowledge, more -especially prophetic knowledge. Before any one can utter his hearty -amen to the announcement, "Behold he cometh with clouds," he must, -without any question, be able to join in the blessed burst of praise, -"To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." -The believer knows the One who is coming, because He has loved him, -and washed him from his sins. The believer expects the everlasting -Lover of his soul. The meek and lowly One who served, suffered, and -was emptied down here, will speedily come in the clouds of heaven, -with power and great glory, and _all_ who know Him will welcome Him -with glad hosannahs--they will be able to say, "This is the Lord, _we -have waited for_ him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation." -But, alas! there are, it is to be feared, very many who hold and argue -about the Lord's coming who are not waiting for Him at all, who are -living for themselves in the world, and "mind earthly things." How -terrible to be found talking about the Lord's coming, and yet, when He -does come, _to be left behind_! Oh! my beloved reader, think of this; -and if you are really conscious that you know not the Lord, then let -me entreat of you to behold Him shedding His precious blood to wash -you from your sins, and learn to confide in Him, to lean upon Him, to -rejoice in Him, and IN HIM ALONE. - -But if you can look up to heaven, and say, "Thank God, I do know Him, -and I am waiting for Him," then let me remind you of what the apostle -John says, as to the practical result of this blessed hope. "Every man -that hath this hope _in him_, purifieth himself, even as _he_ is -pure." Yes, this must ever be the result of waiting for the Son from -heaven; but not at all so of the mere prophetic doctrine. Many of the -most impure, profane and ungodly characters, that have made their -appearance in the world, have held, in theory, the second advent of -Christ; but they were not _waiting for the Son_, and therefore they -did not, and could not purify themselves. It is impossible that any -one can be waiting for Christ's appearing, and not make efforts after -increased holiness, separation, and devotedness of heart: "Behold, I -come quickly; blessed is he that watcheth." Those who know the Lord -Jesus Christ, and love His appearing, will daily seek to shake off -everything contrary to their Master's mind; they will seek to become -more and more conformed to Him in all things. Men may hold the -doctrine of the Lord's coming, and yet grasp the world and the things -thereof with great eagerness; but the true-hearted servant will ever -keep his eye steadily fixed on his Master's return, remembering His -blessed words, "I will come again and receive you unto myself, that -where I am, there ye may be also" (John xiv. 3). - - What a day will that be when the Saviour appears! - How welcome to those who have shared in His cross! - A crown incorruptible then will be theirs-- - A rich compensation for suffering and loss. - - C. H. M. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lord's Coming, by -C. H. (Charles Henry) Mackintosh - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LORD'S COMING *** - -***** This file should be named 40556.txt or 40556.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/5/40556/ - -Produced by Julio Reis, Moises S. 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